Airstrikes mark shift in coalition focus, to ISIS 'capital'
By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Ray Sanchez, CNN
November 30, 2014 -- Updated 1420 GMT (2220 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- At least 30 airstrikes target Raqqa overnight, according to opposition activist group
- Attacks mark increase in activity in Raqqa, which ISIS had made its de facto capital
- At least 10 Syrian Kurdish fighters and 25 militants reported killed in clashes in Kobani
(CNN) -- The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria has stepped up its attacks on the militant Islamist group's de facto capital, with 30 airstrikes targeting Raqqa overnight, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday.
Separately, another opposition activist group based in Raqqa, which is under ISIS control, reported that about 30 airstrikes by "the crusader alliance" targeted areas northwest of the city.
Previously, coalition strikes have primarily targeted Kobani, near the Turkey border. The attacks in Raqqa mark an increase in coalition activity there.
Last week, almost 100 people were killed in Syrian government airstrikes in Raqqa, the observatory said. Many more were critically injured.
A blindfolded man suspected of passing military information to the Syrian government waits to be interrogated by Free Syrian Army fighters Monday, October 6, in Aleppo, Syria. The United Nations estimates more than 190,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising in March 2011 spiraled into civil war. Medics at a field hospital in Douma, Syria, attend to a man who was injured in what activists said were two airstrikes carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday, September 20.
Medics at a field hospital in Douma, Syria, attend to a man who was injured in what activists said were two airstrikes carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday, September 20. Free Syrian Army fighters rest inside a damaged room in Aleppo on Tuesday, September 16, during what activists said were clashes with forces loyal to al-Assad.
Free Syrian Army fighters rest inside a damaged room in Aleppo on Tuesday, September 16, during what activists said were clashes with forces loyal to al-Assad. Syrian government forces walk down a street in Halfaya, Syria, after taking the city from rebel forces on Friday, September 12.
Syrian government forces walk down a street in Halfaya, Syria, after taking the city from rebel forces on Friday, September 12. Al-Qaeda-linked rebels from Syria gather around vehicles carrying U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji before releasing them Thursday, September 11, in the Golan Heights. The 45 peacekeepers were captured in the Golan Heights after rebels seized control of a border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-occupied territory.
Al-Qaeda-linked rebels from Syria gather around vehicles carrying U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji before releasing them Thursday, September 11, in the Golan Heights. The 45 peacekeepers were captured in the Golan Heights after rebels seized control of a border crossing between Syria and the Israeli-occupied territory. Syrian opposition fighters take position behind sandbags in Aleppo on Thursday, September 11.
Syrian opposition fighters take position behind sandbags in Aleppo on Thursday, September 11. Syrians fleeing the violence stand next to their belongings as they attempt to cross into Turkey on Sunday, September 7.
Syrians fleeing the violence stand next to their belongings as they attempt to cross into Turkey on Sunday, September 7. A boy looks at bodies lying outside a hospital after a barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Friday, September 5.
A boy looks at bodies lying outside a hospital after a barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Friday, September 5. A U.N. convoy moves in the buffer zone near the Golan Heights as they are escorted by Syrian rebel fighters near the Syrian village of Jubata Al Khashab on Tuesday, September 2.
A U.N. convoy moves in the buffer zone near the Golan Heights as they are escorted by Syrian rebel fighters near the Syrian village of Jubata Al Khashab on Tuesday, September 2. Residents of Aleppo remove a body from debris on Friday, August 29, after what activists claim was shelling by forces loyal to al-Assad.
Residents of Aleppo remove a body from debris on Friday, August 29, after what activists claim was shelling by forces loyal to al-Assad. Druze men watch from the Golan Heights side of the Quneitra border with Syria as smoke rises during fighting between rebels and forces loyal to al-Assad on Wednesday, August 27.
