Syria jihadists, allies cut access to key highway as escalating violence kills around 200

Syrian jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and their allied factions cut access on Thursday to the key highway linking Damascus to Aleppo during an offensive, leading to the deaths of nearly 200 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.