ISIL Executed Six FSA Militants in Lattakia Countryside

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=121207&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=20&s1=1

Local EditorA number of terrorists who belong to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) executed six  Free Syria Army (FSA) militants in Lattakia countryside.ISIL had accused the FSA group of murdering four of the Islamic State terrorists.The opposing UK-based Syrian Observatory reported that an ISIL senior had also executed a member of the "Shari'a Committee" who was mediating to halt the clashes between ISIL and FSA militants.In al-Bab city of Aleppo countryside, ISIL also executed a Syrian youth after it accused him of apostasy and belonging to the Syrian army.ISIL takfiri militants operating in Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo beheaded a fellow wounded militant after mistaking him for a Syrian army soldier. The militant circles refused ISIL acts and accused it of basing their execution decisions on doubts and commonplace disputes with the other militant groups.

Al-Qaeda sent 50 suicide bombers to attack Aleppo prison

Source : http://en.alalam.ir/news

Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups have retreated after two days of futile attacks on Aleppo’s central prison in northwest of Syria, which were blocked by the Syrian army.

Militants from al-Nusra Front, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS), both offshoots of al-Qaeda operating in Syria, along with Shaam al-Islam and Lewa al-Towhid militant groups brought Aleppo’s central province under attack two days ago but they had to step back on Saturday after suffering heavy losses.

The Arabic language Asia News quoted sources among militants as saying that, the terrorist groups sent 50 suicide bombers to open their way to the prison, but they failed to get in.

The sources said this was the first time they used this many suicide bombers in a single mission, according to Asia News.

Most of the suicide attackers who were killed in their attacks had foreign nationalities including Iraqi and Palestinian.

A source close to al-Nusra Front was quoted as saying that the armed groups have retreated and there only ten people left around the prison. Aleppo’s prison holds a large number of al-Nusra and ISIS terrorists.

The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

SHI/SHI

Syrian Armed Forces Continue Mop-up Operations in Aleppo

Source : Farsnews

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian soldiers raided militants in Aleppo province, killing and wounding too many anti-government fighters.

The rebels were killed in al-Showaghrat, al-Alqamieh, and Ein Dakneh in the surrounding of Minnigh airport, an official source said.

The army brigades clashed with armed groups which tried to attack the central prison of Aleppo, killing scores of assailants there, the source added.

In Aleppo city, some other units of the army clashed with insurgents which tried to infiltrate into the secure areas in al-Rashidin neighborhood, killing a majority of insurgents.

In Qadi Askar neighborhood, the Syrian soldiers carried out a mop-up operation in which scores of militants from the so-called "Sharia quartet committee" were killed.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

In October 2011, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Bashar al- Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of stirring unrests in Syria once again.

The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May 2012 that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May 2012 that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.

Syrian army makes fresh advances in strategic city of Aleppo

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

The Syrian government forces have made fresh advances in fighting with foreign-backed Takfiri insurgents in the flash point city of Aleppo.

The army campaign against foreign backed militants in the strategic city of Aleppo is considered one of the largest operations carried out by the Syrian government. The operation is conducted in the southern and northern countryside of the city with two different objectives.

While the operation in southern parts of the city aims at securing the Syrian Army’s supply routes to Aleppo and northern Syria, the campaign in northern parts zeros in on cutting off insurgents’ supply lines.

“We are working in these operations to clear the northern part of Aleppo’s countryside in follow up to our operations in southern Aleppo. The foreign- back groups are fleeing from one place to another, leaving their weapons behind in addition to their dead bodies. We are working on more than one act at the same time, but we are facing difficulties related to landmines that terrorists have planted everywhere,” an unnamed Syrian army official told press TV.

According to the analysts, the fighting is the beginning of an end to the war between government forces and foreign-backed Takfiri insurgents. They believe if the Syrian army manages to clear the countryside of Aleppo, the whole situation in Syria will change drastically.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.

In addition, several international human rights organizations say the militants operating in Syria have committed war crimes.

Assad forces prep assault to retake Aleppo: report

Source : The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Syrian government forces are gearing up to retake from rebels the northern city of Aleppo, the local Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported Tuesday.

The newspaper, citing security sources, said the Syrian army has begun mobilizing troops around Aleppo in preparation to storm the province and regain control of Syria’s largest city.

Syrian rebels have been in control of Aleppo since last July.

