Four civilians, including two students, were killed on Friday in shelling by “terrorist groups” on the Syrian city of Aleppo’s University City, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
Rebels led by militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Wednesday began an incursion into a dozen towns and villages in northwest Aleppo province, which is controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The attack was the biggest since March 2020 when Russia, which backs al-Assad, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, agreed to a ceasefire that ended years of fighting that uprooted millions of Syrians opposed to al-Assad’s rule.
The army said it was cooperating with Russia and unnamed “friendly forces” to regain ground and restore the situation to what it was.
Rebels advanced almost 10 km (6 miles) from the outskirts of Aleppo city and a few kilometers away from Nubl and Zahra, two Shia towns where Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah has a strong militia presence, an army source said.
The rebels say over 80 people, mostly civilians, have been killed this year in drone strikes on rebel-held villages.
Damascus says it is waging a war against al Qaeda-inspired militants and denies targeting civilians indiscriminately.
Agencies
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