(MENAFN) Footage has surfaced showing jihadist gunmen inside the Presidential Guest Palace in Aleppo, Syria, after militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched a surprise offensive in the city on Thursday. The HTS and allied militias began attacking government-controlled areas in northern Syria on Wednesday, advancing into Aleppo the following day. The Syrian military quickly regrouped and launched a counteroffensive, with the Syrian General Command reporting significant casualties. However, the HTS fighters failed to secure permanent positions due to constant airstrikes from Syrian and Russian forces.

The video, reportedly filmed by HTS militants and shared on social media, shows gunmen roaming through the palace’s dining rooms and ascending a marble staircase to the upper floors. It appeared the palace was empty at the time of the filming. Syrian President Bashar Assad, who controls numerous residences, was in Damascus at the time meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Araghchi expressed Tehran’s full support for Syria in defeating the insurgents, and Iranian military advisers and volunteers reportedly arrived in Syria to assist in organizing a counteroffensive from Hama, south of Aleppo. By Sunday, Syria’s state news agency reported that the army had regained control over several areas and inflicted heavy casualties on the HTS militants, with the Syrian officials estimating over 1,000 HTS fighters killed. Previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra, HTS was a key opponent of Assad during the Syrian Civil War and had received indirect support from the US and Turkey in the past.

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