Syrian rebels retake second city Aleppo after 8 years...Government forces "replace troops"

Syrian rebels have taken control of most of Aleppo in the northern part of the second city, AP, AFP and Reuters reported.

It comes three days after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and HTS, the largest of Syrian rebel forces, joined a small anti-government militant group backed by Turkiye and launched a large offensive in the northwest on the 27th.

"HTS and allied forces have taken control of most of Aleppo city, government agencies and prisons," said the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Syrian civil war watchdog group, and said rebels had earlier taken over more than 50 villages in the north and northwest.

Reuters also quoted rebel sources as saying rebels had seized the entire province of Idlib, occupying the city of Marat al-Numan in Idlib province.

"Rebel forces have entered much of Aleppo, but military shelling has failed to establish positions," the Syrian government forces said in a statement.

It is the first time in eight years that Syrian government forces have publicly recognized the rebels' entry into Aleppo since they drove them out of Aleppo with Russian and Iranian support in 2016.

A local witness said government forces remained at Aleppo airport and military school, but most had already fled the city, according to the Associated Press.

Syrian military sources say Syrian and Russian warplanes have launched airstrikes targeting rebels in the Aleppo suburbs.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 16 civilians were killed and 20 wounded in an airstrike by Russian fighters targeting civilian vehicles in downtown Aleppo on Thursday local time.

In addition, 327 people have been killed since the 27th, including 183 rebels, 100 government troops and 44 civilians, in armed conflict between the two sides.

The rebels' surprise takeover of Aleppo is the most significant challenge for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in years, rattling the front lines of Syria's civil war, which has been stalled since 2020, AFP noted.

The Syrian rebels' offensive appears to be linked to Russia fighting the war in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Iran, which directly or indirectly clashes with Israel in Gaza, loosening support for the Syrian government.

The 27th, when the rebels began their offensive, was also the day Israel and Hezbollah entered a temporary ceasefire.

Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011, was won by government forces led by President al-Assad thanks to Russian intervention in 2015, but it is far from over.

HTS, which controls northwest Syria, including most of Idlib province and parts of nearby Aleppo, Hamma and Latakia province, is considered the most powerful rebel group in Syria.

The organization is similar to al Qaeda in that it believes in Islamic Sunni fundamentalism, Salafism and jihadism.

It is confronting government forces with the ultimate goal of establishing an Islamic state.

The predecessor of the HTS is the al-Nusra Front (Jabat al-Nusra), which is linked to al-Qaeda, but now officially claims to break ties with al-Qaeda and operate independently.

But the U.S. still believes Al Qaeda and the leadership of HTS have been linked.

Kurdish militia Syrian Democratic Forces are in northeastern Syria with U.S. support.