E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSAs Rebels in Syria have launched a massive attack on the country's largest city, Aleppo, which is 40 miles from the Turkish border, calling it a decisive battle. Fighting raged in the treasured marketplace and a World Heritage site from the 14 century was burned to ashes. NBC's Ann Curry reports.
Hundreds of shops in the ancient covered market in Aleppo, Syria, were burning Saturday as fighting between rebels and state forces in Syria's largest city threatened to destroy the U.N. World Heritage Site.
Activists speaking via Skype said army snipers were making it difficult to approach the Souk al-Madina, the medieval market of vaulted stone alleyways and carved wooden facades in the Old City, once a major tourist attraction, Reuters reported.
Activists said the fire might have been started by shelling and gunfire, and estimated that between 700 and 1,000 shops had been destroyed so far. The accounts were difficult to verify because of government restrictions on foreign media.
Shaam News Network via AP
In this image taken from video obtained from Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a fire rages at the medieval market in Aleppo, Syria.
Aleppo's Old City is one of several locations in Syria declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency.
UNESCO believes five of Syria's six World Heritage Sites -- which include the ancient desert city of Palmyra, the Crac des Chevaliers crusader fortress, and parts of old Damascus -- have been affected by the fighting.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian forces and rebels blamed each other for the blaze.
The uprising-turned-civil war has killed more than 30,000 people, according to activist groups.
Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday announced a new offensive in Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub of 2.5 million people, but neither side has appeared to make significant gains.
The Syrian conflict grinds on. Cities are under attack leaving them crushed by heavy shelling. NBC's Bill Neely reports.
Text messages attributed to the army were sent to all Syrian mobile phones when the offensive was announced.
"To those who have implicated themselves against the state: Those who have offered you money have left you with two options: You will be killed fighting the state or it will kill you to get rid of you," one message read. "The state is more merciful than you. Think and decide. The Syrian Army."
Activists also reported heavy clashes at Bab Antakya, a stone gateway to Aleppo's Old City, which sits on ancient trade routes and survived a parade of rulers throughout its construction between the 12th and 17th centuries.
"No one is actually making gains here, it is just fighting and more fighting, and terrified people are fleeing," said an activist contacted by telephone who declined to be identified.
He said in some districts bodies were lying in the streets and residents would not collect them, fearing snipers.
By noon on Saturday, more than 40 people had been killed in fighting across Syria, according to the Observatory.
Syria's military deadlock is also reflected diplomatically, with foreign powers stalemated over how to act. Western states and Gulf Arab countries back the opposition but most seem reluctant to interfere, while Russia, China and Iran back Assad.
The revolt, which began in March 2011 as peaceful protests, has become an armed insurgency, with rebels holding ground in Aleppo and rural towns of northern Syria.
The fighting has crept closer to Syria's border zones, and some bullets and rockets have hit neighboring Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. Ankara warned it would take action if its territory was again hit -- a mortar bomb hit a town on its southeastern frontier on Friday.
Activists reported fresh clashes in the capital Damascus and its suburbs and said security forces were torching homes as helicopters buzzed overhead.
The bloodied bodies of at least 12 men were found in Damascus's northwestern suburb of Qudsaya. A video published by showed rows of men, some of them apparently shot, laid in a room whose walls were spattered with blood.
Some Damascus residents have accused government forces of summary executions in rebel districts.
Reuters contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
- In Iran, sanctions bite and currency collapses
- 'Lady whisperer': Cabbie snaps topless female passengers
- Officials: Terrorist groups in Libya tried to unite
- Women on ballot in Palestinian city's 1st election in decades
- 'Overwhelmed' aid agencies seek $340M to help Syria refugees
- Free speech? Egypt cleric burns Bible pages at US Embassy
- Stay informed: Sign up for our newsletter
Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Assad has long defended the fierce crackdown, arguing that he has been fighting Islamist militants funded from abroad.
Leave a Comment:
Aside from the deaths of civilians this is what happens in Urban warfare.
The things the population value the most are often destroyed. War is WAR and anything standing between the opposing armies will be destroyed no matter what. The civilian population always pays the highest price for war. Modern day war has rules until the fight breaks out. WW-2 is a prime example of this. Cities were not suppose to be bombed. Hitler bombed London. At that point the gloves came off and all of Europe was flattened.
What we have here is muslims killing muslims. That is a win win for the entire world.
If the international community had stayed out of this and not helped the "rebels" Assad would have put down the uprising a long time ago. There would not be so much destruction and there would not be so many civilians being killed and displaced. The interference from other governments and the influx of fighters from outside of Syria has made the situation that much worse. These "rebels" have no interest in establishing a free and open society in Syria, all they really want is control for themselves so they can implement their version of an Islamist state where people are forced to follow their rules and worship as they dictate. The worst thing that has happened is others interfering in the internal affairs of Syria.
JS
You seem to have forgotten about our old friend SADDAM. He used ( yellow rain ) chemical weapons against the Kurds , his own people. If Assad had an early warning would he not have done the same ??? It has been said to be for warned is to be fore armed. I doubt he would have gone that far but would have come down super hard on the rebels. Either way it is best we ( the USA ) stay far far away from this mess. We will be damned if we do help and damned if we don't help. Rather be blamed for not helping. At least that way no American blood was spilt and no American lives lost.
The US and others are arming the terrorists in direct contravention of the UN Charter's prohibition against interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states. That makes the Obama regime, and its fellow travelers, responsible for the death and destruction in Syria.
Please, one weekend with out news from the middle east, like the old days. No pictures of gowned, head veiled females either. One weekend. Please. Or just show pictures of American soldiers enjoying their tours.
Yank
You are pushing it there. Crap like this sell advertising space. Money in the bank for them.
bob
Yank,
"Please, one weekend with out news from the middle east, like the old days."
