LATEST: At Least 15 Killed in Car Bombings of Jabhat al-Nusra Checkpoint in Aleppo Province

For much of Friday, the real battle between insurgents and Syrian forces in two key regime villages, Nubl and Zahraa, near Aleppo gave way to a battle of words. The insurgents, led by the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra, claimed victory in Nubl while Assad supporter insisted that the attack had been repulsed with the opposition taking heavy casualties.

After several hours, the situation finally settled. The insurgents had a “partial victory”, showing their strength with a move to the center of Nubl before pulling back to defensible lines on the edges of the village. They had destroyed the communications at Tel Nubl, the high point outside the village, and struck the regime’s attempt at reinforcements from elsewhere in northern Syria. At least 65 Syrian militia and foreign fighters had been killed and Nubl’s statue of Hafez al-Assad, the former President and father of the current leader, was destroyed, the insurgents claimed.

Once heavy snow lifted and aerial operations resumed, the resistance of the Syrian militia and foreign allies could avert the immediate threat of Nubl’s capture. The insurgents suffered some losses, including at least one armored vehicle — thus, the pullback from the center.

It is unclear whether the insurgents succeeded in cutting the link between the two villages, occupying the main road to the south of Nubl.

Instead, the military question became, “What Next?” Jabhat al-Nusra promised a “Phase 2” operation as soon as reinforcements were ready. No timetable was given, leaving a vacuum in information this morning — Syrian State media makes no reference to the fighting, and insurgents have imposed a media blackout over their plans.

Nubl and Zahraa are vital for the regime as bases for attacks on the opposition throughout Aleppo Province and northwest Syria. Their capture would relieve pressure on insurgents in other areas, notably Aleppo city, and open up the possibility of further opposition advances throughout the northwest.

Scenes from the fighting:

Claimed footage of captured insurgent tank being paraded in center of Nubl:


At Least 15 Killed in Car Bombings of Jabhat al-Nusra Checkpoint in Aleppo Province

At least 15 people were killed and several wounded on Saturday in a double car bombing of a Jabhat al-Nusra checkpoint in Aleppo Province, according to ANA Press.

Among the dead in the attack near Miskan were four civil defense members.

A third car bomb near Efrin killed two more people, activists said.

First moments after the Miskan blasts (Warning — Graphic Images):

Civil defense looking for victims:

At Least 9 Killed in Suicide Bombing in Tripoli in Northern Lebanon

At least nine people were killed on Saturday night when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded cafe in Tripoli in northern Lebanon.

More than 30 people were wounded in the attack in Jabal Mohsen, a largely-Alawite neighborhood with many supporters of the Assad regime.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Sources from the Arab Democratic Party,the dominant party in Jabal Mohsen, said a second bomber could not get into the cafe and blew himself up outside.

There has been fighting between groups in Jabal Mohsen and in the mainly-Sunni neighboring area of Bab al-Tabbaneh with supporters of the Syrian opposition.

11 US-Led Airstrikes Against Islamic State Near Kobane on Friday-Saturday

The US-led coalition has launched 12 airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria since Friday, all but one near the Kurdish center of Kobane near the Turkish border.

The strikes hit two large Islamic State units and destroyed 15 fighting positions, a building, and a tactical unit, the Combined Joint Task Force said.

Another strike near Hasakeh in eastern Syria destroyed two Islamic State guard facilities.

The US has carried out 17 attacks on the Islamic State near Kobane since Thursday morning.

Opposition’s al-Khatib: I Will Not Attend Talks in Moscow

Moaz al-Khatib, former head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, announced Friday that he will not attend Russian-sponsored talks on the Syrian crisis.

Moscow has been promoting the initiative for a political resolution which will keep President Assad in power. It has been upholding al-Khatib’s participation as a sign of legitimacy.

Al-Khatib, a former imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, stepped down as Coalition head in March 2013. He cited foreign interference in the organization, including by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and has distanced himself from it.

He said on Friday that there were a lack of signs success for the Russian process, which sought a meeting by the end of January:

It is necessary to stop the shelling and killing of our people, and we haven’t received any response about this….

We have no objection to any political negotiations to halt the suffering of our people, but what was mentioned about subsequent meetings with a delegation from the regime cannot take place without the release of detainees, and especially women and children.

Therefore, after consultations with my colleagues, I’ve decided to not take part, in a personal or other capacity.