Syria: Syrian troops besiege rebel-held parts of Aleppo
Syrian government forces closed the only road leading into and out of rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, besieging hundreds of thousands of people and raising fears of a humanitarian crisis, opposition activists said.
The siege marks the biggest success for the government in Aleppo since rebels captured parts of the city in the summer of 2012. Aleppo, Syria’s former commercial center and the country’s largest city, has been contested since then.
Aleppo and its suburbs have seen intense fighting in recent months, with Syrian troops and their allies advancing with the aid of Russian airstrikes. Earlier this year the government launched a wide offensive that captured much of the city’s northern outskirts.