Syrian Army Poised to Retake Kesab

The vanguards of the Syrian Army have advanced to the center of Kesab, which has been under the control of anti-government militants since March of this year after they attacked the town through the Turkish border.

According to Shamtimes, the Syrian online news website, the army has regained control of the center of Kesab and raised the country's flag on the municipality building. According to the same source, Turkey has blocked the entrance of the fleeing anti-government forces along its borders, except for the wounded.

CivilNet’s sources in Latakia confirm that most of the surrounding villages of Kesab are under the control of the Syrian army, including the heights of Kesab proper.

While clashes between rebels and the Syrian army in and around Kesab are continuing, the largest Armenian-populated region in Syria, Aleppo's Midan (Nor Kyugh) neighborhood is a disaster zone with thousands of people displaced.

During the past three years of the Syrian conflict, many towns and cities exchanged hands between anti-government militants and government forces due to ongoing clashes. Much of the infrastructure of the country has been destroyed, including thousands of homes and factories. More than 150 thousand people have perished and nearly five million have become refugees in neighboring countries.

After the attack on the historic Armenian town of Kesab, Syria on March 21, the local Armenian population took refuge in Latakia, Beirut and Anjar. Nearly two dozen Kesab Armenians were forcibly taken to Turkey, then provided a safe haven in Vakif, the last Armenian village of historic Musaler; the mostly elderly Armenians were later taken to Beirut.