The Aleppo Governorate erupted in violence on Monday, December 16 evening when the militants of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) began shelling the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) areas in and around Aleppo city, Al-Masdar News reports.

According to a local source, the militants of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham have heavily targeted the predominately Shi’i towns of Al-Zahra’a and Nubl in northern Aleppo, along with several sites inside the capital city, including the Al-Khalidiyah District.

In response, the Syrian Arab Army and Republican Guard have unleashed their own barrage of missiles and artillery shells on the western countryside of Aleppo, which is predominately under the control of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham.

The two sides are now trading heavy artillery along the western Aleppo front-lines, with some reports saying the Syrian Army and HTS are now trading attacks in the southern countryside of the governorate.

The Aleppo Governorate has recently experienced an increase in violence after the arrival of the Rouse the Believers militant coalition, which was reported to have moved their forces from rural Latakia to the Aleppo and Idlib governorates.