Al-Akhbar said the Syrian army would launch the offensive to retake Aleppo once they regain full control of Qusair in Homs province.

“A few days separate us from the battle for Aleppo,” the daily, quoting a source, reported.

Al-Akhbar said if successful, the regime would have managed to regain control of the country’s most significant provinces, the other being Homs.

Meanwhile, pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper, quoting a Syrian opposition official, reported Tuesday that Hezbollah appeared to be widening the scope of its military operations beyond the clash point of Qusair into the outskirts of the Syrian capital.

“Something very dangerous is happening: the Hezbollah militia has begun to move into the outskirts of Damascus. This is a new development that we did not expect,” Khaled Saleh, a spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, said.

“It seems that the Hezbollah militia is completely involved in Syria and this has been confirmed in intelligence reports we received from allied countries,” he added.

Over the weekend, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese resistance group, confirmed for the first time his military force was heavily involved in the Syria war. He vowed that Hezbollah, which is backing regime forces, would fight in Syria until victory.

Dozens of the party fighters have died in recent battles to take over the strategic Homs town of Qusair, which lies just 10 kilometers from the Lebanese border.

130 killed and wounded in bombing by Syrian terrorist

Source : http://old.mehrnews.com

TEHRAN, May 27 (MNA) –Syrian armed terrorists have bombarded Aleppo central prison with rockets, killing at least 30 people including convicts and injuring 100 others.

MNA quoted Syrian Al-Watan daily reporting that there had been bombing in Aleppo central prison by the armed terrorists groups, which had killed over 30 people.

The massacre occurred when the terrorist gunmen who were surrounding the prison, targeted there with tanks with cannons. A nearby village resident said that the prison hosted nearly 4,500 prisoners, including elderly people, women, and their children.

The terrorist attack came after armed groups tried to force an entry to inside. They had tried before by two bulldozers armed with bombs, but the security wardens aborted their attempt with the aid from army forces in the place.

This was for the tenth time that terrorists launched an attack to enter the prison. The attack was intended to free criminal prisoners who are family members of terrorist groups, and to deploy them against Bashar al-Assad.

Military analysts described the plan as less critical and terrorist movements in different parts of Aleppo as slow. They also emphasized that the initiative is in army’s hands, which has no less experience and will in combat.

MSH/SH/EA MNA END

1822

Army Kills Tens of Armed Rebels in Northwestern Syria

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army attacked a rendezvous point of rebel leaders on Saraqeb-Aleppo international road on Sunday killing tens of terrorists.

The rebel leaders had gathered in Sahar al-Sharq restaurant along Saraqeb-Aleppo road when the Syrian army attacked the place and killed more than 90 armed rebels with different nationalities fighting against the Syrian government.

Four Jordanians, six Saudis, an Iraqi and an Afghan national were among the armed rebels killed in Sahar al-Sharq restaurant.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs and terrorists against Syrian forces and civilians being reported across the country.

The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said last May that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.

300 deaths are the toll of the fighting between the armed groups of al- Qaeda

Source : شبكة عاجل الإخبارية

«Ghurabaa al-Sham» by its allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Qaeda leader in Iraq and «legitimacy committee – al-Nusra Front» and the «al-Tawheed Brigade» loyal to Abu Mohammed Joulani, the leader of al-Qaeda Organization in al-Sham are fighting in Syria.

300 people dead and hundreds injured is the result of fierce battles fought between the two parties in many parts of Aleppo, which is witnessing a proliferation of jihadist organizations in the warring loyalties.

The dispute, which dates back to weeks ago when the Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq has announced the dependency of al-Nusra Front of the Islamic State, which leads the Jihadists in Iraq and Syria before al-Jolani goes out a statement confirming the greatest loyalty to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, rejecting dependency Baghdadi

Civilian sources in Aleppo city in exclusive statements to our network assures that the fighting between organizations affiliated to al-Qaeda in Aleppo has intensified to continue fighting between «Ghurabaa al-Sham» on the one hand and «al-Tawheed brigade» and «Sharia committee» the other hand, in al-Halek and industrial city and Hanano and Tareek al-Bab areas.

Sources confirmed that about 300 fighters from both parties got killed after the fighting in the outcome of is not finite due to continue fighting.

The sources conclude their statements by asserting that 'Shariah committee' has captured 25 element of the «Ghurabaa al- Sham» in al-Halek and executed them in the field.

Terrorists Completely Eliminated in Military Housing Factories in Aleppo

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

The Syrian armed forces gained full control over the areas surrounding Military Housing Factories and the asphalt plant in the framework of the operations to restore security and stability to al-Sheikh Saeed area in the countryside of Aleppo.

SANA reporter quoted an official source as saying that terrorists were killed to the last one in the aforementioned areas, with their equipment, ammunition and weapons completely destroyed.

Militants used chemical material against civilians near Idlib: Syria

Source : Tehran Times

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al- Jaafari has said that the foreign- backed militants in Syria have used chemical material against civilians during an attack on a town near Idlib.

Bashar al-Jaafari said at a press conference on Tuesday that the militants spread the contents of plastic bags containing chemical material during the attack.

Many residents were affected by the armed groups’ “heinous and irresponsible act,” the Syrian envoy said, warning that it was an attempt to “implicate the Syrian government on a false basis.”

Some of the victims were transferred to Turkey for treatment, Jaafari added.

The envoy went on to say that 'today or tomorrow Ankara and Western media would launch a new propaganda campaign against Damascus and claim that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own people.'

Reports say that two people were killed and 20 others injured in the militants’ chemical attack in Idlib.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama has said Washington did not know how chemical material was used in another recent attack in Aleppo.

The Syrian government requested the UN to dispatch a fact- finding mission to the country after reports circulated that the foreign-backed militants had used chemical weapons against civilians in Khan al-Assal district of the northwestern province of Aleppo on March 19. Over two dozen people were killed and more than 100 injured in the chemical attack.

Obama said at a press conference on Tuesday that, "If I can establish in a way that not only the United States but also the international community feel confident in the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, then that is a game-changer."

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

(Source: Press TV)

Behind the Scenes: More than 1500 Militants Killed in Syrian Army Ambush

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

High officials in Western military services were very confused after the recent accomplishments last week by the Syrian government military forces in many areas in Syria; the most important of which was in Dara'a where more than 1500 militants were killed after they were strategically trapped during their movement from Jordan to Syria.

Credible reports talked about heavy clashes taking place between the different factions of the so-called military opposition forces. A recent report, which reached to UN offices, unmasked information about a major clash in Aleppo which led to the killing of more than 150 militants.

Well informed Russian sources expressed dim hope that the coming Russian-American summit between Presidents Obama and Putin could bring any positive results vis a vis the ongoing crisis in Syria. The sources said US can do a lot to stop arms sending to the takfiri groups in Syria, but is not willing to do so, because the war of attrition, and exhausting and weakening of Syria would suit perfectly well the American plans in the region.

Russia Says Has Information Armed Groups Carried out Aleppo Chemical Attack

Source :

Russia said it had information proving that armed groups fighting against the Syrian government had used chemical weapons in an attack on a village in the northern city of Aleppo in which 25 civilians were killed.

"A case of the use of chemical weapons by the armed opposition was recorded early in the morning of March 19 in Aleppo province," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement shortly after the attack.

According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, at least 25 people were killed and many others injured after terrorists fired missiles containing "poisonous gases" into Aleppo’s Khan al-Assal village on Tuesday. Most of the casualties were women and children.

"We are very seriously concerned by the fact that weapons of mass destruction are falling into the hands of the rebels, which further worsens the situation in Syria and elevates the confrontation in the country to a new level," the Russian statement said.

Syria's Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi described the terrorists' use of chemical weapons as the "first act" by the so-called opposition interim government.

He also said that Turkey and Qatar, which support militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, bore "legal, moral and political responsibility" for the chemical attack in the northern city of Aleppo. The attack comes hours after Syria's opposition National Coalition elected Ghassan Hitto, a former US-based IT executive, as prime minister for what it called an interim government.

Foreign-backed militants, who had threatened to use chemical weapons against the army government forces and Assad supporters a few months ago, have denied using chemical weapons and accused government forces of being behind the attack.

Witnesses report onset of chemical warfare in Syria

Source : DEBKAfile

Extensive preparations by Syrian army units for launching chemical weapons against rebel forces have been sighted in the northern town of Homs, Western intelligence agencies told debkafile’s military sources Tuesday, March 19.

Damascus paved the way for resorting to unconventional weaponry with an accusation run by the state news agency SANA Tuesday that Syrian rebels had fired a rocket containing chemical substances in the Khan al-Assad area of rural Aleppo, allegedly killing 15 people, mostly civilians.

Rebels quickly denied the report and accused regime forces of “firing a chemical weapon on a long-range SCUD, after which 20 people died of asphyxia and poisoning.”

Neither of the accusations could immediately verified.

But a Reuters photographer said he had seen people come into two Aleppo hospitals with breathing problems after the attack. They claimed people were suffocating on the streets.

Western intelligence sources reckoned that for the Assad regime, Homs, the scene of fierce battles between government and rebel forces in recent days, is likely to be the first place where the Assad government resorts to chemical warfare. A rebel victory there would be a grave setback for the regime because it would sever the main highway linking the Syrian military forces fighting in the towns of Damascus, Latakia, Aleppo and Idlib.

Monday and Tuesday, therefore, heavy government reinforcements from the South and Damascus were piled onto the embattled town, along with large numbers of warplanes and attack helicopters, in an all-out effort to cut short the rebel advance.

debkafile’s military sources report that the importance Assad attaches to carrying the day in Homs is represented by the elite units he has assembled in and around the city: Heavy armored forces of the 4th and 5th Republican Guard Divisions were imported from Damascus and the 18th and 19th Divisions are there too, issued in the last few hours with chemical warfare gear.

Syrian ruler Bashar Assad can on no account afford to be defeated in the key town of Homs just when US President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in the Middle East Wednesday. He will therefore use whatever it takes to prevent this happening, even chemical weapons if they are the only answer.

The allegation that the rebels have resorted to chemical warfare strongly points to an Assad ploy to go there himself and maintain it was only after the opposition went first. The emergence of dread unconventional weapons on the Syrian battlefield during the US president’s stay in the region is bound to dominate his talks with its leaders. It may even have the effect of altering his schedule and affect his itinerary.

Syrian troops, rebels battle over Aleppo airport

Source : LBCI News

Syrian activists said Tuesday that fighting has intensified as government troops and rebels battle for control of the international airport in the northern city of Aleppo and nearby army bases.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that clashes erupted anew around the airport's facility. The rebels have been trying to seize the strategic facility for weeks, overrunning checkpoints and capturing a smaller military base that provides military protection for the airbase.

The Observatory, added that rebels have also intensified their assault on the Nairab and Mannagh air bases near the Aleppo airport, as well as on an airfield nearby known as Kweires.

Earlier, the Syrian “Al-Watan Daily” stressed that the Syrian army is capable of continuing the “war defending the country" for several years, noting that the call launched by the Syrian Fatwa Council on the people to stand by the army aims at encouraging them to defend their land instead of just “keeping up with the news of the battles”.

The newspaper said that the Fatwa or edict council urged people to participate in defending "their country and honor, because Syria is being invaded from all fronts.”

The daily quoted sources close to the Syrian army as saying that the army is “fine”, as the soldiers have been fighting, for two years, the fiercest battles in the name of the Syrian people.

On the humanitarian file, Russia sent on Tuesday a new aircraft loaded with more than 10 tons of aid including blankets and food to the affected Syrian people.

Separately, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed that a Ukrainian journalist who was kidnapped in Syria is free after more than 150 days in captivity.

Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebiynis said the reporter, Ankhar Kochneva, was expected to contact the Ukrainian embassy in Damascus later in the day.

Kochneva, who has written for Syrian and Russian newspapers, was kidnapped in western Syria on Oct. 9 and reportedly held by members of the Free Syrian Army opposition group. Perebiynis said he had no further information on her.

The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda quoted Kochneva as saying she walked away from the house where she was held, skirted a rebel guardpost and then walked about 15 kilometers (9 miles) through fields until finding a villager who helped her.

According to the newspaper, Kochneva said she was abducted near the city of Homs while riding in a taxi to Damascus.

The abductors released a video in which Kochneva said she was working as a Russian agent, but the newspaper quoted her as saying the recording was made under duress.

"They forced me to say that I came to Syria on the instruction of Russian spies. They forced me with threats. I refused at first, but they said 'then we'll kill you'," she said.

Syrian army liberates Aleppo Hama highway

Source : Voice of Russia

The Syrian army has liberated the highway between the cities of Hama and Aleppo. As a result of military operations the threat of attacks on Aleppo International Airport and the Air Force Base in Neirab, as well as a defense industry factory in Sfeir has been eliminated.

Military reinforcements are redeployed along the highway to the northeast of the country.

