Since the March 2020 Idlib ceasefire agreement, large scale operations ceased between opposition and pro-government forces in Northwestern Syria.[57][23] However, revolutionary groups based in northwestern Syria prepared for a resumption of hostilities, with HTS in particular strengthening its military capabilities by reforming its structures into a "conventional armed force", improving training, and setting up special forces specializing in raids and night-time operations.[23] According to theKyiv Post, some Islamist social media accounts said that the Idlib-based rebels received some training and other support byUkraine'sMain Directorate of Intelligence.[58] Meanwhile, the Syrian government suffered fromgrowing corruption, with researcher Charles Lister describing it as the "world's biggest narco state" whose "corrupt business elite and a powerful network of military commanders, militia leaders and warlords" were held together by drug trade revenue, especiallytrade of Captagon.[23] Starting in late 2022, HTS forceslaunched a series of infiltration and sniper attacks on government forces, leading up to the offensive. In retaliation, there was shelling ofIdlib Governorate as well as Russian air strikes.[59]Aleppo had been controlled byBashar al-Assad's government and Iranian-backed militias since theAleppo offensive in 2016.[57][23]
According to Abu Hassan al-Hamwi, head of HTS's military wing, the offensive had been planned for a year prior to its launch. Beginning in 2019, HTS developed a military doctrine aimed at transforming loosely organized opposition and jihadist fighters into a conventional military force. The group established specialized military branches, most notably a drone unit that produced reconnaissance, attack, and suicide drones. HTS additionally established coordination with southern Syrian rebels, creating a unified command structure that incorporated leaders from approximately 25 rebel groups, with the strategic objective of encircling Damascus from multiple directions.[60] HTS initiated the offensive partly to disrupt regional powers' diplomatic normalization with the Assad regime and to counter escalating aerial attacks on northwestern Syria. The group determined that Assad's international allies were strategically constrained, with Russia committed to its war in Ukraine and both Iran and Hezbollah engaged in conflict with Israel, presenting a favorable tactical opportunity.[60]
In October 2024, a large mobilization by HTS and government forces was initiated in the Aleppo countryside, as the Syrian rebels reported that they had been preparing for months for a large-scale offensive against government forces within the city of Aleppo.[61] On 26 November 2024, government forces artillery struck the opposition held town ofAriha, killing and injuring 16 civilians.[62]
On 27 November 2024, HTS announced that it had launched an offensive dubbed "Deterrence of Aggression" toward pro-government forces in westernAleppo Governorate.[63] The offensive was stated to be a response to recent artillery shelling by the Assad government against rebel-heldAriha.[54][57]
During the first ten hours of the offensive, HTS captured 20 towns and villages from pro-government forces, including the towns ofUrm al-Kubra, Anjara,Urum al-Sughra, Sheikh Aqil,Bara, Ajil, Awijil, al-Hawtah, Tal al-Dabaa, Hayr Darkal, Qubtan al-Jabal, al-Saloum,al-Qasimiyah,Kafr Basin, Hawr,Anaz and Basratoun. In addition, the 46th regiment base of government forces was besieged by the HTS and captured a few hours later.[14][64][65] TheSyrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 37 Syrian government soldiers and allied militias and 60 fighters from the opposition forces were killed in the clashes.[54] ARussian special forces unit wasambushed by rebels, who later posted photos of a dead Russian soldier and captured equipment. In response, Syrian and Russian forces launchedaerial assaults on areas controlled by revolutionary groups.[66] Russian fighters also conductedairstrikes aroundAtarib,Darat Izza, and surrounding villages, while government forces shelled rebel-controlled Idlib,Ariha,Sarmada and other areas in southernIdlib Governorate.[67][68][69]
On 28 November, HTS launched an offensive on the eastern Idlib countryside, capturing the villages ofDadikh, Kafr Batikh and Sheikh Ali as well as a neighborhood in the city ofSaraqib. This advance brought them within two kilometers of theM5 highway, a strategic route that had been secured by pro-government forces in 2020. HTS also attackedal-Nayrab's airport located east of Aleppo, whereIranian-backed militants have a presence.[70] In the latter half of the day, HTS captured the villages ofKafr Basin, Arnaz and Al-Zarba in the western Aleppo countryside, and cut off the M5 highway.[71] The Syrian rebels had captured around 40 towns and villages in total by the end of the day.[57]
