Syria’s president asserts his forces and their allies can repel the jihadist offensive.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has pledged to defeat the jihadists currently attacking northern Syria, regardless of the intensity of their attacks. This declaration followed the Syrian Army’s preparations to defend Hama.
In a phone conversation with Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Saturday, Assad emphasized Syria’s ongoing defense of its stability and territorial integrity against all terrorists, according to a statement released by his office.
Assad added that Syria, with its allies, possesses the capability to defeat and eliminate these terrorists, irrespective of the scale of their attacks, the statement said.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, and allied groups launched an assault on Wednesday on Syrian government-held territory in the north, violating a 2020 Russia-Turkey truce. By Friday, HTS fighters had entered Aleppo, which had been under Syrian government control since 2016.
On Saturday, the Syrian General Command stated that the attack involved thousands of foreign terrorists, heavy weaponry, and numerous drones, resulting in the deaths of numerous Syrian Army personnel defending Aleppo.
The Syrian General Command reported that government forces prevented the complete loss of Aleppo and withdrew to prepare a counteroffensive. Social media reports, yet unconfirmed, indicate Syrian forces are arriving in Hama, approximately 80km south of Aleppo, for this counterattack.
Turkish media reported sporadic clashes on Hama’s outskirts as jihadists advance, Iranian military advisors and volunteers have reportedly arrived in Hama to support the Syrian military, according to both pro- and anti-Assad Telegram news channels.
Sheikh Mohammed conveyed the UAE’s support for Syria in combating terrorism and upholding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability, according to Assad’s office.
Iran vowed a strong response to HTS following the group’s attack on its consulate in Aleppo and the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Kiyumars Pourhashemi earlier this week. Russia, maintaining a military presence in Syria since 2015, has been conducting airstrikes against the jihadists, killing at least 600 militants since Thursday, according to Colonel Oleg Ignasyuk, deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria.