Red Cross seeks more access to Aleppo, besieged Damascus areas

GENEVA (Reuters) - The Red Cross appealed on Thursday for greater access to civilians in rebel-held and besieged areas of Syria where the humanitarian situation is "catastrophic", particularly in the divided northern city of Aleppo and in suburbs of Damascus.

Basic services and infrastructure in Syria are near collapse and the economy is at a standstill after three years of conflict, with millions dependent on food and medical supplies that are not reaching the most desperate, the aid agency said.