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—Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies reached Syria’s second city of Aleppo on Friday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government.
The fighting is some of the deadliest in years, with 277 people killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the dead are combatants although the toll also includes 28 civilians, most killed by Russian air strikes.
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The offensive began on Wednesday, the same day that a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
By Friday, the jihadists and their allies had wrested control of more than 50 towns and villages in the north, according to the Britain-based Observatory, in the government’s biggest loss of territory in years.
They then entered western districts of Aleppo, a city of some two million people that was Syria’s pre-war manufacturing hub.
The fighters “advanced without any significant pushback from regime forces”, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said, adding that they had taken control of five neighbourhoods of the city.
An AFP correspondent saw clashes in the New Aleppo district.
State media reported that four civilians were killed when a student residence in Aleppo was shelled by HTS, a jihadist alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch.
Army reinforcements have arrived in Aleppo, a Syrian security official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
An army statement said troops had repelled the assault on the city and retaken some positions.
