Government forces have broken a year-long rebel siege of a prison in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, reports say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had entered the complex, but this is not confirmed.

There are thousands of inmates at the prison, which has been the scene of fierce fighting for months as rebels have tried to capture it.

The area is strategically important as it lies near a key supply route for fighters in rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

On Wednesday, some 60,000 people in the rebel- and government-held parts of Aleppo province received food aid for the first time in months after the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was granted access.

ICRC president Peter Maurer said the operation, which will continue for the next few days, is the largest of its kind in recent months.
'Cut supply route'

The director of the Syrian Observatory, Rami Abdul Rahman, said "regular armed forces backed by pro-regime fighters" had been able "to break the siege of Aleppo Central Prison".

Tanks and armoured vehicles "entered the grounds of the prison", he told the AFP news agency.

Two Lebanese TV stations, which are close to the Syrian government, also reported that the siege had been ended by government troops.

BBC