Source: NPR's Diane Rehm Show

As the battle for Aleppo becomes increasingly violent, government troops in Damascus have gone door to door in an effort to clear out the rebels in the capital. Violence continues to spiral out of control with the international community hesitating to take action, due to the complexity of the Syrian case. In recent days, rebels have stepped up guerrilla style attacks in urban areas and the Syrian army has responded with gunships and tanks. Speaking on the Diane Rehm Show, Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour explained that over 3,000 people have been killed in July alone and the United States has begun working behind the scenes, along with Gulf States like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to support the rebels.  Sadjadpour said “I think what the U.S. can do is to help the opposition help themselves, meaning helping them with ammunitions, with weapons, with information, with intelligence.” However, “there's very little appetite to have U.S. boots on the ground,” concluded Sadjadpour.