Debate Over Death and Suffering in Syria; Rebel Unity Efforts

In 2010 the UN estimated that 32% of Syrians were living in poverty, estimated at 2$ a day or less – that was before the currency had fallen by half, the economy collapsed, strict economic sanctions were placed on Syria, and fighting engulfed the country. In all probability, a conservative percent of Syrians living in the direst poverty has surpassed 50% or more than 11 million people.

A rocket strike has leveled buildings and killed at least eight people in a neighbourhood of Aleppo, activists say. The source of the attack on Jabral Badro appeared to be a ground-to-ground missile, possibly a Scud. Another report said 20 people were killed with 25 missing.

U.N. numbers on Syrians in need of help far too low, survey suggests
By Roy Gutman | McClatchy Newspapers

ISTANBUL — The first detailed survey of the humanitarian crisis in northern Syria suggests that the United Nations has grossly underestimated the number of civilians in dire need of assistance, a situation that experts say plays down the scope of the catastrophe.

“Syria is the largest IDP crisis in the world,” said Clare Spurrell of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, the leading body monitoring internally displaced people worldwide. “The longer we underestimate the reality of what is happening on the ground, the further we are getting from an appropriate response.”

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees released new figures Monday showing 2.08 million people in urgent need in six provinces of northern Syria. That’s way below a partial survey of the same provinces that the Syrian opposition and 10 international aid agencies conducted over four weeks in January.

That survey, undertaken by teams of researchers who met with local relief committees, religious leaders and local police, among others, estimated that the number of people in urgent need totaled at least 3.2 million in those provinces: Idlib, rural Aleppo, Latakia, Raqqa, Hasaka and Deir el Zour. That’s nearly three-quarters of the provinces’ estimated population of 4.3 million.

Of those, the survey found that 1.1 million are people who’ve been forced from their homes, making them dependent on others for food, shelter, health care and clean water.

And the situation is almost certainly worse than that: The researchers completed the survey in only about 40 percent of the provinces’ area and excluded the city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, where fighting has raged since July. Once the survey is completed in the remaining 60 percent, the numbers are expected to go up.

Newly Displaced Syrians Head For Turkish Border
Deborah Amos and Rima Marrouch
February 18, 2013, All Things Considered – NPR

Syrian people wait at a customs gate at the Turkey-Syria border near Reyhanli, Turkey, last week. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing central Syria, heading to southern Turkey. Enlarge image

Syrian people wait at a customs gate at the Turkey-Syria border near Reyhanli, Turkey, last week. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing central Syria, heading to southern Turkey.
Gaia Anderson/AP

A new surge of Syrian refugees is swamping humanitarian aid agencies in southern Turkey, where official refugee camps are full.

But the newcomers may be just the tip of the iceberg. In central Syria, civilians under attack by combat jets, tanks and artillery have fled towns and villages north of the city of Hama, and thousands are on the move.

“What they do now, they burn everything ahead of them. They bomb this area with everything they’ve got,” says Hossan Hamadah, a Syrian-American from Texas.

He’s seen firsthand the devastation of the new army offensive. He was in central Syria a few days ago to deliver bread and blankets to families on the run, but found only burned and abandoned houses.

“And I’m telling you, it’s a very, very weird feeling when you walk into a place and there’s not even a cat,” he says. “I just want to see something alive moving. Nothing.”….

Sharmine Narwani: Unreliable data can incite and escalate a conflict – the latest UN-sponsored figure of 60,000 should not be reported as fact
guardian.co.uk, Friday 15 February 2013

….Casualty counts during modern wars have become a highly politicised business. On one hand, they can help alert the outside world to the scale of violence and suffering, and the risks of conflict spreading both within a country’s borders and beyond them. On the other, as in Syria, Iraq, Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere, death tolls have routinely been manipulated, inflated or downplayed – a tool for the advancement of political interests.

As if to underline the point, Libya’s new government recently announced that death tolls had been exaggerated during the 2011 Libyan civil war; that there had been around 5,000 deaths on either side – a long way from the reported tens of thousands of casualties that set the scene for Nato’s “humanitarian” intervention, or the 30-50,000 deaths claimed by opponents of this intervention.

While physically present in Iraq, the US and British governments were unable to provide estimates of the numbers of deaths unleashed by their own invasion, yet in Syria, the same governments frequently quote detailed figures, despite lacking essential access.

Syria’s death toll leapt from 45,000 to 60,000 earlier this year, a figure gathered by a UN-sponsored project to integrate data from seven separate lists. The new numbers are routinely cited by politicians and media as fact, and used to call for foreign intervention in the conflict…..

Counting the Dead in Syria
By Armin Rosen in Atlantic

Syria’s strategic stalemate, made worse by US inaction
Tony Karon, Feb 20, 2013 – the National

Not only is the Obama administration no longer convinced that Syria’s armed rebellion is about to topple President Bashar Al Assad, a rebel military victory does not even appear to be Washington’s preferred outcome.

A little over a year ago, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the Assad regime as “a dead man walking”, and President Barack Obama expressed confidence, in his 2012 State of the Union address, that “the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can’t be reversed”.

This year, by contrast, Syria barely rated a mention in the same speech, with Mr Obama vowing only to “keep the pressure on the Syrian regime … and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian”.

The rebels clearly can’t win the war with the current level of support being offered by outside powers. Moreover, Mr Obama has reportedly dismissed proposals from within in his administration for arming insurgents, and Monday’s European Union rebuff of efforts by the UK, France and Italy to lift an embargo on arming the rebels reinforced the sense of western reluctance to invest in a rebel military victory.

The policy logic underlying these decisions was articulated on Sunday by new Secretary of State John Kerry, who said his goal in Syria was “to see us have a negotiated outcome and minimise the violence”. He admitted that achieving that goal remained exceedingly difficult, but insisted that it was in the best interests of “the Syrian people, and the region and the world, to make every effort to explore ways to achieve that negotiated outcome”.

Pursuing a military solution, Mr Kerry warned, risked the “implosion” of the Syrian state, with far greater regional risks.

Two years into the rebellion, Syria’s civil war remains locked in a strategic stalemate, reports of a renewed rebel offensive notwithstanding. The slow but steady erosion of the regime’s grip on much of the countryside underscores the fact that the rebellion has become an irreversible political-military fact, but its failure to capture a single major population centre suggests the regime’s better-equipped forces have lost neither the will nor the ability to fight.

Western powers want Mr Al Assad out, but not to be replaced by those leading the armed rebellion, many of who are hostile to US regional interests. Many of the rebels’ most impressive tactical gains are being recorded by jihadists such as the Jabhat Al Nusra group, branded by the US as an “international terrorist organisation” and Al Qaeda affiliate…..with the political influence on the ground of Mr Al Khatib’s organisation unproven, the US appears in no hurry to pursue the military victory of which he speaks. And the Obama administration has recognised that the factors maintaining the regime – its security forces have not collapsed precisely because most of the Alawites and other key minorities see the rebellion as mortal threat to themselves – are unlikely to change any time soon.

Even if the regime were dislodged from Damascus, that would be unlikely to end a civil war that threatens the survival of the Syrian state….Even as the rebels make new tactical gains on the ground – downing two regime aircraft, capturing an oil town and the Al Furat hydroelectric dam in the north-east, and an airbase in the north, as well as launching a new offensive in the suburbs of Damascus – a substantial shift in the strategic balance does not appear forthcoming….

Worldview: Kerry’s plan for Syria is sadly familiar
Trudy Rubin, Inquirer Opinion Columnist, Sunday, February 17, 2013

Heaven help John Kerry! The newly minted secretary of state has already announced he’ll launch a fresh initiative aimed at ending the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Last spring, then-Sen. Kerry appeared to grasp what was needed to break the deadly stalemate. But his current approach, and the White House’s deep antipathy toward any serious U.S. involvement in Syria, mean Kerry is embarking on a mission impossible. Unless, that is, the secretary can persuade the president to change his mind.

Before I get to Kerry’s approach, let me remind my readers why any of this matters. Despite early White House expectations that Assad would fall, the Syrian struggle is now mired in a bloody stalemate in which more than 70,000 people have died and a country is being pulverized. Barring a new approach, neither side is likely to triumph in the foreseeable future.

“The more probable outcome,” according to the astute Syrian opposition activist Amr Al-Azm, “is the collapse and fragmentation of the state,” and possibly a sectarian genocide. The blowback could affect Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel.

A failed Syrian state also would provide a power vacuum into which outside jihadis could flow, permitting them to radicalize local Islamists and obtain dangerous weapons from captured regime arsenals. And once a state collapses – as we know from the Iraq experience – it is very difficult to rebuild.

Back to Kerry. He understands this danger and warned last week about an “implosion” of the Syrian state.

Kerry also understands why Assad won’t budge. “He thinks he’s winning and the opposition is losing,” Kerry said at his confirmation hearing. “We need to change Bashar al-Assad’s calculation,” he added.

Indeed, backed and armed by Russia and Iran, and aware that Washington won’t give crucial antitank or antiaircraft weapons to the rebels, Assad seems confident that his regime can survive the fighting. So does Moscow.

While the rebels have managed to take control of some rural areas, no city has fallen yet. “In Bashar’s calculus, he just needs to weather the storm,” Azm told me. “And he’s not necessarily wrong.”….

Last spring, Kerry talked of arming the rebels. Now, instead of charting a new strategy, he seems limited to repeating past (failed) efforts, urging Moscow to help him ease Assad into exile. Meantime, the regime’s planes bomb cities and towns into rubble, and the Syrian state rapidly collapses. The longer this goes on, the worse the outcome will be.
“To my knowledge no options have been entirely taken off the table,” Dempsey told journalists on the plane. However, there are no signs that Obama will reconsider the option of breaking the Syrian military stalemate. This means Assad will hunker down as Syria implodes.

In a small corner of Syria, rebels attempt to reconcile
Rebels and pro-government militias have agreed to stop shooting in Talkalakh, thanks to the efforts of Sheikh Habib
Jonathan Steele in Talkalakh – Guardian

…”I am religious and I have an idea – perhaps it’s crazy – of leadership via love”, said Habib….

“I used to work in real estate in Saudi Arabia, but came back here when the revolution started,” Abu Oday said. Anticipating my question, he went on: “I’m not religious. I only have a beard because we have no time to shave. There are no foreign fighters with us. We are all local, 100%. This is a Sunni part of town and we are all Sunnis.

“We started here with peaceful demonstrations for justice. It was only when the regime responded with force that we started to call for freedom and the end of the regime. That’s what we still want. When they attacked us and made arrests we had to defend ourselves”, he went on. The regime’s claims that there were hardline Islamists in rebel ranks were only a ploy to blacken the rebels’ image, he said.

In spite of the ceasefire the sheikh had organised, – here Abu Odeh nodded appreciatively at the sheikh who nodded back – people on this side of town were afraid to cross the railway line to the other side in case they were detained.

And the ceasefire was being violated, he said. “We only control about three streets. Up there” – he pointed over the ruined petrol pumps to the mouth of a side-street – “there are snipers. The day before yesterday, in broad daylight, a lawyer was up on his roof feeding his pigeons. He was shot in the neck. The sheikh helped to get him safe passage to hospital.

“We have agreed a ceasefire, but we’re still not ready to trust the government,” he said.

He could not say when they would move to the next stage of the agreement and was not yet convinced the government did not want to drive Sunnis out of the town. His views made it clear that confidence-building in Talkalakh still has a long way to go.

Kurdish refugees have mixed feelings about Syria
By KARIN LAUB | Associated Press

DOMIZ REFUGEE CAMP, Iraq (AP) — Syrian Kurds who fled their country’s civil war have mixed feelings about a future without Bashar Assad: They hope to win a measure of autonomy after the fall of the regime, but fear chaos and the rise of Islamists could instead make their lives worse.

More than 81,000 Syrian Kurds have found refuge in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region in recent months and hundreds more arrive every day. Few seem in a rush to go home.

The Kurdistan Regional Government allows fellow Kurds from Syria to work and move freely in the three provinces of northern Iraq it controls. Some 30,000 refugees still live in a camp of tents and cinderblock shacks near the Syrian border, while the rest have found jobs and homes in towns across the autonomous region, some staying with relatives.

Even those struggling with the hardships of camp life say they prefer to stay in Iraq after the fall of the regime, until they have a better idea how Islamists and other groups in the Sunni Arab-dominated Syrian opposition will deal with Kurds, Syria’s largest ethnic minority.

“If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over and there are problems in the future, we want to stay here,” said Faroush Fattah, a 28-year-old laborer from the northeastern Syrian town of Qamishli who arrived in the Domiz camp three months ago.

The refugees’ ambivalence about the upheaval in Syria is shared by Iraqi Kurdish leaders, who have carved out an increasingly prosperous quasi-state in the autonomous region, aided by an oil-fueled economic boom.

Kurdish autonomy in post-Assad Syria, similar to the Iraqi model, could strengthen long-standing Kurdish demands for an independent homeland for the more than 25 million Kurds in parts of Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.

But the emergence of yet another autonomous Kurdish region would likely spook Turkey, a regional power that is key to plans by Iraq’s Kurds to export their oil riches directly, if necessary without permission from the central Iraqi government.

Turkey is home to an estimated 15 million Kurds, some with self-rule aspirations, and has been battling Kurdish insurgents for nearly three decades. Adding to Turkey’s concerns, the dominant Kurdish faction in Syria, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, is seen as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the leader of the armed rebellion in Turkey.

The president of Iraq’s Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, has tried to exert influence over Syrian Kurdish groups, presumably in part to protect his strategic relationship with Turkey. Last year, he helped form an umbrella group of Syrian Kurdish groups that includes the PYD and smaller factions loyal to him.

“Barzani has some sway over Syrian Kurds,” said Washington-based Turkey expert Soner Cagaptay. “He has been reaching out to a spectrum of Syrian Kurds, including the PYD, to stop the hostile rhetoric and attitude toward Turkey.”

Falah Mustafa, in charge of the Barzani government’s foreign relations, said Iraqi Kurds want to make sure their Syrian counterparts are united when negotiating their role in a post-Assad Syria with the Sunni Arab-led opposition.

He said it’s up to all Syrians to shape their future, but that Kurdish rights have to be protected — an outcome he suggested is not assured. Asked in an interview if Syrian territory should remain intact at all costs, he said, “I do not believe that these borders have to be sacred, because these were artificial.”

Syria’s Kurds, who make up more than 10 percent of a population of 23 million, initially remained largely on the sidelines after the uprising against Assad erupted almost two years ago. They had been marginalized by the regime, but were also weary of the Syrian rebels, many of them Sunnis. Some prominent Kurds joined the Syrian political opposition in exile, while some younger Kurds joined street protests against Assad.

Kurds were pulled into the conflict on a larger scale when Assad’s forces unexpectedly withdrew from predominantly Kurdish areas in the northeast of the country last summer, enabling the PYD to take control there.

The pullback appeared to serve two objectives at the time — giving the PYD a higher profile to pressure Turkey, one of the most vocal backers of the Syrian opposition, and allowing thinly stretched government troops to move to hotspots elsewhere.

The PYD denies it is affiliated with the PKK or coordinates with the Syrian regime, even though in some areas, such as Qamishli, residents say both the regime and PYD forces maintain military posts. At the same time, the PYD has clashed with rebel fighters, particularly those from the al-Qaida-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra.

Some in the Domiz camp said the PYD protects Kurds against both rebel fighters and regime soldiers, while others described the PYD militiamen as regime sub-contractors terrorizing residents.

“The regime and the PYD work together,” said Abdel Khader Taha, a 37-year-old laborer from Qamishli who sported a colorful tattoo of Barzani on his chest. Taha said he fears all Kurds will one day be targeted by Syrian rebels because of the PYD’s perceived collusion with the regime.

Taha and others in the camp seemed ambivalent about Syria’s future.

While favoring Kurdish autonomy, they acknowledge that carving out a self-rule zone, like in Iraq, is difficult because Kurds are dispersed across the country. Refugees say they fear the Muslim Brotherhood, the pan-Arab Sunni movement driving the anti-Assad rebellion, will disregard Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities once Assad falls.

“We fear a big ethnic war in Syria,” said Ali Kalash, 57, a former Syrian civil servant, standing with a group of men in one of the tent-lined alleys of the camp.

On Patrol in Syria with Assad’s Most Disciplined Enemies
By Rania Abouzeid / Marshamsheh | Time

…There are 23 men in his Farouq unit stationed along the eastern flank of the Wadi Deif military base, one of the few remaining loyalist outposts in the northern Syrian province of Idlib in late January. His men are all from this front-line town of Marshamsheh, a desolate, devastated area that was once home to some 4,000 people but is now populated almost solely by a handful of diverse rebel groups. There’s nothing between it and Wadi Deif except an olive grove….

The forces ranged against the regime of President Bashar Assad are a varied crew: there are foreign fighters; Islamic extremists, both Syrian and from other countries; as well as criminal elements who kidnap for ransom or loot homes, exploiting the general lawlessness of war. There is a kinetic nature to the rebellion — of multiple pieces moving at once. In Aleppo further north, many of the rebels fighting there don’t know their way around the metropolis. They’re from the towns and villages around it.

But in many smaller places like Marshamsheh, it is still mainly local men like Hajji Zaki who are fighting in their hometowns. It is their homes that are being destroyed, their families displaced or killed. On the other side of this conflict’s increasingly intractable divide, there are also men loyal to Assad who are just as grounded in their local communities, fighting for what they believe is right and just, and also losing their lives and livelihoods. This is the nature of civil war.

It’s easy to get caught up in talk of weapons, of geostrategic interests and diplomatic maneuvers, but war, at its most basic level, is more intimate than that. It’s about people, mainly the terrible things they see and do or have done to them, but also the bonds they forge, the attempts to cling to the normalcy of their old lives and what they think about their new ones.

…The Farouq is among the largest, best organized and most well-known of Syria’s many military units. They take the name Farouq from Omar bin al-Khatab al-Farouq, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, political architect of the caliphate and, historically, the second Caliph…..

The talk turns to several key commanders in the area, how the men believe they are more interested in making quick trips to a battlefield to upload a few photo-ops to YouTube rather than staying and fighting. “The revolution was better before. Some commanders have forgotten the early days when we had nothing,” Abu Sami says. “Now they have money, cars, they have forgotten when they only had a motorbike. They are more interested in their five- or six-car entourage. After the regime falls, will they keep their tanks? What will they do with their 14.5-mm [antiaircraft guns]?”

“Why do men join him?” one of the men says of one of these commanders.

“Ammunition is low. People want a leader who can supply them. What matters to a fighter is that his ammunition vest is full,” Abu Sami says. “But after the fall of the regime, I tell you, even his cousins will leave him, they won’t stay with him.”

Abu Ibrahim, who served his military conscription in 1987 and ’88 with Division 11, the same unit he says is now stationed in Wadi Deif, says the fight among rebels after the fall of the regime will likely be harder than this one. That struggle would be to unseat the warlords who are now setting up minifiefdoms as well as against religious extremists. Those fledgling tyrants — whether local or national — will not be tolerated. “They won’t have as many men or weapons as Bashar, and we are going to remove him, so we will also be able to remove a small group that thinks of these things,” he said.

“We know that this is a long fight, a difficult fight,” Abu Sami says, “but I am fighting for my son. We are all fighting for our sons. God willing, our children will live good lives.” Mortar strikes and other explosions continued outside, some so close that the doors and windows shook….

