The escalating conflict in northern Syria, with rebels breaching Aleppo and the Syrian government now intensifying counterattacks, underscores the cyclical nature of the country’s war.

As the sun set on Syria’s north-western city of Aleppo, a group of rebel fighters reached Al-Basel square. Towering over the junction is a statue of president Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Bassel ...

The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Bashar Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.