Islamic militants launch surprise attack in Syria

Dozens of soldiers and rebel fighters have reportedly been killed near Aleppo.

Islamist militants have staged a large-scale attack in Syria’s Aleppo and Idlib provinces, the state-run SANA news agency in Damascus has reported. The attack is the first such incident in years.

The terrorist group Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, launched the attack on Wednesday, according to SANA. Fighting is reportedly ongoing.

The militants are said to have overrun at least ten areas previously under the control of the Syrian military, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday.

HTS is considered a terrorist organization by Syria, Russia, the US, and several other countries.

The group has been confined to areas of Idlib province in the northwest of the country, thanks in part to Russia helping the Syrian government to defeat various rebel militants, including Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

Last month, Russian and Syrian warplanes carried out joint raids on HTS positions in the Idlib and Latakia provinces, targeting the terrorists’ training sites and warehouses.

Damascus has accused Western countries of aiding terrorist groups in the country.

In an interview with Chinese media last year, Assad pointed out that terrorists operate in areas of northeast Syria, where the US maintains a military presence. He went on to claim that Washington has built up a close and “mutually beneficial” partnership with insurgents.

Syrian officials have also claimed that Ukrainian agents have been working with rebels in the country, offering them drone warfare training and US-supplied weapons in exchange for manpower.

Wednesday’s surprise attack is the first major clash between Syrian rebels and government forces since March 2020, when Russia and Türkiye brokered a ceasefire in the country.