Druze men watch from the Golan Heights side of the Quneitra border with Syria as smoke rises during fighting between rebels and forces loyal to al-Assad on Wednesday, August 27. This image was taken during a government guided tour in Mleiha, Syria, one day after Syrian government forces retook the town after a months-long battle with rebels, according to a military source and state television on Friday, August 15.
This image was taken during a government guided tour in Mleiha, Syria, one day after Syrian government forces retook the town after a months-long battle with rebels, according to a military source and state television on Friday, August 15. Residents inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aleppo after Syrian regime helicopters allegedly dropped barrel bombs there on Wednesday, August 13.
Residents inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aleppo after Syrian regime helicopters allegedly dropped barrel bombs there on Wednesday, August 13. Smoke trails over Aleppo following barrel bombs that were allegedly dropped by the Syrian regime on an opposition-controlled area on Monday, August 11.
Smoke trails over Aleppo following barrel bombs that were allegedly dropped by the Syrian regime on an opposition-controlled area on Monday, August 11. Photographs of victims of the Bashar al-Assad regime are displayed as a Syrian Army defector known as "Caesar," center, appears in disguise to speak before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington. The briefing on Thursday, July 31, was called "Assad's Killing Machine Exposed: Implications for U.S. Policy." Caesar was apparently a witness to al-Assad's brutality and has smuggled more than 50,000 photographs depicting the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents.
Photographs of victims of the Bashar al-Assad regime are displayed as a Syrian Army defector known as "Caesar," center, appears in disguise to speak before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington. The briefing on Thursday, July 31, was called "Assad's Killing Machine Exposed: Implications for U.S. Policy." Caesar was apparently a witness to al-Assad's brutality and has smuggled more than 50,000 photographs depicting the torture and execution of more than 10,000 dissidents. Syrian rebel fighters take up positions behind sandbags in Aleppo on Wednesday, July 30.
Syrian rebel fighters take up positions behind sandbags in Aleppo on Wednesday, July 30. People carry an injured man away from the site of an airstrike, reportedly carried out by Syrian government forces, in Aleppo on Sunday, July 27.
People carry an injured man away from the site of an airstrike, reportedly carried out by Syrian government forces, in Aleppo on Sunday, July 27. 
Rebel fighters execute two men Friday, July 25, in Binnish, Syria. The men reportedly were charged by an Islamic religious court with detonating several car bombs.
Rebel fighters execute two men Friday, July 25, in Binnish, Syria. The men reportedly were charged by an Islamic religious court with detonating several car bombs. A rebel fighter stands on a dust-covered street in Aleppo on Monday, July 21.
A rebel fighter stands on a dust-covered street in Aleppo on Monday, July 21. A man clears debris at the site of an alleged barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Tuesday, July 15.
A man clears debris at the site of an alleged barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Tuesday, July 15. A woman walks amid debris after an airstrike by government forces July 15 in Aleppo.
A woman walks amid debris after an airstrike by government forces July 15 in Aleppo. People walk on a dust-filled street after a reported barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Monday, July 7.
People walk on a dust-filled street after a reported barrel-bomb attack in Aleppo on Monday, July 7. Apartments and other buildings lie in ruins on Tuesday, June 3, in Aleppo, a city that "has had the life bombed out of it," according to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.
Apartments and other buildings lie in ruins on Tuesday, June 3, in Aleppo, a city that "has had the life bombed out of it," according to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh. A man carries a girl injured in a reported barrel-bomb attack by government forces June 3 in Aleppo.
A man carries a girl injured in a reported barrel-bomb attack by government forces June 3 in Aleppo. A rebel fighter loads an anti-tank cannon outside Latakia, Syria, on Sunday, June 1.
A rebel fighter loads an anti-tank cannon outside Latakia, Syria, on Sunday, June 1. A rescue worker pulls a girl from rubble in Aleppo on June 1 after reported bombing by government forces.
A rescue worker pulls a girl from rubble in Aleppo on June 1 after reported bombing by government forces. A giant poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday, May 31, as the capital prepares for presidential elections.
A giant poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday, May 31, as the capital prepares for presidential elections. Portraits of al-Assad dominate the cityscape in central Damascus on Tuesday, May 27. Al-Assad is firmly in power three years into the civil war, while the opposition remains weak and fragmented and extremists grow in numbers and influence.
Portraits of al-Assad dominate the cityscape in central Damascus on Tuesday, May 27. Al-Assad is firmly in power three years into the civil war, while the opposition remains weak and fragmented and extremists grow in numbers and influence. The father of a 3-month-old girl weeps Monday, May 26, after she was pulled from rubble following a barrel-bomb strike in Aleppo.
The father of a 3-month-old girl weeps Monday, May 26, after she was pulled from rubble following a barrel-bomb strike in Aleppo. A woman stands in a heavily damaged building in Aleppo on May 26.
A woman stands in a heavily damaged building in Aleppo on May 26. An injured man lies in a hospital bed after alleged airstrikes by government forces in Aleppo on Sunday, May 18.
An injured man lies in a hospital bed after alleged airstrikes by government forces in Aleppo on Sunday, May 18. Buildings in Homs, Syria, lie in ruins Saturday, May 10, days after an evacuation truce went into effect. Thousands of displaced residents returned to the city.
Buildings in Homs, Syria, lie in ruins Saturday, May 10, days after an evacuation truce went into effect. Thousands of displaced residents returned to the city. Rescuers carry a man wounded by a mine in the Bustan al-Diwan neighborhood of Homs on May 10.
Rescuers carry a man wounded by a mine in the Bustan al-Diwan neighborhood of Homs on May 10. A Syrian woman carries a suitcase along a street in the Juret al-Shayah district of Homs on May 10.
A Syrian woman carries a suitcase along a street in the Juret al-Shayah district of Homs on May 10. Residents carry their belongings in the al-Hamidieh neighborhood of Homs on May 10.
Residents carry their belongings in the al-Hamidieh neighborhood of Homs on May 10. A woman injured when a mine went off is carried in Homs on May 10.
A woman injured when a mine went off is carried in Homs on May 10. Residents return to damaged dwellings in Homs on May 10.
Residents return to damaged dwellings in Homs on May 10. Debris lies on a deserted street in Homs on Thursday, May 8.
Debris lies on a deserted street in Homs on Thursday, May 8. A mosque is seen through shattered glass in Homs, where an evacuation truce went into effect on Wednesday, May 7.
A mosque is seen through shattered glass in Homs, where an evacuation truce went into effect on Wednesday, May 7. A wounded man is treated at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on Sunday, May 4.
A wounded man is treated at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on Sunday, May 4. Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters said was an operation to strike a checkpoint and remove government forces in Maarat al-Numan, Syria, on Monday, May 5.
Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters said was an operation to strike a checkpoint and remove government forces in Maarat al-Numan, Syria, on Monday, May 5. A man helps a woman through debris after reported airstrikes by government forces on Thursday, May 1, in the Halak neighborhood of Aleppo.
A man helps a woman through debris after reported airstrikes by government forces on Thursday, May 1, in the Halak neighborhood of Aleppo. Syrians gather at the site of reported airstrikes in Aleppo on May 1. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack.
Syrians gather at the site of reported airstrikes in Aleppo on May 1. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack. A woman runs after two barrel bombs were thrown, reportedly by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on May 1.
A woman runs after two barrel bombs were thrown, reportedly by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on May 1. A boy runs in Aleppo on Sunday, April 27, after what activists said were explosive barrels thrown by forces loyal to al-Assad.
A boy runs in Aleppo on Sunday, April 27, after what activists said were explosive barrels thrown by forces loyal to al-Assad. Security and emergency medical personnel work at the site of a car bomb explosion Monday, April 14, in the Ekremah neighborhood of Homs.
Security and emergency medical personnel work at the site of a car bomb explosion Monday, April 14, in the Ekremah neighborhood of Homs. In this photo released by the state-run SANA news agency, Syrian forces take positions during clashes with rebels near the town of Rankous, Syria, on Sunday, April 13.
In this photo released by the state-run SANA news agency, Syrian forces take positions during clashes with rebels near the town of Rankous, Syria, on Sunday, April 13. Flames engulf a vehicle following a car bomb Wednesday, April 9, in the Karm al-Loz neighborhood of Homs.
Flames engulf a vehicle following a car bomb Wednesday, April 9, in the Karm al-Loz neighborhood of Homs. A man carries a child who was found in the rubble of an Aleppo building after it was reportedly bombed by government forces on Monday, March 18.
A man carries a child who was found in the rubble of an Aleppo building after it was reportedly bombed by government forces on Monday, March 18. An elderly man and a child walk among debris in a residential block of Aleppo on March 18.
An elderly man and a child walk among debris in a residential block of Aleppo on March 18. A woman with blood on her face carries a child following a reported airstrike by government forces Saturday, March 15, in Aleppo.
A woman with blood on her face carries a child following a reported airstrike by government forces Saturday, March 15, in Aleppo. People attempt to comfort a man in Aleppo after a reported airstrike by government forces on Sunday, March 9.
People attempt to comfort a man in Aleppo after a reported airstrike by government forces on Sunday, March 9. Buildings in Homs lay in ruins on March 9.
Buildings in Homs lay in ruins on March 9. Syrian forces fire a cannon and a heavy machine gun loaded on a truck as they fight rebels in the Syrian town of Zara on Saturday, March 8.
Syrian forces fire a cannon and a heavy machine gun loaded on a truck as they fight rebels in the Syrian town of Zara on Saturday, March 8. A handout photo released by SANA shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaking March 8 during a meeting in Damascus to mark the 51st anniversary of the 1963 revolution, when Baath Party supporters in the Syrian army seized power. Al-Assad said the country will go on with reconciliation efforts along with its fight against terrorism.
A handout photo released by SANA shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaking March 8 during a meeting in Damascus to mark the 51st anniversary of the 1963 revolution, when Baath Party supporters in the Syrian army seized power. Al-Assad said the country will go on with reconciliation efforts along with its fight against terrorism. Syrians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aleppo following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces on Friday, March 7.
Syrians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aleppo following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces on Friday, March 7. People dig through the rubble of a building in Damascus that was allegedly hit by government airstrikes on Thursday, February 27.
People dig through the rubble of a building in Damascus that was allegedly hit by government airstrikes on Thursday, February 27. A boy walks ahead of men carrying the body of his mother in Aleppo on Saturday, February 22. According to activists, the woman was killed when explosive barrels were thrown by forces loyal to al-Assad.
A boy walks ahead of men carrying the body of his mother in Aleppo on Saturday, February 22. According to activists, the woman was killed when explosive barrels were thrown by forces loyal to al-Assad. A man holds a baby who survived what activists say was an airstrike by al-Assad loyalists Friday, February 14, in Aleppo.
A man holds a baby who survived what activists say was an airstrike by al-Assad loyalists Friday, February 14, in Aleppo. In this photo provided by the anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center, Syrian men help survivors out of a building in Aleppo after it was bombed, allegedly by a Syrian regime warplane on Saturday, February 8.
In this photo provided by the anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center, Syrian men help survivors out of a building in Aleppo after it was bombed, allegedly by a Syrian regime warplane on Saturday, February 8. Syrians gather at a site hit by barrel bombs, allegedly dropped by a regime helicopter on the opposition-controlled Mesekin Hananu district of Aleppo on February 8.
Syrians gather at a site hit by barrel bombs, allegedly dropped by a regime helicopter on the opposition-controlled Mesekin Hananu district of Aleppo on February 8. In this handout photo released by the state-run SANA news agency on February 8, civilians wave national flags in Damascus as they take part in a rally in support of President al-Assad.
