LATEST: Video — Fighting Between Army & Gunmen in Tripoli in Northern Lebanon

There are differing visions this morning of the Syrian military’s capture of Morek, the town in Hama Province on the main highway between Hama and Idlib Province in northwestern Syria.

See Syria Feature: Regime Takes Key Town of Morek in Hama Province

State TV hails the victory, while blaming destruction on the “terrorists” rather than on the regime’s protracted bombing — including up to 90 strikes, with barrel bombs and “elephant” rockets, just before the final ground offensive.

A Syrian commander claimed the army had dismantled more than 30 improvised explosive devices weighing between 50 and 300 kilograms (110 and 660 pounds). He said Syrian troops “found dozens of terrorist bases which consists of fortified cellars and underground shelters, in addition to a workshop used to manufacture the explosive shells”.

Opposition sources offer a different picture, claiming that regime forces are burning down the homes of civilians — “well, those still standing after the months long bombardment”.

Meanwhile, insurgents are trying to re-establish lines near the town and preparing for a possible regime push into Idlib Province, challenging the opposition’s hold of territory from Khan Sheikhoun to Maarat al-Numan.


Video: Fighting Between Army & Gunmen in Tripoli in Northern Lebanon

Smoke rises from the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood in Tripoli in northern Lebanon, as the army fights gunmen:

One civilian has been killed and at least 20 people, including eight soldiers, were wounded. Unconfirmed claims say 12 gunmen have died.

During a two-hour ceasefire on Saturday, the army evacuated the wounded as citizens evacuated the area. Local religious figures entered Bab al-Tabbaneh to negotiate for a withdrawal of the attackers.

A 17-year-old Lebanese boy, a Syrian, and a Lebanese photographer were among those wounded in the fighting, the most intense in Tripoli since the Government implemented a security plan in the spring to end clashes between opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The fighting began Friday evening after gunmen attacked an Army patrol unit in Tripoli’s old souks.

Video: A Tour of Kurdish Positions in East of Kobane

Journalists Abdul Rahman Gök and Ersin Çaksu tour the east of Kobane and interview Kurdish troops — including elderly and female fighters — about their defense against the Islamic State: