The evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo due to start at dawn has been delayed, perhaps until Thursday, with an opposition official blaming Iran and its Shi’ite militias allied to President Bashar al-Assad for the hold-up.

A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia, Assad’s most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given the Syrian leader his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

Many spent the night in the street despite a storm, as they had fled from other areas and had nowhere to stay. Tens of thousands of civilians have stayed on in the ever-shrinking rebel enclave for fear of arrest or torture by government forces.

Here is a look at the city of Aleppo which is now in ruins: 

b”A view of the Aleppo city. It was once Syria’s largest city and the country’s industrial and financial centrexc2xa0| Source: Reuters”
b’Smoke coming out of the city. Aleppo was one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the worldxc2xa0 | Source: Reuters’
b’Free Syrian army fighter firing. It was founded by the officers of the Syrian Armed Forces in 2011 with the goal to bring down the Assad governmentxc2xa0 | Source: Reuters’

The historic Ummayad mosque now in ruins. It is the largest and one of the oldest mosques in the city and is a World Heritage Site | Source: Reuters| WikiCommons

b”Government forces at Bustan-al Qasr. It is considered as the most important passage and is now being called ‘the Passage of Death’ because it has become the target of snipers xc2xa0 | Source: AFP”
b’Damaged buildings in the government held Al-Shaad part of thexc2xa0city | Source: Reuters’
b’The destroyed historic citadel. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world | Source: AFP’
b’People in eastern Aleppo have been packing their bags and burning personal possessions as they prepare to leave, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militia allies | Source: Reuters’
b’People fleeing the city | Source: AFP’
b’A man fleeing with his family carrying a child with IV fluid | Source: Reuters’
b’Russian soldiers distribute food aid to rescued civilians | Source: Reuters’
b’Evacuated civilians waiting for food aid | Source: Reuters’
b’Syrians evacuated from eastern Aleppo, get food aid from the Syrian Red Crescent inside a shelter in government controlled Jibreen area in Aleppo, Syria | Source: Reuters’
b’Boy eats bread in the Jibreen area of the city | Source: Reuters’
b’A poster in support of Syrian Presidentxc2xa0Bashar al-Assad | Source: Reuters’
b’Smoke and flames coming out of the city after air strikes | Source: Reuters’

(Feature image source: AFP)