(MENAFN) Syrian government forces clashed with rebels on the outskirts of eastern Aleppo city Sunday, a monitor said, after residents received messages from the army giving opposition fighters 24 hours to leave.

In detail, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, and an AFP correspondent in rebel-held east Aleppo reported clashes in the Karam al-Turab district and the village of Al-Aziza just outside the city.

The AFP correspondent said the fighting could be heard in much of the rebel-held east, which is surrounded by government forces and has come under repeated assault since the army announced an operation to recapture it in September.

The fighting came as residents in east Aleppo received text messages warning rebels to leave within 24 hours.