"Assad's backers — Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah — have all been weakened and distracted," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. Russia cannot provide large-scale military support while "ground down in a war of attrition" in Ukraine.
Homs is located between Damascus, Syria's capital, and the Mediterranean coast — where Russia maintains its Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus Naval Base.
The regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad may fall within days as Syrian rebels continue to advance on the country's capital Damascus, five different U.S. officials told CNN on Dec. 7.
The shock capture of Aleppo by Syrian forces opposed to Bashar al-Assad in recent days has dealt a humiliating blow to the regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, analysts have told the Kyiv Independent. The surprise offensive has also indirectly helped Ukraine, analysts say. "This is really quite the
Russian and Syrian fighter jets have struck the rebel-held city of Idlib on Dec. 1 amid attempts to push back an insurgency that has taken over most of Aleppo, Reuters reported, citing Syrian army sources.
Russia has promised Damascus additional military assistance that is expected to arrive in the next 72 hours, as rebel forces sweep the northwestern city of Aleppo, two sources in the Syrian military told Reuters.
According to the readout, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said he was "happy to see" Russian President Vladimir Putin again and emphasized that "relations between our nations have been based on trust, which is evidence of our nations' maturity."
