Syrian army soldiers advance in Aleppo
Iran Press TV
Mon Jul 7, 2014 1:1PM
Syrian army soldiers have made fresh advances and laid siege to several militant-held parts of Syria's largest city, Aleppo.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that elite government forces, accompanied by Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters, joined the military to carry out the operations.
The Britain-based group says fighting is reportedly concentrated near an army base that foreign-backed militants captured two years ago.
This comes days after Syrian government forces seized a key industrial area, allowing them to choke off militant-held parts of Aleppo.
The army said it took control of the Sheikh Najjar Industrial Zone on Friday after killing a large number of Takfiri militants. The two nearby villages of Ma'abadiyah and Rahmaniyah were also seized from the militants.
Last week's army gains technically cut supply lines to anti-Damascus militants.
Senior Syrian government officials say putting al-Qaeda-linked militants in Aleppo under siege is the biggest blow to the foreign-backed opposition since they entered the northern city in 2012.
Over the past months, the Syrian army has achieved major victories in its battle against Takfiri groups across the country, particularly in the strategic Qalamoun region near the Lebanese border.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the Western-backed militants.
The West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are giving financial and military support to the militants.
JR/AB/SS
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