Heavy clashes between rebel fighters and regime forces restart in Damascus (Yarmouk Camp)

Syrian Revolution News Round-up / Day 506– Amid power and communications blackout, rebel fighters in Aleppo continue to gain control of additional neighbourhoods and repel regime forces’ ground assault.

Regime forces massacre civilians in the Damascus suburbs of Artouze and Yalda, in the Idlib suburb of Ariha and in the village of Mhemeida in Deir Azzour province. After fierce shelling that lasted several hours, regime forces carried out summary executions in the Damascus suburb of Artouze and Yalda, killing at least 65 people dead. Meanwhile, heavy shelling that targeted the town of Ariha in Idlib suburb left more than 10 people dead and many more wounded. Regime forces also attacked a funeral in the village of Mhemeida in Deir Azzour province, killing many people including women and children.

Heavy clashes began again in the neighbourhoods of Tadamon, Qadam and Yarmouk refugee camp in the capital Damascus amid heavy shelling. For the first time, skirmishes also occurred in the Christian neighbourhoods of Bab Touma and Bab Sharqi in Damascus’s Old City. Regime forces also shelled the suburbs of Moadamiya, Deir Asafir, Madaya and Zabadani.

Amid power and communications blackout, regime forces continued bombarding from a distance the rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo city, using heavy artillery and helicopter gunships. Rebel fighters continued repelling the assault, advancing to seize more neighbourhoods, such as Bab al-Hadid.

Regime forces continued attacks on the Old City neighbourhood in Homs and its provincial towns of Krak des Chevaliers, Makramiya, Qasir, Rastan and Abel, in the neighbourhoods of al-Sad and the refugee camp in the city of Daraa and its provincial towns of Khirbet Ghazaleh, Yadouda, Taffas, Tal Shihab and Taiba as well as the Hama suburbs of Taybat Imam, Latmana and Morek.