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An offensive by opposition forces in Syria is redrawing the map of areas controlled by the rebels, despite Russian-backed airstrikes by President Bashar al-Assad and his government forces on the north of the country.
Starting November 27, rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), broke out of Idlib, the province along the border with Turkey that it controls, with the biggest push by the opposition for years in a conflict which had been essentially frozen since 2020.
The rebels swept away Syrian troops and seized control of Idlib province, moving into neighboring Hama province. They posted photos of fighters who had taken the ancient citadel of Aleppo, the city held by the government since the victory in 2016 of Russian-backed Syrian forces.
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The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Syrian opposition forces had also advanced southeast to the town of Khanasir on Sunday in an effort “to isolate Aleppo and block resupply and reinforcement.”
The Washington, D.C. think tank said the joint opposition moves of Fateh Mubin and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) seem to be “coordinating operations to seize territory from the Syrian regime and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”
“Map of situation in Syria from@rr0162,” posted the X account Peter Corless, “incredible changes to the landscape not seen in years.”
However, the Syrian government has responded with force. At least 56 people were killed and 238 injured in the airstrikes carried out by Assad’s forces and his ally Russia on Idlib and its surrounding areas, said the opposition-run rescue service the White Helmets which posted images of rescue efforts taking place among the rubble on Monday.
Newsweek has contacted the White Helmets and Syrian foreign ministry for comment.
Who is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham?
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist political and militant group that was set up in 2011 which has a key role in the Syrian civil war. The leader of the Islamist Group (IS) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was involved in the formation of HTS in 2011 under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra.
An affiliate of al-Qaida, the group was regarded as one of President Bashar al-Assad’s most formidable opponents but its focus on jihadist ideology rather than revolutionary goals put it at odds with the Free Syria rebel coalition.
In 2016, the group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, broke ranks with al-Qaida, dissolved Jabhat al-Nusra and set up a new organization, which took the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham when it merged in 2017 with other similar groups.
Government forces regroup
Syrian troops who had withdrawn from Aleppo are regrouping. Iranian-backed militias have entered Syria from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to reinforce Syrian army forces, Reuters reported, citing a senior Syrian army source.
The ISW said that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) had fortified defensive lines north of Hama and stopped the advance into the city by Syrian opposition forces.
Tehran is a key backer of Assad and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Assad in Damascus Sunday, announcing full support for his government, without offering further details. He later held talks in Ankara, Turkey, which is one of the rebels’ main backers, the Associated Press reported.
As Newsweek has previously reported, the Nujaba Movement, an Iraqi militia which conducted operations during Syria’s civil war and is aligned with the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, said it would mobilize in support of Assad.
Nujaba Movement spokesperson Hussein al-Musawi told Newsweek the rebels’ offensive served U.S. and Israeli interests to divide the Iran-aligned coalition and that it was “unified” in opposing “any attack that could be directed at the region.”