The situation in Syria is difficult, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted from Damascus on Sunday amid reports that the Syrian army is retreating in disorder, but insisted that President Bashar al-Assad’s government will successfully fight the rebels, as it has done in the past.

Araghchi met in the Syrian capital with Bashar al-Assad in the evening, the Syrian president’s first meeting with a foreign official since the surprise attack by a coalition of rebel groups that led to the capture of Aleppo.

Araghchi “met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and they discussed bilateral relations and regional developments,” the Iranian news agency Irna initially announced.
In the announcement of the Syrian presidency on the meeting between the two men, it is stated that Assad, while welcoming the Iranian foreign minister, emphasized the importance of “support from allies” for “countering terrorist attacks”.

A coalition of rebel groups dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists has taken control of much of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, and its airport after a surprise operation that began on Wednesday.

In the luxurious palace of President Assad in Aleppo was invaded by Syrian rebels on Sunday afternoon, according to newer Arab media reports, which have also not been confirmed.

The palace raid comes after a rapid advance by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist rebels on the city of Aleppo on Saturday. Videos of the rebels inside the palace were released.

Syrian rebels defended their gains in Aleppo on Saturday, a day after storming the city, as they pushed south toward Hama and claimed control of areas controlled by the Assad government along the way, the Washington Post reports in an analysis.

The rebel offensive, shocking in its speed, has posed the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in years. Government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, in many places appeared to have retreated, or simply disintegrated. Videos posted by the rebels or opposition activists appear to show captured government soldiers in several places, including Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and a military airbase in the northwestern province of Idlib.

“Assad’s forces are completely collapsing in northern and central Syria,” rebel commanders said in a WhatsApp message late Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Sunday afternoon in its latest report that the widespread offensive by rebel groups in northern Syria that began on Wednesday has so far left at least 412 dead, including 61 civilians. According to the Observatory, the attack has claimed the lives of 214 rebels, 137 members of pro-government forces and 61 civilians, including 17 who were killed today.

Earlier in the morning, shortly before his departure for the Syrian capital, Aragchi said that Tehran, a close ally of Damascus, “firmly supports the army and the government” of the country. “We firmly support the Syrian army and government”

The Iranian Foreign Minister is expected to go to Ankara on Monday to discuss the developments in Syria.

The Assad regime’s other key ally, Russia, launched heavy bombardments on the rebel-held city of Idlib, the second day of Russian bombardment in northern Syria aimed at pushing back rebel forces.

Syria:

Pro-Turkish groups captured the strategic town of Tal Rifaat

In another development, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday evening that pro-Turkish groups captured the strategically important town of Tal Rifaat in northern Syria, taking control of the city from Kurdish forces. Pro-Turkish forces “control Tal Rifaat,” a town near the Turkish border, and surrounding villages, according to the Observatory.

Pro-Turkish groups captured the strategic town of Tal Rifaat in northern Syria on Sunday, wresting control of the city from Kurdish forces after other rebel groups captured Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Pro-Turkish forces “control Tal Rifaat,” a town near the Turkish border, and surrounding villages, according to the Observatory.