PHOTO: A regime soldier, covered in blankets to protect himself from cold, flees on Saturday from the ISIS assault on Palmyra

LATEST

SUNDAY FEATURE

From East Aleppo — “We Are Dead Either Way”

Jump to Original Entry

UPDATE 1920 GMT: The Islamic State have consolidated after their capture of Palmyra, with further gains to the west of the city:

ISIS is reportedly on the outskirts of the T4 airbase, one of the most important for the regime air force. The facility is also used by Russian warplanes.

Equipment left to ISIS by regime forces in Palmyra, including 5 T-55 tanks, 3 T-72 tanks, and four other armored vehicles:

UPDATE 1800 GMT: Three opposition officials say the US and Russia have put forward a proposal to allow safe passage from eastern Aleppo city for rebels, their families, and other civilians.

Rebel factions have yet to respond to the proposal.

The US-Russian initiative requires any members of the jihadist Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, to go to opposition-held Idlib Province. Rebels, who can take light weapons with them, may go to areas such as northern Aleppo Province, near the Turkish border northeast of Aleppo.

UPDATE 1100 GMT: The Islamic State’s news agency Amaq says that ISIS has re-entered Palmyra and the city has “fallen”.

Pro-Assad activists have acknowledged the loss of Palmyra Castle and military housing and the retreat of regime forces towards the T4 military airport.

An ISIS fighter inside Palmyra:

isis-fighter-palmyra

A purported image of the ISIS flag above a building:

isis-flag-palmyra

The Russian Embassy in the UK has reacted by claiming — without evidence — a conspiracy between rebels and ISIS:

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In a sudden turn of events in Syria’s conflict, the Islamic State is threatening to recapture the historic city of Palmyra from the Assad regime.

On Saturday, ISIS’s lightning offensive entered the Roman-era Palmyra from the north and west, with fighters reaching the center. With many of the regime’s troops and militia fleeing, only a massive Russian and Syrian aerial intervention prevented the collapse of the defenses.

Islamic State fighters still surround the city, retreating to nearby orchards. ISIS claims that it has killed more than 100 regime troops in the operations, which began on Friday morning.

See Syria Daily, Dec 11: Turkey-Rebels Threaten ISIS…While ISIS Threatens Regime

ISIS has been pushed back for more than a year throughout northern Syria, first by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and then by a Turkish-supported rebel offensive. The Islamic State also lost Palmyra, which it had captured in May 2015 from the regime, last March.

On Friday, the Turkish-rebel offensive moved on al-Bab, ISIS’s last major position in Aleppo Province. However, at the same, the Islamic State seized the opportunity offered by the concentration of pro-Assad forces on their attmept to recapture all of Aleppo city.

Pro-Assad outlets, having acknowledged imminent defeat on Saturday afternoon, claimed within hours that the Russian attacks — reportedly including 20 helicopters, six jets, and a Tu-95 bomber — and elite paramilitary units had saved the regime army. The outlets also said Russian special forces are involved in the fight.

The regime military acknowledged that ISIS had closed on Palmyra from the northwest and southeast, but said reinforcements had been sent.

The Islamic State’s news agency Amaq said the offensive is also threatening the Palmyra airport, east of the city, which Russia has been using for operations against opposition territory.

The loss of Palmyra would be a blow to President Assad, who has been hailing the imminent recapture of Aleppo city as a step towards “total victory” in Syria’s 68-month conflict.

It would also dent Russian pride. After last March’s capture of the city, Moscow sent an orchestra to Palmyra for a ceremony hailing the Russian salvation of ancient culture.

Pro-Assad Offensive Checked in Eastern Aleppo

Meanwhile, the pro-Assad offensive to recapture opposition-held eastern Aleppo city has been checked.

The offensive, which began on November 26, has taken about 75% of the opposition territory. However, since Thursday it has been met with rebel resistance which claims to have killed scores of foreign fighters and regime troops and militia.

The pro-Assad forces have been unable to take Shiekh Saeed, at the southern edge of the opposition pocket, despite attempts since the first days of the offensive.

“There’s no advance by the regime. [Rebels] have stopped them several times,” Zakaria Malahifji, an official of the Fastaqim rebel faction, said on Saturday.

As Russian and US specialists met in Geneva on Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Moscow to show a “little grace”:

Fighters…don’t trust that if they agreed to leave to try to save Aleppo that it will save Aleppo and they will be unharmed.

The choice for many of them…is to die in Aleppo, die in (neighboring) Idlib, but die.

“They Were Brilliant Children. But All This Ended.”

A teacher in east Aleppo offers a snapshot of the casualties from pro-Assad attacks:

The teacher explains:

They were sleeping at home with theit mother in my neighbourhood. A barrel bombd put their house to the ground. They didn’t die.

They were trapped under the rubble….The regime sniper targeted anyone who tried to help them because their house is on the frontline.Two hours [later] the mother was begging for help.

White Helmet Rescuer Killed in Douma

The White Helmets civil defense service reports the death of another volunteer, Hassan Al-Muhshi.

Muhshi was killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma, which has been besieged since 2012 and under intense bombardment in recent weeks, as his team rescued civilians.

More than 150 White Helmets volunteers have been killed by pro-Assad attacks since the formation of the organization in 2013.

douma-white-helmet-killed