BEIRUT — Syrian warplanes on Tuesday bombed Aleppo, the country’s largest city and commercial capital, as rebel forces fought for control of several of its neighborhoods, according to the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network.
The aerial bombardment, if confirmed, would mark the first attack of its kind in the 16-month conflict. It would represent a serious escalation in the fight against the rebels and could signal increasing desperation by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to strike a decisive and symbolic blow against opposition forces after a bomb attack in Damascus last week killed four top officials.
Graphic
A look at the Syrian uprising one year later. Thousands of Syrians have died and President Bashar al-Assad remains in power, despite numerous calls by the international community for him to step down.
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In the United States, they were illegal aliens. Back home, they are new entrepreneurs using the billions of dollars earned “on the other side” to create a Mexican middle class as the U.S. economy slowed in the global recession.
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The United States is struggling to develop a clear understanding of opposition forces inside the country, according to U.S. officials.
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The reported bombing also raised concerns about what other red lines the government may cross. Recent reports that the Assad government is moving its vast stockpiles of sarin, mustard gas and VX nerve gas stirred fears that the Syrian military may resort to chemical weapons to wipe out the rebels.
In a news conference Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the Syrian military’s stocks of chemical and biological weapons would be used only against external enemies. But the statement did little to alleviate international concerns, since it effectively confirmed that the government possesses the unconventional weapons.
“Any chemical or bacterial weapons will never be used ... during the crisis in Syria regardless of the developments,” Makdissi said.
With warplanes circling overhead, Syrian attack helicopters pounded rebel-held neighborhoods in Aleppo on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, quoting residents and activists.
Following a pair of rebel assaults on the country’s two main cities and a bombing that wiped out some of his top security advisers last week, Assad on Tuesday reshuffled his top intelligence posts, dismissing one general and appointing a new national security council chief to replace the one killed in the blast.
The Syrian regime, deeply shaken by last week’s stunning attack on Assad’s inner circle and by rebel advances, has turned to heavy weapons such as artillery and helicopter gunships to uproot opposition fighters in Damascus and now in Aleppo, which has about 3 million inhabitants.
“It’s like a real war zone over here; there are street battles over large parts of the city,” said Aleppo-based opposition activist Mohammed Saeed by telephone as the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard in the background. “Aleppo has joined Homs and Hama and other revolutionary cities.”
Four days into the rebel attack on Aleppo, Saeed estimated that the opposition fighters were holding large chunks of the city.
Facing a resilient opponent, the government responded Tuesday with attack helicopters to pound rebellious neighborhoods, and fighter jets circling overhead periodically roared down and broke the sound barrier in an apparent attempt to cow the rebels.
“It’s the worst day of fighting in Aleppo so far, but I can’t tell what’s happening on the ground or who’s in control,” said a local writer in the Zahra neighborhood, about 3 miles from some of the heaviest clashes.
The aerial bombardment, if confirmed, would mark the first attack of its kind in the 16-month conflict. It would represent a serious escalation in the fight against the rebels and could signal increasing desperation by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to strike a decisive and symbolic blow against opposition forces after a bomb attack in Damascus last week killed four top officials.
Graphic
A look at the Syrian uprising one year later. Thousands of Syrians have died and President Bashar al-Assad remains in power, despite numerous calls by the international community for him to step down.
More World News
William Booth and Nick Miroff In the United States, they were illegal aliens. Back home, they are new entrepreneurs using the billions of dollars earned “on the other side” to create a Mexican middle class as the U.S. economy slowed in the global recession.
Greg Miller and Joby Warrick The United States is struggling to develop a clear understanding of opposition forces inside the country, according to U.S. officials.
PHOTOS | The London Olympics are about to begin, but you shouldn’t expect to find any of these sports during the Summer Games.The reported bombing also raised concerns about what other red lines the government may cross. Recent reports that the Assad government is moving its vast stockpiles of sarin, mustard gas and VX nerve gas stirred fears that the Syrian military may resort to chemical weapons to wipe out the rebels.
In a news conference Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the Syrian military’s stocks of chemical and biological weapons would be used only against external enemies. But the statement did little to alleviate international concerns, since it effectively confirmed that the government possesses the unconventional weapons.
“Any chemical or bacterial weapons will never be used ... during the crisis in Syria regardless of the developments,” Makdissi said.
With warplanes circling overhead, Syrian attack helicopters pounded rebel-held neighborhoods in Aleppo on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, quoting residents and activists.
Following a pair of rebel assaults on the country’s two main cities and a bombing that wiped out some of his top security advisers last week, Assad on Tuesday reshuffled his top intelligence posts, dismissing one general and appointing a new national security council chief to replace the one killed in the blast.
The Syrian regime, deeply shaken by last week’s stunning attack on Assad’s inner circle and by rebel advances, has turned to heavy weapons such as artillery and helicopter gunships to uproot opposition fighters in Damascus and now in Aleppo, which has about 3 million inhabitants.
“It’s like a real war zone over here; there are street battles over large parts of the city,” said Aleppo-based opposition activist Mohammed Saeed by telephone as the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard in the background. “Aleppo has joined Homs and Hama and other revolutionary cities.”
Four days into the rebel attack on Aleppo, Saeed estimated that the opposition fighters were holding large chunks of the city.
Facing a resilient opponent, the government responded Tuesday with attack helicopters to pound rebellious neighborhoods, and fighter jets circling overhead periodically roared down and broke the sound barrier in an apparent attempt to cow the rebels.
“It’s the worst day of fighting in Aleppo so far, but I can’t tell what’s happening on the ground or who’s in control,” said a local writer in the Zahra neighborhood, about 3 miles from some of the heaviest clashes.