Thousands of Syrian insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, establishing positions in the country's largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province.

Syria’s armed forces said in a statement that to absorb the attack on Aleppo and save lives, it has redeployed and is preparing a counterattack.

Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no opposition from government forces, to seize towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled by government troops in 2016. They claimed on Saturday evening to have entered the city of Hama.