The Syrian army and its allies have broken a three-year rebel siege of two Shiite towns of Nubul and Zahraa in northwest Syria, government said on Wednesday (February 3), cutting off a main insurgent route to nearby Turkey.

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Defence strategists said the two heavily garrisoned towns could become a launching pad for the Syrian army and its allies for wider territorial gains in northern Aleppo province and to tighten the encirclement of the rebel-held part of Aleppo city.