Syria Syrian rebels reportedly reach Aleppo

Syrian rebels have reached the north-western city of Aleppo, according to activists. "The insurgents have entered the city of Aleppo for the first time since 2016," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The rebel offensive represents a dramatic development in the civil war that has been ongoing since 2011 - in which the fronts have changed little recently.

An alliance of Islamist rebel groups announced that their fighters were fighting battles with government troops in the western suburbs of the large city. The Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that government forces were facing massive attacks in the areas surrounding the cities of Aleppo and Idlib.

Eyewitnesses in Aleppo told the German Press Agency about rebels who were seen in their vehicles in the western part of Aleppo. They had torn up pictures of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Other residents reported hearing the sound of fighting and explosions in the city.

Rebels claim to have captured dozens of towns

According to rebel sources, fighters have advanced from the south and west to Aleppo and have so far taken control of over 50 locations in the surrounding area. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, these include the town of Sarakeb, which is crucial for controlling the route between the capital Damascus and Aleppo.

According to human rights activists, at least 255 people have been killed since Wednesday. Among them are at least 24 civilians. The UK-based organization obtains its information from a network of informants on the ground.

The fighting began on Wednesday. The alliance of Islamist rebels is calling its new offensive "deterrence of aggression".

The Syrian army has since attacked dozens of targets in Idlib and around Aleppo with the support of Russian fighter jets. Observers assume that the offensive had been planned by the rebels for months. The situation had already become increasingly tense in recent weeks.

Reminders of the fierce battle for Aleppo

Aleppo was heavily contested and devastated in the early years of the Syrian civil war. At that time, the insurgents were forcibly driven out of the eastern part of the city by the Syrian military and its allies. The battle for Aleppo was considered one of the worst in the civil war that has been raging in Syria since 2011. Idlib has been in the hands of the insurgents for years.

Tens of thousands of people have had to flee

According to the United Nations, around 14,000 people have been displaced around Idlib and west of Aleppo since the latest outbreak of fighting.

According to eyewitnesses, many residents fled the affected areas for fear of an escalation. "People are scared. I'm packing my things and my family and heading for Damascus," a resident in western Aleppo told dpa.

The situation is deteriorating, especially for the civilian population, emphasized the UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, David Carden. "We are receiving reports of children with multiple injuries from shrapnel," he said.

The civil war in Syria has completely divided the country. President Bashar Al-Assad came under heavy pressure at times, but now controls two thirds of the country again with the help of his allies Russia and Iran. The north-west is partly under the control of opposition forces. A political solution to the conflict is not in sight. As a result of the civil war, millions of Syrians have fled abroad - many of them to Europe.

SDA