A video released by the Syrian Centre Military Media (SCMM), purported to show Syrian soldiers in rural Aleppo's Khalsa-Zaitan area firing at targets from Jabhat al-Nusra, AP reports.

Syrian government forces are thought to be using heavy machine guns, tanks and rocket launchers.

Meanwhile the Russian Defense Ministry said a 48-hour cessation of hostilities had been declared in Aleppo city, which went into effect after midnight on Wednesday into Thursday.

Several similar truces have been declared in the city in recent months. The southern Aleppo countryside is exempted from the partial ceasefire as it involves fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, who have not been included in any truce agreements.

Opposition activists however reported sporadic shelling on the city in the early hours of Thursday.

12