Syria's regime is making key gains in northern Aleppo, threatening to cut off the only remaining link between rebel-held areas and the countryside, as rebels prepare to withstand the siege.
Analysis: All indications suggest Russia and the United States favour the Kurdish alliance in the fight against IS, despite its links with the regime and Turkey's concerns.
Feature: Syria's Palestinian refugees are facing a second displacement as battles between the Syrian regime and opposition forces force them out of their refugee camps.
Analysis: Military developments in northern Syria, most recently rebels' advances against IS in Aleppo with US and Turkish air support, could be first step towards establishing a "safe zone" there.
Analysis: French airstrikes against IS after the Paris attacks have reportedly not been very effective, but they could be a prelude to a Kurdish ground offensive supported by coalition airpower.
The death toll from this week's Syrian regime airstrikes on Aleppo's civilian neighbourhoods has risen to more than 50 people after dozens of wounded people died in hospitals overnight.
Nusra Front forces have started to withdraw from the Aleppo countryside handing over bases to the Free Syrian Army as Turkey prepares for a "free zone" in northern Syria.
