Syrian troops in Aleppo backed by warplanes battle a shock offensive by rebels

Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria state media say government troops are battling insurgents inside the country’s largest city Aleppo for the first time since 2016. A pro-government newspaper says warplanes targeted rebel supply lines on the city’s edge Saturday. Insurgents broke through government defense lines in Aleppo on Friday and entered the city’s western neighborhood with little resistance. The insurgents launched their shock offensive in Aleppo and Idlib countryside on Wednesday and wrestled control of dozens of villages and towns along the way, including a strategic town south of Aleppo.