Syria: Rebels seize control of pro-regime air base of Abu al-Duhur in eastern Idlib

Syrian rebels have reportedly seized control of Abu al-Duhur military airport in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Saturday, following violent clashes with regime forces amid an unprecedented rebel-led offensive in the country’s northwest.

The Abu al-Duhur airbase is reportedly a stronghold of Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias, who back President Bashar al-Assad.

Military sources from the rebel groups told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that rebels were able to seize control of the Abu al-Duhur airport, following a series of violent clashes with pro-regime forces at dawn on Saturday, which reportedly kiled several. The violence also resulted in the capture of seizure of tanks, field artillery, weapons and ammunition depots.

The rebels also took control of several villages and towns in the southeastern countryside of Idlib, according to Mohammed Karkas, reporting for The New Arab’s Arabic-language site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. The rebels' takeover of localities in the area comes as they prepare to seize the city of Maarat al-Numan, the largest city in Idlib province.

A video shared on social media showed rebel fighters declaring their takeover the airport, with an airplane shown in the background. The clip, however, has not been verified by The New Arab.

The sources added that rebels have now seized control of more than 40 towns and villages east of southern Idlib, in an indication of battlefield gains and intensified focus on the governorate, which was the focus of protests during the 2011 uprising.

Along with the astonishing capture of Aleppo city on Friday night, the rebel coalition managed to capture the strategically-located town of Saraqib.

Its capture will reportedly aid opposition fighters in capturing more territory in the northwest, as it will help them "prevent the regime from advancing to Aleppo,"  the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The advances also demonstrate the major collapse in the ranks of pro-regime forces and their withdrawal from several strategic locations in Aleppo city and the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.

Late on Friday, rebel groups also took control of several towns in the Aleppo governorate, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed’s Absi Someisem. The towns include Hayyan, Anadan, Kafr Hamra and Heritan.

Syrian rebel groups launched an offensive earlier this week against pro-government forces with the aim of recapturing parts of the Aleppo and Idlib governorates, the first such a move since the 2020 ceasefire.

The offensive, dubbed "Operation Deter the Aggression", has led to considerable blows to pro-regime forces. The alliance is headed by the hard line Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), but contains other groups with ideologies ranging from moderate Islamism to secular nationalism.

The operation, according to a spokesperson of the Jaysh al-Izzah, is in response to the Syrian regime’s multiple attacks launched on northwest Syria in recent weeks.