[Syrian and Russian Jets Retaliate Against Opposition Forces in Northern Syria
Syrian and Russian jets have carried out strikes on opposition forces in northern Syria in retaliation for the sudden offensive that has cost the regime control of the country’s second largest city, Aleppo. The offensive has led to the capture by the rebel alliance of an important military base east of Aleppo and large areas of both Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
The rebels’ sweeping success has posed the biggest challenge in eight years to President Bashar al-Assad, when Russian air power helped reverse rebel gains in the civil war. The newly formed rebel coalition, known as the Military Operations Command, has captured key sites across Aleppo, including the airport, where video showed camo-clad fighters inside the main terminal.
Government aircraft, along with Russian planes based in Syria, have carried out bombing raids against opposition positions in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The White Helmets, a Syrian volunteer service, reported at least four people killed on Sunday in airstrikes on Idlib city.
In his first comments since the lightning takeover, Assad said that Syria would continue to defend its stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their supporters. He asserted that Syria was capable, with the help of its allies and friends, of defeating and eliminating them.
The rebel offensive has reignited Syria’s long-running civil war, which killed more than 300,000 people and created nearly 6 million refugees. The conflict never formally ended, and the flare-up is the most significant since 2020, when Russia and Turkey reached a ceasefire in Idlib.
The rebels are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, along with groups backed by Turkey and others previously supported by the US. The events in Syria present a dilemma for Western governments, with some questioning whether to support the opposition or worry about the city falling under Islamist rule.
The surprise rebel victory has led experts to reassess the balance of power in Syria, with Turkey emerging as a major actor, Russia’s power weakened, and Iran on its back foot.
Source link