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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syrian forces attack in northern Idlib province |
| 2012-06-30 |
| ANTAKYA (Turkey) — Helicopter gunships bombarded a strategic town in northern Syria overnight and tanks moved close to the commercial hub of Aleppo, rebels said, but kept well clear of new Turkish air defences installed to curb Syrian action near its frontiers. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 190 people, including 125 civilians, were killed on Thursday. General Mustafa Al Sheikh, head of the Higher Military Council, a grouping of senior officers who defected from Syrian forces, said around 170 Syrian tanks had assembled at an infantry school near the village of Musalmieh northeast of the city of Aleppo, just 30km from the Turkish border. “They’re either preparing to move to the border to counter the Turkish deployment or attack the rebellious (Syrian) towns and villages in and around the border zone north of Aleppo,” Sheikh said by telephone from the border. Omar Abdallah, an activist in Idlib coordinating with the Free Syrian Army, said: “After taking hits in rural Aleppo and Idlib, the army is re-grouping ... There is speculation that these forces intend to ring Aleppo, starting July 1.” Rebel sources in Turkey’s Hatay region said Syrian helicopters attacked Saraqeb, a strategic town deep in Idlib province, but kept away from the area directly along the Turkish border in the rural regions of Idlib and Aleppo provinces. Rebels sources said they saw two Syrian attack helicopters on Friday, flying about 4km from the Turkish border in Idlib province and landing at an army base at Bab Al Hawa, close to Reyhanli, one of the places where Turkey has stationed anti-aircraft defences. It was the first time aircraft had been spotted close to the border and appeared to test Turkey’s new rules of engagement. “The Syrians might accept a very narrow zone along the border. Syria will remain very reluctant to get involved in any conflict with Turkey. They would be up against a very serious military foe,” said Malcolm Chalmers, research director at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. |
| Posted by:Steve White |