Russia provides Syria with military support during insurgent attack in Aleppo – Reuters

Syrian authorities have closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading to the city on Saturday as opposition forces reached the city.

Source: Reuters with reference to its sources

Details: Opposition fighters led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham made a surprise mop-up operation of government-held settlements this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after being pushed out by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies in 2016.

Two military sources said Russia has promised Damascus additional military assistance to thwart the rebels, adding that new equipment will start arriving within the next 72 hours.

Reuters also writes that the Syrian army has received an order to safely withdraw from the main areas of the city that have been overrun by rebels.

Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a rebel commander, said that their rapid advance was helped by a shortage of government manpower, typically backed by Iran.

Opposition fighters said the campaign was a response to the intensification of Russian and Syrian air attacks on civilians in rebel-held Idlib in recent weeks, as well as an attempt to prevent any attacks by the Syrian army.

Opposition sources with ties to Turkish intelligence said that Türkiye, which supports the rebels, had given the green light for the offensive.

However, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said that Türkiye wanted to avoid greater instability in the region and warned that the recent attacks undermine de-escalation agreements.

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