Syrian rebels attacked the government-held neighborhood of al-Midan in the city of Aleppo today, shelling a residential area and killing at least 14 civilians. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, half of the slain were children.
There were no indications that the shelling resulted in any military casualties or indeed accomplished any tangible military goal. This is not unusual for Aleppo, however, as the city has been in disputed control for years, and saw several incidents of civilian killings this week alone, leaving over 100 civilians dead, and no territory changed hands.
The Syrian military and various rebels have been carrying out tit-for-tat attacks all around Aleppo, adding to the enormous civilian toll of the war, and particularly the toll on the civilians of Aleppo itself, which before the war was Syria’s industrial and financial capital.
When rebels attacked Aleppo, way back when, both sides predicted a quick victory, and believed winning Aleppo would be decisive in winning the war. The former prediction didn’t bear out, and at this point even if one side or another does end up in control of the city, they’re only in control of the rubble of a formerly important city.