Islamist rebels keep eye on Aliha, Assad's last stronghold in Idlib

   Fatah Army keep an eye on Bashar al-Assad's last stronghold in Idlib province, massing troops to capture mountainous town of Ariha, a day after the takeover of al-Mastouma camp.

Ariha has been witnessing fierce clashes since three weeks on the enclaves of the town, but rebels' morale seems very high as they plan to hit Assad's strongholds in what they called, 'Cleansing Idlib from the Nusayri Regime', (Nusayris: an Islamic designation for Alawites who got their new name by the French mandate in the twenties of last century.

The alliance of Islamist rebels on Tuesday seized full control of al-Mastouma camp for the first time since the Syrian revolution erupted in 2011.

Army of Fatah, a reference to the conquests that spread Islam across the Middle East from the seventh century, has seized swathes of territory northern Syrian since late of March 2015 including Idlib city and Jisr al-Shughour town.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Syrian government extended its intense aerial campaign against rebel-held areas of the northern cities of Aleppo and Idlib, conducting a series of airstrikes that killed at least 25 people on Tuesday, including children and women, activists and monitoring group said.

The Syria Network for Human Rights said at least 22 people were killed in missile attack on Darkoush town in Idlib province; as well three people were killed in Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo city.

Syrian regime also has detonated a tunnel that was reportedly used by rebels in the government-controlled parts of Aleppo on Tuesday.

Assad's air forces had also conducted a new chlorine attack on Mishmishan village in Idlib, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said Tuesday.

SNHR said at least 19 victims suffocating due to chlorine gas attack on Mishmishan village near the captured town of Jisr al-Shughour.

Last Friday, chlorine gas bomb on Mishmishan killed two children and left 20 suffocation cases recorded.

Syria's four-year-old war has killed more than 220,000 people and forced millions out of their homes.