Here's the 'knowledge' of the people who know':
https://news.yahoo.com/latest-victor...111500116.html
...Former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said as much at a March 1 speech at Tufts University.

“You have one Al Qaeda faction fighting another Al Qaeda faction. That’s how fractured this is. One sharp sliver fighting another sharp sliver. I bring no good news to you tonight about Syria. The Syrian opposition itself has done a miserable job distinguishing itself from the Al Qaeda elements. There are some really bad people in Syria right now, on the opposition side. Can the opposition show that it is willing to reach out and figure out a way security-wise and politics-wise to reunify across that sectarian divide?"
...
Namely, somebody like Ford should know MUCH better than this. But, he simply doesn't (hope, I need not explaining why? It would be at least 4th time I would tell the same story). And he doesn't, because people like him are insistent on insurgents accepting the SNC as some sort of top political leadership (which all of insurgents are stubbornly refusing since nearly two years), and conditions everything on that one factor. I.e. from their standpoint, 'either you're with SNC or you're al-Qaida', which is nonsense par excellence: that's making it clear that it's not only advisers of people like him who are simply clueless and getting involved in producing science fiction, but the policy-makers are actually living in a parallel universe.

To make it more ridiculous: even Francis is BS-itting with his declaration that Assad has 'won' the war. He 'won' yes - but a victory against US diplomacy (considering all of his failures so far, Obama's policy regarding Syria can only be described as an 'unmitigated disaster' - which in turn is 'absolutely no surprise', given all I'm explaining here).

Firstly, Yabroud is surrounded from three sides - not encircled - and still in insurgent hands. Actually, Suleimani had to withdraw one of Hezbollah brigades (due to attrition) and replace it by IRGC-operated elements of the RGD. I doubt he would have done so just for fun...

Secondly, the place that actually fell was az-Zara, a town nearly 100km north of the Qalamoun Range. Unless something happened the last 2-3 hours about which nobody else knows (like insurgents withdrawing from Yabroud), Francis is mixing az-Zara with Yabroud, because it was az-Zara where the regime is now claiming a 'strategic victory' (see the videos below).

Now, az-Zara is close to the Lebanese border, no doubt, but it's simply no Yabroud. Plus, the NDF refused to assault az-Zara even when situation was crystal clear, and this despite all the possible support from artillery and SyAAF (at least they refused to do so without Hezbollah leading the way). Eventually, Suleimani was forced to bring in one of SSNP units to launch the final attack... Of course, once inside, the NDF was fast to bring in journos so they can claim the victory for themselves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CWB9RFP1cw

To me it rather seems that Francis is eagerly buying the PRBS sold by this multi-star broom, who's babbling about 'strategic victory' (though still related to az-Zara, and not to Yabroud):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvnta_Il7Pc

In total: sorry gents, you simply haven't got the picture.