Yarmouk free ! : Rebels seize control of Palestinian Yarmouk Camp in Damascus, Regime planning retaking it

Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 644

The rebels seized control of the Palestinian Yarmouk refugee camp in the southern part of Damascus after three days of heavy fighting with the Palestinian armed militia from the pro-Assad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. The fight ended after reaching an agreement on the complete withdrawal of the Palestinian side. The fighting coupled with violent shelling by regime forces pushed hundreds of families out of the camp amid fears of a looming massacre as the regime brought in reinforcements in preparation for retaking the camp.

Rebel commander, Colonel Ahmad Berry announced the beginning of a major offensive to ‘liberate” the province of Hama where dozens of rebel fighters and army soldiers were killed after heavy fighting that erupted in the provincial towns of Helfaya and Kaferzeita. The rebels seized control of the premises of the 35th brigade where they captured ten fully-equipped military tanks. They also kept advancing in Aleppo, taking control of two more air defence bases in the provincial towns of Hendarat and in the eastern suburb of Hos.Regime forces shelled as many as 248 different areas, using all sort of heavy weaponry including cluster and phosphorous bombs as well as barrel bombs. Some 74 areas were shelled by mortar shells and 121 others were pounded by heavy artillery. More than 53 areas came under rocket shelling as fighter jets bombarded more than five others.Regime forces killed at least 144 people, including nine children, eight women and 53 rebel fighters.

They killed 45 people in Damascus and its suburbs, the majority of whom died due to the heavy shelling in the neighbourhood of Hajar Aswad and the Yarmouk refugee camp as well as in the provincial towns of Sbeneh, Daraya and Yalda. Meanwhile, seven people were summarily executed in the Damascus suburbs of Adra and Seidi Moqdad. At least 36 people were killed in Daraa, 12 of whom were executed in the Refugee Camp in the city of Daraa while two women and two children were killed when a mortar shell landed in an olive grove in the town of Taffas. Regime forces also killed 21 people in Aleppo, including seven rebel fighters as well as four civilians who were executed in the neighbourhood of Aameriya. They killed 15 people in Idlib, ten in Hama and many others in Deir Azzour, Homs and Raqa.