Syria war at risk of being 'reactivated' after 8 years

(CLO) Syrian armed opposition forces entered Aleppo just three days after a surprise attack, marking the first time they set foot in the country's second largest city since government troops recaptured the city in 2016.

Rebels' surprise attack after 8 years

This week, rebel forces launched a surprise attack, sweeping through several villages outside the city and reigniting a conflict that has raged for years.

The Syrian government army said it was facing a "major offensive" and claimed to be "reinforcing its forces in all locations along various fronts", but many residents in the city said government forces had retreated from some neighbourhoods in western Aleppo.

Syrian rebel fighters enter the village of Anjara, west of Aleppo, on Thursday. Photo: AP

The offensive, which began on Wednesday, is the first major flare-up in years between the Syrian opposition and the government of President Bashar al-Assad, who has led the war-torn country since 2000.

“Our forces have begun to enter the city of Aleppo,” the newly formed armed opposition coalition, the Military Operations Command, said.

On Friday, the rebel group said it had taken control of the Syrian government's Military Scientific Research Center on the outskirts of Aleppo city after "fierce fighting with government forces and Iranian militias".

The group later shared a video showing Syrian government tanks leaving Aleppo as rebels advanced, with the group pushing deeper into the city throughout Friday afternoon.

In an earlier attack on Friday, a shell hit a student housing complex at Aleppo University, killing four people, according to Syria's state news agency, SANA.

On Thursday, at least 15 civilians, including six children and two women, were killed, and 36 others were wounded in airstrikes and shelling on rebel-held areas in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside, according to the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group.

Iranian state media said Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was also killed in the city.

Disturbing allegations

In a call with his Syrian counterpart to discuss the escalation, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US and Israel of “reactivating” rebel forces, and “underlined Iran’s continued support” for the Syrian government and military.

Rebels are advancing deep into the city of Aleppo, Syria. Photo: AP

The Syrian government responded with airstrikes on the city of Idlib, one of the last remaining rebel strongholds and home to more than 4 million people. The White Helmets said “Russian-Syrian coalition aircraft” had hit “residential areas, a gas station and a school in Idlib city” on Friday.

The Russian Air Force has carried out an air strike on Syrian armed opposition forces in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Russia claims to have killed at least 200 members of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Syrian jihadist group that used to be known as the Al-Nusra Front when it was affiliated with Al Qaeda.

"In support of the Syrian Arab Army, the Russian Aerospace Forces are carrying out missile and bomb strikes on equipment and personnel of illegal armed groups, command posts, warehouses and artillery positions of terrorists," TASS reported, adding that Russian operations are continuing.

Earlier on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on the Syrian government to “restore order in the region as quickly as possible and restore constitutional order.” Both Iran and Russia are important allies of the Syrian government.

Syrian civil war, why?

The Syrian civil war began in the wake of the Arab Spring in 2011, when the Assad regime faced a rebellion from pro-democracy groups. The country descended into a full-blown civil war, with a rebel force called the Free Syrian Army forming to fight the government.

Map showing how the civil war has divided Syria into several regions (as of late 2022), with each color belonging to a different force. Photo: Vividmaps

The civil war has left Syria severely unstable and seemingly inescapable, with the country “torn apart” with millions of people forced to leave their homes and seek refuge around the world. Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United States, Russia and Türkiye are all involved in supporting different sides in the war, leading observers to describe it as a “proxy war”. Even the terrorist group IS could gain a foothold in the instability and chaos in this country.

Since a ceasefire deal in 2020, the conflict has largely simmered, with low-level clashes between rebels and the regime, as well as Mr Assad's efforts to defuse the crisis.

However, recent devastating wars in the Middle East and escalating tensions between major powers are putting Syria at risk of a resurgence. According to the United Nations, more than 300,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war and millions have been displaced across the region.

Hoang Anh (according to AP, TASS, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chien-su-syria-co-nguy-co-bi-kich-hoat-tro-lai-sau-8-nam-post323543.html