Insurgents made a surprising advance into Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, on Friday, engaging in clashes with government forces for the first time since 2016. This unexpected attack, as reported by a war monitor and fighters, caused residents to flee the area, further unsettling a region already grappling with the aftermath of various conflicts.
Residents fled neighborhoods on the city’s edge because of missiles and gunfire, according to witnesses in Aleppo.
Taking the city by storm on Wednesday, thousands of fighters initiated a sudden offensive in Syria’s northwestern countryside, marking their entry into Aleppo. According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, the insurgents have now seized control of approximately 70 locations in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
Reports from Syria’s state media confirmed that projectiles launched by the insurgents struck student living quarters at Aleppo University in the city center, resulting in the death of four individuals, including two students.
Syrian armed forces said the insurgents are violating a 2019 agreement that de-escalated fighting in the area, the last remaining opposition stronghold for years.
Hezbollah was “the main force” in the government’s control of Aleppo, said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Observatory.
In a phone call with his Syrian counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the insurgent attacks in Syria “as a plot orchestrated by the US and the Zionist regime following the regime’s defeat in Lebanon and Palestine.”
Insurgents posted videos online showing they were using drones, a new weapon for them.
It was not clear to what extent the drones were used on the battleground.
Insurgents attacked a military airbase southeast of Aleppo with drones early Friday, destroying a helicopter, the Anadolu Agency reported.
The opposition groups also seized heavy weapons and military vehicles belonging to the government forces, the agency said.
