Clashes escalate in Northern Aleppo as HTS-affiliated factions overtake towns

Sources, including Baladi News and the Syrian Observer, report that factions aligned with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) successfully overtook two towns in the northern rural Aleppo region. The seizure followed intense confrontations with the Syrian National Army (SNA), marking a significant shift in territorial control in the ongoing conflict.

According to detailed reports from a correspondent with Baladi News stationed in Aleppo’s countryside, the 50th Brigade, bolstered by HTS support, gained complete control over Souran and the village of Ishtamalat on Tuesday morning. The conquest was realized following an hour-long fierce engagement with the SNA, during which heavy machine guns and artillery were deployed.

The victory over these areas gave the HTS-aligned factions a strategic advantage, leading the Shahba coalition, another HTS affiliate, to advance towards the town of Dabiq, located north of Aleppo. The aim was to break the siege imposed by SNA forces during the early morning hours. This advancement was characterized by violent clashes, illustrating the region's heightened tensions and ongoing power struggles.

The aftermath of the confrontations has had a profound impact on the region. All major thoroughfares in northern Aleppo are currently inaccessible. Official institutions, schools, and businesses have been forced to shut down, amplifying the already dire humanitarian situation in the war-torn area.

Observers, including those from the Syrian Observer, analyze these developments as part of an ongoing strategy by HTS-aligned factions to expand their territorial dominion at the expense of the SNA. The factions have been engaging in intermittent yet intense conflicts and disputes. Each confrontation, often characterized by extreme violence, underscores the faction's intent to dominate and control new areas in the northern Aleppo region.

The unfolding situation casts a spotlight on the intricate dynamics of the Syrian conflict, where shifting allegiances and territorial gains continue to shape the landscape of this protracted war.