BEIRUT – The Syrian army rushed on Sunday to push insurgents further into the northern countryside of Hama after capturing Aleppo and surrounding areas in the neighboring province.
Terrorists led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over a large part of Aleppo on Saturday and entered the city of Hama. There was no independent verification of their claim. Rebel commander Col. Hassan Abdulghani said that insurgents have separately regained control of Sheikh Najjar, also known as Aleppo Industrial City, in the northeast of the city, the military school of Aleppo and the military college in the southwest.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is traveling to the Syrian capital Damascus later on Sunday. He told reporters that Tehran will support the Syrian government and army.
This swift and surprising attack is a major embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar Assad and raises questions about the preparedness of his forces. It also comes at a time when Assad’s allies – Iran and its allies and Russia – are busy with their own conflicts.
Syrian state television said government forces had killed nearly 1,000 terrorists in the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
Government airstrikes overnight in the city of Idlib, a rebel-held area near Hama province and 65 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Aleppo, killed four civilians and wounded 54 others, according to the Syrian Civil Defense. also known as the White Helmet, which works. in areas held by the opposition.
According to the Syrian state news agency SANA and the war monitor, the army overnight pushed back the terrorists in the northern province of Hama.
The Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the government’s crackdown was creating a “strong defensive line” in the northern countryside of Hama.
The Syrian government-run news network Al-Ikhbariyah also reported on Russian strikes, both in Idlib and other areas now under rebel control.
In his first public remarks since the start of the offensive, released by the state-run news agency on Saturday evening, Assad said Syria would continue to “protect stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters.” He added that Syria is capable of defeating them no matter how intense their attacks are.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebels after the 2011 protests against the Assad regime turned into an all-out war. After it seemed that the country was losing control of the rebels, the battle for Aleppo ensured that Assad was able to hold on to areas of Syria, with opposition groups and their foreign allies controlling the outskirts.
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