Syrian government forces have battled rebels over one of their strongholds in the northern city of Aleppo, with each side claiming victory, Belfast Telegraph said.

The Syrian government announced late on Sunday, July 29 that it had "purged" the district of Salaheddine and inflicted "great losses" upon the rebels - a claim which opposition activists dispute.

"They were just in part of Salaheddine, not in the centre," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Activists on the ground in Aleppo confirmed that the fighting was continuing and no government forces were in the Salaheddine area, one of the first to revolt against the government in the city of three million people.

"They have tanks in nearby Hamdaniya and there is fighting, and there have been random bombardments of Salaheddine," said Mohammed Saeed, who is based in the embattled city.

The government has massed forces outside Aleppo and began an assault over the weekend to retake the commercial hub. The international community has expressed fears over a possible massacre of civilians if the fighting escalates.