Syrian rebels make new push on Assad’s Alawite heartland

The push in Latakia comes as the rebels show signs that they are starting to recover from a string of recent setbacks that had triggered concerns among their regional allies that Assad’s regime may be poised to crush the 21 / 2-year-old revolt. Rebel commanders and opposition leaders say the concerns appear to have spurred fresh supplies of weapons to the rebels in recent weeks, though it is unclear who is supplying them.

The scale of the offensive, which appeared to be the biggest yet in the Assad family’s heartland, will come as a blow to the recent confidence displayed by the regime, said Charles Lister of IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center.

Jihadist groups, including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq, appear to have taken the lead, with as many as 1,000 fighters, many of them foreigners, from more than 40 rebel units taking part, he said. Tunisians, Libyans, Saudis and Jordanians were among those reported killed in the initial attacks, he added…

In a further sign that the regime is facing difficulties, Assad issued a decree Sunday prohibiting commercial transactions in foreign currencies, signaling another effort to prop up the collapsing Syrian pound.