Intensifying Conflict: Assad's Regime Responds to Surprising Offensive in Aleppo
On Sunday, the regime of Bashar al-Assad launched a significant military response to an unexpected offensive by armed groups that had gained control of the city of Aleppo just a day prior. The Assadist army primarily directed airstrikes against Aleppo and the Idlib region, which has been under the control of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group for several years. According to local sources cited by Reuters, these bombings, which included Russian aircraft—an ally of Assad—resulted in the deaths of at least four civilians in several residential areas within the city center.
As the situation unfolds, it remains uncertain how the Assad government will further react to attempt to reclaim the territories lost to the opposition forces. The rapid advancement of opposition groups over the weekend astonished analysts and experts alike. In a matter of hours, a coalition opposing Assad seized extensive territories around Aleppo, eventually taking control of the entire city, marking unprecedented gains that followed earlier successes in the Idlib province and south towards Hama.
The offensive proceeded with minimal resistance from government forces, leading to a striking defeat for the regime. This recent wave of conflict marks a significant change in the dynamics of the civil war, which has seen stagnation for much of the last four years. With the opposition forces now pushing further south following their success in Aleppo and reaching the strategic city of Hama—crucial for controlling central Syria—the potential for escalation remains high.
Contrarily, state news agency SANA, affiliated with the Assad regime, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent entity based in the UK, reported that the government troops managed to counter these advances, pushing the armed groups back into rural areas further north.
Currently, the opposition groups are consolidating their control over Aleppo and have claimed the capture of the Sheikh Najjar industrial area northeast of the city, along with various military bases and airports that had previously been occupied by US-backed Kurdish militias, adversaries to the recent Islamist-inspired offensive.
According to Syrian state television, the government army has asserted that around a thousand enemy fighters were killed in recent clashes, although this claim has yet to be substantiated. Meanwhile, opposition factions report capturing dozens of Assad soldiers, with photographic evidence supporting their claims.
The armed groups have expressed a determination to continue their advance toward Damascus, the Syrian capital. Despite the escalating conflict nearby, the situation in Damascus remained relatively stable as of Saturday, although some rumors of a potential coup attempt circulated but were deemed unfounded.
As the violence in Aleppo escalates, many civilians have begun to flee the city in fear of the ongoing fighting. Columns of smoke have been rising from bombed areas in Idlib as the humanitarian crisis deepens, raising concerns over the safety of innocent lives caught in the crossfire.
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