The Syrian army has rushed reinforcements to attack Idlib in a bid to halt the advance of rebels who recaptured Aleppo from murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad over the weekend.
The insurgents, led by the Salafi jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, took most of Aleppo on Saturday and claimed to have entered the city of Hama. There was no independent confirmation of his claim.
The rapid and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar Assad and raises questions about the readiness of his troops.
It also comes at a time when Assad’s allies – Iran and the groups it backs and Russia – are preoccupied with their own conflicts. But despite this, Russia has provided significant support in the form of deadly missiles, which today killed eight civilians in Idlib, including two children and a woman.
The missiles also injured more than 50 people.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to the Syrian capital Damascus today. He told reporters that Tehran will support the Syrian government and military.
Arab leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressed solidarity with Damascus in calls with Assad.
Turkey, a major backer of Syrian opposition groups, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop the Syrian government’s attacks on opposition-controlled areas in recent weeks.
Smoke billows after airstrikes in Idlib, northern Syria, December 1, 2024
A view of a vehicle on fire after what the White Helmets say is an attack, in Idlib, Syria, released December 1, 2024.
Armed groups opposing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took control of much of the city center of Aleppo in Syria on November 30, 2024.
Turkish security officials said a limited rebel offensive was planned to stop government attacks and allow civilians to return, but the offensive expanded as Syrian government forces began withdrawing from their positions.
The insurgents, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who include Turkish-backed fighters, launched their offensive on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the Idlib countryside, before advancing towards Hama province.
In the province of Aleppo they captured a strategic city located on the road that connects Aleppo with Damascus and the coast.
Rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said that despite the government counteroffensive, his fighters are making progress in Aleppo. He said they took control of Sheikh Najjar, also known as Aleppo Industrial City, the Aleppo military academy and the field artillery school.
He added that 65 Syrian soldiers were taken prisoner in eastern Aleppo.
On the other hand, he said that the insurgents advanced into the Idlib countryside, putting the entire province under their control.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria said the rebel attack represents a risk to regional security and called for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict to be resumed.
“I have repeatedly warned about the risks of escalation in Syria, about the dangers of merely managing the conflict rather than resolving it,” Geir Pedersen said in a statement.
People check damage at the site of a Syrian regime air force strike that targeted a neighborhood in the rebel-held northern Syrian city of Idlib on December 1, 2024.
Smoke rises in the distance as damaged cars are seen at the site of Syrian regime airstrikes on anti-regime fighters in Aleppo, northern Syria, on November 30, 2024.
Anti-government fighters patrol in central Aleppo on November 30, 2024.
He added that the reality is that no Syrian party or group of actors can resolve the conflict by military means.
According to the Syrian state news agency Sana and a war observer, the army pushed back the insurgents in the northern countryside of Hama province overnight.
Syrian state media said government resupply included heavy equipment and rocket launchers, while Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted arms depots and insurgent strongholds.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition war monitor, said government reinforcements created a “strong defensive line” in the northern Hama countryside.
Syrian state television claimed that government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents in the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes in Idlib on Sunday killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas.
Among the targets was the Aleppo University Hospital in the city center, although there was no information on casualties.
The insurgents promised to advance towards Damascus, but life in the Syrian capital remained normal and without signs of panic.
In his first public comments since the start of the offensive, published by the state news agency on Saturday afternoon, Assad said Syria will continue to “defend its stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters.”
He added that Syria is capable of defeating them no matter how much their attacks intensify.
The 2016 Battle of Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s government turned into an all-out war.
After the rebels appeared to be losing control of the country, the Battle of Aleppo secured their control in strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery.