Turkey has equipped an array of mainstream Syrian rebels it backs with fresh supplies of weaponry to help them try to repel a major Russian-backed assault, senior opposition officials and rebel sources said on Saturday.

Russia is backing the Syrian army's large aerial and ground assault as it seeks to gain control of the last big stretch of rebel-held territory in the northwest of the country.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched the assault last month, saying rebels had breached an existing ceasefire, triggering a civilian exodus by bombarding Idlib and adjacent areas. It has been the biggest escalation since last summer between Assad and his enemies in Idlib province and a belt of territory around it.

Ankara stepped up supplies in recent days after failing to persuade Russia in recent meetings of a joint working group that it should end its escalation to avert a major influx of refugees pouring into Turkey, two senior opposition figures said.

In doing so Turkey signalled its readiness to preserve its influence in northwestern Syria, where it has beefed up its troop presence in a dozen military bases that were set up under a de-escalation deal with Russia, a senior rebel commander said.

Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment.

Overnight, a Turkish military convoy arrived at a base in northern Hama near rebel-held Jabal al-Zawiya, where Russian and Syrian jets have been pounding for weeks, a rebel and a witness said.

The delivery of dozens of armoured vehicles, Grad rocket launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and so-called TOW missiles, helped roll back some Syrian army gains and retake the strategically located town of Kfar Nabouda, one senior opposition figure said.

The TOW missile had been the most potent weapon in the arsenal of rebel groups battling Assad during the conflict. It was extended by Western and Arab foes of Assad until a CIA-led programme of military support to help moderate rebels was suspended in 2017.

A Western intelligence source said Washington had given a "green light" for the Turkey-backed mainstream rebels to use the TOW missiles, which had been in storage in the latest campaign.

Washington, which has criticised Russia's latest campaign and urged a ceasefire, also said it saw signs that Assad has used poison gas in the latest offensive and warned that it would respond "quickly and appropriately" if this were proven.

Assad has denied such allegations throughout the war.

A spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front (NLF), Captain Naji Mustafa, did not confirm or deny any new supplies by Turkey, saying rebels had long had a big arsenal of weapons from anti-tank to armoured vehicles "alongside material and logistical support by our Turkish brothers".

The retreat from Kfar Nabouda was upset to a Russian goal of a speedy military campaign to gain another slice of heavily populated Idlib province.

In the last 24 hours, the Syrian army has been sending large troop reinforcements ahead of opening a new front, a source in touch with Syrian army commanders told Reuters.

The Syrian army said on Saturday it continued to intensify its attacks on what it called terrorist hideouts in the northwest.

A Turkey backed-rebel grouping called the National Army, which operates in northwestern border areas near Turkey, has been allowed to join mainstream rebel factions along the frontlines.

"Large numbers of our fighters have joined with all their weapons to repel the assault," said Major Youssef Hamoud, their spokesman.

The rebels' readiness to put aside differences that once led to bloody internecine fighting has united jihadists and mainstream rebels for the first time in years.

Watch:&nbsp;Russian army says Syrian forces have called a ceasefire in Idlib

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Turkey has equipped an array of mainstream Syrian rebels it backs with fresh supplies of weaponry to help them try to repel a major Russian-backed assault, senior opposition officials and rebel sources said on Saturday.