From the Guardian Blog

• Russia has rejected a call by UN investigators for Syrian leaders identified as suspected war criminals to face the international criminal court. Deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov told a news conference that this was “not the path we should follow … at this stage it would be untimely and unconstructive”.

The FSA has given Hezbollah 48 hours to cease attacks in Syria or face retaliation in Lebanon. The Lebanese Shia group has been accused of attacking Syrian villages near the border with Lebanon but has consistently denied involvement in the Syrian conflict. Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon also denied that Hezbollah was supporting the Assad government with attacks.

Barack Obama could reconsider his decision not to arm Syrian rebels, the New York Times reports. The report, citing a senior administration official, suggested that, surrounded by a new national security team, the US president might come to a different decision.

Washington invites Syrian opposition leader
18 February 2013

Al-Khatib might possibly visit Washington, date not set

via Jadaliyya

A New Levant: A Possible Way Through the Syrian Crisis Giandomenico Picco argues that “the war in Syria is not a national civil war but rather another manifestation of the changing  architecture of the region. Attempts at mediation which do not recognize this reality are unlikely to have sustainable results.”

The Gulf States and Syria’ Kristian Coates Ulrichsen on the role of the Gulf in a future agreement on Syria

ماذا لو هزم السوريون؟
Michel Kilo predicts what would happen if Al-Assad were to stay in power.

لعنة العلويّين في سوريا: “ذنبنا أننا أبناء طائفة الرئيس”
Raheel Ibrahim on the “Alawite curse.”

James Miller in EA Worldview writes

Yesterday’s dramatic news was the insurgency[‘s capture of an airbase, complete with working fighter jets, in Aleppo Province and the assault against the largest Assad base in the north, near Aleppo International Airport.

This surge is at least partially the result of new weapons and new organisation of insurgency groups in Daraa and Damascus, with ample evidence that the boost in arms is courtesy of foreign powers.

Now a new piece of evidence bolsters the assessment that these weapons are coming from outside Syria, and also gives insight into the modified organisation of insurgent groups. Eliot Higgins presents this video:

manpads sighted but these said to be chinese in origin.

1208 GMT: Weapons. Bjørn H Jespersen ‏and Mads Dahl have pointed to videos indicating the first appearance among insurgents of foreign-made MANPADS (man-portable air-defence systems).

Blogger Brown Moses evaluates that the MANPADS are Chinese-made, and “the nearest country to Syria that uses this weapon is Sudan, with Malaysia, Cambodia, Peru, and Pakistan being other users”. Given this, there are “some big questions with regards to [the] source”.

video shows rebels posing with the weapon. how long does it take to train how to properly use it?

@brown_moses: A classroom of opposition fighters get a lesson on the new weapons flooding Syria, very unusual.

According to Higgins’ conversations with activists and Arabic speakers on Twitter, the video shows a group of secular Free Syrian Army troops being trained by the Al Farouq brigade, in an effort organised by the Kataeb al-Fajr faction.

This group appears to be called the “Dawn of Islam” Brigade, a coalition founded in late December.

This group in turn appears to be part of a larger effort to unify the Islamic brigades in the south and ally them with the Free Syrian Army — with the exclusion of the most extreme groups like Jabhat al Nusra. Zilal, an activist associated with the CFDPC, offers insight:….

On Monday, United Nations investigators called for Syria to be referred the International Criminal Court (ICC). The panel released a 131-page report which finds that the two year conflict in Syria has become “increasingly sectarian,” militarized, and radicalized by the growing presence of foreign fighters. Human rights investigator Carla del Ponte said, “We are pressuring the international community to act because it’s time to act.” Although all sides in the conflict are accused of committing war crimes, the report lays heavy blame on the Assad regime for perpetrating war crimes.

Comments (1,382)


Jasmine said:

Very sad day for me today,they bombed the hospital I was born in,the school I went to for my primary education and the church where I had my first communion,in Damascus,f..k the Syrian revolution.

February 19th, 2013, 10:19 am

 

revenire said:

I’m sorry that happened Jasmine. I saw the news the terrorists had attacked the hospital.

February 19th, 2013, 10:26 am

 

annie said:

Rebels shell Assad Damascus palace

Rebels on Tuesday shelled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Tishreen palace complex, a Syrian official told AP on condition of anonymity.

“The official said the rounds struck Tuesday near the southern wall of the Tishreen palace, in the capital’s northwestern Muhajireen district, but caused only material damages,” the report said.

AP also said that “no casualties were reported” and added that it was unknown whether Assad was in the complex.

Batta, pack your bags

February 19th, 2013, 10:36 am

 

ann said:

I’m sorry Jasmine for what those FILTHY ANIMALS are doing to your beautiful country!

I just can’t believe Obama wants to give them weapons after all this!!!

February 19th, 2013, 10:39 am

 

Uzair8 said:

65. Mjabali said

Sir, you are speculating about my position on shia. Where in my comments have I called or supported for their killing?

Of course the attacks on Pakistani shias are appalling and distressing. I’m only aware of the headlines as I can’t bear the details. It’s the responsibility of the pakistani government to protect all citizens. I condemn all such attacks.

If you look at my comment from a couple of days ago I called for the revolution to be magnanimous in victory and confirm the legendary status of this uprising.

About the humour/satire. The recent Godfather/Beauty & Beast parallels were used to further highlight the mafioso and beastly (recall ex-Hama attorney general statement – beastmen) nature of the regime. Just go on twitter and see how such techniques are used (eg Amjad of Arabia) along with parody to highlight certain things.

Don’t worry. I understand the importance of self-control. I didn’t post for perhaps a week until a couple of days ago.

February 19th, 2013, 10:42 am

 

Uzair8 said:

I read somewhere in recent days that if the rebels hadn’t taken up arms we would have a Rwanda on our hands. Couldn’t find it but I think it was possibly in the comment section of an online newspaper article.

Nobody wanted violence, however, did the opposition have any choice?

Can we thank the rebels for preventing another Rwanda?

February 19th, 2013, 10:46 am

 

annie said:

Rebels shell Assad Damascus palace

Two mortar shells fired by “terrorists” exploded near Tishreen presidential palace in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, causing some damage but no casualties, state media said.

The mortars “landed near the southern wall of Tishreen palace, only causing material damage,” state news agency SANA quoted an unnamed official as saying. The rebel Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to SANA, the shells slammed into an area around the Al-Mouwassat and Children’s Hospital in west Damascus, “leaving no casualties”.

The hospitals are several hundred meters from Tishreen which is reserved for visiting dignitaries but is not an actual residence of President Bashar al-Assad.

This is the first time that the Syrian authorities have reported shells falling near a presidential palace.

The military council of the rebel Free Syrian Army meanwhile announced on Facebook that “the Free Army has fired mortars at the Tishreen presidential palace, resulting in a definite hit.”

Tishreen is one of three such palaces in the capital. The others are the Peoples’ palace atop Mount Qassioun in the north and Rawda palace in the center, which holds the executive offices.

February 19th, 2013, 10:55 am

 

Uzair8 said:

Previously Russia began carrying out a difficult decision to evacuate citizens which could have upset the syrian government. It did so in a drip drip fashion, in small numbers, so the Damascus regime would become gradually accustomed to the decision and to avoid negative propaganda consequences for the Assad regime.

Now Russia is sending a couple of planes, under the guise of humanitarian aid, to evacuate more russian nationals. Another attempt to sugar coat a bitter pill with a sweetener.

From AJE blog:
______________________

Syria about 8 hours ago

Two Russian Emergencies Ministry planes carrying humanitarian aid for Syria on Tuesday took off from Moscow for the city of Latakia and may take Russians wanting to leave on their flight back, the ministry said.

The Ilyushin-62 and Ilyushin-76 planes were carrying 46 tonnes of humanitarian aid and would be ready to evacuate any Russians wanting to leave the country, a ministry spokesperson told Russian news agencies.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/two-russian-aid-planes-flying-syria-may-evacuate-citizens

February 19th, 2013, 10:58 am

 

annie said:

Some of the first images & videos to emerge from Aleppo after the regime fired a scud missile into Tal Rifaat:

http://youtu.be/0Xe5M446loY
http://youtu.be/zsjJStOvzdU
http://youtu.be/mt9kf3Udx50

February 19th, 2013, 11:01 am

 

annie said:

Our young Kafaranbel heroes

http://youtu.be/SmbQnFK1eOs

February 19th, 2013, 11:07 am

 

Uzair8 said:

#10 Annie

Great video.

Children are the future. They are the hope.

There were a couple of videos in a yalla souriya post yesterday. One with children carrying water home and there was this lovely video (MashaAllah):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzJw5BoPLDos

http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/aleppos-children-daily-life-02-17-2013-aka-assads-terrorists/

February 19th, 2013, 11:22 am

 

Uzair8 said:

#11

I don’t why the video didn’t embed. I tried the different variations of the link. Did someone say you have to add an ‘s’ to the link? I added the ‘s’ at the end and ran out of editing time as I rushed to remove the ‘s’ after it failed to embed the video.

Fortunately it still links to the same video. That was a close one. I wasn’t sure what it may link to.

February 19th, 2013, 11:37 am

 

annie said:

12. Uzair8

There is no telling when the video embeds and when it does not. From the three I copied above, one shows. that is no sweat; when you click you get to the clip.

February 19th, 2013, 11:43 am

 

habib said:

“The FSA has given Hezbollah 48 hours to cease attacks in Syria or face retaliation in Lebanon.”

Just LOL. The hubris of the FSA is astounding.

The entire membership of Nusra would be wiped out in one day against Hezballah.

February 19th, 2013, 11:57 am

 

zoo said:

Europe fears fight against militancy will shift to the home front

Colin Randall
Feb 20, 2013

Concern is rising in Europe that civil war in Syria and foreign military action against Islamist rebels in Mali have given new impetus to the radicalisation of disaffected young Muslims.

France, in particular, fears scores of its own citizens, most of North African or sub-Saharan origin, are either potential recruits for Al Qaeda-linked groups directly involved in the insurgencies or capable of mounting attacks on French

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/europe-fears-fight-against-militancy-will-shift-to-the-home-front#ixzz2LMpmik50
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook

February 19th, 2013, 12:33 pm

 

Tara said:

Habib

The FSA is defeating the Syrian occupying army despite its air power. You don’t think they can defeat a bunch of terrorists calling themselves HA?

February 19th, 2013, 12:33 pm

 

zoo said:

Any updates on the ‘major battles of the aiports”: The Aleppo civil airport, Brigade 80 base and al Nairab?

Clashes rage in vicinity of Syria’s Aleppo airport, airbase: activists
English.news.cn 2013-02-16 05:59:49 [RSS]

The rebels have unleashed attacks against the civilian airport of Aleppo and the nearby al-Nairab airbase since Wednesday, activists said, placing the death toll of the three-day-long clashes at 150, roughly evenly divided between the rebels and the government troops.

The pro-government al-Watan daily said recently that the Syrian army was poised to wrest back control over the Brigade 80 base, of which the rebels have overrun large swathes. It said the army ringed the base to recapture it.

The paper said the brigade was used by the government troops to provide protection for Aleppo’s international airport and the adjacent al-Nairab airbase.

Meanwhile, a leading commander of the rebels in Aleppo was quoted by the Saudi-funded al-Arabyia TV as saying on Friday that the rebels’ attack would continue until the civilian airport and the airbase fall in their hands.

The recent incidents came as the rebels had been taking pains to achieve territorial gains in a bid to empower their position in possible negations with the administration of President Bashar al- Assad, local analysts say.

February 19th, 2013, 12:45 pm

 

zoo said:

Syria eyes Western reparation for ‘deaths by sanctions’

February 19, 2013 06:12 PM

DAMASCUS: A cabinet minister on Tuesday said his country will demand compensation from Western officials who have imposed sanctions on Syria causing the deaths of “thousands”.

“Who said that the embargo does not kill,” Domestic Trade and Consumer Protection Minister Qadri Jamil said during a speech to parliament, which was broadcast by Syrian state television.

Syria “will reclaim its rights by holding world officials accountable for imposing this unjust embargo that has killed thousands of Syrians,” he said.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-19/207110-syria-eyes-western-reparation-for-deaths-by-sanctions.ashx#ixzz2LMtRlFsi
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

February 19th, 2013, 12:46 pm

 

zoo said:

Tara

The FSA without Al Nusra and other islamist extremists and criminals leading and putting car bombs is zero

February 19th, 2013, 12:48 pm

 

GEORGES said:

TARA

I think Hezballat is an army superior to Assad’s army. They have experience, an ideology and cohesion.

February 19th, 2013, 12:51 pm

 

zoo said:

Obama is the enemy number one of the rebels and Qatar is the friend number one.

Obama blocks help for Syrian rebels

http://www.dw.de/obama-blocks-help-for-syrian-rebels/a-16609732?maca=en-rss-en-world-4025-rdf

The US president is one of the biggest obstacles to helping the Syrian rebels, a recent Senate hearing revealed – to analysts and Syrian activists, Obama’s policy of disengagement amounts to support for Bashar Assad.

February 19th, 2013, 12:52 pm

 

Visitor said:

Habib oummo,

We missed your LOL’s so much, it is becoming so gloomy here.

And now you just came on time to tell us that Hezbos are so powerfull.

Power your ass man! They just lost 40 criminals in Qusayr.

I have a feeling that the FSA will now continue the war against these Hezbo criminals until they storm the sh*t hole of Dhahiya and bring Hassan Nus-lira in handcuffs with his dirty beard shaved off.

I know you’ll come back and LOL as usual. So I am just relieving from the effort, so you can say something intelligent instead.

February 19th, 2013, 12:59 pm

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

And HA without Iran and its Islamist extremist and criminal IRGC is Zero.

February 19th, 2013, 1:00 pm

 

Tara said:

Georges

HA does not have air power. It has disciplined and brave fighters so I find it difficult to agree that they are superior to the Syrian army. Airpower if used indiscriminately can wipe them out completely with hundreds of thousands of collateral civilians. The FSA however has a leading edge over HA. They are fighting to stop the slaughter of the Syrian people. Whereas HA is now fighting to slaughter people. In me opinion, this what will make a difference.

February 19th, 2013, 1:07 pm

 

erin said:

Here is the deal,
keep killing and more killing of the rebel, terrorists, mercenaries and all the radical you wish to die in Syria.
my only regret is the innocent who are dying daily.
I am not worried if the USA doesn’t want to arm the rebels because it would seem USA is arming the Alqaida in Syria.
you have a failed revolution which means the fighters in the revolution at the current time are bunch of criminals and bloody killers.
it is clear that Assad was right when said it is an outside conspiracey.
although his regime is brutal, corrupt, ethinically based domination but also it seems Syria was running much better than many other democracy developing in the middle east.
No one is crying the fall of Assad if it ever happens but everyone is crying foul the upcoming dictatorship lead by the muslim brotherhood and its radicals muslims retards.

February 19th, 2013, 1:10 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

1. Jasminesaid:
Very sad day for me today,they bombed the hospital I was born in,the school I went to for my primary education and the church where I had my first communion,in Damascus,f..k the Syrian revolution.

__________________________________________________________________

Sorry Jasmine, blame Assad incompetence first then the Alciada trained Islamic Terrorists and Jewish backers. If this make you feel any better, Syria will be vindicated in the end, the real living god promised in his Christian Bible that two third of the planet will looks like Aleppo when this all end. Since you are Christian, please read the book of Revelation. A whole lot of judgment is coming to the evil doers in the next 5 years. God said he will destroy those that are destroying the earth and killing animals, polluting the environment, he will bring an end to the evil ones, using meteors, fire, volcanoes, earthquakes, financial collapse and world wars. Only third of human will survive the upheaval and they will live and worship Christ only for ever. The evil ones will be sent to a bottomless astral of eternal hell, never to eternal life like Christians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

February 19th, 2013, 1:11 pm

 

Visitor said:

I have a theory which explains why everyone is blaming Obama for the fiasco foreign policy in Syria. This theory is based on observations of what happened in all those so-called FOS meetings.

Obama is now in his last term and the Democrats are preparing for the upcoming Presidential elections in 2016. Mrs. Clinton is being groomed as the candidate for the Democrats, and Obama no longer cares about popularity issues since he will not be running.

The US policy about the Syrian Revolution was orchestrated in full agreement between State department (i.e Clinton) and the White House (i.e. Obama). There was no disagreement whasoever. Mrs. Clinton was the first US official to offer Bashar the misnomer of so-called reformer. It is a misnomer because everyone with a minimal IQ (minimal here has to be higher than Zoo’s miserable level) knows full well Bashar is not reformable and neither is the regime which he runs. Mrs. Clinton’s generosity came at a time when the presumed reformer was killing children and shooting at demonstrators. So, unless Ms. Clinton has an IQ comparable to Zoo’s (I do not mean here the Greek Grand Mullah), then one has to conclude she made the statement on purpose in support of Bashar in order to subvert the Revolution. That was not the only time she made such statements. She continued making similar statements throughout the first year of the revolution.

She further resolutely rejected Prince Saud’s plan to arm the opposition in every FOS meeting she bothered to attend.

At the moment, Clinton is the most popular Democrat in the US, even more so than Obama. But unless someone is preparing a coup, Obama need not worry since he will not be running and will simply join the ex-Presidential club with hefty compensations four years from now.

The Republicans will be fighting the next elections based on foreign policy isssues in which they will try to show the American public that the Democrats have compromised the US standing in the World by ignoring, among other issues, the Syrian Revolution.

It looks like the US politics became so mundane, it is killingly boring and unimaginative. Could you imagine a piggy with glasses, diabetes and high chol. sitting in the White House?

February 19th, 2013, 1:21 pm

 

apple_mini said:

One of today’s big news is that a mortar shell fell close to presidential palace. I bet it is the same group of rebels with one mortar launcher as yesterday. They started shelling various locations including schools, hospitals and now the palace. Their tactics is hit and run. If they will do shelling again tomorrow, then the regime would have headache and someone from intelligence will be trouble.

If Assad is assassinated or killed tomorrow, what will it be? Obviously the regime is not going to stop its military actions: Most likely more Alawite will join in to fight. Those already in fighting certainly will hold their guns even tighter. For those people in SAA who do not worship Assad, they know they are not fighting for Assad. So it does not matter if Assad is still around or not.

In other words, even Assad is not around, SAA will still have at least the same fighting power as today. The question is whether they will continue to fight. That depends on the regime (without Assad) and how the rebels react to absence of Assad.

So far, the only thing bonding the opposition and rebels is getting rid of Assad. When Assad no longer ”exists”, that actually poses a problem: the bond disappears. Some of those rebels will certainly feel the revenge has justified and they might just give up fighting.

Some rebels with different agenda will start infighting to gain ground since now they have different priorities. Some rebels will continue to fight the regime if the regime is not standing down which is not going to happen.

Politically, absence of Assad will not make the regime crumple. They clearly have a consensus what they are fighting against, the Islamic radicals. The preservation of integrity of Syria and her people holds the regime tight regardless whether they are Sunni, Alawite, Christian or others.

That is why I think if the opposition is hoping physically eliminating Assad will change the table and bring in what they have been hoping for. They better think again.

February 19th, 2013, 1:27 pm

 

Ziad said:

William Hague has been outflanked on Syria

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/editorial-william-hague-has-been-outflanked-on-syria-8500384.html

From the comments section:

I’ve said it before, but until these questions are answered, then it is absolutely right that Russia and China are urging caution and non-intervention: i) Who gave those in power the the moral authority to lecture, let alone threaten, others? ii) What would happen if Russia threatened to intervene in an Western-allied dictatorship e.g. Saudi Arabia or Bahrain? iii) Why aren’t those in power threatening countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen or Israel? iv) Which people are going to answer for the crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan? v) Why aren’t the some of the starkest war crimes happening at the moment – the drone murders of any “military-age males near drone strike area” in another sovereign nation – not even raising a single comment? vi) Why was Yemen’s presidential election – held with *one* candidate – praised by ex-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton? Until these questions are answered, no one has any right to intervene.

