The advance on Aleppo followed a shock offensive launched on Wednesday, as fighters swept through villages and towns.

Over a few days, rebel fighters in northern Syria have launched incursions into several major cities with little resistance from government troops.

The surprise attack, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was the boldest rebel assault for years in the civil war that has been frozen.

Overnight, Russian "warplanes launched raids on areas of Aleppo city for the first time since 2016", says Britain-based SOHR

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group in Syria has taken control of much of Aleppo city after local forces withdrew to organize a counteroffensive to retake Aleppo.

Thousands of Syrian insurgents have taken over most of Aleppo, establishing positions in the country’s largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby provi

Syria state media say government troops are battling insurgents inside the country’s largest city Aleppo for the first time since 2016