Arab states' military support needed to avoid defeat, says Syrian opposition

Opposition fighters in Aleppo’s besieged east have said they are counting on the military support of Arab states, which announced they will send ground forces toSyria to save them from defeat at the hands of Russian bombers and pro-Assad militias.

With the war now in a decisive phase, rebel groups said they cannot hold ground without similar weapons and manpower to those of the Assad loyalists who continue to narrow a gap around the north of the city, while thousands more refugees made their way to the Turkish border.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE all committed over the weekend to sending ground forces to join the conflict. However, the extent of their mooted commitments has yet to be confirmed amid sustained pressure from allies, including the US, to keep any deployment largely symbolic. The announcements had been prompted by a fresh exodus of refugees from a 60-mile stretch of countryside north of Aleppo. Three years after its eastern half fell, Syria’s largest city is now the focal point of a war that is increasingly being fought by regional proxies on each side.