The capture of Aleppo will mark the biggest victory for the al Assad administration since the Syrian civil war began — and the heaviest blow it has dealt its rebel opponents. Having lost the critical city, the rebels' hopes of military triumph over Damascus will become a distant dream, and their position at the negotiating table will be severely compromised. Loyalist troops, meanwhile, will hold the vast majority of Syria's urban centers. Their success in Aleppo will embolden the government to redouble its efforts to end the war by military means. In the coming year, the loyalists will no doubt capitalize on their gains by forging ahead with offensives to reclaim more rebel-held territory elsewhere in the country. Aside from Aleppo, government troops have made notable progress in the region around the Syrian capital.