[Syrian Rebels Launch Large-Scale Attack on Regime Forces in Western Aleppo
Syrian rebels have launched a major attack on regime forces in western Aleppo, marking the first significant flare-up in years between the two sides. The opposition factions, including the Free Syrian Army, announced the offensive on their Telegram channel, calling it the “Deterrence of Aggression” and claiming it was a response to recent artillery shelling from the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Rebels seized 13 villages, including the strategic towns of Urm Al-Sughra and Anjara, as well as Base 46, the largest Syrian regime base in western Aleppo, according to a statement by opposition factions. The statement added that 37 people from the regime forces and allied militia were killed in the offensive.
The attack marks the first significant conflagration between Syrian rebels and the regime since March 2020, when Russia and Turkey mediated a ceasefire agreement in the country. The Military Operations Command of the Syrian rebels told CNN that its fighters had liberated the town of Urm Al-Kubra, about 20 kilometers from the city of Aleppo, after intense battles with Assad forces and Iranian militias.
Videos circulating on social media showed smoke rising from the western Aleppo countryside and rebel troops operating in several villages near Aleppo city. Syrian state media has not reported on the clashes, while some pro-regime outlets mentioned the fighting without providing details on locations or outcomes.
A resident in a regime-held neighborhood in Aleppo city told CNN that civilians in the neighborhood of New Aleppo, one of the wealthiest in Syria, have begun fleeing to other areas due to fear of the ongoing clashes. The opposition factions conducting the offensive range from Islamic groups to the moderate Free Syrian Army, which was previously supported by the US and Turkey.
Syria’s civil war began during the 2011 Arab Spring as the regime suppressed a pro-democracy uprising against Assad, who has been president since 2000. The conflict has remained largely dormant since the 2020 ceasefire agreement, with low-level clashes between the rebels and Assad’s regime. More than 300,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, and millions of people have been displaced across the region.
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