The regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad was last night teetering on the brink of collapse after jihadi forces seized control of the country’s second city.
Fighters belonging to a group that has strong links to Al Qaeda stormed into Aleppo yesterday and were last night attempting to capture the strategically important city of Hama.
There were reports of fighting in the Syrian capital Damascus amid swirling rumours of a coup.
In a dramatic move, Assad, who has ruled Syria with an iron fist for 24 years, flew back to Damascus after visiting Moscow in a bid to shore up his faltering regime. He was last night said to be frantically phoning allies in the Middle East for support.
Mark Urban, BBC Newsnight’s former diplomatic editor, said the future of Assad’s regime was ‘in the balance’ amid a ‘possible coup attempt’.
Writing on X last night, Charles Lister, a Syrian expert at the Middle East Institute, a think-tank based in America, said: ‘Assad has just returned to Damascus – where he’s spent hours calling the Middle East governments that normalised their ties with him in 2023 – calling for their support in ‘countering terrorism’. A desperate move.’
The crisis began when thousands of insurgents advanced on Aleppo and captured vast swathes of the surrounding countryside.
Russia, which backs Assad, launched air strikes in response but most of Aleppo, including its airport and medieval citadel, were last night in rebel hands.
Anti-government fighters celebrate in a street in Maaret al-Numan in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on November 30
The regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad (pictured) is now night teetering on the brink of collapse
The scene at Edgware Road tube station after a bomb exploded on the tube in 2005
Rebel forces have been advancing in Aleppo amid reports that they have taken control over most of the city
The rebel fighters belong to Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and UN. HTS was previously known as Jabhat Al Nusra, which was Al Qaeda’s affiliate branch in Syria.
Its leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, who was born in Saudi Arabia, was labelled a ‘specialist designated global terrorist’ by the US in May 2013.
He broke ties with Al Qaeda three years later but he still has a $10 million (£7.9 million) bounty on his head because of his past as a jihadist.
The shock advance has raised fears that swathes of territory could, once again, be controlled by ruthless Islamists. There are also concerns that the attack will prompt a new wave of British extremists to travel to Syria to join the fight.
Anthony Glees, professor emeritus in security studies at Buckingham University, last night warned that HTS’s success in northern Syria could lead to British jihadis travelling to the Middle East to join the jihad – and increases the risk of attacks in the UK.
‘The problem for us is that Syria could become a territory that British fighters, and those from elsewhere, head to,’ he said.
‘The HTS is linked to Al Qaeda. Having such an entity in Syria does increase the risk of attacks in the UK, as we have seen in the past with the so-called Islamic State.
‘You could have people go there and train and come back and launch attacks.
Pictured: A London Underground tube damaged in the 7/7 bombings in 2005
A general view of the destruction following an unidentified airstrike on Aleppo on November 30
An anti-government fighter tears down a portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, after jihadists and their allies entered the northern Syrian city, on November 30
Syrian opposition fighters get on a motorcycle as opposition supporters stand on top of a captured army armoured vehicle in the town of Maarat al-Numan, southwest of Aleppo
The video shows how insurgents manage to yank at the statue by tying it to rope that is attached to a moving truck
The bodies of Syrian army soldiers and allied fighters lie next to an Syrian army vehicle after being allegedly killed in combat by opposition fighters in Aleppo, Syria
‘But also remember, as we have seen in the past, some jihadis can come over using the cover of migrants and cross the Channel. This is a real risk.’
HTS launched its shock offensive from its stronghold of Idlib on Wednesday, capturing a string of towns and villages from government forces during a 40-mile-advance to Aleppo, a city of two million.
In a bid to stem the advance, Russian warplanes hit rebel supply lines on Friday night on the edge of the city, killing 20 fighters, it is claimed.
But the air strikes, the first by Russia in Syria since 2016, were not enough to halt the offensive.
The detonation of two car bombs on the western edge of Aleppo coincided with an assault on the city by HTS and Turkish-backed rebel fighters.
Syrian government soldiers and police officers were seen fleeing the city on Friday and Saturday and were quickly replaced by the insurgents, who swept into the city on motorbikes and trucks mounted with machine guns.
Jubilant fighters were filmed outside the police headquarters and Aleppo citadel in the ancient city centre.
They tore down posters of Assad, setting some of them on fire, and pulled down a statue of his brother Bassel.
Syrian opposition supporters stand atop a captured Syrian army tank in the town of Maarat al-Numan, southwest from Aleppo, Syria
Syrian opposition fighters gather at Saadallah al-Jabiri Square, after rebels opposed to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo, Syria on November 30
Smoke rises from the area following an airstrike on Aleppo, Syria on November 30
Members of the armed group opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime perform Islamic prayer at Aleppo Castle after they seized control of much of Aleppo’s city center in Syria
Schools and government offices were closed yesterday as most people stayed indoors, while roads leading out of the city were jammed as an estimated 20,000 civilians fled.
The rebels announced a 24-hour curfew, starting at 5pm, which they said was for residents’ safety. Government military vehicles were parked near the city’s western entrance, apparently abandoned during the chaotic retreat.
Insurgents have also reportedly seized Saraqeb, south of Aleppo, at the strategic intersection of highways linking to Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that monitors casualties, said about 400 people have been killed in Aleppo since Wednesday, including 40 civilians.
Rami Abdel-Rahman, who heads the observatory, said HTS forces have taken control of the airport in Aleppo, along with most of the rest of the city, except two areas which are under Kurdish control.
The offensive is the latest twist in the Syrian civil war, which started in 2011 and has led to the displacement of around half the country’s population.
