Will the Syrian regime finally take back the city of Aleppo? Major battle underway in the city. AFP.

Syrian troops on patrol in Aleppo province. Yahoo/AFP.

Syrian forces, along with their Iranian, Hezbollah and Russian allies are gearing up for a major battle to take back Syria's second city of Aleppo. AFP. With Russian air support, the regime has launched attacks in four different provinces including Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia. The Russian airstrikes have been focusing on al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, along with their rebel allies. Three of al-Nusra's leaders were killed recently in an airstrike while fighting in Aleppo province. Right now the battle for Aleppo is largely taking place in the surrounding small villages to the south of the city, where the Syrian regime has taken control of at least five villages and several strategic hills. Reports claim that at least 17 rebels and 8 regime soldiers have died and thousands of civilians have been displaced. Syrian troops are also moving closer to a major airbase in the area, which if captured could be used as a forward base for the Russians. The Russians have been sending dozens of airstrikes in the area, as well as in the other provinces under attack. 

My Comment:

Aleppo has been a major battlefield for the entire war and it seems like the final battle for it is coming soon. Though the regime has held parts of the city for a long time, if they were able to take the rest of it back it would be a huge defeat for the rebels. Aleppo is more then just a huge economic and strategic city, it's also a symbol of resistance for the rebels. Once it is crushed I have the feeling that the rebels will lose the will to fight, at least in that part of the country. 

And it will be crushed. Why? In the past, the regime has tried to take back the city and has always failed. What has changed? Well for one the Russians are helping out and the Iranians are contributing quite a few troops. That will help the regime troops fight and will help their morale problems. But I don't think that's the only reason. 

What the article failed to mention is that ISIS is steadily advancing on the city as well. The rebels are going to be struck between the superior firepower of Russia and the overwhelming depravity of ISIS. In short, the rebels and their al-Nusra allies are in a terrible situation. I think one faction or the other is likely to take the city or at least drive the rebels out. 

I think that the faction is likely to be the Syrians. Their offensive seems to have more momentum this time. The Russian and Iranian support is really giving them some backbone. Sure the TOW missiles that the rebels are getting are slowing progress, but that advantage is being countered by Russian airstrikes. And those TOW missiles are not going to be nearly as useful once the Syrians get into the city proper.

So what is the battle for Aleppo going to look like? Pretty much the same as it has looked for the past couple of years. Brutal house to house fighting. Barrel bombs and airstrikes in civilian areas. General brutality and widespread destruction. The only difference now is that I expect the Syrians to take and hold territory much more effectively. It won't be an easy battle, that's for sure and I wouldn't be surprised if the offensive gets bogged down over time. 

It's more clear then ever that the Russians have had a massive impact on the war. Just a few months ago it seemed like the regime was on the verge of disintegrating completely. Far from conducting successful offensive operations, the Syrian military was on the defensive and was well on its way to being a broken force. The western coastal area, the last major area held by the regime other then a few outposts in the east and some of the south of the country, was under threat from al-Nusra and ISIS. Flash forward to now and the regime is attacking again and taking back territory. Though the war is far from over, it now seems like the regime will likely survive in some form or the other. 

I also think that the Syrian rebels in the Aleppo area are likely to die out. With both the regime and ISIS gunning for them I don't see how they survive. Sure they have al-Nusra to back them up, but I don't think they can stand between ISIS and the regime coming for them. I'm not going to be upset though. The rebels lost any chance at being sympathetic when they through there lot in with al-Nusra. As far as I care, their lives were forfeit the second they decided to work with al-Qaeda...