Rapid progress.. The Syrian opposition takes full control of Idlib and Aleppo International Airport

The past hours in Syria have witnessed dramatic developments after the opposition factions began what they called the "battle to deter aggression" and quickly took control of large areas in Idlib and Aleppo in the northwest of the country, with the Syrian army collapsing in front of them.

In the latest development, the Syrian armed opposition said it had taken control of Aleppo International Airport, after some sources had previously reported that the Syrian army had handed over the airport, along with several sites in Aleppo, to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces before withdrawing from it.

The armed opposition also announced its control over the entire administrative borders of Idlib Governorate, after it took control of the strategic city of Maarat al-Numan in the south of the governorate and other cities and towns.

The Syrian opposition said that it had begun military action in a new axis in the Hama countryside and that it had taken control of 6 villages, before announcing control of the city of Morek.

Meanwhile, opposition fighters consolidated their gains in neighbouring Aleppo as the Syrian army handed over several positions to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces after its collapse and rapid withdrawal from the city.

The opposition forces now control most of the city of Aleppo, two days after the start of a surprise attack against the Syrian army, which resulted in the deaths of dozens.

Raids on Aleppo

This afternoon, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that several areas controlled by opposition forces in Aleppo were subjected to airstrikes, including Al-Basel roundabout and the municipal palace.

The correspondent said that people were killed and wounded as a result of the raid that targeted Al-Basel roundabout in the center of Aleppo.

Clashes erupted between armed opposition factions and the Syrian army in the western countryside of Aleppo last Wednesday, and opposition forces advanced quickly in the western countryside towards the city of Aleppo before entering the city yesterday afternoon, Friday, and taking control of large parts of it, including its historic citadel.

The factions also took control of Saadallah al-Jabri Square in the city centre, as well as the governorate building, police stations and security headquarters, and released hundreds of detainees there.

Thousands of civilian cars were leaving Aleppo via the main Khanaser-Athriya road out of the city, three residents told Reuters, hours after opposition fighters overran key districts there.

They added that the cars are mostly heading towards Latakia and Salamiyah, with the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo closed due to the opposition attack.

Army statement

The Syrian regime army acknowledged today, Saturday, that opposition factions had entered "large parts" of the city of Aleppo, noting that dozens of its fighters had been killed during battles that extended over large areas, according to what the Ministry of Defense reported.

The ministry quoted a military source as saying, "In the past hours, terrorist organizations were able to enter large parts of Aleppo city's neighborhoods," after the army carried out a "redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defense lines and preparing for a counterattack."

According to the source, this came after "fierce battles... on a strip exceeding 100 km to stop its advance, and dozens of our armed forces men were killed during the battles."

"Deter aggression"

The armed opposition announced on Wednesday the start of what it called the “Battle to Deter Aggression.” Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the Al-Fath Al-Mubin Operations Room - which includes Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the National Liberation Front, and other factions - said that the aim of the operation was to launch a “preemptive strike” against the regime forces’ mobilization that threatens the opposition-controlled sites.

The clashes in the region come after months of relative calm, which was interrupted by sporadic shelling by the Syrian army of areas under opposition control.

This advance is the first of its kind since March 2020, when Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, which supports opposition factions, agreed to a ceasefire that led to a halt to military confrontations in the last major opposition stronghold in northwestern Syria.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies