Thousands of civilians have fled rebel-held east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;after government forces, determined to retake all of Syria&#39;s second city, seized its largest opposition-controlled district.

The capture on Saturday of Masaken Hanano -- which had been the biggest rebel-held district of&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;-- was a major breakthrough in a 13-day regime offensive to retake the entire city.

The fighting moved to two neighbouring districts, Haidariya and Sakhur, on Sunday, with regime aircraft pounding rebel positions and heavy fighting between the opposition and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Masaken Hanano was the first district the rebels took in the summer of 2012 in a move that divided the city into a rebel-held east and a regime-controlled west.

Around 250,000 civilians trapped under government siege for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages.

More than 3,000 civilians fled rebel-held districts for the government-controlled west overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Sunday.

The civilians fled to Masaken Hanano after it fell under government control and were taken by the army to regime-held areas, the Observatory said.

&quot;It is the first exodus of this kind from east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;since 2012,&quot; Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

&#39;Aircraft destroying everything&#39;

Yasser al-Youssef, from the rebel group Nureddin al-Zinki, said on Sunday that opposition fighters were consolidating their positions in Sakhur.

&quot;We are strengthening our positions to defend the city and residents, but the aircraft are destroying everything methodically, area by area,&quot; he said, referring to a regime campaign of air strikes on the city.

Sakhur lies on a stretch of just 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile) between west&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;and Masaken Hanano, now both controlled by the regime.&nbsp;

If the regime did manage to take control of the district, east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;would be split in two from north to south, dealing a further blow to the armed opposition.

Pro-government media reported government forces continued their advance on Sunday.

The latest regime push comes after days of intense bombardment on the east, which has been pounded with air strikes, shells and barrel bombs.

On Saturday, dozens of families fled Sakhur and Haidariya as regime raids and artillery fire killed at least 18 civilians in several districts, the Britain-based Observatory said.

That took to 219 the overall number of civilians killed, including 27 children, since the government launched its latest assault on east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;on November 15.

(AFP)

Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retook Masaken Hanano -- the largest rebel-held district of Aleppo -- on Saturday

Thousands of civilians have fled rebel-held east Aleppo after government forces, determined to retake all of Syria's second city, seized its largest opposition-controlled district. The capture on Saturday of Masaken Hanano -- which had been the biggest rebel-held district of Aleppo -- was a major breakthrough in a 13-day regime offensive to retake the entire city. The fighting moved to two neighbouring districts, Haidariya and Sakhur, on Sunday, with regime aircraft pounding rebel positions and heavy fighting between the opposition and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Masaken Hanano was the first district the rebels took in the summer of 2012 in a move that divided the city into a rebel-held east and a regime-controlled west. Around 250,000 civilians trapped under government siege for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages. More than 3,000 civilians fled rebel-held districts for the government-controlled west overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Sunday. The civilians fled to Masaken Hanano after it fell under government control and were taken by the army to regime-held areas, the Observatory said. "It is the first exodus of this kind from east Aleppo since 2012," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. 'Aircraft destroying everything' Yasser al-Youssef, from the rebel group Nureddin al-Zinki, said on Sunday that opposition fighters were consolidating their positions in Sakhur. "We are strengthening our positions to defend the city and residents, but the aircraft are destroying everything methodically, area by area," he said, referring to a regime campaign of air strikes on the city. Sakhur lies on a stretch of just 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile) between west Aleppo and Masaken Hanano, now both controlled by the regime. If the regime did manage to take control of the district, east Aleppo would be split in two from north to south, dealing a further blow to the armed opposition. Pro-government media reported government forces continued their advance on Sunday. The latest regime push comes after days of intense bombardment on the east, which has been pounded with air strikes, shells and barrel bombs. On Saturday, dozens of families fled Sakhur and Haidariya as regime raids and artillery fire killed at least 18 civilians in several districts, the Britain-based Observatory said. That took to 219 the overall number of civilians killed, including 27 children, since the government launched its latest assault on east Aleppo on November 15. (AFP)

Thousands flee as Syrian forces retake key Aleppo district

At least 32 people, including five children, were killed on Thursday as the Syrian regime continued to pound the rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in Britain, said the air strikes and artillery bombardment was&nbsp;one of the heaviest since the regime resumed its offensive on eastern Aleppo on November 15.

&quot;There was an escalation in the evening, with successive bombardments,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that many people were trapped under rubble.

The eastern half of Aleppo is held by rebel groups who are supported by the United States and its allies.&nbsp;

At least 188 civilians, including 27 children, have been killed since the Syrian regime loyal to President Bashar al-Assad resumed its onslaught on eastern Aleppo.

Meanwhile, rebel fire has killed 16 civilians in the government-held west, including 10 children.

Aleppo has been a crucible of deadly bombings ever since the rebels took over the city. The situation in the city is dire as more than 250,000 are currently trapped with diminishing supply of essential commodities and ravaged medical services.

Over 300,000 people have been killed since war in Syria broke out in March 2011 in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Thursday's bombardment was one of the heaviest since the government resumed the offensive on eastern Aleppo on November 15

At least 32 people, including five children, were killed on Thursday as the Syrian regime continued to pound the rebel-held parts of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in Britain, said the air strikes and artillery bombardment was one of the heaviest since the regime resumed its offensive on eastern Aleppo on November 15. "There was an escalation in the evening, with successive bombardments," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding that many people were trapped under rubble. The eastern half of Aleppo is held by rebel groups who are supported by the United States and its allies. At least 188 civilians, including 27 children, have been killed since the Syrian regime loyal to President Bashar al-Assad resumed its onslaught on eastern Aleppo. Meanwhile, rebel fire has killed 16 civilians in the government-held west, including 10 children. Aleppo has been a crucible of deadly bombings ever since the rebels took over the city. The situation in the city is dire as more than 250,000 are currently trapped with diminishing supply of essential commodities and ravaged medical services. Over 300,000 people have been killed since war in Syria broke out in March 2011 in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syrian regime's blitz kills 32 civilians in Aleppo

A young girl in eastern Aleppo uploaded video on Tuesday (November 22) of her walking around the destruction in her home city.

Seven year old Bana Alabed put the video onto her Twitter page along with other stills of her life in the devastated Syrian city.

Separately, the child has also managed to catch the attention of Harry Potter author JK Rowling when she tweeted the famous writer telling her that she enjoyed one of the Harry Potter films and she asked if she could get a book.

On Wednesday (November 23), Bana Alabed uploaded a thank you picture saying she had received the ebooks from JK Rowling.

Bana Alabed&#39;s mother, Fatemah Alabed, who runs her daughter&#39;s Twitter page, said to Reuters that Bana had received all of the Harry Potter books and she would start reading them immediately.

(Reuters)

Seven year old Bana Alabed tweeted saying that she enjoyed one of the Harry Potter films and she asked if she could get a book

A young girl in eastern Aleppo uploaded video on Tuesday (November 22) of her walking around the destruction in her home city. Seven year old Bana Alabed put the video onto her Twitter page along with other stills of her life in the devastated Syrian city. Separately, the child has also managed to catch the attention of Harry Potter author JK Rowling when she tweeted the famous writer telling her that she enjoyed one of the Harry Potter films and she asked if she could get a book. On Wednesday (November 23), Bana Alabed uploaded a thank you picture saying she had received the ebooks from JK Rowling. Bana Alabed's mother, Fatemah Alabed, who runs her daughter's Twitter page, said to Reuters that Bana had received all of the Harry Potter books and she would start reading them immediately. (Reuters)

JK Rowling sends Harry Potter ebooks to Aleppo girl

All hospitals in the Syrian city of Aleppo are out of service due to the wave of air strikes in recent days, the World Health Organisation said.

Health services have been crippled in the ravaged city after forces loyal to the Syrian government and its allies resumed bombing from Tuesday after several weeks of calm.

The latest crisis has prompted the United States to condemn the attacks and urge the Syrian government and Russia to halt them.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 27 people, including children, had been killed in eastern Aleppo -- an area that has been occupied by forces that are loyal to the US -- on Saturday.

Warplanes, artillery and helicopters continued bombarding eastern&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;on Saturday, hitting many of its densely populated residential districts, the Observatory said. There were intense clashes in the Bustan al-Basha district, it added.

&quot;This destruction of infrastructure essential to life leaves the besieged, resolute people, including all children and elderly men and women, without any health facilities offering life-saving treatment ... leaving them to die,&quot; said&nbsp;Aleppo&#39;s health directorate in a statement sent to Reuters late on Friday by an opposition official.&nbsp;

Fear

The monitoring group said some hospitals were still operating in besieged parts of&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;but said many residents were frightened to use them because of the heavy shelling.&nbsp;

Medical sources, residents and rebels in eastern&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;say hospitals have been damaged by air strikes and helicopter barrel bombs in recent days, including direct hits on the buildings.

&quot;The United States again joins our partners ... in demanding the immediate cessation of these bombardments and calling on Russia to immediately deescalate violence and facilitate humanitarian aid and access for the Syrian people,&quot; Rice said in a statement.

Both Russia and Assad&#39;s government have denied deliberately targeting hospitals and other civilian infrastructure during the war, which began in 2011 and was joined by Russia&#39;s air force in September 2015.&nbsp;

The charity Doctors Without Borders said in a message there had been more than 30 hits on hospitals in eastern&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;since early July. &quot;Doctors are few and medical supplies are depleted, with no possibility of sending more supplies in,&quot; it said.&nbsp;

Health and rescue workers have previously been able to bring damaged hospitals back into operation but a lack of supplies is making that harder.&nbsp;

The Syrian war pits Assad and his allies Russia, Iran and Shi&#39;ite militias against Sunni rebels including groups supported by the United States, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies and also jihadist groups.

Aleppo, for years split between a rebel-held east and government-held western sector, has become the fiercest front. During the summer, pro-government forces managed to besiege the districts held by insurgents which are home to about 270,000 people, according to the United Nations.&nbsp;

Syrian state television said on Tuesday the air force had targeted &quot;terrorist strongholds and supply depots&quot; in&nbsp;Aleppo. Russia has said its air force is only conducting air strikes in other parts of Syria. The Damascus government describes all the rebels fighting it as terrorists.

An army offensive backed by a major aerial bombardment from late September to late October killed hundreds, according to the United Nations, and tightened the siege, leaving eastern&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;with little food, medicine or fuel.&nbsp;

A rebel counter-attack early this month involved shelling that killed dozens of civilians, the U.N. said, but it quickly petered out and the army and its allies, including Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, reversed all insurgent gains in about two weeks.

(Reuters)

The United States condemned the recent bombardments 'in the strongest terms' and urged Russia to halt the violence

All hospitals in the Syrian city of Aleppo are out of service due to the wave of air strikes in recent days, the World Health Organisation said. Health services have been crippled in the ravaged city after forces loyal to the Syrian government and its allies resumed bombing from Tuesday after several weeks of calm. The latest crisis has prompted the United States to condemn the attacks and urge the Syrian government and Russia to halt them. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 27 people, including children, had been killed in eastern Aleppo -- an area that has been occupied by forces that are loyal to the US -- on Saturday. Warplanes, artillery and helicopters continued bombarding eastern Aleppo on Saturday, hitting many of its densely populated residential districts, the Observatory said. There were intense clashes in the Bustan al-Basha district, it added. "This destruction of infrastructure essential to life leaves the besieged, resolute people, including all children and elderly men and women, without any health facilities offering life-saving treatment ... leaving them to die," said Aleppo's health directorate in a statement sent to Reuters late on Friday by an opposition official. Fear The monitoring group said some hospitals were still operating in besieged parts of Aleppo but said many residents were frightened to use them because of the heavy shelling. Medical sources, residents and rebels in eastern Aleppo say hospitals have been damaged by air strikes and helicopter barrel bombs in recent days, including direct hits on the buildings. "The United States again joins our partners ... in demanding the immediate cessation of these bombardments and calling on Russia to immediately deescalate violence and facilitate humanitarian aid and access for the Syrian people," Rice said in a statement. Both Russia and Assad's government have denied deliberately targeting hospitals and other civilian infrastructure during the war, which began in 2011 and was joined by Russia's air force in September 2015. The charity Doctors Without Borders said in a message there had been more than 30 hits on hospitals in eastern Aleppo since early July. "Doctors are few and medical supplies are depleted, with no possibility of sending more supplies in," it said. Health and rescue workers have previously been able to bring damaged hospitals back into operation but a lack of supplies is making that harder. The Syrian war pits Assad and his allies Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias against Sunni rebels including groups supported by the United States, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies and also jihadist groups. Aleppo, for years split between a rebel-held east and government-held western sector, has become the fiercest front. During the summer, pro-government forces managed to besiege the districts held by insurgents which are home to about 270,000 people, according to the United Nations. Syrian state television said on Tuesday the air force had targeted "terrorist strongholds and supply depots" in Aleppo. Russia has said its air force is only conducting air strikes in other parts of Syria. The Damascus government describes all the rebels fighting it as terrorists. An army offensive backed by a major aerial bombardment from late September to late October killed hundreds, according to the United Nations, and tightened the siege, leaving eastern Aleppo with little food, medicine or fuel. A rebel counter-attack early this month involved shelling that killed dozens of civilians, the U.N. said, but it quickly petered out and the army and its allies, including Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, reversed all insurgent gains in about two weeks. (Reuters)

All hospitals in Aleppo out of service after wave of air strikes: WHO

A barrel bomb killed a family of six in rebel-held eastern Aleppo early on Sunday and rebel shelling killed eight children at a school in the government-held sector almost a week into one of the heaviest government bombardments of Syria&#39;s civil war.

Two medics said the al-Baytounji family had suffocated to death because the barrel bomb, which fell in the Sakhour district at about midnight, had been laced with chlorine gas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, confirmed the bombing but could not confirm that chlorine gas was used. Damascus has denied use of the gas, which would contravene the international Chemical Weapons Convention.

Rebel shelling killed at least eight children, aged from six to 12 years, among 10 deaths in the Saria Hasoun school in al-Farqan district, the Observatory and Syrian state television reported.

Hundreds of people have been killed since Tuesday as the government and its allies attempt to quash resistance in Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held eastern zone.

Syria&#39;s military and Russia&#39;s air force had paused their bombardment of eastern Aleppo, except for on the frontlines, for two weeks after a month-long offensive from late September to late October, but recommenced strikes on Tuesday.

