Activists: Syrian helicopters pound Aleppo
Source: AP-Excite
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY
BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian forces pounded the country's largest city, Aleppo, with military helicopters Saturday to flush out rebel forces in one of the most important battles of the 17-month-old uprising, activists said.
International concern has been mounting over what activists said could be a looming massacre as Syrian troops bombarded the city for the past week, unleashing artillery and strafing it with aircraft. Reinforcements have been pouring into the area in recent days.
Syria's longtime ally, Russia, added to the chorus of alarm Saturday, saying a "tragedy" was looming in Aleppo. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was unrealistic to expect the Syrian army to stand by while rebels were trying to take over major cities.
Russia has been a key source of support for Syria, although Moscow officials in recent months have said they are simply taking a more even-handed approach while the West offers blind support to the rebels.
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In this file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA on July 19, 2012, Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, meets with Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Syria's new Defense Minister, in Damascus, Syria. Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime received last week the worst blow since the country’s crisis began 17 months ago in what many thought would quickly bring the Assad family four-decade dynasty to an end but the government appears to have absorbed the shock of the explosion that killed four top security officials and it's on the offensive again. (AP Photo/SANA, File)
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