Al Jazeera
Syrian government troops have made major advances in Aleppo despite a three-day ceasefire announced by Damascus, cutting off the only road in and out of rebel-held areas of the city.
Pro-government troops advanced to within 1km of the strategic Castello Road on Thursday, putting it within range of light weapons and effectively cutting the northern city off from the surrounding countryside.
"If government forces can hold their positions there and fight back the counteroffensive, then the opposition neighbourhoods will be completely besieged," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Syrian rebels said a push was under way to take back lost positions and secure the strategic road. Up to 300,000 people live in the rebel-held areas of Aleppo.
"They [the regime and its allies] have been hitting the road for a long time, but we haven't seen fighting like these months," Aleppo-based journalist Tamer Osman told Al Jazeera. "There has been constant shelling. No one can get in or out of the city now."