BEIRUT — The UN’s Syria envoy on Thursday warned Aleppo faces total destruction, as government forces made their biggest gains in years against rebels inside the opposition-held part of the battleground city.Staffan de Mistura said eastern Aleppo could be "totally destroyed" by year’s end, and called on the government to halt strikes if jihadist fighters left the city, even offering to escort them out himself.The envoy warned eastern Aleppo risked joining the ranks of the 20th century’s worst tragedies, making comparisons to the Srebrenica massacre and the Rwandan genocide.His plea comes two weeks into an all-out government assault on opposition parts of Aleppo following the collapse of a short-lived truce negotiated by Russia and the US.Loyalist fighters have made significant advances in the Bustan al-Basha district near the centre of Aleppo, divided between government fighters in the west and rebels in the east, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Observatory director Ra...
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