PHOTO: Rebels in Harjaleh in northern Syria after capturing the village from the Islamic State


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In another twist in Syria’s conflict, rebels — supported by Turkish and coalition aircraft — have claimed victories against the Islamic State along the Turkish border.

The advance by the Levant Front and the faction Liwa Sultan Murad is the first notable cooperation between a rebel force on the ground with Turkish and US warplanes. At least six aircraft supported the ground assault.

The area claimed included the villages of Dalha and Harjaleh. The Islamic State had occupied them in August.

Rebels in Harjaleh:

Footage of the operations:

The US has rejected a Turkish proposal for a 98-km (61-mile) protected area along the border. The Obama Administration has said that it will support initiatives to clear the Islamic State from northern Aleppo Province, but its emphasis has been on airstrikes and backing of Kurdish-led attacks on ISIS further to the east.

The Islamic State and rebels have faced each other along a frontline in the province since early 2014, when the two sides began fighting across Syria.


Rebels Counter-Attack South of Aleppo

Rebels have lifted a media blackout to give some information about their counter-attack south of Aleppo city.

Pro-opposition outlets report the assault on al-Eis, taken earlier this month by foreign-led regime forces, with four Iranian tanks destroyed. However, they also note that rebels are facing Russian airstrikes trying to check their attacks.

Footage of the faction Liwa Fursan al-Haqq destroying several regime vehicles and killing fighters with a single anti-tank missile on Tal al-Eis:

Rebels also claim they withstood regime attacks on Khan Touman and the ICARDA agricultural facility, near the Aleppo-to-Damascus highway, despite Russian aerial bombardment.

Iranian, Hezbollah, and Iraqi units led a regime advance that took the town of al-Hadher and neared the M5 international highway earlier this month, but they were stopped short of the route and the border of rebel-held Idlib Province as rebels promised a counter-offensive.


Report: Desperate Father Loses His Children in Russian Airstrike on Aleppo

Rami Jarrah, who has been reporting on Russian airstrikes on opposition-held parts of Aleppo, posts a video about a father who desperately searches for his children after an attack — those around him do not dare tell him that the children are buried under the rubble.

A report from Jarrah on November 18 in the Kalasah section:

See also Syria Report: The Destruction of East Aleppo’s Health Care System


Regime Forces Press Rebels in Northeast Latakia

After being frustrated for more than a month, Syrian forces have taken territory in northeast Latakia Province in western Syria.

Regime troops claimed a series of villages and hilltops in the al-Ziwayqat mountains.

Supported by Russian airstrikes, the Syrian military launched attacks on October 7 across a wide front in northeast Latakia, hoping to put pressure on rebel-held areas of the neighboring Idlib and Hama Provinces. However, until last week, they had made little progress, including towards the key town of Salma.

On Saturday, a pro-opposition journalist warned:

An opposition website reports that more than 2,000 civilians have fled the latest fighting.

LATAKIA CIVILIANS FLEE