f it list A woman is going viral for an uncomfortable experience she had with her go-to comfort food. On Nov. 19, Abby Kreger, who is the director of a pet rescue in Frankenmuth, Michigan, about a mystery surrounding Kraft Gluten Free Original Mac & Cheese: missing cheese sauce packets. Kreger, who has celiac disease, purchased multiple boxes prior to recording her video and was shocked to find that none of them had cheese packets in them. “Hey, listen, this message is for Kraft Mac & Cheese,” Kreger says in her now-viral video. “I’m gluten-free, and I have gotten now four boxes of gluten-free mac and cheese that do not have a sauce packet inside.” Kreger says that first she bought two boxes and discovered the production mistake, and after contacting Kraft’s customer service, she received a voucher for two free replacement boxes at the store of her choice. She says she bought the next two boxes individually at separate locations in different cities — but still had the same issue. “So giving me a coupon to get another box of mac and cheese isn’t solving the problem because Kraft Mac & Cheese is not addressing the problem,” she says. “You guys are having a problem in production. I’m not being a Karen.” Kreger concludes her video by pleading that Kraft find out what’s happening. “I’ve had celiac disease for almost five years,” she says, adding that she likely eats this product five times a week. “It’s to the point where I feel like I can’t even buy boxes of Kraft Gluten Free Mac & Cheese because it’s not gonna have the sauce packet and it’s just a waste of my money.” Kreger’s message to Kraft garnered over 3.2 million views and 12,000 comments. “Omg I would literally cry. Especially with how expensive it is,” one TikTok user. “Signed a celiac girly.” “WAIT SAME IM ALSO GF AND THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO ME,” another person, and one more , “This happened to me too!” Another user, who had the exact opposite experience, , “Too funny! My gf box had TWO cheese packets in it the other day (bought from Amazon). Sorry, I must have gotten your cheese!” Things escalated, though, when Kraft’s TikTok account responded to Kreger. “Hello. We apologize for this issue. We’re not having any quality issues with our gluten-free Kraft Mac and Cheese,” the company on her video. “Hello! Then why have I opened 4 boxes with no cheese packets?” she in response. People empathized with her exasperation in her comments section as well as in other TikTok videos — like one made by popular creator , who said the company “blew it.” “The way I would never buy Kraft again if I was the one experiencing this and they responded this way?!?” one TikTok user. “Not Kraft gaslighting you 😂,” someone else. On Nov. 21, Kreger to Kraft’s comment, expressing her frustration and sharing all of her correspondence with the company. “This makes it not feel like a comfort food anymore,” she says. “This does not feel safe. This feels more isolating. This is not helping my relationship with food.” Since then, people have been flooding Kraft’s socials with comments in support of Kreger. “So we all came from the girl who didn’t get her cheese packets? 😅,” one user on a about Kraft’s new Everything Bagel Mac & Cheese. “PUT THE SAUCE IN THE BAG BRO,” someone else on . Just when it seemed all hope was lost, Kreger on Nov. 21 sharing that a Kraft employee named Larry called her to say that, in addition to hearing her concerns, the company was going to send her a care package. “I also told Larry that I think he needs to talk to his social media team because the comment on my video was gaslighting me, did isolate me, did make me feel worse, and it was not proper customer service,” she says. A representative for Kraft Heinz tells TODAY.com that the company’s quality assurance team is investigating the production issue to determine the root cause of the problem. “Our team has been in touch with Abby to apologize for her experience and to make things right,” says the rep. “We are working closely with our response teams to ensure all future inquiries are treated with the care and respect they deserve.” In the cheesy aftermath of this saga, Kreger she has been sent free goodies from other food brands. On Nov. 22, she shared that California Pizza Kitchen delivered four gluten-free pizzas to her door and Stouffer’s sent eight boxes of gluten-free sides like creamed spinach and Mexican street corn. The next day, Instacart sent Kreger roses and gluten-free groceries, and Stouffer’s sent a second delivery of cheese sauce packets. Kreger also a handwritten note from Stouffer’s saying that her situation inspired them to create a gluten-free version of its Supreme Shells and Cheese product. “After hearing Abby’s story, we were excited to offer her our gluten-free sauce from STOUFFER’s Supreme Shells and Cheese,” Megan McLaughlin, Stouffer’s brand director tells TODAY.com. “At this time, we do not have a gluten free option in the pipeline, but we are always looking at consumer needs like Abby’s to help inspire our future innovations.” “I’m so blown away by this,” Kreger says through tears in her TikTok. “I’ve made a difference in the gluten-free community.” Washington, D.C. native Joseph Lamour is a lover of food: its past, its present and the science behind it. With food, you can bring opposites together to form a truly marvelous combination, and he strives to take that sentiment to heart in all that he does.

