The Syrian military suffered its largest one day death toll on Thursday, as rebel fighters are using larger and more sophisticated bomb attacks to strike back at the regime. The army lost 87 soldiers, while 64 rebels and 59 other civilians were killed across the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, making it one of the deadliest overall days of the entire civil war. 

The rebels hit Syrian security compounds in Damascus with multiple bombings this week, which demonstrates are more aggressive campaign of direct bombs, but also suggests an increasing reliance on terrorists and their strategies. There have long been concerns about jihadist groups inserting themselves into the conflict, but now seems its becoming harder and harder to separate them from the original guerrilla fighters. In France on Thursday, police arrested a terror cell of 12 people that were reportedly planning to travel to Syria to join the fight as bomb makers. They are also accused of a bombing in the French town of Sarcelles last month.

Elsewhere in Syria, the rebels also cut off the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo, preventing reinforcments from reaching to the northern city and air base outside Aleppo that was reportedly seized by the rebels on Friday morning.

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Dashiell Bennett