crossed the Euphrates, sacked Manbij and placed Aleppo under siege.

Hulegu left Azerbaijan in September 1259 and sent advance forces under the Kitbuqa Noyan ahead of the main army. The Mongol forces moved through the regions east of Lake Van, passing through Diyarbakir, where they began systematically subduing towns in Upper Mesopotamia. Hulagu himself captured several settlements, including Edessa, Nusaybin, and Harran, before advancing across the Euphrates River