Rebels have entered Aleppo for the first time since 2016 and are moving towards the city center
Kyiv • UNN
Syrian rebels broke into Aleppo, detonating two car bombs on the western outskirts. As a result of the fighting, at least 4 people were killed, the rebels captured more than 50 villages and are moving towards strategic targets.
Rebels stormed into Syria's second largest city, Aleppo, blowing up two car bombs on Friday and engaged in battles with government forces on the western outskirts of the city. UNN reports this with reference to the Associated Press.
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This is reportedly the first attack on the city by opposition forces since 2016, when they were driven out of the eastern quarters of Aleppo after a military campaign in which Syrian government forces were supported by Russia, Iran and allied groups.
According to eyewitnesses in Aleppo, residents are leaving neighborhoods on the western outskirts of the city due to shelling.
The Syrian armed forces said on Friday that several of their drones and heavy weapons were destroyed during clashes with rebels in rural areas around Aleppo and Idlib.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels detonated two car bombs on the western outskirts of the city on Friday. One of the rebel commanders posted a recorded message on social networks in which he called on residents of the city to cooperate with the advancing troops.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that rebels had entered the center of Aleppo. Earlier, Syrian state media reported that rebel shells hit student dormitories at the University of Aleppo in the city center, killing four people, including two students.
The militants also advanced towards the city of Sarakab in northwestern Idlib province, a strategically important area that ensures the security of Aleppo's supply lines.
The militant advance this week became one of the largest among the groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. This is the most intense fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by militants.
The Syrian Armed Forces said that the rebels are violating the 2019 agreement on de-escalation of hostilities in the area.
The Observatory, which monitors the fighting, said dozens of soldiers on both sides were killed in the fighting that began on Wednesday. The rebels seized control of more than 50 villages.
Turkey's Anadolu news agency, which transmits information from Idlib, reported that early Friday, rebels attacked a military airbase southeast of Aleppo with drones, destroying one helicopter. According to him, during the offensive, opposition groups seized heavy weapons, warehouses and military vehicles belonging to government forces.
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The Battle of Aleppo in 2016 marked a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebels since protests against Bashar al-Assad's rule escalated into war in 2011.
