Syrian rebel fighters have taken control of a majority of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, for the first time since 2016, a monitor of Syria’s war said Saturday, as clashes continued with government forces and Russian warplanes launched airstrikes on parts of the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has researchers across the war-torn country, said Saturday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist alliance led by al-Qaida’s former Syria branch, and allied factions seized control of most of the city, government centers and prisons.
“The governor of Aleppo and the leadership of police and security branches withdrew from the center of the city, and regime forces and reinforcement escaped from the city to the Al-Safirah area,” the Observatory added.
“There has been no fighting, not a single shot was fired, as regime forces withdrew,” he said.
A witness in Aleppo, who did not want to be named for security reasons, confirmed to VOA that rebel forces advanced Friday in parts of the city after clashes with forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Reuters, citing military sources, said Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday.
It was the first major attack on Aleppo since 2016, when Syrian government forces, supported by Iranian-backed militias and the Russian air force, pushed out rebel factions from the eastern parts of the city during the height of Syria’s civil war.
Another witness in Aleppo, who also didn’t want to be identified for security reasons, said the fighting has forced thousands of residents to flee to safer parts of the city. The witness told VOA there were clashes in a neighborhood in the western part of the city, adding
