At least 25 killed as Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing of Syrian rebel territory

AMMAN - At least 25 people were killed in north-western Syria in air strikes carried out by the Syrian government and Russia, the Syrian opposition-run rescue service known as the White Helmets said early on Dec 2.

Russian and Syrian jets struck the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Dec 1, military sources said, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush insurgents who had swept into the city of Aleppo.

The army also said it had recaptured several towns that rebels had overrun in recent days.

Residents said one attack hit a crowded residential area in the centre of Idlib, the largest city in a rebel enclave near the Turkish border where around four million people live in makeshift tents and dwellings.

At least seven people were killed and dozens injured, according to rescuers at the scene.

The Syrian army and its ally Russia say they target the hideouts of insurgent groups and deny attacking civilians.

Ten children were among the dead in the air strikes in and around Idlib and other targets in rebel-held territory near Aleppo on Dec 1, according to the White Helmets.

The total death toll from Syrian and Russian strikes since Nov 27 had climbed to 56, including 20 children, the group added in a statement on X.

The insurgents are a coalition of Turkey-backed, mainstream secular armed groups along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group that has been designated a terrorist outfit by the US, Russia and other states.

The insurgents seized control of all of Idlib province in recent days, the boldest rebel assault for years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.

Insurgents also swept into the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on the night of Nov 29, forcing the army to redeploy.

In remarks published on state media, Mr Assad said: “Terrorists only know the language of force and it is the language we will crush them with.”

The Syrian army said dozens of its soldiers had been killed in the fighting in Aleppo.

Russian war bloggers reported on Dec 1 that Moscow had dismissed Sergei Kisel, the general in charge of its forces in Syria, after insurgents swept into Aleppo.

Reuters has requested comment from the Russian defence ministry.

In a joint statement, US, France, Germany and Britain urged “de-escalation by all parties and the protection of civilians and infrastructure to prevent further displacement and disruption of humanitarian access”.

Leaving Aleppo

Inside Aleppo city, streets were mostly empty and many shops were closed on Dec 1 as terrified residents stayed at home.

There were still many civilians leaving the city, witnesses and residents said.

Rebel fighters waving the opposition flag drove through the city, Mr Yusuf Khatib, a resident, told Reuters by phone.

Some rebels took up positions on street intersections, he added.

Mr Ahmad Tutenji, a merchant in the affluent New Aleppo neighbourhood, said he was surprised how quickly the army left.

“I am shocked at how they fled and abandoned us,” he added.

Mr Abdullah Halabi, a pensioner whose neighbourhood was bombed near the central area of Qasr al Baladi, said people were terrified they would see a repeat of the Russian-led bombing that killed thousands of people before driving out rebels a decade ago.

Syrian troops that had withdrawn from the city were regrouping and reinforcements were also being sent to help in the counter-attack, army sources said.

Aleppo had been firmly held by the government since a 2016 victory there, one of the war’s major turning points.

At the time, Russian-backed Syrian forces besieged and laid waste to rebel-held eastern areas of what had been the country’s largest city.

A lack of such manpower contributed to the speedy retreat of Syrian army forces in recent days, according to two army sources.

The rebel gains came after Israel stepped up its strikes on Iranian bases in Syria and Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

Militias allied to Iran, led by Hezbollah, have had a strong presence in the Aleppo area.

The head of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement on Monday that its fighters in north-western Syria were facing intense attacks on multiple fronts.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said the group had tried to establish a “humanitarian corridor” linking Kurdish-held north-eastern regions to Tel Rifaat, a strategic area north-west of Aleppo, to “protect our people from potential massacres”.

“However, attacks by armed groups supported by the Turkish occupation have disrupted this corridor,” Mr Abdi said.

He added that “our forces continue to resist to protect our people in the Kurdish neighbourhoods of Aleppo”.

Turkey considers Kurdish militant groups Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Syrian Kurdish YPG as terrorist organisations.

Syrian rebels backed by Turkey had blocked an attempt by Kurdish groups to establish a corridor connecting Tel Rifaat to north-eastern Syria, Turkish security sources said on Dec 1.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Dec 1 that Turkey would not allow what he called terrorist threats targeting its security or Syrian civilians, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

The war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many millions, has ground on since 2011 with no formal end.

Most heavy fighting halted years ago after Iran-backed militias and Russian air power helped Mr Assad win control of all major cities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, visiting Damascus on Dec 1, said the situation in Syria was “difficult” but the Assad government would prevail.
REUTERS