Rebel infighting kills 80 people in northern Syria

Clashes between the two largest rebel alliances in northern Syria intensified on Wednesday, killing more than 80 people, including civilians.

Activists said battles between the Al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir Al Sham alliance and the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front in western Aleppo had spilt into the adjacent provinces of Idlib and Hama.

The skirmishes are among the most severe cases of rebel infighting in Syria’s north since HTS launched a broad offensive to seize most of Idlib province from rival rebel forces in 2017.

They also effectively nullify an agreement reached between Al Qaeda-linked fighters and the rebels in October.

As part of the agreement, both sides vowed to cease attacks.

Rebel infighting has also doused tensions on front lines near the Kurdish-held town of Manbij as rebel forces in the area move further west to support the National Liberation Front in its fight against Al Qaeda-linked fighters.

Fighting in western Aleppo since Tuesday has killed at least 41 HTS militants and six civilians, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday.

The war monitor said 34 National Liberation Front fighters, mainly from the powerful Noureddine Al Zenki rebel group, also died in clashes.

Zenki spokesman Mohammad Adib said HTS are now expanding their attack and activating several front lines.

The group has seized control of the town of Darat Izza – one of the largest in western Aleppo – after fierce battles with the Zenki group, according to the Observatory and Halab Today TV, an activist-run media outlet. The militants also made advances in south and south-east Idlib on Thursday in a dawn offensive, the Observatory said.

They said fighting was taking place near observation posts manned by Turkish troops.

The National Liberation Front released a statement on Wednesday demanding the mobilisation of all its affiliates to counter attacks by HTS and to reclaim territory seized by the group.

Mr Adib said the increased mobilisation of rebel fighters was altering the power balance in the area, aiding a counterattack to reclaim the territory the rebels lost to HTS in recent days.

“The NLF is shifting from a defensive strategy to absorb the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham attack towards an offensive strategy to counter militant gains,” Mr Adib said.