Mannagh, Syria (CNN) -- Here in the north, rebels call it "the final battle." For more than a month, lightly armed fighters have hurled themselves against a well-fortified helicopter base located less than a 15-minute drive from the border with Turkey.
The rebels say the last piece of government-controlled territory between Turkey and Syria's largest city, Aleppo, is Mannagh airbase. The battle for it is a modern-day siege.
Read more: Syrian opposition cannot agree on a new prime minister
"It is like a germ infecting the countryside. If the regime has even a 1% chance of taking back this region, this is a base that they would then want to rule from," said Abu Marwan, the young commander of the rebel Northern Storm brigade. "Once it has been captured, the north will be liberated."
But it is not clear how long the final battle for Mannagh airbase will ultimately take.
Read more: Moscow suspends consular operations in Aleppo
Members of the Free Syrian Army react as they fire a homemade rocket toward regime forces in Deir al-Zor on Sunday, June 16. Tensions in Syria flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, escalating into an ongoing civil war. View the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.
Syrian civil war in photos
Bombed-out Syrian town still in shock
Civilians caught in Damascus crossfire
Al-Assad stands firm in televised speech
The siege does underscore one important point: It has taken less than a year for Syria's rebels to go from being hunted in their homes to now encircling and attacking some of the largest military bases in the country.
If and when this airbase falls, the rebels will be able to declare themselves the undisputed rulers of the north.
Spying from the olive groves
The fighting around Mannagh has devastated the farms and villages that dot this verdant corner of Syria.
Intermittent gunfire crackles across the countryside. Periodically, artillery from inside the base unleashes devastating cannon fire that sends up plumes of smoke and dust from shattered, deserted villages around the installation.
Read more: Al-Assad touts plan for resolution, says enemies of Syria 'will go to hell'
"The day the airport falls will be a holiday," said a farmer who asked only to be called Abu Yashar, to protect himself from retribution. Abu Yashar long ago sent his family away for safety and was one of the only civilians seen during a recent visit to the battle zone. His house was located about five kilometers, or three miles, from the airbase, where machine guns could be heard rattling for more than an hour.
Abu Yashar pointed out small bomb craters in his surrounding fields and displayed an unexploded mortar round that landed on his property. He also showed where artillery shells from the airbase slammed into his tractor and into a concrete shed.
Read more: Syrian rebels claim capture of strategic military base
"Everything the people need to survive is being targeted by the regime," the farmer said.
The airbase itself is a sprawling walled compound located not too far off a main road.
From amid the cover of tidy rows of olive trees that surround the installation, one can see with the naked eye at least three helicopters parked on the tarmac.
It was here in the olive groves that Abu Marwan and another commander named Abu Jelan had set up a telescope to spy on their enemy.
"The soldiers have started moving from inside the restaurant," Abu Jelan announced into a walkie-talkie, as he peered through the scope. He tried to call in sniper fire. "Guys, snipers! They're moving from the clubhouse to the west. They're running."
The two commanders were helping a rebel mortar team at another location target their attacks on the base.
Before every round of mortar fire, the fighters murmured a little prayer to each other over their radios.
After thunderous explosions, they tried to assess the impact of their attack.
"It landed 10 meters short of the wall," a man on the radio said after one mortar attack.
Another mortar misfired and could be heard spinning out of control and landing far short of the base.
Disappointed, Abu Marwan explained the rebels were trying to use homemade artillery rounds. But then he proudly displayed an enormous, 30-foot-long cannon his men had captured from the Syrian military.
"We will use their own weapons against them," he said, pointing to a plate engraved with Syrian military logos, fixed to the base of the cannon.
Sizing up the siege
Though the rebels appear to have trapped the government troops, they have also suffered losses.
At least two top commanders in the Northern Storm Brigade have been wounded. Their loss has propelled Abu Marwan, a surprisingly shy pilot in his 20s who defected from the Syrian military more than a year ago, into a top leadership position.
"I may be the youngest fighter in the group," the former lieutenant said with a smile, after declining to reveal his exact age.
