In an interview with AFP, Dr Rim Turkmani, Director of the Syria Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics, says that the rebel groups that have taken Aleppo and surrounding zones "spread very quickly and very thin" and are likely to face serious difficulties in governing the areas they have captured. She also says that President Bashar al-Assad is likely to "continue to rely on Iran and Russia", even if his ability to do so is "limited" partly due to Iran being weakened by wider regional conflict with Israel. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES