Tremseh: Lopsided Battle with Rebels; Rebel Commanders Angry; Fares Says Assad Ordered Al-Qaida Bombings;
Posted by Joshua on Saturday, July 14th, 2012
I will be traveling for the next month and spending time in Vermont on vacation. Syria Comment will be published only intermittently. Best, Joshua
Details of a Battle Challenge Reports of a Syrian Massacre – New York Times
The United Nations observers still on the ground in Syria sent a team in 11 vehicles to the village of Tremseh on Saturday to investigate what had happened, …
Their initial report said the attack appeared to target “specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists,” Ms. Ghosheh said in a statement. It said a range of weapons had been used, including artillery, mortars and small arms.
The report seemed to indicate that some people had been killed at close range — it said there were pools of blood and blood spatters in several houses along with bullet cases. The team also found a burned school and damaged houses.
The picture emerging is that there was a large group of fighters from the town and the local area bivouacked in Tremseh. The Syrian Army moved in early Thursday, blocking all exits and blasting away with machine guns, tank shells and rockets fired from helicopters, laying waste to the town.
“Whenever the Syrian Army knows there are fighters concentrated in an area, they attack,” said the leader of the Observatory, who goes by the pseudonym Rami Abdul-Rahman for safety reasons. “The majority of people killed in Tremseh were either rebel fighters from the village or from surrounding villages.”…
Syrian state television paraded several captured fighters on air on Saturday who said Tremseh had been a regional center of operations for the past 20 days. The captives said that 200 to 300 fighters had gathered there to plot attacks on checkpoints and other military targets.
“We clashed for hours in Tremseh, and even the leader of the local division was killed,” said a man identified as Mohammed Satouf, who said his role had been to produce YouTube videos from the area. He said the rebel fighters used mostly small and light weapons…..
U.N. says Syria killings targeted opposition | Reuters, July 14, 2012
Abdo writes from Aleppo
Yesterday a crowd of villagers and their relatives in Aleppo occupied apartments in the Youth Housing Project in Inzarat region, north of Aleppo city. Eyewitnesses say that refugees from Izaz broke into the buildings and started occupying apartments and calling relatives in Aleppo for assistance and sharing. The Youth Housing Project in Inzarat region has 1800 apartments ready to be handed over to their owners. The governor of Aleppo reportedly gave those occupants 6 days ultimatum to evacuate the apartments. Some occupants said they will leave as soon as the situation in Izaz calms down, but others insisted they will remain.
Exclusive interview: why I defected from Bashar al-Assad’s regime, by former diplomat Nawaf Fares
….Yesterday, in a wide-ranging interview conducted by telephone from Qatar, where he has now sought refuge, Mr Fares made a series of devastating claims against the Assad regime, which he said was determined to be “victorious” whatever the cost.
* Jihadi units that Mr Fares himself had helped Damascus send to fight US troops in neighbouring Iraq were involved in the string of deadly suicide bomb attacks in Syria
* The attacks were carried on the direct orders of the Assad regime, in the hope that it could blame them on the rebel movement
* President Assad, who had a “violent streak” inherited from his father, was now living “in a world of his own”
Mr Fares spoke out as the violence in Syria continued unabated, with at least 28 people killed across the country yesterday. The town of Khirbet Ghazaleh in southern Syria was attacked by hundreds of troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Meanwhile, United Nations observers visited the village of Treimsa, in central Hama province, in which up to 200 people are feared to have died on Thursday.
It was precisely such atrocities as these that forced Mr Fares to gradually question his own allegiance to the regime, ending 35 years of loyal service in which he worked as a policeman, regional governor and political security chief, becoming entrusted with some of its most sensitive tasks.
“At the beginning of the revolution, the state tried to convince people that reforms would be enacted very soon,” he said. “We lived on that hope for a while. We gave them the benefit of the doubt, but after many months it became clear to me that the promises of reform were lies. That was when I made my decision. I was seeing the massacres perpetrated – no man would be able to live with himself, seeing what I saw and knowing what I know, to stay in the position.”
Mr Fares’s most damaging allegation is that the Syrian government itself has a hand in the nationwide wave of suicide bombings on government buildings, which have killed hundreds of people and maimed thousands more. By way of example, he cited the twin blasts outside a military intelligence building in the al-Qazzaz suburb of Damascus in May, which killed 55 people and injured another 370.
“I know for certain that not a single serving intelligence official was harmed during that explosion, as the whole office had been evacuated 15 minutes beforehand,” he said. “All the victims were passers by instead. All these major explosions have been have been perpetrated by al-Qaeda through cooperation with the security forces.”
Such allegations have been aired in general terms by the Syrian opposition before, and Mr Fares would not be drawn on what exact proof he had. He is, however, better placed than many to make such claims. One of the reasons for his rise in President Assad’s regime was that he is a senior member of the Oqaydat tribe, a highly powerful clan whose population straddles the Syrian-Iraq border. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, their territory became part of the conduit used by Syria to smuggle jihadi volunteers into Iraq, with Mr Fares playing an important role.
“After the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the regime in Syria began to feel danger, and began planning to disrupt the US forces inside Iraq, so it formed an alliance with al-Qaeda,” he said. “All Arabs and other foreigners were encouraged to go to Iraq via Syria, and their movements were facilitated by the Syrian government. As a governor at the time, I was given verbal commandments that any civil servant that wanted to go would have his trip facilitated, and that his absence would not be noted. I believe the Syrian regime has blood on its hands, it should bare responsibility for many of the deaths in Iraq.”
He himself, he added, knew personally of several Syrian government “liaison officers” who still dealt with al-Qaeda. “Al-Qaeda would not carry out activities without knowledge of the regime,” he said. “The Syrian government would like to use al-Qaeda as a bargaining chip with the West – to say: ‘it is either them or us’.”
Mr Fares, who has six grown-up children, said he made his decision to quit five months ago, after a particularly bloody Friday, which has become the regular day for opposition protests. “The number of killings was unusually high that day, especially in my area, and that was the final straw – there was no hope any more,” he said.
Mindful that such a display of disloyalty could lead to reprisals against his family, he slowly began getting his relatives out of the country. He himself was then smuggled out of Baghdad last week by the Syrian opposition. He declines to give details of the operation, but says he made a point of continuing his normal duties up to the last minute so as not to alert the authorities, who he suspected would have been monitoring his phone calls as a diplomat anyway.
Since his defection, he regretted, many cousins within his extended family had been questioned by Syrian intelligence, with some forced into hiding. However, any doubts he had harboured prior to jumping ship had gone after a final visit he made a month ago to his home city of Deir al-Zour, near the Iraqi-Syrian border.
“There was tremendous destruction there and thousands of people had been killed, many of them from my tribe,” he said. “Life in the city was almost non-existent. What I saw there broke my heart, it was tragic and unbelievable, and if people there have not joined the uprising already, they will now. The majority of the tribe, I think, are already on the side of revolution.”
Indeed, the last time he had spoken to President Assad, in a face-to-face meeting six months ago, the Syrian leader had asked him to use his influence in Deir al-Zour, promising him promotion if he did.
“He was saying that we should insist that this is a conspiracy from the West aimed at Syria,” Mr Fares said. “I spoke with the local sheikhs and leaders, but the people’s response was that you cannot trust Assad.
“I think he does believe it is a conspiracy against him, but he is now living in a world of his own.”
However, on the question of whether Mr Assad was directing the violence personally, Mr Fares was equivocal. On the one hand, he claimed the Syrian leader was being “led” by powerful members within his own family, and also his Russian backers. On the other, he pointed out that President Assad’s late father, Hafez, had been equally ruthless during his rule, which included the massacre of more than 10,000 people during a Muslim Brotherhood uprising in the city of Hama in 1982.
“Bashar doesn’t strike you as being extremely intelligent, he seems to be someone who is led rather than who leads. But nobody has the ability to carry out these decisions except him, and he definitely has the genes of his father, who was a criminal by all accounts. This is what he grew up with, this is the hallmark of the family.”
Like President Assad, Mr Fares now faces an uncertain future. To the regime, which formally sacked him from his job last week, he is now a traitor and a marked man. To the opposition, meanwhile, he is a boost to morale but not necessarily someone who can be entirely trusted.
In his message announcing his defection last week, he urged other diplomats to follow in his wake. Yet his own familiarity with the workings of Syria’s police state means he knows that they will most likely keep their plans to themselves. “These things are extremely sensitive so I don’t know of others planning to defect. Sometimes you are frightened someone will hear if you think it yourself.”
Firas Tlass: 45 officers of Tlass family defect from regime
Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat during a telephone interview from Paris, Syrian business tycoon Firas Tlass strongly denied reports that the al-Farouq Brigade commander had been killed. He also revealed that he is personally providing humanitarian relief and assistance to the brigade, but stressed that he is not arming the FSA. The Syrian businessman also refused to discuss his younger brother’s defection from the al-Assad regime, saying that he is waiting for the dust to settle following this shocking news.
[…]
As for the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tlass said that al-Assad remains part of the solution, despite the fact that he is the major reason behind the crisis. He said that the best solution for Syria would be for Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a national council, adding this can be viewed as a mixture of the Yemeni and Egyptian solutions.
However the Syrian tycoon told Asharq Al-Awsat this the most likely solution would see the “rise of a strong internal current that unites an important part of the revolutionary trend, and which possess a strong and clear political program to govern the next stage” adding “this current would impose itself on the scene and would be capable of negotiating with the regime.” He nominated his cousin Abdul Razzaq Tlass as a figure who can represent the Syrian revolution.
Fresh From Syria, Rebel Commanders Unite in Frustration
By C. J. CHIVERS, July 13, 2012, New York Times
ANTAKYA, Turkey — Abu Moayed, a commander in an armed Syrian opposition brigade, stood and waved his arms emphatically at the fellow rebel commanders who filled the sweltering room.
His fighters, he said, needed money and weapons. But they were not getting the support promised from the donors and opposition leaders outside Syria.
“We are borrowing money to feed our wounded!” Abu Moayed shouted. “There is no distribution of the weapons,” he added. “All of our weapons, we are paying for them ourselves.”
The meeting of the rebel commanders, held after Friday Prayer in this Turkish city near Syria’s northern border, said much about the priorities of the Syrian opposition fighting groups at this stage of the conflict, now 17 months old. There was limited discussion of the mass killings in the village of Tremseh the day before — even though the commanders had heard about it and at least one had lost relatives. There was no talk about United Nations cease-fire monitors, the peace envoy Kofi Annan, or endless Security Council debates to halt the conflict. These commanders were focused on the basics of waging war against President Bashar al-Assad.
Abu Moayed, from Idlib, was one of dozens of commanders who converged on the meeting, called by the Idlib Revolutionary Command Council. Held high above the street in a pair of large rooms in an apartment building, the gathering framed both a degree of expanding coordination among anti-Assad fighting groups inside Syria and their frustrations with the opposition’s political leadership outside.
One complaint throughout was that the Syrian National Council, the coalition of exile opposition groups based in Istanbul, was disconnected from the battles fought on the ground. Another was contained in the field commanders’ suspicion that unnamed members of the Syrian political opposition in Turkey were either diverting funds or playing favorites in funneling weapons and money across the border.
“Yesterday we were supposed to receive mortars and cartridges,” said another commander, Issam Afara, addressing his peers. “But we didn’t receive them. I called and demanded: Where are they? Where?”
Since late this spring, the war in parts of Syria has entered a bloody stalemate punctuated by days of intense violence, like the mass killing on Thursday in Tremseh, the Sunni village in western Syria where by some opposition groups’ estimates more than 200 people were killed by Syrian armed forces and pro-Assad militia members using tanks, artillery and helicopters.
International outrage over those killings, which the Syrian government said were carried out by rebels, has injected new urgency into diplomatic efforts to settle the Syria conflict at the Security Council. There, diplomats were negotiating privately on Friday over a new resolution to force the antagonists to honor a cease-fire and peace plan engineered by Mr. Annan, the special envoy from the United Nations and the Arab League. A vote on that resolution is likely next Wednesday.
The diplomacy seemed a world away, and possibly too late, when viewed through the prism of the anti-Assad fighters, who have driven much of the Syrian military forces from certain rural zones in the northern mountains, carving out small but mostly stable areas now under their de facto control, though these areas still face shelling and attack from the air by Mr. Assad’s military.
As they have realized tactical success, the anti-Assad fighting groups, once underground, now face a problem common to armed uprisings.
At least 80 different fighting groups operate in Idlib alone, the fighters said, most of which began as small personal networks or groups of army defectors, and have since grown.
The groups sometimes share names and often operate in the same areas. And as they have added members and sought more weapons and external support, some of them have found themselves competing for resources and frustrated with Syrians who claim leadership positions in the opposition and do not fight, but disburse funds that many fighting groups say they do not receive.
Mr. Afara, for example, said money funneled through the Muslim Brotherhood was not shared with fighting groups seen as secular, which angered fighters who had turned back the Assad military at great cost, and now are told they do not match a foreign donor’s ideal.
“We tell them, ‘We are not brothers?’ ” said Mr. Afara, who leads a unit in a larger group called the Idlib Martyrs’ Brigade. “How? We are Muslims, and we want a full popular revolution, with Muslims and Christians and Druze.”
Another commander, Abdul Ghafour, echoed the fighters’ anger. “Don’t think we are blind, as we have 600 martyrs,” he said, referring to those who have died. The Syrian National Council, he said, “does not represent us. The revolution is the people who are here, who fought from slavery.”
Mr. Ghafour said soliciting funds or weapons risked becoming as frustrating as dealing with private aid groups and nongovernment organizations, which sometimes offer assistance in exchange for sharing their point of view. “The whole revolution could be transferred into an N.G.O. project,” he said. “This is what I object to.”
A spokesman for the Syrian National Council, Mohamed Sarmeeni, disputed the complaints of financial favoritism from the commanders. “There is no discrimination,” the spokesman said in a telephone interview from Istanbul. The council, Mr. Sarmeeni said, had also started to devote more attention to financing the opposition fighters and “we are about to pay salaries for all officers.”
Small-arms prices have climbed sharply during the war, with machine guns costing several thousand dollars each, and assault rifles costing as much as $2,000 each when new, the commanders said.
To underwrite their weapons purchases to date, the fighters and commanders present said, they raised money themselves. Sometimes they gathered donations from their villages and neighborhoods. Other times, they said, they sold their cars and their land. One young commander, who called himself Captain Bilal and had a partly healed bullet wound to his lower right leg, said he needed weapons so badly a few months ago that he asked his fiancée to return the jewelry he had given her.
“She said ‘No,’ ” he said. “So I broke up with her and took it back and bought the weapons I needed.”
The weapons, the commanders said, were obtained through corrupt Syrian officials or through what they called a “Turkish and Russian mafia” in Turkey.
At times the meeting of the commanders descended into shouting. At one point, several commanders vented their fury at a commander who said he had in fact been given arms. But as the hours passed, the mood calmed, and the commanders said they intended to work together and called for the meeting to make things better.
One commander, who uses the name Abu Hamza, said though it did not look “correct” to see commanders argue so intensely, it was ordinary to a revolution as its ranks and prospects grow. The meeting, he said, showed a willingness by many groups to become more coordinated and for the rank and file, which is suffering and risking the most, to gain a greater voice in the politics of the war.
Abu Moayed agreed, as the meeting gave way to a shared meal. “We want to be like one hand,” he said, “one front.”
Terrified villagers tell of the horror of Tremseh
Chilling evidence of Syria’s worst atrocity as bodies are packed into mass graves
Loveday Morris, Beirut, 14 July 2012
….According to activists, the attack began at dawn on Thursday, when a convoy of 25 military trucks carrying troops, accompanied by three armoured vehicles and flatbeds with heavy artillery, were spotted trundling through the nearby town of Murhada, taking the road west towards the village. Tremseh was surrounded, its electricity cut off and mobile networks jammed to be sure residents had no way of broadcasting news of the massacre that was about to take place.
The army has been engaged in a fierce offensive in the Hama countryside for weeks and many villagers are said to have fled to Tremseh, a Sunni community staunchly against the regime. Colonel Qassim Saadeddine, of the Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), said those families included those of FSA fighters – perhaps one of the reasons the village was targeted so brutally. Others said around 30 defected soldiers lived in the village
When the shelling began, activists say it was precise. The home of the village’s only two doctors were targeted, as were those of defected soldiers. Helicopters picked off those trying to flee. “Some of the wounded gathered in the school, but then that was attacked too,” said local activist Manhal.
A team of observers stationed about five kilometres away confirmed the use of heavy weaponry and helicopters in the area by regime troops. After the initial assault, pro-government militias, known as Shabiha, backed by the army, were said to have moved in, terrorising residents as they detained some men and executed others with knives or at gunpoint.
Around 35 FSA fighters tried to fend them off, according to Col Saadeddine, but, outnumbered and outgunned, soon stood down. Abu Adnan, another activist in the area, said the FSA attacked a checkpoint in an attempt to allow civilians an escape route, but failed. “It’s unimaginable what’s happened there,” said one Hama resident whose sister fled from the village with her three children.
“When she arrived for the first few hours she was so afraid and traumatised,” he said. “Her children still can barely speak and her husband was arrested by soldiers during the attack.
The stories she reported back were brutal. Yesterday morning, when she visited a neighbour’s house destroyed by fire, the air was thick with the smell of burning flesh and inside were two charred corpses. She believes they were locked in and burnt alive.
A local doctor Munsef al-Naji who was found treating two wounded men was dragged outside and shot in the head. “The villagers are still worried that the Shabiha will return,” the woman’s brother continued. “At the moment we are still desperately trying to get people out. The situation is dire.”
Syria cooperating, but lack of money hurting humantarian aid – CNN
By Jill Dougherty
Facing a “serious escalation” of violence in Syria, the chief United Nations organization that coordinates emergency aid is warning that more Syrian civilians will die if contributing nations do not follow through and fund its relief operation.
“We have used the terminology ‘appalling,’ ‘desperate’ and ‘deplorable,’ says John Ging, operations director and chair of the Syria Humanitarian Forum for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“We have run out of language to describe how it is for the civilian population. It is physical and it is psychological.”
Humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Program, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization, Ging says, have launched a major operation in Syria but are facing “an incredibly complex and dangerous situation to develop networks to be able to deliver to the areas that have been affected by the conflict.”
The main challenge remains lack of security, which prevents the agencies from reaching all the people in Syria who need food, medicine and blankets.
But there has been progress, he says. In April food assistance was reaching 200,000 people; through June this increased to 500,000 people and into July they expect delivery to 850,000.
A senior U.N. humanitarian officer who briefed reporters Friday on the situation in Syria said there has been a “breakthrough” in dealing with the Syrian government. “Bureaucratic delay and obstructions, the officer said, “have been largely removed.”
The Syrian government is following through on what it has agreed to do, but some difficulties still remain.
One of the biggest obstacles right now, OCHA’s John Ging says in a statement, is lack of international funding. OCHA’s appeals are only 20% funded at the moment, he says, and “that means they are 80% short.”
Al-Qaeda tries to carve out a war for itself in Syria
By Ruth Sherlock, Idlib Province, 12 Jul 2012, Telegraph
Al-Qaeda has infiltrated into Syria and is working to establish footholds in the war-torn northern provinces.
Whilst the militant Islamic organisation’s influence remains small, home-grown jihadist groups that are linked with, or sympathetic to the ideals of movement are growing.
The Daily Telegraph has seen al-Qaeda’s flag flying openly in some areas of Idlib and Aleppo provinces that straddle the borders with Turkey and Iraq and fighters in the rebel Free Syrian Army have told how representatives of the militant group have tried in past months to win control of towns and villages.
“An al Qaeda group led by a man who called himself Abu Saddiq took control in Der Tezzeh,” said one FSA rebel speaking on condition of anonymity. “I was a member of the Revolution Council there. Suddenly there was a new way of thinking. Abu Saddiq was installed as the ‘Emir’, or ‘Prince’ of the area for three months. I was told to put my hand on the Koran and to obey him.
“He wanted to build a religious country. He did not want democracy but a religious leader in power. He wanted to use suicide bombers as a way of fighting government troops in the area.”
Opposition activists have also told of a similar events inside Idlib, a city that continues to see fierce fighting between government soldiers and rebel groups.
“Al Qaeda tried to set up an Emir there and ran bombing operations against the Syrian military. The members were all Syrian,” said a medic working with the opposition.In both cases local activists and rebel fighters reported that the groups had failed to win hearts and minds. “The local people didn’t like their way of thinking. They did not like their methods,” said the opposition doctor. “Now he has a small group of only around 25 people with him and they have moved to live in the surrounding mountains {…}
“We killed thirteen men,” said a fighter proudly. At a headquarters in Saraqeb bearded men sat squatting on the floor counting piles of bullets. One man in his early twenties proudly revealed a powerful home made bomb; nuts and bolts embedded in a powerful and deadly wedge of TNT.
“Our brothers, mujahideen from Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us how to make these,” he said. “Tell Nato we can make them some if they need.”
Comments (944)
Ghufran said:
The level of brutality and violence in Syria is nauseating,a friend ,a non Syrian psychologist,suggested that the B&V seen today can not be separated from how the regime treated its opponents since the 1970s and the violent history of Muslim countries in general. That psychologist is a Muslim Sunni if you are wondering.
July 14th, 2012, 11:26 pm
Syrialover said:
Ghufran,
The psychologist talking about the “violent history of Muslim countries in general”, should mention the rest of the world as well.
The real ugly twist to the tale in the Middle East in recent years has been the violence of the state against its citizens. Now taken to unimagined and unprecendented levels by Assad.
And on psychology, it seems obvious why Assad supporters would scream that anyone who criticizes the Assad regime’s actions must have an ulterior motive and be planning to manipulate Syria for their own purposes and interests.
It’s because those pro-Assadists themselves have ulterior motives for supporting the regime; and they need Syria to continue to be manipulated for the regime’s purposes and interests – which happen for whatever reason to support their own.
In other words, they assume everybody else thinks and acts like they do. It’s an exhausting and bleak way to see the world.
July 14th, 2012, 11:55 pm
Ghufran said:
قالت العصفوره ان سفيرا سوريا آخر في احدى دول الشرق الاوسط المؤثرة في طريقه للانشقاق والانضمام الى المعارضة السورية
July 15th, 2012, 12:10 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
“* Jihadi units that Mr Fares himself had helped Damascus send to fight US troops in neighbouring Iraq were involved in the string of deadly suicide bomb attacks in Syria
* The attacks were carried on the direct orders of the Assad regime, in the hope that it could blame them on the rebel movement”
Let’s see how the Assad supporters will spin this.
July 15th, 2012, 12:16 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
Thank you Prof. Landis for bringing this blog back to life. You offer a unique Western perspective given your academic background and family connections.
July 15th, 2012, 12:22 am
Syrialover said:
Was there ever any proof those bombs inside Syria discussed by former diplomat Nawaf Fares were suicide bombs, or were they made made to look like that by the regime. Or did they trick stooges.
July 15th, 2012, 12:23 am
habib said:
“Fares Says Assad Ordered Al-Qaida Bombings”
Lol, is there a single person who believes that at this point? Even among the oppositionists here?
And also, why the hell would some ambassador know such sensitive info, even if true?
July 15th, 2012, 12:25 am
Ghufran said:
The Syrian government is accusing Nawaf Alfares of stealing $ 5 million from the Syrian embassy in Baghdad. I find that funny for a variety of reasons, that does not mean the accusations are groundless,but a regime that perfected the art of theft may not find a receptive audience when it accuses other people with the same crime.
July 15th, 2012, 12:26 am
Observer said:
I have one reservation about Majbali’s response. He claims that Syrians are intolerant and that a liberal Syria is very hard to achieve. In reality the people are the salt of the earth, generous, hard working, hospitable, and proud without ostentation. It is not hard to have a liberal Syria, you may not be old enough to remember the times when people lived under the old constitution and laws were respected. My father took a security service agent to court when he discovered that he was reading his mail without a warrant. That was in the 50’s.
In reality, the hard part is the “fear” of the minority from a perceived abuse by the majority. Abuse there is in every society but all societies that achieved stability and prosperity chose a participatory form of rule. Historically speaking the right to vote was given to a few males in Britain in the 1680’s and the vote was not secret. It took persistent and ongoing and continued demands to wrest from the Tudors and others the right to vote, the independence of the justice system, the rule of law, and the limitations of power. All of these elements existed in Syria after 1945 and the plight of Syria came when no one objected to the first coup d’etat by Hosni Zaim. He was a Kurd and put his people in key places and there followed many coups until the most ruthless of them did the final coup in 1970 and then built a security house of cards meant to keep him and his clique in power.
I hope that there is no inherent racism when you claim that Syrians are intolerant.
The one main thing that all of us are clearly and unequivocally thirsting for, including the most pro regime apologists and supporters on this blog is justice.
Justice from past and perceived future abuse by every faction. Read how ZOO clamors about the abuse of Islamists in Tunisia and how he is elated when liberals seem to have won in Libya. Read JAD lament the fact that victors write history and that Bush and Blair did not face the war crime music; and even Irritated in his writings reminds us of what he perceives as extreme actions by the opposition.
Justice therefore means that the last and current constitutions are inadequate, that the election of the current regime figures is illegitimate and that the use of force without a mandate from the people and form the independent judiciary is a crime.
I too wish to see Sharon and Bush and Blair and Zappatero and many others brought to justice just as I would love to see the current regime brought to justice.
I personally worked diligently to defeat McCain in his election bid and worked hard to remove and with success my pro war congressman and I challenged my current congressman on sending more troops around the globe.
I wish for Syria the same that I enjoy in my exile, but not only for Syria but for all people.
In the meantime, the eloquence of Syrian Hamster in his crisp and sharp analysis of the situation is unparalleled.
Syrian Hamster for Supreme Court Justice, more important than President.
Cheers.
July 15th, 2012, 12:32 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
More defections of high-ranking officers today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDwIsJG1ovE&feature=player_embedded#!
Two Brig. Generals, two Colonels, and one Lieutenant Colonel.
I haven’t been keeping track, but just saw these this video and the other one I posted earlier. Not a bad.
There is also news of the defection of Brig. General Abd Al-Rahman Tahtouh, head of the Political Security Branch (رئيس فرع الأمن السياسي في دمشق ) in Damascus. Now that’s something. I haven’t seen him on video announcing his defections, so we’ll need to wait for confirmation.
July 15th, 2012, 12:57 am
Son of Damascus said:
Some pictures from Al-Tremseh showing the destruction and devastation caused by shelling and use of heavy weapons and ominous graffiti sprayed by the Assadi Army:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chroniclesyrianuprising/sets/72157630580936764/
July 15th, 2012, 1:32 am
Son of Damascus said:
“* Jihadi units that Mr Fares himself had helped Damascus send to fight US troops in neighbouring Iraq were involved in the string of deadly suicide bomb attacks in Syria
* The attacks were carried on the direct orders of the Assad regime, in the hope that it could blame them on the rebel movement”
Evidence of the regime planting a car bomb in front of Mosque in Jobar, Damascus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwwtTVMzWlw&feature=player_embedded
More information via Brown Moses blog:
http://brown-moses.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/car-bomb-left-outside-mosque-in-homs.html
July 15th, 2012, 1:36 am
Bruno said:
@Son of Damascus
Ah that Brown Moses the one who threaten me and mocked me? how nice i guess Rebel supporters will believe every rumor they hear.
Like the anonymous group attacking Syria.
Has that happened yet nope! the Nerve gas attack? nope.
July 15th, 2012, 2:09 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
Back in 2009, Maliki was blaming Syria of supporting terrorists.
The comments of former diplomat Nawaf Fares seem to corroborate those accusations.
“Maliki blames Syria for attacks, Assad denies claim”
http://www.france24.com/en/20090901-maliki-blames-syria-attacks-assad-denies-claim-
Cable: Iraqi PM Said Iran, Syria Armed Militants
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-202_162-7314365.html
Iraq sends anti-militant police to Syrian border
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/09/04/83919.html
Maliki blames Syria for Iraq chaos
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/12/10/maliki_blames_syria_for_iraq_chaos
Interview with Al-Maliki back in 2009 (accuses Syria of supporting terror and of being implicated in war crimes for their role in supporting the terrorists @ 9:36–14:40. @17:30, he talks about providing the Syrian governments with proof of Syria’s role in supporting terrorists, but the Syrians as usual denied any involvement. Very interesting and relevant today.)
ساعة حرة – لقاء حصري مع رئيس الوزراء نوري المالكي
July 15th, 2012, 2:26 am
Antoine said:
It is a known fact that Assad helped Jihaidsts from all over the World to get to Iraq and if you know someone form al-Boukamal he can confirm this for you, for 5 to 6 years that city was swamped by Arabs from all over the World waiting to cross over, it stopped only after 2006 after a bit of arm twisting from Bush. I do not find it surprising that Nawaf Fares al Jarrah had personal involvement in this, albeit in an indirect and official capacity. It is a known fact that most of the foreign fighters in Iraq eneterd from Syria.
Al Qaida is Assad.
July 15th, 2012, 4:00 am
Antoine said:
Leaked close-up video of Assadist subhumans Artillery battallion shelling Deirezzor City :
July 15th, 2012, 4:03 am
Brown Moses said:
Bruno, calling you an idiot after you claimed you could identify Israeli agent working against Assad on Twitter by Israeli flags on their profile pictures, and when you deleted your own comment on my blog so you could accuse me of deleting it isn’t threatening you, but it is mocking you, and rightly so.
July 15th, 2012, 4:55 am
habib said:
15. Antoine
For the record, known fact: planted rumour.
Remember how bad the neocons wanted to invade Syria back in the days?
July 15th, 2012, 5:08 am
Syrialover said:
Fascinating exercise: statements by Iranian leaders analysed with a body language lie detector.
Imagine if they do Bashar, Jaafari and the gang!
http://iran2407.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/iran-lying-for-time/
July 15th, 2012, 5:43 am
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
@#8
Why would the embassy in Baghdad have $5 mil (in cash?) lying about? The regime’s usual tune every time someone of any importance defects: call him a thief, a corrupt good-for-nothing, etc.(go to youtube for the full performance by Shareef Shehadeh).
And speaking of money, while the fighters on the ground are having to beg for funds to keep them going (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/world/middleeast/massacre-reported-in-syria-as-security-council-meets.html?ref=syria ) and since the SNC has promised to start paying salaries to all defecting military personnel, but with the ever-lengthening list of high ranking officers joining the jawboning crowd in Turkey I wonder if there will be any money left for the poor men doing the fighting and the dying after the top brass hotshots have demanded and got their salaries paid. Of course nobody will ever know who is being paid, how much and by whom.
Pity the poor fighters who are sacrificing everything so that all Syrians may have freedom and dignity.
July 15th, 2012, 5:49 am
Juergen said:
Abdulrahman AlQaryouti song for the people of Syria
July 15th, 2012, 6:07 am
Bruno said:
@EXPAT
“* Jihadi units that Mr Fares himself had helped Damascus send to fight US troops in neighbouring Iraq were involved in the string of deadly suicide bomb attacks in Syria
Right But Washington Post and other sources stated that Jihadi units in Iraq were and are a Myth as reported here from 2008.
By a well written article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/15/AR2008021503098.html
(But according to the CIA and the U.S. military, we are now seeing at most only dozens of Arab Sunni holy warriors entering the country each month. Even at the height of the insurgency in 2006-07, the figure might have been just a few hundred (and may have been much smaller). )
Other Sources
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers9%5Cpaper828.html
In this article it mentions No Sryian Jihadis.
(5. “Most of them are stated to be Pakistanis, including Yemeni-Balochis (born of mixed Yemeni and Balochi parentage) belonging to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Al-Alami (HUM International), the Harkat-ul-Jihad-Al-Islami (HUJI) and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM). Some of them had fought against the Soviet troops in Chechnya. )
Now in this article that i have posted it listed Saudia Arabia has a Supporter of terrorism as well.
Another source.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/12/iranian-troops-invade-iraq-occupy-oil-well.html
http://terrorism.about.com/od/groupsleader1/p/AlQaedainIraq.htm
Now we go through back here.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Jul-14/180620-syrias-defected-baghdad-envoy-criticises-iraqs-maliki.ashx#axzz20anVliMN
(“He knows very well what (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad had done to him and to all of Iraq and to (Muslim) Shiites specifically, Fares said, adding that Assad has “killed thousands” by opening “the doors for Al-Qaeda” militants to carry out bombings across Iraq.)
What? that doesn’t make any sense firstly, it should be clear for anyone else in here and towards Nawaf Fares.
Ever since the military occupation of Iraq by the American and its Collation forces or more just the British and America.
It was clear that Iraq would be a hot zone when they invaded it, after a few military tank campaigns in Iraq, the insurgency started from terrorist groups coming into the country setting up IEDs etc.
When the Americans and British were invading Iraq the western mainstream news outlets with the likes of BBC,CNN have not mentioned anything about terrorist attacks into the country, until the war started to.
Settle down and the sharp rise of insurgency groups from Iraqis.
The claim of terrorist attacks only started around 2005, late 2004 right before the American elections.
Now in regrading the comments made by the ambassador on AJ, well i am surprised he isnt giving interviews to CNN,Russia Today why just aljazeera?
Oh thats correct aljazeera is a mouthpiece propaganda for the Qatar dictator who has ruled for 40 years with no democratic elections.
And in Qatar
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/world/Conflicting-reports-of-attempted-coup-in-Qatar-while-Emir-was-in-Malta-20120418
http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/04/17/attempted-military-coup-against-qatari-regime-fails/#.UAKdIPXLVv8
(According to Al Arabiya TV, a number of high-ranking military officers rose against the Qatari Emir, triggering fierce clashes between some 30 military officers and US-backed royal guards outside the Emir’s palace, the report said on Tuesday.)
How are you Rebel supporters going to spin this one?
July 15th, 2012, 6:36 am
Bruno said:
Funny how the Sryian Pro Rebel supporters are believing everything what the WikiLeaks claims because isn’t that the same WikiLeaks that reported and stated this.
http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20101210-false-wikileaks-strory-leaves-pakistani-media-red-faced
False WikiLeaks story leaves Pakistani media red-faced
(Leading Pakistani newspapers have been forced to retract a story that US diplomats dubbed Indian generals “genocidal” and accused Delhi of aiding armed Islamists. The articles were based on fake US cables which had supposedly been released by the WikiLeaks whistleblowing website.)
(The report is “the first case of Wikileaks being exploited for propaganda purposes”, The Guardian writes.)
And since everyone in here Hates China, but loves WikiLeaks and other mainstream news outlets.
Would you still love WikiLeaks and the mainstream news outlets, after you read this?
http://blog.hiddenharmonies.org/2012/05/lets-talk-about-tiananmen-square-1989/
July 15th, 2012, 6:47 am
Antoine said:
19. said : “and since the SNC has promised to start paying salaries to all defecting military personnel, but with the ever-lengthening list of high ranking officers joining the jawboning crowd in Turkey I wonder if there will be any money left for the poor men doing the fighting….”
__________________________________________________________________
Well said, but not all high ranking officers run away to Turkey, some do go to the hotspots to fight, like these :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKXXb6JLmj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bAZF7538U4&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS_HtVigxYg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I77vNAdjfBA
Personally I feel General Mustafa al Sheikh and a few others of his ilk had been sent to Turkey for the purpose of diverting funds from the FSA and/or to serve as SNC’s frontman, since Riad al Asaad was not obliging. I think his defection was an effort to cause a public conflict within the FSA to the benefit of SNC and especially Hillary Clinton, fortunately it failed.
July 15th, 2012, 7:56 am
Antoine said:
Dr. Landis said this on 12 February 2011 on this blog, a day after the departure of Mubarak :
18. JOSHUA said:
“Syria, where the opposition is practically nonexistent in an organized form and the youth have been largely depoliticized.”
________________________________________________________________
Lol.
July 15th, 2012, 8:04 am
Expatriate said:
Tremseh killings targeted rebels – UN monitors
http://www.rt.com/news/tremseh-massacre-un-rebels-215/
….
Media war rages on
Author and historian Gerald Horne said that anti-Assad rhetoric immediately triggered by the Tremseh killings was indicative of a media “blame game.”
“First of all it’s very curious that just before important UN meetings we hear reports about massacres.” He added that speculation over the number of victims and whether or not women and children were involved undermined the credibility of media reports on the killings.
Horne went on to stress that there were many interests at play in the Syrian conflict and that “regime change is the name of the game with Syria.”
July 15th, 2012, 8:10 am
Expatriate said:
Revolution Failed? ‘Mubarak gone, US-linked bourgeois regime remains’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iny9x1oVfX0
So…who here likes Zimbabwe?
July 15th, 2012, 8:16 am
Antoine said:
Another old Dr. Landis post from April 2011 –
Great Friday: Over 80 Killed
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=9287
___________________________________________________
Souri said:
“I am now in Syria…..
…The regime decided yesterday to shoot at people because it knew people were ready to accept that. Actually, the majority of Syrians are expecting more use of force from the government and they don’t mind it. Bashar Assad said that he does not fear anything as long as he has the people on his side. He indeed has a majority of the people on his side.
…The Islamist insurgents have no chance of controlling a single village in Syria, not to say a city… ”
_______________________________________________________________
LOL at the last sentence.
I would like my fellow bloggers on SC to revisist some of the posts from last year and see how things have changed in such a short time, actually its nothing short of a miracle that the Revolution even managed to survive and spread to all parts of Syria, we are on the right track, making progress every day.
July 15th, 2012, 9:19 am
Antoine said:
Moderator, why are my comments not appearing ?
July 15th, 2012, 9:20 am
Antoine said:
This video has warmed my heart a bit :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWFYsj_ZWSg
they need to get 10,000 more of those, FULL SCALE WAR ON THE REGIME, no mercy.
July 15th, 2012, 9:26 am
Tara said:
Syria says U.N.’s Annan wrong about Tremseh killings, (and Manaf left without permission)
By Marwan Makdesi | Reuters – 9 mins ago
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Syria denied on Sunday accusations by special envoy Kofi Annan that it used heavy weapons or helicopters in clashes in the village of Tremseh last week, saying his comments about the fighting, which activists called a massacre, were “rushed”.
….
“Government forces did not use planes, or helicopters, or tanks or artillery. The heaviest weapon used was an RPG (rocket propelled grenade),” Makdissi told reporters at a news conference in Damascus.
“What happened was not a massacre … what happened was a military operation. They were clashes between security forces, whose duty is to defend civilians, and heavily armed forces that don’t believe in a political solution.”
….
Makdissi also responded to reports of the desertion of General Manaf Tlas, a member of the Assad inner circle, saying he “left without permission”. It was the first government acknowledgment of his disappearance, but Makdissi did not comment on reports that Tlas defected to the opposition.
….
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-says-u-n-annan-wrong-tremseh-killings-132047150.html
July 15th, 2012, 9:37 am
Information said:
Anybody else starting to see a drastic increase in anti-Palestinian rhetoric coming from pro-regime folk in Syria. I’m not talking about from the top, I’m talking about on the ground. I’ve been seeing a lot of pro-regime people telling Palestinian Syrians that who governs Syria is none of their business since they’re not Syrian, and Palestinians getting angry and responding that they too are Syrian. Just an observation from my end, wanted to know if others are seeing the same thing. This could be important down the line.
July 15th, 2012, 9:43 am
VISITOR said:
Antoine,
Your comment with the linked videos of defecting officers is the only relevant type of comment that a Syrian may engage in on this site in these Syrian circumstances. Other types of comment are counterproductive and in fact tasteless at these times. They indicate a tendency on the part of the commentator, particularly a supposedly pro revolution one, of lack of understanding of what it means to support a revolution as well as a sense of delusion and engagement in idle pursuit thinking he or she is advancing the cause.
However, you should not belittle those military personnel who defected to Turkey, since they were the earliest to defect and had no other choice but to go to Turkey. They deserve the highest honor for their courage and their early defections.
July 15th, 2012, 10:22 am
zoo said:
What will Morsi do about Syria?
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-286506-what-will-morsi-do-about-syria.html
The hostility of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, of which Morsi is also a member, towards Bashar al-Assad’s regime is a known fact. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has never forgotten the mass killing campaign carried out by Father Assad against the members of the movement in Hama.
However, there is no certainty on what sort of action a Morsi-led Egypt will adopt to address the Syrian crisis. Syria will be one of the major issues that will be discussed during Morsi’s official visit to Saudi Arabia. One of the possibilities suggests that the Saudi regime will take Egypt to its side to create a strong front against Syria.
If, like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Egypt agrees to a military intervention against Syria, it is certain that the days to come will be more difficult for the Assad regime.
July 15th, 2012, 10:36 am
irritated said:
After the fight if Treimsa, it appears that the hiding places for defectors and activists is rapidly shrinking.
Turkey’s camps are getting ready to receive more ‘guests’.
These guests are a growing financial burden to Turkey as they are not recognized as ‘refugees ‘ by the UNCHR and therefore do not benefit from financial and humanitarian assistance from the UN.
A Turkish law does not recognize as refugees people fleeing from Arab countries, only Europeans migrants are eligible to that status.
July 15th, 2012, 10:54 am
Ghufran said:
أفادت مصادر إعلامية أردنية بأن اشتباكاً وقع بين الجيشين السوري والأردني في منطقة حدودية بين البلدين. وذكر موقع جراسا نيوز الأردني أن قوات الحرس الحدودي التابعة للجيش السوري أطلقت مساء السبت الرصاص الحي تجاه الاراضي الاردنية وبالتحديد في منطقة الطرة بلواء الرمثا , و أكد الموقع أن الجيش الاردني قام بقذف النادق باتجاه الاراضي السورية ردلا على اطلاق الرصاص الحي . و أشار الموقع ان الجيش الاردني عزز من تواجده في منطقة الطرة تحسبا لأي طارئ
There will be more “incidents” like these as this crisis continues,expanding the troubles to include areas outside the borders seem to be on the agenda of both ides, especially the regime. Another problem is that the sectarian nature of this conflict will be more evident as the conflict remains unsolved.
July 15th, 2012, 10:54 am
bronco said:
32. Information
Some Palestinian organization not only have openly rejected foreign intervention in Syria but have also declared their intention to fight along the Syrian army against any foreign military attack.
This is not to please some pro-revolution warmongers who desperately want Syria to be invaded by NATO and allies and the government forced out as they have not able to do it themselves.
Most Palestinians in Syria are grateful to the Assad who gave them a a status of dignity envied by all the Palestinians refugees in other Arab countries and have persistently stood for their rights, contrary to many Arab countries allied to the USA.
No wonder many pro-western Syrians are pushing them on the side.
July 15th, 2012, 11:04 am
Juergen said:
Fuad Humera, a leading syrian drama author has written this open letter to the eyedoctor:
“Your Excellency, what is going on?
Are you still claim to have the leadership in the resistance against Israel?
And the Syrian people, exposed to the humiliations, arrests and the murder of your security forces and Schabiha should still stand behind you?
Will you still ever defeat Israel? With a country full of people that you brought to the lowest level of human dignity, and that sees corpses, explosions, snipers, arrest, theft and robbery, destruction part of their everyday life? No citizen of Syria can feel safe in their own homes.
Do you want to liberate the Golan Heights with a nation that has been impoverished by you? Unemployment, lawlessness, arbitrariness of the state apparatus, are the rules of your government in the country.
Do you still think you can defeat the so-called universal conspiracy and the so-called injected, armed gangs through your broken economy? The nation is facing a civil war, thanks to your genius, thanks to the culture of corruption and robbery!
And one last word, your Excellency, only a nation that has its honor and respect can liberate the Golan, and provide the leadership of the resistance.
The people who suffered through thee every hour is only an obstacle on the path of resistance.
A people without electricity, living in darkness –
A people without gas, freezing in the winter –
A people without a job –
A people without freedom –
Will only defeat you.”
BTW, he was a hero for the regime by admitting this:
http://www.syrianews.cc/syria-fouad-humera-hate-regime-overthrow-mistake-revolution/
July 15th, 2012, 11:13 am
bronco said:
36. Ghufran
The Syrian army obvious strategy is to cut the weapons supply lines and prevent rebels movement crossing through the borders. As they cannot do it themselves thoroughly, they need the neighboring countries to contribute in order to prevent an escalation that the neighboring countries dread.
These incidents are meant to give good pretexts and warnings to Syria’s neighbors to watch their borders and prevent smuggling.
Lebanon and Turkey have started to control better their borders and the armed rebels are complaining about the decrease of their weapons supplies.
July 15th, 2012, 11:16 am
irritated said:
#38 Juergen
Very “dramatic” indeed
July 15th, 2012, 11:17 am
Elian said:
Funny! how the lies in the media is bigger than the population of Syria.
all media lie, start with the regime one’s end with the SNC propaganda, through the western, American’s ones.
CNN and such are the turd of the new century.
keep it coming, I think as long as Russia saying OK to Assad to continue to destroy the mercenaries foreign fighters in Syria including Al Qaida, and Mr. O is claiming to be busy with his election the only answer is more killing of the terrorists, it is well known and clear that the Syrian army doesn’t go and bomb innocent Syrians per Se.
it is clear that the Syrian army withheld bombing many times because of the terrorists were using civilian as human shield, the opposition claims are are well known to be Bogus, Hoax, fabricated similar to the previous Iraqi’s, Libyan’s ones.
time will tell if Assad will stay in Power in spite of all the loud Barks.
It seems the only engine moving the world economy is the KSA and GCC paying for weapons and arms to support more wars all over the world.
July 15th, 2012, 11:23 am
irritated said:
Juergen
By the way electricity cuts in Damascus and suburbs, despite the heat wave, is surprisingly less than 3 hours a day and usually during day time.
July 15th, 2012, 11:49 am
AIG said:
“By the way electricity cuts in Damascus and suburbs, despite the heat wave, is surprisingly less than 3 hours a day and usually during day time.”
Duh, when you cut the electricity to so many other cities and areas in Syria, of course Damascus gets more electricity. And even with that, the inept regime cannot provide electricity full time.
July 15th, 2012, 11:57 am
Information said:
I’m not talking about any organizations, I’m talking about Syrian Palestinians. While some Palestinians have been pro-regime in the past, I’d be careful not to exagerate the level of support. Many I’ve known have been vehemently opposed to the regime since before Bashar took office. And I don’t know a single one who feels he owes a debt of gratitude to the regime. Also, outward expressions of support, as you full well know, are not necessarily truthful. We used to toast to sa7it al Ra2ees, didn’t mean we wished him well at all.
July 15th, 2012, 11:59 am
bronco said:
43. Information
You are right. Palestinians wherever they are can be inpredictable. In Kuwait, after living there for decades, they turned on the side of Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait, to regret it afterward because Palestinians workers were no more welcomed in Kuwait after the liberation.
I guess the Palestinian leadership in Syria do not want to take that risk in Syria. Neutrality is their recommended behavior.
July 15th, 2012, 12:07 pm
Mina said:
The MB did not have this courage. They know what would happen instantly if they did.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/47767/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-Orthodox,-Evangelical-church-reps-refuse-mee.aspx
“Representatives of Egypt’s Orthodox and Evangelical churches on Sunday morning declined invitations to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to protest perceived US interference in Egypt’s internal affairs.” (…)
July 15th, 2012, 12:14 pm
Juergen said:
Irritated
is that a sign of progress? Only 3 hours of outage? Well those of you still holding onto this regime look for any straw to hold onto.
July 15th, 2012, 12:22 pm
Ghufran said:
Calls for the opposition to unite are not entirely innocent. Uniting the opposition means infusing regime and foreign intelligence agents inside the opposition body, I actually believe that had happened already.
July 15th, 2012, 12:31 pm
Juergen said:
Asma is shopping again, seems like her favorite hobby these days…
“As Syria burns, Assad’s British-born wife goes on £270,000 online shopping spree and imports chandeliers, rugs, sofas, tables and ELEVEN ottomans from London
Asma al-Assad, 36, placed the order with exclusive London store DN Designs in the King’s Road, Chelsea, West London
Among the 130 items were 11 ottomans costing over £20,000, a dining room table priced at almost £10,000 and a rug worth just under £11,000”
“But emails obtained by WikiLeaks show Mrs Assad, 36, spent £270,000 buying furniture from an exclusive London store for one of her presidential palaces last March – as Syria was descending into a bloody civil war.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2173705/Asma-al-Assad-As-nation-burns-Assad-wife-imports-sofas-London-270-000-spending-spree.html?ITO=1490
July 15th, 2012, 12:38 pm
omen said:
Calls for the opposition to unite are not entirely innocent. Uniting the opposition means infusing regime and foreign intelligence agents inside the opposition body
that’s odd, ghufran. usually it’s from loyalists i hear criticizing the opposition’s lacks of unity. a flimsy excuse proffered to justify continued support for the regime.
the opposition is damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
apologists had a field day that the kabuki theater/
cairo effort devolved into a circus.
foreign infiltration? why does the regime’s reliance on russian & iranian money, intelligence and manpower get a pass?
July 15th, 2012, 12:48 pm
Uzair8 said:
Syria inflation hit 32.5% in May as unrest goes on
15 July 2012
Syria’s rate of inflation rose to 32.5 percent in May compared with the same month a year ago, as the cost of food products increased, the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported.
The price of meat, fruits, bread, housing water and electricity increased, while the cost of dairy, non-alcoholic drinks, vegetables and sugar decreased, according to the government agency.
Read more:
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/syria-inflation-hit-32-5-in-may-as-unrest-goes-on-465873.html
July 15th, 2012, 12:54 pm
Son of Damascus said:
In the Absence of Neutrality
by Amal Hanano
Medical Neutrality: a principle of noninterference with medical services in times of armed conflict and civil unrest: doctors must be allowed to care for the sick and wounded, and soldiers must receive care regardless of their political affiliations. . . . The principles of medical neutrality derive from international human rights law, medical ethics and humanitarian law. Violations of medical neutrality constitute crimes outlined in the Geneva Conventions.
Mohammed, an internal medicine physician, and his brother Omar, an orthopedic surgeon, are from Idleb. Since the Syrian uprising began sixteen months ago, they have worked in hospitals and make-shift field clinics in Hama, Idleb, Deir al-Zor, Raqqa, and al-Hasakeh. They joined the Free Syrian Doctors Union in May 2011. The union is a network of Syrian doctors who deliver medical care and emergency relief in field hospitals to scores of wounded protesters and opposition fighters. This is dangerous work, because as Dr. Mohammed says, “Any doctor who becomes known by name for working in a field hospital or taking care of the wounded who cannot be treated at a government hospital is wanted by the regime.”
Last month, two medical students and a first-aid medic had become known by their names. The three young men, Basel Aslan, Mus’ab Barad, and Hazem Batikh were wanted by the regime for treating protesters who had been shot by security forces. They were arrested at a checkpoint in Aleppo on June 17, 2012 and detained at an Air Force Intelligence branch. According to an Amnesty International report, the bodies were found in a burned car in the outskirts of Aleppo on June 24. Their charred corpses were marked with signs of torture. As the report indicates, Basel Aslan “had a gunshot wound to the head and his hands were tied behind his back. One leg and one arm were broken, several teeth missing and the flesh was missing from his lower legs, leaving the bone exposed. Some of his fingernails had been removed.” The report continues, “As casualties from the current unrest have mounted, so President Bashar al-Assad’s government has intensified its hunt for the wounded and for those who provide life-saving emergency treatment to them.”
Government hospitals in Syria have become centers of death and torture for Syrians who have been wounded by government bullets and shells. While some of the injured are armed defectors belonging to the Free Syrian Army, the majority of the people in need of emergency care are civilians, including thousands of women and children. There is no separation between attending to the severe humanitarian crisis and the regime’s brutality in quelling the uprising — in fact, the latter is the cause of the former.
http://www.ayyam.org/english/?p=516
July 15th, 2012, 12:57 pm
omen said:
(remind me to read the thread first before posting.)
1. GHUFRAN said: The level of brutality and violence in Syria is nauseating,a friend ,a non Syrian psychologist,suggested that the B&V seen today can not be separated from how the regime treated its opponents since the 1970s and the violent history of Muslim countries in general. That psychologist is a Muslim Sunni if you are wondering.
that’s some acrobatics in twisted logic. blame the assad regime’s barbarity on the inherent violent character of muslims. that doesn’t even make sense. one doesn’t go into the other.
i don’t care who said it, that’s a bigoted thing to say.
widen that lens a little bit. a lot of these dictators managed to stay in power because of support from the west (if not installed by them.)
p.s. now that i think about it, this kind of argument ends up justifying the regime’s cruelty because it validates a prejudice that muslims themselves are violent, thus deserve to be killed.
you should apologize, ghufran.
July 15th, 2012, 1:39 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
SANA-tized reporting aficionados should be pleased at the efficiency of Syria TV’s web presence. Alongside links to “Speaches of President,” “Govermental” sites and such propaganda stalwarts as Al-Tharwa and five special links to “NAME in ENGLISH,” and two speciallinks to “No-spin news by Christof” under Govermental sites, SyTV also has a special “CONFESSIONS” page to transmit the edited results of officialized interrogations.
It may have been an SyTV slip to post a link to Christof Lehmann’s web portal under the ‘Govermental’ sites, but who knows where these folks get their talking points from? Lehmann belongs to the RussiaToday Bedsit-with-a-Webcam corps of stupefied analysts, along with Webster Tarpley-styled nuts from Voltaire.net (as Brown Moses and others have indicated, the Voltaire.net operations were likely funded and hosted by official Syrian sources — reportedly by Manaf Tlass as part of his pre-defection assigned regime homework … ).
July 15th, 2012, 1:47 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
The UNSMIS commander Robert Mood gave a report to assembled press on July 13th: Video | Text
From the Q&A
From the remarks
Jihad Maqdissi was given the job of providing the inevitable denials from the regime. Today he announced to a press conference that there were no heavy weapons whatsoever deployed to Treimseh; the SANA-tized report at Syrian TV says only this:
Perhaps one of the stunned regimist non-Syrians currently cruising the margins of literacy at SC could square the circle on this issue: if Maqdissi says the SAA used no heavy weapons, and the UN observer mission head says, Sorry, Jihad, we were there … who to believe?
Bruno, take it away!
PS — I miss the outraged scrivenings of the dude known as “Allan”; ‘Expatriate’ is no substitute (more Cartalucci, more Global Research bed-sit-webcam ‘analysis,’ more untranslateable screeds from the state-controlled press will do the trick).
To the new SC Moderator, welcome to a tough job. When you tire of the maniacal diatribes in the Spam sink, are outed by regimist shadows, or reach the limits of apologist patience and are subverted, be advised there is a Former SC Moderator’s club to advise you. To whom do we address the invitation: SCModerator@mail.com, as the page header says?
PPS — does anyone have the full Maqdissi presser (including questions put) recorded?
July 15th, 2012, 2:12 pm
Tara said:
WSS,
Nice to hear from you after a long absence…
Let me summarize the events thst occured in your absence: As you can see, we continue to have parallel discussions where nothing that can occur would change regimists’perspective..another massacre happens in Hama suburb while Asma continues to shop…Lamis Omar, a female doctorate student studying in the US, was the latest admirer of Batta. She wants to dedicate her life to “study” the meanings she finds in him. Isn’t that profound? Koffi Annan worrying about his reputation making flashy meaningless comments against the regime while getting in bed with the murderers trying to isolate hot spots. Last Friday’s name was dedicated against Annan. Otherwise, the killing has gone unabated..
July 15th, 2012, 2:23 pm
Halabi said:
Kafranbel – There’s no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger. But let’s face it, there is an Ass in Assad…!
http://youtu.be/YgaHEgxXAps
July 15th, 2012, 2:42 pm
Expatriate said:
Tony Cartalucci
Activist Post
Hillary Clinton Must Resign For Nuremberg Offenses
..
Hillary Clinton Must Resign
The generation preceding Hillary Clinton’s, those of World War II, swore “never again” to the tragedy of that global conflict. They also swore “never again” to the lies and manipulations that maneuvered millions of people across the globe into deadly conflict with one another.
Hillary Clinton’s fabrications and attempts to foist yet another war constructed upon falsehoods betrays that promise made – and thus betrays and jeopardizes the very foundation of all the West stands for.
Hillary Clinton, to continue in her capacity, like the entire Bush Administration before her, compromises and forever stains the credibility and integrity of the United States.
It is ironic that the very violence unfolding in Syria today, which Clinton would have the world believe is the work of the “Syrian regime,” was first blueprinted and orchestrated by the US during Bush’s term in office.
..
July 15th, 2012, 2:50 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
@ 22. Bruno
Your post is most revealing. I am not sure where you learned the art of logic, but it’s a place I advice no one to go to.
Firstly, you say that “Jihadi units in Iraq were and are a Myth.” Maybe Abu Mus’ab Al-Zaraquawi and his units were part of a mission by Doctors Without Borders and we didn’t know. This comment alone is enough to discredit your post and yourself as someone NOT to be taken seriously.
Secondly, in your quote from the WP article, you contradict your “myth” statment because the quote states that at most dozens of fighters were entering per month. So it’s not a myth that fighting units were entering Iraq. Alqaeda elements were streaming in through Syria, but the numbers are debatable. That’s what the quote is saying. Not to mention that WP is not a truth-seeking organization. For car bombings, you don’t need hundreds of people. Dozens car wreak havoc.
You ask: “well i am surprised he isnt giving interviews to CNN,Russia Today why just aljazeera?”
Well, it’s an irrelevant point. Incidentally, he gave an interview to CNN. Would that make you less “surprised?” As for RT, it’s a mouthpiece of the Russian government. Just like Al-Jazeera is a mouthpiece of the Qatari government. So what’s the point?
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/15/world/meast/syria-defector-interview/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Maybe you should go and visit with Al-Maliki and convince him of this myth of yours.
One of the slogans of the demonstrators in Syria is “غباؤكم ينصرنا” . Ask your friends
to translate it for you. I am not sure you’ll like it, but truth sometimes hurts.
July 15th, 2012, 4:07 pm
Uzair8 said:
– Nawaf Fares, former ambassador to Iraq, interrogated …I mean interviewd on AJE -Inside Syria.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidesyria/2012/07/20127158223251680.html
– Reports of ‘intense’ clashes in Damascus?
One tweet is music to the ears and hope it’s true:
‘Tonight is beginning of what The Free Syrian Army has promised to do few weeks past,to squeeze regime in the capital and finish it #Syria’
July 15th, 2012, 4:20 pm
Shami said:
Yahallah al dimashqiyin !
July 15th, 2012, 4:21 pm
Shami said:
Hayallah al dimashqiyin !
July 15th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Bruno said:
@SYR.EXPAT
(Well, it’s an irrelevant point. Incidentally, he gave an interview to CNN. Would that make you less “surprised?” As for RT, it’s a mouthpiece of the Russian government. Just like Al-Jazeera is a mouthpiece of the Qatari government. So what’s the point?)
And CNN is the mouthpiece of the American Government, from your own article.
(Ex-Syrian ambassador calls for foreign military intervention)
Right he calls for an foreign military intervention so the country would be left in Ruins.
(“I was at the top of the Syrian regime,” Fares said in his first interview with a U.S.-based TV network since his defection. “)
So even the article admits an another Islamist Revolution.
(during the holy revolution)
Here you go Expat As for my myth posts on
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/topten/articles/20070128.aspx
http://www.countercurrents.org/puniyani011106.htm
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0710.tilghman.html
Washington monthly is a respected news paper
Alqaeda is real however in some aspects.
(Firstly, you say that “Jihadi units in Iraq were and are a Myth.” Maybe Abu Mus’ab Al-Zaraquawi and his units were part of a mission by Doctors Without Borders and we didn’t know. This comment alone is enough to discredit your post and yourself as someone NOT to be taken seriously.)
Really? you know what SYR.EXPAT remind me of? a Republican who believes everything what the mainstream news outlets back then have claimed about Al-Zaraquawi and so called Iraqi Terrorists.
From the article.
(There was no way to verify the authenticity of the statement, one of many leaflets put out by a variety of groups taking part in the anti-U.S. resistance.)
And i would you believe that Saddam had WMDs to eh?
July 15th, 2012, 4:48 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
Dear SC Moderator, you have a thankless job, chief among them retrieving filtered messages from the moderation, spam, banned and auto-trash queues. When you get a chance, you can release the first (time-stamped) of my last seven attempt to place a comment.
July 15th, 2012, 5:12 pm
Uzair8 said:
Massive attack (truck) on outpost in Salqin, Idlib.
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/brown-moses-massive-remote-control-truck-bomb-attack/
July 15th, 2012, 5:25 pm
irritated said:
#57 Halabi
As well as Al ASS aad, the self appointed leader of the FSA’D.
July 15th, 2012, 5:43 pm
Syrialover said:
# 58. SYR.EXPAT
You’ve nailed Bruno!
He only discovered Syriacomment a few weeks ago. He has very little knowledge of Syria or real interest in the issues.
He’s here to play games and bait people.
We can assume he boredly trawls (or trolls) the internet doing this on a number of sites.
And he sure is! Read Brown Moses #17 above exposing his games on another forum.
He claims to be a westerner despite his broken English. A couple of people here have spotted clues he’s probably Iranian.
It’s actually sad.
July 15th, 2012, 5:50 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
MK, I released your comment and re-timed it. SC Moderator.
The FSA is getting large, the number of generals who defected along with other officers has grown to a level equal to what the military academy graduate in a year,Total FSA are over 40,000.
There is only Ryad Asaad who defected early,but since then over thirty, three star generals, has defected,Asaad must be promoted to three star general (3AMID),I think 3adnan Sulou is a smart four star general and should be the leader of the FSA.
FSA must manage the finances not the SNC,till we have a good leader in the SNC, Burhan Ghalioun was better than Sayda, I strongly support George Sabra as a leader, he is likable and very active.
There are those who hate SNC and hate FSA,and are always making accusations they refer to FSA as thugs,or they stupidly say that we want US or Western Europe to invade Syria,none of us has said that, we all call on strengthening the FSA,we are against US and Europe invasion of Syria,so please Assad supporters stop lying,stop silly accusations,stop calling us Salafi also,we are Musslems, some of us are Christians, but since the assad supporters are non Muslems they lie and say we are salafists.THEY HATE SUNNI, and to them all Sunni are salafists
Arab support is not foreign interference,
Balance of power between Assad criminal troops and FSA the angels must be achieved, the FSA need anti tank weapons,and anti airforce missiles,once this is achieved Assad will be obliged to leave.
July 15th, 2012, 5:50 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
WSS, welcome back. I released the original comment and re-timed it. SC Moderator.
Tara, thanks for the welcome. I posted twice earlier (in reply to Omen) on the subject of Sharmine Narwani and on my hopes for Syrian reconciliation.
Events overtake many of the commentators at SC. It is perhaps a sign of the intellectual self-abasement of regimist trumpets that frank contradictions (as between Maqdissi’s SANA boilerplate (NO HEAVY WEAPONS) and the UNSMIS report by Mood) do not compute. The usual hysterics, snipers and stooges outdo themselves in irrelevance, ignorance and impaired cognition.
And the creep back to sneering, hateful and dismissive ‘you people’ arguments is almost complete (as exemplified by the mysterious dyspeptic who runs under the name Irritated). Indeed all the mystery people seem to have commenced digging deeper into the nutter zone (with Allan’s cousin Expatriate clonking his shovel on the Thai-resident anti-imperialist windbag Tony Cartalucci).
The most intriguing reports (not much discussed on SC) I have been following decrypt the connections between 9/11 nutter Thierry Meyssan’s right-wing funding and support network inside and outside Syria — including that lovely photo of him sitting at table beside Manaf Tlass and French rightist nutbar Frédéric Chatillon (pic link: http://goo.gl/PtdxI ).
The allegations against this shadowy Syrian-funded disinformation network comprise the following list (link to Brown Moses story):
The Tlass family was responsible for funding the Voltaire Network International, and a number of other sites, at the behest of the Syrian government.
– Damascus gave Thierry Meyssan the money to relaunch the collapsed Voltaire Network in August 2005.
– The funding of Meyssan and The Voltaire Network International was assigned to Munaf and Firas Tanaf from 2006.
