UN Secretary General Ban: 'Rebels' to Blame for Syria Violence

Undated handout TV grab made available on 08 Aug by SANA shows Syrian government soldiers during clashes with the alleged armed rebel groups in Salaheddin district in Aleppo, Syria. EPA/BGNES

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has for the first time said armed rebels are responsible for the escalation of violence in Syria.

"UN's Secretary General has recognized that the escalation of the conflict in Aleppo has been provoked by the actions of the rebels," wrote Saturday Russian deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs Gennady Gatilov in his Twitter profile.

In his two Saturday tweets, Gatilov has welcomed what he described as an "objective assessment" of the situation in Syria on Ban's part.

The Russian vice-minister has further said that the UN Secretary General supports continuing UN's presence in the civil war torn country, a point to be discussed at the UN Security Council next Thursday.

Heavy fighting is meanwhile continuing in Syria's largest city Aleppo, with shifting advances made by rebel forces and the army of embattled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Figthing in Aleppo is concentrated Saturday in the key neighborhood of Salaheddin.

Shelling is reported to be also underway in the Tadamun area of capital Damascus.