The surprise attack against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government marks the most severe fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020, when Russia and Turkey brokered a deal aimed at reducing hostilities. The deal allowed Syrian government forces to reclaim territories previously under opposition control.
Following the rebel assault, the Syrian Interim Government (SIG), the temporary governing body in the areas of northern Syria no longer under the control of the Assad regime, announced on Saturday the launch of a new military operation aimed at “liberating the areas usurped by the Assad regime and the PKK/PYD terrorist militias.”
“The liberation achieved today is a strategic step towards achieving the ultimate goal, which is the liberation of all Syrian territory from the grip of the regime and the terrorist and separatist militias that seek to divide our country and plunder its resources,” the SIG said in a statement.