Syrian conflict reignites: Aleppo falls to Islamist rebels
The President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, stated that the Islamic rebels who have seized control of Aleppo and areas in Idlib province are attempting to redraw the region's map to favour the interests of the United States, reported the Times of Israel.
2 December 2024 17:52
Syrian and Russian armed forces have been carrying out attacks on areas controlled by Islamists and rebels supported by Turkey since last week's offensive.
In a phone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeszkian, Assad stressed that "the escalation of terrorism reflects long-range goals of dividing the region and dismantling the countries within it," as relayed by his office.
Russia and Iran, Assad's allies, have confirmed their readiness to support the Syrian army in its fight against the groups that seized Aleppo last week. Russian aviation has participated in raids on rebel positions, and Iran has sent armed forces to Syria, funded by itself from Iraq.
The conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, when authorities harshly suppressed pro-democracy protests. Since then, foreign powers and jihadists have been involved in the fighting, with the death toll reaching 500,000 people.
After years of clashes, Assad's army regained control of most of the country. Until last week, the conflict had remained in a state of stagnation, but the Islamist offensive disrupted this deadlock.
According to the Lebanese portal L'Orient le Jour, in 2016, Hezbollah played a key role in the successful offensive of government forces. Recently, however, Iran and the terrorist groups it finances have reduced their presence in Syria, focusing on priority anti-Israeli fronts.
This, among other factors, allowed the rebels, after four years of stalemate, to push Assad's regime out of Aleppo – Syria's second-largest city – over one weekend and begin an attack on Hama, located to the south, the portal reported.