February 19th, 2013, 1:37 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

George
We will not forget that HA, and some Palastinians are fighting along Assad troops, Syrians has welcomed them in the past,now they are killing us.

February 19th, 2013, 1:38 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

Justness, righteousness of cause and strength of grievance would make someone 10 times the fighter than without these factors.

Losses (martyrdoms) would feel lighter as the cause would be given precedent.

Hezbo losses would feel all the more heavier as what would they be fighting or dying for?

If Iran and Hezbo want to play with fire then let them burn. They’re provoking the flame of the syrian (our) cause to roar at an increasingly ferocious heat.

February 19th, 2013, 1:55 pm

 

revenire said:

If the rats ever assassinated Assad the SAA would keep fighting. This is the Syrian army not the Assad army.

February 19th, 2013, 1:59 pm

 

Hopeful said:

#21 Zoo

I thought this whole thing was a conspiracy led by America against the Syrian regime! How is Bashar going to spin this one?

February 19th, 2013, 2:01 pm

 

GEORGES said:

MAJEDKHALDOUN

I know that, I despise them myself. I was just pointing out that I think Hezbullat is a more capable enemy than Assad’s army.

February 19th, 2013, 2:02 pm

 

revenire said:

@30 Uzair8 Indiana Jones and the Syrian army has a message for you rats:

February 19th, 2013, 2:03 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

Congratulations to the elected democratic president of Syria, Mr. Bashar al Assad.

When people massively decides to be terrorists (because according to owner of the state and the law you can only decide to be dog-loyalist or a terrorist) it is time to send scud missiles and kill all the terrorist population in any terrorist city. This is democracy. Assad must defend the law over any human problem. The law is supreme and the people problems are simply stupid things. The law is always written to defend the status quo and consecuently it is more important than any people´s demand.

COngratulations too to the EU for the embargo decided yesterday on Syria. Now rebels cannot be provided with arms from Europe so they can be more easily finished in a mass killing by Assad´s scuds. Europe has always really been bright in let and do great dictators their great massacres.

February 19th, 2013, 2:05 pm

 

revenire said:

Sandro quit your whining. It’s war and missiles and allies from Lebanon and Iran are part of the war. You rats moaning and crying about a few Hezbollah fighters didn’t say a single word about foreign jihadis by the 1000s coming to murder Syrians.

Assad should let loose a 1000 Scuds on any areas where rats are. Wipe them out. Carpet bomb them. You have to kill rats if they infest your land.

February 19th, 2013, 2:16 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

34. Revenire

Very funny.

Btw in #30 I forgot to mention that God is with the revolution. Hezbo are doomed.

February 19th, 2013, 2:24 pm

 

revenire said:

So God is with you but not with Hezbollah or with Assad or with the millions of Syrians not in favor of Al-Qaeda or the fake revolution? Did God tell you that personally?

I think Hezbollah is feared by the FSA. I know Israel fears them. It is a mistake to threaten them.

February 19th, 2013, 2:28 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

#38 Revenire

Yes Almighty God is with the oppressed.

Hezbo should fear the syrian people. The syrian people are wounded and are hurting. They have an unbearable grievance and don’t care what’s in front of them. Victory comes from God.

February 19th, 2013, 2:46 pm

 

revenire said:

Are the Christian, Alawite and Shia towns Jahbat al-Nusra has surrounded and now starves oppressed? Has God forsaken them?

February 19th, 2013, 2:52 pm

 

revenire said:

GUIDED MISSILES KILL HUNDREDS PLANNING ATTACK ON ALEPPO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT!!
http://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network.english

Very large numbers of armed terrorists who were planning attacks on both Aleppo International Airport and Neirab Airport have been targeted by the Syrian Arab Army with guided missiles killing hundreds of mercenaries, mostly from the “Al-Nusra Front” Al Qaeda terrorist organization, who were holed up in the streets, several buildings and blocks of “Karam” Village, adjacent to Aleppo International Airport where the terrorists were planning to launch their attacks from.

THE TERRORISTS DIDN’T HAVE HAD TIME TO BRUSH THEIR TEETH!

February 19th, 2013, 2:57 pm

 

hansi said:

As a frequent reader of this blog and especially of the commentary section I would appreciate the commentators to refrain from personal insults, “regime” bashing or propaganda and apparent hasbara. After all there are millions of people suffering and it should be in every sane man´s interst to try finding a solution to this senseless conflict.

February 19th, 2013, 3:08 pm

 

revenire said:

VIVA LA PUTIN!

Baltic Fleet ships delivered weapons to Syria
12.02.2013
http://rusnavy.com/news/newsofday/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=16795

Large amphibious ships of the Baltic fleet Kaliningrad and Alexandr Shabalin delivered weapons, purchased by Syria in the military-technical cooperation with Russia, in the frame of sailing to the Mediterranean Sea as reported by the source in the General Staff of Russian Navy.

Export weapons were embarked to amphibious ships in Novorossiysk in mid-January together with the combat groups of the Black Sea Fleet Marines and Novorossiysk air assault divisions airborne raiders.

To unload the export of military equipment, both ships docked at the Syrian port Tartus, where sustainment center of Russian Navy is located. Then, after taking part in the exercises, warships returned to Novorossiysk to unload troops.

Kaliningrad and Alexandr Shabalin arrived on February 9 in Novorossiysk naval base. Troops and equipment debarkation is completed, airborne raiders and marines left to cantonment area. In a few days both warships leave Novorossiysk and start sailing to Baltiysk.

Large amphibious ships of Baltic Fleet participated in the large inter-fleet exercises of Russian Navy performed in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. The inter-fleet group comprises the warships from the North, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets: a guided missile cruiser Moskva, a large ASW ship Severomorsk, guard ships Smetlivy and Yaroslav Mudry, large landing ships Saratov, Azov, Kaliningrad, Alexandr Shabalin and service ships, long-range aviation and the fourth Air Force/Air Defense command.

The main goal of the exercises is to practice the formation of a combined group of forces outside of the Russian Federation, plan its use and perform joint operations within a Navy group under the common plan.

February 19th, 2013, 3:10 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

#40 Revenire

Firstly an observation. Normally you’re denying ‘phantom’ rebel advantages and are telling us the regime is winning everywhere. So this rare serious tone seems to be admitting reality. We all knew you were fibbing.

I’m sorry I’m not aware of the situations you describe or the context. Perhaps you could inform us of the names and contexts of these locations.

Whatever the case, I hope civilians and innocents are not targeted or harmed. Nobody should be targeted based on their sectarian background.

I’m confident the revolution will do it’s best to keep in check and hold to account all those fighting under or associated with it’s banner.

February 19th, 2013, 3:23 pm

 

omen said:

via uzhair who posted a france24 discussion on syria.
part 2 – 9:23

elizabeth dickinson (the national) : if i can just quickly clarify one thing about the gulf states’ support for the opposition in syria. i think there is often a misconception that the spigot is open and the weapons and arms are flowing freely into syria. this is very much not the case. we do have evidence that are some – a small amount of weapons flowing. however largely to western concerns about who those arms can end up with, the gulf state have been extremely restrained in their aid for the syrian opposition. you can look for example…the example of saudi arabia is really telling where the government actually shut down numerous fundraisers who were individually raising money from their supporters, from their communities, to assist with syria. the government said “no,” let’s all organize our support and do this in a sort of national way. and that money has been very carefully watched. so i think this is a really big myth in the reporting about the conflict in syria that there is the sort of endless weapons flowing form the gulf – which is simply not the case.

i noticed this during the summer. there was an avalanche of press heralding how the gulf states were promising to arm the rebels, along with promises of support via salary – only to hear from rebels later on that they weren’t getting what was offered. you also have regime loyalist press (not known for adherence to the truth) constantly complaining how gulf states are arming the opposition, absent any proof. we know regimes hire PR firms to put out false narratives. the saudis do it to polish their image abroad. the assads have done this. gaddafi pumped money into a think tank to produce articles that tried to sell the notion that the dictator was a reformer.

how does this misconception that the gulf states are helping to arm the rebels hurt the opposition? it’s used as an excuse by the west not to help unseat the regime. we have an european official declare – in a vote against arming the rebels – that there is no shortage of weapons in syria. there may be an element of truth to this but it isn’t the quantity of arms that is going to be decisive but the quality. a qatari diplomat who pleaded for the west to allow the rebels be armed with heavier arms noted the war wont be won by ak-47s. know how else i can tell rebels are under equipped? disclosure that rebels newly obtained 10 anti-tank missiles wouldn’t have merited headline treatment on this blog.

February 19th, 2013, 3:25 pm

 

Visitor said:

Al-Safirah and the surrounding areas are turning into the graveyard of the so-called ‘mighty’ SAA, or in layman’s terms جيش ابو شحاطة, and for the Anglophones the litteral meaning is Army of the father of slippers. It may not mean much to Anglophone but believe me it is a very derogatory term that every Syrian describes this army of thugs. See map here and zoom out to see Al-Safirah and tal 3Aran

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&sugexp=les;&gs_rn=3&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=4&gs_id=3&xhr=t&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4GGNI_en-GBCA477CA477&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42553238,d.aWM&biw=1536&bih=744&ion=1&wrapid=tljp136130500391904&q=aleppo&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x152ff813b98135af:0x967e5e5fc542c32a,Aleppo,+Syria&gl=ca&sa=X&ei=2N0jUd7BIuOEygGkroG4BA&sqi=2&ved=0CJkBELYD

The so-called SAA is sending one enforcement after the next which has to pass through this area in order to avert the catastrophic fall or more accurately liberation of the Aleppo Airport. Last time they sent a huge convoy of 3000 rodents with heavy equipment from 7Hama. Somehow, the convoy either lost its way or disappeared into an alternate universe.

Now, the new rodent SAA convoy is heading from the east while our heroes of Nusra and FSA are ambushing the rodents one after the next. Bombing from the air or even through scuds will not avert the criminals from losing the airport. They are only commiting more crimes and killing civilians by doing so, to which they will be held accountable and made to pay for each holy drop of blood they spill from the Syrian people.

February 19th, 2013, 3:27 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Have I mentioned yet that Revenire is a total loser?

He’s not Syrian. He doesn’t speak Arabic. He goes online and posts continuously for 12 hours a day, almost every day.

In other words, he has no life and he has no job.

As I’ve said before, he’s a failure of a human being.

February 19th, 2013, 3:30 pm

 

revenire said:

Uzair8 you wish. Your rats are being delivered to Hell. They can never hope to win but many of them will die.

Surrender before the army kills you rats!

PICKUPS LOADED WITH TERRORIST CARCASSES ARRIVE FROM AIRPORT!!
https://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network.english?ref=stream

3 pickup trucks loaded with dead NATO terrorist carcasses from the civilian Airport perimeter arrived to the “Al-Sakri” neighbourhood in Aleppo earlier, the dead terrorists resulting from the Syrian military targeting terrorist positions with guided missiles surrounding the airport, from which the terrorists were planning on launching renewed attacks from ..

GUIDED STRAIGHT TO THE RATS, TO HELL AND GOOD RIDDANCE …

February 19th, 2013, 3:32 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Hello Mr. Loser. How does it feel to be a retarded loser?

February 19th, 2013, 3:39 pm

 

Jasmine said:

Revenire@2
Ann@4
SNP@25
Thank you for your kind words,I don’t like to moan usually on a political blog,but I am maddened by the destruction of my beloved city.

I agree with Ann that arms should stop flooding to Syrians and dialogue should prevail.

Although I have a lot of respect for the book of revelation,but I am sorry SNP,it is very depressing to read it in these circumstances when you are living day by day and you are scared every morning of hearing about the loss of your loved one back home,and living like this for almost 2 years make you doubt the existence of any god.

Personally I do blame Syrians first on the witch’s brew cooked in Syria ,we were so stupid not to see it coming.

February 19th, 2013, 3:49 pm

 

revenire said:

Rats. Would you like me to quote many of you telling me that Aleppo airport had fallen?

The trouble with you is you believe the Twitterverse and “activists” who’ve never set foot in Syria.

If you surrender now you will at least, one hopes, be spared your lives. You can never win.

Our president is merciful. Accept defeat and bow to your president.

February 19th, 2013, 4:01 pm

 

revenire said:

Jasmine don’t lose hope. It’s war now and we must trust our heroes in the SAA to deal with the rats who have come to Syria to cause death and destruction. Our boys are strong and we have allies. We are not alone.

February 19th, 2013, 4:03 pm

 
 

MarigoldRan said:

The especially sad part is that he makes multiple accounts so that he has someone to talk to.

February 19th, 2013, 4:09 pm

 

zoo said:

The FSA is provoking the Hezbollah and Lebanon.
After their request for weapons has been officially rejected by the USA and Europe, the rebels are so humiliated and desperate that they want to escalate the war to the region. They hope is that if Hezbollah intervenes, it will oblige the reluctant Europe and the USA to act.

Syrian rebel fighters threaten to hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syrian-rebel-fighters-threaten-to-hit-hezbollah-targets-in-lebanon/2013/02/19/49e3d2f2-7abd-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
By Babak Dehghanpisheh and Ahmed Ramadan, Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2:49 PM

BEIRUT— Syrian rebels on Tuesday threatened to carry out attacks against Hezbollah inside Lebanon, a dangerous escalation of the conflict that could seriously destabilize Syria’s politically unstable neighbor as well as the region.

February 19th, 2013, 4:19 pm

 

Jasmine said:

Mari@52
Your numerous attempt to be funny has failed so far.
Keep trying!

February 19th, 2013, 4:20 pm

 

Observer said:

Here is the condolences note of Omar Aziz a true hero of Syria, a hope for the future, killed in the dungeons of the regime and arrested without a warrant without an accusation without due process and without a trial in the most barabric of regimes Syria had ever seen.

عمر عزيز وعجز الرثاء
محمّد العطّارالاثنين 18/02/2013, آخر تحديث 12:57 مكيف نرثي عمر عزيز شيخ الشباب الستيني؟ من أين نبدأ وأين نتوقف؟ وهل للرثاء من قيمة سوى مواساة الروح المكلومة؟ في حضور غيابه الطاغي يبدو الرثاء فعلاً أنانياً بحق، مجرد محاولة يائسة للهروب من ألمٍ لا يطاق.
ثلاثة أشهر على اعتقال عمر من منزله من قبل قوات الأمن السوري. ثلاثة أشهر أمضاها أكثر الرجال تفاؤلاً بمستقبل سوريا الحرة في زنازين المخابرات الجوية الصماء. في كل يوم كنا نفتقد ابتسامتك التي لم تفارقك قط، وفي كل يوم كنا نفكر بحبة الضغط التي لا تفارقك أيضاً، هل كنت تتناولها أم لا؟
كيف أمضيت هذه الشهور، قبل أن تنتقل إلى سجن عدرا المركزي، ليخطفك الموت منا هناك؟ لم يعد بإمكاننا أن نعرف. سيُطوى هذا مع رحيلك، كما ستُطوى أحاديثنا التي لم تكتمل حول العدالة الاجتماعية والفلسفة والاقتصاد والأدب. أشياء أخرى كثيرة ستبقى معنا إلى جانب روحك الطيبة، هناك ذكريات اللقاءات الدافئة في دمشق، وكتب مستعارة لم نردها لك، وجعبة لا تنضب من الحكايات. سيبقى معنا أيضاً إيمانك الراسخ بقدرة السوريين على النهوض وبناء دولتهم الجديدة، أنت الذي اختبرت تقلبات الحياة، ولم تبخل علينا نحن الشباب المغرور والمندفع، بتشاركٍ سخي لمعارفك المتنوعة.
في منتصف عقده السادس، كان عمر الأكثر حيوية في مطالعة أحداث الثورة وفي الانخراط في أي جهدٍ من شأنه الإسهام في النهوض بالدولة المقبلة ومؤسساتها. كان من أوائل من تكلم عن أهمية التعليم البديل وضرورة وضع حلول لانقطاع التلاميذ القسري عن مدارسهم، وكان أول من تكلم عن أهمية إنشاء مجالس محلية كخطوة مفصلية لتقدم الثورة. كم كنتَ مُتبصراً وأميناً لكونك مثقفا يا عمر! وكم أشعر بالخجل عندما أستذكر أحاديثك الحماسية في ذلك المقهى الدمشقي وكيف قابلناها مراراً بالإحباط نحن الشباب في أوائل عقدنا الثالث! هو الذي قضى سنوات طويلة يعمل خارج سوريا، قرر أنه باقٍ في دمشق حتى يشهد تتويجها بالحرية، رفض المغادرة هو الذي لم يشكو أبداً من ندرة فرص العمل المغرية في الخارج. أكان حدساً يا عمر أنك ستقضي في مدينتك الأثيرة شهيداً؟ كم هو مبكر ومفجع رحيلك. وكم يشبهك هذا الرحيل! أنت يا من عملت بدأبٍ وصمت، لن تكون حاضراً لتقطف ثمار عملك النبيل. ألم تفعل ذلك مراراً؟ أكان من الضروري تكرار هذا مرة أخرى؟
عندما بلغني رحيلك، خشيتُ التحدث مع عمر وعدي، تكلمنا باقتضاب شديد، كي لا نفضح انكسارنا برحيلك. من سيتحمل الآن نزقنا وقلة حيلتنا في عوالم الفلسفة؟ استرجعتُ رسائلك ومقالاتك القديمة، ونقاشاتك مع عبد الحي السيّد وتعليق ياسين الحاج صالح على النقاش. استعدتُ كلمات عباس بيضون بعد اعتقالك بأيام، أوصانا بأن نلاحقك وأن نعرف أين اقتادوك؟ وحذرنا من مغبة فقدانك هناك؟ أي نبوءة تراجيدية لعباس هذه؟ وأي ذنب سيلاحقنا مدى العمر لأننا لم نفعل شيء لنساعدك، ولم نعرف ماذا حل بك هناك؟
لو تعود يا عمر فأبوح لك بأني مازلت لا أفهم تعقيباتك على كتابات مايكل هاردت وأنطونيو نيغري، ستبتسم كعادتك مُتفهماً. لو تعود لأعترف لك أني في ذلك اليوم في حي الميدان، عندما فشلت كل محاولاتي لثنيك عن القدوم، وكانت قطعان الأمن والشبيحة تحوم وهي تستعر غضباً، لم أكن أحميك بالادعاء أنك أبي كما قلتُ لك يومها، كنتُ فقط خائفاً كطفل عديم الحيلة، كنت أستمد الثبات منك. لو تعود يا عمر فنكمل المشوار معاً وتبث فينا الحكمة والعزيمة… نعلم أن لا رثاء يليق بك إلا الحرية الكاملة.
لكن… لو تعود يا عمر.

February 19th, 2013, 4:21 pm

 

AIG said:

Jasmine,

Given that the regime and its murderous army have indiscriminately bombed civilian areas and have leveled 100 times more homes, schools and hospitals than the rebels, you come across as a hypocritical whiner that cannot take what she is happy to dish out.

If you don’t want people bombing your school, don’t bomb theirs. Otherwise, take your chances and expect the worst.

