Quick rebel advance in Syria leaves government scrambling for control

In a swift overnight operation rebel forces captured most of Aleppo pushing through western defenses and reaching the city-center (where fighters took photos near the ancient citadel)

The Syrian military admitted losing ground saying its forces made a “temporary pull-back“ to regroup — a move that comes after days of hard fighting in Aleppo and Idlib that left many troops hurt or dead. Russian forces moved from Al-Suqaylabiyah base to their main facility at Hmeimim Airport while the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces took over Aleppos international airport

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters met almost no push-back as they moved through the city. The group (which split from al-Qaeda) got control of key spots including:

• Government buildings
• Prison facilities
• Abu al-Duhur Air Base
• Most central districts

This marks the first big attack on Aleppo since opposition groups lost the eastern part about 8 years ago. Inside the city life slowed down — schools closed their doors but bakeries kept working to feed locals. Social-media showed rebels visiting homes telling people theyʼre safe

Turkish officials said the attack wasnt planned to be this big; it started as a small-scale response to regime attacks in north-west Syria that broke a five-year old peace deal. However when Syrian forces started pulling back the rebels pushed forward taking more ground than expected

The government is now rushing to send back-up forces and Russian planes started hitting rebel positions — showing how this surprise offensive might re-start a conflict that stayed quiet for the last four years