The offensive successfully broke the three-year Siege of Nubl and Al-Zahraa, effectively cutting off the main supply route of the Syrian rebels from Turkey.

[2] During the latter part of January 2016, reports began circulating of significant Syrian government reinforcements being sent to Aleppo from Damascus, in preparation for a new offensive.

[2] After securing Duwayr Al-Zeitoun, the SAA and its allies turned north and routed rebels from the town of Tal-Jibbin within the span of two hours.

In addition to the government advance from the east, the fighters surrounded in the Nubl-Zahra pocket launched a complementary offensive from the west and managed to take some ground.

[68] On 4 February, the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also launched an offensive against the rebels in northern Aleppo and took control of Ziyara and Khreiybeh, north of Nubl.

[72][73] According to ARA News, the rebel Levant Front evacuated its headquarters in Ratyan after more than ten of its fighters were killed and a dozen more were wounded.

[8] One village was Al-Alqamiyeh, near the rebel-held Menagh Air Base,[87][88] while further south YPG-led forces seized the quarry and Talat Al-Firan hill[89] that overlook Tannurah.

[98] Meanwhile, the army began an attack in the direction of Tannurah, south of Nubl and Al-Zahraa, which led to fighting in the hills overlooking the village.

[112][113] Late on 11 February, according to several reports, the SDF reached the western outskirts of Azaz, with clashes taking place at the national hospital and the Al Shat checkpoint, 2 kilometers from the city.

[134] On 14 February, the Turkish military shelled Kurdish forces for a second day,[12] while government troops made attempts to advance from Tannurah to Anadan.

[144][145] The SDF also seized Kafr Naseh and fully cleared Tell Rifaat, while south of the town, government troops captured the villages of Misqan and Ahras.

[150] U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called on the Turkish Prime Minister to "de-escalate" and "cease artillery strikes on Kurds".

[153] During the night between 16 and 17 February, several unconfirmed reports stated the SDF had cut the Castello Road, which was the final rebel supply route into the rebel-held part of Aleppo city.

[158] Later during the day, a batch of 500 al-Nusra fighters, coming from Idlib, crossed into northern Aleppo from Turkey via Azaz under the supervision of Turkish authorities.

[11][159][160] On 18 February, the SDF was reported to have captured the Youth Housing Area in Bani Zaid and the Castello Roundabout, potentially cutting the last rebel supply route into the city.

[163] Between 22 and 23 February, the SDF reportedly captured the Saladin Mosque in Bani Zaid, and the Younis al-Saba'wi School and Jama' al-Istaqmat in Al-Ashrafiyah, supported by Russian airstrikes.

[163] On 26 February, Syrian government forces launched a new assault, northwest of Aleppo city, and reportedly through Kurdish-held territory, attacking Shaykh Aqil and Qabtan al-Jabal.

[168] At the end of the month, preparations were reportedly underway for a new offensive to be launched west of Aleppo to cut the last rebel supply line into the city.

[20] A total of 14–24 IRGC advisors died,[23][172] including Brigadier General Mohsen Ghajarian (محسن قاجاریان), commander of the 21st Imam Reza Armored Brigade of Neyshabur and an Iran–Iraq War veteran,[173][174] who was advising the allied troops during the assault when he and another six Iranians were killed.

[21][175] Russian air support provided to the ground forces during their onslaught in northern Aleppo was said to be one of the main reasons for the string of successes against the rebels in the offensive.

[176] The Iranian IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that the Kurdish-led People's Protection Units (YPG) were helping the Syrian Army, as the SDF of Efrîn captured the villages of Al-Ziyare and Kharebeh in the Shirava district.