Syrian rebels capture air defense base outside Damascus

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian rebels said they had captured an air defense base with a cache of missiles outside Damascus, a rare advance on the city after a series of opposition setbacks in the capital.

Rebel forces overran the base in the Eastern Gouta area, a few miles east of Damascus, on Thursday, Oct 4, according to video posted on YouTube, Reuters reported.

The video of the assault on the airbase showed dozens of rebels dressed in army fatigues celebrating as black smoke rose from a military installation behind them.

Across the country about 180 people were killed in violence on Thursday, including 48 government soldiers, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

In New York, the UN Security Council condemned a cross-border mortar attack by Syrian forces that hit a Turkish village and demanded that such violations of international law stop immediately.

Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian positions on Wednesday and Thursday in retaliation but the border area appeared to be quiet on Friday.