Mesop Syria Daily: The New Frontlines Settle in Latakia & Qalamoun
By Scott Lucas March 31, 2014 12:47 Updated – LATEST: Islamic Front Denies Regime Claims of Atrocities in Capture of Kassab in Latakia Offensive
MONDAY FEATURE Video Analysis: CIA Says Insurgency = Al Qa’eda
A relatively quiet Sunday, as both insurgents and the regime consolidated recent gains. Having repulsed the Syrian military’s counter-attacks, opposition fighters settled into villages like Kassab and Nab’ain in Latakia Province in western Syria.
In the 10-day offensive, the insurgents have taken the regime’s last border post with Turkey, moved several miles into the coastal province, and fired rockets on towns like Qardaha, the ancestral home of President Assad.
A summary from a pro-opposition outlet of the victory in Nab’ain:
An insurgent inside an armored police van damaged in the fighting:
An insurgent tour of a church in Kassab — opposition fighters claim they are not desecrating religious sites or endangering the area’s Armenian Christian community:
Syrian forces secured their hold on cities and towns in the Qalamoun region between Damascus and the Lebanese border. After taking the largest city in the area, Yabroud, earlier this month, President Assad’s troops have captured surrounding villages and captured the last insurgent posts on the Lebanese frontier.
The Syrian military launched the Qalamoun offensive in November and have taken cities and towns such as Yabroud, Nabk, and Qara.
Islamic Front Denies Regime Claims of Atrocities in Capture of Kassab in Latakia Offensive
The Islamic Front has rejected claims by a “desperate Assad regime” that insurgents committed abuses against civilians as they took the village of Kassab at the start of the Latakia offensive last week.
The Front specifically denied allegations of offenses against the largely Armenian Christian community as a “smear campaign” to portray the insurgency as brutal and sectarian: “We have never had, nor will it ever hold malevolent intention towards any religious or ethnic group in Syria.”
The Front said that the departure of civilians from Kassab was due to fears of being caught up in fighting and being shelled by regime forces, rather than being brutalized by opposition forces.
Insurgents have posted videos showing fighters respecting Christian churches and speaking to elderly Armenian Christians.
The Front concluded, “The Syrian revolution is based on the principles of freedom, dignity, and inclusiveness.”
Turkish and Syrian Militaries Exchange Fire Across Border
The Turkish military fired into Syria on Monday, after mortar shells and a rocket launched from Syria hit a mosque in the Turkish town of Yayladagi.
Three mortar rounds landed on Turkish soil, amid the insurgent offensive in Latakia Province across the Syrian border. A rocket hit a mosque next to a refugee camp, injuring a 50-year-old Syrian woman who was passing.
“Our artillery troops have fired back at the region from where the shots originated,” the governor’s office of Turkey’s Hatay Province said in a statement on its website.
State Media: Regime Troops Retake Tower 45 in Latakia Province
State news agency SANA claims Syrian troops and militia have re-taken Tower 45, the hilltop overlooking Kassab in northern Latakia Province.
Insurgents had seized Tower 45 last week, inflicting heavy losses on Assad forces, near the start of their 10-day offensive.
SANA said its correspondent in Latakia had seen the military destroy six vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns as insurgents fled.
However, a well-placed source in Syria says that insurgents still hold Tower 45, although regime forces “pressed hard” to reclaim the hilltop.
Islamic Front Gives Details on Latakia Offensive
The insurgent faction Jabhat al-Nusra has posted a statement on the “al-Anfal” offensive in Latakia Province, summarizing opposition advances.
Jabhat al-Nusra claims the capture of ammunition and rockets and says insurgents destroyed nine tanks and more than 100 cars and trucks.
The fighters have posted videos of rocket attacks on the Hamemine airfield and on the National Defense Headquarters in Qardaha:
The insurgents said six rockets were fired on the airfield and four on the National Defense Headquarters.
Video: Insurgent Tour of Morek in Hama Province
The insurgent faction Suqour as-Sham leads a video tour of Morek in Hama Province:
The town has been under attack for weeks by regime forces, including aerial bombardment.