Syrian rebels attack 2 government-held villages in Idlib

A 48-hour ceasefire to halt fighting in the Syrian town of Zabadani and two villages in the northwestern province of Idlib began at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported.

A coalition of rebel groups progressively has eroded Assad’s presence in Idlib province, taking the city of Idlib, followed by the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour in late March.

In this photo released on May 20, 2015, provided by the Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Kurdish fighters of the YPG, flash victory signs as they sit on their pickup on their way to battle against the Islamic State, near Kezwan mountain, northeast Syria.

The alliance, which calls itself Jaysh al-Fateh, or Conquest Army, is pushing toward the last government strongholds, in the villages of Foua and Kfarya, which are home to mostly Shiite villagers.

Activists said the rebels reached the entrances to the town of Foua, north of Idlib city, after detonating an underground tunnel.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were reports of dead and injured in the heavy fire on Fuaa and Kafraya that started on Sunday night, but it had no confirmed toll.

The UK-based group provided no exact figures on the casualties, but said there were deaths and injuries.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah is fighting alongside the Syrian army in the Syrian war.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to punish a cousin who is accused of killing a military officer, the family of the victim told the Syrian daily Al-Watan on Monday.

Suleiman Assad had been on the run since the road rage incident several days ago. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

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