Tag Archives: Syria

A day after government forces launched a major assault in Aleppo, rebel forces were forced back from the district of Salaheddine. Rebel commanders said they were preparing to counterattack.

Government troops are pushing against rebel strongholds in Aleppo. The US has not ruled out the idea of a no-fly zone over rebel-held areas. Some rebel leaders signed a “battlefield code of conduct”; others refused to sign or said it was not binding.

Fighting in Aleppo spread as rebels attacked new areas. Rebels claimed to control 60% of the city, but were also running low on ammunition.

In the highest-level defection to date, Syria’s Prime Minister fled to Jordan along with two ministers and three military officers. A bomb exploded in the Damascus headquarters of the state TV channel. The US granted a license to a Syrian support group allowing them to raise funds to equip Syrian rebels.

Fighting intensified in Aleppo and Damascus. Government forces numbering 20,000 massed around Aleppo and warned of a full-scale assault within days. Rebels abducted 47 Iranians visiting a Shiite shrine; the rebels said the men were members of the Iranian Republican Guard.

Government forces shelled a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, and attacked rebel positions in Aleppo, Damascus, and Hama. Protesters called for the death for President Assad. The UN general assembly condemned the Security Council and the Syrian government.