File image.
Militants led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on November 29, just two days after launching large-scale offensive against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), codenamed Operation Deterrence of Aggression.
The militants kicked off the attack on the city center just a few hours after reaching its western outskirts earlier in the day. The attack reportedly began with a double suicide car bombing that targeted key SAA posts in the New Aleppo suburb.
Within minutes, the militants imposed control of New Aleppo, the district of Hameidiyyeh and several nearby residential areas, effectively establishing a foothold within the cit
y.
The attack marked the first time the militants have stepped foot in Aleppo city since they were expelled from it by the SAA and its allies following a major battle in December of 2016. Now, Syrian opposition activists are claiming that the city is about to fall into the hands of the militants.
Meanwhile, the SAA is amassing a large force and preparing a counter-attack which will reportedly be led by the elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division.
It is unclear yet if the counter-attack will be launched from within Aleppo, or if the army will move from the southern countryside to encircle the militants in order to spare civilians in the city a harsh battle similar to the one that took place after the militants entered the first time in 2012.
The so-called Operation Deterrence of Aggression was launched early on November 27 from the Greater Idlib region, which includes Idlib city and parts of the governorates countryside as well as several towns in the northern Lattakia countryside, the northwestern Hamas countryside and the western countryside of Aleppo.
The Turkish military maintains a large presence in the region. However, HTS is the de-facto ruler. The terrorist group’s offensive put an end to a ceasefire agreement that was brokered by both Russia and Turkey on March 5 of 2020.
In the month leading to the offensive several reports talked about a plan by HTS and its allies to attack Aleppo city in order to take advantage of the distraction caused by the ongoing Israeli war on both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Moreover, Russian intelligence warned that the secret services of the Kiev regime were actively providing support to militants in Greater Idlib.
Turkey was clearly aware of the offensive, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 200 people from all sides, yet it did nothing at all to prevent it.
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