There are many sources in this post….but they are needed to help explain the possibilities….

Russia has proclaimed a daily 3 hour ceasefire in Aleppo to allow aid to enter the city…..we will see how this works out.

The news seems to point to the “rebels” (whoever they are) as breaking the hold of ISIS and others on Aleppo……if true then the conflict could be entering into a critical point very soon……and I found a site that breaks down the conflict on many levels…..

Syrian opposition forces assembled an army of rebel fighters from different fronts and launched an offensive they call the “Great Battle of Aleppo.”

Source: Syrian War Reaches Critical Point For All Parties

It appears at least for now that Aleppo could very well be the breaking point and possibly move the conflict toward an end game (we shall see)…..

The battle for Aleppo has forced the al Qaeda groups into their desperate last stand, as the Washington-driven proxy war on Syria moves into its final stages. The liberation of Aleppo will be the beginning of the end.

The online maps have been misleading. Even before the Russian air power intervention of September 2015 the Syrian Government controlled 85% of the country’s populated areas. But reclaiming all of Aleppo is critical for Syrian control of the north and of supply lines to the shrinking ground of ISIS in the east.

Syria’s major problem has been Turkey’s semi-open support for jihadist armies crossing the 800km northern frontier, and the Turkey-Saudi-Qatari backed advances of ISIS from the east. In the past 10 months the Syrian Alliance has successfully pushed back on both fronts. Further, since last month, Turkey is in disarray, with its own problems.

Source: Syrian Endgame: The Battle for Aleppo and ‘Plan C’ | Global Research – Centre for Research on Globalization

There is more on the fact that Aleppo could be the key to this situation……

Aleppo is entering a critical phase. The forces of the trilateral alliance of Assad, Hezbollah, and Iranian militias, supported by Russian air power, have cut off supply lines to opposition groups in the old city, encircled its eastern part, and are trying, in vain at the time of writing, to break through the opposition lines.

These are bloody days in the old city, and the military offensive against Aleppo has not spared hospitals, civilians, fleeing women and children, bakeries, and anything that moves. Between 300 and 400 thousand civilians are under siege in one collective drawn-out massacre that will not be forgiven or forgotten for generations to come.

The opposition on Sunday launched its counterattack on the western part of Aleppo, which was originally under the control of Assad. The surprise counterattack resulted in impressive progress for the opposition in the west and southwest of the city. Yet, if the city is encircled by the Assad alliance, it will be difficult for the opposition to radically change the dynamic of the battle, particularly since Russian air raids against its positions are relentless regardless of civilian causalities.

Source: Will Aleppo be the End of Syria’s Tragedy? | Middle East Briefing

But will the defense industry allow this conflict to end?

Sound like a dumb question?  I do not think so and this is why……

The complicated, multidimensional nature of the Syrian civil war continues to discourage clear thinking in debate about U.S. policy toward Syria. The involvement in the conflict of multiple protagonists who are each anathema to the American debaters but who are opposed to each other within Syria is a fundamental complication that too often gets ignored. Basic questions of what U.S. interests are in Syria too often get overlooked. A recent example is an op-ed by Dennis Ross and Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that argues for a bombing campaign against the Assad regime and expresses opposition to any cooperation with Russia in striking violent extremist groups such as ISIS and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

Source: The Itch to Escalate the Syrian Civil War | The National Interest Blog

Since the begin of the conflict Syria has been a complicated and confusing conflict….too many players wanting too many different outcomes…..

How will all this play out?  No one can give an accurate answer……the best I can do is say….BADLY!