Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo for first time since 2016 in surprise offensive

Syrian rebels have entered Aleppo for the first time in eight years in a shock move.

This comes just three days after the opposition forces launched a surprise offensive, reviving a conflict that had been largely inactive for years.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters launched their attack this week from their base in Idlib, in the north-west of the country, moving rapidly towards Aleppo while capturing territory around the city’s outskirts.

They reportedly also seized a military base, weapons and tanks from Syrian government forces.

By yesterday evening, the rebels had reached the city centre, and footage showed armed militants waving the flag of the Syrian opposition in the central square while yelling “Allahu Akbar” – “God is great” in Arabic.

The group is said to now control half of Aleppo, and the Syrian army has been instructed to follow “safe withdrawal” orders from areas of the city where the rebels entered.

The insurgent’s attack is reportedly in response to increased strikes against civilians by Russian and Syrian air forces on areas in Idlib.

Russia, a strong ally of President Bashar al Assad, has promised him extra military aid to stop the rebels. This aid is said to start arriving at Russia’s Hmeimim airbase near Latakia in the next several days.

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David Carden, The UN deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said that the fighting over the last three days had killed 27 civilians including eight children.

In response to the offensive, Syrian government officials in Damascus carried out 125 airstrikes and shelled areas across western Aleppo and Idlib. The response killed at least 12 civilians, injuring 46 others and displacing around 14,000 people.

The Syrian military said it was confronting a “major attack” and said it was “reinforcing all locations along the various battlefronts.”

Turkey, a supporter of the opposition, is said to have given the green light to the rebel’s surprise attacks, and demanded an end to strikes on their base in Idlib.

“It is of utmost importance for Turkey that yet another and greater instability is avoided and civilians are not harmed,” said the Turkish foreign ministry.

The civil war in Syria began during the Arab Spring in 2011, as Assad’s regime suppressed a pro-democracy uprising. A rebel force was formed known as the Free Syrian Army which combated government troops.

World powers such as Russia and USA offered their respective support, escalating the war into what some call a “proxy war.”

Since the 2020 ceasefire agreement, the conflict has remained more calm, with some small clashes between the government and the rebels.

Millions of people have been displaced over the past decade of war and over 300,000 civilians have been killed.