The advancing Islamist rebels in Syria's north have vowed to respect ethnic and religious groups under their rule. Observers, however, point to years of human rights abuses in areas under HTS control.

Sham, a powerful Syrian rebel faction, has launched offensive in Aleppo by taking military bases and villages from Assad's forces. This marks a significant escalation of the civil war in Syria, with HTS posing a major threat to Assad's regime.

Syrian rebels battled government forces and allied militia on Wednesday in villages north and east of Hama, a major city whose capture would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. The rebels have staged their biggest advance in years over the past week,

Islamist-led rebels advanced on Syria's fourth-largest city Hama Tuesday, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four years of relative calm.

Government forces, backed by Russia, have been fighting with rebels fiercely for control of the key city. The clashes have been the "most violent" since the recent flare up in the Syrian conflict.