Syrian rebel forces 'control half of Aleppo' after huge assault: Islamist insurgents' shock offensive sees over 50 towns and villages captured - with 277 people killed, including eight children

"Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at the United Against Nuclear Iran advocacy group, told MailOnline: 'The insurgent offensive on Aleppo demonstrates how dependent Assad has been on Russia and Iran to maintain his rule in Syria.

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Kasra Aarabi, UANI Director of IRGC Research, told MailOnline: 'As Syrian opposition forces make advances in Aleppo, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime's supreme leader, will be feeling the absence of the late IRGC Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani."