Syrian Opposition Faces Unilateral Options after Collapse of Ceasefire

Beirut-Hours after the Syrian regime announced the collapse of a U.S.-Russian ceasefire deal, regime jets launched an air and ground assault on the majority of key fronts in the country.

The Syrian and Russian fighter jets raided on Tuesday several parts of the besieged eastern suburbs of Aleppo. Regime forces tanks also fiercely attacked several fronts.

Meanwhile, the opposition threatened to enflame the majority of fronts located in the north and south of the country, pledging to soon lift the siege of Aleppo and liberate Hama.

Agence France Press reported on Tuesday that air raids and artillery fire hit rebel-held districts in Aleppo.

“Residents spent the night huddled in their apartments sharing news about the collapsing truce via text messages and heard loud intermittent booms on Tuesday morning,” AFP said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 39 civilians were killed in overnight air strikes on Aleppo and the surrounding province and that fresh clashes erupted on the city’s southern edges.

The Observatory said regime forces hit the city of Aleppo with more than 27 bomb barrels.

The Syrian National Coalition Council (SNC) has accused the Russians of being “fully responsible for the collapse of the ceasefire and all the violations that were registered after the start of the deal.” The collation said 264 violations were documented, causing the killing of 65 people.

Amid a deadlock on a political solution, Hisham Marwah, the former vice president of the SNC told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Despite the ongoing fighting, there must be a way to reach a political solution.”

Marwah said that the military operations and the offensive policy of the regime and Russia would not lead to a solution in Syria.

“The opposition believes that pressure should be exerted on the regime, which only understands the language of force.”

Expressing the view of the military Syrian opposition, member of the Free Syrian Army military council Abu Ahmed al-Assi told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The ceasefire ended by a U.S.-Russian decision and not a decision from Bashar Assad.”

Speaking about the military options that opposition factions would take, al-Assi said the rebels would resume their shelling to lift the siege of Aleppo, liberate the city of Hama and its countryside, and enflame the southern front on a wider range.

He added: “The Syrian people have nothing more to lose.”

Syrian Opposition Faces Unilateral Options after Collapse of Ceasefire