Iran pledges support for Syria's Assad as rebels advance after taking Aleppo
Russian air strikes targeted Syrian insurgents on Sunday and Iran pledged to “firmly support” the regime in Damascus as the Syrian army scrambled to stem a rebel advance south of Aleppo that has dealt a huge blow to President Bashar al-Assad.
Issued on: 01/12/2024 -
By: NEWS WIRES
Opinion
By Patrick Cockburn
Special Correspondent
December 1, 2024
Russian air strikes targeted Syrian insurgents on Sunday and Iran pledged to “firmly support” the regime in Damascus as the Syrian army scrambled to stem a rebel advance south of Aleppo that has dealt a huge blow to President Bashar al-Assad.
Issued on: 01/12/2024 -
By: NEWS WIRES
01:38
Syrian opposition fighters drive by an abandoned Syrian army vehicle on a highway in Khan Sheikhoun, southwest of Aleppo, on December 1, 2024. © Ghaith Alsayed, AP
The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the northwest and launched airstrikes Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo, as Iran pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive.
Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's long-running civil war, but it was unclear how Tehran would support Damascus in this latest flareup that began Wednesday. Insurgents led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib, before moving toward neighboring Hama province.
On Sunday, government troops created a “strong defensive line” in northern Hama, according to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as they attempted to stall the insurgents' momentum. Meanwhile, jets pounded the cities of Idlib and Aleppo, killing at least 15 people, according to a group that operates in opposition-held areas.
The surge in fighting has raised the prospect of another violent, destabilizing front reopening in the Middle East at a time when Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, conflicts that have repeatedly threatened to ignite an even wider regional war. It also risks drawing Russia and Turkey – each with its own interests to protect in Syria – into direct heavy fighting against each other.
The insurgents announced their offensive Wednesday, just as a ceasefire between the Hezbollah and Israel began, raising some hope that tensions in the region might be calming.
The surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Assad, and it comes at a time when his allies – Iran and groups it backs and Russia – are preoccupied with their own conflicts.
The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the northwest and launched airstrikes Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo, as Iran pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive.
Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's long-running civil war, but it was unclear how Tehran would support Damascus in this latest flareup that began Wednesday. Insurgents led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib, before moving toward neighboring Hama province.
On Sunday, government troops created a “strong defensive line” in northern Hama, according to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as they attempted to stall the insurgents' momentum. Meanwhile, jets pounded the cities of Idlib and Aleppo, killing at least 15 people, according to a group that operates in opposition-held areas.
The surge in fighting has raised the prospect of another violent, destabilizing front reopening in the Middle East at a time when Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, conflicts that have repeatedly threatened to ignite an even wider regional war. It also risks drawing Russia and Turkey – each with its own interests to protect in Syria – into direct heavy fighting against each other.
The insurgents announced their offensive Wednesday, just as a ceasefire between the Hezbollah and Israel began, raising some hope that tensions in the region might be calming.
The surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Assad, and it comes at a time when his allies – Iran and groups it backs and Russia – are preoccupied with their own conflicts.
03:57© FRANCE 24
According to a statement from Assad’s office, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran was ready to support Damascus in their counteroffensive against the insurgency.
According to a statement from Assad’s office, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran was ready to support Damascus in their counteroffensive against the insurgency.
Arab leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have also called Assad to express their solidarity.
The insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday and made gains in the surrounding province. They also took control of the main water pumping station for city and it is no longer working, Syrian Minister of Water Resources Moataz Qattan told the pro-government radio station Sham FM.
Elsewhere, rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said the insurgents advanced in the countryside around Idlib, putting all of the province of the same name under their control.
They also claimed to have entered the city of Hama, but there was no independent confirmation of that.
In Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, military vehicles abandoned by Syrian troops dotted the roads. People posed and took pictures of themselves atop one abandoned tank on a highway, while the insurgents grabbed munitions and shells from them before continuing their push deeper into Syria.
The insurgents vowed to push all the way into Damascus, but life in the Syrian capital remained normal with no signs of panic. In southeastern Aleppo, however, the main road out of the city was gridlocked as people fled the fighting, and gas stations in the area were short on fuel.
The insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday and made gains in the surrounding province. They also took control of the main water pumping station for city and it is no longer working, Syrian Minister of Water Resources Moataz Qattan told the pro-government radio station Sham FM.
Elsewhere, rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said the insurgents advanced in the countryside around Idlib, putting all of the province of the same name under their control.
They also claimed to have entered the city of Hama, but there was no independent confirmation of that.
In Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, military vehicles abandoned by Syrian troops dotted the roads. People posed and took pictures of themselves atop one abandoned tank on a highway, while the insurgents grabbed munitions and shells from them before continuing their push deeper into Syria.
The insurgents vowed to push all the way into Damascus, but life in the Syrian capital remained normal with no signs of panic. In southeastern Aleppo, however, the main road out of the city was gridlocked as people fled the fighting, and gas stations in the area were short on fuel.
04:51
The rebels also made it into Tel Rifaat, a town near Aleppo held by US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, according to pro-government pan-Arab Al Mayadeen TV.
The rebels also made it into Tel Rifaat, a town near Aleppo held by US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, according to pro-government pan-Arab Al Mayadeen TV.
Tel Rifaat is far from the large swaths of northeastern Syria that are controlled by the Kurdish troops, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. A statement from the insurgency called on the SDF to leave the areas near Aleppo that they hold and retreat to their bastions in the northeast.
Despite being at odds politically with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led administration has opposed the insurgency and accused Turkey, the main back of Syrian opposition groups, of trying to displace the Kurdish population.
Turkish officials have said a limited offensive by the rebels was planned to stop government attacks on opposition-held areas in recent weeks, but it expanded as government forces began to retreat.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said the push by the rebels poses a risk to regional security and called on resuming diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the US is watching the situation carefully. There are about 900 American troops in Syria's northeast – far from where the insurgency is happening – who are meant to guard against a resurgence by the extremist Islamic State group.
The group leading the rebel advance is designated a terrorist organization by the US, and Sullivan said Washington has “real concerns about the designs and objectives of that organization.”
“At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure,” he added.
Despite being at odds politically with the Syrian government, the Kurdish-led administration has opposed the insurgency and accused Turkey, the main back of Syrian opposition groups, of trying to displace the Kurdish population.
Turkish officials have said a limited offensive by the rebels was planned to stop government attacks on opposition-held areas in recent weeks, but it expanded as government forces began to retreat.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said the push by the rebels poses a risk to regional security and called on resuming diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the US is watching the situation carefully. There are about 900 American troops in Syria's northeast – far from where the insurgency is happening – who are meant to guard against a resurgence by the extremist Islamic State group.
