Initial rebel advance BM-21 Grad launch during the offensive In the early hours of 21 March 2014, rebel fighters led by the
al-Nusra Front advanced from inside Turkish territory and attacked the Kasab border crossing with Turkey. The fighters reportedly crossed into Syria from the Turkish village of Gözlekçiler. Subsequently, the civilian populations of Kessab and its surrounding villages either fled or were evacuated, with most seeking safety in
Latakia, as Kessab remained under the control of rebel groups. The rebel fighters initially managed to capture guard posts around the crossing but not the crossing itself. The also captured the nearby Al-Sakhra hill and a police station Rebels had also captured the Jabal al-Nisr mountain, but it was recaptured by the military within hours. Government forces launched a counter-attack in an attempt to recapture the crossing and a security source stated the Army had retaken the previous day two police stations that were seized by the rebels. According to the opposition activist group the
SOHR, rebels at the crossing had been targeted by government troops since the previous day. Overall, the SOHR reported fighting in three government-held villages that were coming under a rebel attack and three rebel-held villages which the Army was trying to capture. On 23 March, Turkish Air Force F-16 jet fighters shot down a Syrian warplane that allegedly bombed rebels fighting around the border post. The pilot ejected safely, according to a Syrian military spokesman, who also claimed that the plane was in Syrian airspace; Turkish officials, however, claimed it violated their airspace. Meanwhile, significant military reinforcements were sent to the border area. Rebels also launched a new attack against the village of Kherbah Solas, about 25 kilometers south of Kasab. Opposition sources claimed that over 20 soldiers surrendered to the rebels in the village of Nab Al-Murr after a three-hour siege on a building. Later during the day, government forces recaptured Observatory 45 and secured the village of Al-Samra, while rebels captured the village of Al-Nab'in and the surroundings of Jabal al-Nisr, which forced the Army to evacuate it. However, the rebels were not able to capture the top of Jabal al-Nisr itself due to the Army's control of Observatory 45, which is the highest point in the region and oversees Jabal al-Nisr. According to the rebel Islamic Front, he was killed when they used Grad rockets to hit a scheduled meeting of pro-government militia leaders in Latakia city. On 24 March, according to the SOHR, rebels were in control of the village of Kasab, after capturing the main square with fighting continuing in the town's outskirts, specifically the hills outside the center of Kasab. However, according to a military source, neither side had control of the village and the situation was unclear. The Army managed to recapture the town of Nab al-Murr. However, that evening Mihraç Ural posted a video on his Facebook account denying rumors of his death. Al-Arabiya television also claimed that two other cousins of Bashar al-Assad were killed in the fighting. On 25 March, rebels captured Al-Samra and were reportedly advancing towards Anfal. A military source denied the village had fallen stating that fighting was still ongoing and that the Army was in complete control of the mountains overlooking Al-Samra. According to the editor-in-ehief of
Aztag Daily, information warfare was being conducted and that it was too early to conclude whether government forces managed to regain control of the town, but confirmed fighting was ongoing. Rebels had also once again captured Observatory 45, after a Tunisian suicide bomber in an armored troop carrier blew himself up The fall of the Observatory removed the threat of artillery strikes against Jabal al-Nisr and the rebels were able to occupy its peak. Government troops from the hill retreated towards Qastal Maaf. Meanwhile, the Army recaptured Al-Nab'in. Nineteen rebels and 16 soldiers were killed during the day's fighting and 40 soldiers and 100 rebels were wounded. On 26 March, rebels slowly pressed their advance from Observatory 45 and attacked the town of Qastal Maaf. Fighting had also renewed at Al-Nab'in. The battle for both towns had been described as a seesaw one with both attacks and retreats. At the same time, fighting continued around Kasab, Observatory 45 and Al-Samra as the Army intensified its shelling on Kasab and Al-Samra. The government mobilised thousands of soldiers and NDF fighters to retake the areas that had been lost to the rebels and many government supporters, the majority of them Alawites, volunteered to fight against the rebels. A military officer claimed rebels had been pushed back from Observatory 45, but were still in nearby areas. Another source also confirmed that the Army had beaten back the rebels from Observatory 45, but did not reoccupy it, instead securing the hill's surroundings. The military had also evacuated from Nab al-Murr, due to the town's vulnerability to rebel shelling from Observatory 45 and Jabal al-Nisr. Pro-government sources claimed 500 rebels On 27 March, several helicopter and air strikes were conducted against Observatory 45, while Jabhat Al-Nusra reinforcements arrived in the contested areas. Two pro-government sources reported the military managed to defend their positions at Al-Nab'in and Qastal Maaf and was advancing towards Kasab from the two towns. A pro-opposition source reported that rebels managed to capture Al-Nab'in but that fighting was ongoing as the military was trying to recapture both it and Kasab. Another source reported that the military recaptured Al-Nab'in after it received reinforcements from troops who evacuated Jabal al-Nisr. A pro-government newspaper also claimed another 200 rebel fighters had been killed in the last day. By the end of this day, according to the SOHR, more than 150 pro-government fighters, including 14 officers, had been killed since the start of the offensive. On 28 March, it was reported that the rebels had blocked several attempts by the Syrian Army to send reinforcements to Latakia. On 29 March, Al-Nab'in was once again reported under rebel control, but with fighting continuing in its outskirts. Al Aan TV claimed that 10 pro-government fighters were killed in an attempt by the Army to recapture Observatory 45. It also reported the arrival of Hezbollah fighters in the area. According to a local activist, the FSA had set up a joint operations room under command of Brigadier General and FSA Chief of staff
Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir to support the rebel offensive. On 30 March, the SOHR reported that several attempts by the Army to retake areas in northern Latakia had been repelled by the rebels. However, the military was bringing more reinforcements from the coastal city of Tartous to try to stem the rebel advance.
The battle for Observatory 45 By 31 March, thousands of refugees reportedly fled to Latakia city, while a rising tension between the Armenian-Christian-Alawite community and the Turkmen community was reported. At this time, Barnabas Aid stated 80 Christian civilians were killed and thousands more displaced after rebel fighters captured Kasab; however, a delegation from the
Armenian National Assembly visited and interviewed refugees from Kessab who fled to Latakia and concluded that "fortunately, no casualties were reported on the Armenian side," though around 2500 were displaced. According to the SOHR, 1,052 fighters from both sides had been killed and wounded since the start of the offensive. Among the dead were 27 Army officers and 56 foreign rebel fighters. During the day, government forces made an attempt to advance towards Kasab as the rebel offensive started to stagnate and state TV made a live report from near the hilltop of Observatory 45 claiming the Army had recaptured it. The SOHR confirmed the Army made progress in the area and stated that government troops managed to install
multiple rocket launcher on Observatory 45, but fighting was continuing in the vicinity of the hillside. Meanwhile, rebels hit the pro-government village of Bahloulieh with seven Grad missiles. Other pro-government villages were also shelled with mortars. After midnight, government troops ambushed rebels in the forest around Observatory 45 resulting in a number of deaths among opposition fighters. On 1 April,
Ahmad Jarba, head of the
Syrian National Coalition, visited the front-line in the Kasab region. The SOHR also denied State TV's claim that the Army had recaptured Observatory 45, stating that clashes were still ongoing over the hilltop. On 2 April, according to the SOHR, the rebels reached the perimeter of al-Badrousiya village where violent clashes took place amid new Army reinforcements in that area. Opposition activists in Latakia claimed that the rebels repulsed an Army attack on Observatory 45. During the fighting for the hill, the Moroccan leader of the Harakat Sham al-Islam rebel group, Ibrahim bin Shakran, was killed. A local rebel commander was also killed in other clashes, while "dozens of bodies" of pro-government fighters were reportedly bussed to the city of Tartous, according to opposition activist's claims. An opposition TV station also claimed that 11 Hezbollah fighters were captured in an ambush by rebels in the province, but this report could not be verified. On 3 April, according to the SOHR, rebels managed to regain control over the buildings of Observatory 45 after they were captured by pro-government fighters during the night. At least 11 rebels were killed in the fighting, while at least 20 pro-government fighters were killed and wounded. But later activists reported that government forces, supported by the NDF, had managed to reach the peak of Observatory 45 and clashes ensued with opposition fighters, including Jabhat al-Nusra. The SOHR also updated the past day's rebel death toll to 20. On 4 April, the SOHR reported that 64 rebels, including 40 foreign fighters, and 35 government soldiers were killed in fighting for Observatory 45 over the previous two days. 50 soldiers were also wounded and among rebel fatalities, beside the leader of Harakat Sham al-Islam, was the group's Egyptian military commander, Abu Safiya Al-Masri. Fighting was continuing around Observatory 45 with mutual bombardment from both sides. Eight rebels and eight pro-government fighters were killed and 15 wounded in the fighting at Observatory 45. Meanwhile, the Turkish Army fired shells into Syria, responding to six shells that landed in Yayladadi.