The plight of civilians in eastern Aleppo was underscored on Saturday when the World Health Organisation reported that bombing had put all the hospitals in the besieged district out of operation. An official with a rebel group based in east Aleppo said there were still no working hospitals there on Sunday.

The army and its allies began some ground attacks on Friday. The Observatory reported intense clashes in Sheikh Saeed in southeast Aleppo and in Baeedain and Bustan al-Basha in northeast Aleppo.

Lebanon&#39;s Hezbollah militia, one of the army&#39;s main allies in the fighting, said on Sunday that clashes were taking place in the Hanano district of northeast Aleppo and that pro-government forces were bringing big reinforcements to the city.

&nbsp;

Talks

An inquiry by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has said Syrian government forces have used chlorine gas in barrel bombs at least three times during the war. Damascus denies it.

Syria also denies using barrel bombs - improvised ordnance made by oil drums filled with high explosive and shrapnel and dropped from helicopters. Their use has been condemned by the United Nations for causing unnecessary suffering.

Air strikes continued to hit several districts of eastern Aleppo early on Sunday, the Observatory said, after at least 54 people were killed in bombing on Saturday.

So far, around 240 people have been killed in bombing in eastern Aleppo and the rebel-held countryside to the west of the city since Tuesday, it added.

Staffan De Mistura, the envoy of the United Nations secretary general, arrived in Damascus for talks with Syrian Foreign Ministry officials on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moalem said in a televised news conference that De Mistura had discussed the possibility of an autonomous admnistration being set up in eastern Aleppo, but that Damascus completely rejected this. An elected city council oversees services in the rebel-held eastern districts.

Moalem said that the arrangement was intended by rebel groups to control distribution of food and that they were holding the civilians of eastern Aleppo hostage.

Asked in a televised news conference about Damascus&#39; expectations from US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump, he said it wanted him to stop arming rebel groups and to curb regional powers who also did so.

The two medics identified the family they said was killed by chlorine in a film distributed online. It showed the corpses of four children stretched out on a floor, their lips blue and dark marks around their open eyes.

One of the medics, Abu al-Abbas, has a colleague who lives on the same street, he said. Another was the manager of a hospital and said doctors had confirmed the cause of their death as gas poisoning. A rebel official, Zakaria al-Malahifji, from the Fastaqim group, also said they had been killed by gas.

Medics and residents in rebel-held areas have often accused the Syrian military of using chlorine in barrel bomb attacks on their areas, but the difficulty of reaching besieged districts makes it hard for international agencies to verify this.

Syria and Russia have also accused the rebels of using toxic gas in shells, including during a major assault on the western fringe of the government-held zone in Aleppo early this month.

The civil war pits President Bashar al-Assad backed by Russia&#39;s air force, Iran and Shi&#39;ite militias against mostly Sunni rebels including groups supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies.

Aleppo has become the focal point for fighting, as the army and its allies attempt to end insurgent resistance there, alternating intense bombardment and ground attacks with offers to rebels to quit the city during periods of reduced bombing.

The use of siege and bombardment tactics has previously forced rebels to surrender other encircled areas such as the large town of Daraya southeast of Damascus, seen for years as a stronghold of the rising against Assad. 
 
(Reuters)

A family of six suffocated to death because the barrell bomb was laced with chlorine gas, medics told Reuters

A barrel bomb killed a family of six in rebel-held eastern Aleppo early on Sunday and rebel shelling killed eight children at a school in the government-held sector almost a week into one of the heaviest government bombardments of Syria's civil war. Two medics said the al-Baytounji family had suffocated to death because the barrel bomb, which fell in the Sakhour district at about midnight, had been laced with chlorine gas. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, confirmed the bombing but could not confirm that chlorine gas was used. Damascus has denied use of the gas, which would contravene the international Chemical Weapons Convention. Rebel shelling killed at least eight children, aged from six to 12 years, among 10 deaths in the Saria Hasoun school in al-Farqan district, the Observatory and Syrian state television reported. Hundreds of people have been killed since Tuesday as the government and its allies attempt to quash resistance in Aleppo's rebel-held eastern zone. Syria's military and Russia's air force had paused their bombardment of eastern Aleppo, except for on the frontlines, for two weeks after a month-long offensive from late September to late October, but recommenced strikes on Tuesday. The plight of civilians in eastern Aleppo was underscored on Saturday when the World Health Organisation reported that bombing had put all the hospitals in the besieged district out of operation. An official with a rebel group based in east Aleppo said there were still no working hospitals there on Sunday. The army and its allies began some ground attacks on Friday. The Observatory reported intense clashes in Sheikh Saeed in southeast Aleppo and in Baeedain and Bustan al-Basha in northeast Aleppo. Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, one of the army's main allies in the fighting, said on Sunday that clashes were taking place in the Hanano district of northeast Aleppo and that pro-government forces were bringing big reinforcements to the city. Talks An inquiry by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has said Syrian government forces have used chlorine gas in barrel bombs at least three times during the war. Damascus denies it. Syria also denies using barrel bombs - improvised ordnance made by oil drums filled with high explosive and shrapnel and dropped from helicopters. Their use has been condemned by the United Nations for causing unnecessary suffering. Air strikes continued to hit several districts of eastern Aleppo early on Sunday, the Observatory said, after at least 54 people were killed in bombing on Saturday. So far, around 240 people have been killed in bombing in eastern Aleppo and the rebel-held countryside to the west of the city since Tuesday, it added. Staffan De Mistura, the envoy of the United Nations secretary general, arrived in Damascus for talks with Syrian Foreign Ministry officials on Sunday. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moalem said in a televised news conference that De Mistura had discussed the possibility of an autonomous admnistration being set up in eastern Aleppo, but that Damascus completely rejected this. An elected city council oversees services in the rebel-held eastern districts. Moalem said that the arrangement was intended by rebel groups to control distribution of food and that they were holding the civilians of eastern Aleppo hostage. Asked in a televised news conference about Damascus' expectations from US President-elect Donald Trump, he said it wanted him to stop arming rebel groups and to curb regional powers who also did so. The two medics identified the family they said was killed by chlorine in a film distributed online. It showed the corpses of four children stretched out on a floor, their lips blue and dark marks around their open eyes. One of the medics, Abu al-Abbas, has a colleague who lives on the same street, he said. Another was the manager of a hospital and said doctors had confirmed the cause of their death as gas poisoning. A rebel official, Zakaria al-Malahifji, from the Fastaqim group, also said they had been killed by gas. Medics and residents in rebel-held areas have often accused the Syrian military of using chlorine in barrel bomb attacks on their areas, but the difficulty of reaching besieged districts makes it hard for international agencies to verify this. Syria and Russia have also accused the rebels of using toxic gas in shells, including during a major assault on the western fringe of the government-held zone in Aleppo early this month. The civil war pits President Bashar al-Assad backed by Russia's air force, Iran and Shi'ite militias against mostly Sunni rebels including groups supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies. Aleppo has become the focal point for fighting, as the army and its allies attempt to end insurgent resistance there, alternating intense bombardment and ground attacks with offers to rebels to quit the city during periods of reduced bombing. The use of siege and bombardment tactics has previously forced rebels to surrender other encircled areas such as the large town of Daraya southeast of Damascus, seen for years as a stronghold of the rising against Assad. (Reuters)

Syria: Dozens, including 8 children, killed in Aleppo air strikes

At least 27 civilians were killed as the Syrian regime pounded the rebel-held side of eastern Aleppo with airstrikes, barrell bombs and artillery fire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.&nbsp;

The deaths brought the civilian toll in the last five days of regime bombardment to at least 92, AFP reported.

Schools in east Aleppo announced in a statement they would close on Saturday and Sunday &quot;for the safety of students and teachers, after the barbarous aerial strikes&quot;.

&quot;People went to sleep to the sound of bombardment and awoke to the sound of bombardment,&quot; Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP. &quot;There&#39;s barely a neighbourhood that has been spared in the east.&quot;

The renewed bombardment, which comes after weeks of ceasefire, has also damaged multiple hospitals and damaged rescue facilities.

On Friday, regime shelling of the Maadi neighbourhood partially destroyed one of the last hospitals in east Aleppo, forcing it to close. The last pediatric hospital in the east was also forced to close after being damaged in a barrel bomb attack earlier in the week.

Aleppo has been divided since mid-2012 between rebel control in the east and government control in the west. The rebels have been besieged by Russian-backed regime forces since the last four months.&nbsp;

UN, White House condemn bombings

The UN said it was &quot;appalled&quot; by escalating violence in Syria, and urged immediate access to Aleppo.&nbsp;

US National Security Advisor Susan Rice condemned &quot;heinous&quot; bombings of hospitals.

&quot;The United States condemns in the strongest terms these horrific attacks against medical infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers. There is no excuse for these heinous actions,&quot; Rice said in a statement.

&quot;The Syrian regime and its allies, Russia in particular, bears responsibly for the immediate and long term consequences these actions have caused in Syria and beyond.&quot;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The deaths brought the civilian toll in five days of regime bombardment of eastern Aleppo to at least 92

At least 27 civilians were killed as the Syrian regime pounded the rebel-held side of eastern Aleppo with airstrikes, barrell bombs and artillery fire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The deaths brought the civilian toll in the last five days of regime bombardment to at least 92, AFP reported. Schools in east Aleppo announced in a statement they would close on Saturday and Sunday "for the safety of students and teachers, after the barbarous aerial strikes". "People went to sleep to the sound of bombardment and awoke to the sound of bombardment," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP. "There's barely a neighbourhood that has been spared in the east." The renewed bombardment, which comes after weeks of ceasefire, has also damaged multiple hospitals and damaged rescue facilities. On Friday, regime shelling of the Maadi neighbourhood partially destroyed one of the last hospitals in east Aleppo, forcing it to close. The last pediatric hospital in the east was also forced to close after being damaged in a barrel bomb attack earlier in the week. Aleppo has been divided since mid-2012 between rebel control in the east and government control in the west. The rebels have been besieged by Russian-backed regime forces since the last four months. UN, White House condemn bombings The UN said it was "appalled" by escalating violence in Syria, and urged immediate access to Aleppo. US National Security Advisor Susan Rice condemned "heinous" bombings of hospitals. "The United States condemns in the strongest terms these horrific attacks against medical infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers. There is no excuse for these heinous actions," Rice said in a statement. "The Syrian regime and its allies, Russia in particular, bears responsibly for the immediate and long term consequences these actions have caused in Syria and beyond." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria: At least 27 killed in air strikes in rebel-held Aleppo

Aid workers in eastern Aleppo were distributing the last available food rations on Thursday as the quarter of a million people besieged in the Syrian city entered what is expected to be a cruel winter, UN&nbsp;humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said.

The United Nations sent a four-part humanitarian plan to all parties to the conflict several days ago, covering delivery of food and medical supplies, medical evacuations and access for health workers, and Egeland said he was hopeful of a deal.

&quot;I do believe we will be able to avert mass hunger this winter,&quot; he told reporters in Geneva, adding that he had the clear impression that Russia would continue its pause in air operations over the northern city.

(Reuters)

Quarter of a million people besieged in the Syrian city have entered what is expected to be a cruel winter

Aid workers in eastern Aleppo were distributing the last available food rations on Thursday as the quarter of a million people besieged in the Syrian city entered what is expected to be a cruel winter, UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said. The United Nations sent a four-part humanitarian plan to all parties to the conflict several days ago, covering delivery of food and medical supplies, medical evacuations and access for health workers, and Egeland said he was hopeful of a deal. "I do believe we will be able to avert mass hunger this winter," he told reporters in Geneva, adding that he had the clear impression that Russia would continue its pause in air operations over the northern city. (Reuters)

UN says rations run out in east Aleppo, hopes for aid deal

The Syrian army said it had taken a strategic district of Aleppo on Tuesday in what would mark the most important advance in the divided city by Damascus and its allies in weeks, but rebels said the battle was not over.

The 1070 Apartments district is located on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo and lies alongside the government&#39;s corridor into the parts of the city that it controls.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that reports on the war, said government forces and their allies had seized full control of 1070 Apartments, calling it the most significant gain by the government in Aleppo since September.

A Syrian military source said the army and allied forces were in complete control of the area and surrounding hills. They have made repeated efforts to oust rebels from the 1070 Apartments area since the summer.

A military media unit run by the Damascus-allied Hezbollah carried a similar report. Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi&#39;ite Muslim group, is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria&#39;s war, now well in its sixth year.

But officials in two rebel groups fighting in Aleppo - Syria&#39;s largest city and commercial hub before the war - said insurgent forces were still trying to fight back.

&quot;The clashes around 1070 Apartments are still going on,&quot; Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Fastaqim rebel group, said, while confirming that the army had taken the district.

Yasser Alyousef from the political office of the Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group said rebels had recovered positions they had lost on Monday.

Syrian government forces backed by allied militias and Russian air power launched a major assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo in September after besieging the area, which the United Nations says is home to 275,000 people.

On Oct. 29, rebels counter-attacked in a bid to break the siege, targeting government-held western districts of Aleppo in an offensive that included Islamist militants and rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

But their progress slowed after early gains.

There were conflicting accounts of fighting on Tuesday in the village of Minian, also on the western edge of Aleppo.

Syrian state media said the army had advanced in Minian, which was taken by rebels at the start of their campaign.

The Observatory said the army and its allies had fully recaptured Minian, after heavy air strikes. The fall of Minian to the government would reverse some of the gains rebels have made during their offensive.

But Malahifji, of the Fastaqim rebel group, denied that there were any clashes inside the village. &quot;Minian is still with the rebels,&quot; he said.

Russia says its air force has been observing a moratorium on air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo since Oct. 18. The Observatory and emergency workers in eastern Aleppo said heavy air strikes had killed hundreds of people, and hit hospitals and other civilian facilities prior to that.

Russia is preparing to resume air strikes around Aleppo &quot;in coming hours&quot;, the Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Russian Defence Ministry as saying on Tuesday.

Rebel shelling of government-held western Aleppo has meanwhile killed dozens of people, the United Nations said last week in an update on the humanitarian situation in the city.

