Syrian opposition fighters have pushed back government forces around Aleppo in a surprise offensive, rapidly expanded the territory under their control in northwestern Syria. On Wednesday, they battled pro-government forces on the outskirts of Hama.

Assad’s favor after a Russian blitzkrieg on Aleppo helped him regain control over the country’s second biggest city.

The rebels have set their sights on an area where President Bashar al-Assad’s government has long maintained strength.

Syrian rebels battled government forces and allied militia on Wednesday in villages north and east of Hama, a major city whose capture would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.

Opposition supporters are ecstatic but others are wary of their new Islamist rulers as Assad regime begins counteroffensive

A historian explains why U.S. sanctions and Iran and Russia’s entanglements in other wars helped create an opening for rebel groups to overrun the Syrian Army.