Yesterday the city of Aleppo fell almost completely under the control of jihadist militias and pro-Turkish rebels, protagonists of a rapid offensive launched last Wednesday. In less than three days, fighters occupied over seventy locations, forcing government forces loyal to the president to flee Bashar al-Assad. As we write, these militias are making notable progress, so much so that they have conquered the city of Suran and tonight they entered the city of Hama where Assad’s forces, the Russian and Iranian ones, retreated towards the province of Homs, in Syria. This morning, Russia intensified air strikes against jihadists and the forces of the armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the areas of Syria where these factions are advancing. According to what was reported by activists of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Russian attacks hit cities and villages recently conquered by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies in the provinces of Idlib, in the north-west, and Hama, in the central region of the country. Furthermore, regular troops are withdrawing without putting up significant resistance even though the Syrian regime has denied this. The provisional toll of the fighting is dramatic: more than 300 dead, mostly rebels but there are also around thirty civilians, including women and children. For their part, the government forces describe the withdrawal as a “tactical maneuver aimed at preparing a counter-offensive to reconquer the lost territory”. However, the situation on the ground remains critical: thousands of civilians (about fifty thousand) are abandoning Aleppo in search of security, while the United Nations began the evacuation of personnel present in the city. The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he stated from Moscow, where he has been since the beginning of the crisis, that his country is capable of “defeating the terrorists” after the offensive launched by the rebels in north-west Syria. «Syria continues to defend its stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their supporters, and is capable, with the help of its allies and friends, to defeat and eliminate them, regardless of the intensity of their attacks », Assad said during a phone call with his Emirati counterpart.
The Lebanese announce the death of Abu Muhammad al-Jolani
As we write, we learn from the Lebanese government in a post published on X that the Saudi Abu Muhammad al-Jolanthe, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Golani And Muhammad al-Jolani, real name Ahmed al-Sharaa head of HTS, a group of Sunni jihadists who attacked in Syria, was reportedly killed in a Russian air raid in Idlib (Syria). However, the death of the HTS leader is not yet confirmed but if it were, it would be a very hard blow for the jihadist group because the astute al-Jolani is the political and military leader of the group since its formation who has made efforts to convince the Western observers that his organization poses no threat to the West. On May 16, 2013, the United States Department of State designated al-Jolani as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224” and offered a ten million dollar reward for his capture.
Israel’s fears
Also yesterday evening, a meeting dedicated to the Syrian crisis was held in Tel Aviv. During the meeting, Israeli intelligence officials briefed the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “Iranian infrastructure in Syria has been severely damaged and many of it has been captured by the rebels.” According to the same sources, Hezbollah’s attention could now shift to Syria to support the Assad regime. Israeli intelligence analysts also underlined that this scenario could favor compliance with the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. During the meeting it was explained to the prime minister that “the collapse of the Assad regime would create chaos, with potential military threats to Israel.”
For Antonio Tajani there is a risk of migratory collapse
«We are following minute by minute the fighting taking place in central Syria between regular troops and rebels supported by Türkiye. We are following the situation of our compatriots. It is difficult to go from the north to the south of the country. With our ambassador we are seeing how we can help the 120 Italians present in Aleppo. A small group is moving towards Damascus, while the others who are members of Italian-Syrian families or are religious have decided to stay. The rebels have made it known that there is no danger for non-combatants, in particular for Italian citizens. We are moderately optimistic that things can go, as far as our fellow citizens are concerned, in the best direction. The problem, however, is that there is a risk of a migratory collapse.” Said Foreign Minister and Vice-President of the Council Antonio Tajani, on the sidelines of the National Assembly of We Moderates in Rome. «If the civil war continues we risk seeing a repeat of what happened a few years ago, when millions of Syrians moved from the country. A situation that needs to be kept under control, especially on the migratory side”, added the head of the Farnesina.
Exchange of accusations between Iran and the USA
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchiquoted by the IRNA agency, declared: «Iran will strongly support the Syrian government and army against terrorist groups». Then Araghchi announced that today he would visit Damascus to “bring the message” of the Islamic Republic’s support for its ally Bashar Al Assad. “It is obvious that the United States and the Israeli regime are in cahoots with terrorist groups in Syria,” as the Zionist regime, after the recent failure of its objectives, seeks to achieve its goals by creating insecurity in the region through these terrorists “, he said. Sean Savettspokesperson for the National Security Council of the United States in a statement released by the White House during the night states: «We are carefully monitoring the situation in Syria and have been in contact in the last 48 hours with the capitals of the region: the continued refusal of the regime of Assad to engage in the political process outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and his dependence on Russia and Iran have created the conditions that are occurring now, including the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwestern Syria ». Then the spokesperson added: “At the same time, the United States has nothing to do with this offensive, led by HTS, a designated terrorist organization.”
