Violent Campaign for Aleppo Heats Up as Ceasefire Crumbles

With the U.S.-Russia brokered ceasefire in shambles, the battle for Aleppo is heating up in Syria.

The Syrian government and Russia are waging a violent campaign to recapture the already broken city.

The last few hours have seen some of the most destructive bombing of the last five years. Desperate residents are trapped inside and dozens are dead.

The battle for Aleppo is not an easy one. The city is peppered with rebels committed to fight to the end to defend their stronghold on the city. If government forces capture the rebel-held neighborhoods, it could mean a turning point in the war and a big win for Assad's regime.

Ibrahim Alhaj, a member of the Syrian Civil Defense, said he was barely able to save his parents from a bomb strike on their home.

Assad "listens to no one - not the United Nations, not anyone," Alhaj said, frustrated and exhausted. "Is there no humanity in this world?"

Yet Syrian government and Russian forces are continuing to push for control of the city.

Aleppo is of the major cities still being contested and it could take Assad's forces six months to a year to fully recapture it.

With the United States focused on elections and international diplomatic efforts failed, Assad and Russia are using this time to regain control with unprecedented bloodshed.