Syria regime cuts off rebel-held Aleppo, renewing siege: monitor

On the ground, Syrian state media said the army and allied forces had taken an area south of Aleppo, severing the sole route left into the eastern neighbourhoods held by the opposition.

Aleppo was once Syria’s largest and most wealth city prior to the outbreak of conflict in 2011.

The areas recaptured, after weeks of bombardment and attempts to drive the insurgents back, included the government’s Ramousah military complex on the city’s southwestern outskirts.

“The army has managed now to control many areas within the vast complex that houses military installations”.

The army air force also carried out intensive airstrikes against positions of al-Nusra-linked takfiri terrorist organizations, inflicting heavy losses upon them in the arms and personnel in the village of Hreitan, al-Mallah farms, al-Uwaijeh, Khan Touman stores and Ma’rata in Aleppo northern countryside.

A rebel commander told Reuters that there had been a counter-offensive and a battle for full control of the area was continuing. “We made a decision to retreat”, said Abu Omar, adding his fighters were digging in on new defense lines that would allow them to ambush troops.

A spokesman for rebel group Jaish al-Nasr, Mohamed Rasheed, said insurgents in the latter area had launched a push to try and capture the town of Maan, north of the province capital, Hama city.

Nusra made its move into Aleppo in February, during an worldwide ceasefire which they were not invited to participate in.

Syrian state television throughout Monday broadcast grisly footage showing the mangled, dust-smeared remains of rebel fighters around southwest Aleppo, and of the rubble-strewn districts captured by the army. “It’s also crucial for the rebels because it is the only supply line”.

Regime forces had been advancing in southern Aleppo for days, with the fighting already creating shortages for the estimated 250,000 people living in the rebel-held parts of the city.

“The Syrian regime knows the language of force and with its jets uses scorched-earth bombing so its troops then advance and take territory”.

On July 17, they severed the only remaining route into the rebel-held east, the key Castello Road running down from the border with Turkey.