Rebels attacked Syrian government positions in the historic center of Aleppo on Monday in response to an offensive that cut a road leading into the opposition-held sector of the city, monitors and insurgents said.
The shelling of government-held neighborhoods and intense street fighting came days after the advance by the government side toward the Castello Road. Rebels have relied on the road for supply runs and access to Aleppo through much of Syria's civil war, and its severing effectively put opposition-held areas where some 250,000 people live under siege.
Residents contacted in the city said prices of fresh vegetable, bread and fuel had on average almost doubled in the past week with no new supplies coming into Aleppo, Syria's largest city and commercial hub before the war.