Israeli analyst Daniel Rakov assessed that the capture of Syria's Aleppo by Islamist rebels is an embarrassing defeat for Russia, which supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rakov emphasized that Ukraine has been supporting Syrian rebels in recent months,

The surprise attack jolted the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020. The army said it was preparing a counteroffensive.

The Syrian army has upped its airstrikes on Monday against the rebel forces that took Aleppo, with Iraqi militias crossing the border to aid President Bashar al-Assad’s government.