(Reuters)

The government forces and their allies have reportedly seized 1070 Apartments, the most significant gain since last September

The Syrian army said it had taken a strategic district of Aleppo on Tuesday in what would mark the most important advance in the divided city by Damascus and its allies in weeks, but rebels said the battle was not over. The 1070 Apartments district is located on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo and lies alongside the government's corridor into the parts of the city that it controls. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that reports on the war, said government forces and their allies had seized full control of 1070 Apartments, calling it the most significant gain by the government in Aleppo since September. A Syrian military source said the army and allied forces were in complete control of the area and surrounding hills. They have made repeated efforts to oust rebels from the 1070 Apartments area since the summer. A military media unit run by the Damascus-allied Hezbollah carried a similar report. Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group, is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's war, now well in its sixth year. But officials in two rebel groups fighting in Aleppo - Syria's largest city and commercial hub before the war - said insurgent forces were still trying to fight back. "The clashes around 1070 Apartments are still going on," Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Fastaqim rebel group, said, while confirming that the army had taken the district. Yasser Alyousef from the political office of the Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group said rebels had recovered positions they had lost on Monday. Syrian government forces backed by allied militias and Russian air power launched a major assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo in September after besieging the area, which the United Nations says is home to 275,000 people. On Oct. 29, rebels counter-attacked in a bid to break the siege, targeting government-held western districts of Aleppo in an offensive that included Islamist militants and rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner. But their progress slowed after early gains. There were conflicting accounts of fighting on Tuesday in the village of Minian, also on the western edge of Aleppo. Syrian state media said the army had advanced in Minian, which was taken by rebels at the start of their campaign. The Observatory said the army and its allies had fully recaptured Minian, after heavy air strikes. The fall of Minian to the government would reverse some of the gains rebels have made during their offensive. But Malahifji, of the Fastaqim rebel group, denied that there were any clashes inside the village. "Minian is still with the rebels," he said. Russia says its air force has been observing a moratorium on air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo since Oct. 18. The Observatory and emergency workers in eastern Aleppo said heavy air strikes had killed hundreds of people, and hit hospitals and other civilian facilities prior to that. Russia is preparing to resume air strikes around Aleppo "in coming hours", the Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Russian Defence Ministry as saying on Tuesday. Rebel shelling of government-held western Aleppo has meanwhile killed dozens of people, the United Nations said last week in an update on the humanitarian situation in the city. (Reuters)

Syrian army retakes key Aleppo district as fighting rages on

Syria&#39;s Aleppo continues to be pounded two days after fierce fighting resumed between forces loyal to the Syrian regime and rebels backed by the West.

Civilians holed up in the war-torn city have been the collateral damage in the intense two-day bombardment, with 41 dead and almost 250 wounded, according to UK-based&nbsp;Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The rebels have been accused of launching toxic gas attacks on regime-held parts of Aleppo in order to reach the&nbsp;250,000 people besieged in the eastern side of the city since September.

The Syrian regime said the rebels fired shells containing chlorine gas in&nbsp;al-Hamdaniya, a neighbourhood held by the Syrian regime,&nbsp;in their attempt to capture the entire city.&nbsp;

al-Hamdaniya, located in the western half of the city, is viewed by the rebels as key to getting closer to the eastern half of the city.

The rebels have staged their offensive on&nbsp;al-Hamdaniya neighbourhood from&nbsp;Dahiyet al-Assad, which is on the western rim of Aleppo. Around 1,500 rebels fighters have converged in that area to fight the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While the western half of Aleppo is governed by the Syrian regime, the eastern half is held by the rebels.

A pro-regime military source told AFP that the rebel assault was &quot;massive and coordinated&quot;, but said it failed to breach break into any neighbourhoods beyond Dahiyet al-Assad.

&quot;They&#39;re using Grad missiles and car bombs and are supported by foreign fighters in their ranks,&quot; he said.

&#39;War crimes&#39;

UN peace envoy to Syria&nbsp;Staffan de Mistura slammed the rebels&#39; plan to launch gas attacks in the city, saying that use of &quot;indiscriminate&nbsp;weapons&quot; on civilian areas could amount to &quot;war crimes&quot;.&nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were confirmed reports of suffocation among government fighters in two frontline areas shelled by rebels, but it did not know if chlorine gas was the cause.

Rebels&#39; accusation

The rebels have also accused the regime forces of launching a chlorine gas attack on areas held by them.

They released videos purportedly showing residents suffering from breathing problems in the aftermath of the gas attack launched by the regime.

Aleppo has been the scene of gruesome battle since 2011. Close to 300,000 residents have been killed during the years-long civil war.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Two days of rebel bombardment have killed 41 civilians, including 16 children, and wounded 250, according to a Britain-based observatory

Syria's Aleppo continues to be pounded two days after fierce fighting resumed between forces loyal to the Syrian regime and rebels backed by the West. Civilians holed up in the war-torn city have been the collateral damage in the intense two-day bombardment, with 41 dead and almost 250 wounded, according to UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The rebels have been accused of launching toxic gas attacks on regime-held parts of Aleppo in order to reach the 250,000 people besieged in the eastern side of the city since September. The Syrian regime said the rebels fired shells containing chlorine gas in al-Hamdaniya, a neighbourhood held by the Syrian regime, in their attempt to capture the entire city. al-Hamdaniya, located in the western half of the city, is viewed by the rebels as key to getting closer to the eastern half of the city. The rebels have staged their offensive on al-Hamdaniya neighbourhood from Dahiyet al-Assad, which is on the western rim of Aleppo. Around 1,500 rebels fighters have converged in that area to fight the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While the western half of Aleppo is governed by the Syrian regime, the eastern half is held by the rebels. A pro-regime military source told AFP that the rebel assault was "massive and coordinated", but said it failed to breach break into any neighbourhoods beyond Dahiyet al-Assad. "They're using Grad missiles and car bombs and are supported by foreign fighters in their ranks," he said. 'War crimes' UN peace envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura slammed the rebels' plan to launch gas attacks in the city, saying that use of "indiscriminate weapons" on civilian areas could amount to "war crimes". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were confirmed reports of suffocation among government fighters in two frontline areas shelled by rebels, but it did not know if chlorine gas was the cause. Rebels' accusation The rebels have also accused the regime forces of launching a chlorine gas attack on areas held by them. They released videos purportedly showing residents suffering from breathing problems in the aftermath of the gas attack launched by the regime. Aleppo has been the scene of gruesome battle since 2011. Close to 300,000 residents have been killed during the years-long civil war. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria war: Civilians become collateral damage in fierce fighting between rebels & regime

The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed as absurd suggestions from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) that a Russian carrier battle group (CBG)&nbsp;in the Mediterranean would join the bombardment of Syria&#39;s Aleppo, the RIA Novosti&nbsp;reported on Thursday.

RIA cited the Rusian ministry as saying NATO had no reason to worry about the CBG&nbsp;and that the Russian air force had not flown any bombing runs in Aleppo for nine days.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday that the ships, headed for Syria, could be used to target civilians in the besieged city of Aleppo and to launch more air strikes.

Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told RIA Stoltenberg&#39;s statement was unhelpful.

&quot;The concerns are not based on anything as our planes have not come near Aleppo for nine days. Our battle group is in the Mediterranean. Our ships have always had a presence there,&quot; said Kelin.

&quot;Why make some spurious suggestions and then make some political recommendations based on them? It is of course absurd.&quot;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has questioned Russia&#39;s statements about a moratorium on bombing Aleppo, saying the city has been hit by strikes since a lull in fighting ended on Saturday.

&nbsp;

NATO&#39;s military response

NATO&#39;s secretary-general announced on Wednesday, October 26, that the alliance would strengthen its presence in the Black Sea, as several nations confirmed they would contribute to a Romanian-led multinational brigade there.

Britain said it would send fighter jets to Romania next year and the United States promised troops, tanks and artillery to Poland in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation&#39;s biggest military build-up on Russia&#39;s borders since the Cold War.

Germany, Canada and other NATO allies also pledged forces at a defence ministers&#39;&nbsp;meeting in Brussels on the same day as two Russian warships armed with cruise missiles entered the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Denmark, underscoring East-West tensions.

(Reuters)

Several NATO nations confirmed they would contribute to a Romanian-led multinational brigade near the Black Sea

The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed as absurd suggestions from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) that a Russian carrier battle group (CBG) in the Mediterranean would join the bombardment of Syria's Aleppo, the RIA Novosti reported on Thursday. RIA cited the Rusian ministry as saying NATO had no reason to worry about the CBG and that the Russian air force had not flown any bombing runs in Aleppo for nine days. NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday that the ships, headed for Syria, could be used to target civilians in the besieged city of Aleppo and to launch more air strikes. Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told RIA Stoltenberg's statement was unhelpful. "The concerns are not based on anything as our planes have not come near Aleppo for nine days. Our battle group is in the Mediterranean. Our ships have always had a presence there," said Kelin. "Why make some spurious suggestions and then make some political recommendations based on them? It is of course absurd." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has questioned Russia's statements about a moratorium on bombing Aleppo, saying the city has been hit by strikes since a lull in fighting ended on Saturday. NATO's military response NATO's secretary-general announced on Wednesday, October 26, that the alliance would strengthen its presence in the Black Sea, as several nations confirmed they would contribute to a Romanian-led multinational brigade there. Britain said it would send fighter jets to Romania next year and the United States promised troops, tanks and artillery to Poland in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's biggest military build-up on Russia's borders since the Cold War. Germany, Canada and other NATO allies also pledged forces at a defence ministers' meeting in Brussels on the same day as two Russian warships armed with cruise missiles entered the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Denmark, underscoring East-West tensions. (Reuters)

Russia sends battle group to Mediterranean, NATO beefs up military deployment on Russian border

EU leaders on Friday backed down from imposing sanctions against Russia for bombing Aleppo, but warned that &quot;all available options&quot; will be considered if Moscow continues bombing Syria.&nbsp;

The European Union leaders had&nbsp;gathered in Brussels to discuss the situation in Syria and&nbsp;Russian &quot;airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, interference in political processes in the Balkans and beyond&quot; among other issues, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

After the two-day summit in Brussels, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded&nbsp;the removal of sanctions against Russia from a statement issued after the summit.&nbsp;EU president Donald Tusk said&nbsp;EU leaders wished to &quot;keep the unity of the EU&quot; over Russia.&nbsp;

The altered statement said the EU &quot;strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo&quot; and called for an &quot;immediate cessation of hostilities&quot;.

The statement also read that the EU will &quot;consider all available options, should the current atrocities continue&quot;, AFP reported.&nbsp;

Russia on the same day announced it would stop its onslaught on Aleppo, and the ceasefire was called in for 24 hours.&nbsp;

However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland called for sanctions to remain after their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Merkel said the EU &quot;cannot accept these inhuman bombardments&quot;,&nbsp;adding that &quot;if this kind of violation continues, of course, we will envisage all available measures in order to react to this,&quot; she told reporters.&nbsp;

While Hollande said, &quot;all options are open&nbsp;for as long as there is not a ceasefire that is respected and for as long as there is an intention to destroy this town, Aleppo, a town of martyrs&quot;.&nbsp;

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the priority was to &quot;make all possible efforts to find a peace deal in Syria&quot;.

British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a &quot;robust and united&quot; move by the EU against the &quot;sickening atrocities&quot; taking place in Syria. This is May&#39;s first EU summit after Brexit.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The new statement called for 'immediate cessation of hostilities' and 'will consider all available options should the atrocities continue'

EU leaders on Friday backed down from imposing sanctions against Russia for bombing Aleppo, but warned that "all available options" will be considered if Moscow continues bombing Syria. The European Union leaders had gathered in Brussels to discuss the situation in Syria and Russian "airspace violations, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, interference in political processes in the Balkans and beyond" among other issues, Reuters reported. After the two-day summit in Brussels, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded the removal of sanctions against Russia from a statement issued after the summit. EU president Donald Tusk said EU leaders wished to "keep the unity of the EU" over Russia. The altered statement said the EU "strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo" and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities". The statement also read that the EU will "consider all available options, should the current atrocities continue", AFP reported. Russia on the same day announced it would stop its onslaught on Aleppo, and the ceasefire was called in for 24 hours. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland called for sanctions to remain after their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Merkel said the EU "cannot accept these inhuman bombardments", adding that "if this kind of violation continues, of course, we will envisage all available measures in order to react to this," she told reporters. While Hollande said, "all options are open for as long as there is not a ceasefire that is respected and for as long as there is an intention to destroy this town, Aleppo, a town of martyrs". Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the priority was to "make all possible efforts to find a peace deal in Syria". British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a "robust and united" move by the EU against the "sickening atrocities" taking place in Syria. This is May's first EU summit after Brexit. (WION with inputs from AFP)

EU backs down on sanctions against Russia over Aleppo bombing

Moscow announced that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of a brief truce, a move the Kremlin said showed &quot;goodwill&quot; as it faces mounting criticism for backing a brutal regime offensive.

&nbsp;

It came yesterday after Russia said there would be an eight-hour &quot;humanitarian pause&quot; in the battered city on Thursday, a move welcomed by the United Nations and the European Union which nevertheless said the ceasefire needed to be longer to allow the delivery of aid.

&nbsp;

The US State Department voiced scepticism regarding Moscow&#39;s latest initiative while welcoming a halt in the bombing.

&nbsp;

French and Russian presidents Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a &quot;working meeting&quot; on the Syrian crisis Wednesday in Berlin, the French leader&#39;s office said.

&nbsp;

The meeting will be aimed at &quot;giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can end,&quot; an aide to Hollande said.

&nbsp;

The West has expressed increasing alarm at the situation in Aleppo, saying the ferocious Russian-backed onslaught on the rebel-held east could amount to a war crime.

&nbsp;

&quot;Strikes in the Aleppo region by the Russian and Syrian air forces are stopping today from 10:00 am,&quot; Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised briefing.

&quot;This guarantees the security of civilians&#39; exit through six corridors and prepares the evacuation of the sick and injured from eastern Aleppo,&quot; he said, adding that it would also guarantee safe passage for rebels to leave the area.

