Russia said on Wednesday there would be daily three-hour cease-fires in Syria's Aleppo starting Thursday to allow humanitarian convoys to enter the city safely, a proposal the United Nations said it would consider.

Aleppo is split into rebel- and government-held. The rebel-held east, where about 250,000 people are thought to be living, came under siege in early July after government forces cut the Castello Road, the main supply route into the district.

On Friday rebels staged a major assault southwest of Aleppo to break through this siege. Fighters did manage to pierce the ring of government-controlled territory, but a safe corridor for civilians and aid has not yet been established as fierce fighting continues.