Syrian government forces have captured a key part of eastern Aleppo, splitting rebel-held territory.

Both state TV and the monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that the district of Sakhour had fallen to the Syrian army.

The Syrian army and their allies launched a major offensive to retake control of Aleppo in September.

Thousands of civilians have left rebel-held eastern Aleppo districts after a weekend of heavy fighting.

Hundreds of families have also been displaced within the besieged area.

Some 250,000 people were believed to remain in besieged eastern Aleppo, where food and medical supplies have all but run out.

Retaking the whole of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, is a key aim of the Syrian regime in its fight against rebels.

State TV quoted a Syrian military source as saying that government forces "are continuing their advance in eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo".

"Our engineers are dismantling explosive devices and mines," he added.

The east of Aleppo has been held by rebel factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad for the past four years.

In the past year, Syrian troops have broken the deadlock with the help of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes.

Russia says its air force is active in other parts of the country, but not operating over Aleppo.