Intense airstrikes overnight drove Syrian rebels back from the edge of Hama, a major city whose fall would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, both sides said on Wednesday.

The rebel coalition consists of "well-established armed Islamist factions who, despite their differences, are united in fighting Assad and Iran-backed militias", said CNN. But the driving force behind the fighting is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a "formidable" and controversial faction with deep roots in Syria's ongoing civil war.

Opposition supporters are ecstatic but others are wary of their new Islamist rulers as Assad regime begins counteroffensive

On "Forbes Newsroom," Gregory Brew, Senior Analyst at the Eurasia Group, discussed the ongoing conflict in Syria.

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