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Syria rebels 'in push to break Aleppo siege' | Syria rebels 'in push to break Aleppo siege' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Rebels in Syria have announced a big offensive aimed at breaking the government siege of east Aleppo. | Rebels in Syria have announced a big offensive aimed at breaking the government siege of east Aleppo. |
A UK-based monitoring group said the rebels had fired "hundreds" of missiles into western Aleppo, killing at least 15 civilians. | A UK-based monitoring group said the rebels had fired "hundreds" of missiles into western Aleppo, killing at least 15 civilians. |
They are also reported to have targeted al-Nayrab military airport to the east. | They are also reported to have targeted al-Nayrab military airport to the east. |
About 275,000 people have been besieged in the east by pro-government forces for several months. | About 275,000 people have been besieged in the east by pro-government forces for several months. |
Syria and its ally Russia have recently intensified air strikes on the east. | Syria and its ally Russia have recently intensified air strikes on the east. |
The attacks are so far coming from rebels outside Aleppo but it is understood that rebels inside the city will join the offensive. | The attacks are so far coming from rebels outside Aleppo but it is understood that rebels inside the city will join the offensive. |
"All the revolutionary factions, without exception, are participating in the battle," the military spokesman for the Fastaqim faction inside the city said, AP news agency reports. | "All the revolutionary factions, without exception, are participating in the battle," the military spokesman for the Fastaqim faction inside the city said, AP news agency reports. |
They include Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, as well as fellow Islamists Ahrar al-Sham. | |
Rebels fired Grad missiles at al-Nayrab, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitoring group said. Up to 115 people were killed or wounded, it added. | Rebels fired Grad missiles at al-Nayrab, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitoring group said. Up to 115 people were killed or wounded, it added. |
They also detonated two car bombs - one a digger driven by a suicide bomber from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham - against government positions to the south-west of the city. | |
Analysis - James Longman, BBC News, Beirut | |
The rebels said this counter-attack would come. But even though disparate groups have united for this effort, "liberating" East Aleppo won't be easy. | |
They have hit an airbase and are targeting other Syrian positions in an effort to cripple any response. | |
But the Syrian army is the least of their problems - by itself, it is relatively weak. The Syrian government is supported by Lebanese, Iranian, Iraqi and Afghan Shia militias, as well as Russian air power - soon to be bolstered by a naval fleet in the Mediterranean. | |
One of the main rebel factions spearheading this operation is al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. It is the very group the US has tried to untangle from the fighters it supports. | |
This means that from a Western perspective at least, the rebels are on their own. | |
The area around the Hmeimim air base near the coastal city of Latakia - the main airport used by the Russian air force - was also reportedly targeted, the SOHR said. | The area around the Hmeimim air base near the coastal city of Latakia - the main airport used by the Russian air force - was also reportedly targeted, the SOHR said. |
It is the rebels' second attempt to break the siege. In August they temporarily opened a corridor between the east and west after the government entirely encircled them for the first time in July. | It is the rebels' second attempt to break the siege. In August they temporarily opened a corridor between the east and west after the government entirely encircled them for the first time in July. |
The city, previously Syria's economic hub, has been divided between the two sides since 2012. | The city, previously Syria's economic hub, has been divided between the two sides since 2012. |
Almost 500 people have been killed and 2,000 injured since government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, intensified an assault on the east of the city a month ago. | Almost 500 people have been killed and 2,000 injured since government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, intensified an assault on the east of the city a month ago. |
UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein has described the city as a "slaughterhouse". | UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein has described the city as a "slaughterhouse". |