In this handout photo released by the state-run SANA news agency on February 8, civilians wave national flags in Damascus as they take part in a rally in support of President al-Assad. A man stands next to debris in the road following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 8.
A man stands next to debris in the road following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 8. Medical personnel look for survivors after a reported airstrike in Aleppo on Saturday, February 1.
Medical personnel look for survivors after a reported airstrike in Aleppo on Saturday, February 1. Syrians carry a dead body following an airstrike on February 1.
Syrians carry a dead body following an airstrike on February 1. A man walks amid debris and dust on January 31.
A man walks amid debris and dust on January 31. An injured man is covered in dust after an airstrike on January 29.
An injured man is covered in dust after an airstrike on January 29. A man tries to fix electrical wires in Aleppo on January 27.
A man tries to fix electrical wires in Aleppo on January 27. Rebels and civilians check out a crater that activists say resulted from a Syrian government airstrike on an Aleppo bus station on Tuesday, January 21.
Rebels and civilians check out a crater that activists say resulted from a Syrian government airstrike on an Aleppo bus station on Tuesday, January 21. Men rush to a site that Syrian government forces reportedly hit in Aleppo on January 21.
Men rush to a site that Syrian government forces reportedly hit in Aleppo on January 21. Buildings lie in ruins in Aleppo on Sunday, January 19, after reported air raids by Syrian government planes.
Buildings lie in ruins in Aleppo on Sunday, January 19, after reported air raids by Syrian government planes. A child collects items from a garbage pile in Douma, northeast of the capital, on Saturday, January 18.
A child collects items from a garbage pile in Douma, northeast of the capital, on Saturday, January 18. A piece of exploded mortar lies in a street in Daraya, a Syrian city southwest of Damascus, on Friday, January 17.
A piece of exploded mortar lies in a street in Daraya, a Syrian city southwest of Damascus, on Friday, January 17. HIDE CAPTION
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Photos: Syrian civil war in 2014 
Pentagon: 20 new airstrikes in Syria 
Was ISIS leader hit in airstikes? Government warplanes carried out at least 10 airstrikes in Raqqa, targeting the city's al-Hani Mosque and the public souk, or market, the observatory said, using reports from activists and residents on the ground.
Extremists have made the city, which sits on the banks of the Euphrates River, the de facto capital of their self-declared "Islamic State" that stretches across large areas of Syria and Iraq.
The city is known as a place where ISIS puts training centers, weapons depots and accommodations for fighters.
During the Syrian conflict, the group has also seized military bases from the Syrian regime near the city and in the wider Raqqa province.
On Saturday, at least 40 fighters on both sides were killed as Syrian Kurdish fighters and ISIS militants clashed in the northern Syrian city of Kobani, the observatory said.
Kurdish fighters belonging to the People's Protection Units, known as YPG, have been locked in a death struggle with ISIS fighters for the border city, with 100,000 desperate Syrian Kurds fleeing to Turkish territory.
Five ISIS suicide bombers blew themselves up using cars and explosive belts near the besieged Kurdish city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Clashes also erupted west of Kobani, with ISIS using tanks to advance and firing at least 110 shells on various areas of the city, the monitoring group said Saturday.
At least 10 YPG fighters and 25 ISIS militants were killed during the clashes, according to the SOHR.
The U.S.-led coalition, meanwhile, conducted five airstrikes in Kobani, including one against an ISIS tank west of the city, the SOHR said.
ISIS has been fighting to take Kobani for more than two months, hoping to add it to the territory it has already captured in parts of Syria and Iraq.
Syria has been embroiled in a three-year civil war, with government troops battling ISIS and other rebels elsewhere, leaving Kobani's ethnic Kurds to defend the city.
CNN's Laura Smith-Spark and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
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from CNN.com - Top Stories http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/30/world/meast/syria-raqqa-fighting/index.html?eref=edition
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