Beirut, London- Opposition forces launched a new battlefront in Aleppo as its military operations to break the regime’s siege expands. Both warring parties are exchanging accusations of using toxic gases.

Opposition forces and the Free Syrian Army are in a quest to break the siege over regime-ruled regions in Aleppo in order to connect eastern regions with the western countryside.

The opposition denied accusations made by official Syrian media that the opposition forces “launched missile that contain Chlor on Hamdaniya, east the city, on Sunday.” The regime forces were in return accused of “launching toxic gases on another battlefront.”

Jaish al-Fatah said in a statement that it “has currently moved to a new stage of military operations for the sake of breaking the siege completely, after seizing a number of towns … We urge residents to remain in their houses and to refuge to crypts if available. To Aleppo residents we say, we are coming to liberate your land.”

A military opposition source from Aleppo said that the “basic battle is occurring in Al-Assad Military Academy… The rebels intensified attacks on Aleppo to deprive the regime and its allies the opportunity to carry out maneuvers. We actually achieved tangible progress.”

The source added that the regime and its allies’ spirits relapsed after captivating 160 members of the regime and militias, most of them from the so-called Hezbollah.

Brigadier General Fayez al-Asmar, strategy and military expert, told Asharq al-Awsat that rebels did not receive any new arms but what has changed is forming a unified operations’ chamber. “The fighters also benefitted from the change of weather and carried out a sudden attack,” he added.