According to the TV station "Al-Manar" heavy fighting continues in the settlements of Farusiya and Meshleb where the Syrian army has set up roadblocks.

All sides are suffering losses with unofficial reports saying dozens of soldiers as well as rebels have been killed or wounded.

Voice of Russia, TASS

Behind the Scenes: Syria Army Prepares to Liberate Aleppo from Takfiris

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

Orthodox electoral law that was approved by the joint parliamentary committees caused an unprecedented division among forces of 14th of March. Aside from directing accusations of betrayal and backstabbing to the Christian partners in the coalition, Al Mustaqbal leaders and cadres expressed anger, frustration and bitter disappointment about the outcome of the meetings which prompted Saad hariri to describe Tuesday a black day!

Syrian troops have finalized military preparations for a fateful and decisive battle in Aleppo. After sending thousands of troops and heavy equipment and logistics to the area, observers expect that a fierce battle is underway and will take place soon to liberate the remaining occupied part of the city from the Takfiri military groups.

Some European governments sent messages to Hezbollah via different channels to express its discontent about the American and Israeli pressure to force them to list the party on its list for terrorist organizations. They informed the party they are not in the position to accept that under any circumstances especially that the information provided are false and untrustworthy.

Missile that flattened district killed 31 Syrians

Source :   thenews.com.pk

BEIRUT: An apparent surface-to-surface missile strike killed at least 31 people, nearly half of them children, when it flattened a residential district of Syria's second city Aleppo, a watchdog said Tuesday. "It is likely that a surface-to-surface missile strike" hit Jabal Badro, on the edge of the northern city, late on Monday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Fourteen children and five women were among the dead, and the "toll is likely to rise as bodies are being retrieved from under the rubble," said the Britain-based group, adding some people were critically injured. There were no planes overhead when the missile hit, according to residents cited by the Observatory, and the extent of the destruction indicated a surface-to-surface missile was likely used, director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Abu Hisham, an Aleppo-based citizen journalist who spoke to AFP over the Internet, said "housing in the district was informally built. It took one surface-to-surface rocket to destroy an entire neighbourhood." Video footage and photographs shot by activists in Aleppo, scene of fierce fighting since the army launched an all-out assault to stop a rebel advance on Syria's second city on July 20, showed massive destruction in Jabal Badro. Amateur film posted online by the anti-regime Aleppo Media Centre showed crowds of people gathering around hills of rubble and a bulldozer shovelling the debris as residents searched for relatives. "I swear to God! I rescued a baby aged just two months from the rubble!" an unidentified man cried out in the video, whose authenticity AFP could not verify. The Syrian National Council, the biggest bloc in the umbrella opposition National Coalition, linked the attack to the paralysis of the international community, and criticised the European Union for deciding against arming the rebellion. "Hours after the European decision to continue to deprive the Syrian people of the arms they need to defend themselves and the (Monday) report of the UN Commission of Inquiry, which makes no moral distinction between the genocide perpetrated by the regime and individual abuses... the regime bombed Aleppo city... leaving dozens of civilians killed," said the SNC. "The destruction of Syria by Russian missiles, Iranian weapons and Hezbollah fighters are the result of the European decision, the Arab silence and lost time due to stillborn international initiatives," it added. European Union foreign ministers on Monday decided to maintain an embargo against arming Syrian rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. On the same day, a UN commission of inquiry found war crimes by both government forces and rebels were spiralling in the embattled country, though it underlined that the regime was still the major perpetrator. Activists have reported the army's use of surface-to-surface missiles on various targets in northern Syria since late 2012. A security source in Damascus told AFP late last year that such missiles were a Syrian-made version of the Scud, and NATO has since reported ballistic missiles being used in Syria.

Syrian army braces for regaining rebel-held area in Aleppo

Source : Xinhua English.news.cn

DAMASCUS, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army is poised to wrest back control of an area that has been overrun by the rebels in the northern province of Aleppo, a pro-government paper said Thursday.

The Syrian troops cordoned the area some 15 km east of Aleppo, the paper said, adding that the army also managed to secure the nearby military factory and the surrounding areas.

The paper noted that the brigade in the area used to provide protection to nearby al-Nairab military airbase and the international airport of Aleppo but a large number of armed men had infiltrated large swathes of the area.

It said after the infiltration, army reinforcements were sent to cordon the area off and killed hundreds of armed men, adding that an army commander was killed along with a number of soldiers during the armed groups' attack.

