It is expected that Idlib will be the Aleppo of 2017. Many rebel groups recognize the inevitability of losing control of territory, and they are preparing for guerrilla warfare tactics. I do not see that this will be viable, and Allah Knows Best. Also, the traditional response to guerrilla tactics is for the government to target the general population to “drain the support resources” for the guerrillas; this will mean massive destruction and deaths of civilians. And potentially, as each city falls, UN monitors will be invited to oversee the “evacuation” of the people (otherwise called “displacement”), with UN peacekeepers accompanying them. The gradual occupation of the “liberated” areas will proceed in this fashion, it seems likely.