Syrian rebels break through Aleppo in shock assault, adding new uncertainty to war-torn region

Militants stormed Syria’s second-largest city on Friday and clashed with government forces for the first time since 2016, according to military guards and fighters, in a surprise attack that sent civilians fleeing and added new uncertainty to the war-torn region.

The advance on Aleppo follows a shocking offensive launched by the insurgents on Wednesday, as thousands of fighters attacked towns and villages in northwestern Syria. Residents fled from neighborhoods on the edge of the city because of missiles and gunfire, according to witnesses in Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the ongoing civil war, said dozens of fighters from both sides were killed.

The fighting over the past three days has killed 27 people, including eight children, a UN official said on Friday.

The attack added new violence to the region, which has two wars in Gaza and Lebanon involving Israel, and other conflicts, including the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.

Aleppo has not been under attack by opposition forces since it was driven from eastern areas in 2016 following a heavy-handed military campaign in which Syrian government forces were backed by Russia, Iran and allied groups.

But this time, there was no sign of a major retreat from government forces or their allies. Instead, reports surfaced that government troops were melting away due to the development, with rebels posting messages on social media calling for the soldiers to surrender.

Government power ‘very weak’

Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to Syria, said the attack showed the Syrian government’s forces were “very weak.” In some cases, he said, it seems they are “almost glorified.”

This week’s advance was among the biggest in recent years by the opposition, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, group, and represents the heaviest fighting in northwest Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by the opposition.

The provocation came as Iran-linked groups, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has been supporting Syrian government forces since 2015, are busy with their own wars at home.

Hezbollah’s two-month ceasefire with Israel came into effect on Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition announced its offensive. Israel has also increased its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days.

Dareen Khalifa, a senior adviser to the International Crisis Group and an expert on Syrian factions, said the rebels had signaled for a while that they were ready to attack. But no one expected the advance of the army in Aleppo.

“Not only are the Russians distracted and trapped in Ukraine, but also the Iranians are distracted and focused elsewhere. Hezbollah is distracted and focused elsewhere, and the regime is completely banned,” he said.

“But the surprising thing comes from how quickly the regime collapsed.”

Weeks of exclamation, low-level violence

The attack on Aleppo follows weeks of brutal, low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas. Turkey, which has supported the opposition in Syria, has failed in its efforts to stop the government offensive, which has been seen as a violation of a 2019 agreement sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran to establish a defiance line.

Turkish security officials said on Thursday that Syrian opposition groups had launched a long-planned offensive near Aleppo, where attacks against civilians began. However, attacks increased as Syrian government forces began withdrawing from their positions, officials said.

The aim of the attack was to re-establish the borders of the landing zone, according to Turkish officials. The Syrian government has not commented on the rebels breaching the city limits of Aleppo.

The Kremlin said on Friday it viewed the attack as an interference in the Syrian regime and supported the speedy establishment of constitutional order in the region.

“Yes, this is a violation of Syria’s sovereignty in this region,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference.

Terrorists now control 70 areas: Turkish media

The Syrian army in a statement on Friday met with rebels in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib, destroying drones and heavy weapons. They vowed to end the attack and accused the militants of spreading false information about their attempt.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said terrorists detonated two car bombs on Friday in the western outskirts of Aleppo. The war monitor said the rebels also managed to capture Saraqeb, south of Aleppo, a city at the junction of the main roads connecting Aleppo and Damascus and the coast. Syrian government authorities diverted traffic from that highway on Thursday.

The terrorist commander sent a recorded message on social media asking the citizens of Aleppo to cooperate with the advancing forces.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that terrorists entered the city center on Friday and now control about 70 areas in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Syrian media reported that rebel gunfire hit student residences at Aleppo university in the city center, killing four people, including two students.

Syria’s military said the rebels were violating a 2019 deal that eased fighting in the area, which has been the last stronghold of the opposition for years.

In a phone call with his Syrian counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the rebel attack in Syria as “a conspiracy organized by the US and the Zionist regime following the defeat of the regime in Lebanon and Palestine.”