Alwaght-The battle for Aleppo (Halab) in Syria has taken a new turn following direct involvement of Saudi and Turkish forces along with new weapon supplies to terrorist groups in the region, a Lebanese newspaper has revealed.

As Safir reports that over the last five days, the Syrian army and resistance forces have been engaged in one of the fiercest battles defending southern Aleppo.

�Southern Aleppo has witnessed the first direct frontline battle between Saudi and Iranians,� Safir claimed.

Before this direct confrontation, the Saudis and Americans have been providing weapons to armed groups in the region. With the changing scenario, the proxy war which involved terrorists allied to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US is now increasingly turning into a direct confrontation which also involves special American forces inside Syria.

In mid-May Saudi ground and naval forces took part in war games held in the Turkish cities of Ankara and Izmir. The drill was part of a wider plan by the Ankara and Riyadh regimes to intervene militarily in Syria.

Elsewhere, reliable sources have reported that Russian Sukhoi 24 jet fighters numbering about 12 have recently returned to the al-Hamim Russian military air base in Syria. Russia had withdrawn these bombers from Syria after the Aleppo truce in May.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar supplied Takfiri militants with weapons and food during the ceasefire. Fierce fighting was reported in the region since Monday and is ongoing.

The massive attack on Aleppo is being carried out by Saudi and Turkish forces in collaboration with several terrorist groups including Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, Hizb Islami Turkestani, 13 Division of Jund al-Aqsa, and Faylaq Al-Sham. In total, there are about 2,500 fighters with 167 of them being killed in recent fighting.

The terrorists have suffered heavy losses despite the direct involvement of Saudi troops and Turkish intelligence forces that are controlling military operation in the region.

Informed source say Saudi troops entered Aleppo towards the end of May last month when the Syrian government declared ceasefire. Sources have confirmed intercepting communication involving Saudi and Turkish forces on northern Syria.

Saudi and Turkish officers intend to improve the tactics used by armed groups from guerilla to conventional warfare. They are also set to involve reconnaissance aircraft in forthcoming operations with the objective of having focused operations. This new approach requires an advanced joint command center. The Saudis have also deployed Tow anti-tank missiles in southern Aleppo with reliable sources saying terrorists groups including al-Nusra Front, Division 13 and Ahrar al-Sham have obtained dozens of the said missiles for immediate use. Reports indicate that 40 missiles have so far been used in the Hama countryside. The Saudis have reportedly obtained 13,000 Tow missiles from the US valued at 960 Million dollars for use inside Syria. Already 10 percent of the missiles have been moved into Syria.

In the ongoing battle in Aleppo, field sources have spotted rockets with a range of 2,500 meters which have been supplied in hundreds to terrorists in the region by the US. The US purchased these missiles from Bulgaria and supplied them to terrorist groups when Russian forces entered Syria last September. These anti-tank missiles have, each costing 30,000 dollars, have been used to target civilians in Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Jund al-Aqsa, a Takfiri terrorist group with close ties to ISIS in Syria has also acquired 152mm artillery shells which Turkey acquired in the 50�2 from Soviet Union. This artillery shell is currently being used in Aleppo.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy it blames on some Western governments and their regional allies including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Israeli regime. The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has so far claimed the lives of nearly half a million people, over one million injured and an estimated 12.5 million now displaced.

By Al Waght