BEIRUT (Reuters) -Syrian rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday they had reached the heart of the northern city of Aleppo, after a surprise sweep through government-held towns and nearly a decade after having been forced out of the city.

Syrian rebels launched a surprise offensive into western Aleppo, challenging years of government control and reigniting fears in a war-weary city.

The lightning advance by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham abruptly redrew the front lines of Syria’s civil war for the first time in years.