BEIRUT (AP) – The U.S.-backed rebel group Tajammu Alezzah has been fighting the Syrian military outside the city of Hama for months, but a new player has joined the fray: Russian warplanes, which have repeatedly hit their front-line positions, followed by airstrikes from government planes.
Russia’s bombing campaign, now a week old, has created a new reality for Syria’s opposition. The rebels say the airstrikes are meant to weaken the rebellion against President Bashar Assad, not just crush the Islamic State and other militants as Moscow contends.
The Russian airstrikes, more powerful than those by the Syrian military, have hit along several key fronts, even attacking rebel bases along the border with Turkey. That’s an area the opposition had considered to be relatively safe because Syria’s air force has avoided it.
Rebel factions – moderates, Islamists and radicals alike – have had to evacuate some bases and move ammunition stores, according to opposition activists and rebel commanders. The rebels are calling for their regional backers, such as the Gulf countries and Turkey, to boost their support, including more sophisticated weapons like anti-aircraft missiles.
Many warn that the Russian intervention will only strengthen extremists like the Islamic State and al-Qaida’s branch in Syria by rallying people to their side, while the already beleaguered moderate forces are weakened further.