Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 640 : Rebels seize air defense bases, Deir Azzour airbase could be next

14.12.2012 – MESOP – The rebels continued to make major advances after taking over new territories and military sites in the suburbs of Aleppo, Damascus and Idlib as regime forces intensified their bombardments on the suburbs of Damascus leaving dozens of people dead and wounded.

The rebels continued pushing forward toward taking control of the infantry academy in the Aleppo suburb of Msalamiya the thing which forced its director to flee and his deputy along with dozens of soldiers to defect to their side. They also took control of the 1003rd air defense base in the village of Shaala as well as the nearby 1141st air defense base in the town Khanaser in the eastern suburbs of Aleppo.  

The rebel fighters have damaged a civil airplane after landing in the Deir Azzour military airport as it was unloading its cargo; meanwhile, clouds of smoke were billowing from the airport following a heavy mortar and rocket shelling by the rebels. Clashes also broke out near the Damascus airport where the rebels seized control of the Insha’at military base in the village of Shabaa and destroyed two military tanks while thwarting the regime’s attempt infiltrate the town of Aqraba. They also seize control of the Damascus suburb of Bibila after pushing the regime forces out of it.

Regime forces shelled as many as 227 different areas, using all sort of heavy weaponry including cluster and phosphorous bombs. Some 80 areas were shelled by mortar shells and 89 others were pounded by heavy artillery. More than 43 areas came under rocket shelling as fighter jets bombarded more than seven others, mainly in the suburbs of Damascus.

The southern outskirts of Damascus and nearby towns suffer a complete power outage due to the damage of the main power generator in the neighbourhood of Hajar Aswad after been hit by regime shells.

Regime forces killed at least 146 people, including 20 children, 12 women and 26 rebel fighters.

They killed 78 people in Damascus and its suburbs, 11 of whom were killed in a car bomb explosion that hit the provincial town of Jdaydat Artouz while dozens more were killed due to the violent shelling in the neighbourhoods of Barzeh, Hajar Aswad and Yarmouk Refugee camp as well as in the provincial towns of Daf Ashoq, Daraya, Moadamiyat al-Sham, Douma, Mliha and Erbin. Some six detainees died under torture in regime prisons and four others were killed “execution style” in the town of Harasta.They also killed 26 people in Aleppo, six of whom died under torture and their handcuffed bodies were discovered in the neighborhood of Suleiman Halabi while eight others died due to the indiscriminate shelling in the neighborhoods of Sukari, Haydariya and Ameriya as well as in the provincial town of Tal Refaat. Some 20 people died in Idlib, ten of whom were killed due to the violent rocket and artillery shelling the town of Ariha. Dozens more people were killed in Homs, Deir Azzour, Hama, Daraa and Hasaka.