Aleppo July 9:Air strikes have killed at least 22 people in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, as a government-announced ceasfire entered its third and final day and pro-government forces continued a push to encircle rebel-held areas of Aleppo city.
Advertisement
On Saturday evening, rebels launched a counteroffensive, leading with two auto bombs to open the vital Castello road to eastern Aleppo, according to activists.
The Observatory said at least one vehicle was targeted on the road early on Sunday, adding that it was unclear if it carried civilians or fighters.
In that same 72-hour period, dozens were killed and injured by rebel shelling in the government-held parts of Aleppo and air strikes on a holiday spot in Idlib province.
Syrian warplanes bombarded rebel-held areas in the city and north of it, days after the government side effectively cut off a road leading to the insurgent-controlled neighborhoods and moved closer to completely encircling them. The Castello road has been a lifeline to the people in the rebel-held part of the city.
They say hundreds of shells and rockets have been fired and that clashes were most intense near the old quarter and the famed citadel in Aleppo.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has expressed serious concern for the estimated 300,000 people trapped in the city of Aleppo.
Once Syria’s commercial center, Aleppo has been bitterly contested since the summer of 2012.
Syrian State TV declared that, “terrorists are violating the truce”.
The monitor said a man and two children had been killed by regime fire on the road on Friday.
Air strikes killed 23 people at a tourism spot in northwest Syria on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, on the last day of a ceasefire announced by the Syrian army.
It wasn’t immediately known whether Syrian or Russian forces were responsible for the Darkush airstrike. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and the rebels.
The Observatory said there were deaths among government forces in the overnight fighting, but had no immediate toll.
The Local Coordination Committees, another opposition activist group, said seven Russian airstrikes on a camp housing the families of Eastern Lions fighters caused many casualties.
Advertisement
Malahifji said there was only a small Nusra Front presence in Aleppo.
