The retaking of Aleppo marks the first major development in years in Syria's grinding civil war, which had largely fallen from the world's headlines. It also raises fresh questions about the opposing sides,

Airstrikes also hit residential buildings in the city of Idlib, which has become a refuge for people displaced by the civil war, killing at least 12 civilians, according to the White Helmets, an independent rescue organization.

As things stand this morning, the Syrian army says that anti-government forces have now taken control of "large parts" of Aleppo. Meanwhile, the country's president is vowing to "defend [Syria's] stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their backers".