Islamic State militants captured several villages from Syrian rebels in a counter-attack near the Turkish border that forced the foreign-backed insurgents to retreat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow is ready to support a UN plan for jihadist fighters to leave war-ravaged Aleppo, but slapped strict conditions on any rebels remaining behind.
Nine Turkey-backed Syrian rebels were killed and 32 were wounded on Thursday fighting in an operation to push Islamic State militants away from the border area in Syria, Turkey's military said on Friday, indicating a fresh surge in clashes.
The general command of Syria's army has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and shelling of what it describes as terrorist positions in Aleppo to alleviate the humanitarian situation there, a Syrian military source said on Wednesday.
Outside powers need to act fast to protect Syrians because foreign military backing for the government is "changing the equation" of the war, Qatar's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Turkey's army said it clashed with Islamic State over the border in Syria, leaving one soldier and 23 militants dead, as Ankara stepped up an operation to clear insurgents from the frontier region.
Analysis of satellite imagery of a deadly attack on an aid convoy in Syria last month showed that it was an air strike, a UN expert said on Wednesday in remarks that were later toned down to say it was not a conclusive finding.
Syrian regime forces advanced against rebels during intense street battles in the heart of Aleppo on Tuesday, after the United States abandoned talks with Russia aimed at reviving a ceasefire deal.
A leading Egyptian al Qaeda figure who joined its Syrian offshoot the Nusra Front and became a prominent figure in the militant group was killed in a drone attack in rebel-held Idlib province, two jihadist sources said on Monday.
The frail cries of four-month-old Wahida made the rescue worker who carried her out of the rubble in Syria's Idlib break down in sobs. The full story is one of tragedy.
Syrian regime forces advanced in Aleppo on Sunday after Russia unleashed dozens of air strikes in the battleground northern city overnight, a monitor and an AFP correspondent reported.
The largest hospital in rebel-held east Aleppo was bombed on Saturday for the second time in days as Syrian government forces pressed a Russian-backed offensive to retake the entire city.
