Syrian government forces have captured more than a third of rebel-held territory in eastern Aleppo. The advance, after heavy bombing from the air, is a major blow for the armed opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. State TV said, government troops were dismantling mines and explosives and continuing their advance. <br/><br/>Thousands of civilians have fled the besieged districts after a weekend of heavy fighting. Hundreds of families have been displaced. Rebel fighters have been driven out of more neighbourhoods of their long-held enclave in eastern Aleppo, as Syrian government forces continue to advance. <br/><br/> After further fighting, the rebels are reported to have lost all of the northern neighbourhoods they controlled before the weekend, leaving them with under two-thirds of the territory they had in the city.<br/>According to monitors, Syrian government troops now control the section of east Aleppo north of the Sakhour highway. Russia's Defence Ministry says Syrian government troops have captured 12 districts, or 40 per cent of the territory, from the rebels. It says that more than 100 rebels have laid down their arms and left the city.