Syrian rebels claim Assad cousin capture

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian rebels announced Saturday, October 6 that they have captured Hussam Assad, the cousin of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to Haaretz.

The arrest was announced on the Twitter page of Sheikh Adnan Al Arour, who is considered one of the Salafi leaders in Syria. Al Arour claimed that his men successfully captured Hussam Assad, who is one of the men at the center of Assad's security establishment.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Turkey returned fire after Syrian mortar bombs landed in a field in southern Turkey, the day after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned Syria that Turkey would not shy away from war if provoked.

It was the fourth day of Turkish retaliation for firing by Syrian forces that killed five Turkish civilians on Wednesday.

The exchanges are the most serious cross-border violence in Syria's conflict, which began as a democracy uprising but has evolved into a civil war with sectarian overtones. They highlight how the crisis could destabilize the region.