Beirut: Thousands of Syrian rebels captured much of Aleppo on Saturday. After strengthening his position in this largest city of the country, he set out to expand his aggressive attack in the surrounding provinces. They have also taken control of Aleppo airport. According to fighters and activists they did not face much resistance from government troops.
War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took control of Aleppo International Airport, the first international airport to be controlled by rebels. The fighters claimed to have captured the airport and posted pictures from there. Thousands of fighters have advanced to capture towns and villages in northern Hama, facing almost no opposition from government forces. They claimed that they had entered the city on Saturday evening.
Challenge for Assad
This swift and surprise attack is a major embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar Assad and raises questions about the preparedness of his armed forces. The rebel attack, launched from its stronghold in the north-west of the country, appears to have been planned for years. This comes at a time when Assad's allies (Russia and Iran) are busy with their own conflicts. In his first public comments via the state news agency on Saturday evening since the start of the attack, Assad said Syria would “continue to defend its stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters.” He said that Syria is capable of defeating them, no matter how intense their attacks are. (AP)
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