Syrian Rebels Attack Government Intelligence Center in Aleppo

Syrian rebels, including members of Syria’s al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, attacked the Syrian air force intelligence headquarters in the northern city of Aleppo on Monday, after violence in the city forced rebels to shut schools, AP reports.

Evidence suggests that much of the intelligence center was destroyed after rebels detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel underneath the building. The blast was followed by intense clashes as rebels tried to storm the base, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Aleppo intelligence center, where dozens of detainees were once held, has been a key target for rebels since the battle for Aleppo began more than two years ago.

Just over a month ago, Jabhat al-Nusra and other rebels groups detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel dug under or near the facility.

Once Syria’s economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been divided between Syrian regime and opposition forces since 2012. The Syrian regime controls the west and frequently bombs rebel-held neighborhoods in the east from the air. The rebels often retaliate with rocket and mortar fire.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory, said regime airstrikes against rebel-held areas of Aleppo have intensified significantly recently.

The airstrikes have targeted local markets, schools and a center for distributing flour to local bakeries, the Observatory reported.

Evidence Suggests Regime Forces Used Chemical Weapons in March

Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that evidence “strongly suggests” regime forces dropped toxic chemicals on civilians several times in barrel bomb attacks in northwestern Syria last month, AFP reports.

The New York-based group investigated six attacks on Idlib and villages outside, collecting eyewitness accounts, photographs and video footage. Together these provided a compelling case that indicates the use of a chemical agent, possibly chlorine, in three of the cases.

“The group’s report said people near the sites of three attacks exhibited symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals, and gas canisters were among the barrel bomb remnants. It said witnesses also described a strong chlorine smell, though the group acknowledged it could not absolutely confirm chemical weapons were used,” AFP writes.

Rescue workers told Human Rights Watch that the attacks, which took place in Idlib province from March 16 to March 31, affected at least 206 people.

These cases came only weeks after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons including chlorine in Syria and threatening action in the case of new violations.

In 2013, Syria agreed to destroy its entire chemical weapons stockpile under a deal reached with the U.S. and Russia after hundreds of people were killed in a sarin gas attack on the suburbs of Damascus.

However, Syria did not have to declare its stocks of chlorine under the agreement, as the substance is a common industrial chemical used for commercial and domestic purposes.

U.N. Confirms Push for New Syria Peace Talks

The U.N. said on Tuesday that its Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, planned to hold individual consultations with Syrian stakeholders and regional and international participants on a new round of peace talks, Reuters reports.

“Starting in May … de Mistura will proceed with a series of in-depth, separate consultations with the Syrian stakeholders and regional/international actors to take stock of their views as of today,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

In January, de Mistura said the conditions were not yet right to launch another set of talks after two previous rounds of negotiations had failed.

However, the envoy was recently instructed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to “focus much more to re-launch a political process” in a bid to end Syria’s conflict.

The U.N.’s spokesman made it clear that new talks, scheduled to begin in May in Geneva, would be convened under the terms of the 2012 Geneva Communiqué, a document that set out a plan for a political transition in Syria but left unresolved the future role of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

The question of Iran’s involvement in the discussions remains unresolved. In January 2014, Ban invited Iran, a major ally of the Assad regime, to attend a round of Syria peace negotiations in Switzerland, and then withdrew the invitation due to Iran’s lack of support for the Geneva Communiqué.

Asked about Iran’s possible participation, Dujarric said, “It is important that all those who have an influence on the current conflict be included in discussions but as to the exact list of those who will be invited to this new effort it has not yet been decided.”

Previous peace talks held in Geneva almost a year ago failed to produce results or ongoing momentum.

Recommended Reads

• The New York Times: U.N.’s Syria Envoy Looks to Revive Talks
• Reuters: Syria Says 6,000 Left in Yarmouk Palestinian Camp
• Huffington Post: Saudi Arabia, Turkey Discussing Unlikely Alliance to Oust Syria’s Assad
• Al-Monitor: Syria Border Closure Deals Blow to Jordan Economy
• Reuters: Southern Syria Rebels Set Collision Course with al-Qaida

Photo Courtesy of AP Images