Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo in an embarrassing rout for Bashar al-Assad 

FOUR YEARS is how long it took Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, to retake Aleppo after part of the city fell to insurgents in 2012. Less than four days is how long it took him to lose it. On November 27th rebels launched a surprise offensive in north-west Syria. By the night of November 29th they were posting photos of themselves at the ancient citadel in the heart of Aleppo. Most of Syria’s second city is now under their control. It was a rout: Mr Assad’s army seems to have simply turned tail.