Russia has conducted major air strikes on rebels in Syria after insurgents led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group swept into Aleppo in what is the biggest challenge to its ally President Bashar al-Assad in years.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the recent jihadist attack in Syria, particularly targeting the Syrian city of Aleppo. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC),

The surprise attack jolted the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020. The army said it was preparing a counteroffensive.