Syrian rebels seize Aleppo in surprise offensive

What happened

Rebels captured Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, over the weekend and advanced toward Hama in a surprise incursion that reignited Syria’s 13-year-old civil war and embarrassed President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. Airstrikes by Syrian and allied Russian warplanes have killed 56 people in Aleppo and Idlib provinces since the rebels launched their offensive on Wednesday, humanitarian group the Syrian Civil Defense, or White Helmets, said this morning.

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