PHOTO: Protesters in Tartous gather amid fears over regime soldiers in Kuweires Airbase


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Developing: Reports — US Airstrike Hits “Moderate” Rebel Faction, At Least 25 Killed
Videos: Two Contrasting Images of Regime’s Retreat from Hama Province


The Islamic State renewed its attacks on the Assad military’s last airbases in northern Syria on Monday, killing a number of officers.

The Kweires Airbase (see map) in eastern Aleppo Province has been under attack since December 2012, initially by rebels and then by the Islamic State when they expanded their positions in the area last year. Since early May, the Islamic State has stepped up the siege, with periodic ground assaults.

The Islamic State has limited news of its attacks on the base, to prevent pinpointing of its operations. However, accounts on social media claimed yesterday that up to 13 regime officers, including three generals, had been killed.

The Syrian military had hoped to lift the siege this summer, but elite forces had to be redeployed to face the rebel offensive in the al-Ghab Plain in Hama Province. Evacuation of the personnel is difficult, given that the base is completely surrounded.

See Syria Daily, August 10: Can Assad’s Forces Hold A Line of Defense in Hama Province?

Although operational, the airbase is one of the least important for the regime’s aerial attacks across Syria.

News of the Islamic State’s attacks and regime casualties sparked a rare protest in the coastal city of Tartous, with dozens of residents calling on the regime to rescue their relatives in the armed forces.

The crowd gathered on Monday outside the headquarters of the provincial Government, demanding a lifting of the Islamic State’s siege. Their placards included “We want the bodies of our martyrs and “We want our injured”.

The Governor of Tartous, Safwan Abou Saadeh, tried to reassure demonstrators:

We are steadfast; the battle is continuing and it is in its final stages.

Victory will surely come and our trust in the protectors of the homes is strong, despite the intensity of the attack and the battles on several fronts.


Report: US Airstrike Hits Faction in Rebel Coalition, At Least 25 Killed

Claims are circulating on social media that a US airstrike in northern Syria, targeting a faction in the Jaish al-Fateh rebel coalition, has killed at least 25 people.

Now see Syria Developing: Reports — US Airstrike Hits “Moderate” Rebel Faction, At Least 25 Killed


Islamic State Steps Up Offensive v. Rebels in Northern Aleppo Province

The Islamic State has stepped up its offensive against rebels in northern Aleppo Province, moving on the frontline town of Mare’ after taking a nearby village.

Dozens of combatants were reportedly killed on Tuesday in and near Mare’, 20 km (13 miles) south of the Turkish border, following four Islamic state suicide car bombs overnight.

On Sunday, the Islamic State took the village of Um Hosh, killing more than 50 rebels and capturing a commander.

A rebel commander said the battles were the heaviest in several months in the war with the Islamic State in Aleppo Province: “There is fierce fighting. The situation in northern Aleppo is bad.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the Islamic State said its fighters attacked two buildings in Mare’ and killed nearly 50 members of an “apostate” unit.

Meanwhile, Ahrar al-Sham, the largest faction in Syria’s rebellion, has announced its support for Turkey’s plan of a 68-km (42-mile) “safe zone” in northern Aleppo along the border.

The faction called for broader cooperation between rebel groups while rejecting any “foreign invasion forces or dictations and pressure from outside nations”.


Saudis Rebuff Russia “Peace Initiative” in Moscow Talks

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has rebuffed a Russian initiative for a political resolution in Syria, maintaining that President Assad must give up power.

Russia hosted Jubeir in talks on Tuesday, in the latest stage of a seven-week attempt by Moscow and Iran to bring together the Assad regime and the Saudis in discussions.

See Syria Feature: “Peace Talks” — What Did Saudis Tell Assad’s Top Security Advisor?

Russia and Iran have said the accommodation between Damascus and Riyadh is vital in the fight against the Islamic State.

However, Jubeir countered today a news conference after talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov:

A key reason behind the emergence of Islamic State was the actions of Assad who directed his arms at his nation, not Islamic State.

Assad is part of the problem, not part of the solution to the Syrian crisis….There is no place for Assad in the future of Syria.

Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry had presented Jubeir with the initative — begun by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a June meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sultan — in talks last week.

“The talks are about…coordinating all those who are already fighting terrorists so that they put their main focus on fighting terrorism and leave for later settling scores between themselves,” Lavrov said. “More coordinated efforts on the ground would help reach the goal.”

He said Moscow would hold separate talks with Syrian opposition representatives, including the externally-based Syrian National Coalition and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union in coming days.


Geneva NGO’s Human Rights Training for Rebels and Kurdish Police

The NGO Geneva Call has announced its training of more than 80 Syrian rebels in international humanitarian norms.

The instruction in July included officers and troops from both the Free Syrian Army and Jaish al-Islam. Three one-day courses were held in Aleppo and Latakia Province, and an additional course was convened for an FSA brigade outside Syria.

Geneva Call also conducted two further three-day training courses for 65 members of the Kurdish police force in northeastern Syria.

The NGO says that the rebels “had only a very basic knowledge of the laws applicable in situations of armed conflict”, offering as an example the status of a person delivering food to an enemy.


State Media: President Assad’s Cousin Arrested After Road Rage Murder of Military Officer

State media reports that Suleiman al-Assad, a cousin of the President, has been arrested over the alleged murder of a colonel in the Syrian Army.

Suleiman al-Assad, the son of Bashar al-Assad’s first cousin, reportedly killed Colonel Hassan Al-Sheikh of the Engineering Corps after a minor accident in which Assad’s jeep was damaged. He was said to have shot the officer seven times in the chest with an AK-47.

The incident sparked protests by thousands of people in Latakia city — considered a base of support for the regime — over the weekend.

See Syria Daily, August 9: Protests Over Assad Cousin’s “Road Rage” Killing of Colonel

State media did not say where the arrest was made; however, a pro-regime outlet said it was in a town outside Latakia.

Earlier on Monday, the victim’s wife told the pro-regime Al-Watan newspaper that she had “received a promise from President Assad to punish the perpetrator, whoever he is”.