‘After five years, we can go home’: Syrians hopeful as militias push back Assad’s forces
After five years of relative stalemate, a lightening assault by various militias against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in northern Syria this week surprised the international community. The armed groups successfully seized several towns and villages near Aleppo, killing numerous pro-Assad fighters, including a senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Videos released by opposition groups suggest that they also captured a significant cache of arms and ammunition abandoned by retreating pro-Assad forces.
On November 27, several Syrian armed opposition factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian National Army, and Ahrar al-Sham, launched a large-scale offensive in the Aleppo region.
For the first time in over a decade of Syria’s civil war, these groups made extensive use of first-person view (FVP) drones, suicide drones, and night-vision technology, significantly shifting the balance on the battlefield. Their assault drove back forces loyal to Syrain President Bashar al-Assad, including Afghanistan’s Fatemiyoun Brigade, Pakistan’s Zeynabiyoun Brigade, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Syria’s 46th Army Regiment.
These opposition factions are made up of fighters of various nationalities, including Uighurs and Uzbeks, who reportedly receive support from the Turkish government. Their forces pushed pro-Assad troops back by dozens of kilometres, capturing several strategically significant areas near Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.
Opposition fighters have reportedly advanced up to 3 km west of Aleppo, disrupting the M5 motorway — a critical supply route linking Damascus and Aleppo.
