Regime Troops Take Large Rebel-Controlled area of Aleppo

Syrian state-run media is reporting that troops loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad have taken a large area of Aleppo from rebel forces and that it now appears the entire city will soon follow. Masaken Hanano is a district in the northern portion of the city and was the first area of the city to fall to the rebels in 2012. Its capture effectively divided Aleppo into a divided city with one side home to rebel supporters and the other side controlled by the army. For months, observers have been warning that as many as 250,000 residents are living under dire conditions, literally trapped in their homes without basic necessities. More than 200 civilians have died there in the past two weeks according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.