On Saturday and Sunday, Russian warplanes joined Syrian government planes in heavy airstrikes on the rebel-held city of Idlib, killing dozens of civilians, including at least 10 children, along with militants.
Syrian state-run SANA news agency claimed On Sunday, it was announced that “dozens of terrorists were killed or injured” in a joint Russian-Syrian airstrike on the Al-Safira suburb of Syria's threatened main city, Aleppo. Rebel surprise attack.
SANA further claimed that government forces were able to shoot down a rebel drone over the city of Masyaf near the Lebanese border. Hezbollah's missile factory near Masyaf destroyed Due to Israeli air strikes in early September.
Masyaf is located in Hama province, where rebels announced they had made significant advances over the weekend and captured several towns. If these claims are correct, the rebels control a large area across Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo provinces.
The Syrian government's efforts to protect Hama from rapidly expanding rebel attacks appear to have been poorly planned. of new york times (New York Times) reported A large number of Syrian government vehicles were reportedly abandoned on the roads around Hama, apparently because they had run out of fuel.
Although the Syrian government has always maintained that the counterattack was successful, outside observers say jihadist rebels led by al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are steadily gaining ground. It appears that they have taken control of most areas. Aleppo. HTS fighter jet Post Photos of themselves at occupied military installations across the city. HTS felt it was secure enough under its control to impose a 12-hour curfew across Aleppo on Sunday night.
The Syrian Civil Defense Forces, widely known as the White Helmets, reported Bombings over the weekend killed at least 25 civilians across northwest Syria, including 10 children. The White Helmets announced that civilian casualties in Idlib and Aleppo totaled 56 people, including 20 children.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll, including civilians, in Russian and Syrian government airstrikes on refugee camps totaled more than 71 people.
Reportedly one of the Russian and Syrian airstrikes I hit it More than a dozen people were killed and 23 injured at Aleppo University Hospital near the city center on Saturday. Two of the killed civilians were identified as journalists.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran said It said its consulate in Aleppo had been attacked on Saturday, but did not identify the attackers. The Iranian regime on Sunday reiterated its support for dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with President Assad in Damascus on Sunday and said Iran “resolutely supports the Syrian government and army.”
“The Syrian army will once again take control of the terrorist organization as before,” Araghchi said.
The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians, camping out over the weekend after heading to safe havens in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, backed by the United States, is trying to lead Kurds to safety in areas it controls, but efforts to create “humanitarian corridors” have led to an alliance with jihadist militias. announced that it had been stopped by the Turkish army.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense on Sunday claimed They could have driven the rebels out of Aleppo, but they had to retreat and regroup to “save civilian lives.”
The Biden administration's response to the jihadist offensive has been characteristically chaotic and ineffective, with White House officials doing little other than insisting they do not like or support the HTS rebels. .
“Let me tell you one thing that did not surprise us: Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, the main backers of the Syrian government, were all distracted and weakened by conflicts and events in other regions. “I wasn't surprised that these insurgents tried to take advantage of the new situation we had,” said Jake, the outgoing White House national security adviser. sullivan said on sunday.
“The group that is spearheading this insurgent advance, HTS, is actually a terrorist organization designated by the United States. Therefore, we have great concerns about the design and objectives of that organization,” he said. I did.
“At the same time, of course, we are not crying over the fact that the Assad regime, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, is facing some kind of pressure. So it's a complicated situation.” he said.
President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian backers continue to claim that the rebel attack is a U.S.- and Israeli-backed plot to overthrow the Damascus regime.
Assad: “The escalation in terrorism reflects the far-reaching goal of dividing the region, dividing the countries within it, and redrawing the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West.'' said He spoke on the phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Friday that “the new movement of the Takfir terrorist organization is part of a conspiracy between the United States and the illegitimate Zionist regime.”
“After overthrowing the Zionist regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Axis of Resistance will, as always, support the Syrian government and people against new plots,” President Qalibaf vowed.
