The regime and the opposition exchange control over it… stations in the conflict over Aleppo

Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria, returned to the forefront again this week with factions of the Syrian armed opposition announcing, on Friday, their success in entering several neighborhoods in the city after intense battles with Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias.

This was the first time the city had been attacked by opposition forces since 2016, when they were expelled from Aleppo’s eastern neighborhoods after a grueling military campaign in which Syrian government forces were supported by Russia, Iran and allied groups.

This week’s developments represent among the largest in recent years by the opposition factions, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, and are the most intense battles in northwestern Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition forces.

The movements this week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, and represent the most intense fighting in northwest Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition forces.

Opposition factions led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group launched an attack on Wednesday, during which they overran 12 towns and villages in the Aleppo Governorate in the northwest of the country, which are controlled by Syrian forces.

Stages of conflict

In July 2012, several months after the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, the battle for control of Aleppo began between the Syrian regime army and opposition factions, with government forces strengthening their presence in the city.

After violent confrontations, Syrian regime forces began to lose control over large areas of Aleppo, including some southern neighborhoods.

The battles in the city continued for several months, with a significant impact on civilians and infrastructure, who suffered as a result of the Syrian forces imposing a tight siege on some areas in Aleppo, at a time when the armed opposition began to control other areas in the city.

Fighting continued until the end of 2014 amid interventions from multiple groups such as the Al-Nusra Front (the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda) and the terrorist organization ISIS, with government forces continuing to besiege opposition-controlled neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo.

Turning point

In 2015, Russian military intervention on behalf of the government of President Bashar al-Assad contributed to changing the course of the war in Aleppo, increasing pressure on the opposition factions.

Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and which has an air base and naval facility in Syria, intervened militarily alongside Assad in the fight against opposition forces in September of that year.

The battle of Aleppo in 2016 was considered a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters since the protests against Bashar al-Assad’s rule in 2011 turned into an all-out war.

Russia, Iran and allied groups helped Syrian government forces regain control of all of Aleppo that year, after a grueling military campaign and weeks-long siege.

At first, the Syrian government forces succeeded in achieving victories around the city, before the Syrian and Russian air attacks on Aleppo escalated, leading to the death of thousands of civilians.

In July 2016, Russian-backed Syrian forces launched a massive offensive to regain control of eastern Aleppo, which was under opposition control.

In December 2016, government forces announced control of eastern Aleppo after bloody battles during which thousands of civilians were killed. Weeks later, the Syrian government was able to regain control of most parts of Aleppo.

Huge losses

Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria, and it was the largest economic center in the country before it was destroyed by the war.

The city was transformed by Syrian and Russian aerial bombardment into what resembles a pile of rubble, as explosive barrels were used to wipe out entire neighborhoods in the city.

In 2016, the organization publishedHuman Rights WatchA report in which it said that Russian and Syrian forces used explosive barrels, cluster munitions, and incendiary weapons in the attacks.

According to United Nations estimates issued in 2020, more than 51,000 civilians were killed in attacks.

Some neighborhoods of the city also witnessed repeated attacks with chemical weapons, according to multiple reports, the most severe of which, according to these reports, was in: Khan Al-Asal in Aleppo Governorate in 2013, and the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo Governorate in 2016.

The infrastructure in Aleppo was also subjected to massive destruction, as main roads, bridges, and public facilities such as hospitals and schools were damaged. Many residential neighborhoods in the east of the city were completely destroyed, and most buildings became uninhabitable.

The battles forced hundreds of thousands of Aleppo residents to flee, whether to other areas inside Syria or to neighboring countries.

Today, as a result of renewed battles in Aleppo, more than 14,000 people have been displaced, nearly half of them children, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.