Syria civil war live updates: Insurgents storm Aleppo, raising prospect of wider Mideast conflict

The crushing reality of homes and businesses reduced to crumbled cement and mangled steel has curdled the joy many in Lebanon felt after Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire earlier this week.

“I have no house. Now we’re looking in the village to rent one apartment,” Ali Eid, 56, told NBC News in a telephone interview Friday after returning to his hometown of Maarakah in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district.

“We, as many other people, are extremely happy to come back, but at the same time, I look at the people who lost their houses and their loved ones, it’s devastating,” added the high school teacher.

Eid was one of almost 1.2 million people displaced inside Lebanon as Israel and the Hezbollah militant group traded fire during almost 14 months of conflict that began the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023.

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After Hamas released a video of their son, an American hostage in Gaza, Adi and Yael Alexander called on President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to work together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the hostages home.

"While this video confirms our son, Edan, is alive, it also stands as a haunting reminder that 101 innocent people remain in the clutches of Hamas," the parents of Edan Alexander said in a statement, adding "Every passing hour dims the prospect of their survival."

The video was the first sign of life from their son in 421 days of captivity.

"President-elect Trump must not wait until he is inaugurated to help reach a deal that secures the freedom for Edan, six other Americans, and the rest of the hostages," the Alexanders said. "Their liberation depends on swift, decisive action. Bring them home now, before it’s too late."

Syrian President Bashar Assad and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed recent tensions in Syria and in the Middle East during a phone call today, according to the Syrian Presidency.

Assad vowed to defend Syria's stability and territorial integrity against "terrorists and their supporters." And with allies' help, he added, his country is capable of beating back enemies "regardless of the intensity of their terrorist attacks."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 16 people were killed in airstrikes and about 20 others were injured after jets appeared to target a gathering of people at Al-Basel Roundabout in Aleppo.

Since the surprise offensive started Wednesday, a total of 327 civilians and combatants have been killed in Aleppo and Idlib, according to the organization.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey is not involved in the ongoing conflicts in Aleppo and has taken the necessary measures on the Syrian border.

“We will not take any action that will trigger a new wave of migration,” he told state media at the TRT World Forum.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Islamist militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has taken control of several cities and towns in northern Hama as well as the Aleppo National Airport.

The London-based organization said it is the first time HTS has taken control of a civilian airport.

A video released by Hamas shows an American hostage who was taken from the Gaza Envelope on Oct. 7.

The video was captioned “time is running out” and shows Edan Alexander, who had volunteered to serve with the Israeli military, pleading with President-elect Donald Trump to use his power to negotiate his release.

He also expressed frustration with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked the Israeli people to demonstrate and pressure the government to assist.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Alexander’s family authorized the release of the video.

“One year after the first and only deal, it’s clear to everyone: returning the hostages is only possible through a deal,” the organization said in a statement, calling the video of Alexander “shocking.”

“After more than 420 days of continuous abuse, starvation, and darkness, the urgency of bringing home all 101 hostages cannot be overstated. As time runs out, we urge both current and incoming U.S. administrations to exhaust every possible option and leverage every form of pressure—the hostages’ lives hang by a thread.”

The Syrian conflict is a deeply entangled civil war shaped by the competing agendas of local and international actors.

Russia has been a steadfast supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, providing military aid to secure its strategic interests, including a naval base in Tartus and broader regional influence. Similarly, Iran bolsters Assad to cement its foothold in the region, using Syria as a critical corridor for supplying Hezbollah in Lebanon.

By contrast, Turkey vehemently opposes Assad’s regime and supports rebel factions, though its primary focus is undermining Kurdish power and Kurdish-backed rebel groups near its borders.

A vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen workers was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the organization said this morning in a post on X.

The organization said it had "incomplete information" and was "urgently seeking more details."

Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it struck a vehicle that it claims contained a WCK worker who took part in the Oct. 7 attack. The charity organization pushed back on this claim in its statement.

"World Central Kitchen had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack," the post on X stated, adding that the organization is pausing operations in Gaza.

"Our hearts are with our colleagues and their families in this unimaginable moment," World Central Kitchen said.

Lebanese state media reported that the Israeli army conducted incursions this afternoon in southern Lebanon that violates the ceasefire agreement. Soldiers and vehicles were seen in the Al-Mutait area and some neighborhoods in Aita, where a Rapid vehicle was set on fire.

“A Merkava tank crushed several cars and surrounded families who were receiving assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross for evacuation,” the Lebanese National News Agency said. “Soldiers built earth mounds on several roads in the Marj al-Abed area of Aitaroun and bulldozed roads in Al-Mutait to damage them.”

The agency said the soldiers fired heavy machine-gun bursts from their positions near Maroun al-Ra towards a building in Bint Jbeil. The gunfire forced police officers who were assessing the damage to retreat to the Rmaych police station.

Soldiers also used machine guns to intimidate residents and prevent them from returning, according to the news agency.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said three people, including a 7-year-old child, were injured after an Israeli enemy raid on a car.

 

Hezbollah said it is "living in a state of victory and divine success" after the militant group and Israel agreed to end hostilities in Lebanon with a ceasefire deal.

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a statement yesterday that the group was "facing a great victory because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah."

"The resistance has continued and will continue," said Qassem.

