Assad’s favor after a Russian blitzkrieg on Aleppo helped him regain control over the country’s second biggest city.

The Syrian government, backed by Russian planes and their allies among pro-Iranian militias, has thwarted some rebel advances in the northern countryside around the city of Hama, a Syria commander told dpa on Tuesday.

Assad, stated that the Islamic rebels who have seized control of Aleppo and areas in Idlib province are attempting to redraw the region's map to favour the interests of the United States, reported the Times of Israel.