– During the 2008 visit to Damascus Thierry Meyssan recommended Frédéric Chatillon for a pro-Syrian PR campaign, that was also funded by the Tlass family, and led to the founding of RiwalSyria.
– In 2011 Riwal registered and launched infosyrie.net for the benefit of the Syrian regime.
I have not been entirely inactive writing on Syrian topics. Camille (Alex) Otrakji and I have had several testy (and lengthy) exchanges on Facebook, to which zone he seems to have entirely retreated. I have kept up all my contacts otherwise, Tara, including with the former moderators, and followed up on items of concern to me in backchannels. I will stop the pointless exchanges on Facebook with Camille (Alex) and his coterie of Westernized expat Baathits windbags and enablers. Perhaps he will return to debate or discussion here …
I do think positions on each nutter wing have hardened, and all that we can expect is More Of The Same, more SANA-tized bullshit from the trumpets — even when the trumpeting makes no sense whatsoever, as with iPhone Maqdissi — and more hideous sectarian approval of atrocities (as with the mysterious Antoine).
It is a credit to the patience and humanity of the expat opposition supporters here (like SOD, SyriaLover, you, etcetera) that none of this hate and hysteria gets traction in their arguments, and that you/they consistently decry the language of Demonization and Reprisal — whether it comes from the usual regime-excusing propagandists (like JAD), whether it mirrors the US/THEM dichotomy in crazy authoritarian rants (from Aldendeshe), whether it comes from the fringes of reality-testing on the FSA-supporting side (again, Antoine).
Speaking of Sharmine Narwani, she has a lengthy television interview just posted, in which she comments on the Treimseh events. Sad to say, she rambles off-topic, jumbling SANA talking points with ineluctable prattle from the regimist pressbook. No longer does she even bother to list or refer to her insider contacts, such is her self-assigned work to clean up the shit and debris left after regime crimes. But, as usual, she is given the meaningless imprimatur of “St Antony’s College” by RT stooge presenters (as Camille is variously given imprimatur as “Syria Comment contributing editor”).
I note again her absolute refusal to answer critical inquiries about her own interests and/or paymasters. She has locked down her Twitter account and demonizes her (ideological) opponents. At least Thierry Meyssan has gone properly silent in the face of the allegations that he owes his allegience to the Syrian paymasters, with not even an acknowledgement of the accusations.
July 15th, 2012, 5:50 pm
irritated said:
Juergen
Beirut has more than 4 hours a day electricity shortage per day while in the suburbs it can reach 6 hours per day and there is no rebels blowing up pipeline and power stations.
In Damascus, it is amazing that the shortage are so small and that Internet is working normally despite all the attacks.
Congratulations to the public service employees who obviously are not on strike.
July 15th, 2012, 5:52 pm
irritated said:
Having been a moderator seems to trigger a disease: Logorrhoea and endless rantings.
July 15th, 2012, 5:55 pm
irritated said:
Majedalkhadoon
since the assad supporters are non Muslems they lie and say we are salafists”
You mean they are Shia and Alawites?
July 15th, 2012, 5:59 pm
SC Moderator said:
If you have a comment that inadvertently went into spam, please do not try to resend it. Just notify me through the comments section and I’ll release it as early as I can. Thanks.
July 15th, 2012, 5:59 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
دمشق: أنباء عن انشقاق العقيد محمود البردان رئيس مخفر حي التضامن مع مجموعة من العناصر … الله اكبر
Should we call Bashar, Bashar Qaddafi?
There are news that Bashar left Damascus
July 15th, 2012, 6:04 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
@ 68. SYRIALOVER
Actually, Bruno won the argument. Here’s what I was going to post in response to his last enlightened post. That’s my last post to him. He beat me hands down.
@ 63. BRUNO
You win, I lose. It was a myth all along. Al-Zarqawi was a fictional character invented by Al-Jazeera. All of his videos were shot in the Nevada Desert, Area 51. Actually, there is no revolution in Syria. All the videos posted by the opposition were fabricated with the help of the CIA and Qatari intelligence.
The only truth is that Batta is a great leader who, with the help of the Mullahs of Iran, will lead Syria into the 22nd century where freedom, dignity, and the rule of law will prevail. He will pave the way for all countries of the world to follow his lead. The West will be embarrassed by the reforms he has in store for the Syrian people. The people’s of the West will rebel against their leaders and will demand an Assad-style regime. Just look at the great new Syrian Constitution. The Swiss will be flocking to Syria in droves and will be begging for Syrian passports.
July 15th, 2012, 6:08 pm
omen said:
fouad ajami (and other experts) have pointed out months ago that the assad regime had sent militants to iraq to kill americans. something that won general acknowledgment on this board. and we do know the regime released al qaeda members from prison. syrians here and long time watchers don’t seem shocked. while i had suspicions, i didn’t know there was this level of collusion.
a loyalist on the last thread argued this revelation couldn’t possibly be true because an al qaeda chief voiced his opposition to the regime. it seems pretty obvious now he did so under direction of the regime with the intent of tainting the opposition.
leon panetta, hillary clinton, admiral mullen, ban ki moon and other officials who tarred the rebels by suggesting they were al qaeda, should:
1) apologize to the opposition for unwarranted slander.
2) be made to answer if they knew this regime/alqaeda connection earlier. if so, for how long?
why haven’t we heard from cia chief petraeus on this issue?
obama needs to be questioned if he knew about this. if so, why hasn’t he acted with to hold the regime responsible? suspected terrorists (and innocent bystanders) in yemen killed by drones had less blood on their hands than bashar assad. why didn’t he get the same treatment? why wasn’t he dispatched with the same urgency? instead, obama and western powers have gone out of their way to protect the regime.
washington establishment, with all the money it spends on intelligence, must have know all of this but chose to keep this secret.
why?
July 15th, 2012, 6:08 pm
Uzair8 said:
Apparently a leaked video by a Major showing Iranian army in Syria?
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/syrian-major-a-leaked-video-an-evidence-of/
July 15th, 2012, 6:11 pm
zoo said:
“Saving the Syrian homeland” Conference in Damascus on July 28
(Omar al-Shaar | Dp-news)
http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=126314
DAMASCUS- Tayyar Binaa Syria (Building the Syrian State) announced Thursday that he is inviting Syrians to hold a conference on “Saving the Syrian homeland” in Damascus on Saturday 28/7/2012.
In a statement announced at press conference at Tayyar office in Damascus, Building the Syrian State spokesman Louai Housien sadi “we have decided today to emit a loud voice calling for all Syrians, inviting and appealing to all, political forces, civil, youth groups and public figures at home and abroad, who are working on radically changing the system of government by the adoption of all peaceful means, we invite them all to hold a conference on “Saving the Syrian homeland” in Damascus on Saturday 28/7/2012.”
“To join forces, at this critical moment in history, in the face of all the risks and challenges, and to launch political and civil action to rescue the Syrian homeland, from the threats and possibilities of collapse.” Housien added in a statement.
…
July 15th, 2012, 6:14 pm
Ghufran said:
Most of the problems seen in the Muslim world are home made,the west simply takes advantage of the divisions and contradictions that exist in Muslim societies. Europe and the West had to abandon the literal teachings of the church and fight the influence of the priests before they managed to get out of their dark hole,we need to do the same.
Denying that Arab and Muslim history is full of brutality and violence is laughable. I never accepted the regime’s story that this uprising is imported or is made by foreign agents and I similarly reject the opposition claim that the regime lasted for 42 years because of the support of Israel,most of our garbage is Syrian-made,foreign powers used and continue to use Syrians to advance their own interests not the interest of Syrians.
People have the right to live in a kingdom that does not exist,but fantasies are not enough to build nations.
July 15th, 2012, 6:19 pm
zoo said:
UN Mission: The Attack on Syrian village appears targeted at defectors and activists – UN mission
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42479&Cr=Syria&Cr1=
15 July 2012 –
United Nations observers who returned to the Syrian village of Tremseh on Sunday said that, based on what they saw and on witness accounts, the attack there three days ago was targeted at army defectors and activists.
Staff from the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) observed over 50 houses that were burned and/or destroyed, according to a statement issued today that also noted that “pools of blood and brain matter were observed in a number of homes.”
The “consistent account” relayed by 27 local villagers who were interviewed by the UN team indicated that the attack began in the early hours of 12 July with the shelling of the village followed by ground operations.
“According to those interviewed, the army was conducting house to house searches asking for men and their ID cards. They alleged that after checking their identification, numerous were killed. Other men were taken out of the village.
“On the basis of some of the destruction observed in the town and the witness accounts, the attack appears targeted at army defectors and activists,” said the statement. UN observers also confirmed the use of direct and indirect weapons, including artillery, mortars and small arms.
The Mission added that the number of casualties is still unclear and that it is trying to seek further verification.
July 15th, 2012, 6:21 pm
zoo said:
Will Putin convince Erdogan to stop supporting the rebels in order to achieve Annan Peace plan or vice-versa?
5 more days for a UNSC resolution vote.
Diplomacy on Syria tilts toward Moscow: Annan and Erdogan in Moscow
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/diplomacy-on-syria-tilts-toward-moscow.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25582&NewsCatID=359
Syria peace mediator Annan is expected to land in Moscow today for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said yesterday that Annan would arrive in Moscow today and meet Putin the following day for talks in which “Russia will underscore its support for the peace plan of Kofi Annan.”
“The Russian side proceeds from the premise that this plan is the only viable platform for solving internal Syrian problems,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
…
A day after Putin meets Annan, the Russian president will welcome Erdoğan to discuss the future of Syria, energy issues and the latest developments in the Middle East. Although not on the agenda, the Turkish jet downed on June 22 is also expected to be discussed between the two statesmen, according to diplomatic sources speaking to Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
July 15th, 2012, 6:32 pm
Amjad said:
Hello Mr Moderator, I hope everything is fine. I have a comment that seems to have gone…somewhere, not sure where.
July 15th, 2012, 6:40 pm
zoo said:
Erdoğan’s strategy
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogans-strategy-.aspx?pageID=449&nID=25551&NewsCatID=425
Erdoğan wants to have all three: the presidency, the government and the party. That was what he openly said when he said Turks should accept a party leader president.
July 15th, 2012, 6:40 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Omen
It is silly to say that Arab are more brutal than others, the history tells us , History did not know people have more mercy than Arab, but the one who said otherwise ,does not think right.
Brutality in Syria is something new it is specific to this Alawi regime and the oppurtunistic Baath people because they are not afraid of God.
July 15th, 2012, 6:45 pm
Ghufran said:
المقدم خالد الحمود يهدد بالانشقاق عن الجيش الحر و يتهم رياض الأسعد بمحاباة معارفه و أقاربه
July 15th, 2012, 6:46 pm
zoo said:
Is this the promised full scale attack on Damascus by the 40,000 FSA predicted by our SC local strategist?
4 more days to go for the UNSC resolution vote.
Heavy fighting in Damascus: activists
Published Sunday, July 15, 2012
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/heavy-fighting-damascus-activists
Opposition fighters allegedly battled Syrian government forces in districts in the south of Damascus on Sunday, in what activists described as some of the most intensive daytime fighting yet inside the city limits of the capital.
…
Samir al-Shami, who spoke to Reuters by Skype from Damascus, said fighting was under way in the al-Tadamon district, after a night of sustained battles in the nearby Hajar al-Aswad district.
“There is the sound of heavy gunfire. And there is smoke rising from the area. There are already some wounded and residents are trying to flee the area,” he said, showing live video images of smoke visible over the skyline.
“There are also armored vehicles heading towards the southern part of the neighborhood.”
A video purporting to show residents fleeing the violence in al-Tadamon was posted on Youtube but was not independently verifiable.
An opposition group posted a statement on Facebook claiming that the main highway in the city was closed due to the fighting.
”Damascus International Airport highway and all of its exits have been closed…Fierce shelling using tanks and mortars is reported,” the statement said.
…
Residents said they heard a powerful blast, followed by the sirens of ambulances rushing toward Damascus’s southern ring road near the neighborhood of Midan.
Some activists said more than one member of the security forces was killed in the attack, but others said there were no dead, only wounded.
July 15th, 2012, 6:53 pm
irritated said:
#86 Ghufran
Give them a month and the “angels” will eat each others.
July 15th, 2012, 6:55 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Syria has a new constitution. Congrats Syria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7lW5iAZUFY&feature=player_embedded
The videos coming out of Syria in the last few days are so gruesome.
Looks like JL will have to terminate his Vermont vacation. The brutal civil war is reaching a peak.
Annan’s plan is now not more than a wishful thinking.
.
July 15th, 2012, 6:59 pm
Tara said:
I was told that someone emailed that journalist before the show and warned him of the “Syrian blood’s curse”. The guy lost his life defending a children killer…. His blood pressure must have severely risen and burst an aneurysm in his brain. Regime supporters: please take it easy defending Batta. Do not raise your blood pressure for him. He is not worth it. He may have been listening to “I am sexy and I know it” while the guy was dying. Your life is much worthy than Batta and his family combined.
وفاة صحافي على الهواء مباشرة دفاعا
عن الأسد
أصيب بلجطة دماغية أثناء حوار ساخن مع عميد بالجيش السوري الحر
الخميس 22 شعبان 1433هـ – 12 يوليو 2012م
(…)
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/12/225985.html
July 15th, 2012, 6:59 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Irritated
Don’t get excited , the news about Khaled Hammod were reported by Ghufran, it is not true
Zoo,
No it is not the major battle that has been promissed.
July 15th, 2012, 7:04 pm
Ghufran said:
The International Committee of the Red Cross says Syria is now in a state of civil war, a definition it suggests could change the rules of engagement in the violence-ravaged country and help lay the ground for war crimes prosecutions.
On the issue of brutality,we know that all races and ethnic groups are capable of committing crimes against fellow humans,to suggest that Arabs and Muslims are less brutal than others because ” they fear god” is as valid as saying that god is punishing Muslims for abandoning their religion and that is why they live in poverty and misery.
Civilized societies reward or punish people based on their behavior not their faith,our new moderator is taking a nap now,posts that label a large group of people with ugly statements should not be allowed on this site,JL is taking a vacation but hateful blabbers do not.
كل إناء ينضح بما فيه
July 15th, 2012, 7:05 pm
irritated said:
#85 Amjad
Congratulation for the rewriting of the fights in Tremseh.
First it was a massacre and then as no one bought that version, it has become a heroic fight of unarmed defectors and innocent ‘activists’ with no blood on their hands.
Just remember that the FSA has rejected Annan peace plan and has announced a few weeks that it was restarting its attacks on the Syrian Army. It’s a no mercy war.
July 15th, 2012, 7:07 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
SANA site is down for few hours now
http://www.sana.sy/index_eng.html
.
July 15th, 2012, 7:08 pm
zoo said:
Iraq-Iran Ties Grow Stronger As Iraq Rises From The Ashes
Posted: 07/14/2012 9:23 am Updated: 07/15/2012 2:30 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/14/iraq-iran-ties_n_1664728.html
“A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region,” President George W. Bush told a crowd at the American Enterprise Institute in 2003, a few weeks before he launched the attack.
July 15th, 2012, 7:19 pm
Ghufran said:
قال الأمين العام للجامعة العربية، نبيل العربي، يوم الأحد، إن مجزرة التريمسة تدل على وجود نمط واضح لعمليات “تطهير عرقى” في سورية يستدعي ضرورة قيام مجلس الأمن والمجتمع الدولي بفض الحصار وحماية المدنيين السوريين.
July 15th, 2012, 7:23 pm
omen said:
60. UZAIR8 said: One tweet is music to the ears and hope it’s true:
‘Tonight is beginning of what The Free Syrian Army has promised to do few weeks past,to squeeze regime in the capital and finish it
why would they telegraph intentions like this? is that smart? maybe it’s a misdirect to throw the regime off kilter while another target is intended.
in any event, i hope “the beginning is near.”
July 15th, 2012, 7:28 pm
zoo said:
Naivety or what?
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/syria-conflict-declared-civil-war#page2
The head of the main Syrian opposition group also said yesterday the US president, Barack Obama, must not wait until his re-election to take action to stop the bloodshed in Syria,
“We would like to say to President Obama that waiting for election day to make the right decision on Syria is unacceptable for Syrians,” Abdulbaset Saida, president of the Syria National Council, told CNN. “We cannot understand that a superpower ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of an election campaign that a president may win or lose.”
July 15th, 2012, 7:28 pm
irritated said:
97. omen
why would they telegraph intentions like this? is that smart?
Smart? It’s another sign of desperation. The squeeze is growing on the rebels and no Western country seems to really care.
They keep telling them: Unite, then we’ll do something
July 15th, 2012, 7:35 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
More big fish are abandoning the ship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9RxhVVx8A&feature=player_embedded
.
July 15th, 2012, 7:36 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
“The squeeze is growing on the rebels”.
Are you for real Irritated?
Now when SANA is down, what is your source of information? RT and Press TV ?
.
July 15th, 2012, 7:39 pm
jna said:
Re: #98
We cannot understand that the Syrian opposition ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of it can not bring itself to negotiate a ceasefire and a plan for a democratic transition.
July 15th, 2012, 7:41 pm
omen said:
ghufran, you don’t want to apologize for ugliness, fine, but at least have the decency to be ashamed of yourself.
July 15th, 2012, 7:41 pm
zoo said:
Kurds from Talsallur help Syrian army defeat the rebels.
http://news.yahoo.com/syrians-arms-dig-graves-210133085.html
“People of Atma! Regime forces are surrounding a group of revolutionaries. All those who have arms, come for help,” says the message on that Saturday morning.
A few hours later a new ominous message crackled over the mosque’s loudspeakers.
“To those who have no weapons: go to the cemetery, dig graves and prepare to bury the martyrs.”
Less than an hour later the third message is delivered as the fighting apparently worsens.
“You have to dig more graves! Those who do not have guns, please help dig graves. There are many martyrs. And please go to the hospital to donate blood.”
Overnight, 25 fighters of the rebel Syrian Liberation Army (SLA) attacked with small arms a Syrian army checkpoint located a few kilometres (miles) away from Atma between the Kurdish villages of Diwan and Talsallur.
It was the third assault in recent weeks by the insurgent army against regular troops.
The rebels lost at least 10 men, according to medical sources and an AFP reporter who saw the bodies, while 15 others were wounded.
“We attacked the checkpoint, killing eight soldiers and forcing 15 others to flee,” said one of the fighters, calling himself Abu Mujahed.
But just as the rebels thought they had overrun the troops, Kurds armed by the regime came to help the government soldiers, several fighters said.
According to Shadi the rebels launched the attack because troops manning the checkpoint were arresting travellers and disrupting trade.
“We warned them on several occasions but they didn’t listen,” he said of the government forces.
“We had no choice,” but to attack, added the young fighter dressed in camouflage, who managed to walk away from the fighting unharmed.
Other rebels says Kurds “armed” by government forces outnumbered the rebel fighters who had to rely on reinforcements from Atma and other Sunni villages — and the help of Kurds from Diwan — to evacuate the dead and the wounded.
If it had not been for that assistance, none of the fighters would have survived, they said.
“But in the end, it was all useless,” said a fighter, his arm wrapped in bandages.
“We had to abandon the checkpoint because of the helicopters and the Kurds withdrew back to Talsallur,” he added.
July 15th, 2012, 7:50 pm
Ghufran said:
Opposition sources point to fierce fighting inside Damascus,regime sources claim that the regime is on the offenive,both agree that there is a battle in Damascus,this battle conclusion will tell a lot about when and how the crisis may end,Damascus is not as loyal or neutral as regime supporters say,there is already a movement of weapons and personnel from Damascus towards the coastal areas,if this process intenifies it may signal that the regime is willing to give away Damascus,I hope I am wrong because if I was not,that may be the start of an attempt to partition the country.
July 15th, 2012, 7:52 pm
irritated said:
101. Amir in Tel Aviv
AFP, NYT and others
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/world/middleeast/commanders-of-syrian-rebels-unite-in-frustration.html?pagewanted=all
July 15th, 2012, 7:53 pm
bronco said:
105. Ghufran
I doubt the regime will renounce so easily to Damascus. I think the movement of troops and weapons is probably part of a military strategy to cut the supply lines from the rebels centers outside Damascus and therefore to dry the rebels who are already inside Damascus.
It’s a real war now.
July 15th, 2012, 7:58 pm
zoo said:
Severe clashes rage in Syrian capital
English.news.cn 2012-07-16 06:58:39
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/16/c_123414770.htm
Sounds of gunshots and shelling have reverberated across several nearby neighborhoods of Damascus, as wailing sirens have also been blaring amid thick presence of security patrols in a number of areas.
…
Witnesses said the authorities have launched a combing campaign in a number of southern areas, such as Midan, Zahra and Naher Aisha in addition to Tadamun.
Even though the state news agency spelled no details on specific casualties, pro-government media reports claimed that around 80 gunmen were killed in the clashes. Yet their report could not be independently checked.
Sunday’s clashes mark the toughest fight inside the capital, witnessed said.
Many of the residents of Tadamun have fled the fight toward the nearby Yarmouk camp for the Palestinian refugees, who have contributed with mattresses and other necessities to support their neighbors.
Pro-government media also said that after the army gave the armed groups two days to surrender but the latter rejected, the government troops attacked the hideouts of those gunmen, who have been scrambled by the surprising attack and started setting tires on fire and creating chaos.
It said armed extremists affiliated with al-Qaida were among the armed groups entrenching in that part of the city.
July 15th, 2012, 8:04 pm
Ghufran said:
This is from aljazeera comment section:
lhoussain – maroc
السلام عليكم. لقد اصبح الشعب السوري ضحية الصراع الاقليمي الدولي.فبعد ان ثار تدخل الغربيون والاعراب واختطفوا تورته التي ارادها السوريون سلمية لكن الغرب والخليجيون ارادوها دموية مدمرةللاسباب التالية: الغرب واسرائيل يريدون سوريا مفتتة وضعيفة. الخليجييون يريدون سوريا بنظام يدعي السنية ويقاطع ايران في محاولة للحد من امتداد ايران غربا خاصة وانها قد تتمددالى الضفة الاخرى للخليج(البحرين) .خلاصة القول ان الثورة السورية فشلت في تخقيق اهداف الشعب السوري .لكن اهداف القوى المتدخلة تتحقق و بسرعة.
July 15th, 2012, 8:04 pm
bronco said:
#109 Ghufran
Obvious for some, blurred for others.
July 15th, 2012, 8:08 pm
Tara said:
Civil war is now formally used to describe the situation in Syria. The use of the term “non-international armed conflict” or a “civil war” is a prelude for war crime tribunal and La Hague if the warring parties disobey the international laws. I think this is significant.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18851698
Spokesman Hicham Hassan said Syria was now regarded as a \”non-international armed conflict”, which is the technical term for civil war.
“What matters is that international humanitarian law applies wherever hostilities between government forces and opposition groups are taking place across the country,” he said.
Geneva conventions
The BBC\’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the statement is significant because it is the Red Cross\’ job to monitor the conduct of the fighting, and to tell warring parties what their obligations are.
Under the Geneva Conventions, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, attacks on medical personnel or the destruction of basic services like water or electricity are forbidden and can be prosecuted as war crimes.
From now on, all those fighting in Syria are officially subject to the laws of war, and could end up at a war crimes tribunal if they disobey them.
The ICRC\’s announcement echoes both the UN\’s head of peacekeeping Herve Ladsous and President Assad, who has said the country is at war.
July 15th, 2012, 8:17 pm
bronco said:
I think the recent orchestration of offensive actions by the regime on the hot spots in Damascus and its suburb is to set a proper background for the UNSC resolution that the Russians are preparing and will submit within the next few days.
The resolution will make Annan six points plan abiding by all members of the UN, including Turkey, Qatar and KSA. They will have to stop any military help they are giving to the FSA in exchange for a role in a political settlement.
Erdogan will be in Moscow within 2 day to be warned that his continuous support of the rebels in smuggling men and weapons to Syria, has become unproductive and dangerous for his country and his commercial relationships with Russia and Iran. Turkey is totally dependent on Russia and Iran for its energy.
The Syrian army’s urgent aim is now to weaken the military wings of the rebellion before the UNSC debates, so that accepting the political solution will be the only choice for the opposition.
The trend is clearly now to force a political solution onto both parties
July 15th, 2012, 8:26 pm
omen said:
23. BRUNO said: Would you still love WikiLeaks and the mainstream news outlets, after you read this?
now you’re discounting the tiananmen square massacre?
where does this denialism come from? are you a lyndon larouche follower?
July 15th, 2012, 8:55 pm
Tara said:
War without mercy? No problem, will only speed Batta’s appearance at the La Hague.
Syrian conflict declared a civil war by the Red Cross
The conflict in Syria was effectively declared a civil war by the Red Cross on Sunday, as the “most intense” fighting since the start of the uprising was reported in Damascus.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9401899/Syrian-conflict-declared-a-civil-war-by-the-Red-Cross.html
By Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent and Alex Spillius
9:10PM BST 15 Jul 2012
The Red Cross had previously designated Idlib, Homs and Hama as war zones, but the change in status means international humanitarian law applies wherever fighting occurs throughout the country
Combatants will now be officially subject to the Geneva Conventions, and will be more exposed to war crimes prosecutions, after the ICRC declared that the conflict was a “non-international armed conflict”, or in lay terms a civil war.
Sean Maguire, a spokesman for the ICRC, said that both sides would be reminded of their obligations “to protect civilians from fighting, treat the wounded and sick without discrimination”.
The categorisation was made after the ICRC determined that the armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s regime had reached a sufficient level of organisation and capability.
,,,,
July 15th, 2012, 9:03 pm
Amjad said:
Amjad, please refrain from using vulgarity on SC. Thank you. SC moderator.
The way the LCC handled the horrendous events in Tremseh left me feeling a great deal of respect and admiration for them. The UN has confirmed that over 150 people were massacred there, and were it not for the quick action of the LCC, perhaps triple that number would have been murdered by the regime’s thugs.
Let’s recap. The regime followed its usual pattern; massive shelling, tank assaults and helicopter attacks, to open the way for the Shabiha thugs to go house to house and murder people. The UN has said that, according to its investigations, the regime went hunting for “activists”. Let me remind everyone what an “activist” is to the regime. Anyone who comments on Facebook. Anyone who gives medical aid to demonstrators. Anyone related to anyone who commented on Facebook and gave medical aid to demonstrators. In fact, the only people not on the regime’s shit list are informers and collaborators.
When the murders first started, panicked inhabitants called the LCC. At the time, no one knew how far the regime would go. The LCC quite rightly got the word out in the most dramatic fashion possible. Was there some deliberate exaggeration, or was the information the typical panicked inaccuracies that occur in any warzone. In any case, the world’s attention was turned on Tremseh, and doubtless many more lives were saved than might have been taken. And it was the LCC who were the very first to balance the account of events, only after the world’s attention became focused on Tremseh, thus preventing an even bigger atrocity.
It must be quite a shock to the regime that, after four decades of behaving like the country was their own cattle farm, to discover that they cannot act with impunity in any corner of Syria, no matter how remote and seemingly unimportant. The LCC’s superb actions in getting the word out about Tremseh, and in balancing its version of events afterwards, is exactly the kind of ingenious thinking that has made the Syrian revolution one which has captured the imagination and hearts of people worldwide. Our Palestinian and Iranian brethren could learn something from Syrian activists.
It is interesting to note that Angry Batekh Arab doesn’t seem able to muster much outrage over the murder of four Palestinians by the regime’s forces in Damascus. I guess it’s not leftist-American-Hating enough for Mr “Let’s alienate the entire world then whine like a c*nt that no one likes us”
July 15th, 2012, 9:25 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
Good on the editors at DP-news English site. They have consistently gone to the limit of tolerable dissent (as a regime-supporting media inside Syria). In this story noted without comment by ZOO, the writer is chief editor Omar Al-Shar:
Thursday? And the link to the full statement is where?
Unfortunately for these sentiments, this statement from Louay Hussein’s (non-party) movement was featured in exactly zero Syria State media outlets. The news of the July 28th conference has likewise failed to make a mark on Syrian State media. Louay Hussein is shut out of media in Syria (except for DP-English).
May the many lesser gods/fiends help him and his committed crew get his message out. May the brave DP-news editors seek an interview or followup on the road map from the conference, may SANA wake from its DDR/DPRK slumbers and give some light to this movement.
NB — the DP-news site is supervised by a (retired) Brigadier General as supreme editor. Chances are this gentleman does not read English and so is unable to spike reports such as on Louay Hussein’s lonely conference. General must be doing something right (from the paralyzed-by-change regimist point of view), however, as the Arabic side has this many stories on the conference to the English side’s two:
Zero. Nada. Rien. Bupkis. 0. Nothing.
I do not entirely blame hidebound or frightened reactionaries for the disappearance of Hussein’s efforts from Syrian Arabic discourse. Since its founding, Hussein’s group has managed exactly one tweet to publicize itself and its mission. Its website appears to have last been updated in December 2011.
SANA is down for housecleaning, I suppose. The number of ‘sources said’ and ‘he stressed’ and ‘terrorist gangs’ and ‘for his part’ must have reached a critical low. It can take many hours to perfect the SANA style. Before they turned the site over to the cleaners they did upload the usual Belarus-style photos of an unsmiling President installing grim-faced new appointees to rule the governorates of Hasaka, Homs, Lattakia, Deir Az-Zor and Tartus. According to the terse and unrevealing report carried on all Syrian outlets, “After that, President al-Assad met with governors and provided them with directives and wished them success in their tasks.”
Good luck, men.
July 15th, 2012, 9:34 pm
Ghufran said:
I do not know what planet amjad lives on,Syria is in a civil war in more than one spot, and people are getting killed daily,the FSA and other armed groups only managed to increase the death toll and destruction and deepen hatred among Syians,in that sense the opposition” heroes ” who used violence are partners with the regime and the GCC in the destruction of Syria. I do not know where is this fable about the LCC is coming from,
everywhere armed rebels go,sores of Syians get killed,you do the math ,first we only had the regime thugs,now we have the opposition thugs to add insult to the injury.
Ironically,Syria ,in the absence of a political solution,needs a winner in this bloody war,however,most of Syria’s neighbors and the West do not want a winner,they want what you see today.
July 15th, 2012, 11:12 pm
abbas said:
Great listening for both anti and pro Islam on this blog
http://www.onbeing.org/program/mustafa-akyol-religion-democracy-and-new-turkey/4747/audio?embed=1
July 15th, 2012, 11:41 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Under the Geneva Conventions, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, attacks on medical personnel or the destruction of basic services like water or electricity are forbidden and can be prosecuted as war crimes.
I sense severe fear among regime supporters, The battle for Damascus has not started yet, however 64 officer defected,among them officers from 4th Firqa
July 15th, 2012, 11:55 pm
zoo said:
Inside Geneva meeting with Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari: Russia rebuffed Qatar, KSA and Turkey several times.
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=30341
…
However, the Russian side reacted by saying: We are the UN Security Council, and not you (the Russians were addressing Qatar, Turkey, and other non-members of the UN Security Council). In Russia’s opinion, these countries have no right to tell the Security Council what it has or has not to do, as this is the exclusive right of the council members. According to the Russian minister, Annan proposed the six-point plan, and hence it ought to be presented in order to see whether or not it will be implemented. If it is not implemented, it would be possible to return to the Security Council to consider the next steps. For this reason, it was rejected in Geneva to give a commitment to accept resorting to the UN Security Council under Chapter 7.The other point that witnessed argument is related to the dialog process (between the regime and the opposition). This is because it is imperative to have a dialog before starting the process of political transfer, the formation of a transitional executive council, and a transitional government. The dialog ought to be between the opposition and the government. However, the government negotiators ought to be from those whose hands are not tarnished by blood, and those who have no security or legal problems. The attendance ought to be by mutual agreement, i.e. any side can object to the attendance of this-or-that person from the other side.
The other contentious subject was related to the issue of sanctions or military and economic ban imposed on Syria. Russian Minister (Lavrov) said: When you imposed sanctions on Syria, you did not consult us, neither you as Arab countries, nor Europe or the United States. Why then do you come today to force us to accept the sanctions? The answer is no.
As for the arming, the Russians said: There are countries that arm the opposition, and other that finance it. We have arms contracts with the regime that we have to implement provided that these arms are not used against civilians. The solution that was established by consensus is not to militarize the conflict, provided that this general formula applies to both sides (the regime and the opposition).
As for the field measures (stipulated in Annan’s plan) and the withdrawal from the cities (the military vehicles and the troops), the Russians asked: What will happen about the opposition that controls many regions and cities, and who will guarantee their withdrawal? The formula established says that it is necessary to withdraw regardless of what the other side does.
July 15th, 2012, 11:57 pm
zoo said:
Yet another failure of Hillary
Clinton’s calls fall flat in Egypt political fight
By BRADLEY KLAPPER and HAMZA HENDAWI | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago
http://news.yahoo.com/clintons-calls-fall-flat-egypt-political-fight-191739331.html
CAIRO (AP) — The head of Egypt’s military took a tough line Sunday on the Muslim Brotherhood, warning that he won’t let the fundamentalist group dominate the country, only hours after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged him to work with Egypt’s elected Islamist leaders.
July 16th, 2012, 12:03 am
zoo said:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2012/07/15/hilarity-ensues-as-russia-criticizes-saudi-arabias-human-rights-record/
If you want to find proof of the rank hypocrisy and double standards that underlie international relations in general and the argument over Syria in particular, you could do an awful lot worse than to examine the recent spat between Saudi Arabia and Russia
Saudi Arabia, despite it’s recent embrace of the cause of democracy and freedom in Syria, is and has been for the past 80 odd years one of the most violently repressive and backwards societies in the world: an absolute dictatorship replete with “morality police” and various other kinds of religious totalitarians.*
Saudi Arabia not only violently represses and persecutes its small Shiite minority**, it militarily intervened in neighboring Bahrain to help that country’s authoritarian political elite viciously and cruelly repress a popular uprising by the majority Shiites. The Saudi troops that went to Bahrain to fight democracy and to advance the cause of authoritarianism, monarchy, and repression were not only using Western weapons, they were actually trained by Western militaries (there have, of course, been no calls for the US to cut off its massive and growing arms trade with Saudi Arabia, a relationship that is several orders of magnitude larger than Russia’s arms trade with Syria). In addition to intervening in its neighbor Bahrain’s “internal affairs” Saudi Arabia has been a leading voice for intervention in Syria and has repeatedly argued that the Syrian rebels must been armed and equipped. The Saudi government is even considering the drastic step of paying the salaries of rebel soldiers in an attempt to force additional defections from the Syrian army.
This background (Saudi Arabia neither respects “sovereignty” nor cares a whit about democracy) is what makes the following all the more entertaining and hilarious. The Russians, partially because many of the countries loudly arguing for intervention in Syria are themselves blood-spattered dictatorships, think that what’s going on in Syria is not in any way a question of “human rights” or “democracy.” Instead they tend to see it for what it is: a nasty, bloody, destabilizing and extraordinarily dangerous proxy struggle between the Saudi-led Sunnis and Iran-led Shiites. The Russians are absolutely livid over the treatment they’ve received from countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia and are evidently not above engaging in adolescent pranks such as expressing “concern” for the horrendous human rights situation in Saudi
July 16th, 2012, 12:13 am
abbas said:
Watching Twitter feed tonight you get the feeling that it’s Armageddon in Damascus!!! revolutionaries must understand that lying does not help their case, people will find out the truth and will not trust anything they say after that even if it’s true
July 16th, 2012, 12:19 am
Juergen said:
WSS
its a pathetic piece of propaganda what the regime has posted on syrian tv. I wonder if all of those who “confessed” are still alive. They did not even take down the sandwich confession. Hilarious.
Here is the picture of the famous poster about Ass in Assad.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=382342865153983&set=a.177018882353050.47869.175539832500955&type=1&theater
Irritated
One could wonder about Lebanon, but then, hey its still the dragged child of the Assads left to be terrorized by the Hisbollah.
July 16th, 2012, 12:19 am
abbas said:
This is pathetic production, do they get paid per youtube
http://t.co/YK6B4iQE
July 16th, 2012, 12:36 am
abbas said:
After the rumor of liberating the air force intelligence building I hope no one tried to go inside to see 🙂
July 16th, 2012, 1:14 am
Osama said:
Ghufran
You might be interested in previous US efforts to “unite the opposition”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras
July 16th, 2012, 5:07 am
Antoine said:
MajedKhaldoun,
Did you hear about Ammar al Wawi when you were in Turkey ? Did you meet him ?
Do you think Mustafa al Sheikh is a genuine person ?
And good luck for your next humanitarian trip.
July 16th, 2012, 5:12 am
Syrialover said:
Juergen, thanks, keep those Kafranabel posters coming!
Article:
Mocking him to death – The protesters go to war with wit
NOBODY knows why the small town of Kafr Nabl, in north-western Syria, has become a hub of cheeky banners twitting President Bashar Assad and his regime. Still outgunned but not outwitted, protesters have been using comedy sketches, songs, art and slogans to spice up their rebellion.
When the UN’s observers who were supposed to be overseeing Kofi Annan’s peace plan were plainly far too thin on the ground, a banner went up with the words “Special offer! Collect 12,000 martyrs, get 30 observers free!” Another showed the observers taking photographs as the army rampaged, with Mr Assad, an eye doctor by training, slicing up a body.
A year ago when Mr Assad famously declared that “germs” were causing trouble in Syria, echoing Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s description, before his fall, of his opponents as “rats”, Syria’s protesters chanted, “Syrian germs salute Libyan rats!” In opposition-controlled areas taxi drivers and housewives sing songs telling Mr Assad to leave and mocking his brutal brother Maher as a donkey.
Mr Assad’s elongated neck and lisp have been a particular target of taunts. In “Top Goon: Diaries of a Little Dictator”, a puppet show series posted on YouTube, he trips over his words as he appears on a game show called “Who wants to kill a million?”
(Full article: http://www.economist.com/node/21558284
July 16th, 2012, 5:46 am
Uzair8 said:
Morocco’s foreign ministry said on Monday it had asked the Syrian ambassador to leave the country immediately and declared him persona non grata.
There was no immediate comment from the Syrian embassy.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/morocco-says-it-has-expelled-syrian-ambassador-and-declared-him-persona-non-grata
July 16th, 2012, 7:06 am
Tara said:
Can the FSA move the fight to near where Asma lives.
10.05am: Damascus is not the only place where there are clashes between government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army, according to the Local Coordination Committees activist group.
Here are some of its updates from other cities.
Aleppo: Ezaz: Intense helicopter shelling from Mengh military airport, the School of Infnatry and tanks stationed on the outskirts of the city amid clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime’s army
Hama: Intense clashed between the Free Syrian Army and the regime’s army in Hamidiyeh neighborhood.
Idlib: Kafryahmoul: Omar Yousef Hussein, a young man, was martyred in Salqeen due to clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime’s army
From the Guardian blog
July 16th, 2012, 7:18 am
Uzair8 said:
What can be worse than an armed crew preventing passengers from jumping off the sinking ship?
July 16th, 2012, 7:20 am
Juergen said:
Syrialover
like many of us here, i learned many new names of towns and villages in Syria, and Kafranbel is a town i want to visit once the Assad clan is history.
DER SPIEGEL has published yet an gruesome outlook for the upcoming ramadan.
Syria is threatened to see excess of violance during Ramadan
“It does not look good for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad . Although the Syrian army in their hunt for rebel fighters sometimes resorts to violent means of resistance is growing in the country. At the weekend it was in the capital Damascus which witnessed the fiercest battles until now . Also on Monday morning fighting broke out again. The civil war has widened, said the International Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday. Still, that is not the whole land as it has stated. The ICRC corrected to a press statement on Sunday, which stated that the country as a whole was now in the Civil War.”
“The regime now seems to focus on its tribal areas to capture – the center of power in Damascus and the coast region, where many Alawites live but also Christians.”
http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fausland%2Fassad-geraet-in-syrien-kurz-vor-ramadan-bedraengnis-a-844213.html
July 16th, 2012, 7:29 am
Uzair8 said:
Syrian Revolution: Channel 4 News (UK) interviews Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi 6/7/12
Came across this quite accidentally. Wasn’t aware of this interview. I was watching a latest update on AJE syria blog, a video on Assad’s inner circle, and this appeared as one of the links at the end of the video.
I was wanting to know the Shaykh’s view of Manaf Tlass defection.
July 16th, 2012, 8:28 am
Observer said:
ZOO JAD ANN IRRITATED GHUFRAN MAJBALI
What would be your position if chemical weapons are used on rebel held areas. According to this report the move of the weapons is towards Homs and does not seem to be to secure them but to use them
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NG17Ak02.html
July 16th, 2012, 8:42 am
Ghufran said:
are these the Lebanese version of Iraqi Shia paramilitary squads?
اشار بيان صادر عن قوات الامام علي الرضا “ع”، وصلت نسخة منه الى “النشرة”، الى انه “بعد مرور ما يقارب الشهرين على احتجاز الزوار اللبنانيين وبعد نفاذ المهلة المعطاة للمساعي السياسية والدينية لحل هذه القضية الانسانية بالطرق السلمية، قررت قوات الامام الرضا “ع” “اعتبار كل من تجده متورط او متواطى هدفاً لها”، كما دعت المواطنين السوريين عامةً “لمغادرة الاراضي اللبنانية فوراً حقنا للدماء”. كما حملت قوات الرضا “ع” الدولتين اللبنانية والسورية “مسؤولية ما سيجري من احداث”.
On a different subject,what is this fascination / fetich with certain sheikhs about?
Is that different from the cult built around Bashar despite his failed brutal leadership?
July 16th, 2012, 8:45 am
Tara said:
• The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has reiterated his country’s stance on Syria and accused the west of “elements of blackmail” in threats that the UN observer mission would fail to see its mandate extended later this month if Moscow failed to agree to UN sanctions. Lavrov is due to host the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in Moscow tonight. Annan will meet President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. Lavrov said that Russia is not taking sides in the conflict but that it remains opposed to western intervention there.
..,,
The Guardian
July 16th, 2012, 8:46 am
zoo said:
Russia is putting Saudi Arabia on the defensive on human rights. What will Russia do to with Qatar?
Russia and Saudi Arabia trade barbs on human rights
Connor Molloy / July 16, 2012 / No Comments
http://thedailynewsegypt.com/2012/07/16/russia-and-saudi-arabia-trade-barbs-on-human-rights/
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shot back on Sunday at their Russian counterparts for making statements over events in the simmering Qatif region.
In a statement on Thursday, Russian Representative on Human Rights for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, K. K. Dogolov, said, “the development of the situation in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia in recent days causes great concerns.”
The representative went on to state, “From our point of view, there is a risk that these events will make a negative influence on the stability and consent of civil society in Saudi Arabia.”
The Saudis are trying to foster regime change in Damascus and the Russians are proving to be a stumbling block. If the Russians are starting to believe that Syria is a slowly sinking ship, perhaps they are engaging in tough negotiations over Al-Assad.”
If behind-the-scenes negotiations are not going well, Russia may be resorting to public condemnations, such as the recent one in regards to Qatif, as a way of pushing back Saudi meddling in Syria. Meanwhile, violence continues in Qatif. The AP reported that over the weekend two attacks on police stations left one attacker dead and six policemen injured.
July 16th, 2012, 9:41 am
zoo said:
Civil war rages in Syria and it is unlikely that there will be a rapid resolution of this conflict
By Michael Burleigh
PUBLISHED: 10:04 GMT, 16 July 2012 | UPDATED: 10:04 GMT, 16 July 2012
Because of the real international interests at play in Syria, there is unlikely to be a rapid resolution of this conflict. The key players are Saudi Arabia and Qatar, backing the rebels, and Russia and Iran supporting Assad. It may be that the West will detach China from the latter, for Beijing does not need the opprobrium its remote support for Assad brings in return for no obvious gain. None of which will end this conflict anytime soon.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2174227/Civil-war-rages-Syria-unlikely-rapid-resolution-conflict.html#ixzz20nDYLijv
July 16th, 2012, 9:43 am
zoo said:
The Region: Israel is in good shape
By BARRY RUBIN
07/15/2012 22:47
The big Middle East conflict of the future is not the Arab-Israeli but the Sunni-Shia one.
…
I provide this list not to rejoice at the misfortunes of others. Generally, though, these misfortunes were the result of decisions they have made, or at least of the forces that have become the new leaders by guns or votes. These are the realities of the Middle East today.
On the other side has been Israel’s dramatically visible success in terms of economic progress. The country has become a world leader in technology, medicine, science, computers and other fields. It has opened up new links to Asia. The discovery of natural gas and oil fields are promising a massive influx of funds in the coming years.
July 16th, 2012, 9:47 am
zoo said:
Is Lavrov uninformed or lying?
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-accuses-west-blackmail-syria-plans-16784394#.UAQbj1JASok
Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s position on Monday, saying it was unrealistic to try to persuade Assad to resign.
“He won’t leave, not because we are defending him, but simply because a very significant part of the population in Syria stands behind him,” he said.
July 16th, 2012, 9:51 am
Juergen said:
Observer
I think our regime supporters are already busy searching the databases for examples of usage of chemical weapons by the west. Was it not german and french companies who provided Saddam with the chemicals used to erade some kurdish villages?
July 16th, 2012, 9:55 am
Ghufran said:
Another crack in the regime assuming that alarabiya is truthful for once:
نقل مراسل قناة “العربية” في الأردن عن مصدر في المعارضة السورية، أن زوجة العميد رستم غزالة وشقيقته وزوجها وصلوا إلى الأردن، وهم موجودون في أحد مراكز إيواء اللاجئين في العاصمة الأردنية عمان.
July 16th, 2012, 9:58 am
Tara said:
Ghufran
I just hope those defectors are not hand-picked by someone to run the new Syria…they stand no chance.
July 16th, 2012, 10:08 am
irritated said:
After Douma, now Tadamun, Midan and Kafr Souse are now being cleaned up from Al Nusra and their armed gangs. Nothing of the Armageddon over dramatized by the unique Rami Abdel Rahmane and his faithful followers in the media.
Yet as the UNSC struggles are going on about the resolution, it is expected that the opposition will try other tricks to attract the attention. The game is not in their hands anymore and they have hard time understanding that.
It seems the ‘Grand attack of Damascus’ promised by our local strategist may be seriously compromised.
July 16th, 2012, 10:10 am
irritated said:
I can see the future Syrian government in exile building up:
Abdel Razzak Tllass for president, Nawaf Fares for foreign affairs, Rostom Ghazale for defense, Manaf Tlass as ambassador to France and Basma Qodmani for chief negotiator with Israel.
I forgot: Adan Bakkour responsible for Missing Persons.
July 16th, 2012, 10:15 am
irritated said:
Observer, Juergen
You now jump on the chemical weapon wagon that worries Israel?
I didn’t realize you were as desperate as that.
July 16th, 2012, 10:19 am
Tara said:
Irritated,
You have a good sense of humor…
I wish you can acknowledge that it was wrong to cheer for cleansing
people.
July 16th, 2012, 10:22 am
zoo said:
More about what happened in Tadamon
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/world/middleeast/new-fighting-in-damascus-after-syria-denies-attack-on-civilians.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2
…
Rebel fighters had found a sympathetic hide-out there among the mostly poor Sunni Muslims who had settled from around Syria, activists said, as well as Palestinians spilling over from the adjacent Yarmouk neighborhood.
Up to 40 rebel fighters had taken up residence, prompting periodic clashes, but three days ago the rebels attacked the police station, killing three officers, activists said. That apparently set off the heavy response from government forces against Tadamon and surrounding neighborhoods. Hundreds of residents fled the area to take refuge in the mosques in Yarmouk, activists said, and all the shops closed. “We got used to seeing security men in their four-wheel vehicles and pickups, but today I saw soldiers in military uniform with heavy arms,” said Yasser, a resident of Tadamon reached by telephone. ”I think the government of Bashar al-Assad began fighting well-armed fighters in the heart of Damascus.”
July 16th, 2012, 10:25 am
irritated said:
Tara
I never ask for cleansing, but for cleaning.
July 16th, 2012, 10:27 am
Tara said:
What is the difference, irritated? They are human beings. People with flesh, blood, and …emotions.
July 16th, 2012, 10:31 am
irritated said:
Majedalkhaldoon
Congrats, your relentless calls for a civil war have finally succeeded.
July 16th, 2012, 10:35 am
Expatriate said:
walk like an Egyptians !
Egyptians pelt Clinton motorcade with tomatoes
Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-talks-democracy-head-egypt-army-142600571.html
July 16th, 2012, 10:42 am
irritated said:
Miss Piggy under a shower of tomatoes
Maybe that will oblige her to finally take an appointment with Mursi’s wife hairdresser.
July 16th, 2012, 10:45 am
irritated said:
#150 Tara
That’s why this should stop and the opposition and the regime should accept officially to negotiate a compromise to save these humans beings that we all care for, with only one precondition: A ceasefile.
July 16th, 2012, 11:00 am
Expatriate said:
Syria’s many new friends are a self-interested bunch
http://www.arabstoday.net/en/syrias-many-new-friends-are-a-self-interested-bunch.html
How did Syria become so popular that almost half of the members of the UN are scrambling to save it? What other country can claim more than 100 sovereign friends? What inspired this rush of affection for Syria?
Where have these friends been hiding for the past 50 years? What were they doing in 1967 when Israel seized the Syrian Golan? What support did they send to more than 100,000 Syrian citizens when Israel demolished their villages and expelled them from their homes? What was their reaction to Israel’s illegal annexation of the Golan in 1981? Have they taken a stand against the 30 settlements that Israel planted on property stolen from Syrians? Are they calling for sanctions against Israel until it withdraws from Syrian territory, dismantles its settlements and permits Syria’s Golan citizens to return home?
You know the answers. So do the Syrians.
July 16th, 2012, 11:02 am
habib said:
137. zoo
LOL at the Saudis and Turks getting a shot of their own medicine.
Soon Syria will host the Free Saudi and Free Turkish armies…
July 16th, 2012, 11:08 am
Halabi said:
إسقاط النظام
That’s the headline of any negotiation. The revolution won’t negotiate its surrender, at least not at this point. Assad’s army will have to continue to slaughter the Syrian people and perhaps destroy Aleppo and Damascus in order to stay in power, and then the question is: what’s next?
Syria will be destroyed, with vast portions of the population hating the murderers ruling the country and living in a state crippled by sanctions and isolated diplomatically. Sure Assad worshipers will blame the opposition for putting us there, and will gather thousands and lock them up in their dungeons. And that’s the extent of Assad’s democratic reforms, a state that all the world will be envious of according to the delusional genocidal enthusiasts.
Or the Syrian revolution continues to fight and gives the country the hope of something new, the feared unknown.
July 16th, 2012, 11:13 am
Juergen said:
irritated
I never thought “cleansing” would find anybodies approval here either.
July 16th, 2012, 11:15 am
Halabi said:
FSA’s greatest hits (this is for you Majed)
http://youtu.be/kdtdytyuYBI
Assad’s army “protecting” Homs
http://youtu.be/o4_L4g1cYXQ
July 16th, 2012, 11:18 am
habib said:
159. Halabi
Lol, seems like you’ve conveniently left out their many dull-knife beheadings.
But no worries, I guess they were halal.
July 16th, 2012, 11:23 am
Expatriate said:
Syria Crisis: Where Syrian Fighters Get Their Weapons From
Reuters
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/syria-crisis-rebels-weapons_n_1670780.html?utm_hp_ref=world
July 16th, 2012, 11:26 am
zoo said:
Al Arabyah lies spree
Rustom Ghazeleh denies his family’s flight to Jordan
16/07/2012
The security chief of the province of Damascus, Rustom Ghazaleh General denied on Monday in an interview with Syrian television channel al-Dunia, reports that his family had fled to Jordan.
“This information is not correct and show that the TV channels that engage and participate in violence in Syria have gone bankrupt,” said Rustom Ghazali, one of the most general close to President Bashar al-Assad and the former head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon.
He said the purpose of dissemination of these “lies” is to boost morale of the terrorists inside and outside Syria.
“I continue my daily work normally and all my family members are with their families,” he added.
The military has also assured that the Syrian army is a “strong and coherent army.”
http://www.lorientlejour.com/category/%C3%80+La+Une/article/768581/Syrie_%3A_Rustom_Ghazale_dement_la_fuite_de_sa_famille_en_Jordanie.html
July 16th, 2012, 11:27 am
ghufran said:
arabic text about alarabiya fabricated story:
نفى اللواء رستم غزالة ما أشيع اليوم الاثنين من أنباء حول انشقاقه وسفر أفراد من عائلته إلى الأردن.
وقال غزالة في اتصال مع قناة الدنيا “أنا و اهلي و عائلتي في سورية بخير، و أمارس عملي و كل ما تبثه القنوات الشريكة في سفك الدم السوري عني و عن أسرتي و بيتي و بلدتي عار عن الصحة جملة و تفصيلا”.
وكانت قناة العربية أوردت خبرا قالت فيه أن عائلة اللواء غزالة وصلت إلى مخيم اللاجئين السوريين في الأردن، فيما ذكرت صفحات معارضة أن اللواء غزالة انشق عن النظام السوري وخرج من سورية.
July 16th, 2012, 11:31 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
FSA now has a tank, and they use it
Brave, crazy, reckless or intoxicated with fearlessness?
One more Tlas defects. A relative?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=847_1342444087
.
July 16th, 2012, 11:38 am
Uzair8 said:
In recent weeks we asked whether we are entering the final chapter. Irritated will remember. We are seeing things stirring in Damascus and we have to wait to see how things develop.
Elsewhere someone talked about things possibly kicking off in Damascus and shared this apparent quote:
“The feeling is, among people around me, is that it’s our turn now. We are really feeling this. That this is the final fight, building up to who wins control of the regime.”
Syrian resident
July 16th, 2012, 11:52 am
Uzair8 said:
I wonder whether syrian embassies around the world, in order to deter defections, have military attaches or Shabeeha-attaches posted in them with instructions to keep a close eye on the Ambassadors and/or embassy staff?
July 16th, 2012, 12:00 pm
habib said:
164. Amir in Tel Aviv
Spare us of your hypocritical gushing. Palestinians create more fear in Israel with stones and slingshots than these goons do in Syria.
In Israel, heart attack victims are counted as casualties of “Arab aggression”.
July 16th, 2012, 12:12 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
I wonder if what is happening today in Damascus is fabricated propagandas too. If we asume it is fabricated info too then we must accept that it is very realistic with Assad tanks fighting inside Al Maidan quarter’s streets and smoke and detonations being heard all around centre, south and east Damascus. Frankly we must accept the CIA guys have done a very good job here sure in cooperation with Spielberg’s production company.
Last week I called someone in Sweida and kept the following conversation:
M- How is everything there?
T- Everythinkg is OK
M- I hope killings and massacres stop soon.
T- No, there nothing of all of that. Everything is quiet.
M- Oh really I thought there was a war all around.
T- Not at all. Everything are lies.
M- Really, everything is a lie? So, there is nothing? Not a single dead?
T- Nothing at all. Everything is a lie.
M- So I can travel to Syria and face no problem any time soon.
T- Of course. It is very safe.
This is the kind of conversation can be kept with syrians who:
1/ Cooperate with moukhabaraat
2/ Or Are afraid of conversations being registered and translated
3/ Or Are with the regime and REALLY believe Assad is in control.
I find it amazing!!!
July 16th, 2012, 12:15 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
167. habib,
Spare us your acute mnhebakism.
.
July 16th, 2012, 12:18 pm
habib said:
169. Amir in Tel Aviv
Nice try, my comment was strictly about Palestinians and Israel.
When will you Zionists go and cheer for the uprisings in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, if you’re doing this out of sincere compassion for democracy and human rights?
What, those are violent Iranian conspiracies you say? I get it. Give me an H! Give me a Y… Etc.
And how cute, now these Zionists are using Arabic terms. “Menhebak”, pfffff… Go eat some Israeli pseudo-humus.
July 16th, 2012, 12:23 pm
annie said:
A Spanish reporter in Tremseh
July 16th, 2012, 12:28 pm
Expatriate said:
prof.Dr Alloush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnbutEs0Qug
Syria ! it is for your safety !
July 16th, 2012, 12:29 pm
Hopeful said:
Let’s assume for a moment that the regime story is accurate: FSA fighters are “terrorists” paid by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and armed by illegal western weapons smuggled from Turkey.
We all know that out of the 20+ millions living in Syria, one can find large numbers of poor, jobless, uneducated, frustrated, religious (even sectarian) young men who can be convinced (by money, ideology, hatred for the rich and powerful, religion, etc.) to join the fight. 5% of the population = 1 million fighters.
So, what exactly is the regime’s strategy to solve the problem: keep on killing these poor bastards until they are finished?
I find this strategy to be stupid at best and criminal at worst. Even if I were a regime loyalist (which I am not), completely brainwashed by all the nonsense of conspiracy theories and regime’s propaganda, wouldn’t I be wondering how this strategy will result in victory?
July 16th, 2012, 12:38 pm
habib said:
173. Hopeful
Worked for Israel, didn’t it? The Arabs are only fighting each other now.
Given enough time, the “opposition” will start fighting among themselves in whatever territories they can keep, likely before they ever get close to ousting Assad.
July 16th, 2012, 12:42 pm
Expatriate said:
this is the answer ! what Mr Juergen knows about !
Revolution Engineering: US know-how & ‘colourful’ technology
July 16th, 2012, 12:54 pm
Hopeful said:
174. Habib,
At lease Israel keeps trying different strategies- the latest being: lock them all up in a big prison, give them enough food to survive, and make sure no visitors can bring them weapons to free themselves.
I do not believe the current Syrian regime’s strategy will make it victorious. Far from it.
July 16th, 2012, 1:03 pm
Antoine said:
FSA is kicking ass in Damascus, long live the people of Meedan.
Amir,
the problem with Tanks is they need constant supply of ammunition to be of any use, FSA cannot secire regilar Tanks shell supply at this moment…. Wothout ammo a Tank is a useless car which a 15 yr old can destroy.
July 16th, 2012, 1:06 pm
habib said:
176. Hopeful
“Keeps trying”? This latest “strategy” only came about after 60 years of continuous massacres. Not much variation there, or what?
But let’s see, perhaps the Syrian government can emulate Israel’s “success” and give the rebels a nice big reservation in the Syrian desert, where they can be free to roam and kill each other as much as they like.
177. Antoine
The little Zionist pep-talk really got you guys worked up, didn’t it? Adorable.
July 16th, 2012, 1:06 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
170. habib,
About Humus.
Why you Arabs are so obsessed about Israeli Humus. Ahh?
The Hebrew word for Humus (bean) is חימצה (khimtza) http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%94
Himtza – Humus. See the similarity? It even has the same meaning: something sour ( 7amutz חמוץ ).
Since we know for more than sure that Hebrew existed long before the Arabic language, we can say that the source of Humus (the word and the salad) is Hebrew.
Now go find yourself a real national food.
.
July 16th, 2012, 1:16 pm
habib said:
179. Amir in Tel Aviv
Lol, imagine the uproar if Arabs began marketing bagels as their own…
And congratulations with finding a Hebrew cognate to an Arabic word… I’m sure this is not due to both being Semitic languages, but is no doubt because the ancient Israelites invented humus, falafel and argileh as well.
I’m sure the Israelis invented numbers too, they sound quite similar to those in Arabic, no?
July 16th, 2012, 1:25 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Antoine,
I didn’t link the tank video to cheer the FSA. I’m against the armed form of resisting this junta. In fact, I agree with what Habib said, that those arms and fighters will soon start fighting among themselves. The armed form is a disaster for the Syrians and for the region.
I just link to what I see as interesting on YT.
.
July 16th, 2012, 1:28 pm
Juergen said:
more from kafranbel
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=420177361367577&set=a.173295672722415.56348.172683116117004&type=1&theater
July 16th, 2012, 1:31 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
180. habib,
Yes.
E7ad, Shtaim, Shalosh, Arba, 7amesh, Shesh, Sheva, Shmone, Tesha, Eser.
Smell the similarity? Semitic languages, Sure. Which existed first?
.
July 16th, 2012, 1:32 pm
Uzair8 said:
I watched Rami Khouri live on AJE on TV a few hours ago. Haven’t had a chance to hear from him since early on in the uprising after which my news sources expanded.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/rami-khouri-talks-al-jazeera-about-complexities-situation-syria
July 16th, 2012, 1:33 pm
habib said:
183. Amir in Tel Aviv
Likely depends on where the Afro-Asiatic language family originated. So perhaps the Abyssinians invented humus? Or the Akkadians? Loool!
July 16th, 2012, 1:33 pm
Juergen said:
EXPATRIATE
See except for folks like you ,i do honestly believe that there are genuine revolutions, carried out by the people themselves. Some folks see the ghost of the CIA behind any legitimite uprise against dictatorships. It may be what the Kremlin truly believes and carries as a national heritage from the cold war, and the treatment of the home opposition in Russia speaks for itself. ( not to mention the treatment of ngo’s) I wonder is Madame Shevadnarze the daughter of the former president of Georgia? Is that what wasta is good for?
July 16th, 2012, 1:39 pm
Juergen said:
The mufti of Ghadaffi is on trial in Misrata, will we see Assads mufti on trial as well? I think Hassoun will flee to Iran before its too late for him.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=469369736425513&set=a.201716413190848.57037.201686009860555&type=1&theater
July 16th, 2012, 1:43 pm
irritated said:
#16 Uzair8
Someone on SC unveiled the FSA plan for a looming all out attack on Damascus. Al Arabya and Al Jazeera were going to support that by spreading fabricated stories like the fall of the airport and the taken over of the building of the National TV ( The Tripoli scenario).
There has been a rehearsal a few weeks ago that failed.
The Syrian army is taking preventive measures. In Midan, Kafr Souse and Tadmum, the army is now taking over from the security services that were until now not confronting the rebels present as long as they kept quiet to avoid civilian casualties.
Now its tolerance zero. No rebels presence will be tolerated in these areas. That’s what these present operations are all about. They are extremely difficult to conduct because the rebels use urban guerilla technics: hiding behind civilians.
Whether the Syrian army succeeds in extirpating these rebels while protecting the civilian population is yet to be seen.
July 16th, 2012, 1:45 pm
zoo said:
The Syrian tribes dilemma
A Damascus loyalist defects as violence affects the tribes
Hassan Hassan
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/a-damascus-loyalist-defects-as-violence-affects-the-tribes#page2
Jul 16, 2012
Over the past 16 months, the regime had succeeded in creating rifts between tribes and even within tribes. Those rifts deepened particularly during the parliamentary election in May as some took part and others boycotted. The regime had tapped tribal dynamics to maintain relative calm despite the light presence of government forces in the area.
The situation changed dramatically after the recent assault on Deir Ezzor. There is now clear anti-regime momentum throughout the governorate. Residents from different parts of Deir Ezzor told me that there are many opposition fighters in the villages, making it difficult for the regime to control the area. As has been the pattern, the regime shelled cities in Deir Ezzor before sending in armoured vehicles. If the violence continues on this scale, tribes in the nearby governorates of Hasaka and Raqqa may rise against the regime, also driven by kinship ties.
The defection of Mr Al Fares, a longtime loyalist, shows the regime has lost its ability to turn the tribes against each other, and use them to maintain relative calm. The worsening violence will draw more people into this conflict.
In the early months of the uprising, many tribal leaders actively opposed the protests to protect their tribes and clans from the regime’s retribution. But the scale of violence, and the layers of kinship ties, have forced people’s hands against the regime. It is yet another example of how the regime has become its own enemy.
July 16th, 2012, 1:47 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
A video purporting to show the brother-in-law of war criminal Rustum Al-Ghazali, Yasin Al-Ghazali, announcing his defection. Waiting to hear more confirmations, but it looks like the news about the defection of the brother-in-law is true. Time will tell.
July 16th, 2012, 1:57 pm
Uzair8 said:
188. Irritated
Since when has the regime cared about civilian casualties?* More like the regime wanted to maintain the facade of ‘everything is fine and as normal’ in Damascus/Aleppo. It’s been forced to make it’s move therefore people will no longer be able to pretend that Damascus/Aleppo are unaffected or supporting the regime.
*Ok it’s possible that it’s more concerned about civilian victims and consquences in places like Damascus and Aleppo than in other parts of Syria.
Moving on:
Apparently an FSA flag just 3km from Assad’s palace:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VJGmGuGjBMQ
Apparently fighters taking control of a Iraq-Syrian border check post (?) :
July 16th, 2012, 2:11 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
This quote sums it up:
“But the scale of violence, and the layers of kinship ties, have forced people’s hands against the regime. It is yet another example of how the regime has become its own enemy.”
Batta chose brute force, just like his father, but times have changed. Had he implemented real reforms from day one, he would have had people march in the streets in his support. Now, he can’t trust even his closest aides. What a fool.
July 16th, 2012, 2:14 pm
PATRIOT said:
@ Habib,
So are you denying the following facts (in place before the revolution)?
-Mass corruption in the Syrian government and military
-Lack of any decent public healthcare (public doctors were paid < $1000 USD a month; my aunt was one so don't bullshit me about that)
-Huge misallocation of resources
-Funneling of oil revenues away from the state
-Huge percentage of unemployed youth
-Rampant poverty outside of the two big cities
-Deteriorating 3rd class public school system
-Monopolies in many industries (see: telecom and Rami Makhlouf)
-People did not have the luxury of having a seamless current of electricity all day, esp in peak times
-Inflation
-Lack of opportunities for advancement in gov't + military if you were not from alawi sect
-Lack of a civil service exam, resulting in bafoons running bureaucratic (it is extremely difficult for a commoner without a "Wasta" to get anything done)
The list goes on and on…
Now is all of this a foreign conspiracy? Don't you think the common Syrian became sick and tired of this for the past 40 years and decided to rise up, inspired by the Arab Spring? Use common sense…the Foreign powers at be, and the Zionists, as powerful as they are, are not god, and they don't have their hand in every single event that happens on this earth…it is absolutely foolish and naive to think otherwise…
July 16th, 2012, 2:17 pm
Juergen said:
“Palmyra belongs to the robbers”
“In the second century BC it was one of the biggest cities in the Mediterranean: Apamea. Here outsourced, along with his five hundred war elephants, the army of Antiochus before it moved again in the spring over the Euphrates, in order to fight from the Asian steppes invading Parthians. Even when Christ was born were the city and its land area, half a million inhabitants. A century later, after a devastating earthquake, the thermal baths and two kilometers long formed, forty feet wide and twenty feet high column street, Apamea crossed from north to south. In the twelfth century, fought between the Crusaders and the Arab emirs to town on the ancient hill fort was abandoned. Those who see their remains, needs no more computer images to make an idea of the splendor of Greco-Roman cities.
Today, the colonnades of Apamea are under fire.”
http://translate.google.at/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.faz.net%2Faktuell%2Ffeuilleton%2Fkunst%2Fsyriens-altertuemer-in-gefahr-palmyra-gehoert-den-raeubern-11782995.html
report on the damage on the national heritage in Syria by the Global Heritage Network
http://globalheritagenetwork.ning.com/profiles/blogs/new-report-on-damage-to-syria-s-cultural-heritage
July 16th, 2012, 2:25 pm
Amjad said:
Amir
“Why you Arabs are so obsessed about Israeli Humus”
Watch a delightful short movie called West Bank Story.
Russia recently has said that it is unrealistic to expect it to pressure Bashar to step down, and even denied that would be possible.
Excellent. Just goes to prove what I’ve suspected for a while; Russia has zero real influence left in the region. There is no reason whatsoever for anyone to give the Russians so much as the time of day. The only thing they are good for is acting like prima donas. Since Russia has admitted it has zero influence with the regime, they can be held to account for the inexcusable and disgraceful backing they have given this junta over the years. Yala ya Putin, farjena 3ard ektafak ya wati.
July 16th, 2012, 2:29 pm
habib said:
193. PATRIOT
No, but do you deny the following?
-The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
-Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels.
-That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie.
-The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds.
-It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement.
-The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime.
-The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots.
-The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed.
-Saudi Arabia and Qatar would not support the uprising if it wasn’t Islamist in nature.
-The West is only supporting the opposition to weaken Iran, not because of any “humanitarian” reasons.
-The Israelis are not actively supporting either faction, but are cheering by the sideline because they want the Arabs to weaken each other, and Iran.
The West and Arab states are hypocritical for supporting the uprising in Syria, but not the ones in Bahrain and now in Saudi Arabia.
I could go on and on, but chances are you won’t admit a single one of these points to be correct, lol.
And for the record, I’m not a regime supporter, I just dislike the opposition more.
July 16th, 2012, 2:38 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
188. IRRITATED
Who is now Assad to tolerate or untolerate armed groups?
He is a criminal.
He did not tolerate any single peacefull demonstration from day 1.
What is new about Assad level of tolerance? It has always been zero.
Assad is dead.
You have been 16 months defending the same old story and the same old criminal. Assadism is finished. Make your mind.
July 16th, 2012, 2:41 pm
habib said:
193. PATRIOT
No, but do you deny the following?
– The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
– Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels.
– That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie.
– The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds.
– It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement.
– The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime.
– The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots.
– The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed.
– Saudi Arabia and Qatar would not support the uprising if it wasn’t Islamist in nature.
– The West is only supporting the opposition to weaken Iran, not because of any “humanitarian” reasons.
– The Israelis are not actively supporting either faction, but are cheering by the sideline because they want the Arabs to weaken each other, and Iran.
The West and Arab states are hypocritical for supporting the uprising in Syria, but not the ones in Bahrain and now in Saudi Arabia.
I could go on and on, but chances are you won’t admit a single one of these points to be correct, lol.
And for the record, I’m not a regime supporter, I just dislike the opposition more.
July 16th, 2012, 2:42 pm
habib said:
193. PATRIOT
I had a long reply for you, but it isn’t coming through moderation for some reason.
In short, I had listed as many “facts” about the opposition which you would doubtlessly deny, while I said I did not actually deny your accusations.
The point being that the regime is definitely the lesser of two evils.
Ah, I can add my post here, bless the edit button:
– The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
– Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels.
– That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie.
– The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds.
– It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement.
– The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime.
– The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots.
– The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed.
– Saudi Arabia and Qatar would not support the uprising if it wasn’t Islamist in nature.
– The West is only supporting the opposition to weaken Iran, not because of any “humanitarian” reasons.
– The Israelis are not actively supporting either faction, but are cheering by the sideline because they want the Arabs to weaken each other, and Iran.
The West and Arab states are hypocritical for supporting the uprising in Syria, but not the ones in Bahrain and now in Saudi Arabia.
July 16th, 2012, 2:47 pm
habib said:
193. PATRIOT
I had a long reply for you, but it isn’t coming through moderation for some reason.
In short, I had listed as many inconvenient facts about the opposition which you would doubtlessly deny, while I said I did not actually deny your accusations.
The point being that the regime is definitely the lesser of two evils.
July 16th, 2012, 2:49 pm
habib said:
My list for Patriot:
The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels.
That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie.
The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds.
It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement.
The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime.
The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots.
The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar would not support the uprising if it wasn’t Islamist in nature.
The West is only supporting the opposition to weaken Iran, not because of any “humanitarian” reasons.
The Israelis are not actively supporting either faction, but are cheering by the sideline because they want the Arabs to weaken each other, and Iran.
The West and Arab states are hypocritical for supporting the uprising in Syria, but not the ones in Bahrain and now in Saudi Arabia.
July 16th, 2012, 2:50 pm
Uzair8 said:
Irritated
Continuing from previous discussion.
Those who haven’t appeared to have commited to the revolution or have remained silent or outwardly supportive of Assad, we don’t know their real state (emotion, fear, sympathy, anger etc).
Damascus could well be a dry woodland just waiting for a spark to trigger an uncontrollable fire that will engulf the regime. Any spark. Perhaps a stray regime bullet leading to a funeral leading to……
In football, when a striker approaches the goal and undecided about what to do next, sometimes the goalkeeper makes the first move and commits himself, making the decision for the striker.
One false move, one error and there is no going back.
July 16th, 2012, 2:51 pm
PATRIOT said:
@ Habib
Please, if possible on your end, try posting the comment again; I am curious to see your list of facts about the opposition as I am aware of their shortcomings (specifically the SNC/opposition outside of Syria).
July 16th, 2012, 3:01 pm
habib said:
199. PATRIOT
It is marked as spam, so it doesn’t get through. I’ve even tried to restructure the comment (saved it in notepad), but to no avail. I’ll try the first couple of points:
– The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
– Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels.
– That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie.
– The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds.
July 16th, 2012, 3:06 pm
habib said:
Seems like the list format is the problem.
The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels. That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie. The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds. It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement. The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime. The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots. The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed. Saudi Arabia and Qatar would not support the uprising if it wasn’t Islamist in nature. The West is only supporting the opposition to weaken Iran, not because of any “humanitarian” reasons. The Israelis are not actively supporting either faction, but are cheering by the sideline because they want the Arabs to weaken each other, and Iran. The West and Arab states are hypocritical for supporting the uprising in Syria, but not the ones in Bahrain and now in Saudi Arabia.
July 16th, 2012, 3:08 pm
habib said:
Next batch:
– It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement.
– The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime.
– The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots.
– The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed.
July 16th, 2012, 3:08 pm
habib said:
199. PATRIOT
It is marked as spam, so it doesn’t get through. I’ve even tried to restructure the comment (saved it in notepad), but to no avail. I’ll try the first couple of points:
– The opposition is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.
– Al-Qaeda types and other foreign Islamists are fighting among the rebels.
– That the regime is “bombing itself” is a nonsensical lie.
– The uprising is mainly sectarian in nature, and the minorities will suffer if it succeeds.
Next batch:
– It is an extension of the Islamist uprising in Syria durig the 70s and 80s, more so than being part of a “democratic” movement.
– The opposition is as corrupt and murderous as the regime.
– The few minorities in the opposition are mere tokens, or useful-idiots.
– The opposition news is fabricating news every day, with gay girls, beheaded girls, chemical weapons, and whatever else we’ve been fed.
July 16th, 2012, 3:09 pm
habib said:
201 is the one, though I had to break up the list and put it in a single paragraph to get it through the #¤%! spam filter.
The admin can delete the duplicate comments if he pleases. But if not, more propaganda for me, lol.
July 16th, 2012, 3:10 pm
PATRIOT said:
@ Habib
I will prepare my response to your post tonight, since it is a time consuming process and I am currently at work.
I do agree with some points, but I also naturally disagree with some others…so I guess the debate will continue later
July 16th, 2012, 3:15 pm
omen said:
carne ross points to a cnn article:
July 16th, 2012, 3:18 pm
Karabennemsi said:
Answering a parliamentary inquiry, the German government stated today by referring to confidential intelligence reports that
the number of 40.000 FSA members, as suggested in the internet, is considered “broadly exaggerated”;
from the end of December 2011 until early July 2012 circa 90 terrorist attacks are attributed to Al Qaida associates and other jihadist groups.
http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/arabische-welt/gewalt-in-syrien-deutschland-beteiligt-sich-an-propaganda-11822065.html
July 16th, 2012, 3:20 pm
ghufran said:
أعلنت السلطات العراقية, يوم الاثنين, أنها ستلاحق السفير السوري نواف الفارس الذي انشق عن النظام السوري مؤخرا لتورطه “بتسهيل عمليات انتقال وحدات جهادية من سورية إلى العراق”.
ونقلت وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية (ا ف ب) عن مستشار رئيس الوزراء العراقي علي الموسوي قوله “سنلاحق السفير المنشق نواف الفارس بكل الوسائل المحتملة، لان التستر على تسهيل عملية دخول الإرهابيين جريمة”.
July 16th, 2012, 3:26 pm
omen said:
i knew the fight would eventually be brought to damascus, but i wonder if that piece about oblivious regimists swilling champagne, desperately clinging to delusions of normalcy, while syrians were being massacred off in the countryside – added fuel to the fire and brought the fight a little bit sooner.
July 16th, 2012, 3:28 pm
omen said:
didn’t you hear the ambassador? it’s bashar who is in bed with alqaeda. even sc archives attest to the regime sending militants to iraq.
…
hey, good to see you again, hopeful.
July 16th, 2012, 3:36 pm
Karabennemsi said:
منطلقات أخلاقية من أجل الديمقراطية -بقلم عمر عبد العزيز الحلاج
تاريخ النشر:
15 تموز,
كنت في مقال سابق تحدثت عن عدد من المبادئ الأساسية من أجل تحقيق الديمقراطية وجاءتني على أثرها عدة ردود من أشخاص يناقشون المقال من حيث كونه مثالياً جداً وأن مثل هذه المبادئ لا يمكن أن تتحقق في عالمنا العربي. بالطبع بعض الاعتراضات جاءت من أشخاص لا يؤمنون بالديمقراطية أساساً وبعضها الآخر جاء من أشخاص يطالبون بالديمقراطية ولكنهم يبحثون سدى في العالم العربي فيجدون أن الأسس الأخلاقية اللازمة لبناء الديمقراطية غائبة في الغالب وأن عملية التحول للديمقراطية ستكون رحلة شاقة بدون وعي ديمقراطي لدى جمهور الشعب. فإذا كانت القضية هي قضية نقص في المعرفة فمن الممكن نظرياً تجاوز الإشكال بتطوير برامج تعليمية تعرف ماهية الديمقراطية وكيفية ممارستها. ولكن الإشكال الأساسي هو أن النظام الديمقراطي يتطلب قيماً أخلاقية، تدعمه وتعزز ممارسة الديمقراطية من قبل المجتمع شأنه في ذلك شأن أي نظام حكم.
(…)
إن إنجاح الديمقراطية يفترض بناء قاعدة أخلاقية لدى المواطنين تدعم المؤسسات الديمقراطية وتسهر على عدم تسخيرها من قبل الحكام إلى مؤسسات صانعة لقوانين غير أخلاقية. سأناقش في هذا المقال بعض المنطلقات الأخلاقية المطلوبة والتي يجب أن نبدأ بالترويج لها ونحن على حافة التحول الديمقراطي في العالم العربي. إذ ما تزال العملية الديمقراطية في العالم العربي في بداياتها وما تزال مؤسساتها هشة ولا تملك مرجعيات في الممارسة والتطبيق العملي تمكن هذه المؤسسات من الزود عنها. وما زال الكثيرون في العالم العربي يتصورون أن مسؤوليتهم الأخلاقية تنتهي عند الإدلاء بأصواتهم في الانتخابات. والأخطر أن الكثيرين منهم بدأ يمارس ممارسات غير ديمقراطية تحت شعارات الثورة. في حمأة التحول إلى الديمقراطية نحن بحاجة إلى زرع قيم جديدة لا إلى إعادة تعليب قيمنا التسلطية القديمة بصورة جديدة لتبرير نقل السلطة إلى أيد جديدة بدون أن يكون هناك تحول في الأسس التي يبنى عليها الحكم الرشيد.
(…)
http://www.syriatrust.org/news/articles/content/%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC
July 16th, 2012, 3:37 pm
irritated said:
#202 uzair8
I doubt Damascus is a woodland ready for a spark. That’s the wish of the hundreds of rebels in a city with millions.
After 16 months, most Damascene have come to realize that the opposition has failed to win the hearts and mind of the largest part of the city. Having lost trust in the opposition leaders and not seing what is coming after, the neutral Syrians are now hanging on their army and their leader current leader to stop the blood and the insecurity.
July 16th, 2012, 3:38 pm
irritated said:
214 Omen
It’s the regime who is in bed with alqaeda.
Just like Clinton with Monica
July 16th, 2012, 3:40 pm
Hopeful said:
200. Habib
The “lessor of two evils” argument is not an acceptable argument anymore. Syria deserves to have no evils ruling it. We lost half a century already and the world is passing us by. You seem like a smart and genuine person. We need people like you to help build a brighter future for Syria – one without brutal dictatorships and backward religious dogma.
July 16th, 2012, 3:41 pm
Tara said:
Irritated?
In your last post to Omen, why did you replace “Bashar” with the “regime”? Omen said “it is Bashar who is in bed with alqaeda”. Why couldn’t’ you bring yourself to say it? Out of respect?
July 16th, 2012, 3:46 pm
zoo said:
Bombshell
Defected Syrian Ambassador Admits Role in Killing US Troops
In Telegraph interview, Western-coddled Nawaf Fares admits he organized “Jihadi units” to fight US troops in Iraq.
By Tony Cartalucci
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31869.htm
July 15, 2012 “Information Clearing House” — Confessed terrorist Nawaf Fares has now called for “foreign military intervention,” in his latest interview, this time with CNN. During this interview, Fares repeated his farcical claims that the Syrian government was working with, not fighting against, “Al Qaeda,” but was more careful not to repeat admissions that he had a role in dealing with them. Fares’ role for the West is very simple, repeat even the most absurd claims made by the West against Syria, hoping that with his background, an “appeal to authority” can lend these narratives the credibility they factually lack.
July 14, 2012 – Nawaf Fares, former Syrian Ambassador to Iraq who just recently defected and is now harbored in Qatar, admitted in an interview with the London Telegraph that he personally organized “Jihadi units” to fight US troops in Iraq. Fares maintains that he did so under orders by the Syrian government, and that a recent string of bombings in Syria were carried out by “Al Qaeda” in coordination with Syrian security forces.
…
Unfortunately for Nawaf Fares, who has just admitted to being an international terrorist, not only does he fail to provide any actual evidence to suggest the Syrian government had ordered or condoned his terrorist activities during the US occupation of Iraq (as even the Telegraph notes), nor provide any evidence at all that “Al Qaeda” had coordinated its bombing campaigns with Syrian security forces, but a myriad of confirmed reports and evidence already exist contradicting entirely Fares’ statements.
That President Bashar al-Assad is a “collaborator” with Al Qaeda is farcical at face value.
July 16th, 2012, 3:46 pm
Uzair8 said:
Regima non grata.
July 16th, 2012, 3:47 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Between thinking that Assad is going beat and fisically destroy the resistence movement and thinking about a very long and damaging civil war there is a middle point.
I do not think the regime can beat any resistence, whatever the nature and support it receives, specially after the loss of sunni key pieces from inside the regime.
Although we are already in a civil war I do not believe it is going to get a lot of time until Assad leaves charge alive or dead.
Those who talk about a long civil war to take place in Syria should not forget that only 10-13 % of the 22 million syrians are alawites. And not all of them will share the fight. More than 70 % are sunni and the rest of minorities (druzes, christians and ismalilis) will not put themselves in danger, specially when prospects of more political freedoms are in view. So at the end it will be a fight between an enourmous majority of syrian population and a reduced 10 % of alawites. This is not Irak nor Lebanon. It will be easier.
I tend to be optimistic, and I think even the after war will be much easier since the main obstruction to let people accept a new establishment is the mere existence of Assad. When he dies any deal will be easier.
July 16th, 2012, 3:50 pm
irritated said:
Tara
I simply copied Omen’s post, he is the one who changed it afterward.
You should direct this question to him.
July 16th, 2012, 3:51 pm
irritated said:
Sandro Loewe
So at the end it will be a fight between an enourmous majority of syrian population and a reduced 10 % of alawites. This is not Irak nor Lebanon. It will be easier.
I think you have already eliminated the Kurds and the Christians in your brilliant analysis.
Immature kids are always optimistic.
July 16th, 2012, 3:56 pm
Tara said:
Irritated
Sorry. I did not see Omen’s post before he changed it. Perhaps I am reading too much in between the lines. I am quiet irritated myself lately.
July 16th, 2012, 3:57 pm
habib said:
214. omen
Heheh, as if this ambassador does not have a bone to pick…
218. Hopeful
Agreed, but the secular opposition, which I support, has been 100% sidelined by the regime and the Islamists. I supported the rebels in Libya too, until it became clear who they actually were. And time proved it to be extremely ugly.
Furthermore, if I had to choose between being aligned with Saudi Arabia or Iran, I’d have to choose Iran. Both are crap, but Saudi is crappier after all.
July 16th, 2012, 3:57 pm
omen said:
this one is for mina:
July 16th, 2012, 4:04 pm
PATRIOT said:
@Habib
Yeh Libyans have a bit of trouble with the militia’s, but I do not believe that is a result of the Islamists. Besides, Libyans did not elect the Islamists to power after all…
July 16th, 2012, 4:06 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
224. IRRITATED
I asume you might be 70-80 years old to call me kid. Thank you very much for your compliments.
If you read well you will see I did not eliminate christians. Regarding kurds they are sunnis and some rare chia. They will not support Assad when the president’s end is near. They tried to get national or autonomous rights for last 50 years but could get nothing else than arms to fight against Turkey. Once again kurds have been cheated like palestinians by Assad terror regime. Kurds will prefer the end of Assad. After 50 years of frustrations a Syria without Assad could be much more open to an autonomous region with language rights, etc. So with Assad they have nothing to win, but without Assad there is a lot to improve.
I do not want to believe that all syrians are so brutal and animals like Assad thugs.
July 16th, 2012, 4:09 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
When regime supporters quote a loser like Cartalucci, you know they’re losing it.
July 16th, 2012, 4:19 pm
Expatriate said:
195-
Yala ya Putin, farjena 3ard ektafak ya wati:
It is a pity that you do not really understand the full force of the Russians , the Russians do not want war, but the U.S. government brings it to this and believe me, that this war will not lie winners.SShA population of Russia, may ask the soldiers who came here.
Shouf shwayet 3ard ektafak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1-JnbdqW-A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj-gVbtRqQQ
• The S-500 is a new generation surface-to-air missile system, designed for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles and for defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control and jamming aircraft.
With a planned range of 600 km (373 mi), the S-500 would be able to detect and simultaneously engage up to 10 ballistic supersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 km/s[3][4] and will have a flight ceiling of 40 km.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txNOXivEwvQ
• S-400 Triumf (NATO codename SA-21 Growler)
Anti Aircraft Weapon System
Can Be Ready for Launch just Under 5 minutes
In 4 Minutes S400 Destroyes 36 targets in range of 400 kilometers
S400 Destroyes Nuclear Warheads 30 kilometers Above the Earth
The System Detects and Destroyes Invincible Aircrafts that Use stealth Technology(Instant Death to any Stealth Bombers)
• ICBM RS 24 Yars (Nato Codename SS-27 Mod-2)
The New Nuclear Shield of Russia
Maximum Range is 12 thounsand Kilometers
1 Missle Has 4 Nuclear Warheads = 300 Kiloton blast
Yars Launching Complex Continiously Travels Trought Russia
Making Itself Invincible for enemy Satelites
The Nuclear Warheads are Impossible to be destinguished from the Cloud of Fake Warheads the Missle Deployes
The Explosion can be compared to 67 hirosimas
1 RS 24 can destroy 3 Los Angeleses at once
• Tactical Missle Complex “Iskander” (Nato Codename Stone) Iskander is a short range ballistic missile designed to attack tactical targets deep inside enemy lines
The Range from Kalinin Grad (Russia) to Warsaw is 280 Kilometers
The Range of “Iscander” is 500 Kilometers
The Missle Reaches speeds of 2100 meters per second
If Launched It will reach Warsaw under 2 minutes 22 seconds this time wouldnt be enought dor a NATO Ranger even to brush his teeth
Undetectable by any Currently in use Anti Missle
• MIG 35 (Nato Codename Fulcrum-F)
Multi targeting Russian Jet
New Radar Djuk 2 Can Locate Targets in range 250 kilometers
Lock On systems 5th generation “Second Vision”
MIG 35 can Lock on to 30 targets and Attack 8 of them at once
• SU 35S (Nato Codename “Flanker-E”)
During NATO Syber Training SU35 In Front of the eyes of Amercan Generals Destroyed its analog the F35
Max Speed of SU 35S is 2500 km/h thats 1.5 times faster than the F35A 1700km/h
SU 35S can travel 3500km without refueling the F35 2200km
In one takeoff SU35 can destroy 12 enemy planes
For 5 Takeoffs SU35 Can launch up to 60 Missles
• T50 PAK-FA (NATO Codename Flanktor or Fanatic) Cheaper Lighter Faster 5th generation Jet Fighter The Only Nemesis to the USA’s F22 Raptor 30% Cheaper 2 Tons lighter Flyes 1.5 times faster Can travel 4300kilometers without refueling F22 needs to Refuel after 2500 kilometers Runway for takeoff needed 350meters F22 Needs 915meters
July 16th, 2012, 4:22 pm
omen said:
ack, moderator, my post got swallowed. i didn’t get a chance to check formatting. sigh.
July 16th, 2012, 4:23 pm
omen said:
220. zoo, how is one “Western-coddled” and an international terrorist (guilty of killing americans) at the same time?
…
221. UZAIR8 said: Regima non grata.
huh?
July 16th, 2012, 4:34 pm
Amjad said:
Russian military readiness (or lack thereof)
http://www.wnd.com/2012/04/russia-worries-about-military-readiness/
If I wanted to list the military capabilities of NATO, I’d have to hog the entire comments section. Simply put, Russia is not, and has never been, any match for NATO, and nor are they in any position to take on NATO on behalf of the Assad junta. When was the last time Russian arms beat NATO arms in a conventional war? Never. Vietnam, the North Vietnamese had to lose millions of men against the US’s loses of around 50,000. It’s highly doubtful that three million Syrians are prepared to give their lives for Bashar.
Russia is only a major power when it has to fight a tiny neighboring state like Georgia or Chechenya. It cannot hope to take on a well prepared and major power like NATO. Hence the prima dona act Putin is Putting on. The smaller the dog, the louder the bark. Conrade Woofski.
Russia is an irrelevant player. Bush only had to say one word to stop Shamir from retaliating against Saddam Hussein’s 1991 Scud attacks. Russia has admitted that it has no influence whatsoever with Bashar. Why then should we give a hoot in hell or care what the Russians want or say. I have more time for a Syrian gas vendor, he’s got more influence in Syria than Russia.
Also the T50 PAK-FA is still in the development stages and will only come into service in 2016 at the earlies, while the latest American airplanes have been operational and enhanced for years.
Same with the S-500, still in development and it will be years before it goes into operation.
And apparently the MIG-35 wasn’t good enough for the Indian airforce, who preferred a European made fighter.
Typical menhebakjis, putting their faith in dreams and fantasies.
July 16th, 2012, 4:47 pm
annie said:
http://qunfuz.com/2012/07/16/blanket-thinkers/
Excellent article
“To call the Free Syrian Army a sectarian gang is tantamount to calling the Syrian people a sectarian gang. It betrays a willed ignorance of reality. The FSA was formed in response to the sickening violence perpetrated by the Syrian regime, which at this stage is certainly a sectarian gang. Its Alawi military units work with armed Alawi civilians to slaughter Sunnis. This is a disaster for the Alawis and everyone else; it sows the seeds of a potential war which would destroy the country for generations, and it’s one of the first reasons why the regime must go as soon as possible. But the FSA is in reality hundreds of local militias which sometimes cooperate. It consists of defected soldiers (these people are heroes – they fled the army at huge personal risk because they were unable to stomach murdering their people; most soldiers who try to defect are killed before they leave base) and local men who have taken up arms to defend their neighbourhoods. Because the FSA is made of ordinary men, it covers an enormous range of political opinion. Some fighters are disillusioned Baathists, some are secularists, some leftists, some support the Muslim Brotherhood and some are attracted by extremist Wahhabi rhetoric. Some, I’m sure, are criminals, because some of the Syrian people are criminal. Some will be in it in the hopes of financial or sexual profit, because that’s the way people are.”
July 16th, 2012, 4:47 pm
omen said:
231. what kind of an expatriate cheerleads the ugly prospect of russians slaughtering fellow syrians?
after the regime is toppled, such advocacy should cause previous citizenship to be revoked. you’re lucky i’m not in charge.
July 16th, 2012, 4:52 pm
ghufran said:
في الداخل على كل سوري مؤمن بالثورة أن يدفع 100 دولار شهريا
لصالح تمويل الثورة السورية كما ان الشعوب العربية عليها ان تتبرع للشعب السوري، خصوصا واننا مقبلون على شهر رمضان والزكاة ويجب ان يكون كل الزكاة العربي موجهة هذه السنة الى الشعب السوري، لتعزيزه وتمكينه من تحرير دمشق سريعا، وهذا ما يكلف 300 مليون دولار سنويا”.
that is what Ghalioun said.
I agree that most or all of Zakat Ramadan should go to Syria,but that does not mean the SNC or using the money to buy weapons.
there is a lot of people in need in the mother country.
July 16th, 2012, 4:54 pm
Amjad said:
“If Launched It will reach Warsaw under 2 minutes 22 seconds this time wouldnt be enought dor a NATO Ranger even to brush his teeth”
Uh, seriously? And do you imagine that all the preparations for a massive missile launch will go unnoticed? By the time Putin gives the order for the launch of said missile, your US Ranger will be painting that launcher with a laser sight, to be taken out by undetectable US drones or Stealth Fighters. The menhebakji understanding of modern warfare is very superficial and shallow, and is limited only to a list of meaningless statistics. The French had much better tanks than the Germans in WW2, but they had a defeatist mentality before the first shot was fired, and didn’t know how to deploy their tanks en mass.
July 16th, 2012, 4:59 pm
omen said:
this retired general acknowledges that the u.s. earlier knew of a relationship between the regime and alqaeda well before the ambassador’s disclosure:
but when asked what we should do about it, he offered this nonchalant response:
he refused to suggest a military response was warranted.
July 16th, 2012, 5:00 pm
bronco said:
Habib
I agree with you. During 16 months, the ugly face of the opposition has gradually appeared clearer to many Syrians who had hopes of a change for better. Now these many Syrians do not want that this polluted and dubious opposition have any role in the reforms. There is no more trust in them.
July 16th, 2012, 5:01 pm
Elian said:
Ms. Piggy just saying further militarizing the Syrian conflict doesn’t help the situation in Syria, even she is counting the days for Assad regime. The reporter put her on the spot by saying you keep numbering the assad days.
Clinton said she won’t put days, hours or time on the time for Assad to go.
I guess that means the assad days are not numbered!
and she didn’t dare to come down on Russia stance on Syria.
I guess the tomato attack scared Ms. Piggy, that Arabs weapon don’t kill but ruin her expensive clothes.
July 16th, 2012, 5:07 pm
Elian said:
Does anyone know how much Al Fares got paid to defect!
It seems Money buys anything in this world, but time for this traitors to be trialed one way or another, that’s what history always have told us.
his speech with CNN is pathetic the least to say.
being in Qatar makes him cheerleader in a lost game.
July 16th, 2012, 5:15 pm
Expatriate said:
234.
You have spoken carelessly ( Yala ya Putin, farjena 3ard ektafak ya wati )
and I had to remind you ( Shouf shwayet 3ard ektafak )
The answer was proportional to the question! You can explain what you meant Showing the Width of shoulders.
July 16th, 2012, 5:21 pm
Dawoud said:
To syr.expat.: I like your insights!
FREE Syria & Palestine!
July 16th, 2012, 5:29 pm
irritated said:
#229 Sando Loewee
So with Assad they have nothing to win..
I hope that instead of cursing Bashar in every sing;le of your posts, you work hard to convince the Kurds of your ideas. Up to now there are almost no Kurds in the FSA and it seems that in some location they are even helping the Syrian army to quell the rebels.
Having a Kurd as the SNC leader has not made them change their mind. If the 70% of sunnis you claim to be united against the regime are as real as the 70% of the Syrian territory that the FSA claim to occupy, permit me to have strong doubts.
Your assumption like many of your previous assumptions is wrong. I don’t need to be 70 to claim that immature kids are always optimistic. It’s a universal evidence.
July 16th, 2012, 5:32 pm
Dawoud said:
TO MY FELLOW ANTI_REGIMERS:
I missed you as I was in Egypt researching for my doctoral dissertation. I was in Maydan al-Tahrir when Morsi came to give oath. Seeing Egyptian, free Syrian, and Palestinian flags in the M. Tahrir made me cry from joy!
July 16th, 2012, 5:42 pm
zoo said:
Doubts about the ‘independence’ of the opposition is growing…
Syrian Opposition Group Leader ‘The Islamists are Seizing Power for Themselves’
07/16/2012
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/opposition-group-leader-randa-kassis-on-islamist-fighters-in-syria-a-844622.html
Although the war in Syria is getting bloodier, the power and appeal of the resistance is growing. But Randa Kassis, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council, warns that Islamist fighters armed by the Gulf states are sowing discord among the opposition that will only prolong the war.
…
The reason the opposition has not been able to achieve a military breakthrough is also partially due to the insurmountable differences arising between the Islamist jihadi fighters and the majority of the population. The Islamist groups, which are superbly financed and equipped by the Gulf states, are ruthlessly seizing decision-making power for themselves. Syrians who are taking up arms against the dictator but not putting themselves under the jihadists’ command are being branded as unpatriotic and as heretics. This is also affecting the many soldiers and officers who have defected to the opposition but who aren’t willing to replace the corrupt terrorism of the Assad regime with a religious tyranny.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: But aren’t the majority of Syrians pious Muslims?
Kassis: Yet at least half of Syrians are in favor of retaining a separation of church and state — and I don’t see any contradiction there. The conflict between the power-hungry, appallingly intolerant Islamists and the opposition fighters who are not motivated by religion — and who don’t have anyone lending them a hand — makes a rapid end to the war unlikely. And that’s not to mention the scorched earth that government troops are leaving behind them all over the country.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Is there no way to stop the bloodbath?
Kassis: The Assad regime has to stop the murder and voluntarily step down from power. And the Islamist fighters among the opposition need to accept the non-religious opposition groups as partners with equal rights and no longer treat them like political adversaries. Then the members of the Baath party who haven’t done anything wrong but have opposed Assad and gone underground in Iraq will also report back.
…
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How long will it take before Assad gives up?
Kassis: I hope that he will be taken care of in few weeks’ time. But, in pure military terms, it could last several more months — unless there’s a miracle.
…
July 16th, 2012, 5:42 pm
annie said:
British Syrians & Friends in Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution
Please read this report in FULL. It’s important, and share widely on all pages & with your media contacts.
DETAILED REPORT ON AT-TREIMSEH MASSACRE …. When Murderers Attempt to Hide the Truth
Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) & Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS)- At-Treimseh Massacre
At-Treimh is a very small village whose population is less than 11 thousand people. It is 11km to the west of Mhardeh city in Hama governorate.
Date of Massacre: 12/07/2012
First eyewitness: Abou Ahmad, fake name, mobile phone number available.
Second eyewitness: Abou Assa’ad, fake name, mobile phone number available.
Third eyewitness: Ibrahim al-Hamwi, fake name, mobile phone number available.
Statements provided by At-Treimseh residents affirmed that at the dawn of Thursday 12/07/2012 around 04:00 am, At-Treimseh village have been fully besieged by military forces that came from the neighbouring city of Mhardeh. These forces had been followed by huge reinforcements that came from Hama military airport. Residents estimated this force to be of 200 military vehicles including tanks, armoured vehicles, Shilka tanks, Zil cars, transport buses, 4X4s and pick-ups accompanied by army troop’s infantry who has been transported by about 25 Zil cars, as estimated by residents. In addition, militants armed with assault rifles wearing civilian clothes came by white buses and pick-ups.
This military force had fully besieged the village. Eyewitnesses stated that shelling from all directions started between 4 – 5 am. Shelling tanks and aerial bombardment by 3 helicopters went on continually for about 4 hours. Eyewitnesses affirmed seeing a fourth warplane that had not shelled the village; they say that most likely it was a drone conducting monitoring and scouting.
By contacting residents they have stated that upon the kick-off of the shelling, locals tried to flee the village and sought refuge to the neighbouring villages. However, shelling and siege on the neighbouring villages hindered their attempt to flee the village. Residents have stated, as well, that some locals had been killed by army troops when they fled the shelling. Abou Assa’ad, an eyewitness, stated that Yusuf al-Ubaid a 68-70 years old elderly man who fled the shelling was killed with gunfire at the outskirts of the village in al-Smaira to north of the village.
The same source stated that two citizens from kafr Houd village- Waheed Adul Salam Qattash, the Imam and Sheikh of a mosque in At-Treimseh, a man in his forties, and his 17 years old son Taha Qattash- were killed as they tried to flee the village by going back to their village; army troops deployed at the road to Kafr Houd to the east of the village stopped them and killed them with gunfire. Then they tied the father’s body to a military vehicle and dragged it in the road before it was thrown in Abou Musaab al-Hasnou home where they burned the house.
Eyewitnesses stated that residents sought refuge to schools and mosques of the village as they were almost sure that the there was no safe zone or exit whatsoever. They sought refuge to schools and mosques for protection from shelling because their buildings are stronger than normal homes. Whole families gathered in schools and mosques, but army troops targeted those schools and mosques killing and wounding a large number of people.
Residents stated that shelling concentrated on schools and mosques and their surrounding areas for more than an hour. Then it moved to the outskirts of the village.
Assad’s forces have shelled the village and its outskirts for 3 to 4 hours. Then armed vehicles and tanks stormed into the village. They battled with members of the Free Syrian Army, army defectors in the village some of whom are army officers from the village and some are civilians who defended their village, life and women, children fearing that the regime’s army would follow the example of other massacres. Many of those FSA members have been killed as they battled Assad’s regime forces and militias.
Residents stated that FSA members defended the village. Assad’s regime army forced men and children out of the homes they searched and used them as human shields. Abou Assa’ad stated that army troops forced the young men of the village to walk in front of the regime’s army, and that a soldier killed two of them with an assault rifle; the two victims are: 1- Mukhlis al-Faris, 26 years old young man- 2- Mousaab Boulad
Abou Assa’ad affirmed that another soldier who was angry because of this act argued angrily with the soldier who killed the two young men saying that those young men were unarmed. Then they received orders from behind from an older one to cut it out, so they abided by the orders.
Ibrahim al-Hamdwi said that two civilian who defended the village with weapons were killed when they surrendered as they ran out of ammunition. Army troops arrested, beat, tortured and killed them with live gunfire. The two victims are 1- Salih Hussein al-Saba’awi, 36 years old and 2- Yahya Sail al-Hwayan, 25 years old.
Military operation on the village went on till about 07:00 pm. Upon the regime’s army pull-out, residents went out to check the village, and they have been shocked with mass destruction inflicted on homes and buildings as well as the number of the casualties and the number of the wounded. Abou Ahmad stated that they have found a large number of bodies and affirmed that they had buried 70 bodies, including 40 women, in a mass grave. Then on the same day, they have buried many bodies they found in their search at night. He stated that on Friday fifteen other bodies have been found in Orontes River and different irrigation canals. Many bodies have been buried without being identified in the first two days as they had been completely burned out, added Abou Ahmad.
Abou Assa’ad affirmed the statement made by Abou Ahmad and added that four other bodies have been found in farms and orchards surrounding the village Saturday, 14/07/2012.
Abou Assa’ad affirmed that 15 bodies had been found in Ghazi al-Shammouti’s house on the first day; those bodies have not been identified as most of which were completely burned out. He stated that he has seen a body belonging to woman hugging two other bodies, completely burned children. Residents were not able to identify the bodies because families gathered in certain homes.
However, Abou Assa’ad was able to identify one body, among many completely burned others, because it belonged to his relative who was transporting the wounded to this home that was used as a makeshift hospital before it was besieged by regime’s army troop who opened fire at all people inside. Then they burned the bodies.
Eyewitnesses and residents affirmed that they have found 4 bodies in a burned car in addition to two other bodies in Shihadeh al-Yunis’s home.
Residents and witnesses asserted that more than 100 unidentified bodies including 40 completely burned have been buried so far. Residents reported that they have not been able to identify the exact number of victims because army forces abducted some of the bodies. Abu Ahmad, an eyewitness, confirmed seeing ambulances and civilian cars collecting the bodies and taking them away. The same testimony was confirmed by Abu Assa’ad who added that he saw two small white Toyota trucks one of which had been stolen from at-Treimseh village during the military campaign. In the rear trunk of one of the trucks, he saw around 35 bodies and 40 bodies in the other. He saw the trucks leave with the army when it pulled out.
Further, eyewitnesses also confirmed that a large number of people have gone missing and they do not know whether they have been killed or arrested. The residents estimated the number of those missing at more than 200 people. The huge exodus from the village after the assault as well as the communications cut-off in the following days made it hard to accurately identify the numbers of those missing. Residents estimated the number of those injured due to the shelling between 300-400 people.
Residents and eyewitnesses were surprised to see Dr. Mohammad Satouf on Syrian TV on 15-07-2012 as he had disappeared during the army raid on the village. When he appeared on Syrian state TV, he acknowledged cooperation with terrorist gangs in the village. Abu Ahmad, Abu Assa’ad and Ibrahim al-Hamwi confirmed that there had been no such gangs in the village. The only armed people, according to them, were the defectors from the army and some of the village’s young men who joined the ranks of the Free Syrian Army as volunteers. The eye witnesses confirmed that Dr. Satouf enjoyed a good reputation and was known for his good manners. His contribution to the popular uprising in Syria in which his village, at-Tremseh, took part early on was restricted to providing medical care for those wounded in the protests. Likewise, Dr. Munsef Faisal al-Naji was undertaking the same mission when he received a gunshot in the head in the early Thursday morning as he was rescuing the injured.
Witnesses have also confirmed that the number of armed people killed during the army raid in the village and who could be identified was no more than 10 (including defectors and civilian volunteers). The fate of the rest of the group remains unknown as it is unclear whether they had been killed and their bodies abducted, arrested or were able to flee the village.
It is noteworthy that security and army forces prevented the international observers from entering the village on Thursday to investigate the facts on the ground. They were only able to gain access to the village 13 hours after the army’s pull-out.
Media reports and stories related on the massacre stated the killing of more than 250 victims. However, SNHR & DCHRS have been not able to document and verify the names and identities of all the victims for many reasons:
1- About one hundred and twenty victims have been buried, residents were not able to identify forty of which as they were completely burned.
2- Security forces and army troops abducted large number of the bodies. They have not returned the bodies to victims’ families.
3- Large numbers of citizens have gone missing as the Syrian regime authorities have not confirmed yet their death or detention to their families.
4- The Syrian regime’s refusal to conduct credible, objective and transparent investigation into the crimes perpetrated on Thursday in Ar-Treimseh in addition to denying access for any other party to conduct an investigation into the massacre and denying access for independent media outlets into the Syrian lands to report ground situation objectively.
Documentations:
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: a Syrian citizen talks about the destruction of her house with a rocket, 13-07-2012
http://youtu.be/i3K0Ld_EXnQ
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh:
Testimony by a citizen from Al-Treimseh about the massacre
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDP8JwKeFH4
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Doctor/Paramedic: Faisal An-Naji, 13-07-2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq3ZWUBXGjY
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Doctor/Paramedic: this victim had been brutally slaughtered, 13-07-2012, 18+
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w_k–lM2ao
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: victims of the massacre, 13-07-2012, Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR1ZkKHbw1I
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: victims of the massacre, 13-07-2012, Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHXDI2l62fA
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: burying the victims, 13-07-2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmuSR6IPTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkrBQc-FAVA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wXm4jsKJHU
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: the arrival of the UN monitors with tanks, 14-07-2012
http://youtu.be/TT3BHykgBjs
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: aftermath of destruction, 14-07-2012, Part 1
http://youtu.be/Mj-90Oqiq4U
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Burned homes, 14-07-2012
http://youtu.be/pMpzMW9ooNE
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: the shelling and the burning down of a school, 14-07-2012
http://youtu.be/_CLjEYyT6wI
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: aftermath of the massacre, 14-07-2012
http://youtu.be/vYJaEmubw2k
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Residents’ testimonies, 14-07-2012, Part 1
http://youtu.be/KBL-vcD3ePw
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: aftermath of the destruction, 14-07-2012, part 2
http://youtu.be/oQQKYU9M1F0
Rural Hama, Al-Treimseh: Residents’ testimonies, 14-07-2012, Part 2
http://youtu.be/0PSbl2H9Q0Y
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) & the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) strongly condemn this massacre of historic proportion which amounts to a crime against humanity, as well as all other massacres perpetrated by the Syrian regime against the Syrian people around the clock. SNHR & DCHRS hold the Syrian regime and Bashar al-Assad, head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian regime’s army, completely and directly responsible for all of those massacres and their implications and consequences. SNHR and DCHRS call on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to swiftly take all necessary measures to protect civilians and fulfil their legal and moral responsibilities by accelerating the indictment of all those responsible for the perpetration of these massacres to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
NAMES OF 71 DOCUMENTED VICTIMS FOLLOW
July 16th, 2012, 5:58 pm
zoo said:
Defector: ‘The battle for Damascus is coming’
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 3:06 PM EDT, Mon July 16, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html
(CNN) — Increasing violence in the Syrian capital is pointing toward a major fight ahead, a rebel spokesman told CNN Monday.
“The battle for Damascus is coming,” said Abdulhameed Zakaria, a Syrian army colonel and doctor who defected and joined the opposition Free Syrian Army in Istanbul.
Video from the capital on Monday showed regime tanks in some streets and clashes with members of the opposition.
Video from activists in the central Damascus neighborhood of Medan showed people running and screaming amid loud sounds. It was unclear whether the blasts were gunshots or mortar fire.
State-run TV showed a woman driving a car in Medan saying there was “nothing going on right now.”
Asked about reports that there was shelling in Medan, she responded, “No, nothing is happening, thank God.” Apparent gunfire could be heard in the background as she spoke.
July 16th, 2012, 6:00 pm
Expatriate said:
when a person does not share with you the opinion what you do with it? immediately threatened? or go with him to the debate? your participation in the conversations between me and Amjad reveals your inner desire to punish for the position! Here is your true essence.
wait until the fall mode! you’ll have to wait long! by the way! relative mode to me is not the right address!
July 16th, 2012, 6:03 pm
ghufran said:
Taking the battle to Damascus is a big gamble,if the plan works,unlikely as far as i know,then historians will remember it as the day when the regime starts to crumble,but if it fails and Damascus becomes like Homs,then you can say good bye to this uprising.History will remember those who took part in the destruction of the oldest city alive,I can not help feeling a sense of hatred and revenge among those who brought the battle to Damascus,a friend from Damascus said that nobody who is from that city will do anything that leads to its destruction,ironically,the 2 million guests in Damascus may not be as careful when the issue is their own survival.
قالت مصادر أهلية في حي الميدان أن الجيش السوري أحكم محاصرة المجموعات المسلحة التابعة لمجموعات أتت من خارج دمشق عبر يلدا وحي التضامن في بعض الشوارع الضيقة ولم يترك لها أي منفذ للخروج من الحي، وأضافت:
يقوم الآن وجهاء من الحي بالوساطة بين المسلحين الراغبين في ترك الحي جماعيا بحماية الوجهاء إلى أي منفذ مفتوح يوصل إلى بساتين المنطقة للحاق برفاقهم هناك ولتوفير معركة في الاحياء التي يوجد فيها الاف المواطنين. لكن القوى الأمنية على ما يبدو ترفض إنسحاب المسلحين وتصر على أن يسلمو أنفسهم فردا فردا قبل صباح الغد وإلا فإن الجيش سيقتحم الشوارع الضيقة بعد ان يخرج منها السكان
July 16th, 2012, 6:09 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
@ 242. DAWOUD
Thank you and welcome back. Hopefully you can share with us your observations about the Egypt post Mubarak.
July 16th, 2012, 6:12 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
“Asked about reports that there was shelling in Medan, she responded, “No, nothing is happening, thank God.” Apparent gunfire could be heard in the background as she spoke.”
That’s after the new media “reforms” enacted by the regime.
July 16th, 2012, 6:16 pm
irritated said:
Dawood #244
Any tears when you saw Clinton smiling to Mursi?
July 16th, 2012, 6:18 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
“Taking the battle to Damascus is a big gamble”
If the revolution continues and the regime doesn’t budge, the battle for Damascus will be a matter of when and not if.
However it seems that it’s too early right now. Small groups here and there cannot overtake Damascus. The coming days will reveal the reality of what’s happening today.
July 16th, 2012, 6:19 pm
Anwar said:
Irritated
You talk about infantile optimism yet you still believe in a regime facing crippling sanctions and an overwhelming majority of the population (whether you admit it or not). And if we buy into your global conspiracy, the regime is against a ploy involving most of the planet. Do you really have this much blind faith in your master Bashar turning this around? Let me guess you are betting on christians going to war for you lol who is the desperate side really
The regime is bleeding out of too many holes, either it will be drained or the head will coming rolling on the floor. Whichever comes first.
July 16th, 2012, 6:24 pm
bronco said:
3 more days for the UNSC meeting and until now no agreement reached about the return of UNMIS, Annan’s plan, chapter 7 and sanctions.
I guess they are waiting to see the result of the latest fights on the ground.
July 16th, 2012, 6:26 pm
irritated said:
#253 Anwar
The opposition is bleeding out of too many holes, either it will be drained or the headS will coming rolling on the floor. Whichever comes first.
July 16th, 2012, 6:28 pm
zoo said:
If any one had any doubts that the SNC is the Moslem Brotherhood in disguise.
Syria rebels criticize self and Turkey
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-rebels-criticize-self-and-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25658&NewsCatID=352
The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood group held its general assembly in Istanbul yesterday to review the movement’s present situation and criticized Turkey for being “slow” to take action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian National Council (SNC) and other anti-regime groups also took part in the two-day meeting, which was the second general assembly of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, 20 years after the 1982 Hama Massacre.
….
“The Turkish government needs to do more because al-Assad is a threat to the national security of Turkey. We want the international community including the Israelis to make sure that they stand on the right side.” He claimed that the Turkish jet was not downed by Russia but with its arms by the Syrian Army.
July 16th, 2012, 6:39 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
A video showing a device allegedly used by Syrian intelligence to detonate a car bomb in the Jobar suburb of Damascus. The car was discovered by the opposition.
July 16th, 2012, 6:43 pm
zoo said:
Erdoğan’s Moscow visit is an opportunity
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogans-moscow-visit-is-an-opportunity-.aspx?pageID=449&nID=25653&NewsCatID=416
The visit that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to pay Moscow on Wednesday in response to an invitation by President Vladimir Putin will take place against this backdrop. There is the possibility of cold winds blowing from both sides during talks that are expected to concentrate on Syria.
…
What is clear, however, is that a predominantly Sunni regime with and Islamic orientation, which is clearly the preference of Prime Minister Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), is unlikely to emerge in that country under prevailing circumstances.
It would therefore be wiser for Erdoğan and the AKP to give up on such expectations and act according to the realities on the ground. Erdoğan’s Moscow visit provides a good opportunity in this respect.
An understanding between Turkey and Russia on Syria will not only be good for that country, but also contribute to stability in the Middle East, while also contributing to world peace. Erdoğan and Putin have enjoyed warm relations in the past, and this should help in making positive headway.
July 16th, 2012, 6:44 pm
anwar said:
irritated
let’s see who laughs last
just don’t bet your house on the regime
(assuming it doesn’t already belong to it just like you do)
July 16th, 2012, 7:07 pm
omen said:
why do you blame the rebels for the regime’s killing spree?
would you have advocated negotiating a ceasefire with hitler?
the notion that the regime would allow for a “democratic transition” is absurd on its face.
the opposition isn’t naive. they know that bashar is a congenital liar. he would exploit an attempt at political process to
– bide time
– acquire intelligence on the opposition in order to plot how to kill them all off
the snc says it is willing to negotiate. it’s willing to negotiate the removal of bashar. and the removal of members of the regime with blood on their hands.
July 16th, 2012, 7:38 pm
irritated said:
#261 Anwar
Either way I won’t laugh, it’s sad enough already
July 16th, 2012, 7:43 pm
zoo said:
The Battle for Damascus has started: the ultimate moment of truth
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-rebels-launch-full-scale-attack-operation-233326010.html
Syria’s rebels announced the launch of a full-scale attack operation, dubbed “the Damascus volcano and earthquakes of Syria,” as major clashes engulfed several districts of the capital.
In a statement released on Monday night, the Free Syrian Army’s central-Homs Joint Command said its operation was launched at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), “in response to massacres and barbaric crimes” committed by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The FSA, the statement said, started to conduct “attacks on all security stations and branches in the cities and the countryside, to enter into fierce clashes (with their forces) and to call on them to surrender.”
The announcement called for “the encirclement of all security, military and shabiha (pro-regime militia) checkpoints across Syria, and the entry into fierce combat with them in order to eliminate them.”
The FSA called for all international roads to be cut off, “from (northern) Aleppo to (southern) Daraa and from (eastern) Deir Ezzor to (coastal) Lattakia, to cut off and seize the supply lines.”
It also reiterated calls for defection to the opposition and announced its “work to liberate prisoners and detainees.”
The statement said the FSA should consider foreign officers on Syrian soil and allied to the regime — namely Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Iraqi militias and pro-Assad Palestinian factions — as “legitimate targets.”
The statement described “the Damascus volcano and earthquakes of Syria” operation as “the first strategic step towards bringing Syria into a state of complete and total civil disobedience.”
In an interview with AFP via Skype, the FSA’s Joint Command spokesman Kassem Saadeddine said: “God willing, the statement can be considered an invitation to participate in cutting off the roads to paralyse the movement of regime troops, and to enable the FSA to move freely.”
July 16th, 2012, 7:45 pm
zoo said:
Dead end at the UNSC
http://news.yahoo.com/un-talks-syria-resolution-head-veto-showdown-231549696.html
UN talks on Syria resolution head for veto showdown
AFP – 31 mins ago
UN Security Council talks on Syria virtually collapsed Monday, leaving the major powers heading for a veto showdown on a proposal to impose sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia will veto a western resolution linking the renewal of the UN mission with sanctions when it comes to a vote on Wednesday, its UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said after council talks.
A rival Russian resolution just proposing to renew the UN mission would fail to get enough votes from the 15 council members to pass, US envoy Susan Rice told reporters. Russia is Assad’s main ally.
The 90-day mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) ends on Friday and if no resolution is passed by then it would have to shut down this weekend, diplomats said.
Rice said it would be “immoral” to leave the nearly 300 unarmed observers in Syria if the council was not going to pressure Assad to carry out the peace plan of UN-Arab League envoy Koffi Annan.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the West of using “elements of blackmail” by trying to get Russia to agree to link sanctions to the renewal of the UNSMIS mandate.
Britain, France, United States, Germany and Portugal want a vote on their resolution — proposing sanctions under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter — on Wednesday.
“We will see, I made it very clear we are going to vote against this resolution,” Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters after the latest tense talks between ambassadors of the 15-nation council.
A Russian vote against is a veto of any council resolution. Britain, China, France and the United States also have the veto power as permanent members.
Churkin said the only job of the council was to extend the UNSMIS mandate. “If people want to attach their individual political agendas, it means they do not want this mission to continue.”
US envoy Rice countered that the rival Russian resolution would not get the required minimum number of votes to pass.
July 16th, 2012, 7:49 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
Video of the interview with residents of Al-Midan district of Damascus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA5ZWTgmb5k&feature=player_embedded
At 00:30, notice the two armed security men walking by.
Sure, everything is normal in Midan. The idiots forgot to edit out the sound of gunfire in the background.
July 16th, 2012, 8:13 pm
jna said:
262. omensaid: why do you blame the rebels for the regime’s killing spree? would you have advocated negotiating a ceasefire with hitler?
Omen, of course I would. If there was a ceasefire and democratic transition, how many millions of lives would have been saved?
By the way, we have seen both a regime killing spree and an opposition killing spree. In the end the best course is for the Syrian people to decide their government in an election internationally supervised but not internationally determined. The only way for this to happen is that both pro and anti agree on a format.
July 16th, 2012, 8:18 pm
Ghufran said:
:ثورجي من المزه
الثورة في سورية تسقط حين تتخلى عن سلميتها، قلنا ذلك للاخوة في التشكيلات المسلحة وما فهموا شو معناتها تسليح ثورة في بلد متعدد الطوائف وأكثر من نصف سكانه مديني بطبعه ولو كانت أصوله ريفية وعشائرية أي لا يحب العنف ويأنف المشاركة فيه.
فضلا عن ذلك، أظن بأن النظام كان سيفشل فشلا ذريعا في قمع ثورة سلمية إحتاجت لاربعين عاما لتنطلق ولكنها لم تكن لتتكامل وتنتشر قبل نضال طويل.
تسرع المنتقلون إلى السلاح لأنهم أعطوا النظام فرصة البقاء. اظن ان قادة النظام أقاموا الافراح حين وقفت حمص لتحمل السلاح ونسيت التظاهر، واليوم هم فرحون جدا بما يجري في العاصمة وإن هزهم أمنيا ولكني اصدقك القول :
إنها معركة خاسرة ومن المستحيل ان يصمد المقاتلون الحماصنة والدومانيون والديريون والادالبة والدرعاويين في شوارع الشام بلا مساندة من اهلها ، واهل الشام لم يتظاهروا خوفا من الفوضى فهل تظن بأنهم سيدعمون وجود الجيش الحر في مدينتهم ؟ ويتابع :
أظن أن اكبر مسيرة تأييد للنظام سيقوم بها اهل دمشق رفضا لوجود المسلحين صدقني …أنا شامي وأعرف ما اقوله …حتى أمي العجوز التي كانت تدعو على النظام وعلى الرئيس لأنه يقتل اهل حمص ودرعا بدأت اليوم بالدعاء على خربوا الشام وشردوا اهل التضامن والميدان !(المسلحين)
July 16th, 2012, 8:39 pm
omen said:
an illustration of that alawi/sunni fault line fouad ajami mentioned:
map
July 16th, 2012, 8:51 pm
omen said:
266. jna: we have seen … an opposition killing spree.
please specify.
hitler did sign a peace treaty. he didn’t abide by it.
how many millions would have been spared if the world had recognize the threat hitler represented, acted early on militarily to stop him instead of opting for appeasement?
hitler’s early support from western industrialists is probably one of the reason why he wasn’t put down earlier.
p.s. is there a blood thirsty dictator regimists don’t view as being a figure of integrity?
July 16th, 2012, 8:59 pm
irritated said:
269. omen
It’s ridiculous to compare Syria to Germany. Syria never had any hegemonic plans against any neighbor and is a danger only to Israel. We can’t say the same about the USA who has not stopped created trouble in all south America and Middle east.
July 16th, 2012, 9:15 pm
irritated said:
With the ‘Damascus volcano” , the FSA is playing its last card of credibility. If they fail, that’s it. No one will ever believe their bravados. They’ll be out of the equation for good.
July 16th, 2012, 9:18 pm
Tara said:
Syria: Assad regime ‘ready to use chemical weapons’
The most senior Syrian politician to defect to the opposition has told the BBC the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons if it is cornered.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18864629
….
Mr Fares said President Assad would not relinquish power peacefully. He said he would only be ousted by force “even if he will have to eradicate the entire Syrian people”.
Mr Fares told the BBC’s Frank Gardner that Mr Assad would be removed “only by force”
Mr Fares’s claim that Sunni Muslim militants in al-Qaeda are collaborating with a regime dominated by those from the Shia Allawite sect will surprise many.
….
Asked if he thought President Assad might us chemical weapons against the opposition, Mr Fares said he would not rule it out, describing Mr Assad as “a wounded wolf and cornered”.
“There is information, unconfirmed information of course, that chemical weapons have been used partially in (the city of) Homs,” he said.
“I have absolute conviction that if the circle… becomes tighter on the regime, the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons.”
….
“I know the mentality of Bashar al-Assad , I now the mentality of [his late father] Hafez al-Assad, and the entire Syrian people understand that these people… believe they will live forever as rulers of Syria,” he said.
“It doesn’t occur to any Syrian, not only me, that Bashar al-Assad will let go of power through political interventions – this is impossible. He will be ousted only by force… he will not relinquish power peacefully.”
More,,
July 16th, 2012, 9:19 pm
zoo said:
When all seems lost, comes the inevitable WMD bogeyman
Assad will use chemical weapons: top defector
AFP – 1 hr 40 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/assad-chemical-weapons-top-defector-234009246.html
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will use chemical weapons against opposition forces and may have already deployed them, Nawaf Fares, the first Syrian ambassador to defect, told the BBC on Monday.
July 16th, 2012, 9:22 pm
Ghufran said:
Manaf Tlass, a prominent Republican Guard general who defected to Paris earlier this month, is expected to a deliver a speech aimed at underlining his claims to a post-Assad leadership position.
“He is going to approach the political, military, and social vision for the future,” said a close friend of the Tlass family.
“It will give his impression of all aspects – the FSA (Free Syrian Army), the regime, the regional situation, and the international setting. The speech is under construction and there are a lot of people working on it.”
The family friend said that Tlass was consulting foreign governments as well as the opposition Syrian National Council about the speech. He added that in the 10 days since Tlass fled Syria the Assad regime has sent a series of intermediaries to try to lure him and his father, Mustafa Tlass, a former Syrian defence minister, back to Damascus.
July 16th, 2012, 9:22 pm
zoo said:
Is the FSA retracting? No,it’s not a volcano yet, it is only some fireworks. The battle for Damascus has not started yet
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/world/middleeast/new-fighting-in-damascus-after-syria-denies-attack-on-civilians.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=global-home
A rebel military commander interviewed in Midan said that enough anti-Assad fighters had penetrated the capital to begin probing just how strongly the government would fight there.
“We know that the key battle is in the capital, in Damascus,” said the 30-year-old commander, carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. “We are preparing for the big battle in Damascus, but it hasn’t started yet. What is going is just to test the power of the regime, its forces.”
The goal is to draw closer and closer to the center of the city, having already fought in the suburbs, he said. The commander said he wanted Mr. Assad to be able to hear the fighting from the hilltop presidential palace. “Bashar is not secure in his palace,” he said.
July 16th, 2012, 9:28 pm
Ghufran said:
Violence does not work:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/violence-doesn-rsquo-t-work-most-of-the-time/9031/
July 16th, 2012, 9:31 pm
irritated said:
Serious? Manaf Tlass wants a political role in the opposition?
The opposition may loose the little credibility left it has with the Syrians.
July 16th, 2012, 9:34 pm
Tara said:
US refuses to help Syrian rebels until after election
Barack Obama’s US government has warned its western allies and Syria’s opposition groups that it can do nothing to intervene in the country’s crisis until after November’s presidential election, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9404452/US-refuses-to-help-Syrian-rebels-until-after-election.html
…….
Syrian lobby groups in Washington, who only a few weeks ago were expressing hope that the Obama administration might give a green light to the supply of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, said they had now been forced to “take a reality pill” by the US government.
…..
“Basically the message is very clear; nothing is going to happen until after the election, in fact nothing will happen until after inauguration [Jan 2013]. And that is the same message coming from everyone, including the Turks and the Qataris,” said a Washington lobbyist for the group.
The Obama administration has also made clear to its allies that it will not intervene, a message that was carried to London last week by Tom Donilon, the White House National Security Adviser, who made a low-profile stop en route to Israel.
…
In a bid to build credibility with the US and western allies, the Syrian Support Group which was set up to represent the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is now planning to release a “Declaration” signed by nine key rebel commanders.
The document, which is currently circulating in Syria and has been seen by The Telegraph, pledges the FSA to work under a civilian government, commits to the ideals of democracy and promises to protect minorities.
However analysts said that combination of a war-weary public, a general election campaign and the spectre of weapons falling into the hands of radical Islamists continued to mitigate against increased US intervention.
..
“The gruesome, cynical truth is that while Kofi Annan ‘spins his wheels’ at the UN, there is a tacit understanding with Assad. He knows where his ‘red lines’ are; if he keeps the massacres beneath a certain level, he knows the US will not do anything to intervene.”
…..
July 16th, 2012, 9:36 pm
Ghufran said:
Does this ring a bell?
قناة الجيش الحر الفضائية أعلنت ما يشبه النفير العام وطلبت في شريطها العاجل من جميع كتائب ميليشيا الجيش الحر الهجوم على العاصمة دمشق لتخفيف الضغط العسكري على الكتائب المقاتلة هناك.
