MOSCOW warned Washington against further attacks on Syria yesterday, saying US warplanes would be shot down without warning.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konsehnkov was responding to “leaked” plans to bomb eastern Aleppo to save doomed al-Qaida militants.

“Russian air defence system crews are unlikely to have time to determine in a ‘straight line’ the exact flight paths of missiles and then who the warheads belong to,” Maj-Gen Konsehnkov warned.

“And all the illusions of amateurs about the existence of ‘invisible’ jets will face a disappointing reality,” he added.

Last week the US bombed two bridges in south-western Deir Ezzor province on the pretext of fighting Islamic State (Isis) — following a pattern of attacks on Syria’s economy and infrastructure.

Meanwhile the government said it was reducing air raids on Aleppo to allow civilians and militants to take advantage of a no-questions amnesty.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura claimed yesterday there were 8,000 insurgents trapped in eastern Aleppo of whom only 900 were al-Qaida extremists, holding 275,000 civilians hostage.

He offered to “personally’ accompany them out if they laid down their weapons “in dignity.”

Aleppo army commander Major General Zaid Saleh estimated last week there were only 2,500 rebels in Aleppo, while US coalition spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in April: “It is primarily al-Qaeda that holds Aleppo.”

The army liberated most of Aleppo’s Bushtan al-Pasha district from the US-armed Nour a-Din al-Zinki after two days of fighting.

The latest gain left Kurdish YPG militia in neighbouring Sheikh Maqsoud, surrounded on three sides a few months ago, now only facing the militants on one rapidly narrowing front.