Massive overnight Russian air raids hit Aleppo

Russian air raids on Aleppo early on Monday morning killed at least five civilians and wounded several others, a civil defence source said.

The bombs had targeted civilian homes in the town of Andan in Aleppo's northern countryside, the source told The New Arab, with the air raids bringing further misery to Aleppo.

Meanwhile, the Syrian regime renewed its shelling of the Aleppo neighbourhoods of Sukkari and Salehin, leaving several civilian casualties.

The attack came only hours after a Syrian regime massacre in al-Salehin left 11 civilians dead.

Russian war planes launched around 30 air raids on west Aleppo last night, according to pro-regime al-Masdar news, while other aircraft have been circling the city picking out targets for the regime's expected ground assault on the city.

Regime forces have already surrounded the city's rebel-held east in July, severing the last supply line into opposition neighbourhoods and imposed a blockade that has led to food and fuel shortages.

Rebels have tried several times to break the siege, succeeding briefly in August, but were unsuccessful in last month's offensive.

No aid has entered east Aleppo since July, and there are fears starvation could set in.

In September, the government announced an operation to recapture all of Aleppo, which has been ravaged by the war that began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

The regime's recent assaults - backed by Russian warplanes - have killed hundreds of people in east Aleppo and damaged and destroyed infrastructure including hospitals.

A flotilla of Russian warships including the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is now in the eastern Mediterranean off Syria's coast and are expected to play a lead role in the government offensive.