Turkey has equipped an array of mainstream Syrian rebels it backs with fresh supplies of weaponry to help them try to repel a major Russian-backed assault, senior opposition officials and rebel sources said on Saturday. Russia is backing the Syrian army's large aerial and ground assault as it seeks to gain control of the last big stretch of rebel-held territory in the northwest of the country. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched the assault last month, saying rebels had breached an existing ceasefire, triggering a civilian exodus by bombarding Idlib and adjacent areas. It has been the biggest escalation since last summer between Assad and his enemies in Idlib province and a belt of territory around it. Ankara stepped up supplies in recent days after failing to persuade Russia in recent meetings of a joint working group that it should end its escalation to avert a major influx of refugees pouring into Turkey, two senior opposition figures said. In doing so Turkey signalled its readiness to preserve its influence in northwestern Syria, where it has beefed up its troop presence in a dozen military bases that were set up under a de-escalation deal with Russia, a senior rebel commander said. Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment. Overnight, a Turkish military convoy arrived at a base in northern Hama near rebel-held Jabal al-Zawiya, where Russian and Syrian jets have been pounding for weeks, a rebel and a witness said. The delivery of dozens of armoured vehicles, Grad rocket launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and so-called TOW missiles, helped roll back some Syrian army gains and retake the strategically located town of Kfar Nabouda, one senior opposition figure said. The TOW missile had been the most potent weapon in the arsenal of rebel groups battling Assad during the conflict. It was extended by Western and Arab foes of Assad until a CIA-led programme of military support to help moderate rebels was suspended in 2017. A Western intelligence source said Washington had given a "green light" for the Turkey-backed mainstream rebels to use the TOW missiles, which had been in storage in the latest campaign. Washington, which has criticised Russia's latest campaign and urged a ceasefire, also said it saw signs that Assad has used poison gas in the latest offensive and warned that it would respond "quickly and appropriately" if this were proven. Assad has denied such allegations throughout the war. A spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front (NLF), Captain Naji Mustafa, did not confirm or deny any new supplies by Turkey, saying rebels had long had a big arsenal of weapons from anti-tank to armoured vehicles "alongside material and logistical support by our Turkish brothers". The retreat from Kfar Nabouda was upset to a Russian goal of a speedy military campaign to gain another slice of heavily populated Idlib province. In the last 24 hours, the Syrian army has been sending large troop reinforcements ahead of opening a new front, a source in touch with Syrian army commanders told Reuters. The Syrian army said on Saturday it continued to intensify its attacks on what it called terrorist hideouts in the northwest. A Turkey backed-rebel grouping called the National Army, which operates in northwestern border areas near Turkey, has been allowed to join mainstream rebel factions along the frontlines. "Large numbers of our fighters have joined with all their weapons to repel the assault," said Major Youssef Hamoud, their spokesman. The rebels' readiness to put aside differences that once led to bloody internecine fighting has united jihadists and mainstream rebels for the first time in years. Watch: Russian army says Syrian forces have called a ceasefire in Idlib ×

Turkey sends weapons to Syrian rebels facing Russian-backed assault

Hundreds of wounded civilians were stranded in rebel-held areas of Syria&#39;s Aleppo on Saturday after the UN said security concerns had prevented evacuation convoys even as Russia extended a ceasefire into a third day.

The unilateral &quot;humanitarian pause&quot; in the Syrian army&#39;s devastating Russian-backed assault on the opposition-controlled east of the city has largely held since it began on Thursday morning.

The army has said it is an opportunity for civilians and rebel fighters who lay down their arms to leave.

But so far there have been no organised evacuation convoys and only a handful of the 250,000 civilians still living in the rebel sector have left under their own steam.

An AFP photographer in the Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood at one of the crossings over the front line the army has set up for evacuations said it was deserted on Saturday morning.

After three months of siege by the army and nearly four weeks of relentless air strikes by Syrian and Russian warplanes, trust in government assurances of safe passage is minimal.

On Friday, the UN human rights council called for a special investigation into the violence in Aleppo in a resolution fiercely critical of Damascus.

The United Nations had hoped to use the ceasefire to evacuate seriously wounded people, and possibly deliver aid.

More than 2,000 civilians have been wounded since the army launched its offensive to drive the rebels out of the eastern districts they have held since 2012. Nearly 500 people have been killed.

But on Friday, a UN spokesman said evacuations had been delayed because of security concerns.

&quot;Medical evacuations of sick and injured could unfortunately not begin this morning as planned because the necessary conditions were not in place,&quot; said Jens Laerke of the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA).

Four-day plan

In the face of a mounting international outcry over Aleppo&#39;s plight, Moscow announced that the ceasefire, which was originally scheduled to last just eight hours, would be extended until 1600 GMT on Saturday.

But Laerke said that was not long enough and the United Nations has asked Russia to consider a further extension until Monday evening.

David Swanson, an OCHA spokesman in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, said a four-day plan had been drawn up to begin with two days of evacuations to government-held areas of Aleppo, rebel-held Idlib province to the west or over the border to Turkey.

If successful, the plan would then see aid delivered for another two days alongside continuing evacuations.

No aid has entered Aleppo since July 7 and food rations will run out by the end of October, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Thursday.

The Syrian opposition has accused the world body of playing into the hands of Damascus and Moscow by focusing on evacuations rather providing relief supplies to allow residents to stay.

Moscow has accused jihadists among the rebels of forcibly preventing civilians from leaving.&nbsp;

It has warned that if fighters of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Shams Front do not leave the city, the offensive will resume.

Fears of worse bloodshed

Senior military official Sergei Rudskoi acknowledged that on the first day of the truce just seven civilians and eight wounded fighters had left.

