Amman: Russian and Syrian warplanes launched strikes on the rebel-controlled city of Idlib on Sunday, marking a second consecutive day of intense bombing in northern Syria. The offensive targets insurgents who recently mounted a significant assault, advancing as far as Aleppo, according to Syrian military sources.
One of the airstrikes reportedly struck a densely populated residential area in central Idlib, home to around four million people living in temporary shelters near the Turkish border. Rescuers on the scene confirmed at least four fatalities and dozens of injuries.
While the Syrian government and its Russian allies claim their operations are focused on insurgent hideouts, they deny targeting civilians. However, Saturday's bombings across other parts of Idlib province also intensified as part of efforts to counter the boldest rebel offensive in years, in a war that has seen relatively static front lines since 2020.
On Friday, insurgents launched an attack on Aleppo, a city to the east of Idlib province, forcing the Syrian army into a retreat and presenting the most significant challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in recent years. The Syrian military reported heavy losses, with dozens of soldiers killed in the clashes.
By Sunday, the Syrian army claimed to have recaptured several towns that had been overtaken in recent days. The rebel forces involved include a coalition of Turkish-backed secular groups and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist faction regarded as the most formidable rebel force. HTS is designated as a terrorist organization by several nations, including the U.S., Russia, and Turkey.
Inside Aleppo, the city streets were eerily quiet on Sunday as many residents stayed indoors, while others sought to flee amid ongoing instability. Syrian forces that had withdrawn regrouped, with reinforcements deployed to support a counteroffensive, according to military sources.
Aleppo has remained under government control since 2016, following a pivotal Russian-backed campaign that besieged and decimated rebel-held areas of what was once Syria's largest city. Rebels claimed on Sunday to have advanced further south, capturing the town of Khansir and threatening to cut off the military’s primary supply route to Aleppo. They also reported seizing the Sheikh Najjar industrial zone, a critical economic hub.
The swift rebel advances are partly attributed to a shortage of manpower within the Syrian army, which had previously relied heavily on Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias, including Hezbollah, to bolster its defenses. With Iran’s involvement waning and Israel intensifying strikes on Iranian military positions in Syria, the Syrian military has faced challenges in repelling the insurgent surge.
The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions. While major hostilities had subsided in recent years after Assad reclaimed most of the country with support from Russia and Iran, the latest developments underscore the fragile and volatile nature of the region's tenuous peace.