Cairo/Beirut, Dec 1, (dpa/GNA) – Rebel forces in Syria have seized control of most of the city Aleppo, after launching a surprise offensive against government forces, a war monitor reported on Saturday, as Russia says it deployed fighter jets against rebels in Syria.
An alliance of rebel factions, led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has advanced deep into Aleppo and now controls the majority of the northern city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The insurgence, which began on Wednesday, appears to have taken President Bashar al-Assad’s regime by surprise, with experts describing it as a significant turning point.
Thousands of fighters from the rebel groups made major territorial gains within a few days in the area around Idlib and Aleppo, the second-largest city which had been under government control for years.
The alliance now appears set on taking control of the entire neighbouring province of Idlib. On Friday, the rebels advanced to the western outskirts of Aleppo and from there, continued to enter the city.
The future course of events will largely depend on decisions made in Russia, one of al-Assad’s closest allies.
Russia says it deployed fighter jets in Syria
Russia announced on Saturday that its fighter jets had conducted multiple missions in Syria, targeting rebel command posts, artillery positions, and camps, reportedly killing around 300 fighters.
Captain Oleg Ignasyuk, head of the Russian mission in Syria, said that operations against “extremist aggression” would continue, the state-run news agency TASS quoted him as saying.
The information could not be independently verified. Ignasyuk did not provide information about the locations of the fighter aircraft.
Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, has supported President Bashar al-Assad since 2015, and stationed forces at the Khmeimim airfield and the port city of Tartus.
The Syrian military said the large number of insurgents involved in the surprise multi-front offensive, prompted government forces to redeploy and prepare for a counter-attack.
The rebels’ offensive marks a significant escalation in Syria’s civil war, which has raged since 2011, and had recently seen relatively stagnant front lines.
US says it has nothing to do with rebel offensive
The US, meanwhile, has distanced itself from the ongoing rebel offensive.
“The United States has nothing to do with this offensive, which is led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organization,” White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett, said in a statement released late on Saturday.
Savett blamed Syrian President al-Assad’s reliance on Russia and Iran, along with his refusal to pursue a political solution, for creating the “conditions now unfolding.”
Savett also called for “de-escalation, protection of civilians and minority groups, and a serious and credible political process” to end the civil war, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Adopted in 2015, the resolution calls for peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces.
GNA