RUSSIAN military spokesman Lt Gen Sergei Rudskoi said last night that the Syrian army, backed by Russian air cover, had repelled a massive rebel attack intended to break the siege of Aleppo.

The Russian general staff representative added that about 5,000 terrorists, led by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, had launched their offensive late on Sunday south-west of Aleppo in a bid to break through the government’s encirclement of the rebel-held part of the city.

Lt Gen Rudskoi insisted that the Nusra-led rebels had lost 800 fighters, 14 tanks, 10 other armoured vehicles and more than 60 gun trucks.