Syria: rebels launch major offensive in north-west and gain territory

In Syria, disturbing events are unfolding in the ongoing civil war that has been waging there since 2011 (David Gritten, 'Syria rebels launch major offensive in north-west and gain territory' BBC News 29 Nov 2024). Rebel forces have launched a significant offensive in northwestern Syria, marking the first major territorial gains against President Bashar al-Assad's forces in years. Last month, the UN's special envoy for Syria warned that escalating conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon were dangerously intensifying tensions in northwestern Syria. The Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions reported capturing several towns and villages across Aleppo and Idlib provinces since Wednesday. These areas lie within Syria's last opposition stronghold, home to over 4 million people, many of whom are displaced and living in dire conditions. While HTS dominates the enclave, Turkish-backed rebel groups under the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Turkish forces are also present. In 2020, a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia, Assad's key ally, temporarily halted a government offensive to reclaim Idlib. However, sporadic violence, including airstrikes and shelling, has persisted since. Now Russia had resumed air strikes on the enclave for the first time in months, and pro-government forces had significantly accelerated drone strikes and shelling. By the end of the first day of the offensive, the rebels had advanced into the western Aleppo countryside, taking them within 10km (6 miles) from the outskirts of Aleppo city, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).