Rebels Regain Ground in Aleppo as Violence Escalates in Northern Syria
The Islamist alliance Levant Liberation Authority and Turkey-backed armed factions have successfully consolidated control over nearly the entire city of Aleppo in northern Syria, alongside the neighboring province of Idlib, following a four-day offensive against the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad. Launched last Wednesday, the offensive came after days of intense bombardments on strongholds of pro-Turkish factions in Idlib and has resulted in approximately 350 casualties on both sides, including around 40 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
This offensive marks a significant shift, as it is the first occasion that rebels have entered the city of Aleppo since the Syrian military seized control back in 2016. The violence escalation and the rapid territorial gains made by these factions, denounced as terrorist groups by the Syrian government and its ally Russia, pose the most considerable challenge for the Assad regime since 2020.
Reports indicate that the rebels managed to enter Aleppo for the first time recently, extending their hold over a vast majority of neighborhoods. In a notable strategic move, they even took control of the international airport, marking a critical success in their operations. Currently, only a few neighborhoods in the northeast, which are under the control of Kurdish forces allied with Damascus against the pro-Turkish Islamists, are showing significant resistance after the Syrian Army's withdrawal along with pro-Iranian militias that had supported Assad.
Assad's troops have acknowledged that insurgents now control a large portion of Aleppo and have suffered substantial losses. In reply, the regular forces continue to launch concentrated efforts against the insurgents following a brief withdrawal from the city in anticipation of reinforcements arriving to facilitate a counterattack.
Amidst the chaos, Russian combat aircraft have conducted multiple airstrikes on Aleppo, resulting in the deaths of at least 16 civilians and several pro-Turkish combatants, as reported by the NGO. This situation has also led to significant displacement within the province of Aleppo due to the ongoing violence.
Meanwhile, the rebels have managed to assert nearly complete control over the neighboring province of Idlib after seizing strategic cities such as Maarat al-Numan, which had been held by the Syrian Army since 2020, as well as Jan Shayjun, located near the administrative boundary of Hama in north-central Syria.
This military offensive arises at a time when Turkey is making efforts to improve relations with Damascus. However, the Syrian government has insisted that Ankara must withdraw its soldiers from northern Syria and stop providing support to opposition factions to make any progress toward normalizing the relations that have been strained since the onset of the Syrian civil war 13 years ago.
Compounding the region's turmoil, this military operation coincided with a ceasefire taking effect in Lebanon, coming on the heels of significant Israeli military actions against the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, both in Lebanon and Syria, where Hezbollah maintains a robust presence as one of the main allies of the Assad government.
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