Beirut: Thousands of Syrian rebels seized large parts of Aleppo on Saturday. After consolidating his position in the country’s largest city, he began to expand his offensive into surrounding provinces. They also took control of Aleppo airport. They have not encountered much resistance from government forces, according to militants and activists.
War monitors from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels led by Tahrir al-Sham had taken control of Aleppo International Airport, the first international airport to be controlled by the rebels. The militants claimed to have captured the airport and released photos from there. Thousands of militants have captured towns and villages in northern Hama with little resistance from government forces. He claimed they entered the city on Saturday night.
Assad’s challenge
The swift and sudden attack deeply embarrassed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and raised questions about the preparedness of his armed forces. The rebel attacks from their strongholds in the country’s northwest appear to have been planned for years. Meanwhile, Assad’s allies (Russia and Iran) are busy dealing with conflicts of their own. On Saturday night, Assad, in his first public comments via the state news agency since the attack, said Syria would “continue to defend its stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters.” He said that no matter how fierce their attacks, Syria has the ability to defeat them. (Associated Press)
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