The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group to Assad's regime based in London, reported Friday that 277 people have been killed in clashes between rebel forces and Assad's military, two days after the rebels launched a surprise attack.
The majority of the casualties were rebels and Syrian soldiers, but the UN confirmed that at least 27 civilians were killed, including eight children. According to the Observatory, the rebels have taken control of five neighborhoods in Aleppo and the city of Saraqib in the Idlib region.