Regime forces drop barrel bombs on rebel’s strongholds

ONE CAPITAL WAR CRIME AFTER ANOTHER – THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEFT STILL SILENT

DAY 537 – REVOLUTIONARY UP DATE NEWS FROM INSIDE SYRIA- Regime summoned additional army reserve units mainly from the minority Druze and Christians threatening them to execute their families if they refused to join the army.

Regime forces started using a deadly new home-made weapon against rebel towns and cities. Helicopters dropped barrels filled with TNT, oil and chunks of steel, the exploding barrels kill and maim across a wider area than high explosives. This weapon was extensively used during the past few days against the cities of Homs and Aleppo. In response to the heavy losses it sustained in the eastern Deir Azzour suburb of Boukamal, regime forces intensified its aerial attacks against the town killing 12 civilians and woundin 40 more in an attack that targeted a residential building. Dozens more were killed and more were injured in similar attacks on the neighbourhoods of Arfi, Qosour, Jbaila, Hamidiya, and the provincial town of Mohasan. Similarly in Idlib, scores of people died in extensive aerial raids on the district of Jabal Zawiya. Meanwhile, regime forces carried out sweeps, arbitrary arrests and arson in the town of Mhambel leaving many civilians dead and more wounded.

Heavy clashes broke out in the neighbourhoods of Tishrin, Qaboun and Barzeh in the capital and in its provincial town of Bilbila. Heavy clashes also resumed in the Deir Azzour suburb of Boukamal while defections were reported in Hamdan military airport. Defections were also reported in the Hama suburb of Sharea.

Regime forces raided a hospital in the Damascus suburb of Kafarbatna killing a number of patients and paramedics after burning it down. They also summarily executed scores of civilians in the Damascus suburbs of Erbin, Daraya, Zamalka and Hazeh as well as in the neighbourhood of Jobar. They also resumed shelling the neighbourhoods of Qadam and Asali and the provincial towns of Hosh Arab, Sayeda Zeinab, Otaya, Sbeneh, Mesraba, Erbin, Douma and Saqba.

In Aleppo, the war of attrition continued for the 46th day in a row, heavy clashes broke out in the vicinity of Aleppo international airport and Atareb military airport as well as in the neighbourhoods of Itha’aa, Saladin and Saif Adola. Meanwhile, regime forces resumed shelling the neighbourhoods of Ba’ydin, Sha’aar, Bustan Qaser, Ameriya, Masaken Hanano and the provincial towns of Indan, Dar Ezza, Atareb, Baza’a, Marea and al-Bab.

Regime forces continued its massive military offensive throughout the country, killing dozens of civilians, wounding hundreds others and forcing thousands of them to flee their homes. Regime forces fiercely shelled the neighbourhoods of Khaldiya, Jouret Sheyah and the old city of Homs as well as its provincial towns of Talbiseh, Qusayr, Dabaa and Bowayda Sharqiya while faced with strong resistance by the rebel fighters. They heavily bombarded the towns and villages in the districts of Sahl al-Ghab and Shahshabo Mountain in the province of Hama. They also resumed shelling several neighbourhoods in the city of Daraa as well as its provincial towns of Kherbet Ghazaleh and Dael.