Rocket Attack on Aleppo University Residence Kills Four Students Amid Escalating Rebel Offensive
A rocket attack on a university residence in Aleppo claimed the lives of four students and injured two others, according to reports from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Friday. The attack, attributed to rebel forces, caused widespread panic among students and significant material damage to the facility.
Syrian state media outlet SANA confirmed the casualties, denouncing the attack as "terrorist shelling" targeting civilians at the university.
The incident comes amidst a major rebel offensive in northern Syria, led by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group. On Wednesday, the rebels launched an assault that pushed them within 10 kilometers of Aleppo city, capturing government-held positions and Syrian army bases in the process.
Intense clashes between rebel forces and pro-government troops have since continued. According to SOHR, at least 218 combatants have been killed so far, including 114 rebels, 21 Syrian soldiers, and the remainder from pro-government militias.
Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has intervened with airstrikes to halt the rebel advance, SOHR reported. However, no group, including HTS, has claimed responsibility for the university attack.
This marks the first time in years that rebel forces have gained significant ground against government troops, breaking a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that had been in place since March 2020.
HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate and an internationally recognized terrorist organization, remains the dominant force among rebel factions in the region. The group controls much of Idlib province and parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia.
Syria’s ongoing civil war, now in its 13th year, has displaced over 13 million people—half of the country’s pre-war population—and driven more than 6 million to seek refuge abroad, according to United Nations figures.
The attack on Aleppo’s university residence has drawn condemnation and renewed concerns over the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire of the escalating conflict.
