In a significant blow to Assad regime and his forces, Free Syrian Army fighters took full control of the largest air base in northern Syria, “Taftanaz air base in Idlib”, in which at least 60 helicopters are hosted.

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said that, fighters from the Free Syrian Army, supported by Islamic Front that includes Ahrar al-Sham, and al-Nusra Front, had taken full control of Taftanaz air base, in Idlib, from the place where the helicopters take off to bomb nearby towns, adding they seized weapons, ammunition and missiles.

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Rebels have stormed parts of Taftanaz military airport in Syria’s northwest Idlib province, but state media reported on Thursday that the fighters had been repelled by troops.

A rebel speaking from near the Taftanaz base overnight said the base’s main sections were still in loyalist hands but fighters had managed to infiltrate and destroy a helicopter and a warplane on the ground.

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Syrian troops and rebels fought Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus as well as near Aleppo’s airport, stopping all flights in and out of the northern city, activists and state media said.

The intense fighting underlined the rebels’ tenacity in the capital and around Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, but also the determination of the Bashar Assad regime to carry on fighting. Activists say more than 45,000 people have been killed in the 22-month civil war.

In the past few weeks, rebels have stepped up their attacks on airports in Aleppo province, trying to chip away at the air power that poses the biggest challenge to their advances against Assad’s forces.

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Hundreds of civilians would been killed in offensive of syrian government forces against Homs town that has led to the recapture of Deir Baalbeth district.

Oppositors denounce the death of twohundred of people, included many children, only in Homs and 400 in all Syria.

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Yemen’s army Tuesday launched an offensive against tribesmen suspected of repeatedly sabotaging an oil pipeline in east Yemen, sparking clashes which left 17 people dead, tribal sources said.

The dead included 10 tribesmen and seven soldiers, said the sources, who added that the army offensive in Marib province’s Habab valley, 140 kilometres (87 miles) east of the capital Sanaa, was launched in the early hours of the morning and was backed by air raids.

The sources said the army was “randomly shelling” the area where some al-Qaeda militants joined tribesmen ranks in battling Yemeni troops. Marib is a major al-Qaeda stronghold in the country.

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