**Rebel Fighters Launch Major Offensive in Aleppo, Resulting in High Casualties**

Rebel forces have made significant advances in Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, in what is being described as the largest offensive against President Bashar Assad's government in years. These forces managed to regain various territories around Aleppo in a rapid and coordinated attack starting last Wednesday.

The conflict has intensified, leading to one of the bloodiest confrontations in recent times. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, the battles have resulted in the deaths of 255 individuals, predominantly combatants. The offensive is spearheaded by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with support from Turkish-backed rebels identifying as the Syrian National Army.

Despite efforts by Syria's military to counteract this incursion, the insurgents have already taken control of over 50 towns and villages previously held by Assad's regime. Abu Mahmoud Omar, a commander in a pro-Syrian militia allied with the government, stressed that the arrival of substantial reinforcements from the Syrian army and allied forces to Aleppo could be decisive in the coming hours.

The violent clashes have had severe repercussions for civilians. The United Nations reported that at least 27 civilians have lost their lives in the past three days. Additionally, escalating conflict has displaced more than 14,000 people, with nearly half of them being children, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Deputy regional UN coordinator for humanitarian aid in Syria, David Carden, expressed grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, citing reports of children suffering from shrapnel wounds.

The Syrian civil war, now nearing its 14th year, initially erupted from a popular uprising against the Assad regime, which was met with heavy repression. The complex conflict has drawn in multiple foreign powers, including Russia and Iran backing the Syrian government, while Turkey supports opposition groups in the northwest and the United States backs Syrian Kurdish forces fighting the "Islamic State" (IS) in the east.

Since 2020, the conflict had been relatively static with sporadic skirmishes. However, a truce brokered by Turkey and Russia in the same year halted a Syrian government push to retake rebel-held areas in Idlib. The recent offensive marks a significant escalation in hostilities, potentially altering the long-standing impasse in the war-torn region.