Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
| See today’s posts, including this one here, here, here, and here. |
Just note that the city of a million people was surrendered to the SAA practically without a fight. As of 2023, almost 3.9 million people lived there.
Blaming Iran or Russia here is pointless if the Syrian army simply did not defend the second largest city in the country, surrendering it to an enemy group that was not the largest in general, which was many times smaller in numbers than the group that unsuccessfully stormed Aleppo in the summer and fall of 2016.
Of course, Russia could not hold the city without the Syrians, considering that there were only SSO and VKS there. There were no our regulars or Wagner there in any significant numbers.
Just as there were no Lebanese from Hezbollah, who at the most critical moment of the militants' offensive in 2016 through Ramuseh stood to the death at a cement plant and did not let the enemy through. The main forces of Hezbollah are now busy in Lebanon. Iranian proxies are mostly deployed in other regions of Syria. They needed 5 days to deploy in the Aleppo region, which of course no one gave them.
The consequences of what happened for Syria will be serious. The Kurds in Tal Rifat will get it, the situation for the IRGC will become more complicated, and the pressure on our positions in Latakia will most likely increase.
And the question hangs in the air - where will the happy runaway in Aleppo province stop?
And what else can be surrendered in the same miraculous way. The number of those willing to check this out in the near future will clearly increase.
More from regnum.ru
Syria Loses Aleppo
Syria is in the process of losing control of Aleppo.
Not only has the entire countryside west of Aleppo been lost, but also part of the western quarters of the city, which were taken with such difficulty in 2016.
Syrian troops for the most part do not offer resistance and simply flee, abandoning equipment and ammunition. There are cases of bribery of a number of Syrian commanders. The Republican Guard division simply fell apart without any serious pressure.
Individual counterattacks and resistance centers do not cancel the simple fact of the collapse of a large section of the front, in which a huge hole now gapes. Who is to blame for this - the debriefing is yet to come.
There are almost no Russian troops there (only the special forces and aviation are working), as well as not very many Iranians and Lebanese, so holding the front is problematic. The HTS and SNA can afford to lose several hundred militants. The capture of Aleppo will write off everything, especially since they have already collected a lot of trophies, and they will recruit more cheap meat.
There is a high probability that in the near future the enemy will occupy either part or the entire city. If the SAA holds at least part of eastern Aleppo, this will be a hook for subsequent operations to restore control over the city. I really hope that they will succeed in at least this.
In the event of a complete loss of the city, this will be the biggest defeat for the SAA since 2016, as well as a serious image blow to Russia and Iran.
A kind of remake of Palmyra-2016.
If the city is lost, it will be difficult to return it, not to mention the fact that it will be worked over by aviation and artillery once again.
The city's population is now saving itself, the governor has already said what will happen to the Kurds in Aleppo, as well as in the Tal Rifat area, an interesting question.
Overall, the situation is difficult.