The White Helmets, a rescue organisation run by the Syrian opposition, reported early Monday that at least 25 people had been killed in airstrikes conducted by the Syrian government and Russia in northwest Syria.

Russian and Syrian jets bombed the rebel-controlled city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, military sources reported. This comes after President Bashar al-Assad vowed to defeat insurgents who had entered the city of Aleppo. The Syrian army also claimed to have retaken several towns that rebels had recently captured. Residents said one attack hit a crowded residential area in the centre of Idlib, the largest city in a rebel-held area near the Turkish border, where about four million people live in temporary shelters. At least seven people were killed, and many others were injured, according to rescue workers at the scene. 

The Syrian army and its ally Russia state that they only target insurgent hideouts and deny hitting civilians.

On Sunday, airstrikes in and around Idlib, as well as other areas near Aleppo, killed ten children, according to the White Helmets. Since November 27, the death toll from Syrian and Russian airstrikes has risen to 56, including 20 children, the group reported on X. The insurgents involved are a mix of Turkey-backed secular armed groups and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group labelled a terrorist organisation by the U.S., Russia, Turkey, and others. Recently, the insurgents took control of Idlib province, marking the most significant rebel advance in years, in a civil war where the front lines had mostly remained unchanged since 2020.

On Friday night, the insurgents also entered Aleppo, forcing the army to move its forces. In comments published on state media, Assad said: “Terrorists only know the language of force and it is the language we will crush them with”. The Syrian army stated that many of its soldiers were killed in the fighting in Aleppo. Russian war bloggers reported on Sunday that Russia had removed General Sergei Kisel, who was in charge of its forces in Syria, after insurgents took control of parts of Aleppo. To avoid more displacement and loss of humanitarian access, the United States, France, Germany, and Britain called for "de-escalation by all parties and the protection of civilians and infrastructure" in a joint statement.

On Sunday, most streets in Aleppo were quiet, with many shops closed as frightened residents stayed indoors. There was still a large number of people leaving the city, according to witnesses and locals. Rebel fighters, carrying the opposition flag, drove through the city. Some of the rebels also took up positions at street corners, as reported by resident Yusuf Khatib to Reuters.

Syrian troops, who had previously pulled out of the city, are now regrouping, with reinforcements sent to support their counter-attack, according to army sources. Aleppo has been under government control since 2016, after a significant victory when Russian-backed Syrian forces besieged and destroyed the rebel-held eastern parts of the city, which had been the country’s largest. Rebels reported on Sunday that they had advanced south of Aleppo city, capturing Khansir town in an effort to block the army’s main supply route to Aleppo. They also claimed control of the Sheikh Najjar estate, a major industrial zone in the country.

The war, ongoing since 2011, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, with no official end in sight. While heavy fighting has decreased in recent years due to Iranian-backed militias and Russian air support helping Assad regain control of major cities, the Syrian army’s recent retreat is partly due to a shortage of manpower, according to two army sources. The rebels’ progress coincided with an increase in Israeli strikes on Iranian bases in Syria and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias have maintained a strong presence in the Aleppo area.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was in Damascus, declared that although the Syrian situation was "difficult," the Assad government would win.