Syrian opposition forces advance to nearby Hama after seizing Aleppo

ALEPPO

Thousands of Syrian opposition forces took over Aleppo over the weekend, establishing positions in the country's second city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province.

They faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists.

A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized control of Aleppo International Airport, the first international airport to be controlled by them.

Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no opposition from government forces, to seize towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled by government troops in 2016. They claimed to have entered the city of Hama.

The Syrian military rushed in reinforcements yesterday to push back anti-regime armed forces from advancing farther into the northern Hama countryside.

Airstrikes by the Syrian regime and Russian warplanes on Idlib’s city center killed four civilians, local sources reported yesterday.

The swift and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and raises questions about his armed forces' preparedness. The opposition forces’ offensive launched from their stronghold in the country's northwest appeared to have been planned for years. It also comes at a time when Assad's allies were preoccupied with their own conflicts.

In his first public comments since the start of the offensive, released by the state news agency, Assad said Syria will continue to "defend its stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters.”

He added that Syria is able to defeat them no matter how much their attacks intensify.

Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said yesterday he will leave Tehran for Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria's government and armed forces.

Tehran has been a staunch ally of al-Assad during the civil war that broke out in 2011. Iran maintains it does not have combat troops in Syria, only officers who provide military advice and training.

Araghchi again called the surprise offensive a plot by the United States and Israel.

However, the United States said that Washington has no involvement in the offensive, blaming Assad’s ongoing refusal” to comply with a U.N. ceasefire and political settlement as the reason for his army’s collapse in northern Syria.

“The Assad regime’s ongoing refusal to engage in the political process outlined in UNSCR 2254 and its reliance on Russia and Iran, created the conditions now unfolding, including the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.

The return of the anti-regime forces to Aleppo was their first since 2016, following a grueling military campaign in which Assad's forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups.

The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.