Syrian rebels enter Aleppo as Russian support fades for Assad regime
Syrian rebels have stormed into the country’s second city, Aleppo, for the first time since 2016, with regime forces in disarray and lacking support from allies Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah.
Fighters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate, and allied factions, have taken control of at least five districts in the city in northern Syria, and a swathe of the surrounding province, according to activists.
With the rebels’ offensive having begun only on Wednesday, HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani announced that his forces had entered the city on Friday.
Geolocated footage showed rebel fighters entering the western gates of Aleppo and operating in western districts while appearing to face little resistance. Some clips showed insurgents ripping down posters of President Bashar al-Assad and establishing checkpoints.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a “mass exodus” from Aleppo after rebels issued instructions to civilians to flee from western districts.
At least 255 civilians and combatants have died during the offensive, the group reported, including six students at a university dormitory who were killed by HTS shelling.
Regime forces have fled from parts of the city, local media reported, with regime military bases and weapons falling into rebel hands, including anti-aircraft missile systems.
Rebels also claimed gains across north-western Syria, a stronghold of HTS and other anti-regime factions, where a limited ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had been in place since 2020.
The Syrian army said it had deployed reinforcements to the Aleppo front and claimed to be inflicting heavy losses on “terrorist groups.” Pro-regime media published footage of Syrian army forces purportedly inside Aleppo warning citizens that enemy “sleeper cells” had infiltrated the city.
But some pro-Assad channels took a more pessimistic view. “Collapse,” posted one popular conflict monitoring account, with a picture of the Syrian flag.
Russian forces allied with the Assad government carried out air strikes with Syrian partners on rebel positions. However, the Russian presence in Syria has been reduced due to the demands of the war in Ukraine, according to analysts, with satellite images showing fewer fighter jets stationed at the main Russian air base in the country.
The Kremlin issued a statement on Friday calling on “the government of Syria to quickly restore order,” but did not pledge a forceful response, as it has when the Assad regime has previously faced threats.
Assad’s other allies, Iran and Hezbollah, have also offered limited support at a time when both have been weakened by conflicts with Israel.
Turkey may be tacitly supporting the offensive, which includes forces of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, said Ghassan Ibrahim, a British-Syrian journalist and founder of the Global Arab Network news outlet.
Officially, Ankara has called for calm. Turkey has previously expressed concerns over regime offensives in north-western Syria that have driven refugees over its borders.
The balance of forces leaves Assad in a vulnerable position, Ibrahim told The i Paper. “He is worried, and he knows the geopolitics has changed. Hezbollah is weak. Iran is weak, and is thinking to approach the Trump adminstration. The Russians are busy in Ukraine and they don’t have enough capabilities in Syria.”
Assad could weather the loss of Aleppo if he can retain control of the capital, Damascus – but other forces around the country “could take this moment to act as well, Ibrahim added.
