Aleppo: Beginning of the end of Syria’s war?
Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on the verge of capturing the key city of Aleppo, but at a heavy cost.
Syrian government forces, backed by Russian and Iranian allies, announced that they had recaptured east Aleppo from opposition rebels.
Russian leaders say the fall of Aleppo is a “major victory” against people the Kremlin calls “terrorists”.
The Syrian government used boots on the ground, air strikes, and siege tactics to win back the city where opposition fighters seized control in 2012.
A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey on Tuesday was supposed to end the fighting, with the besieged rebels and civilians given a safe passage out.
Within a few hours, however, shelling of the city intensified and buses sent to evacuate thousands of Syrians returned empty.
What will Assad do next? And what options are left for his opponents?
Presenter: Jane Dutton
Guests:
Rami Jarrah – a Syrian political activist and journalist covering the war
Taleb Ibrahim – Syrian political analyst and former deputy director of Damascus Centre for Strategic Studies
Assaad al-Achi -executive director of Baytna Syria