Aleppo parish priest reports shelling, closed schools, fears after opposition launch an offensive
An Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched a massive attack on Wednesday from Idlib. The death toll now stands at 242 dead, including many civilians. For Fr Bahjat, people are tired, and cannot sleep, lacking “the energy to face another battle”. The outbreak of violence stems from an untenable political stalemate.
Aleppo (AsiaNews) – Opposition and rebel groups from the province of Idlib are now on the outskirts of Aleppo, carrying out attacks.
"In the city we can distinctly hear shelling. People are afraid, schools are closed, and classes suspended amid a climate of great apprehension and even catechism courses in parishes have been stopped,” said Fr Bahjat Karakach, parish priest at Aleppo’s Church of St Francis of Assisi, speaking to AsiaNews.
“People are now tired,” he noted, “and do not have enough energy to face another battle, the start of another war. The fear is real, palpable, and the sounds of shelling can be heard very distinctly, so much so that people have not been able to sleep for three nights.”
The clergyman goes on: “For several months there had been talk of a possible attack by opposition groups, but it seemed more of a threat than a real danger; unfortunately, its extent surprised us as we looked at it with concern over the past few days.”
On Wednesday, anti-Assad forces launched a massive offensive in north-western Syria, seizing territory from President's forces for the first time since fighting was halted, restricted to Idlib province.
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions claim to have seized control of several towns and villages in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib.
The Syrian military has confirmed a large-scale attack by opposition groups who continue their advance after taking over outlying areas and now seem to be heading towards the city centre.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has an extensive network of informants, at least 242 people have died since they launched their offensive.
Shelling in Aleppo left four civilians dead this morning. Once the country’s business and trading capital, the city in the north-western Syria has become a symbol of devastation in a conflict now largely forgotten.
Another 19 civilians were killed in airstrikes by Syrian and Russian planes in areas under opposition control.
More than half a million people have been killed in Syria’s civil war, which erupted after the Syrian government brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Idlib, the opposition’s last stronghold, is home to more than four million people, many of whom have been displaced during the conflict and forced to live in grim conditions.
The city is mostly in HTS’s hands, but other anti-Assad groups are present, including militias backed by Turkey operating under the flag of the Syrian National Army (SNA), as well as Turkish forces.
SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman notes that government's forces "were totally unprepared" for the attack.
"It is strange to see regime forces being dealt such big blows despite Russian air cover and early signs that HTS was going to launch this operation," he explained. He speculates that the regime did not get any support from Hezbollah, which was engaged in the war with Israel.
In 2020, Turkey and Assad's main ally, Russia, brokered a ceasefire stopping the government offensive towards Idlib, thus halting the escalation of violence, but sporadic clashes, airstrikes and shelling have continued in recent years.
Last month, the UN special envoy for Syria warned that the wars in Gaza and Lebanon appeared to be “catalysing conflict in north-west Syria in a dangerous manner.”
Geir Pedersen noted that Russia resumed airstrikes for the first time in months and pro-government forces have significantly accelerated drone attacks and shelling.
In response, HTS and its allies launched a massive offensive to "deter aggression" and "thwart the enemy's plans”.
Meanwhile, the UN’s Deputy Regional Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Syria, David Carden, said he was deeply alarmed, while the International Rescue Committee reported that almost 7,000 families had been displaced and that some health facilities and schools had been forced to suspend services.
"This morning we woke up to the news of four university students killed by a bomb that fell near the student residence,” said Fr Bahjat Karakach. “Of course, we should not encourage panic, but it is equally clear that people are right to worry.”
This escalation, according to the priest, is also linked to "the political stalemate of recent years in Syria, when it was clear to everyone that it would not be sustainable in the long run.” In fact, “a real and final solution has never been reached, only fragile deals that could not last.” A decisive intervention by the international community is more urgent than ever.
Tensions and fears also affect the Christian community, which was set to prepare for the weeks of Advent that precede Christmas.
“The spirit has changed suddenly,” the priest laments. “We still try to live the situation with joy but the atmosphere has inevitably become heavier and perhaps will not allow us to be so carefree to move and celebrate. We hope and pray for an improvement.”
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