Syria fires more Scud missiles at rebels, NATO says

[NewsCaster]

Ahmed Jadallah / ReutersDamage such as this, seen Friday in Aleppo, has been frequently blamed on Syrian fighter jets firing missiles at rebels. The military is now firing Scud missiles, as well, NATO says.By NBC News staff and wire servicesPresident Bashar Assad's military has fired more Scud missiles inside Syria, NATO officials said on Friday, more than a week after the Western alliance first detected such arms being used on rebel targets.

"I can confirm that we have detected the launch of Scud-type missiles. We strongly regret that act," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, calling the launches "acts of a desperate regime approaching collapse."


A NATO source said there had been multiple launches of Scud-type missiles inside Syria on Thursday morning.The Syrian military has fired Scud missiles at rebel forces in the north from the Damascus suburbs. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.On Dec. 12, U.S. officials confirmed to NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski that the Assad government had been launching the missiles at rebel fighters in the north of the country. The officials said that as many as eight Scud missiles had been fired over several days from launchers in the suburbs surrounding Damascus at areas considered rebel strongholds. According to one official, the United States has tracked the Scuds by radar.

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