Syrian rebels take control in parts of Aleppo

Rebel forces in Syria have taken control of several neighbourhoods in the country’s second-largest city, Aleppo. All flights scheduled for Saturday have been cancelled.

The UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed the information, saying that rebels were in control of more than half of the city.

BBC revealed the information in a report on Saturday (November 30).

The move is the biggest offensive against the Syrian government in years and the first time rebels fighting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad have reached Aleppo since being forced out by the army in 2016.

Video posted on a channel affiliated with the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) appears to show rebel fighters in vehicles inside the city.

Government forces meanwhile say they have regained positions in a number of towns in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, following an offensive launched by HTS and allied factions on Wednesday.

More than half a million people have been killed in the civil war that erupted after the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

An array of armed groups opposed to the Assad government - including jihadists - took advantage of the turmoil to seize swathes of territory.

The Syrian government - with help from Russia and other allies - later retook most the areas it had lost.

Idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold, is mostly controlled by HTS, but Turkish-backed rebel factions and Turkish forces are also based there.