Aleppo offensive ( October 2013 ) The October 2013 Aleppo offensive is a campaign during the Syrian civil war launched by the Syrian army in the Aleppo Governorate to reopen a key supply route linking central Syria to the second largest city , Aleppo . The offensive began when the Syrian Army attacked the strategic town of Khanasir . Background . In June 2013 , after their strategic capture of al - Qusayr , government forces launched an offensive called " Northern Storm " in Aleppo Province aimed at securing supply lines between disparate patches of control in the province . However , increased rebel pressure in Homs Province led the government to abandon the offensive and redeploy its troops there , leaving its supply lines to Aleppo city vulnerable to attack . Later in the summer , rebels capitalised on this strategic weakness . In late July , rebels launched an offensive west of Aleppo city culminating in the capture of several suburbs and a massacre of captured government soldiers , and on 5 August , the long - besieged Menagh Airbase in the north of the province fell to rebels . On 26 August , rebels captured the strategic town of Khanasir , thus cutting the government ' s last land supply route to the contested city of Aleppo . Rebels then turned their sights to the government - controlled southern countryside of Aleppo . On 20 September , a coalition of at least ten rebel groups led by Ahrar al - Sham and the Tawhid Brigade launched an offensive called " wal - ' Adiyat Dabha " against government positions between the southern edge of the city and the defence factories outside of rebel - held Al - Safira . In the first six days of the offensive , rebels made significant advances , claiming to have captured at least 25 villages . In response , government forces from Aleppo International Airport redeployed south to counter the rebel offensive . The offensive . To reopen supply lines to Aleppo city , the government launched a counteroffensive along the so - called " Desert Road " between Aleppo and al - Salamiyah , dispatching a large convoy from the latter backed with heavy air support . Khanasir , captured by rebels in August , was the first major objective of the army as it occupies a critical chokepoint on the road . On 1 October , the shelling of Khanasir and fighting between the regular army and several rebel brigades in the vicinity of the town killed at least 20 rebel fighters . The village of Jub al - Ghaws , near of Khanassir was bombed by helicopters while , according to SOHR , rebel fighters hit a fighter airplane above Khanassir . On 2 October , according to SOHR , the Syrian army progressed in Khanassir and taking control of parts of the city while a lot of rebel position were hit by the Syrian airforce in the province ; al - Atareb , Khan al - A ' sal , Kafrnaha and Minnegh military airport . On 3 October , the Army took back control of Khanassir , with at least 25 rebel fighters and 18 pro - government militiamen being killed on 3 October alone . However , the military had not yet reopened the highway to Aleppo . On 7 October , the Army managed to reopen the supply route between Aleppo and Khanassir , capturing many surrounding villages like Rasm Okeiresh , Rasm al - Sheikh , Rasm al - Helou , Rasm Bakrou , al - Wawiyeh , Rasm al - Safa , Barzanieh , Jalagheem , Zarraa , and Kafar Akkad , breaking the siege of Aleppo . According to a governorate source , convoys carrying flour , food supplies , and fuel , went to Aleppo . On 9 October , rebels massacred government soldiers in a village that had only just been captured by the Army . Elsewhere in the governorate , the Army took the control of other villages ; Al - Hamam , Al - Qurbatiy and retreating to Al - Qintein and Al - Bouz On 10 October , heavy Army shelling and air - strikes of the rebel - held town al - Safira killed 16 - 18 civilians . One of the areas that was hit was the town ' s market . According to one rebel , if opposition forces loose control of al - Safira everything they had accomplished over the previous year in Aleppo would be lost in a matter of days . On 11 October , after clashes , the Army captured the village of Abu Jurayn , in the south of al - Safira . On 17 and 18 October , heavy Army shelling of the rebel - held Kurdish town of Tell Aran left 21 civilians dead . 11 others were also injured . The town had been captured from Kurdish militants by jihadist rebels earlier in July . By 25 October , 76 people had been killed in the shelling of al - Safira since 8 October . More than 130 , 000 people fled the city . On 30 October , the Syrian army entered al - Safira and took over several buildings in the southern part of the city and also advanced on the eastern side the next day . By the morning of 1 November , the Army captured the town . On 2 November , the Army , supported by Hezbollah officers , captured the village of Aziziyeh on the northern outskirts Safira .