Syrian forces retake some Aleppo areas fallen recently to rebels

Syrian government troops have recaptured some areas fallen recently to rebels in the northern city of Aleppo, official al-Thawra newspaper reported on Monday.

Late Sunday, government forces regained full control of the town of Menyan, which was taken by rebels a day earlier, in the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo, al-Thawra said, citing a military source.

The Syrian army also laid siege on rebels in the Assad suburb area, which was infiltrated on Friday by rebels during a major offensive on government forces' positions in Aleppo.

The broad rebel offensive aims to break the government forces' siege on rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

Over the past three days, Aleppo has witnessed the most intense military showdown since the conflict reached Aleppo four years ago, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

All kinds of weapons were reportedly used by rebels in their attack, including poisonous gas, believed to be chlorine, against government forces in the Assad suburb.

Rebels also fired Grad missiles and hundreds of mortar shells on government-controlled part of Aleppo.

The wide-scale rebel offensive and the intensified shelling have pushed the United Nations special envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to express his "shock" over the shelling.

In a statement on Sunday, Mistura said there were "documented reports cited from field sources" indicating the falling of tens of civilian victims in government-controlled areas in western Aleppo, including children.

The Syrian army has laid siege on rebel-held areas in Aleppo in recent months, urging the rebels to surrender themselves or leave eastern Aleppo to other rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The rebels mostly ignored the repeated requests for them to leave. Last week, a three-day truce, declared by the government to help facilitate the evacuation of civilians and rebels who want to surrender in exchange for pardon, expired with only a few civilians and rebels making it across the designated "exit routes."

The Syrian government accused the rebels of preventing the civilians, around 250,000, as well as rebel fighters from leaving.

Observers believe that Aleppo is going to be the decisive battle ground among the fighting groups, and the winner will be the one dictating its conditions to resolve the crisis, as the province contains all the groups that are supported by regional and international powers, with the civilians paying the price for this proxy war. Endit