A senior official from the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard was killed along with 12 other fighters in the pro-government offensive in the strategic Syrian city of Aleppo, a security source told The Daily Star Thursday.
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In the process they also cut off many opposition groups holed up in Aleppo from their supply lines to the Turkish border, putting further strain on them and emboldening the regime’s advances in these areas.
But they stalled before any progress had been made, with the main opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), saying it would not return to Geneva until the regime agreed to end bombardments, allow aid into besieged cities and release thousands of prisoners.
“I have indicated from the very first day that I will not talk for the sake of talking”.
“I have been long enough at the U.N.to know that when you have a five-year war that has had so many hard moments you have to be determined but also realistic”.
The situation in Moadamiyeh worsened late a year ago after the government closed the last access point into the city.
A Levant Front rebel said the siege was broken “after three days of legendary resistance by the revolutionaries facing the Russian military machine, an after more than 500 raids by Russian air planes”.
Russian Federation is the only world power involved in the Syrian conflict with a military base in the country – therefore it could bring exert significant pressure on the regime of Bashar al-Assad to stop the violence.
Reports from Aleppo province said earlier today that militant groups are evacuating all villages and areas near the towns of Nubl and al-Zahra as the Syrian army, Hezbollah and popular forces continue to gain ground in nearby areas.
“It is past time for them to meet existing obligations and restore the global community’s confidence in their intentions of supporting a peaceful resolution to the Syrian crisis”, Kerry added.
“We should take a decision in the coming two days”, Sabra said. Three aid workers were among the dead.
Both sides remain “interested in having the political process started”, he added.
The last round of talks broke down in 2014.
Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, speaks to the press in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016.
Bashar al-Jaafari, chief government negotiator, blamed the suspension on opposition “preconditions” and said de Mistura announced the break only because the HNC was about to leave.
“Those who have the responsibility of this failure are the Saudis, Turks and Qataris. They are the real handlers and the masters of the Riyadh group”.
The breakthrough for Syrian forces has come after a string of military successes in the North of Aleppo. It has been partitioned into zones of government and insurgent control since 2012.
Madaya, which in controlled by opposition fighters, has been under siege by government forces and Hezbollah fighters since July.
The siege of the strategic towns was removed after four years in an army offensive from the Eastern side of the two towns, while other units of the Syrian army also managed to purge terrorists from 80 percent of the village of Ma’arasa al-Khan.
One commander said opposition-held areas of the divided city were at risk of being encircled entirely by the government and allied militia, and appealed to foreign states that back the rebels to send more weapons.
De Mistura on Wednesday said talks – the latest United Nations initiative to end the war in Syria – would now resume on February 25.
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Worldwide leaders’ pledges of $10bn (£6.9bn) for Syrian refugees has been overshadowed by collapsed peace talks and a major escalation of fighting on the ground. “The humanitarian corridor from Aleppo to Turkey is now under invasion of regime forces with the support of Russian warplanes”.
