Syrian army sends reinforcements to Aleppo

The Syrian army sends reinforcements to Aleppo, where renewed fighting is threatening a fragile truce in the run-up to the next round of peace talks.

BEIRUT // The Syrian army was on Monday reported to be sending reinforcements to Aleppo, where renewed fighting is threatening a fragile truce in the run-up to the next round of peace talks.

Underlining the conflict’s regional dimensions, Iranian media announced the first deaths of members of its regular army in Syria, a week after Tehran said army commandos had been deployed in support of Damascus. Iran’s military support has so far mostly been provided by the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps.

An eruption of fighting near the ancient city of Aleppo in the last two weeks marks the most serious challenge yet to a “cessation of hostilities” brokered by the United States and Russia with the aim of facilitating peace talks.

Pointing to the frayed state of the truce, foreign minister Walid Al Moualem told UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is visiting Damascus, that Turkey and Saudi Arabia were behind violations of the deal.

The two nations have backed the rebellion against president Bashar Al Assad, providing insurgents with arms and money. Mr Al Assad is supported militarily by both Iran and Russia.

The UN-sponsored talks, which resume on Wednesday, aim to end a five-year-old conflict which has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world’s worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of ISIL. The first round made little progress, with no sign of compromise over the key issue of Mr Al Assad’s future.

Underlining Mr Al Assad’s confidence, the Syrian government is due to hold parliamentary elections in state-held parts of the country on Wednesday. The opposition has called the vote a sham.

The fighting near Aleppo has focused around a cluster of towns along the main road to the south.

Rebels say the army has also intensified bombing, and Russian warplanes have resumed air strikes in the area.

The army has accused rebels of taking part in attacks by Jabhat Al Nusra, an al Qaeda-linked group, which along with ISIL was not included in the truce agreement.

Russia said on Monday that Al Nusra was massing around Aleppo ahead of a major offensive.

Syria’s prime minister Wael Al Halaki was quoted on Sunday as saying the government, backed by Russia’s air force, was planning an operation to retake Aleppo, but the Russian defence ministry said there were no plans to storm the city.

Both Damascus and the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee have held the other to blame for breaches in the truce, which came into effect on February 27.

Mr de Mistura was in Damascus for meetings with senior government officials before travelling on to Iran in an attempt to revive the peace talks after negotiations in March failed to make much progress.

* Reuters