Syrian activists critique the stalemate of the international community & the political left towards the crimes committed by Assad and supported by Iran

Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 656 

The country has seen one of its bloodiest days in the 22-month uprising as the regime continue its brutal crackdown on its opposition.

Activists said that more than 166, including 25 children, 22 women and 33 rebel fighters were killed due to the intense shelling and fighting today. So far, 21 people have been confirmed dead out of the estimated 150 deaths reported in the neighborhood of Deir Balbaa in Homs city, when regime forces joined by pro-Assad militias broke into the area covered by intense aerial and artillery shelling.

Regime forces killed as many as 62 people in Damascus and its suburbs, including 14 children and ten women in addition to wounding dozens more due to the intense aerial raids on the provincial towns of Khamsiya, Nashabiya, Douma, Daraya, Mansoura, Thiyabiya, Hazarma and Harasta. Some seven people were killed by sniper fire in the town of Sbeneh.

Fighter jets have also intensified their attacks on the suburbs of Aleppo, killing 13 people in the town of Tal Refaat and ten more in Azaz. Activists also said that massive explosion rocked the town of Marea when a Scud-type missile landed in the town; however, no casualties were reported.

More than 15 bodies were discovered in the neighbourhood of Jubaila in Deir Azzour and 15 more people were killed by regime forces in the province of Daraa, three of whom died when regime snipers opened fire on a microbus in the neighbourhood of Tariq al-Sad in Daraa city. More than 14 people were killed in Idlib, the majority of whom died during clashes with regime forces, while eight more died in Hama, half of which were killed due to the indiscriminate shelling in the town of Karnaz. Regime forces shelled as many as 399 different locations across the country using all sort of heavy weaponry, including cluster, phosphorous, thermobaric and TNT bombs. Some 124 locations were shelled by mortar shells and 152 others were pounded by heavy artillery. More than 80 locations came under rocket shelling as fighter jets struck more than 34 locations. These attacks caused extensive damage to residential buildings and left dozens of people dead and wounded and sent thousands fleeing their homes.

The rebels launched a series of military operations, killing dozens of army soldiers and militiamen and destroying a number of military tanks and armoured vehicles. They pounded Damascus international airport as well as the Mazeh military airport in Damascus using locally-made missiles. They also stormed a police station in the Damascus suburb of Jeroud, seizing weapons and detaining many security personnel.

In Aleppo, fighting raged in the vicinity of the State Security and Air Security branches in the neighbourhoods of Qastal Harami and Leramon. They also fought heavy battles inside the army’s 80th brigade base and the police academy as well as inside the Menneg and Quwayres airbases in the suburbs of Aleppo.

Moreover, the rebels stormed the last regime bases in the suburbs of Idlib today as they seized a part of the Hamdiya base and broke into the defences of the Wady al-Dayf base in the Idlib suburb of Ma’arrat Noman. The rebels also thwarted a major ground assault on the Daraa suburb of Baser Harir, destroying at least six military tanks and forcing the rest to draw back.