February 19th, 2013, 4:25 pm

 

revenire said:

Rat King Moaz al-Khatib is scared

Syria opposition warns Turkey against military intervention
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/19/289783/khatib-warns-turkey-against-syria-attack/

The leader of the foreign-backed Syria opposition coalition, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, says any military intervention by Turkey in Syria would pose a great danger to the entire Middle East.

Speaking in an interview with Anatolia News Agency on Tuesday, he noted that deceitful forces are determined to trigger war in the region in order to keep the Muslim world contained in a desert for centuries, reiterating that he is opposed to foreign military intervention in Syria.

“Turkey’s military intervention in Syria will result in the engagement of the regional powers, above all Iran, which will then cause the conflict to spread to the Persian Gulf, and this would be a great threat to the entire region,” he added.

Ankara has openly voiced support for the militants fighting against Damascus.

Commenting on negotiating with President Bashar al-Assad, Khatib said, “We offered negotiating with Bashar al-Assad’s government not for the political and military benefits, but to save the lives of people and end the violence and clashes.”

On January 30, Khatib announced that he is ready for “direct discussions” with representatives of the Syrian government in Cairo, Tunis or Istanbul.

However, he added that there are “basic conditions” before holding talks with the Syrian officials over the crisis in the Arab country.

The so-called Syrian National Coalition and other foreign-backed opposition groups had stressed in the past that the Syrian president must step down before any negotiations.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.

The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.

February 19th, 2013, 4:30 pm

 

revenire said:

AIG the Syrian government does not kill civilians or bomb schools. There isn’t one proven case of this in nearly two years.

It is rat propaganda.

February 19th, 2013, 4:32 pm

 

Visitor said:

I am looking for help from old timer SC contributors to identify a poster who popped up recently. I first thought Apple_Mini was Albo, but now I think I was mistaken.

The reason I tought Apple was Albo is because, at first, somehow I found the profiles to be similar but now I noticed few differnces. I am sure of one thing Apple_Mini is a reincarnation of another contributor who may have been posting a while ago here before I started posting on SC.

Here’s what I have regarding Apple’s profile. He is a hard core Assadist, most likely a Baathist trained functionary, a propagandist who can compose more than one-sentence paragraphs (the last item was one reason I thought he was Albo. But he cannot be Zoo as Zoo has a copy-paste profile. Also, another difference I noticed is because Albo’s profile fits with mullah-stan fan type not the Baathist type which is similar to Zoo Mullah fan type). Apple is also the type who would have no problem trading so-called stability for freedom.

If you know of any such character from previous lives here on SC, please help in the identification process.

February 19th, 2013, 4:39 pm

 

Visitor said:

AIG @57,

I am one thousand percent certain Jasmine was lying and he/she didn’t lose anything today. This is typical behaviour to solicit sympathies on behalf of so-called minorities based on claiming to be a member of such groups. His/her claims are all bogus including what he/she claims to be.

But, I must admit you’re quite sharp in identifying some elments of his/her bogusness which you described as hypocritical.

February 19th, 2013, 4:45 pm

 

zoo said:

After “Scuds” missile killing “civilians” in a rebel occupied area, what else will the “opposition activists” claim to force Obama and the EU’s hand?

CNN:

A Scud missile slammed into a crowded slum in Syria’s largest city overnight, killing at least 50 people and strewing body parts across the neighborhood, opposition activists said Tuesday.

The missile – one of at least eight fired at the ravaged city of Aleppo by government forces since Friday, according to a U.S. official – slammed into the Jabal Badro neighborhood Monday night, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported.

February 19th, 2013, 5:08 pm

 

Tara said:

Hyenas consoling hyenas. It is nauseating!

February 19th, 2013, 5:09 pm

 

zoo said:

“in combination they are more than capable of destroying Syria – and may even have already done so.”

Syria’s strategic stalemate, made worse by US inaction

Tony Karon Feb 20, 2013

Not only is the Obama administration no longer convinced that Syria’s armed rebellion is about to topple President Bashar Al Assad, a rebel military victory does not even appear to be Washington’s preferred outcome.
….
Even as the rebels make new tactical gains on the ground – downing two regime aircraft, capturing an oil town and the Al Furat hydroelectric dam in the north-east, and an airbase in the north, as well as launching a new offensive in the suburbs of Damascus – a substantial shift in the strategic balance does not appear forthcoming.

The response of both the regime and the opposition to ongoing negotiation efforts appears guided by the belief that they can win the war. This despite emerging signs that key backers of both sides have begun to recognise that neither side is capable of defeating the other.

So the Obama administration’s reticence to this point may be guided by a recognition that while neither the regime nor the rebels is capable of destroying the other, in combination they are more than capable of destroying Syria – and may even have already done so.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/syrias-strategic-stalemate-made-worse-by-us-inaction#ixzz2LNzaGfEJ
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook

February 19th, 2013, 5:19 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

4. ann said:

I just can’t believe Obama wants to give them weapons after all this!!!

 
Obama is not giving any weapons — that is the problem all along.

Syria is a war between 12% Shia Alawi lunatics, and 74% Sunni majority Syrians.

The allies of the regime are: China, Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, Cuba, Venezuela.

The allies of the people are: USA, GCC, EU.

Problem is: allies of the regime are very active, and allies of the opposition are extremely passive and do nothing.

February 19th, 2013, 5:24 pm

 

Tara said:

Tuesday 19 February 2013 12.54 EST

http://m.guardiannews.com/world/2013/feb/19/qatar-eu-syria-arms-embargo

Qatar criticises EU over Syria arms embargo

Hamed bin Jassim Al Thani, prime minister and foreign minister of the Gulf state, told al-Jazeera TV that the decision was wrong and accused the Syrian government of seeking to buy time.

“I am astonished at this decision,” Bin Jassim said. “The rebels only want to be able to defend themselves. At the present time this is the wrong decision. It will only prolong the crisis.”

February 19th, 2013, 5:29 pm

 

Jasmine said:

AIG@57
Talking about hypocrisy ,don’t you think that Bibi should help the refugees he has helped to create in Syria .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9876117/Syrian-refugees-will-not-be-allowed-to-cross-Israel-border.html.

February 19th, 2013, 5:35 pm

 

revenire said:

Jasmine good point!

February 19th, 2013, 5:38 pm

 

revenire said:

Hundreds of Insurgents Killed In Attempt to Control Aleppo Airport: Syria
http://www.english.moqawama.org/essaydetails.php?eid=22359&cid=274

Hundreds of insurgents of the armed terrorist groups were killed while trying to control Aleppo countryside’s airports during the past couple weeks.

In this context, a well-informed Syrian security source told al-Ahed News website, “Units of the Syrian Army were able to destroy tens of armed vehicles used to attack the airports’ surroundings, as well as confiscating huge amounts of weapons and ammunitions.”

The source mentioned, “Meng Military Airport, Kweiress Airport, Kashish Military Airport, Neirab Military Airport, and Der Hafer Airport witness clashes every now and then with armed terrorist groups mostly belonging to “al-Nusra Front” and backed by “Liwaa al-Tawhid”.”

The source further clarified, “The clashes between the Arab Syrian Army and the attackers are 4 kilometers away from these airports not on its borders like some TV stations promoted.”

“A unit of the Syrian Army confronted an attack that al-Nusra Front made on the surroundings of the Meng and Kweiress Military Airports as well as the 80 brigade of the Air Force. Clashes also took place in Sheikh Said area that led to the death of a number of insurgents,” the source added.

Moreover, the source indicated, “The militiamen try to control this brigade since it represents a center for logistic support and for military airports in Aleppo,” underscoring, “The Army’s units move to purify and target insurgent gatherings in the radius of the 80 Brigade as a primer to purge it in the next few days.”

On a similar note, a number of insurgents were killed during clashes that occurred in Rastan city, and the Syrian Amry also destroyed armored BMPs the insurgents used to attack the Syrian Army’s checkpoints

February 19th, 2013, 5:39 pm

 

Syrian said:

Shelling Batta’s Tishreen palace
http://youtu.be/4eYAClMCsSI

February 19th, 2013, 5:40 pm

 

AIG said:

Jasmine,

You are using the same infantile techniques as the regime, you point fingers at others. Netanyahu may or may not be a hypocrite, but that is irrelevant because you sure are. You are also a whining coward that supports bombing other people’s schools but starts complaining when her own is bombed. Indeed, you are a low life.

February 19th, 2013, 5:42 pm

 

ghufran said:

This is what SOHR said about the “attack” on TPP:
محافظة دمشق ::سقطت قذيفتين بالقرب من السور الجنوبي لقصر تشرين الرئاسي الواقع بين حيي المزة والمهاجرين ولم ترد معلومات عن خسائر بشرية حتى اللحظة بينما قال سكان من المنطقة انهم سمعوا اصوات 3 انفجارات وقال اخرون انهم سمعوا اصوات اربعة انفجارات يعتقد ان مصدر القذيفتين ريف دمشق
that does not look the same as ” Tishreen PP is under attack right now”, some people are willing to post anything that excites their crowd, however, I think the rebels will be able to get closer to government buildings by using car bombs, mortars or missiles, the question is does it really matter, I do not believe it does, Syria is screwed with or without attacking Bashar personally, such an attack will be a symbolic victory for some but it will unleash a new wave of violence similar to what happened after the assassination of Asef Shawkat and other senior government officers in last July, whether removing Bashar will help fighting parties reach an agreement or not is debatable, my argument is that it is better to pressure Bashar to resign than taking him out physically, violence will always lead to more violence, we learned that the hard way but some people are unteachable.

February 19th, 2013, 5:45 pm

 

Observer said:

There is no point discussing anything with the regime trolls.

SCUDs and the pictures of destroyed neighborhoods are props made in some Hollywood movie. They claim it is propaganda and there has never been a single bombing of a hospital or a bakery or a school. It is all propaganda. Well, thouria alathad must have been in a meteor shower for the last two years if you listen to the retards. I do truly think that they all exhibit the SPOUSAL ABUSE SYNDROME where the abuser is adulatedby the abused who is feeling valued because Narcissus beat her/him today.

The UN according to the Guardian today is recommending that the prethident be sent to the ICC.

There will be more reporting about Syria in the media. This is part and parcel of the upcoming visit of Kerry to the EU and the ME.

The arrival of Russian planes in Latakia is another indication that the Abou Shahata army of the retarded optometrist that cannot see beyond his nose is not capable of securing the airport any longer.

Russia thinks it can force its solution on the opposition of keeping elements of the regime mafia to continue doing business with the Russian mafia run by Putin.

Putin thinks he is a superpower. Syrians will go back to Southern Russia after they are done with the prethident. He can be sure of that.

A report on the status of Syrian Industry is out. Another damning report of the incompetence and corrupting mafia regime. I hope JL posts it in full.

February 19th, 2013, 5:48 pm

 

Jasmine said:

AIG@71
I am finding it hard not to insult you back,but I still prefer civilised argument.
The point is that the only country who is really gaining from having a weak Syria is Israel and This has been achieved so far.
Actually you could practise your charity on Palestinians first,they have been our guests in Syria for the last 60 years,and they were never in tents,why don’t you have them back and create a settlement for them.
Who is hypocrite now?

February 19th, 2013, 6:00 pm

 

Tara said:

Hyena,

Eat your heart out. A family member of Asma just called me extending an invitation to a glass of champagne in Manhattan when the regime falls and the people of Syria emerge victorious.

February 19th, 2013, 6:18 pm

 

AIG said:

Jasmine,

If you think Israel is gaining from the civil war in Syria, then stop fighting. Nobody forced Assad to shoot at protesters or not to reform during the 11 years he was firmly in control. Whether Israel is gaining or nor from the civil war is again irrelevant to the fact that you whine when your school is bombed and cheer when someone else’s school is bombed. That makes you a whining, cowardly hypocrite.

As for the Palestinians, again an irrelevant issue. Just pointing fingers at others hoping that this infantile technique will help. The Palestinians and Israelis will solve their problems by negotiations. The fact that Assad supported Hamas that wanted war instead of negotiations did not help the Palestinians one bit. You probably supported this, but are now crying alligator tears for the Palestinians. Pathetic.

The issue that is relevant and you have not addressed is simple. Assad and his murderous army have bombed thousands of homes, schools and hospitals. For some reason, we have not heard your opinion about that, only about non-relevant issues.

February 19th, 2013, 6:22 pm

 

ghufran said:

More on Assad, from his meeting with a non governmental Jordanian delegate:
قال الاسد بأن صناديق الاقتراع ستكون هي الحكم بينه وبين الاخرين سواء اكانوا خصوما او شركاء.
رفض الرئيس الاسد عندما نوقشت في اللقاء الذي استمر لساعتين كما اوضح الهلسه فكرة التنحي تحت اي عنوان مصرا على الاحتفاظ بحقه ‘كمواطن سوري’ في ترشيح نفسه لانتخابات الرئاسة بعد انقضاء فترته الحالية عام 2014.
وفي التفاصيل ربط الرئيس الاسد خلال استقباله الوفد الاردني بين مسألتي ولايته الرئاسية والتنحي قائلا بان يرفض التنحي ويرفض التقدم بأي اعلان يفهم منه بانه سيعلن عدم نيته الترشح في انتخابات رئاسية يمكن ان تنظم في اطار اي تسوية بعد عام 2014.
وشرح الرئيس الاسد انه سيصبح كأي مواطن سوري بعد التخفف من اعباء الرئاسة عام 2014 بين خيارين الاول التمسك بحقه في الترشح لفترة رئاسية ثانية، والثاني التحول الى مواطن سوري كغيره يعيش بسلام وامان ويعمل في عيادته الطبية.
واضاف الرئيس الاسد: يقولون بان علي المغادرة او اعلان عدم الترشح ..لن افعل سأحتفظ بحقي في ترشيح نفسي واذا لم افعل ذلك سأبقى في دمشق ولن اغادرها.
وقال: لدي عائلة واصدقاء ووطن وسأخدم بلدي..سأبقى في دمشق بكل الحالات وسأواصل عملي في عيادتي كطبيب عيون لو لم اكن رئيس
I think people who truly believe that Assad can stay president or be able to live a normal life in Syria again are in need for psychiatric help, even if a lot of Syrians want him,many others do not, he will always be seen as a symbol of Syria’s civil war and the violence that followed.
it tells a lot about the nature of this regime that non of the political prisoners who committed no crimes is released from prison, instead, almukhabarat set free a bunch of criminals under a “presidential pardon” .
Tara:
“A family member of Asma just called me extending an invitation to a glass of champagne in Manhattan when the regime falls”
if you go,make sure nobody is videotaping the celebration, Tara, drinking alcohol puts you in the same camp as anti islamists and infidels, nusra supporters here would love for you to publicly declare that you do not drink champagne.

February 19th, 2013, 6:33 pm

 

Jasmine said:

AIG
I wish that I have a magic wand to stop the fight at once,and you are assuming that Syrians are enjoying this fight or they asked for it.

Do you think that Syria is going to give up the golan heights ?
Do you think that the Palestinians are not going to claim their lands?
Do you think that having Salafist Syria will be more peaceful to Bibi?

February 19th, 2013, 6:42 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

These wars always take a long time.

But the regime will be dismantled. Even if it’s done slowly.

February 19th, 2013, 6:43 pm

 

revenire said:

“A family member of Asma just called me extending an invitation to a glass of champagne in Manhattan when the regime falls and the people of Syria emerge victorious.”

I know there are plenty of rats in New York but I didn’t know they drank champagne.

February 19th, 2013, 6:47 pm

 

AIG said:

Jasmine,

Again, you ignore the issue we are discussing:
Assad and his murderous army have bombed thousands of homes, schools and hospitals. For some reason, we have not heard your opinion about that, only about non-relevant issues.

Care to tell us what you think about this issue before you ask irrelevant questions?

February 19th, 2013, 6:48 pm

 

Tara said:

“Do you think that having Salafist Syria will be more peaceful to Bibi”

Probably not.

But notice the implicit begging for Israel to use its influence to crush the revolution that will be “detrimental” to Israel’s peace.

Nauseating!

Have you no pride?

February 19th, 2013, 6:50 pm

 

revenire said:

AIG no, Syria is defending herself from terrorism. No government bombs its own infrastructure. That’s idiotic.

And who is this “us” you talk about?

As far as I am concerned you support terrorism and should be arrested and prosecuted.

Of course, you leave out every crime of the terrorists to try to say it was the government. You’re a fool who deserves no answer.

You sicken me.

February 19th, 2013, 6:56 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

REVENIRE,

Your words are very indicative of a person full of hate and full of decaying and ill feelings. All supporters of this criminal regime must get suicided like Gazi Kanaan, Interior minister who suicided with 2 bullets in the back. Terrorists will be very happy to help you.

February 19th, 2013, 6:58 pm

 

Jasmine said:

AIG
I have answered your question already @78.
Why you are not answering mine?

February 19th, 2013, 7:02 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Visitor
Jasmine is 19-20 year old ,she lives in Australia.
انشقاق اللواء ٣٥ بأكمله في عدرا #سورية يعد اول انشقاق شاقولي لوحدة بأكملها في الجيش النظامي منذ بداية الثورة تصاعد الانشقاقات بهذا المنوال يعني انفراط كامل لعقد الجيش النظامي وتصاعد في قوة الجيش الحر قدرة بشرية وعسكرية

February 19th, 2013, 7:05 pm

 

revenire said:

“86. MAJEDKHALDOUN said:
Visitor
Jasmine is 19-20 year old ,she lives in Australia.”

Cut it out grandpa. You don’t know where people live or their ages.

Just crawl back in your jihadi cave.

February 19th, 2013, 7:13 pm

 

Visitor said:

MajedK @86,

Excellent news. That’s about 3000 to 5000 individuals who decided to become real human beings and real national army. I just hope they took all weapons and ammunition with them. Also, being located in عدرا means Damascus battle may be decided in the not too distant future.

Bashar: your days are numbered. You may even die begore Anitha. That’s soooooooo freakin good. Anitha will suffer even more!!

February 19th, 2013, 7:27 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

visitor
The news are definite, and they all kept their weapons,and yes Damascus battle is coming soon.
We said it the warmer the weather the more Assad will lose, There will be more defections soon.
عااااااااااجل دمشق العدوي أشتباكات عنيفة بين قوات اﻷسد وأبطال الجيش السوري الحر على استراد العدوي لجانب البانوراما وانسحاب دبابات النظام لتقصف مدينة جوبر ..

February 19th, 2013, 7:41 pm

 

revenire said:

NEIRAB AIRPORT BATTLE – UPDATE
https://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network.english?ref=stream

AIR FORCE BOMBARDING FROM SKIES AND HEAVY ARTILLERY FROM GROUND POUNDING TERRORIST POSITIONS !!

The Syrian Eagles combined with Military Forces on the ground have increased their offensive against Terrorist positions, in a major joint operation the Air Force is currently conducting Air Strikes from the skies, while valiant Troops from the Syrian Army are targeting from the ground with Heavy Artillery, in an operation designed to overwhelm the Terrorists who have taken up positions surrounding Neirab Airport from which they have been launching repeated failed attacks, with further plans of more attempts at infiltrating and taking control of the Airport ..

AWESOME WORK, GET RID OF THEM FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL, MAY GOD BE WITH OUR BRAVE ARMY AND GUIDE THEM TO A QUICK VICTORY … – J

February 19th, 2013, 8:01 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Wait a second. An ENTIRE brigade defected?

Where did you get this news? Is it reliable?

