Syrian and Russian jets have carried out strikes on opposition forces in northern Syria in retaliation for the sudden offensive that has cost the regime control of the country’s second largest city, Aleppo. The offensive has also led to the capture by the rebel alliance of an important military base east of Aleppo and large areas of both Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The rebels’ sweeping success has posed the biggest challenge in eight years to President Bashar al-Assad, when Russian air power helped reverse rebel gains in the civil war.
The newly formed rebel coalition, known as the Military Operations Command, has captured key sites across Aleppo, including the airport, where video verified by sources showed camo-clad fighters inside the main terminal. The rebels consolidated their gains Sunday capturing key military sites in the east of Aleppo city. However, they have left some neighborhoods in the hands of Kurdish forces.
The opposition forces’ control of Aleppo means that the regime counteroffensive promised by the Syrian defense ministry would be very difficult to carry out. Government aircraft – along with Russian planes based in Syria – have carried out bombing raids against opposition positions in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
The White Helmets, a Syrian volunteer service, reported that at least four people were killed on Sunday in airstrikes on Idlib city, a province that now appears to be entirely in rebel hands. In his first comments since the lightning takeover, Assad stated that Syria will continue “to defend its stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their supporters,” during calls with regional leaders on Saturday. Assad expressed confidence that Syria, with the help of its allies and friends, could defeat and eliminate terrorists, regardless of the intensity of their attacks.
