Breaking news: Major rebel attack in Syria leads to intense air-strikes near Turkish border
First big rebel push in north-west Syria since 2020 leads to fierce response from Russian and Syrian forces. Attack captured several towns near Aleppo while facing strong counter-measures
In a sudden turn of events rebel forces made a big push into north-west Syria on 11/27/24‚ taking control of several towns in Aleppo province (which hasnt happened since the last cease-fire about 4 years ago)
The attack led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group moved almost 6 miles from Aleppoʼs edge‚ getting close to Nubl and Zahra towns; where pro-Iran groups are based. The rebels also hit al-Nayrab airport which has strong ties with Iran-backed forces
Russian and Syrian planes struck back hard on 11/28/24 targeting newly-taken areas. The White Helmets rescue group says: at least 16 people died when planes hit homes in Atareb town. The main road from Aleppo to Damascus is now closed due to all the fighting
The rebels say they had to act because:
- Russian planes kept hitting towns in Idlib
- Syrian army was building-up near their areas
- They needed to stop possible attacks
A top Iranian military man Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi died during these events. Turkish sources say the fighting started small but got bigger when Syrian forces left their spots - though it stays within the old peace-zone lines that were set about 5 years back
