Via Sebastian Usher in bbc.com: Rebel forces launched the largest offensive against the Syrian government in years on Wednesday. By Sunday, they had taken control of large parts of the countrys second-biggest city, Aleppo and were advancing towards Hama in the south. The surprise offensive prompted the first Russian strikes on Aleppo since 2016, and saw Syrias military withdraw its troops from the city. The attack was led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – which has a long and involved history in the Syrian conflict.
