The Syrian military has reached the edge of Raqqa province after Russian airstrikes on ISIL-held territory in neighbouring Hama province.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it is the third largest assault on the militant group after Iraqi forces began storming Falluja in central Iraq, and US forces launched an attack on Manbij near the Turkish border. State media reported that the army had made territorial gains and inflicted heavy casualties on ISIL militants.