A group of fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) backed by the jihadist al-Nusra Front attacked and captured an air defense base in the village of al-Tanneh, just outside of the major city of Aleppo.
A rebel video praising al-Nusra for its involvement in the attack claimed that the surface-to-air missiles at the base were being used against rebel forces, an odd claim since the rebels don’t have any air forces.
Al-Nusra is accused of ties with al-Qaeda, and its primary claim to fame has been attacking media outlets nationwide, killing journalists and media workers accused of being pro-regime.
It is the second air defense base captured this month, after rebels attacked and sacked a base near Damascus last Thursday. The bases have given the rebels access to anti-aircraft weaponry, putting all air traffic over Syria in jeopardy, as the FSA claimed recently that they consider civilian aircraft “legitimate military targets” if they are inside Syria.