Syria's armed forces have called on civilians in Aleppo to flee rebel-held areas ahead of a ground offensive. The country has witnessed an escalation of violence in the wake of a nationwide "cessation of hostilities."
Aleppo has been devastated by airstrikesImage: picture-alliance/AA/J. al Rifai
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The Russian-backed Syrian army launched dozens of airstrikes Friday on rebel-held areas of the northwestern city of Aleppo in preparation for a ground offensive, state media and several news agencies reported on Friday, citing military officials.
Numerous reports emerged of damage to emergency service facilities and underground shelters, leading many residents of the embattled city to hide in their homes, unable to flee.
"With respect to the air or artillery strikes, they may continue for some time depending on the field situation and the terrorists' losses," a Syrian military source told Reuters news agency.
"Like any military operation, it starts with preparatory airstrikes and artillery, and then the ground forces work according to the results of the strikes and their impact," the source added.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor that uses a nationwide network of informants, reported by early evening at least 40 airstrikes.
The White Helmets rescue agency reported that at least 93 people had been killed during Friday's barrage.
A child walks among destroyed buildings in AleppoImage: Reuters/A. Ismail
Failed ceasefire
The Syrian army on Thursday announced "the start of its operations in the eastern districts of Aleppo," warning civilians to stay clear of "the headquarters and positions of the armed terrorist gangs."
The regime in Damascus regularly uses the term "terrorist" to describe all those fighting against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
The escalation of violence in Syria comes in the wake of a nationwide ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia that collapsed earlier this week. US State Secretary John Kerry called on Moscow and Damascus to halt aerial raids in a bid to salvage the "cessation of hostilities."
However, the Observatory reported apparent Russian aircraft taking part in airstrikes on Aleppo, Syria's second city.
Ammar al-Selmo, the head of the civil defense rescue services in Aleppo, said at least three of its four centers in the city had been hit by aerial bombardment.
"What's happening now is annihilation in every sense of the word," al-Selmo told Reuters. "Today, the bombardment is more violent, with a larger number of planes."
Water services have also been severed for nearly two million Syrians in Aleppo following Thursday and Friday's attacks, reported UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency.
More than 300,000 people in Syria have been killed and half the population displaced since government forces launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters calling for Assad to step down in March 2011.
The international community has failed to provide a viable political solution to the more than five-year conflict, despite repeated efforts to implement nationwide ceasefires and peace talks.
The long trip to Europe from the refugees' perspective
A boy who is soaking wet, volunteers entertaining children, moments of danger and of joy: #RefugeeCameras shows images taken during the journey to Europe. It is the subject of a new exhibition in Hamburg.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Leaving home - for good?
Zakaria received his camera on December 8 in Izmir, Turkey - one of the key hubs for refugees. The Syrian fled from the "Islamic State" terror militia and the government, according to McElvaney's #RefugeeCamera project. Out of safety concerns, Zakaria doesn't name his hometown. In his flight diary, Zakaria writes that only God knows if he will ever be able to return to Syria.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Rough dinghy ride
Zakaria documented his sea journey from Turkey to Chios. He was sitting in the back of his dinghy. At the Hamburg exhibition, which opens this weekend, the refugees' images will be complemented by a selection of shots taken by professionals, who helped to shape the representation of escape routes in the media. They all donated their works in order to support the project.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Perilous arrival
Hamza and Abdulmonem, both from Syria, photographed the perilous landing of their dinghy on a Greek island. There were no volunteers to offer them support. That is exactly what McElvaney had in mind when he launched #RefugeeCameras. So far, he says, the media have offered a "visual blank" in this respect.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Surviving the sea
After the landing, a young boy in wet clothes and life jacket stands on the pebbled beach. The image brings to mind Aylan Kurdi, the small Syrian boy whose lifeless body was washed ashore on a Turkish beach in September. The child in this picture made it to Europe alive. What became of him is not known.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Seven cameras returned
Hamza and Abdulmonem also took this slightly blurred snapshot of the refugee group taking a break. McElvaney handed out 15 disposable cameras in total. Seven of them were returned, one was lost, two were confiscated, two remain in Izmir, where their holders are still stranded. The remaining three cameras are unaccounted for - just like their owners.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Family in focus
Dyab, a math teacher from Syria, tried to capture some of the better moments of his journey to Germany. Pictured here are his wife and his young son, Kerim, who shows us the packet of biscuits he was given in a Macedonian refugee camp. The images reveal Dyab's deep affection for his son, McElvaney says: "He wants to take care of him, even on this arduous trip which he was forced to take."
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
From Iran to Hanau
The story of Saeed, from Iran, is a different one. The young man had to leave the country after converting to Christianity. He could have been arrested or even killed. In order to be accepted as a refugee, he pretended to be Afghan. After his arrival in Germany, he explained his situation to the authorities' satisfaction. He now lives - as an Iranian - in Hanau, Hesse.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Beyond selfies
Saeed took this picture of a Syrian father and his child on a bus from Athens to Idomeni.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
More than status
In another snapshot taken by Saeed, a volunteer working in a refugee camp somewhere between Croatia and Slovenia entertains a group of children, who try to imitate his tricks.
