ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Analysis In reaching the Safira defense factories in northwestern Syria, Syrian regime forces have not only broken the rebel encirclement of Aleppo but have also enabled loyalist forces to better secure one of the country's most threatened chemical weapons sites. The battle for Aleppo figures prominently in the Syrian civil war. Beyond the vicious attrition suffered in urban fighting within the city, both regime and rebel forces have long sought to gain an advantage in the battle by securing and severing supply lines to the city . The rebels had completely isolated the bulk of regime forces in Aleppo province on Aug. 26, when they seized the important town of Khanasser, located on the secondary road from Hama to Aleppo. With the main M4/M5 road already cut by rebel forces, the secondary road through Khanasser was the sole remaining logistical lifeline for regime forces in the province. The Syrian air force could still deliver supplies by air , but the level of supp