Insurgents’ attack on Aleppo revives Syrian war after five years truce

Fierce fighting has been taking place on Friday in Aleppo’s western neighbourhood, where the national army has lost the centre of the key district of New Aleppo that the Hezbollah and the Iranian militias have left abandoned.

The offensive of the rebel Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) forces has also taken control of the urban areas of Khalasa, Al-Rashidin and Kahn Tumanthe, where, according to Liveuamap monitoring website, the army under the command of President Bashar al-Assad abandoned four old Soviet-made T55 tanks.

Russian and Syrian air forces this Friday morning reacted and bombed Idlib province, the SSG’s de facto capital.

A surprise attack in Aleppo on Thursday by SSG forces breached a five-year-long ceasefire, reawakening the Syrian war just hours after a ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon, as Israel and Hezbollah agreed to lay down arms on Wednesday.

Fighting is also reported to be under way in the demilitarised zone of Northern Syria bordering Turkey, according to Liveuamap.

Turkish-supported anti-al-Assad forces have succeeded in taking control of a portion of the M5, the main roadway junction between Aleppo and the capital Damascus, according to official sources.  

Who are the forces on the ground?

Syrian, Russian and Iranian forces fear that the new offensive could lead the rebels to succeed in gaining full control of the city of Aleppo, which would be a major blow for Moscow and Tehran, with the latter still reeling from its ally Hezbollah’s recent losses suffered in Southern Lebanon.

Key Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, Kioumar Pourashemi, was reportedly killed in the first hours of the skirmishing in Aleppo, while Russian air strikes are particularly fierce in the urban area of Khan al’ Asal, the site of an important Syrian army fuel base.

According to Iranian sources, the government of al-Assad has deployed the Russian-trained 25th Special Forces division, formerly known as the Tiger Forces, to the historic city and capital of the most populous governate in Syria.

The SSG is supported by the Islamist group Tahrir al-Sham, accused of extremist beliefs and linked to Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s Syrian franchise that was operational until 2019.

Other military units deployed by the presidential forces include the Palestinian Jerusalem Brigade and the 4th Syrian Division, armed with modern T-90 Russian-made tanks and upgraded versions of the T-72.

According to unconfirmed reports, 200 soldiers have lost their lives. Idlib forces claimed casualties included Russian members of a drone unit.

Syria hosts two strategic military outposts for Moscow: the Russian Navy’s Eastern Mediterranean port in Tartus and a warplane airport in Khmeimim.