Syrian rebels take control of Aleppo in unexpected military operation

In late November 2024‚ Syriaʼs north-west region faced a major power-shift when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an un-expected offensive capturing Aleppo and nearby towns. The ex-al Qaeda linked group used home-made drones to catch Bashar al-Assadʼs forces off-guard; resulting in about 450 deaths on both sides

The thirteen-year-old civil war – which started when Assad crushed pro-democracy protests – has seen many changes but this recent development brings a new twist to the regions dynamics. More than 14000 people left their homes due to fighting while (surprisingly) some long-time regime opponents returned to HTS-controlled areas

Since Sunday‚ the bombings are constant Several schools and clinics in Idlib province have already been targeted

The situation got worse when air-strikes hit multiple hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib on 12/1/24; killing at least twelve people. A refugee camp near Maʼarrat Misrin also got hit which led to seven civilian deaths including five kids. The city now lacks basic supplies like:

• Water and bread
• Fuel for heating
• Medical equipment
• Emergency supplies

While Assadʼs allies are busy elsewhere – Russia with its Ukraine war; Iran and Hezbollah dealing with Israel – Turkeyʼs role remains unclear. The country which backs Syrian National Army (SNA) says it wants stability; but benefits from Kurdish groups being pushed east. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggests Damascus should talk with opposition groups instead of pointing fingers at outside players

US keeps around 900 troops in north-east Syria for anti-ISIS operations‚ while Turkish forces stay in several regions to fight Kurdish militants. Despite past attempts at peace talks between Turkey and Syria just five months ago no progress was made as Assad demanded full Turkish withdrawal – a condition Turkey wont accept due to its security needs