Syrian government forces used heavy artillery and helicopter attacks on rebel positions to kill 41 people in attacks around Damascus throughout Wednesday. The military also shelled rebel areas of Aleppo but no death tolls have been reported for that city.
The battle in Aleppo has been raging for a month and human rights group Amnesty International have reported that civilians are facing a “horrific level” of violence in the city. Continue reading
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad praised his soldiers for taking on what he called “armed terrorist gangs” and said that the current battles between his forces and rebels will determine the fate of the country.
Al-Assad did not appear in public to deliver the statement himself but released a written declaration. Al-Assad has not appeared in public in two weeks. Continue reading
World powers have a growing concern that the unrest in Syria could lead to terrorists gaining control of a secret stockpile of chemical weapons. Syria is one of eight nations to refuse to join the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention meaning there’s no way to know the amount of chemical weapons or the types of weapons currently under the control of the Syrian government. Continue reading