BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's opponents appear more divided than ever as they prepare for peace talks next week, demoralised by their defeat in Aleppo and unable to unite into a single force to defend their remaining territory.
The new diplomacy led by Assad's Russian allies has exposed yet more splits in a rebellion that has never had a clear chief, with rebel factions long fractured by regional rivalries, their ties to foreign states, and an ideological battle over whether to pursue Syrian national or Sunni jihadist goals.