Syrian jihadists and their allies cut off key highway as escalating violence kills around 200

This post was originally published on France24

Syrian jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and their allied factions cut access on Thursday to the key highway linking Damascus to Aleppo as part of an offensive that has led to the deaths of nearly 200 people, including civilians. A day earlier, the rebels had launched a surprise attack on government-held areas of northern Aleppo, triggering the fiercest fighting seen in five years, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.