Russia unable to help Assad regime counter Syria rebel offensive due to being militarily tied down in Ukraine, sources say

Russia is increasingly unable to help Syria’s regime counter an offensive by Syrian rebels due to Moscow’s military forces being tied down in Ukraine, Turkish security sources have said. Earlier this week, Syrian opposition fighters led by the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a shock offensive against forces fighting for Bashar al-Assad’s regime, yesterday capturing the major city of Aleppo in rapid advances that have surprised many. It was the first direct and large-scale operation carried out by the rebels in over four years – a period in which they were confined to the north-western province of and northern parts of Aleppo province. The advances also caught the attention of Russia, one of Assad’s key allies which had […]