Russian and Syrian warplanes launched airstrikes on rebel-held areas in Syria's northwest after insurgents, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, advanced into Aleppo. This marks a significant escalation in the Syrian civil war, challenging Assad's control.
AMMAN (Reuters) - Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted insurgents in an Aleppo city suburb on Saturday, two Syrian military sources said, after the rebel fighters penetrated the heart of the city in Syria's northwest in a surprise attack the previous day.
The attack by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham marks the most significant challenge in years to President Bashar al-Assad, jolting the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020.
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 airstrikes on residential neighbourhoods, a gas station and a school in rebel-held Idlib, killing four civilians and wounding six others.
Russia, which deployed its air force to Syria in 2015 to support Assad in the war, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the rebels, the two military sources said, adding this would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The insurgent force began its surprise offensive earlier this week, sweeping through government-held towns and reaching Aleppo nearly a decade after government forces backed by Russia and Iran drove rebels from the city.
Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, the two military sources and a third army source said.
The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the rebels have entered, the three military sources said.
On Friday, Syrian state television denied rebels had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria's military with air support.
The Syrian military said on Friday it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
Also 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 rebels began their incursion on Wednesday under the umbrella of an operations room, including groups that are backed by Turkey. On Friday, the operations room said its forces were sweeping through various neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
Assad recovered full control of Aleppo city from rebel forces in 2016, aided by Russian air power and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Insurgents maintained a foothold near Aleppo in Idlib province and in areas north of the city at the Turkish border.
SPILLOVER EFFECT OF GAZA WAR
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province. 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.
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 force on areas in rebel-held Idlib, 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 clashes between rebels and government forces in the northwest had resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions.
In a statement on Friday, 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.
The attack by insurgents is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Turkey agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
Trump tells Axios he wants direct involvement in who takes over as Iran's next leader, rejecting Khamenei's son as "unacceptable"...
On Thursday (5 March) four drones were directed towards Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region, according to the Ministry of Defence. Here is what we k...
Tensions in the Middle East are continuing to escalate as Iran and U.S.-backed Israeli forces exchange strikes for...
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic is "not targeting neigh...
China has outlined its main economic and policy priorities for the coming year in its annual government work repor...
Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. are raising economic concerns across Central Asia. Although the region lies far from the conflict, its economies remain closely tied to global energy markets and trade routes linked to the Persian Gulf.
A Russian drone damaged a civilian Panama-flagged vessel that was transporting corn near the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the Black Sea Odesa region, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said late on Wednesday.
How do political narratives travel from Moscow to Westminster?
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic is "not targeting neighbouring countries," amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Trump tells Axios he wants direct involvement in who takes over as Iran's next leader, rejecting Khamenei's son as "unacceptable" and citing the need for a figure who can bring "peace and harmony".
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
Türkiye has suspended day-trip crossings at its Kapıköy border and two others with Iran as regional tensions escalate following strikes involving the United States and Israel on Tehran. AnewZ's Alisultan Sultanzade was on the ground at the crossing before the restrictions came into force.
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Ankara is ready to help reinforce the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as clashes between the two neighbours continue for a sixth consecutive day.
China has outlined its main economic and policy priorities for the coming year in its annual government work report, a key document that sets out the country’s development plans.
A Russian drone damaged a civilian Panama-flagged vessel that was transporting corn near the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the Black Sea Odesa region, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said late on Wednesday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Australia and Canada said on Thursday they had signed new agreements on critical minerals as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a landmark address to the Australian parliament, a sign of the developing bond between the "middle powers".
More than 200 people died on Tuesday in a landslide triggered by heavy rains at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's mines ministry said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment