Rebels’ capture of Aleppo stirs Syrian homecoming hopes in Turkey

ISTANBUL –

Dr. Mehdi Davut smiles as he describes his planned return to his homeland Syria for the first time in eight years to see how his aid association can help in Aleppo, a major city seized by rebels last week.

“The liberation of Aleppo brought us such joy because Aleppo was a source of pain,” he said in Istanbul, where some half a million Syrians live.

Syrian rebels captured Aleppo from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, bringing hopes of return among hundreds of thousands exiled from the city, which has been under Assad’s control since 2016. On Thursday, rebels also captured the city of Hama.