Intense Syrian bombing of besieged Aleppo, troops advance

December 3, 2016 at 5:24 a.m. | Updated December 3, 2016 at 5:30 a.m.

by Associated Press

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 file photo provided by the Rumaf, a Syrian Kurdish activist group, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows people fleeing rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo into the Sheikh Maqsoud area that is controlled by Kurdish fighters, Syria. The U.N. humanitarian aid agency said Friday an estimated 31,500 have been displaced from the government advances into the rebel-held enclave since this weekend, in one of the most dramatic shifts in the conflict now in its sixth year. (The Rumaf via AP, File)
FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 file photo provided by the Rumaf, a Syrian Kurdish activist group, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows people fleeing rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo into the Sheikh Maqsoud area that is controlled by Kurdish fighters, Syria. The U.N. humanitarian aid agency said Friday an estimated 31,500 have been displaced from the government advances into the rebel-held enclave since this weekend, in one of the most dramatic shifts in the conflict now in its sixth year. (The Rumaf via AP, File)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) - Syrian warplanes, artillery and mortar rounds have pounded areas in the eastern rebel-held Aleppo enclave, killing at least three, according to opposition activists.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombings in the central al-Shaar neighborhood killed three. The Syrian Civil Defense put the death toll at six.

The bombings Saturday came hours after government troops made new advances on the rebel-held parts of Aleppo city. State media reported that government and allied troops have moved in on new neighborhoods, pushing one kilometer (0.6 mile) deeper into the enclave from the far east. The new advances tighten the government's grip on the besieged enclave and reduce the territory the rebels hold by more than half.

The new advances also secure the airport road east of Aleppo.

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