Syrian rebels turned their attacks against airbases as they try to reduce the strength of the government’s air power being deployed against them.
Rebels detained more than 16 members of the Syrian armed forces after storming a building in the city of Bukmal in Deir Ezzour province near Iraq’s border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on its Facebook page. Those captured included officers and regular conscripts, the U.K.-based group said.
Syrian forces have used helicopters and jet fighters in their 17-month battle as rebels try to oust President Bashar al- Assad. More than 23,000 people have died since the uprising began in March last year, according to the Observatory.
Government forces killed at least 111 people today, the Syrian Network for Human Rights was cited as saying by Al Arabiya television. They shelled areas of Homs and Aleppo and used tank fire in the neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar Aswad in the capital of Damascus, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said in an e-mailed statement earlier today, when it put the death toll at 89.
Rebels won control of parts of the Abu Zhuhoor military airport in the northern province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory group said. They also attacked Kwers military airport in Aleppo and destroyed three warplanes, Al Jazeera reported, citing activists.
The United Nations envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said he can’t accomplish his mission without “the support and consensus” of the UN Security Council. Brahimi told Al Arabiya today that “the primary responsibility for stopping the violence rests with the Syrian government.”
The rebel Free Syrian Army said it is going to target civilian planes using the airports in Damascus and Aleppo starting Sept. 3 because it suspects the government is using the flights to get weapons from Russia, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. The warning was posted yesterday on the group’s Facebook page.
The London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported that rebel officials said they would direct attacks against the civilian airports because they are being used to support Syrian military operations.
In recent days, the rebels have reported downing several helicopters and at least two government jet fighters involved in attacks against the opposition’s forces and civilians. While videos have been posted online and broadcast, the details have not been independently verified.
To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Riyadh at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at [email protected]
Rebels detained more than 16 members of the Syrian armed forces after storming a building in the city of Bukmal in Deir Ezzour province near Iraq’s border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on its Facebook page. Those captured included officers and regular conscripts, the U.K.-based group said.
Syrian forces have used helicopters and jet fighters in their 17-month battle as rebels try to oust President Bashar al- Assad. More than 23,000 people have died since the uprising began in March last year, according to the Observatory.
Government forces killed at least 111 people today, the Syrian Network for Human Rights was cited as saying by Al Arabiya television. They shelled areas of Homs and Aleppo and used tank fire in the neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar Aswad in the capital of Damascus, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said in an e-mailed statement earlier today, when it put the death toll at 89.
Rebels won control of parts of the Abu Zhuhoor military airport in the northern province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory group said. They also attacked Kwers military airport in Aleppo and destroyed three warplanes, Al Jazeera reported, citing activists.
The United Nations envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said he can’t accomplish his mission without “the support and consensus” of the UN Security Council. Brahimi told Al Arabiya today that “the primary responsibility for stopping the violence rests with the Syrian government.”
The rebel Free Syrian Army said it is going to target civilian planes using the airports in Damascus and Aleppo starting Sept. 3 because it suspects the government is using the flights to get weapons from Russia, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. The warning was posted yesterday on the group’s Facebook page.
The London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported that rebel officials said they would direct attacks against the civilian airports because they are being used to support Syrian military operations.
In recent days, the rebels have reported downing several helicopters and at least two government jet fighters involved in attacks against the opposition’s forces and civilians. While videos have been posted online and broadcast, the details have not been independently verified.
To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Riyadh at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at [email protected]