Intense Syrian bombing pounds besieged rebel-held Aleppo

And it has prompted more civilians to flee, heading either further south into remaining rebel-held districts or crossing into government-held territory or areas under Kurdish control.

Rebels have struggled to hold back government ground forces, who have advanced backed by air strikes, barrel bombs and artillery fire. The accident Monday in the Colombian Andes claimed most of the team’s players and staff. Seventy-one of the 77 people on board died, including 19 players on the team.

Warplanes made several runs overhead early on Saturday, drawing rebel machine gunfire.

“We have informed the United Nations in NY and Geneva that there is no longer a problem with the delivery of humanitarian cargo to eastern Aleppo”, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

Elsewhere in Syria, activists reported a series of airstrikes in the opposition-held town of Kafranbel, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Aleppo.

Now, according to a Toronto Sun report, the deceased in Aleppo are being buried only at night because it is too risky for the living to venture outside during daylight hours.

Syria’s army has given rebel fighters in besieged eastern Aleppo an ultimatum – leave the city or face “inevitable death”.

Amid the victories, some countries, including France, have called for the implementation of a ceasefire in Aleppo, citing a need for secure corridors for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to the city. In government-held Aleppo, rebel shelling killed five people, according to the state news agency Sana.

“We have no such information about such an incident and when such things happen the army announces them”, he said.

Recently, the Syrian army forces and allied fighters succeeded to capture the northern part of eastern Aleppo, as part of a major offensive the army and allied fighters launched to retake all rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

The family fear they may have been targeted because their tweets have such a wide audience and, like many in the city, they believe it would be too unsafe to cross to areas under the control of a government known for harsh treatment of anyone it suspects of opposition.

“We will continue fighting until we restore stability and security to all neighborhoods” of Aleppo, Suleiman said.

The Syrian army says it will press on with the operation until all rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo are recaptured.

A statement published by an alliance calling itself the Opposition Council for Aleppo on Saturday denied making any agreement with the Syrian government or “other parties” and vowed to fight on.

In apparent reference to the talks between Russian and rebel officials, de Mistura said “informal negotiations” had reduced the level of fighting in eastern Aleppo – a comment rebel officials dismissed as out of touch with reality.

Lavrov noted that Russian Federation has made the decision after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome, during which Kerry “passed on to us proposals from Washington that are in line with the suggestions from Russia’s experts”.