BEIRUT – Gunmen stormed Syria's second-largest city of Aleppo after detonating two car bombs on Friday as they clashed with government forces on the western edge of the city, according to the Syrian army and fighters. Residents were fleeing from neighborhoods on the edge of the city because of missiles and gunfire, according to witnesses in Aleppo.
The insurgents' advance on Aleppo follows a shocking attack on Wednesday, as thousands of fighters stormed towns and villages in northwestern Syria.
The surprise attack added new uncertainty to a region already reeling from two wars in Gaza and Lebanon with Israel, as well as other conflicts including the intractable Syrian civil war that began in 2011.
It was the first time the city has been attacked by opposition forces since 2016, when they were driven out of eastern Aleppo following a heavy military campaign by Syrian government forces backed by Russia, Iran and allied groups.
But this time, there was no sign of a major retreat from government forces or their allies. Instead, there were reports that government troops were melting down due to the development, and insurgents posted messages on social media, calling for the soldiers to surrender. This provocation occurred as groups linked to Iran, especially Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has supported Syrian government forces since 2015, are busy with their war at home.
A ceasefire in Hezbollah's two-month war with Israel came into effect on Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition announced its offensive. Israel has also increased its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days.
The attack on Aleppo came after weeks of low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas. Turkey, which has supported the opposition in Syria, has failed in its efforts to stop the government offensive, which has been seen as a violation of a 2019 agreement sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran to establish a defiance line.
Turkish security officials said on Thursday that Syrian opposition groups had launched a long-planned offensive in Aleppo, where attacks against civilians began. However, attacks increased as Syrian government forces began withdrawing from their positions, officials said.
The aim of the attack was to re-establish the borders of the landing zone, according to Turkish officials.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebels since the 2011 protests against Bashar Assad's regime turned into an all-out war.
Russia and Iran and their allies had helped Syrian government forces regain control of all of Aleppo that year, after a heavy military campaign and a weeks-long siege.
As well as supporting the opposition forces, Turkey has also established a military presence in Syria, sending troops to the northwestern parts. Separately and particularly in eastern Syria, the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants.
The Syrian government has not commented on the rebels breaching the city limits of Aleppo.
But on Friday, the Kremlin said it considers the attack an interference in Syria's sovereignty and supports the immediate establishment of a constitution in the region, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference.
“Yes, this is a violation of Syrian sovereignty in this region,” Peskov said.
He added: “We urge the Syrian authorities to regain control and restore constitutional order as soon as possible.”
The Syrian Army said in a statement on Friday that they have been clashing with terrorists in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib, destroying drones and heavy weapons. They vowed to end the attack and accused the militants of spreading false information about their attempt.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said rebels detonated two car bombs on the western outskirts of Aleppo on Friday. The war monitor said the rebels also managed to take Saraqeb, south of Aleppo, a city in a good location at the crossroads of the main roads connecting Aleppo and Damascus and the coast. Syrian government authorities diverted traffic from that highway on Thursday.
The terrorist commander posted a recorded message on social media asking the citizens of Aleppo to cooperate with the advancing forces.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that terrorists entered the city center of Aleppo on Friday. It said the terrorists “broke through the defense lines of the regime forces along the Hamdaniyya, New Aleppo, and Zahra axis on the outskirts of the city.”
It added that the militants now control about 70 areas in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
Syrian state media reported earlier on Friday that rebel gunfire hit a student residence at Aleppo University in the city center, killing four people, including two students. Public transport has also been diverted from the Aleppo-Damascus highway to avoid clashes, the report said.
This week's advance was one of the biggest in recent years by the opposition, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, and represents the heaviest fighting in northwest Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition forces.
The Syrian Army said the rebels were violating a 2019 deal that eased fighting in the area, the last stronghold of the opposition for years.
The Syrian Observatory said dozens of soldiers from both sides were killed in the fighting that began on Wednesday.
Hezbollah was the “biggest force” in the government's control of Aleppo, said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Observatory.
In a conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the rebel attack in Syria as “a conspiracy organized by the US and the Zionist regime following the defeat of the regime in Lebanon and Palestine.”
Insurgents have posted videos online showing them using drones, their new weapon. It was not clear to what extent drones have been used on the battlefield.
Turkey's Anadolu Agency, reporting from Idlib, said rebels attacked a military air base in the southeast of Aleppo city with drones early Friday morning, destroying a helicopter. It said the opposition groups seized heavy weapons, depots and military vehicles belonging to the government forces during the operation.
Aid groups said the fighting had displaced thousands of families, forcing some services to be suspended. Opposition forces say their offensive will allow the return of thousands of displaced people who have been forced to flee government bombings in recent weeks.
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