Aleppo Offensive Prompts Speculation About Turkish Designs in War-Torn Syria

Multiple conflicts converge in battle-scarred Syria amid steadily mounting regional tensions.

Smoke billows in the distance as damaged cars are seen at the site of Syrian regime airstrikes targeting anti-regime fighters in Aleppo, in Syria's northwestern Idlib Province on Nov. 30, 2024. Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies breached Syria's second city of Aleppo on Nov. 29, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

Last week’s offensive in northwestern Syria by armed groups opposed to Damascus has raised questions about the role of neighboring Turkey, which severed ties with Syria’s government in 2011.

Ankara has been tight-lipped about its role in the offensive, which saw militant factions—spearheaded by the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—advance on Aleppo, Syria, wresting large swathes of territory from Syrian government forces.