It sparked some of the deadliest fighting in the country for years.
According to a Syrian military observer, 255 people have died as a result of the violence, most of them fighters from both sides. The death toll also includes 24 civilians, most of whom died in Russian air strikes.
The offensive was launched at a delicate time for Syria and the region, after a fragile ceasefire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel came into force in neighbouring Lebanon earlier this week.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, by 29 November they had captured more than 50 towns and villages in northern and northwestern Syria, the biggest advance by anti-government factions in years.
Army reinforcements have arrived in Aleppo, said a Syrian government security official who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He added that "there is fierce fighting and clashes west of Aleppo, but they have not reached the city."
This week, jihadists and factions backed by Turkey, which neighbors Syria and supports the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, launched a major surprise offensive against government forces.On November 29th, they shelled a student dormitory in government-controlled Aleppo, killing four civilians, according to state media.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said "more than 14,000 people - almost half of them children - have been displaced" by the violence.
According to the UK-based Observatory, on 28 November militants cut the highway linking Aleppo to Syria's capital Damascus, some 300km to the south. | BGNES
