Regime forces backed by Hezbollah captured two towns in the strategic Qalamoun region near the Lebanese border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham reportedly killed up to 35 fighters from the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front during clashes in Hasakah. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Reef Dimashq, and in Idlib, where the al Umma brigade fought alongside Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front. In Deir Izzour, an IED detonated near Al Nusrah headquarters in Al-Myaden city. The OPCW said that about half of Syria’s chemical weapons have been destroyed or moved out of the country; Syria’s UN ambassador said rebel assaults on Latakia, which would affect the chemical shipments, were “trying to create a catastrophe”; he also said the most recent UN report on Syria ignored terrorists’ roles in human rights abuses and hindering the delivery of aid.
