Government forces say they’ve inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists as they attempt to neutralize the surprise offensive
Jihadist Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) fighters have entered the Syrian city of Aleppo, the terrorist group claimed on Friday, two days after it launched a surprise offensive against Syrian government forces.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, HTS said that its militants had begun to press into several neighborhoods in the northern Syrian city, which has been controlled by government forces since 2016.
According to Türkiye’s Anadolu news agency, the jihadists have clashed with the Syrian Army inside Aleppo.
Video footage shared on social media purportedly showed HTS gunmen marauding through the city on foot and in armored vehicles. Earlier on Friday, the jihadists claimed to have seized some 400 square kilometers of territory in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, and to have captured heavy weaponry and other military hardware from the Syrian Army.
#Syria BREAKING: Syrian rebels have ENTERED the city of #Aleppo! pic.twitter.com/YUswzc50Rz
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) November 29, 2024
In a statement released shortly after the militants reached Aleppo, the Syrian Defense Ministry said “our armed forces were able to inflict heavy losses on the attacking organizations,” leaving hundreds dead and wounded.
The HTS fighters used a range of heavy weapons and drones in their attack, and their ranks include “large groups of foreign terrorist militants,” the ministry stated, adding that “our forces have succeeded in regaining control of some points that witnessed breaches during the past hours, and will continue combat operations until [the terrorists] are turned back.”
فرار عناصر وضباط جبش الاحتلال السوري المجرم من داخل مدينة #حلب#ردع_العدوان pic.twitter.com/mzqOEHde3L
— الاحداث الشامية (@activist6681) November 29, 2024
Russian and Syrian jets have carried out airstrikes against the jihadists, according to the Syrian radio station Al Sham. Russian Colonel Oleg Ignatiuk also claimed on Thursday that these strikes have eliminated more than 400 enemy combatants throughout Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