ولواء صقور الشام الأحرار يعلن عن إغلاق مطار دمشق الدولي واشتباكات عنيفة تدور هناك، وأكثر من ذلك أكد اللواء على صفحته وجود اشتباكات داخل مقر أمن الدولة في كفرسوسة وتصاعد الدخان الأسود نتيجة هذه الاشتباكات، وأن مشفى المجتهد استقبل أكثر من 15 سيارة إسعاف محملة بقتلى الجيش السوري.
ثم تم الإعلان أن قائد الجيش الحر العقيد المنشق رياض الأسعد سوف يخرج بعد ساعات لإعلان مفاجأة ضخمة.
ولم تنتظر صفحات المعارضين خروج الأسعد فراحت تتنبأ عن المفاجأة وتحدث بعضهم عن سيطرة الجيش الحر على أغلب أحياء العاصمة بينما قال البعض الآخر أن النظام سقط وهرب رموزه.
July 16th, 2012, 9:44 pm
bronco said:
#278 Tara
It was known months ago. Yet Qatar, Turkey and KSA have manipulated the rebels with false hopes that NATO and the USA will be forced to intervene on humanitarian basis.
The announced “Volcano” and the “Earthquakes” will only swallow the military option in favor of a new political proposal being worked out in the West where old figures of the regime will lead the transition like in Libya. As the SNC is in a coma, this is the only new scenario the opposition will have to accept.
The question is who else will accept it in Syria?
July 16th, 2012, 9:48 pm
Tara said:
Ghufran
I think your post is written by the regime’s propagandists who want to make it sound that it is coming from the FSA in order to discredit the FSA when the plan does not come true.
July 16th, 2012, 9:49 pm
omen said:
276. GHUFRAN said: Violence does not work:
your summary is misleading. what the article says:
about three-quarters of nonviolent movements get some or all of what they want, compared with only about a third of the violent ones.
the article sets up a violent vs nonviolent proposition that doesn’t apply to syria.
the syrian opposition isn’t entirely violent. some of the opposition is armed, the rest is focused on civil resistance.
the writer inaccurately counts as successes revolutions where figureheads stepped down but the regime remains (egypt, yemen) when they’re better described as incomplete.
he also ignores the fact there was an armed opposition in india that helped win its independence.
July 16th, 2012, 9:51 pm
Ghufran said:
I think I am taking the risk of sounding like a propaganda spin master but all of what I did and will continue to do is bring headlines and opinions that do not necessarily reflect my personal beliefs. The diverse and confusing nature of some of my posts reflect that of the situation in Syria,those of you who have been here long enough know where I stand on most issues,my position has not changed but my frustration with both the regime and the opposition,not to put both on equal footing,can only produce posts that are not always as deep or informing as I would like them to be, for that ONLY,I am sorry.
July 16th, 2012, 10:06 pm
Tara said:
Ghufran
Please do not be sensitive now. I know your position. I was not accusing you. I was accusing the oneS who wrote it. I too link articles I may not agree with all the time.
On a side note, I missed the occasional poetry or other artistic non-political posts you used to link. They used to be like a breath of fresh air.
July 16th, 2012, 10:14 pm
Ghufran said:
عرفات-القدس العربي
قناة الجيش الحر الفضائية أعلنت ما يشبه النفير العام وطلبت في شريطها العاجل من جميع كتائب ميليشيا الجيش الحر الهجوم على العاصمة دمشق لتخفيف الضغط العسكري على الكتائب المقاتلة هناك.
ولواء صقور الشام الأحرار يعلن عن إغلاق مطار دمشق الدولي واشتباكات عنيفة تدور هناك، وأكثر من ذلك أكد اللواء على صفحته وجود اشتباكات داخل مقر أمن الدولة في كفرسوسة وتصاعد الدخان الأسود نتيجة هذه الاشتباكات، وأن مشفى المجتهد استقبل أكثر من 15 سيارة إسعاف محملة بقتلى الجيش السوري.
ثم تم الإعلان أن قائد الجيش الحر العقيد المنشق رياض الأسعد سوف يخرج بعد ساعات لإعلان مفاجأة ضخمة.
ولم تنتظر صفحات المعارضين خروج الأسعد فراحت تتنبأ عن المفاجأة وتحدث بعضهم عن سيطرة الجيش الحر على أغلب أحياء العاصمة بينما قال البعض الآخر أن النظام سقط وهرب رموزه.
This is a nation that chose to live in the shadows and eat its own flesh, let us hope that the so-called Arab Spring will change some of that.
July 16th, 2012, 10:19 pm
Ghufran said:
The previous post was deleted but it pops up again.
What would Nizar say when he watches Syrians killing Syrians in Damascus?
سافرت كثيراً.. حتى وصلت الى حائط الصين العظيم .
ولكن حمائم الجامع الأموي لا تزال تطلع من جيوبي حيثما اتجهت ,
ولا تزال القطط الشامية تموء تحت سريري في كل فندق أنزل فيه .
ولا تزال رائحة الخبيزة والقرنفل تطلع لي من كل حقيبة أفتحها ..
أنا خاتم من صياغة دمشق .
نسيج لغوي من حياكة أنوالها .
صوت شعري خرج من حنجرتها .
رسالة حب مكتوبة بخط يدها .
سحابة من القرفة واليانسون , تتجول في أسواقها .
شجرة فل تركتها أمي على نافذتي ,
ولا تزال تطلع أقمارها البيضاء … كل عام ..
July 16th, 2012, 10:31 pm
omen said:
god forbid, but if the regime did resort to using its stockpile, would that be the last straw for loyalists? would you then finally denounce the regime?
or would you once again swallow absurd concoctions that tried to argue in actually rebels poisoned themselves in order to make the regime look bad?
July 16th, 2012, 10:59 pm
Son of Damascus said:
Ghufran,
“What would Nizar say when he watches Syrians killing Syrians in Damascus?”
He would remind the buffoon that even with all the might of the French army, and burning down most of Midan they were never able to subdue it.
The French took everything from my family, Haviz took everything, and now Bashar is doing the same. All of them have tried and are trying to destroy us, what these fools don’t know Al-damshaqah is in the blood of every Damascene. They might try to destroy us we won’t crumble, our city did not survive all these millennia because of its walls but because of the will of its people, and the ruins buried underneath Damascus is a testament to that.
July 16th, 2012, 11:39 pm
Ghufran said:
حمل “المجلس الوطني السوري” المعارض المجتمع الدولي مسئولية “النتائج الكارثية لـمعارك المصير التي تشهدها العاصمة دمشق ومدينة حمص، على حد تعبيره، معتبرا أن “النظام السوري حول العاصمة إلى ساحة حرب يشنها على الأحياء الثائرة”.
I thought it was the FSA who decided to enter Damascus and liberate it
July 16th, 2012, 11:46 pm
omen said:
pbs newshour covering damascus
at 2:12 on video, crowded street celebrating defections:
July 16th, 2012, 11:59 pm
Juergen said:
In the salon of “Madame O”
“The Avenue Henri Martin is located in the affluent west of Paris green. The houses have large stately facades with separate entrances for servants. Men in livery, ready should guests arrive, the dark limousine to be guided by discrete wrought-iron gates. Here in the heart of the elegant XVI. District could be the new home of the renegade General Manaf Tlass are Syrian, who has broken with his childhood friend, Bashar al Assad. The French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius was the imminent arrival of General at the recent conference of the “Friends of Syria” announced in Paris. Fabius added that it was a serious blow to Assad’s regime.
Manaf Tlass was last brigadier general in the infamous Republican Guard, Bashar Assad’s brother Mahir commanded. Fabius’ announcements are now well back a week and in the French capital, the press is still holding in vain for the general, who was called because of his good looks, “Alain Delon Syria.” Laurent Fabius haws around now, when he is asked about the whereabouts of Tlass’. He also did not know where is the general, he said, grinning mysteriously. This has fueled the rumor Tlass resided long in the grand hôtel particulier on the Avenue Henri Martin, which belonged to his sister.”
http://translate.google.at/translate?hl=de&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.faz.net%2Faktuell%2Fpolitik%2Farabische-welt%2Fsyrische-deserteure-im-salon-von-madame-o-11821152.html
July 17th, 2012, 1:35 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
273. IRRITATED
You talk as if you were superior to all syrians, superior to any peasant, bedouin or kurd. But you are not. You seem to know better than syrians what syrians need and desire. B
You believe all the status quo achieved through clientelism, bribes, lies, tortures and killings is is sustainable in time? Not always… and of course whatever was reached by these means gives no moral superiority even if you were sent to the AUB.
So, let’s calm down and see what’s coming next. Assad could be one of 20.000 syrians died in the civil conflict.
July 17th, 2012, 3:06 am
Tara said:
Leading article: The balance of power in Syria has shifted
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-the-balance-of-power-in-syria-has-shifted-7946758.html
The nub of his plan was that both government and rebel forces should observe a ceasefire; each side has since accused the other of violations. But on the ground, Mr Assad cannot but recognise that fortune is not running in his favour. Any restraint the failed peace plan may have exerted has been accompanied by an increase in the numbers and fire power of the opposition; a trickle of key defections has begun. The best course for Western diplomacy now might be to focus less on persuading Russia to abandon its man in Damascus and more on convincing Mr Assad that the balance of forces in his own country has shifted and his days in power are numbered.
….
July 17th, 2012, 8:58 am
Tara said:
Syria fighting rages in Damascus, Russia pressed
By Erika Solomon and Mariam Karouny | Reuters – 1 hr 8 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-fighting-closes-capital-001616720.html
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Clashes in Damascus between rebels and state forces raged for a third day on Tuesday, in the fiercest fighting to hit Syria’s seat of power since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began 17 months ago.
Security forces and armored vehicles surrounded rebellious areas such as the southern district of Midan but have been unable to rout opposition fighters, activists say.
..
The government has said little about the unrest moving to the capital. State television reported on Monday that security forces were chasing “terrorist groups” hiding in some neighborhoods in Damascus.
…
Activist Yaacoub Hossein, an activist in the besieged Tadamon neighborhood, said rebel units had been dispersed across the city to avoid the same fate as the rebel stronghold of Baba Amr in the central city of Homs, which security forces surrounded and razed in March.
“They learned from Baba Amr not to concentrate their forces, they got brutally crushed. So fighters are spreading. You’ll notice the fighting will jump from place to place,” he said on Skype.
…..
“When you turn your guns against the heart of Damascus, on Midan, you have lost the city,” said Damascus-based activist Imad Moaz. “The rebels in the street have the support of families across Damascus.”
more…
July 17th, 2012, 9:13 am
Uzair8 said:
‘The Joint Commander of FSA in Syria has allegedly issued a deadline of August 1 as the last date allowed for defections by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad , activist in Homs said on Tuesday.’
[Activists]
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/fsa-syria-allegedly-issues-deadline-august-1-last-date-defections
This is interesting. I know it’s ‘alleged’. This would focus minds and hopefully draw defections quicker. :Whisper:…don’t tell anyone but the deadline will (surely) be extended.
July 17th, 2012, 9:24 am
Uzair8 said:
FSA – Assault on Precinct 13
With the FSA taking the battle to the heart of the beast, even central Damascus, Assad will be desperately hoping Annan can achieve some kind of ceasefire. Unfortunately for Assad, Annan will be occupied with the more urgent task of evacuating the UN Observers from the now unsafe Damascus.
July 17th, 2012, 9:30 am
Uzair8 said:
User’s have already shared with us the comments of the former Ambassador to Iraq.
Last night I was going to share an episode of The World Tonight on Radio 4 however I was denied internet access. The BBC interview with Nawaf Fares was discussed.
Syria covered from 7 min 28 sec.
– The quote in #165 from a Damascus resident.
– Russian Ambassador to the UN talked to Radio 4 about the western agenda for military intervention [from 8:50].
– BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardener talks about his interview with Nawaf Fares [from 15:46].
– Canadian journalist and academic Michael Ignatieff explains his recent piece in the The New York Review of Books entitled ‘How Syria divided the world’ [from 19:09]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ks4cf
July 17th, 2012, 9:53 am
zoo said:
Syrian refugees in Turkey riot over lack of water
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-refugees-in-turkey-riot-over-lack-of-water-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25677&NewsCatID=341
Four Turkish police officers and 10 Syrian refugees were injured after a riot broke out at a refugee camp in the southeastern province of Kilis.
Around 500 Syrian refugees staying at a camp near the Öncüpınar border gate staged a protest on the grounds that they were not receiving enough water, broadcaster NTV reported on its website today.
The group hurled stones at police and set garbage containers on fire after police demanded that they end the protest. Reinforcements were sent from the Kilis Police Department and gendarmerie forces, who intervened against the protesters with tear gas. Ten protesters who were affected by the gas were taken to hospital.
The garbage containers set alight by the protesters were put out by firefighters as police took control of the camp.
July 17th, 2012, 9:57 am
Observer said:
I think that time is not on the regime’s side. The Russians delayed and obfuscated and blocked to the point that now the events on the ground have taken a life of their own.
Now Putin is trying to set the clock back by supporting the Annan mission. The mission is dead, he cannot revive a dead horse even if he keeps flailing it.
Will he use chemical weapons? There are reports of several areas in the center of the country overrun by FSA and a demoralized troops essentially fleeing and units 1/10th the size remaining.
Cham Press is not glorious today. Check the site of SANA as well.
July 17th, 2012, 10:07 am
Uzair8 said:
Fighters apparently catch some Shabeeha and they play a trick. They ask one of the Shabeeha to phone his father, and pretending to have captured some FSA, to ask his father what they should do to with them.
Warning: Blasphemy.
July 17th, 2012, 10:07 am
Tara said:
I personally do not think that Batta would authorize the use of chemical weapons against the people. I just do not see it happening.
July 17th, 2012, 10:12 am
erin said:
Here we go.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9404452/US-refuses-to-help-Syrian-rebels-until-after-election.html
July 17th, 2012, 10:15 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Assad only mistake was believing he was more intelligent than people around him. This is a capital mistake when your are in power not for being more astute or intelligent but for being the son of someone who really was it.
July 17th, 2012, 10:18 am
zoo said:
Syria moving troops from Golan to Damascus: Israel
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-moving-troops-golan-damascus-israel-134324256.html
“Assad has removed many of his forces that were in the Golan Heights to the areas of (internal) conflict,” Major General Aviv Kochavi told MPs.
But Kochavi said “the probability of a conflict between Israel and Syria as a last resort for Assad is low.”
He warned that “radical Islam” was gaining ground in Syria, saying the country was undergoing a process of “Iraqisation,” with militant and tribal factions controlling different sectors of the country.
“We can see an ongoing flow of Al-Qaeda and global jihad activists into Syria,” he said.
And with the Assad regime weakening, “the Golan Heights could become an arena of activity against Israel, similar to the situation in Sinai, as a result of growing jihad movement in Syria.”
Without committing to a time framework, Kochavi predicted that Assad “won’t survive the upheaval,” and said “Hezbollah and Iran are preparing for the day after Assad’s fall.”
Kochavi also said Israel was closely monitoring the “possibility that advanced and unconventional arms would reach terror groups.”
Last month, Israel’s deputy chief of the general staff, Major General Yair Naveh, said that Syria holds the “biggest chemical weapons arsenal in the world.”
July 17th, 2012, 10:19 am
bronco said:
#303 Tara
I personally do not think that Batta would authorize the use of chemical weapons against the people. I just do not see it happening.
The fear is that, if they exist, they fall in the hands of the jihadists who would use them, for sure, and especially against Israel now that the Syrian army has withdrawn from the Golan borders
July 17th, 2012, 10:22 am
zoo said:
Israeli intel chief: jihadis head for Syria border
By AMY TEIBEL | Associated Press – 51 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-intel-chief-jihadis-head-syria-border-133307944.html?_esi=1
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military intelligence chief is warning that global jihadis may take advantage of chaos in neighboring Syria to start attacking Israel.
Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi says the area next to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights could become an arena for anti-Israel operations, just as militants have used Egypt’s Sinai desert to target southern Israel.
July 17th, 2012, 10:25 am
zoo said:
Clashes continue in Syria despite deadline for rebels to surrender
2012-07-17 15:45:46
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/17/c_131720918.htm
DAMASCUS, July 17 (Xinhua) — The clashes between the Syrian troops and armed groups have continued overnight and after daybreak Tuesday in a number of rebellious Damascus’ southern neighborhoods, which have emerged as strongholds for armed insurgency.
Syrian troops have launched a wide-scale operation Sunday in Midan, Tadamun, Zamalka, Harasta, Jobar, Qaboun and nearby allies. The operation continued as a result of the armed response from the other armed parties.
Media reports said the army has given a deadline for the armed rebels to surrender themselves and lay down their weapons, however, and as the night fell down the sounds of shootout and in some cases vague explosions have intensified dramatically leaving residents to stay up most of the night counting the shootings.
The military operations came in tandem with reports by some opposition websites talking about the hour Zero, at which the armed rebels are supposed to launch several assaults simultaneously in sensitive areas across the capital in unison with media coverage to facilitate the armed groups operation.
The urban battles have sent many people to flee their homes and seek refuge in other areas. Scores of gunmen have reportedly got killed in the clashes, media reports said.
July 17th, 2012, 10:29 am
Tara said:
Bronco
Bashar is in bed with Alqaeda. He brought them to Syria and used them in Iraq. The fear is that he gives them a green light to use the chemical weapon against Israel now that he pulled the army from tha Golan borders to make it sound like it is the revolution’s fault.
July 17th, 2012, 10:30 am
zoo said:
The voting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 18 at United Nations Security Council.
Russia will “veto” UNSC draft on Syria
(DP-News – agencies)
http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=126470
United Nations- Russia Today TV Channel quoted Churkin as saying, ” Any hint to Chapter VII in Western draft resolution will be totally unacceptable to Moscow”, pledging that Russia will use veto against it.
…
The Russian Envoy pointed out to a Russian decision prepared by his country to vote for at the Security Council with regard to Russia’s readiness to adopt a draft resolution that would expand the mission of UNSMIS in Syria.
But, he added, “if you set the goal of changing regime by force no matter what, you have your geo-political agenda, then you do what you have to do. But it they want us to approve of their sanctions and policy of forcible regime change, this is not going to happen.”
The voting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 18 at United Nations Security Council. Moscow suggests extending a mandate of UN observers in Syria for 3 more months to seek a ceasefire between the sides involved in the conflict which meets an agreement reached in Geneva in late June.
The Russian project is opposed by the UK, the US, France and Germany who all insist on military intervention in Syria.
July 17th, 2012, 10:36 am
bronco said:
Tara #309
The jihadists financed by Saudi Arabia are cooperating with the FSA, not with the regime. I am not saying it, all experts in terrorist agree.
It is certain that Al Qaeeda is the bogeyman of the West and it is natural to use their existence as one deterrent, not an ally.
The fall of the Syrian regime, if it happens, may give them freehand to establish their basis in Syria.
Who will dislodge them?
July 17th, 2012, 10:45 am
Tara said:
Bronco
” I am not saying it, all experts in terrorist agree.”
I think that was a victory for al Assad that none of the “analysts” has fully “analyzed” the relationship between al Qaeda and the regime. Who did Bashar send to the Iraq to sow civil war and kill Americans? Were they not Jihadists? Why did the media not pick up elaborately on the declaration of the defected Syrian Ambassador to Iraq in regard to the regime’s history of exporting jihadists to Iraq. Why wouldn’t the regime direct them towards Israel to create fear of the revolution and hamper any possible future international support?
July 17th, 2012, 11:10 am
Amjad said:
“Who will dislodge them?”
Certainly not Batta. Apparently “Al Qaeda terrorists” are, after all these months, just a few kilometers away from the presidential palace. If it’s a strong-man you are looking for, better look elsewhere
July 17th, 2012, 11:26 am
habib said:
“We cannot understand that a superpower ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of an election campaign that a president may win or lose. That’s why we are saying there is work that must take place at the Security Council.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9404452/US-refuses-to-help-Syrian-rebels-until-after-election.html
Lol, beggars can’t be choosers.
July 17th, 2012, 11:31 am
bronco said:
Tara
Turkey is the same: They close their eyes on the passage of the FSA soldiers, jihadists and weapons to Syria, but are they sending them?
During the US occupation of Iraq, it is possible, but not proven that the Syrian government did the same as Turkey is doing now, allowing all forces possible to kick the USA out. In war, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Looking on the other side when jihadists were crossing to Iraq is not the same as going to bed with them.
Remember that al Qaeeda was created by the USA allowing jihadists to fight in Afghanistan against Russia. It does not mean they send them. According to this logic, Erdogan is also going to bed with Al Qaeeda.
July 17th, 2012, 11:41 am
AIG said:
So Bronco now admits that the Syrian regime has been protecting Israel all these years from attacks by Jihadists in the Golan! So much for all the “resistance” hypocrisy.
Yes, there will be jihadists, but only Assad is to blame for that. He mismanaged the situation in Syria badly instead of making real reforms years ago.
July 17th, 2012, 11:44 am
bronco said:
314. Amjad said:
If it’s a strong-man you are looking for, better look elsewhere
Obama? Erdogan? Ghaliun?
Next we’ll the US and NATO troops in Syria to chase tbe jihadists like they are doing in Yemen with the help of the Yemeni army.
This time the stake is higher: Israel is next door and the Syrian army would have been destroyed. .
July 17th, 2012, 11:46 am
Syrialover said:
How vital is Syria’s Tartus port to Russia?
Thousands of Russians live and work in Syria, many working on defence contracts, maintaining and upgrading weaponry already supplied, but there appear to be relatively few at Tartus.
Video footage taken on a recent visit by Russian journalists shows a sleepy, half-deserted port with ageing Russian trucks, an officer’s overgrown orchard and a few decrepit supply hangars.
“The Western media have got it all wrong in portraying Tartus and arms sales to Syria as a major reason why Russia is standing by the Assad regime,” says Ruslan Aliev.
Full story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18616191
July 17th, 2012, 11:50 am
bronco said:
#317 AIG
Syria was protecting itself from Sunni Jihadists, as they have opposed Moslem Brotherhood for years. Israel benefited indirectly of that protection, now it’s over, the Jihadists may soon be at Israel’s doorstep, like in Gaza, and it is up to Israel to protect itself.
Yes, there will be jihadists, but only Assad is to blame for that
So you blame the USA for creating al Qaeeda? Then does the USA deserves 9/11 ?
July 17th, 2012, 11:51 am
mjabali said:
Observer:
You asked me about what is my opinion regarding Chemical weapons and linked us to an article claiming that al-Assad had taken his chemical weapons out of its “safe” depots.
I am against violence across the board. Chemical weapon, when used, is a crime against humanity and the international law is clear about it.
If al-Assad is moving them, I have no idea, but I would say why not since most of his posts are subject to attacks sooner or later. Now, if the Chemical weapons fell into the hands of the opposition the scenario is not better. Violence is the method of choice these days and this violence is causing this chemical question.
The situation in Syria is not calming down. The world needs to work fast. Chemical or bio weapons are dangerous and remember that the Syrian army is well stacked with many different lethal weapons also. The shame is that Syrians are using it against each other. Since you have political weight, could you speak the parties and make them do something?
July 17th, 2012, 11:57 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Shahbander
testing,I was having problem with internet and posting in SC
July 17th, 2012, 11:58 am
bronco said:
319. Syrialover
It is part of the Western media propaganda to reduce Russia’s role in Syria to material interests such as its “naval base” and its “sales contract” for weapons.
The western media prefers to ignore that Russia has wider geopolitical ambition in the region because they will have to admit that its is to counteract the USA hegemony.
It is easier to make Russia look “cheap” and “mean” and the West “generous” and “human”.
July 17th, 2012, 12:01 pm
Syrialover said:
BBC’s Frank Gardner knows more about al-Qaeda than most. He was shot and seriously wounded by them in Saudi Arabia a few years ago.
Story:
Former Syrian diplomat Nawaf Fares, who defected last week, has said President Bashar al-Assad has colluded with al-Qaeda to carry out attacks. But how valid are the claims, asks the BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner in Doha.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18868526
July 17th, 2012, 12:10 pm
zoo said:
“Erdoğan might be subjected to pressure from Moscow to take it slowly, to distance himself and Turkey from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and to tell Syrian opposition to endorse a more conciliatory stance for a slower shift of power.”
‘Russia is not naive, it knows Assad will soon leave’
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia-is-not-naive-it-knows-assad-will-soon-leave.aspx?pageID=449&nID=25644&NewsCatID=412
Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs:
“There are no naive people here in Moscow. [Syrian leader Beshar] Al-Assad will go, sooner rather than later. His power is veining,” Lukyanov said in a phone interview.
Military intervention to Syria is a red line for Russia according to Lukyanov. Direct military intervention still remains the very last and least desired option for Turkey, so this is not the main point where Ankara and Moscow disagree.
Their divergence of viewpoints comes in regards to the pace of al-Assad’s departure from power. The two also fail to see eye to eye on the aftermath of al-Assad.
Moscow prefers a gradual slow shift of power, according to Lukyanov, which is in contradiction to Turkey’s wish for the al-Assad regime to end as soon as possible.
…
Looking from Ankara, it might look as if Erdoğan is going to Moscow on a persuasion mission to convince Putin to drop Russia’s support for al–Assad. But looking from Moscow, the persuasion mission can take a reverse direction. Erdoğan might be subjected to pressure from Moscow to take it slowly, to distance himself and Turkey from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and to tell Syrian opposition to endorse a more conciliatory stance for a slower shift of power.
July 17th, 2012, 12:11 pm
bronco said:
#324 SL
But how valid are the claims,
The guy is late, unfounded WMD claims are no more the open sesame for military action.
July 17th, 2012, 12:18 pm
Syrialover said:
#323 Bronco said: “It is easier to make Russia look “cheap” and “mean” and the West “generous” and “human”.”
That’s because they ARE.
And more sophisticated western media and analysts have consistently made the point that Syria is about Russia protecting it’s alliance with Iran and the neighbouring “Stans”.
For example:
If Tehran returns to a pro-Western orientation, Moscow’s stranglehold on the central Asian republics will be over.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450004577277820529873332.html
July 17th, 2012, 12:23 pm
AIG said:
Bronco,
Was there a civil war in the US that the US government could have prevented by listening to the people and making the appropriate reforms? No. There are jihadists in Syria because of the unrest and the unrest is a result of Bashar’s Assad short sighted policies and heavy hand against protesters.
And yes, there will be jihadists on Israel’s border. We will just have to deal with that. It is certainly not a reason to want Assad in power. It may take some time, but Assad will be gone. Israel is preparing for the day after.
July 17th, 2012, 12:26 pm
Syrialover said:
In Iran, a Public Debate on Syria
Tehran Diplomats Challenge Support of Regional Ally Assad, Raising Rare Public Questions on Iranian Policy.
Excerpt:
Iran’s foreign policy rests largely with the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the country is still considered a staunch ally of Mr. Assad. But dissent over Iran’s support of Mr. Assad has appeared to grow, largely from diplomats in the Foreign Ministry, signaling to some analysts that Tehran is at least considering a backup plan—such as reaching out to the opposition and advocating reform and a quiet transition—should Mr. Assad fall.
“The entire world is against Syria and we are standing here defending Syria, a country accused of crimes against humanity. We are not playing this game very well,” Mohamad Ali Sobhani, a current diplomat who has served as Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon and Jordan, said in an interview published last week on the semiofficial news website Khabaronline.com.
Mr. Assad’s days are clearly numbered and Iran will lose influence and interest if it doesn’t shift course, Mr. Sobhani added.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303919504577521271603430022.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
July 17th, 2012, 12:27 pm
annie said:
About Israel, don’t you all think that Syrians have better things to do than to go for Israel at a time when the battle is not even over and when there is so much to be reconstructed and organized ?
July 17th, 2012, 12:35 pm
bronco said:
#327 SL
Then the Western media convinced you. Like many, you now see the world though Hillary’s yes.
Good for you, it’s comfortable to live with certainties.
July 17th, 2012, 12:49 pm
irritated said:
330. annie
Better suggestion: Sign a peace treaty with Israel and get some Israeli companies to do the reconstruction.
July 17th, 2012, 12:51 pm
Tara said:
Bronco
The narrative of chemical weapons falling into jihadist’ hands should not serve the regime in my opinion, rather it should hasten its falls.
The western powers should view Syria as a failed state in its current shape and should work hard on rather removing the regime and replacing it with an entity that is democratic and powerful to maintain stability. After 17 months of uprising, they should realize the will, determination, and perseverance of the Syrian people in their quest to achieve their aspiration and that no one will be capable of finishing off the revolution. I think removing Bashar should be viewed as an easier task.
July 17th, 2012, 12:53 pm
Syrialover said:
#331. Bronco said:
“Then the Western media convinced you.”
No, I convinced myself through reading and travelling and the other ususual ways.
(Including reading modern history – which seems to have been forgotten pre-2009 in a lot of popular media.)
And did the Russian media convince you? Are you seeing things through Putin’s eyes?
July 17th, 2012, 1:00 pm
AIG said:
Irritated,
So those are the two options? Either attack Israel or let Israeli companies do the reconstruction? You can’t think of anything between? How about doing what Assad did in the Golan, mainly nothing?
July 17th, 2012, 1:03 pm
bronco said:
#334 SL
And did the Russian media convince you? Are you seeing things through Putin’s eyes?
No, but I leave the door to doubts about the real motivation of these super powers. History shows that none are 100% reliable.
In view of the behavior of the USA thousand of kms away from its borders in the last decades, and its ‘strong friends’ in the region (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Mobarak’s Egypt) I have more suspicions toward the USA then toward Russia.
The ‘good’ West vs the ‘evil’ Russia does not work for me.
July 17th, 2012, 1:10 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
BRONCO, IRRITATED, JAD and rest of the gang:
Assad’s end is near, congratulations for letting feel the guy the people was supporting him. Or at least let him feel the support of someone in Damascus tamerlangis up town quarters, i.e: Malki, Abu Roummaneh, Kafr Suseh, etc. Otherwise he would have not been stupid enough to committ political suicide as he did.
Congratulations !!! You did it !!! Your self-confidence is near to destroy the Assadian System.
We are getting ready for the party, you are invited too. But if someone from Hizballah-Mossad-AlQaedaFromBiladAlSham offers you a large box with a gift inside please take and throw it from Qassiun Mountain to the Presidential Palace. We do not accept gift bombs from crazy retired presidents.
July 17th, 2012, 1:19 pm
Syrialover said:
Bronco #336
You make it far, far too simple.
Start reading up with WWII.
And, by the way, you have answered my question on whether you are seeing things through Putin’s eyes.
July 17th, 2012, 1:20 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Although sometimes I have some optimistic feelings about the end of Assad I must admit that I fear Damascus, a very extensive city, of about 6 million people, be can be turned into a new Beirut, a divided city with green lines, where an all-out civil war can take place for long hot and cold months.
In this case I can imagine some of the red lines that could divide the city:
1) Southern autostrade or Muhallaq Al Janoubi with Daraia, Nahr Aisha, Qadam, West Ghouta on one side and New Kafr Susa and Mezze on the other side. Midan in the middle.
2) Al Adawi or 6th October autostrade and Ibn Nafis or Thawra autostrade with people moving inside the capital through the Basateen.
3) Abu Baker Al Saddiq and Ibn Al Assakir could be the last assault linking Ommayad Square to Abbaseen Square.
I hope we do not get to this point.
July 17th, 2012, 1:40 pm
AIG said:
It is quite impressive how the FSA were able to coordinate so many fighters and attack Damascus as one. And the tactic of not holing up in one location but attacking and moving on is brilliant. What is Assad going to do, flatten Damascus also? Maybe, but then at least most Syrians would have to admit that he is completely inept.
July 17th, 2012, 1:44 pm
irritated said:
#339 SL
If Damascus falls, be sure it will be divided. All civil wars have ended up with dividing the country and the cities.
Keep up with your optimism.
July 17th, 2012, 1:49 pm
bronco said:
338. Syrialover
Aren’t you the one simpliying : The Good West Vs The Bad Russia
July 17th, 2012, 1:54 pm
zoo said:
A Syrian Shalabi in the making?
Syria defector Tlass in Paris, urges constructive transition
AFP – 28 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-general-defects-turkey-diplomat-153321826.html
General Manaf Tlass, a key defector from the regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, said in a statement sent to AFP Tuesday that he was in Paris and called for a “constructive transition” in his country.
“I sincerely hope that the blood stops flowing and that the country emerges from the crisis through a phase of constructive transition that guarantees Syria its unity, stability and security, as well as the aspirations of its people,” he said in the statement.
“I am ready like any other Syrian, with no other ambition, to fulfill my civic duty to contribute to a better future for my country, as much as I can, and like all those… who have already made many sacrifices,” he said.
July 17th, 2012, 1:58 pm
Tara said:
Irritated
You mean if Damascus is liberated?
Do not worry Irritated, Damascenes will not be engaged in killings and civil war. And yes, we are different.,,And I recently decided to get you invited to my “rich family’s villa ” that overlooks Zanadani valley to celebrate the democratic Syria. Prepare to be awed.
July 17th, 2012, 1:59 pm
zoo said:
Loud voice Qatar paying the USA to protect them
US building missile defense station in Qatar: report
AFP – 1 hr 41 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/us-building-missile-defense-station-qatar-report-161726873.html
The Pentagon is building a missile defense radar station at a covert location in Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The site will be part of a system intended to defend the interests of the United States and its allies against Iranian rockets, unnamed US officials told the newspaper.
July 17th, 2012, 2:01 pm
Uzair8 said:
The continued reality or the appearance of chaos and insecurity in Damascus could increase the likelihood of:
– An attempted military coup
– Large and significant defections
– Cities like Aleppo deciding to turn against Assad after calculating his ability to punish them has weakend while he has his hands full in Damascus.
– Paralysis of trade and business in the capital thus weakening the economy further. Damascenes may struggle to travel to work.
Etc, etc….
July 17th, 2012, 2:02 pm
Erin said:
Moderator!.
I am not sure why my comment are not published!.
can you explain.
thanks
July 17th, 2012, 2:02 pm
irritated said:
Tara
Sorry, I have no intention to celebrate the destruction of Syria and the pain and misery that it will bring to the people.
July 17th, 2012, 2:03 pm
irritated said:
340. AIG
It is quite impressive how the FSA were able to coordinate so many fighters and attack Damascus as one.
High tech communication equipment send by the USA and the Friends of Syria and CIA training.
July 17th, 2012, 2:06 pm
Tara said:
Irritated
I don’t know for sure but I think the future will prove you wrong.
July 17th, 2012, 2:07 pm
Uzair8 said:
Earlier when I read a particular Manaf Tlass comment (see below) on AJE blog, my instinct was to think this is an attempt to salvage the reputation of the army. I even thought maybe he was sent out by the army for this very purpose. They were initial thoughts and the last sentence just reflects my cynicism and annoyance. I know it’s not as simple as that.
Just seen elswhere someone else reflect similar sentiments.
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/tlass-expressed-his-anger-and-pain-at/
The comment:
Tlass expressed his: “…anger and pain at seeing the army pushed to carry out a fight that is against its principles…”
July 17th, 2012, 2:12 pm
ghufran said:
“حازم” وهو ناشط دمشقي وشارك في عدة مظاهرات في المزة وكفرسوسة: أعرف أن كلامي سوف يغضب الكثيرين وقد يتهمونني بخيانة الثورة، ولكن لا يهمني ذلك لأنني إذا حاولت تفادي نار هذا الاتهام فسوف أجد نفسي أما نار أخرى هي خيانتي لمدينتي وبلدي، أنا مع الثورة ومع الاستمرار بها ولكن لا يمكنني قبول أن يكون نتيجة ذلك تدمير دمشق بتاريخها وتراثها وغناها الحضاري” ويوجه كلامه إلى رفاقه في الحراك الثوري قائلاً: أرجوكم لا تقحموا دمشق في الأعمال العسكرية، إنها العاصمة، ويجب أن يكون لها حسابات مختلفة عن المدن الأخرى، ثم انتبهوا إلى أننا لم نتمكن من إقناع أهالي دمشق بالمساهمة الفعالة معنا والنزول إلى الشوارع للتظاهر سلمياً فهل سيكون بإمكاننا كسب تأييدهم للثورة من خلال المواجهات العسكرية، إنها مجازفة مجنونة ولا يمكنني توقع ما سيترتب على هذه الحماقة من آثار قد ترمي بثورتنا إلى التهلكة”
I have been wrong before,but I think that moving the battle to the streets of Damascus was a stupid decision and a free gift to the regime.
July 17th, 2012, 2:18 pm
Uzair8 said:
Syria expert Joshua Landis: “Torn” about whether US should get more involved
July 16, 2012
Bashar al-Assad “is living in this little world [where] everyone else is an extremist,” Landis said. Assad is a “loser” and “will never be able to put Syria back together again.”
http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/2012/07/syria-expert-joshua-landis-torn-about-whether-us-should-get-more-involved/
July 17th, 2012, 2:35 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
For those of you who started counting your chicken before they have hatched.
A year ago we were told that Hims and Hama were beyond the regime’s control and the regime’s days were numbered. Today Hims and Hama are still under the regime’s control, with major neighborhoods having been destroyed and emptied of their residents, with a tremendous loss of life and property. The tragedy of Hims and Hama is still unfolding. The FSA and militant gangs have not been able to deliver on their promises and predictions in Hims and Hama.
What makes you think that this latest incursion into Damascus will end any different than Hims, Hama, Zabadani, Douma, Rankous, Haffeh, Daraa…..??
We will probably still read the same predictions and promises a year from now, after much more loss of life and property.
The Lebanese civil war lasted more than fifteen years, and drew many outside regional and non-regional forces who were eventually pushed or forced to leave, each with their own heavy losses incurred during their venture into Lebanon.
I used to think that the Lebanese were so foolish, for not being able to see, the tragic end of their foolish infighting. Syrians are as foolish if not more.
July 17th, 2012, 2:38 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
354. SALAH ADDIN
Lebanon was clearly pushed to war by Israel, Palestinians, Syria, USSR, USA, France and a handfull of lebanese bad politicians who sold themselves to the evil for 2 pennies. How could reach an agreement 6 or 7 different communities or political mafias supported by different international actors?
The case of Syria is much different and much simpler. This is the case of a brainless president-boy surrounded by border-line young advisers who one day decided to bullet and torture anyone who demonstrated against “their” regime.
Not even the deepest analysis on Lebanon could give reasons for what was happening there.
While even for me it is crystal clear what’s going on in Syria from day 1 of the Revolution Era (15 March 2011).
July 17th, 2012, 2:53 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
So Bashar pulled troops from the front with Israel. This means Bashar is running out of troops..and it could mean that Bashar Alawi and Sunni supporters in Assad army may ask for assylum in Israel.
July 17th, 2012, 3:20 pm
bronco said:
#354 Salah Eddine
I used to think that the Lebanese were so foolish, for not being able to see, the tragic end of their foolish infighting. Syrians are as foolish if not more.
It took them 15 years to realize that. In the meantime the historical center of Beirut as well as many suburbs were destroyed and dilapidated, many people were tortured, raped and killed, the city and the country divided along sectarian lines, huge displacements of population while educated youth left for quieter places. Until now the country is hardly able to recover.
Ask them now. The Lebanese will tell you: Whatever were the reasons, there was no justification to reach that level of violence.
The idealistic expats are on for huge shock if they see the Souk Al Hamidieh destroyed, the Ommayad mosque in ruins, Hazem Palace occupied by rebels and fighters indifferent to the value of the city compared to the values they are fighting for. Will they still cheer them up and console themselves by repeating that it’s all the fault of Bashar?.
July 17th, 2012, 3:24 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
SL @355
A simple and quick comparison.
We can argue that the cause of the Lebanese civil war was the 1969 Qairo agreement, the many clashes between the Lebanese Army and the PLO, or the Ain El-Rumanneh bus incident. We can argue that President Sulaiman Frangieh was an incompetent buffoon, who mismanaged the situation and allowed it to turn into a civil war. No analysis will change the fact that once the situation turned into civil war, that beast took on a life of its own.
What happened in Daraa is history and since that day, many cities and neighborhoods have been damaged or destroyed and thousands of lives lost, while the fire of the civil war is still being stoked.
You can blame it on the “brainless president-boy” all day long.
I blame the Lebanese civil war on the foolish Lebanese and their actions, and not on outsiders including the PLO. It was their country to keep or destroy.
The Syrians are more foolish than the Lebanese. Especially when they had the benefit of their next door neighbor tragic experience.
July 17th, 2012, 3:32 pm
ghufran said:
قال الجيش السوري الحر إن “معركة تحرير دمشق” قد بدأت وإن هناك خطة للسيطرة على العاصمة، بينما أكد وزير الخارجية البريطاني أنه لا يستبعد “أي خيار” في المستقبل للتعامل مع الأزمة السورية.
ونقلت وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية عن العقيد قاسم سعد الدين المتحدث باسم القيادة المشتركة للجيش الحر في الداخل قوله إن “معركة تحرير دمشق بدأت والمعارك لن تتوقف”
وأضاف “لدينا خطة واضحة للسيطرة على كل دمشق”، رافضا الكشف عن المزيد من التفاصيل.
وتابع قائلا إن الجيش الحر “قرر نقل المعركة الى العاصمة ردا على مجزرة التريمسة والقصف العنيف الذي تتعرض له حمص”.
“بركان دمشق”
وكانت “القيادة المشتركة للجيش السوري الحر في الداخل” اعلنت بدء عملية “بركان دمشق” في كل المدن والمحافظات السورية
July 17th, 2012, 3:32 pm
Uzair8 said:
Hopefully there won’t be destruction of the Souks or mosques unless Assad repeats what he did to other regions.
As for the people, would those Dasmascenes who weren’t shocked by Houla and similar be as bothered about the Souks and mosques being in ruins?
As for the Lebanese example and being foolish. Assad and the Alawite minority wouldn’t be foolish enough to fight the majority? Would they?
What can be more foolish than that?
July 17th, 2012, 3:36 pm
bronco said:
If the FSA fails to take over Damascus this time, they’ll never get another chance.
A failure will be a blow to the FSA’s credibility and it will be requested by the UN to move its troops out of Damascus supervised by UNMIS back in Syria to prepare the political process.
July 17th, 2012, 3:38 pm
bronco said:
360. Uzair8 said:
Hopefully
Don’t be too hopeful, a civil war has no tabus.
July 17th, 2012, 3:41 pm
Observer said:
BRONCO
Why don’t you visit Homs to see the destruction brought by this murderous regime? You can go on line and you can see the destruction brought about with the use of heavy weapons.
Intelligence and organizational skills as well brutality and stupidity and greed and love of power is universal human trait.
In her book the March of Folly Brabara Tuchman talks about foolish decision in the world history one of which was the pope selling indulgences and the othe is the Vietnam war and I am sure the Iraq war and I am most certain the lack of true reforms in 2001 when Fredo took over from his late father and he did not do a thing and the foolish decision to window dress the current reforms while suppressing peaceful demonstrations.
Once again I ask what is your position on the potential use of chemical weapons by the regime. Your silence and that of JAD and ANN and Irritated on this question is defeaning
July 17th, 2012, 3:44 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
361. BRONCO,
Why? Why there would be no other chance? FSA is not based on “credibility” nor on national or intl press acceptance but on men and supporters who fight for a unique end. The end of Assad.
July 17th, 2012, 3:46 pm
Juergen said:
Salahadin
see 2 years ago nobody would ever think something like a revolution would happen in Assad Syria. Go figure.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150974036221247&set=a.10150555196441247.389740.17702461246&type=1&theater
July 17th, 2012, 3:49 pm
zoo said:
The Damascus “Volcano” does not seem to send lavas in the political circles still pursuing the return of the UNMIS in Damascus.
Russia fully support Annan’s mediation efforts on Syria: Putin
2012-07-17 21:30:01
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/17/c_131721510.htm
After Putin’s meeting with Annan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Russia believes the UN Security Council could reach a consensus on a planned new resolution on Syria.
“We were able to reach a consensus at the conference Kofi Annan had convened in Geneva, and I can see no reason why we should not reach agreement in the Security Council as well,” Lavrov said.
Annan hoped that the UN Security Council members could manage to figure out “acceptable wording suitable for all.”
During his late Monday talks with Lavrov, Annan supported Russia’s proposal of extending the UN monitoring mission in Syria which would expire on July 21.
Moscow asked Annan to work with both external players and Syrian opposition groups for the settlement of the crisis.
July 17th, 2012, 3:51 pm
Juergen said:
Majed
i hope that straightens the picture that Assad is the big liberator for the Palestinians. What a joke.
July 17th, 2012, 3:56 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Breaking news: Assad defects from its own regime. Russia and Hezballah accuses Bashar Al Assad of being under control of zionists and imperialists powers and ask international community to stop foreign interfering in Russian Iranian affairs inside Syria. Assad’s son Hafez Al Assad declared legitimate new president of Syria.
July 17th, 2012, 3:57 pm
irritated said:
#368 SL
I hope you are not alone to celebrate or to be taken to the nearest hospital
July 17th, 2012, 4:06 pm
Expatriate said:
after dichlorvos cockroaches flipped on its back!
July 17th, 2012, 4:08 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Observer 363
“…Once again I ask what is your position on the potential use of chemical weapons by the regime. Your silence and that of JAD and ANN and Irritated on this question is deafening”.
They and other mnhebaks said that the Hama 1982 “was necessary to save Syria”.
.
July 17th, 2012, 4:13 pm
bronco said:
Latest news indicate that the “Damascus Volcano” turned out to be some dull fireworks and the armed rebels are now running in disarray from places to places in Damascus to save their lives.
I want to thank our local strategist for his prediction of this “decisive battle” in Damascus. It has been certainly decisive.
July 17th, 2012, 4:21 pm
irritated said:
#371 Amir In Tel Aviv
And the massacres of Gaza and Lebanon saved Israel.
July 17th, 2012, 4:25 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
372. BRONCO
Do not panic, this is just the first round of “conversations”.
July 17th, 2012, 4:26 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
FSA declared that current fight in Damascus is not,repeat it is not the battle that they intend to fight..
Those who thinks that the best way is peacefull change, they must agree that Assad made it impossible to end in a peacefull way, he choose the brutal security way,you can not negotiate peacefully with very violent regime.
Juergen
They can lie for short time but they can not lie for long, there is a saying in Syria. FOLLOW THE LIER TO THE DOOR OF THE HOUSE,Assad never was ressistance supporter, in 2006 Assad did not fire one bullet against Israel ,as Israel destroyed Lebanon.
July 17th, 2012, 4:26 pm
Stick to the truth said:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NG18Ak02.html
Despite the bravado of the opposition, a rebel told Reuters on Monday that his comrades would have left the city much earlier if they had not been encircled by the government forces: “They want to leave. If they were able to leave they would have left … The whole area is surrounded.” [1]
July 17th, 2012, 4:26 pm
irritated said:
#364 Sandro Lowe
You expect a next battle of Damascus soon? I don’t.
I haven’t seen the promised massive strikes, road closed, airport occupied, massive demonstrations. Was it just a dressed rehearsal and the “comparse” did not show up?
Quite a bloody, noisy and theatrical FSA demonstration, good enough for Al Jazeera and some media to get excited.
Ultimately a disappointment for the hopefuls.
July 17th, 2012, 4:38 pm
irritated said:
376. Stick to the truth
It seems that in Midan the inhabitants asked the army to allow for a corridor for the armed rebels to leave. The army responded that as the rebels rejected the earlier offers, time for negotiation has passed.
The rebels are surrounded and won’t be allowed to make a ‘tactical’ retreat this time
July 17th, 2012, 4:42 pm
zoo said:
Implications of the ICR declaring that Syria is in civil war:
“The Syrian military will have more authority to kill persons based on their being part of the armed opposition than when Assad was restricted to using force under peacetime rules.”
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NG18Ak02.html
Even the Red Cross statement is not as singlehandedly supportive of the rebels as many observers have interpreted it to be. As Mary Ellen O’Connell, a prominent legal scholar and a professor of law and international dispute resolution at the University of Notre Dame, told Asia Times Online in an email, “[The ICRC statement] means that the Assad regime is facing an organized armed opposition engaging in military force, and it has the legal right to respond in kind. The Syrian military will have more authority to kill persons based on their being part of the armed opposition than when Assad was restricted to using force under peacetime rules.”
She added,
Before the situation escalated to armed conflict, Assad faced serious charges for violations of human rights. Now he may also face charges for violating international humanitarian law, but those are potentially less serious than charges of crimes against humanity …
Outside military intervention on the side of the opposition, even now, would only be lawful with Security Council authorization … The Assad regime, by contrast, as the government in control, may legally request assistance unless the Security Council prohibits it by imposing, for example, an arms embargo.
July 17th, 2012, 4:48 pm
Stick to the truth said:
#378 IRRITATED
The volcano seems to be a sort of “mother of all battles”
More ash than lava
July 17th, 2012, 4:49 pm
irritated said:
#375 MajedAlkhaldoon
Ok, then it was a dressed rehearsal, despite the advertisement calling it ‘a turning point’ etc….
From the public reception, it appears they need much more rehearsal weeks or months to be ready for the ‘premiere’
July 17th, 2012, 4:53 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
The fact is that every day more syrians, defectors and mercenaries unite the SLA, while day after day VIP defectors leave Assad more and more alone. The circle is streightening and attacks on the regime are happening inside Damascus, barely some 2 miles from Assad Presidential Palace. The momentum tendency is clear. Denying it is a fool’s behaviour.
July 17th, 2012, 4:58 pm
ghufran said:
advocates of a violent solution to this crisis,pro and anti regime,will be morally and legally responsible for any destruction that may affect Damascus,the hate and disregard to life, culture and history some Syrians and non Syrians have for Syria,and Damascus in particular, is astounding, I did not expect more from Umaraa Alma\’ez in the GCC but I am shocked that some Syrians are taking this issue lightly, I do not know of any city that can match Damascus in its historical and cultural significance,Syrians may end up doing more damage to Damascus than Israel did.
July 17th, 2012, 5:07 pm
zoo said:
The alleged Syrian helicopter shot in Al Qabun was shot in Kabul
ناشط: الصورة المنشورة لمروحية سقطت في القابون هي لمروحية سقطت بأفغانستان
http://syria-politic.com/ar/Default.aspx?subject=854#.UAXTCFJASok
أكد ناشط سوري في إحدى التنسيقيات لـ”سيريا بوليتيك” أنه حتى الآن لا يوجد
ما يؤكد إسقاط مروحية مقاتلة تابعة للجيش السوري في منطقة القابون، مشيرا إلى أن “بث أخبار من هذا النوع بدون أدلة تؤكدها ليتبين لاحقا أنها غير صحيحة هو أمر لا يخدم الثورة”، على حد تعبيره.
http://syria-politic.com/Public/SubjectImages/8532-jets.jpg
July 17th, 2012, 5:09 pm
Ghufran said:
قال رئيس “المجلس الوطني” المعارض عبد الباسط سيدا، يوم الثلاثاء، إن “المعارضة تؤيد تشكيل حكومة انتقالية في سوريا تضم مسؤولين من الحكومة الحالية الذين لم يشاركوا بالمجازر في سوريا”.
July 17th, 2012, 5:37 pm
Aleksandr Naydenov said:
It’s worth noting that Uzbekistan is going through a period of unrest, specifically with president Islam Karimov unable to do another term, leaving a man named Akbar Abdullaev as the only likely remaining candidate. Akbar Abdullaev brags about the people he’s had killed. Hell, today a legal firm had to close their offices in Tashkent because Abdullaev has made threats on their lives. Syria has made it obvious how much the world needs to care about these situations.
July 17th, 2012, 5:39 pm
omen said:
will he or won’t he?
bashar is mercurial. we don’t know what he’ll do. how many profiles have we read which detailed over and over again how he’d agreed to a course of action one day but then changing his mind the next?
what of the insiders? what are they urging him to do?
could this be a clue?
what if similarly hard-nosed regime advisors keep urging bashar to escalate?
July 17th, 2012, 5:40 pm
Tara said:
I am not disappointed by the dress rehearsal at all. Syria’s liberation has to come through Damascus. There is no way out. The armed rebels are gaining the experience for future battles. I pray for those Syrians who are losing their lives to grant us freedom.
July 17th, 2012, 5:42 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
383. GHUFRAN
When the only solution in front of Assad Mafia is shut up your mouth or fight, and this is what Assad offered from Day 1, dignity may show you the way of fight as the only possible way. Those who fight for freedom and dignity will not be responsible for any damage that can suffer building and infrastructures.
Life was created for human beings to live in freedom, respect and dignity and when these values are denied then no building, monument or cultural good is more important than values that should regulate human life. Assad corrupted everything and tried to make syrians believe in nothing else that Assad lil Abad.
July 17th, 2012, 5:44 pm
omen said:
289. Q: would the regime resorting to use of chemical stockpile be the last straw?
A: (crickets)
so, for loyalists:
-hacking of children isn’t a red line.
-burning people alive isn’t a red line.
now chemical warfare doesn’t seem to be a red line either!
why do basharists hate sunnis so much?
where is the red line for loyalists? where is that damn bottom? when the regime finally resorts to the shelling of alawite villages and killing alawi children?
July 17th, 2012, 5:53 pm
Uzair8 said:
Recently it seemed as though the regime had decided to use the one clear advantage it still has, mass armour, and go after the rebel areas. I said this in recent weeks. I was worried about this and felt that the FSA should avoid direct confrontation and instead go on the offensive and go after selected vulnerable and undefended targets.
Tremseh is a perfect example of this in which it seems trapped deserters/FSA took on the regime armour with insufficient weaponry in a lopsided battle.
It would be better to go on the offensive and be mobile rather than be sitting ducks. Perhaps that is what we are seeing in Damascus now? The objective may not be to take the capital however you never know. Objectives can develop on the go. The FSA may be trying to unbalance the regime and disrupt it’s plans. Maybe that is why it has gone on the offensive in Damascus.
Seeing some tweets in recent hours I’ve seen a couple (of tweets) cautioning others about exaggerating and warning that FSA may be underestimating elite regime troops and capabilities. I think one tweet talked about how the regime may have decided to force the issue in Damascus while the rebels were still preparing.
July 17th, 2012, 5:57 pm
Uzair8 said:
A long comment didn’t appear.
In short it was about the FSA deciding to go on the offensive against vulnerable or undefended targets rather than be sitting ducks as in Tremseh. The regime has recently seemingly decided to use it’s massive advantage in armour to go after rebel areas. The FSA tactic will disrupt and unbalance this regime strategy.
This may explain the move on Damascus. It may not be about taking the city but you never know how things (and objectives) develop.
On tweets I have seen some caution about exaggerating and underestimating elite regime forces and capabilities. Also been suggested that the regime may have decided to force the issue in Damascus while the rebels were still preparing.
I don’t know.
July 17th, 2012, 5:57 pm
ghufran said:
the FSA and the advocates of a violent solution to this crisis can not escape moral and legal responsibility for any destruction that may affect Damascus, a city that is more godly and valuable than any foreigner or a goat Arabized can imagine.
I do not care if you pro or anti regime,Damascus must be a red line that even Zionists did not cross.
July 17th, 2012, 5:57 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
354. SALAH ADDIN
Lebanon was clearly pushed to war by Israel, Palestinians, Syria, USSR, USA, France and a handfull of lebanese idiot politicians who sold themselves to the evil for 2 pennies. How could reach an agreement 6 or 7 different communities or political mafias supported by different international actors?
The case of Syria is much different and much simpler. This is the case of a stupid president-boy surrounded by stupid young advisers who one day decided to bullet and torture anyone who demonstrated against “their” regime.
Not even the deepest analysis on Lebanon could give reasons for what was happening there.
While even for me it is crystal clear what’s going on in Syria from day 1 of the Revolution Era (15 March 2011).
July 17th, 2012, 5:59 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
341. IRRITATED
My patholocial optimism is built on historical facts that show how much stupid Assad The Last can be.
It is a pitty because, in a way, I had some kind of respect for the figure of his father. Hafez Al Assad was a brilliant international politics strategist. His was a time of international balances of powers so he found the right position in every situation as world changed. Now Assad has showed the worse face of his father: inability to deal with internal issues and people’s demands.
July 17th, 2012, 6:00 pm
bronco said:
#373 Observer
Your silence and that of JAD and ANN and Irritated on this question is defeaning
You are not yet deaf, you just need new glasses.
Tara replied and I agreed with her
https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=15408&cp=7#comment-318816
July 17th, 2012, 6:00 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
392. GHUFRAN
Damascus is the result of 6.000 years of human defeats and victories. Damascus is made of invasions, ravages, massive killings, massive rapes, Tamerlangi genes, destruction of precedent cultures. This is human history. Damascus has been violated and burnt to many times. There is no red line that has not been crossed before. Damascus is in decay due to dictatorship and lack of cultivation. The only red line that should not be crossed never again is that of the dignity of millions of citizens who deserve something better that what Assad offered.
July 17th, 2012, 6:03 pm
abraham said:
All caused by meddling from external forces over centuries of manipulation and occult machinations. Israel is only the tip of the iceberg.
You are all arguing over matters far outside your control, because you let it go.
July 17th, 2012, 6:08 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
365.JURGEN said:
Salahadin
see 2 years ago nobody would ever think something like a revolution would happen in Assad Syria. Go figure.
___________________________________________________________________
JURGEN, it is ironic that you say so.
During a trip to Syria in the summer of 2009, while I was having lunch at a restaurant in Damascus with a US embassy official, he described in detail the coming uprising. I dismissed his prediction as wishful thinking. It never occurred to me that the scenario he was describing would be carried out in less than two years from that time.
July 17th, 2012, 6:10 pm
Uzair8 said:
395. SANDRO LOEWE
‘Assad The Last’
I like that…lol.
– Assad The First – 22 February 1971 – 10 June 2000
– Assad The Last – 17 July 2000 –
July 17th, 2012, 6:14 pm
omen said:
134.
363.
dang, observer, you beat me to it.
July 17th, 2012, 6:15 pm
omen said:
307. BRONCO said: The fear is that, if they exist, they fall in the hands of the jihadists who would use them, for sure, and especially against Israel now that the Syrian army has withdrawn from the Golan borders
you know the “jihadists” are in bed with the regime.
(please do not bismirch the label by applying it to common criminals like al aqaeda or other terrorists. there is nothing holy about thugs.)
fsa promised to safeguard the stockpile from falling into the hands of the extremists in the event of the regime toppling.
p.s. actually, bronco, this doesn’t answer observer’s question. you do not say this would be a red line for you if the regime resorted to using its stockpile.
July 17th, 2012, 6:20 pm
bronco said:
#402 Omen
you know the “jihadists” are in bed with the regime.
Speak for yourself, I don’t know that
July 17th, 2012, 6:36 pm
irritated said:
#387 Omen
he’d agreed to a course of action one day but then changing his mind the next?
Examples, please…
The opposition called for the AL, then switched to Turkey, then to Nato, then to UN, then to peaceful, then to arms, then against UN etc…
I wonder who changed its mind several times
July 17th, 2012, 6:43 pm
irritated said:
#402
This game of red lines and green lines is not a game I play.
Bashar does not need to use chemical weapons or bombs with nuclear waste. His army appear sufficient to quell any attack on civilians.
Bashar is neither Bush nor Olmert.
July 17th, 2012, 6:48 pm
zoo said:
Kurds and Alawites are plotting to split the country. Michael Weiss sounds a lot like OBSERVER ?
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100171405/assad-could-already-be-using-chemical-weapons-in-syria-say-reports-meanwhile-the-country-prepares-to-break-up/
Assad could already be using chemical weapons in Syria, say reports. Meanwhile, the country prepares to break up
…
But the more urgent problem for Syria is the one that is unfolding on a daily basis and which no major Western politician seems willing to discuss: a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing designed to break up the country into sectarian enclaves. What the massacre sights and conflict zones of Jisr al-Shughour, Jabal al-Zawiyah, Houla, Quebair, Tremseh and neighborhoods of Homs all have in common is that they are predominantly Sunni areas surrounded by Alawite strongholds. Have a look at this map that the BBC helpfully compiled. Notice the invisible border that cuts off the north-western coastal region from the eastern and southern parts of the country.
For months, activists and opposition figures have been saying that Assad’s endgame is to retreat, once Damascus falls to the rebels, to an Alawite rump state along the Mediterranean where sectarian loyalists can protect their patrimonial and commercial interests. (The Assads come from the province of Latakia.)
..
This could leave Syria in three not-so-easy pieces – Alawistan, Sunnistan and Kurdistan – assuming, that is, that the powerful Sunni tribes in Deir Ezzor don’t get antsy for their own slice of autonomy (they’re the ones who sit on 70 percent of Syria’s oil reserves; no doubt they’re aware of the fact) and assuming that a larger calamity doesn’t engulf the entire country first.
July 17th, 2012, 7:08 pm
Ghufran said:
اكدت صحيفة “لوفيغارو” الفرنسية مساء أمس الثلاثاء على موقعها الالكتروني ان الصحافي الفرنسي جيل جاكييه الذي قتل في 11 كانون الثاني الماضي قضى بقذيفة اطلقها المتمردون في حمص وكانوا يستهدفون فيها حيا علويا مؤيدا للنظام حيث كان الصحافي موجودا.
واوردت الصحيفة هذه المعلومات نقلا عن مصدر قريب من الملف في وزارة الدفاع في باريس.
وقال المصدر وفق “لوفيغارو” ان “التحليلات البالستية “علم حركة المقذوفات” والمعلومات الاستخبارية التي جمعتها مصادرنا على الارض بعيد المأساة تشير الى ان جاكييه قتل بقذيفة هاون من عيار 81 مم مصدره حي سني متمرد”.
واضاف: “ان تحليلات تظهر بوضوح مصدر اطلاق النار الذي اودى بحياة جاكييه، مراسل قناة فرانس 2”.
وتابع المصدر: “ان كل الاجهزة المختصة، اضافة الى دبلوماسيي سفارة فرنسا في دمشق متفقون على هذه الخلاصة”، بحسب “لوفيغارو”.
وردا على اسئلة “فرانس برس”، رفضت وزارتا الخارجية والدفاع الفرنسيتان الادلاء باي تعليق حول الموضوع.
من جهته اكتفى مصدر قضائي بالتأكيد لـ”فرانس برس” ان المسار القضائي يتابع مجراه.
July 17th, 2012, 7:12 pm
irritated said:
In view of the news that the Kurds of Tal Slor assisted the Syrian army in fighting the rebels in Atmah, one wonders what’s the point of SNC electing Abdel Baset Saida, a Kurd, as their leader.
Next they should try a Christian to see if he will be able to rally the Syrian Christians, next they should try a Moslem Brotherhood leader, the jack pot.
July 17th, 2012, 7:17 pm
zoo said:
#407 Ghufran
That’s the original french article confirming that Gilles Jacquier was killed by the rebels and not by the Syrian government. The findings were kept secret from the media at the explicit request of Qatar and France.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2012/07/17/01003-20120717ARTFIG00525-jacquier-l-enquete-francaise-pointe-les-rebelles-syriens.php
July 17th, 2012, 7:21 pm
omen said:
403. BRONCO said: Speak for yourself, I don’t know that
that’s what you chose to answer? you keep dodging the question.
you and every other loyalists refusal to denounce chemical warfare only causes us to conclude regime supporters would tolerate such a tactic.
how do you sleep at night?
if supporters don’t blink an eye at such a nightmare scenario, what does this tell us about regime insiders’ potential willingness to go down this route?
July 17th, 2012, 7:22 pm
Observer said:
NO BRONCO AND NO IRRITATED you both coped out of answering my question. Irritated said there is no need to use chemical weapons and Bronco said that he is moving them to prevent them falling in the hands of the rebels.
I asked what is your position if Fredo uses them? Not whether he needs to or not; and not whether he is securing them or not. YOUR POSITION; comprende?
I will make it easier
Is it a crime? Is it justified? If so when and how and where and by whom?
It is supposed to be a deterrent to Israel’s nuclear arsenal, and that is exactly how it should be viewed and used. MAD is the acronym for Mutual Assured Destruction.
