Syrian army advances in rebel-held area in Aleppo

The Syrian army on Sunday advanced into a rebel-held area in the country's northern city of Aleppo, capturing rebel command centers, a military source told Xinhua.

Syrian forces advanced into the rebel-held Masaken Hanano area, east of Aleppo, capturing command centers in that area after the collapse of the rebels' defenses, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The army also captured five rebel posts in the same neighborhood, said the source, adding that light, medium and heavy weaponry as well as artillery shelling was used during the battle.

Furthermore, activists said 176 people were killed during the past five days of intense battles in Aleppo.

They added that all hospitals in the rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo were rendered out of service due to the shelling.

The Syrian government said that at least seven children were killed and 20 others were critically wounded when a rebel mortar attack hit a school in the al-Furqan neighborhood in the government-controlled part west of Aleppo.

This comes as the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Moallem, and the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, held talks on Sunday in the capital Damascus regarding the situation in Aleppo.

Following their meeting, al-Moallem said his government rejected the UN envoy's proposal for rebel autonomy in eastern Aleppo.

The foreign minister clarified that a decision was made in Damascus that all of Aleppo must return under government control.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and one time economic hub, is currently the center of international powers' attention as the UN attempts to ease the tough humanitarian situation there.

However, perspectives differ between the government and the UN as the government views the evacuation of rebels as a priority for restoring security in Aleppo, while the UN envoy apparently has other plans. Endit