Syrian rebels reach center of Aleppo, Russia promises military aid to Assad - Reuters

Three military sources told Western journalists that the Syrian government has closed Aleppo's airport and all roads leading to the city.

The reason for this is the rapid advance of rebel forces, who have already reached the center of Aleppo.

Two military sources told Reuters that Russia, a key partner of Syrian dictator Assad, has promised Damascus additional military assistance to prevent the rebels' advance.

It is noted that this new equipment from Moscow will begin arriving in Syria within the next 72 hours.

Several military sources informed the Western news agency that the Syrian Army has been ordered to carry out a safe withdrawal from the main areas of the city that have been entered by rebels.

At the same time, on Friday, Syrian state television denied that the rebels had reached the city of Aleppo. State media also stated that Russia is providing air support to the Syrian army.

Government forces from the Syrian Army claimed that they were repelling the attack and had inflicted significant losses on the rebels in the rural areas of Aleppo and Idlib.

Rebel offensive in Syria

Anti-Assad forces launched an offensive in Syria on Wednesday, and by Friday, reports emerged indicating that the rebels were active in various districts of Aleppo, with the offensive expanding.

Representatives of the opposition forces, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), carried out large-scale assault operations in Aleppo province this week. They seized control of dozens of settlements and reached the city of Aleppo itself, nearly 10 days after being pushed out by Assad's forces and their allies.

Rapid advance of the rebels

The commander of the rebel brigade Jaish al-Izza stated that their rapid advance this week in Aleppo province was facilitated by a shortage of personnel in Assad’s forces, including Iranian proxies. Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of strikes from Israel amidst the fighting in the Gaza Strip (where the IDF is engaged with Hamas) and in southern Lebanon (against Hezbollah).

Opposition forces in Syria said that this campaign was a response to the intensified attacks on civilians carried out by Russian and Syrian aviation in areas controlled by rebels in Idlib in recent weeks. They also explained that the offensive was aimed at preventing any attacks by the Syrian army.

Reuters sources within the Syrian opposition, in contact with Turkish intelligence, claimed that Ankara, which supports the rebels, had given a green light for the offensive.

At the same time, Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oncu Keceli stated on Friday that the country seeks to avoid further instability in the region and warned that the recent attacks have undermined de-escalation agreements.

It was previously reported that the ongoing clashes between government forces and rebels in Syria, amid the advance of anti-Assad factions towards Aleppo, mark the first major confrontation in the country since 2020.

For more details on what is happening in Syria and the whereabouts of Assad, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.