World Courant
Insurgent teams in northwestern Syria say they’re advancing on the town of Hama after taking management of close by Aleppo in a lightning offensive that started final week.
Sunday’s tried southern advance comes on the fifth day of the shock insurgent offensive, as Syrian and Russian forces have launched counterattacks, reportedly bombarding opposition-held Idlib province and Aleppo with airstrikes since Saturday.
Authorities forces underneath the management of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have additionally bolstered the northern province of Hama, based on Syrian state information company SANA. It reported that the military had pushed again opposition fighters within the northern countryside in a single day. Based on SANA, the armed forces have been equipped with heavy gear and rocket launchers there.
On Sunday, the United Nations Particular Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, referred to as on all stakeholders within the battle to right away search a political resolution.
“The most recent developments pose critical dangers to civilians and have critical penalties for regional and worldwide peace and safety,” he stated.
The combating marks essentially the most vital flip in years within the Syrian struggle, which started with well-liked uprisings throughout the nation in 2011. Since 2020, the frontlines have been largely at a standstill, with a sequence of insurgent teams largely primarily based in a small a part of Idlib province. .
However on Friday, opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Aleppo, prompting authorities forces to withdraw from the strategically vital metropolis of greater than 2 million folks.
The rebels have since gained a number of strategic victories, together with taking on the provision line metropolis of Khansir, the commercial metropolis of Aleppo, the Aleppo Army Academy and the Area Artillery Faculty.
HTS, previously often called al-Nusra Entrance, the Syrian department of al-Qaeda, has distanced itself from the group whereas turning into the strongest opposition motion in northwestern Syria.
America, Syria and Russia nonetheless take into account the group a “terrorist” group.
Push in direction of Hama
In his first public feedback for the reason that offensive started, launched late Saturday, al-Assad stated his forces will proceed to defend the “stability and territorial integrity of the federal government in opposition to terrorists and their supporters.”
He stated Syria is able to defeating the insurgent teams regardless of how fierce their assaults change into.
However from the Turkish-Syrian border, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu stated the rebels remained on the outskirts of Hama and have been “making an attempt to counter Syrian authorities forces there.”
“The cities and cities which were taken by the opposition, generally the Syrian authorities forces take them again,” she stated. “So there’s an alternate of (management). But it is vitally dynamic and really risky on the bottom.”
The federal government stated airstrikes on opposition-held areas focused weapons depots and insurgent strongholds.
Nonetheless, Britain-based struggle monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated Russian assaults hit camps for displaced folks on Sunday, killing eight civilians and wounding 50.
The Syrian Civil Protection, which operates in opposition-held areas, additionally reported a sequence of assaults on Aleppo, together with the Aleppo College Hospital within the metropolis middle. It was not instantly clear whether or not there have been any casualties.
Years of struggle in Syria have created one of many world’s greatest displacement crises, with 1000’s extra folks displaced by the newest combating.
Concern of ‘scorched earth’
Talking to Al Jazeera, Razan Saffour, a British-Syrian human rights activist with household in Aleppo, stated that whereas there’s relative stability in Aleppo, there are fears concerning the response of the federal government and Russian forces.
Russia’s army intervention within the nation beginning in 2015, and Iran’s two years earlier, helped flip the tide of the struggle in Al-Assad’s favor. Russia’s aerial bombardment of Aleppo subsequently helped authorities forces take full management of the town in 2016.
“We’re speaking about insurgent teams which might be conquering Syrian territory in a short time, however on the similar time they don’t have any air protection,” she stated.
“And when we have now seen this occur (earlier than), … the Al-Assad regime, Russia and their ally Iran responded with a scorched earth coverage.”
Iranian Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi was anticipated to journey to Damascus on Sunday to inform reporters that Tehran would assist Al-Assad.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan additionally expressed solidarity with al-Assad in current talks with him.
Nonetheless, Saffour stated that together with the confusion and concern, there’s additionally a way of anticipation amongst some Aleppo residents who’ve lived underneath authorities management for years.
“We’re very anxious, however we’re additionally very excited and hopeful to see what is going to occur,” she stated.
Syrian rebels push in direction of Hama as authorities forces launch counterattacks | Struggle information in Syria
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