Media: Rebels seize over half of Aleppo, Syrian army retreats

Syrian rebels have captured more than half of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.

This information comes from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), per Caliber.Az.

According to available reports, the Syrian army has been ordered to withdraw from the districts captured by the rebels, with access routes to and from the city blocked.

The current rebel offensive against the Syrian government, which began on November 27, is the largest in recent years. This is the first time rebels, who have been fighting forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have returned to Aleppo since they were expelled by the Syrian army in 2016.

The rebels, according to their statements, have reached the Aleppo Citadel and captured a military research centre on the city's outskirts following intense clashes with regime forces and Iranian-backed militias.

The governor of Aleppo, along with police and security officials, have evacuated the city centre, and regime forces and reinforcements have retreated to the As-Safira region.

Yesterday, a Russian fighter jet launched an airstrike with three missiles on a military headquarters housing a group of "Unified Forces" fighters on the outskirts of the town of Mare' in northern Aleppo, killing four fighters and destroying several military vehicles and the headquarters.

The Syrian rescue organization "White Helmets" reported that on November 29, "Russian-Syrian coalition aircraft" attacked "residential areas, a gas station, and a school in the city of Idlib," resulting in several casualties.

The death toll of civilians and combatants killed in Idlib and the rural areas of Aleppo during the "Contain Aggression" operation, which began early on November 27, has risen to 301 people.

By Tamilla Hasanova