Escalating Syria violence threatens ceasefire

Fighting escalated on several fronts today around Syria's second city Aleppo, as a Russian-backed government offensive strained a landmark ceasefire and a nascent round of peace talks in Geneva.
In the Swiss city today, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura criticised President Bashar al-Assad's government for hindering efforts to deliver life-saving assistance to Syrians in need.
On the ground, government fighters, rebels and jihadists battled for control of swathes of Aleppo province, threatening a nearly seven-week ceasefire that had seen violence drop.
Regime loyalists backed by Russia's air power pressed a fierce offensive just north of the provincial capital of Aleppo city, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Fighting was heaviest around Handarat, a hilly area that lies along a route leading north out of opposition-held parts of the city.
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said regime forces were seeking to cut off that road and "completely besiege" eastern neighbourhoods.

Both Russian and Syrian planes were carrying out air strikes on and near Handarat, he said.
An AFP correspondent in opposition-held eastern Aleppo city said the booming crashes of air strikes could be heard throughout the day, but no raids hit the city itself.
Fears are rising among residents that Aleppo's opposition-held areas may become besieged by regime troops, the correspondent added.

The Russian-backed assault has sparked concern about the ceasefire, which has brought a significant drop in violence for the first time in the five-year conflict since it took effect on February 27.
President Vladimir Putin, Assad's main backer, said during an annual call-in show today that he was "closely following" the latest spike in violence.
Putin last month announced a partial pull-out from Syria, but warned Russia could return in full force should the situation require it.
He said opposition groups in Aleppo province were fighting along jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda's local affiliate.
"To distinguish them is very difficult."
After reporting significant progress through the first two weeks of March, the UN now fears the humanitarian situation may deteriorate once again.

"We are extremely concerned about the situation in northern Syria, including Aleppo governorate, where there has been a significant increase in incidents of violence that continue to aggravate the humanitarian situation," a UN humanitarian official told AFP today.