PHOTO: Smoke rises from the regime enclave of Fu’ah in Idlib Province after a rebel attack

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Rebels have halted talks for local ceasefires near Damascus and in northwest Syria, as they renewed attacks on regime forces throughout the country.

Speaking for rebels and residents, the leading faction Ahrar al-Shambroke off discussions on Saturday over Zabadani, the town northwest of Damascus under a Hezbollah-regime assault for six weeks. The group blamed Iranians who have been representing the Assad regime in the negotiations:

Iran insists on displacing civilians from Zabadani and nearby areas which we refused.

The plan for sectarian=based displacement — emptying Damascus, its surroundings and all the areas along the border with Lebanon of Sunni presence — is now in its final stages.

Under a tentative agreement, rebels were to be allowed to leave Zabadani in return for a halt on their attacks on two fortified regime enclaves, north of Idlib city in northwest Syria.

With the halt to discussions, rebels renewed shelling and rocket fire on Fu’ah and Kafraya, which have been surrounded as the rest of Idlib Province was taken by the opposition this spring.

In southern Syria near the Jordanian border, rebels continued their offensive to take the regime-controlled parts of Daraa city, where the uprising against the Assad regime began in March 2011. The Free Syrian Army set off its first remote-controlled bomb in the conflict.

Jaish al-Islam, the leading rebel faction near Damascus, launched attacks on areas northeast of the capital such as Harasta, while rebels continued to press their attacks in Darayya, southwest of Damascus.

In northern Homs Province, which has been relatively quiet this year, rebels attacked regime positions in the villages of Jabbourin, Kafernan, and Tasneen. They claimed a significant advance in Tasneen, killing and injuring dozens of Assad forces and destroying armored vehicles.

Rebels in a firefight inside a building in Darayya:

Activists: Regime Imposes Full Siege on 100,000s in City of al-Tal Near Damascus

Opposition activists are accusing the Syrian military of imposing a full siege on the city of al-Tal, north of Damascus.

The activists say a partial siege limited movement, food, and supplies about three weeks ago. On Saturday, a complete blockade cut roads to Damascus and neighboring towns and villages.

Al-Tal had a pre-conflict population of about 45,000 people in the 2004 census; however, its population has been swollen in recent years by hundreds of thousands of displaced persons.

Turkey: We Were Not Informed by US of Airstrikes on Rebels Last Week

A “Turkish government official” has said that Ankara was not told by the US of Tuesday’s airstrikes on a rebel faction inside Syria near the border.

“The US did not inform Turkey about the coalition air strikes that hit northern Syrian town of Atmeh,” the official said.

The US, flying from Incirlik Airbase in southern Turkey, hit a factory built by the independent rebel faction Jaish al-Sunna to make mortars and ammunition. At least 25 people, including civilians, were reportedly killed.

The airstrikes came as Turkey and the US were discussing implementation of a 98-km (61-mile) long area along the border — described as a “safe zone” by Ankara — to be cleared of Islamic State fighters.

See Syria Analysis: 4 Reasons Why Turkey and US Must Make Hard Choices

Jabhat al-Nusra Release Commander and 6 Troops from Division w US-Trained Fighters

The Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra has released the commander and six troops from the Free Syrian Army’s Division 30, the unit which hosted 54 US-trained fighters this summer.

Jabhat al-Nusra seized Colonel Nadim Hassan, his deputy, and the other soldiers on July 29, days after the US-trained troops entered northern Syria from Turkey.

Two days later, Jabhat al-Nusra attacked Division 30’s headquarters, killing five soldiers, injuring 18, and capturing more. The US-led coalition responded with airstrikes on al-Nusra positions.

See Syria Daily, August 1: US War with Jabhat al-Nusra Escalates

However, last week rebel factions obtained the agreement of Jabhat al-Nusra to withdraw its fighters from an area near the Turkish border which may become a “safe zone”. The redeployment, with al-Nusra’s units moving closer near Aleppo city, is intended to ease tension and prevent any US bombing of rebel positions.

Humanitarian Organizations Appeal to Obama to Protect Syria’s Civilians

Representatives of humanitarian organizations and foundations have written an open letter to Barack Obama, appealing to the President to act against the killing of Syrian civilians:

We urge that the protection of Syrian civilians – both for humanitarian reasons and for the
purpose of combatting extremism – become a centerpiece of your foreign policy. The barrel
bombing of residential neighborhoods must be stopped. We support an all-out diplomatic effort
to make it stop, focusing on the Syrian government’s external supporters. We recognize that
military action to save innocent lives may be necessary if diplomacy fails.

Signatories include former Government officials and leaders of Refugees International, GOAL, the Syrian American Medical Society, Syrian Emergency Task Force, United for a Free Syria, Avaaz, and the Atlantic Council.

Kafranbel Protests Turkish Shootings of Syrian Refugees

The residents of Kafranbel in northwest Syria, known for their protest banner, demonstrate against Turkish shootings of Syrian refugees:

KAFRANBEL 15-08-15

A “senior Turkish official” denied claims that three Syrians trying to cross the border into Turkey were killed by border guards on Friday.