The Cradle reports…
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged to use force to eradicate “terrorism” during a phone call on 1 December with the Acting President of the Republic of Abkhazia, Syrian state media SANA reported.
Assad stated that “terrorism only understands the language of force, and that is the language which we will break it and eliminate it with, whoever its supporters and sponsors are,” SANA reported.
In related comments, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad al-Jalali stated on Sunday that “The Syrian Arab Army, with the support of all government agencies, is now confronting the terrorist aggression and starting a new phase, and we promise to liberate all Syrian territory.”
On Wednesday, a US, Israeli, and Qatari-backed armed group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), invaded the Aleppo countryside, and on Saturday reached Aleppo City, Syria’s second-largest. The UN-designated terror group, previously known as the Nusra Front, launched the attack from Idlib Governorate, which lies west of Aleppo. HTS occupied Idlib in 2015 with help from CIA-supplied TOW anti-tank missiles.\
https://twitter.com/KevorkAlmassian/status/1863250660533158338
The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), which includes many former ISIS members, joined HTS to invade Aleppo from areas the group occupies east of Aleppo along the Turkiye border.
Assad’s statements came as Syrian Arab Army (SAA) units operating in the northern countryside of Hama regrouped to strengthen their defensive lines with soldiers and heavy weapons, a Syrian military source confirmed to SANA.
“Our forces operating in the northern countryside of Hama repelled terrorist organizations, preventing them from achieving any breakthroughs,” the source said.
On Saturday, the SAA withdrew from Aleppo largely without resisting the militants’ invasion.
The source added that the Syrian Army successfully recaptured several towns after expelling HTS militants, including from Qalat al-Madiq and Maardas in Hama Governorate.
Syrian state TV also announced the SAA had killed some 1,000 militants in airstrikes in the past three days.
The Russian air force has also been carrying out strikes targeting the HTS militants and in support of SAA soldiers.
On Saturday, the Syrian General Command acknowledged that HTS had killed dozens of Syrian soldiers and successfully entered the large parts of Aleppo.
The General Command emphasized, however, that the militants had failed to establish fixed positions within the city due to continuous bombardment and that a counteroffensive was being organized.
🇸🇾 #Syria #Hama
Military source:
"Units of our armed forces (SAA) operating in the northern direction last night reinforced their defensive lines with various means of fire, personnel and equipment, and confronted the terrorist organizations and prevented them from achieving… https://t.co/86PjRMR8o3 pic.twitter.com/w2f5jWOBhD— — GEROMAN — time will tell – 👀 — (@GeromanAT) December 1, 2024
Syrian journalist Kevork al-Massian reported Sunday that militants, many of which are from foreign nations, captured the Khanaser route in Aleppo. Massian confirmed that an Armenian-Syrian doctor, Yervant Arslanian, was killed on the road during the assault. As a result, all routes out of Aleppo are currently blocked, leaving evacuations impossible at this time.
Sources in Aleppo speaking with The Cradle stated that the city’s residents stocked up on food Saturday before the shelves of supermarkets became almost empty.
Supplies of bread, eggs, milk, and green cheese quickly ran out before residents returned home in time for the 5 pm curfew, while bakeries have not received additional flour or diesel.
Electricity supplied by the Syrian public network is generally available for long periods in most neighborhoods, likely because all industrial activity in the city has ceased, the sources added.
Continue this analysis at The Cradle
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