Civilians in Syria have more than terrorists and rebel bombs to fear. Less than 10 miles east of the center of Damascus, the Syrian Air Force on Aug. 16 bombed the central marketplace of Douma, a rebel-held area, leaving hundreds dead or wounded, according to The Times of Israel. The regime of President Bashar Assad said the bombing was aimed at the headquarters of the Jaush al-Islam, though the rebel group said its base was almost two miles away.

Opposition groups including ISIS have steadily pressed toward Damascus, abducting about 300 Christians along with way. Suicide bombers on Aug. 6 opened the way for ISIS to invade Qaryatain, thus controlling supply routes in the country's center. ISIS members are reportedly found in Bir Qassab, about 25 miles southeast of Damascus, and already ISIS has operatives adjacent to the Syrian capital in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, according to The Times of Israel.

While ISIS is not yet fully within striking distance of Damascus, north of Aleppo ISIS militants were suspected of using chemical weapons on civilians last week. With 2.1 million residents before war erupted in 2011, Aleppo has been savagely contested by the regime and rebels, with the insurgents fighting each other as well.

Syrian American Medical Society representatives said about 50 civilians showed symptoms of exposure to mustard gas north of Aleppo on Friday (Aug. 21). ISIS was the suspected perpetrator, as area sources said Islamic State militants had launched 50 shells. The chemical attack reportedly did not kill anyone, but photos showed those affected with blisters and lesions. ISIS recently used mustard gas against Kurdish soldiers in northern Syria, according to U.S. and German officials. Ironically, the Islamic State likely found a way to filch the mustard gas from the regime in Damascus, analysts said. (Photo via Christian Aid Mission)

Should ISIS and other opposition groups drive Syrian President Bashar Assad, an Alawite, from Damascus, the Alawite stronghold of Tartus is considered one of the top places in which he would take refuge. He would not be the first. After four years of war that has taken 230,000 lives, more than 1.5 million people are estimated to have fled to Tartus, where they are struggling to survive in fetid camps.

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