The Syrian opposition’s rescue service, White Helmets, reported that at least 25 people have been killed in northwestern Syria due to intensified airstrikes by the Syrian government and Russian forces. The latest casualties were reported early on December 2.
Military sources confirmed that Russian and Syrian jets targeted the rebel-held city of Idlib on December 1. These assaults come in the wake of President Bashar al-Assad’s commitment to eliminate insurgents who recently captured parts of Aleppo.
The military has reported reclaiming multiple towns previously occupied by rebel forces. According to eyewitness accounts, the strikes hit a residential area in central Idlib, which was very densely populated, killing at least seven people and injuring many more, as reported by rescuers on the ground.
While the Syrian military and its Russian allies have denied striking civilians, claiming that their operations aim solely at insurgent hideouts, the attacks have taken their toll. Of the total, at least 10 children were reported dead by the White Helmets. According to the updates by the rescue group on the social media platform X, the combined death toll from Syrian and Russian airstrikes since November 27 has reached 56, including 20 children.
In a most dramatic turn, for the first time since it started, Aleppo city is no longer in the hands of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, AFP reported, citing a war monitor. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other rebel factions now control most of Aleppo city, with the exception of areas under Kurdish forces.
“For the first time since the conflict erupted in 2012, Aleppo city is no longer in the regime’s hands,” Rahman said. The advance comes on the heels of a surprise regime offensive which saw rebel factions break into Aleppo on December 1, for the first time since 2016, and clash with government forces.
The unexpected attack on Aleppo, which insurgents began on November 27, has sent residents into a panic and further destabilized a region already torn apart by numerous conflicts.
