Regime kills 200 people, uses poison gas in Homs

Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 650

The aftermath of regime airstrike on a bakery in the Hama suburb of Helfaya today. – Regime forces committed some of the most shocking atrocities in the 21-month uprising, killing more than 208 people, including 12 children, nine women and 17 rebel fighters.In Hama, at least 94 people have been reported dead so far and dozens more were injured in an airstrike on a bakery in the rebels-held town of Helfaya that lies 25km northwest of Hama city. Casualties include women and children and the death toll is likely to increase.

Another massacre was committed by the regime when a helicopter gunship dropped barrel bombs on the Aleppo suburb of Safeera, killing at least 13 people and wounding many others. Meanwhile, a car bomb blast that targeted a checkpoint manned by rebel fighters left more than five people dead and many more wounded in the neighbourhood of Bustan Qaser in Aleppo city.

Regime fighter jet launched a cluster bomb attack on the Damascus suburb of Nashabiya, killing at least eight civilians and injuring dozens others. Homs Revolutionary Council reported a poison gas attack on the besieged neighbourhoods of Homs city, mainly on al-Khaldiya neighbourhood. They said that three men died and dozens others suffered blindness, nausea, fainting and chocking following the attack. Experts couldn’t identify the type of gas used. Defected astronaut and Major General Mohammad Fares accused Iran and Russia of continuing to ship arms to the Assad regime via their civil airplanes appealing to the rebels to shoot down any such airplanes approach Syria.

The rebels made new gains across the country as they launched a major offensive against regime forces in the neighbourhood of Tishrin in north western Damascus, seizing a military checkpoint near al-Sahaba mosque and killing a number of soldiers. They killed and detained many army soldiers in addition to destroying a number of military tanks and armoured vehicles as they continued to thwart the regime’s attempt to retake the Damascus suburbs of Daraya, Irbin, Aqraba and Drousha.

The rebels said they took full control of the Aleppo suburb of Menneg located 35km northwest from Aleppo city and just few kilometres from the Menneg military airbase. The rebels also seized control of Tal Anjar army base southwest of Menneg airbase which also came under siege as part of the rebels attempt to seize full control of Aleppo suburbs after taking more than 80% of it so far.

The rebels attacked a number of military posts in Daraa, Deir Azzour, Homs, Qunaitera and Hasaka.

Regime forces escalated their attacks on the rebels-held towns and villages across the country. They shelled as many as 316 different areas across the country using all sort of heavy weaponry including cluster and phosphorous bombs as well as barrel bombs. Some 118 areas were shelled by mortar shells and 115 others were pounded by heavy artillery. More than 52 areas came under rocket shelling as fighter jets and helicopter stroke more than 25 others, causing extensive damage and leaving dozens of people dead and wounded in addition to driving hundreds of civilians out of their homes.