Part 2/13:
Brian Carter, a Middle East portfolio manager at the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, provided insights into these developments. He explained that the rebels, notably groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), had initially aimed to push the regime from Aleppo and to create buffer zones around Idlib. However, the collapse of regime defenses turned the campaign into a more significant breakthrough than anticipated, with rebels exploiting perceived vulnerabilities in regime-held territory.