Syrian families, fleeing from various eastern districts of Aleppo, wait to board vehicles on Tuesday in the government-held eastern neighbourhood of Jabal Badro, before heading to government-controlled western Aleppo, as the Syrian government offensive to recapture rebel-held Aleppo has prompted an exodus of civilians (AFP photo)

BEIRUT — Syrian rebels on Wednesday vowed to fight on in east Aleppo in the face of sudden government advances that have cut the city's opposition sector by a third in recent days, and brought insurgents to the brink of a catastrophic defeat. Rebels in eastern Aleppo have held ground in the Sheikh Saeed neighborhood as they continue to clash with regime troops, in an attempt to protect the southern parts of the enclave south after Syrian forces made sweeping territorial gains in the north. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which maintains a network of contacts in the war-torn country, said it was the second time the Jub al-Quba neighborhood in eastern Aleppo was struck in as many days. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rescue workers said more than 45 people had been killed in artillery bombardment of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Wednesday, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 50,000 people had been displaced by the fighting. The Observatory said more than 50,000 out of an estimated quarter-million inhabitants have been displaced by attacks on rebel-held eastern Aleppo over the past 4 days. Rebel shelling of government-held districts in western Aleppo killed eight people, including two children, and wounded seven, the official SANA news agency reported, citing a source in the city’s police force. More than 50,000 people have fled Aleppo's rebel-held districts, the observatory said Wednesday, including at least 20,000 to government-held territory and another 30,000 to Kurdish-controlled districts.
Syrian Civil Defense claim that more than 45 people have died as a result of heavy artillery bombardment of eastern Aleppo.