What is your position if he uses chemical weapons on Rastan or Idlib or Douma or any other village like what happened in Halabja.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION TO THIS
(I HOPE TO REMAIN A HYPOTHETICAL)QUESTION.
Simple. I dare you to answer for this coping out is an indication that you would be amenable to the use of chemical weapons in quelling the uprising.
July 17th, 2012, 7:22 pm
anwar said:
Why bother questioning the regime supporters knowing their lack of morality and integrity. There is no point trying to convert them. They have to be diversion agents as I have a hard time believing that anyone who lived in Syria for the last 40 years can be tricked by regime propaganda. They definitely aren’t mislead or ignorant, in fact they probably know this regime better than a lot of us. There is no redemption for them in this revolution and they should take no part in it when it triumphs.
July 17th, 2012, 7:22 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
Regarding the question about chemical weapons.
The Syrian Army developed many deterrent capabilities in order to establish and keep strategic parity with its enemy Israel.
Biologic, Chemical and Nuclear capabilities were developed to counter Israel’s capabilities in WMDs. Rockets in all their applications, whether offensive or defensive were developed for the same reason.
It is safe to guess that Syria’s enemies would take Syria’s strategic capabilities seriously. The downing of the Turkish F4 was by a tactical weapon that did not require the use of the strategic defensive network.
Chemical weapons are not useful in street fights and the type of clashes taking place between the Syrian Army when engaging the FSA or the militant gangs.
So the answer to the question about the potential use of chemical weapons is no.
July 17th, 2012, 7:27 pm
zoo said:
Were the Syrian Islamists not informed that it was not the ‘decisive battle for Damascus’ yet?
Bad communication despite the high tech communication equipment provided by Laurent Fabius via Turkey
Islamists urge all Syrians to fight
Zoi Constantine
Jul 18, 2012
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/islamists-urge-all-syrians-to-fight
BEIRUT // Fighting between rebels and government troops was reported in parts of Damascus for a third day yesterday as the Muslim Brotherhood called on the Syrian people to back the opposition.
The Islamist group urged Syrians to support rebel fighters in the capital and to hold demonstrations against the regime of Bashar Al Assad.
“Prepare to become soldiers in the decisive battle. You will secure victory with your own two hands,” said the Brotherhood, which is banned in Syria.
“Our battle is now in Damascus … and this requires that we mobilise all the forces and all our efforts to secure victory.”
July 17th, 2012, 7:30 pm
bronco said:
#411 Observer
I am against all sorts of violence against civilians. Point.
I have been calling for negotiations and dialog from day one.
July 17th, 2012, 7:33 pm
irritated said:
#411 Observer
My answer is that it won’t be used by Bashar al Assad, even at the last resort. The use of WMD is immoral and inhuman.
The WMD are and should remain a deterrent.
July 17th, 2012, 7:40 pm
zoo said:
Turkey wants no war, CHP chairman affirms
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-wants-no-war-chp-chairman-affirms.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25762&NewsCatID=338
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News
The main opposition leader rejects calls for a Syria intervention, having supporters roar ‘Peace at home, Peace in the world’ at a parley
“We cannot accept subcontracting of Western hegemonic powers in the Middle East. Hegemonic powers do not touch the fire with their hands, they use a fire iron. You [the government] should not be the subcontractor. Don’t bow down or stand still. Don’t be scared, this is Mustafa Kemal’s country. He said ‘Peace at home, peace in the world.’ That is what our people want to hear,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
July 17th, 2012, 7:45 pm
Ghufran said:
At this rate,the rebels in Damascus will not get much out of their assault on Damascus except that they managed to increase the ferocity of the regime,whoever ordered the attack on the capital can not be trusted as a military or political leader.
Unless there are sudden changes on the battle field, this reckless adventure will end in few days, you will hear supporters of the attack claiming that it was a mere rehearsal for bigger attacks to come, the political gains ,if any,from this operation will be dwarfed by the damage it will cause to the reputation of the FSA and their stance among the average Damascene, keep in mind that rich expats do NOT represent Damascus.
July 17th, 2012, 7:47 pm
zoo said:
Turkey and the Palestinians: a short lived love affair
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/brothers-not-so-much-in-arms-.aspx?pageID=449&nID=25741&NewsCatID=398
That challenge was followed by numerous other promises for every manner of possible Turkish aid for our Palestinian brothers, including a revelation that Minister Davutoğlu was dreaming about “praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in the Palestinian capital Jerusalem.” Naturally, all that made Mr. Davutoğlu and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan heroes in the Palestinian lands – for some time.
A Palestinian friend who lives in a European capital and has never hidden his admiration for his nation’s greatest Turkish saviors now thinks that the Turks used the Palestinians in an Orientalist power game. “We’ve been deceived by many nations, and now, once again, by the Turks
Facts and figures… Yes. Every new day we hear from the prime minister that “we are the world’s 17th – and sometimes 16th – biggest economy and we are running fast to become one of the top 10.” Yet, at an international donors’ conference for Gaza in March 2009, the Turkish pledges stood at a mere $93 million (no typo here, ninety-three million dollars). That pledge accounted for only 2.1 percent of all international (mostly Christian!) pledges made at that conference which totaled $4.257 billion. But there is more.
July 17th, 2012, 7:53 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Observer
Even if Assad use chemical weapons they will continue to worship Assad dirty toes
July 17th, 2012, 7:56 pm
omen said:
moderator, i posted and tried to edit but it got marked as spam for some reason. now it’s gone poof.
July 17th, 2012, 8:06 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
When someone on this board (SALAH ADDIN) says this:
“During a trip to Syria in the summer of 2009, while I was having lunch at a restaurant in Damascus with a US embassy official, he described in detail the coming uprising. I dismissed his prediction as wishful thinking. It never occurred to me that the scenario he was describing would be carried out in less than two years from that time.”
It means that the Syrian mukhabarat must have know about this revolution since 2009, assuming what SALAH ADDIN said was true. The US official must have most probably shared the same story with other people.
So here you have it. The Americans give the government all the information it needs to avert this revolution two years in advance and the regime with all of its security branches fails to do anything about it.
A government so dumb and stupid has no right to stay.
As the protesters say, “غباؤكم ينصرنا”.
July 17th, 2012, 8:13 pm
omen said:
415. I am against all sorts of violence against civilians.
like pulling teeth, bronco, just to get you to affirm a basic sane statement like that. and being “against” something doesn’t amount to a rejection of the regime if they resorted to chemical warfare.
the regime has stooped to all manner of violence but you keep defending it.
.
424. now zoo has turned into a defender of torture. there is no bottom for you guys, is there?
July 17th, 2012, 8:13 pm
zoo said:
#418 Ghufran
In addition, as now Syria is officially declared a ‘civil war’ by IRC, the rules of the war have changed possibly to the advantage of the central government against the outlaws.
Bashar al Assad can no longer be tried for breach of human rights.
” In contrast to international humanitarian law, there is generally no international forum to try individuals for breaches of human rights. The state may be liable for breaches of human rights committed by its own soldiers/ officials; the European Court of Human Rights has heard several cases against Turkey. Increasingly, however, states have established extraterritoriality for crimes such as torture. ”
Freedom fighters and rebels: the rules of civil war
Peter Rowe, PhD, Barrister
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279138/
July 17th, 2012, 8:16 pm
Syrialover said:
# 416. Irritated said:
“My answer is that it won’t be used by Bashar al Assad, even at the last resort. The use of WMD is immoral and inhuman.”
Sharply contradictory statements.
Bashar al Assad IS just that, inhuman and immoral.
I hope you have not made a chilling prediction here.
July 17th, 2012, 8:20 pm
Tara said:
Bronco,
Please do not be vague. Are you against the use of chemical weapons in a setting like Baba Amro?
July 17th, 2012, 8:41 pm
Halabi said:
There is only one side in this conflict that has the power to destroy Damascus and that’s Assad’s army. Same with Homs, Daraa and a long series of predominately Sunni towns and villages that have been largely destroyed. I don’t think the lying, sectarian propagandists will understand this.
Assad’s army, which has long forgotten its mission of protecting the Israeli border and killing Lebanese people, has leveled Homs, not NATO and not other Arabs who the haters here like to call goats (because that’s not racist at all).
The sectarian racists are responsible, those who oppressed Syrians for two generation and their supporters are responsible for where we are. Usurping the wealth and crushing the creativity of a nation for decades led Syria to this bloody nightmare. For those who want to believe Hamza Al Khatib, Burhan Ghalioun and Hamad bin Jassem are responsible, well keep living that fantasy. We will not deny people the right to be ignorant racists, as long as those with sick minds stop their killing spree.
July 17th, 2012, 9:00 pm
Syrialover said:
Anwar #412, I guess you are right.
I am probably naive when I asked a few days ago if the regime defenders here have anyone in their wider Syrian family or social networks who had been detained. Or who is living in daily misery and fear from the actions of the Syrian army or security services.
Even if they did, I sense they wouldn’t care. Or likely even find a way to blame the victims.
July 17th, 2012, 9:00 pm
omen said:
387. he’d agreed to a course of action one day but then changing his mind the next
404. IRRITATED said: Examples, please…
.
.
July 17th, 2012, 9:00 pm
SC Moderator said:
Anwar,
“Why bother questioning the regime supporters knowing their lack of morality and integrity”
Please refrain from accusation and from judging others’ integrity and morality. I do not want to be deleting the entire post for accusation. Thank you.
July 17th, 2012, 9:09 pm
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
#416
The use of WMD is immoral and inhuman.
The WMD are and should remain a deterrent.
What convoluted and sick logic is this?
The development, manufacture, ownership and stocking of WMDs is immoral and reprehensible. And you don’t get off the hook just because your enemies happen to have them and you want to “keep” them as a deterrent.
#415
I have been calling for negotiations and dialog from day one.
So has every regime trumpet that has appeared on tv, radio and in print. And we know what sort of negotiations and dialog you and they have in mind. The prison farm walls are crumbling, the barbed
wire is being torn to shreds by the bare hands of the oppressed and enslaved inmates. They will not negotiate to have windows put into the walls and for the razor wire to be replaced by a smooth metal mesh.
(deleted for insults, SC moderator)
July 17th, 2012, 9:20 pm
SC Moderator said:
ASSAD,
Please refrain from using insults to describe those with opposing views. I deleted your last statement. Thank you for your cooperation.
July 17th, 2012, 9:36 pm
bronco said:
Tara
I don’t know if I have to repeat myself forever. I do not condone the use of the WMD in any circumstance.
Their existence and production should be forbidden worldwide but as long that the big world power have them and claim it is for deterrence only, I don’t see why other less powerful country should not have them as a deterrent too.
July 17th, 2012, 10:44 pm
irritated said:
#431
The development, manufacture, ownership and stocking of WMDs is immoral and reprehensible.
Pass this message to the USA, Pakistan, India, Israel, France, Germany etc…
July 17th, 2012, 10:48 pm
bronco said:
Tara
This is the world of politics. It is all about greed, hypocrisy and power. It is strange to see idealistics talking about the “morality” in politics. Like the morality of the USA foreign affairs, after the horrors they have done in South America, Vietnam and Afghanistan, without talking about Hiroshima, the most immoral act in the history of human kind.
Of course that was before.. before what? the largest stock of nuclear weapons are in the USA. To use on who? Another Hiroshima?
Go on, dream of the nice Uncle Sam who loves democracy and Syria.
Don’t expect me to follow you on that.
July 17th, 2012, 11:00 pm
omen said:
is this accurate? is there more on this?
if true, what are implications?
July 17th, 2012, 11:09 pm
zoo said:
Time for Qatar to fight for its MB candidate in Libya and reverse the liberal trend in the congress.
Libya vote gives liberal bloc an edge but no majority
AFPBy Dominique Soguel | AFP – 21 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/libya-vote-gives-liberal-bloc-edge-no-majority-004420912.html
Libya’s liberal coalition beat Islamist parties in the first poll since the ouster of Moamer Kadhafi, according to results — but it remained unclear who will dominate the next congress.
…
The two leading parties are courting independents and smaller entities in a bid to form a dominant bloc within the congress, where major decisions and legislation require a two-thirds majority to pass.
Meanwhile Mohammed Sawan, head of the Justice and Construction Party, has expressed confidence that a large number of independents in the congress will side with Islamists.
July 17th, 2012, 11:10 pm
zoo said:
The SNC ready for another rejection of their demands at the UNSC.
Did the SNC ’embraced’ Annan plan as claimed by Mrs Qodmani?
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2253339&Language=en
UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (KUNA) — Dr. Basma Kodmani, Head of the foreign relations in the Syrian National Council (SNC) Tuesday warned that if the western-drafted resolution in the Security Council with anti-Assad sanctions fails to be adopted because of a Russian veto, her opposition group will seek other options with other friends and regional groups to provide humanitarian and protection means to the Syrian people .
She told a press conference, along with other SNC members, “we support the current efforts by members of the UNSC to push for a resolution under chapter VII of the UN Charter as a very last chance for breathing life into (Annan’s six-point) plan. Should the current attempt fails, the SNC will explore other alternatives with international and regional friends in order to provide much needed humanitarian protection for the Syrian people and support for its basic right to self-defense in face of the regime’s killing machine .”
She recalled that the SNC has embraced and supported diplomatic efforts for a peaceful path leading to a democratic transition in Syria, and has, in coordination with the Free Syrian Army, accepted and adhered to the six points contained in the Annan initiative despite the complete refusal by the Assad regime to abide by any item of the plan .”
July 17th, 2012, 11:22 pm
Ghufran said:
This how althwrajieh killed 18 young Palestinians in cold blood:
استأجروا (ميكروباص) بليراتهم القليلة بالمناسبة هم لا يتقاضون رواتب، وإنما ليرات قليلة لزوم المواصلات، وشراء السكائر ـ ويمموا صوب مخيميهم قرب مدينة حلب..فكان أن اختطفت حافلتهم، واقتيدت إلى جهة مجهولة.
باختصار: تدخل ذووهم، والناس الطيبون في إدلب للتوسط مع الجهة الخاطفة، ولكن المفاوضات فشلت، فقد تمّ اغتيال كل الشباب، بتهمة أن ما يسري على جنود الجيش السوري يسري على جنود جيش التحرير الفلسطيني!
أمّا السائق فربط على مقعد قيادة (الميكرو باص) ولغم جسده، وشحن الميكرو بكمية من المتفجرات، ودفع به لينفجر في حاجز للجيش، ولكن السائق، وهذا ما يؤكده من شاهدوا بقايا الميكرو، وأشلاء السائق، تمكن من حرف الميكرو عن الحاجز قبل وصوله، وهو ما دفع الخاطفين الذين كانوا يتابعونه على دراجات نارية إلى تفجيره، ولكنه ببسالة وإنكار ذات أنقذ الجنود السوريين الفقراء الذين لعلهم كرفاقهم الجنود الفلسطينيين يؤدون خدمة (العلم)!
لعلها مناسبة أن أقول بأن من يطلق الرصاص على الجندي الفلسطيني إنما يخدم الكيان الصهيوني، وهو يعرف ما تقترف يداه.
Source: alquds alarabi-rashad Abu shawar
July 17th, 2012, 11:51 pm
Juergen said:
Salahadin
You seem to enjoy folks with prophetic visons. I have talked with many people and all did not point out such an outcome.But there is truth in the saying that if you come to power with violence youll leave power through violence.
July 18th, 2012, 12:07 am
Halabi said:
All we get from the pro-Assad or anti-revolution (which is just a mask for anti-Sunni racists) gangs are dubious tales about the evil of the revolutionaries. So according to the opinion piece in Al Quds, the writer says Palestinians were executed, citing Facebook and the Internet without links of course.
How witnesses could know the intentions of the driver from his body parts that were strewn after the explosion will remain a mystery to all thinking people.
Please keep posting this stuff. I enjoy my daily dose of garbage propaganda. But once, just once, maybe we can get a report based on a professional investigation of a crime. But that would require a functioning state, and as we know the Assad regime cares more about upholding its anti-demonstration law then investigating murder, rape, torture, theft, really any other crime.
Just once it would be nice to hear the Assadist say with conviction: we captured a murderer and he will be tried in a fair and public court. But for regime supporter and revolution opponents, it’s enough to blame the other side, mention that Saudi women can’t drive, and return to oppressing Syrians.
July 18th, 2012, 12:31 am
Syrialover said:
Bronco #435,
Okay you have now officially stated how much you really hate, despise and distrust the west.
But this is about Syria.
I am equally unimpressed by those currently running Russia and Iran.
Yet I still see the main issues, unfolding of events and current situation in Syria as being entirely the work of the Assad regime, not imaginary outside forces.
Time to widen the prism.
July 18th, 2012, 2:00 am
Syrialover said:
When opposition fighters withdraw from a position that is fine by me. They have done the right thing. I want them to be careful so none of them is harmed unnecessarily.
It means they will be there to fight the next round.
And as for the army defectors, I admire their sane approach. They know Assad is not worth dying for and a new Syria is worth living for.
July 18th, 2012, 2:13 am
Syrialover said:
Bronco,
But do you know why the Iranian and Russian “leadership” cannot be compared with those in the west?
It’s because their acts are seriously counterproductive and indifferent to the interests of their own citizens.
Which is why they feel friendly and comfortable with Bashar Assad.
All losers, spoilers and historic failures together. All lacking competence in running things like an economy, legal system, uncorrupted political system, or national interest foreign policy.
What a pathetic club!
July 18th, 2012, 2:42 am
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
Hi Moderator,
I can’t see why you consider it an insult to use adjectives that describe the regime and it’s members in a factual way (the regime and its members -Assadists, subscribe to the “Assad lil abad ao na7roq-il-balad” are clearly criminals in the full sense of the word, and therefore the word mujrim مجرم is neither out of place nor inaccurate, and definitely not a haphazard insult. And by extension, criminal acts are despicable and the criminal perpetrating them is a 7qyr حقير , an accurate and fitting qualifier.
If you look back at most of my previous comments you’ll see that more than half of them ended with the very same line…it’s my signature ending and if you thought some words were offensive then you could have at least omitted only them instead of the whole line
والنصر والحرية آتيان بالرغم عن أنف كل أسدي م___ح
BTW, the Assadist Mafiosi and Associates’ regime propagandists use the words “criminal” and “terrorist” to describe the opposition freedom fighters freely and you don’t seem to mind at all, no?
Finally, I would appreciate it if you’d take the trouble to cut and paste my whole handle name rather than use the acronym (especially without periods in between!); I’d like people to always know what they exactly stand for.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships
July 18th, 2012, 3:14 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
445. Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships
I agree members of the syrian regime must be called Criminals, at national and international law levels. These are clear and undeniable facts.
Coup d’ Etat
Corruption at all levels
Illegal detentions
Tortures and killing without trial
Bullet demonstrations
Bombs entire cities
Promote rapes, looting the army etc.
International traffic of oil, arms, drugs, nuclear rests, etc
And a very looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong etc.
July 18th, 2012, 4:50 am
habib said:
LOL at all this WMD gibberish.
Has the Iraq war really been forgotten already?
441. Halabi
There’s a difference between Socialist revolutions and Islamist revolutions. The former is not what we have in Syria.
July 18th, 2012, 5:12 am
Hassan said:
Halabi,
Opposing Islamist murderers is not racism.
The greatest opponents of Islamism in the Middle East have all been Sunnis.
Great souls like Mustafa Ataturk, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Habib Bourguiba come to mind.
Do you think they would have supported your little revolution if they had been alive today ?
If not, would it bother you ?
Remember what Habib Bourguiba, the First Presdient of Tunisia, said, the Hijab is a backward Bedouin rag which has no place in humanity.
Was he sectarian and racist ? I think he was a Sunni and an Arab as well.
July 18th, 2012, 5:30 am
Hassan said:
THere will be a REVOLUTION in Saudi Arabia, very soon.
July 18th, 2012, 5:32 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Missiles and fire reported next to the Presidential Palace in Malki quarter.
http://youkal.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57516%3A2012-07-18-07-51-37&catid=54%3A2011-04-29-12-25-44&Itemid=126
July 18th, 2012, 5:38 am
habib said:
448. Hassan
Well said. Nasser would had obliterated these imbeciles.
July 18th, 2012, 5:49 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
451. HABIB
448. Hassan
Nasser would had impaled Bashar, Maher, Assef and Rami in the middle of Marje Square for driving a great country to this total chaos for defending their private interests.
Islamism is a facade used by the masses to create change and communism was in its time.
If Nasser lived in our times he would not be socialist nor communist, he would be moderate islamist and his name would be Mursi.
July 18th, 2012, 5:53 am
habib said:
452. SANDRO LOEWE
Keep dreaming.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Nasser_Gaddafi_1969.jpg
Nasser’s biggest enemies were the Saudis and the West, which are the main patrons of the insurgents in Syria.
July 18th, 2012, 5:58 am
Bruno said:
@Hassan
An Qatari Spring is coming very soon to.
July 18th, 2012, 5:59 am
habib said:
454. Bruno
As I mentioned elsewhere, Syria should host the Free Saudi, Free Turkish, Free Bahraini, Free Qatari, and Free Jordanian armies before soon…
July 18th, 2012, 6:07 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
HABIB
I thought your costumers with US $ were mainly from Occident too. Do you hate your costumers?
Your mind structured in black and white cannot get the solution. The poor and abused masses who supported Nasser are now supporting the Revolution. Is not a question or East and West, Good and Bad, White and Black, it is a question of redistribution of means of life.
Millions of syrians have been leaving with 1 or 2 dollars a day and rich and elite people in Damascus and other cities DO NOT KNOW anything of what is going on around you. When Assad be beheaded he still will not know the cause of this revolution.
Wake up, wake up, W-A-K-E U-P !!!!!
July 18th, 2012, 6:19 am
habib said:
456. SANDRO LOEWE
Lol. Utter hypocrisy.
So it is perhaps not “black and white” to desperately pronounce “beheading” as the only solution to economical problems?
How the hell will beheading anyone raise the standard of living? Are Tunisians or Libyans any better off than they were before?
Will turning over power to corrupt Sunnis like the Tlass or Khaddams in any way distribute the wealth?
Should Europeans behead their own corrupt leaders? Would that solve the economic crisis? You’re baffling, lol.
I’m sure you would have a slightly different opinion when it comes to the poor of Saudi and Bahrain. They should be happy to be allowed to slave away for their polygamist masters, or face their jobs being taken over by South Asians, no?
July 18th, 2012, 6:24 am
Syrialover said:
Defence Minister Reported Killed in Damascus
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/18/syria-crisis-damascus-diplomatic-battles-live
July 18th, 2012, 6:35 am
habib said:
458. Syrialover
What a nice, cuddly and peaceful opposition!
Or perhaps they’ll accuse the government of being behind this bomb as well? Loool.
July 18th, 2012, 6:40 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Ministry of Defense died, Ministry of Interior in dangerous condition could die soon.
My sincere congratulations to Assad The Last. You are a genious.
Maybe Assad’s last Ramadan…?
It is becoming clear that there are insiders in the syrian regiime who reveal information to the rebels.
July 18th, 2012, 6:45 am
Bruno said:
Breaking:
a Christian Sryian Defensive minster was killed today in the blast.
July 18th, 2012, 6:51 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Soon Assad himself will die, Rajha died, and some others died. who did it? someone from the military is the most likely
July 18th, 2012, 6:53 am
Bruno said:
@majedkhaldoun
(Soon Assad himself will die, Rajha died, and some others died. who did it? someone from the military is the most likely)
Oh i see so your blaming Assad for that to how unsurprising, i actually i figured it.
July 18th, 2012, 6:58 am
Bruno said:
No confirmation of any kind about General Asef Shawkat being martyred please dont spread rumors with no confirmation.
July 18th, 2012, 6:59 am
habib said:
461. Bruno
I think this action could backfire severely against the “opposition”
Christian Syrian leader killed by Islamist suicide bomb? Won’t sound good to Western ears.
July 18th, 2012, 7:00 am
Syrialover said:
“It is becoming clear that there are insiders in the syrian regime who reveal information to the rebels.” (# 460. Sandro Loewe)
Or assist by planting bombs.
July 18th, 2012, 7:05 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
465 HABIB
“Christian Syrian leader killed by Islamist suicide bomb?”
Ah, ah, ah, ah, haaaa, haaaa, haaa.
You said “christian leader”….? Ah, I cannot stop laughing, please give oxigen….. Ahhhhh.. Ah …. We had enough with the maronite patriarch, The Pope of Rome, and all the decaying corrupts religious authorities who try to play poltiics.
A CHRISTIAN LEADER….? Oh my God, should he be beatified in the name of the Divine Army?
July 18th, 2012, 7:09 am
habib said:
466. Syrialover
Judging on the conspiracy theories made up by the opposition so far, it could very well be Bashar Assad himself.
July 18th, 2012, 7:09 am
habib said:
467. SANDRO LOEWE
Lol, please continue rubbing salt into your own wound, spares me the effort.
July 18th, 2012, 7:12 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
We do not care if they are Christians, Alawites, Sunnies or Followers of Devil, we just care about if they are criminals.
Even got to this extreme point I do not discard that Bashar Al Assad is behind the plot.
July 18th, 2012, 7:14 am
Tara said:
Assef Shawkat is also dead.
11.57am: Hezbollah TV is now saying Assad’s brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, is dead. Reuters says the suicide bomber worked as a bodyguard for President Assad’s inner circle.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/18/syria-crisis-damascus-diplomatic-battles-live#block-13
July 18th, 2012, 7:14 am
habib said:
470. SANDRO LOEWE
Sure, that’s why Tlass has been received like a monarch or the Messiah, lol.
July 18th, 2012, 7:17 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Assef Shawkat and Defence Ministry died. Interior Ministry almost dead and will leave office even if survives.
The security apparatus hardly damaged.
Today is the beggining of the end.
July 18th, 2012, 7:19 am
Bruno said:
@SANDRO LOEWE
(Today is the beggining of the end.)
Sadly i dont think so isnt that what you said about it on July 15? when the rebels were lunching there terrorist cowardly attacks
July 18th, 2012, 7:24 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
What an unfortunate timing for a Vermont vacation.
.
July 18th, 2012, 7:26 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
474. BRUNO
This period could still take months. This is “just” the beginning of the end.
July 18th, 2012, 7:29 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Sandro,
Today is the ending phase of the end. The begining of the end started long time ago.
.
July 18th, 2012, 7:29 am
Bruno said:
Three dislikes from supporters who just love terrorist tactics, well thats not surprising.
July 18th, 2012, 7:29 am
Observer said:
Two points
Manaf Tlass declares that he is disgusted by Fredo’s use of the armed forces to quell the uprising. He seemed more interested in the fate of the armed forces than the Syrian people. It speaks volumes about the mentality of the ruling circle: how dare he use my farm in such a way?
The second point is that the very inner circle of the regime has been penetrated. I expect that this very fact will make the inner circle crack where no one can trust anybody anymore.
Knowing the lack of trauma at Chami hospital I do not expect many to survive.
Lavrov must be preparing his letter of resignation for “losing” Syria
July 18th, 2012, 7:30 am
Bruno said:
Observer Thank for admitting that the wr in Sryia is a Proxy war against Russia and Iran.
(Lavrov must be preparing his letter of resignation for “losing” Syria)
Putin knows his enemies well. Your getting desperate by the hour rebel supporters.
July 18th, 2012, 7:32 am
Syrialover said:
Habib #465 said: “Christian Syrian leader killed by Islamist suicide bomb? Won’t sound good to Western ears.”
If he’s part of the Assad regime believe me, the west would see him as no Christian in their books. They would feel no connection.
His role in such a violent regime will have him automatically dismissed from being associated with their religion by western world Christians. They would say he is a hypocrite who did not respect Christian beliefs.
Saddam Hussein had a Christian spokesman and offsider, and I remember him being regarded in the west as a strange joke.
July 18th, 2012, 7:35 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
BRUNO,
Do not cry man. You still can rely on Hafez Assad the son.
July 18th, 2012, 7:36 am
Syrialover said:
Could it be linked to an attempted internal coup or prevention of a coup?
Anything’s possible in that debased and violent circle.
July 18th, 2012, 7:43 am
Amjad said:
“You Free Sryian Army paid posters sure are getting desperate”
Moderator, I believe that accusing people of being paid agents is against forum laws, or are we not implementing rules against menhebakjis in recognition of the epic butt screwing they got today? Wallak 3ala jahanam el HAMRA inshallah
“Could it be linked to an attempted internal coup or prevention of a coup?”
Without a shadow of a doubt, one faction of the junta making it possible for the opposition to eliminate another faction.
“Three dislikes from supporters who just love terrorist tactics, well thats not surprising.”
More upset by the dislikes he’s getting than the momentous events in Damascus, well thats not surprising.
“What an unfortunate timing for a Vermont vacation.”
I’m sure Professor Landis is thinking the same thing. “Why the heck couldn’t I have been an expert on Egypt, at least they have nice and tidy news cycles”
July 18th, 2012, 7:46 am
majedkhaldoun said:
It is so great to see the regime supporters crying ,angry, extremely emotional, trying to spin this great incidence.
This morning has been great morning, beautiful, bring happiness, I feel I need to listen to Fairuze singing,it is a day to celebrate,smile,hopes has suddenly are getting more,this explosion was done and carried out close to Assad home,it will cause tremendous earthquake inside the regime, Assad will be dead soon.
July 18th, 2012, 7:55 am
annie said:
“You Free Sryian Army paid posters sure are getting desperate”
Desperate, au contraire, but what worries me is that they never told me I would get paid. You mean I have been cheated ?
July 18th, 2012, 7:58 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/18/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8610SH20120718
Reutears: fire near the presidential palace.
“…Video footage broadcast by activists appeared to show fire in the barracks overnight as a result of an attack by mortar rounds, but residents who saw the fire said they had not heard explosions to indicate it was a result of an attack.
Dummar is a secure area containing many auxiliary installations for the presidential palace and the barracks is just hundreds of meters from the palace itself”.
.
July 18th, 2012, 7:58 am
Karebennemsi said:
486 Amjad
You know what Amjad, that whole calling for the moderator thing is pretty despicable. If you can not stand the tone of discussions here, go to some more singleminded forum.
I can not remember you calling the moderator in the often cases of antiregime commentators suggesting paid networks doing the whole thumb thing and so on.
Also the whole news spinning thing is really disgusting. The thing to do by such an event is to say that suicide bombing is absolutely disgusting, and that any rightous man and woman would never support that.
However all I could read was some smirking and sneering at this horrible event.
If this form of warfare is something that makes you happy, and if you enjoy the fact that suicide attacks apparently are becoming an acceptable form of warfare for the rebels, i think THAT is something the moderator should prevent from appearing here.
PS After reading Mr Khaldouns comment, I feel very disturbed. Who come you did not go to Syria, to fight as you gloriously declared, sir? Did you chicken out?
I dont think i will bother reading in the comment section on here again, till this very moment I did not realize the character of some of the people posting here.
July 18th, 2012, 7:59 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
1206 GMT: Syria. This is unconfirmed, but Al Jazeera’s networks, and CNN, are both reporting that there are reports of a huge explosion at the headquarters for the 4th division. The 4th division is one of the most trusted, beloved, and feared brigade in the military. If true…
Maher, you OK?
.
July 18th, 2012, 8:10 am
Syrialover said:
Poor Bushra. Will she now be a displaced war widow, or does she still have ahead of her the role of prisoner’s wife?
Either way, her turn must come.
July 18th, 2012, 8:10 am
Majedkhaldoun said:
The death of Asef Shawkat is much more important than the death of Rajha,he is one of the true inner circle that include Bashar maher and Asef
July 18th, 2012, 8:12 am
Amjad said:
“Maher, you OK?”
LOL!
Annie
“You mean I have been cheated ?”
If “they” had to pay every demonstrator and Internet poster like the menhebakjis are claiming, then it’s any wonder “they” have any oil revenue left over for building sky scrapers.
Majed
“The death of Asef Shawkat is much more important than the death of Rajha,he is one of the true inner circle that include Bashar maher and Asef”
Excellent point. The only people higher up would have been the Assad brothers themselves.
July 18th, 2012, 8:15 am
Karabennemsi said:
Moderator please release my comment from above, thanks a lot
July 18th, 2012, 8:17 am
Bruno said:
Israhell’s Channel 2 celebrates the death of the Syrian Ministers and calls the ones who did it “heroes”.
At least it shows from your posts you are getting desperate.
(Assad will be dead soon.)
Isn’t that what you have been saying for two weeks now?
July 18th, 2012, 8:19 am
SC Moderator said:
All,
Please observe SC rules during this difficult time. I do not currently have access to delete offensive comments but I will soon. There will be low threshold to ban repeated offenders. Thank you for your keeping the site civil.
July 18th, 2012, 8:26 am
Juergen said:
Bruno
Do you have yet a picture of the eyedoctor to cry onto? It could well be soon an hard thing to find in Assad free Syria.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/world/meast/icrc-geneva-conventions-syria/index.html
July 18th, 2012, 8:32 am
Bruno said:
SC Moderator I apologize but honestly most posters in here really seem to support terrorist tactics from what and the most of these comments are sounding to be like.
And i highly question some of the users
July 18th, 2012, 8:32 am
Syrialover said:
“Syrian opposition leader Kamal al-Labwani told al-Arabiya, a satellite channel, that a member of the rebel Free Syrian Army planted a TNT and C-4-based device inside the building ahead of the meeting, and then detonate the bomb remotely before fleeing to safety.”
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9408321/Assads-brother-in-law-and-top-Syrian-officials-killed-in-Damascus-suicide-bomb.html)
That makes more sense than a suicide bomber attack. And would be even more embarrassing for Bashar.
July 18th, 2012, 8:33 am
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
I can’t support this hunch but wasn’t Asef Shawkat poisoned and there was never any clear news as to whether he actually died or not?
Could this be something orchestrated by the sick-minded regime to 1)have Shawkat’s death finally happen and announce it in away to benefit the regime somehow and, 2) to get rid of some elements that were suspect or about to defect?
Just thinking aloud here.
July 18th, 2012, 8:36 am
Ghufran said:
That was clearly an inside job,for the first time it seems possible that Bashar himself may be reachable by the opposition. Personally,I am more worried about the day after instead of who lives and who dies,the collapse of the state and the loss of law and order is not in the interest of any Syrian.
July 18th, 2012, 8:44 am
Syrialover said:
# 500. Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships
Interesting theory. Such pathological liars and manipulators of reality would be capable of that. Keep the thoughts coming.
July 18th, 2012, 8:44 am
Bruno said:
@Juergen
( Do you have yet a picture of the eyedoctor to cry onto? It could well be soon an hard thing to find in Assad free Syria.)
Isn’t that what you have been saying for the least 17 months ago? you know joshualandis Moderators i have been hearing such similar statments from these users such as.
(Assad will be soon dead)
Or
(Sryia will be Free)
And now from the user Juergen who stated the following.
(well be soon an hard thing to find in Assad free Syria)
I have to ask how you know this is going to happen eh? its almost you could see into the future.
For example i could say.
Soon i will be winning 50 Million at least very soon, but even though that would never happen, now it would make sense though.
Unless your some government agents that have Intel on the matter on whats going in Sryia.
For example Juergen.
Whats a user from israel doing in here?
July 18th, 2012, 8:46 am
VISITOR said:
Congratulations are due to all freedom-loving Syrians on the great achievement of the Syrian heroes who succeeded today in exacting justice on two notorious criminals.
We assure you that victory is near and that more criminals will meet their fitting and just end exactly like the two who have met theirs today. Very soon free Syrians will celebrate their great achievement made possible by the sacrifices of this great people.
These sacrifices are necessary in order to cement the victory, and to ensure that never again will despots and thugs hijack Syria and its people.
July 18th, 2012, 8:51 am
irritated said:
Do many of you have such little trust that the FSA with Al Qaeeda or Western support can do such a thing that they suspect Bashar to be behind it?
It is not flattering that you don’t cheer up that as a great victory for the chaos-seekers.
It may come, as you wished for, and you will thank God you live abroad, and abroad you’ll probably stay for a long long time.
July 18th, 2012, 8:54 am
Bruno said:
Unbelievable people on here cheering for terrorist tactics and the death of a Christian orthodox.
Whatever or not on whose side he was on there is no expectations from this killing an minority, at least this shows that this uprising is another Islamist uprising.
Which wont care for minorities and this attack is the proof of that.
Thanks for showing me what real side you are on, i guess people who support the terrorists and there comments wont be deleted eh? so much for freedom of speech.
Unless you support the terrorists that is.
This was a cowardly tactics which was used in Kosovo as well by the KLA.
July 18th, 2012, 8:54 am
Syrialover said:
The world is watching and cheering them on. I hope we do not lose too many Syrian heroes in this round. But they fight smart and know when to retreat.
July 18th, 2012, 8:58 am
Bruno said:
@Syrialover
(The world is watching and cheering them on. I hope we do not lose too many Syrian heroes in this round. But they fight smart and know when to retreat.)
Thank you for proving my point yes cheering upon terrorists and using terrorist tactics, i guess when Israel kills innocents the world cheers to.
So i am not surprised rebel supporters are cheering this cowardly tactic.
Well when The Free Sryian Army losses the war don’t blame us blame yourselves for using coward tactics of terrorism.
I guess when FSA commanders say they have all of Sryia under there control i guess they only mean the outskirts of city limit zones.
Which sometimes terrorists in other countries do that for recruiting purposes.
July 18th, 2012, 9:01 am
Syrialover said:
Bruno, are you having fun? Here to amuse yourself again? Saying nothing that makes sense and showing how little you’ve been following.
July 18th, 2012, 9:06 am
Bruno said:
@Syrialover
(Bruno, are you having fun? Here to amuse yourself again? Saying nothing that makes sense and showing how little you’ve been following.)
Oh believe me you are very wrong i have been following this little uprising since last year, but it seems you have a problem with my post, how come?
Also in a NPR report Syrian Rebels Say They Carried Out Damascus Attack and Riad al-Asaad said in a phone interview from his headquarters in Turkey that rebel forces planted a bomb inside a room where senior government officials were meeting Wednesday.
Then denies the claim it was an suicide attack. But i am starting to not to believe Riad al-Asaad words.
July 18th, 2012, 9:08 am
Amjad said:
“Whatever or not on whose side he was on there is no expectations from this killing an minority”
What? “no expectations from this killing an minority”? How on Earth did a supposed “Westerner” manage to cram so many mistakes into such a short sentence?
Hitler was a Catholic, did that make WW2 a war of persecution waged by Protestants and the descendants of Martin Luther against the Catholic Church of Rome? *rolls eyes*
I don’t care if the man was a direct descendant of Mohamad, if he was a high ranking member of the junta, then good riddance.
July 18th, 2012, 9:30 am
annie said:
“332. irritated said:
330. annie
Better suggestion: Sign a peace treaty with Israel and get some Israeli companies to do the reconstruction.”
Don’t you think that Syria has enough engineers and skilled workforce to do it by itself ? I guess you were joking
July 18th, 2012, 9:33 am
bronco said:
Russia and China will probably veto the resolution.
Without the resolution imposing Annan peace plan, this is a greenlight for the Syrian government to continue the cleanup of the “70%” of the Syrian territories pockets without being watched over. The UNMIS, that the opposition have rejected from the start, will close down.
Turkey has just opened new camps for the rebels fleeing Syria.
As the military wing of the FSA is running out of steam, they resort to terrorist attacks, like in Algeria in 1990. While it may radicalize for a while, and drag for a while, it won’t bring victory to the opposition even more divided now. Algeria is an example of the failure of such approach with huge casualties.
In fact the opposition is in total disarray. The SNC demands at the UNSC have been rejected and the Western countries have no money and desire to enter in the middle of a civil war to separate the warring factions. These murders are supposed to cheer up momentarily the morals of the opposition, faced with a somber dead end.
The next week will be crucial to determine who is more determined.
July 18th, 2012, 9:50 am
zoo said:
The Palestinians in Syria are playing a very dangerous game, like the one they did in Kuwait. They may all be pushed back to Jordan refugee camps. I just hope their leaders will intervene before its too late.
Palestinians join Syria revolt: activists, FSA
By Serene Assir | AFP – 37 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-join-syria-revolt-activists-fsa-132156817.html
A number of Palestinian refugees living in Damascus have joined the uprising in Syria, according to activists and rebels, with some taking up arms alongside rebel Free Syrian Army fighters.
July 18th, 2012, 10:04 am
Amjad said:
Does anyone else notice how Bronco’s somber-funeral-like-tone predictions seem to change in content every week? It’s a terrible fortune teller who can’t seem to keep a consistent view of the future 🙂
“These murders are supposed to cheer up momentarily the morals of the opposition”
LOL! Just like the Battle of Britain was momentarily supposed to boost British morale, or Stalingrad was supposed to be a mere morale booster for the Red Army, or the battle of Midway was just a plot by Roosevelt to boost the morale of the US forces.
Seriously, the regime loses three of its top people and the menhebajkis don’t even question its competence? Such a blunder hasn’t been seen since King Alexander of Scotland fell off a cliff while riding towards a night of romp and fun with his new bride.
July 18th, 2012, 10:05 am
annie said:
Great talk by Samar Yazbek
http://www.frontlineclub.com/events/2012/07/diaries-of-the-syrian-revolution-with-samar-yazbek.html
July 18th, 2012, 10:06 am
zoo said:
Syria: No End in Sight
By Fawaz Gerges
July 18, 2012
http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2012/07/18/syria_no_end_in_sight_100145.html
Despite Annan’s persistent efforts, the odds are against a political breakthrough. The trust deficit between the two warring camps has grown, leading both the opposition and the Assad regime to view the struggle as existential and hunker down for a prolonged fight. The opposition has repeatedly stressed unwillingness to negotiate with the Syrian regime unless Assad steps down. Assad still acts on the premise that there’s a security solution, continuing to deploy massive force to crush the opposition with little success.
For all these reasons, protracted armed conflict is likely to continue. The lack of credible information about the Syrian regime’s machinations makes predictions hazardous. Starving Assad out of power is a working strategy, not a proven tactic. Although pressing sanctions are bleeding the Syrian economy, the government has found means to adjust. Syria can sustain itself only as long as Iran maintains its current level of support, increasingly challenging because of its own suffocating economic sanctions.
Ultimately, the balance of power in Syria will determine whether Assad goes. Can Assad maintain cohesiveness of his narrowing ruling coalition? Though Assad’s days are not as few as Clinton suggests, there are signs that the regime is not durable and that the likelihood of a rupture within is real.
The flight of the middle and professional classes, in addition to senior officers and senior diplomats, is proof of growing doubts about Assad’s capacity to survive and his coercive power. Tlass’ and Fares’s defections seem to be more related to the destruction in their hometowns rather than a change of heart about Assad. Nevertheless, recent defections in the military, along with loss of territory, have not reached a critical mass that threatens the regime’s immediate survival.
July 18th, 2012, 10:07 am
bronco said:
Amjad
The fireworks of the “Volcano of Damascus” compared to Stalingrad.
The murder of 3 replaceable leaders compared to the “Battle of Britain”
Paranoia is often a good remedy to despair
July 18th, 2012, 10:25 am
PATRIOT said:
To all of the doubters, the final piece of the puzzle is in place, mass defections are taking place, and the rebels have cleaned house. This is the end of Al-Assad. May god protect the Syrian people…عاشث سورية حرة أبية
July 18th, 2012, 10:32 am
Halabi said:
وبشر القاتل بالقتل ولو بعد حين
July 18th, 2012, 10:35 am
irritated said:
#517 Patriot
Sources please?
July 18th, 2012, 10:36 am
bronco said:
Sandro
Insulting is a also remedy to despair
July 18th, 2012, 10:44 am
zoo said:
Biden security adviser warns of Syria spillover
AFP – 21 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/biden-security-adviser-warns-syria-spillover-142504570.html
US Vice President Joe Biden’s national security adviser discussed the Syrian crisis and the threat of unrest spilling into nearby countries with Iraqi leaders on Wednesday, he told journalists.
..
“That is, for example, the danger that what’s happening within Syria becomes a full-blown sectarian conflict that spills over into neighbouring countries, including Iraq, which is in no one’s interests. The longer this goes on, the more likely that becomes.”
“And so, what I talked about was the urgent need to advance a political transition in Syria, that that is the best path forward.”
July 18th, 2012, 10:49 am
Amjad said:
“The murder of 3 replaceable leaders”
It’s actually four now. The minister of interior also snuffed it. And seriously dude, they haven’t even been buried yet and you’re calling them “replaceable”? After all their years of service to your regime?
When the menhebakjis say “replaceable”, they actually mean “expendable”. To save his own skin, Bashar will sacrifice his entire sect and even closest family.
Rami Makhlouf should take note; he is “replaceable”. Maher is replaceable. And after the leak of Batta’s saucy emails with young ladies, so is Asma.
July 18th, 2012, 10:49 am
PATRIOT said:
@Irritated
Watch the news. It’s over.
July 18th, 2012, 10:52 am
Expatriate said:
Ten days ago Hillary Clinton warned:
“The sooner there can be an end to the violence and a beginning of a political transition process, not only will fewer people die, but there is a chance to save the Syrian state from a catastrophic assault that would be very dangerous not only to Syria but to the region,” Clinton said at a news conference.
Were the recent attacks and today’s bombing the “catastrophic assault” she warned of? How did she know of them?
Syria: After Deadly Strike Gloves Will Come Off
http://www.moonofalabama.org/
July 18th, 2012, 10:52 am
irritated said:
524. PATRIOT
Watch the news. It’s over.
Which news? what’s over?
July 18th, 2012, 10:56 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
516. BRONCO
Deleted for insult. Sandro, this is a warning. Time updated. This was a previous comment
July 18th, 2012, 10:57 am
bronco said:
#523 Amjad
The capability of a government to replace key persons without affecting the core of its policies is a sign that it is not dependent of individuals but on a large group.
That’s what we see in the USA every 4 years
July 18th, 2012, 11:03 am
Juergen said:
The problem is Bronco in the US at least with every change of the presidency we witness not only an change in personal but also in politics and policies, in Assad Syria we witness the same dull policies since decades. And the question should be who decides such matters? Is it Anise at her coffeetable?
July 18th, 2012, 11:23 am
majedkhaldoun said:
So far four has been pronounced dead, Asef Shawkat,Imad Rajha, Hasan Turkomani, and M Sha33ar minister of interior,
The meeting include many more, and Shami Hospital is full of others who are wounded, such as Hafez Makhloof,Hisham Bikhtiar and Ali Mamlook.
The regime has nervously responded , they are attacking Al Hajar Al Aswad,bombing them by rockets from helicopters.
Bronco said
“As the military wing of the FSA is running out of steam, they resort to terrorist attacks, In fact the opposition is in total disarray.the Western countries have no money and desire to enter in the middle of a civil war to separate the warring factions.”
This statement is delusional,FSA is getting stronger and their morals is much higher.And please stop calling them terrorists, no one believe you any more, As for money there is plenty of money will be paid by some countries ,Iran is supporting Assad, and KSA and Qattar will give money to the FSA.
Bronco you were asked If Assad used chemical weapons would you denounce Assad?
July 18th, 2012, 11:43 am
Karabennemsi said:
Mr Khaldoun how come you are still posting here although you wanted to join the fight for Damascus?
July 18th, 2012, 11:51 am
Uzair8 said:
Can someone please translate this tweet from Sh. Yaqoubi from 15 hrs ago? Thanks. Google translation isn’t very good:
بركان دمشق يا أهل دمشق لقد آنا للشام تفجر بركانا كي يهدم هذا الطغيانا ويعيد المجد لناديكم
Google translation:
‘O People of the volcano Damascus Damascus has to Anna Cham volcano eruption in order to destroy this Tgaana and restore the glory of your club’
https://twitter.com/Shaykhabulhuda/status/225379578795917313
July 18th, 2012, 11:56 am
Uzair8 said:
Now where is that ‘premonition’ by Sheikh Nazim from 1st August 2011…….?
July 18th, 2012, 11:58 am
Antoine said:
Daood Rajha (MoD), Assef Shawkat ( Real MoD), Mohammed al Shaar (MoI), Hassan Turkmani (Asst. VP) DEAD.
Ali Mamluk, Hafez Makhlouf, Nassif Kheirbek, Rustam Ghazaleh dying and definitely losing several fingers and toes.
Lets not forget the explosion was in a closed room. Its impact must have been very severe,I don’t think anybody present in that room have regained consciousness yet.
Btw lily-livered Farouk Sharaa may try to jump ship, thats if the shabbiha don’t kill him in the process.
But Mouallem and Makdissi will be with Bashar till the end.
July 18th, 2012, 12:00 pm
Antoine said:
Tomorrow I will be treated to a delicious Mansaf at a Jordanian home hosting me and some of their Syrian refugee relatives.
July 18th, 2012, 12:02 pm
Antoine said:
Fahad Jasem al Freij is new MoD and Muneer Adanov ( Circassian) is Chief of Army Staff.
Btw who will replace Shawkat in the curious designation of “Deputy MoD” ( which basically means “Real MoD”) ?
July 18th, 2012, 12:04 pm
Antoine said:
Has anyone noticed that except Russa-China-Iran none of the Governments have yet offered a formal condolence ?
A regime which has assassinated political and State leaders of other countries with impunity cannot expect condolences when they get a taste of their own medicine.
Millions of Lebanese Christians, Sunnis, Druze and even Palestinians are definitely celebrating today.
July 18th, 2012, 12:09 pm
Uzair8 said:
Expect remnants of Assad loyalists to lash out. We are already hearing reporst of raids on Hajr aswad in Damascus and elswhere.
Here is another tweet. I hope the local police defend the people from the thugs:
‘BREAKING “@NMSyria: Thugs attacks residents of several neighborhoods in #Damascus. Policemen defended residents with their guns. #Syria” ‘
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/breaking-nmsyria-thugs-attacks-residents-of-several/
July 18th, 2012, 12:17 pm
bronco said:
MajedAl Khaldoon
You seem to be extremely worried about the chemical weapons. I am glad to know that the morals of the armed rebels and their allies the terrorists are high. I hope it lasts until the next ‘decisive battle’
I gave my reply to the WMD questions a long time ago
July 18th, 2012, 12:26 pm
zoo said:
The sparks of Egypt and Saudi Arabia honeymoon
Egypt lawyer charged with drug trafficking in Saudi
AFPAFP – 1 hr 24 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-lawyer-charged-drug-trafficking-saudi-150504387.html
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, an Egyptian organisation, said Gizawi was held following a sentence of one year in prison and 20 lashes delivered against him in absentia for criticising the Saudi government.
According to the group, Gizawi was being targeted for his activism in favour of Egyptian detainees in Saudi prisons.
July 18th, 2012, 12:32 pm
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
#531
بركان دمشق يا أهل دمشق لقد آنا للشام تفجر بركانا كي يهدم هذا الطغيانا ويعيد المجد لناديكم
This translates roughly into:
O People of Dimashq (Damascus), the volcano of Damascus, it is time for the land of Sham (a name given to all of Syria and also to Damascus) to erupt and destroy the tyrant and bring back glory to your community /country (your midst).
BTW, I was happy to translate what your beloved Sheikh tweeted because it was nothing religious…some of us have their limits too, you know. 🙂
July 18th, 2012, 12:32 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Bronco
No you did not answer the question ,If Assad used chemical weapons will you condemn Assad?
July 18th, 2012, 12:33 pm
Ulook2 said:
After an event like this, you would expect ANY leader of a country to speak to the people of the country! Not Bashar – he seems to be always above the fray. He should write a new book on leadership.
July 18th, 2012, 12:35 pm
Hopeful said:
After an event like this, you would expect ANY leader of ANY country to speak to the people of the country. Not Bashar – he is always above the fray. He should write a new book on “leadership”!
July 18th, 2012, 12:38 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
What a great piece of news. To hear that the war criminals and terrorists who have been terrorizing the Syrian people have been killed is so sweet. Assef Shawkat in particular had a lot of innocent people’s blood in his hand. He took part in the Hama massacre of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. I am not talking here about fighters. I am talking about noncombatants who were massacred whole sale back in 1982. This includes a Christian young man who was lined up with other people in Hama by drunk soldiers and were summarily executed without having done anything. They just got them out of their homes and executed them for fun. Not only that, but one of the soldiers refused to leave until the mother of the Christian young man gave him, the soldier, his ujrah (fee) for killing her son. The grieving mother was forced to give him her golden bracelet so he can let her go. That’s just one of the many stories of what took place in Hama. So hearing that Asif Shawkat was killed must have brought a lot of joy to the hearts of grieving mothers across Syria.
Those people were meeting to decide how to use even more brute force, genocide, and ethnic cleansing to quell this revolution. Killing is an act of bravery, especially after the failed attempt on their lives a month or so ago. The fact the crisis cell was penetrated twice should send chills up the spine of the terrorists running the Syrian regime. I am sure Batta is feeling the noose tightening around his neck. He must be feeling particularly paranoid. Could one of his guards turn on him?
You can feel the huge boost in morale the opposition has received and the exact opposite being experienced by the supporters of the this terrorist regime.
The game is not over yet, but all indications are that time is running out for the Batta, the terrorist-in-chief. Time will tell.
Finally, a message to those who have not yet defected. Do it today before it’s too late. Learn the lessons of history. Supporting a war criminal against his people is not wise. However, if you decide to stick with him, don’t whine later when the tables are turned.
July 18th, 2012, 12:41 pm
Tara said:
I think bringing the fight to Damascus suburbs and declaring a Damascus volcano was intentional not for the fight itself rather for the sole purpose of having these people meet and bomb them.
July 18th, 2012, 12:45 pm
Tara said:
Bronco
Thank you for your answer in regard to the WMD. I agree with you. It is a deterrent but should never be used.
July 18th, 2012, 12:48 pm
Uzair8 said:
540. Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships
🙂
Lol…Thank you.
July 18th, 2012, 1:02 pm
Antoine said:
At least all the Sunni soldiers, officers, bureaucrats, Judges, diplomats, who are still not thinking of defecting, may be forced to make some serious plans.
July 18th, 2012, 1:13 pm
omen said:
i had hoped focusing on damascus would cause troops to be pulled back from other regions, but no.
and this…
what should people do? tape the windows? leave damascus?
July 18th, 2012, 1:27 pm
Osama said:
for those of us that are not busy “living” the moment… here is what it looks like from the outside… A repeat of the Tripoli operation which helped to topple the Libyan regime.
Most likely the FSA (with CIA direction/support/training) has been planning this operation for the last few weeks or months; smuggling people, weapons and ammunition into the city, as was done in Libya.
It also appears that they are getting serious CIA intelligence (Satellite surveillance)… this seems the only way they can have attacked and found a route to the meeting at the exact time and place where the top brass were meeting. Although the FSA/CIA would like us to believe that it was an inside job – no body on the inside would have been able to prepare such an attack without risk of detection… sorry oppositionists – this was a surveillance job (either Satellite or Humint).
The plan was simple, create as much chaos as possible and hope you see massive defections or at least a dash for the exits… apparently they did not count on the Syrians also learning from the Tripoli events and instead of attack haphazardly, they quickly cordoned off all area’s and sealed them off…
The next few days will be standard house to house clearing (a la Homs) with probably massive casualties on both sides.
Unfortunately, when the smoke clears, hundreds if not thousands of Syrians will be dead and the FSA will have expended a great deal of people, credibility and resources on this smoke and mirrors ruse.
The Syrian government, no doubt took a hit today, and it may end up to have been a mortal blow… but it seems so far that the regime is not collapsing or imploding.
Next you will see clean up operations – I say clean-up, but it will be quite messy. The FSA will have to lick its wounds – if it had anything else to throw in to it we would have expected to see significant flare-up in Homs, Idlib, Zabadani, and Aleppo (to draw Syrian Army units away from Damascus).
Tomorrow we will see a double veto in the UNSC, and the US will have to take it, this bombing has taken the wind out of the NATO/GCC sails…. so the SNC will be disappointed.
The hope was for a quick collapse and massive desertions, looks like its not quite to plan (hopes, dreams, delusions etc etc).
July 18th, 2012, 1:40 pm
omen said:
am i dreaming??
wonder if he was wearing this?
July 18th, 2012, 1:54 pm
Tara said:
Omen
In regard to your last post, I think it is imperative that the SNC contacts the FOS, specifically the US, France, Britiian, and Turkey to issue a statement to warm al Assad that the use of chemical weapons against his own people is a redline and will be swiftly and unilaterally responded to by selectively bombing the presidential palaces, the interior ministry, the 4th brigade and the republican guards. This is a vital role of the SNC at the present time.
I am now definitely afraid of rampage killing of the unarmed in retaliation.
July 18th, 2012, 2:00 pm
habib said:
The insurgents have invested everything they’ve got into this final battle. If they fail now, the “uprising” is finished.
At least they got a bang for their buck.
July 18th, 2012, 2:16 pm
Bruno said:
I cant believe it but Al jazeera Accidentally Admitted It The Mujahideen of Sryia , Syrian conflict: The beginning of the end?
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2012/07/20127189020730553.html
“This is my urgent message to all Mujahideen from all brigades to join their brothers the Mujahideen of Damascus who are defending the revolution. Those willing to join have to go … through safe routes to Damascus. It is the moment of truth. It is the Damascus fight for salvation. It is either life, dignity and freedom or martyrdom and paradise.”
Commander of Al-Emary Brigades, Captian Quais Quatana’s statement for all Syrian Mujahideen
Well Assad is right he is fighting terrorists.
July 18th, 2012, 2:22 pm
Syrialover said:
Bushra must blame her little brother.
“Shawkat retired in 2010 but was recalled by Assad when the anti-regime revolt broke out”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jPlpHqdiiW9-I8W9dHZ0w1uPpYdw?docId=CNG.011644044ab205dd97b782ce12dfd1d7.81
(story reminds us that the late Bassel Assad disliked Shawkat and didn’t want him anywhere near the family)
July 18th, 2012, 2:28 pm
Amjad said:
“his seems the only way they can have attacked and found a route to the meeting at the exact time and place where the top brass were meeting”
Um….no, and the rest of your thesis falls apart, because apparently you are the only one who didn’t seem to know that the four involved comprised a “Crisis Council” that met regularly at that exact place to find ways to crush the revolution. Remember the “poison food” plot? The revolutionaries knew even back then that this little group have their get together in the National Security HQ, as regular as clockwork.
“After an event like this, you would expect ANY leader of ANY country to speak to the people of the country”
Agreed, his lack of leadership throughout all this has been appalling. He’s the only guy who can make Maher look like a desirable alternative.
July 18th, 2012, 2:34 pm
habib said:
554. Syrialover
Lol, at least his death is confirmation that the opposition lied through their teeth (again) back in May when they claimed they poisoned him.
No one liked Shawkat anyway, it’s not a great tactical loss. He’s been replaced by a fierce guy from the mountains who’ll get the job done.
July 18th, 2012, 2:34 pm
omen said:
552. habib, this isn’t the final battle. this isn’t even zero hour. khaldoun keeps tell you that but you refuse to listen.
July 18th, 2012, 2:40 pm
Syrialover said:
And all this is happening in desperate mid-40s heat wave conditions in Damascus.
July 18th, 2012, 2:42 pm
ANWAR said:
“fierce guy from the mountains”
Lol you mountain people crack me up. Bring more of those untamed animals and put them in charge that will guarantee you victory.
I am just loving this, please continue in your denial everything will be just fine in Bashar’s happy land 🙂
July 18th, 2012, 2:46 pm
PATRIOT said:
@ Antoine
Do you think Muallem and other high ranking sunni officials have the choice of even defecting? I’m sure the Shabiha thugs and Mukhabarat who were tasked with “protecting” him would make it a bit tough to flee don’t you think?
Defecting is not easy, especially when you are at the top of the game, have so much inside information, and you are in a civilian position where you don’t have the loyalty of any soldiers to help you in the journey towards the border. I’m sure Muallem did not/does not want to be associated / take part in any of this…
July 18th, 2012, 2:52 pm
habib said:
559. ANWAR
Well, at least better than whatever turbaned carcass you might pull out of the desert to replace him, if you ever get anywhere near power, lol.
557. omen
Apart from the bombing, the insurgents have been confined to small pockets consisting of few men, which will easily be cleaned up.
Just wait until the dust settles, and we’ll see.
July 18th, 2012, 2:59 pm
VISITOR said:
بسمه تعالى
ولقد سبقت كلمتنا لعبادنا المرسلين إنهم لهم المنصورون وإن جندنا لهم الغالبون فتول عنهم حتى حين وأبصرهم فسوف يبصرون أفبعذابنا يستعجلون فإذا نزل بساحتهم فساء صباح المنذرين وتول عنهم حتى حين وأبصر فسوف يبصرون
Early Blessings of Ramadan
July 18th, 2012, 3:01 pm
Syrialover said:
And who was it that’s been saying the opposition forces were too weak and disorganized to make it into Damascus?
They have done what they said they’d do. No delusions, lies and fake boasts. Unlike Bashar, who must be taking tranquillizers by the fistful at the moment. He didn’t suspect his team were actually sitting in a meeting on top of the volcano.
July 18th, 2012, 3:10 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
The most encouraging rhetoric I have heard this week comes from the state and state-affiliated media in Syria, concerning the new Minister of Reconciliation Ali Haider.
Although I have read sharp criticism of his stance from the opposition, the sharpest criticism given was accompanied by a ‘wish his well’ caveat. The critique concerned Haider’s actual mandate, whether he would face the same challenges any minister of state faces, that power and authority rest anwhere but in the hands of a minister.
From his own reports, he has initiated or continued contacts (indirectly) with armed groups. It is not clear if he has contacts within the ‘dissident wing’ of the current regime but is obviously in a certain information loop. He is in contact with all the ‘national opposition’ … Haider may also be one of the few figures outside the regime circle of trust to received Mood’s briefings, for example, and delegations to his new offices from the UN/UNSMIS, and his complete mutism on contacts with the SNC suggests he may have open backchannels — the SNC has muttered approvingly of his efforts. It remains to be seen if the local intelligence gathered by Mood for Haider will simply be handed over to the security apparatus for examination, or will be used to amplify Haider’s ongoing appeal for reconciliation. It is not clear if Haider will work with the religious authorities or the nascent community truce work spearheaded by Christian groups on the ground, but he has been featured in stories that feature the current interfaith efforts ont he ground. His secular credentials suggest his door is open to Mussalaha reps.
If the cynicism rampant in some opposition quarters is justified, Haider is simply a cut-out, an easily-manipulable agent of the present security state, a cosmetic on the hardline response. I hope this is not true and that his mandate is real, because he may be a key interlocutor in any transition.
According to his own reports, he has complete staffing freedom, and is populating his ministry with SSNP worthies (or cadres). At least on paper he has the means to make dialogue on his own terms.
I am interested in the considered reaction of informed Syria watchers here. Does Haider have any chance of success, in the interim? Am I right to think that he (and his ministry) will survive the fall (or progressive de-fanging) of the President — that he will be in place in a transitional regime part-populated by other acceptable ‘national opposition’ figures … ?
I do not know what to make of it given current conditions. What actual power or mandate can he develop, and what personal appeal could he have if her were give broader access to Syrian media? It is somewhat encouraging that the DP-news breakthrough continues. Surely Haider’s efforts are newsworthy, from both ‘sides’ (and from the reasonable middle)? — especially his attention to ‘the detainee file’?
Champress is the latest to offer (truncated) remarks from Haider. Thanks, Ghufran, for keeping your eyes peeled on the Arabic regime-flavoured media. If you come accross more mentions or features, I hope we see that they show a progression … the news rhetoric is otherwise extremely dire, violent, deluded or extreme at the moment.
At some point the guns will fall silent. What then? Who is ready, who is in place, who is engaged in or already prepared for dialogue, if not reconciliation?
July 18th, 2012, 3:41 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Rumors about the death of Hafez Makhlouf spreading fastly.
Gadafi called rats to their opponents and finally died like a rat.
Assads called for the fisical extermination of opponents and are beginning to be fisically exterminated.
July 18th, 2012, 3:48 pm
Osama said:
Amjad,
Even if everybody knew about the Crisis Meeting and it’s time and place, they still would have needed to get the car or truck through all the check points or have it prepositioned for pick up. Your version would mean that the entire security apparatus is compromised… Highly unlikely…
This depended on precision timing because the bomber needed to have clear knowledge of when to head off and which road to take and which side of the building the meeting room was and where exactly to detonate the bomb …. Sorry, but this a state intelligence service and if any humint was involved he certainly was not at the site, but had been thoroughly debriefed in the planning stages
July 18th, 2012, 3:59 pm
habib said:
Salafists in north Lebanon shooting their fellow cretins with “celebratory gunfire”:
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/one-dead-lebanon-after-anti-assad-celebrations
Evolution in action, lol.
July 18th, 2012, 4:04 pm
omen said:
564. wws, reconciliation? the regime is still slaughtering people.
you probably already have, but just in case, did you read the white piece listed from the last thread?
link
July 18th, 2012, 4:06 pm
Expatriate said:
First Black Saudi Appointed as Imam of the Haram Mosque in Mecca Accuses Shiites of Apostasy, Discusses the Driving Out of Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, and Claims: My Appointment More Significant Than Obama’s Election
July 18th, 2012, 4:07 pm
Osama said:
In any case we can argue back and forth, but it is clear that the FSA is fighting a guerrilla war… With flawed tactics… They keep thinking they can hold ground.
Stand and fight may be the brave thing to do, but it’s not the brightest thing… An experienced soldier or a well trained one is worth ten conscripts or volunteers. The stupidest thing the FSA can do now is try and hold ground.
In any case, what we see now in the MSM is a sophisticated psychological operation, and I am sure there are other things happening on the ground. The idea is to give the impression that the regime is done for and to encourage more officers to defect, not because they need them to fight, but to further undermine the regime. One problem with this plan… It has high risk of failure without destroying the command and control. The attack on the security center was an attempt to do this… But again this will show in the coming days fighting in Damascus and elsewhere.
July 18th, 2012, 4:13 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
567. HABIB
It is something like shabbihas shooting regular soldiers from behind to defeat peacefull demostrations. Really cretins, indeed.
Determination of the rebels has been shown today. No way back.
First Assad lost the fear card. Now he has lost the security card. Damascus people are massively turning sides to a new Syria without Assad. Just check facebook and discover how fear and respect for the regime is eroding hour after hour.
July 18th, 2012, 4:25 pm
omen said:
syrians know how to self organize. they are not children. they don’t need help from uncle kofi to hold their hand to show them how it’s done. this treatment from the un insults syrians in treating them like infants. he’s a shoe horn western powers have foisted upon syria in hopes of shaping its outcome and to preserve the backbone of the regime. sorry, syria isnt a play toy for the u.s, france, the uk, exxon, bp & halliburton to exploit.
July 18th, 2012, 4:27 pm
Halabi said:
The reactions from free Syrians today in Hama
http://youtu.be/AlisBtc9zKg
Bashar Al Athad addresses his shabi7a
http://youtu.be/ZoHC5rAscZ0
July 18th, 2012, 4:33 pm
habib said:
571. SANDRO LOEWE
If your multi layered false-flag conspiracy theory was true, then yes, they could be honorary cretins.
“The regime is bombing itself to create sympathy”.
“The opposition is massacring villagers to create sympathy”.
Where does the conspiracy end? One day it’ll be revealed that space-Zionists from Uranus were behind all of this…
July 18th, 2012, 4:35 pm
zoo said:
Syria blames Turkey for suicide bombing
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-blames-turkey-for-suicide-bombing-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25846&NewsCatID=352
Syrian Information Minister Umran al-Zuabi has blamed foreign intelligence agencies for a suicide bombing targeting high-level Syrian officials, naming several countries including Turkey, daily Hürriyet reported.
Al-Zuabi told members of the press “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel” were the forces behind the attack.
The attack will not go unpunished, and Syria has the power of its four million soldiers, al-Zuabi said.
July 18th, 2012, 4:35 pm
ghufran said:
أفاد سكان من مدينة دمشق أن مسلحين مجهولي الهوية يقتحمون المنازل في أحياء عدة بدمشق و يقومون بذبح و قتل المواطنين بعد عصر اليوم الأربعاء ، بعد انتشار نبأ مقتل شخصيات قيادية بارزة في انفجار استهدف مقر الأمن القومي في دمشق .
و بحسب الأنباء الواردة من هناك فإن سكان أحياء نهر عيشة و القدم و العسالي يتعرضون لعمليات قتل بدم بارد .
two more senior officers may not make it and a third may have died already.
the bombing against the crisis group have rattled many regime supporters but not those who never believed that a political solution is possible,this attack is god sent for hawks and supporters of violence,it brings Syria closer to partition and a civil war and it makes it much harder for anybody to convince fighting parties to put their weapons down and talk peace,I do not doubt a minute that massive waves of killings will follow,that is what violence brings and that is why I said what I said about Arabs and Muslims.
July 18th, 2012, 4:43 pm
Halabi said:
مسلحين مجهولي الهوية = pro-Assad sectarian shabi7a
July 18th, 2012, 4:48 pm
irritated said:
#564 WSS
Don’t have much hopes. Ali Haidar is on the hit list of the FSA and its armed terrorists allies.
There is no need for dialog, the new system will be imposed by force.
July 18th, 2012, 4:58 pm
Amjad said:
Osama,
Again, you are basing your theories on flawed assumptions;
“they still would have needed to get the car or truck through all the check points or have it prepositioned for pick up”
No, just a suitcase or explosive belt. Look at what a 1944 era suitcase bomb almost did to Hitler.
“Your version would mean that the entire security apparatus is compromised… Highly unlikely…”
Again, not the *entire* security apparatus, but key elements in it. And not only is it possible for them to have been compromised, it is highly likely. For months the mukhabarat in Homs have been so infiltrated as to be rendered nearly useless. How else do you imagine the FSA managed to evacuate 28,000 civilians and all the foreign journalists even after a month of the fiercest siege of the war?
Something from Angry Arab that the menhebakjis don’t want you to know (and they usually love to quote Angry Batekh)
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2012/07/golan-safest-front-in-syria.html
“A Syrian reader tells me that the sons of rich families now use their connections to have them serve in the Golan front because it is the safest area of service for the new conscripts. “
July 18th, 2012, 5:00 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Nasralla this evening: the Israelis are cheering because they’re winning. We are sad and upset because we are loosing. Good Night.
.
July 18th, 2012, 5:11 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
I hope people refrain from sectarian inferences.
I hope that my fellow supporters of liberty, dignity, and the rule of law don’t sink to the lows expressed by statements like “a fierce guy from the mountains.” We are not against a sect, we’re against a criminal organization (the Batta mafia). This mafia surrounded itself with the filthiest elements of every sect in Syria. Those are the people that the free people of Syria want to uproot. We look at actions and not at sect or ethnic background.
Also, you need to understand that this blow to the regime has disoriented it and its supporters. They are in a state of shock and start talking more nonsense than before.
By the way, did I hear someone on this board say that the Damascus Volcano was more ashes than lava or just ashes. I must agree, except that those were very powerful ashes. Ashes sometimes kill.
Let’s see what the coming days might bring. Has the snow ball reached critical mass? Or should I use the masbaha (rosary) metaphor? Once the string holding the beads is cut, all of the beads fall at once. Time will tell.
July 18th, 2012, 5:19 pm
ghufran said:
almukhabarat will now look at recent defections and who did not attend that eventful meeting in Alrawdah,what may be most disturbing to the Syrian government is that there are clearly agents inside the security apparatus that are working for the FSA or some other anti regime agency/country, I still think the price to be paid by Syria,and Damascus in particular, for bringing violence closer to the presidential palace will outweigh the benefits,time,not teenish comments on this board, will tell if I was wrong.
what would I do if I was Bashar?
that is for another post,but I think he will not resign any time soon,he decided to either win over his opponents or end up being a martyr,in the eyes of his supporters.
July 18th, 2012, 5:19 pm
Tara said:
114 killed by Batta and co today.
Where is Batta? He is no way to be found.
I just hope that the MB would not claim credit for the victory.
July 18th, 2012, 5:21 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
AMIR IN TALL ABIB @580.
NASRALLAH this evening to Israel: Go to hell and we won in July 2006.
July 18th, 2012, 5:21 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
In the event of destroying Assad power in Damascus, FSA should begin attacking beyond the Assi river to control the whole Ghab plain from Ariha to Hama and then push Assad gangs to the west side of the Nusairieh mountains. Also will be absolutely strategic to take Homs and control the exit to Tartus (Tell Kalakh, Al Hosn, Safita). So, in the event of alawites trying to create an state, New Syria can guarantee an exit to the Mediterranean sea. Alawite state should then cover Jableh and Lattakia alone. We should count on the proved support of Tripoli population. At the end, instead superpowers avoid it, this alawite state would be frustrated by force.
July 18th, 2012, 5:24 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
If the Assad loyalists (AKA Syrian army, or what is left of it) were in control, would this gathering http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sj3urQkcg4 be possible?
.
July 18th, 2012, 5:35 pm
ghufran said:
I do not think a Syrian could say what I read in post # 585
the smell of hatred and sectarian venom is nauseating.
July 18th, 2012, 5:39 pm
omen said:
compare & contrast
.
is this psychologist doing more harm than help?
July 18th, 2012, 5:43 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
SALAH ADDIN,
If they won in 2006 then how it is possible that I’m safely sitting in my air-conditioned apartment in TLV, while Nasrullah is sweating in Beirut?
.
July 18th, 2012, 5:44 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Tara said
“I just hope that the MB would claim credit for the victory.”
MB is not the revolution, they had nothing to do with this explosion, Mustapha Al Sheikh said he knew about it five days ago, it was supposed to be carried out tomorrow.
It is impossible for the explosions to be brought inside the building by simple soldiers, they are watched very carefully, it has to go thru three check points,someone who is high ranking officer must have made it possible,setting up the explosions take time.
I expect more explosions, Assad can not move much, he has to stay hiding,scheduled meeting will be cancelled,Assad will be targeted,if they get him the regime is gone.
Halabi
that was funny video
July 18th, 2012, 5:47 pm
Tara said:
Majed
Was a typo. I edited to “would not”.
July 18th, 2012, 5:51 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Growing rumors about the death of Ghassan Bilal, personal deputy of Maher al Assad, in Rawda’s operation. More rumors about Maher al Assad badly hurt and treated by russian medical staff to save his life.
http://www.youkal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57652%3A-q-q-&catid=54%3A2011-04-29-12-25-44&Itemid=126
If Maher dies, Allah ia’atik el’afeh ya Doctor Bashar.
July 18th, 2012, 5:59 pm
bronco said:
#582 Ghufran
It’s too late for Bashar to resign.
We will see if he has enough stamina to overcome the “mass destruction” of his closest allies.
The FSA has committed a very serious crime by murdering in cold blood officials of the government of a country part of the UN.
I doubt any leader of the FSA and the expats opposition would dare appear in person in Syria for a long time to come.
July 18th, 2012, 6:01 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
AMIR IN TALL ABIB
Sitting “safely” in your apartment now does not mean you were so for the 33 days in July 2006. You were either evacuated to a bunker in your neighborhood or called as a reservist. Either way you are aware that Israel could not free the two soldiers, destroy the oncoming missiles or kill Nasrallah. After 33 days he won and today he has 80,000 missiles pointed your way. Sweet dreams.
July 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm
irritated said:
Majedalkhaldoon
“Assad can not move much, he has to stay hiding,scheduled meeting ”
Just like Ryad al Assad who appears only on telephone from his bunker in Turkey together with all the FSA generals who are now targets.
I hope Turkey protects them well. They should dread the day they will need to come to Syria. They’ll get the same treatment.
July 18th, 2012, 6:05 pm
Karabennemsi said:
583 Amjad
“A Syrian reader tells me that the sons of rich families now use their connections to have them serve in the Golan front because it is the safest area of service for the new conscripts.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/world/middleeast/israel-says-syria-pulls-troops-from-golan-to-suppress-revolt-elsewhere.html
Islamic Jihadists Head for Syrian-Golan Border, Says Israeli Intelligence Chief
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/364340/20120718/syria-bloodshed-bashar-al-assed-israel-egypt.htm#ixzz210xghQkv
July 18th, 2012, 6:09 pm
zoo said:
Assad’s future in doubt after bomb blast
Zoi Constantine and Omar Karmi
Jul 19, 2012
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/assads-future-in-doubt-after-bomb-blast
“This is the final phase. They will fall very soon,” said Abdulbaset Saida, the head of the opposition Syrian National Council, after the attack at the National Security headquarters in the Rawda district of Damascus.
“Today is a turning point in Syria’s history. It will put more pressure on the regime and bring an end very soon – a matter of weeks or months.”
The bomb blast came shortly after the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced the start of a decisive battle to “liberate” the Syrian capital.
July 18th, 2012, 6:11 pm
Tara said:
The day ended in Syria with 136 martyrs. Prayors for Damascus. I am afraid of a massacre tonight.
July 18th, 2012, 6:15 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Haleb today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4MtkQe86N0
Just like scenes we saw in Tunisia Libya and Egypt, days before the end of the regimes there.
.
July 18th, 2012, 6:23 pm
omen said:
just it occurred to me. the insider who helped kill the four regime officials was probably alawi. who else would be able to get so close? this man is a hero, likely to be honored and memorialized.
the efforts of other alawites helping to topple the rest of the regime will be recognized and appreciated and will go a long ways towards helping to develop reconciliation.
July 18th, 2012, 6:42 pm
Albo said:
“the efforts of other alawites helping to topple the rest of the regime will be recognized and appreciated and will go a long ways towards helping to develop reconciliation.”
Is that your assessment of their fate in a post-Assad, post-Baath Syria? More likely a thorough ethnic cleansing will take place with massacre & al.
Not that the same wouldn’t happen in their coastal stronghold, probably population exchanges as seen between Greece an Turkey, India and Pakistan will also occur, anarchically and negotiated. Certainly they would never let an inner and islamic Syria get a corridor to the sea as the poster above hoped. That’s not promising for that chunk of landlocked territory, it will be rendered worthless and miserous by this. While every other regional country will watch in awe and horror as all have minorities that could and should be inspired by this secession…
July 18th, 2012, 7:16 pm
Syrialover said:
Contacts inside Syria are saying that Bashar has run away to Latakia.
They say the bomb’s biggest damage to the Assad circle is that it destroyed inner trust.
Logic tells Syrians it’s a close inside job, and they know Bashar and co will be paralysed by paranoia about who and what next.
If Syrians are telling each other and believing that he has run away to Latakia, he has a very big problem, no matter what.
He is running away from those closest to him, not from the opposition.
Also rumors about Maher Assad being one of the injured are flying around inside.
What an overwhelming personal security and loyalty crisis for the “leader” to have to deal with!
Will Latakia turn out to be his final base, like Hitler’s bunker?
July 18th, 2012, 7:35 pm
Syrialover said:
I want to say it again, it’s so satisfying:
Bashar Assad’s most crushing threat and fear would now be focused on those immediately around him.
It would now be much bigger in his mind than the FSA or anything else.
July 18th, 2012, 7:51 pm
Ghufran said:
نفى نائب الرئس السوري فاروق الشرع، “ANB”
نفيا قاطعا أن “يكون انشق عن النظام السوري
July 18th, 2012, 7:52 pm
Ghufran said:
Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, warned against seeing the attack as a turning point:
“We shouldn’t exaggerate it,” he told CNN. “Clearly it’s very serious for the regime, and all the international attention that comes from what in any other environment one would call a terrorist action against the Syrian defense minister and the Defense Ministry.”
But, he said, “I think it’s too early to talk about the imminent fall of the regime because the army as a whole still seems to be a coherent and large and very heavily armed force.”
July 18th, 2012, 7:57 pm
zoo said:
“To try to bring order, the U.S. Institute of Peace has been working with Syrian activists for about six months on a comprehensive plan for whatever transitional authority assumes power, said Heydemann”
Cracks in Syria’s Regime?
By: Larisa Epatko and Daniel Sagalyn
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/07/cracks-in-syrias-regime.html
The attack is a significant blow to the regime” not only because of the loss of the senior officials but the inner circle is beginning to show signs of uncertainty about their survivability, said Steven Heydemann, senior adviser for Middle East initiatives at the U.S. Institute of Peace. “I don’t know how much longer the regime can hold on.”
As the conflict in Syria reaches a tipping point, Heydemann said he expects to see an increase in efforts in the international community to secure a negotiated settlement between the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and anti-government forces.
The U.N. Security Council plans to meet Thursday to discuss continuing the U.N. observer mission in Syria and possibly impose further sanctions to try to end the 16-month battle.
Although the fighting has been drawn out, the end of the regime might come quickly, said Heydemann, and that’s a source of “enormous anxiety” even among governments that want to see the regime fall because there is no framework for handling a new, post-Assad government.
The armed groups could simply occupy government offices and exercise authority in an ad hoc fashion, and units of regime loyalists could continue to engage in violence, he said.
To try to bring order, the U.S. Institute of Peace has been working with Syrian activists for about six months on a comprehensive plan for whatever transitional authority assumes power, said Heydemann.
The plan covers six areas: security sector reform, rule of law, transitional justice, electoral system design, constitution making, and economic and social reconstruction.
The most urgent priority will be to maintain public order in an environment where there are still many armed groups, said Heydemann. A framework must be developed to disarm the government and opposition militias, and a system established to vet members of the Syrian military to possibly play a role in the security sector, he said.
July 18th, 2012, 8:04 pm
ANDERSEN COMMA DALE said:
Memo To: OMEN
RE: the insider who helped kill the four regime officials…this man is a hero
How do you know it was a man, dipstick? It might have been the cleaning woman….or the tea lady
July 18th, 2012, 8:09 pm
zoo said:
Erdogan: Whatever the Syrian people wants, the Syrian people should get.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-and-russia-reject-syrias-division.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25845&NewsCatID=359
“We do not have any disagreement over the stability of Syria and the region. We think the same thing on that. We certainly reject the division of Syria,” Erdoğan said.
The prime minister also noted, however, the continuing violence in the country. “There is a regime which is killing its own people. We are making assessments [taking into consideration] such developments,” Erdoğan said. “We say that whatever the Syrian people want should happen for Syria. Foreign countries should not make a decision about a Syria after [President Bashar] al-Assad; the Syrian people should [make this decision].
July 18th, 2012, 8:13 pm
Tara said:
What is going to happen tomorrow? Same old?
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council delayed a vote on a new Syria resolution until Thursday in a last-minute effort to get key Western nations and Russia to agree on measures to end the dramatically escalating violence.
International envoy Kofi Annan contacted several governments Tuesday and urged the council to postpone Wednesday’s scheduled vote so its deeply divided members could “unite and take concerted and strong action that would help stem the bloodshed in Syria and build momentum for a political transition,” his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said.
..
http://m.yahoo.com/w/legobpengine/news/un-vote-syria-delayed-until-thursday-165302794.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=US&.lang=en-US
July 18th, 2012, 8:14 pm
Ghufran said:
I just do not buy the theory that the FSA or a rouge Islamist group was able to bomb a room that hosts the meeting of syria’s top security leaders, such a fish requires a much bigger pan. The coming days will tell more about that dramatic event.
July 18th, 2012, 8:15 pm
bronco said:
Nobody even mentions the civilians who died from this bomb attack.
Does the FSA claim the responsibility of these death too?
They could be accused of war crimes as Syria is now officially in a civil war and the killing of unarmed civilian is considered a crime according to the rules of war during civil war.
July 18th, 2012, 8:33 pm
Syrialover said:
Confusion and demoralization must be rippling through Assad’s army and security services.
If those in command at the top can’t keep themselves safe from each other, well then who and how should these forces be defending?
Particularly if everyone is thinking Bashar has lost key inner team members, is under threat from those around him, and has fled Damascus to Latakia.
Nobody involved with the regime can ever again trust or believe anybody there now.
I hope paralysis sets in quickly and they won’t thrash around much longer doing pointless killing and destruction.
We just have to get through the death throes and the aftershocks of the terrorism and violence against Bashar’s inner circle delivered by those inside it.
July 18th, 2012, 8:39 pm
Tara said:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/18/syria-rebels-kill-elite-damascus
..
Mass defections of soldiers and a rampage by pro-regime militiamen were reported in the capital amid a swirl of rumours, including one that Assad’s wife, Asma, had fled to Russia and another that troops were being issued with gas masks, raising fears of the use of chemical weapons.
The president’s whereabouts was also unclear, with one unconfirmed report that he had been wounded and left Damascus for Latakia on the coast.
…
“The opposition has hit the jackpot,” said Nadim Shehadi, a Middle East analyst at Chatham House in London. “The consequences are too big to digest. It may provoke more violence by the regime. Everyone is revising their calculations.
“People will be deciding whether to defect or not and the Russians will be wondering if they have backed the wrong horse,” he said.
..
Damascus residents contacted by the Guardian said there had been no audible blast or visible damage at the site. Other Syrian sources suggested – without offering any evidence – that the three security chiefs might have been killed by the regime to forestall a possible coup or remove potential replacements for Assad.
“Either the generals were preparing a coup or if not there must be an intelligence operation here,” said one Syrian analyst.
…..
Shawkat, married to Assad’s sister Bushra, was one of the most feared figures in the president’s inner circle and had won the support of the clan’s influential matriarch, Anisa…
..
Prospects for any kind of negotiations between the government and rebels, always slim, have now all but disappeared.
Pro-regime Syrians appeared deeply shocked. “A lot of pro-Assad people are really panicking,” said an opposition activist. “Now they sound really nervous.”
Assad supporters admitted the attack was a serious blow. “This will not be the end of the regime in any way,” said a member of Assad’s Alawite community. “But it is serious and people are traumatised at the fact that the opposition managed to assassinate these people. But government supporters want the government to be firm and show it is still in control. The Syrian government is not usually impulsive.”
More..
July 18th, 2012, 8:40 pm
zoo said:
As soon as Bashar government collapses, Israel will get in to take hold of the chemical weapons.
Washington Begins to Plan for Collapse of Syrian Government
By HELENE COOPER
Published: July 18, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/world/middleeast/washington-begins-to-plan-for-collapse-of-syrian-government.html
WASHINGTON — With the growing conviction that the Assad family’s 42-year grip on power in Syria is coming to an end, Obama administration officials worked on contingency plans Wednesday for a collapse of the Syrian government, focusing particularly on the chemical weapons that Syria is thought to possess and that President Bashar al-Assad may try to use on opposition forces and civilians.
Pentagon officials were in talks with Israeli defense officials about whether Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities, two administration official said. The administration is not advocating such an attack, the American officials said, because of the risk that it would give Mr. Assad an opportunity to rally support against Israeli interference.
Thomas Donilon, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, was in Israel over the weekend and discussed the Syrian crisis with officials there, a White House official said.
…
Beyond trying to stop the Mr. Assad’s regime from using weapons of mass destruction, the United States must also work to make sure that the Alawite minority, ascendant under Mr. Assad and largely loyal to him, is not massacred once its protector is gone.
July 18th, 2012, 8:42 pm
Ghufran said:
Declaring that Syria is in civil war and accusing both sides of atrocities provide a leveled plain field that may open the door for a more balanced approach to the post Assad era if violence and counter violence can be stopped. Even opposition sources admit that close to 40% of syria’s crisis victims were loyalists. If the new government wants national unity it must focus on top culprits and prevent revenge attacks and accept a pact of national reconciliation that may help syrians nurse their wounds and look up for the future,it is clear that the regime will not last much longer than few weeks or few months,I may sound like Clinton here,but the real challenge is what to do in the day after,any sectarian talk that focuses on vengeance can only come from syria’s haters,and there is a lot of them.
July 18th, 2012, 8:49 pm
Syrialover said:
Ghufran’s right Bronco. It won’t be the FSA who engineered this, it will be someone inside who agreed with the FSA’s goals and wanted to help finish the regime. Whatever their reasons.
Bashar and what’s left of his command will no longer have any room on their radar screens for the FSA or al Quaeda or the opposition or NATO or the UN or Russia or anything else.
They’ll instead be wildly frantic and obsessing about the intentions of the guys in the next office and even each other. Panicking and paranoid.
This won’t change.
That’s what Syrians are rejoicing about. Not just who got killed by the bomb – but the fatally debilitating inner aftershocks.
July 18th, 2012, 9:02 pm
Tara said:
Clinton’s Legacy: Libya or Syria?
By Paul Wolfowitz and Mark Palmer, Special to CNN
Editor’s note: Mark Palmer is a member of the board of Freedom House. Paul Wolfowitz is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and a former U.S. deputy secretary of defense under President George W. Bush. The views expressed are solely those of the authors.
…..
Nonetheless, those (Libyan) elections wouldn’t have happened without that NATO action, which in turn would have been impossible without U.S. support, hesitant and halfhearted though it was. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can take some quiet satisfaction in the elections, since she was a leading advocate of U.S. military action within the Obama administration, reportedly taking on her very powerful Pentagon colleague, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
This makes it all the more difficult to understand Clinton’s lack of serious action on Syria.
Did Clinton ever really believe that Annan would be able to deliver a peaceful solution in Syria, or that Russia would pressure Assad to accept one? Or was she merely seeking excuses for American inaction?
…
Yet, all the U.S. is asking from Russia and China is support at the United Nations for “real and immediate consequences for non-compliance [with the Annan plan], including sanctions” against the Assad regime. No regime that is willing to kill thousands of its citizens will abandon power because of U.N. sanctions.
….
Last year, and at least as recently as this past February, demonstrators in Syria were burning the flags of Russia and China. In one incident last October they actually displayed American, British and French flags in apparent appreciation for words of support from the U.S. and others. But how much longer before they begin to see American weakness or hypocrisy as no different from Russian and Chinese vetoes?
Secretary Clinton was able to prevent Libya from becoming a stain on the Obama administration’s record, the way that Rwanda was for President Clinton and that Bosnia was for both him and the first President Bush. Why, then, is she repeating those earlier mistakes in Syria?
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/18/clintons-legacy-libya-or-syria/
July 18th, 2012, 9:03 pm
VISITOR said:
You may as well stop arguing about who is behind this heroic achievement. It has been planned two weeks ago by the FSA with inside help who planted a 2 kg very high explosive charge in the conference room and then a last minute decision was made to detonate it a day in advance when it became clear that the intended targets have all convened. The inside person is now in safe location.
Thanks for his prudent initiative in improvising and making a last minute change resulting in huge success unlike the Germans who attempted similar operation almost 68 years to the date (20 July, 1944).
Again this is the early blessings of Ramadan which makes one wonder if that’s what the Germans must have missed after all.
July 18th, 2012, 9:17 pm
Syrialover said:
Tara #621,
Those two writers are hard core Neocons who are sulking that Clinton’s team is in power. That article is American election campaign shadow boxing that has nothing of substance on Libya and Syria.
July 18th, 2012, 9:21 pm
omen said:
the United States must also work to make sure that the Alawite minority, ascendant under Mr. Assad and largely loyal to him, is not massacred once its protector is gone.
washington couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger to save sunnis but alawites & christians are to be treated as a protected class? why is that?
July 18th, 2012, 9:21 pm
Syrialover said:
# 622. VISITOR
Nobody really knows for sure who is involved, least of all Bashar.
But I’m happy to pin a badge on the FSA and high five all their claims. Very happy. They deserve it.
July 18th, 2012, 9:25 pm
omen said:
syrialover, what did mrs. clinton ever do that makes her worth defending? from where i stand, she’s worked to undermine the revolution.
yeah, yeah, they’re neocons but that doesn’t address the merits of their argument.
July 18th, 2012, 9:31 pm
Syrialover said:
OMEN (#64), be fair now. That statement’s about not wanting genocidal massacres to destroy the rebuilding of Syria.
And I’ve thought about this endlessly – realistically, what exactly should the USA have overtly done by now?
The Syrian people inside have to be the victors in this. And we see they are managing a tough and terrible task in a way that shows they mean it and can win through, with or without US drones.
July 18th, 2012, 9:37 pm
Tara said:
Omen and Syrialover
In general, I do not link because I agree with the point of view…
Unfortunately, no one in the US administration is worth defending. It is not about upholding Syrian citizens’ human rights, it is about maintaing “American” interests, whatever those interests might be. The good thing is that the revolution is winning and without foreign support, so Syrian will not be indebted to anyone…
July 18th, 2012, 9:40 pm
Syrialover said:
Omen, I am not defending Clinton or otherwise. My point was that article did not offer anything of real meaning about Syria.
I am at the point of asking you what exactly would you would have liked to have seen the US do on the ground in Syria.
Being realistic, and aware of the resulting aftermath in internal Syrian politics if the US helped “win”, not fantasy scenarios.
I respect your view and will be glad to hear it.
And we don’t know what the US has been doing out of sight, but according to the pro-regimers it’s been plenty.
July 18th, 2012, 9:46 pm
Bruno said:
Bruno, please refrain from calling posters on this blog terrorists or paid agents, and consider this a warning. Thank you. SC moderator. I updated the time so you can see it.
—–
I can see pretty clear what the agenda is on here, people like SANDRO LOEWE i am sure you wouldn’t mind joining an terrorist group seeing now that you support terrorist tactics.
July 18th, 2012, 9:55 pm
Bruno said:
Again, comments like this will not be tolerated in the future. SC moderator.
—-
You Free Sryian Army paid posters sure are getting desperate, and what an Israeli doing in the comment section?
Let me guess did the mossad told you to chat?
July 18th, 2012, 9:58 pm
Ghufran said:
I do not believe Assad is in Damascus, but his supporters still want him to make a public appearance to reassure them and boost the moral of the troops.
Residents in Latakia have not witnessed any unusual movements but one source mentioned that Bashar is in Latakia.
I asked before whether the regime is willing to give Damascus away,I did not receive a satisfactory answer,my guess is that the next move will depend on whether the regime can keep loyal troops fighting in the streets of Damascus. Number wise,the regime can still dominate in Damascus but we have to remember that there is a lot of hot spots all over Syria. Plan-B,going back to the coast , will become a possibility if Damascenes join the revolt,to many,that is a big if.
July 18th, 2012, 10:14 pm
omen said:
267. syrialover, there is a lot of things the u.s. could have done to help. instead, it’s acted to be obstructionist.
-both obama and clinton urged neighboring countries not to arm the rebels.
-turkey wanted to set up a buffer zone. clinton said no.
-general mcpeak has said it would be “dead easy” for u.s. aircraft to jam regime media and military communications. why haven’t we done so?
-in an interview with BILD, mcpeak points out it wouldn’t be difficult at all to put up a no fly zone.
–carne ross listed ideas for non lethal aid that could have been implemented.
that piece tara earlier linked to that explained obama wouldn’t intervene even after the election especially ticked me off. why not just mail bashar an engraved invitation to continue killing up to the inaugural. probably even past that. this obscene level of disengagement from washington amounts to enabling bashar to kill as many people as he wants.
officials who just stand by watching genocide happen are complicit.
July 18th, 2012, 10:15 pm
omen said:
617. GHUFRAN said: Even opposition sources admit that close to 40% of syria’s crisis victims were loyalists.
syria didn’t create this catastrophe, bashar assad did.
not that i disbelief you. i’m positive the regime has brutalized alawites as well. but 40%? can you point to some sources?
July 18th, 2012, 10:24 pm
AJ said:
Congratulations to the FSA on this successful mission. Looking forward to the news of Assad’s killing. We are all praying for this to be achieved by the end of Ramadan.
July 18th, 2012, 11:07 pm
Halabi said:
لا ترحل جايينك – Don’t leave, we are coming for you!
I hope Abdel Baset Sarout survives and takes his rightful place as a hero of the revolution. Here’s a great song that free Syrians and those who oppose genocide will like.
http://youtu.be/c0MW9v7iUFA
Omen, don’t waste your time asking for sources. In the past numbers were supplied and then simple percentages were miscalculated, a testament to the intelligence level of those who believe the worst propaganda out there.
That being said, many sources in the opposition have been challenging the regime to release the true casualty figures for the military. The sad reality is that this mafia ruling the country has sent thousands of soldiers to their deaths to keep the conflict going and to deny any safe areas for Syrians to hold territory and demonstrate. A costly campaign that may tear the country apart for the sake of keeping criminals in power.
We would have been happy to keep the protest peaceful and gather support slowly like in Hama last year, but the Assad regime understood that it would fall if that continued. So it unleashed our army and its sectarian militias to crush the spirit of the Syrian people, inviting foreign powers and non-state actors to play a role in the conflict. The calculation, like every single decision made by this regime for four decades, didn’t make any consideration to what’s best for the country, just the Assad family and its cronies.
This revolution will not be put down with the current level of force. The few thousand fighters in Damascus may perish, and I know for a fact that these heroes understand that could be their fate, but there are many more fighters that will take their place. If Abdel Razzak Tlass, Riad Al Asaad, Burhan Ghalioun and ever member of the opposition whose name is known dies, they can be easily replaced. That’s our depth. If Bashar dies, who can take his place?
July 18th, 2012, 11:37 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
In the new Syria,all will be equal, Alawi,Durzi,will be equal to Sunni, but those who has blood on their hands must face trial,and if convicted,they will face their penality.
As for establishing Alawi state, this is your dream, it will not come true, the sunni troops will not go there, the Alawi troops are less than 100,000, they will spend all the money Assad stole and spend more,they will run out of oil,in two months, and , there will be no recognition by any state, then they will surrender and Assad is a history.Syria will stay united, and the mentality ,,we either rule you or we seperate,, this is not going to happen.
The explosives were sent during the night.
July 18th, 2012, 11:52 pm
Ghufran said:
SOHR documented names of victims of violence in Syria,their latest figure which does not point the number of pro regime civilians who were assassinated by armed rebels :
4558 army and security personnel
This number also does not include 918 Syrians who were labelled as defectors who were killed by the regime according to SOHR.
SOHR has the names of 12450 victims,most sources bring the number to above 16,000
Two issues with SOHR data base:
1. The list does not divide its civilian death between pro and anti regime.
2. The list falls few thousand civilians short due to lack of info or documentation
At the end of the day,those victims are almost all Syrian.
More than 36% of documented victims were army and security officers who did not defect.
July 19th, 2012, 12:19 am
Ghufran said:
The latest garbage from alarabiya:
أعلنت هيئة الثورة عن مقتل 100 سوري بنيران قوات النظام أثناء جنازة في السيدة زينب بدمشق، منهم 10 قتلى في تلبيسة بسبب القصف بقذائف الهاون.
( talbeesa is in Homs)
من جهة أخرى أكدت مصادر لـ”العربية” أن الجيش الحر قصف 20 قذيفة هاون على مطار دمشق الدولي
How is bombing DIA is a good thing?
July 19th, 2012, 12:33 am
Halabi said:
There is a war going on in Damascus. I’m sure everyone has heard about it. There are many fighters who have a limited amount of ammunition but with an abundance of determination. They are going to fight and do what is needed to cripple the regime and take control of territory and key assets if possible.
Then they keep on fighting and hope the situation changes. The Security Council has to make a decision, so keeping Assad’s forces under pressure in Damascus and the rest of the country shows how critical the crisis is. Anything can happen and it’s very scary.
We all see the propaganda coming out from the regime that the army is intact and all is well. But all isn’t well. It isn’t normal for planes and tanks to defect, and it isn’t normal when the leadership is taken out. This is a big disruption in an institution that has been under intense pressure for over a year and has suffered huge losses in territory, men and material, not to mention the fact that many of them know they are on the wrong side.
All this death and destruction for what? To allow a dictator who inherited power to continue to rob the country and kill its citizens? What is there to gain from living in Assad’s Syria?
Assad and his supporters want to torch the country and we want to build it for everyone, following the example of other Arab countries that are charting their paths to democracy. The inevitable fall of Assad has taken too long and cost too much, for all sides, and we need to get this over so we can catch up to our neighbors and create better governments and economies. Assad can only deliver an endless war and a failed state – the Arab revolutions have higher aspirations.
July 19th, 2012, 1:02 am
Halabi said:
This appears to be the explosion.
http://youtu.be/qZhTPQB2cmM
And they claim responsibility.
http://youtu.be/UTRWGBP2ntY
July 19th, 2012, 1:06 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
The killing of 10s of mourners in a funeral in Damascus (Sitti Zaainab) is garbage news, but bombing DIA is not. People like to pick what they want to believe.
July 19th, 2012, 1:09 am
Ghufran said:
Max Fisher is not too sure how the uprising will end:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/the-battle-for-syria-a-fight-against-assad-and-against-history/259984/
I agree with halabi about the need for a regime change but I do not see how violence can bring peace when both the killers and the killed are Syrian.
Expat: read my post again,first the number is not supported by any independent source,then alarabiya adds talbeesa in the figure,talbeesa is 200 km from sit zainab. Syrian lives is not garbage,alarabiya is, you know better than that,expat.
July 19th, 2012, 1:10 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
Michel Kilo on the second and deadly attempt against members “at the heart of Syria’s defence establishment” (the quote is from BBC).
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/19/227152.html
The fact that there was an earlier attempt, at least that’s what was reported by a rebel group, should have caused the mukhabarat to scrutinize all people around Asif and co. The fact that they failed to so after all the warnings speaks volumes about state of intelligence apparatus.
July 19th, 2012, 1:22 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
@ 641. GHUFRAN
The two pieces of news come from the same source. You accept one and reject the other! You cannot pick and choose.
It’s not beyond the government to kill mourners. It has been doing so for many months now. It didn’t have to come down to this. NATO didn’t force Assad and his henchmen to torture and kill Syrian for protesting the Assad rule.
NATO didn’t force Assad not to enact “real” reforms. We didn’t want anarchy and violence, but Assad left no option for the opposition. It’s very unfortunate. They robbed the country blind, but it wasn’t enough. What can I say.
July 19th, 2012, 1:44 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
“Plan-B,going back to the coast , will become a possibility if Damascenes join the revolt,to many,that is a big if.”
Well, I don’t think the opposition will go for plan B. They have plan C for him. The people of Dar’a have a score to settle with him and his henchmen. So do the people of Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deir Al-Zour and so on. So his best bet is to go to Russia before it’s too late. He can take his henchmen with him.
July 19th, 2012, 2:06 am
Syrialover said:
# 642. SYR.EXPAT said:
“…should have caused the mukhabarat to scrutinize all people around Asif and co. The fact that they failed to so after all the warnings speaks volumes about state of intelligence apparatus.”
It’s saying more about the irrelevance of intelligence bodies when it came to the threat from dysfunction, hostilities, paranoia, distrust, rivalries, and old resentments within Bashar’s elite circle.
Bashar’s stupidity eroded the Alawite support structure his father had constructed. The Khaddam defection and Kanaan “suicide” indicated the extent of the alienation he created.
Dumb dude Bashar has also preferred to hang out with Hizbollah and others, further undermining the trust and confidence of some traditional close associates he needs to rely on. He’s made mistake after mistake in their eyes.
Destruction from within has always been on the cards.
If you want to be reminded of those events, read all about it in a recent academic study of the Alawites and Assads.
Check out the chapter starting P. 226
http://otago.ourarchive.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10523/2232/GoldsmithLeonT2012PhD.pdf
July 19th, 2012, 2:07 am
Uzair8 said:
An arabic statement on Facebook by Sh. Yaqoubi (28 minutes ago) in response to yesterday’s attack on the crisis meeting:
https://www.facebook.com/ShaykhMuhammadAbulhudaAlYaqoubi/posts/187084611422296
Some portions of the google translation:
‘….news broke on Wednesday the death of senior military commanders and intelligence in the criminal wed Assad regime to the people of the human approaching victory, the system warns of imminent defeat.’
[…]
‘The rebels control a number of neighborhoods of Damascus during the past few days is proof that the system is pronounced last breath, and that the reins had slipped from his hands.
We express our congratulations to our people and our army free to get rid of these killers,…’
July 19th, 2012, 2:10 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
@ 645. SYRIALOVER
“Bashar’s stupidity eroded the Alawite support structure his father had constructed. The Khaddam defection and Kanaan “suicide” indicated the extent of the alienation he created.”
Good points.
People forget that Assad has enemies from within. It could be one of Kanaan’s relatives. Who knows. Lest we forget, Abu Batta was almost overthrown by his own brother. Or maybe a relative of some of the Alawite officers he killed after Abu Batta became president.
July 19th, 2012, 2:16 am
Uzair8 said:
An interesting interview with Salman Shaikh, Director of the Brookings Doha Center, on BBC Radio 5 last night. He claimed that a British General told him the day before the bomb attack that something big would happen in Damascus the following day. The rest of the interview was also an interesting listen.
Syria covered from 5min 45sec. The guest talks from 7min 29sec [7 days left to listen].
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ks8kx
July 19th, 2012, 2:22 am
Juergen said:
Bruno
I dont know in what spirit you were raised, but seriously your rascism towards Amir gets on my nerves. A wise US proverb: It takes all kind of folks to make a world, apparently also racists.
And btw what makes you believe that Assad could stay in power? After the heinous crimes committed i see no survival of the regime nor Assads physical survival. But may be thats the only way tyrans fade away from this earth, at least there are more violent departures than peaceful transitions.
July 19th, 2012, 2:26 am
Juergen said:
Detained Saudi Shiite cleric Nimer al-Nimer says #Assad is oppressive and Shiite should not support him
July 19th, 2012, 2:29 am
Syrialover said:
SYR EXPAT
And don’t forget the glorious chapter in Assad family history when Maher Assad shot Asef Shawkat in the stomach, and Shawkat had to be rushed to Paris for repairs.
http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0007_sd1.htm
“In October 2000, a scandal took place that rocked the Assad family from within. During Rifaat’s propaganda campaign against the regime on the Arab News Network (ANN), Shawkat criticized Rifaat for his actions. Maher, Assad’s other son, was present in the room and instructed him to be quiet, claiming that this was a family feud and he had nothing to do with it. When Shawkat responded that he was part of the family, Maher insisted that he was not, and remarked how well Basil had acted in containing his influence while alive. Shawkat lost control and spoke in a tone that Maher considered unacceptable. Being an ill-tempered officer, Maher took out his revolver and shot Shawkat in the stomach. Word of the feud spread all over Damascus and eventually reached the French newspaper Liberation, which released a report claiming that Shawkat was in a Paris-based hospital being treated for his wounds.1 He eventually returned to Damascus, and under President Assad’s mediation, made his peace with Maher.”
July 19th, 2012, 2:33 am
Juergen said:
filmportrait of one of the women portrayed by Stephanie Saldana, the video will be on from tonight until August 9th.
The Light in Her Eyes
Houda al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher, founded a Qur’an school for girls in Damascus, Syria, 30 years ago. Every summer, her female students immerse themselves in a rigorous study of Islam. A surprising cultural shift is underway — women are claiming space within the mosque. Shot right before the uprising in Syria erupted, The Light in Her Eyes offers an extraordinary portrait of a leader who challenges the women of her community to live according to Islam, without giving up their dreams.
http://www.pbs.org/pov/thelightinhereyes/trailer.php
July 19th, 2012, 2:44 am
Uzair8 said:
Yes, where is Assad?
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ud6E1GO9LGY/0.jpg
July 19th, 2012, 2:47 am
Juergen said:
Uzair
I would say bunkertime!
July 19th, 2012, 2:56 am
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
Well said Halabi @ 434&438 you are right on the mark and beat me to it (though you always express the ideas much better than I can). All the wafflers and “centrists” repeatedly, conveniently forget to mention that the Syrian revolution wanted and strove to stay peaceful for months and the regime was doing its damnedest to push the people to violence because it would allow the regime to play on its strengths in that department. Every single death shall be on the conscience of the regime forever. Those who pushed for dialog as the Mafiosi defined it were and are only interested in weakening the uprising and sowing discord among the revolutionaries.
One thing that still bothers me is this: why did the regime so quickly admit to and announce the explosion and deaths while they kept a lengthy silence after the poisoning attempt?
July 19th, 2012, 3:01 am
Amjad said:
As things increasingly turn more dismal for the regime, the Qurdahans on this forum have time and against expressed their longing for a separate “state” all along the coast. Apparently, they have realized that their days of lording it over Lebanon and Syria and threatening everyone else with a thousand Afghanistans, are all but over.
Of course, just like the big “ma3raka el hasima” that was supposed to finish off the revolution, this will remain one of many unrealistic pipe dreams that the menhebakjis cling on to, to help themselves make it through the day. First, the Alawites are not a majority anywhere on the coast. Implied in this dream would be the genocidal removal of millions of Sunnis from these areas.
Second, such a state will be forever at war with its neighbors. Israel only survived as long as it did due to its superb relations with the USA, and the incredible resourcefulness of the Jewish immigrants. The Qurdahans have nowhere near that level of resourcefulness, as has been proven over the last year and a half. The Gulf nations will happily pump billions into a Sunni state to stabilize what will be an ally government, but needless to say neither Iran or Russia have the resources for such a luxury to squander on the Assadan Republic of Qurdaha (ARQ).
The ARQ will be forever isolated diplomatically, with its only friends other failed states like Cuba and North Korea. Passports issued by the ARQ will be near worthless, as it is doubtful that any significant number of countries would even recognize it. Its currency will be forever fighting inflation as there will be no demand for it whatsoever abroad. The bulk of Syria’s income comes from telecommunications and oil, so it’s a wonder where the menhebakjis think that the loss of those two sources of revenues will be made up from.
The Iraqi Kurdistan only managed to remain autonomous because of its oil reserves, and because the rest of Iraq was too busy fighting itself to assert any real control. In Syria, the very people who were the cause of so much strife and mayhem will have very conveniently relocated themselves to the coast, leaving the rest of the nation free to focus on reclaiming those coastal areas. The ARQ will become the target and magnet of every Jihadist-wannabe who was previously fighting Americans in Iraq. Unfortunate, but to be expected when one sets up a sectarian state based exclusively on the worship of one family.
the ARQ is a hopeless dream, but everytime the menhebakjis dream it, they inadvertently admit that they have no hope that the regime will be able to reverse its horrendous slide into oblivion. It also shows how weak and feeble the Syrian national identity is with these people. Shocking that someone should hold their own national identity in such low regard. And you wonder why the Sunni members of the army and security forces are so reluctant and do their jobs in such a half assed manner? What exactly are they supposed to be fighting for if the foremost obsession the Alawites have these days is abandoning Damascus and heading for the hills.
July 19th, 2012, 3:12 am
Amjad said:
Moderator, a long comment of mine ended up in the Black-Hole of Posts.
July 19th, 2012, 3:14 am
Juergen said:
LOL a friend of mine got this email today:
From: asmaalassad@aol.com
Greetings,
I will like to formally introduce myself, I am Mrs. Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria which is the wife of Syria President Bashar al Assad.
I have a Profitable business transaction for you which involves transfer of funds,Please if interested do contact me via email for more details on this transaction but if this does not suit your business ethics, kindly delete this e-mail as I will gladly appreciate.
I await your swift response, to my email.
Regards
Mrs. Asma al-Assad
looks like the Lagos mafia has a new character to trick people with
July 19th, 2012, 3:14 am
Juergen said:
BILD Zeitung posted this morning that Assad has flown out his family to Quardaha. Hischam Bachtijar is suppose to have lost both his legs in the bomb attack.
Uzair
I kind of like this hideout for “batta”.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=442014159171686&set=a.318836178156152.78917.318826531490450&type=1&theater
July 19th, 2012, 3:21 am
Uzair8 said:
Isn’t it about this time in the Godfather 2 movie that Michael Corleone, facing mounting problems (attack on his family, informer (defector) senate committee hearing etc), visits his mother for a fireside chat wanting to know what his father would do?
Lol Jeurgen.
Asma may have to cancel that quality furniture order.
EDIT: I hadn’t read #658 while writing this comment but they are very much connected.
Anyway. Lol. Assad better be able to ‘quack’ like a Swan.
July 19th, 2012, 3:25 am
Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships said:
OK folks, time to place your bets:
Should plan B actually proceed and a coastal Assadist princedom is attempted, how many are willing to bet that it will get covert support from the US? And if and when it ever comes to a UN vote after years of conflict, the US and Russia will be the very first to recognize the new princedom a la Israel and Kosovo because “the ethnic and religious minorities can’t reasonably be expected to continue to live in a hostile environment”?
I hope I am wrong and would gladly accept losing this bet, but my point here is BEWARE OF THE YANKS…of all outside powers, in fact. Depend on no one but yourselves.
SYRIANS OF ALL BELIEFS AND TRIBES, UNITE!
July 19th, 2012, 3:29 am
Amjad said:
ASSAD
“why did the regime so quickly admit to and announce the explosion and deaths while they kept a lengthy silence after the poisoning attempt?”
The very people who set such policies are now dead, so I guess the new guy never brushed up on the Assadan Best Practices on Running a Hereditary Dictatorship.
July 19th, 2012, 3:33 am
Juergen said:
Noone has said it here yet, the bomb attack on israeli tourists yesterday is seen as an possible hisbollah lead operation.A friend told me yesterday, if we can get rid of Nasrallah through the downfall of Assad, that alone is worth the fight.
SYRIANS OF ALL BELIEFS AND TRIBES, UNITE!
July 19th, 2012, 3:36 am
ann said:
After Ban Speaks on Bulgaria Bomb, SC Wonders, Why Yet Not Syria? And Then It Came
By Matthew Russell Lee
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1bulgaria071812.html
UNITED NATIONS, July 18, updated twice — Amid the Syria resolution standoff on Wednesday afternoon, a Security Council member came out and asked Inner City Press, rhetorically it seemed, why it was that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hadn’t yet issued any kind of statement about the deadly bomb in Damascus.
The Council member, decidedly non-Western, said that Ban routinely comments on killings or even attempted killings of government officials, as well as other matters. Why not here?
While one can imagine answers — the Red Cross has called it a civil war, the Defense Minister was killed — Inner City Press put in the question to Ban’s top three spokespeople, as well as one about another bombing, in Bulgaria, explicitly “without analogy”
A question has arisen here at (even, in) the Security Council, so I’m asking you:
is the Secretary General going to be issuing a statement on the bombing in Damascus killing government officials? If so, when? If not, why not? And, without making any analogy, same questions on the bombing in Bulgaria. On deadline on the above. Separately and not yet on deadline [2 other questions.]
While no Syria statement has been issued, nor the question answered, this was then put out, before 6 pm —
Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General: Attack in Bulgaria
The Secretary–General condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s deadly bombing attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists outside of the Burgas airport in Bulgaria. The explosion reportedly killed at least seven and injured more than 30 people, some critically. The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to the victims and their families, to the Governments and people of Bulgaria and Israel. New York, 18 July 2012
[…]
July 19th, 2012, 3:47 am
Uzair8 said:
#662 Jeurgen
I’ll take this opportunity to share a comment I was reluctant to make earlier.
Due to the Syrian situation I didn’t really look into this incident in Bulgaria. Only briefly. A cynical thought did cross my mind.
There are 2 objectives IF Iran was behind this:
1. A continuation of the Iran-Isreal tit for tat actions (targeting scientists, attacks on Isreali targets in India etc).
2. Alongside ‘1’ timed to take some of the media coverage away from the Syrian situation on a day which was a huge blow for it’s ally. It didn’t work anyway.
July 19th, 2012, 3:58 am
Stick to the truth said:
#657 Jürgen
I would ask myself why it was sent to this friend of mine and where did they pick up his email account.
July 19th, 2012, 4:02 am
habib said:
SOHR reports 200 killed in one day, and since they never report government losses, it appears that my prediction was true; the FSA is getting utterly pounded.
635. majedkhaldoun
Of course such a state would be recognised, the world wants this conflict to end by any means, and we know how the West loves Balkanisation.
And yes, the state would be quite viable, larger than Lebanon, with a huge coastline and free-minded Alawis and Christians gathered in one place.
The rest of Syria will be a landlocked, braindrained, sharia infested desert, with Bedouin tribes and Kurds slugging it out for eternity.
July 19th, 2012, 4:08 am
Stick to the Truth said:
July 19th, 2012, 4:17 am
Stick to the Truth said:
657. JUERGEN said:
LOL a friend of mine got this email today:
From: asmaalassad@aol.com
Greetings,
I will like to formally introduce myself, I am Mrs. Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria which is the wife of Syria President Bashar al Assad.
I have a Profitable business transaction for you which involves transfer of funds,Please if interested do contact me via email for more details on this transaction but if this does not suit your business ethics, kindly delete this e-mail as I will gladly appreciate.
I await your swift response, to my email.
Regards
Mrs. Asma al-Assad
looks like the Lagos mafia has a new character to trick people with
—————————————
Jürgen,
I guess you are aware of the difference between spamers and those who distrubute spams INCLUDING the emaiaccount of the Spamers.
In fact there is no difference.
I would like to ask SC moderator to delete at least the email account of the SPAMER
July 19th, 2012, 4:27 am
Albo said:
I don’t think western nato powers were pleased with the attack of yesterday. They don’t want the country to descend into chaos as in Iraq. However they probably got the help of an intelligence agency, probably from a Gulf country.
Now if they find the remains of a suicide bomber that would be difficult for the opposition to claim they aren’t permeated by islamists.
July 19th, 2012, 4:45 am
ann said:
On Eve of Syria Vote
By Matthew Russell Lee, News Muse
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1dry071812.html
[…]
On the eve of the re-scheduled vote on the Syria resolution, there were few optimists in or around the UN. Many predicted a double veto on Thursday at 10 am. Others suggested that the vote might be further delayed, to late Friday when the UNSMIS mission’s mandate will run out.
Analogies were made to Rwanda, where a UN mission under Chapter Six of the Charter cut and ran before the genocide began.
Another, asking to not be credited, suggested a solution was still possible, a la John Bolton, invoking Article 41 but not Chapter Seven. But P3 Permanent Representatives emerging Wednesday at 6 did not recognize the gambit. So might Russia play it?
To recap with (a bit) more substance: the issue as several non-Western Security Council members put it to Inner City Press is that the bomb-killing of Syria’s Defense Minister changes things. One cynic asked, “So this bombing was done by defenseless people?”
Li Baodong of China told the Press the bombing was terrorist. Another Council source opined to Inner City Press, until now the Obama administration was just trying to fend off the Republicans until the election in November. Now it might not last until then. Then the Free Syrian Army won’t own anything to the US, only to Saudi and Qatar.
Still another, referring to Inner City Press’ story about plans to split Syria into three with Alawites taking the coast and Kurds another zone, said that scenario is getting closer.
[…]
July 19th, 2012, 4:47 am
Bruno said:
@Juergen
(Bruno
I dont know in what spirit you were raised, but seriously your rascism towards Amir gets on my nerves. A wise US proverb: It takes all kind of folks to make a world, apparently also racists.
And btw what makes you believe that Assad could stay in power? After the heinous crimes committed i see no survival of the regime nor Assads physical survival. But may be thats the only way tyrans fade away from this earth, at least there are more violent departures than peaceful transitions.)
After the heinous crimes committed by whom? the mainstream news outlets claimed that Assad was behind the massacre in houla.
Yet there was no proof that it was either Assad forces or the Shadowy death squad.
From this comment section i can see how killing an Christan orthodox is pretty much justified there was no excuse in killing an christian whatever or not he was with Assad or not.
And from a news report.
(“This is my urgent message to all Mujahideen from all brigades to join their brothers the Mujahideen of Damascus who are defending the revolution. Those willing to join have to go … through safe routes to Damascus. It is the moment of truth. It is the Damascus fight for salvation. It is either life, dignity and freedom or martyrdom and paradise.”
Commander of Al-Emary Brigades, Captian Quais Quatana’s statement for all Syrian Mujahideen)
The FSA basically are the Mujahideen.
July 19th, 2012, 5:17 am
Bruno said:
I can just imagine Sen John McCain and his war mongering face smiling the moment that Russia if it loses Sryia would say.
Russia’s Assad.
July 19th, 2012, 5:19 am
Bruno said:
@habib
Sadly habib i agree with you.
July 19th, 2012, 5:20 am
ann said:
On Syria, Russian Draft Called Inadequate or Enriched, SNC Money Claims
By Matthew Russell Lee
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1enriched071712.html
UNITED NATIONS, July 17, updated — On the eve of the scheduled vote on Syria resolution(s), Security Council deputies met for nearly two hours about the Russian draft. Afterward Russian Deputy Alexander Pankin called his draft “enriched.”
UK Deputy Philip Parham, on the other hand, called the Russian draft “inadequate.” Another Council source told Inner City Press that in the meeting on the Russian draft, Chapter Seven was pushed as an amendment, as something lacking from the draft.
Pankin was asked if his enrichments included Chapter Seven or Article 41. He scoffed and said, why would we put one of our red lines in. My minister has been very clear.
And so a showdown is set up, for July 18 at 3 pm. Parham said actually voting at that time will depend on what happens in the “next twelve to twenty four hours.”
There was pressure from across First Avenue as well. On the 28th floor of the Millennium Plaza Hotel, representatives of the Syrian National Council held a press conference, featuring Najib Ghadbian, Bassma Kodmani and Khalid Saleh of the SNC Executive Office
They said that if the Security Council doesn’t include Chapter Seven, they will go in another direction, to regional organizations.
They said that the Syrian National Council has received $15 million, and has spend 94% of it on aid inside Syria.
That would leave $900,000 for all the SNC’s expenses. One wondered, how much is this hotel meeting room, and rooms for five representatives, flights, and other meetings? But this question was not taken. Yet.
One wag mused maybe these are the ones enriched, using Pankin’s word for his draft.
[…]
July 19th, 2012, 5:21 am
ann said:
UN observers’ chief says Syria is not on track for peace – 2012-07-19
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/19/c_131726042.htm
[…]
In a statement to reporters, Mood said there is no lasting hope in military option in Syria, hinting at the escalation of military operation over the past four days, especially in the capital Damascus, which has been witnessing what the rebels regarded as ” the big battle of Damascus.”
Mood said the government and opposition must make concession, otherwise the there will be days of suffering for Syrians.
He also condemned the killing of top Syrian officials a day earlier.
July 19th, 2012, 5:32 am
ann said:
Calls for Assad to quit ‘rooted in hopelessness’ – Lavrov – 18 July, 2012
http://rt.com/politics/syria-russia-lavrov-putin-crisis-479/
[…]
“If the policy based on support for the opposition continues – a policy leading to an impasse, since Assad will not go on his own – and all of these mantra calls that he must step down are rooted in hopelessness,”Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.
[…]
Operation Damascus Volcano – as the rebels have dubbed their assault – has been announced, Lavrov conceded. However, it would amount to “direct support for the revolutionary movement” if the international community passes a resolution that “unilaterally forbids the government from responding [to the increasing violence].”
[…]
“Moscow strongly condemns all forms and manifestations of terrorism,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Wednesday. “We hope the masterminds of the terrorist attack in Damascus will be found and brought to justice.”
“We see what happened as another attempt to further destabilize the situation in Syria,” he added
[…]
“If it is a revolution, the United Nations should have nothing to do with that,” Lavrov emphasized. “We will see as the discussions continue,” but Russia cannot approve the beginning of sanctions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, he added.
[…]
“A dangerous trend: while the UN SC is discussing the settlement of the Syrian crisis, militants are intensifying terror attacks, disrupting all attempts,” Gatilov wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
[…]
July 19th, 2012, 5:40 am
Antoine said:
656. Amjad said:
“Moderator, a long comment of mine ended up in the Black-Hole of Posts.”
Amjad, it is better policy to copy a post before pressing the submit button. Bcz if it gets lost, you can always re-post it.
July 19th, 2012, 5:54 am
Amjad said:
Antoine, thanks, I considered that, and I actually always do hit the ctrl+a+c buttons before posting, but I thought I’d wait until the moderator had some time to dig up the post from the Backhole.
The USA, EU and Canada had Daoud Rajha on their list of sanctioned individuals. The notion that he should have been allowed to continue to head an army of war crimes, without any repercussions, just because he was a Christian, is just one in a long list of absurd and ridiculous menhebakji concepts. Do these people even realize how they sound when they say such things?
But hey, I guess the EU, USA and Canada all sanctioned him due to a desire to persecute Christians on behalf of the Global Jihadist-Salafi-Zionists.
July 19th, 2012, 6:52 am
Amjad said:
“From this comment section i can see how killing an Christan orthodox is pretty much justified there was no excuse in killing an christian whatever or not he was with Assad or not.”
OK, we’ve heard time and again how you set yourself up as the spokesperson for the “sceptical white-man-westener-menhebakji”, and you don’t believe anything that comes out of the Main Stream Media, but could you at least start to believe in Main Stream Grammar? Seriously dude your assault on the English language should be classified as crimes against humanity, culture, ethics and human decency.
July 19th, 2012, 7:05 am
Juergen said:
Stick to the Truth
So you never got those emails?
What you call Tishren and al Thawra? Quality journalism? Btw der Spiegel has reported the same.
Bruno
See i meant much more than Al Houla. How would you call the massarrest of thousands, the killing of detainees, the mass executions and rape of detained of both sexes.
Arrest of family members of wanted “terrorists”.
The legal freedom of those representing the regime if they commit crimes or can you name me any case that the regime has punished anyone of their regular henchman for their crimes?
By the way, who blocked access for the UN to enter Al Houla? ( I still dont think the UN is capable of exercising an overall investigantion, but they would at least try, so far the regime seems uncable or unwilling to exsercise those after the Damascus bombings f.e.)
Now let me put that straight for you. I believe every human life is sanctious and feelings of joy are not the first emotion one should have. When I was drafted they asked me what would you do if you have a gun and see a guy rape your mother. Well I assume most of us would come to same terms. Its a sad fact that the longer military action is taking place the more people get used to violence and the feeling of remorse when someone of the enemy side dies gets lesser by the day. Is there a moral right to kill people who opress others? Well i may had different ideas 17 months ago, but certainly those who have lost love ones, those who have seen what no one of us should see or endure will have an easy answer.
July 19th, 2012, 7:48 am
omen said:
609. ANDERSEN COMMA DALE said: Memo To: OMEN How do you know it was a man, dipstick? It might have been the cleaning woman….or the tea lady
welcome back, dale. good point.
July 19th, 2012, 7:53 am
omen said:
thanks, ann, for finding that khaddam piece earlier.
July 19th, 2012, 8:02 am
habib said:
Something really fishy about that Bulgaria bombing.
Israel conveniently accuses Iran and Hezbollah before anything is even known, and the bomber doesn’t exactly look either Arab or Iranian. Iran has condemned the bombing.
Who benefits? The Salafists.
July 19th, 2012, 8:08 am
zoo said:
Turkey would not bomb ‘fraternal’ Syrians, PM says
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-would-not-bomb-fraternal-syrians-pm-says.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25853&NewsCatID=338
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed accusations from Syria’s information minister that Turkey was involved in July 18’s deadly bombing in Damascus, saying Ankara would never do such things to the “fraternal” people of Syria.
Turkey aborted attack on Syria at last minute over downed jet, report says
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-aborted-attack-on-syria-at-last-minute-over-downed-jet-report-says.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25860&NewsCatID=338
July 19th, 2012, 8:09 am
Dawoud said:
Is Nasillat, the Hizbistan cult of personality propagandist, now the Leader/spokesman for the al-Assad murderous regime? Bashar has not been seen since his murderous/rapist tools were assassinated whereas Hasan was delivering one of his arrogant speeches and calling the murderous men “martyrs!”
Free Syria and Palestine!
July 19th, 2012, 8:12 am
irritated said:
If the Israeli tourists are bombed in Bulgaria and they are no more welcomed anymore in Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt, these Israeli tourists should try Sudan.
July 19th, 2012, 8:15 am
zoo said:
News Analysis: Syria witnesses sharp deterioration in security
English.news.cn 2012-07-19 19:03:33
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/19/c_131726275.htm
….
Al-Freij’s strong words suggest that rather than put the blast to rest, the government will take more forceful measures to battle the rebels in an effort to boost the morale of the army and minimize the negative effects of the blast, analysts say.
On the other hand, the bombing will boost the morale of the opposition, adding to the recent severity of their clashes with the government. The opposition will probably push its advantage and engage in larger-scale conflicts with the government, the analyst added.
