Syrian rebel coalition in big offensive to capture Aleppo

The northern rebel Army of Conquest has launched a broad offensive to knock over Syrian military positions guarding the northern town of Aleppo. The Islamist Nusra Front is part of this group. Should the city fall to the rebels, the Assad regime and its army will have lost their last foothold in northern Syria. DEBKAfile adds: Syrian forces are evacuating the giant military Al-Safira complex outside Aleppo, where the Assad government stored the chemical weapons stocks withheld from international agencies. Fortified military convoys headed out of the base Friday and Saturday on their way to the central Syrian town of Hama.