Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance

Civilians reportedly killed by Russian and Syrian airstrikes

- BEL TREW ANDY GREGORY

The Syrian regime has rushed in reinforcements to hold off a rebel advance into the Hama countryside, after insurgents seized the country’s second city Aleppo in the biggest threat to autocratic ruler Bashar al-Assad in years.

In tandem, Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded the rebelheld enclave of Idlib in the northwest for a second consecutive day. Residents said one of the raids hit a crowded residential area, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens.

Following a shock offensive, insurgents led by the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, forcing the army to redeploy. This shift altered front lines that had been frozen since 2020. The insurgents marched south, taking control of towns along the road to Hama, which they also claimed to have entered.

Syria’s army – which is propped up by Russia, Iran, and their proxies – claimed it had recaptured several towns that had been taken by the rebels in recent days. In remarks published on state media, President Assad said: “Terrorists only know the language of force, and it is the language we will crush them with.”

But rebel commander Colonel Hassan Abdul Aziz told The Independent in a statement that the regime’s claims were untrue. He asserted that insurgents had completely taken control of the Idlib countryside, and were pushing back Mr Assad’s forces in the countryside to the east and southeast of Aleppo. “The forces continue to advance southward in the northern countryside of Hama, approaching the outskirts of the city and its airport,” he said.

In the centre of Aleppo, residents hiding in their homes said they were shocked at how quickly the regime’s forces had fled. “They took the centre of Aleppo in a few hours; it was very, very sudden,” said Abu Obaida, who added that families were sheltering at home for fear of Russian and regime strikes, which pounded multiple areas of Aleppo on Saturday.