Syria announces new offensive as diplomats fail to renew ceasefire

Syria announced a new offensive against rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Thursday after a bombardment ended all talk of restoring a US-Russian ceasefire.

The announcement was made as the US secretary of state, John Kerry met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and other foreign ministers during a United Nations summit in New York in an effort to restore a week-long truce that collapsed on Monday. The meeting had no clear conclusion.

“We cannot continue on the same path any longer,” Kerry declared, but said he had given Russia another chance to come up with “immediate and significant steps” to stop the violence, including the end of Russian and Syrian government bombing of opposition areas. 

Rebel officials and rescue workers said incendiary bombs were among the weapons that rained down on Aleppo.

Following several days of intense bombing of eastern Aleppo with helicopter-borne barrel bombs and airstrikes from warplanes, the official Syrian army declared the offensive.

“The high command announces the start of operations in the east of Aleppo and calls for brothers and citizens to stay away from areas where terrorists are operating,” it said in a statement.

The statement called for civilians to head to Syrian regime checkpoints “to be escorted to safety”.

The Syrian army announcement did not say whether the campaign would also include a ground incursion.