The group leading the rebel advance is designated a terrorist organization by the US, and Sullivan said Washington has “real concerns about the designs and objectives of that organization.”
“At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure,” he added.
05:56
According to Syrian state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the army overnight pushed back insurgents in the northern countryside of Hama province.
According to Syrian state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the army overnight pushed back insurgents in the northern countryside of Hama province.
Syrian state media said government resupply included heavy equipment and rocket launchers while Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted weapon depots and insurgent strongholds. Pro-government radio station Sham FM said the Syrian army shot down drones belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Hama.
Syrian state television claimed government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents over the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes in Idlib killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas.
Residents could be seen fleeing through ash-covered streets. Men lowered a child from the high floor of a building whose facade was blown off.
Airstrikes also struck in and around Aleppo, including near a hospital in the city center, killing 12 people, including at least eight civilians, according to the White Helmets and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery.
(AP)
Syrian state television claimed government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents over the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes in Idlib killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas.
Residents could be seen fleeing through ash-covered streets. Men lowered a child from the high floor of a building whose facade was blown off.
Airstrikes also struck in and around Aleppo, including near a hospital in the city center, killing 12 people, including at least eight civilians, according to the White Helmets and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery.
(AP)
Middle East wars will soon spread from Gaza to the Euphrates
The fall of Aleppo has reignited not one but two civil wars
By Patrick Cockburn
Special Correspondent
iNEWS UK
December 1, 2024
Anti-government fighters patrol in central Aleppo on 30 November 30 (Photo: AFP)
Syrian rebels have captured most of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, after launching a surprise offensive in which they have so far faced limited resistance from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The attack marks a resumption of the Syrian civil war, which has been deep frozen since 2020 under a truce mediated by Russia and Turkey. This conflict, in which at least 300,000 Syrians were killed and 5.5 million fled the country, was peculiarly savage because, among other reasons, it pitted hostile sectarian and ethnic communities against each other – and its renewal is likely to be equally bloody.
There are already signs of this happening again as retreating Syrian government forces seek to make a stand in northern Hama province, to the south of Aleppo, where many of the inhabitants are pro-government Alawites, a Shia sect to which Assad and most of the Syrian elite belong, as well as Syrian Christians who fear persecution and expulsion by extreme Sunni Muslim rebels.
The opposition offensive, launched last Wednesday from the Idlib enclave on the Syrian side of the Turkish border, has been astonishingly successful in forcing the retreat of demoralised government soldiers.
During the civil war following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising against Assad, the government’s greatest victory came in 2016, when it recaptured Aleppo after a long siege. It has now lost the city in the space of a few hours and may have great difficulty winning it back.
The next few days will be crucial as Syrian government troops try to stop the high-speed rebel advances and make counter-attacks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has eyewitness sources, said on Sunday that “the regime forces sent large reinforcements in the last few hours” to a new defence line.
From early on in the civil war, both pro- and anti-government Syrians ceased to be the most important decision-makers in the conflict. Instead, the country became an arena for foreigners to fight out their differences directly or through proxies. This is even truer today when Assad and his domestic enemies are both weaker than before and reliant on their outside backers.
The timing and success of the rebel attack from Idlib, which has a population of about three million, are both explained by the fact that Assad’s main foreign allies – Russia, Iran and Hezbollah – are preoccupied with other conflicts.
Russia is militarily fully stretched in Ukraine. And though it has stepped up its airstrikes on the rebels, these are unlikely to be as intense as in the past, Hezbollah suffered heavy losses during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and will be unable to provide combat troops in the same numbers as before. Much depends on the attitude of Iran, desperate to avoid an all-out war with Israel backed by the US, which must now decide if it is going to cut its losses in Syria or redouble its backing for Assad.
It is reported that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, began to plan the present operation in September, suggesting it was the Israeli war against Hezbollah which convinced the rebels that the regional balance of power was tipping in their favour.
The fall of Aleppo has reignited not one but two civil wars that are interlinked but essentially distinct. The first is between the Assad government and the Syrian opposition. The second is between the Syrian Kurds, the largest minority in the country, who are under intense pressure from Syrian Arab nationalist groups backed by Turkey.
They have hitherto had a shaky alliance with the US, originally directed against the Islamic State. Despite this, Turkish-backed Syrian Arab jihadis took over the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in Syria in 2018 and ethnically cleansed its population.
The Kurds, who control north-east Syria where they number 1-2 million, fear that Turkey is moving to end their presence there and turn them into refugees. Some 900 US soldiers remain in the enclave, but President-elect Donald Trump might remove them, as he sought to do when last in office.
The Kurdish authorities say that they are moving 4,000 troops to fill the vacuum left by the retreating Syrian army east of Aleppo but say they expect Turkish proxies to try to push them back west of the Euphrates River.
None of the parties involved in this new round of Syria’s civil wars is likely to emerge as clear winners, but a great many people will be killed. Israel might decide to play a greater role in the renewed conflict, using its devastating air power to attack the Syrian army as it has already been doing against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria.
The different war zones of the region are joining up and soon will stretch today from Gaza to the Euphrates.
Syrian rebels have captured most of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, after launching a surprise offensive in which they have so far faced limited resistance from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The attack marks a resumption of the Syrian civil war, which has been deep frozen since 2020 under a truce mediated by Russia and Turkey. This conflict, in which at least 300,000 Syrians were killed and 5.5 million fled the country, was peculiarly savage because, among other reasons, it pitted hostile sectarian and ethnic communities against each other – and its renewal is likely to be equally bloody.
There are already signs of this happening again as retreating Syrian government forces seek to make a stand in northern Hama province, to the south of Aleppo, where many of the inhabitants are pro-government Alawites, a Shia sect to which Assad and most of the Syrian elite belong, as well as Syrian Christians who fear persecution and expulsion by extreme Sunni Muslim rebels.
The opposition offensive, launched last Wednesday from the Idlib enclave on the Syrian side of the Turkish border, has been astonishingly successful in forcing the retreat of demoralised government soldiers.
During the civil war following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising against Assad, the government’s greatest victory came in 2016, when it recaptured Aleppo after a long siege. It has now lost the city in the space of a few hours and may have great difficulty winning it back.
The next few days will be crucial as Syrian government troops try to stop the high-speed rebel advances and make counter-attacks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has eyewitness sources, said on Sunday that “the regime forces sent large reinforcements in the last few hours” to a new defence line.
