Russia, Iran rally to Assad’s aid after shock rebel offensive

Russia and Iran have rushed to the aid of an embattled ally as the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad announced a counteroffensive against rebel groups that have scored stunning advances in the past 48 hours.

Russian warplanes hit rebel-held targets in the northwest region of Idlib on Sunday as Iran’s foreign minister made an emergency trip to Damascus to demonstrate support for the Assad regime. Syrian jets also hit rebel-held areas of the cities of Aleppo and Idlib which have fallen to the insurgents’ lightning advance.

The moves were a sign of the deep shock delivered to Mr. Assad, whose forces had largely kept rebel forces bottled up in regions along Syria’s northern border for the past several years. In a surprise offensive, insurgents led by the rebel force Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured the strategic city of Aleppo on Saturday and there were unconfirmed reports that they had also seized the city of Khansir, cutting off the government’s access to Aleppo.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist militant group, has pledged allegiance in the past to al Qaeda. 

One of its top commanders said Sunday that the group had reestablished control over the entire Idlib province since the fighting began, a claim that could not be independently verified.

The Syrian clashes also threatened to inflame a region already dealing with multiple hot conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said American officials are watching the situation closely, and expressed concerns over the “designs and objectives” of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. has previously designated a terrorist group.

But Mr. Sullivan also noted that the fighting has taken place far from where a small contingent of U.S. counterterrorism troops are stationed inside Syria, and he said there was little sympathy in Washington for the Syrian regime, which has been accused of brutal tactics, including the use of chemical weapons, in suppressing rebel populations.

“Of course, we don’t cry over the fact that that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure,” Mr. Sullivan said.

The once-isolated Syrian regime is now able to call on a broader range of allies in the region since Mr. Assad managed to restore government control over most of the country in recent years. Iran and Russia — both of which are preoccupied with foreign policy crises of their own closer to home — have also provided critical military and logistical support for Damascus.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Mr. Assad in Damascus on Sunday, telling reporters that Tehran will back the Syrian government and army, The Associated Press reported. 

The Iranian diplomat was set to fly to Turkey on Monday for more talks on the crisis.

Arab leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II and United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also have publicly expressed support for the Assad government.

Syrian officials announced the first actions against the insurgents over the weekend, sending reinforcements to the city of Idlib on Sunday. The Syrian state news agency SANA said government forces had also pushed back rebel forces in the northern countryside of Hama province, as Syrian and Russian airstrikes targeted weapon depots and command centers controlled by the jihadist group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said Sunday more than 370 people have been killed since the fighting erupted Wednesday.

Mr. Assad has not been seen in public since the crisis erupted, but has held phone conversations with a number of regional allies. He also vowed in a statement released Saturday evening to the official state news agency to defeat the rebels.

Syria will continue to “defend its stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters,” Mr. Assad vowed.

The latest uprising is a particular loss for Mr. Assad, as the regime’s victory at Aleppo in 2016 was widely seen as turning the tide in the country’s brutal civil war that erupted in 2011.

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.