Syria Rebels Battle Regime in Aleppo Operation
Two coalitions of Syrian rebels battled to advance in government-held western Aleppo Saturday, seizing an army barracks in one district, but being pushed back elsewhere.
The fighting in the country's former economic powerhouse is some of the fiercest since the Syrian conflict arrived in the northern city in mid-2012.
Elsewhere, government forces launched a major operation to recapture Zabadani, the last opposition-held town in the Qalamun region near Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy clashes in several parts of Aleppo's west side.
It said fighters from the Conquest of Aleppo alliance of mostly moderate forces had captured Friday a former research centre being used as a military barracks.
"This is a significant strategic step in terms of the battle that has been going on in Aleppo in the past two years," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said, adding that it opened up lines of attack against several nearby regime-held districts.
A video online showed the capture, with fighters from one of the groups firing in the air, the three-starred flag of the Syrian uprising behind them.
The Observatory said government forces had tried unsuccessfully to recapture the facility overnight and launched air raids against it on Saturday, prompting the rebels to partially evacuate.
Conquest of Aleppo and a second rebel grouping, Ansar al-Sharia, which is dominated by Islamists and Al-Qaeda's local affiliate Al-Nusra Front, began operations against government-held districts of Aleppo this week.
The attacks have prompted fierce clashes and heavy bombardment, with rebels firing hundreds of rockets and the government launching dozens of air strikes.
The assault began Thursday, when Ansar al-Sharia attacked several neighbourhoods including Zahra, where an air force intelligence facility is based.
The coalition initially made progress, but was pushed back by government forces Friday night, the Observatory said.
The monitor said regime war planes carried out some 40 air strikes, and at least 29 Ansar al-Sharia fighters were killed on Friday.
There was no immediate toll for regime forces.
- 'First progress since 2013' -
Thomas Pierret, a professor at the University of Edinburgh and a Syria expert, said the latest fighting could prove significant.
The recent rebel progress in and around western Aleppo "is the first real progress by the rebels in Aleppo since... July 2013," he told Agence France Presse.
Control of the city has been largely divided between the government in the west and rebels in the east since shortly after fighting arrived there in mid-2012.
Frontlines have remained fairly static since then, though both sides have at times sought to encircle the other by advancing in the countryside around the city.
Pierret said the loss of the Scientific Research Centre meant "the regime has lost an important line of defence, which leaves their control of west Aleppo more vulnerable."
But he cautioned it was too early to say whether things might "evolve rapidly," saying the west would prove to be difficult terrain for rebel forces because its buildings are ideal for regime snipers and its avenues wide enough for government tanks.
In the Qalamun region, government forces backed by Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah started a battle to capture the last rebel-held town in the area, which lies north of Damascus on the Lebanese border.
"Army units supported by the Lebanese resistance this morning launched a major operation in the Zabadani region in Damascus province," Syrian state television announced.
The Observatory confirmed heavy fighting was underway between regime forces and their allies and rebels in the vicinity of Zabadani, which was one of the first towns to fall to the opposition in 2012.
The battle was announced a day after rebels attacked an army outpost at the entrance to the town, with the regime responded to with some 90 air raids using barrel bombs and missiles, the monitor said.
Regime troops backed by Hezbollah have also recaptured most of the Qalamun region, which was once a bastion of the opposition.
In addition to Zabadani, opposition forces have bases in the mountainous part of Qalamun that spans the border, but Hezbollah has been gradually advancing in that region in recent weeks.
I was thinking the same thing mowaten aka putrefying.eagledawn, exactly the same. We both are shia extremists, we both twist the truth whenever we want, and we both are self centered. I just hope people don't get the wrong impression and think we are the same poster.
that's what neurotics do, mowaten. they lol or teeeeeeeheeeeeeheeeee and laugh ALL THE TIME to hide their nervousness and uncertainty.
They are refusing to publish a moderator charter as it will lead half of their own team to be banned
Their team is the one making this trouble
when the Lebanon army join forces with SAA to fight the terrorism in the region and protect the christhians in levant!!!???
My street hasn't been plowed and I can't get my car out through the snow. Hezbullah ministry of Public Woeks isn't answering its phone to tell me what the holdup is, or when I can expect the snow-plow to come by. Do you have an email address for hezbullah public works department? Thanks mowaten
Meh I remember when I was in Lebanon and it was Ramadan I was in place in dahieh, at a famous fast food place, I believe it was called abu ali falafel, but not sure, anyways. I am sure it was in dahieh because there were so many shia mosques. I was eating that tutifruity and falafel sandwich and the shias were looking at me with anger, until one guy came, told me something in Farsi Arabic "Allah Akbar, Labayka Ya Nassrallah or something Labayka Ya Hussein", and tried to take away my cup of fruits and the falafel sandwich. Until a police or army some security guy, told the fanatic to back off.
ليل أمس الجمعة، وصلت إلى الضاحية الجنوبية جملة أخبار تتعلّق بتدهور الأوضاع في منطقة الزبداني التي تنتشر مجموعات لـ”حزب الله” في الطرف الشمالي منها، لكن أسوأ ما في تلك الأخبار هو ما جرى تناقله عن خسائر “حزب الله” وسقوط سبعة قتلى للحزب في الزبداني من بينهم قائد ميداني يُدعى علي ضاحي من بلدة سحمر في البقاع، كان جرى نقله من القلمون الى الزبداني منذ حوالى أسبوعين مع قادة آخرين من الحزب تمهيداً لاقتحام البلدة، وعُلم أن قيادة “حزب الله” تكتمت عن بقية أسماء القتلى بهدف احتواء حالة الإرباك التي سادت أوساط جمهورها في الضاحية، في ظل معلومات تحدثت عن أن من بينهم إثنان على الأقل من المنطقة أحدهم من عائلة “المُقداد” مُلقّب بـ”جبرائيل”.
God of Turth loves Syrian government Bashar and is going to win, our prayers r all for bashar government and rule of law, besides what is giving from above no one can change,,, imps isis warmongers wind is leaving Syria toward black box prison, sky said so