..
If the UN Security Council no longer extends the UN Syrian Supervision Mission and withdraws military observers, Syria would plunge into more chaos, observers say.
They also point out that if the international community could not unite in one voice on Syria at the key moment, the already deteriorated situation would further evolve in unpredictable ways.
July 19th, 2012, 8:19 am
zoo said:
The Battle for Syria: A Fight Against Assad and Against History
(El Salvador and Algeria examples)
By Max Fisher (
Jul 18 2012, 12:32 PM ET 9
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/the-battle-for-syria-a-fight-against-assad-and-against-history/259984/
…
Rebels struck their hardest blow yet today, but to succeed they will have to overcome not just Bashar al-Assad but a global history of uprisings that made it this far or farther and still failed.
…
It’s not hard to understand why even Assad’s staunchest defender now recognizes that the rebels could win, and maybe soon. Still, the military dictatorships of the world have faced rebellion before, and suffered defeats like today’s, and have still held on to power. While anything is possible, and Assad could well be gone within the year or even the week, Syria would fit neatly within the dark and rarely remembered history of failed uprisings and successful crackdowns.
…
Many things are plausible, including the imminent downfall of the dictatorship that has ruled Syria for 40 years.
…
Still, there is a long history of rebel groups breaching a capital city, or even killing top regime officials, and ultimately losing. Three of the bloodiest, nastiest civil wars of the 1990s saw days like today, and all three ended with the government staying in power and the rebels, for all their bombings and advances, defeated. Though is none identical to Syria’s, of course, just as all wars are unique in their own unhappy way, the conflicts of Algeria, Sri Lanka, and El Salvador show that Assad would have precedent for hanging on.
In the spring of 1989, El Salvadorian leftist rebels, furious over failed peace talks, moved on the capital city, shattering the government’s control. Their campaign captured parts of the city and killed swathes of regime officials: the minister of the presidency, the inspector general, even the director of the national fire department. They even spread into residential neighborhoods, targeting the homes of officials and military leaders. They continued attacking central government buildings through the next year, yet the war ended in 1992 a stalemate, with a peace accord that granted the rebels some amnesty but kept the government in power.
Algeria’s decade-long war claimed over a hundred thousand lives, but no matter how hard the rebels fought or how brutal the military government became, the generals never lost power. The capital of Algiers was rarely at peace in 1992. One day after the defense minister pledged “implacable war” against the Islamist insurgency, in June of that year, rebels killed President Mohamed Boudiaf in a shocking, elaborate operation. The next year, they killed the prime minister. Yet the generals reorganized, coalescing their power and continuing the fight until, several years later, they had exhausted the rebel movement and won. Today, they are still in power.
….
July 19th, 2012, 8:29 am
zoo said:
Removing Turkey from scene would help Syrian opposition
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-286924-removing-turkey-from-scene-would-help-syrian-opposition.html
Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, Turkey has taken an active role in moves to topple the regime in its neighboring country. Turkey is not only actively engaged in the Syrian crisis, but it has also become one of the most vocal critics of the Syrian regime. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the first leader who called on Bashar al-Assad to step down.
It is no secret that Turkey was expecting that the Assad regime would not stay much longer and hoped that Turkey would be on the side of the winners when the Syrian regime was gone.
..
If the Assad regime holds on to power for two or more years, at least until the 2014 elections in Turkey, no doubt it will affect election results in Turkey, perhaps diminishing Erdoğan’s image as a leader who stands by his word.
..
It is likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will show his distrust toward Erdoğan during Erdoğan’s visit to Moscow this week. To take his revenge for the NATO radar decision, Putin is likely to “teach a diplomatic lesson” to Erdoğan during his visit to Moscow.
For the sake of Turkish interests and the Syrian opposition, I think it would be a good decision to remove Turkey from the scene and find alternative methods of supporting the Syrian opposition by not making Turkey a clear target for Russia and Iran.
July 19th, 2012, 8:33 am
bronco said:
The killing of the Syrian officials will make any withdrawal of heavy weapons requested by the UN resolution within 10 days a total fallacy and an insult to the ones who died in the terrorist attacks.
The Syrian government will never bow to such request, when no request is made to the armed rebels whose arms serve terrorist acts and cold blood murders. If the FSA fighters call themselves liberators, then Al Qaeeda fighters are also liberators.
Having claimed the terrorist act, the FSA is no more a protector of the civilians, it is an aggressive terrorist entity that needs to be stopped by international condemnation and a UNSC resolution.
If the UNSC is unable to act upon that and condemn such acts of terrorism, then it will give bear the responsibility of all the killings of civilians that would result from the Syrian government legitimately defending itself. If France, the UK, Qatar, US etc.. appear to condone terrorist acts against governments, then they will encourage more acts not only in Syria but on their own grounds. It’s their choice.
July 19th, 2012, 9:33 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Irritated,
The Israelis who were targeted in Bulgaria were targeted not because they were Israeli, but because they’re Jewish.
Remember the March 2012, Toulouse event
http://israelinsider.net/profiles/blogs/cowardly-terror-attack-in-toulouse-rabbi-and-three-children-murde
The Rabbi and his 3 little kids weren’t Israeli. They were French citizens. But they were Jews.
.
July 19th, 2012, 9:53 am
irritated said:
Amir
All the dead were dual French-Israeli nationals and will be buried in Israel, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17437795
The behavior of Israel has been a curse for the Jews worldwide
July 19th, 2012, 10:01 am
bronco said:
The attacks by the FSA on the power station in Qabun has stopped electricity in large parts of Damascus, affecting hospitals, water supplies and the civilian population. Many may die because of these terrorists acts.
According to the rules of war during civil war, this is considered a a war crime.
The FSA should be warned that sooner or later they will be condemned for these acts.
July 19th, 2012, 10:15 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Irritated,
OK, they were duals. But the son of a sharmouta who killed them didn’t know that, did he. For him, they were Jews.
This has nothing to do with Israel. This has to do with religion, not nationality. The killer too was a French man, but he was, more importantly, a Muslim.
.
July 19th, 2012, 10:23 am
habib said:
691. Amir in Tel Aviv
Why are the Israelis pointing at Iran and Hezbollah now, when Sunni Muslims have historically been the sole killers of Israelis in Europe?
Will they exploit this attack against Iran at any cost?
July 19th, 2012, 10:27 am
Mina said:
A bunch of “peaceful demonstrators” attempting to storm the Syrian embassy yesterday. They do not quite look Syrian at all, but do look Salafis to me.
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/17-arrested-attempting-storm-syrian-embassy-ministry-says
A few hours later, the same attacking the poor Egyptian guards around the embassy
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/48120/Egypt/Politics-/-soldiers-injured-in-front-of-Syrian-embassy-in-Ca.aspx
Maybe a wise shaykh should make a fatwa to orient them towards soccer stadiums?
July 19th, 2012, 10:29 am
Juergen said:
Habib
well who would blame the Israelis for ponting their fingers toward Tehran and Beirut? And one should not forget the attacks carried out by he Hisbollah in Buenos Aires with over 80 people killed.
Here is what happened this year alone:
“In January, the authorities arrested two locals in Azerbaijan who helped an iranian agent, which are said to have planned an assassination against the Israeli ambassador in Baku and the local chief rabbi of the Jewish community.
In February, the wife of an employee of the Israeli embassy in New Delhi was injured when a bomb exploded at her car attached. On the same day in the Georgian capital Tbilisi a similar attack was prevented . The double attack occurred on the fourth anniversary of the killing of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnija. He was killed in February 2008 in the Syrian capital Damascus with a bomb. Hezbollah accused Israel was behind this attack.
Just two days after New Delhi and Tbilisi a plot against the israeli embassy in the Thai capital Bangkok was unveiled. Several explosions occurred just 4 blocks away from the embassy. The first – probably inadvertently – hit the hiding place of the terrorists. In the destroyed building Iranian documents and money were found: Of the three offenders who turned out to be Iranian nationals had escaped, one, two, were taken in custody.
On 2 July it was announced that the Kenyan intelligence had arrested two Iranians. The two men allegedly plotting attacks on Israelis frequented tourist resorts. Their explosives could have destroyed a medium sized hotel.
On 14 July, the Cypriot police arrested a 24-year-old Lebanese, with a probably fake Swedish passport. Evidence clearly indicated that the man had planned an attack with a missile on an aircraft of the Israeli airline Arkia.”
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/anschlag-auf-israelis-mutmasslicher-attentaeter-tarnte-sich-als-tourist-a-845329.html
July 19th, 2012, 10:31 am
habib said:
697. Juergen
Yet no one has been killed, and it’s all just allegations.
Sunnis on the other hand have killed civilian Jews and Israelis (not to mention Christians) in many countries all over Europe the last many years.
Shias have killed Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, yes, but that has been when provoked. Everything else is allegations.
July 19th, 2012, 10:35 am
ann said:
FLASH: RUSSIA, CHINA VETO WESTERN-PROPOSED DRAFT RESOLUTION ON SYRIA
July 19th, 2012, 10:38 am
Albo said:
To Amjad
I’m neither Alawi nor Qardahan but I will answer nonetheless.
To your first point, you are aware that many populations were displaced already. Many people scattered in Syria have returned or will return to their villages. That will change the demographic picture. The idea for this state didn’t pop out of nowhere, that’s the legacy of the French colonial rule, where they deemed the Latakia governorate an “Alawi State”.
I think you picked your examples conveniently, but forgot the proper comparisons with ex-Yugoslavia or Transnistria or more recently the Abkazia and South Ossetia breakaway provinces of Georgia.
it doesn’t matter that the state doesn’t look economically viable or cozy with the international community. Kosovo itself isn’t being recognized by a host of countries, including some from the European Union. I would point out that the geographical situation of such a country would be much better than the above examples, but in the end it doesn’t matter- people scared for their lives and security will seek independance from a irreconcilable majority, economic and diplomatic factors nonwithstanding. As for the regional implications, they are all bad, except for Israel. From the israeli POV, having one of its arch-enemy divided into micro-states is an excellent outcome, and they would be rational to encorage it. There’s much talk about ties between Israel and the KRG, for example, so it has a precedent and makes sense. This fragmentation of the Middle East has been a major theme in American and Israeli strategic circles for a long time. The map here for example is genuine, drawed for th Armed Force Journal by a retired US colonel.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articlePictures/The%20Project%20for%20the%20New%20Middle%20East.jpg Not that it makes a great deal of sense, but you can see the intention. So it’s difficult to rule out the fragmentation scenario completely.
July 19th, 2012, 10:42 am
habib said:
700. Albo
I always wondered why that map included the Syrian coast in a “Greater Lebanon”.
And again, someone claimed an Alawite state would be non-viable because of lack of agricultural knowledge, but that’s bollocks, since most Alawites in north Lebanon are farmers, and could easily be brought in to teach or take over.
July 19th, 2012, 10:48 am
bronco said:
If all goes according to the plan, the Syrians ‘revolutionists’ full of idealistic ideas would have fallen deep into the trap.
While they thought they’ll get freedom and reforms, the only thing they’ll get is the division of their country so Moslem Brotherhood, salafis and Arab Sunnis can live happily ever after in freedom and karama together under an islamic rule while the Alawis, Druzes, Circassians, Armenians, Christians, Shia and probably Kurds will finally be able to live in a place where secularism is the rule without been threatened.
Qatari and GCC investments will pour in the ‘sunni-syria’ where towers and malls will replace useless historical souks and Baskins and Robbins will replace Bekdash.
The winners: Israel, Qatar and KSA and the Islamists , the loosers: the Syrians, the resistance and the secularists.
July 19th, 2012, 11:02 am
ghufran said:
The double Veto at the UN was expected,western governments were never interested in a compromise and the Russian Bear was not ready to give up an old friend. It is war and it will get ugly.
Going backward,I did not see what service the revolutionaries provided to Syria by arming themselves and killing pro regime soldiers,security officers and civilians and causing a lot of destruction to many Syrian towns and cities. We knew from day one that we were dealing with a bunch of thugs on the regime side,we should have not allowed our own thugs to run the show.
Syria,even if or after Bashar and his regime falls,will never be the same,a prolonged bloody conflict is likely to continue for years to come,may be that is what some Syrians and their backers want in the first place,I hope that skiing in expensive resorts in the winter can make some of you feel better,just a reminder, sending money to buy weapons is not tax deductible,join me as we watch Syria burns.
July 19th, 2012, 11:04 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
695. HABIB,
Personally, I think that it’s not HA and Iran who did this in Bulgaria.
The suicide bomber is mainly a Sunni Islam trade-mark. There were few Shi’i suicide bombers in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war, and the Israeli invasion. But there was no action by a Shi’i suicide bomber since.
.
July 19th, 2012, 11:18 am
zoo said:
The movements of civilians out of the fighting zones could allow more freedom for the Syrian army to finish off the rebels now entrenched among civilians
Syrians flee violent clashes in Damascus
http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-claim-deadly-bomb-attack-syria-top-brass-031711974.html
“The army has so far exercised restraint in its operations, but after the attack, it has decided to use all the weapons in its possession to finish the terrorists off,” the security source said.
The army has told residents to stay away from combat zones, as the terrorists are trying to use residents as human shields.”
…
“The traitors, agents and mercenaries are deluding themselves if they think that Syria will bow to this strike, even if it hurts,” the ruling party’s mouthpiece, Al-Baath newspaper, said on Thursday.
July 19th, 2012, 11:20 am
irritated said:
704. Amir in Tel Aviv
The Sunni Islamists terrorists are encouraged by the success of their terror attacks in Syria and the complacency of the West.
They’ll strike more anywhere now. Get ready
July 19th, 2012, 11:23 am
Albo said:
Ghufran, if only they took inspiration from Burma. When an uprising began in 2007, the so-called Saffron Revolution, giant demonstrations took place all over the country.
All non-violent, but when the Junta began its repression, after some 30 deaths, everything stopped and people returned to their home.
Seemingly no one could ever remove this junta that had been in power for 50 years. As you can see a peaceful transition is finally happening there. I’m absolutely certain that non-violent dissent would have yielded better results than the current armed resistance in Syria, the pressure of the Arab Spring is there and not reforming would be impossible in the long term.
Well, Burma is far away and is another culture so no inspiration seemed possible, besides not to be controversial but the fact that the 2007 demonstrations were led by Buddhist monks also explain some differences…
July 19th, 2012, 11:23 am
mjabali said:
Habib:
Lattakia, and all of the Syrian coast of today was a part of Wilayat Beirut in the 19th C.
On the Coast the Alawis farm and know well how to do that. They are self sufficient with food. They export many food products. They need to import zero amount of food. They farm vegetables, fruits, and some grains.
One of their main crops, other than food is tobacco. They used to harvest it more when there was a free market, but al-Assad’s socialist policies made them lose money, so these days they work less in it. Many of them stopped completely harvesting tobacco. They used to export it to Egypt in the 19 C and to the US via Beirut in the 1930’s.
Sunnis in the coast came with the ottomans and Salah al-Din, so few of them are farmers. The Sunni farmers are located around the castles: near Karak ,Marqab, Khawabi, Sahyun (mostly Kurds) and those in Slayyeb al-Turkman and Rabia’ in Jabal al-Turkman. Those Sunnis are farmers now.
Even though most of the inhabitants of the the coast are lazy city dwellers: the coast is still able to feed itself with ease.
July 19th, 2012, 11:30 am
bronco said:
707. Albo
In Iran too. When the protesters realized that the repression was too strong for the civilians and knowing they do no want any foreign in making that revolution, they stopped, until another opportunity presents itself.
Unfortunately in Syria, the western powers and the Gulf states assured the opposition of a success similar to Libya and Tunisia and the opposition accepted that help, thus betraying the independence and dignity of the Syrians and engulfing them in a destructive civil war where brothers are killing brothers under the applause of Qatar and their allies.
July 19th, 2012, 11:41 am
bronco said:
So all the media hysteria that Russia had dumped Bashar al Assad proved to be wrong with that double veto. Even China did not budge and it has no “naval base” in Tartous…
It’s funny to read the UK being “shocked” by the veto as if they were not expecting it, considering the ridiculous UN resolution proposed, giving 10 days to the Syrian army to withdraw with nothing in exchange and no guarantee that the rebels will not take advantage of that to regroup and reenforce.
Who were they trying to fool? That resolution was an insult.
They got the answer they deserve and it was a polite one: NIET
July 19th, 2012, 11:54 am
ghufran said:
تواصلت المعارك العنيفة بين الجيش السوري، وميليشيا الجيش الحر في حي الميدان الدمشقي وسط أخبار تفيد عن مقتل عدد كبير من المسلحين الذين يتحصنون في عدد كبير من المباني.
وقد ذكرت مصادر في الجيش السوري الحر أن “كتائب الأسد زادت من إستخدامها للقوة النارية ضد المسلحين عقب التفجير الذي أدى إلى مقتل ثلاثة من القادة العسكريين السوريين في حي الروضة بالأمس”.
المصادر طالبت من “أسمتهم بثوار المناطق المحيطة بحي الميدان بالقدوم إلى الحي المحاصر من اجل تقديم المساعدة للمسلحين الذين يدافعون عن الحي في معركة غير متكافئة”، محذرة” من إمكانية وقوع مجزرة بحق المسلحين في حال لم يسارع المجاهدون في دمشق إلى نصرتهم، لأن الوضع لم يعد يطاق، والذخائر أصبحت على وشك النفاذ”، مضيفةً” هناك خلل وقع في التنسيق بين الكتائب المقاتلة في دمشق، وقيادة الجيش الحر المرابطة خارج سورية”.
وكانت تنسيقية حي الميدان توجهت إلى المعارضين الدمشقيين عبر صفحتها على مواقع التواصل الإجتماعي بالقول “يا أحرار الشام الضغط كبير جدا الان على حي الميدان الدمشقي المٌرابط جراء القصف المتواصل بشكل رهيب ….. نرجو منكم التخفيف عن الحي بفتح جبهات اخرى و ايصال كل ما هو ممكن من مساعدات طبية و غذائية باسرع وقت ممكن ….. التحرك السريع الان”.
July 19th, 2012, 11:58 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
701. HABIB
Or even they could watch some National Geographic program that shows agricultural technics or even go to the museums and study how Natufian used to do. One last suggestion they could ask jews how they came from Germany and learnt agrculture in the desert.
When an state was not viable due to lack of agricultural knowledge???? This is the most basic knowledge inherited from generation to generation.
…. Or maybe your young alawites are all day in coffe shops in Damascus and Lattakia losing time hubble bubbling and cruising with expensive cars waiting for their army fathers to give them more stolen money?
July 19th, 2012, 12:03 pm
habib said:
712. SANDRO LOEWE
The “lack-of-agricultural-knowledge” theory was proposed by Anwar or some other of your friends in an earlier comment section, so please redirect your advice to him.
I was merely countering his claims. As are you, so thanks for covering my back, LOL.
July 19th, 2012, 12:07 pm
Albo said:
Bronco
About Iran yes that’s a good example, and many of the youth in Iran aren’t fundamentalist at all. The great difference with Syria was that the protesters were mostly urbanites, often rich kids.. While the basiji militias which repressed them were rather from rural and conservative families.
In Syria it’s the opposite, protesters are more from the rural and poor demographic classes while many in the higher classes are reluctant or loyalist, I’m not considering sectarian divides here, but it’s often true among Sunnis.
If it were not for the nuclear question, I would have been quite optimistic for Iran in the long term, elite youths are more often an inspiration for the rest than the opposite naturally.
One day I hope they create some kind of Shia small sacred state for the holy sites under the rule of the Ayatollah while Iran can move on to a secular constitution. A bit like what happened in Italy since their unification and until the Lateran treaty and the creation of the Vatican state. But I digress, that’s another topic.
July 19th, 2012, 12:10 pm
habib said:
704. Amir in Tel Aviv
And as expected, the suspect in the Bulgaria bomb is a Sunni straight out of Guantanamo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehdi_Ghezali
We all expect an apology from Netanyahu, lol.
Civilian Westerners need to know who their true enemies are.
July 19th, 2012, 12:13 pm
AIG said:
Bronco,
And when the Syrian regime realized that the Syrians were not going to give up like the Iranians they should have immediately started serious reforms and Assad should have left the country in order to stop a destructive civil war. But no, Assad though he could defeat the opposition by force. He is the one responsible for the civil war.
July 19th, 2012, 12:22 pm
bronco said:
Strangely, while Addunya has been cut from Arab satellites, therefore not visible to Syrians, the foreign media are very scarce in reporting the fights going on in Damascus and else where.
Are they avoiding to report that the rebels trapped are either surrendering or being killed? Or they prefer to wait until they can call it a ‘massacre’?.
The double veto and the abstention of a Sunni country, Pakistan and of a country hero of revolution and independence, South Africa can only encourage the Syrian government in its determination to foil the plots from the colonialists France, UK and USA who, a few years ago were the staunch supporters of Apartheid South Africa.
“Throughout his presidency, Reagan supported the apartheid.
government in South Africa and even labeled Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress a notorious terrorist organization.”
July 19th, 2012, 12:23 pm
bronco said:
#715 Habib
Israel does not miss any chance to demonize Hezbollah and Iran.
Apologies? forget it. People will still think it was Hezbollah because the zionist media who announced it on a headline will make the correction on the corner of the third page.
We’re used to Israel and the West media manipulation.
July 19th, 2012, 12:28 pm
habib said:
718. bronco
Let’s hope this’ll at least be an eye opener to civilians in the West and Israel.
Your leaders are supporing the same people in Syria who are killing you in Europe, wake the hell up!
More info: http://www.timesofisrael.com/bulgarian-press-names-suicide-bomber-who-killed-israelis-as-mehdi-ghezali/
So the Salafists almost scored a hattrick yesterday, killed secular Syrian leaders, Jewish civilians, and nearly got Iran blown up too.
July 19th, 2012, 12:32 pm
bronco said:
#716 Amir
Promising instant reforms under pressure is useless as it is clear that rebels determined to a change of regime will ignore them, and sure they did ignore all reforms that Bashar did, always saying “too little too late”.
July 19th, 2012, 12:33 pm
bronco said:
#719 Habib
It looks that his stay and the way he was treated in Guantanamo did not convince him of the ‘humanistic values’ of the USA, quite the contrary.
July 19th, 2012, 12:37 pm
Tara said:
Habib
You sound very sectarian lately. I thought you are different and I was wrong. It is disappointing.
July 19th, 2012, 12:50 pm
Antoine said:
FSA is in control of Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing centre on Turkish-Syrian border.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C7abmJHFn4&feature=g-all-u
They have taken full control of Border Guards regimental centre as well as Customs centre at the Border crossing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JRX0kPm0Ug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjqnome7Sac
FSA will now process all traffic at the crossing, and will collect all customs duties and tariff duties.
Visitors to Syria from Turkey are now the guests of the Free Syrian Army, Welcome to Syria.
July 19th, 2012, 12:51 pm
Antoine said:
TARA,
Habib is an out and out sectarian, he is no friend of Syria as is evidenced by his recent cheering of an Alawite State on the coast as he is starting to realize Assad may no longer be able to control the rest of Syria. He is even starting to claim that the “rest of Syria” is a desert and is populated by “Bedouins”, looks like he doesn’t know the difference between Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Despite the fact that the Assads and all other Alawite military chiefs have been accumulating their income by taxing these “rest of Syria bedouins” for the last 50 years.
July 19th, 2012, 12:59 pm
habib said:
722. Tara
What I said is merely the truth. Only Sunni Islamists are killing Jewish and Christian civilians in Europe. Can you deny that?
What makes me less civil in tone now is that Iran and Hezbollah are still being wrongfully accused by the Western media. What the hell is wrong with them? If they can even blame Shias when Sunni Islamists kill Jews, no wonder they ignore it when Sunnis massacre Syrian civilians! Wake up, you few seculars who support the Islamist uprising! It’s all a friggin’ scam!
More info:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/world/europe/explosion-on-bulgaria-tour-bus-kills-at-least-five-israelis.html?_r=1&google_editors_picks=true
724. Antoine
Of course I don’t want to share a country with murderous Salafists! There are secular Sunnis in the Syrian government now, no problem with them, but let’s see how long they survive before the FSA terrorists kill them all!
July 19th, 2012, 1:00 pm
Tara said:
Antoine,
And so I noted….
Habib,
I was not commenting on your post in regard to whom is killing Jews or Christians… I made my observation based on your posts yesterday. Read them.
July 19th, 2012, 1:03 pm
zoo said:
Indifferent to the US and UK anger and threats, the Syrian army continues dislodging the rebels hiding among the civilians in Damascus.
http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-claim-deadly-bomb-attack-syria-top-brass-031711974.html
…
The Syrian army gave residents 48 hours to leave areas of the capital, where clashes are taking place between security forces and rebels pushing their “Damascus Volcano” offensive.
“These extremely violent clashes should continue in the next 48 hours to cleanse Damascus of terrorists by the time Ramadan begins” on Friday, a security source told AFP, referring to the Muslim fasting month.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said that in the western district of Mazzeh alone, hundreds of people were on the move, “fearing a large-scale operation by regime troops.”
Residents also fled the southern district of Tadamon and the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmuk, it said.
The United States said the Security Council had “utterly failed” on Syria and that it would now work outside of the council to confront Assad’s regime.
“We will intensify our work with a diverse range of partners outside the Security Council to bring pressure to bear on the Assad regime and to deliver assistance to those in need,” said US Ambassador Susan Rice.
…
The authorities announced that state funerals will held on Friday for the three regime officials killed in Wednesday’s bombing.
“State funerals will be held in Damascus tomorrow, and then each of the bodies will be transported to his native town to be buried there,” a security source told AFP.
Assad’s brother-in-law and one of the Syrian security apparatus’ hawks, Assef Shawkat, will be buried in the western province of Tartus.
Defence minister Daoud Rajha will be buried in his Christian town of Maalula near Damascus, and crisis cell chief Hassan Turkmani in northern Aleppo.
Assad’s mother Anissa and his sister Bushra — Shawkat’s widow — were in Tartus, on the Mediterranean coast, to receive condolences but it was unclear whether Assad himself would attend the funerals.
July 19th, 2012, 1:08 pm
Antoine said:
“The double veto and the abstention of a Sunni country, Pakistan”
_________________________________________________________________
And what about the Yes vote from a Shia country, Azerbaijan, that too an ex-Soviet Republic which has no intention of going back into Soviet Russian fascist Stalinist slavery.
July 19th, 2012, 1:10 pm
Antoine said:
Habib, you have called the rest of Syria a desert and their inhabitants Bedouins, that shows your acute lack of knowledge about Syria and probably non-Arab origin.
July 19th, 2012, 1:13 pm
Tara said:
The FSA may have learned some lessons from the butcher Assef Shawksat and decided to attack his funeral…wouldn’t that be ironic ..and fair?
Is he in hell now? Or in his way there?
July 19th, 2012, 1:15 pm
Amjad said:
“They have taken full control of Border Guards regimental centre as well as Customs centre at the Border crossing.”
AAAAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAAHH!!!!!
HAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!!!
And the menhebakjis thought they could take on NATO if and when the time came. They can’t even secure the friggin borders. I’d love to see how they think they can secure the Assadan Republic of Qurdaha.
July 19th, 2012, 1:28 pm
habib said:
729. Antoine
The ones who have forsaken Arabism are the Salafists, so no cigar.
The Christians and Alawis of the Levant were more staunchly Arabist than the Sunni Arabs of the peninsula.
Remember that Nasser was Saudis biggest enemy.
But at one point, it’s just a lost cause trying to live alongside murderous fundamentalists. The time seems to be now.
July 19th, 2012, 1:29 pm
zoo said:
#724 Antoine
Syria is not a strictly desert but a semi-arid steppe zone except for the coastal areas.
“Between the humid Mediterranean coast and the arid desert regions lies a semiarid steppe zone extending across three-quarters of the country, which receives hot, dry winds blowing across the desert. Syria is extensively run short, with 28 percent of the land arable, 4 percent dedicated to permanent crops, 46 percent utilized as meadows and pastures, and only 3 percent forest and woodland.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Syria
Population density:
Mostly Aleppo (60%), the Coast and Damascus.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Syria_pop.jpg/408px-Syria_pop.jpg
July 19th, 2012, 1:41 pm
zoo said:
#728 Antoine
Azerbaijan does great business with Israel
By Faina Kirshenbaum MK, July 19, 2012
http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/70245/azerbaijan-does-great-business-israel
In May, while part of a Knesset delegation to Azerbaijan, I attended a children’s recital at the Or Avner school in Baku. The children performed Hebrew songs that I remembered my own Israeli-born children singing.
…
The goal of my visit to Azerbaijan was to advance the close commercial ties between our two countries. Azerbaijan is particularly receptive to Israeli overtures. It gains much from Israel’s technological and security know-how and investment.
..
Israel’s exports to Azerbaijan amount to $5 billion annually. It is a majority Muslim country that borders Iran and yet embraces Israel as its ticket to success.
The benefits Azerbaijan reaps from its co-operation with Israel range from security to agriculture, to telecoms and even ice cream. Israel could not ask for better publicity in a region threatened by Islamic radicalisation.
July 19th, 2012, 1:48 pm
bronco said:
In suburb areas where the water is cut, the government is sending trucks to deliver water to the inhabitants.
Who’s on strike?
July 19th, 2012, 1:56 pm
Antoine said:
Habib you are still evading my question. There is no such thing as Arabism just as there is no such thing as Islamism.
Why do you call Syria a desert ? Your beloved little Coastal State does not produce enough to meet its own requirements. It would still need to import wheat from Idleb, Hama, Halab, Daraa. It does not have any great industries. A very large portion of the labour force is employed in the Military , that too mainly in the Combat arms rather than in Engineering or Signals.
That State you are talking about comprising 2 coastal Governorates has the lowest percentage of trained doctors, engineers, scientists , academics when compared to any other Governorate of Syria. Anybody who knows Syria knows how poorly people from the Coastal mountains are represented among Syria’s white collar workforce. Habib you are sectarainly portraying Syrian Sunnis as a bunch of blue-collar workers and unemployed bedouins, which shows you have no idea of Syria. Those who are afraid that they will never be able to rule Syria, atleast not in the same way they used to, are now talking about splitting Syria, these are the tools of the Zionists.
Syrians after giving away Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, will never agree to a further partition.
July 19th, 2012, 1:58 pm
Amjad said:
“But at one point, it’s just a lost cause trying to live alongside murderous fundamentalists”
Translation: our murdering thugs weren’t able to intimidate the country into staying at home, so we are going to prove our “resistance” and “steadfast” credentials by packing up and “resisting” in the western mountains. Souria bi khaaaaaaaaaayr.
And what satellite company is going to host the Assadan Republic of Qurdaha satellite channel? Ho ho ho.
July 19th, 2012, 1:58 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Rebelion is gaining momentum and the Regular Syrian Army under command of the Aassads is minimizing at an impressing speed. If events keep this momentum Assad can be under encircled in a question of weeks.
Bab el Hawa deserted by Assad clowns.
Also Albukamal deserted by Assad rests of policemen.
There are news about a third border post that could be that of Karakozak north of Manbej? Or maybe one of the north borders, probably “Al Abbousiyeh”?
Anyone can confirm ? Thanks
July 19th, 2012, 1:59 pm
Antoine said:
“Azerbaijan does great business with Israel”
__________________________________________________________________
Good for them, so does Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraqi Kurdistan.
And most of the peoples living in these countries are happier than their counterparts in Syria, Iran, and Lebanon, ( Thats not to say that trade with Israel equals happiness)
July 19th, 2012, 2:01 pm
habib said:
736. Antoine
What is your question? Arabism and Islamism don’t exist? Lol, whut.
As for an “Alawite state”, it would be the size of Lebanon, with the same geography and climate, but with less, more homogeneous people.
That sounds pretty promising.
July 19th, 2012, 2:05 pm
Antoine said:
Sandro,
Virtually all of Rural Aleppo has become like Idleb now, only difference is Assad forces have not been able to score even small successes like it managed in Idleb.
My only worry is with the rapid desertion of Police from many small towns and villages in Aleppo, the Kurds have started to set up their own military councils separate from the FSA , all indications point to the fact that they want to negotiate with a post Assad regime from a position of strength, especially since Assad forces have become a bit weakened and anyway Assad always wanted to avoid a confrontation with the Kurds.
July 19th, 2012, 2:09 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
737. AMJAD
The new state would be the Kingdom of Assadia, a monarchy, of course.
July 19th, 2012, 2:12 pm
Antoine said:
HABIB,
The State you are talking about will need a lot of time to stand on its own feet, it will be like Israel in 1948, and I can assure you it will be under attack from Day 1.
Moreover it will be ensured that RIFAAT AL ASSAD, the sectarian lord of the Alawites, is sent to that Satte in order to challenge Bashar’s hold on power, thereby creating a catastrophic conflict within that State.
July 19th, 2012, 2:15 pm
habib said:
Kurds raise the Kurdish flag in northern Syria:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/syrian-kurdish-town-declares-independence-from-damascus/
Seems that the Kurd are loyal to neither the regime or the opposition. But just watch the opposition keep sucking up to them, in the vain hope that they’ll join them.
743. Antoine
If the Salafists are as incompetent as the Arabs were in 1948, there should be no worries, lol. They are probably more incompetent.
July 19th, 2012, 2:18 pm
Antoine said:
FSA in Reef Halab test firing an anti-aircraft heavy mahcinegun before using it on some shabbiha :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alsyJh3iF6s
( I know you will like this Habib )
July 19th, 2012, 2:22 pm
zoo said:
Is the death of Assef Shawkat and the defection of Manaf Tllas a blessing in disguise for the Syrian government?
(in french)
http://www.renenaba.com/assef-chawkat-un-personnage-encombrant-le-boulet-du-regime-alaouite/
July 19th, 2012, 2:24 pm
Antoine said:
HABIB,
Arabs in 1948 were ruled by people who were not interested in liberating Palestine, infact even the so-called Palestinian leaders and effendiye were not at all interested in fighting and more interested in living it up in London and Paris.
Whereas a Free Syria will represent the popular will of the people in the same way any Western country does, and anyway Syrians are now in ass-kicking mode.
July 19th, 2012, 2:25 pm
Syrialover said:
ALBO (#700) says Syrians should have been patient like the Burmese (50 years of misery and stagnation, with change still far from a done deal). And BRONCO (#702) says the Syrians should have known when to quit their protest like the Iranians did in 2009.
Come on, do better than that.
Neither have a Hama in their recent history.
And 42 years isn’t long enough?
July 19th, 2012, 2:28 pm
irritated said:
#741 Antoine
My only worry is with the rapid desertion of Police from many small towns and villages in Aleppo, the Kurds have started to set up their own military councils separate from the FSA
The Kurds have repeatedly sided on the Syrian army in attacking the rebels. I guess you should worry a lot about them. You could be on for a surprise.
July 19th, 2012, 2:30 pm
Antoine said:
Habib why do you keep calling the FSA as Salafists ? The FSA is a highly motley bunch who manage to get along with each other and respect each other with a common goal in mind.
Yes they are incompetent, that is why they control the rural areas of 7 provinces of Syria, journalists from Guardian, Telegraph as well as Western freelancers still manage to smuggled in illegally and spend 7 days inside Syria with the regime knowing only when they publish their reports,
They are incompetent which is why they are still fighting in Damascus and they just managed to eradicate a handful of top-notch shabbiha in Rawda, whereas Abulrezzak Tlass or Riad Asaad or any other known FSA commander has not yet received a scratch.
July 19th, 2012, 2:31 pm
Halabi said:
Syria Rebels Control All Iraq-Syria Border Points -Iraq Official
BAGHDAD (AFP)–Syrian rebels took control of all border crossings between Iraq and Syria on Thursday, Baghdad’s deputy interior minister said.
“All the border points between Iraq and Syria are under the control of the Free Syrian Army,” Adnan al-Assadi said by telephone.
July 19th, 2012, 2:37 pm
habib said:
747. Antoine
Sure, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood will want to “liberate Palestine” as much as their brethren in Egypt, who already bow down to the US and Israel.
July 19th, 2012, 2:42 pm
Antoine said:
Habib, there is a big difference between Syrian MB and Egyptian MB , although I support neither, though Egypt MB needs to rule at this moment to stabilize Egypt and make transition of Egypt to a Turkey model.
Syrian MB on the other hand is not at all popular among the revolutionaries, inclduing Islamists, because they have shown their opportunistic tendencies in the last 15 months.
I guess a centrist or centre-right Coalition, nominally owing allegiance to Islamic values, showing strong populist and provincial sympathies, will eventually come to rule a free and fair elections Syria. I guess it will be pretty much like the Iraqi Daawa Party, albeit much less sectarian and much more effective.
Extreme Leftist or Rightist ideologies will be obliterated in Syria.
July 19th, 2012, 2:51 pm
ghufran said:
نقلت وكالة يونايتد برس انترناشيونال الامريكية عن مصدر سوري وصفته بـ “المطلع” ان السلطات الامنية القت القبض على منفذ عملية التفجير التي استهدفت مبنى الامن القومي في دمشق وادوت بحياة 3 مسؤولين سوريين كبار
ونقلت الوكالة عن المصدر قوله ان هناك معلومات موثوقة بان السلطات السورية القت القبض على منفذ عملية التفجير التي حصلت امس في مكتب الامن القومي”.
ولم يذكر المصدر هوية منفذ التفجير ولا الجهة التي تشغله, لكنه اكد ان واضع العبوة الناسفة في قاعة الاجتماع هو احد العناصر المكلفين بحماية المبنى
وفي نفس السياق, قال مصدر سوري اخر ان 5 اشخاص فقط هم من حضروا الاجتماع الذي عقد في مقر الامن القومي.
وقالت مصادر سورية مطلعة ان “التفجير تم بواسطة عبوة مكونة من مادة تي ان تي شديدة الانفجار تقدر زنتها بنحو 50 كغ تم ادخالها الى القاعة عن طريق احد مرافقي من حضروا الاجتماع”
The target was Asef Shawkat, few people did not attend the meeting ?
July 19th, 2012, 2:54 pm
Antoine said:
FSA inside Bab al-Hawa customs centre –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrkBelpN_lw&feature=g-all-u
Some Border Guards and Customs officials have agreed to carry out their functions under the FSA supervision, which is not surprising since in many liberated areas if Idleb and Homs, the FSA had managed to convince some Police officers to continue working in order to prevent crime and looting.
In other places FSA themsleves have effective Police units.
I said this before as well, FSA is extremely orderly and disciplined and concerned about civic governance.
July 19th, 2012, 3:04 pm
ghufran said:
أكثر الآثار تعرضاً للخطر، تلك المتوضعة في مناطق ساخنة، حيث نشطت فيها حركة سرقة القطع الأثرية من المتاحف ومواقع الحفريات.
وكانت المديرية العامة قد بيّنت أن العديد من المواقع قد تعرضت للتخريب والسرقة والسطو، وهذه المواقع هي ضمن مواقع التراث العالمي التي تقع في مدن (دمشق وحلب وبصرى وقلعة الحصن وصلاح الدين وموقعي تدمر والقرى المنسية في محافظة إدلب).
بالإضافة إلى مدينة تدمر الأثرية و إدلب، تعرضت للتخريب، ومتحف معرة النعمان الذي يضم أكثر من ألفي قطعة أثرية تعرض للسطو المسلح، لكن جهود الأهالي في المعرة حالت دون ذلك، ناهيك عن مهاجمة حراس المواقع الأثرية في جبل الزاوية وسرجلا والمناطق المحيطة بجبل سمعان.
وقالت المديرية العامة للآثار والمتاحف إن متحف حماه تعرض للسطو والسرقة إذ سرق منه تمثال ذهبي صغير الحجم يعود للفترة الآرامية إضافة إلى بعض اللقى والمقتنيات الأثرية الموجودة في خزائن المتحف، وقلعة شيزر ومدينة أفاميا شهدتا تنقيباً سرياً وتخريباً ونهباً وكذلك غيرهما من المواقع الكثيرة التي تعرضت لتلك الأعمال.
ويصل عدد المواقع الأثرية المفتوحة في سورية إلى ما يقارب 4 آلاف موقع تصعب حراستها، بالإضافة إلأى المتاحف الوطنية المتوضعة في المحافظات السورية.
July 19th, 2012, 3:05 pm
omen said:
we already know shabiha looted such sites, ghufran.
July 19th, 2012, 3:12 pm
Antoine said:
Free Syrian Flag flying high over security building in Manbij, Eastern Reef Halab :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGzStEhuQog
I think in many towns and villages in Aleppo province, many soldiers and Policemen just deserted, ran away, in the last 36 hours. Some of these towns did not even have a strong FSA presence.
July 19th, 2012, 3:13 pm
omen said:
where is aldendeshe? i wanted to hear his take on the bombing. khaldoun, you shouldn’t have called him lonely. that was below the belt. or maybe it was me calling him racist. i’m sorry for being unkind, aldendeshe.
July 19th, 2012, 3:15 pm
Antoine said:
FSA should start executing people caught stealing or robbing,
FSA is still fighting it out in places like Krak des Chevaliers for God’s sake, they are defending these artefacts and their heritage, it is well-known that archaeoligcally significant cities like Busra al Sham, Krak des Chevaliers, Qalaat al Mdeeq, etc. populations are staunchly anti-regime, they will never harm their heritage.
Speaking of Krak des Chevaliers, FSA is still holding out in the Fort and in surrounding villages, and this area is supposed to be part of the Alawite State, lol.
July 19th, 2012, 3:18 pm
Antoine said:
OMEN,
I think Dendeshe and SNP team carried out this bombing in order to eliminate Baathists and try and reach a deal with Assad, actually it is highly likely.
July 19th, 2012, 3:20 pm
habib said:
Lifesign from Landis:
http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/2012/07/syria-expert-joshua-landis-torn-about-whether-us-should-get-more-involved/
July 19th, 2012, 3:27 pm
omen said:
761. Dendeshe and SNP team carried out this bombing
ha! or maybe he took my bait when i pointed out wikileaks that implicated the regime being in bed with the commies.
760. FSA should start executing people caught stealing or robbing
good lord, antoine. why are you so hardcore? because i said it’s the shabiha doing the looting? even so, what if the fsa misidentify?
the lcc have some sort of judicial process in place that’s handling things like this.
July 19th, 2012, 3:30 pm
Antoine said:
This is Jabal Akrad, Lattakia Governorate. FSA test firing home-manufactured rockets :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rGSicsk7aE&feature=youtu.be
LOL and this area is supposed to be under the “State” which some deranged sectarians are talking about.
July 19th, 2012, 3:34 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
758. Antoine
Right Antoine, this is the final prove that the people from rural areas,villages, small towns and provincial cities, let’s say some 10 million inhabitants are fed up with the Assad milicias.
Still we had to add some millions in Damascus and Aleppo and inshallah some tens of thousands in Lattakia and Tartus. I dare to say that 80 % of syrians are now for a regime change, 10 % still doubt, and maybe 10 % are behind the alawites and remaining pro-Assad army and families. There is a 0.1 % that cannot give their opinion because they are dead as victims of this Revolution.
July 19th, 2012, 3:38 pm
omen said:
i hate to say it but i don’t see how losers are going to get to keep the spoils of war such as prime beach property real estate.
July 19th, 2012, 3:39 pm
ghufran said:
what happens when Syrians are fighting Syrians and the country’s army and security forces are stretched too thin?
Loss of law and order,not that I deny the fact that there was a lot of corruption in these two government institutions,show me how the new thugs will be better than the old thugs and I will be the first to salute.
FSA this and FSA that,too much noise too little substance,I will believe it when I see it, I am not loyal to regime forces,I want law and order in Syria even if we have to borrow some Martians to do the job, the old logic about the regime being the source of all problems and the new claim that the FSA is the cure to all ills are ridiculous and outright retarded.
July 19th, 2012, 3:41 pm
Antoine said:
Result of a Battle between Tanks and RPGs –
July 19th, 2012, 3:46 pm
Karabennemsi said:
760. Antoine said:
“FSA should start executing people caught stealing or robbing”
But Antoine, I think according to Sharia thiefs shouldnt be executed, what was their supposed punishment again?
“FSA is still fighting it out in places like Krak des Chevaliers for God’s sake, they are defending these artefacts and their heritage,”
That is just crap, if those FSA fighters had any interest in preserving these non-islamic heritage monuments, they would hide somewhere different, to make sure any possible battle would not destroy them.
Instead they are using them as shields, so that in case they get attacked, they can present some video showing Regime forces firing upon historical monuments, just like they did with civilian houses in Hama and Homs, just like they did with schools and hospitals in Rif Dimashq, and just like they are doing with the mosques in Damascus now. I am very angry about this behaviour, because it is a very similar behaviour to that of the people they are fighting.
July 19th, 2012, 3:48 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
767. GHUFRAN
“Loss of law and order,not that I deny the fact that there was a lot of corruption in these two government institutions,show me how the new thugs will be better than the old thugs and I will be the first to salute.”
The total decay and corruption of the state, the judiciary system and the security forces are a guarantee for having hope that anything coming next will be better. At least main corrupts in all levels will be eliminated.
July 19th, 2012, 3:50 pm
Antoine said:
“the people from rural areas,villages, small towns and provincial cities, let’s say some 10 million inhabitants ”
______________________________________________________________
Actually it is closer to 12 million, plus many people in Damascus Eastern Suburbs are from all over Syria,
July 19th, 2012, 3:51 pm
omen said:
i’m not suggesting land will be stolen (my impression is that contracts and deeds are given due regard) but eventually, sunnis are going to become more prosperous than regimists and are going to buy these properties up.
July 19th, 2012, 3:53 pm
Antoine said:
I don’t know how many people know, but actually places like Krak des Chevaliers, Qalaat al Maddeq, and Busra al Sham, are actually cheek-by-jowl with residential areas, and FSA is based in these residential areas, which gave them the needed advantage in controlling these monuments.
July 19th, 2012, 3:55 pm
Juergen said:
just got off the phone with a friend in damascus, fighting is heard in inner city, from rukn al deen area, since 2 days no garbage was collected, no bread, no fruits on sale, salea market was closed today. one hardly go out of the house.
Washington Begins to Plan for Collapse of Syrian Government
By HELENE COOPER
Published: July 18, 2012
WASHINGTON — With the growing conviction that the Assad family’s 42-year grip on power in Syria is coming to an end, Obama administration officials worked on contingency plans Wednesday for a collapse of the Syrian government, focusing particularly on the chemical weapons that Syria is thought to possess and that President Bashar al-Assad could try to use on opposition forces and civilians.
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Pentagon officials were in talks with Israeli defense officials about whether Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities, two administration official said. The administration is not advocating such an attack, the American officials said, because of the risk that it would give Mr. Assad an opportunity to rally support against Israeli interference.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/world/middleeast/washington-begins-to-plan-for-collapse-of-syrian-government.html?_r=2&smid=tw-share
July 19th, 2012, 4:05 pm
omen said:
767. GHUFRAN said: the old logic about the regime being the source of all problems and the new claim that the FSA is the cure to all ills are ridiculous and outright retarded.
this is identity politics. it’s understandable you’d want to salvage your sect’s reputation so badly marred by the regime’s rule. it’s unfair people are faulting it by applying guilt by association. so you feel better by slandering the fsa as being as bad as the regime even when evidence doesn’t support this contention. trying to conflate the two and holding the fsa to being equal to the regime in evil – is also unfair.
July 19th, 2012, 4:05 pm
irritated said:
Sandro
At least main corrupts in all levels will be eliminated.
Don’t worry, other will emerge.
July 19th, 2012, 4:11 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
776. irritated
Of course, your conclusion is clear, let Assad and all the corrupts reign forever…
Even if other corrupts come later, renewal change of power is part of democratics and let main powers change from time to time.
NOT JUST EVERY 41 YEARS….
July 19th, 2012, 4:16 pm
bronco said:
#762 Thanks Habib
It says it all about the naivety of the after Bashar dreamers.
Joshua Landis :
“There isn’t an innocent Syria out there waiting to come in,” he said.
July 19th, 2012, 4:16 pm
irritated said:
Sandro
The new state would be the Kingdom of Assadia, a monarchy, of course.
Certainly more promising than the Islamic Republic of Minisyria, or the Caliphate of Edlib.
July 19th, 2012, 4:22 pm
irritated said:
#751. Halabi
Syria Rebels Control All Iraq-Syria Border Points -Iraq Official
Are they also controlling the non-official borders to prevent Sunnis extremist terrorists to sneak in?
If they are, they are rendering an invaluable service to the Syrian government.
July 19th, 2012, 4:25 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Looks like the loyalists (what is left of the Syrian army) are abandoning many positions. The question is, where are the heading next? Damascus? the Alawi lands?
.
July 19th, 2012, 4:35 pm
omen said:
778. BRONCO said: #762 Thanks Habib
It says it all about the naivety of the after Bashar dreamers. Joshua Landis : “There isn’t an innocent Syria out there waiting to come in,” he said.
also
Asked a question by a former member of the SNC in the audience, Landis admonished the young Syrian to “make me a believer – unite!”
syria doesn’t need an outsider riding in on a white horse to save the day. there are heroes enough in syria right now doing the job.
who cares the snc isn’t united? they don’t do anything anyways. it’s the lcc and the fsa who are doing all the work on the ground. they’re organized and are increasingly uniting. something this article points out. the professor never gives lcc any credit. why is that, i wonder.
July 19th, 2012, 4:41 pm
zoo said:
Syria’s Assad appears on TV after bombing
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY | Associated Press – 32 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/syrias-assad-appears-tv-bombing-194556812.html
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad made his first appearance Thursday since a bomb killed some of his top lieutenants, looking calm and composed on state TV even as his forces turned parts of Damascus into combat zones and rebels seized two of the country’s border crossings… (and lost hundreds of their troops in Midan and Qabun)
…
“We should not get carried away with speculating about the impending fall of the regime,” said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center and an analyst on regional politics. He said the regime’s forces “are still showing a certain amount of cohesiveness in battle.”
..
Another fearsome factor is the emergence of extremists among the forces looking to oust Assad. Several big suicide attacks this year suggest that al-Qaida or other terrorist forces are joining the fight.
U.S. officials said al-Qaida’s presence has risen slightly, with one official putting the estimate at a couple hundred operatives attempting to hijack Syrian unrest.
July 19th, 2012, 4:42 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
781. Amir in Tel Aviv
They are just waiting for their leader to fall. Then we’ll hear them say:
“The king is dead, long life to the new king.”
After all for most of them the same reasons that made the follow Assad system will let them follow the new system. This is a question of survival. They should be given an opportunity to be adapted to the new system. We need victory of dignity not revenge.
As old Salaheddin showed mercy should be offered to almost all defeated. Only high rank officials should pay a high price.
July 19th, 2012, 4:51 pm
bronco said:
#782 Omen
The opposition is not only divided but polluted by external agents with a variety of agenda. Their only common goal is to topple Bashar al Assad. If and when it happens, they’ll bicker and fight against each other for power. This is where it is going to be real bloody with all the weapons in the hands of different factions with nothing in common anymore who would claim preeminence in the emerging power structure.
Joshua and all politicians know that, this is why they are all hoping for some political union of the opposition to be able to manage the chaos of the aftermath and the political void.
Unfortunately there is none and the aftermath maybe a total nightmare without a political leadership. While it is still chaotic, just imagine what would be Libya today without the TNC and Mahmud Jibril.
July 19th, 2012, 5:04 pm
Tara said:
Assad looking calm and composed… Of course. Typical for people out of touch with reality. Damascus is burning and Neron is calm and composed.. Seif al Islam is calm and composed until now..
July 19th, 2012, 5:10 pm
Karabennemsi said:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/48249303
“Iraq closes main border crossing with Syria: mayor
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq has closed its main border post with Syria and sent troops to the frontier after Syrian rebels took control of the Abu Kamal crossing, a local mayor said on Thursday.
“Qaim post, opposite Abu Kamal, is closed and now under the control of the Iraqi army,” the mayor of Qaim, Fahan Fitaihan, said. Iraqi troops had also taken over another nearby post from Iraqi customs officials, he said.
He said the Syrian Free Army had raised its flag on the other side of the border.”
July 19th, 2012, 5:13 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Ramadan begins tomorrow?
.
July 19th, 2012, 5:15 pm
Antoine said:
This is why many Assad soldiers in Reef Halab chose to flee rather than fight :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNjWyjZsch8&feature=g-user-u
GIVE IT UP.
July 19th, 2012, 5:17 pm
irritated said:
786. Karabennemsi
So the borders occupied by the FSA are useless, since the other side is closed. I guess raising the FSA flag is a symbolic victory to boost their depressed moral while their troops are being annihilated in Damascus.
July 19th, 2012, 5:25 pm
Osama said:
FSA getting desperate…
Sifting through the heaping piles of disinformation is becoming difficult…
Why desperate? They are stuck in Damascus and trapped and stand ready to lose a big chunk of their forces. The recent border post takeovers are a strong indication that they have mobilized their forces across the borders in turkey and Iraq. Same goes for the flare up near Alzabadani…
The purpose of these attacks are to reinforce the disinformation campaign and to try and get some Syrian Army forces draw away from Damascus.
No change in my assessment of the status on the ground, barring another terrorist spectacular, the FSA will be severely weakened if it does not find a way to withdraw from Damascus ASAP.
In regards to the twin veto, it will now open the door for another round of FOS meetings… The US is still reluctant to act and it’s proxies are equally unwilling without it’s military and financial backing.
The disinformation and psychological war is in full swing now, if we don’t see a major fracture within the government now, it may never happen…
July 19th, 2012, 5:28 pm
MICHEL said:
Just wanted to come and confirm that this regime is finished.
July 19th, 2012, 5:30 pm
Uzair8 said:
#789 Antoine
Graphic warning please. Thanks.
July 19th, 2012, 5:32 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
I was quite content with the Russian veto at the UNSC.
1) The new sanctions are useless and have no real meaning.
2) The veto seals Russia’s fate in the ME: Finished .
3) I strongly feel that the Syrians should THEMSELVES cut the throatד of this Alawi junta, without help from outsiders. This way, the new Syria will be more independent, and will be free of paying for favors.
.
July 19th, 2012, 5:33 pm
Uzair8 said:
The elimination of the criminal crisis group was hopefully the first in a series of blows leading to an eventual knockout blow.
July 19th, 2012, 5:35 pm
zoo said:
Who is General Fahd Al Jassem Freij? ( translated from french)
For long time put aside for his brutal methods and his radical vision, General Fahd Al-Jassem Freij, a Sunni, has been appointed by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad at the head of the defense, hours after the assassination of Defense Minister, General Daoud Rajha, a Christian, in a bomb attack that targeted a headquarters of the Council of National Security Syrian. This is one of the first consequences of the direct targeting of the Syrian leadership by terrorist operations.
W. Chekkat
Thursday, July 19, 2012
http://www.alterinfo.net/Al-Assad-nomme-un-faucon-parmi-les-faucons-a-la-defense_a79285.html
Assad appoints a hawk among hawks for the Defense
This appointment has not been easy for Al-Assad, who did everything to keep Al-Freij away because of his unorthodox methods. This is one of the few times that a Special Forces Officer is appointed defense minister in an Arab country. But that’s not all.
Unlike the General Rajha who was appreciated for his moderation and subtleties of meaning, General Al-Freij is considered a hawk among hawks. During the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, Al-Freij advocated an immediate entry into the war with Israel.
This native of Hama, 62 years old has stood out throughout his military career by his iconoclastic methods. He is known for a single obsession: By issuing decisions on specific objections, he invariably added that instead of sitting back and parading for the souvenir photo, the staff should think seriously go to war over Lake Tiberias and recover the Golan Heights (occupied and annexed by Israel) … His main dream is to bomb Tel Aviv.
The Sunni Muslim belonging to the main religious community of the country was appointed August 8, 2011 as Chief of Staff of the Syrian army after commanding Special Forces operations and directed in areas of Daraa in the South, the cradle of protest, Idlib near Turkey and his native region of Hama. He is little appreciated in the military command because of his outspokenness and his very expeditious methods.
In 1982, civil war Lebanon, Al-Freij conducted special operations in the Lebanese Bekaa to counter the Israeli invasion and tried twice to assassinate Sharon. In 2003, his commandos were in conflict several times with units of U.S. Marines stationed at the border between Syria and Iraq. In 2006, during the war between Hezbollah and Lebanon, he was the only senior Syrian officer to travel to Lebanon and to actively participate in operations.
His appointment prelude to a radicalization of the struggle against the SLA and armed Islamic groups. General Al-Freij has always complained of the “moderation” of the former minister of defense in front of the challenge. It seems that the loss of loved ones have urged President Assad to appoint a hawk among hawks in the old guard to be put an end once and for all the armed rebellion or spark a regional war with Israel and Turkey.
Israelis whose forces are on high alert in the Golan Heights are exploring options of plans to bomb weapons depots and arsenals of the Syrian army. This proves that on the ground, there are all the ingredients of a fifth regional war in the Middle East.
July 19th, 2012, 5:39 pm
Tara said:
Amir
Agree. If the proposed sanctions passed, so what? We still have to do it alone and independently shape our future..and honestly, our democracy will be so precious that way that we will always value it and fight for it. And yes, happy Ramadan. It is tomorrow.
July 19th, 2012, 5:40 pm
irritated said:
@792. MICHEL
Just wanted to come and confirm that this regime is finished
Come back in a few months to confirm again
July 19th, 2012, 5:41 pm
Karabennemsi said:
Im not sure, if this has been posted before, but it sure is interesting considering the border conflicts going on right now:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/17/us-iraq-turkey-airspace-idUSBRE86G0O220120717
“Iraq warns Turkey against violating airspace
Over the past four weeks, Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters have carried out repeated strikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq, according to Turkish military command, after clashes on the Iraqi side of the border.
The Turkish military says it is targeting hideouts of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants after some of the most intense battles this year of the separatist conflict.
“The Iraqi government condemns these violations to Iraq’s airspace and sovereignty and warns Turkey against any violations of Iraq’s airspace and territory,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in statement after a cabinet meeting.
Dabbagh said the cabinet asked the Foreign Ministry to protest to the Security Council over the violations.
“Iraq will retain its right in taking all the measures to prevent these oversteps against its sovereignty,” Dabbagh said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment.
… “
July 19th, 2012, 5:44 pm
Uzair8 said:
Ramadan tomorrow in Syria apparently. In UK it’s on saturday for some of us. Others may be fasting tomorrow.
Sh. Yaqoubi 1 hr ago:
إلى شعبنا الأبي في سورية ،غدا أول أيام شهر رمضان المبارك، تقبل الله منا ومنكم الصيام والقيام والجهاد، وجعله شهر نصر كنصر بدر وفتح كفتح مكة
والعيد عيدان هذا العام بعون الله تعالى عيد أصغر بانتهاء الصوم وعيد أكبر بسقوط الطاغية
محمد أبو الهدى اليعقوبي
google translate:
To our people in Syria, tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan, May Allah accept from us and from you fast and do jihad, and making it the month of victory as a victory of Badr and opening such as opening of Mecca
Sticks and Eid this year with the help of God Almighty Holiday smaller end of the fasting and the fall of the tyrant’s largest festival
Muhammad Abul Huda Al Yacoubi
https://www.facebook.com/ShaykhMuhammadAbulhudaAlYaqoubi/posts/187302891400468
July 19th, 2012, 5:45 pm
bronco said:
#797 Tara
We still have to do it alone and independently shape our future.
Alone? The USA has said that they will find other ways to intervene with other “friends” since the UNSC cannot agree.
Don’t worry, the Syrian rebels will never be alone, as long as they survive. Too much is at stake for the super powers
July 19th, 2012, 5:46 pm
omen said:
While horrified by the violence, Landis suggested that the current policy of limited external support for the opposition and tightening sanctions on the regime might be the best for the time being. “There isn’t an innocent Syria out there waiting to come in,” he said.
is he saying the snc is too corrupt to support? who has more dirt on their hands than the us of a? i don’t know if we have grounds to be persnickety.
i mean really. chalabi the felon, guilty of bank fraud, was good enough to support. is anybody in snc that bad? hell, we’ve supported death squads and homicidal dictators because they were good for the bottom line. all of a sudden, we’ve got standards and are applying a purity test? come on!
i ain’t buying it.
July 19th, 2012, 6:01 pm
zoo said:
In the absence of a united opposition Turkey and Russia agree on the need for a political transition with figures of the regime present to avoid chaos. Yet, they do not agree on the role of Bashar al Assad, Erdogan insisting he should leave. If Bashar stays, the ego of Erdogan will be hurt and if Bashar is forced to leave the ego of the Russians will be hurt. This is the dilemma.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-battle-for-damascus.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25943&NewsCatID=359
In order to ease Moscow’s concerns about the future of “a Syria without its key ally [President Bashar] al-Assad,” Turkey voiced its readiness to work with Russia on a prospective post-al-Assad transition process, when the Russian and Turkish leaders met on July 18.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the least common denominators between the two countries regarding the Syrian crisis, reaffirming the “principles of the Geneva meeting,” a Turkish official told Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
The principle of the Geneva meeting was to head toward “a transition government without al-Assad,” even if it was not expressly mentioned in the declaration, the official said.
In response to Russia’s concerns about the composition of a new government in Syria, Turkey said the transition government should be composed of “members of the current regime and opposition who will endorse each other,” the official said.
Both Ankara and Moscow apparently wanted to prevent their existing differences of opinion on Syria from having any negative effect on bilateral relations.
“If a new government is established and Bashar al-Assad remains in a position of leadership, nothing will change in Syria,” Erdoğan said, returning from Moscow. “I believe that the most important aspect of the Geneva process is the formation of a transitional government in Syria in which al-Assad would not be present.”
Russia had some concerns about the post-al-Assad period, and Turkey proposed some alternatives, Erdoğan said, without giving any details. He added that Russia would consider those alternatives.
Putin had not discussed the possibility of taking al-Assad in, either in his talks with Erdoğan or in a telephone conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama on July 18, Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Putin, said yesterday.
July 19th, 2012, 6:02 pm
Tara said:
Bronco
The US has lost any credibility in the eye of the revolution. We have only seen impotence and empty slogan from Obama. We will not be indebted to any one and yet we will achieve victory. The more I think about it, the more I believe that It is rather a divine intervention NOT to have foreign intervention so we can value and maintain the precious success.
July 19th, 2012, 6:05 pm
omen said:
wonder why my innocent comment to dale is being held.
July 19th, 2012, 6:05 pm
omen said:
odd. apparently, we’re not allowed to address and3rsen.
July 19th, 2012, 6:07 pm
Karabennemsi said:
According to Al Jazeera the rebels left Bab al Hawa fearing air attacks.
Apparently the whole border conquering thing really was only of symbolic nature.
July 19th, 2012, 6:11 pm
zoo said:
The Guardian carries propaganda rumors
Appreciate the photo! http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/news/201207/n_25854_4.jpg
Al-Assad wounded, wife in Russia: Report
Thursday,July 19 2012,
Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, was wounded in yesterday’s bomb attack which killed the country’s top security chiefs, The Guardian reported today.
The report also claimed al-Assad’s wife, Asma, had fled to Russia.
Unconfirmed reports claimed that al-Assad had suffered injuries in yesterday’s attack which killed his brother-in-law and the deputy chief of the Armed Forces, Assef Shawkat, as well as Defense Minister Dawoud Rahja and Hassan Turkmani, the crisis management chief.
July 19th, 2012, 6:12 pm
bronco said:
#806 Karabennemsi
Apparently the whole border conquering thing really was only of symbolic nature.
It is part of the media propaganda to present the country about to break up. The only thing that is breaking up into pieces is the hope of the FSA to win the ‘Decisive Damascus battle’.
They will probably say that the real battle has been postponed indefinitely.
The murder of the defense minister came just on time to remove any objections to a tougher treatment of the trapped rebels and to promote the use of decisive methods to dislodge them.
The failure of the UNSC resolution is a also a bonus for the Syrian government. They can continue the cleanup more efficiently.
It seems that both of these event have boosted the Syrian army probably more than it boosted the rebels.
