Observers say Syria has come under more Russian attacks as rebels advance

Russia carried out “a series of airstrikes” in Syria early Sunday morning as rebels advanced south, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

They attacked rural areas of Idlib and Hama, where the group leading the rebel offensive “recently took control”, SOHR said in an update.

It follows Russia’s first assault on Aleppo since 2016 on Saturday, when rebels seized much of Syria’s second-largest city.

The offensive began earlier this week, marking the most significant fighting in Syria’s civil war in recent years.

According to SOHR, more than 300 people, including at least 20 civilians, have been killed since Wednesday.

They said opposition fighters entered several towns in the countryside near Syria’s fourth largest city, Hama – south of Aleppo – on Saturday.

The army has now “drawn defense lines” around several cities and towns in the area, SOHR said write on X.

Speaking on Saturday, President Assad vowed to “protect [Syria’s] stability and territorial integrity against all terrorists and their supporters”.

“[The country] is capable, with the help of allies and friends, to defeat and eliminate them, no matter how ferocious their terrorist attacks,” his office quoted him as saying.

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Aragchi is expected to visit Damascus on Sunday to discuss the attack.

The civil war that has killed about half a million people began in 2011 after Assad’s government responded to pro-democracy protests with a brutal crackdown.

The conflict has been largely dormant since a ceasefire in 2020, but opposition forces still maintain control of the northwestern city of Idlib and much of the surrounding province.

Idlib is just 55 kilometers (34 miles) from Aleppo, which was a rebel stronghold until it fell to government forces in 2016.

The latest attack was led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions backed by Türkiye.

HTS is considered one of the most effective and dangerous groups opposing the Assad government and has been the dominant force in Idlib.

According to SOHR, rebels have taken control of Aleppo airport and dozens of neighboring towns.

They also announced an overnight curfew effective at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

SOHR also said rebel fighters had advanced south toward Hama and the Syrian army had retreated.

But a military source quoted by Syrian state media on Saturday night denied the claim.

The Syrian army said rebels had launched “a widespread attack from multiple axes on the Aleppo and Idlib front” and that battles were taking place “over a strip more than 100km (60 miles) long”.

It said dozens of its soldiers were killed.

The Russian air force, which played a key role in maintaining Assad in power during the height of the civil war, carried out airstrikes in Aleppo on Saturday.

The attack marked the first time Russia has held the city since helping Syrian government forces retake it in 2016.

Late Saturday, nine more Russian attacks were carried out in Idlib, SOHR said.

A US spokesman said Syria’s “dependence on Russia and Iran”, along with its refusal to promote the 2015 United Nations Security Council peace plan, had “created negative consequences”. conditions currently prevailing” in the country.

Photos showed roads leading out of Aleppo clogged with cars on Saturday as people tried to leave and smoke rose from the city’s skyline.