UN: Aid enters rebel-held area in Syria's Aleppo

The U.N. refugee agency says it has delivered aid to a rebel-held area of the war-shattered northern city of Aleppo in a "rare and risky" operation carried out in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent.

UNHCR said in a statement Wednesday that the operation took place following an agreement with the Syrian government and the opposition to observe a brief ceasefire that was respected by both sides.

It said two trucks packed with blankets, plastic sheeting, hygiene kits and kitchen sets and food were delivered to the needy in the besieged neighborhood of Bustan al-Qasr in eastern Aleppo.

UNHCR staff observed a "dire" humanitarian situation in the area, including acute shortage of food, water and medicine, the statement said. UNHCR last accessed the area in June 2013. Source: AP