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Today, the shocking advance that reignited the Syrian civil war.

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The Syrian Civil War was one of the defining events of the past decade.

It shattered one of the most important countries in the Middle East, incubated the rise of groups like ISIS, forced millions of Syrians to flee to neighboring countries to Europe all over

the world. And I don't think it's fully appreciated just how close the Syrian government came

to falling.

Despite reports of a huge military buildup outside Aleppo, the defiant protests continued

overnight. Rebel fighters and civilians are bracing for a fierce battle for Aleppo.

The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, survived only because of the intervention

of allies, like Russia and Iran and Hezbo. The town of Daritiza is close to the city of Aleppo

in northern Syria, and it's a frequent target of Russian airstrikes.

Who helped his troops claw back historic cities like Aleppo, inch by inch, at a terrible human cost.

...