Syrian rebels take control of multiple areas near Aleppo in surprise attack
Syrian opposition groups captured several zones near Aleppo in their first major advance since 2020. The offensive pushed government forces back and caused local residents to move towards Turkish border areas
Syrian opposition forces started a big-scale attack in northern Syria today‚ taking over multiple areas from government control. The push forward happened in north-western Aleppo province where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led a group of rebel units in this operation
The rebels moved about 10km from Aleppoʼs edges (which is their biggest move since early-2020 when Turkey and Russia made a cease-fire deal). They got close to Nubl and Zahra towns — places where Hezbollah has strong presence; also hitting Al-Nayrab airport that Iran-backed groups use
The attack came as pay-back for air-strikes on south Idlibʼs people in past weeks‚ rebel sources say; they also wanted to stop Bashar al-Assadʼs army from making its own attack‚ as they saw troops building-up near front-lines. The governmentʼs army hit back at spots near these places:
- Idlib city
- Ariha
- Sarmada
- Other south Idlib areas
Pro-government web-sites tell that army units killed many Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters‚ but official news didnt say anything about todays fighting. Many families living in opposition areas moved to safer spots next to Turkeyʼs border‚ as they dont want to risk staying near the combat zone
