In a joint statement, the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom called on Sunday for “de-escalation» in Syria, adding that the “escalation” of the conflict underlines “the urgent need» of a “political solution».
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sought support from his allies on Sunday after losing control of Aleppo, Syria's second city, during a rebel offensive that left more than 410 dead, according to an NGO. It is the first time since the start of the war in Syria in 2011 that the government, an ally of Iran and Russia, has completely lost control of this northern city, a stinging setback inflicted by a coalition of rebel groups dominated by Islamists.
Receiving in Damascus the head of Iran's diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, Mr. Assad stressed “the importance of support from allies and friends to confront attacks by foreign-backed terrorists and thwart their plans“. He earlier threatened to resort to “strength to break terrorists».
Russia said its air forces were helping the Syrian army “push back» rebels in the provinces of Idlib (northwest), Hama (center) and Aleppo (north), while Iran reiterated its support “farm» to the Assad regime.
Fear of a resumption of large-scale hostilities
After Damascus, Mr. Araghchi arrived in Ankara on Sunday evening where he is due to meet his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Monday before a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to officials.
In 2015 and with crucial military support from Russia and Iran, the Assad regime launched a counter-offensive which allowed it to gradually regain control of a large part of the country and in 2016 of the entire the city of Aleppo, the economic heart of pre-war Syria.
The violence, the first of this magnitude since 2020, raises fears of a resumption of large-scale hostilities in a country divided into several zones of influence, where the belligerents are supported by different regional and international powers.
On Wednesday, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied rebel factions, some backed by Turkey, launched an offensive against government forces, capturing dozens of towns in the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and of Hama, further south, and seizing most of the city of Aleppo on Saturday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
Russian strikes on Aleppo
HTS, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, and the rebels, “control the city of Aleppo, with the exception of neighborhoods in the hands of Kurdish forces. For the first time since 2011, Aleppo is out of regime control“, said Rami Abdel Rahmane, head of the OSDH. According to this NGO which relies on a vast network of sources in Syria, at least 412 people have been killed since Wednesday: 214 rebels, 137 members of the pro-government forces and 61 civilians.
«Unless he launches a counter-offensive soon or Russia and Iran send a lot more support, I don't think the government will be able to retake the city“, Aron Lund, of the Century International think tank, told AFP. The army confirmed on Saturday the presence of anti-government fighters in “large parts» of the city. And on Sunday, Russian and Syrian planes carried out strikes in Aleppo, killing 12 people, while Russian planes also bombed the city of Idlib, killing eight people, according to the OSDH.
According to the official Syrian agency Sana, Russian and Syrian planes targeted “a gathering of commanders of terrorist organizations” in the province of Aleppo, killing “dozens of people“, and destroyed a convoy of vehicles carrying weapons in eastern Idlib province. Rome indicated that “The Terra Sancta Franciscan College in Aleppo was hit by a Russian attack which caused serious damage».
The United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom called on Sunday for “de-escalation» in Syria, adding that the “escalation” of the conflict underlines “the urgent need» of a “political solution».
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