The Syrian military rushed in reinforcements on Sunday to stop insurgents advancing further into the northern Hama countryside after they seized Aleppo and surrounding strategic locations in an adjacent province in a surprise offensive.

The rebels, who have taken back Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, from government forces in eight years, are advancing to the central part of the

The surprise attack jolted the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020. The army said it was preparing a counteroffensive.

The Syrian military has rushed in reinforcements to push back insurgents from advancing farther into the northern Hama countryside after they seized Aleppo in a surprise offensive

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.

Video posted by pro-opposition media in Syria shows militants in Aleppo’s western suburbs removing the Syrian national flag from a monument.

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

A rebel commander said a fall in Iran-backed manpower created an opening this week's assault. Iran's ally Hezbollah has suffered big losses to Israel.