Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which provides aid to persecuted Christians globally, reported on Tuesday that around 25,000 Christians remain in Aleppo, the city initially targeted by HTS and now facing a severe Syrian army counter-offensive. 

“Basic services are paralyzed, with only two hospitals available for critical care. Food supplies are dwindling, prices have skyrocketed, and the population is caught between bombings and insecurity,” said ACN’s Syria project manager, Marielle Boutros. She added that fear pervades the city, with reports of violence, including a sniper killing an Armenian doctor and attacks on buses attempting to flee.

“With schools closed and banks non-operational, people lack access to their salaries,” Boutros noted. ACN Secretary-General Philipp Ozores emphasized the dire situation, stating, “Survival has become a daily struggle.”

ICC pointed out that Christians view Assad’s claims of being a protector of their communities as hollow, especially in light of the 76 attacks on Christian places of worship in 2022. 

Church leaders in Aleppo described their community as being in “grave danger” following the Islamist takeover. Maronite Archbishop Joseph Tobji noted that many residents were unprepared for the swift HTS offensive and could not stockpile food. 

HTS has publicly documented its takeover, including dismantling Christmas decorations, and is known for enforcing a violent, Sunni supremacist ideology.

John Eibner of Christian Solidarity International urged President-elect Donald Trump to honor his commitment to protect persecuted Christians. Trump has vowed to create a task force to investigate discrimination against Christians in the U.S. and has made it clear that he intends to address violence against Christians abroad, criticizing current leadership for inaction regarding persecuted communities, including Armenian Christians displaced by Azerbaijan.