Key Points
- Syrian rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad claim they have reached the heart of the city of Aleppo.
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than two dozen civilians have been killed in the fighting.
- Russia, one of Assad's key allies, has reportedly promised extra military aid in response.
Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city, military sources have reported, as rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
The fighting was initially fierce, with 277 people killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said the toll included 28 civilians, most killed by Russian airstrikes.
State media reported that four civilians were killed when a student residence in Aleppo was shelled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch.
The fighters took control of "half of the city of Aleppo" as regime forces withdrew, according to the British-based Observatory.
Russia, one of Assad's key allies, has promised extra military aid to thwart the rebels, two military sources told the Reuters news agency, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the rebels have entered, three army sources said.
The rebels began their incursion on Wednesday (local time), and by late Friday, an operations room representing the offensive said they were sweeping through various neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
They are returning to the city for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shi'ite militias retook it, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Opposition forces in an area outside Aleppo. Source: AAP, AP / Ghaith Alsayed
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province.
Iran-backed militias have a heavy presence in the Aleppo region after providing crucial ground support when the army recaptured rebel-held areas of the city in 2016.
Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in rebel-held Idlib, and to pre-empt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Türkiye, which supports the rebels, had given a green light to the offensive.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said on Friday that Türkiye sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.
The attack is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Türkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
On Friday, Syrian state television denied rebels had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria's military with air support.
The Syrian military said it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
People in the northern Syrian village of Ariha watch as smoke billows from the site of clashes in Aleppo. Source: AFP, Getty / Omar Haj Kadour
David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said: "We're deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regarded the rebel attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
"We are in favour of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi pledged "continued support for the government, nation and army of Syria" in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bassam al-Sabbagh, according to a statement.
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