Syrian rebels prepare to defend ruined Aleppo as troops and militias close in

“Hezbollah are the most powerful and the Syrian army takes orders from them,” said a local leader on the eastern edge of Aleppo, where regime scouts probe most nights. “The Iraqis were also here, along with the Houthis from Yemen, but they have all gone home [to fight wars]. We can deal with what’s left.”
So not a war determined by regional agendas on all sides, but one in which foreign powers have pitched in to help Bashar al-Assad, and his victims have been abandoned.
“Somebody has to win this war,” said Samer Zeitoun, a local leader. “I hope it’s us and I hope it’s soon.”