No. 13 seed Tarleton State wins inaugural FCS playoff game, beats Drake 43-29None

Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to be ambassador to France

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he wants real estate developer Charles Kushner , father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker." Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a real estate firm. Jared Kushner is a former White House senior adviser to Trump who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that after Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation. Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to Kushner's own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said. Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison — the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, sought. Christie blamed Jared Kushner for his firing from Trump’s transition team in 2016, and called Charles Kushner’s offenses “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.” Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to become US ambassador to France

...See how we have revived the PH Refinery – Okocha Tony Okocha, the leader of opposition in Rivers State from the All Progressives Congress (APC), has vowed to unseat Gov Sim Fubara. He however said it would be in 2027 during members of the party on Saturday, November 30, 2024, that it would be in 2027. Okocha, regarded as FCT Minister’s point-man in Rivers politics and arrowhead in the war against Gov Sim Fubara described the Fubara administration as rudderless saying the new APC would begin to contest elections and win all governments in the state; local governments, House of Assembly, and the main prize, the governorship. Hopes of the political crisis in Rivers State to simmer down, however, may have been thrown overboard as the APC loyal to Wike has defied court orders to hold congress and elected the new leaders led by Okocha. A Port Harcourt High Court had ruled that the Okocha-led Caretaker Committee was illegal and sacked it, pronouncing the Emeka Beke-led elected executives the authentic APC in the state. Read also: Rivers crisis now in auto-pilot Two members of the party also secured another court order stopping the congresses of the party from holding. This order was being pushed by the Beke-led exco but the Okocha group fully backed by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party went ahead to conduct the congresses ending with the state congress that has picked the chairman and other 28 positions, though the appeal is slated for Monday, December 2, 2024. The state congress where the election took place Saturday November 30, 2024, was graced by the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) with some persons from the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The congress and election were conducted by a national delegation led by Adoye Omale. Other notable officers and bigwigs of the party that graced the congress include the zonal chairman, Victor Giadom; the former senator, Magnus Abe; another senator, Wilson Ake; former ambassador Maureen Tamuno; and federal appointee Innocent Barikor. Speaking in appreciation, Okocha who has given Fubara nightmares, said he was prepared to deliver the party into government in 2027. “We will rout out this rudderless.” He said he was humbled by the size of crowd at the state secretariat and their self-sponsorship to the congress. Your APC will contest elections unlike before and win all elections this time. Just help us to snatch the governments from local to state. APC is on course.” He said Nigeria was on the move, pointing at the Port Harcourt Refinery as an example. He said the refinery has been revived and that soon, Warri and Kaduna ones will follow. The election was conducted on voice votes where every position went unposed. It is not clear whether the positioned were shared by the big wigs such as Abe and Giadom, other than to Wike.A melee broke out at midfield of Ohio Stadium after Michigan upset No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday. After the Wolverines' fourth straight win in the series, players converged at the block "O" to plant its flag. The Ohio State players were in the south end zone singing their alma mater in front of the student section. When the Buckeyes saw the Wolverines' flag, they rushed toward the 50-yard line. Social media posts showed Michigan offensive lineman Raheem Anderson carrying the flag on a long pole to midfield, where the Wolverines were met by dozens of Ohio State players and fights broke out. Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer was seen ripping the flag off the pole and taking the flag as he scuffled with several people trying to recover the flag. A statement from the Ohio State Police Department read: "Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation. During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games and will continue to investigate." Michigan running back Kalel Mullings on FOX said: "For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game. It's bad for the sport, bad for college football. At the end of the day, some people got to learn how to lose, man. "You can't be fighting and stuff just because you lost the game. We had 60 minutes and four quarters to do all that fighting. Now people want to talk and fight. That's wrong. It's bad for the game. Classless, in my opinion. People got to be better." Once order was restored, officers cordoned the 50-yard line, using bicycles as barriers. Ohio State coach Ryan Day in his postgame press conference said he wasn't sure what happened. "I don't know all the details of it. But I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren't going to let that happen," he said. "I'll find out exactly what happened, but this is our field and certainly we're embarrassed at the fact we lost the game, but there's some prideful guys on our team that weren't just going to let that happen." The Big Ten has not yet released a statement on the incident. --Field Level MediaEAST TENNESSEE STATE 79, AUSTIN PEAY 57

Heinola ‘super excited to be back’Newsom wants CA consumers to pay to replace $7,500 federal EV credit, Tesla excluded

