By Howard Altman

A day after entering Aleppo, rebels have reportedly seized most of the city, Syria’s second-largest, pushed south toward Hama and captured much of Idlib province on Saturday in their surprise offensive launched on Thursday. In reaction, the Russian Air Force bombarded rebel positions in Aleppo, the first time they’ve struck the city in any robust capacity in the better part of a decade . Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports of a coup attempt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the capital of Damascus.

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“Assad forces completely collapse in northern and central Syria,” rebel commanders said in a WhatsApp message late Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

Assad on Saturday vowed to “defend [Syria’s] stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their backers,” according to the BBC. “[The country] is capable, with the help of its allies and friends, of defeating and eliminating them, no matter how intense their terrorist attacks are,” his office quoted him as saying.

The Syrian strongman is getting help in the form of the aforementioned Russian airstrikes on rebel positions in Aleppo. Russian tactical jets and attack helicopters have been active from Khmeimim Air Base, near the city of Latakia, since 2015, providing vital support to the regime in Damascus. The bombardment reportedly resulted in civilian casualties, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a London-based watchdog organization monitoring the conflict.

Read more here:

https://www.twz.com/news-features/aleppo-has-fallen-assads-forces-regrouping-as-rebels-blitz-south