Syrian troops advance near Aleppo in attempt to impose siege
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BEIRUT -- Syrian pro-government forces backed by airstrikes launched a wide offensive in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, capturing areas they lost last month and almost besieging rebel-held neighborhoods, state media and opposition activists said.
State news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that troops have captured the Armament Academy and are "continuing their advance in the area to impose almost a total siege on the gunmen in Aleppo."
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that government troops captured the academy, adding that insurgents have launched a counteroffensive.
Al-Manar TV, which is run by Lebanon's Hezbollah group, said troops are now pushing toward the nearby Artillery Academy.
