Opposition fighters withdraw from various neighborhoods in South Damascus

Syrian rebels have taken full control of the Tel Abyad border gate on the Turkish frontier after battling Syrian government forces overnight, a Turkish official said on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that the gate has fallen. It is under the complete control of the rebels," the Turkish official said on condition of anonymity.

According to another military source, clashes continue in the city of Aleppo, where opposition fighters carry out frequent attacks on the centers of the regime troops.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday morning that opposition fighters withdrew from various neighborhoods in South Damascus after fierce fighting with the regime forces that lasted for several days and were accompanied by heavy shelling from regime troops.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Hanano, al-Shaar, and al-Sakhour neighborhoods as well as Ferdous residences were bombed on Wednesday morning.

Military Sources revealed that gunmen launched an attack in the area Maysaloun, and a group of militants accompanied by a chopper blocked the attack.


International Positions:

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday to meet with Syrian officials after his country's proposal to send observers from the Contact Group countries to Syria.

Upon his arrival, Salehi met with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem.              

From another side, a fleeing Syrian General known to be a former official in the administration of chemical weapons in Syria revealed in an interview with "The Times" newspaper that the Syrian regime intends to use chemical weapons against its people "as a last resort in case it lost control over an important region such as Aleppo".                                             

Furthermore, the International Amnesty Organization stated that civilians including children are main victims of the Syrian army's continuous attacks.

The Amnesty Crisis Adviser Donatella Rovera indicated that Syrian forces are systematically bombing  civilians and villages with heavy weapons that cannot be used to target specific places knowing that victims of such attacks are always of a non military nature.

REUTERS/LBCI