Syrian rebels take control of most of Aleppo city

(CNN) — Syrian rebels have taken control of much of the country’s second largest city Aleppo after a lightening advance that killed dozens of government soldiers in a major challenge to President Bashar al-Assad.

A rebel alliance launched a surprise attack this week, sweeping eastward through villages outside the city and reigniting a conflict that had been largely static for years. It is the first time Syrian rebels have set foot in Aleppo since government forces regained control during the civil war in 2016.

By Saturday morning, rebel fighters had taken control of large swathes of the city, according to footage geolocated by CNN.

Rebel fighters have been seen at key locations, with one video showing armed men waving an opposition flag and yelling “God is great” in Arabic at a central square.

Another clip shows rebels at the city’s citadel, which is also in central Aleppo. At least one man in the clip is armed, as he says: “We are the first to arrive and the first to conquer.”

The rebels also claim the city’s airport. CNN is unable to verify this.

The only exception appears to be the northeastern part of the city, where a few neighborhoods remain under the control of government forces and Iranian militia allies.

The rebel forces have declared a 24 hour curfew to begin at 5 p.m. local time Saturday, which they said was to ensure “the safety of the residents of the city and to secure private and public property from tampering or harm.”

Syria’s defense ministry said dozens of soldiers have been killed in the Aleppo offensive. It acknowledged that rebel forces had entered the city but claimed that they “were unable to establish solid positions” and reinforcements were arriving in preparation for a counteroffensive.

It appears the advancing rebels met little resistance from the Syrian army, with several residents inside Aleppo telling CNN that there has been minimal fighting in the city’s urban areas.

In response to the rebel advance, the Russian air force on Friday launched an aerial offensive against Syrian armed opposition forces in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, Russian state media reported.

Video from the western part of the city showed multiple casualties after an air strike Saturday. It’s not known whether a Syrian or Russian aircraft carried out the strike.

The video showed at least seven bodies as well as people with severe burns.

Kurdish forces have also expanded their control of some neighborhoods of Aleppo, residents said. Prior to this week’s attack they held two Kurdish neighborhoods but have now moved into areas that the Syrian regime used to control.

The Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, have a history of conflict with other rebel groups in northern Syria.

There has already been one clash Saturday between members of the rebel alliance and Kurdish fighters inside the city, according to video analyzed by CNN. Part of the rebel coalition says it now intends to launch an offensive against the Kurdish groups holding parts of northern Aleppo province.

Rebels lay out their goals

The rebels are part of a newly formed coalition called the “Military Operations Command,” which includes a broad spectrum of opposition fighters including Islamist factions and moderate groups once backed by the US.

The coalition was announced Wednesday ahead of the attack on Aleppo and said it was responding to escalating attacks from the Syrian government and Iranian militias. But the timing is also critical, with Syria’s key backer Russia focusing on Ukraine and its other major ally, Iran, on the back foot from Israeli attacks on it and its proxy network.

The offensive is the first major flare-up in years between the Syrian opposition and the regime of President Assad, who has ruled the war-torn country since 2000.

Syria’s civil war began during the 2011 Arab Spring as the regime suppressed a pro-democracy uprising against Assad. The country plunged into a full-scale civil war as a rebel force was formed, known as the Free Syrian Army, to combat government troops.

Since the 2020 ceasefire agreement, the conflict has remained largely dormant, with low-level clashes between the rebels and Assad’s regime.

More than 300,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, and millions of people have been displaced across the region.

---

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.