Lebanese and Syrians at the Jdeidat Yabous crossing. They were fleeing into Syria to escape the fighting in Lebanon. Photo: WFP/Hussam Al Saleh
THE US remains poised to reinforce its troops in Syria as it continues to monitor heavy fighting around Aleppo.
A US Pentagon spokesman says the US is not involved in the fighting and that they are continuing to urge a de-escalation by all parties.
Air Force Major-General Pat Ryder says they remain fully prepared to defend and protect US personnel and assets in the region, including 900 troops who are fighting ISIS.
He made the comment after a very recent rocket attack on a US base in Syria with no reports of injuries or damage.
Two rockets fired at another US base in an unrelated attack prompted a US strike on an Iranian weapons storage facility in Syria, the US Defence Department said.
IRANIAN HELP
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is reportedly scrambling to respond after rebels took large parts of Aleppo, Syria’s second biggest city.
Media reports from that country say the army fortified defensive lines around key cities, launched airstrikes and sent troop reinforcements to the frontline.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias have also reportedly crossed into Syria to support the government, entering the country in small groups to avoid airstrikes.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday that the Syrian military was capable of confronting the rebels but added that “groups will help and Iran will provide any support needed”.
The regime’s retaliation will likely intensify in the days and weeks ahead as it regroups, some observers say.
Assad’s allies, Iran and Russia, are said to be weighing how much support they can offer the Syrian regime while distracted by their own conflicts.
Russian forces carried out airstrikes on areas controlled by the rebels, and Moscow and Tehran pledged “unconditional support” for the regime on Monday.
Although Russian forces played a considerable role in preserving the Assad regime from 2015 onwards, Russia is now distracted by its war in Ukraine while Iran is being drawn into the war in Gaza and with Israel.
