New York Times: Islamists Seize Control of Syrian City in Northwest
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Insurgents seized more parts of the northern Syrian province of Idlib on Saturday in a significant advance toward the government-held coast that seemed to signal new coordination among antigovernment fighters, some using advanced antitank weapons.
The advances showed that government forces have so far been unable to retake the city of Idlib, the provincial capital. It was seized last month by Islamist insurgent groups that included Al Qaeda’s Syrian branch, the Nusra Front, but not the rival Islamic State group.
President Bashar al-Assad has hung on during a four-year insurgency, but his forces have been unable to retake control of large parts of Syria, and in recent weeks insurgents opposed both to his rule and to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, have made advances in the north and south.
Update: Extremist Syrian rebels close in on Assad stronghold -- The National
WNU Editor: These rebel victories were a surprise, and while I do not think that Assad will fall .... the Iranians and their Hezbollah allies are going to make sure about that .... these military advances are signaling a new coordination among the many Syrian rebel groups in their military campaign against the Assad regime. It also presents a new dilemma for the Assad regime .... their base of support comes from the coastal cities on the Mediterranean .... but this rebel advance now makes it possible for these rebel groups to focus on these targets, and in turn it pressures Assad to allocate valuable military resources that he does not have to their defense.