Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — The regime of President Bashar Assad has intensified counter-rebel operations in Syria.

Opposition sources said the Syrian military was ordered to step up air and ground strikes on Sunni rebels. They said the military bolstered operations around Aleppo and Damascus, both of which contain a major rebel
presence.

“It appears that Assad decided that he had demonstrated enough good will in meeting the opposition in Geneva, and now the campaign has again gone to the military side,” a source said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the assessment. The
British-based opposition group said the rate of Syrian casualties reached
its highest since the civil war began nearly three years ago — most of them
from air and artillery strikes. During the Western-sponsored peace talks,
which began on Jan. 22, about 4,000 people were reported killed in a
three-week period.

“After reaching the highest death toll since the revolution started, the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights calls for the Geneva-2 talks to be
suspended if [the talks do] not include an immediate halt to all military
operations,” Syrian Observatory said on Feb. 12.

The sources said the Assad regime has been operating along two fronts.
In Aleppo, the Syrian military was using aircraft, artillery and special
operations forces to capture most of the nation’s biggest city, said to be
nearly empty of residents.

In Damascus, the military ended a lull of several months and resumed its
assault on the southern suburbs. Syrian Observatory said the Syrian Army was
bolstered by thousands of troops from the Iranian proxy Hizbullah. At the
same time, the military captured Yabroud in the Damascus province and the
southwestern border town of Jarjar.

“This town was struck by at least 20 air strikes on Feb. 12,” Syrian
Observatory said.

  4, Aleppo, Bashar Assad, Geneva-2, Syria’s Assad steps up offensive in nation’s largest city Aleppo, whose residents have fled