A Russian airstrike killed fifteen civilians inAtarib in the western Aleppo countryside. Four others were killed in either a Syrian or Russian airstrike in Darat Izza.[72] Iranian state media reported thatIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier GeneralKioumars Pourhashemi, who served as a senior military advisor in Syria, was killed by rebels in Aleppo.[57] An SDF fighter was killed by Turkish drone strike in the north ofRaqqah Governorate.[73]
On 29 November, HTS captured the villages of Tal Karatabeen, Abu Qansa, and Al-Talhiya in Idlib countryside and Al-Mansoura, Jab Kas, andAl-Bawabiya in Aleppo countryside. Strong fighting around the town of Saraqib continued.[74] By this point, other Idlib-based Islamist groups were backing the HTS advance, includingAjnad al-Kavkaz, andLiwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar.[5] Four civilians were killed and two others were injured by HTS shelling in the al-Hamdaniya neighborhood of Aleppo city.[74] An attack by the SDF was carried nearAl-Bab with 15 SNA fighters dying.[75] Seven SNA fighters were killed in a Russian airstrike on a SNA military headquarters inMare'.[76] Four civilians were also killed in separate Russian airstrikes in Idlib.[77]
On 29 November, opposition forces launched a large-scale offensive inAleppo Governorate aimed at capturing the city of Aleppo and surrounding areas.[78] The rapid fall of Aleppo, which had taken the regime four years to capture from rebels in 2016, surprised even HTS leadership. Al-Hamwi later stated "We had a conviction, supported by historical precedent, that 'Damascus cannot fall until Aleppo falls.' The strength of the Syrian revolution was concentrated in the north, and we believed that once Aleppo was liberated, we could move southward toward Damascus."[60]
That day, revolutionaries entered the Hamdaniya and New Aleppo districts of Aleppo city, after carrying out a double suicide attack with two car bombs.[78] HTS-led forces captured five city districts, subsequently reaching the main square and captured parts of four other districts.[79][80][81]
In Idlib and Aleppo governorates, revolutionaries captured 50 towns and villages, including the town of Saraqib,Abu al-Duhur andMaarat al-Numan amid the collapse of pro-government forces' defense lines. Pro-government forces retreated from most of theIdlib Governorate, with the exception ofKhan Shaykhun andKafranbel. In Aleppo region, pro-government forces withdrew toAleppo airport,Maskanah, As Safirah and Khanaser road.[79][20][82]
An airstrike, reportedly of Russian origin, killed 16 civilians and injured 20 others in Aleppo city.[83]
In the early hours of 30 November, revolutionary forces captured theCitadel of Aleppo, the government headquarters in the city, as well as "more than half of Aleppo city".[84][85] By morning, revolutionary forces had seized control of most of Aleppo, forcing pro-government troops to retreat towardas-Safirah.[86]
Concurrently on 30 November, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army located in theEuphrates Shield region ofTurkish occupied northern Syria announced the start ofOperation Dawn of Freedom with the objective of cutting off SDF's supply networks and establishing a corridor connectingal-Bab toTell Rifaat. SNA forces captured the town ofTadef from pro-government forces during their advances as pro-government forces began withdrawing from the region.[90][91]
Pro-government forces left a substantial amount of military equipment behind during their retreat from Aleppo governorate, including twoT-90A tanks, an entireS-125 Neva system battery, aPantsir-S1 system and aBuk-M2. Revolutionaries also captured helicopters and fighter jets at the Aleppo and Menagh air bases.[92]
On 30 November, the HTS-led opposition reportedly took control of Aleppo airport after the local SDF troops opted to withdraw.[55] By afternoon on the next day, the SNA had captured the towns ofas-Safirah,Khanasir, and theKuweires airbase, while clashes occurred between SNA and SDF in the Sheikh Najjar district of Aleppo city. Concurrently HTS captured the thermal power plant, field artillery college, and the military academy on the outskirts of Aleppo.[93]
On the evening of 1 December, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an offensive on the SDF-held town ofTell Rifaat, capturing the town along with several surrounding villages. The remaining SDF-controlled towns in the region were cut off from communication after being encircled by opposition forces.[94]
