Syrian opposition and rebel groups have severed the vital M5 highway connecting Damascus and Aleppo, intensifying clashes that have claimed approximately 200 lives, including civilians killed in Russian airstrikes.
The violence erupted following a surprise offensive by the hardline Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied factions, which launched an attack on government-held areas in northern Aleppo. This marked the fiercest fighting in the region in years, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
As of Thursday, the ongoing battles have resulted in the deaths of 182 individuals, including 102 HTS fighters, 19 from allied factions, and 61 from Syrian regime forces and their allies. Russian airstrikes in the Aleppo countryside on Thursday killed 19 civilians, with another civilian dying from regime shelling a day earlier.
HTS and its allies have taken control of the Damascus-Aleppo highway, effectively cutting off this critical supply route, which had previously been reopened by regime forces. They also seized the junction between the M5 and M4 highways, which connects Damascus and the coastal city of Latakia to Aleppo.
The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 after the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, has led to over 500,000 deaths and millions displaced. Though the intensity of fighting had decreased in recent years, recent developments have brought new levels of violence to the region.
In the wake of the offensive, HTS spokesperson Mohamed Bashir stated that the operation was intended to push back Syrian and Russian forces from the frontlines. Analysts suggest the rebels may be seeking to preempt an anticipated Syrian military campaign in Aleppo, with Turkish-backed factions joining the offensive to signal to both Damascus and Moscow to halt their military efforts in northwest Syria.
This surge in violence comes amidst growing regional tensions, including the ongoing Israeli-Lebanon conflict, where Israel has intensified its strikes on Iranian-backed groups in Syria. A general from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was reportedly killed in Syria during Thursday’s clashes. Experts noted that the Syrian rebels are now in a stronger position to capture villages, as Iranian forces are focused on Lebanon rather than Syria.
The battle has also seen significant airstrike activity, particularly in the Idlib region, where HTS controls large areas. Syrian state media reported that the regime’s military, in cooperation with allied forces, has confronted the rebel attack, claiming to have inflicted heavy losses on the opposition forces. However, the military did not provide details on its own casualties.
Prior to the offensive, the region had been under a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey, although violations were common.