Rebels open fronts on coastal sites in Syria

GAZİANTEP / DAMASCUS

Rebels take up positions in Qobtan village of Aleppo city. REUTERS photo

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has developed a new strategy by opening new fronts in coastal sites densely populated by al-Assad supporters, an official in the opposition said, as the war intensifies around Damascus.

Yaser Zakri said the regime forces started to break up the dominance in districts where rebels have the upper hand. “FSA is moving the fronts to coasts where al-Assad supporters are densely populated. He bombs our districts and we open new fronts to distract him,” Zakri told Anadolu Agency. On the ground, Syrian forces blasted rebel zones near Damascus Aug.22, including areas where the opposition alleged loyalists had launched a chemical weapons attack a day earlier, a monitoring group said.

The air raids and shellings appear to be part of an all-out army offensive to rout rebels from strategic points surrounding the capital, activists said. “Warplanes carried out several raids this morning on Khan al-Sheikh and Zamalka, wounding several people” and sparking fierce clashes, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It said that other areas around the capital were also subjected to aerial bombardments, including Moadamiyet al-Sham, Daraya and Irbin. “Zamalka and Moadamiyet al-Sham were also heavily shelled,” it added.