Bashar al-Assad vows to defend country’s stability as shock offensive challenges his regime
Syrian rebel fighters said they were pressing southward after taking over most of the country’s second city Aleppo, including its international airport, in a lightning assault that poses the biggest challenge in years to Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The thousands of rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, entered Aleppo city, which has a population of 2mn, on Friday.
Assad faces increasing domestic and external pressures in a country shattered by a civil war that erupted after a 2011 popular uprising. He was able to quash the original rebellion with military backing from Russia, Iran and Iranian-backed groups, including Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant movement. Despite regaining control over two-thirds of the country, years of conflict and a deep economic crisis have left it in ruins.
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