Summary

  • Russia has carried out "a series of air strikes" in Syria as rebel forces are continuing to push south, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says

  • This latest offensive - which our map is tracking - marks the most significant fighting in Syria in recent years

  • Rural parts of Idlib and Hama were hit, regions where the group leading the rebel offensive "has recently taken control", SOHR says

  • For his part, President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to "defend" the country

  • More than 370 people have been killed - including at least 20 civilians - since the offensive began on Wednesday, SOHR says

Live Reporting

Edited by Jenna Moon and Tinshui Yeung

  1. Iranian and Russian foreign ministers speak by phone about situation in Syria

    Headshot of Abbas Araghchi smiling in front of a microphoneGetty Images

    Foreign ministers from Iran and Russia spoke by phone on Saturday, expressing their support for Syria against rebel forces that have taken Aleppo.

    In a post on Telegram, Iran's Abbas Araghchi said the pair also spoke about the "need for coordination" between Russia, Iran and Turkey on this issue.

    He adds that this is to help "neutralise this dangerous plot".

    The Russian foreign ministry says that the sides discussed "serious concerns" about the developing situation in Syria and agreed to coordinate their response.

  2. Analysis

    Rebels continue to make advances in Aleppo as curfew announced

    Lina Sinjab
    Middle East correspondent, reporting from Beirut

    Anti-government fighters celebrate in a street in Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on November 30 2024Getty Images

    Anti-government fighters celebrate in Syria's northwestern Idlib province

    Throughout the day, we've seen rebel forces advancing and taking control over large parts of the city of Aleppo.

    Government forces have also begun announcing that they have withdrawn and are saying that the rebels have taken control of one of Syria's largest cities.

    This is really a very interesting time to see how this operation is taking place when President Assad's loyalists are weakened in the region - especially Iran and Hezbollah, whose fighters helped turned the tide of the Syrian civil war.

    We are waiting to see the development - what's going to happen next?

    Are the rebels going to hold control over Aleppo or will there be some sort of negotiations taking place?

    All of this will hopefully be clarified in the days to come

    The rebel forces announced a curfew starting at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) that will be in place until tomorrow.

    This is also a time for them calculate their next steps.

  3. What is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - the group leading the attack?

    Sebastian Usher

    Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has a long and involved history in the Syrian conflict.

    HTS was set up under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda.

    The IS group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was also involved in its formation.

    It was regarded as one of the most effective and deadly of the groups ranged against President Assad.

    But its jihadist ideology appeared to be its driving force rather than revolutionary zeal - and it was seen at the time as at odds with the main rebel coalition under the banner of Free Syria.

    But in 2016, the group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, publicly broke ranks with Al Qaeda, dissolved Jabhat al-Nusra and set up a new organisation, which took the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham when it merged with several other similar groups a year later.

  4. Who is in control in Syria?

    Sebastian Usher

    A billboard bearing a picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and a national flag are torn by anti-government fighters in the northern city of AleppoGetty Images

    A billboard bearing a picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and a national flag are torn by anti-government fighters in the northern city of Aleppo

    The war in Syria has for the past four years felt as if it were effectively over.

    President Bashar al-Assad’s rule is essentially uncontested in the country’s major cities, while some other parts of Syria remain out of his direct control.

    These include Kurdish majority areas in the east, which have been more or less separate from Syrian state control since the early years of the conflict.

    There has been some continued, though relatively muted unrest, in the south where the revolution against Assad’s rule began in 2011.

    In the vast Syrian desert, holdouts from the group calling themselves Islamic State still pose a security threat, particularly during the truffle hunting season when people head to the area to find the highly profitable delicacy.

    And in the north-west, the province of Idlib has been held by jihadist and rebel groups driven there at the height of the war.

    The dominant force in Idlib is the one that has launched the surprise attack on Aleppo, which is the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - who I'll have more details about in my next post.

  5. Where rebel forces have advanced in Syria

    Aleppo is located in the northwest of Syria. It is the second largest city in the country.

    We've mapped out where rebel forces have been sighted in relation to the city. These were the reported positions as of 09:00 GMT (12:00 local time).

    A map of the Middle East shows Syria

  6. What happened overnight?

    Syrian rebels seize parts of Aleppo - reports

    As we've been reporting, Russia launched air strikes into Aleppo overnight for the first time since 2016, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says.

    It comes as SOHR reports that rebel forces have taken control of "majority" of the city. The Syrian army says that the rebels have taken "large parts" of Aleppo - Syria's second-largest city.

    The rebels' advancement into Aleppo is part of an offensive which began Wednesday. It is the largest offensive against the Syrian government to develop in years.

    The rebels had been forced out of the city in 2016 by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army. This marks thefirst time since then that they have reached Aleppo.

    Syria's military has said troops have been withdrawn temporarily in order to "prepare a counter-offensive".

    A spokesperson from SOHR has told the BBC that city council, police stations and intelligence offices are standing "empty".

  7. Russia launches strikes into Syria as rebel forces take control of Aleppo

    A rebel led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike at a checkpoint in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, SyriaReuters

    Rebel forces in Syria have taken control of the "majority" of the country's second-largest city, Aleppo, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

    Russia has launched air strikes on parts of Aleppo in response - the first time since 2016.

    More than 300 people have been killed since fighting intensified Wednesday, including 20 civilians, the observers said.

    We'll be here throughout the afternoon to bring you the developing news lines and some further analysis. Stay with us - we'll have an overview of events with you shortly.