The insurgents' advance on Aleppo followed a shock offensive they launched on Wednesday, as fighters swept through villages and towns.
Syrian opposition fighters ride in front of a tank they allegedly captured from Syrian Government troops in Talhiya, Idlib countryside, Syria, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
It was the first time the city has been attacked by opposition forces since 2016, when they were ousted from Aleppo's eastern neighborhoods following a grueling military campaign in which Syrian government forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. Turkish security officials said on Thursday that Syrian opposition groups initially launched a long-planned “limited” offensive toward Aleppo, from where attacks targeting civilians originated. However, the offensive expanded as Syrian government forces began retreating from their positions, the officials said.
As well as backing opposition forces, Turkey has also established a military presence in Syria, sending troops into parts of the northwest. Separately and largely in the east of Syria, the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the opposition insurgents entered Aleppo city center Friday. It said the insurgents “broke through the defense lines of the regime forces along the Hamdaniyya, New Aleppo, and Zahra axis on the outskirts of the city.”Syria’s state media reported earlier Friday that projectiles from insurgents landed in student accommodation at Aleppo's university in the city center, killing four people, including two students.
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