Syrian and Russian jets are stepping up strikes on opposition forces in northern Syria in retaliation for the sudden offensive that has cost the autocratic regime control of the country’s second largest city,

Syria's civil war has taken a dramatic turn, with dictator Bashar Assad once again leaning on Russian support after a shock offensive by Islamist rebels in Aleppo.

Airstrikes also hit residential buildings in the city of Idlib, which has become a refuge for people displaced by the civil war, killing at least five civilians and leaving 30 others injured, according to the White Helmets,