Pro-Assad forces 'retake' second district in eastern Aleppo, Syria

Syrian government forces have retaken another rebel-held district in eastern Aleppo, military sources confirmed.

The army and its allies took control of the large Hanano housing district on Saturday (26 November) and have now secured neighbouring Jabal Badro within a day of the initial victory.

A military official confirmed to the Syrian Arab News Agency that they had "fully recaptured" the district from terrorists trying to overthrow Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

The source added a high number of terrorists, largely from Jabhat al-Nusra, a Syrian off-shoot of al-Qaeda, were killed in the attack and that several machine-gun-mounted cars were destroyed.

The Syrian Army's offensive to retake eastern Aleppo is now in its 13th day, and if successful, would be considered a huge boost for al-Assad as it strengthens his grip on power.

Recapturing Hanano and Jabal Badro is also significant for the regime as these were among the areas first captured by insurgents in 2012.

It also means the rebels in the north and south would be split from each another, increasing pro-government forces' chances of recapturing Syria's largest city before the war began.

Neither the Hanano nor the Jabal Badro districts were heavily populated, but UN officials believe at least 250,000 people are under siege in the east of the city,

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike on Jabal Badro was accompanied by raids on other opposition-held villages in the Aleppo countryside.

As the government offensive continues in rebel-held neighbourhoods of the city, around 400 people have fled to areas under government control, the monitoring group said on Sunday.

An additional 30 families fled to Sheikh Maqsoud, which is under Kurdish control, it added.

The Syrian military is also conducting airstrikes in Idlib, Homs and Daraa.