Syrian regime forces were on the verge on Tuesday of seizing a major rebel district of Aleppo as Moscow and Washington traded barbs over stalled efforts to end fighting in the battle-worn city.
After retaking control of about two-thirds of east Aleppo in recent days, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were advancing on Tuesday on the large residential district of Shaar. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said if the district is retaken rebel forces will be reduced to a “war of attrition” with the Army.
“It is the most important neighbourhood in the heart of east Aleppo, and is on the brink of falling,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said, adding regime forces were already in control of about a third of the district.
With the capture of Shaar, the Army would hold 70 per cent of east Aleppo, four years after rebels first seized it and divided the city.
The regime’s rapid gains have left opposition fighters scrambling to defend the shrinking enclave they still control in Aleppo’s southeastern districts. The international community has also struggled over how to respond, despite widespread concern over the fate of tens of thousands of civilians still in rebel-held areas.