Syrian government seizes Aleppo highway for first time since 2012-monitor

Syrian government forces seized control of the entire length of the main Aleppo-Damascus highway on Tuesday for the first time since 2012, after driving rebels from their last foothold on the road, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The highway, the M5, runs all the way from Aleppo to Deraa in southern Syria. Government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, had seized control of the entire highway after capturing a western suburb of Aleppo from insurgents, the Observatory said.