Videos secretly filmed by opposition activists show Syrian soldiers almost casually walking around tanks and tents in the airbase.
Last Sunday, rebels said the defenders broke through the siege lines to receive a much-needed delivery of supplies under cover of darkness. First, warplanes roared overhead, they said, sending people running for cover. It was then that a helicopter flew in, picked up wounded soldiers, and dropped off supplies before leaving.
A special forces soldier who escaped from the base and surrendered to rebels last week told CNN the troops inside were segregated between mostly Sunni Muslim foot soldiers like himself and officers who were predominantly Alawite, the same religious minority as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
"They discriminate between the Alawites and Sunnis," said the soldier, a 22-year-old man from the southern city of Deraa, who asked not to be named.
"The Sunnis go to the front almost as if they are human shields ... and all the Alawites stay behind."
The soldier said there were large stores of food and even supplies of electricity for commanders.
As for weapons, "we have so many weapons at the airport I can't even count. But despite that I could (see) that (the rebels) are not afraid."
The siege forces appear to have received fresh reinforcements in past weeks.
Read more: What's next for Syria in 2013?
Last weekend, a CNN team of journalists traveled towards the front lines escorted by a young activist from an opposition media center in the nearby anti-regime town of Azaz.
Shortly after passing a line of bombed out buses and trucks serving as a barricade, the reporters were intercepted by a small group of fighters, who covered their faces once they spotted cameras.
"I am very sorry that you traveled all this way, but you have to leave," their hooded leader explained politely, yet firmly, in fluent English. "This is a restricted military zone."
The guide from the Azaz Media Center later explained that the fighters were members of an Islamist rebel group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He said another group of fighters spotted around several parked pickup trucks were members of al-Nusra Front.
Last month the U.S. government blacklisted al-Nusra, declaring it a terrorist organization linked to al Qaeda. However, al-Nusra rebels continue racking up victories on the battlefield and appear to be attracting growing respect from many supporters of Syria's weary armed opposition.
Streaming out of Syria
Syrians and foreigners continue to flee the fighting.
Nearly 5,900 refugees entered neighboring Jordan over the previous 24 hours, the kingdom's state-run news agency, Petra, reported Tuesday. Border guards gave the refugees humanitarian aid and took them to Zaatari refugee camp.
Russia was planning to fly out about 80 of its nationals who have managed to leave Syria, government officials said, according to RIA Novosti. Two planes arrived in Beirut from Moscow to evacuate the Russian nationals, who have made their way to Lebanon.
"The group includes Russian women who have married Syrians, their children and husbands who have acquired Russian citizenship," RIA Novosti said, adding they will be flown to Moscow.
At least 51 people died in the civil warfare on Tuesday, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Syrian rebels leave their position in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, June 13. The White House said that the Syrian government has crossed a "red line" with its use of chemical weapons and announced it would start arming the rebels.
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen near Qusayr on Thursday, May 30.
Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22.
Syrian army soldiers take control of the village of Western Dumayna north of the rebel-held city of Qusayr on Monday, May 13. Syrian troops captured three villages in Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP.
Rebel fighters fire at government forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, May 12.
Searchers use a flashlight as they look for survivors among the rubble created by what activists say was a missile attack from the Syrian regime, in Raqqa province, Syria, on April 25.
A Kurdish fighter from the "Popular Protection Units" (YPG) takes position inside a building in the majority-Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo, on Apri. 21.
People walk past destroyed houses in the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Sunday, April 21.
Free Syrian Army fighters take positions prior to an offensive against government forces in the Khan al-Assal area, near Aleppo on Saturday, April 20.
Men inspect damage at a house destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo on April 15.
Syrian and Kurdish rebel fighters walk in the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo on April 14.
A female rebel monitors the movement of Syrian government forces in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood on April 11.
A rebel runs to avoid sniper fire from Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Thursday, April 11.
Syrian rebels observe the movement of Syrian government forces around Al-Kendi hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, April 10.
