Extremist rebels in Syria have overrun an army base and taken at least 13 villages in one of the biggest flare-ups of violence in years in the country's north-east.
The rebels launched a surprise attack on the Syrian army in the northern province of Aleppo, causing clashes in which at least 182 people were killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The exact death toll was unclear, with news agency AFP reporting that more than 200 had died, mostly combatants, while the SOHR said there were 182 military fatalities.
Brig Gen Kioumars Pourhashemi, a senior adviser in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in the fighting, Iran's IRGC-managed Fars news agency reported.
The rapidly advancing troops of extremist group Hayat Tahrir launched the offensive, which they called Deterring the Aggression, late on Wednesday, moving towards Aleppo city from Idlib, home to about two million people displaced from civil-war fighting since 2011.
The rebels cut off the major motorway linking Damascus and Aleppo, the observatory said.
Idlib has been under the control of the group since 2019 when it pushed out other rebel factions in a series of clashes. According to Charles Lister, a US-based analyst tracking the violence in Syria, the rebel offensive is only 6km from Aleppo, a city that suffered widespread destruction between 2012 and 2016.
Hayat Tahrir was formerly aligned to Al Qaeda but said it had split from the terror organisation in 2016, when the force was known as Jabhat Al Nusra. It comprises a number of militant rebel factions but in recent years has tried to distance itself from extremist ideology. This effort, according to extremism expert Mackenzie Holtz, is more of a rebranding than a “genuine change in ideology”.
Russian and Syrian aircraft reportedly launched heavy air strikes on the advancing militias. According to Reuters, fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah had been present in some of the contested areas in the rebel offensive.
Hayat Tahrir has been accused of extremely violent crackdowns on protesters in areas under its control and killing other opposition members opposed to its authoritarian leanings. It said it was launching the offensive in response to Russian and Syrian attacks on civilian areas in Idlib. In recent months, people in Idlib have reported drone attacks on civilians using quadcopter drones rigged with bombs. Syrian troops regularly shell the area, which has also suffered serious food shortages in recent years.
The Syrian Arab News Agency said that armed forces had confronted the "large-scale terrorist attack, with large numbers of terrorists and using medium and heavy weapons," and inflicted "heavy casualties," citing the military command.
In an echo of the early years of the Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 after a violent government oppression of a civilian protest movement, militants could be seen seizing stockpiles of anti-tank missiles known as Kornets from a Syrian base. The National was unable to verify video footage published on opposition accounts.
The weapons, which are lethal against tanks and infantry positions, were critical for the massive advances of rebel groups early in the war, until Russia intervened in 2015 with significant air power, devastating towns and villages in rebel hands and pushing them back into Idlib.
Several other parts of northern Syria remain outside regime control, including formerly Kurdish-majority areas on the Turkish border, now occupied by the Syrian National Army, a force mainly composed of former Syrian rebels backed and armed by Turkey. In the east of the country, areas of land along the Iraqi border and Euphrates river are controlled by US-backed, mainly Kurdish militias in the Syrian Democratic Forces coalition.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
