The Syrian war reignited on November 27 as several militant groups led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a large-scale offensive from the Greater Idlib region against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

The offensive, codenamed “Operation Deterrence of Aggression,” began in the early morning with militants from HTS, the Turkistan Islamic Party, Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and several factions of the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army, breaking through the SAA’s main defense line in the western Aleppo countryside.

The attackers were quickly met with heavy airstrikes by both the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Arab Air Force.

This was the first time Syrian warplanes have bombed targets in Greater Idlib since Russia and Turkey brokered a ceasefire in the region on March 5 of 2020. The HTS-led offensive put an end to the agreement.

Despite taking heavy losses, by the end of November 27, the militants managed to capture the key 46th Regiment Base in addition to several towns, including the town of Hawar, some ten kilometers away from Aleppo city.

On November 28, the militants made a new push in the western Aleppo countryside, another dozen towns or so, including Khan al-Assal which is located around six kilometers away from the western entrance of Aleppo city.

The militants also advanced to the southwest of the city, capturing the town of al-Zarba which is located on the strategic M5 highway, the main route to Aleppo. The highway was closed as a result.

Further southwest of Aleppo, the militants managed to capture the town of al-Barqoum right next to the strategic al-Eis hill.

Another attack, led mainly by Turkey-backed fighters, targeted the town of Anadan to the northwest of Aleppo late on November 28. However, no success was reported there.

Separately, HTS and its allies launched on November 28 an attack in the southern Idlib countryside and managed to capture the towns of Dadikh, Kafr Batikh, and Sheikh Ali along the M5.

Late on November 28, large reinforcements from the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, the 4th Armored Division, the Republican Guards, the Special Mission Forces and other formations of the SAA began to arrive to the front lines. There were also reports of limited counter-attacks and Syrian troops recapturing Khan al-Assal.

Still, the militants made more gains on November 29, reaching the western outskirts of Aleppo city in the morning after capturing an abandoned military scientific research facility and imposing control of al-Eis hill to the south.

Later in the afternoon, the militants stormed Aleppo city from the western direction, capturing the New Aleppo suburb and entering several other nearby areas. The city could quickly fall into the hands of the militants if the SAA failed to prepare defenses for urban fighting. The army may be however planning to flank them from the outskirts of the city.

The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said that some 400 militants from HTS and its allies were killed in the first 24 hours of the offensive.

In the month leading up to the offensive several reports talked about a plan by HTS and its allies to attack Aleppo city in order to take advantage of the distraction caused by the ongoing Israeli war on both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Moreover, Russian intelligence warned that the secret services of the Kiev regime were still active in Greater Idlib. However, Turkey, who maintains a large force in the region, did nothing to prevent the offensive.

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