Rebels have penetrated a large part of the city of Aleppo, which is under government control.
Dozens of Syrian army soldiers have been killed in rebel attacks in northwest Syria, with the rebels encroaching on a large part of the city of Aleppo, the Syrian army said on Saturday. TASR informs about it based on a Reuters report.
The insurgents belong to the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Syria’s military has publicly admitted for the first time in a statement that rebels from the Sunni jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – Levant Liberation Organization) entered the government-controlled city of Aleppo during a surprise attack that took place earlier on Wednesday.
“The large number of terrorists and multiple battle fronts have forced our armed forces to move in order to strengthen defense lines capable of withstanding the attack, protect the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare a counterattack,” the military said. The statement also said that the insurgents had not yet able to establish strong positions in Aleppo due to the continued bombardment of their positions, writes Reuters.
Two Syrian military sources reported earlier on Saturday that Russian and Syrian military aircraft attacked rebels in the outskirts of Aleppo. Russia also deployed its air force in Syria in 2015 to help President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011.
It is currently the biggest offensive against the Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian government in years and the first time rebels fighting the president’s forces have entered Aleppo since the army pushed them out in 2016. They closed the airport there and all the roads leading to the city.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a speech on Friday that Moscow considers the rebels’ attack to be an encroachment on Syria’s sovereignty. “We support the Syrian authorities to restore constitutional order as soon as possible,” he said.