Continued Army advance On 5 April, after midnight, government troops ambushed rebels on the road towards Al-Nab'in resulting in a number of deaths among opposition fighters, It was reported that Latakia city was hit by two Grad missiles during the day. On 7 April, fighting erupted on the edges of the Jabal al-Haramiya area with government forces advancing. On 12 April, fighting erupted in Al-Nab'in and Nab Al-Murr and later in the day clashes were still ongoing in the towns perimeters. The next day, the Army recaptured Chalma mountain (also known as Sal-Darin mountain), near Kassab, while heavy clashes were still taking place near Observatory 45. By 15 April, the FSA commander for Latakia province stated the offensive had stagnated after rebel forces had become exhausted due to the number of casualties they had endured and a shortage of ammunition. Three days later, another opposition commander criticised the opposition
Syrian National Coalition for not providing enough financial support for the offensive and supporting countries for not providing enough arms.
Capture of Al-Samra and the battle for the hills On 27 April, government forces captured a guard post near Al-Samra, namely the town's police station, after an
amphibious assault from the sea. As evening came, rebels had retreated from Al-Samra and government forces captured the village. The next day, the military secured Chalma mountain and engaged rebels on top of Tal Al-Ahmar, while other government troops, including Special Forces from Al-Samra, advanced towards Al-Nab'in. Four soldiers were killed and 75 wounded by mid-day, while an unknown number of rebels also died. Government forces from Observatory 45 had also advanced, capturing Height 724 north of the Observatory. The Army further captured Heights 959 and 1017. Two days later, government forces were fighting rebels on Jabal al-Nisr mountain, near Al-Nab'in, and on three hills overlooking Kasab in an attempt to capture the hilly terrain before engaging opposition forces in the towns themselves. Later in the day, government troops fully secured Al-Samra and its surrounding hills. On 3 May, government troops captured radar hill 1013 overlooking and the next day fighting erupted in Al-Nab'in. In mid-May, rebels reportedly recaptured Hills 53, 724 and 1013, as well as Seriatel and Al-Nab'in hills. Opposition forces also attempted to capture Observatory 45, but failed. As of 18 May, the offensive was considered to had petered out.
Syrian army offensive – Rebel retreat On 12 June, the military started a new offensive and by the next day captured Hills 714, 767 and 803. On 14 June, most rebels retreated from Kasab, while a few of them stayed to protect the retreating fighters. This came after the Army took hold of areas that surround Al-Nab'in and advanced towards Kasab. The SOHR reported the military was moving towards nearby villages, including Al-Nab'in, while state TV already reported the capture of the town. SANA also stated two-thirds of Kasab were under military control. On 15 June, the Syrian Army took control of Kasab, its border crossing, Al-Nab'in and Nab Al-Murr, fully reversing all opposition gains during the three-month campaign. Meanwhile, the Army intensified its operations in the east of the province near Salma. ==Controversies==