Syrian troops advance near Aleppo, water cut off across city

File - In this Friday, Sept. 23, 2016, file photo, in this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, a destroyed ambulance is seen outside the Syrian Civil Defense main center after airstrikes in Ansari neighborhood in the rebel-held part of eastern Aleppo, Syria. Violence in Aleppo has surged in recent days as a U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire collapsed after one week. The Syrian government and its ally Russia have resumed intense airstrikes and Syrian military officials have spoken of a looming ground offensive against rebel-held districts. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) File - In this Friday, Sept. 23, 2016, file photo, in this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, a destroyed ambulance is seen outside the Syrian Civil Defense main center after airstrikes in Ansari neighborhood in the rebel-held part of eastern Aleppo, Syria. Violence in Aleppo has surged in recent days as a U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire collapsed after one week. The Syrian government and its ally Russia have resumed intense airstrikes and Syrian military officials have spoken of a looming ground offensive against rebel-held districts. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)

By Associated Press September 24, 2016 3 min read

BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian government forces captured a rebel-held area on the edge of Aleppo on Saturday, tightening their siege on opposition-held neighborhoods in the northern city as an ongoing wave of airstrikes destroyed more buildings.

The new government push came as the U.N. said that nearly 2 million people in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and onetime commercial center, are without running water following an escalation in fighting over the past few days.

Government forces captured the rebel-held Palestinian refugee camp of Handarat as airstrikes pounded rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo, killing at least 25 people, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Local Coordination Committees, another monitoring group, said 49 were killed on Saturday alone.

The Observatory said the death toll in Aleppo is expected to rise since many wounded people are in critical condition and rescue workers are still digging through the rubble.

Residents say the latest bombardment is the worst they’ve seen since rebels captured parts of the city in 2012.