Assad Regime Seeks the Aid of More Foreign Militias as Rebels Advance in Qalamoun

Activists said that rebels succeeded in breaking the siege imposed by regime forces on several villages and towns in the Qalamoun area in rural Damascus. The heavy losses suffered by regime forces prompted them to seek the aid of the militia of the “Liberation Front” headed by Ahmed Jibril. Rebels clashes with regime forces in the towns of Ayn Menen, Talfita and Al Tal in Qalamoun, with reports of the death of over 20 pro-regime militants. Regime forces used the chlorine gas in clashes with rebels on the outskirts of Damascus, where activists reported many suffocation cases among rebels in the outskirt of Al Dukhanya. Regime forces also carried out air raids on the neighborhood of Jobar, alongside clashes on the outskirts of Tishrin district. In the meantime, regime forces have sent reinforcements to the district of Drayya west of Damascus. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Al Jazeera + Smart News)