Remember that during this very period Western media, including in the New York Times, were reporting that the rebels were steady "progress" on all fronts. "Through the spring, Iran continued to step up support for Syrian government troops, and Hezbollah fighters joined the offensive against rebel forces. The rebellion was collapsing, and a classified State Department briefing paper on June 10, which mentioned the rebel commander Gen. Salim Idris, painted a grim picture.
“We are headed toward our worst case scenario: rebel gains evaporating, the moderate opposition — including Salim Idriss — imploding, large ungoverned spaces, Asad holding on indefinitely, neighbors endangered, and Iran, Hizbollah, and Iraqi militias taking root,” the paper concluded."
