Battles in northern Syria, where armed groups are launching a large-scale attack against regime forces, have resulted in the deaths of at least 242 people since Wednesday, according to what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.
The Observatory previously reported that about 200 people were killed, most of them militants.
These battles are considered the “most violent” in the region in years, according to the Observatory, and are taking place in areas approximately 10 kilometers from the outskirts of Aleppo, the largest city in northern Syria.
On Friday, fighters of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and its allied factions arrived on the outskirts of Aleppo.
The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP that “the fighting has now reached the city of Saraqeb,” which is under regime control, adding that if the militants were able to control it, this could erase the regime’s gains in the region for five years.
He explained that the militants “have now taken control of about 50 towns and villages” in the Idlib and Aleppo governorates, pointing out that “it is strange to see regime forces receiving such strong strikes despite Russian air cover and early indications that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham will launch this operation.”
The militants bombed Aleppo for the first time in four years and targeted the university city there, killing four civilians, according to the official SANA agency.
The attack, which was described as the most violent in years, exacerbated the conflict in the region. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham is considered one of the most powerful armed militias in northwestern Syria.
The London-based Observatory said in a press statement on Friday that “the fighting has so far resulted in the killing of 114 members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and 21 factions of the National Army.”
In addition to 83 dead, “62 members of the regime forces, 6 armed men from pro-Iranian militias of Syrian nationality, and 15 dead of different nationalities, including an Iranian advisor.”
20 civilians were also killed since the start of the operation: a child by ground bombing, and 19 by Russian air strikes, including 4 children and 3 women.
The militants also cut off a main road linking the Syrian capital to Aleppo, according to the Observatory.
The Observatory indicated that the militants were advancing towards the city of Aleppo, the capital of the province of the same name.
Earlier Thursday, Syrian regime forces said they were continuing to fight against militants in the northwest.
In a statement published by SANA, regime forces said that opposition groups “launched a major attack on military sites in several villages and towns” in flagrant violation of the de-escalation agreement.
She added, “Our armed forces responded to the attack (…) which is still ongoing, and the attacking organizations (…) suffered heavy losses in equipment and lives, and our forces are confronting the organizations (…) with various means of fire and in cooperation with friendly forces.”
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