Aleppo, Syria's most populous city and its former industrial hub, has been the location of some of the fiercest violence of the five-year conflict. The city is so important to both sides that it is said whoever takes it wins the war.
A defeat for the rebels in Aleppo would likely deal a knockout blow to the opposition, which would be wiped out of all major cities. A win for the regime would embolden President Bashar al-Assad and put him in better standing for any future negotiations.
A Western diplomat said he feared that with neither side strong enough to hold Aleppo, there could be up to a year of street-to-street fighting. "The only way to take eastern Aleppo is by such a monstrous atrocity that it would resonate for generations," he told the Telegraph.
The Syrian army, which is thought to number approximately 15,000-20,000 around Aleppo, is bolstered by tens of thousands of troops from Russia, Iran and Iraq, as well by Shia militias.
There are estimated to be a similar number of opposition fighters, who have formed unlikely alliances in an attempt to hold back government forces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdB3sManjQM
Ammar al-Sakka, the spokesman of the moderate Fastaqim rebel group, told the Telegraph they would fight to the death for Aleppo, the "castle of resistance".
He said they needed more weapons, however the siege made it impossible.
"The regime plan for Aleppo looks to be: besiege, starve, bombard, terrify, and shrink the pocket down," said Kyle Orton, a Middle East analyst at the Henry Jackson Society think-tank. "Divide it into pieces and empty as many inhabitants as possible.
"But a regime "victory" in Aleppo would just lock in instability - it'd be like Algeria but worse."
Additional reporting by Hussain Akkosh in Gaziantep
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/27/syrian-troops-begin-ground-offensive-to-retake-aleppo/