He went on to say that Hezbollah will coordinate with the Lebanese army to implement the ceasefire agreement, and that the militant group agreed to the deal from a position of strength and with their heads “held high.”

Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for a gunshot attack on a bus in the Ariel settlement yesterday in the occupied West Bank, which wounded at least eight people.

Israel's emergency services said four people suffered gunshot wounds, three were in serious condition and four others were hurt by flying glass.

In a statement released yesterday, the Al-Qassam Brigades said it was responsible for "the shooting operation."

The IDF said that a "terrorist was neutralized at the scene."

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi military says it has secured its border with Syria, and was equipped with "advanced weapons ... in addition to drones and thermal cameras" to repel attempted militant infiltration.

"The armed forces and all security formations are ready to protect Iraq’s borders and airspace from potential threats," the spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasul, told NBC News. "Intelligence elements continuously monitor any terrorist movements."

Syrian rebels pose a real threat to Iraq, and could could lead to more extremist elements crossing the border.

Anti-government fighters pose for a picture in central Aleppo early today. Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies breached Syria’s second city of Aleppo yesterday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government.

The ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,382 Palestinians and injured 105,142, the enclave's health ministry says. 

Ambulance and rescue crews have been unable to retrieve a number additional bodies still under collapsed building and on roads, the ministry added.

The Israeli military said it killed an Oct. 7 attacker in a vehicle strike in Gaza and is investigating claims that the individual was a World Central Kitchen employee.

World Central Kitchen, a U.S.-based nonprofit group, has not yet commented on the incident. 

In April, seven of the disaster relief charity's workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the Israeli military had “unintentionally hit innocent people.”

The organization founded by celebrity chef José Andrés temporarily paused its operations in the region after the incident.

At least 277 people, including 24 civilians, have been killed since Syrian rebels launched their shock offensive last week, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today.

The war monitoring group, which relies on a network of on-the-ground information sources, said five children and three women were among the civilians killed by bombardment and airstrikes.

Rebel fighters wielding guns were captured on video walking through Basel Square west of Aleppo's city center and trying to take down a Syrian flag.

The video, posted on social media yesterday and verified by NBC News, shows plumes of dark smoke in the sky as a number of militants converge by a statue of the late Bassel al-Assad, the brother of President Bashar al-Assad.

The cameraman says "bring it down, down" as another fighter tries to remove Syria's national flag from a pole.

Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers has arrived in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, to help implement and monitor “the cessation of hostilities,” according to U.S. Central Command. 

In a statement released yesterday, Central Command said the ceasefire process will be chaired by the United States and consist of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Israel Defense Forces, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon, and France.

Jeffers will serve as co-chair alongside senior advisor to President Joe Biden, Amos Hochstein, the statement added.

Doctors Without Borders says it is having to turn away patients in Gaza due to "shortages of critical supplies" as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave deepens.

“Restrictions and obstacles to the entry of aid by the Israeli authorities continue to severely hamper our ability to provide care," Caroline Seguin, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, said yesterday, adding that the looting of aid trucks inside Gaza was also obstructing relief efforts.

According to the United Nations, October 2024 marked the worst month for humanitarian aid entering Gaza since the conflict began.

Israel says it has increased the amount of aid into Gaza, and accuses aid agencies of failing to adequately distribute it.

Syria’s Civil Defense says it rescued four children and one woman from the same family who were trapped under the rubble following an airstrike on Inab, a village 25 miles north of Aleppo. 

It said the airstrikes “by the Assad regime and Russia” targeted the home after early this morning.

“Our teams inspected the bombing sites without receiving any reports of casualties in the two towns,” Syria’s civil defense posted on X.

They are volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets that operate in opposition-held areas.

Cars burned during battles with government forces shortly after jihadists entered central Aleppo early today. Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies breached Syria’s second city of Aleppo yesterday as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government.

The governor of Aleppo, police and security branches have withdrawn from the center of Aleppo and escaped south-east to the Al-Safirah area, The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said today.

Their alleged withdrawal comes amid reports from the monitoring group that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group now control the "majority of the city."

Video verified by NBC News shows Syrian rebels near the Aleppo citadel in the center of the city.

A man speaking to the camera says “Welcome, guys. We are the first arrivals; we are the first conquerors."

The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with a surprise rebel offensive on Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities and an ancient business hub. The push is among the rebels’ strongest in years in a war whose destabilizing effects have rippled far beyond the country’s borders.

It was the first opposition attack on Aleppo since 2016, when a brutal air campaign by Russian warplanes helped Syrian President Bashar Assad retake the northwestern city. Intervention by Russia, Iran and Iranian-allied Hezbollah and other groups has allowed Assad to remain in power, within the 70% of Syria under his control.

The surge in fighting has raised the prospect of another violent front reopening in the Middle East, at a time when U.S.-backed Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both Iranian-allied groups.

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Islamist rebels have taken control of “the majority” of Syria's second-largest city Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a prominent war-monitoring group.

The fighting between forces loyal to President Bashar Al Assad and militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was a significant escalation in regional tensions.

The breach marked the first time opposition forces besieged the city since 2016, when they were driven out of Aleppo’s eastern neighborhoods during a military operation in which Syrian troops were supported by Russia and Iran.

Four years ago, a ceasefire brought an end to the most intense violence, but the new push from rebels has upended a period of relative calm.