Fri. Feb 7th, 2025

Syria and Russia bomb Aleppo after rebels take over much of the city

Russian fighter takes off from the Hmeimin air base in Syria Photo: Mil.ru CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Syrian army and Russian fighter jets - an ally of Damascus - bombed different neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, after armed opposition factions supported by Turkey took control of much of the city following four days of fighting, according to an NGO.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said these were the first airstrikes in Aleppo since 2016, when forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seized control of Syria's second-largest city with the support and cover of Russia and Iranian-affiliated militias.

According to the NGO, the airstrikes targeted the Al Furqan neighbourhood in western Aleppo, through which most of the fighters of the Islamist alliance Levant Liberation Organization and other armed factions supported by Ankara are entering the city.

The UK-based Observatory, which has a wide network of collaborators on the ground, said the insurgents had "taken control of most of the city" as well as government offices and even prisons, on the fourth day of their offensive to capture Aleppo.

In fact, the rebels' Military Operations Administration stated on its Telegram channel that there had been "a major collapse in the ranks of the forces" of the Syrian Army, whose troops "withdrew from several strategic locations" in the province of Aleppo and neighbouring Idlib, the main opposition stronghold in Syria.

The governor of the province and Syrian troops “have withdrawn from the city centre” and fled to the Al Safira area, east of Aleppo, according to the Observatory, which estimates that at least 311 people have been killed since the start of the insurgent offensive in the early hours of 27 November.

Among them, 183 Islamist fighters and pro-Turkish factions; 100 soldiers from the Syrian Army and pro-Iranian militias allied to Damascus; while 28 civilians lost their lives in both Aleppo and Idlib, the vast majority of them in bombings by the Russian air force, according to the NGO.

This comes as Turkey seeks to restore relations with Damascus, although Assad says Ankara must withdraw its troops from northern Syria and stop supporting opposition groups to move toward restoring ties, which broke down at the start of the Syrian civil war 13 years ago.

Furthermore, the rebel offensive began on the same day that the truce in Lebanon came into effect and after the severe blows inflicted by Israel on the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah both in that country and in Syria, where it maintains a large presence and is one of the main allies of the Damascus government. EFE and Aurora

2 thoughts on “Syria and Russia bomb Aleppo after rebels take over much of the city”
  1. ARABS AGAINST ARABS, SYRIA AGAINST THE JIYADISTICS. NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THIS, BE IT THE USELESS UN, AMNESTY, ICC AMONG OTHERS

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