Syrian and Russian jets bomb rebel-held northwest Syria

28/11/2024 18:26

        The Russian and Syrian air forces bombed rebel-held northwest Syria near the border with Turkey on Thursday to push back a rebel offensive that captured territory for the first time in years, Syrian army and rebel sources said.
        
        Rebels led by militant group Hayat Tahrir al Sham on Wednesday launched an incursion into a dozen towns and villages in northwest Aleppo province controlled by Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
        
        The attack was the biggest since March 2020 when Russia, which backs Assad, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, agreed to a ceasefire that ended years of fighting that uprooted millions of Syrians opposed to Assad's rule.
        
        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.