Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled an intensifying Russian assault around Aleppo, and aid workers say they fear the city which once held two million people could soon fall under a full government siege.
Iran on Friday reported one of its generals was killed on the front line assisting government forces, direct confirmation of the role Tehran is playing along with Moscow in what appears to be one of the most ambitious offensives in five years of civil war.
The government assault around Aleppo, and advances in the south of the country, helped to torpedo peace talks this week in Geneva.
President Bashar al-Assad's forces and their allies are making a new bid to achieve victory on the battlefield after Russia's intervention ended months of stalemate.
The last 24 hours saw government troops and their Lebanese and Iranian allies fully encircle the countryside north of Aleppo and cut off the main supply route linking the city - Syria's largest before the war - to Turkey.
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