Rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched an incursion on Wednesday into a dozen towns and villages in the northwestern province of Aleppo, which is controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. On Friday they made significant inroads into Syria's second city, including reaching the central square.

Syrian rebels have reportedly breached the city of Aleppo itself, according to open source analysts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as thousands of insurgent fighters make startling advances in their surprise offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in northwestern Syria.