&nbsp;

The UN said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with &quot;critical humanitarian assistance&quot; for Aleppo&#39;s desperate population.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

The US State Department voiced scepticism regarding Moscow's latest initiative while welcoming a halt in the bombing

Moscow announced that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of a brief truce, a move the Kremlin said showed "goodwill" as it faces mounting criticism for backing a brutal regime offensive. It came yesterday after Russia said there would be an eight-hour "humanitarian pause" in the battered city on Thursday, a move welcomed by the United Nations and the European Union which nevertheless said the ceasefire needed to be longer to allow the delivery of aid. The US State Department voiced scepticism regarding Moscow's latest initiative while welcoming a halt in the bombing. French and Russian presidents Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a "working meeting" on the Syrian crisis Wednesday in Berlin, the French leader's office said. The meeting will be aimed at "giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can end," an aide to Hollande said. The West has expressed increasing alarm at the situation in Aleppo, saying the ferocious Russian-backed onslaught on the rebel-held east could amount to a war crime. "Strikes in the Aleppo region by the Russian and Syrian air forces are stopping today from 10:00 am," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised briefing. "This guarantees the security of civilians' exit through six corridors and prepares the evacuation of the sick and injured from eastern Aleppo," he said, adding that it would also guarantee safe passage for rebels to leave the area. The UN said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with "critical humanitarian assistance" for Aleppo's desperate population. (AFP)

Russia halts Aleppo strikes in 'goodwill gesture'

Talks to end the Syrian conflict resumed in Switzerland on Saturday since the last meeting failed to strike a deal between Washington and Moscow.&nbsp;

US secretary of state John Kerry will be meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and other top UN diplomats in Lausanne, AFP reported.&nbsp;

Russian news agencies on Friday quoted Lavrov as saying he had no &quot;special expectations&quot; regarding the latest attempt to resume talks.&nbsp;

&quot;When you see the results from the previous efforts, quite frankly I&#39;m a bit sceptical about the next ones,&quot;&nbsp;a French diplomatic source told AFP.&nbsp;

However a senior US official, part of Kerry&#39;s entourage told reporters, &quot;I think we need to see what happens in the room to determine whether this is the beginning of a new process that continues in this format or not.&quot;

Even as talks resume, Aleppo continues to suffer under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s offence, which the West labelled as &quot;war crimes&quot;.&nbsp;

Humanitarian organisations in the besieged city of Aleppo appealed for a truce on Saturday to establish a temporary ceasefire for at least 72 hours.&nbsp;

Lavrov also said Russia will call for &quot;concrete steps&quot; to implement the previous resolutions.&nbsp;

Russia &#39;playing for time&#39;&nbsp;

Experts feel that Russia is just buying time to strengthen its position before the US elections.&nbsp;

Karim Bitar, a researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs think tank in Paris&nbsp;said, &quot;the Russians are seeking to maximise their advantage before (President Barack) Obama&#39;s successor,&nbsp;probably (Hillary) Clinton&nbsp;steps in with a likely firmer approach to Syria.&quot;

On Sunday, Kerry will be travelling to London where he will likely meet up with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

US secretary of state John Kerry will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and other top UN diplomats in Lausanne on Sunday

Talks to end the Syrian conflict resumed in Switzerland on Saturday since the last meeting failed to strike a deal between Washington and Moscow. US secretary of state John Kerry will be meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and other top UN diplomats in Lausanne, AFP reported. Russian news agencies on Friday quoted Lavrov as saying he had no "special expectations" regarding the latest attempt to resume talks. "When you see the results from the previous efforts, quite frankly I'm a bit sceptical about the next ones," a French diplomatic source told AFP. However a senior US official, part of Kerry's entourage told reporters, "I think we need to see what happens in the room to determine whether this is the beginning of a new process that continues in this format or not." Even as talks resume, Aleppo continues to suffer under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's offence, which the West labelled as "war crimes". Humanitarian organisations in the besieged city of Aleppo appealed for a truce on Saturday to establish a temporary ceasefire for at least 72 hours. Lavrov also said Russia will call for "concrete steps" to implement the previous resolutions. Russia 'playing for time' Experts feel that Russia is just buying time to strengthen its position before the US elections. Karim Bitar, a researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs think tank in Paris said, "the Russians are seeking to maximise their advantage before (President Barack) Obama's successor, probably (Hillary) Clinton steps in with a likely firmer approach to Syria." On Sunday, Kerry will be travelling to London where he will likely meet up with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US, Russia resume talks in fresh bid to halt Syrian bloodshed

Russia launched its heaviest strikes in days on Syria&rsquo;s Aleppo on Tuesday,as a fire started by rebels killed at least five schoolchildren in the war-torn country&rsquo;s south.

The raids killed 25 civilians, a monitor said and caused massive destruction is several residential areas of Aleppo, AFP reported.

Syria&rsquo;s army announced a bid last month to re-capture the city, which has been divided since mid-2012, with rebels holding the eastern sector.

The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce brokered by US and Russia,and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault.

The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east.

But according to AFP and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renewed heavy bombing were reported on Tuesday.

&quot;This is the heaviest Russian bombardment since the Syrian regime announced it would reduce the bombardment&quot; last week, said the monitor&#39;s head Rami Abdel Rahman, AFP reported.

The 25 dead, among them four children, were killed in raids in east Aleppo including in the districts of Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos, the Observatory told AFP.

A Footage by the Aleppo Media Centre activist group showed a toddler, blood smeared across her face, lying on a hospital bed.

An elderly man near her wailed in pain as a team of medics bent over him, calling out instructions to the nurses, AFP reported.

Backed by Russian air raids, government forces have been advancing street by street into rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

More than 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by government or Russian fire since the operation began, the Observatory told AFP.

Rebel forces were also firing on western government-held districts of Aleppo on Tuesday. The state news agency, SANA reported four dead and 14 wounded in rebel bombing of Hamdaniyeh district.

SANA also reported an unidentified number of injuries in a mortar shell attack near the famous Umayyad mosque in the Old City of Damascus.

 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP

25 civilians were killed in the air raids on Tuesday, that resumed after a brief lull and were reportedly the heaviest in days

Russia launched its heaviest strikes in days on Syria’s Aleppo on Tuesday,as a fire started by rebels killed at least five schoolchildren in the war-torn country’s south. The raids killed 25 civilians, a monitor said and caused massive destruction is several residential areas of Aleppo, AFP reported. Syria’s army announced a bid last month to re-capture the city, which has been divided since mid-2012, with rebels holding the eastern sector. The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce brokered by US and Russia,and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault. The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east. But according to AFP and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renewed heavy bombing were reported on Tuesday. "This is the heaviest Russian bombardment since the Syrian regime announced it would reduce the bombardment" last week, said the monitor's head Rami Abdel Rahman, AFP reported. The 25 dead, among them four children, were killed in raids in east Aleppo including in the districts of Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos, the Observatory told AFP. A Footage by the Aleppo Media Centre activist group showed a toddler, blood smeared across her face, lying on a hospital bed. An elderly man near her wailed in pain as a team of medics bent over him, calling out instructions to the nurses, AFP reported. Backed by Russian air raids, government forces have been advancing street by street into rebel-held parts of Aleppo. More than 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by government or Russian fire since the operation began, the Observatory told AFP. Rebel forces were also firing on western government-held districts of Aleppo on Tuesday. The state news agency, SANA reported four dead and 14 wounded in rebel bombing of Hamdaniyeh district. SANA also reported an unidentified number of injuries in a mortar shell attack near the famous Umayyad mosque in the Old City of Damascus. (WION with inputs from AFP

Russia launches heavy air strikes on Syria's Aleppo

France is seeking an international war crimes investigation against Syrian and Russian forces in eastern Aleppo and is working to ask the International Criminal Court&rsquo;s prosecutor to launch the investigation.

&quot;These bombings - and I said it in Moscow - are war crimes,&quot; the country&rsquo;s foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told France Inter radio after a French-drafted resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia in a UN security council meeting on Saturday.

&quot;We shall contact the International Criminal Court prosecutor to see how she can launch these investigations.&quot; he added.

Ever since the collapse of a US-Russia brokered ceasefire deal in September, Russian and Syrian forces have pounded Aleppo&rsquo;s rebel-held sectors in their biggest offensive.

US secretary of state John Kerry had also called for a war crimes investigation last week.

It is,however, unclear how the ICC proceeds with an investigation because Syria is not its member and so the court has no jurisdiction in the west Asian country.

The only way for the case to make it to ICC is through a referral from the UN security council. Moscow vetoed a French resolution in May 2014 to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC.

&quot;It is very dangerous to play with such words because war crimes also weigh on the shoulders of American officials,&quot; said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to RIA news agency.

A French diplomatic source told Reuters that Paris had begun to comb through the ICC&rsquo;s articles to see what could be done. &nbsp;

&quot;It will be complicated, but we are looking for other solutions. Our jurists are trying to find other ways,&quot; the source said, adding that Paris was also not ruling out a new security council &nbsp;resolution.

Ayrault added in his interview that Paris would also seek separate sanctions on the Syrian government at the United Nations once a joint UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry concludes&nbsp;on October 21.&nbsp;

&quot;We do not agree with what Russia is doing, bombarding Aleppo. France is committed as never before to saving the population of Aleppo,&quot; Ayrault said.

&quot;If the President decides (to see Putin), this will not be to trade pleasantries,&quot; he added.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

 
 
&nbsp;

France claims that Russian and Syrian forces have committed war crimes in Aleppo

France is seeking an international war crimes investigation against Syrian and Russian forces in eastern Aleppo and is working to ask the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to launch the investigation. "These bombings - and I said it in Moscow - are war crimes," the country’s foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told France Inter radio after a French-drafted resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia in a UN security council meeting on Saturday. "We shall contact the International Criminal Court prosecutor to see how she can launch these investigations." he added. Ever since the collapse of a US-Russia brokered ceasefire deal in September, Russian and Syrian forces have pounded Aleppo’s rebel-held sectors in their biggest offensive. US secretary of state John Kerry had also called for a war crimes investigation last week. It is,however, unclear how the ICC proceeds with an investigation because Syria is not its member and so the court has no jurisdiction in the west Asian country. The only way for the case to make it to ICC is through a referral from the UN security council. Moscow vetoed a French resolution in May 2014 to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC. "It is very dangerous to play with such words because war crimes also weigh on the shoulders of American officials," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to RIA news agency. A French diplomatic source told Reuters that Paris had begun to comb through the ICC’s articles to see what could be done. "It will be complicated, but we are looking for other solutions. Our jurists are trying to find other ways," the source said, adding that Paris was also not ruling out a new security council resolution. Ayrault added in his interview that Paris would also seek separate sanctions on the Syrian government at the United Nations once a joint UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry concludes on October 21. "We do not agree with what Russia is doing, bombarding Aleppo. France is committed as never before to saving the population of Aleppo," Ayrault said. "If the President decides (to see Putin), this will not be to trade pleasantries," he added. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

France to seek International Criminal Court options for war crimes investigation in Syria

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Saturday on rival draft resolutions on Syria - a French text requiring an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo city and a Russian draft that is similar but makes no mention of ending military flights over the &nbsp;battered Syrian city.

The French draft is most likely to be vetoed by Russia while Moscow&rsquo;s text is essentially the French draft with Russian amendments that brings the failed September 9 ceasefire deal between US and Russia back into focus.

&ldquo;This is a cynical attempt to divert attention away from the bombing of Aleppo,&rdquo; British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said of the Russian draft, Reuters reported. 
&nbsp;

The 15-member council was negotiating on a French text for the past one week. &nbsp;A Saturday vote on that was called after French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visited Moscow on Thursday and Washington on Friday to discuss the resolution. 
&nbsp;

Following Ayrault&rsquo;s visit, Moscow proposed its own draft and said it would be put to a vote immediately after the vote on the French draft, which is likely to be blocked by Russia because it &quot;demands that all parties immediately end all aerial bombardments of and military flights over Aleppo city.&quot;

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s forces, backed by Russian war planes and Iranian support, have been battling to capture eastern Aleppo, the rebel-held half of Syria&rsquo;s largest city.

&quot;This is not a draft which is right for adoption, I have this suspicion that the real motive is to cause a Russian veto,&quot; Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Reuters on Friday of the French text. &quot;I cannot possibly see how we can let this resolution pass.&quot;

Security Council diplomats have told Reuters that while the Russian draft contained a lot of reasonable language, the lack of any references to ending air strikes on Aleppo was likely to be a problem.

In order to be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes. The council veto powers are the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China.

The US has already suspended talks with Russia on implementing a ceasefire deal in Syria and has accused Moscow of not living up to its commitments to halt fighting.

The failed ceasefire deal is annexed to the Russian draft UN resolution, which urges Moscow and Washington to ensure the implementation of the agreement. It stresses an &quot;urgent need to achieve and verify separating moderate opposition forces from &lsquo;Jabhat Al-Nusra&rsquo; &nbsp;as a key priority.&quot;

Nearly half &nbsp;of Syria&rsquo;s 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed ever since the civil war started in 2011.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters and AFP)

 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The two draft resolutions include a French text seeking end to air strikes and a Russian one that does not mention ending military flights

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Saturday on rival draft resolutions on Syria - a French text requiring an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo city and a Russian draft that is similar but makes no mention of ending military flights over the battered Syrian city. The French draft is most likely to be vetoed by Russia while Moscow’s text is essentially the French draft with Russian amendments that brings the failed September 9 ceasefire deal between US and Russia back into focus. “This is a cynical attempt to divert attention away from the bombing of Aleppo,” British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said of the Russian draft, Reuters reported. The 15-member council was negotiating on a French text for the past one week. A Saturday vote on that was called after French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visited Moscow on Thursday and Washington on Friday to discuss the resolution. Following Ayrault’s visit, Moscow proposed its own draft and said it would be put to a vote immediately after the vote on the French draft, which is likely to be blocked by Russia because it "demands that all parties immediately end all aerial bombardments of and military flights over Aleppo city." Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russian war planes and Iranian support, have been battling to capture eastern Aleppo, the rebel-held half of Syria’s largest city. "This is not a draft which is right for adoption, I have this suspicion that the real motive is to cause a Russian veto," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Reuters on Friday of the French text. "I cannot possibly see how we can let this resolution pass." Security Council diplomats have told Reuters that while the Russian draft contained a lot of reasonable language, the lack of any references to ending air strikes on Aleppo was likely to be a problem. In order to be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes. The council veto powers are the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China. The US has already suspended talks with Russia on implementing a ceasefire deal in Syria and has accused Moscow of not living up to its commitments to halt fighting. The failed ceasefire deal is annexed to the Russian draft UN resolution, which urges Moscow and Washington to ensure the implementation of the agreement. It stresses an "urgent need to achieve and verify separating moderate opposition forces from ‘Jabhat Al-Nusra’ as a key priority." Nearly half of Syria’s 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed ever since the civil war started in 2011. (WION with inputs from Reuters and AFP)

UN council to vote on rival Syria resolutions today

The Syrian army Wednesday warned civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo or face their &quot;inevitable fate&quot;, hours after it decided to downscale its attack on the eastern part of the embattled city.

