Syrian rebels have entered Aleppo just three days after a surprise attack, marking the first time they have set foot in Syria's second-largest city since government forces recaptured it in 2016.
Syrian rebels advanced to the outskirts of Aleppo on November 29, raising concerns that the civil war in Syria is erupting with an intensity not seen in years, according to the New York Times.
The government of President Bashar al-Assad has launched a heavy air campaign against rebel-held territory. Syrian government forces and their Russian allies bombed several opposition-held towns and cities on November 29, including 23 strikes on the city of Idlib, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
This week, opposition forces in Syria launched an offensive, posing the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years.
The shocking attack by the Syrian opposition comes as Syria's military allies Iran and Hezbollah have been significantly weakened by the conflict in Israel and as Russia focuses on the war in Ukraine.
Syria’s civil war, which has displaced about half the country’s population and sent millions of refugees fleeing to neighboring Turkey and Lebanon, had been on a steady path until Nov. 27, when rebel fighters from a range of armed opposition factions launched a surprise attack against the government in the northwestern province of Aleppo.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said this was the most important advance by rebels in Syria in years.
Anti-government fighters have attacked three residential areas in the Aleppo suburbs after detonating two car bombs targeting government soldiers.
Rebels in Syria have posted a map on the messaging app Telegram along with a warning to evacuate civilians in the city of Aleppo, urging people to move to neighboring eastern areas for safety.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media reported that government forces had stopped the rebels' advance and inflicted heavy losses on the rebels.
The White Helmets, a rapid response group based in opposition-held areas of Syria, said many civilians were killed or injured in air strikes on November 29.
The rebels in Syria’s latest uprising come from a variety of armed opposition factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group that was once linked to Al Qaeda but publicly severed ties with the group years ago. Turkish-backed rebel groups have also joined the offensive.
The rebels in Syria said they had been preparing for the attack for months. In a video statement announcing the attack, Hassan Abdulghany, the opposition's military operations commander, stressed that the decision to attack was forced to repel government fire and protect the territory.
Three days of fierce clashes in the latest escalation of Syria's civil war have left more than 250 people dead, including more than 140 from rebel groups and 87 government soldiers and Iran-backed fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
