The Syrian rebel coalition has made rapid gains towards Aleppo and Sarqib [Getty]
Syria’s rebel coalition is engaged in fierce clashes with Syrian regime forces in neighbourhoods within Aleppo city on Friday as they enter the third day of an unprecedented offensive in northwest Syria.
Videos shared online show rebel forces fighting in the Rashidin neighbourhood of Aleppo, demonstrating the remarkable success of the operation dubbed “Deter the Aggression” in reference to its aim of stopping Assad, Iran and Russia from striking the last rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib.
The opposition forces have also entered the Hamadaniyeh district of Aleppo, facing little to no resistance from the Assad-loyal Syrian Arab Army.
There are also reports of opposition forces entering the neighbourhood of New Aleppo, which lies on the outskirts of the city.
The Syrian rebels held most of Aleppo until the city was conquered by Iran-backed pro-Assad forces under the cover of brutal Russian and Assad regime airstrikes in 2016.
In total, in two days of fighting, the rebels have captured over 50 regime-held villages and towns in surrounding Aleppo and in eastern Idlib, with rebel forces also successfully shutting down the M-5 highway, the main artery linking Aleppo to Damascus.
The rebel coalition also appear to be encircling the city of Saraqib in eastern Idlib, which is known to be a major hub of Iranian and pro-Iranian foreign fighters in Syria.
The city is also strategically important as an intersection of the M4 and M5 highways, the two most important transport hubs in the country.
One of the main aims of the rebel coalition is to drive Iranian fighters out of Syria — an ambitious goal given the number of pro-Iranian in the country — or in the short term out of the Aleppo countryside and eastern Idlib.
On Thursday, the conservative Iranian Daneshjoo News Agency reported the death of Brigadier General Kiumars Pourahmadi, the commander of Iranian military advisers in Aleppo, during the opposition factions’ attacks.
Over the past two days of fighting in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, the opposition groups are said to have taken control of 400 square kilometres (154 square miles) of territory.
One of the main reasons for such rapid successes is the collapse of defensive lines of Assad regime and Iranian-led pro-Assad forces.Â
The Deter the Aggression Operations Room confirmed in a statement that they had captured several regime soldiers and seized a variety of weapons and equipment, including T-72 tanks.
Around 200 people are thought to have been killed so far, with most of these areas having no civilian presence since at least 1 million people were driven out by pro-Assad forces in 2020.
Another aim of the rebel offensive, outlined on Thursday, is to take back the areas that were cleansed of over 1 million civilians by Assad regime forces under the cover of Russian airstrikes in 2019-2020 to facilitate their return.
Pro-regime forces, however, have been able to strike back, with Russian airstrikes on Thursday killing at least 17 civilians in rebel-held areas of West Aleppo and Idlib.
An Assad regime security official has denied that rebels are fighting within the city, telling AFP Friday that army reinforcements arrived in Aleppo as the rebel coalition advanced towards the city.
“Military reinforcements have arrived,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, adding that “there are fierce battles and clashes west of Aleppo, but they have not reached the city”.