From early on in the civil war, both pro- and anti-government Syrians ceased to be the most important decision-makers in the conflict. Instead, the country became an arena for foreigners to fight out their differences directly or through proxies. This is even truer today when Assad and his domestic enemies are both weaker than before and reliant on their outside backers.
The timing and success of the rebel attack from Idlib, which has a population of about three million, are both explained by the fact that Assad’s main foreign allies – Russia, Iran and Hezbollah – are preoccupied with other conflicts.
Russia is militarily fully stretched in Ukraine. And though it has stepped up its airstrikes on the rebels, these are unlikely to be as intense as in the past, Hezbollah suffered heavy losses during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and will be unable to provide combat troops in the same numbers as before. Much depends on the attitude of Iran, desperate to avoid an all-out war with Israel backed by the US, which must now decide if it is going to cut its losses in Syria or redouble its backing for Assad.
It is reported that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, began to plan the present operation in September, suggesting it was the Israeli war against Hezbollah which convinced the rebels that the regional balance of power was tipping in their favour.
The fall of Aleppo has reignited not one but two civil wars that are interlinked but essentially distinct. The first is between the Assad government and the Syrian opposition. The second is between the Syrian Kurds, the largest minority in the country, who are under intense pressure from Syrian Arab nationalist groups backed by Turkey.
They have hitherto had a shaky alliance with the US, originally directed against the Islamic State. Despite this, Turkish-backed Syrian Arab jihadis took over the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in Syria in 2018 and ethnically cleansed its population.
The Kurds, who control north-east Syria where they number 1-2 million, fear that Turkey is moving to end their presence there and turn them into refugees. Some 900 US soldiers remain in the enclave, but President-elect Donald Trump might remove them, as he sought to do when last in office.
The Kurdish authorities say that they are moving 4,000 troops to fill the vacuum left by the retreating Syrian army east of Aleppo but say they expect Turkish proxies to try to push them back west of the Euphrates River.
None of the parties involved in this new round of Syria’s civil wars is likely to emerge as clear winners, but a great many people will be killed. Israel might decide to play a greater role in the renewed conflict, using its devastating air power to attack the Syrian army as it has already been doing against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria.
The different war zones of the region are joining up and soon will stretch today from Gaza to the Euphrates.
By AFP
November 30, 2024
Anti-government fighters in central Aleppo prepare to topple the equestrian statue of Bassel-al-Assad, the late brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
- Copyright AFP Omar HAJ KADOUR
Aya Iskandarani
Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria’s second city of Aleppo according to a monitor.
Government forces offered little resistance, the war monitor said, and the army admitted that rebels had entered “large parts” of the city.
Why have the Syrian rebels and their allies from Turkish-backed factions decided to attack after years of relative calm, and what is at stake?
– Why now? –
On Wednesday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch, and allied factions attacked government-held areas of the northern province of Aleppo and the northwestern Idlib region.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the rebels had seized dozens of towns and villages in the north and “took control of most of” Aleppo.
The violence has killed at least 311 people, mostly combatants on both sides, but also including at least 28 civilians, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
Dareen Khalifa, a researcher at the International Crisis Group think tank, said the rebels had prepared months for this offensive.
“They’ve framed it as a defensive move against regime escalation,” Khalifa said, as Syrian government and Russian strikes on the area intensified leading up to the attack.
But HTS and their allies are “also looking at the broader regional and geostrategic shift”, she said.
The rebels, working in a joint operations room, launched their attack the same day a Hezbollah-Israel truce came into effect in neighbouring Lebanon.
During more than 13 months of hostilities, Israel also intensified attacks on Iran-backed groups in Syria including Hezbollah, which for years has fought on the side of Damascus in the country’s civil conflict.
Along with Iran, Russia is also a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with Moscow intervening in Syria’s civil war in 2015, turning the momentum of the conflict in favour of Damascus.
“They’re thinking this is a time when the Iranians are weakened, when the regime is cornered and when Turkey is emboldened vis-a-vis Russia,” Khalifa said.
Turkey has positioned itself as a possible mediator in the Ukraine war and is a key trade and finance centre for Western-sanctioned Moscow.
– What major powers are at play? –
The main powers backing each side of the conflict have so far refrained from making escalatory remarks.
The Kremlin on Friday said it hoped Syria would quickly “restore order” in Aleppo, while Tehran has blamed the offensive on an American-Israeli plot to destabilise the region.
Turkey has demanded an end to “attacks” on the rebel enclave of Idlib in Syria, where Syrian and Russian warplanes launched air strikes.
“In the next few days, if (rebels) can sustain their gains it will be a test to whether or not Turkey will go all-in,” Khalifa told AFP.
The mass offensive comes as a potential rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara has stalled in recent years, though Moscow and Tehran have pushed for a detente.
Turkish forces and Turkey-backed rebel factions control swathes of northern Syria.
Ankara initially sought to topple Assad after the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, but as government forces regained territory, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reversed course.
In a post on X, Caroline Rose, of the Washington-based New Lines Institute, said the Aleppo offensive appears to be “a way to force the regime to negotiate with a weakened hand”.
– What about the government? –
The Syrian government has reeled from its biggest loss of territory in years this week.
“Regime lines have crumbled at an incredible pace that has taken everyone by surprise,” Khalifa said.
The rebels also cut off the Damascus-Aleppo M5 highway, in addition to controlling the strategic M5-M4 junction that also connects Syria’s second city to regime stronghold Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the rebels advanced into Aleppo “without any significant pushback from regime forces”.
“It is strange to see regime forces being dealt such big blows despite Russian air cover and early signs that HTS was going to launch this operation,” Abdel Rahman said.
Damascus has largely relied on Russian air power and Hezbollah fighters on the ground to regain swathes of Syria lost to rebels early in the war.
But the Iran-backed Hezbollah has taken heavy losses in its war with Israel.
Meanwhile, “Russia’s presence has thinned out considerably and quick reaction air strikes have limited utility”, said Aaron Stein, president of the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Speedy rebel advances are “a reminder of how weak the regime is and, perhaps, how they have grown complacent in the last couple of years” as battles wound down, he said.
Aya Iskandarani
Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria’s second city of Aleppo according to a monitor.
Government forces offered little resistance, the war monitor said, and the army admitted that rebels had entered “large parts” of the city.
Why have the Syrian rebels and their allies from Turkish-backed factions decided to attack after years of relative calm, and what is at stake?
