Both Iraq under saddam Hussein and Syria under bashar al-assad shared dictators violet repression of opposition. Option A is correct.
This resulted in wars in the two countries and the Syrian conflict is still ongoing, unlike the Iraq one which culminated when Saddam was arrested. The conflict in Iraq remains, but is more local instead of an international conflict.
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was President of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.
Bashar Hafez al-Assad is a Syrian politician who has been the President of Syria since 17 July 2000.