- The Syrian army says that militants have entered large parts of Aleppo.
- He says dozens of soldiers were killed during the rebel attack
- Sources said that Russian and Syrian warplanes were carrying out air strikes
The Syrian army said on Saturday that dozens of its soldiers were killed in a major attack by opposition fighters who overran the city of Aleppo in the northwest of the country, forcing the army to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years.
The surprise attack led by Tahrir al-Sham has shaken the front lines of the Syrian civil war that have been largely frozen since 2020, reviving fighting in a corner of the shattered country near the Turkish border. The army said it was preparing a counterattack to restore state authority.
The Syrian army leadership acknowledged the opposition fighters’ advance and said that the opposition fighters had entered large parts of Aleppo, which had been under full state control since government forces backed by Russia and Iran expelled the opposition fighters eight years ago.
Pictures from Aleppo showed a group of opposition fighters gathering in the city’s Saadallah al-Jabri Square after entering the city during the night, with a billboard bearing Assad’s image looming behind them.
Television footage showed, “I am a son of Aleppo. I was displaced from it eight years ago, in 2016. Thank God, we have just returned. It is an indescribable feeling.”
The Syrian military command said that the militants attacked in large numbers and from multiple directions, prompting “our armed forces to implement a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defensive lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare.” “For a counterattack.”
The army said that the bombing prevented the militants from establishing fixed positions. It promised to “expel them and restore state control…over the entire city and its countryside.”
Two opposition sources said that opposition fighters also took control of the city of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib Governorate, and placed that entire governorate under their control, in what could represent another major blow to Assad.
The attack was launched from areas controlled by the militants in northwestern Syria, which are still outside Assad’s control.
Two Syrian military sources said that Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted militants in a suburb of Aleppo on Saturday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow considers the opposition attack a violation of Syria’s sovereignty. He said, “We support the Syrian authorities restoring order to the region and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible.”
The Syrian Civil Defense, a rescue service operating in opposition-controlled areas of Syria, said in a post on Six others were injured.
The two Syrian military sources said that Russia promised Damascus additional military aid that would begin arriving within the next 72 hours. The two military sources and a third military source said that the authorities closed Aleppo Airport and the roads leading to the city.
The three military sources said that the Syrian army had been informed to follow orders for “safe withdrawal” from the main areas of the city that the opposition fighters had entered.
Iran’s role in the region
Opposition fighters said on Friday that their fighters were sweeping various neighborhoods in Aleppo.
Mustafa Abdel Jaber, a commander in the opposition Jaysh al-Izza brigade, said their rapid advance was aided by a lack of manpower needed to support the government in the wider Aleppo province.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart on Friday, accused the United States and Israel of being behind the militant attack.
Opposition fighters said that the campaign came in response to the intensification of air strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air forces in areas of Idlib Governorate, and to pre-empt any attacks by the Syrian army.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the clashes between rebels and government forces had led to an unwanted escalation of tensions.
In a statement, spokesman Ongu Kisili said that avoiding further instability in the region is a priority for Turkey, adding that Ankara warned that the recent attacks on Idlib undermine the spirit and implementation of the de-escalation agreements.