The Syrian Observatory for Human Right, said fighting has again erupted at the north of Aleppo on Thursday as ceasefire expired in the city.
It said in Beirut that the fighting was focused around the rebel-held Handarat area which is important because it is near the last route into opposition-held areas of Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the conflict and now divided between the government and rebels.
The Observatory said the 48-hour truce in the city of Aleppo announced by the Syrian military on Monday ended at 1 a.m. (2200 GMT).
It said there was no immediate announcement of an extension of the truce, which was brokered by the U.S. and Russia with the aim of reviving a wider cessation of hostilities agreement that has broken down in much of western Syria.
The Observatory said pro-government forces had launched an attack in the area, supported by air strikes targeting Handarat in addition to the only road into rebel-held areas of the city.
It said five insurgents were killed in the fighting.
A statement from a joint operations room including the Syrian army, Lebanese Hezbollah and other allies, accused the insurgents of violating the ceasefire and said government-aligned forces would carry on fighting.
It said the units of the Syrian army and local defence forces are still getting embroiled in violent clashes” around Handarat but have made advances.
The acceleration of fighting in the Aleppo area contributed to the collapse of peace talks in Geneva last month. (Reuters/NAN)
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