Syrian rebels take over Aleppo civil airportin the north of Syriathis Saturday, along with several towns in the provinces of Idlib y Hamareported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
The armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and his allies “They took over Aleppo international airport”, on the southeastern outskirts of the city, after the forces of the regime of Bashar al Assad to withdraw, the OSDH indicated.
He also added that the rebels had made progress in Hama and Idlibcapturing “dozens of strategic towns without encountering resistance”.
Earlier, the Syrian Army admitted that Insurgents penetrated “large parts” of Aleppo after a devastating offensive by jihadists and rebel militias that has left more than 300 dead.
“Dozens of men from our armed forces were killed and others were wounded” when the “terrorist organizations managed to penetrate large parts of neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo“, indicated the Army, which detailed that the combats covered “a stretch of more than 100 kilometers”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had already reported this Saturday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions took “control of most of the city, and of government buildings and prisons”. This observatory explained that, at night, “Russian warplanes launched raids on areas of the city of Aleppo for the first time since 2016″.
The regime of Bashar al Assad recovered control of a large part of Syria in 2015, thanks to military support from Russia, Iran and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
In 2016, Assad reestablished his authority in Aleppo, which has been the target of massive bombings since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011.
But, there are still large sectors of the territory that escape its control: Hayat Tahrir al-Shama jihadist alliance led by the former Syrian branch of Al Qaedacontrols parts of the Idlib region of northwestern Syria, and also portions of the neighboring provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.
The rebels They launched a lightning offensive against the forces of the Al Assad regime on Wednesday, coinciding with the entry into force of a fragile ceasefire in neighboring Lebanon between Israel and the Lebanese pro-Iran movement Hezbollah after two months of open war.
The Foreign Minister of the Turkish regime, Hakan Fidanassured this Saturday that His country is not involved in the offensive launched last Wednesday against the dictatorship of Bashar al Assadwhich has already reached the city of Aleppo.
“Türkiye does not intervene in the fighting taking place in Aleppo. Precautions are being taken. We will not launch any action that could trigger a new wave of migration,” said Fidan, quoted by the Turkish newspaper Liberty.
The minister made these statements to the press after his speech at the World Forum organized in Istanbul by TRTthe Turkish public broadcaster.
The offensive of the Islamist militias Levant Liberation Agency left on Wednesday Idlibthe last bastion controlled by the opposition to Al Assad.
The region is also partially controlled by the Turkish army.which supports several Syrian armed groups in the regions it dominates north and west of Aleppo.
Türkiye has been signaling its willingness to negotiate with the Syrian dictator, Bashar al Assad, for months.the possible resumption of diplomatic relations broken with the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
Nevertheless, At the moment there is no agreement in sightgiven that Damascus conditions this step on the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syrian territory, something that Ankara does not see as practicable at this time.
The Turkish regime has reiterated its respect for Syrian territorial integrity, but Fidan himself recalled last September that in the areas now controlled by Turkey live “five million people who do not trust the regime.”
A withdrawal of Turkish troops would prompt a large part of this population to seek refuge in Türkiye, the minister added then, who advocated “a political framework in which the regime and opposition agree” to avoid this wave of migration.
Rebel groups allied with Türkiye have protested in recent months against any attempt at reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus and the current offensive seems to push that goal away.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