Russia-backed Syrian forces had decided to reduce its air strikes and shelling of rebel-held neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo after it claimed to have made significant advances in &quot;cutting off all terrorist supply routes&quot; into such areas.

The decision to lessen its bombardment of rebels came after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry discussed Syria over the phone, Russian news agency TASS reported.

&quot;The military command has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas,&quot; a statement issued by the Syrian army read, AFP reported.

It remains unsure if Russia would reduce its air strikes on the city.

Russia had launched a fresh and a brutal offensive against the United States-supported rebels after a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow crumbled on September 22.

As many as 270 people, including 53 children, have been killed in the last two weeks.

Aleppo, the country&#39;s largest city, has come under siege from Syrian forces loyal to President&nbsp;Bashar al-Assad as it seeks to drive out rebels from the eastern part of the city. &nbsp;

However, air strikes continued to take place on the southern edges of Aleppo on Wednesday despite Assad administrations&#39; decision to reduce its attacks on the rebels. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Washington has decided to suspend its plans to hold bilateral talks with Moscow. It has refused to hold peace talks with the Russian government due to its continuing air strikes on rebel positions in the war-torn city.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The military said the bombings would be reduced after the 'success of its armed forces in Aleppo'

The Syrian army Wednesday warned civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo or face their "inevitable fate", hours after it decided to downscale its attack on the eastern part of the embattled city. Russia-backed Syrian forces had decided to reduce its air strikes and shelling of rebel-held neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo after it claimed to have made significant advances in "cutting off all terrorist supply routes" into such areas. The decision to lessen its bombardment of rebels came after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry discussed Syria over the phone, Russian news agency TASS reported. "The military command has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas," a statement issued by the Syrian army read, AFP reported. It remains unsure if Russia would reduce its air strikes on the city. Russia had launched a fresh and a brutal offensive against the United States-supported rebels after a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow crumbled on September 22. As many as 270 people, including 53 children, have been killed in the last two weeks. Aleppo, the country's largest city, has come under siege from Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad as it seeks to drive out rebels from the eastern part of the city. However, air strikes continued to take place on the southern edges of Aleppo on Wednesday despite Assad administrations' decision to reduce its attacks on the rebels. Meanwhile, Washington has decided to suspend its plans to hold bilateral talks with Moscow. It has refused to hold peace talks with the Russian government due to its continuing air strikes on rebel positions in the war-torn city. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria announces surprise easing of Aleppo assault

Russian war planes struck rebel held areas north of Aleppo on Saturday as the army shelled the besieged old quarter in a major offensive, rebels and a monitoring group said.

A major hospital in the city was also struck by two barrel bombs.&nbsp;

&quot;Two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital and there were reports of a cluster bomb as well,&quot; Adham Sahloul of the Syrian American Medical Society told AFP. Both M10 and the second-largest hospital in the area, M2, had already been hit by heavy bombardment on Wednesday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had denounced the attack as &quot;war crimes&quot;.

Russia was reported on Friday to be sending more warplanes to Syria to ramp up its air campaign as the United States said it had not yet given up on finding a diplomatic resolution.

The latest strikes come 10 days into a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to capture rebel-held eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011.

Saturday&#39;s air strikes focused on major supply lines into rebel-held areas - the Castello Road and Malah district - while fighting raged in the Suleiman al Halabi neighbourhood, the front line to the north of Aleppo&#39;s Old City.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone for a third day on Friday, with Russia&#39;s top diplomat saying Moscow was ready to consider more ways to normalise the situation in Aleppo.

But Lavrov criticised Washington&#39;s failure to separate moderate rebel groups from those the Russians call terrorists, which had allowed forces led by the group formerly known as the Nusra front to violate the U.S.-Russian truce agreed on September 9.

The United States made clear it would not, at least for now, carry through a threat made on Wednesday to halt the diplomacy if Russia did not take immediate steps to end the violence.

Moscow and Assad spurned the ceasefire to launch the new offensive, potentially the biggest and most decisive battle of the civil war, which is now in its sixth year.

Back and forth

An army source quoted in state media said its forces had made advances, which was denied by rebels who say they had repelled a new assault.

A news commentary by the state-run Ikhbariyah said &quot;high level coordination from the air and ground by Syrian and Russian warplanes&quot; had allowed the two allies to &quot;successful hit locations where terrorist groups had dug in.&quot;

But rebels say Syrian troops backed by fresh reinforcements from Iranian-backed militias were struggling to make any gains in a ground offensive in a key frontline in the old city.

&quot;They are shelling the old city heavily after another failed attempt to gain ground. They have lost several fighters and we are steadfast,&quot; said Abu Hamam, a rebel from the Failaq al-Sham group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that monitors the war, reported heavy bombardment by government forces and &quot;back and forth&quot; fighting in the Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhood.

The monitor said warplanes struck a field hospital in the heavily bombed rebel-held al Sakhour district in the second such strike on one of four such medical facilities targeted in the last few days.

The strike caused at least one death and several injuries and put the hospital out of service, the monitor said.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the bombing and many hundreds more wounded, with little access to treatment in hospitals that lack basic supplies.

Residents say the air strikes are unprecedented in their ferocity, deploying heavier bombs that flatten buildings on top of the people huddled inside.

Russia joined the war exactly a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favour of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi&#39;ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq.

The army said it would press its advantage after retaking last Thursday the strategic Handarat camp north of Aleppo that had already changed hands once since the start of the attack.

The Observatory said at least 20 were killed by sustained Russian and Syrian army strikes and artillery shelling on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday, while state media said rebel mortar attacks on government-held Midan, al Ithaa and other areas in the city had killed at least 20 people.

(Agencies) 
&nbsp;

The Russian-backed Syrian army has been shelling rebel-held areas in the city in a major offensive

Russian war planes struck rebel held areas north of Aleppo on Saturday as the army shelled the besieged old quarter in a major offensive, rebels and a monitoring group said. A major hospital in the city was also struck by two barrel bombs. "Two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital and there were reports of a cluster bomb as well," Adham Sahloul of the Syrian American Medical Society told AFP. Both M10 and the second-largest hospital in the area, M2, had already been hit by heavy bombardment on Wednesday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had denounced the attack as "war crimes". Russia was reported on Friday to be sending more warplanes to Syria to ramp up its air campaign as the United States said it had not yet given up on finding a diplomatic resolution. The latest strikes come 10 days into a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to capture rebel-held eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011. Saturday's air strikes focused on major supply lines into rebel-held areas - the Castello Road and Malah district - while fighting raged in the Suleiman al Halabi neighbourhood, the front line to the north of Aleppo's Old City. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone for a third day on Friday, with Russia's top diplomat saying Moscow was ready to consider more ways to normalise the situation in Aleppo. But Lavrov criticised Washington's failure to separate moderate rebel groups from those the Russians call terrorists, which had allowed forces led by the group formerly known as the Nusra front to violate the U.S.-Russian truce agreed on September 9. The United States made clear it would not, at least for now, carry through a threat made on Wednesday to halt the diplomacy if Russia did not take immediate steps to end the violence. Moscow and Assad spurned the ceasefire to launch the new offensive, potentially the biggest and most decisive battle of the civil war, which is now in its sixth year. Back and forth An army source quoted in state media said its forces had made advances, which was denied by rebels who say they had repelled a new assault. A news commentary by the state-run Ikhbariyah said "high level coordination from the air and ground by Syrian and Russian warplanes" had allowed the two allies to "successful hit locations where terrorist groups had dug in." But rebels say Syrian troops backed by fresh reinforcements from Iranian-backed militias were struggling to make any gains in a ground offensive in a key frontline in the old city. "They are shelling the old city heavily after another failed attempt to gain ground. They have lost several fighters and we are steadfast," said Abu Hamam, a rebel from the Failaq al-Sham group. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that monitors the war, reported heavy bombardment by government forces and "back and forth" fighting in the Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhood. The monitor said warplanes struck a field hospital in the heavily bombed rebel-held al Sakhour district in the second such strike on one of four such medical facilities targeted in the last few days. The strike caused at least one death and several injuries and put the hospital out of service, the monitor said. Hundreds of people have been killed in the bombing and many hundreds more wounded, with little access to treatment in hospitals that lack basic supplies. Residents say the air strikes are unprecedented in their ferocity, deploying heavier bombs that flatten buildings on top of the people huddled inside. Russia joined the war exactly a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favour of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi'ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq. The army said it would press its advantage after retaking last Thursday the strategic Handarat camp north of Aleppo that had already changed hands once since the start of the attack. The Observatory said at least 20 were killed by sustained Russian and Syrian army strikes and artillery shelling on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday, while state media said rebel mortar attacks on government-held Midan, al Ithaa and other areas in the city had killed at least 20 people. (Agencies)

Russian planes pound rebel-held Aleppo, major hospital struck

Russia-backed Syrian forces&#39; aerial strikes have killed 9,300 people, including 3,800 civilians, in the last one year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitoring group had initially pegged the death toll at 10,000 but later revised it to 9,300.

The rest of the dead were fighters affiliated to Islamic State and various rebel factions. More than 2,700 jihadists belonged to IS and about 2,800 fighters were from US-backed rebel groups.

The monitoring group said at least 20,000 civilians were wounded in the Russia-backed onslaught.&nbsp;

The death toll could be higher as people might have died in air strikes by unidentified warplanes, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Medical crisis 
&nbsp;

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have asked the Syrian forces to stop the heavy bombardment on eastern Aleppo, a territory held by the US-supported rebel groups.

&quot;Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box,&quot; MSF director of operations Xisco Villalonga said.

The crisis has worsened in Aleppo after two hospitals were bombed by the Syrian forces, leaving just six hospitals functional in the city.

The UN has said only 35 doctors remain in the area despite an estimated 250,000 civilians holed up there since early September.

The MNF said the functional hospitals in eastern Aleppo received 278 dead bodies, including 86 bodies of children, between September 21 and 26.&nbsp;

An estimated 822 people were wounded in the six-day period, which saw a wave of air strikes conducted by the Syrian forces.

World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that 338 people, including 106 children, have been killed in east Aleppo since September 23.

&quot;All intensive care units are full. Patients have to wait for others to die so they can be moved to an available bed in intensive care,&quot; Abu Waseem, manager of an MSF-supported trauma hospital in east Aleppo, warned.

&quot;We only have three operating theatres and yesterday alone we had to do more than 20 major abdominal surgeries,&quot; he said, adding the hospital staff is working up to 20 hours a day.

&quot;Anything short of this is confirmation of what many are dreading, that the world has abandoned the people of Aleppo to a violent, agonising death,&quot; he said.

Moscow ignores US threat 
&nbsp;

Russia has said it will continue its bombing campaign in Syria despite US&#39; threat of walking away from holding peace talks.&nbsp;

The attacks will continue till Aleppo is reclaimed by the Syrian forces, Moscow said.

Syrian forces&#39; offensive in Aleppo escalated after a ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed earlier this month.&nbsp;

The countries had accused each other of being responsible for the crumbling of the peace deal.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Russia however has said it will continue its bombing campaign in Syria despite US' threat of walking away from holding further peace talks

Russia-backed Syrian forces' aerial strikes have killed 9,300 people, including 3,800 civilians, in the last one year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitoring group had initially pegged the death toll at 10,000 but later revised it to 9,300. The rest of the dead were fighters affiliated to Islamic State and various rebel factions. More than 2,700 jihadists belonged to IS and about 2,800 fighters were from US-backed rebel groups. The monitoring group said at least 20,000 civilians were wounded in the Russia-backed onslaught. The death toll could be higher as people might have died in air strikes by unidentified warplanes, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. Medical crisis Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have asked the Syrian forces to stop the heavy bombardment on eastern Aleppo, a territory held by the US-supported rebel groups. "Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box," MSF director of operations Xisco Villalonga said. The crisis has worsened in Aleppo after two hospitals were bombed by the Syrian forces, leaving just six hospitals functional in the city. The UN has said only 35 doctors remain in the area despite an estimated 250,000 civilians holed up there since early September. The MNF said the functional hospitals in eastern Aleppo received 278 dead bodies, including 86 bodies of children, between September 21 and 26. An estimated 822 people were wounded in the six-day period, which saw a wave of air strikes conducted by the Syrian forces. World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that 338 people, including 106 children, have been killed in east Aleppo since September 23. "All intensive care units are full. Patients have to wait for others to die so they can be moved to an available bed in intensive care," Abu Waseem, manager of an MSF-supported trauma hospital in east Aleppo, warned. "We only have three operating theatres and yesterday alone we had to do more than 20 major abdominal surgeries," he said, adding the hospital staff is working up to 20 hours a day. "Anything short of this is confirmation of what many are dreading, that the world has abandoned the people of Aleppo to a violent, agonising death," he said. Moscow ignores US threat Russia has said it will continue its bombing campaign in Syria despite US' threat of walking away from holding peace talks. The attacks will continue till Aleppo is reclaimed by the Syrian forces, Moscow said. Syrian forces' offensive in Aleppo escalated after a ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed earlier this month. The countries had accused each other of being responsible for the crumbling of the peace deal. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria: Russian offensive claims 3,800 civilians' lives as country hurtles towards medical doomsday

Britain, France and the United States have requested for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on the escalating campaign in Syria&#39;s second city of Aleppo, diplomats have said. 
 
The meeting was likely to be held at 10 am (local time) today, the diplomats said on Saturday. 
 
Intense air strikes toppled buildings and killed at least 45 civilians in Aleppo yesterday, two days after the Syrian army announced an offensive to retake the rebel-held east of the city. 
 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier said he was appalled by the &quot;chilling&quot; upsurge in fighting in Aleppo and warned that the use of advanced weaponry in the battleground city could amount to war crimes. 
 
