Russian jets strike Syria after rebels seize Aleppo in shock offensive

Published

6 months ago

December 2, 2024

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Syrian and Russian jets have launched air strikes on Syrian rebels who are advancing through the country after seizing its second-largest city.

The rebels, led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, took over most of Aleppo in a shock offensive on Saturday. They claim to have also entered the city of Hama.

Air strikes that hit the entrance of Aleppo University Hospital killed 12 civilians and injured 23 others, said the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets.

The Syrian army and Russia denied attacking civilians and said they had targeted insurgent hideouts.

Images from the city of Idlib also showed the aftermath of a strike with a vehicle on fire and debris covering the street.

A White Helmets volunteer told Sky News: “War planes are everywhere, targeting everything.

“The situation is complex but the only thing which is true is that the civilians [have] paid the price from 2011 up until now. And now, a new episode is happening.”

The Syrian regime has also deployed military personnel with rocket launchers, its defence ministry said on Facebook.

Russia has long been a key ally for Syria’s President Bashar al Assad and helped him regain control in 2016 following an uprising that began in 2011.

The air strikes come after Mr Assad said in his first public comments that his country would “defend its stability and territorial integrity” and defeat the “terrorists and their supporters”.

On Saturday, thousands of insurgents – many of whom had previously been forced into retreat in Idlib Governate – took over most of Aleppo and faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists.

They also seized towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled in 2016.

The swift offensive is a huge embarrassment for Mr Assad and raises questions about his forces’ preparedness.

The insurgents, including Turkey-backed fighters, began the attacks on Wednesday and entered Aleppo two days later.

At least 327 people, including 44 civilians, have been killed since, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Thousands have also reportedly been displaced.

Russian war bloggers claimed on Sunday that the general in charge in Syria, Sergei Kisel, had been sacked and replaced.

However, the move has not yet been officially confirmed.

Russia’s defence ministry first said its air force had carried out strikes on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.

The state-run Russian Centre for the Reconciliation of the Enemy Parties in Syria said attacks had targeted “militant concentrations, command posts, depots, and artillery positions” in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.

It claimed about 300 rebel fighters had been killed.

The strikes follow the boldest rebel assault for years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.

The long-simmering war, which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, has ground on for more than a decade with no formal end in sight.

Syria’s civil war: a timeline

Syria has experienced more than 13 years of civil war. Here are some of the key events since the conflict began.

2011: Anti-regime sentiment spreads across Syria after protesters are shot dead by government forces. Conflict breaks out between rebels and pro-Assad troops.

2012: Government forces relentlessly bombard rebel territory, particularly the besieged city of Homs.

2013: The Islamic State (IS) is founded and begins to grow in strength and territory. A chemical weapon attack in Ghouta, Damascus, killed hundreds. The UN found that sarin gas was used, but did not assign blame to the Assad regime or the rebels.

2014: IS declares a “caliphate” covering much of Syria and continues to fight both the Assad regime and the rebels. Foreign countries begin bombing IS strongholds.

2015: IS fighters seized the historic city of Palmyra, destroying monuments across the city, a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Russia, launches its first airstrikes in Syria. Moscow said they were targeting IS, but the West accused them of also attacking rebels to support Damascus. This proved to be a turning point in the conflict.

2016: Syrian troops, backed by Iran and Russia, recapture Aleppo – a significant blow to the rebels.

2017: IS is driven from Raqqa, the capital of the “caliphate” by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces – widely seen as a symbol of the terror group’s decline.

2018: At least 70 people died and hundreds were injured in an alleged chemical attack on Douma, eastern Ghouta. The US state department called it “one of the worst chemical attacks in Syrian history”. The US, UK and France launched airstrikes against Assad targets in response.

2019: Turkey launches an offensive into northeastern Syria.

2021: Daraa in southern Syria sees intense fighting after the region boycotted the presidential election. A ceasefire is agreed in September.

2022: IS militants attack a prison in northeast Syria during which 500 people are killed and some fighters escape.

2023: A devastating earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria, killing tens of thousands of people.

As well as Russia, Mr Assad’s allies include Iran whose foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, was in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday.

According to state media, he described the situation as “difficult” but said the Syrian government would prevail.

Arab leaders including Jordan’s king and the president of the UAE have also expressed solidarity with the Syrian government in calls with Mr Assad.

Meanwhile, the White House said it was “closely monitoring the situation” but “has nothing to do with this offensive”.

A statement added: “The United States, together with its partners and allies, urge de-escalation, protection of civilians and minority groups, and a serious and credible political process that can end this civil war once and for all with a political settlement consistent with UNSCR 2254.”

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 was unanimously adopted in December 2015 – calling for a ceasefire and political settlement in Syria. However, no real progress has been made to implement the resolution.

The US maintains a presence in parts of eastern Syria, as part of coalition efforts to restrict the operations of Islamic State (ISIS) militants.

World

Nicusor Dan beats hard-right favourite George Simion in surprise win in Romanian election

Published

5 hours ago

May 18, 2025

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Nicusor Dan beats hard-right favourite George Simion in surprise win in Romanian election

Pro-Western candidate Nicusor Dan has unexpectedly beaten hard-right populist George Simion in the Romanian presidential election.