July 19th, 2012, 6:21 pm
Tara said:
I bet regime supporters have a sacred file on their computers to save photos of Bashar and Asma that ravels Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie’s fan club. I just wonder how many times a day they visit that file.
July 19th, 2012, 6:25 pm
omen said:
642. SYR.EXPAT said: Michel Kilo on the second and deadly attempt against members “at the heart of Syria’s defense […] The fact that there was an earlier attempt…should have caused the mukhabarat to scrutinize all people around Asif and co. The fact that they failed to so after all the warnings speaks volumes about state of intelligence apparatus.
i credit the loyalists’ attitude (constantly belittling the rebels, failing to give them credit, underestimating them) as having influenced the regime not to take the rebels seriously, lulling them in false sense of complacency that wound up being fatal.
thanks guys.
July 19th, 2012, 6:25 pm
bronco said:
804. Tara
That’s what the Turks want to do: disengage from the Syria problem.
Even if you reject the USA and Turkey “help” in this ‘revolution’, would you refuse that Qatar and KSA continue to pay the salaries of the FSA and give them money to buy weapons as if they were their employees ?
The Syrian revolution is already endebted to too many countries and has not yet succeeded.
If they ever they decide to be alone, they’ll need to negotiate. If they want their independence and dignity back that’s what they should tell the Russians they want to do and cut off from these buffoons western countries who promise and do not deliver.
July 19th, 2012, 6:32 pm
Uzair8 said:
WHO IS BEHIND DAMASCUS BOMB?
Abdel Bari Atwan
19 July 2012
There is also talk that external powers, both east and west, would prefer an internal military coup in Syria. Speculation about Asif Shawkat’s relationship with the French authorities has been going on for years. Some are saying that the latter played a role in smuggling Brig. Gen. Manaf to France.
http://www.abdelbariatwan.com/DamascusBomb.htm
July 19th, 2012, 6:35 pm
zoo said:
Turkey double standard
About the bombs attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria,
Erdogan said: “Turkey considered terrorism a crime against humanity that could never be excused”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iran-israel-spar-on-raid-in-bulgaria.aspx?pageID=238&nID=25928&NewsCatID=352
I didn’t see Turkey condemning the terrorist bomb attack in Damascus.
July 19th, 2012, 6:40 pm
Ghufran said:
الجيش السوري يعلن منطقة الميدان في دمشق منطقة آمنة وخالية من أي تواجد مسلح
Any counter argument?
I am still not sold on this piece of news but I find it hard to believe that the FSA can win Damascus without the active support of Damascenes,that support is yet to come.
What the FSA had done,irresponsibly,is allow its fighters to hide in heavily populated areas,use those areas as lunching pads for attacks on the army ,then blame the army for civilian casualties. Only time will tell how ethical or effective this strategy was.
For the time being,the only option left for Syria is more violent confrontations until one side calls it a quit and let the other side dictate a solution on his terms, the FSA was led to believe that the regime will be the one to quit.
The loss of control on the eastern and northern fronts is the natural result of focusing on more important battle fields,Homs and Damascus,if the rebels lose in these two areas,you will see an active camping in the north and the East. News from Idleb and Dair Azzour are mixed because there is no total domination of either the regime or the FSA in these areas.
The regime may now use its air power in distant areas until they get a relief in the other hot zones,it isca big challenge for both sides who insists that they are winning.
This board is full of non Syians and with people who use posting as a sport,I hope that posters with something to offer ignore that group the same way I do.
July 19th, 2012, 6:47 pm
Halabi said:
Jordanian Airlines has suspended flights to Syria.
The only positive about Fahd Al-Jassem Freij is that he is Sunni, so when he is killed menhebaks can’t say the rebels targeted him due to his religion. The regime is a legitimate target because it’s packed with killers who are actively conspiring to kill more Syrian. Only the delusional, sectarian genocide supporters mourn the deaths of the truly evil and celebrate the needless murder of innocent Syrian civilians.
Some (Assad Abu Kh*ra) actually equated between targeting senior leaders in a murderous regime to the suicide bombing of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. Those who can’t see the difference have a mental and moral defect that makes them monsters.
July 19th, 2012, 6:48 pm
Uzair8 said:
On the media I’ve heard previously and in recent days spokespeople from the Syrian Social Club. It sounds like it’s a UK based mouthpiece for the regime.
I heard one of them on BBC radio 4 an hour and a half ago.
It’s a must listen. A typical pro-regime spin. A good laugh.
Salman Shaikh of the brooking centre, whose appearance on BBC radio 5 last night I posted earlier today, was also a guest.
Listen:
– Syria covered from: 7min 48sec
– Syrian Social Club guest from: 13min 45sec
– Salman Shaikh from: 21min 30sec
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kt4cf
July 19th, 2012, 6:49 pm
Syrialover said:
Bashar swearing in his new team – he’d better be careful.
Were any of them linked to the bomb plot? He has no way of knowing. Maybe now one of them will be able to feed even closer information for the next explosive surprise.
He can’t trust anybody around him. That bomb was an insiders’ inside job.
The regime team will be watching each other like paranoid hawks, the FSA a distant threat compared with the guy in the next office.
July 19th, 2012, 6:55 pm
Ghufran said:
سيتم تنظّم جنازة في العاصمة السورية، اليوم، للعماد داوود عبد الله راجحة وزير الدفاع والعماد آصف شوكت نائب وزير الدفاع والعماد حسن توركماني معاون نائب رئيس الجمهورية. قبل نقل جثامين كل من المسؤولين الى مدينته
Alarabiya and other sites have declared alshaar dead,government media denied that he died in the blast,we still do not know for sure how this bombing was arranged and who was behind it,Riyad Alas’aad added more questions than answers when he spoke about the blast,one thing for sure,this is much bigger than the FSA and the target was probably Assef not the others.
July 19th, 2012, 7:00 pm
Syrialover said:
I hear the full extent of the bomb damage is being systematically concealed and controlled under the PR management of a seasoned old Hezbollah pro from Lebanon.
Apparently that’s a Hezbollah tactic – release only part of the picture, then do a tight shutdown on further information.
Shame, it’s stopping people from sending Maher Assad a funeral wreath or get well card.
And it’s doing Miss Sherehazade Jaafari and the other devoted PR chicks out of a chance to shine.
July 19th, 2012, 7:03 pm
Albo said:
Most certainly the bombing was devised by an intelligence service from an Arab country. I don’t see where is the interest of Nato countries in doing this.
July 19th, 2012, 7:10 pm
Tara said:
Irritated
I think I am going to change my name to a name similar to yours. One would think that what happened yesterday should make me happy. May be I do not like the wk of July 19. In any case, do not be surprised if I started posting under irritated 2 .
July 19th, 2012, 7:12 pm
Karabennemsi said:
814. Ghufran said:
الجيش السوري يعلن منطقة الميدان في دمشق منطقة آمنة وخالية من أي تواجد مسلح
Any counter argument?
July 19th, 2012, 7:17 pm
omen said:
819. SYRIALOVER said: I hear the full extent of the bomb damage is being systematically concealed and controlled under the PR management of a seasoned old Hezbollah pro from Lebanon.
i don’t how grounded in fact this is – but here’s a neat segment from lebanon news that discussed the bombing.
-shows footage of exterior of building as it exploded
-aerial maps
-and animation cartoon supposedly depicting how it all went down
it claims 10 people were killed in the blast.
10? crazy the number of people dead can’t be pinned down.
http://www.linktv.org/mosaic/
at 00:46
July 19th, 2012, 7:36 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
TARA @821.
Dear Mrs T
Irritated2 will be confusing, especially with the frequency of posting that you and IRRITATED do.
But if you must change TARA, make sure it does not start with an A, otherwise you might be lumped with the other A name, names (ABOUD, AMJAD, ANWAR, ANTOINE, ASSAD, A smiling face) or the other A ones (AMIR, AIG, AP).
SNK would say use Teu Teu, it is so unique and would reflect your irritated mood.
July 19th, 2012, 7:59 pm
irritated said:
#817 SL
He can’t trust anybody around him. That bomb was an insiders’ inside job.
I thought you suspected that Bashar himself to be the insider.
I guess you now acknowledge that the FSA is responsible for this terrorist attack.
July 19th, 2012, 8:18 pm
irritated said:
Tara
You’re more than welcome. I suggest Irritara instead
July 19th, 2012, 8:19 pm
bronco said:
#816 Uzair8
Salman Sheikh says that international community is in “la la” land.
I guess that being an employee of the Qatar government, he can’t but sing the song that pleases his employer.
“Research and programming is guided by the Brookings Doha Center International Advisory Council chaired by H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani”
Salman Sheikh credentials:
He also served as the director for Policy and Research in the Office of Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the Consort of the Emir of Qatar, where he lead a team of research analysts dedicated to advising on policy options and the initiatives of Her Highness.
http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/doha/about
July 19th, 2012, 8:32 pm
Tara said:
Was this the dining table that Asma bought for 10,000k from Chelsea?
4.11pm: The first glimpse of Assad since yesterday’s attack. It appears that he is indeed at his palace in Damascus.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/19/syria-crisis-aftermath-damascus-assassinations-live#block-28#block-28
July 19th, 2012, 8:47 pm
Ghufran said:
ميشيل كيلو
“الروس سيرون ان إنتصار النظام السوري شيء مستحيل وهناك تحول كبير وإنهيار أمني في مناطق كثيرة في
سوريا، والقاعدة التي يشكلها الجنود ليست على هذه الدرجة من الولاء للقيادة”، داعياً إلى “أخذ موقف واضح لإنقاذ البلاد من العنف وإستخدام الأسلحة الثقيلة ومن فكرة ان سوريا يجب ان تقاتل حتى النهاية لتنتصر”.
وإعتبر ان “سوريا إذا توقف القتال فيها، فستكون منتصرة بكل أفرادها”، مشدداً على ان “هناك ما يكفي من الشعور بالواجب لدى كل الضباط لكي يقولوا “كفى”.
وأكد انه “ضد المعارضين الذين تلوثت وتتلوث أيديهم بالدم”، لافتاً إلى ان “هؤلاء يجب ان يتعاقبوا”، مضيفاً انه “على الرئيس بشار الأسد ان يقول لنفسه ان الحل الذي بني على التصعيد كان خطأ وأن يأمر بوقف القتال”، معتبراً ان “العالم سيقرأ ما حدث في سوريا بطريقة مغايرة ومختلفة”.
I have a lot of respect for mr Kilo,but does he really think that the armed rebels or their backers have,or had,any interest in a political exit out of this conflict?
Even if Bashar orders his soldiers to withdraw,who will order the rebels to do the same?
It is too late for this ideal but unattainable solution,syrians are dying from Saudi financed weapons,the regime sees some syrians as the enemy while Saudi sheikhs consider Iran,not Israel,as the real enemy.syrians are the victims of the regime and the anti Iran bunch.one Jewish coworker told me that he thinks the Mossad was behind the assassination of Asef and that Israeli leaders are confident that a Sunni-Shia conflict will dominate the Middle East for years to come.
July 19th, 2012, 9:04 pm
omen said:
ooops, i messed up. got dazzled by the graphics. lebanon news was merely showing who belonged to the crisis cell in the first grouping. not identifying who died. sorry!
July 19th, 2012, 9:10 pm
Syrialover said:
Irritated,
Ah, so the bomb had no assistance from anyone inside close to Bashar?
Instead, we see the FSA as technically and operatively brilliant, with the ability to move silently and seamlessly in and out of the regime’s inner quarters.
While that may well prove be true about the FSA (but not the lack of insider cooperation) I’m surprised you seem to concede it.
And could Bashar be the bomber? Why you never know, given the current regime’s paranoia and dysfuction, and the resentments, distrust and friction in Bashar’s relationship with some Alawites in his establishment (start with Khaddam and Kanaan).
Or maybe even Maher finishing off his old feud with Shawkat a few years ago where he shot him in the stomach?
We look forward to the real story when the regime games are over.
July 19th, 2012, 9:11 pm
omen said:
Saudi financed weapons
nope. most of the weapons rebels have obtained were seized after battle or purchased from corrupt officers from regime’s own arsenal!
in this one instance, greed is good!
July 19th, 2012, 9:14 pm
Tara said:
Obama administration officials say the White House has yet to decide on how it will respond if pro-al-Assad forces use chemical weapons against the Syrian population or a neighboring country. The administration has told senior regime officials that they will be held responsible if they fail to secure chemical weapons.
DeSutter said the U.S. should remain vague about the exact consequences. “You could say we will target the president of Syria if they are used and we will target any military organization that used them,” DeSutter said. “I would let them wonder. You might want to drop the word ‘Israel’ in the conversation, too, as a subtle point.”
….
Other issues pending at the White House include who in the current Syrian government could remain in place if the regime falls and what the U.S. will do to protect Syrian religious and ethnic minorities.
…
Other issues pending at the White House include who in the current Syrian government could remain in place if the regime falls and what the U.S. will do to protect Syrian religious and ethnic minorities.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/19/syria-s-next-act.html
July 19th, 2012, 9:20 pm
Ghufran said:
An excellent article by Simon Jenkins
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/19/language-of-war-syria
July 19th, 2012, 9:21 pm
Ghufran said:
قالت مصادر اهلية في اعزاز إن مئات المسلحين تمكنوا من السيطرة على المدينة بعد أقل من يوم على دخول وحدات من الجيش العربي السوري ، و دمروا عدداً من الآليات المدرعة .
و بثت قناة العربية السعودية مشاهداً لمسلحين إسلاميين يتوعدون فيه الجيش العربي السوري و أنصار النظام بالهزيمة
وفي جرابلس على الحدود التركية شمالي شرق حلب تمكن المسلحون من السيطرة على مديرية منطقة جرابلس و مفرزة امن الدولة وتكبدوا خسائر بالعشرات خلال الهجوم ومن بينهم قائد الهجوم المدعو علاء منصور أوسو الملقب بالنقيب نمر ، وهو مدني من بلدة حيان القريبة من حلب
July 19th, 2012, 9:27 pm
omen said:
Mossad was behind the assassination of Asef
israel’s oligarchs wouldn’t squander to waste by bothering to assassinate such an efficient killer, so skilled in slaughtering more arabs than they dare dream of doing so themselves.
you hear pundits like thom friedman describe the hama massacre with awe and admiration in the number of muslims who were killed. mossad loved asef!
July 19th, 2012, 9:46 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
830. Tara said:
Was this the dining table that Asma bought for 10,000k from Chelsea?
TARA
I think this is the table that Jihan Sadat had given Aniseh as a gift for the celebration of the October war (yom kippur war), when they were still on speaking terms.
Rumor had it that Jihan, who has her maternal roots from Sheffield, got that table at Harrods of London at the time.
July 19th, 2012, 9:47 pm
Tara said:
Salah Addin,
You sound like a VIP so let me ask you, do you know أبو صبيح?
The assassination yesterday brought him to my memory. Do any one on this blog know whoأبو صبيح is?
July 19th, 2012, 9:54 pm
omen said:
i saw the ottomans she bought overseas. i thought don’t they have skilled furniture makers/crafts people who make these things in syria? why didn’t asma buy local?
god forbid she’d help support the local economy.
July 19th, 2012, 10:02 pm
Ghufran said:
The rehearsal attack in Damascus may not last more than few more days ,the regime forces now have the upper hand and ,unlike other places, there is no way for the rebels to withdraw,it is a blood bath with hundred of fatalities from both sides.
I would like to hear a convincing argument from a SYRIAN about the wisdom of that reckless operation in Damascus.
July 19th, 2012, 10:03 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
TARA
The famous Abou Sbeih that I know of, was the driver that drove Basel around and was a body guard for Hafez. I heard stories about him. Is he the one you are talking about?
July 19th, 2012, 10:07 pm
Tara said:
Salah Addin
Yes…
Do you know how he looked like?
July 19th, 2012, 10:13 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
TARA
I was told he looked like Abou 3antar from Ghawar’s movies, but with a bigger mustache.
July 19th, 2012, 10:23 pm
Tara said:
Salah Addin,
Coming to think about it, he really looked like a shabeeh. Semi-bald head, big mustache, and buffed muscles. Do not remember if he had Tattoos or not. He terrorized everyone yet was a kind shabeeh, at least in some people’s eyes… He suddenly disappeared from existence..One would hope that a member of the mafia family is reading this blog and telling us what happened to Abou Sbeih.
July 19th, 2012, 10:37 pm
SALAH ADDIN said:
TARA
Was not he the one, who saved Hafez’s life from the assassination attempt, by throwing himself over him and pushing him on the ground?
History would have been different if he was not there at that moment.
Was that what brought it on your mind after yesterdays’ assassination?
A comment was made that Assef pushed or pulled the assassin.
July 19th, 2012, 11:01 pm
omen said:
ghufran, you never answered nor even addressed this issue. is use of this stockpile a redline for you?
who else has dodged answering this question?
July 19th, 2012, 11:40 pm
Ghufran said:
رمضان كريم
In at least 2 Arab countries,Ramadan will not start on the same day for Muslims who reside in the same country!!
اللهم اجعلني فيه من المستغفرين
July 19th, 2012, 11:48 pm
omen said:
refusing to answer equates into an endorsement, ghufran.
for all of your hypocritical lecturing about the irresponsibility of the rebels, and bemoaning the destruction of damascus and syrians killing syrians, you can’t even find the moral backbone to denounce the use of chemical warfare.
why is that?
is it too perfect an antidote for the “inherently violent” sunni muslim? that would guarantee the continuing supremacy of rule for your sect? please correct me if i’m wrong because this is too ugly a portrait of you.
July 19th, 2012, 11:59 pm
Juergen said:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=410726895630090&set=a.254959464540168.54880.182806365088812&type=1&theater
July 20th, 2012, 1:11 am
annie said:
Syrian Activist in Hiding: “We’re Not Looking for Intervention, We’re Looking for Support”
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/19/syrian_activist_in_hiding_were_not
July 20th, 2012, 1:30 am
Juergen said:
Der Spiegel posted this morning that the US administration is weighting the option to halt all weapon sales with Russia in the light of the Putin regimes constant support for Assad. A bill in favor of a sanction against russias biggest supplier of weapons to Syria Rosoboronexport has already passed the parliament, and its due to pass also the senate.
Robert Fisk: Syria rebels will not claim their greatest prize
The appalling scenes in Syria begin to reflect the barbarism of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia
They have gone for the jugular now. The brother-in-law of the President, the Defence Minister, a massive bomb close to – or in – the headquarters of the military apparatus run by the President’s own brother. Assassinations take time to plan, but this was on an epic scale, to match the bloodbath across Syria.
Bashar al-Assad’s own sister, Bushra, one of the pillars of the Baath party, loses her husband in a massive explosion in the very centre of Damascus. No wonder the Russians talk about the “decisive battle”.
It won’t be a replay of Stalingrad, but the tentacles of the rebellion have now moved towards the heart. And, of course, there are massacres to come. Why else would thousands of Syria’s citizens flee to the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp yesterday, to seek protection from the most betrayed citizens of the Arab world?
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-syria-rebels-will-not-claim-their-greatest-prize-7957145.html
July 20th, 2012, 1:46 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
From the article linked to by (853. JUERGEN):
“At the time, a Syrian friend of mine looked at it bleakly. The torture goes on below ground, he said. “You don’t even want to know what happens there.” But whoever emerged from there would be happy to kill his tormentors, let alone the chief torturers.”
July 20th, 2012, 2:07 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Rokn ed Din under Syrian Free Army. Great syrian people. The brave revolutionary attitude of the syrian people was there thought to liberate the Golan Heights but at the end it has liberated Syria from their own represors.
Popular forces are out of control now. Israel today will have to redirect their politics. Everything was too easy and predictable for Israel in the times of Mubarak, Gadafi and Assad.
July 20th, 2012, 2:42 am
ann said:
Release my post please!
July 20th, 2012, 2:57 am
ann said:
News Analysis: U.S. unlikely to involve in Syria despite Republican push: analyst – 2012-07-20
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-07/20/c_131727734.htm
WASHINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) — The United States and its NATO allies are unlikely to insert themselves directly into Syria’s ongoing chaos, despite a renewed Republican Party’s push Thursday toward more overt U.S. action, U.S. analysts said.
That is because Syria’s army is one of the most formidable and well-armed in the Arab world, maintaining a constant state of readiness for what it sees as a possible war with Israel, said Wayne White, a scholar at the Middle East Institute.
In stark contrast to NATO’s operation in Libya — a country that under deposed ruler Muammar Gaddafi had one of the Arab world’s most ill-equipped and incompetent armies — NATO would be unable to undertake an operation against Syria, he said.
“That’s beyond the capability of NATO,” said White, also a former deputy head of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s Office of Analysis for the Near East and South Asia under the U.S. State Department.
Geography would be another major obstacle, as Syria is further inland than Libya, which has a broad coastline across from European bases, he said. The country’s position on the map would put NATO aircraft in jeopardy, as pilots could not retreat to a nearby aircraft carrier when hit.
The White House also reiterated Wednesday that the U.S. military will not involve itself in the mounting violence.
Still, that did not stop Republicans from pushing for more intervention. “I don’t think we’re doing enough,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Thursday on Fox news.
“And it’s in our national security interest to take (Syrian President Bashar) Assad out sooner rather than later because Iran is watching what we’re doing. … I don’t want to be covert at all,” said Graham, who serves on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 3:02 am
Expatriate said:
Aljazeera, Alarabiya play as Hollywood soundstage in Syria: Webster Tarpley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsoPH3ATMVU
A bomb explosion at the National Security headquarters in the capital Damascus claims the life of Syrian defense minister General Daoud Rajha and brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, General Assef Shawkat, as well as a senior security official. The blast also injured the interior minister: That is the latest in Syria’s situation as violence plagues the capital.
July 20th, 2012, 3:03 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Confirmed: Sharif Shahade, the main shabbih in main TV talks has been detained by FSA while trying to flee to Jordan with his family.
July 20th, 2012, 3:18 am
Juergen said:
Isnt there the saying that the rats are the first to flee the sinking ship?
July 20th, 2012, 3:27 am
ann said:
Syrian rebels seize multiple border checkpoints – reports – 20 July, 2012
http://www.rt.com/news/syria-rebels-capture-border-checkpoints-626/
After the Free Syrian Army took control of the post, they detained a Syrian army lieutenant colonel, cut off his arms and then “executed 22 Syrian soldiers in front of the eyes of Iraqi soldiers,” AFP cited Iraq’s Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Assadi as saying.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 3:30 am
ann said:
Hague: ‘UK will not provide lethal support to Syrian opposition’ – 20 Jul 2012
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-07-20/hague-uk-will-not-provide-lethal-support-to-syrian-opposition/
July 20th, 2012, 3:39 am
ann said:
Sheykh David Cameron Ramadan Message 8)
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/national/pm-ramadan-messsage-remembers-syria-1-4757599
July 20th, 2012, 3:44 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
@ 859. SANDRO LOEWE
“Confirmed: Sharif Shahade, the main shabbih in main TV talks has been detained by FSA while trying to flee to Jordan with his family.”
Confirmed NOT. This is an old rumor spread by someone several months ago.
July 20th, 2012, 3:46 am
ann said:
Syrian Troops Clash with Armed Rebels in Qaboun District of Capital – 20 July 2012
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/138874/syrian-troops-clash-with-armed-rebels-in-qaboun-district-of-capital-.html
Syria’s state-media said government troops have inflicted hefty losses to armed groups in the Damascus neighbourhood of Qaboun on Thursday.
Unspecified large number of armed men were killed in the military crackdown, said SANA news agency, adding that the armed men started to burn the bodies of foreign fighters, so their bodies would not be identified, xinua reported.
Meanwhile, pro-government media reports said the Syrian troops have completely regained control of the Midan neighbourhood, which has been a stage of armed conflict between government troops and armed rebels over the past four days.
The capital’s clashes mark the death-match between the two sides, trying to eliminate one another once and for all.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 3:52 am
ann said:
Syria Roulette – Russia and China again veto Security Council resolution that effectively authorized war – By Stephen Lendman – 7/20/12
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Syria-Roulette-by-Stephen-Lendman-120720-476.html
Washington’s dirty hands are all over Wednesday’s attack. Death squad diplomacy is prioritized. Hillary Clinton warned about a price to be paid.
Unexplained was that it’s far beyond murdering officials. Turning Syria into a charnel house is planned. Daily death squad killings increase body counts. Western and perhaps Qatari special forces as well as intelligence operatives direct them.
Satellite and other communications aid them. Taking the battle to Damascus streets ups the stakes. Scurrilous propaganda conveys the impression that the Assad’s government is collapsing. Insurgent attacks alone can’t defeat him.
Only body counts increase. Civilians and security forces suffer most.
All sorts of spurious reports circulate. Fake videos are used. Al Jazeera uses footage produced on a Qatar sound stage. Isolated images distort the larger picture. Disreputable sources are cited.
“””Al Jazeera claimed “the latest developments” reflect a ” turning point” in the conflict. “The prestige of the regime has been shattered. Losing control of Damascus (means) the regime is slowly losing its grip over the country.””””
Washington’s longstanding plans involve destroying, not liberating, Syria. Claimed end game operations in Damascus is propaganda. Media scoundrels repeat it. At issue is winning the information war, intensifying death squad attacks, and sustaining conflict on the ground.
After defecting, Syria’s former Iraq ambassador, Nawaf Fares, made spurious accusations. He’s in the tank for Washington.
He claimed Syrian officials told him to enlist “Jihadi units” to fight US forces in Iraq. Most recently he suggests Assad used chemical weapons in Homs.
He admits he can’t confirm it, but believes Assad will use them if threatened.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 4:19 am
ann said:
Two previous articles exposed the ICRC’s imperial agenda
http://www.opednews.com/articles/4/Syria-Roulette-by-Stephen-Lendman-120720-476.html
Two previous articles exposed the ICRC’s imperial agenda. It’s a predatory NGO profiteer. It’s closely linked to Western political and intelligence interests. It falsely called Syrian violence a civil war “subject to the rules of international humanitarian law.”
There’s nothing civil about Washington’s war on Syria. It rages. The laws of war apply. ICRC’s statement changed nothing.
Nonetheless, media scoundrels jumped on ICRC’s declaration. The Wall Street Journal headlined an editorial “The Syrian Civil War.”
Allegations of Syrian war crimes were raised. Syrians now suffer the consequences it said. The region’s stability is at risk. Washington, other Western, and regional nations have options. The longer they wait, “the harder it becomes to shape the outcome in Syria.”
Other media scoundrels hype the same theme. Doing so doesn’t resolve conflict. It furthers it. Washington planned it that way.
It won’t quit until Syria is ravaged and destroyed. “Liberation” following “humanitarian intervention” will be claimed. That’s been the scheme since the get-go.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 4:24 am
Juergen said:
Ann
back from the holidays?
July 20th, 2012, 4:34 am
ann said:
The Syrian Army Strikes Back: Eyewitness to Assad’s Retaliation on a Rebel Town – July 19, 2012
http://world.time.com/2012/07/19/the-syrian-army-strikes-back-eyewitness-to-assads-retaliation-on-a-rebel-town/
The armed men outside the hospital were angry, hyped up, ready to head back and fight. But in other parts of the town, some civilians, as well as fighters, were questioning if the attack on the checkpoint was worth it, especially given that little ammunition and weaponry was retrieved from the site. “It was too high a price,” said one woman. “Too much blood.”
“It was a failed operation,” one fighter said of the attempt to take the checkpoint.
The mortars and whistling rockets continued well into the night. At 12.04 a.m., one of the town’s mosques broadcast a message. This time, it wasn’t directed at the loyalist troops surrounding the city, urging them to defect. It was for the townsfolk. “People of Saraqeb, there is a wounded 12-year-old boy in the hospital. We don’t know whose son he is.”
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 4:46 am
Expatriate said:
Syria forces recapture key areas across the country from rebels
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/20/251796/syria-retakes-key-areas-from-rebels/
July 20th, 2012, 4:55 am
Albo said:
Comments about a viable future Alawi state, I noticed the notion went mainstream in discussions and in the medias a few months ago
“D’où le scénario d’un repli du clan Assad sur son bastion alaouite?
C’est l’ultime recours en cas de perte du pouvoir ou de guerre civile à outrance. La minorité alaouite peut défendre un réduit le long de la côte. La population lui est acquise. L’armée alaouite défendrait alors son territoire, et non pas comme aujourd’hui un régime corrompu. Actuellement, il y a un regain de religiosité chez les alaouites. Ce n’est pas innocent. Certains d’entre eux accusent même la famille Assad d’avoir cassé le sentiment identitaire alaouite. Un institut culturel alaouite est en train d’être monté à Tartous, témoignant de cette montée en puissance d’un mouvement identitaire. Les Assad pourront en jouer s’il le faut.
Est-ce viable?
Économiquement, un réduit alaouite peut survivre. La région est riche d’un point de vue agricole. Elle dispose d’un aéroport à Lattaquieh, d’un port à Tartous et d’un terminal pétrolier à Banyas. Tout a été constitué depuis l’accession au pouvoir de Hafez el-Assad pour pouvoir transformer cette région en réduit alaouite, au cas où. Elle jouit de défenses importantes, avec des bases militaires dans la montagne entre Dreikish et Tartous. Chassés de Damas, les Assad pourraient donc constituer leur mini-État. Ils auraient le soutien de l’Iran, de la Russie qui conserverait la base militaire de Tartous. Et pourquoi pas d’Israël, qui pourrait voir d’un bon œil son voisin imploser et être remplacé par un État communautaire.”
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2012/07/19/01003-20120719ARTFIG00540-syrie-un-mini-etat-alaouite-l-ultime-recours-pour-assad.php
July 20th, 2012, 4:57 am
Expatriate said:
‘It’s all about Iran! Don’t be duped by US & UK, “the great humanitarians” – remember Iraq’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTQyCODgyjU
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Russia and China have vetoed the latest Western-backed draft resolution on Syria at the UN Security Council. RT exclusively talks to one of the men who raised his hand in that ‘NO’ vote – Moscow’s envoy to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin.
July 20th, 2012, 4:59 am
Expatriate said:
AClick To Kill: Online training for wannabe ‘rebels’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XAUWSqpceY
As the conflict in Syria intensifies, it seems that the violence has filtered into all aspects of life including the Internet. One example of that is a spate of new videos linked to the unrest, offering training on how to use Kalashnikov assault rifles. As RT’s Sara Firth reports, many are wondering who put them up, and why they haven’t been taken down.
July 20th, 2012, 5:03 am
Albo said:
It’s easier to be a rebel, destroy things kill or get killed…than it is to repair and rebuild your country. Much easier.
I can bet what you want that after a short period of rebel administration, foreigners would be invited or would “invite” themselves so as to restore order (I’m thinking of Turkey).
In order, you know, not to take the Somalia route.
July 20th, 2012, 5:11 am
Syrialover said:
#868. Juergen
Unfortunately, that means the end of SC’s holiday from tedious floods of cut-paste.
July 20th, 2012, 5:13 am
Juergen said:
Ann
sorry to hit your nerves. You sound like you made holidays in my country with 4 weeks of rain.
what is a progandipast?
July 20th, 2012, 5:30 am
Syrialover said:
874. Albo
And we’re seeing it’s easy to fire on unarmed protesters, sponsor massacres and casually demolish schools, shops, neighbourhoods and infrastructure if you’ve got tanks and heavy artillery and your motto is “Assad or burn the country”.
July 20th, 2012, 5:32 am
ann said:
FLASH: SYRIA DENIES MEDIA STATEMENT TALKING ABOUT ASSAD’S READINESS TO LEAVE THE PRESIDENCY
July 20th, 2012, 5:37 am
ann said:
877. Juergen said:
Ann
You sound like you made holidays in my country with 4 weeks of rain.
I never set a foot in israel
July 20th, 2012, 5:41 am
Albo said:
Syrialover, if indeed you love Syria you shouldn’t approve of what is happening the way it’s happening. It’s one thing to want political change, another to destroy your country to reach that goal. It’s like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Because, yes I hear you about innocents being killed, but can you guarantee that all the cops and soldiers killed in ambushes when armed rebels appeared, that they all deserved their fate from your POV? Are you blind and not seeing that much of your rebels have been thuggish rather than chivalrous, eg populations displaced, innocents executed and hostages taken?
If only those from the opposition had some competent, honest and charismatic leaders. We only see obscure schemers behind the scene and figureheads they set up and manipulate. That doesn’t bode well for the future.
July 20th, 2012, 5:45 am
Juergen said:
Ann
I live in Germany. I believe Israel can manage that you spare a visit to it.
July 20th, 2012, 5:49 am
Bruno said:
A lots of disinformation going on about by the rebel supporters on twitter and social media.
July 20th, 2012, 5:59 am
Mina said:
Some I know just received an email from Damascus: many areas are normal, the army has managed to seal the city yesterday, more than 200 rebels surrendered.
Talking about “liberated Rukn al Din”, when you know the size of the area, is as much a joke as the so-called “massive demonstrations” of Aleppo’s Salah al-Din Neighborhood. What happened to Aleppo’s announced massive demonstrations? They decided to make a break for holidays?
Tara: Allah yunawwir ‘alayk: a revolution is an internal matter, and not to be discussed by raving TV Salafi sheikhs in the Gulf or blood thirsty wannabees in 5-star hotels and at the UN.
July 20th, 2012, 6:00 am
ann said:
Syrian forces fought on Friday to take back border posts seized by rebels and announced they had cleared fighters from a central part of the capital – Jul 20, 2012
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/20/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8610SH20120720
July 20th, 2012, 6:00 am
ann said:
Russia gives green light to Pakistani UN-Syria draft – 20 July, 2012
http://rt.com/politics/russia-syria-draft-un-mission-669/
“We will support it because we helped draft it together with our Pakistani colleagues,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told reporters on Friday.
“Definitely, this is a very good Pakistani text and we are going to support it,” Churkin told reporters.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 6:08 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Juergen,
Acute mnhebacks are very nervous these days, and they are on edge. I feel sorry for them, really.
Ann in Israel? No thanks. We seek quality tourism. Not trashy.
.
July 20th, 2012, 6:13 am
ann said:
Syrian Catholic leaders call for united efforts by world community – Jul 20, 2012
http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=14912
Some Christian leaders in Syria have questioned the pro-democracy efforts to oust Assad, pointing out how religious liberty and the Christian communities have been protected under his leadership.
“The future is difficult to foresee,” the archbishop said. “Until now, there has been a good level of freedom of religion in Syria and good relations between Christians and Muslims. It could be difficult if that changed.”
Also July 17, Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham of Damascus issued a statement saying that, thanks to their experience of peaceful coexistence, Syrians should be able “to resolve this dangerous crisis, helping one another through love and forgiveness.”
“The greatest dangers in Syria today are anarchy, the lack of security and the massive influx of weapons from many places,” he said in the statement sent to Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency.
The patriarch said there was “interference from foreign elements — Arab and Western — who bring weapons, money and one-sided information” into the country, inflaming passions on all sides and “weakening the voice of moderation.”
The Melkite leader claimed a campaign was being waged against Christian church leaders in the country, painting them as siding with the government.
“The church always has refused sectarianism, avoided taking sides and highlighted ethical and Gospel values,” he said.
“All the Catholic churches in Syria have raised their voices asking for reforms, freedom, democracy, an end to corruption, support for development and freedom of speech,” he said. “Today we ask for an end to the cycle of killing and destruction, especially against civilians of all faiths who are in difficulty and are the real victims.”
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 6:30 am
ann said:
Syrian Army regains control of al-Maidan neighbourhood in Damascus – Jul 20, 2012
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_20/Syrian-Army-regains-control-of-al-Maidan-neighbourhood-in-Damascus/
The militants of the so-called Free Syrian Army, FSA, captured al-Maidan and several other city districts several days ago. According to FSA officials, they have launched a full-scale assault on the capital.
The Syrian authorities do not deny the fact that individual militant units penetrate the city and mount attacks, but insist that the government troops are about to wipe them out. The authorities claim that the situation in Damascus is generally quiet.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 6:37 am
ann said:
Ann, this discourse is not acceptable. This is a warning. SC Moderator
—-
868. Juergen said:
Ann
back from the holidays?
Are you stalking me you ltilte patihetc progandipast
July 20th, 2012, 6:48 am
Tara said:
In Hell already or traveling to it?
Syrian intelligence chief dead
Hisham Bekhtyar died of wounds suffered in the bombing this week that killed three other senior officials in Assad’s regime
Friday 20 July 2012 06.03 EDT
July 20th, 2012, 7:08 am
Syrialover said:
Don’t worry everybody, Russians stand ready to race after the chemical weapons, journalist Robert Fisk has heard.
TV INTERVIEWER: What do you think in this transitional period if it happens are the chances that Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile will be used by the Assad regime as a last-ditch attempt to hold on to power or will fall into the wrong hands?
ROBERT FISK: Fall into the wrong hands. I think the latter is what the West is worried about.
A Lebanese friend of mine who regularly goes to Moscow and talks regularly to Russian officials told me – and I didn’t believe it before – the Russians are seriously worried that this would happen, that it would fall into the wrong hands. Remember, the Russian fear over Syria is that there’ll be another Chechnya and they do not want a mimicking Islamic republic south of Chechnya where their own Islamic irredentists of course in a lot of trouble.
I’m told there are many, many hundreds of Russian marines in the town of Tartus where the Russian naval base is, the same city in which Bashar has gone to bury his brother-in-law today. And these troops were put in there on a three-man – three naval vessels that came in two and a half weeks ago and their specific job is to race across Syria and take the chemical weapons if they appear to be about to fall into the hands of rebels against the Government.
But whether they could do that or not – they won’t be very popular remember if they did that – I have no idea.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-19/robert-fisk-reflects-on-escalating-syria-conflict/4142322
July 20th, 2012, 7:32 am
Mina said:
Moderator,
Ann has been called a propagandist all the time and Jürgen comment is a clear allusion to his believing that she is paid to post and was on holidays and therefore not posting for a few days. I appreciate her round-up of Chinese and Russian media, even when they report things annoying for the regime, and I do not see why she should be treated like this, while many other people in this comment section could also be suspected of doing some psyop propaganda.
By the way, comment 886 calling Ann “trash” is unacceptable either.
July 20th, 2012, 7:34 am
zoo said:
One more rebels “tactical” retreat from Midan… and the UK wants the UNMIS back through a mini resolution.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/20/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8610SH20120720
State television said Syrian forces had cleared the central district of Midan of “mercenaries and terrorists”. Opposition activists and rebels sources confirmed on Friday that they had withdrawn after coming under heavy bombardment.
“It is a tactical withdrawal. We are still in Damascus,” Abu Omar, a rebel commander, said by telephone.
..
To replace the vetoed text, Britain proposed a four-paragraph resolution that would at least extend the expiring mandate of the monitors for 30 days. Russia’s ambassador said he would ask Moscow to consider it.
July 20th, 2012, 7:59 am
Observer said:
Slow grinding down of the regime that will be relentless.
Juan Cole in his comment today points out to the fact that Iraq refused to follow the sanctions on Syria and that 70% of goods are coming through Iraq. The loss of border crossings is a logistical nightmare.
My family that just left Damascus tell me that the sound of explosions was continuous day and night and that whole units defected.
France 24 has an interview with the Russian ambassador saying that Fredo is willing to resign in a “civilized” manner. As if he knew what the word civilized means, he and his clique and family have just started walking on two legs.
Cheers total microbial resistance has emerged
July 20th, 2012, 8:02 am
bronco said:
SC Moderator cc Mina
Resorting to insults, personal accusations and disparaging remarks when a commenter runs out of argument show a very low level of maturity, not very promising for the future of Syria.
Everyone’s contribution to the debate, while respecting the rules, is welcome.
If some can’t control their anger and frustration, they should be warned and after a few warning without results, expelled.
July 20th, 2012, 8:04 am
irritated said:
Amir in Tel
Trashy tourism for Israel?
Turkey also does not welcome trashy tourism: Israelis go to Bulgaria instead.. or sorry not any more. Next spot will be Sudan or Azerbadjian.
July 20th, 2012, 8:14 am
Juergen said:
DER SPIEGEL just wrote some interessting facts:
Russia suspended its shipment of attack helicopters to the regime due to the increase of instability
According to the UNHCR Iraq has sent two planes to evacuate Iraqi citizens willing to leave Syria, in the past days 80 buses have already left Syria with Iraqui citizens
UK is willing to arm rebels directly if international initiatives prooves further to be unsuccessful
The syrian regime has called upon Midan citizens to return to their homes, the area has been “secured”.
UNHCR has reported more than 30.000 Syrians have fled to neighboring Lebabnon within the last 48 hours , AJ reporter Zeina Khodr stated that most cars who enter Lebanon from Syria seem to be owned by the high middle class families.
Maher al Assad was seen at funerals today, Al Manar reports, Bashar Al Assad was not seen giving condolences.
UNHCR reports that bank run out of money, because families who flee the country take their deposits. An other reason given by the UN is that rents went up. A decent place to sleep could cost as much as 100 Dollar a night.
Der Spiegel also confirmed that Hisham Bekhtyar has died.
July 20th, 2012, 8:17 am
irritated said:
Juergen
I believe Israel can manage that you spare a visit to it.
Who wants to visit an apartheid country except the guilt-striken Europeans or the Jewish diaspora?
July 20th, 2012, 8:20 am
Stick to the Truth said:
Don’t let the Cyber-Mercenaries get you upset.
I wonder why a Non-Syrian get himself so deeply involved of Syrian Affairs.
Since the corruption affair around the Ex-President Christian Wulff we know that politic and press in Germany are bribable EVEN FOR PEANUTS.
Despite this, many Germans still believe democracy was born in Germany and they tend to forget that they were bombed into democray.
Sorry, but some of them need permanently be reminded of this fact.
PS: another interestig stories about political correctness in Germany are the disgusting trips of Guido Westerwelle with his boyfriend on the cost of the taxpayers.
July 20th, 2012, 8:23 am
Tara said:
Ann, Dear
“release my posts”
I read your order to the moderator and I find that offensive. Ann, kindness, politeness,, respect and even softness does not kill a woman (or a man for that matter). May I invite you to use the word “please” next time. You may get a better result.
July 20th, 2012, 8:29 am
irritated said:
#861 Mina
FSA shows discipline and chevalry? God Help Syria from these ‘angels’
“After the Free Syrian Army took control of the post, they detained a Syrian army lieutenant colonel, cut off his arms and then “executed 22 Syrian soldiers in front of the eyes of Iraqi soldiers,” AFP cited Iraq’s Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Assadi as saying.”
July 20th, 2012, 8:32 am
Mina said:
Zoo,
I do believe that Bashar wants to resign since many months, but that they need to keep this option until the proper timing.
So here we go: UN will administer Syria and the Palestinian refugee camps. Back to 1917. Hassanein Heikal was just right “la rabii’ wa la ‘arabi, da sykes-picot jadid”.
Interesting that no one here makes the parallel with the Sanaa suicide bombing that ousted Saleh on an urgent trip. BBC went as far as writing “an apparent suicide bombing”, maybe because after we’ve been told that this is a minority regime where all the security appartus is Alawi, it didn’t feed the narrative?
July 20th, 2012, 8:35 am
Mina said:
Only RT reports a huge explosion an hour ago
http://www.rt.com/news/explosions-damascus-syria-unrest-675/
July 20th, 2012, 8:40 am
irritated said:
833. Syrialover
So, despite your admiration from the ‘brilliant’ FSA ( I guess after 6 months of intensive training by the CIA, they should show some results, unless they are totally dumb) you are yet not sure that they could have committed this mass murder in a terrorist attack.
I think they did in cooperation with the UK and the USA secret services as well as the Mossad disguised in CIA agents. Qatar also played a role in corrupting the operators with money.
Because of that, we will never know the truth, as we will never know who killed Hariri, after 6 years of investigation.
July 20th, 2012, 8:43 am
Tara said:
Bronco,
Did Bashar save all his salaries to amass this fortune? Do you still think he us the best option for Syria?
Bashsr al-Assad has amassed fortune of up to £950m, analysts estimate
Syrian president’s assets are thought to be held in Russia, Hong Kong and offshore tax havens to spread risk of seizure
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 July 2012 14.13 EDT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/19/bashar-al-assad-950m-fortune
Much more…
July 20th, 2012, 8:51 am
bronco said:
#902 Mina
Bashar al Assad has repeated that if the Syrians do not want him, he will go and that he will go only when he is convinced of the hands in which Syria will fall.
For fear of the void, the West wants a political transition, while the rebels have opposite and different agendas of an Islamic country or a US managed country or an GCC lackey or just an a Somali like anarchy, a haven for jihadists.
Each group supporting an agenda is helping the rebels with the conviction than once the regime is toppled, they’ll take over in the second phase
We have seen that in the Iranian revolution. While the Tudeh communist party contributed enormously to the success of the toppling the Shah they ended up, in the aftermath, to be totally hunted and wiped out in a bloodbath .
We have also seen that in the Egyptian revolution where the young liberals who made the revolution happen were pushed aside. Because of the presence of the army, it did not end in a bloodbath.
In Syria, the simultaneous collapse of the government AND the army is the perfect recipe for internal struggle for power through violence that will go much beyond what we have seen now. The West will be totally impotent to intervene.
This is why they keep calling for a political transition within the regime that would guarantee the integrity of the army to protect the country. The main cards are in the government hands. If they neutralize the armed rebels, the transition have a strong chance to happen smoothly. If the rebels win, the country is on a track of extreme violence.
July 20th, 2012, 9:02 am
Mina said:
ref “Stick to”
If the matter is purely Syrian, why all this noise from the French, British and American governement? People fight each other and die in Africa by thousands without anyone blinking.
And how do you appreciate the role of the foreign fighters since the beginning of the conflit? You find it normal that Libyans, Tunisians, Saudis, are in Syria to kill Syrians in the name of a Syrian democracy?
July 20th, 2012, 9:03 am
zoo said:
معنويات الجيش العربي السوري في حي الميدان 19-07-2012
The army soldiers seem to have been boosted by the murder of their chief. They don’t look like they want to defect after the victory of Midan.
July 20th, 2012, 9:11 am
Juergen said:
Stick to the Truth
we had democracy at least in babyshoes since 1848, the first elected parliament was in Frankfurt, and may I remind you even Hitler was elected democratically. He and his henchmen then turned the country into a dictatorship, with a broad support of Germans. Let me remind you 1928 in the elections the Nazi party got 2 % of the votes, 1932 over 33 %, the communists at about 20 %. Both wanted an dictatorship, you can guess what happend in between those years which led them have this high support by almost half of the Germans.
So we did not get democracy by bombs, we get liberated from the Nazi terror and reinstated democracy.
You set high records with a racist statement, well done. Ever thought about that in our government its the right of elected ministers to take their spouses or in that case his husband on travels? Usually they are formally invited, but surely it takes some effort by some to arrive to 21st century standards.
July 20th, 2012, 9:12 am
ann said:
West’s claims that Russia’s responsible for Syria violence unacceptable – official – Jul 20, 2012
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_20/West-claims-that-Russia-responsible-for-Syria-violence-unacceptable-official/
Russia sees the West’s attempts to hold it responsible for the escalation of the Syria conflict due to Moscow’s refusal to vote for the UN resolution that would slap sanctions on the Syrian authorities as unacceptable.
This came in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich. He pointed out that Russia has, throughout the conflict, never once stopped looking for a diplomatic solution.
The western partners should have done something to urge the belligerent Syrian opposition to embark on a path of political settlement, the Russian diplomat said.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 9:22 am
bronco said:
905. Tara:
Please count the number of times the article used “likely” and “estimate”, “are thought to”.
In addition ALACO, the main source of the information used by Guardian is qualified in another article by Guardian as ” a business intelligence boutique”.
Their website is totally empty, not even “About US” . They do not appear to me as any reliable source, more like an obscure ’boutique’ probably easily bought off to desinform. It has been registered on the 22 june 2012, 2 weeks before the Guardian article and their activities are not yet filed.
Company profile:
ALACO
Registration Date: 29/06/2012
Registration Number: 08124964
Type: Private Limited with share capital
Registered Address
UNIT 3 LOGIX ROAD,
R D PARK
HINCKLEY
LE10 3BQ
Activities
This company has not yet filed a description of their activities.
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/08124964
In addition, in view of the UK propaganda campaign to demonize Bashar Al Assad, and the rumors they have published later disowned, their information always need to be confirmed from other sources. I haven’t found any that does.
July 20th, 2012, 9:26 am
irritated said:
Juergen
Isnt there the saying that the rats are the first to flee the sinking ship?
The rats are trapped, they can’t escape. They’ll be soon annihilated with their Qatari supplied weapons in the hands, a heroic death.
July 20th, 2012, 9:50 am
irritated said:
903. Mina
Only RT reports a huge explosion an hour ago
It was a sound bomb. WIFI and Internet are operational.
July 20th, 2012, 9:55 am
zoo said:
General Mood’s press conference in Damascus , 19 July 2012.mov
Mood condemns the attack on the Syrian government and offers condoleances to the family of the killed.
He also expressed his admiration for Nelson Mandela who chose reconciliation over war.
Note : This part of the press conference has been conveniently eluded in all the Western media. That’s what the West calls freedom of press that looks more like manipulation of the information to fit an agenda.
July 20th, 2012, 10:09 am
Tara said:
Saleh Addin
I don’t know if abou Sbeih was the one who threw himself at Hafiz but what I know he disappeared in or around the time of Hama massacre and we were told that Quraan tapes were discovered in one of the cars he drives and …This was a heresay and I do not know what really happened. It bothered me much that he disappeared.
July 20th, 2012, 10:15 am
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
This kid is really fed up with Bashar al Assad, and his fake reforms, and his laughable new constitution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkI6j3u5WoY
.
July 20th, 2012, 10:31 am
Bruno said:
@ Amir in Tel Aviv
Looks staged by the Free Sryian Army themselves, otherwise why they would film after he was tortured by them in the first place?
Sounds like Amir, you are getting desperate with the propaganda are we now?
From the video i could easily tell he didn’t want nor doesn’t want to be filmed.
From the body language.
I am Sorry Amir but the propaganda isn’t working especially with the Brilliant YouTube propaganda. Posted by some of the activists on here.
July 20th, 2012, 10:38 am
ann said:
Syria’s Mayaleh Dismisses Reports of Loss in Value of Currency – Jul 19, 2012
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-19/syria-s-mayaleh-dismisses-reports-of-loss-in-value-of-currency.html
Reports of losses in the value of the Syrian pound are “exaggerated and untrue” and intended to provoke panic among Syrians, Central Bank Governor Adib Mayaleh said, according to state-run Sana news agency.
Mayaleh said the pound stands at 68.30 to the dollar and those who violate the exchange bulletin or regulations are “partners in the conspiracy hatched against Syria and they will be punished according to the law,” Sana said.
Al Arabiya television said in a report today that the Syrian pound has lost 10 percent of its value and is heading toward collapse.
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 10:38 am
zoo said:
Is the FSA attack on Abu Kamal that triggered its sealing by the Iraqis a way to prevent the Iraqi civilians from leaving as to keep them as hostages and human shields and blackmail the Iraqi government
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/20/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8610SH20120720
(Reuters) – The Iraqi army sealed the main border crossing to Syria with concrete blast walls on Friday to guard against any escalation in fighting after Syrian rebels seized a border post on the other side from government forces.
,,
“The Syrian authorities bear the responsibility of protecting the Iraqis inside Syria,” Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.
“We consider what the (rebel) gunmen are doing as a criminal act, and it definitely deviates from the path of the Syrian revolution. Their problem is with the regime so they must not target our people,” he said.
“If there is unrest at the border posts we are committed to protect our nationals when they enter Iraqi territory.”
…
The Iraqi Red Crescent said 2,285 Iraqis who had fled Syria had registered for repatriation in the past two days after passing through the northern al-Waleed border crossing.
Iraqi officials say the al-Waleed gate, close to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, is still open and the Syrian side is controlled by Syrian government border officials.
July 20th, 2012, 10:40 am
Uzair8 said:
908. Zoo said:
“The army soldiers seem to have been boosted by the murder of their chief.”
Is that so? Perhaps they would welcome a few more ‘boosts’ courtesy of the FSA? Imagine the boost they will get if Bashar and/Maher get their cummuppance? Enough to restore control of the country even.
July 20th, 2012, 10:55 am
Observer said:
Well the Iraqi deputy interior minister could not be reached for comments on the loss of the border posts.
Again, 80% of goods are coming through Iraq and that is including fuel for the tanks. The other source is Caracass that is sending ships with diesel fuel for the tanks.
Juan Cole thinks that the destroyed tanks are due to the use of the advanced RPG 29 or RPG 30 that is made in Russia and has a double hollow charge to penetrate double armor.
My sources tell me more than a hundred tanks were destroyed in Deir Ezzor and that a border post was evacuated with a mere threat of attack by the rebels in the Kurdish area.
ZOO shows us the great youtube footage of the regime’s troops in high spirits. In the meantime, the armed terrorist gangs are spreading slowly and surely, from Rastan to Talbisa to Crack to Idlib and to Izzaaz and Atareb and I thought Zabadani was subdued and that Deraa was pacified and Hasakeh is quiet and Aleppo is with the regime.
Now they are in and around Damascus and today the WSJ has an article that says that the regime has layers of cadres and personnel to continually replace the higher ups as they flee or get eliminated or get assassinated or get suicided by four bullets in the back.
Good news from SANA the pound is holding steady and the price of a gas canister is steady and there is bread and water and electricity everywhere.
I do not know in what world some on this blog live.
Do you remember the film of Hilter in his bunker ordering his generals to go out and crush the Russians by a pincer movement from the 9th and 11th armies when these existed in his imagination alone?
Time to revisit this scene
July 20th, 2012, 10:57 am
bronco said:
The assault of the propaganda is massive. False information popping up on the western media, fake Youtube videos, catastrophy description of the situation on the ground. A real hysteria.
For what? It looks like it failed again, but this time without a chance of a repeat. Syrians have learned that the game is psychological and they don’t buy the rumors even when carried by supposedly reliable source like BBC or AFP or AP or Reuters who keep repeating that they can’t confirm their news…
Most Syrians and foreigners are turning to SANA for confirmed news.
The battle is ‘decisive’, yes until now it does not seem to be in favor of what the local strategists were expecting
July 20th, 2012, 10:58 am
ann said:
Michele Bachmann Sticks To Accusations About Muslim Brotherhood – July 19, 2012
Bachmann and colleagues continue to dig in their heels over Muslim Brotherhood infiltration
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/07/19/michele-bachmann-sticks-to-accusations-about-muslim-brotherhood
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and a few of her colleagues aren’t letting go of her insistence that the Muslim Brotherhood could be infiltrating the U.S. government, even after Arizona Sen. John McCain’s impassioned floor speech where he dismissed Bachmann’s suspicions as “specious and degrading.”
The flap began after Bachmann and Republican colleagues Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, Florida Rep. Tom Rooney and Georgia Rep. Lynn Westmoreland sent letters to several inspector generals in the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice and the Office of National Intelligence as to whether the Muslim Brotherhood could be infiltrating the U.S. government. The letters quickly attracted attention with one specifically mentioning the State Department’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Huma Abedin, a long-time Hillary Clinton aide, by name.
Bachmann’s letter says “Huma Abedin has three family members — her late father, her mother and her brother-conected to Muslim Brotherhood operatives or organizations.
The letter continues to insinuate that those connections have led the State Department to act favorably toward the “Muslim Brotherhood and its interests.” Bachmann insists that she’s onto something and dug in her heels late Wednesday stating “I encourage everyone, including media outlets, to read [the letters] in their entirety. The intention of the letters was to outline the serious national security concerns I had and ask for answers to questions regarding the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical group’s access to top Obama administration officials.”
On Thursday, Congressman Rooney also stood his ground.
“As a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, my top priority is ensuring the security of our nation. The tragic events at Fort Hood in 2009 proved that our enemies will go to great lengths, including infiltrating and recruiting members of our military, to commit acts of terror against American citizens,” Rooney said in an E-mailed statement. “I regret that Mrs. Abedin has become the media focus of this story, because the intention of the letters was to bring greater attention to a legitimate national security risk.”
[…]
July 20th, 2012, 11:02 am
bronco said:
Uzair8
Enough to restore control of the country.
Do you seriously believe these armed gangs with no central command can restore control? You must be joking.
July 20th, 2012, 11:02 am
Observer said:
Here is the video I could find the one where the dubbing had Fredo talking
July 20th, 2012, 11:03 am
Tara said:
Bronco
“Most Syrians and foreigners are turning to SANA for confirmed news.”
Come on now….Please! Wasn’t it SANA that said people not demonstrating but out to thank God for rain? No one believes SANA. Not even Batta.
July 20th, 2012, 11:05 am
zoo said:
Iraq: Syrian rebels took only 1 border crossing
Associated Press – 1 hr 7 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-syrian-rebels-took-only-1-border-crossing-135720693.html?_esi=1
“Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Friday refuted earlier reports that rebels had seized all four major border crossings between Syria and Iraq.”
July 20th, 2012, 11:06 am
Uzair8 said:
924. Bronco
I meant the regime troops would possibly, after recieving further ‘boosts’, be able to restore control of Syria.
July 20th, 2012, 11:09 am
bronco said:
926. Tara
Over the last 16 months, as the other media like Al Jazeera have evolved in more lies and the western media in more disinformation and manipulation, Sana has evolved in becoming more realistic and less biased.
Many media are now using SANA as the basis of their news, there is a significant change in perception.
July 20th, 2012, 11:10 am
bronco said:
Uzair8 #928
With time and luck, yes they can. They seem to feel united in the desire to protect their country. The others have no central command, and they have different goals that calls for the destruction of the country as a prerequisite.
Who is stronger on the long term?
July 20th, 2012, 11:16 am
Uzair8 said:
SANA broke the news about the bombing and deaths probably because the regime decided it would be better to report the news themselves rather than rumours gradually leaking out and foreign media reporting it. This way the regime could maintain the sense of control and calm. If it kept the news quiet then rumours and reports would eventually grow in the media risking an onset of panic. Regime silence would be interpreted as a desire to conceal and speculation would be ripe of possible panic and desperation.
The conclusion. SANA isn’t honest. In this instance it was a calculated one off decision.
July 20th, 2012, 11:20 am
SALAH ADDIN said:
TARA
I am pretty sure that Abou Sbeih was the one who threw himself over Hafez and saved his life. He was brave enough (or crazy enough) to stare death in the eye and laugh. He used to let Basel drive the green Range Rover to and back from school when Basel could barely reach the pedals, and he would let him shoot his automatic pistol. Everybody feared Abou Sbeih and no one would dare tell Hafez about all what he allowed Basel do, as Hafez was strict with his children at the time.
He became the most trusted body guard and no one in his entourage would even think of crossing him.
July 20th, 2012, 11:21 am
Uzair8 said:
#930 Bronco
I was being sarcastic about Zoo’s spin (soldiers ‘boosted’ by the death of their chief). LOL.
I think you may have misunderstood my comment.
July 20th, 2012, 11:22 am
irritated said:
Observer #925
Great clip: Hitler looks much more like Ryad al Assad in his bunker in Turkey, panicking.
Bashar is in his regular office, while Ryad and his clique of defected generals are in a bunker protected by Turkish soldiers. Would they ever dare to show up in Syria without their Turkish pretorian guards.
July 20th, 2012, 11:22 am
Juergen said:
Bronco
We see how much order the regime can provide at this moment in Damascus and elsewhere.
July 20th, 2012, 11:26 am
Halabi said:
Shabee7 in the U.S. will get a taste of a U.S. prison. Unfortunately he will be treated a thousand times better than in Syria, but prison is prison and eventually everyone drops the soap in the shower.
DOJ Says Va. Man Sentenced To 18 Mos In Prison For Acting As Unregistered Agent For Syrian Govt
WASHINGTON – Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid, 48, a resident of Leesburg, Va., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for collecting video and audio recordings and other information about individuals in the United States and Syria who were protesting the government of Syria and to providing these materials to Syrian intelligence agencies in order to silence, intimidate and potentially harm the protestors.
…
Soueid, aka “Alex Soueid” or “Anas Alswaid,” a Syrian-born naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged by a federal grand jury on Oct. 5, 2011, in a six-count indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia. He was convicted of unlawfully acting as an agent of a foreign government on March 26, 2012.
“Mohamad Soueid acted as an unregistered agent of the Syrian government as part of an effort to collect information on people in this country protesting the Syrian government crack-down. I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about this important case,” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco.
“Mr. Soueid betrayed this country to work on behalf of a state sponsor of terror,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “While the autocratic Syrian regime killed, kidnapped, intimidated and silenced thousands of its own citizens, Mr. Soueid spearheaded efforts to identify and intimidate those protesting against the Syrian government in the United States.”
“By illegally acting as an agent of Syria, Mr. Souied deceived his adopted country of the United States in support of a violent and repressive despotic government,” said Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. “Through today’s sentencing, he will now be held accountable for his actions.”
According to court records, from March to October 2011, Soueid acted in the United States as an agent of the Syrian Mukhabarat, which refers to the intelligence agencies for the Government of Syria, including the Syrian Military Intelligence and General Intelligence Directorate. At no time while acting as an agent of the government of Syria in this country did Soueid provide prior notification to the Attorney General as required by law. The U.S. government has designated the Syrian government a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979.
Under the direction and control of Syrian officials, Soueid recruited individuals living in the United States to make dozens of audio and video recordings of protests against the Syrian regime – including recordings of conversations with individual protestors – in the United States and Syria, which he provided to the Syrian government. He also supplied the Syrian government with contact information for key dissident figures in the United States, details about the financiers of the dissident movement, logistics for protests and meetings, internal conflicts within the movement, and the movement’s future plans.
In a handwritten letter to a Syrian official in April 2011, Soueid outlined his support for the Syrian government’s repressions of its citizens, stating that disposing of dissension must be decisive and prompt and that violence, home invasions, and arrests against dissidents is justified.
The Syrian government provided Soueid with a laptop to further their ability to surreptitiously communicate, which he later destroyed. In late June 2011, the Syrian government paid for Soueid to travel to Syria, where he met with intelligence officials and spoke with President Bashar al-Assad in private.
To thwart detection of his activities by U.S. law enforcement, Soueid lied to a Customs and Border Patrol agent upon his return from meeting with President al-Assad in Syria, and he also lied repeatedly to FBI agents when they questioned him in August 2011. Following the FBI interview, Soueid destroyed documents in his backyard and informed the Mukhbarat about his FBI interview.
…
http://WWW.JUSTICE.GOV
July 20th, 2012, 11:29 am
Bruno said:
Tunnels were discovered in some of the houses in Midan after it was cleaned up of the insurgents.
https://p.twimg.com/AyQPeBHCMAA13JL.jpg:large
July 20th, 2012, 11:36 am
bronco said:
935. Juergen
When tens of thousands armed rebels use civilians as human shield by hiding among them in towns and cities, I think the level of order the government is able to achieve is impressive.
In the USA and EU, when there is a simple blackout of electricity all shops are looted and criminality peaks.
July 20th, 2012, 11:39 am
irritated said:
#937. Bruno
Tunnels in Midan
Juergen was just mentioning rats.
July 20th, 2012, 11:42 am
Uzair8 said:
ALERT!!:
Prof Landis has interrupted his holiday.
New post up.
July 20th, 2012, 11:47 am
erin said:
Ann;
the moderator acting as he is the judge to free speech, he deletes,warns, banning, any commentator who is not in aggreement with his views, be patient one day will have a free speech oriented moderator!.
July 20th, 2012, 11:48 am
irritated said:
That’s a good cartoon.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ogPIInve4_Q/T0eLa0pPzmI/AAAAAAAAE7M/F–kDJxZpCM/s1600/459.+Libya+vs+Syria+crop+WEB.jpg
July 20th, 2012, 3:15 pm
irritated said:
Another good one
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7cdw96cB31r4fn52o1_500.jpg
July 20th, 2012, 3:21 pm
Stick to the Truth said:
This reminds me of the code of practice of the German janitors
– Clause 1: The janiator is always right.
July 20th, 2012, 3:23 pm
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