Syria army advances in Aleppo but rolled back in Palmyra

ALEPPO, Syria (3rd UPDATE) – Syrian forces pushed forward in Aleppo on Sunday, December 11, as thousands fled rebel-held areas, but they lost ground to the south where the Islamic State (ISIS) group recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra.

After a sudden withdrawal by regime forces, ISIS jihadists made a lightning-fast advance across Palmyra, sparking new worries for its remaining ancient treasures.

Since mid-November, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been focused on second city Aleppo, where they have retaken more than 85% of the one-time rebel bastion in the city’s east.

On Sunday, they pounded the shrinking rebel enclave in southeast Aleppo with artillery and air strikes, seizing the Maadi district and several other neighborhoods, a monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 10,000 people had fled the remaining rebel-held districts since midnight, heading to government-run west Aleppo and newly retaken areas in the city’s north and center.

An estimated 120,000 people have poured out of east Aleppo since late November, according to the Britain-based monitor.

State news agency SANA said that on Sunday alone, at least 8,000 people had fled rebel districts through several government-run crossings.

It said approximately half were transferred to temporary shelters, while the rest were staying with relatives in western Aleppo.

An AFP correspondent in the west said the air strikes on the east were less intense as night fell, but artillery fire could still be heard.

Army withdraws from Palmyra

US and Russian officials were expected to continue talks in Geneva on Sunday on trying to reach a ceasefire in Aleppo, but intense diplomatic efforts over the past week have failed to stem the fighting.

Backing from Moscow, which launched an air war in support of Assad last year, has been crucial in the Syrian army’s ability to make gains nationwide. 

Russian raids overnight bolstered Syrian soldiers fighting off an ISIS offensive on Palmyra, the renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in central Syria. 

But the jihadists launched a fresh attack on Sunday, the Observatory said, recapturing all of Palmyra after Syrian armed forces pulled out.

“Despite the ongoing air raids, ISIS retook all of Palmyra after the Syrian army withdrew south of the city,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said ISIS was “combing the city” for any remaining Syrian soldiers.

The ISIS-linked Amaq news agency said the group regained “full control” of the city after taking the citadel overlooking Palmyra from a strategic hilltop.

Capturing Palmyra from ISIS in May was considered a major symbolic victory for Assad’s forces – and for its Russian ally.

Moscow has come under severe criticism in the West for its continued political and military support for Damascus as the regime pursues its all-out assault in Aleppo.

Russia says it is consulting with the United States on the terms of an Aleppo ceasefire after a full rebel withdrawal, but there has been no sign of an agreement so far.

‘Yes to peace’

Pope Francis on Sunday made a heartfelt call for an end to violence in Aleppo and across Syria. 

“I appeal to all to choose civilization: no to destruction, yes to peace, yes to the people of Aleppo and Syria,” he said.

At least 413 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since the November 15 start of the offensive, according to the Observatory, and 139 killed in rebel rocket fire on the city’s west.

Assad’s forces retaking Aleppo appears to be only a matter of time.

“It looks now as if sadly Aleppo will fall,” British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told BBC television on Sunday.

The loss of east Aleppo will deal the biggest blow to Syria’s opposition since the start of the country’s civil war in 2011.

“We’re now past the point where the opposition has any hope of pulling things back,” said Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

Assad “will have in effect broken the back of the armed opposition… and the idea that the regime can be overcome militarily will be finally put to rest.”

After meetings in Paris on Saturday, Western and Arab powers called for talks between the regime and opposition to end the war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who called the regime’s bombings of Aleppo “war crimes”, said the time was ripe for a return to negotiations.

Now that the rebels “are about to lose Aleppo, conceivably… I think the best thing they can do is get to the table and negotiate. Because they can still win a political settlement that honors the fight and all they’ve invested,” Kerry said. – Rappler.com