SYRIAN ARMY RETAKES DAMASCUS AREAS PREVIOUSLY CAPTURED BY REBELS
BEIRUT Syrian government forces on Monday regained control of parts of Damascus that were attacked and captured by rebels and militants the previous day, with dozens killed on both sides during the fighting, the military and an activist group said.
The surprise rebel incursion, in which fighters sneaked into the city through hidden tunnels and set off car bombs, was the most serious infiltration in years into President Bashar Assad’s seat of power.
The Levant Liberation Committee, a coalition of several militant groups led by al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, and the independent Failaq al-Rahman faction spearheaded the blitz, which caught the Syrian military off guard.
Insurgent groups have repeatedly tried to break the defences of Damascus in recent years.
Sunday’s incursion, however, was the most serious since 2012, when rebels captured several Damascus neighbourhoods before being crushed by government forces.
The rebel gains, though short-lived, came against the backdrop of months of steady losses at the hands of government forces across the country.
Syrian TV on Monday quoted an unnamed military official as saying the army “regained control of all the points that terrorists” had infiltrated on Sunday.
It also quoted Russia’s ambassador to Damascus, Alexander Kinshchak, as saying one of the embassy’s buildings was hit with a shell during the clashes.