Mr Simion, 38, and his rival – a centrist who’s mayor of Bucharest – faced off in the second round of the contest.

According to the official tally, Mr Dan was leading by nearly nine percentage points with more than 98% of the votes counted.

After exit polls suggested he wasn’t going to win, Trump-supporting Mr Simion rejected the result and said estimates put him 400,000 votes ahead.

Speaking after voting ended, Mr Simion said his election was “clear” as he posted on Facebook: “I won!!! I am the new President of Romania and I am giving back the power to the Romanians!”

Romania’s last election was annulled after its highest court ruled the leading candidate, nationalist Calin Georgescu, should be disqualified due to claims of electoral interference by Russia.

The result is surprising because in the first round, 38-year-old Mr Simion, founder of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), took 40.96% of the vote – almost 20 points ahead.

An opinion poll on Friday had it much closer, but still suggested the two men were virtually tied.

Mr Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, is running as an independent and has pledged to clamp down on corruption.

He is also staunchly pro-EU and NATO, and has said Romania’s support for Ukraine is vital for its own security.

When voting closed at 9pm local time, 11.6 million people – about 64% of eligible voters – had cast ballots. About 1.64 million Romanians living abroad also took part.

The election is being closely watched across Europe amid a rise of support for President Donald Trump.

After polls closed, Mr Dan said “elections are not about politicians” but about communities and that in the latest vote “a community of Romanians has won, a community that wants a profound change in Romania”.

“When Romania goes through difficult times, let us remember the strength of this Romanian society,” he said.

“There is also a community that lost today’s elections. A community that is rightly outraged by the way politics has been conducted in Romania up to now.”

World

Israel to allow ‘basic quantity of food’ into Gaza to avoid ‘starvation crisis’

Published

6 hours ago

May 18, 2025

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Israel to allow 'basic quantity of food' into Gaza to avoid 'starvation crisis'

Israel has said it will allow a “basic quantity of food” into the besieged enclave of Gaza to avoid a “starvation crisis” following a near three-month blockade.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was “based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas”.

Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 people have died in Israel’s 19-month campaign, has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.

It comes as global food security experts warn of famine across the territory and after a UN-backed report issued last Monday which warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.

The statement from the prime minister’s office said it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.

“Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to defeat Hamas,” it added.

“Israel will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”

It comes after a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News the enclave is now “a slaughterhouse” amid Israeli bombardment.

Israel has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed troops had begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.

In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.

Israel has launched an escalation to increase pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.

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British surgeon working in Gaza says it is now ‘a slaughterhouse’ amid Israeli bombardment

Published

13 hours ago

May 18, 2025

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British surgeon working in Gaza says it is now 'a slaughterhouse' amid Israeli bombardment

A British surgeon working in southern Gaza has compared the region to a “slaughterhouse” because of the daily bombardment from Israeli forces.

Dr Tom Potokar, who is based at the European Hospital near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, offered his assessment of Israel’s military offensive after Palestinian health officials reported at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have confirmed their troops have begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.

In a video, Dr Potokar said it was “another day of devastation here in Gaza”, adding: “The stories coming from the north… absolutely horrific… particularly around the Indonesian Hospital.”

“I mean, it’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here… [with the] constant sound of bombardment jets overhead.

“If Cambodia was the killing fields, then Gaza now is the slaughterhouse.”

His reference to Cambodia’s killing fields refers to when more than a million people were murdered in mass executions and buried by the extreme communist guerrilla group, the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, between 1975 and 1979.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.

Dr Potokar described the impact on those on the ground, saying: “We’ve been operating all morning so far and [treating] awful explosive injuries… [including] one young woman with leg fracture and shoulder fracture and a large wound on her buttock, who came in yesterday and is not yet aware that everyone in our family was killed in the onslaught.”

Israel has launched an escalation of its war in Gaza to ramp up pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.

On Sunday, it announced and launched “extensive” new ground operations in Gaza.

It came after airstrikes killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said, and forced northern Gaza’s main hospital to close.

A spokesperson for the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said: “Complete families were wiped off the civil registration record by Israeli bombardment”.

The ministry also said the bombardment had forced the closure of the Indonesian Hospital, the main hospital serving people in northern Gaza.

Nasser hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis, said more than 48 people – mostly women and children – were killed in the area which includes tents sheltering displaced people.

In Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, at least 12 people were killed in three separate strikes, according to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and the Nuseirat camp’s Awda Hospital.

Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry and the Palestinian Civil Defence – which operates under the Hamas-run government – reported that 19 people were killed in several strikes in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes.

Read more from Sky News:
How Israel has escalated Gaza bombing campaign

Ceasefire talks are taking place in Qatar this weekend – with Israel saying they involve discussions on ending the war as well as a truce and hostage deal.

A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any lasting truce must include the demilitarisation of Gaza as well as the exile of Hamas militants.

But a senior Israeli official added there had been little progress so far during talks in Qatar’s capital Doha.

Sky News Arabia reported Hamas had proposed freeing about half its Israeli hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

A Palestinian official close to the discussions said: “Hamas is flexible about the number of hostages it can free, but the problem has always been over Israel’s commitment to end the war.”