Syrian emergency personnel remove the body of a man from the rubble of a damaged building following reported air strikes on July 7, 2016, in Aleppo’s rebel-held neighbourhood of Tariq al-Bab.
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As well as the fighting in Aleppo, the Observatory said at least four civilians were killed in regime air strikes overnight on the rebel-held town of Douma, east of Damascus.
Darkush is held by the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front and allied rebel groups, which control the entirety of northwestern province of Idlib.
Observers say the Syrian military campaign also aims to recapture areas in the northern and southern countryside of Aleppo in the face of Turkey’s perceived attempts to establish a safe zone in northern Syria.
Maydaa was the easternmost outpost of the rebel-held bloc of territory in Eastern Ghouta and was used as a supply route into the area for weapons and money, the Britain-based Observatory said.
Syrian and Russian jets carry out air strikes across Syria but it is not known which carried out the strikes in Idlib province.
Residents contacted in the city said prices of fresh vegetables, bread and fuel had on average nearly doubled in the past week with no new supplies coming into Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and commercial hub before the war.
During this week’s truce, Syrian government forces advanced towards the Castello Road, the only route leading to the side of Aleppo which is under occupation by rebel forces.
But Thursday’s advance brings government forces the closest so far to the road, making it even easier to hit and effectively cutting off the opposition-held sector of the city near the Turkish border.
The Syrian army announced a 72-hour ceasefire extension on Saturday, the government-run SANA news agency reported.
Rebels say the east of Aleppo is now sealed off and the soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are within firing range of the thoroughfare. Rebels are now counterattacking in an effort to prevent the rebel-held portions of the city – and the estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people living in them – from being completely besieged.
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The Syrian army’s advance toward Castello road comes after the military high command announced a nationwide cease-fire on Wednesday for the 72 hours of the Eid holiday, marking the end of the month of Ramadan. Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group said there was only a small Nusra Front presence in Aleppo.
