Syrian and Russian jets are targeting opposition fighters in northern Syria in response to the regime losing control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city.
The rebel alliance also took control of a significant military installation east of Aleppo, as well as large sections of both Aleppo and Idlib provinces, during the attack. It has faced minimal resistance on the ground from regime forces and comes at a time when Syria’s main supporters, Iran and Russia, are preoccupied with their battles.
The rebels’ victory has presented President Bashar al-Assad with the greatest challenge since Russian air power reversed insurgent successes in the civil conflict eight years ago.
The newly established rebel coalition, known as the Military Operations Command, has captured major areas throughout Aleppo, including the airport, where CNN-verified video shows camouflaged militants inside the main terminal.
Source: Sky News
The rebels consolidated their gains on Sunday, seizing critical military sites in the east of Aleppo. However, they have left several neighbourhoods under the control of Kurdish forces.
The opposition forces’ control of Aleppo means that the regime counteroffensive promised by the Syrian Defence Ministry will be extremely difficult to execute.
Government planes, allied with Russian planes stationed in Syria, have conducted bombing strikes on opposition positions in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
According to the official Russian news agency TASS, the Syrian army leadership stated on Sunday that their air forces “stepped up strikes on terrorist positions and supply lines, with dozens killed and wounded.”
An airstrike near Aleppo University killed at least four individuals on Sunday, according to a CNN geolocated social media video.
It is unclear if the strike was carried out by Russian or Syrian regime planes. The strike comes after one on Saturday that killed several people in a square in western Aleppo.
According to the White Helmets, a Syrian volunteer agency, at least four people were killed on Sunday in airstrikes on Idlib city, a province that now appears to be totally under opposition control.
During calls with regional leaders on Saturday, Assad said Syria will continue “to defend its stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their supporters,” in his first comments since the swift takeover.
