Syrian forces hit back at rebels in Aleppo

Syrian government forces and theirallies bombarded insurgents in southwestern Aleppo on Tuesday,close to where rebels recently opened a corridor into the city'sopposition-held eastern sector, pro-Damascus media reported.

Hezbollah's Al Manar TV said government forces had advancedto cut off rebel progress into opposition-held areas of Aleppo.A rebel official denied any government advance in the area.

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Fighting in Syria's five-year civil war has in recent monthsfocused on Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the conflict.Nearly twomillion people still live there.

Aleppo is split between the government-controlled west andrebel territory in eastern neighbourhoods, which last monthgovernment forces put under siege by cutting the oppositionsupply route from the north.

Rebels effectively broke that siege in an assault on a majorgovernment military complex on Aleppo's southwestern outskirtson Saturday, opening a corridor linking the eastern sector withinsurgent territory.

At the same time, they cut the main supply route togovernment-held Aleppo, raising the prospect of insurgents inturn besieging those areas.

Intense aerialbombardment

On Tuesday, government forces backed by intense aerialbombardment recaptured some terrain and closed off the rebelcorridor, pro-Damascus media outlets including Hezbollah's AlManar TV reported. Lebanese Shia Muslim group Hezbollahfights on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A rebel official denied there had been a government gain."There's no advance, nothing," said Abu al-Hasanein, a seniorcommander in Fateh Halab, the coalition of moderate rebel groupsinside the city.

"The situation is good. There's a lot of bombing, but thebrothers [fighters]are taking cover, until they start a newphase," in the battle, he said.

Ahmed Hamaher, a spokesman for the Nour al Din al-Zinkiinsurgent group, said government forces had briefly overrun anarea called Telat al-Snobarat, as reported by a pro-Damascuschannel, but had been beaten back and the territory wasrecovered by rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said governmentforces had not taken control of the southwestern areas thatwould cut the rebel corridor, but had temporarily blockedmovement of insurgents with bombardments.

The British-based monitoring group said Hezbollah fighterswere involved in the battles.

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