Syrian rebels have entered Aleppo, driving out Assad's forces, and residents are welcoming them with joy.
Islamist rebel groups fighting against the government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have announced that they have entered the city of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria after the capital, Damascus.
This was reported by CNN citing a statement from the rebels.
Residents of the areas in Aleppo that have come under rebel control are removing images of Bashar al-Assad from vehicles.
Local channels report that Syrian resistance fighters have been welcomed with joy and support. The rebels are launching festive salutes and celebrating their victory.
🇸🇾 Aleppo🎉👀
– MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 29, 2024, at 20:05
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A new column of rebels is also advancing towards Aleppo.
"Our forces have begun to enter the city of Aleppo," the military operations command—a recently formed rebel coalition—reported, according to the television channel.
Social media videos suggest that the rebels have captured Aleppo Airport, the main police headquarters, and a military hospital.
The monitoring group "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" (based in the UK) also reports that the militants have entered Aleppo.
In just three days, Syrian rebels have seized 50 settlements and the majority of Aleppo, including the city center.
Historic moment in Syria. The rebels have taken back nearly all of Aleppo in less than 72 hours, they’ve brought down the Assad regime’s flag in the city center. #freeSyria
– Anonymous (@youranoncentral.bsky.social) November 29, 2024, at 21:25
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Clashes in Syria began on November 27 in the area of the city of Serakib, located in Idlib province. The rebels successfully attacked government forces and advanced quickly.
The total area controlled by the militants in Idlib and Aleppo provinces was 400 square kilometers. On the evening of November 29, the first evidence emerged that the rebels had also entered Aleppo itself.
Aleppo has been the center of the standoff between government forces and armed opposition groups since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Later, other parties got involved in the conflict: Russia and Iran supported Syrian government forces, while Turkey supported opposition groups controlling Idlib province in the northwest of the country. In 2020, a ceasefire agreement was reached with the involvement of Russia and Turkey.
Reports indicate that a significant factor enabling the rebels to launch their offensive was that the Kremlin withdrew a substantial portion of Russian troops, including Wagner Group fighters, relocating them to Africa and to the war against Ukraine.
Another key factor was Israel's war with the Iranian-aligned "Hezbollah," which also drained Iranian forces supporting Bashar al-Assad's regime.
For more on why the rebels' "special military operation" became possible in just three days, see Mind's article “Strike Against Russia in Syria: How Pro-Turkish Rebels Advance on Aleppo”.