PHOTO: Fires on the southern Aleppo front on Wednesday night after Russian bombardment

LATEST

THURSDAY FEATURE

Appeal by Women of Besieged Darayya — “There is No Food”

Trying to reverse an offensive by rebels and Jabhat al-Nusra that has regained territory south of Aleppo city, Russia has renewed its intense bombing.

Moscow had halted aerial operations because of the February 27 cessation of hostilities, brokered by the US and Russia. However, last Friday the rebel-Nusra lighting attack retook areas which had been seized by a regime-Iranian-Hezbollah ground assault from last October, enabled by Moscow’s initial waves of airstrikes.

The territory gained included the town of al-Eis, on the Aleppo-to-Damascus highway, and nearby hills. A series of attacks led by Iranian forces and including Hezbollah and foreign militias failed, and a regime Su-22 jet fighter on a bombing mission was downed by rebels with an anti-aircraft missile.

See Syria Feature: Rebels Defeat Iran-Led Attack on South Aleppo Front

The Russian military then decided to resume support. On Wednesday, it reportedly used cluster bombs and white phosphorus in addition to other bombs and missiles.

This morning Russian and regime aerial attacks, including barrel bombs, are also reported on the Sheikh Maqsoud area of Aleppo, where Kurdish YPG militia have been fighting rebels, and on the al-Castello supply road into the city.

Russian officials did not mention the southern Aleppo front in their announcement of the operations, instead referring to the clashes in Aleppo city, framing the rebels as Jabhat al-Nusra “terrorists”:

After artillery preparation, terrorists of gang formations controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra with the overall strength of up to 1,500 people, supported by 3 tanks and 20 vehicles with mounted heavy machine guns from the districts of Ashrafia and Ash-Shababi of the city of Aleppo attacked the positions of the Kurdish militia in the Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood.

See Syria Daily, April 6: Fighting Escalates Between Kurdish Militia and Rebels in Aleppo

So far there is no reported advance on the ground by the Iranian-led force. Pro-regime sites falsely claimed on Wednesday that al-Eis and the nearby hills had been recaptured before retracting the story. A pro-regime blogger acknowledged, that there is “very little Syrian Army at this front right now”.

The US Pentagon responded to news of the latest bombardment, “There are still hiccups in the ceasefire that are happening from day to day.”

Jaish al-Islam To Put Commander on Trial For “Unauthorized Firing” in Aleppo City

The rebel faction Jaish al-Islam has said that it will try a commander in military court for “violating orders and using unauthorized weapons” in Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo city.

Kurdish outlets said that 18 civilians were killed by shelling on Tuesday amid clashes between the Kurdish militia YPG and rebels.

See Syria Daily, April 6: Fighting Escalates Between Kurdish Militia and Rebels in Aleppo

Continuing Advance v. Islamic State, Rebels Capture Al-Rai Border Crossing and Village in Aleppo Province

Continuing their eastward advance against the Islamic State in northern Aleppo Province, rebels have captured the al-Rai crossing and village on the Turkish border (see map).

FSA AL-RAI 07-04-16

The village after the FSA reclaimed it:

AL RAI 04-16

After a back-and-forth battle with ISIS for two years, rebels have gained the initiative since a February 27 cessation of hostilities eased pressure on them from pro-Assad and Kurdish attacks. The rebel factions have also been supported by Turkish artillery fire, with hopes of reaching the key city of Jarablus before Kurdish-led forces arrive from northeastern Syria.

The US Ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, said on Thursday that the US and Ankara are discussing support of the rebels:

We have had some progress in recent weeks as these groups [ISIS] pushed further east along the border. We will continue to focus on that area. There is conversation with the Turkish military and government to talk about opportunities to intensify support to those groups and to push Daesh east from the current line.

Bass denied that the US is providing arms and ammunition to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Both Regime and Rebels Fighting Islamic State Near Dumayr

Both regime forces and the rebel faction Jaish al-Islam are fighting Islamic State units near Dumayr, northeast of Damascus.

The Islamic State has attacked regime positions at the Dumayr Military Airport and the Tishreen power station for days, reportedly using vehicle-borne suicide bombs. The assault is part of an offensive in the eastern Qalamoun Mountains, countering the advance by pro-Assad forces which has taken Palmyra and Quraytayn in Homs Province.

Amid the fighting, scores of people are feared to have been abducted from a dormitory at a cement factory on the outskirts of Dumayr town, about 40 km (25 miles) from the capital.

The factory administrator put the number of missing at 250, while rebel sources said it was up to 200.

At the same time, the rebel faction Jaish al-Islam has continued to battle ISIS near Dumayr city.

The pro-regime Al-Masdar News is claiming that regime forces allowed safe passage to the rebels to carry out operations. However, local sources say there is no basis for the assertion.

Jaish al-Islam evacuating civilians from the area of the fighting between the regime and the Islamic State:

500+ Arbitrary Arrests by Regime in March — Total Almost 215,000

The Syrian Network for Human Rights reports at least 517 cases of arbitrary detention in March, 99% of them by regime forces.

The SNHR says the total of arbitarily-detained people is now almost 215,000, including “large numbers of women and children”. It said widespread arrest campaigns included the Damascus suburb of Barzeh, where a truce and “reconciliation” were declared in March 2014.

The detainees included university students, civil servants, humanitarian and relief workers, merchants, and currency traders in Damascus, Hama, and Aleppo.