In Syria, rebels entered the center of Aleppo – the city’s airport was closed and roads were blocked.
Bashar al-Assad’s army has been ordered to “withdraw safely” from the main rebel-held areas of the city.
Over the past few days, dozens of soldiers have been killed or injured in battles with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels in Aleppo and Idlibi.
Russian aviation is carrying out strikes on Aleppo for the first time since 2016. Russian planes struck positions of Islamist rebels who captured part of Aleppo in Syria, fighting against the government forces of Bashar al-Assad.
But on November 30, the Syrian Armed Forces announced a “temporary withdrawal of troops” from Aleppo to prepare a counter-offensive against opposition forces. They are awaiting reinforcements for a counterattack. At the same time, Russia promised Assad assistance with weapons, which would begin to arrive within 72 hours.
The statement by Syrian army commanders was the first public acknowledgment by the military that rebels had entered Aleppo, which has been under full state control since government forces backed by Russia and Iran ousted the rebels eight years ago.
The large number of terrorists and multiple battle fronts have prompted our armed forces to conduct a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defense lines to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers and prepare for a counter-attack, the report said.
The army said the rebels had entered large parts of Aleppo, but “army bombardment” had prevented them from establishing fixed positions.
Two rebel sources said the rebels also captured Maraat al-Numan in Idlib province, bringing the entire province under their control in another significant blow for Assad.
The fighting revives the long-simmering Syrian conflict as the wider region is gripped by wars in Gaza and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday.
The attack was launched from rebel-held areas of northwestern Syria that remain outside Assad’s control.
Two Syrian military sources said Russian and Syrian warplanes carried out airstrikes against rebels in the Aleppo suburbs on Saturday, November 30.
Speaking on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regards the rebel attack as a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
“We advocate that the Syrian authorities restore order in the area as quickly as possible and restore constitutional order,” he said.
Syrian Civil Defense, a rescue service operating in opposition-controlled parts of Syria, said in a post on X that Syrian government and Russian aircraft carried out airstrikes on residential areas, a gas station and a school in rebel-held Idlibi, killing four civilians and wounding six others.
Two Syrian military sources said Russia has promised additional military aid to Damascus, which will begin arriving within the next 72 hours. Authorities closed Aleppo airport and roads into the city, two military sources and a third army source said.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, commander of the rebel Jaish al-Izza brigade, said their speedy advance was helped by the lack of manpower Iran is providing to support the government in Aleppo province.
Iran’s allies in the region have taken a series of blows from Israel as the war in Gaza spreads into the Middle East. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in a telephone call with his Syrian counterpart on Friday, accused the United States and Israel of being behind the rebel attack.
Opposition fighters said the campaign was a response to intensified airstrikes by Russian and Syrian air forces in recent weeks against civilians in areas of Idlib province, and to prevent any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources who speak to Turkish intelligence said rebel-backed Türkiye gave the green light for the offensive. Turkish officials were not available for comment Saturday.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that clashes between rebels and government forces had led to an unwanted escalation of tensions.
In a statement, Speaker Oncu Keceli said avoiding more instability in the region was Turkey’s priority, adding that Ankara had warned that recent attacks on Idlib were undermining the spirit and implementation of de-escalation agreements.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.