– Why now? –
On Wednesday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch, and allied factions attacked government-held areas of the northern province of Aleppo and the northwestern Idlib region.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the rebels had seized dozens of towns and villages in the north and “took control of most of” Aleppo.
The violence has killed at least 311 people, mostly combatants on both sides, but also including at least 28 civilians, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
Dareen Khalifa, a researcher at the International Crisis Group think tank, said the rebels had prepared months for this offensive.
“They’ve framed it as a defensive move against regime escalation,” Khalifa said, as Syrian government and Russian strikes on the area intensified leading up to the attack.
But HTS and their allies are “also looking at the broader regional and geostrategic shift”, she said.
The rebels, working in a joint operations room, launched their attack the same day a Hezbollah-Israel truce came into effect in neighbouring Lebanon.
During more than 13 months of hostilities, Israel also intensified attacks on Iran-backed groups in Syria including Hezbollah, which for years has fought on the side of Damascus in the country’s civil conflict.
Along with Iran, Russia is also a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with Moscow intervening in Syria’s civil war in 2015, turning the momentum of the conflict in favour of Damascus.
“They’re thinking this is a time when the Iranians are weakened, when the regime is cornered and when Turkey is emboldened vis-a-vis Russia,” Khalifa said.
Turkey has positioned itself as a possible mediator in the Ukraine war and is a key trade and finance centre for Western-sanctioned Moscow.
– What major powers are at play? –
The main powers backing each side of the conflict have so far refrained from making escalatory remarks.
The Kremlin on Friday said it hoped Syria would quickly “restore order” in Aleppo, while Tehran has blamed the offensive on an American-Israeli plot to destabilise the region.
Turkey has demanded an end to “attacks” on the rebel enclave of Idlib in Syria, where Syrian and Russian warplanes launched air strikes.
“In the next few days, if (rebels) can sustain their gains it will be a test to whether or not Turkey will go all-in,” Khalifa told AFP.
The mass offensive comes as a potential rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara has stalled in recent years, though Moscow and Tehran have pushed for a detente.
Turkish forces and Turkey-backed rebel factions control swathes of northern Syria.
Ankara initially sought to topple Assad after the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, but as government forces regained territory, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reversed course.
In a post on X, Caroline Rose, of the Washington-based New Lines Institute, said the Aleppo offensive appears to be “a way to force the regime to negotiate with a weakened hand”.
– What about the government? –
The Syrian government has reeled from its biggest loss of territory in years this week.
“Regime lines have crumbled at an incredible pace that has taken everyone by surprise,” Khalifa said.
The rebels also cut off the Damascus-Aleppo M5 highway, in addition to controlling the strategic M5-M4 junction that also connects Syria’s second city to regime stronghold Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the rebels advanced into Aleppo “without any significant pushback from regime forces”.
“It is strange to see regime forces being dealt such big blows despite Russian air cover and early signs that HTS was going to launch this operation,” Abdel Rahman said.
Damascus has largely relied on Russian air power and Hezbollah fighters on the ground to regain swathes of Syria lost to rebels early in the war.
But the Iran-backed Hezbollah has taken heavy losses in its war with Israel.
Meanwhile, “Russia’s presence has thinned out considerably and quick reaction air strikes have limited utility”, said Aaron Stein, president of the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Speedy rebel advances are “a reminder of how weak the regime is and, perhaps, how they have grown complacent in the last couple of years” as battles wound down, he said.
Rebels reach Syria's second city of Aleppo as deadly campaign continues
Syrian jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies reached the country's second city of Aleppo on Friday as they pushed ahead with their lightning advance. The rebels have seized more than 50 towns and villages in northern Syria, according to a monitoring group after launching a major offensive against government troops on Wednesday.
30/11/2024 -
By: NEWS WIRES
Video by: FRANCE 24
Russian air strikes
Syrian and Russian warplanes launched intense air strikes Friday on the rebel enclave around Idlib, where the jihadists are based, carrying out 23 raids, according to the Observatory.
The Russian military said it was bombing "extremist" forces.
"The Russian air force is carrying out rocket-bomb attacks on... control points, warehouses and artillery positions of terrorists," a defence ministry spokesperson told Russian news agencies.
Turkey demanded a halt to the bombardment. "The recent clashes have resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions in the region," a foreign ministry statement said.
The Idlib area has since 2020 been subject to a truce brokered by Turkey and Russia. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated but had largely held.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said "more than 14,000 people -- nearly half are children -- have been displaced" by the violence.
Aleppo resident Sarmad, 51, told AFP he could hear "the sounds of missiles and artillery shelling around the clock".
"We're scared that war will break out and we'll be displaced from our homes again," he said.
Nasser Hamdo, 36, who works in a pastry shop, said he had been glued to the news since hostilities began.
On Thursday, the jihadists and their allies cut the highway linking Aleppo to the capital Damascus, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) south, the Observatory said.
"We're worried that roads getting blocked could cause fuel prices to soar and prevent goods from reaching the city," Hamdo said.
International players
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described the situation in Aleppo as "an infringement on the sovereignty of Syria."
He expressed support for "the government of Syria to quickly restore order in this district".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pledged "continued support for the government, nation and army of Syria," in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bassam al-Sabbagh, according to a statement.
The Idlib area has been subject to a Turkish- and Russian-brokered truce since 2020. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated but had largely held.
An AFP correspondent in the rebel enclave saw jihadists advancing in tanks as intense exchanges of fire took place in an area just seven kilometres (a little over four miles) from Aleppo.
AFP images showed abandoned army tanks and other military vehicles.
The correspondent said the jihadists and their Turkey-backed allies took orders from a joint operations command.
Analyst Nick Heras, of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, said the fighters were "trying to preempt the possibility of a Syrian military campaign in the region of Aleppo".
According to Heras, the Syrian government and its key backer Russia had been preparing for such a campaign.
Russia intervened in Syria in 2015, turning the tide of the civil war which broke out four years earlier in favour of the government, whose forces at the time had lost control of most of country.
'Totally unprepared'
In addition to Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been propped up by Iran and allied militant groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Iran-backed militias have a heavy presence in the Aleppo region after providing crucial ground support when the army recaptured rebel-held areas of the city in 2016.
Heras said anti-government forces are "in a better position to take and seize villages than Russian-backed Syrian government forces, while the Iranians are focused on Lebanon".
Abdel Rahman said government forces "were totally unprepared" for the attack.
"It is strange to see regime forces being dealt such big blows despite Russian air cover and early signs that HTS was going to launch this operation," Abdel Rahman said.
"Were they depending on Hezbollah, which is now busy in Lebanon?"
