The Syrian army succeeded in breaking a long-imposed siege on two adjacent Shiite towns in the northern province of Aleppo on Wednesday, according to the state news agency SANA.

The army forces, backed by the local paramilitary group of the National Defense Forces, broke the siege on Nubul and Zahra in the northern countryside of Aleppo, SANA said.

Meanwhile, a source in Aleppo told Xinhua that the army reached the two towns after capturing several key towns and areas in the past few days.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said both towns had been besieged by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham Movement for nearly four years.

He added that Syrian warplanes used to drop food to the besieged people there.

Reaching Nubul and Zahra, both inhabited by Shiite Syrians, came after the Syrian forces, backed by Hezbollah, captured the town of Hardatnain a day earlier, which enabled the army to get closer the aforementioned towns.

The recent development is part of the ongoing campaign in the countryside of Aleppo, where Syrian ground units with Russian air cover are making notable progress against the Turkey-backed militant groups.

The aim of the battles there is to separate the city of Aleppo from its northern countryside, where the rebels receive their supplies from Turkey, the source told Xinhua. Endit

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