Russia's envoy for Middle East affairs has said that rebel forces are gaining ground against the Syrian government and could win the battle against President Bashar al-Assad.<br /><br />The announcement by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov comes as a top NATO official also said on Thursday that he believed Assad's regime was nearing "collapse".<br /><br />Andrew Tabler, an author and expert on Syria from The Washington Institute, told Al Jazeera that whatever happens, the Syrian conflict is not going to come to a clear end for a long time yet.
