Assad’s air force then pummeled it to hell.
This fight is far from being over, in spite of reports last year that stated ”it’s weeks, not months” before the regime falls. Like I’ve said all along, the Syrian regime has the Russians in their camp, and it’ll be to the last man standing before this fight is over. It’s only Assad’s to lose.
Rebels say they seized helicopter base in Syria
Syrian military strikes back with air strike after rebels capture strategic base in northern Syria, weakening Assad’s grip in region.
BEIRUT – Rebels seized a strategic air base in northern Syria on Friday after months of fighting, activists and insurgents said, further weakening President Bashar Assad’s grip on the region.
The Syrian military struck back hours after fighters captured the base, launching air strikes on the area, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“Taftanaz base is being bombarded by Syrian war planes, which are trying to destroy the airport after it was seized by fighters,” it said. These came from several Islamist battalions strong in northern Syria such as Ahrar al-Sham, the Islamic Vanguard and al-Nusra Front, which has links to al-Qaida.
For months, rebels had fought for the base used by military helicopters in Idlib province. But it only fell after Islamist units reinforced them earlier in January.