ALEPPO, Syria — The siege policy pursued by the Syrian regime against rebellious regions and cities has proven to be the most effective means to subdue them. This method has been utilized by the regime from Homs to Damascus and its suburbs, where the strategy of starvation proved its effectiveness as a weapon to force the rebels into abandoning their demands.
All eyes are turned north now toward Aleppo, the largest opposition stronghold in Syria, after the rebels in Homs accepted a deal with the regime that resulted in their retreat from the Old City on May 7. The facts on the ground indicate that the regime plans to adopt the same strategy that proved successful in Homs in Aleppo, whereby "liberated" areas of the city would be isolated from its countryside and the siege slowly tightened around them.