How far back do you mean by "the old days"? The Middle East has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years. In fact, there is evidence of human habitation in the Barada valley of Syria going back to 9,000 B.C. And Damascus, Syria, is claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, going back to the 2nd. millennium B.C. I don't think in all that time there has ever been an extended period of peace.
Mickey, It wasn't much of a news item in the 60's and 70's. But Bob is right. Banksters and War industry need to make their profits. All the rest of us just want to buy their oil products, pay and buy again. Saudi Arabians understand that.
Yank,
"Mickey, It wasn't much of a news item in the 60's and 70's."
I think the big item that dominated the news in the 60's and 70's was the Vietnam war. That kind of pulled attention away from the Middle East, although there were lots of stories about the Middle East, too. The 1967 War fought by Israel and the 1973 Yom Kippur War as well are a couple of examples. And don't you remember that the revolution in Iran occurred in the late 70's? The news was full of stories about the Ayatollah Khomeini. There were also quite a few airliner hijackings back then as well as the terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in 1972 in Munich by the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September. So I don't really think there has ever been a time when there wasn't something bad taking place in the Middle East.
Where is the aspirin?
That was such a beautiful part of the city, it was pretty amazing to go there on a Friday and be able to really appreciate it's beauty.
Syrians were among the nicest people I've ever met and most of them were very pro West and the Christians said that they never had problems with being a minority. It's a complete tragedy what is happening to them.
It's amazing how Western tourists seem to able to magically locate all these pro-West, pro-Christian Arabs just moments after stepping off the plane...
And yet, the Christians who've actually been living in these places for thousands of years seem to be having some trouble finding these pro-Christian Moslems. I wonder why the Christians in Lebanon would have gone to the point of forming THEIR OWN armed militias if there fellow countrymen were so tolerant. Why was the Christian population of the West Bank like 30% in the 1960's and just 4% today? I wonder why Christians in Iraq are leaving by the hundreds of thousands. I wonder why the Coptic population in Egypt is terrified about the fate that might befall them...
If only there were some upper middle class tourists, or maybe an American college professor to show them the way - surely then the Christians of the Middle East would awaken to how accepting and tolerant their "Pro-Western, Pro-Christian" Moslem brothers rally are!!!
We had a good family friend from Lebanon who was a Christian and fought in their civil war, so nice try on trying to pigeon-hole me. My point is since I knew a Christian from Lebanon, I was very surprised to learn how Christian were treated in Syria and Iraq (during Saddam's reign, in the post Saddam era Christian are fleeing for good reason).
No, I'm not some upper middle class tourist, I was spending time in Iraq and Syria, but I did do some touristy things in the rest of the Middle East and when I was in Egypt I stayed at a wonderful Coptic Christian ran hotel called the St. Joseph in Luxor (highly recommend them), so I spent a lot of time talking to the guys running it and the many returning British tourists that were well verse in the plight of the Coptics
You might need to spend some time in these countries, Christians are fleeing the West Bank because living in the West Bank is h3ll, no tourists, very few job opportunities (accept a wonderful micro brewery) and spotty water and electricity. I am a very pro Israel girl, but I also see the downside of what they do and there are certainly no easy answers.
Painting with a wide brush over a very diverse area, with diverse people is idiotic and simplistic and shows your complete lack of understanding of the world and of the area. We are all connected on this little planet, 20 years ago it would of been hard to imagine a country with technology that is straight out of the dark ages could shake us to our core, so let's not brush aside all those Muslims. Some can be friends, some can be neutral and yes some can be enemies, let's educate ourselves on their situation so that we can better identify and problems before we get hit again.
One last thing, no I didn't just get off the plane, I came from Iraq via Turkey, because trying to get through Mosul to the Syrian border would of been suicide, but Fallujah had calmed down strange, enough, and the border between the country was only opened sometimes.
Reuters and NBC have conveniently left out several salient details. First, Iranian Revolutionary Guards which are the mullahs' shock troops, have been pouring into Syria to support the Assad dictatorship. Secondly, Assad's significant stockpiles of chemical weapons are being moved. Even our Secretary of Defense can't tell you whether or not the Iranian troops or Hezbollah have received a share of those deadly weapons. And thirdly several mortar shells have been fired from Syria into Israel. You guys are either incompetent, or simply discard facts when they get in the way of your agenda.
Assad another criminal looking to eradicate an important part history. Such a shame.
The souk was so authentic and vibrant. Loved getting lost in there with my daughters
Let the UN Building burn to the ground.
The foreign born rebels and al Qaida thugs are to blame for this. And so are the nato baby killers as well as USA, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar ! Assad must get tough with these evil butchers !! Since these foreign nations have helped attack Syria, then likewise Syria has a right to bomb all of them as well !!! Hopefully Saudi Arabia is the next hot spot !
Aline Rizk Assad is not doing this , Mam Its our friends and Allies army of thugs , the Alqaida and Muslims brother hood and Wahhabi's fighters the same ones that attacked here on 9/11 and in Libya , but somehow our honorable senators , McCain , Lieberman , Graham , and off course Hillary are arming these thugs too , Hillary just gave them an additional 45 million dollars , our tax money , McCain wants to send our troops along with his clan of war monger senators , so blame this on the US , NATO AND ALL THESE GULF STATES KINGDOMS THAT DO NOT DO ANY THING BUT MURDER CIVILIANS AND TRY TO KILL ALL THE CHRISTIANS IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD . Go Assad and kill all these thugs and try to destroy the roots of evil in Saudis and Qataris , and that's something we should have done after 9/11 , but instead we went after Saddam and now Syria and Iran , STRANGE ??????
I really expected to find more interest in the extensive damage, if not destruction, of a cultutally significant landmark. People can & will be replaced, after all. These treasures can not.