Iranian-backed Iraqi militias crossed into eastern Syria overnight in an attempt to shore up struggling forces loyal to Damascus, battling an insurgency that has swept much of the country’s north-west as Islamist militants seized control of Aleppo.
An officer with the Syrian army told Reuters that the Iraqi militia forces crossing the border were “fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the frontlines in the north”.
The Iraqi militants, which include fighters from Kataib Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun groups, arrived near the eastern Syrian town of Bukamal overnight to join units already deployed within Syria in support of Damascus, according to the Associated Press.
Forces loyal to the president, Bashar al-Assad, were unexpectedly swept from Syria’s second city over the weekend after an offensive spearheaded by Islamist militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who claimed swaths of new territory across northern Syria alongside rebel groups backed by Turkey.
The rout of Syrian army forces from Aleppo, amid reports their defensive lines crumbled in the face of the advance, undermined Assad’s already fractured control of the country, which has relied heavily on support from Moscow and Tehran. As battles flared across north-western Syria with insurgents attempting to move south, Assad’s allies attempted to shore up support for Damascus, fuelling an already years-long proxy war.
The Syrian president moved to crush a popular uprising against him in 2011, which quickly spiralled into a bloody civil war. Damascus employed air support from Russia during a prolonged battle to retake Aleppo that ended in 2016, while Assad also deployed chemical weapons and siege tactics against his own people.
Damascus has remained dependent on Iranian ground troops as well as backing from Iranian-allied Iraqi militias to support flagging Syrian army forces in his attempt to keep control of the country.
The sudden loss of Aleppo left Assad and his regional partners, as well as their opponents, scrambling to adjust. After a meeting with Assad in Damascus on Sunday evening, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, labelled their talks a “useful, frank and friendly” discussion, adding that the Syrian president had “admirable … courage and spirit”.
The Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, also discussed the sudden changes in Syria with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, telling him that “Syria’s security and stability are closely linked to Iraq’s national security and play a crucial role in regional security”, according to his office.
Araghchi arrived in Ankara for talks with the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, early on Monday morning. Ankara had previously made public overtures towards Damascus in a move to try to normalise relations, while backing rebel groups along Syria’s northern border.
“We do not want to see an escalation of the civil war in Syria,” said Fidan after their meeting, advocating for the Syrian regime in Damascus to “reconcile with its own people and legitimate opposition”.
He added that Ankara did not want to see the further displacement of civilians and that “the flow of refugees should stop, and reverse”.
As Moscow emphasised the need for cooperation with Ankara, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, pledged “unconditional support” for Assad’s control of Syria during a phone conversation.
The defence ministry in Damascus said it had deployed military reinforcements to Hama and other flashpoints as they attempted to mount a counterattack, amid reports of further Syrian and Russian airstrikes on Idlib, the centre of HTS control.
The Syrian civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said Damascus conducted several strikes on neighbourhoods in Idlib, killing five civilians and injuring 30. Ismail Alabdullah, of the White Helmets, speaking after he returned from Aleppo to Idlib, said 15 people were killed in total after a second strike targeted a camp for the internally displaced there and a third hit a nearby village.
“Just now there was an attack on the city hospital in Idlib, two people died as it caused the oxygen supply to the hospital to break down,” he said.
With Islamist opposition militants in control of Aleppo, the White Helmets said they had expanded their rescue efforts there after Syrian and Russian strikes on the city. An airstrike targeted a central neighbourhood of Aleppo for the second day in a row, causing material damage and sparking fears about further reprisals by Damascus.
“No one was prepared for bombardments on this scale over such a large area,” said Alabdullah. He added that Damascus and Russian air forces were deploying weaponry familiar from the previous strikes on Aleppo almost a decade ago, and sporadically employed in the years since to target areas in Idlib.
“We have a team in Aleppo and we’re doing everything we can to respond, but the regime is still bombing so we know we are going to face more difficulties. The situation is very difficult,” he said.
Despite airstrikes pummelling areas of Aleppo and Idlib, the White Helmets said they had also broadened their operations to try to assist tens of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes across north-western Syria, while cautioning people not to return to areas under bombardment.
“Supporting the return of forcibly displaced Syrians to their homes is one of our top priorities,” they said in a statement.
Oubadah Alwan, a spokesperson for the White Helmets, said they had advocated caution in their returns because of unexploded ordnance.
“Our teams are working to clear and secure areas after attacks, but of course with so many attacks happening they are spread thin,” he said.
Fuad, a university lecturer living in western Aleppo who requested a pseudonym for his own safety, said Aleppo’s new rulers had asked people to remain at home “for their safety, and to protect their property … people were allowed to go out to get food and necessities”.
“I heard they gave reassurances to residents that they will be safe, which is really important at this stage as people are scared,” he said.