On 2 December, the SDF announced plans to evacuate Kurdish IDPs from Tel Rifaat and theShahba Canton to SDF-held areas in Aleppo'sSheikh Maqsood district and northeastern Syria.[95][96]
On the evening of 30 November 2024, HTS rapidly advanced in theHama Governorate, capturing dozens of towns and villages in the countryside by 7 in the evening (Local Syrian time,UTC+3:00).[97] As the HTS forces started closing in on Hama,[98] pro-government forces established new military positions on the outskirts of the city, including reinforcements toJabal Zayn al-Abidin and the towns of Taybat al Imam,Qamhana, andKhitab.[99] Additionally, Russia launched airstrikes on towns recently captured by rebels in the Idlib and Hama regions.[100] This includes one targeting a refugee camp in Idlib city that killed nine civilians and injured 62 others, and anotherairstrike targeting Aleppo university hospital killed eight civilians.[101]
On 2 December, Russia again launched airstrikes on opposition-held territory, including one on Idlib city that killed 11 civilians.[102][103] Opposition forces then launched a drone strike targeting pro-government military leaders nearJabal Zayn al-Abidin just north of Hama, which led to multiple deaths and injuries among their ranks.[104] In the evening, the Russian forces carried out massive airstrikes against opposition forces, the heaviest clashes since the start of the offensive. By the end of the day, opposition forces took control of several villages and shelled Hama city, killing eight civilians,[105] while government forces successfully defendedQalaat al-Madiq.[106][107]
On 3 December, opposition forces captured more than 10 towns and villages near Hama,[108] including the towns of Taybat al-Imam, Halfaya,Soran, and Maardis.[109] Meanwhile, fighting between government forces and SNA were ongoing in Khanasir.[110] North of Hama, at least 17 SAA soldiers, eight HTS fighters, and two civilians were killed in clashes and airstrikes.[111]
On 4 December, pro-government forces briefly counterattacked and retook the villages of Kafr'a andMaar Shuhur,[112] while the opposition advanced to theGhab Plain, which serves as a gateway to the majority-Alawite coastal region of Syria. Anas Alkharboutli, a photographer working forDPA, was killed in an airstrike inMorek amidst the clashes near Hama.[113] By the evening, opposition forces had cut off the roads connecting Hama toRaqqa and Aleppo and took control of several villages in the eastern Hama country side.[114] Opposition forces also captured the towns ofKhitab andMubarakat, while fighting persisted in Jabal Zayn al-Abidin.[115]
On 5 December, opposition forces entered the northeastern part of Hama city amid pro-government airstrikes on its eastern side[116] and by the afternoon, HTS-led rebels had established full control over the city, as pro-government forces withdrew.[56] In a statement, the Syrian government reasoned its withdrawal from Hama city in concurrence with "preserving the lives of civilians".[117][118]
Aoperation towardsHoms was launched by HTS following its capture of Hama on 5 December. On 7 December, HTS-led rebels had reached the outskirts of Homs city amid heavy fighting.[119] At least seven civilians were killed in airstrikes and artillery fire.[120] By the early morning of 8 December, HTS declared that they had fully captured the city of Homs, effectively cuttingLatakia Governorate off from the rest of the country.[121]
Also on 7 December, theSouthern Operations Room, in co-ordination with the HTS-led Military Operations Command[122] led forces that entered theRif Dimashq region from the south, and those forces then came within 20 kilometres (12 mi) of the capitalDamascus. The SAA withdrew from multiple points in the outskirts.[123] Concurrently with the advance towards Damascus,[124] theSyrian Free Army advanced into the capital from the southeast.[125][better source needed] By 8 December 2024, rebel forces entered the city's Barzeh neighborhood.[126] According to official state reports inRussian mass media and media footage, PresidentBashar al-Assad left Damascus by air toMoscow, where he was grantedasylum,[127] sealing thefall of his regime.
^Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (December 2024)."Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, Russia conducts strikes in support of Assad".Reuters.With Assad backed by Russia and Iran, and Turkey supporting some of the rebels in the northwest where it maintains troops, the offensive has brought into focus the conflict's knotted geopolitics.
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Turkey[6][7][8] (denied by Turkey)[9]
Ukraine[10] (denied by Ukraine)[11]
Mazloum Abdi
220 killed,[41] 21 captured[43][44]
25 pro-Iranian militiamen killed[41]
15IRGC killed[45]
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