He said the jihadists were &quot;doing everything to prevent the exit of civilians and members of armed groups from east Aleppo.&quot;

&quot;The terrorists are using the ceasefire in their interests,&quot; he said.

&quot;We are seeing them massing around Aleppo and preparing for another breakthrough into the city&#39;s western neighbourhoods.&quot;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warned that if the ceasefire broke down, there was the risk of even greater bloodshed.

&quot;The regime and the rebels are both bolstering their forces, which raises fears of a massive military operation if the ceasefire fails,&quot; its director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The UN human rights council called in its resolution on Friday for &quot;a comprehensive, independent special inquiry into the events in Aleppo&quot;, and for those responsible for the most serious violations to be identified.

The resolution demanded that warring parties &quot;in particular the Syrian authorities and their allies&quot;, allow unrestricted humanitarian access to desperate civilians and &quot;end immediately all bombardments and military flights over Aleppo city&quot;.

(AFP)

The 'humanitarian pause' in the assault has largely held since Thursday morning but there has been no organised evacuation

Hundreds of wounded civilians were stranded in rebel-held areas of Syria's Aleppo on Saturday after the UN said security concerns had prevented evacuation convoys even as Russia extended a ceasefire into a third day. The unilateral "humanitarian pause" in the Syrian army's devastating Russian-backed assault on the opposition-controlled east of the city has largely held since it began on Thursday morning. The army has said it is an opportunity for civilians and rebel fighters who lay down their arms to leave. But so far there have been no organised evacuation convoys and only a handful of the 250,000 civilians still living in the rebel sector have left under their own steam. An AFP photographer in the Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood at one of the crossings over the front line the army has set up for evacuations said it was deserted on Saturday morning. After three months of siege by the army and nearly four weeks of relentless air strikes by Syrian and Russian warplanes, trust in government assurances of safe passage is minimal. On Friday, the UN human rights council called for a special investigation into the violence in Aleppo in a resolution fiercely critical of Damascus. The United Nations had hoped to use the ceasefire to evacuate seriously wounded people, and possibly deliver aid. More than 2,000 civilians have been wounded since the army launched its offensive to drive the rebels out of the eastern districts they have held since 2012. Nearly 500 people have been killed. But on Friday, a UN spokesman said evacuations had been delayed because of security concerns. "Medical evacuations of sick and injured could unfortunately not begin this morning as planned because the necessary conditions were not in place," said Jens Laerke of the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA). Four-day plan In the face of a mounting international outcry over Aleppo's plight, Moscow announced that the ceasefire, which was originally scheduled to last just eight hours, would be extended until 1600 GMT on Saturday. But Laerke said that was not long enough and the United Nations has asked Russia to consider a further extension until Monday evening. David Swanson, an OCHA spokesman in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, said a four-day plan had been drawn up to begin with two days of evacuations to government-held areas of Aleppo, rebel-held Idlib province to the west or over the border to Turkey. If successful, the plan would then see aid delivered for another two days alongside continuing evacuations. No aid has entered Aleppo since July 7 and food rations will run out by the end of October, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Thursday. The Syrian opposition has accused the world body of playing into the hands of Damascus and Moscow by focusing on evacuations rather providing relief supplies to allow residents to stay. Moscow has accused jihadists among the rebels of forcibly preventing civilians from leaving. It has warned that if fighters of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Shams Front do not leave the city, the offensive will resume. Fears of worse bloodshed Senior military official Sergei Rudskoi acknowledged that on the first day of the truce just seven civilians and eight wounded fighters had left. He said the jihadists were "doing everything to prevent the exit of civilians and members of armed groups from east Aleppo." "The terrorists are using the ceasefire in their interests," he said. "We are seeing them massing around Aleppo and preparing for another breakthrough into the city's western neighbourhoods." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warned that if the ceasefire broke down, there was the risk of even greater bloodshed. "The regime and the rebels are both bolstering their forces, which raises fears of a massive military operation if the ceasefire fails," its director Rami Abdel Rahman said. The UN human rights council called in its resolution on Friday for "a comprehensive, independent special inquiry into the events in Aleppo", and for those responsible for the most serious violations to be identified. The resolution demanded that warring parties "in particular the Syrian authorities and their allies", allow unrestricted humanitarian access to desperate civilians and "end immediately all bombardments and military flights over Aleppo city". (AFP)

Aleppo truce: Wounded await evacuation on day three

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Turkey sends weapons to Syrian rebels facing Russian-backed assault

Aleppo truce: Wounded await evacuation on day three