Syrian rebels take control in parts of Aleppo - media
Photo: Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ride in military vehicles in the eastern outskirts of the town of Atarib, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on November 27, 2024, during clashes with the Syrian army. Photo: Abdulaziz Ketaz, AFP
Rebel forces in Syria have taken control of several neighbourhoods in the country's second-largest city, Aleppo, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
As of Friday evening, SOHR said rebels were in control of more than half of the city, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.The move is the biggest offensive against the Syrian government in years and the first time rebels fighting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad have reached Aleppo since being forced out by the army in 2016.
Government forces meanwhile say they have regained positions in a number of towns in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, following an offensive launched by HTS and allied factions on Wednesday.
More than half a million people have been killed in the civil war that erupted after the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
An array of armed groups opposed to the Assad government - including jihadists - took advantage of the turmoil to seize swathes of territory.
The Syrian government - with help from Russia and other allies - later retook most the areas it had lost.
Idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold, is mostly controlled by HTS, but Turkish-backed rebel factions and Turkish forces are also based there.
On Friday a statement posted on the rebel-affiliated channel said: "Our forces have begun entering the city of Aleppo."
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