Some 6.8 million Syrians fled the country – sparking a refugee crisis in Europe. Russia and Iran helped Syrian government forces reclaim Aleppo in 2016 after a gruelling military campaign.
But in recent years the conflict had been largely dormant. Until last week, Assad’s forces controlled around 70 per cent of the country, while Al Qaeda-linked groups were mainly confined in their last stronghold of Idlib.
Warning signs that the war could reignite have been mounting. In recent months Assad’s regime has been weakened after two of its key allies, Iran and the Hezbollah terror group, were targeted by Israel.
Experts last night said HTS fighters are now poised to take the city of Hama. Meanwhile, Russian forces have reportedly withdrawn from the Al Suqaylabiyah area, north of Hama, to a military base in the coastal city of Latakia.
The dramatic fall of Aleppo comes just days after Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6, warned that after a 37-year career in intelligence he has ‘never seen the world in a more dangerous state’.
The bodies of Syrian army soldiers and allied fighters are collected by opposition fighters in body bags after being allegedly killed earlier in combat by opposition fighters in Aleppo, Syria
Image shows the destruction caused following an airstrike on Aleppo
A Syrian opposition fighter takes a picture of a comrade stepping on a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, early Saturday
The spymaster raised the alarm about the potential for terrorism in the UK and across the continent inspired by the loss of lives in Gaza and Lebanon. ‘We have yet to have a full reckoning with the radicalising impact of the fighting and terrible loss of innocent life in the Middle East after the horrors of October 7,’ he said.
Last night Lord West, a retired admiral and former security minister, said Britain’s intelligence agencies will once again have to closely monitor developments in Syria.
‘This is a situation that is hard to predict,’ he said. ‘What happened in Aleppo is concerning as this group has some strange bedfellows.
‘Now, in the past we launched airstrikes in Syria, but that was against Isis. With this group, we are not there yet, but we will have to watch it very carefully.’
Aymenn Al-Tamimi, a Syria expert, said the capture of Aleppo was a ‘hugely significant’ blow to the Assad regime and its allies.
The regime’s survival depends on whether Iran, Hezbollah and Russia continue to support it, he added.
‘If they continue to support, then the Assad regime may carry on, but if they don’t, he may have to resign and it could be the end of the Assad dynasty,’ he said.
Britain’s intelligence services estimate that about 1,000 British fighters went to Syria after the outbreak of the civil war.
Some of the first wave joined the Nusra Front in late 2012 and 2013, while many others, including ruthless executioner Mohammed Emwazi, dubbed Jihadi John, joined Isis.
Among those who joined the Nusra Front were three brothers from Brighton.
Abdullah Deghayes, 18, and his brother Jaffar, 17,were both killed within months of joining the terror group. The fate of their elder brother Amer is unknown.
HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years, focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action, said Aaron Zelin, an expert in Syrian jihadism. HTS has a foreign fighters’ brigade, which may attract British jihadis.
Al-Jawlani cracked down on some extremist groups in his territory and increasingly portrays himself as a protector of other religions.
HTS has, however, allowed some wanted armed groups to operate on its territory and its fighters shot at US Special Forces at least as recently as 2022, Mr Zelin said.
It comes as Islamic insurgents were filmed toppling a statue of President Bashar al-Assad’s brother after they stormed Aleppo.
In footage posted to X, rebels can be seen tearing down the statue of the man who died in a car crash in 1994.
The video shows how insurgents manage to yank at the statue by tying it to rope that is attached to a moving truck.
Other videos documenting the rebellion have been shared online too.
A general view of the destruction following an airstrike on Aleppo, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says was launched by Russia
An anti-government fighter raises an opposition flag in front of the landmark citadel of Aleppo
Anti-government fighters brandish their guns as they ride a vehicle in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo
One clip shows how men dressed in camouflage uniforms holding weapons pulled down the Syrian flag from a monument in Aleppo.
As the figure topples over and smashes onto the hard floor, rebels can be heard cheering and chanting as they fire gunshots into the air.
Cars driving by join in on the celebration as they honk their horns.
The whereabouts of President Assad are currently unknown and he has so far failed to speak to his people following the shock rebel offensive.
His strange silence since he flew to Moscow to visit his staunch ally, Vladimir Putin, has many of his enemies excited that he might have sought sanctuary there rather than return to Syria.
It would be a meek ending for a dictator who has spilled so much blood trying to wrestle his country from Syrian rebel groups, Kurdish fighters and Islamic fundamentalists like Isis and Al-Qaeda.
He and his Russian patrons – who have naval and air bases on the Syrian coast – all but levelled Aleppo in 2017. And now Sukhoi jets are terrorising the people of that city yet again, as Russia will not baulk at high civilian casualties to protect its assets.
But it prizes stability, and Assad represents that, so if the president has thrown in the towel it would not be at Moscow’s behest.
More likely, Assad is planning a counter-attack. He has been on the back foot before and has weathered many a crisis, so will feel confident that this insurrection can be crushed as those before have.
Rumours of his demise, no doubt promoted by his enemies, will be demoralising to the Syrian regime, but he has always managed to pull himself back from the brink.
Another option would be for Assad to consolidate his powerbase on the north-west coast of Syria where Russian bases are located.
Whether he stays and fights or flees, leaving a power vacuum in Damascus, civil war is something that will affect us all.
During the last one, in which Islamist fundamentalists overran large swathes of Syria, the UK suffered some of the worst terrorist outrages in recent history.
In 2013, soldier Lee Rigby was murdered by two extremists. Four pedestrians were killed when Khalid Masood mowed them down with his car on Westminster Bridge before he stabbed to death police officer Keith Palmer in 2017.
Three months later, three Islamists drove a van into crowds on London Bridge before stabbing shoppers in Borough Market.
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