BEIRUT: Warplanes mounted a new wave of air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Saturday, rebel sources, a rescue worker and a war monitor reported, pressing a major offensive by the Russian-backed Syrian military.

Speaking to Reuters from Aleppo, Ammar al Selmo, the head of Civil Defence in the opposition-held east, said: “Unfortunately it continues. There are planes in the sky now.”

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters: “The raids are intense and continuous.”

Residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo said it faced the most ferocious bombardment of the war on Friday, after the military declared a new offensive to take back full control of the divided city.

Selmo said the death toll was now over 100. The Observatory said its death toll was 47. –REUTER

-NST