Syrians killed on Aleppo streets while fleeing to safer ground

The head of the Aleppo city council has issued a "cry of suffering" on behalf of civilians after a Paris meeting with France's foreign minister, who assessed the suffering in Syria as "probably one of the most violent tragedies since World War II."

France has called for an urgent UNSecurity Council meeting later Wednesday to try to stop the fighting and bring in humanitarian aid.

"Save the civilian population," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in calling for safe passage for civilians.

Aleppo city council president Brita Hagi Hasan said that 250,000 civilians in Aleppo face the threat of death.

"They send out a cry to the world," he said. "Let civilians get out of the city."

He denounced what he claimed were massacres in the country committed by the Syrian regime, Russia, Iranian militias and others.

Rebels make last stand

Syrian rebels will not withdraw from eastern Aleppo, a rebel official said on Wednesday, indicating they plan to fight on against an intense assault by government forces that seized control of swathes of the opposition-held area in recent days.

"A withdrawal by the factions is rejected," Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters, speaking from Turkey.

"This is the decision of the factions. I spoke to them about everything that was tabled and they said they would not withdraw, and other things may also happen," he said, without giving further details.

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Gains by the Syrian army and its allies since last week have brought whole districts back under government control and led to a massive exodus as thousands have fled their pulverized neighbourhoods near the rapidly shifting front lines.

Civilians killed byartillery fire

At least 21 civilians were killed in a wave of artillery fire in east Aleppo on Wednesday morning that struck a neighbourhood crowded with people displaced from other parts of the city.The Syrian Civil Defence search-and-rescue group put the death toll at 45 and blamed the government for the strike.

It was the second time the Jub al-Quba neighbourhood, in the rebel-held eastern side of the city, was struck in as many days. An airstrike activists blamed on the government killed 25 civilians Tuesday.

Many of the victims in Jubal-Qubadied in the streets, with their belongings packed inbags by their sides, photos showed.

"Today there was another massacre, I witnessed it. The displaced people were coming at 6:30 am. There was artillery shelling while they were walking in the streets. Really, it was so, so horrible," saidArefal-Aref, a nurse and photographer in a rebel-held part of the city.

Jawadal-Rifai, who took the pictures for the Aleppo media centre, said they were civilians mostly women and children fleeing shelling and airstrikes in other parts of the city.

Rescue efforts by the group were hampered by the lack of functioning machinery, said Rifai.

"Most of their equipment is out of service because of the targeting against their quarters," he added.

Meanwhile, eight civilians, including two children, were killed in shelling on the government-held western side of the city, according to state media. The government blamed rebels for the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 50,000 people had been displaced by the fighting more than double a figure of 20,000 given by the International Committee of the Red Crosson Tuesday.

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