Syrian rebels went on a large-scale offensive on Aleppo on Wednesday, November 27. On November 29, they entered western and central parts of the city. Russian Aerospace Forces support government troops in the fighting.
Rebel forces entered Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, for the first time since 2016, Anadolu news agency reports citing sources and monitoring groups.
Aleppo is located in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey. Damascus, located in the south, is about 350 km away from the city.
The rebels broke through to the western outskirts of the city where they clashed with government troops. Residents are leaving these areas amid rocket attacks and gunfire.
According to Anadolu, opposition forces have reached the center of Aleppo from the west of the city. Over 10,000 residents fled to Idlib province south of Aleppo.
Syrian rebels published videos of their troops entering the city on Telegram. They called on the residents of Aleppo to cooperate with them.
Opposition forces have taken control of 400 square kilometers of territory, 70 settlements and strategically important facilities, Anadolu reports.
Syrian rebels embarked on their major offensive on Aleppo on Wednesday. The opposition forces are represented by the Free Syrian Army, which was supported by the United States and Turkey (Russia and Iran are on the side of the government forces), and Islamist groups, including terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, banned in Russia). Their unified command is called Al-Fatah al-Mubin.
The militants claim that they launched the offensive in response to "an increase in the number of Russian and Syrian strikes on civilians in areas south of Idlib."
Representatives for the Syrian Armed Forces said that they were showing resistance to terrorists as militants were suffering heavy losses in equipment and manpower. The Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces were supporting government forces in the fight against the militants.
At least 135 anti-government fighters, 83 Syrian military personnel and 20 civilians were killed in three days of clashes. Four people were killed in the shelling of the campus of the University of Aleppo. More than 14,000 people were forced to flee their homes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.