Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, has said that the rebel advance into Syria will aid the “voluntary return” of migrants from within his country.

Opposition forces launched a surprise attack on Syria on Wednesday, stunning Bashar al-Assad’s regime and reigniting a conflict that has largely been stagnant for years.

Its lightning offensive has seen the rebels take control of “most” of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, and key locations including Aleppo’s airport, the central square and the citadel.