ALEPPO, Syria — Away from the Geneva peace talks and the give and take between the stakeholders of the Syrian crisis, Aleppo, the country's commercial hub, is witnessing the most crucial turning point at the national level since the outbreak of the revolution on March 15, 2011.
Feb. 1 was the zero hour chosen by the regime forces and their allies to launch a large-scale offensive against rebel-controlled areas in the northern Aleppo countryside. The entire city of Aleppo was shaken by the thunderous sound of artillery targeting the villages of the northern countryside, while Russian fighter jets filled the airspace.