Syrian army helicopters fired on neighbourhoods in Aleppo. The army has readied troops and armoured columns for a possible invasion of the city. The densely populated commercial capital of the country is preparing itself for battle. Insurgents had entrenched themselves in the area over the past week. Meanwhile, a member of the Syrian Parliament had defected and crossed into Turkey. Parliament in Damascus is a rubber stamp for the predominance of President Assad’s Baath party. The Syrian military shelled rebel targets in urban centres. Aleppo’s civilian population is gripped by foreboding. Fierce street clashes have occurred and government forces are awaiting reinforcements to move in as they lack the military resources to take on the armed rebels in major cities. At the same time, anti-government fighters including foreign soldiers are proceeding towards the UNESCO World Heritage site. Rebels are reported to have captured 100 government troops.
International opinion has condemned Assad’s military moves. The US expressed alarm about the possibility of mass civilian casualties in Aleppo. Victoria Nuland, a state department spokesperson said that there was “concern that we will see a massacre in Aleppo”. France has echoed US alarm. Britain has warned that the expected offensive on Aleppo could end in a humanitarian disaster and plunge the country into a catastrophic civil war. Italy called for maximum pressure on Assad to prevent further killings. Poland has closed its embassy in Syria. But no UN military involvement is in sight as Russia and China are likely to veto a Security Council resolution asking for it.