Syrian rebels say they reached Aleppo’s center in lightening sweep

Syrian rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad say they have reached the heart of the northern city of Aleppo, after a surprise sweep through government-held towns and nearly a decade after having been forced out of the city.

The opposition fighters, led by the Islamist jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched an incursion on Wednesday into a dozen towns and villages in the northern province of Aleppo, which was controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, backed by both Iran and Russia.

They made quick progress and by this evening, an operations room representing the offensive said rebels were sweeping through various neighborhoods of the city.

Assad and his allies Russia, Iran and regional Shi’ite militias had retaken all of Aleppo city in late 2016, with insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege in a battle that turned the tide against the opposition.

Rebel commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel brigade Mustafa Abdul Jaber says the speedy advance was due to insufficient Iran-backed manpower in the broader province. Iran’s terror proxies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel since the start of the Gaza war, sparked by the Hamas terror group’s October 7 onslaught.