Syrian insurgents fan out inside Aleppo in major setback for Assad

Thousands of Syrian insurgents fanned out inside Aleppo in vehicles with improvised armour and pickup trucks, deploying to landmarks such as the old citadel on Saturday, a day after they entered Syria’s largest city facing little resistance from government troops, according to residents and fighters.

Witnesses said two airstrikes on the city’s edge late on Friday targeted insurgent reinforcements and hit near residential areas. A war monitor said 20 fighters were killed.

Syria’s armed forces said in a statement on Saturday that to absorb the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it has redeployed and is preparing for a counterattack.

The statement acknowledged that insurgents entered large parts of the city but said they have not established bases or checkpoints.

Insurgents were filmed outside police headquarters, in the city centre, and outside the Aleppo citadel. They tore down posters of Syrian President Bashar Assad, stepping on some and burning others.

The surprise takeover is a huge embarrassment for Mr Assad, who managed to regain total control of the city in 2016, after expelling insurgents and thousands of civilians from its eastern neighbourhoods after a gruelling military campaign in which his forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups.

Aleppo has not been attacked by opposition forces since then. The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Mr Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.

The push into Aleppo followed weeks of simmering low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas.

Turkey, which has backed Syrian opposition groups, failed in its diplomatic efforts to prevent the Syrian government attacks, which were seen as a violation of a 2019 agreement sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran to freeze the line of the conflict.

The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, primarily Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battles at home.

A ceasefire in Hezbollah’s two-month war with Israel took effect Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive.

Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days.

Schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors, according to Sham FM radio, a pro-government station. Bakeries were open. Witnesses said the insurgents deployed security forces around the city to prevent any acts of violence or looting.

In social media posta, the insurgents were pictured outside Aleppo Citadel, the medieval palace in the old city centre, and one of the largest in the world. In phone videos, they recorded themselves speaking to residents they visited at home, seeking to reassure them they will cause no harm.

On a state TV morning show on Saturday, commentators said army reinforcements and Russia’s assistance will repel the “terrorist groups,” blaming Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ push into Aleppo and Idlib provinces.