Syria’s Civil War is back to normal today as troops and rebels got involved in a major battle in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, on the outskirts of Damascus. Warplanes pounded rebel held targets across the nation and the regime resumed its efforts to retake Maarat al-Numaan.
Today is the first official “non-ceasefire” day after the four day Eid al-Adha, though fighting actually only slowed for the first two days and was more or less back to normal by yesterday.
Rebels claimed a large number of civilian deaths in the military’s air strikes, which is common enough. The various reports claimed anywhere from six to 28 civilians were among the slain in Maarat al-Numaan alone, and some claimed major tolls in other cities.
Maarat al-Numaan appears to be the most immediate goal, as the regime continues to try to retake the city, which lies on the vital highway between Damascus and Aleppo. The highway is impassable to both sides at the moment, as the rebels hold the town and the military retains a base on the outskirts.