Rebel fighters shoot down 3 combat helicopters

Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 533

In response to the regime’s unmitigated aggression, the rebel Free Syrian Army shot down two military helicopters in the neighbourhood of Qaboun and the town of Zamalka in the capital, in addition to one MIG fighter jet and another helicopter gunship in the suburb of Idlib in the north of the country.

The regime continued its massive military offensive in the capital, killing more than 42 civilians and injuring 150 more in the provincial town of Zamalka as well as 39 more killed in the town of Daraya. They also summarily executed more than 25 civilians in the town of Moadamiya and killed 9 more in the town of Kafarbatna. Additionally, regime forces executed 6 civilian in the neighbourhood of Qaboun while the fierce shelling targeted the neighbourhood of Zamalka and left more than 17 civilians dead. Regime forces resumed the shelling of several towns in the suburbs causing severe damage to residential buildings and leaving scores of people dead and wounded.

Regime forces continued their massacres in the province of Daraa killing 11 civilians including seven children and three women in the town of Jiza. They also killed and injured dozens more in the heavy shelling that targeted the city of Daraa and the provincial towns of Naima, Inkhel, Mehejeh, Ataman and the villages of the Lajat district.

Scores of civilians died and many more wounded as regime forces continued its attacks on cities and towns throughout the country. The shelling of the old city of Homs and its provincial towns of Deir Baalba, Talbiseh, Qasir, Rastan and Houleh was resumed. They also shelled the Hama suburbs of Taybat Imam, Howayz, Sharea and Qastoun and resumed the shelling of the neighbourhoods of Bustan Qaser, Marjeh, Masaken Hanano, Itha’aa, Aghyar, Arqoub in the city of Aleppo and its provincial towns of Ezaz, Atareb and Menbej. Furthermore, they shelled the neighbourhoods of Jbaila, Arfi and Mowathafin in the city of Deir Azzour and its provincial towns of Boukamal and Haraneij. They heavily bombarded the Latakia suburbs of Qasatel and the district of Salma as well as the Idlib suburbs of Ariha, Khan Sheikhoun, Saraqeb, Kafarnabel, Ma’arrat Masrin, Ma’arrat Noman, Ma’arshourin, Habit and several other towns in the districts of Jabal Zawiya and Jeser Shoghour.

About 10,000 Syrian refugees are waiting on the Syrian side of the border as Turkey rushes to build more camps to accommodate the influx and carries out more stringent security checks on the newcomers. Syrian authorities released 378 detainees after pressuring them to sign a written commitment not to demonstrate without a permit. Economically, the gold crisis exacerbated as more than 60 per cent of gold shops in Damascus closed down due to declining sales that dropped more than 90 per cent since last year. Meanwhile, more than 1000 gold workshops closed down in the city of Aleppo.