Jihadist-led rebel forces in Syria took control of Aleppo Saturday in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years — as rumors swirled of an attempted coup in the capital Damascus.
Thousands of insurgents spread out throughout the country’s second largest city following days of fighting, spurring the Syrian Army to withdraw following the latest escalation in a 13-year civil war that left dozens of government soldiers dead.
A Syrian opposition flag flys above a market square in central Aleppo on Nov. 30, 2024. AFP via Getty ImagesRebel forces were filmed outside police headquarters, in the city center, and the Aleppo Citadel. There, they tore down posters of Syrian President Bashar Assad, stepping on some and burning others.
The rebels claimed to have control of the city’s airport, but a witness told the Associated Press government troops remained there. All flights were suspended.
The surprise takeover is a huge embarrassment for Assad, who seized control of Aleppo in 2016, after expelling insurgents and thousands of civilians from its eastern neighborhoods following a grueling military campaign in which his forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allies.
Rebel fighters pose with an opposition flag at the entrance of the landmark citadel in Aleppo. AFP via Getty ImagesAleppo has not been attacked by opposition forces since then.
In cellphone videos, Syrian rebels recorded themselves conversing with residents as they visited homes, trying to reassure them they’ll cause no harm.
Schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors, according to the pro-government Sham FM radio station.
Cars engulfed in flames as rebels battle with government forces after the Islamist militant group entered central Aleppo. AFP via Getty ImagesInsurgents deployed security forces around the city to prevent any acts of violence or looting, witnesses said.
On Friday, Aleppo’s two key public hospitals were reportedly full of patients and many private hospitals were closed, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
As the Syrian Army withdrew to prepare a counter offensive, the Russian air force launched an aerial attack against the rebels in Aleppo and the province of Idiib.
Opposition fighters stand at the entrance of the University of Aleppo. REUTERS
Anti-government fighters gather in a deserted street. AFP via Getty Images
Smoke rises in the distance after jihadists attacked Aleppo. AFP via Getty ImagesTwo airstrikes on the city’s edge targeted insurgent reinforcements and hit near residential areas, witnesses said. A war monitor said 20 fighters were killed.
The rebel attack could cause both problems and benefits for nearby Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Friday night with key defense honchos and discussed how Iran’s infrastructure in Syria was “harmed” by the attacks and much of it captured by the rebels, Channel 12 in Israel reported.
Netanyahu also reportedly said Hezbollah’s attention would shift to from Lebanon to Syria, and “so will its forces, in order to defend the Assad regime.”
This, in turn, would boost the odds of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire holding, The Times of Israel reported.
Syria’s military on Saturday insisted its “temporary troop withdrawal” in Aleppo is part of a regrouping effort ahead of the arrival of reinforcements to launch the counterattack.
Iran and Russia’s foreign ministers both voiced support for Syria following Saturday’s rebel attacks.
Iran’s Abbas Araqchi also claimed in a phone call with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov the attacks are part of an Israeli-U.S. plan to destabilize the region, Iranian state media reported.
According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry about the call, both sides “expressed extreme concern about the dangerous escalation of the situation in Syria due to the terrorist offensive by armed groups in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
