Jerusalem – A radical Islamist group launched its biggest military intervention against Syrian government forces since 2020 in the northwest of the war-torn Syrian Arab Republic, shooting down Russian and Syrian warplanes on Thursday in response to a rebel attack. Mobilized to bombard.
Rebels led by the US-designated Islamist terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stormed a dozen towns and villages in northwestern Aleppo province, which is controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The Islamist operation in Syria began on the same day that Assad’s ally, the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, signed a cease-fire agreement with Israel to end the 14-month-old war.
The fight Revealed in the evening Against the Turkish-backed Islamist terrorist movement – Assad’s regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran – involves a motley crew of US-classified state sponsors of terrorism. Vladimir Putin’s Russian government has faced Allegations of war crimes During the invasion of Ukraine.
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Former U.S. defense intelligence officer Rebecca Koffler, a Putin expert, told Fox News Digital, “It’s Putin’s classic playbook, what’s happening in Syria on Thanksgiving Day. He’s doing what In response, Biden is allowing what is called lateral escalation. [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] To use Zelensky American ATACM to conduct deep attacks in Russia, and Zelensky took Biden up on his offer. Russia and the US are on opposite sides of the war in Syria. So Putin is ramping up support for Assad, which is against US policy, signaling to Biden that he will fight US interests in multiple geographies.”
Anti-government groups have taken control of some villages in the western countryside after clashes between the Bashar al-Assad government and the armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) continued in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday. (Kasim Rama/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Koffler added, “Putin is signaling pressure on Biden to withdraw permission from Zelensky to use ATACM against Russia. The doctrine is ‘escalate to de-escalate.'” With the recent strike by Hypersonic Missile Orshank On Ukraine, Putin climbed several rungs on the ladder of progress. With the Russian air force joining the Syrian air bombardment of rebel-held northwest Syria, they too have moved to embolden the US, unbalance Biden and gain greater negotiating leverage for themselves on Ukraine. has been Period I wouldn’t be surprised if Assad attacks rebel-held areas again with chemical weapons.
Alex Grunberg, an Israeli expert on Russia, told Fox News Digital that the rest of Assad’s army could not fight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham without Russian air power.
“That’s what the Russians usually do” in Syria, he said.
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Iran’s government-controlled state media said Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Qumours Pourhashimi was killed in an attack in Aleppo. Pourhashmi was the IRGC’s senior military adviser in Syria.
Anti-government groups took control of some villages in the western countryside after clashes between the Bashar al-Assad government and the armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) continued in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday. (Kasim Rama/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Islamist rebels say the operation was carried out in response to attacks by Russian and Syrian air forces against civilians in areas of southern Idlib in recent weeks and to prevent any further attacks by the Syrian army, which He said that they are building troops near the front. Lines with the rebels
Assad’s war on his own population, which began with Syrians demanding democracy in 2011, has left more than 500,000 dead.
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During the Syrian war, Iran has sent thousands of fighters to Syria. Although they include members of the Guards, who are officially serving as advisers, most are Shiite militias from across the region.
Turkish security sources said on Thursday that the rebels had initially launched a limited operation after attacks by Syrian government forces. , and expanded the operation after government forces withdrew from their positions.
Reuters contributed to this report.