Fighters fire toward Syrian loyalist army troops on the outskirts of Aleppo on Nov. 29, 2024, as jihadist and opposition groups continue their offensive in Aleppo province against government forces. (Credit: Bakr Alkasem/AFP)
Since Wednesday, Nov. 27, attention has been fixed on northwest Syria, where a large-scale offensive led by the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and opposition factions against the Assad regime continues. While rebel forces have made significant gains — including entering Aleppo on Friday, a city fully retaken by Damascus and its Russian and Iranian allies in 2016 after a brutal crackdown — many questions remain unanswered. Among them is the role of Ankara, a patron of opposition groups, some of whose members are reportedly involved in the military operation.A disruption of the status quo in the NorthwestOfficially, Turkey has sought to distance itself from the ongoing events. According to a senior Turkish security source cited by Middle East Eye (MEE), Turkey attempted to prevent the offensive to avoid further escalation in a...
Since Wednesday, Nov. 27, attention has been fixed on northwest Syria, where a large-scale offensive led by the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and opposition factions against the Assad regime continues. While rebel forces have made significant gains — including entering Aleppo on Friday, a city fully retaken by Damascus and its Russian and Iranian allies in 2016 after a brutal crackdown — many questions remain unanswered. Among them is the role of Ankara, a patron of opposition groups, some of whose members are reportedly involved in the military operation.A disruption of the status quo in the NorthwestOfficially, Turkey has sought to distance itself from the ongoing events. According to a senior Turkish security source cited by Middle East Eye (MEE), Turkey attempted to prevent the offensive to avoid further escalation...