Syrian Revolution Daily News Round-up Day 657: Sunday. 30-Dec-12

Rebels bombard a presidential palace in Damascus, Aleppo airport shuts down

Ahrar al-Sham fighters posing before launching the rockets on the presidential palace

• The rebels launched a barrage of rockets on the presidential palace in Damascus.
• The regime closed down Aleppo International Airport as fighting rages near it.
• Regime sends reinforcements to Homs, killed 104 people today.

• Safeera, Aleppo Suburb: Many people die in airstrike that targeted a hospital
• Rastan, Homs: Regime shelling leaves many casualties and forces civilians to flee their homes, P2
• Motahaleq Janoubi, Damascus: The rebels bomb a military tank

Today’s Statistics

• Death Toll: 104 including 20 children, 12 women and 24 rebel fighters (Damascus and Suburbs: 32, Aleppo: 27, Idlib: 15, Hama: 14, Daraa: 9, Homs: 4, Raqa: 2, Deir Azzour: 1)
• Number of areas shelled: +337
• Regime Soldiers Death Toll: +39
• Number of People Wounded: +80
• Number of People Detained: +15
• FSA Key Operations:
  • Shot down 3 fighter jet and 1 helicopter gunship.
  • Seized control of a base of the army’s 413th battalion in the district of Qalamon of Damascus province.
  • Seized control of Rankous groves in the district of Qalamon near the border with Lebanon.
  • Stormed a base of the army’s 14th regiment in the Damascus suburb of Nabek.
  • Stormed tow army bases in the Daraa suburb of Baser Harir.
  • Stormed an air defense base near Aleppo International Airport.

Summary of Events

The Ahrar al-Sham brigades of the Syrian Islamic Front said it has fired a barrage of Grad-type rockets on the presidential palace or what is known as the “People’s Palace” in Damascus. This kind of attack that occurred for the second time, triggered high security alert followed by intense presence of security forces in the nearby square of the “Unknown Soldier” in the neighborhood of Muhajrin. There have been no reports on the aftermath of the attack so far.

The rebels shot down four regime warplanes as they carried out aerial attack on opposition areas across the country. They shot down a MiG-type fighter jet in the Hama suburb of Madiq Fortress and another one in the Aleppo suburb of Manbij. They also shot down a Sukhoi-type fighter jet in the East Ghouta district of Damascus province in addition to a helicopter gunship in the Idlib suburb of Saraqib.

The rebels also scored new advances nationwide as they stormed the 413^th army bases as well as the Rankous groves in the Qalamon district near the Lebanese border. They also stormed a base of the army’s 14^th regiment (oil depots) near the town of Naseriya in the Nabek district of Damascus province.

In Daraa, the rebels stormed the Reinforcement and Transportation Battalions in the Daraa suburb of Baser Harir after killing and detaining a number of army soldiers in addition to acquiring a big quantity of arms and heavy weaponry.

The regime ordered to shut down the Aleppo International Airport for 48 hours announcing its perimeter of 10km a “battle zone” in order to “wipe out” the rebels which stormed an air defense base in town of Tal Hasel, just 5-km away from the airport.

Activists said that regime forces fired nine Iranian-made ground-ground missiles on Homs from its al-Naseriya base in the district of Qalamon of Damascus province. Activists also said that another Scud-type missile has landed in the Aleppo suburb of Marea.

Regime forces shelled as many as 337 different locations across the country using all sort of heavy weaponry, including cluster, phosphorous, thermobaric and TNT bombs. Some 114 locations were shelled by mortar shells and 125 others were pounded by heavy artillery. More than 62 locations came under rocket shelling as fighter jets struck more than 26 others. These attacks caused extensive damage to residential buildings and left dozens of people dead and wounded and sent thousands fleeing their homes.

At least 104, including 20 children, 12 women and 24 rebel fighters were killed due to the intense shelling and fighting today.

Regime forces killed as many as 32 people in Damascus and its suburbs, the majority of which died due to the intense shelling in the provincial towns of Moadamiyat al-Sham, Kafarbatna, Jesrin, Douma, Otayba, Yalda, Daraya and Zabadani.

Some nine people died when regime shells landed in a fruit market in the neighbourhood of Karm Maysar in Aleppo city, while six others died in an airstrike that targeted a hospital in the Aleppo suburb of Safeera.

More than seven people were killed and dozens more were injured due to the aerial raids launched by regime fighter jets on the Hama suburb of Kafrnbouda.

Regime military reinforcements are currently heading to Homs in order to join regime forces in their major onslaught that aims at taking over the entire city.

Videos

Armed Resistance
Damascus Suburb: The rebels launch a barrage of mortar shells on Damascus airport
Menneg, Aleppo Suburb: The rebels shoot down a helicopter gunship near the Menneg airbase

Damascus
Jobar: Protesters chant their support for the areas under attack
Hajar Aswad: Clouds of smoke billow from the neighborhood due to the heavy shelling

Damascus Suburbs
Jesrin: Regime shelling leaves many people dead and wounded, P2
Daraya: Regime shells destroy mosques and residential buildings
Zabadani: Homes set ablaze due to the violent shelling
Kafarbatna: Residents try to pull bodies from the rubble
Aqraba: The videographer miraculously dodges a shell that landed next to him

Aleppo
Marjeh: Demonstration chants support for the rebel fighters
Karm Maysar: Regime forces shell a fruit market, leaving many people dead and wounded

Aleppo Suburbs
Tal Refaat: Lifeless body of a victim who was killed by regime forces
Marea: Huge crater purportedly caused by a Scude-type missile

Homs
Zaafaraniya: Civilians being treated for poisons gas symptoms in a field hospital, P2
Jobar: Activist says regime warplane drops gas bombs
Khaldiya: The devastating aftermath of the heavy shelling
Old City: The city comes under heavy shelling

Daraa
Saida: Funeral procession of a rebel fighter who was killed during clashes with regime forces
Central City: Colonel Ahmad Omar, commander-in-chief of the Lajat Shield Brigade dies during clashes with regime forces
Taffas: Mass destruction caused by the daily shelling
Nahta: The devastating aftermath of the rocket shelling
Mahatta: The city comes under heavy shelling

Hama
Karnaz: A child loses her legs, residents pull bodies from the rubble following the heavy shelling, P2
Bab Qibly: Demonstrators chant their support for the rebel fighters
Kafrnbouda: Regime airstrike leaves many people dead and wounded, P2
Tariq Halab: Protesters demand the overthrow of the Assad regime

Idlib
Tamanaa: Funeral procession of a victim who was killed due to the shelling
Bennesh: Regime shelling stirs panic among civilians

Deir Azzour
Ardi: The aftermath of the violent shelling
Central City: Houses set ablaze due to the violent and indiscriminate shelling
Harabsh: Clouds of smoke rise from residential buildings due to the indiscriminate shelling
Howayqa: Clouds of smoke rise from residential buildings due to the indiscriminate shelling

Raqa
Leaked video footages shows the regime’s heavy artillery pounding the city of Raqa

Demonstrations and Activities Abroad
Algeria: Demonstration in solidarity with the Syrian revolutionaries

Source