Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
(CA) – Rebel forces in Syria have taken control of several districts in the country’s second-largest city, Halb, according to a British monitoring group. This was also confirmed by the rebels themselves. The BBC reported on this development.
Opposition fighters, led by the Islamist militant group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), launched an offensive on Wednesday against government-controlled areas, and by Friday, they had reached the heart of Halb.
On Saturday, Syrian authorities closed Halb’s airport and all roads leading to the city, according to three military sources quoted by Reuters, while the rebels, opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, claimed to have reached the city center.
This marks the first time that the rebels have returned to the city since 2016, when Assad and his allies—Russia and Iran—recaptured Halb after months of bombings and siege. At that time, the rebels agreed to withdraw from the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that by Friday evening, the rebels had gained control of more than half of Halb.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army declared that it had regained control of positions seized by the rebels in the rural areas of the Halb and Idlib provinces. The government also announced that reinforcements had arrived in Halb and were working to push the rebels back.
Moscow has pledged additional military support to Damascus to prevent the rebels from advancing further, sources told Reuters. The new weapons are expected to arrive within 72 hours. In the meantime, the Syrian army has been instructed to follow orders for a “safe retreat” from key areas of the city that had fallen to the rebels, according to three military sources.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, the commander of the opposition “Jaish al-Izza” brigade, stated that the rebels’ rapid advance this week was facilitated by the absence of Iranian-backed forces in the Halb province, according to Reuters.
Sources linked to Turkish intelligence suggest that Ankara, which supports the rebels, gave the green light for the offensive. However, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Kejeli stated on Friday that Turkey seeks to avoid instability in the region, while the rebels’ attacks undermine the de-escalation agreement.
In a report from the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, it was claimed that by the evening of November 29, Halb was almost entirely under the control of HTS and its allies. The militants have reached the city center, celebrating their victory and launching fireworks.
