This video has been sent to me by HamaEcho which to knowledge is the first video showing the FSA using a tank to attack the Syrian army, in this instance in Rastan
According to the text below the video (translation by sherbalkis) the action was carried out by Hamza Brigades commanded by First Lieutenant Ibrahim Ayoub as a response to an attack on Altrimssh mosque and the events in Tremseh. Their statements claims they captured the tank after an attack on checkpoint at a house owned by a Dr. Mahmoud Tlass Farzat which had been occupied by shabiha, killing 12 men. After capturing the tank they proceeded to attack a building they claim is used as a checkpoint by shabiha and security forces, killing 30
The statement claims a further 5 Syrian soldiers were killed in the operations. They also state no Free Syrian Army members were killed in the attacks. I've previously posted about the Al-Farouq brigade's tanks and having spoken to activists my understanding is the Hamza brigades and Al-Farouq brigades work together, but it's unclear if the use of this take is part of a wider escalation by those groups. The tank pictured in the video appears to be a T-62.
To my knowledge this is the first time the FSA have been filmed using tanks in combat, and it's hard to know if this was a decision made on the day after capturing the tank, or a shift in tactics among the FSA in Rastan. It seems that after the apparent success it may be likely we'll see more tanks being used by the FSA in Rastan.
Update July 20th Further footage of tanks in action in the same area has been posted showing one tank in action being hit by fire from Assad's forces, and another tank being destroyed, killing some of the crew.
In an article in today's New York Times a reference was made to claims on Syrian State TV that Turkish fighters were involved in fighting in Tremseh, site of a recent alleged massacre
State television also broadcast pictures of a roomful of weapons that it said had been captured from the town, the inventory mostly underscoring just what a crude and simple arsenal the opposition uses. It included 54 guns, 9 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 5,000 cartridges, 25 satellite telephones and 24 mortars, the latter looking as if they had been welded by hand.
The broadcast also showed the identification card of what it said was a Turkish fighter in the group, and a captured man named Abdelsalem Darwish said there had been a Turkish fighter and some Libyans there, as well as money and arms from Turkey.
Activist THE_47th posted a screenshot of the ID card as it was shown on Syrian State TV
Now the card has a few features that suggest the individual isn't Turkish. First the name isn't a typically Turkish name, and Hama is mentioned on the card, which would make sense as the name at the top, Islahiye, is the location of a major Syrian refugee camp. It also happens to look nothing like a Turkish ID card, for example (source)
