Aleppo Under Siege

Aleppo Under Siege - Anti-
Government Forces Advance

By Aurangzaib
The lightning offensive attack launched on 27 November 2024, against the pro-government Syrian
Arab Army (SAA) forces by a coalition of Syrian government opposition groups called the
Military Operations Command is being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National
Army (SNA), capturing most of Aleppo, the country’s second biggest city, rapidly advancing
southward to Hama Governorate in a matter of days as government forces are retreating from the
area.
This represents the biggest advancement by anti-government forces since the civil war started in
2011. Since 2016, President Bashar al-Assad has held power in Aleppo, the economic center of
Syria. At that time, Assad regained control of the city’s eastern area from the rebels, aided by Iran-
backed troops and Russian airstrikes.
The current battle for Aleppo involves multiple groups under the codenamed “Operation Deterrence
of Aggression,” with HTS taking the lead. HTS is a religious group that was set up in 2011 under
a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, as a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda (BBC) and unfastened its ties
with it, by the group’s leader, Abu Mohamed al-Jawlani – has a long and involved history in the
Syrian conflict. Meanwhile, the allied Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), is also playing a
leading role in the Aleppo attacks. According to analysts, the longevity of the partnership between
HTS and SNA will depend on their differing priorities.

The former head of the British Army's chemical weapons unit, Hamish De Bretton-Gordon, says "To
the surprise of everybody, [the rebels] have taken huge swathes of Aleppo and Idlib province, and
are now heading south to Hama and potentially, although it's a long way off, to Damascus itself."
Charles Lister, an analyst with the US-based Middle East Institute, said the fighting "has the
potential to be quite, consequential and potentially game-changing" if Syrian
government forces prove unable to hold their ground.
Observers suggest that Turkey aims to reshape the battlefront map in Syria to exert pressure on the
Syrian regime.
Since breaking ties with Al Qaeda, unlike IS, its goal has been limited to trying to establish
fundamentalist Islamic rule in Syria rather than a wider caliphate, According to Aaron Y. Zelin a
senior Gloria and Ken Levy fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, HTS’s current
goals are local rather than global.
“They remain extremists, with foreign fighters still in their ranks,” Zelin noted. He added that HTS
supported Hamas during its October 7 attacks on Israel.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas strikes in 2023, provoking an Israeli
counteroffensive in Gaza that has resulted in a year-long war. HTS has roughly 30,000
fighters, most of whom are based in northwestern Syria. Zelin views HTS as a political jihadist
group, as opposed to ISIS or al-Qaeda, which rigorously adhere to intellectual principles and
Ideological doctrine.
“These groups prioritize political goals in their decision-making, but they remain committed to
jihad, as evidenced by their recent actions,” Zelin remarked.
Turkey-Backed Rebels
Another group involved in the Aleppo onslaught is the Syrian National Army (SNA), which
is an umbrella organization for armed factions backed by Turkey. The Syrian National Army
(SNA) was established in 2017 as the military wing of the Turkish-backed interim government in
northwest Syria. The group was instrumental and played a key role in Turkey’s operations against
Kurdish troops in 2018 and 2019.
Many factions within SNA hold hardline religious ideologies. Last year, the U.S. Treasury
The department imposed sanctions on two key SNA factions, the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade and
the Hamza Division, citing serious human rights violations in northern Syria’s Afrin region.
According to Caroline Rose from the Washington-based New Lines Institute, the cooperation
between HTS and SNA is fragile.
In an interview with VOA, Rose explained that Turkey intervened late in the conflict but invested
in fostering a partnership between HTS and SNA to facilitate the Aleppo offensive.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated in a press conference with his Iranian counterpart
that Aleppo’s crisis stems from unresolved longstanding issues rather than foreign interference. He
blamed the Syrian government’s refusal to engage in negotiations for the violent conditions.
As Aleppo’s assault continues, SNA has announced plans to attack the U.S.-backed Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Aleppo, particularly around Tel Rifaat. Turkey labels the
SDF as a terrorist organization.
Rose believes that differing priorities will determine whether the HTS-SNA partnership endures.
While SNA is focused on pushing back SDF forces in Tel Rifaat, HTS aims to establish its
governance over strategically significant Aleppo.
“Turkey will try to exploit this situation to its advantage, reshaping the frontlines in a way that
increases pressure on Assad’s regime,” Rose said. Meanwhile, the U.S., Iran, and other players are
also advancing their own interests in Syria.
Several other independent groups are also involved in the Aleppo offensive. These include Ahrar
al-Sham, an Islamist coalition formed during the early years of Syria’s civil war, and the Nour alDin Zengi
Movement, an Islamist group established in Aleppo in 2014 with close ties to HTS.
The writer is a scholar from National Defense University Islamabad. He can be reached at
aurangzaibkhetran82@gmail.com

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Aleppo Under Siege - Anti-

Government Forces Advance

HTS and SNA will depend on their differing priorities.

potential to be quite, consequential and potentially game-changing" if Syrian

government forces prove unable to hold their ground.

goals are local rather than global.

supported Hamas during its October 7 attacks on Israel.

jihad, as evidenced by their recent actions,” Zelin remarked.

Kurdish troops in 2018 and 2019.

between HTS and SNA is fragile.

SDF as a terrorist organization.

governance over strategically significant Aleppo.

also advancing their own interests in Syria.

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