Syrian army pounds Aleppo airbase: NGO
12 Jun 2013 12:36 AM GMT
Syria’s army launched multiple attacks on rebel positions Tuesday in the northern province of Aleppo, including insurgent-held areas of a key airbase, a monitoring group said.
Syrian government forces shelled parts of the Minnigh military airbase a day after rebels seized its strategic radar tower, months into a battle for the site in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
‘Parts of Minnigh military airbase were shelled by regime forces... Rebels are in control of large swathes of the airbase,’ the Britain-based Observatory said.
Other areas of Aleppo came under fire, two days after pro-regime media said the army would launch a campaign within ‘hours or days’ to retake insurgent-held areas of the province.
Regime forces also shelled the opposition-controlled villages of Deir Hafer and Al-Bab, while the army used rocket fire to hit the insurgent stronghold of Marea, the Observatory said.
There were unconfirmed reports of a ground-to-ground missile strike in northern Aleppo province, the watchdog added.
The violence came almost a week after troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, aided by fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, seized the strategic town of Qusayr from the rebels.
Armed with a new confidence and boosted by its Lebanese Shiite ally’s help in Qusayr, Assad’s regime will now look to taking strategic rebel positions elsewhere in the country, activists say.
‘The regime’s aim is to attack the northern and western countryside of Aleppo, in order to cut off supplies to rebels elsewhere in the province,’ said Aleppo-based activist Mohammad al-Khatib, who spoke to media online.
Syrian government forces shelled parts of the Minnigh military airbase a day after rebels seized its strategic radar tower, months into a battle for the site in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
‘Parts of Minnigh military airbase were shelled by regime forces... Rebels are in control of large swathes of the airbase,’ the Britain-based Observatory said.
Other areas of Aleppo came under fire, two days after pro-regime media said the army would launch a campaign within ‘hours or days’ to retake insurgent-held areas of the province.
Regime forces also shelled the opposition-controlled villages of Deir Hafer and Al-Bab, while the army used rocket fire to hit the insurgent stronghold of Marea, the Observatory said.
There were unconfirmed reports of a ground-to-ground missile strike in northern Aleppo province, the watchdog added.
The violence came almost a week after troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, aided by fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, seized the strategic town of Qusayr from the rebels.
Armed with a new confidence and boosted by its Lebanese Shiite ally’s help in Qusayr, Assad’s regime will now look to taking strategic rebel positions elsewhere in the country, activists say.
‘The regime’s aim is to attack the northern and western countryside of Aleppo, in order to cut off supplies to rebels elsewhere in the province,’ said Aleppo-based activist Mohammad al-Khatib, who spoke to media online.
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