Syria rebels gain foothold by Mediterranean

26/03/2014| IslamWeb

Syrian rebels have seized control of a tourist site by the Turkish border that allowed them a small foothold by the Mediterranean for the first time since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted three years ago, activists said.

Amateur video posted online by activists on Tuesday shows a group of rebels by the sea in the seaside strip known as Samra, some sitting on rocks and raising their guns.

"This is the village of Samra, under the rule of rebels," said the narrator of the video.

Samra straddles the Syria-Turkey border and the Turkish government has allowed Syrian rebels to ship in aid, weapons and men through its border crossing.

Still, Samra has no port, and Syrian military aircraft are likely to bomb rebels trying to use any sea passage.

There was no government confirmation of Samra's capture.

Another video shows fire billowing from a nearby strategic hill known as "Observatory 45", south of Kassab, which was captured by rebels on Tuesday.

The reported capture of Samra came after rebels severed one of the Assad government's last links to the Turkish border by seizing the Kassab crossing and a predominantly Armenian Christian town of the same name on Sunday.

Video posted online shows fighters walking through the town's deserted streets holding guns and shouting.

Rebels launched their offensive on Friday in Latakia province, the ancestral home of the Assad family and a stronghold of his minority Alawite sect.

 

 

PHOTO CAPTION

This Sunday, March 23, 2014 image taken from video obtained by the anti-government activist group Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian fighter holding his weapon after seizing the predominantly Armenian Christian town of Kassab, Syria.

Aljazeera