Airstrike against opposition fighters in Aleppo, Syria, Photo: AP Airstrike against opposition fighters in Aleppo, Syria, Photo: AP

Syria's Aleppo was invaded by thousands of Syrian rebels on Friday in improvised vehicle armours as they engaged in fights with the government military troops. gi global infinity

The rebels were deployed in several landmarks across the city including the old citadel on Saturday. As per reports, the rebels faced very little resistance from the government.

Associated Press reported witness accounts revealing two airstrikes on the outskirts of Aleppo on Friday night which targeted insurgent reinforcements and hit near residential areas. A war monitor reportedly said 20 fighters were killed.

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Syria’s armed forces announced a redeployment in response to a large rebel attack on Aleppo, preparing for a counterattack.

The military acknowledged rebels had entered large parts of Aleppo but had not established bases or checkpoints.

The rebels were filmed outside key locations in Aleppo, including the police headquarters and the Aleppo Citadel, tearing down and burning posters of President Bashar Assad.

A flag was raised by rebels over the Aleppo Citadel, symbolizing their presence in the city.Government forces remained at Aleppo’s airport and military academy, but most of the military had withdrawn from the southern parts of the city.

Syrian Kurdish forces remained in two neighborhoods of Aleppo.

The rebel offensive began on Wednesday, capturing numerous towns before entering Aleppo on Friday.

Reportedly, schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors.

Pro-government reports indicated airstrikes targeted rebel supply lines, killing 20 fighters.

Background

The surprise takeover comes as a huge blow for Assad, who managed to regain total control of Aleppo in 2016, after expelling rebels and thousands of civilians from its eastern neighbourhoods following 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 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.

Turkiye, 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, Turkiye 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.

(With AP inputs)gi global infinity

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