PHOTO: A mosque in Qaterji in eastern Aleppo city, damaged by Russian-regime bombing on Monday

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WEDNESDAY FEATURE

  • Iran Daily: Tehran Admits 1000+ Fighters Killed in Syria’s Conflict

    UPDATE 1145 GMT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has spoken by phone with US Secretary of State John Kerry about “normalization” in besieged opposition-held eastern Aleppo city of Aleppo, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

    It gave no details of the “task of normalization”, but said the two men discussed the need for “the start of inter-Syria peace talks without preliminary conditions”.

    The US suspended contacts with Russia about the political process in late September, protesting Russian bombing of Aleppo that has killed hundreds of civilians.

    UPDATE 0925 GMT: A doctor in eastern Aleppo city, wounded in an airstrike, tells The Guardian:

    This ferocious campaign is a war of extermination. Everything is a target, whether human or tree or rock. Everything is being exterminated with the collusion of the United Nations. They all see and hear, but they will not answer, and they cannot stop this war machine.

    We have nobody but God.

    The Local Coordination Committees documented 40 deaths in and near Aleppo yesterday, among 61 across Syria.

    ORIGINAL ENTRY: Trying to break resistance in opposition-held eastern Aleppo city, the Assad regime added disinformation to siege and bombing on Tuesday.

    The Syrian army proclaimed that rebels are hoarding warehouses full of food: “The general command of the armed forces calls upon militants in the neighbourhoods of east Aleppo to open ration warehouses and distribute food to those that need it.”

    The UN and local rebels immediately countered the statement.

    UN spokesman Jens Laerke said, “There are no UN warehouses of food that can just be opened up….There are no food stocks on the UN side left in the warehouses.”

    Laerke confirmed that the last rations were distributed on November 13. On Friday, the UN said that aid supplies had run out, with all eight hospitals in eastern Aleppo either out of action or barely functioning.

    Zakaria Malahifji, an official of the Fastaqim rebel faction, pointed to the Russian-regime siege which was re-imposed in late August: “People are searching for bread. (The army) is saying these things to appear like they care for people.”

    Malahifji explained that civilians protested last week outside a building belonging to the city council, thinking there was food inside.

    An estimated 270,000 people in eastern Aleppo are facing shortages and bombing, with about 1,000 killed by Russian-regime attacks since September 19.

    The Russian-regime aerial assault, including barrel bombs and the use of chlorine, resumed eight days ago after month-long pause.

    In another statement, the army told rebels to clear mines from crossings into regime-held western Aleppo city, allowing civilians to leave.

    There is no evidence that rebels have placed mines to prevent any flight of residents.

    The regime has been dropping leaflets and sending texts calling on rebels to surrender or be killed.

    In a third statement, the Syrian military said it was forming new volunteer units to complement its regular forces and conscripts:

    In response to the rapid development of events, to support the successes of armed forces and to meet people’s wishes to put an end to terrorist acts in the Syrian Arab Republic, the general command of the armed forces announces the formation of a Fifth Attack Troop Corps of volunteers.

    With the Syrian army depleted by the conflict since 2011, fighting in Aleppo and other areas of Syria is led by Iranian units, Hezbollah, Palestinian brigades, and Iranian-led foreign militias.

    The army said the “5th Corps” will be trained by “allies”, presumably Iran and Russia.

    Rebels face pro-Assad attacks in eastern Aleppo city on Tuesday:

    Russia Hails Its Priority Position in Syrian Economy

    Russia has hailed its priority position in contracts for Syria’s reconstruction, claiming confirmation by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.

    During a visit to Syria, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said:

    The issue on the table was how to strengthen Russian economic interests here for a long time. It means the potential participation in major projects aimed at restoring the Syrian economy, as well as energy sector, ports, and other large-scale infrastructure projects.

    Meeting Rozogin on Tuesday, President Assad “stressed the importance of Russian support to Syria in various areas, including the economic, saying that this support had tangibly contributed to alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people due to the terrorist war and the economic sanctions imposed on them for years”.

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    Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said almost $1 billion of contracts to develop energy, trade, finance, and other sectors have been agreed. The Assad regime is also suggesting Russian exploration and development of oil and gas fields.

    The two sides are also negotiating a joint bank and have agreed a free trade zone for agricultural products.

    The developments could cause tension with Iranian interests, including the Revolutionary Guards, who have been deeply involved in Syrian infrastructure projects throughout the 68-month conflict.

    Sisi Acknowledges Egypt’s Support for Assad

    General Abdel Fatteh El Sisi, who took power in a coup in Egypt in July 2013, has finally acknowledged Cairo’s support for the Assad regime.

    “The priority is that we support the national armies to impose control over the territory, deal with the extremists, and impose the necessary stability in Libya, Syria and Iraq,” Sisi told Portuguese State TV.

    Asked, “When you refer to the National Army in Syria, do you mean the Syrian army?”, Sisi replied: “Yes.”

    A month before the coup, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi cut relations with Damascus. Morsi is in prison, awaiting a retrial after an appeals court overturned his life sentence.

    As late as July 2015, Sisi said that Assad’s collapse should be anticipated, but Cairo began moving back towards the Syrian President in the autumn. Stories of military support were bolstered earlier this month by photographs of Egyptian arms and supplies in the hands of the Syrian military.

    Russia Defies EU Embargo to Move Jet Fuel to Syria

    Russian tankers are defying a European Union embargo to move jet fuel to Syria through EU waters.

    At least two Russian-flagged ships have made deliveries via Cyprus, an “intelligence source with a EU government” said. He added that there was a sharp increase in shipments in October.

    A “shipping source” said the ships visited Cypriot and Greek ports before delivering the fuel.

    The Russian Defence Ministry said EU sanctions on fuel supplies to Syria do not apply to the Russian aerial deployment in the country. However, the EU Council Regulation, adopted in 2014, bans any supply of jet fuel to Syria from EU territories, whether or not the fuel originated in the European Union.

    An EU spokeswoman said the implementation of sanctions lay with member states: “We trust that competent authorities are complying with their obligation to ensure respect of the restrictive measures in place and to pursue any circumvention attempts.”

    Greek officials did not comment, but the Cypriot Government said it had not approved the docking of any Russian tankers carrying jet fuel bound for Syria.

    Over one two-week period in October, Russian tankers delivered 20,000 metric tons of jet fuel to Syria, worth around $9 million, via EU waters.

    Some of the shipped fuel also went to the Syrian military, helping to “keep Assad’s air assets operational”, the intelligence source said.

    The Russian tanks Yaz and Mukhalatka turned off their tracking transponders as they moved from Cyprus off the coasts of Lebanon and Syria.

    The Greek coastguard service said in September that it had investigated the Yaz for possible breaches of EU regulations regarding Syria and had pressed charges against the ship’s captain. An official said that the captain was released pending trial.