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June 14th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
The underpasses and motorways of the district were captured by the rebels last
summer and have served as the launch pad for the opposition fighters to
extend their control across two-thirds of the northern city since.
The schools and office buildings in Sakhour have served as headquarters for
rebel brigades that have steadily pushed the Syrian army back street by
street from the heart of the city. Thousands of Aleppo residents turned out
in support for the uprising at a street demonstration in nearby Tareq al-Bab
near the heart of the old city.
“It is a strategic area,” said one rebel activist. “What’s
changed is that Iran and Hizbollah have tipped the balance for the Syria
army and they are determined to take advantage of their new support.”
The attack on Sakhour comes a week after Syrian government forces backed by
Hizbollah captured the town of Qusayr near the Lebanon border.
Regime forces were also fighting further south as the regime set its sights on
securing control of the central provinces of Homs and Hama, a linchpin area
linking Damascus with regime strongholds on the Mediterranean coast, and
Aleppo to the north.
In a televised address to his supporters, Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah
leader, warned that his fighters would continued to fight on President
Assad’s side as it sweeps north.
“Before Qusair is the same as after Qusayrr. Nothing has changed,”
he said. “Isn’t the conspiracy the same? Have the facts changed? On the
contrary, the other side is stirring up this conflict even more.
“Where we need to be, we will be. Where we began to assume our
responsibilities, we will continue to assume our responsibilities.”
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