Ban cited reports of air strikes involving the use of incendiary weapons, bunker buster bombs and other powerful munitions in the offencive launched by the Syrian army two days ago to recapture the city. 
 
He warned that &quot;the apparent systematic use of these types of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas may amount to war crimes,&quot; a statement from his spokesman said. 
 
A week-long ceasefire agreed between the United States and Russia ended on Monday and efforts to revive the truce failed. 
 
(AFP)

The move comes in the wake of the air strikes that toppled buildings and killed 45 in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday

Britain, France and the United States have requested for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on the escalating campaign in Syria's second city of Aleppo, diplomats have said. The meeting was likely to be held at 10 am (local time) today, the diplomats said on Saturday. Intense air strikes toppled buildings and killed at least 45 civilians in Aleppo yesterday, two days after the Syrian army announced an offensive to retake the rebel-held east of the city. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier said he was appalled by the "chilling" upsurge in fighting in Aleppo and warned that the use of advanced weaponry in the battleground city could amount to war crimes. Ban cited reports of air strikes involving the use of incendiary weapons, bunker buster bombs and other powerful munitions in the offencive launched by the Syrian army two days ago to recapture the city. He warned that "the apparent systematic use of these types of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas may amount to war crimes," a statement from his spokesman said. A week-long ceasefire agreed between the United States and Russia ended on Monday and efforts to revive the truce failed. (AFP)

Syria conflict: Britain, France, US seek urgent Security Council meet

At least 52 civilians were killed on Saturday in the Syrian government&#39;s offensive on the rebel-held eastern areas of Aleppo city, a monitor said. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the toll was expected to rise because people were trapped under rubble. 
 
The ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia has collapsed, and the Syrian military announced a new offensive to recapture the city on Thursday. Scores of people have been killed since then.&nbsp; 
 
There was massive destruction in several neighbourhoods, including Al-Kalasseh and Bustan al-Qasr, where some streets were almost erased by the bombardment, AFP reported. 
 
At least 47 people were killed on Friday in heavy bombing, the Observatory reported. Seven of those killed were children. Reuters reported&nbsp;Hamza al-Khatib, head of a hospital in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, saying that 91 people had died in Friday&#39;s bombardment.&nbsp;The air strikes razed buildings, including several bases of the civil defence organisation White Helmet. The group has only two fire engines left for all of east Aleppo, AFP reported, and is struggling to get around the city.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, government forces siezed the rebel-held Handarat camp north of Aleppo in the first ground offensive on Saturday. The rebels had controlled the camp for years.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Handarat has fallen,&quot; an official with one of the main Aleppo rebel groups told Reuters. An army statement confirmed a &quot;large number of terrorists&quot; have been killed, Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Govt forces also seized the rebel-held Handarat camp to the north of the city

At least 52 civilians were killed on Saturday in the Syrian government's offensive on the rebel-held eastern areas of Aleppo city, a monitor said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the toll was expected to rise because people were trapped under rubble. The ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia has collapsed, and the Syrian military announced a new offensive to recapture the city on Thursday. Scores of people have been killed since then. There was massive destruction in several neighbourhoods, including Al-Kalasseh and Bustan al-Qasr, where some streets were almost erased by the bombardment, AFP reported. At least 47 people were killed on Friday in heavy bombing, the Observatory reported. Seven of those killed were children. Reuters reported Hamza al-Khatib, head of a hospital in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, saying that 91 people had died in Friday's bombardment. The air strikes razed buildings, including several bases of the civil defence organisation White Helmet. The group has only two fire engines left for all of east Aleppo, AFP reported, and is struggling to get around the city. Meanwhile, government forces siezed the rebel-held Handarat camp north of Aleppo in the first ground offensive on Saturday. The rebels had controlled the camp for years. "Handarat has fallen," an official with one of the main Aleppo rebel groups told Reuters. An army statement confirmed a "large number of terrorists" have been killed, Reuters reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

At least 52 killed in govt offensive on eastern Aleppo: Observer

The UN said on Friday it was considering a different route to send desperately needed aid to east Aleppo, to circumvent the blocked main supply route as new air raids pounded Syria&#39;s second city. 
 
&quot;We are trying to see by all means available how we can reach east Aleppo,&quot; Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva. 
 
He said the lack of access to the estimated 250,000 residents of rebel-held east Aleppo amid renewed air strikes and fighting was &quot;tragic.&quot; 
 
The UN had hoped to send aid from Turkey and along the key Castello Road into east Aleppo, militarily encircled since early July. 
 
As part of the now broken ceasefire pact agreed between the US and Russia, the UN had expected assurances that the Castello Road would be clear and safe. 
 
But those assurances have not come, and the Syrian army has announced a new offensive aimed at retaking all of the divided second city, with Syrian and Russian aircraft pounding the area on Friday. 
 
&quot;What has been happening in Aleppo is not a situation where you can confidently say, yes we can confidently drive a humanitarian aid convoy into that carnage,&quot; Laerke said, describing the situation as &quot;grim.&quot; 
 
The UN resumed deliveries on Thursday after a pause in the wake of a strike on a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria&#39;s north that killed 20 civilians and destroyed 18 aid trucks. 
 
Route via Damascus?&nbsp; 
 
Laerke explained that the UN was now considering sending aid along a much longer route through Damascus, but that when such a convoy could move would depend on the security situation on the ground. 
 
&quot;That is still being planned for. When that will happen, frankly that is out of our hands,&quot; he said. 
 
In the meantime, 40 trucks are still sitting at the Turkish-Syrian border waiting to move if the situation improves. 
 
The United Nations humanitarian taskforce for Syria, Jan Egeland, told reporters Thursday that the food in those trucks would go bad within days, but Laerke said that statement was incorrect. 
 
&quot;The food in those 40 trucks is fit for consumption for several months,&quot; he said. 
 
Laerke said that a convoy of 23 trucks had successfully delivered aid, including medical supplies, for 35,000 people to the besieged Damascus suburb of Moadamiyat al-Sham. 
 
The conflict in Syria has cost more than 300,000 lives since 2011, and forced more than half the population to flee their homes. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

'We are trying to see by all means available how we can reach east Aleppo,' a spokesman for UN's humanitarian agency said

The UN said on Friday it was considering a different route to send desperately needed aid to east Aleppo, to circumvent the blocked main supply route as new air raids pounded Syria's second city. "We are trying to see by all means available how we can reach east Aleppo," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva. He said the lack of access to the estimated 250,000 residents of rebel-held east Aleppo amid renewed air strikes and fighting was "tragic." The UN had hoped to send aid from Turkey and along the key Castello Road into east Aleppo, militarily encircled since early July. As part of the now broken ceasefire pact agreed between the US and Russia, the UN had expected assurances that the Castello Road would be clear and safe. But those assurances have not come, and the Syrian army has announced a new offensive aimed at retaking all of the divided second city, with Syrian and Russian aircraft pounding the area on Friday. "What has been happening in Aleppo is not a situation where you can confidently say, yes we can confidently drive a humanitarian aid convoy into that carnage," Laerke said, describing the situation as "grim." The UN resumed deliveries on Thursday after a pause in the wake of a strike on a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria's north that killed 20 civilians and destroyed 18 aid trucks. Route via Damascus? Laerke explained that the UN was now considering sending aid along a much longer route through Damascus, but that when such a convoy could move would depend on the security situation on the ground. "That is still being planned for. When that will happen, frankly that is out of our hands," he said. In the meantime, 40 trucks are still sitting at the Turkish-Syrian border waiting to move if the situation improves. The United Nations humanitarian taskforce for Syria, Jan Egeland, told reporters Thursday that the food in those trucks would go bad within days, but Laerke said that statement was incorrect. "The food in those 40 trucks is fit for consumption for several months," he said. Laerke said that a convoy of 23 trucks had successfully delivered aid, including medical supplies, for 35,000 people to the besieged Damascus suburb of Moadamiyat al-Sham. The conflict in Syria has cost more than 300,000 lives since 2011, and forced more than half the population to flee their homes. (AFP)

UN eyes alternate aid delivery route for Syria's Aleppo

Syria&#39;s Aleppo was heavily bombarded on Thursday, hours before&nbsp;world leaders scramble to broker another peace deal during the United Nations session in New York. 
 
The multiple air strikes also sparked intense&nbsp;fighting between US-supported rebels and the Syrian government&nbsp;which is backed by Russia.&nbsp; 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a body documenting human rights abuses in the war-torn country, said 14 bombs were dropped on rebel-held neighbourhoods of&nbsp;Bustan al-Qasr and Al-Kalasseh. 
 
The Observatory said these were the &quot;most intense strikes in months&quot;&nbsp;on the two Aleppo districts, adding that seven people including three women and three children had died in the bombings. 
 
There were many eyewitness accounts of the neighbour engulfed in a ball of fire. 
 
Volunteer firefighters, who took hours to douse the fires,&nbsp;said the warplanes had dropped &quot;incendiary phosporous bombs&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The bombing and the violence between the rebels and Syrian government came some time before the US and Russia attempt to resume the ceasefire that broke down on Monday night. 
 
A couple of days later, the&nbsp;US and Russia met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session but that only ended up with both sides blaming each other for breaching the fighting freeze. 
 
US was guilty of bombing a Syrian army position while the ceasefire was operational, which incensed Moscow and the Bashar al-Assad government. Washington, however, maintained that it was an inadvertent attack.&nbsp; 
 
Forging another cessation of hostilities in Syria remains an uphill task, evident by US Secretary of State John Kerry&#39;s comment that it would be &quot;difficult&quot;. 
 
The Syrian civil war has been raging since 2011 and has claimed over 300,000 lives.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The multiple air strikes also sparked a surge in fighting between US-supported rebels and the Syrian government, which is backed by Russia

Syria's Aleppo was heavily bombarded on Thursday, hours before world leaders scramble to broker another peace deal during the United Nations session in New York. The multiple air strikes also sparked intense fighting between US-supported rebels and the Syrian government which is backed by Russia. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a body documenting human rights abuses in the war-torn country, said 14 bombs were dropped on rebel-held neighbourhoods of Bustan al-Qasr and Al-Kalasseh. The Observatory said these were the "most intense strikes in months" on the two Aleppo districts, adding that seven people including three women and three children had died in the bombings. There were many eyewitness accounts of the neighbour engulfed in a ball of fire. Volunteer firefighters, who took hours to douse the fires, said the warplanes had dropped "incendiary phosporous bombs". The bombing and the violence between the rebels and Syrian government came some time before the US and Russia attempt to resume the ceasefire that broke down on Monday night. A couple of days later, the US and Russia met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session but that only ended up with both sides blaming each other for breaching the fighting freeze. US was guilty of bombing a Syrian army position while the ceasefire was operational, which incensed Moscow and the Bashar al-Assad government. Washington, however, maintained that it was an inadvertent attack. Forging another cessation of hostilities in Syria remains an uphill task, evident by US Secretary of State John Kerry's comment that it would be "difficult". The Syrian civil war has been raging since 2011 and has claimed over 300,000 lives. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Air strikes pound Syria's Aleppo as world leaders set for truce talks

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by US and Russia seemed to be holding on its first full day on Tuesday. 
 
In Aleppo, the rebel-held east and the government-held west were silent as the night passed without any air strikes or rocket fire, AFP reported. 
 
The deal is one of the many attempts to end the fighting in Syria. It aims to end clashes between President Assad&#39;s forces and rebels but excludes the Islamic State group. This is the second attempt this year by US and Russia to halt the violence in the country. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the main battlefronts were &quot;completely calm&quot;. 
 
Many residents reported a calm night and a full night&#39;s rest. 
 
&quot;We were able to sleep well. Last night was amazing,&quot; Nayef Mustafa told AFP from the town of Salqin. 
 
&quot;My house is near the Razi hospital (western Aleppo) and I&#39;m used to hearing ambulance sirens every two or three hours. I haven&#39;t heard anything this morning,&quot; Habib Badr told AFP. &quot;I hope that I don&#39;t hear any ambulances for a long, long time.&quot; 
 
The UN, however, said on Tuesday that they would not roll aid convoys until security was assured. 
 
&quot;We have been mobilising, stockpiling, readying ourselves for this great opportunity to deliver this very urgent aid but we need that peace to be reinstated,&quot; UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters. 
 
Larke also said that before sending help in areas of conflict like Aleppo they needed to assess the situation. 
 
Twenty trucks carrying aid crossing the border into northern&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu but it was not immediately clear how far into the country they would go, given the security concerns, Reuters reported. 
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was &quot;far too early to draw conclusions&quot;. 
 
If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target jihadist forces, including IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported. 
 
The Syria conflict&nbsp;has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in March 2011. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Human Rights monitors say the main battlefronts were completely calm but there is still scepticism about whether the truce will last

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by US and Russia seemed to be holding on its first full day on Tuesday. In Aleppo, the rebel-held east and the government-held west were silent as the night passed without any air strikes or rocket fire, AFP reported. The deal is one of the many attempts to end the fighting in Syria. It aims to end clashes between President Assad's forces and rebels but excludes the Islamic State group. This is the second attempt this year by US and Russia to halt the violence in the country. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the main battlefronts were "completely calm". Many residents reported a calm night and a full night's rest. "We were able to sleep well. Last night was amazing," Nayef Mustafa told AFP from the town of Salqin. "My house is near the Razi hospital (western Aleppo) and I'm used to hearing ambulance sirens every two or three hours. I haven't heard anything this morning," Habib Badr told AFP. "I hope that I don't hear any ambulances for a long, long time." The UN, however, said on Tuesday that they would not roll aid convoys until security was assured. "We have been mobilising, stockpiling, readying ourselves for this great opportunity to deliver this very urgent aid but we need that peace to be reinstated," UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters. Larke also said that before sending help in areas of conflict like Aleppo they needed to assess the situation. Twenty trucks carrying aid crossing the border into northern Syria from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu but it was not immediately clear how far into the country they would go, given the security concerns, Reuters reported. US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "far too early to draw conclusions". If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target jihadist forces, including IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported. The Syria conflict has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in March 2011. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria truce brings calm; UN demands greater security for aid convoys

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in Syria at sundown Monday, but there was deep scepticism over whether it would hold. 
 
The initial 48-hour truce entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in areas held by jihadists like the Islamic State group. 
 