Rescue teams and security forces check out the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion in Damascus on April 8.
The fighting has taken a toll on buildings in Aleppo's Saladin district, seen here on April 8.
A Syrian rebel runs for cover in Deir ez-Zor on April 2.
A rebel checks for snipers across the street toward the Citadel in Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday, March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.
A Free Syrian fighter mourns the death of a friend in Aleppo on March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.
A Syrian opposition fighter runs for cover from Syrian army snipers in Aleppo on Wednesday, March 27.
A Syrian girl covers her face to protect herself from fumes as a street covered with uncollected garbage is fumigated in Aleppo on Sunday, March 24.
A Syrian man and his family drive past damaged buildings in Maarat al-Numan, on Wednesday, March 20.
Syrians carry the body of a Syrian army soldier during a funeral ceremony in Idlib province on Tuesday, March 19.
Syrian rebels take position in Aleppo, the largest city in the country, on March 11.
Syrian men search for their relatives amongst the bodies of civilians executed and dumped in the Quweiq River on March 11.
A Free Syrian Army fighter looks back as smoke rises during fighting between rebel fighters and forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of Aleppo on Saturday, March 2.
Residents read Shaam News newspapers published by the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on March 2.
A member of the Free Syrian Army reacts to the death of a comrade who was killed in fighting, at Bustan al Qasr cemetery in Aleppo on Friday, March 1.
A rebel fighter throws a home-made grenade at Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 16.
A member of the Free Syrian Army stands with his weapon as he looks at a rainbow in Aleppo on February 16.
A Syrian woman looks through a bus window in Aleppo on February 14.
Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell in Damascus on February 7.
A Syrian rebel gestures at comrades from inside a broken armored personnel carrier in Al-Yaqubia on February 6.
A rebel fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base in Damascus on February 3.
People stand in the dust of a building destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria on February 3.
Free Syrian Army fighters run as they enter a Syrian Army base during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus on February 3.
An unexploded mortar shell fired by the Syrian Army sits lodged in the ground in Damascus on January 25.
Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army fire on Syrian Army soldiers at a check point in Damascus on January 20.
A Free Syrian Army fighter walks between buildings damaged during Syrian Air Force strikes in Damascus on January 19.
A Syrian rebel fighter tries to locate a government jet fighter in Aleppo on January 18.
Syrian rebels launch a missile near the Abu Baker brigade in Albab on January 16.
A Syrian boy walks near rubbish next to tents at a refugee camp near the northern city of Azaz on the Syria-Turkey border, on January 8.
Syrians look for survivors amid the rubble of a building targeted by a missile in Aleppo on January 7.
A father reacts after hearing of a shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on January 3.
A patient smokes a cigarette at Dar Al-Ajaza psychiatric hospital in Aleppo on December 18, 2012. The psychiatric ward, housing around 60 patients, has lacked the means to function properly since fighting broke out there in July.
Syrians mourn a fallen rebel fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on December 8.
Members of Liwa (Brigade) Salahadin, a Kurdish military unit fighting alongside rebel fighters, monitor the area in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.
A member of Liwa Salahadin aims at a regime fighter in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.
Two young boys sit underneath a washline in a refugee camp on the border between Syria and Turkey near Azaz on December 5.
The bodies of three children, who were allegedly killed in a mortar shell attack that landed close to a bakery in Aleppo, on December 2, are laid out for identification by family members at a makeshift hospital at an undisclosed location of the city.
Smoke rises in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts in Aleppo on December 1 as fighting continues through the night.
Damaged houses in Aleppo are seen after an airstrike on November 29.
A Syrian rebel mourns the death of a comrade in Maraat al-Numan on November 20.
Syrians protesters stand on Assad's portrait during an anti-regime demonstration in Aleppo on November 16.
A Syrian rebel takes cover during fighting against Syrian government forces in Aleppo on November 15.
Syrian opposition fighter Bazel Araj, 19, sleeps next to his pistol in Aleppo on November 11.
