Syrian rebels say they have receives more weapons for Aleppo battle

Beirut, Amman: Rebels battling the Syrian army and its allies south of Aleppo say they have received new supplies of US-made anti-tank missiles from states that oppose President Bashar Al Assad since a major government offensive began there on Friday.

Rebels from three Free Syrian Army-affiliated groups contacted said new supplies had arrived since the start of the attack by the army backed by Iranian fighters and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

But officials from one of the groups said that while new quantities had arrived, the supplies were not enough for the scale of the assault. They declined to be identified due to the sensitivities of the matter. “A few will not do the trick. They need dozens,” said one of the officials.

A number of rebel groups vetted by states opposed to Al Assad have been supplied with weapons via Turkey, part of a programme supported by the United States and which has in some cases included military training by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Rami Abdul Rahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors the Syrian conflict, said rebels had hit at least 11 army vehicles with guided anti-tank missiles near Aleppo since Friday.

Meanwhile, a Syrian military official and activists say government forces are advancing under the cover of Russian airstrikes toward an air base besieged by Daesh in northern Syria.

The military official said the army captured the village of Bkayze which is about seven kilometres from the air base in Aleppo province. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Aleppo-based activist Maamoun Al Khatib said on Monday that troops have captured two other villages near the base over the past day.

Since Russian airstrikes began on September 30, Syrian troops have been on the offensive on several fronts around the country, in an attempt to secure supply routes and regain control of strategic areas.

Daesh has been besieging the air base since 2014.