Syrian armed rebels claim to have entered Aleppo, the first time rebels have entered the country’s second largest city since government forces recaptured the city in 2016. Rebel forces launched a surprise attack this week, capturing a number of villages and reigniting conflict that had been largely static for years. “Our forces have begun entering the city of Aleppo,” a statement from the newly formed rebel coalition, the Military Operations Command, said.
CNN could not independently verify the claim and has contacted the Syrian government for comment. The Syrian military said it was confronting a “major attack” launched by “terrorist organizations” armed with heavy weaponry and drones. The rebel “Military Operations Command,” said earlier that they seized control of the Syrian government’s Military Scientific Research Center on the outskirts of Aleppo city after “intense clashes with the regime forces and Iranian militias.
” Earlier that day, an artillery shell struck Aleppo University’s student housing, killing four people, according to Syria’s state news agency, SANA, which blamed opposition factions for the attack. The spokesperson for the rebel groups Hassan Abdulghani refuted the accusations by the Syrian government media as “baseless lies.” The offensive, which began Wednesday, is the first major flare-up in years between the Syrian opposition and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who has ruled the war-torn country since 2000.
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