EU to impose more sanctions on Syria over Aleppo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Friday it would introduce more sanctions on Syrian individuals and entities over the offensive on Aleppo, where Syrian government forces with the backing of Russia and Iran have been pushing out rebels. "The EU will act swiftly ... with the aim of imposing further restrictive measures against Syria targeting Syrian individuals and entities supporting the regime as long as the repression continues," the bloc's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said in a statement. The Syrian army pressed an offensive in Aleppo on Friday with ground fighting and air strikes in an operation to retake all of the city's rebel-held east that would bring victory in the civil war closer for President Bashar al-Assad. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Janet Lawrence)