Delay in deciding mercy plea violates convict's rights: Supreme Court

HAVANA, Cuba – The Trump-Rubio duo has shaken the Cuban regime to its core. They were overly confident that Kamala Harris would replace the barely-feared Joe Biden in the White House, bringing a few more years of that silly game of the “unblocked blockade.” A relaxation of sanctions, sprinkled with excessive niceties, has allowed the communists to reap massive benefits, as the ambiguities, loopholes, and cracks in the embargo have undoubtedly been the biggest boon for those who don’t need to produce anything because they’ve grown accustomed to living off scams, handouts, extortion, corruption, and double standards. Now, as dreaming does indeed cost dearly, they have awakened in the midst of what could be the worst political scenario for those who have designed a “socialist economy” built on mass emigration, remittances, and over a hundred offshore companies—many of them based in the United States—focused on imports to the island, online sales, and parcel delivery. Above all, however, these companies operate as a silent influence network, always ready to act on the “combat order.” Cubapack: GAESA’s MIPYME Operating in Miami This setup, more political than economic, was designed by Cuban intelligence with the dual purpose of generating money while also cultivating pro-dictatorship allies among American businessmen, politicians, academics, and intellectuals. But this scheme could now be at risk of collapse—or at least dispersion or neutralization—if someone like Marco Rubio, an expert on Cuban affairs who will soon have the power to make more effective decisions, places it squarely in his line of vision as a critical target to provoke the implosion of Castroism, which grows weaker every day due to internal power struggles born from systemic corruption. Confident in the power of its repressive apparatus, Castroism is increasingly convinced that neither an internal rebellion, no matter how strong, nor pressure from opposition groups (inside or outside the country) will be able to topple it—so long as no one cuts the umbilical cord stretching from Miami to Havana, carrying everything the dictatorship needs to sustain and strengthen itself. With the election of the current Florida senator to his new position, there are growing opportunities for U.S. policy toward Cuba to focus objectively on the regime’s neuralgic points and finally break out of the prolonged standstill that has allowed the regime not only to profit from what should be bleeding it dry but also to ideologically infiltrate the U.S. political system. This includes attempts to influence elections on one hand and to compromise national security on the other. This is even more alarming considering that in the last 10 years, Castroism has worked to solidify itself as the main unconditional ally of Russia and China—a reality the Biden administration has downplayed, despite the fact that this cooperation has extended into the military domain. This includes submarines and fleets docked in Havana Bay, troop exchanges, Cuban military training in Moscow, weapons and combat equipment upgrades, and, most critically, the establishment of military support protocols in case of social unrest or armed conflicts. Not since the so-called “October Crisis” or “Missile Crisis” of the 1960s has the United States faced such a dangerous situation regarding Cuba’s alliance with Russia. And never before has Washington’s response to what is indisputably a direct threat been so tolerant—not to say “weak.” The administration has ignored what are not speculations but facts, openly reported by official Russian and Cuban media, as well as additional undisclosed details that can be easily verified through the frequency and level of exchanges, the composition of delegations, and the high-ranking military officials leading them. Marco Rubio and the Key to Castroism’s Implosion Marco Rubio, as the head of U.S. diplomacy and a knowledgeable expert on these dangers, as well as on the role played in favor of the dictatorship by Cuban regime influence groups in Florida—led by those “businessmen” who have thrived on the cracks in the “embargo” (and by a large portion of the recently arrived “renewed” immigrants who have taken advantage of a migration policy that does not distinguish between repressors and refugees)—will soon hold the key to triggering the mechanism for implosion. He will also have the power to put a stop to what is not just a silent invasion but a guerrilla war that began long ago—perhaps when OFAC first issued a license in favor of any frontman. ARTÍCULO DE OPINIÓN Las opiniones expresadas en este artículo son de exclusiva responsabilidad de quien las emite y no necesariamente representan la opinión de CubaNet . Sigue nuestro canal de WhatsApp . Recibe la información de CubaNet en tu celular a través de Telegram.The "person of interest" in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a former Ivy League student , frat brother, and valedictorian of his 2016 High School class at the Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland. Mangione was apprehended this morning at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, PA , but has not been charged for the murder. An employee recognized him and alerted the local authorities around 9:15 a.m., according to police commissioner Jessica Tisch. Authorities reveal that Mangione was found with both a real ID and a fake ID, which had the same name on it as the false New Jersey ID the suspected gunman who killed Thompson showed at a hostel on the Upper West Side in Manhattan before the shooting, as well as a handwritten, 2-page manifesto . Luigi Mangione pictured for first time grinning with Happy Meal detained in connection with Brian Thompson death NYC Mayor Adams says man detained in Altoona is 'strong person of interest' in shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Here's everything we know so far about Mangione, who is scheduled to appear in court in Blair County, Pa., at 6 p.m. local time for a "preliminary arraignment on gun charges," according to the NYT. The fake ID had the name 'Mark Rosario' and had an address in Maplewood, a well-to-do suburb of Newark. When confronted in Altoona, he was discovered with a written document, believed to be a manifesto, criticizing healthcare companies for prioritizing money over actual care, as per law enforcement officials. Mangione also had a gun, thought to be a "ghost gun," a silencer, and other counterfeit identification cards on him. He has been arrested on local charges related to presenting a false ID to police officers and firearm charges, officials stated, reports the Irish Star . According to Mangione's LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, he pursued a major in Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania, earning both his bachelor's and master's degrees. His Instagram reveals that he was part of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the same university. Mangione's LinkedIn profile also notes that he interned at Firaxis Games and served as a teaching assistant at The University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. As of November 2020, he has been working as a Data Engineer at TrueCar Inc, in Santa Monica, California, and has held the position for two years and three months as of October 2022. His Instagram account indicates that he lived and worked at Surfbreak Coliving: Hawaii in May 2023. According to his Goodreads profile, Mangione is currently engrossed in reading The Book Thief and How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics. Joseph Kenny, chief of detective of the NYPD, says Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties in San Fransisco, and had a recent address in Honolulu, Hawaii. He had no prior criminal record in New York. A preliminary search of social media revealed that he may have some "ill will toward corporate America," but nothing overt has been uncovered yet. He was called an 'anti-capitalist Ivy League grad' and found to have liked quotes online from “Unabomber’’ Ted Kaczynski . Mangione apparently hated the medical community because of how it treated his sick relative, sources told the New York Post. According to a Facebook profile of the person believed to be Mangione, he attended a private high school in the Baltimore area, participating on the wrestling team and even being named valedictorian. Mangione's social media says he interned at a tech startup, used to keep a WordPress blog on gaming topics, and generally posted photos of himself with friends and family. Police suggested that parts of the 'ghost gun' may contain 3D printed parts, though that has yet to be confirmed as well. Among the lines in the two-page manifesto, Luigi Mangione wrote, "These parasites had it coming" and "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done," a police official who has seen the document told CNN. Mangione also lived in Hawaii for an unspecified amount of time, where he became a member of Hub Coworking Hawaii in Honolulu's Kakaako neighborhood for over a year. Nam Vu, the co-founder of the coworking space described Mangione as "Nothing strange" but "a nice guy." Mangione did come to the space, often accompanied by colleagues from Surfbreak, a coliving space for digital nomads and remote workers with locations in Honolulu and Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Vu said Mangione didn't interact much with him. Vu declined to reveal when Mangione joined but confirmed that his membership has been inactive for over a year and he hasn't seen him since.

