Rebels, Government Forces Trade Blame for Toxic Gas Attacks

Rebels accused Syrian government forces of a toxic gas attack on the rebel-held town of Saraqeb in the northwestern Idlib province on Tuesday, while the government has accused the rebels of using toxic gases in Aleppo, the Associated Press reports.

Volunteers with the Syria Civil Defense team said that dozens of people were reportedly affected by the toxic gas in Saraqeb, displaying symptoms reportedly similar to those of a chlorine gas attack. This is the second time Saraqeb has been targeted with toxic gas, a Syria Civil Defense spokesperson said yesterday. Chlorine gas attacks have been reported in the town previously, but have not been verified for lack of chemical laboratories or independent testers.

The Syrian government has denied responsibility for chlorine gas attacks. Later on Tuesday, Syrian state media (SANA) accused rebels of using artillery shells laced with toxic gases in Aleppo. SANA reported five people dying and another eight having difficulty breathing after the shells fell on the old city of Aleppo. Aleppo city is divided between rebels in the east and government forces in the west.

Rebels Say They Will Escalate Their Campaign in Aleppo

Syrian rebels told Al-Jazeera they are planning to escalate their campaign against Syrian government forces in Aleppo.

The eastern side of Aleppo city has been under siege since a government advance early in July cut off the rebels’ last supply route, Castello Road. Nearly 300,000 people are still inside, with dwindling food, medicine and fuel.

On Monday rebels launched an offensive on government-held neighborhoods in western Aleppo, attempting to break the siege of eastern Aleppo. A local rebel fighter told Al-Jazeera that armed opposition groups have formed a coalition to escalate their campaign, and will use shells and car bombs on government-held neighborhoods with the aim of breaking the siege of eastern Aleppo.

Rebels set off a massive tunnel bomb beneath strategic army positions in the government-held Ramouseh district, the BBC reports, but were held back from advancing further by Russian airstrikes.

At least seven civilians were killed by rebel shells on Tuesday afternoon, Syrian state media reported. Government forces continue to use airstrikes on residential areas in rebel-held Aleppo, and have also targeted the countryside with their Russian allies, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

British Man Killed Fighting ISIS in Manbij

A 22-year-old British man, Dean Carl Evans, was killed fighting the so-called Islamic State group in Syria on July 21.

Evans died fighting alongside Kurdish forces in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, according to Kurdish reports.

Evans is the second British citizen killed in Syria fighting Islamic State militants, the BBC reports. The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are among other groups fighting in Manbij in a U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF launched an offensive on the so-called Islamic State in Manbij nearly two months ago, and has recently reported seizing control of 70 percent of the city. Islamic State militants still control parts of the old city and the northeastern side of Manbij. The town is strategically important: an SDF victory would take away from ISIS their only remaining territory on the Syrian-Turkish border.

In a statement, the YPG described Evans as a “man with the noblest of intentions.”

Recommended Reads:

• The Daily Beast: How Israel Plays Syria’s Civil War
• The Washington Institute: Prosecuting Assad: War Crimes, Mass Atrocities and U.S. Foreign Policy
• The Associated Press: Despite Pledges, 1 Million Syrian Refugees Are Out of School
• CNN: Aleppo: Syria’s Troubled City Explained in Numbers
• IRIN News: Aleppo is Screwed. Thanks Everyone.