February 19th, 2013, 8:37 pm

 

Tara said:

We have formed a military council in every district in Damascus. The council contains many brigades. Our work is more organised than before. The regime has divided Damascus by endless checkpoints, which had made it so difficult for us to move within the city. We can only do so in few districts like Darayya, Juber and Mua’adamiyia but we are trying to break this siege and not be an easy target for the regime. All the fighters in Damascus are from the city itself. We can’t move outside of Damascus or get more fighters from outside. The city is completely sealed off by the regime.

The nature of Damascus forced FSA fighters to fight a guerrilla war not like other cities. We are also very careful about the safety of the people. It is difficult to launch rockets and mortars in heavy populated areas …We feel we are progressing with the increasing number of defected soldiers who come everyday to join us. They are so useful with the intelligence information they are providing us of the regime’s plans and stores …

The fighters in the capital’s countryside are working to provide safe passages to launch more attacks against the centre of the city. We also want to connect the liberated areas to create a gap within Damascus that divides the city into two halves. We are launching a battle now, named “Supporting Darayya at the western Ghouta” …

We are trying to make every district busy either with engagement or attack of a checkpoint or targeting the military convoys of the regime. The new strategy we are adopting now in Damascus is to seize as many weapons as we can from the regime itself and provide protection to the civilians as well as their daily basic requirements, food, fuel, water and electricity …

Though it is difficult to count the exact number of FSA martyrs who have fallen within the battles of the last weeks, I can say till today we have no less than 250 martyrs, the number of the wounded is even more. We have a fighter who got a bullet in his head but till now we can’t find a doctor who can operate on him. We do not have even pads or cotton, we tied the wound with T-shirt pieces. Sometime we even run out of food and we run to the houses asking for food or water.

We won’t stop our fighting for the liberation of Syria but we also support any initiative that can help in stopping the bloodshed. But we believe if the regime wanted to negotiate right from the beginning, we would not reach this stage. It is a bloody and cunning regime. The politicians can work and we work too, there is no harm at all.
,,,,,

The Guardian

February 19th, 2013, 8:38 pm

 

Observer said:

Here is an example of how I read the news from the side of the regime

Here is the Alwatan from Syria article on the fighting

http://www.alwatan.sy/dindex.php?idn=133503

If you read it, it clearly is focusing on Aleppo and has very little to say about the situation in Damascus.

The two mortar rounds that supposedly landed in the presidential compound are declared having landed on the wall and that the other two hit the two hospitals
Mouwassa and the Children’s hospital.

Those are just below the hill of the palace and it is possible they landed near the hospitals but those who know the city realize that this is quite close to the inner part of Damascus.

As for the news of Aleppo, they claim that the relief column is now 5 km away from the airport still holding out.

The airport is therefore surrounded and the fighting is continuing and the regime is sending more troops and they are having a hard time getting through.

It is also a very nice glimpse of flowery propaganda editorializing as if the initiative is in the hands of the regime. It actually shows that the regime is reactive to events on the ground and does not really have a coherent offensive strategy.

The use of SS missiles is an act of revenge against the civilians and will fuel more fighters to join. It has no military value whatsoever as the fighters are scattered.

The only two points of some coherence are Damascus ringed with defensive circles and Homs to insure contact with the coast. The entry of HA is a clear indication of exhaustion of manpower.

So one article from the regime side has given me a lot of reassurance that this regime is reactive and not active. It also shows Stalin style propaganda.

I may be wrong, but day in and day out and comparing news, has confirmed my overall impressions of how the regime propaganda has given me an insight to the actions on the ground.

February 19th, 2013, 8:41 pm

 

revenire said:

You better get better sources because my boys IN the army tell me that hundreds of rats have been killed in Aleppo today alone with MINIMAL army casualties.

🙂

February 19th, 2013, 8:45 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Classic guerilla warfare:

Lay siege to an important area, like an airfield.

Opposing army must send reinforcements.

On the road, ambush and if possible, destroy reinforcements.

February 19th, 2013, 8:49 pm

 

revenire said:

We got them good today. Let’s hear some fake reports of rat “victories” from the terrorist supporters here.

Where was the FSA Air Force? LOL

Give the order Dr. Assad. Stop taking it easy on them.

February 19th, 2013, 8:54 pm

 

Visitor said:

MajedK,

You may want to also verify major gains for the FSA in 7Homs (both city and countryside), as well as in Hasakeh.

February 19th, 2013, 9:08 pm

 
 

Syrialover said:

That Sharmine Narwani (article poasted by Joshua Landis above) is a real piece of work!

Her reputation remains intact as a pseudo-journalist with nothing to say. But she’ll have a go at anything to grab attention and get herself into print.

For example, in that article above she makes a ludicrous statement that it’s wrong and manipulative to quote high numbers of dead in Syria. And that most of the dead are probably young men who were fighters, anyway, and therefore that doesn’t matter.

That’s her made-up based-on-nothing message.

A view powerfully contradicted by a wide range of better-informed sources, including those also posted above by Josha Landis. But no, Miss Narwani says the UN and others are all liars, manipulating the figures and escalating the conflict.

Sharmine Narwani’s articles are always built on sniping at others, and in this case it’s an ugly spray of bullets at the people of Syria.

Ugly for what shew says. Ugly because she has no particular knowledge or understanding of what is happening there. And ugly for her shamelessness at knowing nothing but still writing self-importantly and smugly about it.

And ugliest of all because she sits on her sofa dishonestly inferring that Syrians’ losses are less than people think, and that accusations against Assad are exaggerated.

Sharmine Narwani has a very ugly brain. And she taints anyone who publishes her.

February 19th, 2013, 9:25 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

I remember reading that article. And I was thinking, “what a piece of rubbish.”

February 19th, 2013, 9:56 pm

 

Tara said:

I suspect Sharmine is a paid agent, commissioned by Iran to covertly or overtly define defend the Syrian regime and to tarnish the reputation of the revolution. She should be investigated wherever she lives for being an agent of a foreign country.

February 19th, 2013, 10:10 pm

 

Akbar Palace said:

Jasmine,

Can you explain to me why the Palestinians are more important than Syrians? Because the Palestinians are really living like KINGS compared to other arabs in the ME, especially the Palestinians living in Israel.

Time for a “reality check”.

February 19th, 2013, 10:57 pm

 

ghufran said:

اعتبر رئيس الائتلاف الوطني السوري لقوى الثورة والمعارضة السورية معاذ الخطيب، أن الحكومة الحالية الموجودة في سوريا، إذا ما أعطاها رئيس النظام بشار الأسد الصلاحيات الكاملة من أجل إعادة هيكلة البلاد، مع تنحيه، يمكن أن تشكل حلاً، ينهي معظم أجزاء المشكلة في البلاد، نافيا حصول أي لقاء أو اتصال مع أية جهة رسمية من النظام، سواء أكان بشكل مباشر، أم غير مباشر.
this will earn Moaz more enemies within the opposition
I saw pictures of the damage done in Alqassaa’ after terrorists shelled the French Hospital and a school in the area, I guess that is how Damascus will be liberated.
A major screw up for the rebels in Khan Al-Sheeh refugee camp, that has no army presence, that ignited confrontation between the rebels and locals who have no interest in getting their camp destroyed in the name of toppling the regime.

February 19th, 2013, 10:59 pm

 

revenire said:

Sharmine Narwani is a respected journalist. I applaud Dr. Landis for posting her important article.

February 19th, 2013, 11:09 pm

 

ghufran said:

Wahhabis will call this a Shia Rafidi pipeline:
خول مجلس الوزراء العراقي نوري المالكي أمس وزير النفط عبد الكريم لعيبي صلاحية التوقيع على إطار اتفاق لبناء أنبوب لنقل الغاز الإيراني عبر الأراضي العراقية والسورية إلى أوروبا، في خطوة من شأنها دعم موقع البلدان الثلاثة على خارطة الطاقة العالمية.
وأشار بيان صادر عن المجلس نقلته وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية إلى أن «الاتفاق يكون نافذاً من تاريخ التوقيع عليه».

February 19th, 2013, 11:12 pm

 

revenire said:

What was known to most close observers but not widely reported is Narwani’s reporting that MOST of the dead in Syria are males i.e. combatants and that they are either 1.) SAA soldiers 2.) rats.

It gives lie to the statement that “Assad has murdered 60,000 civilians” and that angers terrorist supporters. They want the world to believe their myth of victim-hood.

I was a bit surprised to hear Sharmine say the opposition doesn’t use a lot of the SOHR statistics/information because they don’t like it.

February 19th, 2013, 11:32 pm

 

ghufran said:

Make no mistake about it, Jabhat Al-Nusra has a number of sympathizers and a potential member on this forum. It is beyond depressing to see that there are Syrians who can justify terrorism in the name of toppling a government, if the statement of this thug, abulokman, sounds familiar that is because it was posted here on this blog by one of their internet jihadists.(Source: CNN)
The Nusra Front is a feared and a secretive organisation but after long negotiation we were able to speak to an emir, or senior commander.
As you might expect, the emir, Abu Lokman, set out a vision of Syria as an Islamic state ruled under Sharia.
“In the name of God, praise is to God and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad,” he began, “the people in Syria are religious by nature.”
“They like Islam. People here are fed up with socialist and secular regimes. They are all looking forward to an Islamic state. It is impossible there could be anything else in Syria.”
Abu Lokman was in his thirties and had been a student before being arrested by the regime in 2008.
He was active on jihadi internet forums and joined Jabhat al-Nusra while it was still a secret organisation, six months before the video announcing its existence.
Rev: more than 70% of the identified dead in Syria were male adults,but that also mean that scores of women and children got killed.

February 19th, 2013, 11:41 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

This is like the last nail in the coffin for Qatari and Israeli pipelines through Syria to Europe. This is what started this attack on Syria in the first place, now they have to use donkey back to deliver gas to Europe.

February 19th, 2013, 11:43 pm

 

Syrialover said:

REVENIRE #104

There you go, giggling to yourself again. I would place a bet that Sharmine Narwani wasn’t on your radar screen at all until she got a dishonourable mention here.

February 19th, 2013, 11:51 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Silly Bouti

February 19th, 2013, 11:52 pm

 

ghufran said:

regime media denies that Assad accepted these ideas:
(Amir Tahiri)
ستقترح الحكومة الانتقالية تعديلات دستورية يتم طرحها في استفتاء، وستجري انتخابات رئاسية وبرلمانية في غضون عام. ويأمل الأسد في أن يظل رئيسا حتى نهاية فترته الرئاسية التي تنتهي العام المقبل. خلال تلك الفترة سينقل سلطاته التنفيذية إلى رئيس وزرائه مع الاحتفاظ ببعض الوظائف الرمزية كرئيس للدولة.
يرغب الأسد مقابل التنحي في الحصول على الحصانة من الملاحقة القضائية من الاتهامات بارتكاب جرائم حرب وجرائم ضد الإنسانية. وأي دعوى جنائية من خلال المحكمة الجنائية الدولية ينبغي أن يتم التصديق عليها من قبل مجلس الأمن، وهو ما يستطيع «الفيتو» الأميركي وقفه، لكن الأسد يأمل في أن يتمكن كيري من منحه الحصانة المطلوبة.
ويرغب الأسد أيضا في الحصول على ضمانات بتوقف دول أصدقاء سوريا، المجموعة التي تضم 100 دولة، عن دعم مجموعات المعارضة المسلحة بمجرد تشكيل الحكومة الانتقالية.
ستساعد الجبهة التي تقودها الولايات المتحدة في وقف إطلاق النار وتمكين الجيش السوري من تأمين حدود البلاد واستعادة القانون والنظام.
ما يرفضه الأسد تقديم تعهد بعدم الترشح للانتخابات الرئاسية المقبلة.. فرغم فرار غالبية أعضاء أسرته إلى خارج سوريا بحثا عن الأمن، يرفض الأسد الاقتراحات بضرورة الرحيل عن سوريا هو الآخر.
لقي الاتفاق المقترح ترحيبا حذرا من جانب عدد من فصائل المعارضة السورية، لكن الغالبية، وخاصة فصائل المعارضة المسلحة، لا تثق في الأسد وترى أن الاتفاق المقترح ليس سوى خدعة لكسب الوقت.

February 19th, 2013, 11:56 pm

 
 

Syrialover said:

COMMENT: Regardless of what can be said about Israel, that one field hospital (below) is more than Russia and Iran together in total have done to help Syrians

Report: Israel takes advantage of the Syrian crisis to generate electricity

In light of the ongoing chaos in Syria, Israel decided to generate electricity through wind turbines across the bordering area of the Northern Golan Heights.

This project has been in suspension for the past years since Syria referred complaints to the United Nations claiming that it threatens security, stability, and peace. The project consisting of 41 blades will provide Israel with 150 megawatts (MW) of electricity costing up to 100 Million Euros.

In this context, Head of the Golan Regional Council Eli Malka said that this project will increase the power of Israel in the Golan area since it is a strategic area with wind available in high frequencies.

On another note, military movements are still at the forefront in the South Golan seemingly since the Israeli army is still preparing for the possible arrival of wounded Syrians from the civil war by setting up a military field hospital.

In this context, sources quoted Israeli army officials as saying that the field hospital will be allocated to help unarmed Syrians in order not to have a repeat of the incident when 7 Syrians were transported inside Israel for treatment.

As for the Syrian crisis, it is still on the agenda of Israeli officials; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens that his army will forcibly prevent the movement of arms from Syria to Hezbollah.

http://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/75344/report-israel-takes-advantage-of-the-syrian-crisis

February 20th, 2013, 12:02 am

 

revenire said:

“109. SYRIALOVER said:
REVENIRE #104
There you go, giggling to yourself again. I would place a bet that Sharmine Narwani wasn’t on your radar screen at all until she got a dishonourable mention here.”

You would lose that bet.

February 20th, 2013, 12:04 am

 

Syrialover said:

And while we’re thinking of what Iran and Russia haven’t done, here’s a further contrast with an update on US humanitarian assistance to Syrians:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/02/204903.htm

It’s informative reading.

February 20th, 2013, 12:10 am

 

revenire said:

Syrialover everyone knows and respects Sharmine, just like we all knew Maya Naser and Yara Saleh. These people are heroes to the Resistance.

“Sharmine Narwani ‏@snarwani
Israeli strike on Syria, fake Fordow explosion, Hezbollah blamed for Bulgaria attack… Seems like Syrian army gains r really causing panic.”

February 20th, 2013, 12:13 am

 

Syrialover said:

# 113. MAJEDKHALDOUN

Can you please post the link, the video is displayed as embedded here with no link.

Thanks.

February 20th, 2013, 12:15 am

 

ghufran said:

Jonathan Steele (The Guardian) has written some of the best articles on Syria since 2011, here are few pieces from his last article:

Youssef Abdelke, a painter who spent two decades in exile in Paris and returned in 2008, is one of the few Assad opponents who was willing to be quoted by name. He draws charcoal pictures that express Syria’s current sadness in elegant simplicity. “The country is increasingly being emptied by the democrats,” he told me. “It leaves Syria to the regime and the Salafis. People take a risk by staying here but going to Beirut puts Syria at risk.”

Most residents have now returned to Qudsaya, traumatised but apparently having “learned their lesson”. The message has gone out to would-be protesters to lie low and to the armed opposition not to come into the area. The same message has been absorbed by people in the districts of Midan and Old Mezzeh, which rebels penetrated briefly last summer before being driven back by a massive army counter-attack. Residents have urged the rebels to keep out and not provoke total destruction.

The front lines around the capital have barely moved for six months and foreign media reporting or opposition websites which use phrases like: “war gets nearer to central Damascus” or: “rebels close in on the capital” create a false image that the regime’s fall is inevitable or even imminent. Even the fall of Aleppo would not be a fatal blow.

In Damascus, many are putting their hopes on Moaz al-Khatib, the leader of the Syrian National Coalition, who recently broke a taboo by saying the exiled opposition should stop rejecting the government’s invitation for negotiations. The soft-spoken engineer who used to serve as a Friday preacher at Damascus’s famous Umayyad mosque is becoming a local hero.
Almost everyone I spoke to supported negotiations as the only way to end a stalemate in which more and more of Syria is destroyed and fewer and fewer people remain on the board.

February 20th, 2013, 12:19 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

84. revenire said:

No government bombs its own infrastructure. That’s idiotic.

 
But the Shia regime is using artillery on residential buildings.

Imagine you’re just lampin’ in your apartment, and suddenly a Scud missile.

That would be objectionable even if done to another country, but it’s especially absurd when done in your own cities.

February 20th, 2013, 12:21 am

 

revenire said:

There is no “Shia regime” – that’s garbage. Nor is anyone just sitting in their apartment drinking a Coca Cola and a Scud flies in.

There is a war going on in Syria. Hadn’t you noticed?

Don’t give me your double-talk about poor civilians. Syria, as the posters here point out, is a war zone.

And Dolly you know as well as I do the terrorists shell civilian areas constantly – areas with no soldiers. That is a fact.

My information comes from Syria, from people in the opposition NOT the government. You are more than aware that not everyone who opposes the government supports the terrorists. You know the civilians of Aleppo have demonstrated for the terrorists to leave. You also know that opposition members have been arrested by the terrorists in Aleppo for exposing terrorist crimes.

You can’t BS people with your victim garbage or your stories. For every civilian you claim is innocent killed by the army I can provide a civilian who supports the government who was killed by the terrorists.

If you can’t accept that truth that’s your problem.

February 20th, 2013, 12:28 am

 

Visitor said:

Battalion 546 in the east in Hasakeh, responsible for collaboration with the hated Majoussi agents in Iraq, has now been brought to submission by the heroes of the revolution,

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/20/267287.html

The Battalion is captured and all the traitors have been taken as prisoners. This is a double victory for the Syrian and the Iraqi Revolutions.

And some idiots here think that Hezbos would stand a chance against the FSA, not to mention Nusra!!

Empty posturing is the name of their game.

Deception and تقية are their their specialties.

But they have been uncovered and their days are numbered.

February 20th, 2013, 12:29 am

 

ghufran said:

Galioun’s turn to speak:
رأى الرئيس السابق للمجلس الوطني السوري برهان غليون ان “كل الافرقاء في سوريا ينتظرون الحسم على الأرض ولو كان النظام لديه رغبة لتشجيع المعارضة على الحوار لكان اطلق سراح المعتقلين”، معتبرا ان “اعتقال آلاف الشباب والنساء والاطفال جريمة ضد الانسانية”، لافتا الى ان “وقف القتال ووقف استخدام الصواريخ الباليستية ووقف قتل المدنيين هذه حدود دنيا لأي حوار”.
واعتبر غليون في حديث تلفزيوني ان “لا حل سياسي بدون ان تكون هناك ارادة لذلك”، معلنا ان “المعارضة مستعدة ومن صالحها الدخول في حل سياسي يلبي حاجات الشعب لكن الطرف الثاني مستمر بالحرب”، لافتا الى “اننا لسنا مقبلين على الحل بل ان النظام يحضر لهجوم عسكري قوي جدا لمحاولة الحسم”.
the regime heads will only negotiate if they lose more ground to the rebels, unlikely as of now, or if Assad, his family and his close allies receive certain guarantees about future prosecution, the regime also wants Turkey to stop supporting rebels, what the regime proposes is not a real dialogue, no opposition party will take the regime’s ideas seriously, rebels will not even consider a dialogue as long as the regime remains intact, they think they can win,I disagree, I believe we have already lost, all of us.

February 20th, 2013, 12:33 am

 

Syrialover said:

Yawn. REVENIRE #117 you have shown since you came here you don’t know anybody or anything much. Just what you pick up from others’ comments or get from quick trawls of the internet.

