Syrian and Russian Airstrikes Against Assad's Opponents; Araqchi Travels to Damascus

Russian and Syrian fighter jets targeted Idlib with heavy attacks for the second consecutive day on Sunday, December 2. Reuters, citing aid workers present in Idlib, reported that at least four people were killed and dozens more injured as a result of these attacks. While the Syrian and Russian armies claim to have attacked positions of Bashar al-Assad's opponents, Reuters reported, citing a resident of Idlib, that a densely populated residential area in the center of the city was targeted. In Aleppo, Reuters reported from witnesses and residents that most streets in Syria's second-largest city were empty on Sunday, and shops were closed, with heavy traffic resulting from many residents fleeing to safer areas. Syrian military sources stated that the army is regrouping and reinforcing its forces to begin a counteroffensive against Assad's opponents in Aleppo. The complete recapture of Aleppo from Assad's opponents in 2016 was a turning point in the Syrian civil war, and the city has remained under the full control of the Syrian government since then. On Sunday, opposition rebels announced that they had seized more areas in the southern outskirts of Aleppo, and images of their presence at the city's airport were published. Concurrently with the advances of Assad's opponents in Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, and Hama, Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, traveled to Syria on Sunday evening to meet with Syrian officials. Before departing for Damascus, he stated, 'The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly supports the army and government of Syria.' According to Iranian media, after Syria, Abbas Araqchi will head to Turkey to discuss developments in Syria with officials there. Turkey is the main supporter of Assad's opponents in Aleppo and Idlib. Since the beginning of protests against Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, the Islamic Republic of Iran has supported the bloody repression of Syrian citizens by sending thousands of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and thousands of Shia militia from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to Syria. Iran's military support for Assad's regime faced widespread criticism in the region and the world, but the Iranian government claimed it only sent advisors to Syria. At that time, Assad's government, with the support of Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, was able to suppress its opponents and regain most of the areas under their control. Reuters, citing two military sources, reported that one of the main reasons for the rapid advances of Assad's opponents in recent days has been a shortage of military forces to confront them. In recent years, Iran-affiliated militias, including Hezbollah, have had a significant presence in Aleppo. Hezbollah, which unilaterally entered the war with Israel following the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 last year, has suffered heavy losses in recent months, losing many leaders and a significant portion of its military capabilities. Concurrently with the advances of Turkey-backed rebels in Aleppo, clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces and them have intensified. This U.S.-allied group in Syria announced a general mobilization on Sunday to all residents in the areas under its control in the north and east of the country. The Kurdish city of Afrin in northwestern Syria was occupied by Turkey in 2018, resulting in nearly 300,000 Syrian Kurdish citizens being displaced to other areas of the country, including Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that 372 people have lost their lives in the past five days since the start of the opposition's attack on Aleppo and other cities in the country. According to statistics provided by this monitoring organization, 210 of those killed were opposition rebels, 114 were Syrian army soldiers and pro-Assad militias, and 48 were civilians during these clashes. The role of regional groups and countries in the developments in Syria, according to Hassan Hashemian and Shahin Modarres, experts: The developments in Syria are due to the weakness of the Iranian and Russian governments. Following the fall of Aleppo, the Syrian army announced a 're-deployment operation.' Some Iranian forces have been killed in the clashes in Aleppo. Claims of Aleppo's capture by Assad's opponents; Russia went to help its Syrian ally. The United Nations: Dozens of civilians have been killed in recent clashes in Syria. Clashes in Syria; the entry of Russians into the conflict and the killing of a commander of the IRGC.