Syrian regime repels rebel offensive near Aleppo, killing 40

Syrian regime and Russian airstrikes pounded multiple battlefronts in Syria into the early hours of Tuesday, repelling a rebel-led offensive on northern Aleppo, Russian sources reported.

At least 40 people were killed in the strikes, RIA news agency quoted Russia's Defence Ministry as saying.

Air raids and artillery fire hit rebel-held districts until approximately 2:00 am [2300 GMT Monday], after the Syrian army declared a fraught week-long ceasefire over.

Fire resumed in the early hours of Tuesday, as loud booms were heard intermittently across the city.

At least 39 civilians were killed in overnight bombardment of Aleppo and the surrounding province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said, and fresh clashes had erupted on the southern edges of the city.

Those killed overnight included 12 people, mostly humanitarian workers, who died on a raid on a joint United Nations, Red Cross, and Red Crescent convoy delivering assistance to the town of Orum al-Kubra in Aleppo province

In the government-held west of the city, an AFP correspondent reported the sound of shelling in the Mogambo district.

Meanwhile, the rebel-held Handarat district, just a few miles north of Aleppo, also came under fire, The New Arab correspondent reported.

Residents spent the night huddled together in their apartments, sharing news about the collapsing truce by messenger. 

Aleppo – like other major front lines in Syria – had been relatively calm for the first few days after the truce brokered by Moscow and Washington came into effect on September 12. 

Violence slowly escalated late last week, culminating at the weekend in deadly airstrikes on Aleppo and a US-led raid that killed scores of Syrian soldiers fighting the Islamic State group in the east. 

Fighting also intensified in the rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus, where the army announced a major military operation on Monday just hours before declaring the ceasefire over. 

Artillery fire also hit the rebel-held central town of Talbisseh, activist Hassaan Abu Nuh said. 

In the northwestern province of Idlib, activist Nayef Mustafa said that planes had circled over the town of Salqin, which is held by Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate in alliance with Islamist rebels.

"It's calm now, but there was machinegun fire by military aircraft overnight," Mustafa told AFP. 

"The ceasefire has collapsed and people are getting ready to be hit by barrel bombs. This is our situation."

The US-Russia truce deal had been billed as the best chance to put an end to more than five years of conflict, in which more than 300,000 people have been killed. 

The army declared an end to its ceasefire on Monday evening.

Hours later, a convoy delivering aid to besieged civilians in Aleppo province was hit by an airstrike, which killed 12 Red Crescent volunteers and drivers, and destroyed at least 18 trucks.

A convoy delivering aid to besieged civilians in Aleppo province was hit by an airstrike killing 12 Red Crescent volunteers and drivers and destroying at least 18 trucks [AFP]

Agencies contributed to this report