REBEL-HELD towns across Syria fell to government forces yesterday as Nato powers, as the fighting forced thousands more civilians from their homes.

Syrian troops, backed by Lebanese and Iraqi militias, liberated Rityan, north of Syria’s second city Aleppo, from the Nusra Front.

The victory expanded the corridor of territory opened on Wednesday when the rebels’ siege of Zahraa and Nubl was broken.

It leaves the Syrian army poised to attack Hratayn, the key to surrounding the large anti-government force holding the devastated east of Aleppo.

East of Aleppo, the government fought their way into the city’s power plant.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said some 15,000 people were fleeing the fighting around Aleppo had reached the border.

Syrian government troops also captured the town of Atman, north of the far southern city of Daraa near the Jordanian border.

At a meeting of EU defence ministers in Amsterdam, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg tried to blame Syria’s ally Russia for the rebels’ refusal to negotiate.

“The intense Russian air strikes mainly targeting opposition groups in Syria are undermining the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict,” Mr Stoltenberg claimed.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had hit 875 targets so far this week.

The Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) of “moderate” Islamist forces had been demanding a unilateral government ceasefire before it would enter nascent UN-mediated talks in Geneva.

The HNC then walked out on Wednesday following the crushing defeat of Nusra forces north of Aleppo.

But Russia’s UN ambassador in Geneva Alexey Borodavkin warned yesterday: “These oppositionists are affiliated with al-Nusra, which is, in turn, affiliated with al-Qaida,” he said.

“Syria should not become a ‘slightly retouched version’ of Isis as a result of the political transition,” Mr Borodavkin added. “But we have an impression that this is exactly what some of the opposition members seek.

“Our Western partners should think better who they help and who they support.”

Meanwhile, an anonymous senior Turkish government official denied Russian Defence Ministry claims that Ankara was preparing an invasion of northern Syria.