Syrian Warplanes Pound Aleppo

The Australian reports:

SYRIAN regime warplanes have pounded rebel positions in second city Aleppo ahead of a threatened ground assault by more than 20,000 troops assembled around the commercial capital.

Iran appealed for help from governments with ties to the Syrian opposition in securing the release of 48 of its nationals seized from a bus in Damascus, as an Arabic news channel aired footage it said was of the Iranians in the hands of rebel captors who charged that their hostages were Revolutionary Guards.

A senior security official said Syria's army had completed its deployment of reinforcements to Aleppo, ready for a decisive showdown.

"The war is likely to be long, because there will have to be street battles in order to get rid of the terrorists," the source told AFP, declining to be named.

"All the reinforcements have arrived and they are surrounding the city," he said. "The army is ready to launch its offensive, but is awaiting orders."

More at Telegraph UK, "Syria: battle lines drawn in Aleppo with 'main course' still to come."

RELATED: At LAT, "Professed Syrian rebel says Iranian hostages are militiamen."