The Syrian Army advanced in the district of Aleppo on Wednesday as the foreign-backed insurgents retreated from major neighborhood of the city.

The Syrian Army advanced in the district of Aleppo on Wednesday as it launched a ground assault on the northern city.  Meanwhile, media reported that the foreign-backed insurgents retreated from major neighborhood of the city, Salaheddin.

"The army is advancing from west to east to cut Salaheddin in half horizontally," AFP news agency quoted a Syrian security official as saying.

"It will not take a long time to control the district, even if there are some pockets of resistance remaining," the source added.

An opposition commander confirmed that army tanks had penetrated Salaheddin on Wednesday morning, sparking fierce clashes with the insurgents.

"The regime forces advanced into Al-Malaab Street with tanks and armored vehicles and fierce fighting is now taking place in the area," said Wassel Ayub, a commander in the so-called “Free Syrian Army”.

On the other hand, Reuter news agency reported that militants have abandoned at least one position in a battered district where fighting has raged for days.

"We have retreated, get out of here," a lone militant yelled at Reuters journalists as they arrived on Wednesday in the Salaheddin district.

Later on, Syrian sources confirmed that army was fully controlling Salaheddin neighborhood.

He added that militants suffered heavy losses as the army seized large amount of arms, noting that the Syrian forces had arrested arrests dozens of militants, including foreigners.