Rebels in Syria enter center of Aleppo, Russia promises Damascus more aid - Reuters. PHOTOS
On 30 November, rebels in Syria announced that they had reached the centre of Aleppo. The city's airport and all roads leading to it were closed.
This was reported by Reuters, citing military sources, Censor.NET reports.
It is noted that Russia, one of Assad's main allies, has promised Damascus additional military assistance to prevent the rebels. The new weapons will arrive within the next 72 hours.
Late on Friday evening, 29 November, rebels reported that they were entering various districts of Aleppo.
In addition, government troops were ordered to "safely withdraw" from the main areas of the city where the rebels had entered.
"The attack by the Islamist militant group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham was the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in recent years, shaking up a front in the Syrian civil war that has been largely frozen since 2020," the agency writes.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, commander of the rebel Jaysh al-Izza Brigade, said their rapid advance this week was facilitated by a lack of Iranian-backed manpower in the wider Aleppo province.
Russian and Syrian aircraft attack Aleppo
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that Russian warplanes had struck Syrian Aleppo on the night of 30 November for the first time since 2016.
As noted, the airstrikes targeted the Al-Furqan area near New Aleppo in the west of the city.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the governor of Aleppo, police and security chiefs have left the city centre, and government forces have fled to the al-Safirah area.
Opposition sources who speak to Turkish intelligence told Reuters in an anonymous commentary that Turkey, which supports the rebels, had given the green light for the offensive.
