WHY IT MATTERS: Rebel-held Aleppo on the brink of collapse
BEIRUT — With rebel defenses crumbling in eastern Aleppo, President Bashar Assad is on the brink of regaining full control of Syria’s largest city and one-time commercial center. Holding the city is seen as key to overall victory in the Syrian conflict, and a defeat in Aleppo would be a crushing blow to the rebels.
Here’s why it matters:
THE ISSUE
Aleppo has been a crossroads of civilization for millennia.