Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s two-decade-old hold on power has been challenged in a major rebel attack on Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city. The blitzkrieg, led by militant Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), caught the Syrian forces off guard and forced them out of the city.
Assad’s long-time allies Iran and Russia also failed to see the attack coming, prompting the Russian Air Force Friday (Nov 29) to launch an aerial offensive against Syrian armed opposition forces in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
The Syrian defence ministry later said the rebel attack led to the death of dozens of soldiers. The ministry claimed that the rebel forces “were unable to establish solid positions” but soon it became clear Syrian forces had ceded control over the city with little resistance.
News agency AFP reported Saturday (Nov 30) that rebels had also taken control of strategic towns in Idlib and Hama provinces. A Syria war monitor reported that Aleppo’s civilian airport was also seized by the invading rebels.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the HTS and allied factions “took control of the Aleppo international airport” on the city’s southeastern outskirts after government forces withdrew.
Iranian consulate attacked
Iran, a key ally of Assad, said that its consulate in Aleppo was under attack by “terrorist elements”. Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry, “strongly condemned the attack” but said all of its staff members were safe.
Foreign ministers of Iran and Russia also expressed concern at the sudden escalation of conflict in Syria, which remained largely static since 2016. “Strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic was reaffirmed,” Moscow’s foreign ministry said in a readout of a call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
The goals of the Rebels
Ahead of the major offensive against Assad, who has remained in power since 2000, the Syrian opposition forces announced a major coalition called the “Military Operations Command,” which included a broad spectrum of fighters including Islamist factions and moderate groups once backed by the United States.
The alliance said they were responding to escalation from the Syrian government and Iranian militias.
It is pertinent to note that this attack comes at a time when both of Assad’s allies are busy defending their interests elsewhere. Russia is rushing to double down on its advance in eastern Ukraine and free its Kursk region of invading Ukrainian forces whereas Iran is occupied with Israel’s assault against its proxies in the West Asian region.
(With inputs from agencies)
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