(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime forces backed by Russian jets and Shi'ite fighters have seized new ground in the battleground city of Aleppo after fierce fighting with the opposition forces.
Zaman al-Wasl reporter said rebels have withdrawn from Gas planet and al-Dabbaghat area in the strategic Ramousah district due to the heavy aerial bombing.
Regime forces have encircled the eastern neighborhood of Aleppo this week, reimposing a severe siege, weeks since rebels were able to push Bashar al-Assad forces out of a military complex.
Rebel commanders said they are preparing to launch their own counter-offensive aimed at breaking the siege of the city.
Rebels lost the complex of military colleges to pro-government forces on Sunday near the Ramousah area of southwestern Aleppo, where they had opened a way into the city.
On Wednesday, an Iraqi Shi'ite militia said it had dispatched more than 1,000 fighters to Syria, escalating foreign involvement in the battle for Aleppo, the biggest prize in five years of relentless civil war.
New footage emerged of civilians choking in the aftermath of an apparent attack with poison chlorine gas on an opposition-held district as the battle for Syria's biggest city approaches what could be a decisive phase.
Aleppo has been divided for years into government and rebel sectors, but Assad's army has put the opposition areas under siege and now hopes to capture the whole city in what would be a devastating blow to his enemies.
The arrival of reinforcements from Iraq, where Shi'ite militia are fighting their own war against the Islamic State group, shows how the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts have leapt borders, to become a broad sectarian war across the Middle East.
Five years after the multi-sided war began, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and 11 million - half of Syria's pre-war population - displaced. But there is little sign that any party is poised for victory or can restore stability, and foreign powers are becoming more involved.
Meanwhile, the plight of some 250,000 civilians trapped in rebel-held districts of Aleppo has spurred international efforts to agree a new humanitarian truce. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have not reached agreement over the details of a ceasefire. (With Reuters)
Zaman al-Wasl reporter said rebels have withdrawn from Gas planet and al-Dabbaghat area in the strategic Ramousah district due to the heavy aerial bombing.
Regime forces have encircled the eastern neighborhood of Aleppo this week, reimposing a severe siege, weeks since rebels were able to push Bashar al-Assad forces out of a military complex.
Rebel commanders said they are preparing to launch their own counter-offensive aimed at breaking the siege of the city.
Rebels lost the complex of military colleges to pro-government forces on Sunday near the Ramousah area of southwestern Aleppo, where they had opened a way into the city.
On Wednesday, an Iraqi Shi'ite militia said it had dispatched more than 1,000 fighters to Syria, escalating foreign involvement in the battle for Aleppo, the biggest prize in five years of relentless civil war.
New footage emerged of civilians choking in the aftermath of an apparent attack with poison chlorine gas on an opposition-held district as the battle for Syria's biggest city approaches what could be a decisive phase.
Aleppo has been divided for years into government and rebel sectors, but Assad's army has put the opposition areas under siege and now hopes to capture the whole city in what would be a devastating blow to his enemies.
The arrival of reinforcements from Iraq, where Shi'ite militia are fighting their own war against the Islamic State group, shows how the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts have leapt borders, to become a broad sectarian war across the Middle East.
Five years after the multi-sided war began, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and 11 million - half of Syria's pre-war population - displaced. But there is little sign that any party is poised for victory or can restore stability, and foreign powers are becoming more involved.
Meanwhile, the plight of some 250,000 civilians trapped in rebel-held districts of Aleppo has spurred international efforts to agree a new humanitarian truce. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have not reached agreement over the details of a ceasefire. (With Reuters)
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