Boris Johnson has given his first hint that the west may be willing to step up military activity against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, saying a meeting of foreign ministers on Sunday will look at new options.



He stressed he did not want to give false hope to the Syrian opposition, and said it might be a long day’s march, but “more kinetic options, the military options” were being considered.



He said as a result of the bombardment of Aleppo public opinion was changing, but it remained to be seen if a military coalition could be put together.

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He insisted no new military initiative could go ahead without US support, but revealed he had held talks with advisers close to the Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, and added that Clinton had taken a tougher line than the incumbent, Barack Obama.

“Most people I think are changing their minds on this and are thinking we cannot let this go on forever. We cannot just see Aleppo pulverised in this way. We have to do something. The mood of the House of Commons has changed from 2013. Whether that means we can get a coalition for a more kinetic action now I cannot prophesy. But what most people want to see now is a new set of options,” Johnson said.



He also indicated that the west was on the verge of abandoning the negotiating format of the 25-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG), including Russia and Iran, and may in future instead work with a smaller group.

He said the last meeting of the ISSG had ended in recrimination, and had been largely purposeless. He said: “It has not worked. The last session was extremely acrimonious. It turned into a slanging match in which the Iranians came to the assistance of the Russians. The conversation got nowhere.

“It is very important not to get hopes up too high. This house took a big step backwards from intervention when it voted against military action in 2013. We vacated the space that has been occupied by the Russians.”

Options under consideration included extra help on the humanitarian front, and providing warnings to the people of Aleppo of impending airstrikes.

Johnson also revealed he was looking to step up economic sanctions against those close to the Assad regime, as well as the Russians.

The Sunday meeting in London will also discuss preparations for the imminent attack on Mosul, the second city of Iraq and currently the last Iraqi stronghold of Islamic State.



Johnson, speaking at the foreign affairs select committee, repeated the previous concerns of the prime minister that a no-fly zone held many difficulties, including the risk that coalition forces might need to strike at Russian aircraft. Other options have been canvassed inside the Ministry of Defence, it is understood, including attacks on Syrian helicopters responsible for barrel bombs and incendiary bombs.

Key figures in the Syrian opposition, including the Kurds, have also called for more arms, and the possible tracking of Russian aircraft so their flights and bombing sorties are properly recorded.

Johnson said while it was time to look again at military options, he had to be realistic. “We cannot do anything without the Americans, and we are still a pretty long day’s march from getting there,” he said.

A Foreign Office spokesman later played down Johnson’s remarks, saying: “It is wrong to interpret the foreign secretary’s comments as a suggestion that this is the first step towards military action in Syria. There are no such plans.

“As the prime minister and foreign secretary said yesterday, we want to see an end to the conflict in Syria. And, ultimately, the only real solution is a political transition to a stable Syria, free of Assad.

“Along with the rest of the international community, Britain will continue to play its role to try to bring about that political transition.”

Johnson was also unrepentant about his criticisms of the Russians, saying it was important not to let a general blame game diffuse the central responsibility for what was taking place in Syria. He said 95% of those killed had been murdered by the Assad regime backed up by the Russians and the Iranians. “Those are the culprits,” he said.

More broadly, Johnson said, “we have a very serious problem with Russia” and he accused them of being “reckless and aggressive”. But he insisted the answer was to engage and he denied that Russia posed the same threat to the west as the old Soviet Union.

Johnson’s remarks came as a senior Russian military officer said Moscow was prepared to guarantee safe passage for rebels leaving eastern Aleppo with their weapons.

“We are ready to ensure the safe withdrawal of armed rebels, the unimpeded passage of civilians to and from eastern Aleppo, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid there,” Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy said in a televised briefing.