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2024-11-28 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
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Syrian rebels launch largest attack against army in Aleppo province in 5 years UPDATE: It’s Al Nusra & friends, and 83 already toes up
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[X] Courtesy of 3dc:
[IsraelTimes] Syrian rebels in the last opposition enclave in northern Syria have launched a wide-scale military operation against the Syrian army and seized territory in the first such advance in years, army and rebel sources say.
The rebel offensive has overrun at least 10 areas under the control of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad in northwestern Aleppo province, says a source in the operations room run by a coalition of bully boy groups led by the turban Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
The land incursion is the first such territorial advance since March 2020 when Russia, which backs Assad, and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
, which supports the rebels, agreed to a ceasefire that led to military action halting in Syria’s last major rebel stronghold in the country’s northwest.
Rebels advanced almost 10 km (6 miles) from the outskirts of Aleppo city and a few kilometres away from Nubl and Zahra, two Shi’ite towns where Leb
 ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
’s Iran-backed Hezbollah has a strong militia presence, an army source says.
They have attacked al-Nayrab airport east of Aleppo, where pro-Iranian militias have outposts.
Rebels say the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in southern Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army, which was building up troops near front lines with rebels.
The army pounded areas near rebel-held Idlib city and the cities of Ariha and Sarmada along with other areas in southern Idlib province, according to an army source.
That’s all very well, but I hope at some point which particular rebels they are will be identified. Al Nusra/Hayat Tahrir al Sham is a strong possibility, but there are other possibilities as well.
Update from the Times of Israel at 10:40 a.m. ET:
Syria’s armed forces said Thursday the offensive was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
 ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
, or HTS, which controls much of northwest Syria, and is a violation of a de-escalation agreement. It said the attacks are ongoing and have targeted a number of villages and military bases.
HTS, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and Turkey, has long been targeted by Syrian government and Russian forces. Formerly known as the al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, HTS later changed its name several times and distanced itself from al-Qaeda.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes between the army and the rebels killed more than 130 combatants in the worst fighting in the country’s northwest in years, as the government also reported fierce battles.
The toll “in battles ongoing for the past 24 hours has risen to 132, including 65 fighters from HTS,” 18 from allied factions “and 49 members of regime forces,” said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
The toll from the monitor, which has been accused of inflating regime losses in the past, could not be verified.
In its first statement since the surprise campaign, the Syrian army said it had inflicted heavy losses on “terrorists” who had launched a “large attack on a wide front.”
The army said it was cooperating with Russia and unnamed “friendly forces” to regain ground and restore the situation to what it was.
Opposition factions launched the offensive early Wednesday and claimed in a series of statements on social media that they had wrested control of over 15 villages from government forces, capturing a military base and hardware, and taking a number of soldiers hostage.
The opposition fighters said their offensive will allow the return of thousands of displaced people who were forced to flee government bombardment in recent weeks.
The offensive follows weeks of simmering violence in the area, where activists said government and allied Russian forces have stepped up their bombardment of parts of the last remaining stronghold of the opposition.
It also comes as Iran-linked groups, such as Hezbollah, who had backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own war against Israel.
Russia, along with Iran, backed Syrian government forces soon after the anti-government protests in 2011 turned into a war. Turkey has backed an array of opposition forces and established military presence in parts of northwestern Syria. Meanwhile, the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State largely in the east of the country.
Turkish security sources said on Thursday that the rebels initially launched a limited operation after attacks by Syrian government forces, and expanded the operation after government forces abandoned their positions.
The Turkish sources said that the rebels’ movements remained within the boundaries of a de-escalation zone in Idlib, which was agreed on in 2019 by Russia, Iran and Turkey with the aim of reducing hostilities between the rebels and government forces.
Unnamed defense ministry officials quoted in the state-run Anadolu Agency said Thursday the Turkish military had taken “all kinds of measures” to protect its troops in Syria.
Syria’s civil war has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country’s infrastructure and industry.
The northwestern region is subject to a ceasefire — repeatedly violated but still largely holding — brokered by Turkey and Damascus ally Russia after a Syrian government offensive in March 2020. 
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Posted by trailing wife 2024-11-28 2024-11-28 01:02||
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File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
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Posted by Grom the Reflective 2024-11-28 10:28||
2024-11-28 10:28||
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Posted by 3dc 2024-11-28 11:13||
2024-11-28 11:13||
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Posted by 3dc 2024-11-28 11:52||
2024-11-28 11:52||
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