File image.
Militants led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) widened their control within the northern Syrian city of Aleppo late on November 29, a few hours after storming it as a part of a large-scale offensive against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), codenamed Operation Deterrence of Aggression.
Video evidence indicate that the militants have reached Citadel of Aleppo in the heart of the city after capturing many districts in the west, including al-Hamidiyah, al-Kallaseh, al-Firdaws, al-Hamidiyah, and Saif al-Dawlah, in addition to the University of Aleppo.
While the militants didn’t meet much resistance during their initial push into the city, the advance seemed to have come to a halt after midnight for no clear reasons.
Also late on November 29, HTS and its allies managed to impose control over the key town of Saraqib in the southern Idlib countryside, further solidifying their control over the strategic M5 highway that links Aleppo city with the coast and the capital, Damascus. However, limited counter-attacks by the SAA were being reported.
Russian and Syrian warplanes continued to launch strikes against the militants overnight, targeting them not only between the western Aleppo countryside and the southern Idlib countryside, but also within Aleppo city and in the Turkish-occupied town of Marea in the northern Aleppo countryside.
Meanwhile, the SAA continues to amass a large force with troops from elite formations such as the 25th Special Mission Forces Division and the 4th Armored Division in two main directions, the eastern outskirts of Aleppo city and the southern countryside of the governorate. Kurdish forces present in Aleppo city’s Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood were also reported to be preparing for combat.
The army may be planning to outflank HTS and its allies from outside Aleppo city. However, it is still early to speculate how the counter-attack will go.
The offensive was launched early on November 27 from the Greater Idlib region, which includes Idlib city and parts of the governorates countryside as well as several towns in the northern Lattakia countryside, the northwestern Hamas countryside and the western countryside of Aleppo.
The Turkish military maintains a large presence in the region. However, HTS is the de-facto ruler. The terrorist group’s offensive put an end to a ceasefire agreement that was brokered by both Russia and Turkey on March 5 of 2020. Ankara likely knew about the offensive beforehand.
HTS and its allies are paying a heavy cost of the offensive. The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said on November 29 that some 200 militants were killed by Russian airstrikes in the last 24 hours.
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russia needs to keep laser focus. syria, aleppo, etc. is a distraction. let iran and the rest of the axis of resistance worry about that for now. once the empire of evil has been dealt the strategic defeat that is coming to them this winter, any territorial loss in syria will be reversed as long as the russian naval and air bases there remain operational. long live the motherland.
these are fighters of opportunist turkey/erdogan taking advantage of the weakness of shia fighters in wake of israeli bombardments. i hope russia understands us/israeli influence and makes sure to hit back next time when israel/us bomb shia fighters in syria. else they will have to withdraw all together because of salafis supported by usa, israel and turkey.