Syrian government forces sustained dozens of casualties in a haphazard
retreat from central Aleppo after rebels opposing the Assad regime
staged a shock assault on the country’s second-largest city.
The Syrian army retreated on Saturday morning to regroup before an
expected counteroffensive as Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded
targets in the suburbs of Aleppo, the first airstrikes on the city in
eight years. President al-Assad’s government declared it was sending
additional troops to shore up its front line in the face of the rebels’
advance.
The rebels have made stunning gains in northwestern Syria in a campaign
that began on Wednesday, reclaiming more than 50 towns and villages and
storming into western Aleppo on Friday night. Along the way, they
seized strategic positions and cut off a critical highway leading south
to the capital Damascus.
Photographs posted on social media showed armed fighters, some with
their faces covered, others smiling, posing in front of Aleppo’s
historic citadel and outside the city’s main university. Many tore down
regime flags, banners and posters of Assad, replacing them with the
Syrian revolution flag. One video showed insurgents toppling a statue
of Bassel al-Assad, the president’s brother.
Anti-government fighters toppled a statue of Bassel al-Assad, the
president’s brother
Anti-government fighters toppled a statue of Bassel al-Assad, the
president’s brother
OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/GETTY
The rebels were more co-ordinated and also deployed kamikaze drones
The rebels were more co-ordinated and also deployed kamikaze drones
MUHAMMAD HAJ KADOUR/AFP/GETTY
Warplanes attacked a square in Aleppo city centre
Warplanes attacked a square in Aleppo city centre
IBRAHIM DERVIS /ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
The [1]offensive has claimed more than 300 lives in four days,
according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, with the
biggest casualties among Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group leading
the advance. Among those killed was an Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corps commander, an Assad ally.
On Saturday Syria’s government acknowledged that it had ceded ground to
the rebels, confirming that dozens of its troops had been killed. “The
large numbers of terrorists and the multiplicity of battlefronts
prompted 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 army said.
The Syrian military insisted that the insurgents had not been able to
establish fixed positions in Aleppo following the army’s bombardment of
their positions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rightson Saturday
said that the rebels had advanced into the “majority” of Aleppo’s
neighbourhoods as the fighting continued.
The jihadists staged a lightning offensive and stormed into the city on
Friday, tearing down images of Assad
The jihadists staged a lightning offensive and stormed into the city on
Friday, tearing down images of Assad
OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/GETTYTHE REBELS WERE MORE CO-ORDINATED AND ALSO
DEPLOYED KAMIKAZE DRONES
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IZETTIN KASIM/ANADOLU/GETTY
HTS is a Sunni Islamist group that controls parts of northwest Syria’s
Idlib province and is primarily composed of former al-Qaeda affiliates.
Its attack signifies a marked escalation in Syria’s 13-year civil war,
which has largely been frozen since a diplomatic agreement in 2020.
Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, the HTS leader, has reportedly instructed his
commanders to protect civilians, including Christians and churches, and
to ensure fair treatment for surrendering government soldiers.
Government forces also reportedly killed the journalist Mustafa
al-Sarout, who was working in Aleppo. “Mustafa, who lives in Idlib,
went to Aleppo to cover the offensive. Assad’s forces killed him. It’s
very dangerous in the city at the moment,” his colleague Fared Al
Mahlool, who is in Idlib, told The Sunday Times.
Saraqib, another strategic town on the road junction connecting Aleppo
with Damascus and the Mediterranean coast, was also captured.
Syria’s government acknowledged that it had ceded ground to the rebels
Syria’s government acknowledged that it had ceded ground to the rebels
GHAITH ALSAYED/AP
Residents welcomed the rebels as they fled the fighting
Residents welcomed the rebels as they fled the fighting
RAMI ALSAYED/NURPHOTO/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
The [2]Turkey-backed Syrian National Army, an opposition group in
northern Syria that is unaffiliated with HTS, seized several villages
east of Aleppo while fighting regime forces.
Orwa Ajjoub, a Middle East researcher at Malmo University, said the
rebels would aim to “build trust with local communities, many of whom
remain sceptical about the governance they can expect under their
control”. He added: “I doubt the rebels have plans to reach Damascus.”
Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011 when protests against Assad’s
authoritarian rule, spurred by the Arab Spring movement, were brutally
suppressed. Five years of bloody fighting ensued, with Russia, Iran and
[3]Hezbollah of Lebanon aligning behind the Assad regime.
