The Syrian military confirmed Saturday that insurgents have entered large parts of Aleppo city and dozens of its troops have been killed, marking the army’s first public acknowledgment of the rebel offensive that began earlier this week.
“The large numbers of terrorists and the multiplicity of battlefronts prompted our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defence lines,” the army said in a statement, describing efforts to “absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack.”
The surprise offensive, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, represents the most significant challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s government since Syria’s frontlines largely froze in 2020. The insurgents have swept through government-held towns to reach Aleppo, nearly a decade after government forces backed by Russia and Iran drove rebels from the city.
Syrian military sources reported that Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted insurgent positions in an Aleppo suburb Saturday, though the army said rebels have been unable to establish fixed positions in the city due to continued bombardment. Russia, which deployed its air force to Syria in 2015 to support Assad, called the rebel attack a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
“We are in favour of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
