Syria: Opposition kill Iranian officer in ‘Phase 2’ of Aleppo offensive

The armed Syrian opposition have pressed their advance into neighbourhoods in regime-held western Aleppo as part of “phase two” of their offensive to break the siege on opposition-held eastern Aleppo.

A coalition of Syrian opposition forces managed to capture sectors of the “3,000 apartments” project, a neighbourhood earmarked for residential development, hours after the offensive began by using car bombs to scatter regime forces before moving in, Al Jazeera reported.

Fighting is ongoing in this district, as well as near Aleppo’s military academy, where opposition sources indicate that they managed to destroy a missile battery.

The Syrian opposition also made gains in two other neighbourhoods, claiming to have managed to kill an Iranian military officer who was supporting President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in the city.

Iran has long played a large role in supporting the Assad regime, and has been actively involved in helping to crush the revolt against Al-Assad’s rule since demonstrations began in 2011. Al-Assad has received extensive Iranian military, economic and political support.

Meanwhile, the Assad regime has alleged that Syrian opposition factions shelling western Aleppo have hit civilian targets, killing 12 and wounding hundreds. The opposition denies these claims as regime propaganda.

Daesh shoot down Russian chopper

In related developments, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that one of its military helicopters had to make an emergency landing in Palmyra today and was then subjected to hostile fire, before safely departing back to Hmeimim airbase.

However, this was disputed by Daesh’s Amaq news agency, who released video footage today claiming to show a Russian-made attack helicopter being destroyed in an area just east of Hama by an unidentified projectile fired by the militant group.

The footage shows two helicopters and some other military vehicles before a stationary helicopter on the ground explodes as the other departs.

Syrian opposition factions began their offensive a week ago after sustaining weeks of Russian and Assad regime bombardment on targets in eastern Aleppo that led to hundreds of civilian casualties and the destruction of several medical centres.