Four civilians including two students were killed earlier today in the Syrian city of Aleppo in insurgent shelling of university student dormitories, the state news agency SANA reports, amid intense fighting surrounding the northern city.
More than 240 people, mostly combatants, have been killed in the fighting after rebel groups launched a major offensive on government-held areas this week, a monitor says.
On Wednesday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied Turkish-backed factions launched an attack on government-held areas in the northwest, triggering the fiercest fighting since 2020, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Observatory, says fighting reached two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the main northern city of Aleppo, where artillery shelling on student housing killed four civilians, according to state media.
“The combatants’ death toll in the ongoing… operation in the Idlib and Aleppo countrysides has risen to 218,” since Wednesday, says the British-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
In addition to the fighters, it says 24 civilians were killed.
HTS, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and Turkey, has long been targeted by the Syrian government and Russian forces. Formerly known as the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, HTS later changed its name several times and distanced itself from al-Qaeda.
Watch Docu Nation Season 2: Resilience
when you join the ToI Community
Support The Times of Israel's independent journalism and receive access to our documentary series, Docu Nation: Resilience, premiering December 12.
In this season of Docu Nation, you can stream eight outstanding Israeli documentaries with English subtitles and then join a live online discussion with the filmmakers. The selected films show how resilience, hope, and growth can emerge from crisis.
When you watch Docu Nation, you’re also supporting Israeli creators at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for them to share their work globally.
To learn more about Docu Nation: Resilience, click here.
Support ToI and get Docu Nation
Support ToI and get Docu Nation
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this