Syria army fires on Aleppo rebels as US fears massacre

Syrian forces have renewed their assault on the northern city of Aleppo, firing from helicopter gunships on rebel-held areas. 

The US state department has said it fears Syrian government forces are preparing to carry out a massacre.
The pro-government al-Watan newspaper has warned that the mother of all battles is about to start.
Rebels in Aleppo, Syria's most populous city, have been stockpiling ammunition and medical supplies in preparation.
Syrian troops fired from helicopter gunships on south-western neighbourhoods of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the AFP news agency.

A convoy of tanks from Idlib province, near the border with Turkey, arrived in Aleppo overnight and was attacked by rebels, the Observatory said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay appealed to both sides to spare civilians, citing concerns of "the likelihood of an imminent major confrontation".
Ms Pillay said she had received "as yet unconfirmed reports of atrocities, including extra-judicial killings and shooting of civilians by snipers" in Damascus.
Saying she had also received more reports of opposition fighters torturing or executing prisoners, Ms Pillay stated her belief that "crimes against humanity and war crimes have been, and continue to be, committed in Syria".

 Residents flee
The US state department said the deployment of tanks, helicopter gunships and fixed-winged aircraft around Aleppo suggested an attack was imminent.
But the US would not intervene, said state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, except by continuing to channel non-lethal assistance such as communications equipment and medical supplies to the rebels.
The BBC's Ian Pannell, near Aleppo, says thousands of people have already left as fears grow that an intense battle looms.
At least 34 people were killed in the city on Thursday, activists said, as artillery and helicopter gunships attacked rebel targets.
Talal al-Mayhani, an activist with connections to the rebel movement in Aleppo, said the battle for the city was likely to play out in a similar way to an earlier battle in the capital Damascus.
There, rebels took control of large parts of the city before being forced to withdraw in the face of a government offensive.
Foreign journalists operate under heavy restrictions in Syria so claims made by either side are difficult to verify.

Posted in: Syria