Syria’s insurgents arrive in central Aleppo as the military declares a ‘temporary withdrawal’

In the northwest city of Aleppo, where rebel groups for the first time in years launched a surprise onslaught on government-held territory, Syria’s military has declared a “temporary troop withdrawal.”

Following the deaths or injuries of dozens of its soldiers in fierce battles with “armed terrorist organizations” in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib over the past few days, the military announced on Saturday that it was now regrouping, redeploying troops to strengthen its defense lines as it prepared a “counterattack.”

It reported skirmishes “over a strip exceeding 100 km [60 miles]” and claimed that rebel factions had launched “a broad attack from multiple axes on the Aleppo and Idlib fronts.”

The army reported that the rebels had taken control of a significant portion of Aleppo, but government bombing prevented them from establishing permanent positions. The state pledged to expel them and regain control over the entire city and its countryside.

The statement marked the military’s first public admission that opposition militants from the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization had entered Aleppo during the lightning offensive that began earlier this week.

In a square in Aleppo, Syria’s pre-war manufacturing center, rebel fighter Mohamed Hammadi told the AFP news agency, “We’ve been waiting for this” for years.

Russia is giving Syria’s military air support, Syrian state television reported on Friday.

According to a post on X by the Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, which operates in areas of the country controlled by the opposition, airstrikes on residential neighborhoods, a gas station, and a school in rebel-held Idlib resulted in the deaths of four civilians and the injuries of six others.

The Reuters news agency cited three military sources, reporting that Syrian authorities shut down Aleppo airport and canceled all flights on Saturday.

The rebels claimed to have also gained control of a vital highway that connects Aleppo and the capital, Damascus, as well as the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the Idlib province.

An Aleppo witness told Al Jazeera on Saturday that rebel militants were “combing” Aleppo for soldiers.

“They had some regime soldiers and prisoners of war last night, but they took excellent care of them and moved them out right away so they wouldn’t be in any danger,” the witness stated.

Some long-displaced civilians were able to return home as a result of the advance by HTS-led fighters.

For the safety of the locals, the opposition fighters also imposed a curfew in Aleppo until 5 p.m. (15:00 GMT) on Sunday, according to AFP.

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