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Syrian rebels now control around half of Aleppo after their surprise offensive has left regime forces reeling.

Opposition fighters have advanced in and around Syria’s second-largest city, and now also claim to be in control of all of Idlib province.

Russian and Syrian jets have responded by bombing the rebels as they contend with the most serious challenge to President Bashar al Assad in many years.

Syria’s military says it has conducted a “temporary troop withdrawal” to prepare for a counteroffensive against “terrorists”.

Aleppo airport and a number of major roads have been closed, while thousands of cars were seen fleeing the city along a route that remains under government control.

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The rebels, led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, are said to be in control of around half of Aleppo – Syria’s second-largest city – according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Dozens of Syrian soldiers have been killed in fierce battles in Aleppo and Idlib in the past few days, the, military has said.

Russia, one of President Bashar al Assad’s key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the rebels, two military sources told Reuters news agency.

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The group is said to be in control of around half of Aleppo, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

The sources added that the Syrian army had been told to follow “safe withdrawal” orders from the main areas of the city that the rebels have entered.

“Relentless attacks” over the past three days in northwestern Syria have killed 27 civilians, including eight children, a UN official said.

And they have now returned to the Aleppo for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shi’ite militias retook it.

The opposition fighters have said the campaign is in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air forces on areas in rebel-held Idlib.

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Opposition forces take control of areas outside Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Pic: AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed

Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey, which supports the rebels, had given a green light to the attacks.

However, Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Friday that Turkey sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.

Insurgents have posted videos online showing themselves using drones in their advance for the first time. It is not clear to what extent they were used on the battlefield.

Syria’s civil war: a timeline

Syria has experienced more than 13 years of civil war. Here are some of the key events since the conflict began.

2011: Anti-regime sentiment spreads across Syria after protesters are shot dead by government forces. Conflict breaks out between rebels and pro-Assad troops.

2012: Government forces relentless bombard rebel territory, particularly the besieged city of Homs.

2013: The Islamic State (IS) is founded and begins to grow in strength and territory. A chemical weapon attack in Ghouta, Damascus, killed hundreds. The UN found that sarin gas was used, but did not assign blame to the Assad regime or the rebels.

2014: IS declares a “caliphate” covering much of Syria and continues to fight both the Assad regime and the rebels. Foreign countries begin bombing IS strongholds.

2015: IS fighters seized the historic city of Palmyra, destroying monuments across the city, a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Russia, launches its first airstrikes in Syria. Moscow said they were targeting IS, but the West accused them of also attacking rebels to support Damascus. This proved to be a turning point in the conflict.

2016: Syrian troops, backed by Iran and Russia, recapture Aleppo – a significant blow to the rebels.

2017: IS is driven from Raqqa, the capital of the “caliphate” by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces – widely seen as a symbol of the terror group’s decline.

2018: At least 70 people died and hundreds were injured in an alleged chemical attack on Douma, eastern Ghouta. The US State Department called it “one of the worst chemical attacks in Syrian history”. The US, UK and France launched airstrikes against Assad targets in response.

2019: Turkey launches an offensive into north-eastern Syria.

2021: Daraa in southern Syria sees intense fighting after the region boycotted the presidential election. A ceasefire is agreed in September.

2022: IS militants attack a prison in north-east Syria during which 500 people are killed and some fighters escape.

2023: A devastating earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria, killing tens of thousands of people.

Videos geolocated by Sky News show armoured vehicles on the fringes of Aleppo and rebels celebrating at its western entrance.

Another shows a group of more than 10 men running through the streets. At least one of them appears to be armed.

The Syrian government has not commented on the rebels breaching the city limits.

A setback for the regime, or the start of a major escalation?


Alex Rossi - Middle East correspondent

Alex Rossi

International correspondent

@alexrossiSKY

It had appeared to be a conflict frozen in time, but the operation launched with blistering speed by Syrian opposition fighters has turned all of that upside down.

It is also a potent reminder of the complexity of the Syrian conflict.

What was a stalemate has revealed that the regime of President Bashar al Assad may very well be standing on clay feet.

Whether the rebel push continues its momentum and transforms into a wider offensive remains to be seen – but its significance politically and militarily is immense.

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs – in worst day for indexes since COVID

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs - in worst day for indexes since COVID

Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.

While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As it happened: Worst week’s trading in five years

All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.

The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.

Read more: What’s a bear market?

Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.

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Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.

The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.

And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.

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US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters

Trump holds trade deal talks – reports

It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indian and Israeli representatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.

The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.

Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.

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Do Trump’s tariffs add up?

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China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.

Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.

Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.

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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump

He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’

“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they're also battling with another problem

Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.

The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.

The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.

Tariffs latest: FTSE 100 suffers biggest daily drop since COVID

Financial investors had been gradually re-calibrating their expectations of Donald Trump over the past few months.

Hopes that his actions may not match his rhetoric were dashed on Wednesday as he imposed sweeping tariffs on the US’ trading partners, ratcheting up protectionism to a level not seen in more than a century.

Markets were always going to respond to that but they are also battling with another problem: the lack of certainty when it comes to Trump.

More on Donald Trump

He is a capricious figure and we can only guess his next move. Will he row back? How far is he willing to negotiate and offer concessions?

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These are massive unknowns, which are piled on to uncertainty about how countries will respond.

China has already retaliated and Europe has indicated it will go further.

That will compound the problems for the global economy and undoubtedly send shivers through the markets.

Much is yet to be determined, but if there’s one thing markets hate, it’s uncertainty.

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

South Korea’s constitutional court has confirmed the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December after declaring martial law.

His decision to send troops onto the streets led to the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.

The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.

Demonstrators who stayed overnight near the constitutional court wait for the start of a rally calling for the president to step down. Pic: AP
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Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP

Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.

The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.

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The Constitutional Court is under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement of the impeachment trial. Pic: AP
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The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP

After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.

He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.

The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.

South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.

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