Islamist rebel groups, also called opposition forces, have managed to sweep victory into Aleppo city only three days after starting an unexpected operation in the country. This occurred for the first time that the Syrian opposition was able to step on the country’s second-largest city after President Bashar al-Assad’s regime supported by Iran and Russia recaptured it in December 2016.
Rebel forces captured Aleppo
By Friday evening, the forces reached the city’s heart, as seen in videos posted by CNN that show fighters holding the flag of the Syrian opposition in one of the squares of the city, marking the first major challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, who has ruled the war-torn country since 2000.
Subsequently, the rebels mainly operated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, officially announced that they had taken control of more than 50 towns and villages in large portions of the city and entered the western districts of Aleppo and Idlib provinces in northern Syria while describing the victory as reclaiming their lost ground.
Assad regime’s retaliation
The invasion prompted fierce retaliation from al-Assad’s government forces supported by Russian airstrikes.
In a statement on Friday the army said the HTS launched attacks using various heavy and medium weapons, including drones provided by its foreign allies, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Our armed forces have inflicted heavy losses to the attacking groups, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries among the terrorists,” the statement said, adding, “We have destroyed dozens of vehicles and armoured units and have downed 17 drones.”
Britain-based Observatory stated that the fighting was intense in the beginning, and 277 people were killed. The toll included 28 civilians among which many were killed by a Russian air strike. Pertinently, Russia launched airstrikes inside Syrian territory on Friday for the first time after 2016.
Why does Aleppo matter?
After a decade Aleppo has made headlines again as it has been the worst battleground throughout the Syrian civil war.
Before the conflict, it was estimated that about 2.3 million people lived in this particular region. The city was split in 2012 after rebel forces seized the eastern part of it but by 2016 government forces managed to liberate the region after a devastating war characterised by indiscriminate bombings and starvation tactics.
The latest aggression is potentially capable of frustrating this achieved delicate balance and the consequent possibility of resumed urban combat.
Key players in the offensive
The offensive is being led by HTS, which began as an al-Qaida affiliate but has now shifted toward a focus on governance. HTS is reportedly backed by the United States and Turkey, operating under the umbrella of the Syrian National Army.
However, the United States and the United Nations still consider HTS a terrorist organization, but its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, distanced the group from its extremist roots.
These groups have a history of internal conflicts. However, al-Assad is their common enemy whom they describe as a dictator and war criminal, especially for his alleged role in the mass killing of civilians including children by using chemical weapons in the early hours of August 21 2013 in Ghouta.
Motive of the rebel forces
In a video statement announcing the campaign, rebel military commander Lt. Col. Hassan Abdulghany claimed the attack as defensive in an effort to safeguard civilians from airstrike attacks and regain territory. They asserted that their specific objectives are to prevent Syrian government ground as well as air assaults on populated districts and disrupting supply lines essential for Assad’s military operations.
Of necessity, this operation is not a match to push back their fire from our people. People must be protected and their territory is to be safeguarded. As it was seen by everyone, the regime militias and their allies, including Iranians, launched an open war against the Syrian people,” he said, according to the New York Times.
Broader implications in the Middle East
The timing of this operation is crucial as it coincides with ongoing conflicts involving Iranian rebel wings such as Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and Gaza.
These groups are currently engaged in their own battles against Israel which might make it difficult for them to effectively support Assad. Additionally, Turkey’s role—supporting rebel groups on the ground in northwest Syria complicates already fragile conflict.
Although Syria has not actively participated in recent conflicts in the Middle East, the country’s territory has been called a battleground by global actors for decades. Israel has regularly conducted attacks in Syria, claiming its targets are Iran-backed factions including the Hezbollah from Lebanon.
These kinds of attacks, however, have since then surged after the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. These attacks have already weakened Asaad’s regime. President Asaad has depended on Russian and Iranian forces to contain the rebels for years yet the civil unrest in the Middle East has also compromised his support.
On the other side, the emergence of renewed fighting in Syria has now added severe humanitarian risks. The International Rescue Committee reported that 6674 families have been affected and displaced in recent days by violence.
Currently, northwestern Syria hosts millions of internally displaced people who are already living in vulnerable situations. Some of them might find themselves in an even worse situation if the situation deteriorates.
The recent increase in violence in Aleppo brings to light that any stability in Syria is transient and this has implications for not only Syria but other countries in the Middle East and will assume a new dimension in Middle East conflicts.
Soon after announcing victory in Aleppo and other major districts, rebel forces stormed into Syrian jails and released all of the prisoners in Northwestern Aleppo, most of whom were seen as women and political prisoners of the Assad Regime.
Rebel forces pose in front of the Syrian army flag, at the Citadel within the City of Aleppo.
The rebel forces movement in Aleppo after taking over
Bashar al-Assad’s army arrived with reinforcements and started launching attacks at the rebel forces.
After Kurdish forces rejected the Syrian National Army’s demand to withdraw from the area north of Aleppo, rebel forces launched an attack. Clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian National Army have been reported near Tel Rifaat.
