The Syrian army has halted attacks on Aleppo to allow civilians to escape, according to the Russian government.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Bashar al Assad's forces had stopped airstrikes - despite the Syrian president saying earlier this week that he had rejected a plea from rebels to stop fighting.

According to Mr Lavrov, Mr Assad's position has changed.

Image: Bashar al Assad's forces have seized much of east Aleppo

Speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Germany, Mr Lavrov said: "I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation under way to evacuate civilians."

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said shelling had continued throughout the night and into the morning.


The Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahma said: "There was heavy shelling of several besieged districts and fierce fighting, particularly in Bustan al-Qasr."

His words about one of the biggest districts still under rebel control were independently supported by a news agency correspondent.

In an interview published earlier in the week with Syrian daily Al-Watan, the Syrian president said the possibility of a truce in Aleppo was "practically non-existent, of course".

Image: Syrian residents fleeing the violence in Aleppo evacuate neighbourhoods in the Bab al-Hadid district Image: In the face of a blistering assault by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, the rebels retreated from all of Aleppo's Old City Image: Syrian government troops patrol the newly captured al-Sakhour neighbourhood in the eastern part of Aleppo Image: Rebels called for a five-day truce and the evacuation of civilians after losing more than three quarters of their territory Image: Men ride a tricycle as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo. Continue through for more pictures /

Damascus has yet to react to Mr Lavrov's announcement, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in the UK, said fighting had eased following the deaths of 19 civilians on Wednesday.

During a three-week offensive, government forces seized about 80% of east Aleppo, which has been a stronghold for rebel groups since 2012.

The US, UK and France have joined calls for a truce, warning of a "humanitarian catastrophe".

Aleppo rebels call for five-day ceasefire to allow evacuation

Overnight, more than 100 people who had been trapped amid heavy clashes in the city were taken to hospitals or shelters after being evacuated by Red Cross and Red Crescent aid workers.

Tens of thousands of children in Aleppo are "sitting targets" in the ongoing fighting, according to Save the Children Syria director Sonia Khush.

She said: "It defies belief that after nearly six years of suffering through this war, the international community is still willing to stand by as civilians are bombed with seeming impunity."

:: Watch our special report Aleppo: Killing Hope on Sky News at 2.30pm and 6.30pm.