Syrian rebels push on in lightning raid after Aleppo shock

Thousands of Syrian insurgents have taken over most of Aleppo, establishing positions in the country's largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized control of Aleppo International airport in a first.

Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no opposition, to seize at least four towns in Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled in 2016. They claimed Saturday to have entered Hama city.

The swift and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for President Bashar Assad. The insurgent offensive also comes at a time when Assad's allies were preoccupied with their own conflicts.

Turkey, a main backer of Syrian opposition groups, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop government attacks on opposition-held areas recently, which were in violation of a de-escalation agreement.

Turkish officials said a limited offensive by rebels was planned to stop the attacks and allow civilians to return, but it expanded as government forces began to retreat.

The insurgents, led by the Salafi jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and including Turkey-backed fighters, launched their shock offensive on Wednesday. They first staged a two-pronged attack in Aleppo and the Idlib countryside, entering Aleppo two days later and securing a strategic town that lies on the highway that links Syria's largest city to the capital and the coast.

Syria's armed forces said that to absorb the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it redeployed troops and equipment and was preparing a counterattack.

ASSOCIATED PRESS