The US makes a "mistake"

War is a nasty business.  Quaint notions to the contrary, there are no rules save one: win.  The Aleppo rebels and their supporters could have peace, safety, and full bellies on the instant: just walk away.  Wave a white handkerchief and surrender.  It's as simple as that.  Otherwise stay there and die.

The "rebels" were stupid to let the US (acting as Israel's stooge) dupe them into helping in a failed criminal regime change enterprise.  They trusted the US (!!!!!!), and now they're screwed(surprise! surprise!): ruled by fundamentalist Islamic head-choppers, bombed and starved by the government they and their Saudi and Turkish "friends" tried to destroy.  (This is your brain on fundamentalist Islam -- or fundamentalist anything, for that matter.)

For five years Deir ez-Zor remained under Syrian government control and the Jebel Tharda hill-top military position provided protection for  the area.  Five years they were there, and the US, which for five years has wanted to destroy Assad and his govt, would have us believe they forgot, or didn't notice, or... something,... "Sorry, the airstrike was a mistake."

Here's my take:  "Let's bomb the Jebel Tharda position and let ISIS take Deir ez-Zor.  That will, in a stroke, clear Assad's forces from all of Eastern Syria (so we can take possession after ISIS has been disposed of), and send a message to Assad that he needs to wise up.  He's certainly not going to attack us  -- we wish -- because then we would have the excuse we have wanted for so long to bomb his army to dust.  It's a total win win.  Let's go for it.  Then of course we'll pour a little salt in the wound by saying 'Whoops!  We made a mistake. Sorry about that.'  (He he, wink wink.)"

It appears that Assad's response has been to send a message of his own: "You're right, we don't dare bomb American forces.   But the Russians will help us reinforce Deir ez-Zor, retake Jebel Tharda, and win the war by bombing the living crap out of all your terrorist proxies in Idlib province,.... and retaking Aleppo.  Suck on that!  And you thought you would screw us with your phony-ass "cease fire" scam.  Riiiiiight!"