Rebels Withdraw From Parts of Aleppo as Government Forces Mass
Rebel fighters in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, said on Wednesday that government forces had launched a ground assault, forcing them to pull back from parts of the city because their ammunition was running low, as new disputes arose around the contentious issue of foreign military support for President Bashar al-Assad, and for the opposition.
In Aleppo, several rebel commanders said shelling and bomb attacks early Wednesday morning had reached new levels of intensity.
Residents who had not fled the city reported receiving text messages on their cellphones in the morning asking them to cooperate with the government. One text, signed by the Syrian Army, read: “Dear brothers, informing about terrorists means you are saving yourself and your family.”
Both the opposition and Syrian state television said the Syrian military had tried to reclaim the strategic neighborhood of Salaheddiin, where much of the fighting has been concentrated.
A rebel commander identified as Abu Mohammed, chief of the insurgent Shahbaa Brigade in Aleppo, said in a telephone interview that the fight with loyalist soldiers would apparently be a long battle because of an ammunition shortage.
A spokesman for the main rebel brigade in Aleppo said heavy clashes were occurring, but neither side had advanced.
But Abu Mohmammed said some rebel fighters had to retreat because of the ammunition shortage.