Syrian government forces and their Russian allies are battling to hold back the offensive, with Russia launching airstrikes on Aleppo and the western city of Idlib on Sunday as Syrian government forces regroup, according to monitoring group The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Assad’s regime seemingly came out of nowhere, and as Aleppo fell to Turkish-backed rebels in a matter of days, the Syrian president reportedly flew to Moscow.

Opposition 'took a look at three actors who had been pummeling them for years: Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah. They had seen them weaker and more exposed than before,' says National Security Adviser Sull