US warns of 'potential Syrian massacre' in Aleppo

London, July 27 (ANI): The Syrian Government may be lining up to carry out a massacre in the city of Aleppo, American officials have warned.

"This is the concern, that we will see a massacre in Aleppo, and that's what the regime appears to be lining up for," The Telegraph quoted U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, as saying.A Syrian security force reportedly revealed that the country's army was preparing for a large-scale assault in the densely populated city of Aleppo as protests too place in other parts of Damascus and other cities.Nuland pointed to "credible reports of columns of tanks" waiting to attack Syria's second city, where violence has been increasing between regime troops and rebels seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad."The concern are the columns of tanks outside the city, that they seem to be massing for an attack, the fact that you now have not only helicopter gunships but fixed-wing aircraft, which is a serious escalation in this conflict," Nuland said.

The rebels have also brought in reinforcements, with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 opposition fighters arriving from outside Syria's most populous city to reinforce some 2,000 already fighting inside Aleppo, the report said."Our hearts are with the people of Aleppo. And again, this is another desperate attempt by a regime that is going down to try to maintain control, and we are greatly concerned about what they are capable of in Aleppo," Nuland added.

However, she stuck to the U.S. position of only providing non-lethal assistance to the opposition rebels who have been fighting for 16 months to topple Assad.

"We do not believe that pouring more fuel on this fire is going to save lives. We are working in non-lethal ways. We are working to support the Syrian opposition," she said. (ANI)