Syrian regime forces have announced a “temporary troop withdrawal” from Aleppo, where rebel groups launched a successful offensive on government-held positions over the past few days.
After the armed rebel groups entered Aleppo city centre, Syrian military forces handed over Aleppo International Airport in the east of the city, the strategically important towns of Nubl and Zahraa in the northern countryside, the Aleppo Industrial Zone, as well as the Tal Hasil and Tal Aran regions, to the PKK/YPG organisation as of Saturday morning, sources said.
Since Wednesday, rebel groups that have been clashing with regime forces in northern Syria have been advancing rapidly in both the rural areas of Idlib and Aleppo province.
The armed rebel groups since Saturday morning have captured more than 50 villages in the eastern and southeastern parts of Idlib, which were previously under the control of the Assad regime.
On November 27-28, anti-regime groups rapidly advanced from western Aleppo’s countryside toward the centre, capturing numerous areas in Idlib’s countryside on the second day of clashes.
On Friday, the groups had entered Aleppo’s city centre and reached the central districts by evening.
Meanwhile, the military said on Saturday that dozens of its soldiers had been killed or wounded in fierce battles with “armed terrorist organisations” in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib over the previous few days and that it was now regrouping, redeploying troops to strengthen its defence lines as it prepared a “counterattack.”
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
The statement marked the military’s first public acknowledgement that opposition fighters led by the Hay’et Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) group had entered “large parts of neighbourhoods” of Aleppo in the lightning attack that began earlier this week.
The military had earlier claimed it repelled the major offensive, saying it had inflicted heavy losses on the rebels, who reported they had seized control of dozens of towns and villages in Aleppo and Idlib.
The rebel assault is the most intense fighting seen in northwestern Syria since 2020, when Russia and Turkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict, government forces seizing areas previously controlled by opposition fighters.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was formed in January 2017 through a merger of several Islamic factions, most notably Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. This merger was led by figures from both Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham.
The group is currently led by Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who was also the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra. Al-Jolani has tried to position HTS as a more locally focused group with a nationalistic agenda, distancing it from global jihadist ambitions.
HTS adheres to a “Salafi-jihadist” ideology but claims to have severed formal ties with Al Qaeda. Despite this, it retains many ideological similarities with Al Qaeda, focusing on establishing an Islamic state governed by Shari’ah law in Syria.
HTS controls significant territory in Idlib province and parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia. They have engaged in governance activities through the establishment of the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), aiming to provide administrative services in areas under their control.
The group has been involved in numerous military operations against the Syrian government forces, Russian troops supporting Assad, and other rival factions within the opposition. HTS has also conducted operations against ISIS and other groups to assert dominance in Idlib.
HTS is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the United Nations, the UK and several other countries due to its origins from Al Qaeda and its continued activities.
