An opposition fighter from the Failaq al-Rahman brigade in Jobar, a rebel-held district on the eastern outskirts of Damascus AMER ALMOHIBANY/Getty ImagesJets pummelled an area of rebel-held northeast Damascus this morning after the Syrian regime suffered its biggest losses for months in the six-year civil war. A surprise advance led by suicide bombers from the Fatah al-Sham Front, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, reunited two rebel enclaves that had been cut by the regime and brought jihadist and non-jihadist rebels close to the city centre. The Syrian army, which was said to have lost scores of men including a number of senior officers in the reverse, fought back overnight, with the air force launching strikes this morning that sent smoke rising above the city. It managed to clear Abbasid Square, a focal point which connects the city centre to the northeast suburbs, several of which are held…

Source: The Times March 20, 2017 11:48 UTC