Syrian insurgents who broke the siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Saturday in a significant territorial gain came under intense air attack from pro-government forces on Sunday trying to repel the advance which also cut government-held Aleppo’s main supply route.
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The rebel offensive has been led by Jabhat Fateh al Sham, a radical Islamist group that up until two weeks ago was known as the al Nusra Front.
“We will not rest until we raise the flag of the conquest over Aleppo’s citadel”, the coalition was quoted as saying.
Syrian rebels and their supporters celebrated with gunfire, auto horns and chants as they marched and danced through the streets of eastern Aleppo on Saturday night after opposition units broke through government lines, ending a three-week siege.
The breakthrough was met with euphoric scenes among civilians and opposition fighters in eastern districts, but sparked fear of food shortages among residents of regime-controlled western areas.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the fighting, said rebels on Friday took control of the Weaponry College and part of the Artillery College.
The battle for Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and former commercial heart, is pivotal for the Syrian civil war. The militants have carried out a counter attack in this area using two explosives-laden cars, but the Syrian forces have repelled the attack destroying three tanks and three infantry fighting vehicles.
“This is the biggest military and symbolic loss sustained by the regime, the Russians, the Iranians and Lebanon’s Hezbollah since the start of 2013”, the Observatory said, adding that heavy air strikes, thought to be from Russian planes, hit Aleppo on Saturday.
A broad coalition of rebel groups posted videos Sunday of fighters roaming the Ramouseh district, where the siege was breached following overnight clashes. Syrian State news agency SANA denied the siege was broken and said the government had declared that operations were still ongoing in the area.
The UK-based watchdog group said grocery prices in western Aleppo have increased fourfold since the rebels captured parts of al-Ramuseh just the day before. The government and major ally Russian Federation had offered safe corridors for residents to leave rebel-held areas, an offer met with skepticism from the locals who viewed it as an attempt to depopulate the area.
On the other hand, opposition fighters seemed to be more optimistic in their certainty to win this battle as the official source in the Syrian free army announced that the rebels have crossed 90% of their plan to liberalize eastern areas in Aleppo and more than halfway through crossing the road to liberalize Aleppo.
Rebel gains this weekend could change the balance of power in Aleppo, after Assad said a siege by government and allied forces on rebel-held east Aleppo in early July was a prelude to re-taking the city.
Since the opposition alliance launched its offensive on southern Aleppo on 31 July at least 130 civilians and hundreds of fighters from both sides have been killed, said the Observatory.
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The Fateh al-Sham Front posted photos apparently showing artillery, trucks, armored vehicles, and other weapons in wooden crates.
