Forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have captured the Aleppo airport and are attacking the western city of Hama, according to local officials and a Britain-based war monitor.

Syria’s antigovernment forces claimed a stunning advance into Aleppo, in a setback for the government in Damascus and its allies Russia and Iran.

The surprise attack jolted the frontlines of the Syrian civil war that have largely been frozen since 2020. The army said it was preparing a counteroffensive.