Syria&#39;s armed forces immediately announced a seven-day &quot;freeze&quot; on military operations, lasting to midnight next Sunday. 
 
But opposition forces had yet to formally sign on and the deal&#39;s fragility was underscored just hours before sundown when President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the whole country from &quot;terrorists&quot;. 
 
The agreement, announced Friday, after marathon talks between Russia and the United States, has been billed as the best chance yet to halt the bloodshed in Syria&#39;s five-year civil war. 
 
As well as bringing a temporary end to the fighting, it aims to provide crucial aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians. 
 
AFP correspondents in Syria&#39;s devastated second city Aleppo, divided between a rebel-held east and regime-controlled west since mid-2012, said fighting appeared to have stopped as the ceasefire took effect. 
 
A final rocket was fired from the east into government areas just five minutes before 7:00 pm, while rebel neighbourhoods had not been hit by bombardments for about two hours, they said. 
 
Just before the truce came into force, senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi said the ceasefire would cover all of Syria except &quot;terrorist targets&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Today from 1900 (local time) the cessation of hostilities is being resumed across all the territory of Syria,&quot; Rudskoi said at a Moscow briefing, adding that Russia would &quot;continue to carry out strikes against terrorist targets&quot;. 
 
Rebels demand guarantees 
 
Under the agreement, fighting will halt in areas not held by jihadists and aid deliveries to besieged areas will begin, with government and rebel forces ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access in particular to divided Aleppo city. 
 
The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of jihadist forces. 
 
World powers have thrown their weight behind this new deal after several rounds of peace efforts failed to end the conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people. 
 
But Syria&#39;s opposition and rebels are deeply sceptical that Assad&#39;s regime will abide by the truce agreement, and demanded guarantees before endorsing a deal. 
 
&quot;We are asking for guarantees especially from the United States, which is a party to the agreement,&quot; Salem al-Muslet from the High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition umbrella group, told AFP Monday. 
 
&quot;We fear that Russia will classify all the Free Syrian Army (rebel factions) as terrorists,&quot; as it was unclear how the deal defined &quot;terrorist groups&quot;, he said. 
 
Rebel groups on Sunday sent a letter to the US saying they would &quot;deal positively with the idea of the ceasefire&quot; but listed several &quot;concerns&quot; and stopped short of a full endorsement. 
 
&quot;The clauses of the agreement that have been shared with us do not include any clear guarantees or monitoring mechanisms... or repercussions if there are truce violations,&quot; they said. 
 
Ahmad al-Saoud, who heads the US-backed Division 13 rebel group which signed the letter, said they had received no response. 
 
Questions remain about how the ceasefire will apply in parts of Syria where the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, is present. 
 
A crucial part of the deal calls for rebels to distance themselves from the group before joint US-Russian operations against it begin. 
 
But Fateh al-Sham cooperates closely with many of Syria&#39;s rebels, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction, which on Sunday issued a scathing condemnation of the Russian-US deal. 
 
October peace talks? 
 
Russia&#39;s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-run news agency RIA Novosti that peace talks could resume within a month. 
 
&quot;I think that probably at the very beginning of October, (UN envoy Staffan) de Mistura should be inviting all parties&quot; to talks, he said. 
 
Syria&#39;s government and its allies including Iran and Lebanon&#39;s Hezbollah movement have backed the truce. 
 
But on Monday Assad made clear he was intent on recapturing all of Syria. 
 
&quot;The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists,&quot; he said as he toured Daraya, a former rebel stronghold that surrendered last month after a four-year government siege. 
 
&quot;The armed forces are continuing their work, relentlessly and without hesitation, regardless of internal or external circumstances,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
The run-up to the truce saw a spike in violence, with at least 74 people killed in weekend strikes on Aleppo and Idlib cities. 
 
Just moments before the ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported three people killed in regime shelling in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus. 
 
At least 13 civilians were also killed in unidentified air raids on a town in Idlib province hours before the truce began, the Observatory said. 
 
Fresh raids had also earlier on Monday hit Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said, where residents have struggled to celebrate the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival amid shortages created by a renewed government siege. 
 
In August, rebels broke a weeks-long regime siege of the east, but Assad loyalists restored the blockade on September 8. 
 
&quot;We hope there will be a ceasefire so that civilians can get a break,&quot; said east Aleppo resident Abu Abdullah. &quot;Civilians have no hope any more.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Syria's armed forces immediately announced a seven-day 'freeze' on military operations, lasting to midnight next Sunday

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States took effect in Syria at sundown Monday, but there was deep scepticism over whether it would hold. The initial 48-hour truce entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in areas held by jihadists like the Islamic State group. Syria's armed forces immediately announced a seven-day "freeze" on military operations, lasting to midnight next Sunday. But opposition forces had yet to formally sign on and the deal's fragility was underscored just hours before sundown when President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake the whole country from "terrorists". The agreement, announced Friday, after marathon talks between Russia and the United States, has been billed as the best chance yet to halt the bloodshed in Syria's five-year civil war. As well as bringing a temporary end to the fighting, it aims to provide crucial aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians. AFP correspondents in Syria's devastated second city Aleppo, divided between a rebel-held east and regime-controlled west since mid-2012, said fighting appeared to have stopped as the ceasefire took effect. A final rocket was fired from the east into government areas just five minutes before 7:00 pm, while rebel neighbourhoods had not been hit by bombardments for about two hours, they said. Just before the truce came into force, senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi said the ceasefire would cover all of Syria except "terrorist targets". "Today from 1900 (local time) the cessation of hostilities is being resumed across all the territory of Syria," Rudskoi said at a Moscow briefing, adding that Russia would "continue to carry out strikes against terrorist targets". Rebels demand guarantees Under the agreement, fighting will halt in areas not held by jihadists and aid deliveries to besieged areas will begin, with government and rebel forces ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access in particular to divided Aleppo city. The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of jihadist forces. World powers have thrown their weight behind this new deal after several rounds of peace efforts failed to end the conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people. But Syria's opposition and rebels are deeply sceptical that Assad's regime will abide by the truce agreement, and demanded guarantees before endorsing a deal. "We are asking for guarantees especially from the United States, which is a party to the agreement," Salem al-Muslet from the High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition umbrella group, told AFP Monday. "We fear that Russia will classify all the Free Syrian Army (rebel factions) as terrorists," as it was unclear how the deal defined "terrorist groups", he said. Rebel groups on Sunday sent a letter to the US saying they would "deal positively with the idea of the ceasefire" but listed several "concerns" and stopped short of a full endorsement. "The clauses of the agreement that have been shared with us do not include any clear guarantees or monitoring mechanisms... or repercussions if there are truce violations," they said. Ahmad al-Saoud, who heads the US-backed Division 13 rebel group which signed the letter, said they had received no response. Questions remain about how the ceasefire will apply in parts of Syria where the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, is present. A crucial part of the deal calls for rebels to distance themselves from the group before joint US-Russian operations against it begin. But Fateh al-Sham cooperates closely with many of Syria's rebels, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham faction, which on Sunday issued a scathing condemnation of the Russian-US deal. October peace talks? Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told state-run news agency RIA Novosti that peace talks could resume within a month. "I think that probably at the very beginning of October, (UN envoy Staffan) de Mistura should be inviting all parties" to talks, he said. Syria's government and its allies including Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement have backed the truce. But on Monday Assad made clear he was intent on recapturing all of Syria. "The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," he said as he toured Daraya, a former rebel stronghold that surrendered last month after a four-year government siege. "The armed forces are continuing their work, relentlessly and without hesitation, regardless of internal or external circumstances," he added. The run-up to the truce saw a spike in violence, with at least 74 people killed in weekend strikes on Aleppo and Idlib cities. Just moments before the ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported three people killed in regime shelling in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus. At least 13 civilians were also killed in unidentified air raids on a town in Idlib province hours before the truce began, the Observatory said. Fresh raids had also earlier on Monday hit Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said, where residents have struggled to celebrate the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival amid shortages created by a renewed government siege. In August, rebels broke a weeks-long regime siege of the east, but Assad loyalists restored the blockade on September 8. "We hope there will be a ceasefire so that civilians can get a break," said east Aleppo resident Abu Abdullah. "Civilians have no hope any more." (AFP)

Syria ceasefire takes effect under US-Russia deal

The breakthrough ceasefire deal touted as the moment of change in the Syrian peace process got off to a shaky start. 
 
Russia and the United States hammered out a truce deal following marathon talks on Friday in the Swiss city of Geneva.&nbsp; 
 
But just hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, an influential Syrian rebel group, the hardline Islamist Ahrar al-Sham rejected the truce deal. 
 
The Syrian rebel group is the first to officially react to the deal. Ahrar al-Sham said the people cannot accept half-solutions.&nbsp; 
 
In his YouTube video to mark the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Monday, the group&#39;s deputy leader Ali al-Omar said that the deal would only serve to reinforce the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and increase the suffering of civilians.&nbsp; 
 
The group works closely with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, which has also dismissed the accord.&nbsp; 
 
The deputy leader refuted a crucial aspect of the deal wherein Washington is expected to convince mainstream opposition fighters to break their alliance with Fateh al-Sham.&nbsp; 
 
Fateh al-Sham spokesman Mostafa Mahamed wrote on Twitter, &quot;The negotiations and the deals which do not take account of fighters on the ground are useless.&quot; 
 
The group is not covered by the ceasefire deal. 
 
The negotiated plan aims to put Syria&#39;s peace process back on track. It will include a nationwide truce effective from sundown on Monday, providing better humanitarian aid access and military coordination between the U.S. and Russia against banned Islamist groups in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry said, &#39;&#39;The United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria and we believe that the plan as it is set forth if implemented, if followed, has the ability to provide a turning point, a moment of change.&#39;&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Assad regime and its allies have promised to respect the ceasefire deal.&nbsp; 
 
Kerry said the &quot;bedrock&quot; of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the banned Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. 
 
In another confidence building measure, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while. It would give a chance to the opposition fighters to separate from militant groups in areas, such as Aleppo.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Ahrar al-Sham claimed the US-Russia brokered deal would have little political influence as it only empowers the Assad government

The breakthrough ceasefire deal touted as the moment of change in the Syrian peace process got off to a shaky start. Russia and the United States hammered out a truce deal following marathon talks on Friday in the Swiss city of Geneva. But just hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, an influential Syrian rebel group, the hardline Islamist Ahrar al-Sham rejected the truce deal. The Syrian rebel group is the first to officially react to the deal. Ahrar al-Sham said the people cannot accept half-solutions. In his YouTube video to mark the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Monday, the group's deputy leader Ali al-Omar said that the deal would only serve to reinforce the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and increase the suffering of civilians. The group works closely with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, which has also dismissed the accord. The deputy leader refuted a crucial aspect of the deal wherein Washington is expected to convince mainstream opposition fighters to break their alliance with Fateh al-Sham. Fateh al-Sham spokesman Mostafa Mahamed wrote on Twitter, "The negotiations and the deals which do not take account of fighters on the ground are useless." The group is not covered by the ceasefire deal. The negotiated plan aims to put Syria's peace process back on track. It will include a nationwide truce effective from sundown on Monday, providing better humanitarian aid access and military coordination between the U.S. and Russia against banned Islamist groups in Syria. US secretary of state John Kerry said, ''The United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria and we believe that the plan as it is set forth if implemented, if followed, has the ability to provide a turning point, a moment of change.'' The Assad regime and its allies have promised to respect the ceasefire deal. Kerry said the "bedrock" of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the banned Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. In another confidence building measure, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while. It would give a chance to the opposition fighters to separate from militant groups in areas, such as Aleppo. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syrian rebel group rejects ceasefire accord

A day of intense airstrikes on Saturday on and around the northern city of Aleppo killed more than 50 people hours after US and Russia hailed a &#39;breakthrough deal&#39; to put Syria&#39;s back on track. The airstrikes have&nbsp;added to rebels&#39; doubts if any ceasefire could hold. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights&nbsp;monitor said the death toll is likely to rise as dozens were left injured.&nbsp; 
 
The agreement, by the powers that back opposing sides in the five-year-old war, promises a nationwide truce from sundown on Monday, improved access for humanitarian aid and joint military targeting of hardline Islamist groups.&nbsp; 
 
But hours later, jets bombed a marketplace in rebel-held Idlib in northwestern&nbsp;Syria.&nbsp;Locals and rescue workers&nbsp;said they believed the planes to be Russian. 
 
Idlib province has endured escalating strikes by Russian jets in recent months, according international aid workers and residents, destroying scores of hospitals, bakeries and other infrastructure across rebel-held territory. 
 
Aleppo was also hit from the air and fighting continued on the ground. The army attacked rebel-held areas, both sides said, pushing to maximise gains before the ceasefire deadline. 
 
Insurgents said they were planning a counter-offensive.&nbsp;&quot;The fighting is flaring on all the fronts of southern Aleppo,&quot; rebel spokesman Captain Abdul Salam Abdul Razak said.

Razak, of the Nour al-Din al Zinki Brigades, part of the Free&nbsp;Syrian Army (FSA) which is backed by the West, said they were studying the peace deal but feared it merely gave the&nbsp;Syrian army a chance to gather forces and pour more Iranian-backed militias into Aleppo. 
 
&#39;Halting all attacks&#39;&nbsp;

US&nbsp;Secretary of State John Kerry called on all sides to respect the deal, which was finally reached after several failed attempts over recent weeks.

&quot;This requires halting all attacks, including aerial bombardments, and any attempts to gain additional territory at the expense of the parties to the cessation. It requires unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all of the besieged and hard-to-reach areas including Aleppo,&quot; he said.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite continuing mistrust, the two sides had developed five documents that would enable coordination of the fight against terrorism and a revival of&nbsp;Syria&#39;s failed truce.

Both sides agreed not to release the documents publicly.

&quot;This all creates the necessary conditions for resumption of the political process, which has been stalling for a long time,&quot; Lavrov said.

The Nusra question&nbsp;

Previous peace efforts have crumbled within weeks, with the United States accusing Assad&#39;s forces of attacking opposition groups and civilians.

Kerry said the &quot;bedrock&quot; of the new deal was an agreement that the&nbsp;Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;which has recently changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

Under the new deal, both sides - Russian-backed government forces and rebel groups supported by the U.S. and Gulf states, - are to halt fighting as a confidence building measure.

