As we speak, the most decisive battle in the Syrian Civil War is being waged, and it’s a make or break moment for the Assad regime, and for Putin. Forces allied with the Syrian Army such as Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, have surrounded Aleppo, a hotly contested rebel stronghold and previously the largest city in the country. Thousands of civilians are fleeing the city en masse as these forces close in, while the Russian Air Force pummels the area day and night.
If the Syrian government takes the city back, it will be a devastating blow for any rebel forces in the country, ISIS or otherwise. It will be marked in history as a major turning point for Assad and the Kremlin, and a massive rebuke to the demands of the United States and her allies.
As for those allies, they may not be willing to take this defeat sitting down. Under the guise of fighting ISIS, Saudi Arabia has announced that they intend to put boots on the ground in Syria, if the US agrees to it.