BEIRUT – The Syrian army rushed to reinforce the northwest and began airstrikes on Sunday to try to push back the rebels who have seized the country's largest city, Aleppo, as Iran pledged to help the government fight back.
Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country's long-running civil war, but it was unclear how Tehran would support Damascus in the latest flare-up that began on Wednesday. Insurgents led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged offensive in Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib, before moving on to the neighboring province of Hama.
On Sunday, government forces created a “firm defensive line” in northern Hama, according to the British-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as it tries to halt the insurgents' momentum. Meanwhile, planes attacked the cities of Idlib and Aleppo, killing at least 15 people, according to a group working in opposition-held areas.
The escalation of hostilities has raised the possibility of a violent re-opening, destabilizing the Middle East as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, conflicts that have once again threatened to escalate into a regional war. It also risks drawing Russia and Turkey — each with its own security interests in Syria — into a serious direct conflict against the other.
The militants announced their attack on Wednesday, as a cease-fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group and Israel began, raising hopes that tensions could ease.
The surprise provocation is a major embarrassment for Assad, and comes at a time when his allies – Iran and its proxies and Russia – are busy with their own conflicts.
According to a statement issued by Assad's office, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran is ready to support Damascus in the fight against violence.
Arab leaders, including Jordanian King Abdullah II and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also called on Assad to express their solidarity.
The opposition soldiers are advancing
Insurgents captured large parts of Aleppo on Saturday and made gains in the surrounding province, including seizing a military school and a strategic town on the main road linking the city to Damascus and the coast.
They also took control of the city's main water pumping station and it is no longer operational, Syrian Water Minister Moataz Qattan told pro-government radio station Sham FM.
Elsewhere, the rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said the rebels have advanced to the countryside around Idlib, putting the entire province with the same name under their control.
They also say they entered the city of Hama, but there is no independent evidence of that.
Abdulghani said 65 Syrian soldiers were captured in eastern Aleppo.
In Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, military vehicles left behind by the Syrian army litter the streets. People took pictures of themselves on top of one abandoned tank on the highway, and the rebels took weapons and shells from it before continuing into Syria.
The terrorists vowed to enter Damascus, but life in the Syrian capital remained normal with no signs of panic. However, in southeast Aleppo, the main road out of the city was blocked as people fled the fighting, and gas stations in the area were running out of fuel.
Turkey, a major supporter of the Syrian opposition, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop the Syrian government's offensive on opposition-held areas in recent weeks. Turkish security officials said a limited offensive by rebels was planned to stop the government offensive and allow civilians to return, but the attacks increased as Syrian government forces began to withdraw from their positions.
The United Nations' special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said the rebel push posed a threat to security in the region and called for renewed efforts to end the conflict.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN's “State of the Union” that the US, which has about 900 troops in Syria, is monitoring the situation closely. American troops, in the northeast and far from Aleppo, are monitoring the rise of the Islamic State group.
The group leading the development of the rebels has been designated a terrorist organization by the US, and Sullivan said Washington has “real concerns about the designs and objectives of that organization.”
“At the same time, of course, we are not complaining about the fact that the Assad government, which is supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, is facing certain kinds of pressure,” he added.
Syrian army reinforces northern Hama as airstrikes pound Idlib
According to the Syrian news agency, SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the army overnight pushed back the terrorists in the northern countryside of Hama province.
Syrian media said the government's resupply included heavy machinery and rocket launchers while Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted weapons depots and terrorist strongholds. The pro-government radio station, Sham FM, said the Syrian army shot down drones belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Hama.
Syrian state television said government forces had killed nearly 1,000 terrorists in the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes in Idlib killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas.
Residents could be seen fleeing the ash-strewn streets. The men brought down the child from the top floor of the building whose front frame was blown away.
Airstrikes also struck in and around Aleppo, including near a hospital in the city center, killing 12 people, including at least eight civilians, according to the White Helmets and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
In a phone call with foreign officials, Assad vowed to defeat the protest. “Terrorism only understands the language of violence, which is the language we will break and end it with, regardless of their supporters and sponsors,” he said.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebels after the 2011 protests against the Assad regime turned into an all-out war. After it seemed that the country was losing control of the rebels, the battle for Aleppo ensured that Assad was able to hold on to areas of Syria, with opposition groups and their foreign allies controlling the outskirts.
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