Editing Aleppo (section)

===Syrian civil war===
{{Main|Syrian civil war|Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016)}}
[[File:Saadallah al-Jabiri square, Aleppo, after the explosion of October 2012.jpg|thumb|The scene at [[Saadallah al-Jabiri Square]] after being targeted by Al-Nusra Front in October 2012]]

On 12 August 2011, some months after protests had begun elsewhere in Syria, anti-government protests were held in several districts of Aleppo, including the city's Sakhour district. During this demonstration, which included tens of thousands of protesters, security forces shot and killed at least twelve people.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Martin Chulov in Beirut |author2=Nour Ali |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/12/syria-violence-spreads-aleppo |title=Syria violence spreads to commercial capital Aleppo &#124; World news |work=The Guardian |date=12 August 2011 |access-date=11 March 2012 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930192526/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/12/syria-violence-spreads-aleppo |archive-date=30 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Two months later, a pro-government demonstration was held in [[Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square]], in the heart of the city. According to the ''New York Times'', the 11 October 2011 rally in support of [[Bashar al-Assad]] was attended by large crowds,<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/world/middleeast/assad-supporters-hold-rally-in-aleppo-syria.html |work=The New York Times |first=Nada |last=Bakri |author-link=Nada Bakri |title=Pro-Assad Rally Shows Syrian Government Can Still Command Support |date=19 October 2011 |access-date=14 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215064143/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/world/middleeast/assad-supporters-hold-rally-in-aleppo-syria.html |archive-date=15 February 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> while state and local media claimed more than 1.5&nbsp;million attended and stated that it was one of the largest rallies ever held in Syria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=100538 |title=Aleppo Mass Rally &#124; DayPress |publisher=Dp-news.com |date=20 October 2011 |access-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405223753/http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=100538 |archive-date=5 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In early 2012, rebels began bombing Aleppo after the spread of anti-government protests. On [[February 2012 Aleppo bombings|10 February 2012]], suicide [[car bombs]] exploded outside two security compounds — the [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Syria)|Military Intelligence Directorate]]'s local headquarters, and a Syrian [[Syrian Public Security Police|Internal Security Forces]] barracks<ref name="herald-sun">{{cite news |title=Syria says bombers kill 28 in Aleppo |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/syria-says-bombers-kill-28-in-aleppo/story-e6frf7jx-1226268384138 |access-date=11 February 2012 |newspaper=[[The Herald-Sun]] |date=11 February 2012 |author=Aji, Albert |author2=Keath, Lee |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501233052/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/syria-says-bombers-kill-28-in-aleppo/story-e6frf7jx-1226268384138 |archive-date=1 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> — reportedly killing 28 (four civilians, thirteen military personnel and eleven security personnel)<ref name="herald-sun"/> and wounding 235.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=Syria unrest: Aleppo bomb attacks 'kill 28' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16978803 |access-date=11 February 2012 |newspaper=BBC |date=10 February 2012 |author=Staff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914210040/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16978803 |archive-date=14 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 18 March 2012, another car bomb blast in a residential neighbourhood reportedly killed two security personnel and one female civilian, and wounded 30 residents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/deadly-car-bombing-hits-syria-s-aleppo-2012-03-18-1.449068 |title=Deadly car bomb hits Alepp |publisher=Emirates247.com |date=18 March 2012 |access-date=29 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707110431/http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/deadly-car-bombing-hits-syria-s-aleppo-2012-03-18-1.449068 |archive-date=7 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=The Associated Press |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syria-blames-aleppo-blast-on-terrorists-1.1203410 |title=Syria blames Aleppo blast on terrorists|publisher=Cbc.ca |date=18 March 2012 |access-date=29 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707103417/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/03/18/syria-violence-sunday.html |archive-date=7 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Blown out tank Aleppo.jpg|250px|thumb|Destroyed [[Syrian Arab Army|SAA]] tank in the city in October 2012]]

