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The 2013 Latakia offensive is a campaign during the Syrian civil war launched by rebel forces in the Latakia Governorate to capture the strategic border area. The offensive began in early August 2013. During the campaign, rebel forces captured several villages.

Offensive

On 4 August, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 rebel fighters, 300 of them foreigners, launched an offensive from the rebel-held town of Salma further into, the predominantly pro-government Alawite, Latakia province. The offensive started with a rebel attack on 10 Alawite villages in the Jabal al-Akrad mountain area. Rebel tanks were also deployed, firing on the villages. Throughout the day, ambulances rushed wounded government fighters to Latakia city from the frontline. As for rebel casualties, Tunisians, Libyans, Saudis and Jordanians were among those reported killed in the initial attacks. By the end of the first day of fighting, rebels had seized five villages and captured 400 Alawite villagers and pro-government militiamen, including a pro-government Alawite cleric, Badr Ghazal. Hundreds of Alawite civilians fled to Latakia.

On 5 August, rebels further advanced to the outskirts of the Alawite village of Aramo, 20 km from Qardaha, president Bashar al-Assad's hometown which also contains the mausoleum of Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad. Rebel forces were using freshly supplied anti-tank missiles to a reportedly devastating effect with one opposition activist claiming three Army tanks were destroyed on a hilltop overlooking Salma. Later, it was reported that opposition forces had captured Aramo, along with one other village. Rebels also made attempts to advance in the Jabal Turkman mountain area. However, during the second day of the fighting, government forces launched a counter-attack and managed to recapture one of the five villages they lost the previous day, Beit al-Shakuhi. The counter-attack came as fresh government reinforcements started to arrive in an attempt to push back the rebels.

While the rebel offensive was praised by some of their sympathizers, others were opposed to opening up the front, with one opposition activist noting that the rebels "have a habit of escalating without preparing as soon as they feel they have enough weapons. But they are not ready... and the regime's response will be crazy." The United States, a main backer of the FSA, was against targeting Latakia, because it could spark revenge attacks by Alawites against its majority Sunni population and increase the flow of refugees. Other foreign diplomats said the coastal area and its mountain villages could be the scene of a bloodbath against the Alawites if Islamist radicals end up eventually gaining the upper hand.

On 6 August, the opposition activist group the SOHR claimed that rebels had overrun 9–11 Alawite villages in the previous three days. A security source played down the report saying that only two villages were still rebel-held after an Army counter-attack. SOHR also reported that a number of executions had been conducted during the course of the offensive. Four hilltop military posts that were shelling rebel-held villages were also reportedly captured by opposition forces.

On 7 August, an Alawite cleric confirmed 13 villages were captured by rebel forces, but stated that six of them had already been recaptured by the Army the previous day. He also claimed that the rebels killed more than 100 people in sectarian massacres against the villagers, most of them women and children.

On 8 August, security forces artillery destroyed some main insurgent hideouts and their weaponry in the suburbs of Salmi, al-Hafeh and Salnafeh in the northern part of Latakia province.

References

1. Syria: Islamists advance towards Assad bastion of Latakia
2. ^ Decoder: The Battle for Latakia Begins
3. ^ Latakia offensive inflames Syria’s sectarian wounds
4. ^ "Syria rebels strike Assad's Alawite stronghold, seize airport". Reuters. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
6. Rebels target Assad loyalists in Damascus, Latakia
7. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-rebels-make-new-push-on-assads-alawite-heartland/2013/08/04/fe06b23e-fd4b-11e2-8294-0ee5075b840d_story.html
8. ^ http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/78376/World/Region/Syrian-rebels-push-advance-into-Latakia-NGO.aspx
9. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/08/05/3129742/hrw-syrian-missiles-kill-hundreds.html
10. ^ Syrian rebels push into Assad's Alawite mountain stronghold
11. Latakia province
12. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323420604578652250872942058.html
13. Syria rebels overrun key Aleppo air base
14. "Rebels Gain Control of Government Air Base in Syria". New York Times. 5 August 2013.
15. [http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/08/syrian-rebel-attacks-latakia-al-qaeda-jihadist.html Syrian Rebel Forces Set Sights on Latakia]
16. http://en.alalam.ir/news/1503104

• Military operations of the Syrian civil war
• Conflicts in 2013
• Latakia Governorate
• 2013 in Syria