Russia, Iran Pledge to Defend Assad As Rebels ‘Enter’ Aleppo, Syria Army ‘Retakes Certain Positions’

Syrian forces have lost 50 towns and villages to rebels since November 27, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Over 50 villages and towns in the Aleppo and Idlib regions are now under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions. The rebels have advanced into the southwestern and western neighbourhoods of Aleppo city. Gunmen were reported in local neighbourhoods as panic gripped Syria’s second city. Syrian army forces are fighting the major offensive launched by armed terrorist groups and have reportedly retaken control of certain positions. Military reinforcements have arrived, and fierce battles are ongoing west of Aleppo. Syrian state media reported that four civilians were killed in artillery shelling by HTS on student housing in government-held Aleppo on November 29. The violence has claimed 255 lives, most of them combatants. Russian and Syrian air forces have carried out 23 raids on the Idlib region. The rebels targeted the key highway linking Aleppo to Damascus, leaving it inoperable. The Kremlin urged Syria to restore order in Aleppo, condemning the rebel attack as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty. Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the US remain key players in the ongoing conflict, with various factions backing different sides of the war. n18oc_world n18oc_crux