Sham, a powerful Syrian rebel faction, has launched offensive in Aleppo by taking military bases and villages from Assad's forces. This marks a significant escalation of the civil war in Syria, with HTS posing a major threat to Assad's regime.

The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence as insurgents seized Aleppo in a shock offensive marking a major threat to president Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime.The push – which saw insurgents seize the country’s second-largest city – is among the strongest in years,

The rebels have taken control of a military base in Aleppo province and cut off the highway leading to Damascus as they advance to the city of Hama

Aleppo, once a symbol of Assad’s triumph in the Syrian Civil War, has again become a battlefield as rebel forces have seized the city.

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.

The lightning assault on Aleppo by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham abruptly redrew the front lines of Syria’s civil war.

A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized control of Aleppo International airport, the first international airport to be controlled by insurgents. The fighters claimed they seized the airport and posted pictures from there.

The surprise attack, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was the boldest rebel assault for years in the civil war that has been frozen.

The Syrian government has been fighting back against opposition forces with airstrikes after they took over large swathes of land in a lighting advance which has caused embarrassment to President Bashar Al-Assad.

At least 372 people have been killed since rebels launched a surprise offensive on Wednesday, according to observers.