Assad’s days are numbered according to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

That statement came as Syrian government forces said they were preparing for a major push against the rebels in Aleppo on Friday.

On Thursday the Turkish prime minister said that the Syrian President and his inner circle were on their way out which would usher in a new era.

He also said that Turkey could act against a ‘terrorist’ organisation in northern Syria if it sees it as a threat. A warning to Kurdish militants thought to be operating in the region.

In Moscow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US of fueling the conflict.

“We propose things that can help stop the violence right now. The other side doesn’t think that way; for them it is either a capitulation of the government, or material support to the armed opposition. They justify terrorist attacks,” he said.

His declaration has raised tensions at the UN Security Council where Russian and Chinese vetoes rejected sanctions against Assad and his inner circle. Washington has said it is seeking ways to deal with the Syrian crisis outside the international body.