By Khalaf Ma’o
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In two days, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, once known as al-Nusra Front), and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), captured most of the city of Aleppo and all of Idlib countryside while advancing into parts of Hama.
On Nov. 27, the HTS and SNA factions lunched a large-scale offensive against Syrian government forces in northwestern Syria. This marks the first time where the SNA factions have entered Aleppo since the Syrian government regained full control of the city in 2016.
The battles have claimed 311 lives, mostly combatants on both sides but also including civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The fighting has displaced over 14,000 people, nearly half of them children, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Timing of the offensive
The attack began on the same day as a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah after a year-long conflict following the Gaza war. The SNA factions capitalized on the period of Israeli strikes on Iran-linked militias in Syria to prepare.
The factions stated that the offensive aimed to counter Syrian government threats of a military operation in Idlib and increasing artillery, missile, and drone attacks on the province.
The region had been relatively calm since the March 2020 Sochi agreement between Turkey and Russia, although sporadic violations had occurred, often resulting in civilian casualties.
Military expert Brigadier General Ahmad Rahhal described the attack as a Turkish pressure tactic to force the Syrian government to engage in normalization talks.
He noted that Ankara, which had postponed the offensive for two months, stood to benefit most from pressuring Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime.
Rahhal also suggested that the U.S. had encouraged military action against Iranian-backed militias, hinting at potential American approval of the operation.
Global reactions
Russia’s official response came on the third day of fighting, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Western powers, particularly the U.S. and UK, of fomenting chaos in Syria through armed groups.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation in Aleppo a “violation of Syrian sovereignty,” expressing support for the Syrian government’s efforts to restore order.
Iran criticized the offensive as a breach of the Astana agreements, which designated the region as a de-escalation zone. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned of the resurgence of “terrorist” activity in Syria, accusing the U.S. and Israel of plotting to destabilize the region.
The U.S. denied involvement, with National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savitt blaming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s reliance on Russia and Iran for the collapse of his forces in northwestern Syria. The U.S. urged de-escalation and called for a credible political process under UN Security Council Resolution 2254 to end the conflict.
Current context
The Syrian government has heavily depended on Russian airpower and Hezbollah forces to reclaim territory during the war. However, the current offensive occurs as Russia is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, and Hezbollah remains weakened by prolonged clashes with Israel.
Despite Turkey’s role as a guarantor of the opposition’s de-escalation zones, it has not officially called for a halt to the offensive. Anonymous Turkish security sources told Reuters that the operation remained within the Idlib de-escalation zone established under a 2019 agreement with Russia and Iran.
Recent meetings between Russian and Turkish military officials in Idlib focused on returning to calm, reopening key trade routes such as the Aleppo-Latakia (M4) and Aleppo-Damascus (M5) highways, and preparing for the 22nd Astana talks held in November.