PHOTO: Boy is carried away after regime bombing of Douma, near Damascus, on Tuesday (Reuters)

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WEDNESDAY FEATURE

Joint Operations Room in Jordan Halted Rebel Assault on Key Regime Airbase


The Local Coordination Committees report that almost 100 people died in rebel-held areas of Syria on Tuesday, as the regime bombarded with barrel bombs and “elephant rockets”.

At least 27 people died when the Damascus suburb of Douma was struck by the elephant rockets, named after the distinctive noise they make when they are launched. The weapons are constructed by attaching rocket motors to much larger bombs, increasing destructive effect while reducing range and accuracy.

Douma, the base of the rebel faction Jaish al-Islam, has been besieged for three years by the Syrian military.

See Syria Feature: Enduring the 3-Year Siege Near Damascus

Another 30 people were killed in Daraa Province in southern Syria from barrel-bombing. Twenty-four were killed amid fighting in Aleppo Province.

Aftermath of the attack on Douma, with a man searching as he hears the voices of his wife and daughter in rubble:

In a statement on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, “I think everybody’s patience is wearing thin with respect to the extraordinary depravity of the weaponry and mechanisms for delivery which Assad has used against his own people.”

Kerry said that he had discussed the regime’s use of chemical weapons with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by phone, and that he was confident Lavrov would raise the issue with Assad.


Rebels Claim Gains In and Near Aleppo City

Rebels are claiming gains today in and near Aleppo city, in what could be a growing offensive against the regime in the divided area.

A media activist with the rebels says that the fighters have taken control of the northern part of the al-Rashidin area of western Aleppo city. North of the city, rebels have moved into sections of Bashkoy village, which was occupied by the regime in February.

Rebels in the al-Jazira district (see map), north of al-Rashidin:

Rebels in Bashkoy, including the camp of Afghans fighting with Assad forces (Warning — Graphic Images of Slain Regime Soldiers):

The rebel coalition Jaish al-Shamiya has raised the prospect of an offensive since almost all of neighboring Idlib Province was captured this spring; however, the drive was delayed when the Islamic State attacked rebels in northern Aleppo Province in late May, diverting troops that would have been used for the offensive.

On Tuesday, rebels signaled that the push had begun, with the capture of several buildings in the Layramoun district in western Aleppo city.


Kurdish Leader Muslim: We Will Support Free Syrian Army Offensive against Islamic State in Raqqa

The leader of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Muslim, has indicated that the Kurdish YPG militia will support a Free Syrian Army offensive to retake the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State.

The operating areas of the groups that we operate together with, the Burkan al-Firat, which is a component of the FSA and the Liwa al-Tahrir, are in the vicinity of Raqqa. They will work together with the YPG and, if they deem it necessary, conduct an operation. We will do all that we can in order for the ISIL [Islamic State] to be finished off.


Syrian Head of Air Force Intelligence in Suweida Province Killed in Rebel Attack on al-Thala Airbase

Pro-regime social media outlets have confirmed the death of Colonel Louay al-Ali, the head of Air Force Intelligence in Suweida Province in southern Syria, in last week’s rebel attack on the al-Thala Airbase.

LOUAY AL-ALI


Video: Rebel Drone Films Destroyed Village in Idlib Province


Website Apologizes for “False” Story That Kurdish Leader Criticized Militia for Expelling Arabs

Qasioun News has issued an apology for its “false” story claiming that a Kurdish leader had criticized militia for “cleansing” of Arab areas, amid an advance against the Islamic State in northeast Syria.

The website had said that Nisreen Abdullah, a leader of the Kurdish women’s militia YPJ, had said counterparts in the YPG militia had expelled Arab residents from two villages. She had supposedly said that fighters would be punished.

See Syria Daily, June 16: Kurdish Commander Reportedly Apologizes for “Violations” of Forces Against Arabs Near and In Tel Abyad

Qasioun News, blaming the erroneous report on claims from activists, apologized both to Abdullah and the Kurdish leadership.


Funeral for Iranian General Killed in Southern Syria in April

Brigadier General Hadi Kajbaf, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, was buried on Tuesday in southwestern Iran.

Kajbaf was killed on April 19 as rebels captured Busra al-Harir in Daraa Province in southern Syria. He was reportedly one of the first Iranian commanders to fight in Syria, with operations in Daraa, Quneitra, and Damascus Provinces.

Iran lost several high-ranking officers this spring amid rebel advances and failed regime offensives in both northwest and southern Syria. Iranian fighters, as well as Afghans recruited by Iran and Iraqi militias, were also slain.


UN Envoy De Mistura Meets Assad in Damascus

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, trying to resuscitate his efforts for a negotiated settlement to the crisis, met President Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.

Syrian State media SANA said Assad and de Mistura “agreed…to find a successful political solution in Syria and to return security and stability throughout Syria”.

DE MISTURA ASSAD

For months, De Mistura pursued a proposal for a short-term “freeze” to fighting in Aleppo to provide for humanitarian aid and open space for talks. The effort failed when the envoy denied a rebel demand that the freeze be extended throughout northwest Syria, including over opposition-held areas.

Last month, De Mistura attempted a new round of consultative talks in Geneva, but with only limited involvement by regime, rebel, or opposition groups. The envoy said he will present an assessment in July to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

SANA said Assad and de Mistura also discussed the killing of at least 31 people by rebel rocket fire on Monday in Aleppo.

Assad said, “The whole world must wake up to the danger that this terrorism poses to security and stability, and it must take a clear and firm position against those who fund and arm and facilitate movement for terrorists,” according to SANA.

A statement by de Mistura condemned the deaths, but said they should not “justify in any case a retaliation on populated areas through barrel bombs by the Syrian government”.

Barrel bombs are crude weapons, made of containers packed with explosives and scrap metal, that are typically dropped from helicopters and are one of the regime’s weapons of choice.

Their use has been criticised by human rights groups because of the indiscriminate death toll they cause among civilians when dropped on residential areas.