In late July 2012, the conflict reached Aleppo in earnest when rebels in the city’s surrounding countryside mounted their first offensive there,<ref name=mogelson>{{citation |url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/04/29/130429fa_fact_mogelson |title=The River Martyrs |magazine=New Yorker |author=Luke Mogelson |page=42 |date=29 April 2013 |access-date=13 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503235154/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/04/29/130429fa_fact_mogelson |archive-date=3 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> apparently trying to capitalise on momentum gained during the Damascus assault.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Martin Chulov |author2=Luke Harding |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/29/syria-unrest-assad-forces-aleppo |title=Syria unrest: Assad forces continue onslaught in Aleppo |work=The Guardian |date=29 July 2001 |access-date=2 August 2012 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920022123/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/29/syria-unrest-assad-forces-aleppo |archive-date=20 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Then, some of the civil war's "most devastating bombing and fiercest fighting" took place in Aleppo, often in residential areas.<ref name=mogelson/> In the summer, autumn and winter of 2012 house-to-house fighting between armed opposition and government forces continued, and by the spring 2013 the Syrian Army had entrenched itself in the western part of Aleppo (government loyalist forces were operating from a military base in the southern part of the city) and the Free Syrian Army in the eastern part with a [[no man's land]] between them.<ref name=mogelson/> One estimate of casualties by an international humanitarian organization is that by this time 13,500 had been killed in the fighting — 1,500 under 5 years of age — and that another 23,000 had been injured.<ref name=mogelson/> Local police stations in the city, used as bases of government forces and hated and feared by residents, were a focus of much of the conflict.<ref name=NYT73112>{{cite news |title=Rebels in Syria's Largest City Said to Seize 2 Police Stations |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/world/middleeast/rebels-in-syrias-aleppo-claim-to-seize-important-police-stations.html |access-date=1 August 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=31 July 2012 |author=Damien Cave |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215953/http://www.nytimes.com//2012/08/01/world/middleeast/rebels-in-syrias-aleppo-claim-to-seize-important-police-stations.html |archive-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=NYT8312>{{cite web |title=Brutal Treatment of Pro-Assad Captives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/08/02/world/middleeast/20120812-aleppo.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=3 August 2012 |format=Slide show |date=1–3 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803045120/http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/08/02/world/middleeast/20120812-aleppo.html |archive-date=3 August 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

As a result of the severe battle, many sections in [[Al-Madina Souq]] (part of the [[Old City of Aleppo]] [[World Heritage Site]]), including parts of the [[Great Mosque of Aleppo]] and other medieval buildings in the ancient city, were destroyed and ruined or burnt in late summer 2012 as the armed groups of the [[Syrian Arab Army]] and the [[Free Syrian Army]] [[Battle of Aleppo (2012)|fought]] for control of the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kyivpost.com/content/world/fighting-in-aleppo-starts-fire-in-medieval-souks-313673.html |title=Fighting in Aleppo starts fire in medieval souqs |date=29 September 2012 |publisher=Kyivpost.com |access-date=29 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613062345/http://www.kyivpost.com/content/world/fighting-in-aleppo-starts-fire-in-medieval-souks-313673.html |archive-date=13 June 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/940 |title=UNESCO Director-General deplores destruction of ancient Aleppo markets, a World Heritage site |access-date=29 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530143248/http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/940/ |archive-date=30 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> By March 2013, a majority of Aleppo’s factory owners transferred their goods to Turkey with the full knowledge and facilitation of the Turkish government.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Agence France Presse |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-10/201697-syria-says-turkey-involved-in-looting-northern-factories.ashx#axzz2O7XdaZUm |title=Syria says Turkey involved in looting northern factories |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=10 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318011503/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-10/201697-syria-says-turkey-involved-in-looting-northern-factories.ashx#axzz2O7XdaZUm |archive-date=18 March 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:National Evangelical Church of Aleppo (destructed), 12 June 2013.jpg|thumb|[[National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon|The National Presbyterian Church of Aleppo]] after being destroyed on 6 November 2012<ref name="thirdrva.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.thirdrva.org/blog/vacation-bible-school-summer-mission-project |title=VBS and Aleppo Presbyterian Church, Syria |date=23 April 2015 |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427192935/http://www.thirdrva.org/blog/vacation-bible-school-summer-mission-project |archive-date=27 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

A stalemate that had been in place for four years ended in July 2016, when Syrian Army troops closed the last supply line of the rebels into Aleppo with the support of Russian airstrikes. In response, rebel forces launched unsuccessful counter-offensives in September and October that failed to break the siege; in November, government forces embarked on a decisive campaign. The rebels agreed to evacuate from their remaining areas in December 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sim |first=David |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fall-aleppo-timeline-how-assad-captured-syrias-biggest-city-1596504 |title=The fall of Aleppo timeline: How Assad captured Syria's biggest city |work=IB Times |date=16 December 2016 |access-date=26 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212094836/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fall-aleppo-timeline-how-assad-captured-syrias-biggest-city-1596504 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Syrian government victory with Russian aerial bombardment was widely seen as a potential turning point in Syria's civil war.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aron |first=Lund |url=http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/66314 |title=A Turning Point in Aleppo |work=Carnegie Middle East Center |date=2016-12-15 |access-date=2016-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213094844/http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/66314 |archive-date=13 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrias-long-brutal-civil-war-may-be-reaching-a-turning-point/ |title=Syria's long, brutal civil war may be reaching turning point |website=[[CBS News]] |date=4 December 2016 |access-date=26 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502003252/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrias-long-brutal-civil-war-may-be-reaching-a-turning-point/ |archive-date=2 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 22 December, the evacuation was completed with the Syrian Army declaring it had taken complete control of the city.<ref name=Announcedvictory2>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN14B1NQ |title=Syrian army announces victory in Aleppo in boost for Assad |date=22 December 2016 |work=Reuters |access-date=23 February 2018 |archive-date=4 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504194706/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria/syrian-army-announces-victory-in-aleppo-in-boost-for-assad-idUSKBN14B1NQ |url-status=live }}</ref> Red Cross later confirmed that the evacuation of all civilians and rebels was complete.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN14B1NQ |title=Aleppo evacuation is complete, Red Cross says |date=22 December 2016 |work=Reuters |access-date=23 February 2018 |archive-date=4 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504194706/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria/syrian-army-announces-victory-in-aleppo-in-boost-for-assad-idUSKBN14B1NQ |url-status=live }}</ref>

When the battle ended, 500,000 refugees and internally displaced persons returned to Aleppo,<ref name=":0"/> and Syrian state media said that hundreds of factories returned to production as electricity supply greatly increased.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sana.sy/en/?p=111818 |title=400 factories return to production in al-Kallaseh industrial zone in Aleppo |work=Syrian Arab News Agency |language=en-US |date=15 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013025728/http://sana.sy/en/?p=111818 |archive-date=13 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many parts of the city that were affected are undergoing reconstruction.<ref name=":0"/> On 15 April 2017, a convoy of buses carrying evacuees was [[2017 Aleppo suicide car bombing|attacked by a suicide bomber]] in Aleppo, killing more than 126 people, including at least 80 children.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-17/syrian-bus-bombing-kills-at-least-80-children/8447104 |title='A new horror': 80 children among those slaughtered in suicide attack on refugee convoy |date=2017-04-17 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU |access-date=25 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042731/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-17/syrian-bus-bombing-kills-at-least-80-children/8447104 |archive-date=3 May 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Syrian state media reported that the Aleppo shopping festival took place on 17 November 2017 to promote industry in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sana.sy/en/?p=118464 |title=Thousands of people participate in Aleppo shopping festival |work=Syrian Arab News Agency |language=en-US |date=17 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205203237/http://sana.sy/en/?p=118464 |archive-date=5 December 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[YPG]] commander stated in February 2018 that Kurdish fighters had shifted to [[Afrin, Syria|Afrin]] to help repel the [[Operation Olive Branch|Turkish assault]]. As a result, he said the pro-Syrian government forces had regained control of the districts previously controlled by them.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-militia/syrian-ypg-militia-government-has-taken-control-of-aleppo-district-idUSKCN1G62K9 |title=Syrian YPG militia: government has taken control of Aleppo district |website=Reuters |date=22 February 2018 |access-date=23 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223110234/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-militia/syrian-ypg-militia-government-has-taken-control-of-aleppo-district-idUSKCN1G62K9 |archive-date=23 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2020, government forces achieved a major breakthrough when they captured the last remaining rebel-held areas in Aleppo's western periphery, thus decisively ending the clashes that began with the [[Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016)|Battle of Aleppo]] over eight years prior.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/b7132a6044a40d68934f693836b3a767 |title=Assad vows to defeat rebels, as forces capture new ground |date=2020-02-16 |website=AP NEWS |access-date=2020-02-16 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217081705/https://apnews.com/b7132a6044a40d68934f693836b3a767 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/battle-of-aleppo-city-ends-in-syrian-army-victory-after-7-years-of-fighting/ |title=Battle of Aleppo city ends in Syrian Army victory after 7+ years of fighting |date=2020-02-16 |website=AMN - Al-Masdar News {{!}} المصدر نيوز |language=en-US |access-date=2020-02-16 |archive-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216165355/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/battle-of-aleppo-city-ends-in-syrian-army-victory-after-7-years-of-fighting/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The city suffered damage due to the [[2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake]].<ref name="Aleppo360">{{cite news |date=8 February 2023 |title=Earthquake stuns Syria's Aleppo even after war's horrors |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/08/earthquake-aleppo-syria-turkey-00081989 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211152551/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/08/earthquake-aleppo-syria-turkey-00081989 |archive-date=11 February 2023 |access-date=9 February 2023 |work=Politico |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-25 |title=2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake |url=https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2023-turkey-syria-earthquake/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Center for Disaster Philanthropy |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Takeover by Syrian opposition ====
{{main|Fall of Aleppo (2024)}}
On 29 November 2024, [[Syrian opposition]] groups, led by [[Tahrir al-Sham|Hayat Tahrir al-Sham]], captured the city during the [[Battle of Aleppo (2024)|Battle of Aleppo]]  as part of the [[Northwestern Syria offensive (2024)|offensive in northwestern Syria]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=El Deeb |first=Sarah |date=2024-11-29 |title=In a shock offensive, insurgents breach Syria's largest city for the first time since 2016 |url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-attack-clashes-aleppo-9c07da6f83036f34d4b18a479de9d085 |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Michaelson |first=Ruth |date=2024-11-29 |title=Syrian rebels enter Aleppo three days into surprise offensive |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/29/syrian-rebels-launch-surprise-attack-on-aleppo |access-date=2024-11-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>