Syrian Air Force commander assassinated

According to Syrian state television a high ranking commander in the Syrian air force, Gen. Abdullah Mahmud al-Khalidi, has been assassinated by rebel forces. The conflict has intensified exponentially since the failed attempt at a four day truce in observance of a Muslim holiday. Government warplanes have reportedly begun bombings within the Syrian capital, the first attacks of the kind since the conflict began. Reports from state media say al-Khalidi was killed in the Damascus district of Rukn al-Din on Monday by “armed terrorist groups.” Syrian news is blaming the Syrian Free Army for the assassination, and while the Free Army is unabashed about its desire to kill top government aides, unconfirmed reports are surfacing that the general was possibly killed by the Syrian government to keep him from defecting. Al-Jazeera, a global Arab-based news agency, quoted an unidentified source as saying “the regime got rid of him before he does that.”