Assad Regime Uses Explosive Pipes To Bomb Aleppo: Report

The Assad regime in Syria has now opted for a new weapon, explosive pipes which has been tested against rebel groups in Aleppo in recent weeks.

The weapon looks like a fire hose, but instead of water, it is filled with shrapnel and explosives, and can be fired from a helicopter, like bomb barrels, French newspaper Le Monde reports.

According to locals who spoke to Le Monde, the weapon has been used at least five times in the parts of the city that are still controlled by rebel groups, since early June.

According to the report, the launch may be done in two ways: either from a fixed canon possibly used recently in Aleppo; or can be fired from the UR 77 Meteorit, a type of Russian tank.

One of those tanks had been spotted in Damascus in 2014, used to destroy enemy positions.

"The explosive charge exceeds a ton and the power of the explosion was such that the houses (...) were simply wiped off the face of the Earth," the report cited Moscow Defense Brief, a Russian Military information website.

Since a cease-fire broke down at the end of April, a fierce battle for the control of Aleppo has opposed the Syrian government forces, helped by the Russians, and different insurgent groups.