(AFP)
Syrian jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies reached the country's second city of Aleppo on Friday as they pushed ahead with their lightning advance. The rebels have seized more than 50 towns and villages in northern Syria, according to a monitoring group after launching a major offensive against government troops on Wednesday.
30/11/2024 -
By: NEWS WIRES
Video by: FRANCE 24
01:58
The fighting in northwestern Syria is the deadliest the country has seen in years.
© Omar Haj Kadour, AFP
Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies breached Syria's second city of Aleppo on Friday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government.
The fighters took control of "half of the city of Aleppo" as regime forces withdrew, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The offensive began on Wednesday, the same day that a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The fighting was initially fierce, with 277 people killed, according to the Britain-based Observatory, which said the toll included 28 civilians, most killed by Russian air strikes.
By Friday, the jihadists and their allies had taken more than 50 towns and villages in the north and entered western districts of Aleppo, a city of around two million people that was Syria's pre-war manufacturing hub.
The fighters swiftly captured half of Aleppo without meeting significant resistance, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP early Saturday, adding that "there has been no fighting, not a single shot was fired, as regime forces withdrew."
An AFP correspondent saw clashes in New Aleppo district.
State media reported that four civilians were killed when a student residence in Aleppo was shelled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch.
Army reinforcements have arrived in Aleppo, a Syrian security official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
An earlier army statement said troops had repelled the assault on the city and retaken some positions.
The jihadists and their allies made other advances in the north, including the strategically located town of Saraqib, which is on the road to Aleppo, the Observatory said.
The fighters took control of "half of the city of Aleppo" as regime forces withdrew, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The offensive began on Wednesday, the same day that a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The fighting was initially fierce, with 277 people killed, according to the Britain-based Observatory, which said the toll included 28 civilians, most killed by Russian air strikes.
By Friday, the jihadists and their allies had taken more than 50 towns and villages in the north and entered western districts of Aleppo, a city of around two million people that was Syria's pre-war manufacturing hub.
The fighters swiftly captured half of Aleppo without meeting significant resistance, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP early Saturday, adding that "there has been no fighting, not a single shot was fired, as regime forces withdrew."
An AFP correspondent saw clashes in New Aleppo district.
State media reported that four civilians were killed when a student residence in Aleppo was shelled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch.
Army reinforcements have arrived in Aleppo, a Syrian security official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
An earlier army statement said troops had repelled the assault on the city and retaken some positions.
The jihadists and their allies made other advances in the north, including the strategically located town of Saraqib, which is on the road to Aleppo, the Observatory said.
A fighter from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) mans a position in the eastern outskirts of the town of Atarib, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on November 27, 2024. © Abdulaziz Ketaz, AFP
Russian air strikes
Syrian and Russian warplanes launched intense air strikes Friday on the rebel enclave around Idlib, where the jihadists are based, carrying out 23 raids, according to the Observatory.
The Russian military said it was bombing "extremist" forces.
"The Russian air force is carrying out rocket-bomb attacks on... control points, warehouses and artillery positions of terrorists," a defence ministry spokesperson told Russian news agencies.
Turkey demanded a halt to the bombardment. "The recent clashes have resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions in the region," a foreign ministry statement said.
The Idlib area has since 2020 been subject to a truce brokered by Turkey and Russia. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated but had largely held.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said "more than 14,000 people -- nearly half are children -- have been displaced" by the violence.
Aleppo resident Sarmad, 51, told AFP he could hear "the sounds of missiles and artillery shelling around the clock".
"We're scared that war will break out and we'll be displaced from our homes again," he said.
Nasser Hamdo, 36, who works in a pastry shop, said he had been glued to the news since hostilities began.
On Thursday, the jihadists and their allies cut the highway linking Aleppo to the capital Damascus, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) south, the Observatory said.
"We're worried that roads getting blocked could cause fuel prices to soar and prevent goods from reaching the city," Hamdo said.
International players
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described the situation in Aleppo as "an infringement on the sovereignty of Syria."
He expressed support for "the government of Syria to quickly restore order in this district".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pledged "continued support for the government, nation and army of Syria," in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bassam al-Sabbagh, according to a statement.
The Idlib area has been subject to a Turkish- and Russian-brokered truce since 2020. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated but had largely held.
An AFP correspondent in the rebel enclave saw jihadists advancing in tanks as intense exchanges of fire took place in an area just seven kilometres (a little over four miles) from Aleppo.
AFP images showed abandoned army tanks and other military vehicles.
The correspondent said the jihadists and their Turkey-backed allies took orders from a joint operations command.
Analyst Nick Heras, of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, said the fighters were "trying to preempt the possibility of a Syrian military campaign in the region of Aleppo".
According to Heras, the Syrian government and its key backer Russia had been preparing for such a campaign.
Russia intervened in Syria in 2015, turning the tide of the civil war which broke out four years earlier in favour of the government, whose forces at the time had lost control of most of country.
'Totally unprepared'
In addition to Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been propped up by Iran and allied militant groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Iran-backed militias have a heavy presence in the Aleppo region after providing crucial ground support when the army recaptured rebel-held areas of the city in 2016.
Heras said anti-government forces are "in a better position to take and seize villages than Russian-backed Syrian government forces, while the Iranians are focused on Lebanon".
Abdel Rahman said government forces "were totally unprepared" for the attack.
"It is strange to see regime forces being dealt such big blows despite Russian air cover and early signs that HTS was going to launch this operation," Abdel Rahman said.
"Were they depending on Hezbollah, which is now busy in Lebanon?"
(AFP)
Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, nearby province in huge setback for Assad
Syrian insurgents led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured most of Aleppo on Saturday and expanded their offensive to a nearby province, in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's authority in years. Russia's air force carried out strikes in support of the Syrian army, which said it was preparing a counterattack.
Issued on: 30/11/2024 -
By:FRANCE 24
The Syrian army said on Saturday dozens of its soldiers had been killed in a major attack by rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo in the northwest, forcing the army to redeploy in a huge setback for Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The surprise attack led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has jolted the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020, reviving fighting in a corner of the fractured country near the Turkish border. The army said it was preparing a counteroffensive to restore state authority.
Acknowledging the rebel advance, the Syrian army command said insurgents had entered large parts of Aleppo, which had been under full state control since government forces backed by Russia and Iran drove rebels out eight years ago.
07:06© FRANCE 24
“Many of the towns they have seized are ghost towns, emptied of their population when the Syrian army captured them with the help of Iran,” said FRANCE 24’s Middle East expert Wassim Nasr.
