The lightning-fast capture, by Syrian rebels, of large swaths of northern Syria, including the war-torn country’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and the strategically important city of Hama further south, is a body blow for the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
The rebels are now pushing on further south towards my home city of Homs. When these cities fell to Assad – Aleppo fell in 2017 – it was seen as spelling the end of Syria’s popular revolt against the regime, which had begun with such optimism when Syrians poured on to streets across the country in 2011 to call for freedom, justice and dignity.
After decades of oppression at the hands of the Assad family, hopes for a different future were high. But hope quickly turned to despair. The peaceful demonstrations were crushed by the Assad government, sparking a brutal armed conflict that has killed half a million people and has displaced over 12 million more.
