Syrian army texts rebels: 'Game over'

BEIRUT -- Cellphones in Syria rang, buzzed and chirped yesterday with an ominous text message from the military to the armed rebels: "Game over."

The rebels provided their own response to the regime's warning to surrender and disarm, launching new attacks to drive government troops out of the largest city, Aleppo.

There's no indication that the stalemated civil war has taken a decisive turn in any direction, and the bloodshed that has claimed more than 30,000 lives looks likely to drag on for many more months.

Compounding the grim outlook, sharp disagreements between Syria's foreign friends and foes, on display at the UN General Assembly this week, have prevented a diplomatic solution from taking shape.

Syrians with subscriptions to the country's two cellphone service providers said they began receiving the text messages, signed by the Syrian Arab Army, urging the rebels to surrender and warning that a countdown to evict any foreign fighters in the country has begun. Those with prepaid phones did not receive a message, according to residents in the capital, Damascus.

The texts appeared to be a kind of psychological warfare by the regime of President Bashar Assad, but the messages were unlikely to have any effect on fighters intent on toppling Assad. Rebel supporters shrugged off the warning as a sign of desperation.

Late yesterday, fighting was still heavy in many areas of Aleppo, said Rami Abdul-Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group that compiles reports from Syria. At least 23 people were killed in several hours of clashes in Aleppo, he said, and the toll was expected to rise. -- AP