Syrian forces enter Aleppo's old city

Army and allies pushed into rebel-held parts of Aleppo's Old City looking closer than ever to achieving their most important victory by driving rebels out of their last urban stronghold. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that rebels have lost around two thirds of their territory in the city over the past two weeks. Government forces entered rebel-held parts of the Old City late yesterday.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it will now accept no truce in Aleppo, should any outside parties try to negotiate one. Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council



resolution on Monday calling for a week-long ceasefire. Moscow said rebels used such pauses in the past to reinforce.Meanwhile, rebels associated with Fatah Halab have surrendered nearly all of the districts encompassed in Old Aleppo following the Syrian Army advancing to the west side of Aleppo Airport. 

Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in rebel-held districts of Aleppo, reduced to a few kilometers across. The United Nations, whose staff are restricted to government-controlled areas of the city, yesterday described a very disastrous situation in eastern Aleppo.