BEIRUT - Syria's prime minister made a rare visit to the war-torn city of Aleppo on Monday and pledged $4 million in aid, a state television station said.
The TV station offered no photos or film of the visit, the first in months by a senior figure in the government of President Bashar Assad.
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console.log("catid body is "+catID);if(catID==120){document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){ document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }The visit by Wael al-Halki, who took office after his predecessor Riad Hijab defected earlier this year, may be seen as an attempt to show the Syrian government still has a grasp on the country's largest city.
Rebels control many districts in Aleppo since launching a campaign this summer, and most of the countryside surrounding the city is now in the hands of rebels pressing their 21-month-old revolt against Assad.
Civilians in these areas have been facing huge hardship, with a constant shortage of food and fuel. Rebels and the government have traded blame for the lack of help to opposition-held areas, where clashes rage regularly and the army bombs with artillery and war planes.
