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| Syria crisis: Assad forces move in on Aleppo - live updates | Syria crisis: Assad forces move in on Aleppo - live updates |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 12.00pm: Russia's state news agency RIA is reporting that the head of the country's navy, Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov has said that they might evacuate their base in Syria if it comes under attack. | |
| It is not clear whether they expect this. The base in Tartus is not very far from Homs city. | |
| Servicemen may be evacuated from the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, if it comes under attack, Navy chief Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Saturday. | |
| "I am not the one to issue orders: We have the defense minister [for that]," he said in an interview with Ekho Moskvy Radio. "If we have to evacuate the personnel that is currently deployed there, we certainly will." | |
| He stressed that an order by the commander in chief of the Russian Armed Forces (the president) and Russia's top political leadership was required for that. | |
| What makes this more interesting is that the Syrian base is Russia's only existing naval base outside the former Soviet Union and in a crucial warm water location on the Mediterranean. | |
| It also comes a day after a report that Russia is seeking out locations for other bases in foreign countries including Cuba, Vietnam and the Seychelles. | |
| 11.47am: This video purports to be footage of a repelled government attack in the Salah Al Din district of Aleppo from earlier today. On the ground are dead government soldiers, the video says. | |
| Separately FSA sources have said that they destroyed a number of tanks in the area so this video may help confirm this. | |
| . | |
| 11.26am:The Press Association in Scotland is reporting that a group of 24 campaigners have protested outside a Russian embassy to "signify what they say is the number of people dying every day in the Syrian uprising." | |
| Syrians living in Scotland joined with Amnesty International at the embassy in Edinburgh to mark 500 days since the start of the conflict. | Syrians living in Scotland joined with Amnesty International at the embassy in Edinburgh to mark 500 days since the start of the conflict. |
| The charity said it has the names of more than 12,000 men, women and children who have died since the start of the conflict. It is calling on the international community to bring bloodshed in the country to an end. | The charity said it has the names of more than 12,000 men, women and children who have died since the start of the conflict. It is calling on the international community to bring bloodshed in the country to an end. |
| 11.20am:A video here, published earlier today on YouTube purports to show the fighting in the Salah Al Din area, which the BBC's Ian Pannell reported on this morning (see below). | 11.20am:A video here, published earlier today on YouTube purports to show the fighting in the Salah Al Din area, which the BBC's Ian Pannell reported on this morning (see below). |
| . | . |
| 11.05am: Two earlier tweets from the BBC's Ian Pannell who is currently in Aleppo, that give an impression of the start of the assault from government forces. | 11.05am: Two earlier tweets from the BBC's Ian Pannell who is currently in Aleppo, that give an impression of the start of the assault from government forces. |
| Skirmishing on the streets of #Aleppo.Seen a number of #FSA fighters wounded & killed. Rebels very edgy. #Syria | Skirmishing on the streets of #Aleppo.Seen a number of #FSA fighters wounded & killed. Rebels very edgy. #Syria |
| — ianpannell (@BBCiPannell) July 28, 2012 | — ianpannell (@BBCiPannell) July 28, 2012 |
| Activists claim army incursion in Salah Al Din area #Aleppo repelled by #FSA & number of tanks destroyed. Unverified. #Syria | Activists claim army incursion in Salah Al Din area #Aleppo repelled by #FSA & number of tanks destroyed. Unverified. #Syria |
| — ianpannell (@BBCiPannell) July 28, 2012 | — ianpannell (@BBCiPannell) July 28, 2012 |
| 10.41am: Associated Press news wires also reporting that the government is pounding the country's second city, Aleppo, with military helicopters. | 10.41am: Associated Press news wires also reporting that the government is pounding the country's second city, Aleppo, with military helicopters. |
| Activists said soldiers were targeting rebel-controlled neighborhoods to crush the opposition forces for good. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fierce fighting has erupted inside those neighborhoods. | Activists said soldiers were targeting rebel-controlled neighborhoods to crush the opposition forces for good. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fierce fighting has erupted inside those neighborhoods. |
| 10.35am: This is Shiv Malik here taking over from David Batty. | 10.35am: This is Shiv Malik here taking over from David Batty. |
| 9.59am: Here's another video that claims to show shelling of Aleppo by Assad's forces today.. | 9.59am: Here's another video that claims to show shelling of Aleppo by Assad's forces today.. |
| Reuters has this video report about today's clashes. The video, obtained from a social media website, claims to show rebel forces firing on a tank and a military helicopter being shot down. | Reuters has this video report about today's clashes. The video, obtained from a social media website, claims to show rebel forces firing on a tank and a military helicopter being shot down. |
| 9.55am: The Associated Press has a report about the impact of the Syrian civil war on the Druse people in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. | 9.55am: The Associated Press has a report about the impact of the Syrian civil war on the Druse people in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. |
| The Druse have been loyal to Assad's family as it has vowed to take back the territory from Israel. But now villagers in the area are divided between supporters of the uprising and those who continue to back the regime. A Druse doctor predicted his people would demand Assad's downfall, while a butcher in a nearby town denounced the Syrian uprising as a foreign conspiracy, AP reports. | The Druse have been loyal to Assad's family as it has vowed to take back the territory from Israel. But now villagers in the area are divided between supporters of the uprising and those who continue to back the regime. A Druse doctor predicted his people would demand Assad's downfall, while a butcher in a nearby town denounced the Syrian uprising as a foreign conspiracy, AP reports. |
