Syrian opposition forces launch offensive against Assad government

Syrian opposition armed groups launched a major offensive against Bashar al-Assad's government on 27 November 2024 from territory in northwestern Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led the operation with allied factions, rapidly overrunning government positions and moving toward Aleppo.

The offensive broke years of relatively static front lines after ceasefire arrangements had reduced large-scale fighting in the northwest. Syrian government forces had support from Russia and Iran-aligned groups, while Turkey backed some opposition factions but denied directing all actions.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham evolved from the former al-Nusra Front and remains designated a terrorist organization by several governments. That history is relevant to the actor, but it does not make every civilian in opposition-held territory a member or legitimize indiscriminate attacks.

Government lines withdrew quickly, and the attackers entered much of Aleppo within days. Battlefield claims and maps changed rapidly and require geolocation rather than reliance on celebratory statements. Civilian displacement and airstrikes accompanied the advance.

The Syrian campaign entry starts at the offensive's start, separate from later capture of cities and the government's loss of Damascus. It assigns the attack to named armed groups without treating all Syrian opposition as one entity. The speed of the eventual collapse was not an established outcome when operations began.

The operation was named Deterrence of Aggression by its organizers and drew participation from groups with different command relationships. A shared campaign name is not evidence that every faction had identical ideology, discipline or responsibility for later conduct.