Noose Tightens On Rebels In Aleppo As Syrian Army Advances
Syria's military says it has gained control of 98% of eastern Aleppo, leaving only a tiny enclave packed with rebels and civilians.
The military statement said pro-government forces have seized control of al-Fardous, one of the largest neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo - which has been held by the rebels since 2012.
Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - an opposition-run monitoring group, said that the fighting is ongoing in the district.
Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes and militias from across the region launched a wide-scale offensive on eastern Aleppo earlier this month and are on the verge of driving the rebels from the city.
Doing so would hand President Bashar Assad his greatest victory yet in the five-year civil war.
State media also claims that Syrian government troops and allied militias have seized a wide strip along the southern edge of the city.
Sheik Saeed was also targeted in the recent advance, a densely populated residential zone containing a number of open agricultural fields, which have previously given an advantage to rebels fighting off government advances.
The fall of the two areas, after days of intense clashes, squeezes the rebels, along with tens of thousands of civilians, into a handful of neighbourhoods in central Aleppo.
State TV has been broadcasting images of hundreds of civilians fleeing areas where troops are advancing.
Eastern Aleppo has been cut off from outside aid since July by the government siege.
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