Syrian government forces sustained dozens of casualties in a haphazard retreat from central Aleppo after rebels opposing the Assad regime staged a shock assault on the country’s second-largest city. The Syrian army retreated on Saturday morning to regroup before an expected counteroffensive as Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded targets in the suburbs of Aleppo, the first airstrikes on the city in eight years. President al-Assad’s government declared it was sending additional troops to shore up its front line in the face of the rebels’ advance. The rebels have made stunning gains in northwestern Syria in a campaign that began on Wednesday, reclaiming more than 50 towns and villages and storming into western Aleppo on Friday night. Along the way, they seized strategic positions and cut off a critical highway leading south to the capital Damascus. Photographs posted on social media showed armed fighters, some with their faces covered, others smiling, posing in front of Aleppo’s historic citadel and outside the city’s main university. Many tore down regime flags, banners and posters of Assad, replacing them with the Syrian revolution flag. One video showed insurgents toppling a statue of Bassel al-Assad, the president’s brother. Anti-government fighters toppled a statue of Bassel al-Assad, the president’s brother Anti-government fighters toppled a statue of Bassel al-Assad, the president’s brother OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/GETTY The rebels were more co-ordinated and also deployed kamikaze drones The rebels were more co-ordinated and also deployed kamikaze drones MUHAMMAD HAJ KADOUR/AFP/GETTY Warplanes attacked a square in Aleppo city centre Warplanes attacked a square in Aleppo city centre IBRAHIM DERVIS /ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES The [1]offensive has claimed more than 300 lives in four days, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, with the biggest casualties among Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group leading the advance. Among those killed was an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, an Assad ally. On Saturday Syria’s government acknowledged that it had ceded ground to the rebels, confirming that dozens of its troops had been killed. “The large numbers of terrorists and the multiplicity of battlefronts prompted our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defence lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers and prepare for a counterattack,” the army said. The Syrian military insisted that the insurgents had not been able to establish fixed positions in Aleppo following the army’s bombardment of their positions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rightson Saturday said that the rebels had advanced into the “majority” of Aleppo’s neighbourhoods as the fighting continued. The jihadists staged a lightning offensive and stormed into the city on Friday, tearing down images of Assad The jihadists staged a lightning offensive and stormed into the city on Friday, tearing down images of Assad OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/GETTYTHE REBELS WERE MORE CO-ORDINATED AND ALSO DEPLOYED KAMIKAZE DRONES [%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F95077720-d975-4736-ac5a-8e2235 4e242f.jpg?crop=1872%2C1248%2C0%2C0] IZETTIN KASIM/ANADOLU/GETTY HTS is a Sunni Islamist group that controls parts of northwest Syria’s Idlib province and is primarily composed of former al-Qaeda affiliates. Its attack signifies a marked escalation in Syria’s 13-year civil war, which has largely been frozen since a diplomatic agreement in 2020. Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, the HTS leader, has reportedly instructed his commanders to protect civilians, including Christians and churches, and to ensure fair treatment for surrendering government soldiers. Government forces also reportedly killed the journalist Mustafa al-Sarout, who was working in Aleppo. “Mustafa, who lives in Idlib, went to Aleppo to cover the offensive. Assad’s forces killed him. It’s very dangerous in the city at the moment,” his colleague Fared Al Mahlool, who is in Idlib, told The Sunday Times. Saraqib, another strategic town on the road junction connecting Aleppo with Damascus and the Mediterranean coast, was also captured. Syria’s government acknowledged that it had ceded ground to the rebels Syria’s government acknowledged that it had ceded ground to the rebels GHAITH ALSAYED/AP Residents welcomed the rebels as they fled the fighting Residents welcomed the rebels as they fled the fighting RAMI ALSAYED/NURPHOTO/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK The [2]Turkey-backed Syrian National Army, an opposition group in northern Syria that is unaffiliated with HTS, seized several villages east of Aleppo while fighting regime forces. Orwa Ajjoub, a Middle East researcher at Malmo University, said the rebels would aim to “build trust with local communities, many of whom remain sceptical about the governance they can expect under their control”. He added: “I doubt the rebels have plans to reach Damascus.” Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011 when protests against Assad’s authoritarian rule, spurred by the Arab Spring movement, were brutally suppressed. Five years of bloody fighting ensued, with Russia, Iran and [3]Hezbollah of Lebanon aligning behind the Assad regime. It reached a turning point in 2016 when Aleppo, one of the last important urban strongholds held by the opposition, was recaptured by Assad’s Russian-backed forces. Up until this year, the war has claimed the lives of more than 507,000 people, among them more than 164,000 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The rebels’ success in this campaign has been linked to the deployment of newly introduced turbojet-powered kamikaze drones, as well as a more co-ordinated military strategy, according to Gregory Waters, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute and a lead researcher at the Syrian Archive. “The drones have certainly played a big role but what’s more important is that the opposition has integrated them into their overall military manoeuvres. This reflects a broader trend: they are focusing on professionalising their military units, allowing for more effective deployment,” he said. The drones are made locally, while materials used for production are probably “smuggled across regime front lines or sourced from abroad”, Waters said. It comes as [4]Hezbollah and Israel struck a 60-day ceasefire agreement following Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is seen to have been drastically damaged by the Israeli campaign, having lost many of its commanders and much of its arsenal. Israel has also hit Hezbollah targets within Syria in recent months. “The weakening of key Assad allies Hezbollah and Iran, the unpredictability of the new US administration and Turkey’s tentative steps towards normalising relations with Assad are just a few [factors],” said Dareen Khalifa, senior Syria adviser for the International Crisis Group. “This has given HTS’s leadership the sense that the time is right to act. This is the moment they have long talked about: the moment to march towards Aleppo.” Khalifa added: “I don’t think anyone, including the opposition, expected that, in three days, they would be in central Aleppo, potentially taking it in the coming days … HTS has been preparing this for months but it is surprising how quickly the front lines have crumbled.” Rebels reclaimed more than 50 towns and villages on their way to Aleppo Rebels reclaimed more than 50 towns and villages on their way to Aleppo REX [%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F750b9234-51be-4645-a6bf-49b66b bdd818.jpg?crop=4887%2C3258%2C0%2C0] Close observers of the region are waiting to see what role neighbouring Turkey plays in this fresh round of fighting. The country has long been frustrated with the Assad regime, severing diplomatic ties with Syria in 2012 over the civil war. President Erdogan of Turkey attempted to normalise ties with Syria earlier this year but could not secure reconciliation because Assad imposed numerous preconditions, such as demanding that Turkey withdraw entirely from northwest Syria. This is a red line for Ankara because of security concerns linked to the People’s Protection Units, a Kurdish group that it considers to be an extension of the [5]Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a designated terrorist group in Turkey, the UK, the United States and the European Union. The Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Turkey was not involved in the clashes but was taking precautions to avoid triggering a new wave of migration. Turkey’s foreign ministry called for calm in the region. The US also has soldiers stationed in Syria. Ajjoub suggested that if an isolationist Donald Trump administration withdraws the troops “it could create a power vacuum, paving the way for other actors to fill the void — a scenario Turkey is acutely aware of and wants to avoid”. In Aleppo, home to about two million people, residents were seen welcoming the rebels while trying to escape the fighting. Many carried only a few belongings as they ran to avoid the violence. Aleppo has remained Syria’s economic hub, despite the heavy toll that the war has taken on its infrastructure. Some parts lie in ruins with bombed-out buildings lining the streets. Analysts are surprised by how quickly the front lines crumbled Analysts are surprised by how quickly the front lines crumbled ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP/GETTY According to a Unesco assessment, about 60 per cent of the historic old town has been severely damaged, while 30 per cent is destroyed. Still, in recent years, Aleppo has again turned into a busy vibrant city, with some neighbourhoods newly refurbished and restaurants and bars returning. Earlier this year, the historic souk reopened after restoration. Yet, much of its opposition-supporting population has been displaced for years; many of them are in Idlib; others are outside Syria, unable to return to government-held areas for fear of retribution. The offensive may pave the way for their potential return, including to places such as Aleppo. In the rebel stronghold of Idlib, emotions were similarly mixed. “There’s widespread happiness that villages and towns are being liberated but people are also afraid of Assad’s response,” said Mahlool. References 1. https://www.thetimes.com/article/aleppo-syria-war-2024-news-ls6hkvdm0 2. https://www.thetimes.com/article/violent-turkish-mobs-attack-syrians-who-fled-assads-atrocities-2swwlj3gs 3. https://www.thetimes.com/topic/hezbollah 4. https://www.thetimes.com/article/home-broken-lebanese-families-return-rubble-2vgwkbdmq 5. https://www.thetimes.com/article/six-arrested-in-london-counterterrorism-raids-linked-to-pkk-nsnpg0shv