Armenian humanitarian team withdrawn from Aleppo as hostilities intensify

The Armenian Ministry of Defence has made the decision to temporarily halt the operations of its humanitarian demining specialists in Aleppo and evacuate them from the region.

According to a statement from the Ministry's press service, the entire team of Armenian humanitarian deminers and medical personnel was flown back to Armenia on a military transport plane late on the evening of November 29, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

The Ministry explained that "In recent days, the operational situation has sharply worsened in several areas of the Syrian Arab Republic, and active hostilities have begun, making it impossible for the group of Armenian humanitarian deminers and medical workers — who have been operating in the Aleppo region since 2019 — to continue their mission."

Clashes broke out in Aleppo on November 29 as rebels launched an attack on Syria's second-largest city, engaging in combat with government forces on the western outskirts, according to Syrian military observers.

This marks the first attack on Aleppo by opposition forces since 2016 when they were driven out of the city's eastern districts after a prolonged military campaign, during which Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, regained control.

The battle for Aleppo in 2016 was a pivotal moment in the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime and escalated into full-scale conflict. In that year, Russian, Iranian, and allied forces helped Syrian government troops reclaim Aleppo after weeks of intense fighting and a long siege.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict, reported that rebels detonated two car bombs on Aleppo’s western outskirts. The monitor also noted that rebels seized control of Saraqeb, a town south of Aleppo strategically located at the crossroads of major highways connecting Aleppo to Damascus and the coast. On November 28, Syrian government forces blocked traffic on this key highway.

By Tamilla Hasanova