بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

As the mercury rises and Ramadan approaches, the malahem (battles) begin to intensify.

In Sham IS have their sights set on Aleppo. All of Aleppo. (Alongside Deir Ezzor City and the Airport but that's a different subject).

The Rebels and the Regime have been stuck in a war of attrition in Aleppo -(the largest and most populated city in Syria)-  one that can seemingly go on for a lifetime with neither side making ground. The Regime is trying to encircle the city whilst the Rebels are trying to take back ground they had lost.

Then comes IS... Who were on all major ribat points against the Regime in Aleppo, East and West of the city. They were first in line. Until the unfortunate events of Jan 3, 2014 took place where 500 unsuspecting IS soldiers were killed en masse by Rebels. Part of this massacre took place in an IS stronghold just North of the city called Hraytan. Where Muhajirat ran from their dwellings with no belongings but the clothes on their back and the Muhajireen were rounded up. The rebels promised not just to drive IS out of Aleppo but Raqqah as well. IS later on tactically retreats to Al-Bab and Menbij just east of Aleppo promising to one day come back, especially to their adored place of Hraytan.

Fast forward a few months and the Rebels had lost the Aleppo Industrial city of Sheikh Najjar and ground surrounding the Aleppo central prison where many shuhadat especially from IS had been martyred. Crying foul from their misfortunes, they asked "why isn't IS fighting the regime?" Forgetting the fact that they had boastfully claimed to kick IS out of Aleppo in the first place.

IS had seen the rebels give up Homs, Kessab and Qusayr to the Assad regime without a fight and they weren't going to let this happen to Aleppo.

Now all eyes (Rebels and Regime) are on IS for their next move in Aleppo... They can attack the Regime in Safirah -South East of Aleppo city- but then the Rebels would attack them in the North Reef. Also the major Regime supply line goes through a town that is situated right between Homs and Hama called Al-Salamiyah. First a push by IS in North Reef Aleppo against the Rebels would be needed to then attack the Regime in Safirah and later on cut the supply lines near Hama. And of course all this would have to be done with Coaltion F16s and drones hovering above bombing left and right.

A few months ago rumours were spread that IS had retreated from North Aleppo, now those same people are saying an attack by IS in Aleppo is imminent. We'll have to wait and see.

AlLubnani
@Laysalghareeb1