Beirut: Rebel factions, led by the group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), have taken control of most of Aleppo city, marking a new twist in Syria’s protracted conflict. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Saturday that HTS and allied groups now control key government centres and prisons within the city. Russian warplanes conducted airstrikes in Aleppo for the first time since 2016, targeting rebel-held areas overnight.
In response to the rebels’ advance, Syrian authorities have shut down Aleppo airport and sealed all roads leading into the city. Three military sources confirmed that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces received orders to conduct a “safe withdrawal” from areas overtaken by the rebels. This development comes nearly a decade after Assad’s forces, backed by Russian and Iranian allies, expelled opposition fighters from Aleppo in a brutal campaign.
HTS’s surprise offensive began on Wednesday, swiftly overtaking government-held towns en route to Aleppo. By late Friday, an operations room coordinating the attack announced their progress through several Aleppo neighbourhoods, signalling a significant loss of ground for Assad’s forces.
Russia, Assad’s principal ally, has vowed additional military aid to counter the rebel offensive. According to reports citing two military sources, reinforcements and advanced military hardware are expected to arrive within 72 hours. The rapid advance of HTS and allied factions has reignited tensions in Syria’s long-running civil war, with Aleppo a symbol of fierce battles in earlier years, once again emerging as a central battleground.
