Diminished support for the Syrian government from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia enabled opposition forces to take the initiative and seize new territory.

Syrian rebels have launched a surprise offensive against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a significant escalation in Syria’s civil war, which is raising concerns about a potential wider regional conflict in the Middle East.

The Syrian regime has rushed in reinforcements to hold off a rebel advance into the Hama countryside, after the insurgents seized the country’s second city Aleppo in the biggest threat to autocratic ruler Bashar al-Assad in years.