The Syrian army said it was actively engaged on all fronts in both Aleppo and Idlib "to repel the offensive by terrorist organizations affiliated with the so-called Al-Nusra Front, using heavy weaponry and drones, and backed by a large number of armed foreign terrorists."

According to the statement, the Syrian armed forces inflicted heavy losses on the attackers, killing and wounding hundreds, while also destroying dozens of vehicles and armoured units.

It added that 17 drones were shot down and destroyed.

The army said it continues to reinforce positions along the frontlines with additional troops and equipment to prevent further violations and repel the terrorists' assaults.

It added that its forces have regained control of positions that had been breached in recent hours and vowed to continue combat operations until the terrorists are pushed back.

In a final note, the army urged citizens to disregard misinformation being spread by "terrorist organizations" on affiliated platforms and to rely on national media and official platforms for accurate news.

Battle unfolds
 

Thousands of Syrian jihadists pushed on with their advances on government-held areas in the country’s northwest, seizing five neighbourhoods in Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo and wrestling control of several strategic towns and villages along the way, activists and fighters said Friday.

These advances were one of the largest by opposition factions, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS , a jihadist alliance, including the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, all deemed terrorist groups by Syria and the United States.

It comes after weeks of low-simmering violence.

Syria’s state media said projectiles from insurgents landed in the student accommodations at Aleppo's university in the city centre, killing four people, including two students, according to AP.

State-controlled media reported that public transportation to the city has also been diverted from the main highway linking Aleppo to the capital, Damascus, to avoid clashes.

Residents in Aleppo reported hearing the sounds of missiles on the city's outskirts.

Jihadists also advanced on the town of Saraqab, in northwestern Idlib province, a strategic area that would secure supply lines to Aleppo.

More than 240 people, mostly jihadist combatants, were killed as intense fighting approached Aleppo after jihadists launched a major offensive on government-held areas this week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor group with a network of sources inside Syria, said Friday.

"The combatants' death toll in the ongoing... operation in the Idlib and Aleppo countrysides has risen to 218," since Wednesday, said the observatory.

In addition to the fighters, it said 24 civilians were killed.

Int'l reactions
 

A Turkish defence ministry source told Reuters on Thursday that Turkey was following developments in northern Syria closely and had taken precautions to ensure the security of Turkish troops there.

In its first reaction, the Kremlin on Friday said it hoped its ally Syria would quickly "restore order" in Aleppo.

"Regarding the situation near Aleppo, it is an infringement on the sovereignty of Syria. We are for the government of Syria to quickly restore order in this district and restore the constitutional order," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

According to a statement, Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran, a strong ally of Syria, pledged "continued support for the government, nation and army of Syria" in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bassam al-Sabbagh.

Violating 2019 agreement
 

The assault on Aleppo is the most intense fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020 when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition fighters.

It was also the most significant offensive by opposition fighters in the city since they were ousted from its eastern region in 2016.

Syria’s Armed Forces said the insurgents are violating a 2019 agreement that de-escalated fighting in the area, which has been the last remaining opposition stronghold for years.

State media reported airstrikes on insurgents’ positions in Aleppo and Idlib countryside.

Syrian ally Russia launched airstrikes that killed 19 civilians on Thursday, while another civilian had been killed in Syrian army shelling a day earlier, said the observatory on Friday.

According to the observatory, the insurgents have seized control of more than 50 villages in their advance, which seems to have caught the government forces unprepared.

The offensive came as other Iran-linked groups, who had backed Syrian government forces since 2015, including Hezbollah, have been preoccupied with their battle at home.

Israel has escalated its attacks in Syria during the last 70 days as part of its war on Lebanon.

The insurgents reported that fighters had wrestled control of the Scientific Research Center neighbourhood, about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) from the western outskirts of Aleppo city.

Government-linked media reported ongoing clashes in the area, denying the insurgents had seized it.

Jihadists posted videos online showing they were using drones in advance, a new weapon they did not have in the earlier stages of their confrontation with government forces. It was unclear to what extent the drones were used on the battleground.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, reporting from Idlib, estimated that the Syrian opposition fighters had seized control of an area of some 400 square kilometres in Aleppo and Idlib province, reaching one kilometre (0.6 miles) outside of Aleppo City.

The agency also reported that the insurgents attacked a military airbase southeast of Aleppo city with drones early Friday, destroying a helicopter.

It said the opposition groups seized heavy weapons, depots and military vehicles belonging to the government forces during their advance.

Aid groups said the fighting has displaced thousands of families and forced some services to be suspended.

The Jihadists claim their offensive will allow the return of thousands of displaced people who were forced to flee government bombardment in recent weeks.

2016: The battle for Aleppo
 

The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between the Syrian Armed Forces and rebel fighters since the 2011 protests against President Bashar Assad turned into an all-out war.

Russia, and Iran and its allied groups had helped the Syrian Armed Forces reclaim control of all of Aleppo that year after a gruelling military campaign and a siege that lasted for weeks.

Turkey has been a main backer of an array of opposition forces, and its troops have established a military presence in parts of northwestern Syria.

Separately and mainly in the east of Syria, the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants.