Rebels make major advance against Syrian 

government troops, 

capture half of Aleppo

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday evening that rebels had captured more than half of the city, the biggest advance against Syrian government forces in years. The rebels were driven out of the city by President Bashar al-Assad's forces in 2016 and have been fighting for the city since then. A video posted on a channel linked to the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) showed rebel fighters in vehicles inside the city. The BBC has verified footage of the area as being in the western suburbs of Aleppo. But government forces say they have retaken parts of Aleppo and Idlib after attacks by HTS and its allies on Wednesday.

The country has been in a civil war since the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011, killing at least half a million people. Armed groups, including jihadists, that opposed Assad's government have seized control of parts of the country. The Syrian government has since retaken much of the country with the help of Russia and other allies. But Idlib remains a rebel stronghold. HTS controls much of it. But some Turkish-backed rebels and Turkish forces are also present there. A statement on a rebel-linked channel on Friday said: "Our forces have begun entering Aleppo city." Video, which the BBC has been able to verify, shows armed men running down a street seven kilometres from Aleppo city centre. The government says additional forces have arrived in Aleppo and are pushing back the rebels.

Meanwhile, Aleppo airport has been closed and all flights have been canceled, Reuters reported. SOHR, which uses Syrian networks to gather information, said Syrian and Russian aircraft carried out at least 23 airstrikes in the area on Friday. According to SOHR, at least 255 people have been killed in the fighting, the bloodiest in years between rebels and government-backed forces. Fighting in Idlib has been waning since 2020. On Wednesday, HTS and its allies blamed government forces and their allied militias for the escalation in the region. They claimed to be carrying out the operation to prevent aggression. As a result, the Syrian government has been embroiled in a new conflict. In neighboring Lebanon, Israeli forces have carried out a large-scale operation against Hezbollah, a group that has also played a role in the Syrian civil war. Israel has also targeted Iranian-linked or Iranian-backed groups inside Syria.