A statement by the Syrian armed forces says the northern city of Aleppo has returned to government control, ending a four-year rebel hold over parts of the city.

The statement broadcast on Syrian TV said the army has re-established "security" in the northern city after the last rebels evacuated from their final toe-hold in the eastern parts of the city.

The Syrian government's recapture of Aleppo is a major turning point in the Syrian civil war with potentially powerful political repercussions.

It represents a momentous victory for President Bashar Assad and a crushing defeat for Syria's opposition which will struggle to forge a way forward.

The ancient city has been divided into rebel and government parts since 2012.

ndrei Karlov as a "martyr."

He told mourners that Karlov "will enter God's kingdom and he will receive the Lord's grace thanks to our prayers and his death as a martyr."

Kirill and other clerics, all dressed in ceremonial white robes, led the service, which was expected to last for at least an hour before Karlov's body is taken to the cemetery.

Karlov was shot dead by an off-duty policeman in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara earlier this week.