“So those people fighting today are fighting to go back to those towns,” Nasr added.
The fighting revives the long-simmering Syrian conflict as the wider region is roiled by wars in Gaza and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday.
Russian air strikes
The attack was launched from insurgent-held areas of northwestern Syria that remain outside Assad's grasp.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country's army, Russian news agencies reported.
Speaking on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regarded the rebel attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. "We are in favour of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.
The Syrian Civil Defense, a rescue service operating in opposition-held parts of Syria, said in a post on X that Syrian government and Russian aircraft carried out air strikes on residential neighbourhoods, a gas station and a school in rebel-held Idlib, killing four civilians and wounding six others.
Syrian military sources said Russia has promised Damascus extra military aid that would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
“The Russians want to help the Syrian regime more – but their military resources in Syria are much reduced as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine,” said FRANCE 24’s Nasr.
Iran and its allies weakened
The rebels, including factions backed by Turkey, said on Friday their fighters were sweeping through various Aleppo neighbourhoods.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel brigade, said their speedy advance had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower to support the government in the broader Aleppo province.
Syrian insurgents led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured most of Aleppo on Saturday and expanded their offensive to a nearby province, in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's authority in years. Russia's air force carried out strikes in support of the Syrian army, which said it was preparing a counterattack.
Issued on: 30/11/2024 -
By:FRANCE 24
Video by: FRANCE 24
01:44
Anti-government fighters hold an opposition flag as they pose for a picture at the entrance of the landmark citadel in Aleppo on November 30, 2024. © Muhammad Haj Kadour, AFP
The Syrian army said on Saturday dozens of its soldiers had been killed in a major attack by rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo in the northwest, forcing the army to redeploy in a huge setback for Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The surprise attack led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has jolted the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020, reviving fighting in a corner of the fractured country near the Turkish border. The army said it was preparing a counteroffensive to restore state authority.
Acknowledging the rebel advance, the Syrian army command said insurgents had entered large parts of Aleppo, which had been under full state control since government forces backed by Russia and Iran drove rebels out eight years ago.
"I am the son of Aleppo, and was displaced from it eight years ago, in 2016. Thank God we just returned. It is an indescribable feeling," said Ali Jumbaa, a rebel fighter, television footage showed.
The Syrian military command said militants had attacked in large numbers and from multiple directions, prompting "our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defence lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack".
The rebels also took control of Aleppo airport, according to a statement by their operations room and a security source.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said the rebels had also advanced in Hama and Idlib provinces, taking control of "dozens of strategic towns without any resistance".
By Saturday evening, they seized at least four towns in the central Hama province and claimed to have entered the provincial capital
The Syrian military command said militants had attacked in large numbers and from multiple directions, prompting "our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defence lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack".
The rebels also took control of Aleppo airport, according to a statement by their operations room and a security source.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said the rebels had also advanced in Hama and Idlib provinces, taking control of "dozens of strategic towns without any resistance".
By Saturday evening, they seized at least four towns in the central Hama province and claimed to have entered the provincial capital
07:06© FRANCE 24“Many of the towns they have seized are ghost towns, emptied of their population when the Syrian army captured them with the help of Iran,” said FRANCE 24’s Middle East expert Wassim Nasr.
“So those people fighting today are fighting to go back to those towns,” Nasr added.
The fighting revives the long-simmering Syrian conflict as the wider region is roiled by wars in Gaza and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday.
Russian air strikes
The attack was launched from insurgent-held areas of northwestern Syria that remain outside Assad's grasp.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country's army, Russian news agencies reported.
Speaking on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regarded the rebel attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty. "We are in favour of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.
The Syrian Civil Defense, a rescue service operating in opposition-held parts of Syria, said in a post on X that Syrian government and Russian aircraft carried out air strikes on residential neighbourhoods, a gas station and a school in rebel-held Idlib, killing four civilians and wounding six others.
Syrian military sources said Russia has promised Damascus extra military aid that would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
“The Russians want to help the Syrian regime more – but their military resources in Syria are much reduced as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine,” said FRANCE 24’s Nasr.
Iran and its allies weakened
The rebels, including factions backed by Turkey, said on Friday their fighters were sweeping through various Aleppo neighbourhoods.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel brigade, said their speedy advance had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower to support the government in the broader Aleppo province.
06:31© FRANCE 24
Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East. This has presented HTS with a window of opportunity, said FRANCE 24’s Nasr.
“The Syrian rebels have a long blood debt with Iran and the offensive is happening now because Iran and its allies are too weak to keep bolstering the Syrian regime,” explained FRANCE 24’s Nasr.
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 insurgent attack.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air forces on areas of Idlib province, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey, which supports the rebels, had given a green light to the offensive. Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment on Saturday.
Turkey's foreign ministry said on Friday that the clashes between rebels and government forces had resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions.
In a statement, spokesperson Oncu Keceli said that avoiding greater instability in the region was Turkey's priority, adding that Ankara had warned that recent attacks on Idlib undermined the spirit and implementation of de-escalation agreements.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
“The Syrian rebels have a long blood debt with Iran and the offensive is happening now because Iran and its allies are too weak to keep bolstering the Syrian regime,” explained FRANCE 24’s Nasr.
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 insurgent attack.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air forces on areas of Idlib province, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey, which supports the rebels, had given a green light to the offensive. Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment on Saturday.
Turkey's foreign ministry said on Friday that the clashes between rebels and government forces had resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions.
In a statement, spokesperson Oncu Keceli said that avoiding greater instability in the region was Turkey's priority, adding that Ankara had warned that recent attacks on Idlib undermined the spirit and implementation of de-escalation agreements.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
Toll in Syria jihadist-army fighting rises to 242: monitor
By AFP
November 29, 2024
Fighters near a body in Atareb, in Syria's northern Aleppo province, as jihadists and allied factions battle the army in what a war monitor called the area's worst fighting in years - Copyright AFP AAREF WATAD
More than 240 people, mostly combatants, were killed as intense fighting approached Syria’s northern Aleppo city after jihadists launched a major offensive on government-held areas this week, a monitor said Friday.
On Wednesday, jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied Turkish-backed factions launched an attack on government-held areas in the northwest, triggering the fiercest fighting since 2020, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said fighting reached two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the main northern city of Aleppo, where jihadist artillery shelling on student housing killed four civilians, according to state media.
“The combatants’ death toll in the ongoing… operation in the Idlib and Aleppo countrysides has risen to 218,” since Wednesday, said the British-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
In addition to the fighters, it said 24 civilians were killed.
