REPORT: Syrian rebels, troops clash at military air bases

Syrian rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Assad fought intense battles with his troops on Sunday at two military air bases in northern Syria, activists said.     

The fighting raged inside the sprawling Abu Zuhour air base in northwestern Idlib province and the Kweiras military air base in northern Aleppo province.                  

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least seven fighters were killed in the fighting in Abu Zuhour, in addition to an unknown number of soldiers.

The group, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said the Syrian air force conducted an airstrike on Abu Zuhour village during the fighting to ease pressure on government troops inside the air base.                   

Rebels control much of Idlib and Aleppo provinces, which border Turkey, although government troops still hold some areas including the provincial capital of Idlib province and parts of the city of Aleppo, Syria's largest urban center.                 

The fighters entered the two air bases on Saturday. Both have been under siege for months.                   

This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Saturday his ministers to end their statements concerning the situation in Syria, and mainly concerning the Assad regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons.            

Netanyahu’s strict orders came in response to deputy foreign minister Ze’ev Elkin‘s remarks launched on Army Radio on Friday, in which he was said to be calling on the international community “to take control of and eliminate Syrian President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal.”

Syria's conflict started with largely peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011 but eventually turned into a civil war. More than 70,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.



REUTERS/LBCI


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