Syria Rebels Seize Aleppo, Russia Strikes Ukraine

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — DEC 2 2024

Today’s email brings you news from Syria and Russia.

1 - SYRIA

1 thing to know

Terrorist forces take the city of Aleppo in Syria.

The context 

Forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US, launched a surprise offensive and captured most of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.

Aleppo was previously controlled by the Syrian government, which is run by Bashar Assad and supported by Russia and Iran.

With Syrian and Iranian forces impacted by Israeli activity, and with Russian forces weakened by the ongoing war in Ukraine, the terrorists swept through the city with minimal resistance, taking control of strategic locations including the airport and city center. 

This marks the first time since 2016 that anti-regime rebels have controlled significant parts of Aleppo.

More from the region

The offensive exposed significant weaknesses in the Syrian government's military capabilities. Iran and Russia have pledged support to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

At least 327 people have been killed, including 44 civilians, since the offensive began, and Syrian and Russian jets have launched counterattacks, striking rebel-held areas in the Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

Rebels are now claiming to have entered the city of Hama and captured several more towns. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also visited Damascus to express solidarity with the Assad regime in Syria.

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TECH SPOTLIGHT: THE SAMSON

The Samson Remote Controlled Weapons System, developed by Rafael Defense, is a remote weapons station. It mounts a wide range of weapons, including machine guns and missiles, and allows operators to control its armaments remotely, from a safe position, rather than having to physically operate the weapons.

The Samson comes in three versatile variants—Junior, Mini, and Standard—and is capable of mounting an impressive range of weapons from 5.56mm machine guns to 40mm grenade launchers and even SPIKE anti-tank missiles. 

What it’s used for

The Samson RCWS is used by militaries worldwide, including those in Israel, the United States, Canada, and several European countries. 

2 - RUSSIA

1 thing to know

Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian territory continues, using drones and missiles against energy infrastructure and civilian targets.

The context 

Over 200 drones and missiles have been launched against Ukraine in the last couple of days, targeting areas including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy.

The Ukrainian air force struck down roughly half of that number, but at least twelve struck energy and fuel targets. In a following strike, more critical infrastructure was hit, along with residential buildings. The volume of drones and missiles in these latest attacks indicate that Russia is attempting to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and countermeasures. At least four people were killed, and another 21 were wounded.

Ukraine conducted strikes against several Russian air defense and radar systems inside occupied Ukrainian territory.

More from the region

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said in an interview that the areas of Ukraine not occupied by Russia being accepted into NATO could end the "hot phase of the war", if NATO were to recognize the internationally recognized borders.

Once that was done, he said the occupied territory could be regained in a diplomatic way, if the ceasefire guaranteed that Putin wouldn't take any more territory.

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