Syria Jihadists, Allies Cut Key Highway As Escalating Violence Kills Around 200

A fighter from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) mans a position in the eastern outskirts of Atarib town, in Syria's Aleppo province, as smoke rises in the distance during clashes with the Syrian army (Credit: AFP)

Jihadist fighters cut the Damascus to Aleppo highway on Thursday during an offensive that a monitor says killed around 200, including civilians hit by Russian air force strikes.

A day earlier, jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions launched a surprise attack on government-held areas of northern Aleppo province, triggering the fiercest fighting in years, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.