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Syrian rebels take control of most of Aleppo city-UPDATED

30 November 2024 16:30 (UTC +04:00)

According to a video verified by CNN and residents in the city Syrian opposition forces have taken control of much of the country’s second-largest city Aleppo, APA reports.

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 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.

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.

10:23

Rebel forces in Syria have taken control of "half" of the country's second-largest city, Aleppo, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), APA reports citing BBC.

SOHR said 277 people - including more than 20 civilians - have been killed since the offensive started on Wednesday.

The offensive is the largest against the Syrian government in years and the first time rebels fighting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad have reached Aleppo since being forced out by the army in 2016.

Aleppo's airport and all roads leading into the city have been closed, military sources told Reuters news agency.

The rebels were able to capture "half of Aleppo" without meeting significant resistance, SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP news agency early on Saturday.

There "has been no fighting, not a single shot was fired, as the forces withdrew", he added.