ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut The Syrian government offensive to recapture rebel-held parts of Aleppo sparked international alarm on Tuesday, with the UN saying nearly 16,000 people had fled the assault and more could follow. France called for an immediate UN Security Council session on the fighting, which has seen the army capture a third of opposition-controlled east Aleppo in recent days. The fighting has prompted an exodus […]
Tag: Aleppo
Exodus as Syria rebels lose northeast Aleppo
by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Syria’s rebels lost all of the northern neighborhoods of their stronghold in east Aleppo on Monday, as the army made significant advances in its offensive to recapture the entire city. The regime gains have prompted an exodus of thousands of desperate civilians, some fleeing to districts held by the government or Kurdish forces, others heading south into areas still under opposition control. “The […]
In major blow, Syria rebels lose all northeast Aleppo
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP ) – by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut Syria’s rebels lost all of the northern neighbourhoods of their stronghold in east Aleppo on Monday, as the army made significant advances in its offensive to recapture the entire city. The regime gains have prompted an exodus of thousands of desperate civilians, some fleeing to districts held by the government or Kurdish forces, others heading south into areas still under opposition control. […]
Residents in east Aleppo flee on government buses as Syrian army advances
ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) — Several thousand residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo fled shifting frontlines, sources said on Sunday (November 27) after a rapid advance by the Syrian army and allied forces. Fleeing residents were temporarily transported by green government buses to the Rizz crossing point in Kurdish-controlled western Bustan al Basha in Aleppo, before being moved to shelters in government-controlled territories. The army and its allies took control on Saturday (November 26) of the large […]
Charity airs ‘moral outrage’ over Aleppo child deaths
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Save the Children has hit out at the “moral outrage” of the mounting deaths and suffering of children in the battleground Syrian city of Aleppo, in a statement released Wednesday. The charity said medics across northwest Syria were looking to fortify hospitals after a wave of attacks in rebel-held east Aleppo left facilities struggling to care for injured children. Regime forces have been waging a ferocious assault on east Aleppo since […]
Fears for Aleppo civilians as Syria regime advances
by Karam al-Masri ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Syrian government forces advanced quickly inside rebel-held east Aleppo on Monday, as the UN raised the alarm for nearly one million people living under siege in the war-wracked country. UN aid chief Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council that 974,080 people were now living under siege in Syria, more than double the number from six months ago. The assessment follows mounting international concern over the fate of Aleppo, […]
Regime bombardment kills 25 civilians in east Aleppo: monitor
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – Syrian air strikes and shelling killed 25 civilians in eastern districts of Aleppo on Thursday, a monitor said, on the third day of a wide-ranging regime assault on rebel-held areas. The bombardment hit at least six rebel-held neighbourhoods, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. At least 65 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since the start of a regime offensive on Tuesday, the Observatory said. The renewed […]
Russia-announced ceasefire to start in Syria’s Aleppo
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — A Russia-declared unilateral ceasefire is to take hold in Syria’s Aleppo Friday even as rebels stepped up a week-old assault to break a government siege of the city’s eastern districts. Regime ally Russia, which announced the 10-hour “humanitarian pause” on Wednesday, said it would start at 0700 GMT. The pause is the second declared by Moscow in less than a month after a three-day ceasefire in late October failed to encourage […]
Syria rebels renew Aleppo attack before Russia ceasefire
by Omar Haj Kadour ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Syrian rebels renewed their bid to break a government siege of eastern Aleppo on Thursday, shelling regime-held parts of the city hours before a brief Russian-declared ceasefire was due to begin. State media said at least 12 people had been killed in rebel rocket and gunfire on regime-controlled neighbourhoods, after an assault that began with a double car bomb attack. Rebels have been battling for nearly a […]
Rebels in Aleppo attack, Putin cautious on new Russian raids
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – by Omar Haj Kadour and Karam al-Masri Syrian rebels launched a major assault Friday aimed at breaking a months-long siege of opposition-held districts of Aleppo, as regime ally Russia held off on renewed air strikes. Rebel groups including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front fired waves of rockets into government-held western Aleppo, killing at least 15 civilians, a monitor said. The rebels also targeted government […]
UN to begin evacuations from Aleppo if truce holds
by Karam al-Masri ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — The United Nations hopes to carry out the first medical evacuations from Aleppo on Friday, if the “humanitarian pause” in the Syrian army’s Russian-backed assault on the city holds. Despite a drop in violence after the truce took effect on Thursday there was little sign civilians were heeding calls to leave, and Russia accused rebels of preventing civilians from fleeing the east of the city. Meanwhile NATO chief […]
Putin ready to extend Aleppo truce as France, Germany up pressure
by Hui Min Neo with Karam al-Masri in Aleppo BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready to prolong a unilateral ceasefire in Aleppo, after tough talks in Berlin where the leaders of Germany and France refused to rule out sanctions against Moscow. Putin said he told the European leaders that Russia was “intending to extend as far as possible” a halt to its air raids in Syria’s second city, […]





