(Ahrar al-Sham, via AP)An unexpected rebel push on Damascus has brought Syria’s civil war to the heart of its capital for the first time in years, spreading panic among residents and serving as a reminder that the conflict is far from over. The rebel offensive seems unlikely to lead to any sustained ad­vances into President Bashar al-Assad’s most vital and best-defended stronghold. Syrian civil defense volunteers, known as the White Helmets, extinguish a fire reportedly caused by airstrikes in the rebel-controlled town of Hamouria, on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, on March 21. The immediate goal of the rebel offensive was to defend a besieged foothold in the suburb of Qaboun, which was at risk of being overrun, and link it with Jobar, a bigger enclave on the eastern edge of the city, rebel commanders said. The moderate Faylaq al-Rahman teamed up with units of the more extreme Tahrir al-Sham to launch the Damascus assault.

Source: Washington Post March 21, 2017 20:31 UTC