| 9.50am: There are reports on Twitter that more than 40 people have already been killed in clashes today in Syria. | 9.50am: There are reports on Twitter that more than 40 people have already been killed in clashes today in Syria. |
| Sumaiyah, who describes himself as a Syrian Turk, writes: "41 dead in #Syria. May I remind you that's it's only 11:46 am there?" | Sumaiyah, who describes himself as a Syrian Turk, writes: "41 dead in #Syria. May I remind you that's it's only 11:46 am there?" |
| 9.43am: The Associated Press has a report about a six-year-old boy who was killed by Syrian troops as he and his family tried to flee into Jordan in the early hours of Friday. | 9.43am: The Associated Press has a report about a six-year-old boy who was killed by Syrian troops as he and his family tried to flee into Jordan in the early hours of Friday. |
| The family crept across farmland under night's cover, heading for the border, when Syrian troops opened fire. Bullets whizzed around them as they broke into a mad dash, survivors say. The 6-year-old boy, holding his mother's hand, broke away and ran ahead. He nearly made it into Jordan when he fell dead, a bullet in his neck. | The family crept across farmland under night's cover, heading for the border, when Syrian troops opened fire. Bullets whizzed around them as they broke into a mad dash, survivors say. The 6-year-old boy, holding his mother's hand, broke away and ran ahead. He nearly made it into Jordan when he fell dead, a bullet in his neck. |
| Bilal el-Lababidi and his parents were in a group of around a dozen Syrians trying to sneak into Jordan just after midnight, the latest of more than 140,000 Syrians who have taken refuge in the kingdom. | Bilal el-Lababidi and his parents were in a group of around a dozen Syrians trying to sneak into Jordan just after midnight, the latest of more than 140,000 Syrians who have taken refuge in the kingdom. |
| "He is a martyr who is now in a better place. I'm sure he is in heaven," said el-Lababidi's mother before the boy's burial later Friday at a cemetery in the northern Jordanian city of Ramtha. She made it across with her two younger sons but her husband fled back amid the shooting. | "He is a martyr who is now in a better place. I'm sure he is in heaven," said el-Lababidi's mother before the boy's burial later Friday at a cemetery in the northern Jordanian city of Ramtha. She made it across with her two younger sons but her husband fled back amid the shooting. |
| 9.30am: Syrian military helicopters have launched an attack on the central district of Salaheddine in Aleppo, Reuters reports. | 9.30am: Syrian military helicopters have launched an attack on the central district of Salaheddine in Aleppo, Reuters reports. |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement: "Helicopters are participating in clashes at the entrance of Salaheddine district and bombarding it. There are also violent clashes at the entrances to Sakhour district." | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement: "Helicopters are participating in clashes at the entrance of Salaheddine district and bombarding it. There are also violent clashes at the entrances to Sakhour district." |
| This video posted online on Saturday claims to show government forces shelling Aleppo. | This video posted online on Saturday claims to show government forces shelling Aleppo. |
| 9.07am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. | 9.07am: (all times BST) Welcome to Middle East Live. |
| Syria's second city and economic hub Aleppo remains the focus of attention today with reports by opposition activists that President Bashar al-Assad's forces are closing in on rebel-held districts. | Syria's second city and economic hub Aleppo remains the focus of attention today with reports by opposition activists that President Bashar al-Assad's forces are closing in on rebel-held districts. |
| Here's a round-up of the main developments overnight and this morning: | Here's a round-up of the main developments overnight and this morning: |
| • Army tanks around Aleppo have begun moving in on south-western areas of the city, while government military jets have intensified their bombardment of rebel-held areas, mounting low altitude raids. | • Army tanks around Aleppo have begun moving in on south-western areas of the city, while government military jets have intensified their bombardment of rebel-held areas, mounting low altitude raids. |
| • Both rebels and regime forces have billed the showdown in Syria's most populous city as a key moment in the 18-month uprising, which has now escalated into civil war. | • Both rebels and regime forces have billed the showdown in Syria's most populous city as a key moment in the 18-month uprising, which has now escalated into civil war. |
| • Assad's forces are on the brink of logistical meltdown and collapse, due to a lack petrol, food and other essential supplies, according to General Mohammad Al-Zobi who has defected to the opposition. | • Assad's forces are on the brink of logistical meltdown and collapse, due to a lack petrol, food and other essential supplies, according to General Mohammad Al-Zobi who has defected to the opposition. |
| • Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan has called on the international community, including the United Nations and the Arab League, to address the assault on Aleppo and Assad's threat to use chemical weapons against external enemies. "There is a build-up in Aleppo, and the recent statements with respect to the use of weapons of mass destruction are actions that we cannot remain an observer or spectator to," he said at a joint news conference in London with British prime minister David Cameron. | • Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan has called on the international community, including the United Nations and the Arab League, to address the assault on Aleppo and Assad's threat to use chemical weapons against external enemies. "There is a build-up in Aleppo, and the recent statements with respect to the use of weapons of mass destruction are actions that we cannot remain an observer or spectator to," he said at a joint news conference in London with British prime minister David Cameron. |