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Russian jets resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Tuesday after several days of relative calm, a rebel official and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Air strikes mostly hit the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood, Zakaria Malhifji of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters. The Syrian government said rebels holed up in Aleppo can leave with their families if they lay down their arms.and
Russia’s defence ministry said Monday that the country was poised to transform its naval facility in the Syrian port city of Tartus into a
permanent base. “In Syria we will have a permanent naval base in Tartus,” Russian news agencies quoted deputy defence minister Nikolai Pankov as saying. The announcement represents the latest move by Moscow to bolster its forces in Syria as tensions with the West have surged over Russia’s bombing campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad.