Post date: Apr 13, 2013 5:6:44 PM
Amateur video is said to show the minaret of the Omari mosque in Deraa, considered by many Syrian activists as the cradle of the revolution there, being destroyed, said to be the result of damage sustained by Assad forces attack on the mosque.
SAID TO BE DERAA, SYRIA (SAID TO BE APRIL 12, 2013) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE) - Video posted on a social media website shows what it says is the destruction of the minaret of the Omari mosque in Deraa, considered by many Syrian activists as the cradle of the revolution. The destraction is said to be the result of an attack by government forces on Saturday (April 13).
Gunfire and explosions near the minaret can be seen in a video claiming to have been shot on Friday (April 12), but a video said to be shot on Saturday shows what appears to be the same minaret collapsing, as people in the streets are heard crying.A separate video claims to show the destroyed minaret, and the rubble surrounding it, as a voice on the video is heard blaming the attack on forces loyal to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Reuters cannot independently verify the content of those videos which have been obtained from a social media website.
Syrian rebels fought through late March to reclaim the mosque that became the focal point for protests in Deraa, cradle of the two-year-old uprising against Assad.
Protesters first gathered in the mosque on March 18, 2011 and set off for large anti-Assad demonstrations.
The battle for the mosque carries special symbolism for the Syrian opposition as it is happening around the second anniversary of security forces overrunning the site in a bloody assault on demonstrators.
From March 23 to 25, 2011, Syrian security forces killed at least 31 people in an attack on the Omari mosque.
The mosque had served as a meeting point and a makeshift clinic when regular forces began to crack down on protesters, first with batons and later with live fire.
Elsewhere in Deraa a video is said to show explosions in the Tareeq al-Sad neighbourhood which are said to be the result of attacks by governments jet aircraft on Friday. Fire and explosions are seen coming from among buildings and thick plumes of black smoke rising above the site.
Another video shows what is said to be the aftermath of the attack, with injured people seen carried through the streets and residents trying to put a fire out in a building, throwing water from an adjacent building.
Situated near the Jordanian border, Deraa has become a vital battleground as it sits near Damascus, the capital.
Government and rebel forces are fighting hard for control of the town, with Assad's side still maintaining the upper hand.