2016 Aleppo summer campaign
The 2016 Aleppo summer campaign[82] started with a military operation launched on the northern outskirts of Aleppo in late June 2016, by the Syrian Arab Army. The aim of the offensive was to cut the last rebel supply line into Aleppo city.[83][84]
By late July, the military had managed to sever the last rebel supply line coming from the north and completely surround Aleppo. However, within days, the rebels launched a large-scale counter-attack south of Aleppo in an attempt to both open a new supply line into rebel-held parts of the city and cut-off the government-held side. The whole campaign, including both the Army's offensive and subsequent rebel counter-offensive, was seen by both sides as possibly deciding the fate of the entire war.[59][85][86][87][88][89]
The battle was also notable for the large loss of top rebel field commanders, with about three dozen being killed.[15][50][51][75][58][59][90][91][92]
By early September, Syrian government troops had cemented their siege of the rebel part of the city.[28]