PHOTO: Claimed image of fighters of Syrian Army’s 4th Mechanized Division in west Aleppo before Saturday’s offensive

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UPDATE 1315 GMT: Pro-opposition activists report that pro-Assad forces are trying to advance, with intense air cover and shelling. on the al-Mallah Farms north of Aleppo.

Bombing has been reported in 14 areas in and near Aleppo.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Pro-regime outlets are claiming that the Syrian military and its allies have sent elite units for another attempt to take vital territory near Syria’s largest city Aleppo.

Pro-Assad forces have tried for months to encircle the city by taking a vital route near Handarat, north of Aleppo. However, the attacks have been repelled, reportedly at the cost of heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, rebels and Jabhat al-Nusra have counter-attacked to the south and west of Aleppo, regaining some of the area lost to a regime-Russian-Iranian-Hezbollah offensive last autumn.

On Saturday, the pro-regime Al-Masdar News claimed that the 4th Mechanized Division had launched attacks, proclaiming “Syrian Army Storms Northern Aleppo”. However, the site actually put the location of the assault in western Aleppo city, with operations in “the al-Layramoun, al-Khalidiyah, Bani Zayd, and al-Zahra districts”.

The area has been contested for more than a year, with rebels blowing up the Air Force Intelligence building in al-Layramoun in March 2015. On Friday, pro-rebel accounts said an attempt by pro-regime forces to advance in al-Zahra and Bani Zayd was defeated.

On Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the Lebanese organization would send more of its best fighters to the Aleppo battlefronts, following the recent setbacks for the pro-Assad forces:

We are facing a new wave, or a new stage, of projects of war against Syria which are being waged in northern Syria, particularly in the Aleppo region.

The defense of Aleppo is the defense of the rest of Syria. It is the defense of Damascus. It is also the defense of Lebanon, and of Iraq.

See Syria Daily, June 25: Hezbollah Invests More Fighters in Aleppo Battles

Meanwhile, Russia continued its intensive aerial operations, with more strikes north of Aleppo, including near Handarat and the al-Mallah farms, where a ground offensive failed last week.

The Russians have reportedly turned to incendiary weapons and cluster bombs — both banned for use in densely-populated areas under international conventions — in the escalation of operations since April.

Claimed footage of Russian incendiary bombing of Kafr Hamra, northwest of Aleppo:

Dealing with the fires:

There was no word on Saturday of the status of Iranian-led units near Aleppo. Both Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Iraqi and Afghan militias have taken heavy losses in a series of defeats south of the city by rebels and Jabhat al-Nusra since early April.

Photo: Aftermath of Pro-Assad Bombing on Binnish in Northwest

A rescuer leads away a man injured by pro-Assad bombing of Binnish in Idlib Province on Sunday:

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Activists said at least two people were killed and 10 wounded.

Report: Drone Strike Hits Car of Journalist Kareem

Journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem reports that his car has been struck by a drone:

Abdul Kareem posted a picture of the near-destroyed vehicle and wrote, “This bullet proof vest may have saved my life an hour ago.”

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Kareem, who runs On The Ground News, has been a prominent reporter from frontlines and civilian sites hit by bombing. He has also carried out interviews with rebel figures such as the cleric Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini.

Kareem’s report on an airstrike on Idlib city in April:

Photos: Funeral of Assassinated Journalist al-Issa

Photographs of the funeral of the cameraman Khaled al-Issa, who died on Saturday of wounds from a June 15 attack with an improvised explosive device in Aleppo city:

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Issa was buried in his hometown of Kafranbel in Idlib Province in northwest Syria. Video of the procession has been posted on Facebook.

Journalist Hadi al-Abdallah, who worked with Issa on frontlines for years, is recovering from eye, jaw, and leg injuries suffered in the IEA attack.

Islamic State Kills 5 Journalists in Deir ez-Zor

Activists reports that the Islamic State has killed five journalistss in Deir ez-Zor Province in eastern Syria.

The names and photos of the five men have been posted on Facebook.

Rebel Faction Destroys Media Office Near Damascus

Citizen journalists have spoken about an attack by the rebel faction Ajnad al-Sham which destroyed a media office near Damascus.

About 30 men, armed with rifles and clubs, broke into the office in Kiswa, in the West Ghouta region southwest of the capital. They beat staff and broke equipment, including the only working laptop.

“In essence this was a result of our continued criticism of their conduct with civilians and our recent refusal to cooperate with their stipulations,” journalist Abu Muhammad al-Kiswani told Syria Direct.

Ajnad a-Sham has been accused of monopolizing the distribution of food, humanitarian aid, and medical assistance in part of Kiswa.

Journalists in West Ghouta issued a statement on Sunday denouncing the attack, while Kiswani said:

We demand monetary compensation for what they destroyed. We also demand an official apology be posted on their official website and Facebook page. Beyond this, we demand a guarantee that they will not attack us, nor attempt to evict us whenever it pleases them.

70 Killed in Pro-Assad Bombing of ISIS-Held Town in Eastern Syria

The Local Coordination Committees reports the deaths of 70 people in pro-Assad bombing of an Islamic State-held town in Deir ez-Zor Province in eastern Syria.

The pro-opposition LCC said the attacks were on Qouria, and added that the toll is likely to increase because people are critically wounded or trapped under rubble.

Some activists claimed the attacks were by Russian warplanes, but this has not been confirmed.

ISIS and the Assad regime have battled for control of areas in and near Deir ez-Zor city, near the Iraqi border.

The LCC documented the deaths of 121 people across Syria on Saturday, including 21 children and 14 women. Eighteeen of the victims were from pro-Assad bombardment of Aleppo Province, and 13 were in neighboring Idlib Province, most from Russian airstrikes.