Syrian ally Russia launched air strikes that killed 19 civilians on Thursday, while another civilian had been killed in Syrian army shelling a day earlier, said the Observatory which on Thursday had reported an overall toll of about 200 dead, including the civilians.
By AFP
November 29, 2024
Fighters near a body in Atareb, in Syria's northern Aleppo province, as jihadists and allied factions battle the army in what a war monitor called the area's worst fighting in years - Copyright AFP AAREF WATAD
More than 240 people, mostly combatants, were killed as intense fighting approached Syria’s northern Aleppo city after jihadists launched a major offensive on government-held areas this week, a monitor said Friday.
On Wednesday, jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied Turkish-backed factions launched an attack on government-held areas in the northwest, triggering the fiercest fighting since 2020, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said fighting reached two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the main northern city of Aleppo, where jihadist artillery shelling on student housing killed four civilians, according to state media.
“The combatants’ death toll in the ongoing… operation in the Idlib and Aleppo countrysides has risen to 218,” since Wednesday, said the British-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
In addition to the fighters, it said 24 civilians were killed.
Syrian ally Russia launched air strikes that killed 19 civilians on Thursday, while another civilian had been killed in Syrian army shelling a day earlier, said the Observatory which on Thursday had reported an overall toll of about 200 dead, including the civilians.
‘After five years, we can go home’: Syrians hopeful as militias push back Assad’s forces
After five years of relative stalemate, a lightening assault by various militias against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in northern Syria this week surprised the international community. The armed groups successfully seized several towns and villages near Aleppo, killing numerous pro-Assad fighters, including a senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Videos released by opposition groups suggest that they also captured a significant cache of arms and ammunition abandoned by retreating pro-Assad forces.
'After five years, we hope to finally come back to our homes'
We spoke to "Ahmad" [not his real name]. He used to live in the east of Aleppo. After the pro-Assad forces took control of the region in 2019, he had to flee to the west of Aleppo, which is controlled by opposition groups, but he is not far from the area that has now become a battlefield.
We realised there was an attack early in the morning when we heard massive explosions. Then we checked local social media accounts to find out what was happening.
All communications, electricity, and water have been cut off in the war zone. There are no air raid shelters. Those who could leave fled quickly, taking almost nothing with them. They had to abandon everything and head toward areas near the Turkish border, or to Afrin and Azaz.
Some organisations are trying to provide food and water for the displaced, but the situation is worsening. Bombardments by Russia and Assad’s air force have focused on combat zones and major towns in the region. The Russians are mostly targeting urban areas where civilians live—places like Darat Izza, Al-Atarib, and the outskirts of Idlib. Meanwhile, government shelling is concentrated on the frontline and towns, especially areas north of Ariha.
Although these attacks caught us by surprise, most people see them as an opportunity. If these militias manage to push back the Iranians and Assad’s army, we can finally return to the homes we were forced to leave in 2019. We are human beings too. After five years of losing everything—our homes, our belongings— all we want is to go back.
'Compared to the regions controlled by the Iranian militia, things are much better here'
For five years, people here have been driven from their homes by militias controlled by Iran. These include Iranians themselves, Afghans in the Fatemiyoun Brigades, Palestinians in the Quds Army, and Lebanese Hezbollah.
In all these years, no one dared to return to their homes because of the risk of being arbitrarily detained — or worse, killed — by the Iranians or Hezbollah forces.
In the areas controlled by the opposition militias, the situation is much better than in the regions held by the government. From what I can see as a young man living under their control, these militias have moved away from their extremist ideologies over the past few years. They’re now far more open to the world. I won’t deny that there are still injustices and violations here, but compared to the areas ruled by Iranian militias, things are significantly better.
Ahmad acknowledged the presence of foreign fighters in the region but downplayed their influence.
Yes, it’s true that some foreign fighters are here — Uighurs, Turks, Uzbeks — but they’re a minority. Honestly, most of them left our area a while ago to join ISIS-controlled territories. They don’t interfere with the political or administrative affairs here. It’s also worth remembering that the Free Syrian Army is part of this operation too, and they’re not Islamists.
He dismissed rumours that the attack was orchestrated by Turkey in collaboration with Israel to disrupt Hezbollah’s weapons supply routes.
I’ve heard people claim that Turkey organised this operation with Israel to block Hezbollah’s rearmament path from Iran to Lebanon, but I don’t believe it. Turkey and Iran have a good relationship.
“Our region has no strategic importance for Iran or Hezbollah. The most crucial route for Hezbollah to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon is further east, near Deir al-Zour. That route is still active for Hezbollah.
As the fighting edges closer to government-held Aleppo, residents are moving to safer areas. However, according to Ahmad, their main fear is being caught in the crossfire, not the advancing opposition forces.
The people in Aleppo are not fleeing the city. They are simply relocating to areas further away from the approaching clashes. At the same time, many families are finally reuniting after five years, as new villages and towns are being liberated. Only the families of Syrian army soldiers are fleeing — I’ve heard they’ve already moved to Damascus and Hama.
The Syrian civil war, now in its twelfth year, has claimed over 350,000 lives since 2012, with more than 306,000 of those deaths being civilians, according to UN estimates. The conflict has displaced more than half of Syria’s population of 21 million, forcing over 5 million people to flee the country and seek refuge abroad.
After five years of relative stalemate, a lightening assault by various militias against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in northern Syria this week surprised the international community. The armed groups successfully seized several towns and villages near Aleppo, killing numerous pro-Assad fighters, including a senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Videos released by opposition groups suggest that they also captured a significant cache of arms and ammunition abandoned by retreating pro-Assad forces.
Left: A Russian patrol attacked by armed militias, resulting in the death of one Russian soldier. Centre: The highest-ranking IRGC commander in Syria was killed during opposition attacks on Aleppo. Right: Syrian militias deploy drones on a large scale for the first time to strike Syrian army positions.
By: Alijani Ershad
On November 27, several Syrian armed opposition factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian National Army, and Ahrar al-Sham, launched a large-scale offensive in the Aleppo region.
For the first time in over a decade of Syria’s civil war, these groups made extensive use of first-person view (FVP) drones, suicide drones, and night-vision technology, significantly shifting the balance on the battlefield. Their assault drove back forces loyal to Syrain President Bashar al-Assad, including Afghanistan’s Fatemiyoun Brigade, Pakistan’s Zeynabiyoun Brigade, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Syria’s 46th Army Regiment.
© Observers
Issued on: 29/11/2024 - On November 27, several Syrian armed opposition factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian National Army, and Ahrar al-Sham, launched a large-scale offensive in the Aleppo region.
