Armed groups opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have successfully broken through to the centre of Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities, after three days of intense fighting with regime forces.

Rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad roamed the streets of Syria's Aleppo on Friday night. Fighters led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, swept through government-held towns and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad.

A rebel commander said a fall in Iran-backed manpower created an opening this week's assault. Iran's ally Hezbollah has suffered big losses to Israel.