If the truce holds from Monday, Russia and the United States will begin seven days of preparatory work to set up a &quot;joint implementation centre&quot;, where they will share information to distinguish territory controlled by Nusra from that held by other rebel groups.

For many FSA rebels, the idea of a clear separation from Nusra is problematic because on several fronts they fight together against the army and allied Iranian-backed militias.

Fateh al-Sham has also played a major role in trying to end the siege of eastern Aleppo which many rebels say has boosted its popularity, and discussions are ongoing to possibly unify ranks under a broader opposition army.

&quot;Fateh al-Sham is a faction present on the ground and it takes part in most of the military operations, and the matter of separating it is not possible, particularly given that there are attempts to merge, within some factions, with Fateh al-Sham,&quot; Fares al-Bayoush, head of an FSA group called the Northern Division, told Reuters. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

The agreement, by the powers that back opposing sides in the five-year-old Syria war, promises a nationwide truce from sundown on Monday

A day of intense airstrikes on Saturday on and around the northern city of Aleppo killed more than 50 people hours after US and Russia hailed a 'breakthrough deal' to put Syria's back on track. The airstrikes have added to rebels' doubts if any ceasefire could hold. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the death toll is likely to rise as dozens were left injured. The agreement, by the powers that back opposing sides in the five-year-old war, promises a nationwide truce from sundown on Monday, improved access for humanitarian aid and joint military targeting of hardline Islamist groups. But hours later, jets bombed a marketplace in rebel-held Idlib in northwestern Syria. Locals and rescue workers said they believed the planes to be Russian. Idlib province has endured escalating strikes by Russian jets in recent months, according international aid workers and residents, destroying scores of hospitals, bakeries and other infrastructure across rebel-held territory. Aleppo was also hit from the air and fighting continued on the ground. The army attacked rebel-held areas, both sides said, pushing to maximise gains before the ceasefire deadline. Insurgents said they were planning a counter-offensive. "The fighting is flaring on all the fronts of southern Aleppo," rebel spokesman Captain Abdul Salam Abdul Razak said. Razak, of the Nour al-Din al Zinki Brigades, part of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) which is backed by the West, said they were studying the peace deal but feared it merely gave the Syrian army a chance to gather forces and pour more Iranian-backed militias into Aleppo. 'Halting all attacks' US Secretary of State John Kerry called on all sides to respect the deal, which was finally reached after several failed attempts over recent weeks. "This requires halting all attacks, including aerial bombardments, and any attempts to gain additional territory at the expense of the parties to the cessation. It requires unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all of the besieged and hard-to-reach areas including Aleppo," he said. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite continuing mistrust, the two sides had developed five documents that would enable coordination of the fight against terrorism and a revival of Syria's failed truce. Both sides agreed not to release the documents publicly. "This all creates the necessary conditions for resumption of the political process, which has been stalling for a long time," Lavrov said. The Nusra question Previous peace efforts have crumbled within weeks, with the United States accusing Assad's forces of attacking opposition groups and civilians. Kerry said the "bedrock" of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria which has recently changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Under the new deal, both sides - Russian-backed government forces and rebel groups supported by the U.S. and Gulf states, - are to halt fighting as a confidence building measure. If the truce holds from Monday, Russia and the United States will begin seven days of preparatory work to set up a "joint implementation centre", where they will share information to distinguish territory controlled by Nusra from that held by other rebel groups. For many FSA rebels, the idea of a clear separation from Nusra is problematic because on several fronts they fight together against the army and allied Iranian-backed militias. Fateh al-Sham has also played a major role in trying to end the siege of eastern Aleppo which many rebels say has boosted its popularity, and discussions are ongoing to possibly unify ranks under a broader opposition army. "Fateh al-Sham is a faction present on the ground and it takes part in most of the military operations, and the matter of separating it is not possible, particularly given that there are attempts to merge, within some factions, with Fateh al-Sham," Fares al-Bayoush, head of an FSA group called the Northern Division, told Reuters. (Reuters)

Hours after US-Russia truce deal, airstrikes kill more than 50 in Syria

The top commander of&nbsp;Syrian militant rebel group has been killed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. 
 
Other senior members of the group may have been killed in the strike as well, Reuters reports. 
 
It remains unknown which nation carried out the airstrike. 
 
The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, militant leader of the Army of Conquest, was announced on Twitter by&nbsp;Fateh al-Sham Front, earlier known as Al-Nusra Front. 
 
Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah, is mainly active in the Syrian province of Idlib. Believed to be backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the group is the largest&nbsp;rebel alliance in Syria. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, leader of Syria's largest rebel alliance, was announced on Twitter

The top commander of Syrian militant rebel group has been killed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Other senior members of the group may have been killed in the strike as well, Reuters reports. It remains unknown which nation carried out the airstrike. The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, militant leader of the Army of Conquest, was announced on Twitter by Fateh al-Sham Front, earlier known as Al-Nusra Front. Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah, is mainly active in the Syrian province of Idlib. Believed to be backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the group is the largest rebel alliance in Syria. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Top Syrian rebel leader killed in airstrike

Syrian government&#39;s suspected chlorine gas attack on a rebel-held&nbsp;Aleppo neighbourhood has left one dead and&nbsp;more than 70 people complaining of breathing problems, Al Jazeera reported. 
 
President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime used a chopper to&nbsp;drop two barrel bombs containing chlorine gas on residents, Al Jazeera quoted rescue workers as saying.&nbsp; 
 
Images tweeted by Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) showed children being treated for suffocation.&nbsp; 
 
Although chlorine gas is not technically a chemical weapon, it has caused destruction&nbsp;wherever they have been used. 
 
Before this, there have been two chlorine gas attacks in Syria,&nbsp;the first being in rebel-held Kafr Zita two years back. That time there were contrasting reports about who had done it, although the Syrian government was blamed in some quarters. 
 
Aleppo has been ravaged by war ever since a US-Russia truce crumbled in February. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the city ever since the war started in 2012.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, fighting raged on in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is largely controlled by the rebels. Eight people, including two children, died due to regime air strikes.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Rescue activists say a Syrian regime helicopter dropped two barrel bombs containing chlorine gas on a rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhood

Syrian government's suspected chlorine gas attack on a rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhood has left one dead and more than 70 people complaining of breathing problems, Al Jazeera reported. President Bashar al-Assad's regime used a chopper to drop two barrel bombs containing chlorine gas on residents, Al Jazeera quoted rescue workers as saying. Images tweeted by Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) showed children being treated for suffocation. Although chlorine gas is not technically a chemical weapon, it has caused destruction wherever they have been used. Before this, there have been two chlorine gas attacks in Syria, the first being in rebel-held Kafr Zita two years back. That time there were contrasting reports about who had done it, although the Syrian government was blamed in some quarters. Aleppo has been ravaged by war ever since a US-Russia truce crumbled in February. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the city ever since the war started in 2012. Meanwhile, fighting raged on in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is largely controlled by the rebels. Eight people, including two children, died due to regime air strikes. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Suspected chlorine gas attack in Syria leaves dozens suffocated

Islamic State spokesman and head of external operations Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been killed in Aleppo in Syria, the organisation&#39;s Amaq news agency said on Tuesday. 
 
The United States carried out an air strike targeting Adnani, a US&nbsp;defense official said after the militant group announced the group&#39;s longest-serving leaders&nbsp;had been killed. 
 
The Amaq&nbsp;news agency, however, reported that Adnani was killed &quot;while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo&quot;. 
 
The US&nbsp;official said the strike targeted a vehicle in the town of al-Bab in Syria. 
 
He declined to say whether Adnani was killed.&nbsp; 
 
Adnani was one of the group&#39;s most prominent leaders&nbsp;along with group&#39;s caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 
 
He has been the group&#39;s chief propagandist since he declared in a statement that the group was establishing a caliphate cover huge swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. 
 
Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. 
 
According to Hisham al-Hashimi, a&nbsp;security analyst who advises the Iraqi government on Islamic State, Adnani was injured in a coalition strike on August 17 in north of Aleppo. 
 
The Islamic State is fighting Turkish and US-backed Syrian rebels there. 
 
A US&nbsp;counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani&#39;s death will hurt the militants &quot;in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere&quot;. 
 
Designated a &ldquo;global terrorist&rdquo; by the US this year, Adnani was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The US carried out an air strike targeting Adnani, a US defense official said after IS announced the leader had been killed

Islamic State spokesman and head of external operations Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been killed in Aleppo in Syria, the organisation's Amaq news agency said on Tuesday. The United States carried out an air strike targeting Adnani, a US defense official said after the militant group announced the group's longest-serving leaders had been killed. The Amaq news agency, however, reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo". The US official said the strike targeted a vehicle in the town of al-Bab in Syria. He declined to say whether Adnani was killed. Adnani was one of the group's most prominent leaders along with group's caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He has been the group's chief propagandist since he declared in a statement that the group was establishing a caliphate cover huge swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. According to Hisham al-Hashimi, a security analyst who advises the Iraqi government on Islamic State, Adnani was injured in a coalition strike on August 17 in north of Aleppo. The Islamic State is fighting Turkish and US-backed Syrian rebels there. A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere". Designated a “global terrorist” by the US this year, Adnani was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Islamic State propaganda chief killed in Syria's Aleppo

Washington and Moscow failed on Friday to reach a breakthrough deal on a nationwide cessation of hostilities and military cooperation in Syria, saying they still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be announced. 
 
The United States and Russia have &quot;achieved clarity&quot; on the way towards a new ceasefire in Syria, but technical details must still be resolved, US secretary of state John Kerry said Friday. 
 
Addressing a joint news conference after more than nine hours of off-and-on talks in Geneva, Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said teams from both sides would try to finalise details in coming days in the Swiss city. 
 
 
&#39;Improving humanitarian assistance&#39; &nbsp; 
 
Kerry said during the talks with Lavrov, both of them offered few details on how they planned to renew a February cessation of hostilities and improve humanitarian assistance. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t want to have a deal for the sake of the deal,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution.&quot; 
 
Kerry stressed that the two sides were not prepared to make a definitive announcement, but said US and Russian technical experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to hammer out a set of unresolved issues.&nbsp; 
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<h5>We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution.&quot; - Kerry&nbsp;</h5>
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Kerry linked the near total collapse of a previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year to the failure to respond to violations and the Syrian regime&#39;s efforts to reclaim strategic territory, including around Damascus. 
 
Talks have been complicated&nbsp; 
 
The talks have been complicated since initial meetings in July by new government attacks on opposition groups, and a significant offensive in the southern part of the divided city of Aleppo led by opposition fighters intermingled with the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate also seeking to topple Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
In the days ahead the technical teams, which include US and Russian military and intelligence experts, will try to figure out ways to separate the opposition groups, backed by the United States and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis.&nbsp; 
 
It was unclear after Friday&#39;s meetings whether outstanding issues could all be resolved between Moscow and Washington, which back opposing parties in the Syrian conflict.&nbsp; 
 
Different views&nbsp; 
 
The United States has insisted that the Syrian air force, which has dropped barrel bombs and chlorine on residential areas, be grounded but Lavrov said on Friday that was not the goal. 
 
Assad&#39;s future is not part of the current talks. Instead, discussions are focused on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;If the remaining details can be completed, we believe we will be able to address the two primary challenges to the cessation of hostilities - the regime violations and the increasing influence of the al-Nusra Front,&quot; Kerry said.&nbsp; 
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<h5>Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had &quot;forced the surrender&quot; of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an &quot;example&quot; that should be &quot;replicated&quot;.</h5>
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Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more. 
 
The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to the government after a grueling four-year siege. 
 
Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had &quot;forced the surrender&quot; of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an &quot;example&quot; that should be &quot;replicated&quot;. 
 
The Russian foreign minister said another besieged area was &quot;interested in such an operation with mediation of the Russian Federation.&quot; He did not name the area. 
 
Residents and insurgents in Daraya began to leave the besieged area where civilians have been trapped since 2012 and the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern for their safety. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
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The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to Syrian government after a grueling 4-year siege

Washington and Moscow failed on Friday to reach a breakthrough deal on a nationwide cessation of hostilities and military cooperation in Syria, saying they still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be announced. The United States and Russia have "achieved clarity" on the way towards a new ceasefire in Syria, but technical details must still be resolved, US secretary of state John Kerry said Friday. Addressing a joint news conference after more than nine hours of off-and-on talks in Geneva, Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said teams from both sides would try to finalise details in coming days in the Swiss city. 'Improving humanitarian assistance' Kerry said during the talks with Lavrov, both of them offered few details on how they planned to renew a February cessation of hostilities and improve humanitarian assistance. "We don't want to have a deal for the sake of the deal," he said. "We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution." Kerry stressed that the two sides were not prepared to make a definitive announcement, but said US and Russian technical experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to hammer out a set of unresolved issues. We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution." - Kerry Kerry linked the near total collapse of a previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year to the failure to respond to violations and the Syrian regime's efforts to reclaim strategic territory, including around Damascus. Talks have been complicated The talks have been complicated since initial meetings in July by new government attacks on opposition groups, and a significant offensive in the southern part of the divided city of Aleppo led by opposition fighters intermingled with the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate also seeking to topple Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad. In the days ahead the technical teams, which include US and Russian military and intelligence experts, will try to figure out ways to separate the opposition groups, backed by the United States and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis. It was unclear after Friday's meetings whether outstanding issues could all be resolved between Moscow and Washington, which back opposing parties in the Syrian conflict. Different views The United States has insisted that the Syrian air force, which has dropped barrel bombs and chlorine on residential areas, be grounded but Lavrov said on Friday that was not the goal. Assad's future is not part of the current talks. Instead, discussions are focused on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria. "If the remaining details can be completed, we believe we will be able to address the two primary challenges to the cessation of hostilities - the regime violations and the increasing influence of the al-Nusra Front," Kerry said. Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had "forced the surrender" of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an "example" that should be "replicated". Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more. The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to the government after a grueling four-year siege. Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had "forced the surrender" of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an "example" that should be "replicated". The Russian foreign minister said another besieged area was "interested in such an operation with mediation of the Russian Federation." He did not name the area. Residents and insurgents in Daraya began to leave the besieged area where civilians have been trapped since 2012 and the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern for their safety. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Washington, Moscow fail to reach 'breakthrough deal' on ending Syria violence

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