Aleppo offensive

Half of Aleppo is now under the control of jihadists and rebels, with the city’s airport closed and all flights canceled. Panic has gripped the population, ending years of relative calm in northwestern Syria. Meanwhile, Russia has pledged support.

As a regional power with leverage on the ground, Turkey is a key player in restoring peace in Syria, a Russian diplomat who took part in negotiations to bring a ceasefire in Aleppo has said.

Air strikes hit the edges of Syria's last major rebel stronghold west of Aleppo on Sunday, a monitor said, a day after an alleged toxic attack on the regime-held city.

Turkey is working with Russia and Iran over Syria's Idlib province "to prevent another Aleppo-like disaster" amid reports the Syrian army intensified preparations for a large-scale offensive against the last rebel-held enclave in a bid to bring an end to the seven-year-long civil war in the country. 

Residents of Syria's once-thriving trading hub Aleppo are today trying to continue their lives among debris and ruins after six years of war.  

The evacuation of four besieged Syrian towns resumed on April 19, with tight security in place for those leaving government-held areas after a weekend bombing against evacuees killed dozens including nearly 70 children.

A bomb blast hit a bus convoy waiting to enter Aleppo on April 15, killing and wounding dozens of people after an evacuation deal between Syria's warring sides halted and stranded thousands at two transit points on the city outskirts.

The Syrian army has retaken full control of the devastated city of Aleppo, it said Dec. 22, after the evacuations of rebels, their families and civilians ended on the same day, thus scoring the Syrian regime its biggest victory against opposition forces since the civil war erupted in 2011.

Thousands of people were evacuated on Thursday from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Evacuations in Aleppo have resumed after at least four civilians were killed and another four were injured when Iranian-backed Shiite militias opened fire on the convoy.
The convoy was previously forced to return to Aleppo after the attack.