Hundreds of thousands of civilians in rebel-held areas of Aleppo risk starvation, the head of Syria’s main opposition coalition said on Tuesday, accusing Damascus of trying to besiege the city into submission.

Aleppo, once Syria’s economic powerhouse, has been ravaged by the conflict that began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people.
Anas Al-Abdeh, the head of the Istanbul-based opposition National Coalition, complained allies of President Bashar Assad were showing greater commitment than the rebels’ backers in the West.
This lack of “political will” was endangering the shaky peace process based around stop-start talks in Geneva to create a peaceful transition after over five years of civil war.
Assad’s regime was seeking to completely control Aleppo’s Castello Road — the rebels’ last lifeline into the northern city — and impose a blanket siege, he told AFP in an interview.
“We are quite worried that if the Castello route is totally cut off, more than 300,000 civilians will starve and be under huge pressure,” he said at the coalition’s headquarters in Istanbul.
“Most of the humanitarian supplies are coming through this route. The regime is trying its best to besiege the city.”
Rebels had on Monday launched a fierce offensive to reopen the Castello Road after it was severed by regime forces.
Abdeh said Russian air power was assisting the Syrian regime while Assad’s other ally Iran was “basically managing, controlling, overseeing the military operation in Aleppo” on the ground.
He said Assad, Iran and Russia were working to create a “new military reality” in Syria that would then enable them to impose a political solution.

Source : Arab News