Syrian jets pound rebels after Aleppo "setback"

A day after rebels claimed to have broken a weeks-long government siege of the city of Aleppo, the Syrian warplanes, backed by Russian fighter jets, carried out intense air strikes on rebel-held areas of the city. The Syrian government denied that the rebels had made any significant gains, insisting that the siege continues to be in place.

The rebel coalition, which claims to have seized a large government military complex southwest of Aleppo, said it plans to double its forces to recapture the entire city, writes the BBC. Amid raging violence, about 250,000 civilians are trapped in the besieged areas with no safe corridors to exit the war-ravaged city.

The latest gains by rebels could shift the balance of power in Aleppo, notes Reuters. Earlier, President Bashar al-Assad had claimed that the government’s siege on Aleppo was the first step in taking back the city from the rebels.

The Syrian conflict has intensified despite renewed international push to achieve a ceasefire and resume peace talks. The U.N. officials earlier said they believed that fresh negotiations could start in August even as the opposition dismissed the prospects of participating in the talks until the bombings on civilians stopped completely.