Michigan, Ohio State fight broken up with police pepper spray after Wolverines stun Buckeyes 13-10Letters for Dec. 10: Declining a reelection bid is President Biden’s defining legacy in officeWomen's Top 25 roundup: No. 10 Maryland avoids upset by George Mason

Kohl's names Michaels CEO Ashley Buchanan to assume top job, effective Jan. 15Mary and Kerry willingly spend their time with prison inmates, here's whyNovember 30 - Quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to start for No. 3 Texas despite a high-ankle sprain when the Longhorns visit No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday night in College Station, Texas. The junior was listed as probable on the Southeastern Conference injury report on Friday. He sustained the injury during the first half of the Longhorns' 31-14 victory over Kentucky last Saturday. "I was around the 50-yard-line and I stepped up and kind of took off running a little bit and then kind of got hip-drop tackled, and I think he kind of just rolled up on it a little bit," Ewers said after the game. "But it's football and stuff like that happens." Ewers was hobbled and finished 20-of-31 passing for 191 yards with two touchdowns. Only 14 of those yards came in the second half, when Texas gained 132 on the ground. He described the ankle as "just a little tender" after the game. By Monday, he told the Austin American-Statesman, "Nobody's 100 percent, especially this late in the season. But that's part of it. I feel good." Ewers has completed 189 of 278 passes for 2,089 yards and 23 touchdowns with six interceptions in nine games. He has missed time because of a strained oblique injury, and redshirt freshman Arch Manning has filled in, as he might be called to do on Saturday. Manning is 61 of 90 for 939 yards, nine TDs and two interceptions in six games (two starts). He also has rushed 17 times for 81 yards and three touchdowns. Texas (10-1, 6-1 SEC) has ruled out defensive back Derek Williams Jr. and running backs CJ Baxter, Christian Clark and Velton Gardner. Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) will be without wide receiver Cyrus Allen, defensive back Tyreek Chappell, running back Le'Veon Moss and offensive lineman Mark Nabou Jr. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Uber Technologies, Inc. ( NYSE:UBER – Get Free Report )’s stock price traded up 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $72.70 and last traded at $71.62. 12,967,786 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 29% from the average session volume of 18,280,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.56. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently issued reports on UBER. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Uber Technologies from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Uber Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group upped their price target on Uber Technologies from $102.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Uber Technologies in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.51. View Our Latest Analysis on Uber Technologies Uber Technologies Trading Up 0.6 % Uber Technologies ( NYSE:UBER – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The ride-sharing company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.79. Uber Technologies had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 10.49%. The business had revenue of $11.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 1.89 EPS for the current year. Insider Transactions at Uber Technologies In related news, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 27,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.90, for a total transaction of $2,025,162.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 107,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,821,368.10. This trade represents a 20.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Insiders own 3.84% of the company’s stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PGGM Investments purchased a new position in Uber Technologies during the first quarter worth about $686,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Uber Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $238,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Uber Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $757,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Uber Technologies by 2.7% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,354 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Uber Technologies by 34.8% during the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 51,037 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock worth $3,709,000 after purchasing an additional 13,180 shares during the last quarter. 80.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Uber Technologies Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Democrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contest

The Syrian army says dozens of its soldiers have been killed in a major attack by rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo, forcing the military to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years. or signup to continue reading The surprise attack, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was the boldest rebel assault for years in a civil war where frontlines had largely been frozen since 2020. The war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many millions, has ground on since 2011 with no formal end, although most major fighting halted years ago after Iran and Russia helped Assad's government win control of most land and all major cities. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as al-Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the United States, Russia, Turkey and other countries. Aleppo had been firmly held by the government since a 2016 victory there, one of the war's major turning points, when Russian-backed Syrian forces besieged and lay waste to rebel-held eastern areas of what had been the country's largest city. "I am a son of Aleppo, and was displaced from it eight years ago, in 2016. Thank God we just returned. It is an indescribable feeling," said Ali Jumaa, a rebel fighter, in television footage filmed inside the city. Acknowledging the rebel advance, the Syrian army command said insurgents had entered large parts of Aleppo. After the army said it was preparing a counterattack, air strikes targeted rebel gatherings and convoys in the city, the pro-government newspaper al-Watan reported. One strike caused casualties in Aleppo's Basel square, a resident told Reuters. Overnight, images from Aleppo showed a group of rebel fighters gathered in the city's Saadallah al-Jabiri Square, a billboard of Assad looming behind them. Images filmed on Saturday showed people posing for photos on a toppled statue of Bassil al-Assad, late brother of the president. Fighters zipped around the city in flatback trucks and milled around in the streets. A man waved a Syrian opposition flag as he stood near Aleppo's historical citadel. The Syrian military command said militants had attacked in large numbers and from multiple directions, prompting "our armed forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the defence lines in order to absorb the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers". The rebels also took control of Aleppo airport, according to a statement by their operations room and a security source. Two rebel sources also said the insurgents had captured the city of Maraat al Numan in Idlib province, bringing all of that area under their control. The fighting revives the long-simmering Syrian conflict as the wider region is roiled by wars in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday. With Assad backed by Russia and Iran, and Turkey supporting some of the rebels in the northwest where it maintains troops, the offensive has brought into focus the conflict's knotted geopolitics. Fighting in the northwest had largely abated since Turkey and Russia reached a de-escalation agreement in 2020. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, discussing the situation in Syria, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday. "Both sides expressed serious concerns at the dangerous development of the situation," the ministry said. They agreed that it was necessary to co-ordinate joint actions to stabilise the situation in the country. Turkish security officials had said on Thursday that the country had prevented operations which opposition groups wanted to organise, in order to avoid further tensions in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lavrov in a phone call that the rebel attacks were part of an Israeli-US plan to destabilise the region, Iranian state media said. The Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue service operating in opposition-held parts of Syria, said in a post on X that Syrian government and Russian aircraft carried out air strikes on residential neighbourhoods in rebel-held Idlib, killing four civilians and wounding six others. Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel brigade, said the rebels' speedy advance had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower to support the government in the broader Aleppo province. Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East. 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