No point in looking for knowlege, informed opinion, insights or information from you.

You’re kind of a poor mans version of Sharmine Narwani. Plus you think the whole Syrian issue is a source of games and self-amusement.

You just keep making it up as you go along. And not very well either.

February 20th, 2013, 12:38 am

 

Visitor said:

Ghufran,

Go see your shrink!

February 20th, 2013, 12:38 am

 

Syrialover said:

GHUFRAN # 119

Please. Get somebody, anybody to show you how to copy and paste in a link.

Your material lacks credibility when you fail to source it.

You should appreciate that the many people here who have pointed this out to you are being helpful.

February 20th, 2013, 12:45 am

 

ghufran said:

(Source: CNN)
The story of one detainee in the cell next to her is one that Keffah says will haunt her forever.
“I was detained during Ramadan, and there was a detainee who clearly sounded like an old man. I used to hear him at certain times, knocking at the door saying “God help you, God bless you my son,” begging them (the jailers) to just give him a drop of water because he was fasting,” she said.
“Are you fasting you animal?” the jailers would respond.”
Keffah says she watched as they would then take the man to a tap and let him drink — but they would continuously slap him, beat him up and curse him while he drank the water. She would then hear the old man thanking them for giving him water.
“I would sit crawled up in a corner in my cell and cry so much thinking about what they were doing to this man,” she said.
On the day of her release, Keffah recalls being taken down into a car. In the back was a blindfolded man with his hands bound.
As they were led out of the car and into the elevator, the guards removed the blindfold off the old and frail man.
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he realized his fellow detainee was a young woman.
Keffah sat in the room where an investigator met with them before their release.
The old man thanked the investigator.
“When he spoke I realized this was the same old man who would beg for water. I remembered his voice,” she said.
As the investigator gave the man his belongings, he apologized: “Sorry old man, we apologize, we picked you up by mistake.”
SL:
“Please. Get somebody, anybody to show you how to copy and paste in a link.
Your material lacks credibility when you fail to source it”
SL, you should know by now that I can copy , paste and link when I feel like it,relax, I could not care less if people attack my “credibility”

February 20th, 2013, 12:49 am

 

zoo said:

Syria rebels say they don’t have the weapons to end the war

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-weapons-20130220,0,5365909.story

Opposition leaders mostly blame the U.S., which they believe is pressuring Persian Gulf allies to keep heavy weapons out of rebels’ hands.

February 20th, 2013, 12:51 am

 

zoo said:

As expected the FSA back tracks on its threats to Hezbollah

Naharnet
FSA Joint Command Denies Link to Statement Promising Reprisal for Hizbullah ‘Intervention’

A statement attributed to the Free Syrian Army gave Hizbullah on Tuesday a 48-hour ultimatum to halt its alleged operations in Syrian territories, warning that it will retaliate to the sources of fire inside Lebanon.

“If Hizbullah didn’t halt shelling Syrian territories, villages and civilians from Lebanese territories within 48 hours, we will strike back,” a statement attributed to the rebel FSA said.

It urged citizens to stay away from Hizullah’s missile launchers and military bases.

But Fahd al-Masri, spokesman for the Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army, denied to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) any link for FSA’s Joint Command to the alleged warning

February 20th, 2013, 1:00 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

So… the war continues.

With a proper conduit of weapons, the rebels can end the regime in a year. They have the men, the motivation, and international sympathy. Most regime soldiers, on the other hand, want to defect or run away at the first possible opportunity. The only edge the regime has is better and more weapons.

Without a proper conduit of weapons, it’ll probably take the rebels five years to end the regime.

February 20th, 2013, 1:01 am

 

revenire said:

FSA scared of Nasrallah.

February 20th, 2013, 2:06 am

 

revenire said:

Looks like the West is choking the rats to leave them die on the vine. I don’t like Obama but maybe Putin talked to him and straightened him out that Assad is “protected” by God and won’t be leaving.

If the rat’s weapons get choked this will be over by summer.

February 20th, 2013, 2:13 am

 

omen said:

charlie rose w/michael gordon (nyt) discussing the pros and cons of arming the rebels.

February 20th, 2013, 3:12 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

The retard is probably familiar with the pseudo pseudo-journalist Narwani, his puppet master is a big fan.

February 20th, 2013, 3:31 am

 

Mina said:

Zoo 129
What matters is that Le Monde has had an article explaining its readers that FSA is fighting HA militias in Syria. Comparing it to Steele’s article quoted by Ghufran 119 one wonders how Le Monde can accept to stay lonely in the Fabius/Aavaz line losing any credibility as a newspaper. For years in the 80s they survived from bags of cash delivered by the Libyan embassy so they must have got used to u-turns.

February 20th, 2013, 3:56 am

 

Syrialover said:

GHUFRAN said (in response to my plea for him to lift his game and put sources and links to the material he posts): ” “SL, you should know by now that I can copy , paste and link when I feel like it,relax, I could not care less if people attack my “credibility”

No, GHUFRAN, but it’s very strange for you not to care whether readers trust the material you post. It makes no sense for you to go to the trouble of posting something then make it look suspicious because you don’t give a source. It’s like posting spam.

Even high school students know they have to put sources and links for material they quote or their work scores an F.

Your approach doesn’t add up.

February 20th, 2013, 4:06 am

 

Syrialover said:

#134 HAMSTER,

It’s possible they are being fed from the same pig trough.

February 20th, 2013, 4:10 am

 

Syrialover said:

# 129. ZOO

Oh I don’t know. I think Israel is the important one with plans for Hezbollah (eg last paragraph in #114)

Significantly, Hezbollah is going to be left desperate without any plans for itself when it loses its buddy Assad and financial sponsor Iran.

February 20th, 2013, 4:19 am

 

Citizen said:

Dozens of Palestinian Salafists fight in Syria

According to the Syrian confidential source, in Syria destroyed Palestinian citizen Kuneyta Muhammad, who took part in the armed conflict on the side of the so-called Syrian opposition.
Muhammad was known Kuneyta warlord ‘Brigades Izzeddin al-Qassam “- a paramilitary wing of Hamas – and arrived in Syria as a specialist training militants.
27. 12. In 2012 he was part of the group that committed the attack on a military airfield in the province of Idleb. About 14.00 shrapnel wounds to the head and lower extremities and died at 16:00.
According to the source, several dozen members of the Salafi-Palestinian groups and organizations “Dzhebhat en Nusra” – came to Syria to participate in hostilities. Ferried from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, they go to Turkey, and from there – in SAR, which are adjacent to the terrorist groups within them – a lot of citizens of Arab countries, as well as Afghan and Chechen. Some fighters cross the border into Syria from the Golan Heights, controlled by the Israeli army.
The source stated that this fact is proof of insolvency claims Hamas leadership, which is part of the movement “Muslim Brotherhood”, their non-participation in the events in Syria and the reluctance to get involved in the Syrian conflict.
The reliability of the above information, confirm the words of one of the influential leaders of the Salafi movement in the Gaza Strip, Abu Al-Ain Al-Ansari, who said that “a few dozen soldiers of Allah went to Syria to confront the regime.”

February 20th, 2013, 4:48 am

 

Citizen said:

Armed groups, failed the next attempt to attack Aleppo International Airport, is under threat environment. They are making desperate attempts to escape from the ring of the government forces and ask for help. The losses in the ranks of the bandits in the hundreds of militants. Airport continues its work, despite the criminal activities of terrorists.
Statements that militants captured depot aviation fuel does not hold water. They managed to capture the creamery, located a few kilometers from the airport.
As a result, WHO Syrian army fully released Khanaser city and all the surrounding villages, located in the munitions factories.
In the eastern part of the city of Aleppo continuing army operations in which encircled and destroyed terrorist groups in the areas of al-Shaar and Masaken Hanano.
In Damascus were mortar fire fighters Hospital “Al Muwasat” and is located opposite the children’s clinic. Material damage to buildings. No casualties.
Gangs operating in the metropolitan area Dzhobar, having suffered significant losses in men and arms, pushed aside the adjacent village Zamalka.

February 20th, 2013, 4:55 am

 

Citizen said:

When messing hands in hornet’s nests
What is to be expected!
In the north of Cameroon taken hostage and brought to the territory of Nigeria 7 French tourists.

February 20th, 2013, 5:02 am

 

Citizen said:

http://static.medportal.ru/pic/news/2011/06/24/typhorsk/pic001.jpg
According to the spokesman Elizabeth Hoff info, in the province of Deir ez-Zor an outbreak of typhoid. This was reported by “Economic News”.

The cause of the epidemic called the quality of drinking water from the Euphrates. Access to clean drinking water is blocked by militants. Deaths have been recorded so far, but the situation clearly looks alarming. While in Syria started the hot season – but he is near.

February 20th, 2013, 5:07 am

 

Citizen said:

These are the real Syria lovers!
2 aircraft Russian Emergencies Ministry landed at the international airport of Latakia with humanitarian aid.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/190363_478415282218466_525920631_n.jpg

February 20th, 2013, 5:31 am

 

Citizen said:

Syria went on the offensive, Turkey in defense
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fza-kaddafi.ru%2Fportal%2Fnovostnoi-forum%2Fsiriya%2F2604-siriya-pereshla-v-nastuplenie-turciya-v-oboronu.html

An interesting point, perhaps we’ll pristutstvuem first time at the historical moment when the resistance of one man, his wonderful qualities political and military leaders, made a whole community of nations hungry devour it with guts, change your plans and give way, now it is clear. They are of course still try to go to another party, such as stated in Article DAILYMEDIA «butcher shop in The Hague opened again?”, But what happens in the last few days clearly shows in hostilities a break. Not only those who wished to Syria difficulties, these difficulties have now do everything in large quantities.
As noted earlier, Assad took the case with great skill and talent. Win the war with limited resources, being surrounded by countries each of which Syria is stronger, it is not easy. It is a hard man’s work, sometimes thankless. In this situation, Assad has made only a few things right. The first and most fundamental thing: friendship with Russia, no matter what. The second did not go to war with Turkey, provoking him, but once Assad has shown that his teeth were very sharp. Turkish aircraft flopped like a crow knocked out “patsanskoy slingshot”, but on Assad did not pursue the conflict. The third very important step planned and cold-blooded destruction of enemies using all possible capabilities, without looking at the wail of the West, about his use of artillery and aircraft. And most importantly, Assad held his nerve, do not let his nerves, which often hinders the achievement of goals.
As a result, the West could not get it to split, and Russia with China rose to the occasion. Now they have acquired in the course Assad ally hundred percent at all times. Not only because Assad as values ​​friendship, but also because the West will always be in the bushes conceal Assad once feel a weakness, again try to overthrow Assad. Therefore, Assad now reinforced concrete ally primarily Russia.
However, time passed and Assad felt that the situation is changing, and now he has more room to maneuver and even offensive. War against Syria has cost the lives of many peace Syrians, but Assad is mastered, even though some things were very difficult. What Assad could not cope with is the external pressure of the Western media. Asad here and decided to give another battle those who tried to discredit Syria in the eyes of the world community. To do this, Assad invited correspondents CNN.
To such bait CNN correspondents could not bite. Assad calculated the exactly. West so much time trying to get into Syria, to look only for a moment at what is happening in Syria, including where to tell how strong Assad and you should continue to put pressure on him, and the whole idea is really useless. Assad knows that the Western media show. CNN correspondents visited the hospitals where they saw the wounded, but self-righteous Syrian military ready to return to action after recovery. CNN crew even went visiting Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

February 20th, 2013, 5:59 am

 

Citizen said:

Lavrov: positive trends are visible on both sides of the conflict in Syria, there is a desire to negotiate. Rest – business art of diplomacy

February 20th, 2013, 6:04 am

 

Visitor said:

Never mind what hyenas living in a Zoo have to say (bark).

The FSA made a clear ultimatum to the Hezbos and to the Lebanese government today. Hear it ya all straight from the mouth.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/20/267354.html

Our FSA heroes never retreat and more never backtrack.

February 20th, 2013, 8:41 am

 

Visitor said:

Mamlouk on the other hand may face execution in Lebanon,

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/20/267376.html

Why not Bashar?

February 20th, 2013, 8:46 am

 

zoo said:

Syrian regime: Aleppo airport still in army hands
Associated Press – 3 hrs ago

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian regime says the airport in the battleground northern city of Aleppo is still under military control and “safe” from rebels fighting to capture it.

The pro-government Al-Watan daily — considered a mouthpiece for President Bashar Assad’s regime — said Wednesday the military is “valiantly defending” the airport and will do so at all cost.

February 20th, 2013, 9:01 am

 
 

zoo said:

Al Qaeda’s Top Recruiting Tool: The CIA

by Jamie Dettmer Feb 20, 2013 4:45 AM EST
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/20/al-qaeda-s-top-recruiting-tool-the-cia.html

After being tortured by American interrogators, a Libyan freedom fighter became a top terror leader. Jamie Dettmer reports from Tripoli.

February 20th, 2013, 9:06 am

 

Syrian said:

Another one bite the dust.A Mig shot down in Damascus suburb today.
http://youtu.be/_-hW6fgVGuM

February 20th, 2013, 9:07 am

 

Citizen said:

Heroism here became when the Syrians kill each other like sheep! And jihad when a Muslim kills brother!So there is nothing wrong if your Heroism in the destruction of humanity ! You are moron!

February 20th, 2013, 9:24 am

 

zoo said:

Recycling news: that was in October 2012.

Syria’s FSA threaten to pursue Hezbollah in Beirut
October 10, 2012 ⋅ 6:57 am

Leaders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have announced in a statement that they captured 13 suspected members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia around the Syrian city of Homs, and threatened to launch full scale attacks against the Lebanese capital city of Beirut if Hezbollah doesn’t withdraw entirely from the region.

“We pledge to take the battle in Syria to the heart of the Beirut southern suburbs ( Dhahiya) if Hezbollah does not stop supporting the killer-Syrian regime,” Free Syrian Army spokesman Fahd al-Masri told media outlets Tuesday.

http://www.yalibnan.com/2012/10/10/syrias-fsa-threaten-to-pursue-hezbollah-in-beirut/

February 20th, 2013, 9:24 am

 

Citizen said:

One Syrian football player was killed and several injured in attacks by militants of the stadium in the heart of Damascus.
@RT_russian

لافروف: سوف نستخدم كافة الإمكانيات من اجل حصول اتصالات مباشرة بين الحكومة والمعارضة في سورية
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/608245/

February 20th, 2013, 9:38 am

 

zoo said:

KSA and Qatar show growing signs of apprehension that the Syrian Government may survive until 2014.
Having failing in using the ‘freedom trick”, the ‘massacre trick” the ‘humanitarian trick”, the ‘nuclear trick’, now the “Hezbollah trick” to force a West military intervention, they now use the “Al Qaeda trick’ that they fear will ultimately affect them too.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar press for more help to Syrian rebels

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-syria-crisis-gulfbre91j0p7-20130220,0,1213993.story

But Saudi Arabia and Qatar are signaling that the longer the war drags on, the stronger such hardliners will get, while other groups will likely struggle if denied meaningful aid, according to a Gulf Arab official, analysts and diplomats.

Gulf Arabs are not bound by U.S. and EU arms embargoes on Syria, and some analysts say they supplied weapons to Syria last year, probably through tribal and smuggling connections in Iraq.

But Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signaled any support would be much more effective if Western powers lent political backing, coordination, equipment and advice.
…Not all Gulf Arab states are eager to arm Syrian rebels, but all fear possible “blowback” if their own nationals go to fight in Syria and one day come home and launch a jihad for a purist Islamic state. The al-Nusra Front has ideological overlaps with al Qaeda, which has sworn to topple the Saudi ruling family.

In the 1980s Saudi rulers supported U.S.-backed Islamists fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan, a factor in the creation of al Qaeda, and in the last decade they turned a blind eye to clerics who urged Saudis to join an anti-U.S. jihad in Iraq.

In 2003 Saudis who had fought in both conflicts launched attacks at home, drawing a tough security response from Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, cautioned Saudi youth against going to Syria for jihad, and advised prayer, and sending material support by “regular channels”, al-Jazirah daily reported on Jan 7.

Gulf Arab policymakers argue that hastening Assad’s fall will curb the militants’ influence, and, a related bonus, reduce the regional clout of the Syrian leader’s ally Iran.

February 20th, 2013, 9:41 am

 

zoo said:

Coincidence? After accusing Hezbollah of killing Israeli tourists…

Bulgarian government resigns amid protests

PM Boyko Borisov resigns after the eruption of violent street protests in Bulgaria, a step that paves the way for early polls
AFP , Wednesday 20 Feb 2013

February 20th, 2013, 9:46 am

 
 

zoo said:

One more recruit for the FSA, the turkish killer of the US tourist

Prime suspect in Sierra case trying to flee to Syria: Claim

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

The prime suspect in the murder of Sarai Sierra, a U.S. woman whose body was found near Istanbul’s ancient city walls in Sarayburnu on Feb. 2, is trying to escape into Syria, daily Hürriyet reported.

February 20th, 2013, 9:52 am

 

Visitor said:

More and amore agree that the Syrian Revolution can only be resolved militarily,

ونسبت ساينس مونيتور إلى فريدريك هوف -وهو مسؤول سابق في وزارة الدفاع الأميركية (بنتاغون)- القول إن الرجال المسلحين هم من سيقررون مستقبل سوريا في كل الأحوال، مضيفة أن روسيا وإيران مستمرتان في دعم النظام السوري بالمال والسلاح، وذلك في ظل غياب حل للأزمة.

This is what I have been saying since day one here on SC.

February 20th, 2013, 10:02 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

FSA has made each and every bombing mission of the regime’s remaining air force thugs a potential suicide mission. And the fool still talks about working as an eye doctor.

February 20th, 2013, 10:04 am

 

zoo said:

The bloody king of spades: More to come?

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/748926-01-08.jpg

Lebanon’s state prosecutor on Tuesday ordered an investigation to reveal the source of the posters hung around Beirut’s suburbs showing a caricature of the Saudi king carrying a bloody machete, state news reported.

The ultra-conservative kingdom meanwhile Tuesday announced it had beheaded its fourteenth convict this year.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that prosecutor Hatem Madi launched an investigation into the posters after receiving complaints from Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Asiri.

February 20th, 2013, 10:09 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

What the retards talking about Bulgaria want to hide (see @156 )

قدمت الحكومة البلغارية استقالتها اليوم الأربعاء على خلفية مظاهرات شعبية حاشدة احتجاجا على ارتفاع أسعار الكهرباء، أوقعت العديد من الجرحى.

وقال رئيس الوزراء بويكو بوريسوف لدى إعلان استقالته

“لن أشارك في حكومة تضرب فيها الشرطة الشعب، وتحل فيها التهديدات بالاحتجاج محل النقاش السياسي”.

وأضاف -وفق ما نقلته وكالة أنباء صوفيا البلغارية- أن التهديدات بأن المظاهرات ستأخذ طابعاً دموياً دفعه إلى الاستقالة، وقال

“لقد أعطانا الشعب السلطة والآن نعيدها إليه”، وإن “كل قطرة دم تسقط تعتبر عارا علينا”.

So the Bulgarian PM refuse to remain in a Government where the police beats the people and where threats of demonstration take the place of political discourse.

On the other hand, the arshole retard prethident of thuria al-alathad insists on remaining in government so that he can continue murdering his own people who only demonstrated after 11 years of jailing, maining, torturing, and murdering those who attempted civilize political discourse. What a piece of shxt.

