‘Help us’ plea by rebels as Assad accused of Aleppo war crimes

SYRIA’S rebel forces have asked for international help amid escalating tensions in the region with warnings from the Arab League of “war crimes” in Aleppo and President Bashar Assad’s regime accusing Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey of trying to destroy the country.

As Syrian forces pounded the key city of Aleppo yesterday, the head of the main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, called for international help to face the regime’s heavy weaponry, particularly tanks while the country’s foreign minister railed against his country’s neighbours who are believed to be funnelling money through Turkey to the opposition.

“If the international community cannot act, they should support the opposition with anti-tanks missiles and anti-aircraft rockets,” Abdel Basset Sida told the Gulf News during a stopover in Abu Dhabi. “We seek international supporters to arm our uprising against the regime.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Local activists in Aleppo said yesterday that had received “a new batch of weapons and ammunition,” but declined to say from where.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem accused the region’s Sunni powers of assisting the rebels at the behest of Israel.

“Israel is the mastermind of all in this crisis,” he said during a joint news conference in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi . “They (Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey) are fighting in the same front.”

Iran is Syria’s only remaining ally in the Middle East, standing by Damascus throughout the 17-month uprising.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Secretary general of the Arab League Nabil Elaraby told reporters yesterday the regime’s Aleppo offensive “amounts to war crimes”.

Civilians have been fleeing in ever greater numbers, as fears mount it will be the scene of the civil war’s bloodiest battle to date. The fight for control of Aleppo, once a bastion of support for President Bashar Assad’s regime, is critical for both the regime and the opposition.