Syria is burning in the flames of civil war
Last Updated on December 2, 2024 5:20 am
Syria is hot with clashes between government forces and rebels. The entire country has started to burn in the flames of civil war again. The death toll is also rising. More than 400 people have been killed so far in the rebel operation that began on Wednesday. The rebels have already taken control of most of the country’s historic and largest city, Aleppo.
Meanwhile, the British media outlet BBC reported that Russia launched airstrikes on various parts of Aleppo for the first time since 2016 to suppress the rebel forces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the operation that began on Wednesday is gradually escalating. More than 300 people have been killed in the clashes between the two sides so far. More than 20 of them are civilians. This operation is the largest attack against the Syrian government in the past few years. This is the first time the rebels have entered the city since they were driven out of Aleppo by government forces in 2016.
The airport and all roads leading into Aleppo have been closed, Reuters reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels had taken most of the city early on Saturday without major resistance.
A spokesman for the organization told the BBC that “there was no fighting as government forces retreated.”
“The city council, the police station, the intelligence office are all empty. This has never happened before,” a spokesman for the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Earlier, the government said on Friday that rebels had retaken control of some towns in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied forces have been attacking these areas since Wednesday. A video released on a channel affiliated with the Islamist armed group HTS showed rebel fighters driving vehicles inside Aleppo. The BBC has geo-tagged the video and confirmed that it was filmed in a suburb of western Aleppo.
AFP reported that one of its reporters saw anti-government fighters in front of Aleppo’s historic citadel on Friday.
More than half a million people have been killed in Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011 after the suppression of a pro-democracy movement. Various armed groups have taken advantage of the unrest to seize large parts of Syria. The Syrian government, with the help of Russia and other allies, has since retaken most of the area. Idlib remains the last rebel stronghold. It is mainly controlled by HTS, but Turkish-backed rebels and Turkish forces are also present there. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian and Russian air forces carried out 23 airstrikes near Idlib on Friday.
The Russian military said it had struck “extremist forces”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Russia supports the Syrian government in quickly restoring order and Syria’s sovereignty is under threat.”
Earlier, a ceasefire agreement was reached between Russia and Turkey in Idlib in 2020. However, on Wednesday, HTS and its allies announced a new operation. They accused the government and allied militias of escalating tensions in the region. Analysts say the rebels have advanced rapidly because Syria’s allies Iran and Hezbollah have been weakened by Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, Israel has again threatened to attack Syria, which is in the throes of civil war. Syria has been the victim of several Israeli aggressions in the past year. Israel has renewed its threat to attack the country immediately after the ceasefire in Lebanon came into effect.
Its military has said that Syria will pay a heavy price if it helps Hezbollah grow stronger. In addition to the violence in Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli forces have carried out several attacks in Syria over the past year. Tel Aviv’s statement on the matter was that “these attacks were carried out targeting the positions of Iran-backed groups.”