Syrian army announces major advance in Aleppo

The Syrian army and its allies announced the capture of a swathe of eastern Aleppo from rebels on Nov. 28 in an accelerating attack that threatens to crush the opposition in its most important urban stronghold. 

Rebels denied that the army had taken the strategically vital Sakhour area which - if it fell - would mean rebel-held territory in the eastern part of the city was split in two. 

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government had taken Sakhour, and rebels had lost control of more than a third of eastern Aleppo in recent days, according to Reuters.
 
Thousands of residents were reported to have fled. A rebel fighter reached by Reuters said there was "extreme, extreme, extreme pressure" on the insurgents there. 

The Russian Defense Ministry said the areas captured by Syrian government troops include 10 neighborhoods and over 3,000 buildings in the past few days, The Associated Press reported. The ministry added in a statement that more than 100 rebels have laid down their arms and exited the Syrian city's eastern suburbs.
Capturing eastern Aleppo would be the biggest victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the uprising against him in 2011, giving him control of the whole city. 

For Assad, taking back Aleppo would shore up his grip over the main urban centers of western Syria where he and his allies have focused their firepower even as much of the rest of the country has slipped from their grip. 

It would also be seen as a victory for his allies, Russia and Iran, which have outmaneuvered the West and Assad's regional enemies through direct military intervention. 

With military backing from the Russian air force, Iran, and Lebanon's Hezbollah, Assad has...