families celebrate their return to Aleppo, Syria's second city that fell into the hands of rebels and jihadists

In two days, the rebels entered the country's second city and took control, to the delight of some exiled Syrians. The military operation was launched Thursday by HTS, Hayat Tahrir el Sham, an Islamist group classified as terrorist.

Assad regime soldiers were driven out of Syria's second city, Aleppo, over the weekend of November 30 and December 1, as well as other locations further south, towards Damascus, by a coalition of groups rebels led by Islamists. In these regions, thousands of families are celebrating their return after years of exile, as they told franceinfo.

Moataz sees his city of Aleppo again for the first time in eight years. “I can't realizehe confides. This morning again, going home seemed impossible. And now, I find my neighborhood, my neighbors… It’s incredible! I fled in 2016, because the criminal and corrupt regime of Bashar al-Assad was bombing us. I just went back to see my house. There is nothing left, everything has been destroyed and stolen.”

“This is where I grew up, so I’m going to rebuild everything and hopefully we’ll get back to normal life.”

Moataz, an exiled Syrian, returns to Aleppo

at franceinfo

Since last Thursday, the progress of the coalition of rebel and Islamist groups has been very rapid. In images posted on social networks, we see fighters advancing along the M5, the main road which connects the north of the country to Damascus. They approach Homs, a city that Sarah had to flee in 2017, because of the repression of the Syrian regime. “My heart burns with impatience to be able to return homeshe says. It's my biggest dream because Homs is my land. Where I spent my childhood, where I fell in love for the first time. This is my home.”

In areas now beyond the control of Damascus, residents are staying at home for the moment. They fear a violent response from the regime and its Russian ally. Batool, 24, talks about the current situation in Aleppo. “The stores are open, but they are already almost empty because there is no one to restock them. My grandfather is the only one going out, but he can't go very far because taxis are very expensive NOW”she says.

“There is no more gasoline, no public transport. In short, life has stopped for the moment.”

Batool, a resident of Aleppo

at franceinfo

In a statement released Sunday evening, Bashar al-Assad promised to eradicate those he calls “the terrorists”. The Russian air force, allied with the regime, has started bombing several rebel areas in recent hours, killing dozens of civilians.