Syria’s army and its allies reported to have regained an important Aleppo district lost to rebels last month and are pressing an offensive south of the city to further squeeze the insurgents.
If sustained, the advance in Ramousah would reverse nearly all gains rebels made in a push last month, tighten a blockade over rebel-held eastern Aleppo and ease access for the army into government-held western districts through the city’s south.
A second line of attack, aimed at villages south of Aleppo and supported by what a pro-government fighter called “dusk to dawn” bombardment, is intended to isolate Telat al-Eis, a hill captured by rebels in May that commands fire over the region.
The battle for Aleppo has become the focus both for President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Shi’ite militias from Iraq and Lebanon, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and Russian air power, and for the Sunni rebels seeking to overthrow him.
FILE PHOTO