No Mr. Retard, it is not coincidence, it is honor, integrity, and love of country, of which you, your fans here, and your cohort of dishonorable and sectarian minded criminals have none.

February 20th, 2013, 10:23 am

 

zoo said:

Doubts over Kilo’s first brokered ceasefire between the FSA and the Kurds

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/syria-islamist-kurd-warring-ends-dissident-mediates-140850952.html

Arab anti-regime rebels and Kurdish militias in northern Syria have ended three months of hostilities following a fragile agreement brokered by prominent dissident Michel Kilo, a Christian.

Clashes have erupted periodically between the two sides since Islamist rebels entered the city of Ras al-Ain last November and seized a strategic crossing on the Turkish border.

A Kurdish activist from Ras al-Ain said the Kurdish parties were hopeful that the main opposition Syrian National Coalition would ensure the rebels honour their side of the bargain to allay residents’ fears.

“Hostilities ended between the two parties a week ago and since then things have been calm,” the activist, who gave his name as Havidar, told AFP via Skype. “There have been no confrontations following the agreement.”

But a prominent Kurdish anti-regime dissident told AFP by phone that the agenda of radical Islamists in Syria meant fighting could erupt again at any time.

“Ghuraba al-Sham believe all Kurds are pro-regime and not Islamic enough for their taste,” said Massoud Akko.

“Either side can break the agreement at any moment,” he warned, after taking part in the talks leading up to the accord.

“The FSA military council is not strong in the area, and its leadership has made contradicting statements in the past. From my point of view, this accord is empty.”

February 20th, 2013, 10:35 am

 

Hanzala said:

FSA take major checkpoint right next to Daraa city, you can actually see the city is very near in the video. Maybe just a few hundred meters, and in full open view. The FSA guide is Palestinian.

February 20th, 2013, 10:38 am

 

Visitor said:

“No Mr. Retard, it is not coincidence, it is honor, integrity, and love of country, of which you, your fans here, and your cohort of dishonorable and sectarian minded criminals have none.”

SH,

The Retard you’re referring to is NOT Syrian. He was once Warren, the venom preacher from Toronto and who lives in a basement suite with another retard on Baramalea Rd. not very far off from the Syrian Consulate so that he can walk over to get his daily allowance when the Consulate gets enough cash to pay him. He was also the Irritated arshole at one time. And he may still have countless other lives here on SC.

The only constant trait about the Retard is his worship of Mullah-stan.

February 20th, 2013, 10:40 am

 

Sami said:

Sharmine Narwani is a shill that made her name throwing doubt over Syrian deaths. Not surprised her latest article is EXACTLY like her other ones.

WSS once called her a regime lap dancer, well William that is a grave insult to the men and women exotic dancers out there, because compared to her they make an honest living…

There is nothing more despicable than a pseudo journalist or commentator that deny the unforgivable atrocities being committed. No wonder some on here find this piece of trash informative.

February 20th, 2013, 10:42 am

 

elian said:

is this site for the radicals and the propaganda machine of the state department or it is for the Israelis who want to destroy Syria as a country.
It is clear that the posters here mostly belong to the GCC financed traitors and terrorists.
I would like most of the radicals to meet their virgins in the heaven ASAP, thanks to Obama he is helping to achieve their goal.
Arabs are not ready for democracy they are still going backward therefore, they will never be able to achieve any meaningful human rights or civility.
The so called Arab spring is clearly an Israelis Autumn for the Arabs it is well planned, financed, orchestrated.

February 20th, 2013, 10:46 am

 

revenire said:

Sami please, what has Bil Scherk ever done with his life? An aging queen in Canada? He works in HR for God’s sake. He’s not a journalist. He’s a former punk rocker, a washed-up has-been never-was. He’s pathetic. I pity him.

What do you dispute about Narwani’s article? Most of the deaths are male combatants. Those figure are taken from every public source available, including your vaunted SOHR.

You just don’t like it when the light is shown on you. You know what rats do when the lights are turned on.

February 20th, 2013, 10:47 am

 

revenire said:

The rats are so desperate they’re now killing Syrian sports figures. How sad.

February 20th, 2013, 10:53 am

 

Visitor said:

Hey Hanzala @ 164,

That was a great video (as usual). But,I only saw three holy warriors walking and everyone else is lying face down kissing Jahannam!!

Are you telling us that ONLY three holy warriors accomplished all that and sent this huge number of thugs to Jahannam?!!

February 20th, 2013, 10:53 am

 

zoo said:

Russia and Arab League see chance for start to Syria dialogue

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-307644-russia-and-arab-league-see-chance-for-start-to-syria-dialogue.html

20 February 2013 /AP, REUTERS, MOSCOW
Russia and the Arab League see signs of hope that the rival sides in the Syrian civil war are willing to start talks to end nearly two years of conflcit.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and visiting Arab League head Nabil Elaraby said on Wednesday they were encouraged that both the Syrian government and the opposition had voiced readiness for dialogue.

”There have been signs of a positive tendency to start dialogue and both the government representatives and the opposition have begun speaking about this,”Lavrov told a joint news conference with Elaraby.

“For now both sides still come up with preconditions but, according to our common view, once there is the key common readiness to start dialogue, then agreeing parameters for this process is just a matter of diplomatic art,”he said.

February 20th, 2013, 11:01 am

 

zoo said:

Is Qatar so furious against the USA that it allows an investigative journalist in Al Jazeera to unravel the US-Israel conspiracy to pin the Bulgaria’s Israeli tourists attack on Hezbollah ?

Dr Gareth Porter is an investigative journalist and historian specialising in US national security policy and winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for journalism.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/02/201321810059550903.html

Bulgaria’s Hezbollah ‘hypothesis’ and the EU terror list
The US and Israel continue ignoring the actual evidence in terrorism cases to advance their political interests.

When Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov made a public statement on February 5 that the government linked the July 18, 2012, terror bombing of an Israeli tourist bus to Hezbollah, it was a spectacular development with far-reaching political implications.

This Bulgarian conclusion has significantly increased the pressure on the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. Although the EU had long avoided taking this step, the US and Israel have been pressing hard ever since the Burgas bombing to bring Europe’s position on Hezbollah with their stand. Bulgaria’s naming of Hezbollah as the culprit appeared to make such a European decision possible.

But was that really what Bulgarian investigators had found? A closer examination of the Bulgarian investigation reveals that the investigators had not, in fact, come to the conclusion desired by Washington and Tel Aviv by mid-January. But the Bulgarian government had to avoid being on the wrong side of the US and Israel on the issue. The result was language that telegraphed the absence of any real evidence of that Shia organisation in the crime, but which served the US-Israeli interests of getting Hezbollah listed as a terrorist organisation.

The US and Israel thus continue a pattern of ignoring the actual evidence in high profile terrorism cases in order to advance their political interests in relation to Iran and Hezbollah. That pattern was established nearly two decades ago with the US-Israeli pressure on Argentina to finger Iran in the 1994 AMIA bombing despite the absence of any evidence for such an accusation.

Some EU officials have indicated that they will demand actual evidence before listing Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. If so, it will be the first challenge to US-Israeli insistence on blaming their main regional adversaries for terrorist actions, even when the evidence points elsewhere.

February 20th, 2013, 11:11 am

 
 

zoo said:

The FSA to Hezbollah: A 48 hours ultimatum repeated every six months.

The Syrian Free Army (FSA) has issued an ultimatum to Lebanese Hezbollah group to cease its operations in Syria or face attacks on its installations in South Lebanon.

FSA Chief of Staff Brigadier General Salim Idris told Al Arabiya that Hezbollah, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has 48 hours to end its involvement in Syria or the Syrian opposition army will begin targeting its positions in Lebanon.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/20/267402.html

February 20th, 2013, 11:22 am

 

Hopeful said:

Today I had a meeting with a smart energetic young Syrian man who is working on a software startup company in Dubai. I felt very proud and optimistic about the future after spending an hour with the young man. The young man was cheerful, friendly, genuine and upbeat about his ideas.

At the end of our conversation, we started talking about Syria. The mood changed and the young man, with tears in his eyes, told me that both his father and brother have been arrested for 11 months and the family does not know much about their whereabouts. The family has contacts at the highest level with government officials but apparently no one can do anything to help them out.

This is the kind of regime that we are dealing with and that needs to be dismantled – not only to eliminate injustice and corruption, but also to allow our human capital to reach its potential. Had this young man been in the US, he may have been the one to start the new Google. Syrians, please wake up, you are wasting our youth. Syria must get rid of the nightmare that suffocated its human and natural resources for almost half of a century.

February 20th, 2013, 11:26 am

 

zoo said:

Short-lived Tunisia PM steps down: Tunisia in deeper crisis.

Published Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Tunisia’s prime minister announced his resignation late Tuesday following a failed effort to form a technocratic government to see the country out of its political crisis.

The resignation is expected to further deepen the country’s political instability, which earlier Tuesday prompted an international ratings agency to downgrade the government’s credit rating.

February 20th, 2013, 11:29 am

 

Juergen said:

Syrian couple overcomes sectarian differences

February 20th, 2013, 11:49 am

 

Sami said:

Hopeful,

There is no centralized leadership any longer. The regime has fragmented into a whole bunch of militias that are becoming increasingly more competitive with each other. It really has become a case of the right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing.

In creating so many different competing “intelligence agencies” Havez insured Syria will have this scourge to deal with for years to come.

I hope your friends brother and father make it out, I shudder at the thought of the monstrous treatment they might be enduring at the hands of the coward torturers.

February 20th, 2013, 11:50 am

 

Observer said:

Here is a great video showing the humour of the FSA and this is nice for my colleagues here to share with

February 20th, 2013, 11:54 am

 

Tara said:

Hyena,

You crossed all lines with your attack on WSS. So let me stoop down to your level and say, the only pathetic being is you… And it is a general consensus if you have not noticed.

I think the least thing JL should do in respect of his x- moderator is to ban you.

And your attack on gay status is pathetic too. You have not demonstrated a single quality to warrant respect.

February 20th, 2013, 12:06 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

@176

Dumbo sub-retard 2
Tunisia Former PM is alive and well, he is 64, which doesn’t really qualify as being short-lived on two counts.

February 20th, 2013, 12:13 pm

 

Hanzala said:

Visitor #170:

حياك الله

February 20th, 2013, 12:21 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara spare me your outrage – you and Scherk are terrorist supporters. You both belong locked in cages.

Scherk is a rat who used his moderator status to steal private IPs and hand them out to animals like you.

February 20th, 2013, 12:27 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

The Feartleth leader

ولك يقطعك شو مسخره

February 20th, 2013, 12:36 pm

 
 
 

revenire said:

Where is the FSA air force? More lies from rats.

February 20th, 2013, 12:42 pm

 

William Scott Scherk said:

The munchkin RevvedonRuins, mysterious commentator on all matters, waxes hysterical:

168. REVENIRE said:

Sami please, what has Bil Scherk ever done with his life? An aging queen in Canada? He works in HR for God’s sake. He’s not a journalist. He’s a former punk rocker, a washed-up has-been never-was. He’s pathetic. I pity him.

Yow. The manic scratching, the lurches in reason, the rampant Nutterzone observations and pontifications.

What the heck does it matter who is an aging Queen or not (I think Aldendeshe might qualify for that header — at least aging KIng of Bizarrostan)? — what on earth difference would it make what I was? What does ad hominem mean, in context?

We are not here to debate my aging or my queenitude, Munchkie. Seriously. Give your head a shake, Rev. Take a tip from your Prom date Zoolicious. Just turn on the charm …

Meanwhile, the leader of the National Coalition is expected to present his ass in Washington DC. Unlike RevvedonDeath and the other Baath singalong team, Khatib has a name and a face, and leaves mom’s basement.

Do you understand how odd it strikes reasonable people, Rev, when you persistently slag a person using personal details publicly available (queen of punk rock, aging, have been blah) — while at the same time you have declared nothing** about yourself at all? No country, no home, no connection to Syria.

See how the difference in perspective highlights both Assadist lunacy and base hypocrisy? Isn’t that fabulous, Rev? That you are swimming in the deep end without waterwings? That you are gasping like a mudfish? That you make Ann seem like Shirley Temple?

Marigoldran has your number, I think. No Arabic, no citizenship or family connection to the old country, and by most measures likely to be living in the world’s most awful NATO hellhole, the USA.

Just like um, er, Tara.

It is too bad you cannot see yourself as others see you, Revenire. You might then be able to get your non-functional debate skills out of the driveway and onto the road. As it is, you seem like a maniac, married to the House of Assad, and carrying its water.

___________________

** Zip, zero, nada, emptitude, notchkes. Jest like um, er, plain old nobody Zoolicious.

February 20th, 2013, 12:50 pm

 

ann said:

Quick hide your boys and your not so private IP addresses on this blog!

February 20th, 2013, 1:05 pm

 
 

revenire said:

Bill so it is okay for you (and Tara and half a dozen other terrorist supporters) to call people names (and call for murder) but not okay for others to do the same? Why not?

“WSS once called her (Narwani) a regime lap dancer.”
https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=17814&cp=all#comment-350463

I’ve seen you attack women more than once your majesty. Isn’t that both ironic and lawful?

And you did steal private IPs Bill. There is no doubt of that.

We’re not having a debate. There is no debate. You’re a pig.

PS – I hope in the “New Syria” you and Marigoldran can marry. He can cook dog for breakfast for the two of you. 🙂

February 20th, 2013, 1:12 pm

 

ann said:

Nothing but a common thief!

February 20th, 2013, 1:15 pm

 

revenire said:

Scherk was I wrong? Aren’t you an aging queen? You’re the one who brought up your “sexuality” as it were. Right? You can make love to the dogs Margoldran cooks for all I care Bill. That’s your right as a “free” Canadian isn’t it?

You call people names each time you come here. You harass people so much (usually women) on Twitter they are forced to block you. You did steal IPs when you were a moderator here – that’s a fact. (I think either you, or Tara, still has access to private IPs too. I also think she ran off and called you.)

I am laughing that anyone could be offended after you terrorist supporters sit here day after day accusing anyone who supports the Syrian government of being murderers.

It shows how sick you are inside. How warped your morality is.

Thank God our army is sending your cancerous rat army to Hell.

February 20th, 2013, 1:29 pm

 

revenire said:

Hearing unconfirmed reports that our army has just shot down an Israeli drone Deir Al-Ash’ar District.

February 20th, 2013, 1:46 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Retards
Stop leaking your IP addresses every time you cut and paste.

February 20th, 2013, 2:07 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

Can you imagine the martyrs telling Guevara about their extraordinary revolution and Che refusing to believe any of it, thinking their crazy?

February 20th, 2013, 2:09 pm

 

zoo said:

Obama to change course on Syria?

Officials concerned about number of jihadists joining rebels

TEL AVIV – The Obama administration is leaning toward scaling back its demand for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign and instead may encourage reconciliation talks between Assad and the opposition, according to informed Middle Eastern security officials.

The security officials said Russia has been instrumental in convincing the U.S. to change its position, largely due to growing concern about the massive number of jihadists participating in the insurgency targeting Assad’s regime.

“Jihadists streaming into Syria via Turkey have reached a critical mass, to the point where the equilibrium of power may shift in troubling directions,” said a security official. “It’s to the point where Turkey is now perhaps the biggest al-Qaida base in the world.”

The U.S. has said it understands the issue and is leaning toward changing its position, the official said.

WND reported three weeks ago the increased numbers of jihadists pouring into Syria via the Turkish border at a rate of thousands per month, according to informed Middle Eastern security officials.

The officials said Russia and Iran have been compensating for the increased jihadist influx by providing more weapons to Syria, including advanced protections for Syria’s missile arsenal.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/obama-to-change-course-on-syria/#QqtvB0V6RwYtT8p5.99

February 20th, 2013, 2:15 pm

 

Tara said:

A Lebanese judge recommended Wednesday the death penalty for former Information Minister Michel Samaha, a Syrian general and another holding the rank of colonel over a terror plot to destabilize Lebanon. The indictment charges the three men of holding a meeting under Mamlouk at the National Security office in the Syrian capital Damascus and orchestrating a plot to assassinate Syrian opposition figures and arms traffickers entering Syria from Lebanon. Samaha is seen as Syria’s “man in Lebanon”.

Read more at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-20/207211-judge-recommends-death-penalty-in-samaha-case.ashx#axzz2LKZQKg00

February 20th, 2013, 2:22 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

The revolution – (1 year, 11 months and 5 days old)

What A Beautiful Day

It was on the {fifteenth of March}, when time it went back
Some say that that’s impossible, but you and I we never looked back
And wasn’t it incredible, so beautiful and above all
Just to see the fuse get lit this time
To light a real bonfire, for all time

[…]

The news broke after midnight,
That we pulled the temples down without a sound
But the generals they were hiding out
The ministers, Well! They’d all gone to ground

[…]

[Levellers]

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/levellers/what+a+beautiful+day_20340336.html

February 20th, 2013, 2:22 pm

 

Citizen said:

HAMSTER
for me to sneeze on your art and skill to break IP other commentators!
if you need a feed, I am ready to offer you

February 20th, 2013, 2:22 pm

 

Citizen said:

192.
Alice is the one man who wrote about the newspapers that he molested the little ones?It looks like they atypical group of nerds

February 20th, 2013, 2:28 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Again, eloquence is not demanded, comprehensibility is required.

February 20th, 2013, 2:30 pm

 

Visitor said:

……

February 20th, 2013, 2:31 pm

 

omen said:

sharmine = holocaust denialist

February 20th, 2013, 2:46 pm

 

Citizen said:

Uzair
US-Saudi Funded Terrorists Sowing Chaos in Pakistan- Allah Akbar 🙂

February 20th, 2013, 2:48 pm

 

Visitor said:

“HAMSTER
for me to sneeze on your art and skill to break IP other commentators!
if you need a feed, I am ready to offer you”

Another Retard hits the jackpot!

Citizen @ 199,

Hamster was ridiculing Spam/Ann @189!!

Time for you to realize the full extent of your potential and try not to exceed it. You are the copy/paste ‘expert’!! Do more than that, and attempt to compose longer than one-sentence paragraphs, you end up revealing more than an IP: Your Retardation!!

You know what they used to say? A sound advice was worth a whole camel in days bygone!

February 20th, 2013, 2:52 pm

 

Sami said:

AssWipe,

This will be my first and only time to ever address a piece of vile garbage such as yourself.

Calling Sharmine a Regime Lap Dancer is NOT an attack on her womanhood. That was a cheap and rather infantile response by non other than the regime shill herself, the fact she took WSS’s statement as an attack on her femininity while ignoring the obvious fact that BOTH males and females slide down metal poles for a living (and whom make a more honest living than that piece of trash) shows how ignorant this crappy “reporter” is, and her willingness to twist the facts to fit whatever callous narrative she is trying to peddle.

This of course does not include her personal attacks towards ACTUAL reporters some of whom died WHILE reporting from INSIDE Syria, something this piece of garbage never will do.

Your brave “reporter” Sharmine is nothing more than a Journalistic Prostitute that is willing to peddle in regime lies and turn them into half truths for a blood soak dollar. Only an anus like you will find her crap agreeable, which is not surprising considering your sole job on here is spewing crap.

And please do inform us about the details of your “fact” regarding Bill stealing IP’s, because guess what Bill RESIGNED after a personal spat between him and Camille (Alex) on Facebook which had nothing to do with Syria Comment but resulted in the outing of Bill as SC moderator. Only a dimwit like you would take accusations peddled by a Spawn of SatANN as “facts”…

February 20th, 2013, 3:02 pm

 
 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

SAMI
What a good mind you have. Competence has a way of showing itself.

