Assad’s grip on Aleppo tightens

Bombs rain down on city

SYRIA announced a new offensive against rebel-held areas of Aleppo yesterday. Warplanes mounted the heaviest air strikes in months against rebel-held districts of Syria’s commercial hub and largest city, dealing a fresh blow to efforts to end Syrian civil war raging since 2011.

Rebel officials and rescue workers said incendiary bombs were among the weapons that rained down on Aleppo.

Hamza al-Khatib, the director of a hospital in the rebel-held east, said 45 people were killed.

Ammar al-Selmo, head of the civil defence rescue service in eastern Aleppo, said: “It’s as if the planes are trying to compensate for all the days they didn’t drop bombs.”

Moscow and Washington announced a ceasefire on September 9. But the agreement collapsed.

Syrian state media announced the new offensive and quoted the army’s military headquarters in Aleppo urging civilians in eastern parts of the city to avoid areas where “terrorists” were located and said it had prepared exit points for those who wanted to flee.

The Syrian army announcement did not say whether the campaign would also include a ground incursion.

The aerial assault, by aircraft from the Syrian government, its Russian allies or both, signalled Moscow and Damascus had rejected a plea by US NEW YORK: The UN Security Council has given an international inquiry five more weeks to complete its report on who is to blame for toxic gas attacks in Syria.

The inquiry was expected to submit its report this week. UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, told the 15-member council that the inquiry needed extra time. The council has extended its mandate until October 31.

In its most recent report to the Security Council last month, the joint UN and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons inquiry said that Syrian government troops were responsible for two toxic gas attacks, and Islamic State militants used sulphur mustard gas.

France, Britain and other Secretary of State, John Kerry, to halt flights so aid could be delivered.

In an exchange with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, at the UN on Wednesday, Kerry said stopping the bombardment was the last chance to find a way “out of the carnage”.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad indicated he saw no quick end to the war, saying it would “drag on” as long as it was part of a global conflict in which terrorists were backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the US.

Foreign ministers emerged from a meeting in New York having failed to find a way back to a ceasefire.

Assad, helped by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, has tightened his grip on the opposition-held eastern areas of Aleppo this year.

Assad has appeared as uncompromising as ever in recent weeks, reiterating his goal of taking back the whole country. – Reuters