Syrian Military Disrupts Aleppo Access Amid Rebel Assault

Damascus, Nov 28 (NationPress) On Thursday, the Syrian military obstructed the Damascus-Aleppo highway near the northern city of Aleppo as its forces were involved in clashes with rebel factions that launched a substantial offensive in the western outskirts of Aleppo on Wednesday, as reported by local media.

The pro-government Sham FM radio station indicated that the military temporarily halted traffic on the route to Aleppo for public safety while its troops continued to counter a large-scale insurgent offensive in the rural regions of Aleppo and Idlib provinces in northern Syria for the second consecutive day on Thursday.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, along with allied factions, opened new fronts in the Idlib countryside on Thursday.

The General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces released a statement noting that militant factions had executed assaults on villages, towns, and military positions using medium and heavy weaponry.

"Our armed forces have been engaged in repelling the ongoing terrorist offensive, causing significant losses in manpower and equipment," the statement declared. "Our units remain committed to combating the terrorist entities with diverse firepower, in collaboration with allied forces," it added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitoring group, reported that at least 153 combatants have lost their lives since the clashes erupted at dawn on Wednesday, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The casualties include 80 HTS fighters, 19 from allied factions of the so-called National Army, and 54 Syrian government troops, comprising at least four officers.

The Observatory also noted that HTS forces had taken several government soldiers captive during the confrontations.

HTS is recognized as a terrorist organization by Syria, Russia, the United States, and numerous other nations.