Syrian rebels reached the outskirts of the major city of Aleppo on Friday, according to the fighters and a war monitor, raising fears that the nation’s long-running civil war is reigniting with an intensity not seen in years.
The Russian government confirmed that it was bombing Syrian rebels, but did not specify where.
On the ground, the rebel fighters did not appear to meet much resistance from government forces, according to the rebels, Syrian media and the Observatory.
The rebel offensive launched on Wednesday is the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in years.
And the timing of it has raised questions about whether the rebels are trying to take advantage of weakness across an alliance with Iran at the center, and groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Syrian regime closely aligned with it.
Persons:
Bashar al
Organizations:
Government, Human Rights
Locations:
Aleppo, Russian, Idlib, Syrian, Iran, Lebanon