Rebels in Syria reach Aleppo, activists say

Deadly fights

Rebels in Syria reach Aleppo, activists say

It is the heaviest fighting in northwest Syria for years. Rebels continue to advance. Now they are said to have reached the megacity of Aleppo.

According to activists, rebels in northwest Syria have reached the megacity of Aleppo in their new offensive. This was announced, among others, by the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Residents reported to the German Press Agency about the noise of battles and explosions that could be heard in the city.

The Islamist rebel group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham said its fighters fought heavy battles with government troops in the western suburbs of Aleppo. The Syrian Defense Ministry said the armed forces were facing massive attacks in the surrounding areas of the cities of Aleppo and Idlib.

These are the heaviest fighting in the area for years. Aleppo was heavily contested in the early years of the Syrian civil war and was severely devastated.

The fighting began on Wednesday after an alliance of Islamist rebels said they began an offensive called “deterring aggression.”

In response to the offensive, the Syrian army has since attacked dozens of targets in Idlib and the Aleppo area with the support of Russian fighter jets, the Observatory’s activists said. The Coventry-based organization bases its information on information from local activists.

The devastating civil war in Syria since 2011 has completely divided the country. Ruler Bashar Al-Assad came under heavy pressure at times, but with the help of his allies Russia and Iran, he now controls around two thirds of the country again. The northwest is partly under the control of opposition forces. There is no political solution to the conflict in sight.