BEIRUT — Russia warned the United States Saturday against carrying out any attacks on Syrian government forces, saying it would have repercussions across the Middle East as government forces captured a hill on the edge of the northern city of Aleppo under the cover of airstrikes. Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes have launched a major onslaught on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo. The hill is on the northern edge of the Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and former commercial centre. Opposition activists have blamed the President Bashar Assad’s forces and Russia for airstrikes that hit Civil Defence units and clinics in the city where eastern rebel-held neighbourhoods are besieged by government forces and pro-government militiamen. SANA said that among the bridges destroyed was the Tarif Bridge that links the eastern city of Deir el-Zour with the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the extremists’ de-facto capital.

Source: National Post October 01, 2016 14:26 UTC