Fresh fighting on Tuesday rocked Aleppo, Syria's second city. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the army is using gunship helicopters. "The fighting is taking place between the rebels and the regular troops in the districts of Soukkari and on the outskirts of Salaheddin," said the Syrian NGO.
An official from the Syrian rebel military said Monday that the insurgents had "liberated" several quarters of Aleppo, including Salaheddin asthe army continued to bomb from outside these areas.
While the Syrian regime's troops control for three days most of Damascus, clashes still take place in two neighborhoods in the south of the capital, Hajar al-Aswad and Qadam, especially, according to the SOHR. "Since the military launched an offensive against-(the rebels) three days ago, there were no longer rebel attacks," said Rami Abdel Rahman, President of the SOHR. "The districts of el Mazze (west), Barze (northeast) and Midane (south) are under the military control and there are daily arrests," he added.
Meanwhile, the Syrian authorities have arrested an individual whom they accuse of perpetrating the bombing that killed four senior security officials in Damascus on Wednesday, reported Tuesday the Iranian news agency Fars. The suspect worked at the headquarters of national security in the capital, where the explosion occurred, the agency said, quoting a Syrian MP Mohammad Zahir Ghanoum as saying. "The officer who committed the attack against the Supreme Council of National Security was arrested," said the MP.
"The person arrested was a member of the facility staff but I can not give further details. The confessions of this person will probably be released in the near future, " Ghanoum added. A source close to the Syrian security said last week that the bomber was a bodyguard assigned to protect members of the inner circle of President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian public television talked about a suicide bomber.
The attack claimed the life of Syrian Defense Minister Dawood Rajha, the Deputy Defence Minister Assef Shawkat, brother in law of Bashar al Assad, the head of the intelligence services General Hisham Bekhtyar and former Defense Minister, Hassan Tourkmani.
