Mr. al-Assad’s international backers, including Russia, Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, are weakened and distracted by wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, making it an opportune moment for the Syrian rebels to attack.

Eight years ago, Syria’s civil war shifted in President Bashar Al-Assad’s favor after a Russian blitzkrieg on Aleppo helped him regain control over the country’s second biggest city.

Syrian rebels have swept through parts of the country at lightning pace, taking control of the the second-largest city, Aleppo. But who are they and what are their aims?

Syrian opposition fighters have launched a lightning offensive, capturing most of Aleppo and arriving as far south as Hama in a matter of days as government forces retreated. The rebels’ rapid gains – the most significant since 2016 – have thrust Syria’s various opposition factions back into the spotlight.