Residents are fleeing Aleppo as the Syrian army vows to retake the city from rebels

Thousands of vehicles were fleeing the Syrian city of Aleppo from the main Khanasir Athriya intersection and out of the city hours after rebels attacked neighborhoods, three residents told Reuters.

Most of them were heading to Latakia and Salamiya, they said, the main road from Damascus to Aleppo was closed.

The Syrian army said on Saturday that rebels had entered large parts of the city of Aleppo in an offensive that killed scores of soldiers and forced the redeployment of troops – a major challenge for President Bashar al-Assad in recent years.

A surprise attack led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham disrupted the front lines of Syria's civil war that has been frozen since 2020, reviving fighting in a corner of the fractured country near the Turkish border. The army said it was preparing for a war to regain the power of the state.

The statement by the Syrian army was the first public acknowledgment that rebels had entered Aleppo, which has been under full government control since government forces backed by Russia and Iran drove out the rebels eight years ago.

Army planning attack

“The large number of terrorists and the number of battles have prompted our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defense lines to contain the attack, save the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for the attack,” the army said.

The army said rebels had entered large parts of Aleppo but shelling prevented them from establishing strong positions. It promised to “drive them out and restore state control … throughout the city and countryside.”

Two rebel sources said that the rebels have recaptured the town of Maraat al Numan in Idlib province, putting the entire province under their control, which will be another brutality for Assad.

The battle is reviving Syria's long-running conflict as the region is engulfed in fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah began on Wednesday.

The attack was launched on rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria that remain outside Assad's control.

Warplanes are striking the outskirts of Aleppo

Two Syrian military sources said Russian and Syrian warplanes were targeting rebels in the suburbs of Aleppo on Saturday.

Speaking on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow considers the rebel attack a violation of Syrian sovereignty. “We agree with the Syrian authorities to bring order to the area and restore the constitution as soon as possible,” he said.

The Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue unit working in opposition-held areas of Syria, told X that the Syrian government and Russian jets had carried out airstrikes on residential areas, a petrol station and a school in rebel-held Idlib, killing four. civilians and six others were injured.

Two Syrian military sources said Russia had promised Damascus more military aid would begin arriving in the next 72 hours. Authorities closed Aleppo airport and roads to the city, two military sources and a third military source said.

Syrian troops have been told to follow orders to “withdraw safely” from large areas of the city where rebels have entered, three military sources said.

Iran's role in the region

Rebels, including Turkish-backed groups, said on Friday their fighting was sweeping through various parts of Aleppo.

Mustafa Abdul Jaber, commander of the Jaish al-Izza rebel group, said their rapid advance was aided by a lack of Iranian-backed personnel to support the government in Aleppo province.

Iran's allies in the region have suffered a number of incidents at the hands of Israel as the war in Gaza has escalated in the Middle East.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart on Friday, accused the United States and Israel of being behind the terrorist attack.

Opposition forces said the operation was aimed at increasing airstrikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air forces in areas of Idlib province, as well as ending any attack by the Syrian army.

Opposition sources linked to Turkish intelligence said Turkey, which supports the rebels, had given the green light to the attack. Turkish officials could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that clashes between rebels and government forces had caused an unwelcome escalation.

In a statement, spokesman Oncu Keceli said that avoiding major instability in the region is Turkey's priority, adding that Ankara has warned that the latest attack on Idlib is undermining the spirit and implementation of the economic withdrawal agreements.