Insurgents Advance from Aleppo, Assad Vows Defeat

On Saturday, thousands of Syrian insurgents captured most of Aleppo, the country’s largest city, establishing positions and taking control of its airport before advancing into nearby northern Hama province. Fighters and activists reported that government troops offered little resistance to the insurgents’ rapid offensive.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, confirmed that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group leading the insurgency, took control of Aleppo International Airport, marking the first time an international airport in Syria had fallen into insurgent hands. The insurgents also posted images from the airport to support their claim.

The insurgents continued their advance with little opposition, retaking towns and villages in northern Hama, an area they had lost to government forces in 2016. By Saturday evening, they had entered Hama city itself. The sudden and unexpected offensive has put President Bashar al-Assad in a difficult position and raised doubts about his military’s readiness. The operation, which appeared to be long planned, coincided with a time when Assad’s allies were preoccupied with their own conflicts.

In his first public statement since the offensive began, Assad vowed to continue defending Syria’s stability and territorial integrity against the insurgents. He expressed confidence that the Syrian army could defeat the rebels, no matter how intense their attacks become.

Turkey, a key supporter of opposition groups in Syria, stated that its diplomatic efforts to stop government assaults on opposition-controlled areas had failed. These attacks violated a de-escalation agreement negotiated by Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Turkish officials said the insurgents initially launched a limited offensive to counter government attacks and facilitate the return of civilians, but the operation expanded as Syrian forces withdrew.

The insurgents, including fighters backed by Turkey and led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, began their offensive on Wednesday. They attacked Aleppo and the surrounding Idlib countryside in a two-pronged assault, capturing key towns, including one on the highway connecting Aleppo to Damascus. By Saturday evening, they had seized several towns in central Hama and claimed to have entered the provincial capital. This marked their return to the region after failing to regain control in a previous attempt in 2017.

The Syrian army responded by redeploying forces and preparing a counterattack. In a statement, the military confirmed that insurgents had taken large parts of Aleppo but insisted they had not established bases or checkpoints. The army also rejected reports of troops retreating or defecting, reaffirming its commitment to combating terrorism.

The insurgent presence in Aleppo marked their first return since 2016, following a brutal campaign that resulted in the city’s capture by Assad’s forces with support from Russia, Iran, and their allies. That battle marked a turning point in the Syrian civil war, helping Assad secure control over key areas of the country after facing significant losses.

The offensive has the potential to reignite full-scale civil war, which had been in a prolonged stalemate. On Friday, airstrikes targeted the outskirts of Aleppo, killing 20 insurgents, according to the Syrian Observatory. Insurgents were seen outside Aleppo’s police headquarters and citadel, tearing down posters of Assad and celebrating their success.

The offensive followed weeks of ongoing low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition areas. It also coincided with Hezbollah’s ceasefire with Israel, which had drawn its attention away from the Syrian front. The insurgents’ advance into Aleppo marked a significant escalation in the conflict, especially as Hezbollah and Iranian-linked groups were preoccupied with their battles in the region.

As the insurgents pushed further into Aleppo, witnesses described a city with light traffic and celebrations in the streets. Despite some gunfire, there was no sign of clashes or government forces in the area. Journalists captured images of captured soldiers and bodies from the battles.

One returning resident, Abdulkafi Alhamdo, expressed a mix of pain and disbelief as he walked through the streets of Aleppo, reflecting on the city’s transformation and his memories of the war. Many Aleppo residents stayed indoors, while some fled the violence. Reports indicated that hospitals in the city were overwhelmed with casualties, though many private medical facilities had closed.

The Syrian Kurdish-led administration in the east reported that nearly 3,000 people, mostly students, had fled Aleppo for safer areas. State media claimed that insurgents, including sleeper cells, had infiltrated parts of the city, and government forces had arrested several individuals involved in the attacks.

Commentators on state TV blamed Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ advance into Aleppo and Idlib. Russia’s state news agency quoted a Russian defense official who claimed that Russian airstrikes had killed 200 militants involved in the northwest offensive, though no further details were provided.