BEIRUT - Fighting in northwest Syria over the last three days has killed 27 civilians, including eight children, David Carden, U.N. Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, told Reuters on Friday.

Rebel forces have launched a major offensive in north-western Syria, capturing territory from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces for the first time in years. The Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions said they had seized control of a number of towns and villages in Aleppo and Idlib provinces since Wednesday.

Syria's opposition groups say armed forces launched a large-scale attack on areas controlled by government forces and seized territory in northwestern Syria

Syrian rebels have reportedly breached the city of Aleppo itself, according to open source analysts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as thousands of insurgent fighters make startling advances in their surprise offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in northwestern Syria.

Syrian opposition forces claim to have entered Aleppo city from the western side, according to a statement released on Friday by the newly formed rebel coalition, the Military Operations Command.