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.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants have taken control of “the majority of the city,” according to The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

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

Syria and Russia are stepping up their retaliatory strikes on forces in northern Syria after they lost control of the country’s second-largest city.

Syrian rebels drove military vehicles around Aleppo province as clashes with Syrian government forces escalated. Fighting in northwestern Syria over the past three days has claimed the lives of 27 civilians,