Quoting an employee at the international airport of Aleppo, al- Watan said the airport was totally secure and the Syrian air force pounded the armed groups that attacked al-Nairab airbase.

In the capital Damascus, the army fought pitch battles with the armed men in the eastern suburb of Jobar.

In the restive suburb of Mlaiha, the air force struck armed groups' positions at the entrances of the area after the rebels broke a truce aiming to facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes.

The army also carried out a series of military operations in the central areas of Rastan, Qusair and Sultanieh among other areas in the central province of Homs.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that as many as 200 people were killed Wednesday, 86 of them civilians.

The observatory reported clashes between the army and the Nusra Front fighters, an offshoot of al-Qaida, in several areas nationwide.

Also on Wednesday, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay put the overall death toll of Syria's 23- month-old crisis at nearly 70,000.

Rebels capture Syrian fighter jets

Source :   ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Syrian rebels have overrun a military air base and captured warplanes in the northern province of Aleppo.

The rebels' advance came as the United Nations said the death toll from the 23-month conflict had hit nearly 70,000.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is opposed to the regime of president Bashar al- Assad, says the rebels captured a military airport at Al-Jarrah.

The Britain-based observatory says in the process the rebels seized a deployable fleet of warplanes, including MiG fighter jets.

It says the rebels killed, injured or imprisoned dozens of troops during the assault and surviving troops pulled out, leaving behind ammunition and warplanes.

The Observatory says soon afterwards, the air force used fighter jets to bombard the airport to try to dislodge rebels.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a military source in Aleppo confirmed the rebel capture "after 48 hours of fierce combat", but downplayed the importance of Al-Jarrah.

"It is a very small airport, used for training purposes," he said.

"There are only small amounts of unusable ammunition left there, and several planes that have long been out of action."

Activists meanwhile reported the launch of rebel offensives on the Aleppo international airport and Nayrab military airport nearby, although the military source denied any such assaults.

The Observatory also reported a rebel capture of the main road linking Aleppo province to neighbouring Raqa and parts of a military base tasked with securing the area's airports.

Activists in Aleppo have told AFP that fighters in the north have shifted their focus from city battles to the capture of military airports and bases.

"They are important because they are an instant source of ammunition and supplies, and because their capture means putting out of action the warplanes used to bombard us," Aleppo-based activist Abu Hisham told AFP via the internet.

Mr Assad has called for "collective action" by the state and Syrian people to limit the effects of the crisis.

The Syrian president also accused "groups that target Syria" of trying to destroy the country's infrastructure.

The conflict has killed nearly 70,000 people since it erupted in March 2011.

UN rights chief Navi Pillay has condemned the violence, and also hit out at the inaction of the UN Security Council, where China and Russia have used veto powers to block three resolutions that would have threatened sanctions against Mr Assad's regime.

"We will be judged against the tragedy that has unfolded before our eyes. This council, as well of those of us in key positions within the UN, will be rightly asked what we did," she said.

Her comments came after UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said the Security Council "must no longer stand on the sidelines, deadlocked, silently witnessing the slaughter".

AFP

Syrian Army Purging Terrorists From Northwestern Aleppo

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army continued its cleanup and chase operations against terrorists in different districts of Reef (outskirts of) Aleppo on Monday.

The army continued purging the terrorists from Bani Zayd town in Northwestern Aleppo today.

Bani Zayd is the last hideout and bastion of the armed rebels in Northwestern Syria. The Syrian army began its cleanup operations in Bani Zayd two days ago, and has made considerable advances in the area since then.

The Syrian army destroyed numerous terrorist troops and command centers and arms depot in Bani Zayd.

The terrorists have used Bani Zayd as a base for attacking Aleppo's Western districts such as Teshreen, al-Nil, al-Mokambo, al-Shahba, al-Khalediya and al-Sabil. Bani Zayd also provided the armed rebels with the ability to also target Southeastern Aleppo's residential areas such as al- Ashrafiya and al-Sorian. They kidnapped 30 Syrian civilians, including women and children, from these areas last week and used them as human shield.

Terrorists have tried hard in the last few months to make Syrian cities unsafe, specially for citizens, but the army has purged them from most neighborhoods and districts, killed hundreds of them and arrested many more.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

In October 2011, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of increasing unrests in Syria.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

According to the report, material is being stockpiled in Damascus, in Idlib near the Turkish border and in Zabadani on the Lebanese border.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.