Fear of siege in Syrian city already broken by war
Pummeled by bombs and rocket fire, residents on both sides of this divided metropolis have experienced severe water and power shortages, soaring living costs, and collapsing public services.
In 2012, the city split between rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, recorded that 302 civilians in opposition neighborhoods have been killed in presumed Russian and government air strikes since hostilities resumed on April 22.
In that time, 236 civilians have been killed in indiscriminate shelling and rocket attacks by the rebels.
UNICEF says opposition groups interrupted supply to the government side more than 40 times in the summer of 2015.