Rebel fighters intensified their battle to smash the Syrian government's siege of east Aleppo as Russia announced a ceasefire.

Russia - an ally of Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime - declared the 10-hour "humanitarian pause" would begin at 7am GMT on Friday.

It said it was the rebels' last chance to leave.

But fighters have vowed not to surrender until they have ended the government's hold on the city.

Image: Smoke rises from government-controlled western Aleppo

The latest pause comes less than a month after Moscow declared an unproductive three-day ceasefire in late October.


The October ceasefire followed a month-long Russia-backed army offensive to recapture the whole city.

The offensive saw hundreds of civilians killed and health facilities destroyed, sparking international outrage.

Aleppo was once Syria's economic powerhouse and has been divided since mid-2012 between regime control in the west and rebels in the east.

The head of Russia's General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the pause was designed to "prevent senseless casualties".

It would allow civilians and combatants to get out of east Aleppo, he said.

October's ceasefire saw few leave as Russia accused rebels of preventing people from getting out.

A UN plan to evacuate the wounded had to be put on hold because of security concerns.

Rebels have been fighting for almost a week trying to break the three-month siege but have been unable to push through government lines.



