The Short Version
- Rebel groups and jihadists have launched a major offensive in northern Syria, ending a four-year period of relative peace.
- Five neighborhoods in aleppo have fallen, and Turkish-backed rebel forces and the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are advancing again.
- Bertinussen and Care have been working to rebuild the region after the civil war that ravaged it from 2011 to 2020. The latest offensive complicates that work, Bertinussen states.
- Senior researcher at PRIO and historian Hilde Henriksen Waage believes rebel forces now see their chance to attack while Assad regime allies are weakened.
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Several neighborhoods have fallen in the western part of Aleppo, the city with two million inhabitants in northern Syria, which is the country’s commercial center. Shortly after midnight, reports emerged that Syrian authorities have closed the airport because the rebels have reached the heart of the city.
On Saturday morning, the Syrian observatory for Human Rights reported that the jihadists have taken control of most of Aleppo.
According to military sources, Russia, a key ally of Assad, has promised Damascus additional military support to push back the rebels. New military equipment is expected to arrive within the next 72 hours, Reuters reports citing sources.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow considers the rebels’ offensive a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
– We support the Syrian authorities in restoring order to the area and re-establishing constitutional order as soon as possible, he stated.
Shortly after 8 PM Norwegian time, Al-Jazeera quoted the rebel forces as claiming to have taken the main square in downtown Aleppo.
Images shared on social media around 10:30 PM show what is purported to be the rebels in the city’s historic center. Several local media reported that thay were moving into the eastern part of the city – see video of the offensive here:
Among them is the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and a number of rebel forces have united again under a front called ”The Free Syrian forces.” yousef Juma Talha tells VG over the phone from the outskirts of Aleppo.
Hopes to Free the Entire City by Saturday Morning
Talha is a freelance journalist collaborating with the rebel forces. He has personally been able to return to his house and neighborhood in Aleppo for the first time in four years.
– I am overjoyed, he says, having spent much of the day documenting the rebels’ advance.
Many fled the city on friday, fearing that the fighting would also affect civilians. According to Talha,this is due to the Assad regime’s forces and allies attacking with airstrikes,not distinguishing between combatants and civilians.
– Many in the rebel forces have family in the city and do not want to harm them. They ask them to stay home and take care of them.
The journalist calls the Assad regime, Hezbollah, and Russia “criminals.” In his eyes, the city is on the verge of liberation.
– Inshallah, the entire city will be liberated by tomorrow morning, Talha told VG on Friday evening.
First Major Offensive in four Years
– We are deeply concerned about the situation unfolding in northwest Syria, says David carden, UN Deputy Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs for the Syria crisis to Reuters.
– Relentless attacks in the last three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children, he adds.
According to the UN, 14,000 people have now been displaced.
– It is indeed sad, but war is back in Syria, says Gudrun Bertinussen, head of international affairs at Care Norway, to VG.
Rebel soldiers from the jihadist group HTS set fire to a portrait of the country’s president Bashar Al Assad after capturing a neighborhood in Aleppo,Friday,November 29. Photo: AAREF WATAD / AFP / NTBRebels fire at the Syrian army on the outskirts of Aleppo on Friday. Photo: BAKR ALKASEM / AFP
Rebels in Talhiya, Idlib on Friday. Photo: Ghaith Alsayed / AP
She believes several neighborhoods will fall in the future.
Simultaneously occurring, the Syrian government army claims on Friday afternoon that they have driven the rebels back.
No Way Out
Bertinussen was in northern Syria as recently as September and receives text and voice messages from her colleagues, friends, and acquaintances who are experiencing a critical situation.
– People were fully taken by surprise by the fighting and have dashed to their cars to head south or north. They are fleeing and trying to get their families to safety,but ther is almost no way out,Bertinussen states.
Gudrun Bertinussen
Head of International Affairs at CARE Norway
“We expect that there will be more tension in the future, although we hope that is wrong.Sadly, we are experiencing war again,” reads one of the messages Bertinussen has received from a local aid worker in aleppo, which VG has seen
Bertinussen and Care have been working to rebuild the region after the civil war that ravaged it for nine years from 2011 to 2020. The latest offensive complicates that work, Bertinussen states:
– We are trying to move to where people are fleeing to continue our aid work, but the attacks are also happening in the villages they are going to. It is not safe there either.
Bertinussen experienced a taste of the offensive when she saw drone attacks all along the main traffic artery M5, which connects Aleppo to the rest of the country.
She believes that wars in Gaza and Lebanon have created a power vacuum in an area that until now has been controlled by Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, supported by Hezbollah, Iran, and Russia.
- This is very serious. This was one of the areas where people could experience normalcy after years of trauma. In Aleppo, there are churches, mosques, and markets. But now ordinary people are losing that stability.
Senior researcher at PRIO and historian Hilde Henriksen Waage also believes rebel forces now see their chance to attack while Assad’s regime allies are weakened.
Senior researcher at the Peace Research Institute PRIO and historian focusing on the Middle East
– Hezbollah has had to move its forces into Lebanon and is significantly weakened. Now Assad has even requested help from Russia,and the Russian air force has been bombing from the air,says Henriksen Waage.
- A Ticking Bomb
Henriksen Waage says she has just been waiting for the conflict in Syria to flare up again.
– Syria is a ticking bomb. It is going from bad to worse. The regime does not have nearly as much control as we have thought, and now they are being challenged, she explains.
People walking in the souk in Aleppo in August of this year, before the rebel forces reached the city. Photo: – / AFP / NTB
The researcher describes an area that has never been properly rebuilt after years of war,with a precarious humanitarian situation
– Here,there are only piles of rubble,and the Western sanctions hit the population hard. In 2024, there has been a new peak of refugees trying to get out of Syria.
What are the humanitarian impacts of the current fighting in northwest Syria?
The current situation in northwest Syria is dire, with many civilians fleeing cities due to intensified fighting. Reports indicate that the Assad regime, supported by allies like Hezbollah and Russia, is conducting airstrikes that do not differentiate between combatants and civilians, prompting widespread fear among the population.
Talha, a journalist on the ground, noted that many rebel fighters have family in the city and are urging thier loved ones to remain home for safety. In his view, the city is on the brink of liberation, expressing hope that it could happen imminently.
The UN has expressed grave concerns about the escalating violence and the humanitarian crisis it is triggering. According to David Carden, the UN Deputy Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, relentless attacks over a three-day period have resulted in at least 27 civilian deaths—including children—and displaced 14,000 people.
Amid this chaos, Gudrun Bertinussen from CARE Norway described the situation as devastating, noting that many people were taken by surprise by the resurgence of fighting and are scrambling to escape. However, she highlighted that safe exits are extremely limited.
Rebel forces have shown visible opposition to the Assad regime, as evidenced by an incident where they set fire to a portrait of the president, reflecting their determination in the ongoing conflict. Observers believe that if the current trend continues, the conflict will intensify, further exacerbating the already critical humanitarian situation in the region.