(CNN) -- In just a few months, Syria's rebels have transformed themselves from ragtag village defense forces into an armed movement capable of attacking the country's two largest cities, Aleppo and Damascus.Now they are bracing themselves for what one Syrian newspaper has called "the mother of all battles."
Both the rebels and the regime are building up their manpower in and around Aleppo, Syria's largest city, where the rebels have made inroads this past week. Fighting has already begun.
Syrian rebels seize military base outside Aleppo
Several world leaders have expressed deep concern about a "devastating" government counterattack in Aleppo. But the rebels, encouraged by the progress they've made, remain undeterred.
