Daily Newsletter – 25/11/2013

FSA Counter-Attack Breaks Siege on East Ghouta, Strategic Gains Made in Rural Damascus, Aleppo And Hama.

The Free Syrian Army succeeded in breaking the siege that has been laid on Eastern Ghouta by the militias of Hezbollah, Abu al Fadl al Abbas, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Assad Forces. The FSA repelled a large-scale attack carried out by these forces and militias and managed to launch a surprise counterattack. It has become clear that the FSA is advancing steadily towards the liberation of more areas after a series of victories over the past few days. Muhannad Jafallah, commander of “Abu Amara,” battalions, said in a phone report to the Syrian Coalition’s Media Office that the Free Syrian Army took control of several towns in rural Aleppo, including “Rasm al Hilo, Sdaia, Deman , Rasm al Shih, Rasm Akirch, Mdajn Azzan, farms…Read more

Safi: We Expect the Goals of Geneva to Be Reached as Long as it Is Held According to the Coalition’s Vision and Conditions.
The spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, Louay Safi stressed that the Syrian Coalition welcomes the confirmation of a date for the Geneva II conference and said that its goals are “expected to materialize as long as it is held within the vision adopted by the…Read more

Syrian Coalition: International Parties Fail to Pressure Assad to Stop Civilian Bombings
During a meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva today, the Syrian Coalition’s delegation discussed developments of the Syrian file with UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. Abdul Ahad Steifo, a member of the National Coalition…Read more

Syrian Coalition: We Call on International Journalist Groups to Advocate for Syrian Journalists
The Syrian National Coalition renewed its call for “all organizations concerned with rights of journalists, led by “Reporters Without Borders” to fulfil their obligations towards Syrian journalists in the face of the regime’s targeting of…Read more

Heavy Shelling on Qaboun, FSA Downs Regime Warplane in Yabrood
Regime forces pounded the neighborhoods of Qaboun and Barzeh in Damascus with heavy artillery alongside violent clashes in Yarmouk refugee camp between the Free Syrian Army and the regime’s forces. Meanwhile, several random mortar rounds fell on the neighborhoods of Mazra’a, Shaghour and Zablatani, with reports of civilian casualties and material damage. A civilian was killed and others injured in the city of Rahibh by regime shelling with heavy artillery. For their part, the Free Syrian Army shot down a warplane over the town of Yabroud. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

Regime’s Artillery Kills Five in Dara’a
Regime forces shelled Tareeq Al Sad neighborhood in Dara’a with heavy artillery, killing five people, including women and children, and destroying a number of houses. In addition, Assad’s warplanes bombed the town of Misifra in rural Dara’a, with reports of civilian casualties. In the meantime, the Free Syrian Army attacked a headquarters of the regime’s forces in the town of Sheikh Misqin in Dara’a with heavy machine guns. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

FSA Captures Two Villages in Rural Homs
The FSA captured the villages of Alqashoth and Paschkoa in rural Homs after clashes with regime forces. In the meantime, regime forces shelled the neighborhood of Waer in Homs with mortar rounds with reports of civilian casualties and material damage. In addition, regime forces stationed in the Engineering Battalion renewed shelling on the city of Rastan in Homs with heavy artillery and no reports of casualties. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

FSA Ambushes Security Forces North of Hama
A number of the regime forces were killed and others injured in an ambush set up by the Free Syrian Army near the town of Muardes in rural Hama. In the meantime, regime warplanes bombed several villages in eastern Hama, alongside shelling by rocket launchers stationed in Hama airbase on villages and towns in rural Hama. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

FSA Destroys Regime Tanks in Aleppo
The Free Syrian army destroyed two tanks of regime forces during clashes near the electricity company in the city of Safeera, east of Aleppo, and destroyed another one in the village of Rasm Assan. In addition, regime soldiers suffered casualties when the Free Syrian Army attacked forces stationed in Saif Addaoula neighborhood in Aleppo. Meanwhile, a woman was killed and others injured by regime shelling on the town of Bayanon in Aleppo. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

823,000 Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon rose with the end of last week to 823,000 people, including 744,000 registered refugees, as well as 79,000 pending registration. The Commission said that the Syrian refugees are dispersed among various Lebanese regions; those in northern Lebanon numbered 227,000, in the Mount Lebanon area 146,000, in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon 253,000, South Lebanon 97,000, and 20,000 in Beirut. The Commission reported that there had been more than 11,000 Syrian refugees registered during the past week. During the last week thousands of Syrians fled to the town of Arsal in Bekaa as a result of clashes between the forces of the Assad regime and the Free Syrian Army in the area of Kalamoon bordering eastern Lebanon. The report of the Commission said that up to this date, more than 3,000 displaced families were registered in Arsal (more than 15,000 people) by the municipality of the town, with the support of UNHCR and the Danish Council for Refugees. (Source: Syrian Coalition)