More than 200 people have been confirmed dead in the battles, according to the London-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR). Among the dead is a high-ranking general in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, reports the state-affiliated Iranian news agency Tasnim.
On Thursday, HTS and its allies also cut off a vital highway connecting the capital Damascus with Aleppo, according to SOHR.
According to opposition to the government and its allies, Syria's army has responded to the attacks from HTS with airstrikes and shelling, writes The Guardian. In the countryside of the Aleppo region, nearly 20 civilians have been killed in Russian airstrikes, reports SOHR. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.
The battles started on Wednesday when HTS launched a surprise attack on Syria's army forces in the Aleppo province. HTS is an extremist movement spawned from the al-Qaeda terrorist network and controls parts of the neighboring Idlib province.
