Source says at least 250 dead after ‘massacre among the civilians’ in government-held areas

Residents in rebel-held town of Madaya, near Lebanese border, said to be living on leaves

Latest attack targets training camp, further strikes to follow, says defence minister

IS selects targets giving it strategic dominance and access to economic assets providing independence

Shia militias ignore preconditions for US air strikes, as tiny IS force holds on to city

Strikes against Islamic State intensify in area of Syria where Mouath al-Kasaesbeh died

Senior figure in Islamic State’s self-declared police force found tortured and decapitated

People believed killed by Islamic State militants, say human rights organisation

Islamist insurgents capture Wadi al-Deif and Hamidiya military bases on Monday

Islamic State militants make up majority of dead, according to human rights observatory

Group monitoring war claims airstrikes have hit civilian as well as jihadist targets

First time group has downed a military jet since declaring its cross-border caliphate in June

Clashes between Syrian troops and fundamentalists escalate on border with Israel

Move seen as attempt to reassert authority over fragmented fighters in Syria’s civil war

Authorities argue most have fled province of Deir al-Zor but hundreds of thousands remain

White House says it needs more information about claims of chemical weapons use

Human Rights Watch accused government of indiscriminate bombings of civilians