It reached a turning point in 2016 when Aleppo, one of the last
important urban strongholds held by the opposition, was recaptured by
Assad’s Russian-backed forces. Up until this year, the war has claimed
the lives of more than 507,000 people, among them more than 164,000
civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The rebels’ success in this campaign has been linked to the deployment
of newly introduced turbojet-powered kamikaze drones, as well as a more
co-ordinated military strategy, according to Gregory Waters, a
non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute and a lead researcher
at the Syrian Archive.
“The drones have certainly played a big role but what’s more important
is that the opposition has integrated them into their overall military
manoeuvres. This reflects a broader trend: they are focusing on
professionalising their military units, allowing for more effective
deployment,” he said.
The drones are made locally, while materials used for production are
probably “smuggled across regime front lines or sourced from abroad”,
Waters said.
It comes as [4]Hezbollah and Israel struck a 60-day ceasefire agreement
following Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is seen to
have been drastically damaged by the Israeli campaign, having lost many
of its commanders and much of its arsenal. Israel has also hit
Hezbollah targets within Syria in recent months.
“The weakening of key Assad allies Hezbollah and Iran, the
unpredictability of the new US administration and Turkey’s tentative
steps towards normalising relations with Assad are just a few
[factors],” said Dareen Khalifa, senior Syria adviser for the
International Crisis Group. “This has given HTS’s leadership the sense
that the time is right to act. This is the moment they have long talked
about: the moment to march towards Aleppo.”
Khalifa added: “I don’t think anyone, including the opposition,
expected that, in three days, they would be in central Aleppo,
potentially taking it in the coming days … HTS has been preparing this
for months but it is surprising how quickly the front lines have
crumbled.”
Rebels reclaimed more than 50 towns and villages on their way to Aleppo
Rebels reclaimed more than 50 towns and villages on their way to Aleppo
REX
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Close observers of the region are waiting to see what role neighbouring
Turkey plays in this fresh round of fighting. The country has long been
frustrated with the Assad regime, severing diplomatic ties with Syria
in 2012 over the civil war.
President Erdogan of Turkey attempted to normalise ties with Syria
earlier this year but could not secure reconciliation because Assad
imposed numerous preconditions, such as demanding that Turkey withdraw
entirely from northwest Syria. This is a red line for Ankara because of
security concerns linked to the People’s Protection Units, a Kurdish
group that it considers to be an extension of the [5]Kurdistan Workers’
Party, a designated terrorist group in Turkey, the UK, the United
States and the European Union.
The Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Turkey
was not involved in the clashes but was taking precautions to avoid
triggering a new wave of migration. Turkey’s foreign ministry called
for calm in the region.
The US also has soldiers stationed in Syria. Ajjoub suggested that if
an isolationist Donald Trump administration withdraws the troops “it
could create a power vacuum, paving the way for other actors to fill
the void — a scenario Turkey is acutely aware of and wants to avoid”.
In Aleppo, home to about two million people, residents were seen
welcoming the rebels while trying to escape the fighting. Many carried
only a few belongings as they ran to avoid the violence.
Aleppo has remained Syria’s economic hub, despite the heavy toll that
the war has taken on its infrastructure. Some parts lie in ruins with
bombed-out buildings lining the streets.
Analysts are surprised by how quickly the front lines crumbled
Analysts are surprised by how quickly the front lines crumbled
ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP/GETTY
According to a Unesco assessment, about 60 per cent of the historic old
town has been severely damaged, while 30 per cent is destroyed. Still,
in recent years, Aleppo has again turned into a busy vibrant city, with
some neighbourhoods newly refurbished and restaurants and bars
returning. Earlier this year, the historic souk reopened after
restoration.
Yet, much of its opposition-supporting population has been displaced
for years; many of them are in Idlib; others are outside Syria, unable
to return to government-held areas for fear of retribution. The
offensive may pave the way for their potential return, including to
places such as Aleppo.
In the rebel stronghold of Idlib, emotions were similarly mixed.
“There’s widespread happiness that villages and towns are being
liberated but people are also afraid of Assad’s response,” said
Mahlool.
References
1.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/aleppo-syria-war-2024-news-ls6hkvdm0
2.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/violent-turkish-mobs-attack-syrians-who-fled-assads-atrocities-2swwlj3gs
3.
https://www.thetimes.com/topic/hezbollah
4.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/home-broken-lebanese-families-return-rubble-2vgwkbdmq
5.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/six-arrested-in-london-counterterrorism-raids-linked-to-pkk-nsnpg0shv