A rebel fighter fires at a Syrian government position in Aleppo on November 6.
A Syrian rebel leaps over debris left in the street while running across a "sniper alley" near the Salahudeen district in Aleppo on November 4.
Rebels hold their position in the midst of a battle on November 3 in Aleppo.
A man cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo on October 31.
A man is treated for wounds after a government jet attacked the Karm al-Aser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo on October 31.
A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman in Aleppo on October 26.
Smoke rises from a fuel station following a mortar attack as Syrian women walk on a rainy day in the Arqub neighborhood of Aleppo on October 25.
A Syrian rebel fires at an army position in the Karm al-Jabal district of Aleppo on October 22.
A wounded Syrian boy sits on the back of a truck carrying victims and wounded people to a hospital following an attack by regime forces in Aleppo on October 21.
A man lies on the ground after being shot by a sniper for a second time as he waits to be rescued by members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malek Battalion, part of the Free Syria Army's Al-Fatah brigade, in Aleppo on October 20.
Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters at Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on October 20.
Smoke rises after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet fired missiles at the suburbs of the northern province of Idlib on October 16.
A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on October 11.
A Syrian man mourns the death of his father, who was killed during a government attack in Aleppo on October 10.
A rebel fighter is carried by his friends and laid on a gurney to be treated for gunshot wounds sustained during heavy battles with government forces in Aleppo on October 1.
Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on September 18.
Free Syria Army fighters are reflected in a mirror they use to see a Syrian Army post only 50 meters away in Aleppo on September 16.
A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on September 14.
A woman walks past a destroyed building in Aleppo on September 13.
Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo on September 8.
A Syrian man wounded by shelling sits on a chair outside a closed shop in Aleppo on September 4.
A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by a Syrian air raid, near Homs on August 26.
Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soliders in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district on August 22.
A man mourns in front of a field hospital on August 21 in Aleppo.
Wounded civilians wait in a field hospital after an air strike on August 21 in Aleppo.
People pray during the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero, on August 21.
A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian airstrike in Azaz on August 20.
A Syrian woman holds her dead baby as she screams upon seeing her husband's body being covered following an airstrike by regime forces on the town of Azaz on August 15.
A Syrian rebel runs in a street of Selehattin during an attack on the municipal building on July 23.
Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin on July 23.
Members of the Free Syrian Army's Mugaweer (commandos) Brigade pay their respects in a cemetery on May 12 in Qusayr.
Syrian rebels take position near Qusayr on May 10.
A Free Syrian Army member takes cover in underground caves in Sarmin on April 9.
Rebels prepare to engage government tanks that advanced into Saraquib on April 9.
Men say prayers during a ceremony in Binnish on April 9.
A young boy plays with a toy gun in Binnish on April 9.
A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his horse in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, a year after the uprising began.
Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14.
A rebel takes position in Al-Qsair on January 27.
A protester in Homs throws a tear gas bomb back towards security forces, on December 27, 2011.
A man stands under a giant Syrian flag outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 24, 2011.
A member of the Free Syrian Army looks out over a valley in the village of Ain al-Baida on December 15, 2011.
Members of the Free Syrian Army stand in an valley near the village of Ain al-Baida, close to the Turkish border, on December 15, 2011.
Displaced Syrian refugees walk through an orchard adjacent to Syria's northern border with Turkey on June 14, 2011, near Khirbet al-Jouz.
A Syrian man holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for the president in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
Syrians rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows thick smoke rising above as Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in Moaret Al-Noman on April 29, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows Syrian anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by security forces in Damascus on April 29, 2011, during the "Day of Rage" demonstrations called by activists to put pressure on al-Assad.
Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of al-Assad during a rally to show their support for their leader in Damascus on March 29, 2011.
A woman sits by the hospital bed of a man allegedly injured when an armed group seized rooftops in Latakia on March 27, 2011, and opened fire at passers-by, citizens and security forces personnel according to official sources.
Syrian protesters chant slogans in support of al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on March 25, 2011.
|