Rebels penetrate the second largest city in Syria

Rebels penetrate the second largest city in Syria

The armed rebels in Syria claim to have entered Aleppo. This is the first time that rebels are entering the second largest city in the country since the government troops recaptured control over the city in 2016.

surprise attack by the rebels

This week the rebels started a surprising attack and conquered several villages, which was once again sparked by the conflict that has been stagnating for years. In a statement by the newly formed rebel coalition, the military operating command, it says: "Our troops have started to enter the city of Aleppo." CNN has so far not been able to check this claim independently and asked the Syrian government to comment.

reaction of the Syrian military

The Syrian military said that it was facing a "big attack" that is carried out by "terrorist organizations" with severe armament and drones. The military surgical command of the rebels previously stated that he had taken control of the Military Science Research Center of the Syrian government on the outskirts of Aleppo after "intensive fights with the regiments and Iranian militias" occurred.

losses and accusations

A artillery bullet hit the students of the students at the University of Aleppo that day and, according to the state news agency Sana, killed four people. The spokesman for the rebels, Hassan Abdulghani, rejected the accusations of the Syrian state media as "baseless lies". The military offensive that began on Wednesday has been the first major exchange of blows between the Syrian opposition and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which has ruled the war-torn country since 2000.

attacks on civilians

An employee of the University of Aleppo, who wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons, confirmed that an artillery shot hit the second floor of a dorm when students were in it. A video spread in social media, which was geolocalized by CNN, shows young men who run from a dormitory on the campus of the University of Aleppo and wear an injured person.

civilian victims in Aleppo and Idlib

On Thursday, at least 15 civilians, including six children and two women, were killed, while 36 more people were injured in air raids and shelling in areas held by rebels in Aleppo and on the land of Idlib. This is reported by the aid organization "Weißhelme". According to the Iranian state media, a Brigadier general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Kioumars Pourhashemi, was also killed in the city.

international reactions

In a phone call with his Syrian counterpart to discuss the escalation, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of "reactivated" the rebels and emphasized Iran's continued support for the Syrian government and army. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asked the Syrian authorities to "quickly restore order in this area and to restore the constitutional order." Both Iran and Russia are important allies of Syria.

background of the conflict

The civil war in Syria began during the Arab spring 2011 when the regime pushed a pro-democratic uprising against Assad. The country plunged into a comprehensive civil war when a rebel formation, known as the Free Syrian Army, was formed to fight the government forces. The conflict escalated as other regional actors and world powers-from Saudi Arabia to Iran and the United States to Russia-intervened, which, as some observers describe, escalated the civil war.

consequences of the war

Since the ceasefire agreement of 2020, the conflict has been largely inactive, with isolated struggles between the rebels and Assad's regime. According to the United Nations, over 300,000 civilians were killed in more than a decade, and millions of people were sold in the region.

This story has been updated with additional developments.