Syrian Revolution Daily News Round-up Day 681: Wednesday. 23-Jan-13

New massacres in Aleppo, SNC appeals for Homs

The aftermath of the rocket shelling in the Aleppo suburb of al-Bab today

• Regime forces bombarded Aleppo with long-range missiles, killing and injuring dozens of civilians.
• The Syrian National Council appealed to the international community to end the displacement campaign in Homs.
• Rebel fighters scored new advances in Daraa.

• Kaljabrin, Aleppo Suburb: Dozens killed and injured due to rocket shelling, P2
• Damascus: Another brutal execution by Assad’s forces
• Raqa: Rebel fighters attack the central prison, killing many regime soldiers in another battle, P2

• Total Death Toll: 163
• Opposition Death Toll: 143 including 38 children, 26 women and 33 rebel fighters (Aleppo: 72, Damascus and Suburbs: 23, Daraa: 12, Homs: 11, Hama: 9, Deir Azzour: 7, Idlib: 5, Latakia: 2, Hasaka: 1, Suweida: 1)
• Regime Soldiers  & Militiamen Death Toll: +20
• Number of areas shelled: +253 
• Number of People Wounded: +65
• Number of People Detained: +5
• FSA Key Operations:
  • Stormed a border police station and three military checkpoints in Daraa.
  • Destroyed three military tanks and a number of vehicles in Idlib, Daraa and Damascus.

Summary of Events

Regime forces continued their indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas across the country, using cluster, phosphorus, therbombaric and explosive bombs as well as the long-range surface-to-surface missiles, causing extensive damage and leaving dozens of people dead and wounded.

The continued violence left more than 163 people dead today. Regime forces and loyalist militiamen killed at least 143 people, including 18 children and 14 women. Fighting also erupted on various fronts between the rebels and regime forces, leaving at least 25 rebel fighters and 20 regime soldiers dead.

Regime forces stepped up their attacks on Aleppo, perpetrating four massacres that claimed the lives of more than 72 people. They fired long-range missile on the village of Kaljebrin in the suburb of Azaz and another one in the village of Abu Taltal in the suburb of al-Bab, causing extensive material damage and leaving at least 23 people dead and dozens more wounded. A densely-populated marketplace was hit by artillery shells in the suburb of Deir Hafer thus leaving at least nine people dead and dozens more wounded. Regime shelling also left dozens of people dead and wounded in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Saeed, Sukari, Qasliya, Ma’adi and Masaken Hanano.

Some 23 people were killed in Damascus and its suburbs today, seven of whom died due to the indiscriminate artillery shelling the Palestinian refugee camp of Husainiya, while 12 others died in various areas around Daraa due to the violent artillery, rocket and aerial shelling.

Regime militiamen raided a restaurant on Hama-Homs international road and executed six civilians. Regime forces and loyalist militias supported by Hezbollah fighters continued their massive military onslaught on the neighbourhoods of Jobar and Sultaniya as well as the village of Kafa’aya, south of Homs, killing at least nine rebel fighters as they also continued their attacks on other rebels-held neighbourhoods and towns in Homs.

The Syrian National Council appealed to the international community and the Friends of the Syrian People Group to intervene immediately to stop the sectarian-based “brutal and systematic onslaught” aiming at displacing the Sunni Muslims from Homs. The SNC President, George Sabra, warned that Assad’s forces and loyalist militias could perpetrate more massacres similar to the one that claimed the lives of more than 150 Sunni Muslims in the village of Haswiya last week.

Rebel fighters scored more advances in the southern province of Daraa as they ran over a number of military checkpoints in the city of Daraa as well as in its provincial towns of Bosra and Ghabagheb. They also stormed the 25^th border police station in the town of Tal Shihab near the border with Jordan while continued to thwart the regime’s ground assault on the town of Baser Harir.

They destroyed at least three military tanks in addition to a number of armoured vehicles as they clashed with Assad’s forces near the Damascus suburbs of Moadamiyat al-Sham, Daraya, Aqraba and near the state security branch in the city of Deir Azzour. They also killed and injured a number of soldiers as they attacked a military convoy in Mutahaliq Janoubi road near Damascus and another one in Ma’arrat al-Numan international road in the suburb of Idlib.

Videos

Armed Resistance
Aqraba, Damascus Suburb: Rebels thwart a ground assault by Assad’s forces
Daraa: Rebel fighters capture a military tank and destroy another, P2
Aleppo Suburb: Rebels sneak into the Menneg airbase

Damascus
Ruken al-Deen: Displaced people stay in the open after been expelled from a local park by the security forces
Hajar Aswad: A man critically injured due to the indiscriminate shelling
Mazeh: Helicopter gunship takes off from the Mazeh airbase

Damascus suburb
Daraya: Heavy shelling continues
Kiswa: Hundreds of displaced people pour into the town
Jisreen: The town comes under heavy rocket shelling
Aqraba: Clouds of smoke billow from the town due to the heavy shelling

Aleppo
Sukkari: Many people due to the indiscriminate artillery shelling
Tariq al-Bab: A funeral procession turns into anti-Assad protest
Old City: Ancient bath destroyed due to the indiscriminate shelling
Jazmati: Houses destroyed due to the indiscriminate shelling
Sheikh Maqsoud: The aftermath of the violent shelling

Aleppo suburb
Al-Bab: An entire family killed due to the indiscriminate shelling
Deir Hafer: Dozens of civilians die and more get injured due to the violent artillery shelling, P2
Safeera: Clouds of smoke billow from the town due to the heavy shelling
Dwereena: A mosque partially damaged due to indiscriminate shelling

Homs
Kafraaya: Civilians flee the village as the shelling intensifies
Jobar: Helicopter gunship drops barrel bombs
Jouret Sheyah: The neighborhood comes under heavy shelling
Rastan: Clouds of smoke billow from the town due to the violent shelling

Daraa
Baser Harir: Regime forces bombard the town
Ma’arbeh: A rebel fighter get injured during clashes with regime forces
Herak: A child shot in the head by regime forces
Central Daraa: Lifeless body of rebel fighter Rafaat Ibhraim Masalma

Hama
Central City: An Iranian civil aircraft lands in Hama military airbase: activist says
Kaferzeita: Clouds of smoke billow from the town due to the heavy shelling
Kafrnbouda: Regime forces prevent medical supplies into the town
Morek: A mosque partially destroyed by the indiscriminate shelling

Idlib
Ma’arret Naasan: Residents sift through the debris in search for victims
Kafrsajna: Homes destroyed due to the indiscriminate shelling
Harbanoush: Regime shelling causes extensive damage and leaves many people dead and wounded

Deir Azzour
Sheikh Yaseen: The devastating aftermath of the violent shelling
Jubeila: An entire neighborhood is leveled to the ground due to the indiscriminate shelling

Demonstrations and Activities Abroad
Spain: Granada sit-in in solidarity with University of Aleppo

Source