The United States has accused Bashar al-Assad’s regime of losing control of the key Syrian city of Aleppo, explaining that it is dependent on the support of Russia and Iran. This was stated by the representative of the US National Security Council Sean Savett in a comment to the press on Saturday, according to AFP .
“The Assad regime’s persistent unwillingness to engage in a political process (planned by the UN in 2015) and its dependence on Russia and Iran have created the conditions for the current events, including the loss of the regime’s positions in northwestern Syria,” Savett said.
Rebels take control of Aleppo
Militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, the dominant Syrian Islamist group and former al-Qaeda affiliate, together with Syrian rebels, launched a large-scale offensive against regime forces in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo on Wednesday. Over the course of several days, they captured dozens of settlements and on Friday entered Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city.
Syrian army calls retreat ‘temporary’
The Syrian army confirmed the loss of control over Aleppo, but said it was a “temporary tactical retreat”. According to government forces, the retreat is necessary to regroup and prepare a counterattack.
“This is part of the regrouping before the arrival of reinforcements. Dozens of our soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting,” the Syrian army said in a statement.
Escalation of the war
The capture was one of the biggest developments in the Syrian civil war, which has remained relatively frozen in recent years. The war, which has been going on since 2011, received a new impetus after Russia intervened in the conflict in 2015 on the side of Assad, providing air support to his regime.
Today, the situation in northern Syria indicates a new round of escalation of the conflict, which creates additional challenges for the international community.
