ALSO IN WEDNESDAY FORECAST

Regime Airstrikes Flatten Blocks of Houses in Maarat al-Numan; “Many” Casualties
Leader of Internal Opposition Arrested
Video: Suicide Bomb Against Regime Checkpoint on Damascus-to-Homs Road
Turkey Calls for Peace Conference to Stop Assad Escalation of Violence
Coalition President Jarba Discusses Qatar’s Role In Support Of Syria With Qatari Prime Minister

WEDNESDAY FEATURES

Spotlight: How Qara Fell to Assad’s Military
Spotlight: In Bulgaria, Syrians Spend Winter In Freezing Tents, While 1000s More Make Harrowing Journey To Jordan

Syria’s military has claimed its first victory in the 5-day Qalamoun offensive, declaring that it captured the town of Qara on the Damascus-to-Homs road.

President Assad’s forces are trying to take the Qalamoun mountains and surrounding countryside, controlloing the territory between the capital and Lebanon to the north and west. Qara is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Damascus.

State TV highlighted the victory in its evening broadcast, following coverage of Tuesday’s double bombing in Beirut (jump to 6:08 mark):

The General Command declared, “Establishing control over Qara helps cut off terrorists’ support lines and crossing points heading towards the Lebanese borders and closes the eastern gate of al-Qalamoun area in the direction of the central region, which will limit the infiltration of terrorists and weapon smuggling into Syria.”

Regime Airstrikes Flatten Blocks of Houses in Maarat al-Numan; “Many” Casualties

An EA correspondent reports that regime airstrikes, including barrel bombs, have destroyed blocks of houses in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib Province in northwest Syria.

The correspondent says the “many” casualties are still being counted.

Video has been posted of the recovery of bodies and children injured in the attacks.

Leader of Internal Opposition Arrested

Syria’s internal opposition, the National Coordinating Committee for Democratic Change, says Secretary-General Raja al-Nasir has been arrested.

Video: Suicide Bomb Against Regime Checkpoint on Damascus-to-Homs Road

The Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham is claiming a suicide bombing of a regime checkpoint, amid the Syrian military’s Qalamoun offensive, on the Damascus-to-Homs road:

Turkey Calls for Peace Conference to Stop Assad Escalation of Violence

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called for an international “peace” conference as soon as possible, to halt an escalation of attacks and cut-off of aid by Damascus.

“The (Assad) regime is orchestrating an absolute human tragedy by ramping up its bombings recently and leaving its people starving through a siege,” Davutoglu told a news conference in Istanbul. “Geneva 2 should convene, produce results … and the calendar should not be allowed to be exploited.”

Davutoglu’s reported comments did not indicate how the Syrian opposition, backed by Turkey, would be convinced to attend the talks.

The opposition has refused to participate without a promise that President Assad will step down.

Coalition President Jarba Discusses Qatar’s Role In Support Of Syria With Qatari Prime Minister

In a special meeting in Doha with the Qatari Prime Minister on Wednesday, the President of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed Al-Jarba discussed ways in which Qatar could continue to support the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

According to the Coalition, Jarba and Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani talked about the importance of Qatar’s role in the opposition.

Jarba also met with Yusuf al-Qaradawi, head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, who urged the Syrian people to “continue their steadfastness”, and said that the “victory of this revolution (was) a victory for all the countries of the region and the Islamic world.”

The Doha visit to Doha is part of a series of consultations with other Arab States sympathetic to the Syrian revolution, “to unify the political vision prior to the international peace conference in Geneva”, the Coalition said in a statement.