Fall of Aleppo On 29 November 2024, rebel forces approached the outskirts of Aleppo. They took Khalsa, Al-Rashidin and Khan Tuman, where the army abandoned four
T-55 tanks. The Syrian government was overwhelmed by the rebel offensive's speed, and could not organize a coordinated defense of Aleppo. The loyalists were also shocked when the
Baqir Brigade, deemed one of the most reliable local units, mutinied and partially defected to the rebels. Baqir Brigade commander Khalid al-Hassan had reportedly been convinced to change sides by his cousin Zakur Abu Ahmad Bakari who was one of the leading rebel commanders. During the afternoon, rebels entered the Hamdaniyah and New Aleppo neighborhoods in the city, after carrying out a double
suicide bombing with two
car bombs. In the latter half of the day, opposition forces captured five city districts, Al-Hamdaniya,
New Aleppo, 3000 Apartments, Al-Jamiliya, and Salah al-Din districts. Clashes were reported elsewhere in the city, including its center. By midnight, opposition forces had captured parts of Al-Sukariyya, Al-Furqan, Al-Adhamiya, and Saif al-Dawla districts, and claimed to have had taken control of the main square of Aleppo. Around this time, the rebels also approached the
Neirab camp where the local loyalist garrison consisting of
Liwa al-Quds troops retreated without organizing resistance. Hours after the rebel incursion into the main neighbourhoods, thousands of civilians fled the city through the main Khanasir Athriya intersection with most heading to Latakia and Salamiya. The rebel forces issued evacuation warnings calling on residents of Aleppo to move eastwards "for your safety". Syrian state media reported that projectiles launched by the rebels hit student housing in the
University of Aleppo, killing four people, including two students. In the early hours of 30 November 2024, rebel forces captured the Citadel of Aleppo and the government headquarters in the city, as well as "more than half" of the city. By morning, rebel forces had seized control of most of Aleppo, facing little resistance and forcing pro-government troops to retreat toward
as-Safirah. Government forces and Iranian militias initially remained in control of a few neighborhoods in northeastern Aleppo, but the remaining loyalist troops -including the 25th Division at al-Nayrab airbase- organized no further substantial resistance, instead joining the general retreat southward. As the Aleppo garrison withdrew, other loyalist militias in the region followed them, including the holdouts of Nubl and al-Zahraa. In the evening, rebels took control of Aleppo airport from the SDF without clashes. An airstrike, reportedly carried out by Russian aircraft, killed 16 civilians and injured 20 others in the city. Two other airstrikes on rebel reinforcements on the outskirts of the city left 20 fighters dead. That day, the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) reportedly facilitated the entry of 2,892 refugees from Aleppo into Northeastern Syria. On 1 December 2024, HTS captured the thermal power station, Artillery College, and the Military Academy on the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, clashes occurred between SNA and SDF in the Sheikh Najjar industrial district. Concurrently, the SDF closed the road linking areas in the northern Aleppo countryside and the city center of Aleppo. The rebels issued a demand for Kurdish forces in Aleppo to leave with their weapons for the northeast. Also on 1 December, the
Russian Air Force conducted an
airstrike on the Aleppo University Hospital, killing 12 people, injuring two journalists. On 2 December 2024, rebels captured the Sheikh Najjar industrial zone from the SDF and pushed further south of Aleppo, capturing Khansir in an attempt to cut off the army's main supply route to Aleppo city. == Aftermath ==