Syrian army forces surround Aleppo as rebels brace for offensive

BEIRUT // Foreign powers including Britain and France yesterday expressed growing concern about a looming battle in the Syrian city of Aleppo, as more government troops poured into the city and opposition fighters braced for an onslaught.

Rebels and security forces have been fighting in Syria's largest city for a week, but with reports of more government reinforcements being drafted into the area, there are fears of an imminent offensive on Aleppo.

"The special forces were deployed on Wednesday and Thursday on the edges of the city, and more troops have arrived to take part in a generalised counter-offensive on Friday or Saturday," a government security official told Agence France-Presse.

Yesterday, government troops continued to hit rebel-held areas in and around Aleppo, which is home to 2.5 million people. Opposition activists reported that the city was struck from the east and the west, including with attack helicopters and mortar rounds.

"We expect a major offensive at any time," said Colonel Abdel Jabbar Al Okaidi, a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army.

A dawn attack by government forces yesterday on the neighbourhood of Fardous reportedly left 17 people dead, including five children, according to Avaaz, the global campaigning organisation.

The neighbourhood in the southern parts of central Aleppo was reportedly pounded by tanks and helicopters from the early hours of yesterday until 10am. These reports could not be independently verified.

Video posted online purportedly shot yesterday in Fardous showed men converging on a bloodstained street, where bodies were seen lying on the ground alongside debris, in what appeared to be the aftermath of an attack.

As the bloodshed continues and the prospect of a wider battle looms, William Hague, the UK's foreign secretary, yesterday said the assault on Aleppo was an "utterly unacceptable escalation" that could lead to further loss of civilian life.

French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said that "with the build-up of heavy weapons around Aleppo, Assad is preparing to carry out a fresh slaughter of his own people."

Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, voiced concern for an "imminent major confrontation" in Aleppo, as well as "deep alarm" about the threat to civilians across the country.

"And it goes without saying that the increasing use of heavy weapons, tanks, attack helicopters and - reportedly - even jet fighters in urban areas has already caused many civilian casualties and is putting many more at grave risk," she said in a statement, calling on "all parties, including the government and opposition forces" to distinguish between civilian and military targets.

Opposition activists reported more violence across the country including in Latakia, Homs and Deir Ezzor. At least 70 people were reportedly killed, according to the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), including 21 in Deraa and 15 in the Damascus area.

General Robert Mood, the former head of the UN's observer mission to Syria, said it was now not a matter of if, but when President Bashar Al Assad falls.

"In my opinion it is only a matter of time before a regime that is using such heavy military power and disproportional violence against the civilian population is going to fall," the Norwegian general, said.

"Every time there are 15 people killed in a village, 500 additional sympathisers are mobilised, roughly 100 of whom are fighters."

Gen Mood, however, said the regime's military might means that Mr Al Assad may yet cling on to power for months or even years.

Ikhlas Al Badawi, a member of Syria's parliament from Aleppo province, became the latest official to announce her defection.

"I have crossed to Turkey and defected from this tyrannical regime," she told Sky News Arabia.

As the situation in Aleppo continued to deteriorate, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has had to suspend some of its aid operations in the city. The International Committee of the Red Cross also said it has been forced to temporarily evacuate some aid workers from Syria because of the escalating violence.

* With additional reporting by Reuters, Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press