Russia launched air strikes in response across parts of Aleppo overnight into Saturday for the first time since 2016, the observers added.Syrian opposition forces have taken control of much of the country’s second largest city Aleppo, according to residents in the city and video verified by CNN.
A rebel alliance launched a surprise attack this week, sweeping eastward through villages outside the city and reigniting a conflict that had been largely static for years. It is the first time Syrian rebels have set foot in Aleppo since government forces regained control during the civil war in 2016.
By Saturday morning, rebel fighters had taken control of large swathes of the city, according to footage geolocated by CNN.
Rebel fighters have been seen at key locations, with one video showing armed men waving an opposition flag and yelling “God is great” in Arabic at a central square.
Another clip shows rebels at the city’s citadel, which is also in central Aleppo. At least one man in the clip is armed, as he says: “We are the first to arrive and the first to conquer.”
The rebel forces have declared a 24 hour curfew to begin at 5 p.m. local time Saturday, which they said was to ensure “the safety of the residents of the city and to secure private and public property from tampering or harm.”
Syria’s defense ministry said dozens of soldiers have been killed in the Aleppo offensive. It acknowledged that rebel forces had entered the city but claimed that they “were unable to establish solid positions” and reinforcements were arriving in preparation for a counteroffensive.
Rebel fighters prepare to topple the equestrian statue of Bassel-al-Assad, the older brother of President Bashar al-Assad.
Rebel fighters prepare to topple the equestrian statue of Bassel-al-Assad, the older brother of President Bashar al-Assad. Muhammad Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images
It appears the advancing rebels met little resistance from the Syrian army, with several residents inside Aleppo telling CNN that there has been minimal fighting in the city’s urban areas.
In response to the rebel advance, the Russian air force on Friday launched an aerial offensive against Syrian armed opposition forces in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, Russian state media reported.
Kurdish forces have also expanded their control of some neighborhoods of Aleppo, residents said. Prior to this week’s attack they held two Kurdish neighborhoods but have now moved into areas that the Syrian regime used to control.
The Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, have a history of conflict with other rebel groups in northern Syria.
There has already been one clash Saturday between members of the rebel alliance and Kurdish fighters inside the city, according to video analyzed by CNN. Part of the rebel coalition says it now intends to launch an offensive against the Kurdish groups holding parts of northern Aleppo province.
The rebels are part of a newly formed coalition called the “Military Operations Command,” which includes a broad spectrum of opposition fighters including Islamist factions and moderate groups once backed by the US.
The coalition was announced Wednesday ahead of the attack on Aleppo and said it was responding to escalating attacks from the Syrian government and Iranian militias. But the timing is also critical, with Syria’s key backer Russia focusing on Ukraine and its other major ally, Iran, on the back foot from Israeli attacks on it and its proxy network.
The offensive is the first major flare-up in years between the Syrian opposition and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who has ruled the war-torn country since 2000.
Syria’s civil war began during the 2011 Arab Spring as the regime suppressed a pro-democracy uprising against Assad. The country plunged into a full-scale civil war as a rebel force was formed, known as the Free Syrian Army, to combat government troops.
Since the 2020 ceasefire agreement, the conflict has remained largely dormant, with low-level clashes between the rebels and Assad’s regime.
More than 300,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, and millions of people have been displaced across the region.
SOHR said more than 300 people - including more than 20 civilians - have been killed since the offensive started on Wednesday.
The offensive is the largest 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.
Syria's military confirmed on Saturday that rebels had entered "large parts" of the city and dozens of soldiers had been killed or injured in the fighting.
In a statement, it said troops had been withdrawn from Aleppo temporarily "to prepare a counteroffensive".
Footage verified by the BBC showed rebels had reached the city's ancient citadel.
Who are the rebels seizing control of Syria's second city?
Aleppo's airport and all roads leading into the city have been closed, military sources told Reuters news agency.
The rebels were able to capture the "majority of the city" without meeting significant resistance, the SOHR said early on Saturday.
There was "no fighting" as Syrian regime forces withdrew, a spokesperson told the BBC.
"The city council, police stations, intelligence offices - they are empty.
"This has never happened before".
Rebels drive on the international M5 highway, a route into Aleppo, Syria
Earlier on Friday, government forces said they had regained positions in a number of towns in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, following the offensive launched by HTS and allied factions on Wednesday.
Video posted on a channel affiliated with the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) appears to show rebel fighters in vehicles inside the city.
BBC Verify has geolocated the footage to a western suburb of Aleppo.
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.
Syrian and Russian planes carried out 23 air strikes near Idlib on Friday, according to SOHR.
The UK-based monitoring group, which uses a network of sources on the ground in Syria, said four civilians were killed and 19 others were injured in the Russian strikes.
Russia's military said it had bombed "extremist forces", according to Russian news agencies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his support for "the government of Syria to quickly restore order" and said the country's sovereignty was under attack.
Rebels burning pictures of the Syrian president in Zarbah on the outskirts of Aleppo on Wednesday
On Friday, a statement posted on a rebel-affiliated channel said: "Our forces have begun entering the city of Aleppo."
Videos verified by the BBC show armed men running in a street about seven kilometres (4.3 miles) from Aleppo's medieval citadel in the centre of the city.
Another clip verified by the BBC showed large groups of people carrying luggage walking away from an area near Aleppo University. That video was recorded 3km away from a location where HTS-affiliated media claim rebel forces have entered the city.
Aleppo resident Sarmad told AFP he could hear "the sounds of missiles and artillery shelling around the clock".
"We're scared that war will break out and we'll be displaced from our homes again," the 51-year-old said.
Footage showing opposition faction fighters taking control of a town of Aleppo
The rebel move on the city of Aleppo is a significant challenge to the authority of Syria and its ally, Russia
The UN’s deputy regional humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, David Carden, said he was deeply alarmed by the impact of the escalating hostilities on civilians.
"Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as eight years old", he said.
Fighting in Idlib had largely wound down since 2020, when Turkey and Russia, Syria's key ally, brokered a ceasefire to halt a push by the government to retake the province.
But on Wednesday HTS and its allies said they had launched their offensive to “deter aggression”, accusing the government and allied militias of escalation in the region.
Analysts say one reason they advanced so quickly is because Syria’s allies, Iran and Hezbollah, have been weakened by Israeli attacks in the region.
