What is Aleppo? Five and a half years ago, the city was known as the “Jewel of Syria,” a bustling economic hub and culturally-diverse metropolis inhabited by lively merchants and wide-eyed tourists. Today, rebel-held east Aleppo is destined to become “one giant graveyard,” according to the UN’s humanitarian chief. As the pro-Assad coalition, consisting of a depleted but battle-hardened Syrian army, Iranian-equipped Shiite militias, Lebanese Hezbollah militants, and, of course, the Russian air force, mercilessly plough through the streets of east Aleppo, the civilian body count continues to rise. The term “war crimes” fails to encompass the sheer extent of the bloodshed wrought by the triumvirate of Syrian, Iranian, and Russian menaces.
Already, the forces of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have captured nearly a third of rebel-held east Aleppo. Along the way, they have left mangled bodies, disembodied limbs, and rivers of blood.
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