Syria Direct: News Update 10-22-14

IS retakes parts of Deir e-Zor city

The Islamic State recaptured large swathes of a-Sinaa district in southeast Deir e-Zor city from regime forces on Tuesday, marking IS’s first major victory in the city in two months, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Islamic State had sent reinforcements to the city over the past few days, Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was quoted as saying in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat Monday.

The Sinaa district sits next to regime artillery batteries located on hilltops that overlook Deir e-Zor city, reported pro-opposition Sham News Network.

US-backed rebels down two regime warplanes in Aleppo

Rebels with the Harakat Hazm movement destroyed two regime warplanes at the Aleppo international airport Tuesday with a single TOW missile, reported pro-opposition Smart News Agency.

Video footage uploaded by the rebel group to YouTube Tuesday confirms the successful attack.

Harakat Hazm is part of a moderate coalition of 20 rebel groups that has received military aid from the United States.

In related news, regime warplanes struck at least five targets across the northern outskirts of Aleppo Tuesday, including the city of Huraytan, without any information on casualties available as of publishing, reported the pro-opposition Aleppo News Network.

IS takes American weapons meant for Kurds 

Most of the military supplies American planes airdropped to Kurdish fighters defending the besieged city Kobani in northern Aleppo province reached their targets, said the Pentagon Tuesday, despite an Islamic State video appearing to show IS fighters claiming the munitions.

“We are very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press security, on Tuesday in response to questions about the video.

The video, released Tuesday by an IS-affiliated social media account, shows otherwise.

“This is some of the American aid dropped off for the apostate [Kurdish fighters],” the masked fighter says in the video.

The fighter then opens up a series of boxes revealing a variety of military ammunition, including grenades and RPG rockets.

The content of the video could not be independently confirmed.

 Photo Courtesy of @ajilinewsalassd. 

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