For the first time in over a decade of Syria’s civil war, these groups made extensive use of first-person view (FVP) drones, suicide drones, and night-vision technology, significantly shifting the balance on the battlefield. Their assault drove back forces loyal to Syrain President Bashar al-Assad, including Afghanistan’s Fatemiyoun Brigade, Pakistan’s Zeynabiyoun Brigade, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Syria’s 46th Army Regiment.
A photo released by armed opposition groups shows fighters equipped with night-vision goggles and rifles mounted with night-vision cameras, Photo released on November 28, 2024. ©
These opposition factions are made up of fighters of various nationalities, including Uighurs and Uzbeks, who reportedly receive support from the Turkish government. Their forces pushed pro-Assad troops back by dozens of kilometres, capturing several strategically significant areas near Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.
The offensive resulted in heavy losses for the Assad regime and its allies. According to Iranian media, the slain included two Syrian army generals and Kioumars Pourhashemi, a senior IRGC commander, who was reportedly killed in a suicide bombing. Opposition groups also claimed responsibility for the death of a Russian soldier, while another Russian was allegedly captured during the fighting. Videos shared by the groups on social media show evidence of other significant casualties among pro-Assad forces.
These opposition factions are made up of fighters of various nationalities, including Uighurs and Uzbeks, who reportedly receive support from the Turkish government. Their forces pushed pro-Assad troops back by dozens of kilometres, capturing several strategically significant areas near Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.
The offensive resulted in heavy losses for the Assad regime and its allies. According to Iranian media, the slain included two Syrian army generals and Kioumars Pourhashemi, a senior IRGC commander, who was reportedly killed in a suicide bombing. Opposition groups also claimed responsibility for the death of a Russian soldier, while another Russian was allegedly captured during the fighting. Videos shared by the groups on social media show evidence of other significant casualties among pro-Assad forces.
Footage shows Syrian army forces abandoning their positions and retreating as opposition groups advance on their strongholds. video released on November 28, 2024
Opposition fighters have reportedly advanced up to 3 km west of Aleppo, disrupting the M5 motorway — a critical supply route linking Damascus and Aleppo.
Despite the rapid territorial gains, Iranian state-aligned media have suggested that elite IRGC “Saberin” forces, along with the Russian Wagner Group, are being deployed to reinforce pro-Assad troops as they attempt to retake lost ground.
Opposition fighters have reportedly advanced up to 3 km west of Aleppo, disrupting the M5 motorway — a critical supply route linking Damascus and Aleppo.
Despite the rapid territorial gains, Iranian state-aligned media have suggested that elite IRGC “Saberin” forces, along with the Russian Wagner Group, are being deployed to reinforce pro-Assad troops as they attempt to retake lost ground.
'A video released by armed opposition groups shows the use of civilian drones armed with explosives to target Syrian army positions.'
'After five years, we hope to finally come back to our homes'
We spoke to "Ahmad" [not his real name]. He used to live in the east of Aleppo. After the pro-Assad forces took control of the region in 2019, he had to flee to the west of Aleppo, which is controlled by opposition groups, but he is not far from the area that has now become a battlefield.
We realised there was an attack early in the morning when we heard massive explosions. Then we checked local social media accounts to find out what was happening.
All communications, electricity, and water have been cut off in the war zone. There are no air raid shelters. Those who could leave fled quickly, taking almost nothing with them. They had to abandon everything and head toward areas near the Turkish border, or to Afrin and Azaz.
Some organisations are trying to provide food and water for the displaced, but the situation is worsening. Bombardments by Russia and Assad’s air force have focused on combat zones and major towns in the region. The Russians are mostly targeting urban areas where civilians live—places like Darat Izza, Al-Atarib, and the outskirts of Idlib. Meanwhile, government shelling is concentrated on the frontline and towns, especially areas north of Ariha.
Although these attacks caught us by surprise, most people see them as an opportunity. If these militias manage to push back the Iranians and Assad’s army, we can finally return to the homes we were forced to leave in 2019. We are human beings too. After five years of losing everything—our homes, our belongings— all we want is to go back.
drone strikes launched by opposition groups Target Pro-Assad forces. Footage released on November 28, 2024.
'Compared to the regions controlled by the Iranian militia, things are much better here'
For five years, people here have been driven from their homes by militias controlled by Iran. These include Iranians themselves, Afghans in the Fatemiyoun Brigades, Palestinians in the Quds Army, and Lebanese Hezbollah.
In all these years, no one dared to return to their homes because of the risk of being arbitrarily detained — or worse, killed — by the Iranians or Hezbollah forces.
In the areas controlled by the opposition militias, the situation is much better than in the regions held by the government. From what I can see as a young man living under their control, these militias have moved away from their extremist ideologies over the past few years. They’re now far more open to the world. I won’t deny that there are still injustices and violations here, but compared to the areas ruled by Iranian militias, things are significantly better.
Ahmad acknowledged the presence of foreign fighters in the region but downplayed their influence.
Yes, it’s true that some foreign fighters are here — Uighurs, Turks, Uzbeks — but they’re a minority. Honestly, most of them left our area a while ago to join ISIS-controlled territories. They don’t interfere with the political or administrative affairs here. It’s also worth remembering that the Free Syrian Army is part of this operation too, and they’re not Islamists.
He dismissed rumours that the attack was orchestrated by Turkey in collaboration with Israel to disrupt Hezbollah’s weapons supply routes.
I’ve heard people claim that Turkey organised this operation with Israel to block Hezbollah’s rearmament path from Iran to Lebanon, but I don’t believe it. Turkey and Iran have a good relationship.
“Our region has no strategic importance for Iran or Hezbollah. The most crucial route for Hezbollah to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon is further east, near Deir al-Zour. That route is still active for Hezbollah.
As the fighting edges closer to government-held Aleppo, residents are moving to safer areas. However, according to Ahmad, their main fear is being caught in the crossfire, not the advancing opposition forces.
The people in Aleppo are not fleeing the city. They are simply relocating to areas further away from the approaching clashes. At the same time, many families are finally reuniting after five years, as new villages and towns are being liberated. Only the families of Syrian army soldiers are fleeing — I’ve heard they’ve already moved to Damascus and Hama.
The Syrian civil war, now in its twelfth year, has claimed over 350,000 lives since 2012, with more than 306,000 of those deaths being civilians, according to UN estimates. The conflict has displaced more than half of Syria’s population of 21 million, forcing over 5 million people to flee the country and seek refuge abroad.
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