Syrian and Russian airstrikes hit areas in northern Syria as Iran’s top diplomat travelled to Damascus in a show of support for President Bashar al-Assad after Islamist militants launched a surprise offensive and seized control of Aleppo.
As Assad’s supporters try to fend off the most serious challenge to their authority in years, state media in Damascus circulated images of airstrikes on opposition-held areas, claiming they targeted enemy command centres and positions. The Syrian military said it struck near a stadium in Aleppo as part of a joint operation with Russia.
Support from Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Iran that the purpose of his visit was to demonstrate the strength of Tehran’s support for Assad and his rule. Araghchi met Assad for talks in Damascus on Sunday night, and the Syrian president was pictured smiling next to the Iranian diplomat.
Assad told Araghchi that fighting the sudden insurgency “serves not only the interests of Syria but also the stability of the entire region,” the Syrian president said in a statement. Araghchi later said Assad remained in “excellent spirits” despite the difficult circumstances, Tehran-based ISNA news agency reported. The rebels believe they are on the rise “but they will be dealt with,” he said.
Araghchi is expected in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday as Damascus’ allies and opponents try to adjust to Assad’s sudden losses in northern Syria. Araghchi said, according to the official IRNA news agency:
“We firmly support the Syrian army and government.”
Syria’s defence ministry said it had reinforced defensive lines and sent heavy weapons into the northern countryside of Hama province to repel a militant offensive, after earlier promising a counterattack “to recapture all regions,” while rebel forces described fierce fighting in an area north of the city of Hama.
Turkey’s position
Officials in Ankara, which backs some militant groups, recently suggested normalising relations with Damascus after regional leaders who once shunned Assad began welcoming him back into their ranks.
US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said on Saturday night that Washington was “closely monitoring the situation in Syria” and “has been in contact with regional capitals over the past 48 hours.”
The militant offensive in Syria risks drawing Turkey into conflict with Russia. Turkish officials said a limited offensive by “rebel forces” had been planned in recent weeks to halt attacks by government forces, but expanded when they began retreating.
Media reported on November 30 that Turkey, which supports the rebels, gave the green light for the offensive. However, Oncu Keceli, a spokesman for the republic’s foreign ministry, said Ankara was keen to avoid an unwanted escalation of tensions in the region.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), commented on the news on X:
“The seizure of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, by the Islamist heirs of al-Qaeda is a catastrophe for world peace. Let us recall the Bataclan terrorist attacks and the martyrdom of the Christians of the East. Will France and the West, in their obsessive rejection of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, allow new terrorism on their soil tomorrow? Enough of this incompetent foreign and defence policy!”
Russian air support
Russian troops continue to strike militant clusters in Syria. Numerous footage of militant columns being hit appears on social media.