In my opinion, the spat did not result in outing Bill, It was never a casual error, but a conscious, and arguably premeditated act.

February 20th, 2013, 3:14 pm

 

Syrialover said:

Mystery: Why does REVENIRE invest such a huge amount of time here when he has nothing to say?

His posts are all about childishly amusing and entertaining himself trying to bait others.

But we can be glad if anyone is paying him that they are putting their $$s into a trash can and setting it alight to make instant ashes.

February 20th, 2013, 3:18 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Answer:

Because he is a loser and he has nothing better to do.

February 20th, 2013, 3:26 pm

 

Citizen said:

205. VISITOR
what relationship do you have? seems forage does not concern you is not it?

February 20th, 2013, 3:28 pm

 

revenire said:

Hate to tell you but Scherk was “outed” (in more ways than one) by a very important (to this site anyway) person.

Sharmine really gets under your skin by reporting the truth doesn’t she? 🙂

February 20th, 2013, 3:39 pm

 

Visitor said:

Can anyone explain to me who this Camille (Alex) is? He keeps popping up in conversations every once in a while, and seems to have something to do with SC!!

So far everyone speaks of him as a villain!

————————

Citizen,

Come again!!

Oh! Forget it! Who am I talking to?

February 20th, 2013, 3:40 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

“Поговорка – цветок, пословица – ягодка.

The retard butchers both. And even though

Всяк сверчо́к знай свой шесто́к.

our insect doesn’t

February 20th, 2013, 3:58 pm

 

Syrialover said:

SAMI,

I always saw Sharmine Narwani’s attacks on high quality western journalists as a bizarre hissing fit of envy and inept attempt to distract from what they were telling the world about Syria.

It was embarrassing to read. And particularly distasteful when she was attacking some very fine people who lost their lives in their mission to bring the truth about Syria to the world. Sharmine Narwani has a very ugly brain.

And here’s something interesting.

That junk denying the number of deaths in Syria is a recycled version of something she ran exactly a year ago! She’s a shamelessly lazy, cheating “commentator”, with a repertoire smaller than the circumference of Bashar Assad’s pin head.

Back then, the excellent blogger Maysaloon, along with others, delivered well-argued, lethal precision blows to her nonesense: http://www.maysaloon.org/2012/03/sharmine-narwani-hear-no-evil-see-no.html

In one of his columns rebutting Narwani, Maysaloon remarks in a wickedly polite and understated way:

“Unfortunately this is a poorly referenced and researched article that appears to be more interested in resolving an artificial argument”

February 20th, 2013, 4:00 pm

 

Citizen said:

The failure by the West to condemn the killing of the Syrian athlete today by the FSA is as repugnant as the FSA itself.

February 20th, 2013, 4:09 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

There’s been speculation whether Zoo = Irritated = Warren.

Anything’s possible however I’m not sure. If I remember correct Irritated was a little more confrontational, combative. He really sounded irritated. Zoo was mild and just posted articles.

About Warren, I’d be surprised if it was Zoo. I remember once I pointed out to Zoo that a claim in his comment was a hoax. There were a few exchanges with him and warren that ensued about the same time.

From comment #39 where I responded to Zoo:

https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=17273&cp=all#comment-341359

Zoo’s comment at #78 and Warren’s at #79 were a minute apart. Unless we’re dealing with the Gary Oldman of SC, a chameleon it seems unlikely.

I suspected Warren might be a second account. If true, whoever it is, it’s a cowardly cover under which to restort to racist, ethnic and sectarian slurs. Perhaps an attempt, in frustration, to intimidate and chase out rivals who are undoing pro regime propaganda.

Not long ago I googled Professor Paul Rogers, Department of Peace Studies Bradford University (a familiar face in UK media on international issues), to see what he has said on Syria. A list of previous articles some of which have a certain namesake of Warren* replying in the comment section. I pondered for a while, considering Warrens familiarity with UK issues but nah.

Prof Paul Rogers archive:

http://www.opendemocracy.net/author/paul-rogers

* http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/syria-weapons-vs-politics

February 20th, 2013, 4:10 pm

 

revenire said:

Sharmine Narwani pointed out some simple facts. The freak out she elicited here only proves she’s right.

What do you take issue with in particular? Her point is that the casualty figures are mainly male combatants, comprised of rats and Syrian soldiers and police.

Dr. Landis obviously feels Narwani is right and pointed that out to his readers.

I’ve never seen Sharmine attacking any “fine” journalists – rats maybe but fine journalists no.

February 20th, 2013, 4:11 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

Sharmine Narwani. You can tell a person by the company they keep. She was a familiar tweeter on Syrian Commando’s twitter. I presume she would be a regime sympathizer.

February 20th, 2013, 4:16 pm

 

Citizen said:

War Syria. Sarakib. Combat shooting. February 2013. Syrian army shall render FSA terrorists.

http://youtu.be/yRfIsf0cEYg?t=2s

February 20th, 2013, 4:20 pm

 

Visitor said:

Uzair8 @217,

Zoo already admitted he was Irritated.

He is Warren because the style is similar.

Zoo creates different monikors and he uses each incarnation to present diffrent ascpects of his venoms. He cannot post under Zoo what he posted under Warren in order to keep the lines of communications open.

He also postsed under Irritated in order to reinforce what Zoo was posting.

It is all part of a propaganda scheme he is paid for to do as a shill.

You need to be able to profile posters in order to coi=nvince yourself of such conclusions.

Zoo was definitely Irritated.
Warren was definitely Zoo.

Zoo still has several incarnations on SC.

Comment 79 that you linked is only one sentence comment. I can write it in 10 seconds. You have to keep in mind Zoo is glued to SC.

February 20th, 2013, 4:22 pm

 

syrian said:

A note to HA and Hasan nes-lira
your so called”victory” againest Israel in 2006 can not be applied to Syria
we don’t have Isreal’s hight standerd defintation of a win and a lose
we will not coiseder 140 Syrian vs 1500 lebanise a lose
we will not get tierd after 30 days of fighting
your major asset, your reockest,have no effects what so ever,even if you want to use them there are no places to destroy unless you want to aim them at Taratous ,lattackia and the half of the city of Homes that is supporting the regime.

February 20th, 2013, 4:29 pm

 

Citizen said:

Information Minister SAR Omran Al-Zaubi confirmed that the government is going to start a process of national dialogue, whose doors are not closed to anyone. The dialogue must be found to solve pressing issues and problems of democracy, to resolve the crisis by the Syrians, and the compilation of the electoral register.
“The invitation is sent to all Syrians, both within the country and abroad,” – he said, noting that the state provides all the guarantees of foreign opposition and logistical resources to ensure its participation in a deep and serious political process. ”
He considered items political program, which includes solutions to social and economic issues as well as issues related to civil rights and reconciliation.

“Syria is committed to dialogue, despite the fact that violence continues in the country, but for his termination is necessary to create a new atmosphere that will ensure compliance with the constitutional rights of the state in terms of guarantees of its security,” – he said.

Al Zaubi stressed that the international position on Syria began to undergo changes, going back in the right direction after the external players, it became clear that the “overthrow of the regime by force” is impossible, and also criticized the statements of UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to SAR, in which He ignored the political program proposed by the Syrian government to end the country’s crisis.

February 20th, 2013, 4:34 pm

 

Syrialover said:

HOPEFUL, I got a tightness in my chest and stomach reading your account in #175.

That bright young Syrian expatriate’s story brings home with a sledgehammer the unmeasurable damage Bashar Assad has inflicted on the people of Syria.

Somebody said that all Syrians have now had part of them die inside at the hands of the Assad regime.

All of us with family inside Syria live on a knife edge of anxiety, cutting sharper and deeper every day for two years. Fear, despair and grief at what’s happening takes our breath away and floods our mind in waves that don’t stop.

What is being done to Syria by Bashar Assad is worse than what happens when a country goes to war with an enemy.

It is very different because it is so excessively sinister, cruel, damaging, pointless and irrational. It has not only killed and disabled so many people and physically destroyed the country. Worse, it has psychologically wounded all for whom Syria is their only country, their identity and motherland, the one place where they belong.

HOPEFUL, stories like the one you tell above is a small glimpse into the bleak, dark canyon with no bottom that Syrians have been pushed into.

February 20th, 2013, 4:54 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Citizen

That’s nice. Because NO ONE who is fighting is going to talk to the regime.

This is something that the Russians are beginning to find out. As I’ve said before: the regime has no one to negotiate with and the war continues.

February 20th, 2013, 4:58 pm

 

revenire said:

Funny but Moaz called for talks. You should notify him about his position Mari.

Also Mari, we are wondering if you walk the dogs you eat? Is that emotional for you?

February 20th, 2013, 5:05 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

The fact the rebels are split into many different groups makes it difficult for the regime as well.

It means that the regime and their supporters have no one to talk to. Even if they miraculously make an agreement or defeat one group, the other groups will keep on fighting, which means the war continues.

EDIT: As usual, I smell the stench of total loser-ness coming from you.

February 20th, 2013, 5:05 pm

 

revenire said:

Don’t you think everyone already knows the rats are not unified? That’s not exactly news is it?

February 20th, 2013, 5:07 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

You don’t have a job. You don’t have a life. You spend 12-16 hours on this blog, with multiple accounts.

You’re a total loser, Revenire.

February 20th, 2013, 5:09 pm

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

188. WILLIAM SCOTT SCHERK

“RevvedonRuins, Zoolicious and um, er, Tara.”

The odd couple plus one…

A New Bashar Cartoon:

http://www.cartoonmovement.com/depot/cartoons/2013/02/Ycg73a3ATiuynSb3l50l1w.jpeg

February 20th, 2013, 5:10 pm

 

revenire said:

Can’t answer me can you?

Everyone, the Russians – the Americans – the Syrians – knows the rats are not united. This has been the case from Day One.

February 20th, 2013, 5:11 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

There’s no reason to talk to you about Syria. Get your life in order, and then maybe there’s something to discuss. But I don’t like interacting with you because you’re such a big failure that I’m afraid that your failure germs are going to spread to others, like me.

People don’t like to be around failures, Revenire. You’re an excellent example of that.

February 20th, 2013, 5:11 pm

 

revenire said:

The level of stupidity is astronomical. Coming here to state the obvious really is stunning.

“The war continues.”

“The rebels are not united.”

“This will take a long time.”

Move the goal post down again. Just a few weeks ago you said Damascus was falling.

I am amazed Vietnam won but then again you didn’t fight there did you? Too young.

February 20th, 2013, 5:14 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Glad you finally noticed.

All of my comments are ACCURATE, by the way.

The war does continue. The rebels are not united. And this war will take a long time. Other than trash talking, what else is there to say?

It stands in contrast to your statements, which are complicated and WRONG.

February 20th, 2013, 5:16 pm

 

revenire said:

So weak and insecure too. I remember when you used to say I wanted to gas Sunni villages and I would tell you “no, just enemy combatants” and you would sit there stunned because you have this imaginary war going on in your head.

I enjoy watching you spin like a top.

February 20th, 2013, 5:17 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Oh, we’re revisiting that?

In which case I would like to remind you that gas weapons spread over a large area and are indiscriminate against targets, which is why they’re banned by the UN. Since the rebels take shelter in Sunni villages, gassing them would mean gassing the entire village.

What sort of gas weapons are you thinking about?

February 20th, 2013, 5:19 pm

 

revenire said:

I said 1000 x 1000 to give any civilians 24 hours and then start bombing and don’t stop bombing until everyone is dead. I said to gas any rats trying to escape.

You were so frightened you had to lie and said I wanted to gas Sunni villages. Assad’s wife is Sunni as is most of our army.

I don’t care one bit about anyone who remains after being given 24 hours notice. Let them die. Good riddance.

You spun around like a little puppet each time I said it.

February 20th, 2013, 5:21 pm

 

revenire said:

And, let me point out again how wrong you are: the United Nations doesn’t make any laws for Syria. None. Not one. Nothing.

Syria can do as she likes.

Don’t forget that.

You are such a small boy. Maybe Bill Scherk can make a man of you.

February 20th, 2013, 5:24 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

“I don’t care one bit about anyone who remains after being given 24 hours notice. Let them die. Good riddance.”

Oh. I think that says it all. I’m done for now. Be seeing you, LOSER.

EDIT: Have fun living your life on the comments section of some blog. Unlike you I have things to do.

February 20th, 2013, 5:24 pm

 

revenire said:

People that shelter terrorists deserve the same fate as the terrorists. Got it? DEATH.

If a rat is being sheltered by a civilian that civilians is THE ENEMY and will be killed the same as any soldier would be. Wake up. We’re not playing games. This is war.

Go do your paper route. Mom is getting your bath ready for later.

Let the men talk.

February 20th, 2013, 5:29 pm

 

revenire said:

From Ziad – enjoy.

IDLIB: We told you so. Huge and complex military operations involving units from the Third Army Corps and militia devastated the rat population of the area with combination of artillery, air power and relentless infantry assault. Over 100 rodents have been counted. One of the vermin population was a Libyan who went by the name of “Abu Mus’ab Al-Libi”, a common name among these Barbary apes. His actual identity has not been determined because he did not carry any papers. Here are some names which have been reported. Over 48 are believed to be foreigners in the pay of Prince Pedophile of Qatar.

Muhammad Mahfouz Siyaam
“Abu Khaddouj” (i.d. pending)
Rami Ali Mukhlis
Hassan Diab Safraa
Khaled Abu-Smaaneh
Mahmoud Samir Al-Halabi
Abdallah Hussein Taifoor
Rajab Atiyyeh
Hilal Khamees Zurqut
Jihad Ali Hilwaani
“Abu-Rida” (i.d. pending)
Ali Muhsin Sirdab

At Jisr Al-Shughoor, we can confirm the following identities of dead carcasses:

Munif Hussein Al-Bazzaz
Hassan Ali Maqsoud
Sadreddine Kheir Ali
Ghassan Muhammad Sairafi
Ali “Abu Jack” Hassanein
Jihad Hussein Abdul-Rahman

Another 6 remain unidentified. Our friends at Updates also mentioned a Abdul-Razzaaq Al-Khidr whose name did not come to us.

At Kafr Haya, in the Jabal Al-Zaawiya, a firefight broke out when SAA discovered a den of vermin and tried to arrest them. Wael tells me 6 were killed and 2 injured but in critical condition.

February 20th, 2013, 5:31 pm

 

zoo said:

Death of Danish Jihadist Highlights International Makeup of Assad’s Opposition

Matthew Feeney|Feb. 20, 2013 3:00 pm
http://reason.com/blog/2013/02/20/death-of-danish-jihadist-highlights-inte

Earlier today, UPI reported that Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, a jihadist fighter, had been killed in Syria. Many jihadists have been fighting and dying in the Syrian conflict, and the death of Abderrahmane is at first glance nothing particularly worth noting. However, Abderrahmane’s death highlights the international nature of the Syrian conflict and the different ideals motivating Assad’s diverse opposition.

Abderrahmane was a Danish national who was born in Denmark to an Algerian father and a Danish mother. In February 2002 Abderrahmane was arrested in Pakistan and sent to Guantanamo Bay, where he was detained until February 2004 (link to declassified chronological listing of Guantanamo detainees from the Office for the Administrative Review of the Detention of Enemy Combatants here).

The Copenhagen Post reported that according to Danish domestic intelligence Abderrahmane was one of an increasing number of Danes going to fight against Assad in Syria.

The conflict in Syria is oftentimes described as a civil war, and while Syrians are the main belligerents in the fighting it is important not to forget that Syria has become a battlefield where fighters from across the world have come, only adding to the already high possibility of a destabilized post-war Syria.

In December last year Reuters reported that U.N. investigators had recorded fighters from 29 different countries coming to Syria to fight with Assad’s opposition.

Given the international diversity of the rebels and the increasing possibility of international involvement in Syria it would be best for Obama to resist the urge to arm those fighting the Assad regime. If the rebels win no one can predict what might happen next or whether the U.S. will be safer as a result.

February 20th, 2013, 5:42 pm

 

zoo said:

Allan Massie: War crimes trials are only for the losing side

By ALLAN MASSIE
Published on Wednesday 20 February 2013 00:00
http://www.scotsman.com/news/allan-massie-war-crimes-trials-are-only-for-the-losing-side-1-2799875

Threats of court action will not encourage the opposing forces in Syria to come to the negotiating table, writes Allan Massie

United Nations investigators have been calling for the trials of people accused of war crimes in Syria. Carla Del Ponte, who was chief prosecutor for the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, has been particularly vociferous. She was on television on Monday night saying there is enough evidence to bring the accused to trial. “It’s really time,” she says. “We have a permanent court, the international criminal court, who would be ready to take this case.”

She is wrong. It is indeed probable that acts which might be designated war crimes have been committed in Syria, by both sides: the troops of the Assad government and the rebels. Nevertheless, she is wrong.

She is wrong, first, because the Syrian civil war is still raging. There is at present little evidence that leads one to suppose that it will end with a clear victory for either side

February 20th, 2013, 5:47 pm

 

Tara said:

It does sound weird to have 2 phone calls from 2 different members 2 days in a row.

Received a phone call today from yet another “relative” of Asma al Akhrass asking for donation….for the opposition!

I was so hesitant to share this on SC lest I cause massive heart attack in some hyenas… who I demand from them complete worship to Asma and her family, the worship they used to entertain us with..

It was reassuring to know that al Akrasses are the only rotten apples. Sourya bi Khair!

February 20th, 2013, 5:49 pm

 

zoo said:

Iraq Gives Go-Ahead for Iranian Pipeline to Syria

AFP BAGHDAD February 20, 2013 (AP)

Iraq has approved the construction of a natural gas pipeline across its territory that will connect Iran to key ally Syria. The move likely to strengthen Tehran’s influence over its neighbors.

The Iraqi Cabinet said in a statement Tuesday evening that it has instructed the country’s oil minister to sign a framework agreement for the $10 billion project, allowing the pipeline to move ahead.

The project is designed to supply gas from the giant South Pars field to Syria as well as other export markets.

Iran signed a preliminary deal to build the 1,500-kilometer (750-mile) pipeline in July 2011 as Syrian rebels were stepping up their fight to topple President Bashar Assad. Work on the project started in November.

After Russia, Iran has the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves.

February 20th, 2013, 5:55 pm

 

zoo said:

Torture in a prison in .. Dubai

Dubai denies abuse allegation by Britons held on drug charges
Three British nationals in detention in Dubai over drug charges claim they have been tortured; authorities deny accusations
Reuters , Wednesday 20 Feb 2013

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/65249/World/Region/Dubai-denies-abuse-allegation-by-Britons-held-on-d.aspx


Reprieve said Williams had electric shocks administered to his testicles, adding that a Reprieve lawyer had met the three men in prison and drawn up draft witness statements.

“They pulled down my trousers, spread my legs and started to electrocute my testicles. It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared. Then they took off the towel and I could see that there was a gun pointed at my head,” Williams was quoted as saying.

The three men say they were also forced to sign documents in Arabic, a language none of them speak, Reprieve said.

February 20th, 2013, 6:05 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

A gift from Ali Ferzat to the retards

أهديها الى كل بوق وطبل للنظام طلع عالفضائيات أو بكل وسائل الأعلام.. ..!!فردة فردة..!!
علي فرزات

February 20th, 2013, 7:04 pm

 

revenire said:

HNN Homs News Network
https://www.facebook.com/homs.news.network.english?ref=stream

I WAS WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION TO BRING YOU THE ICING ON TONIGHT’S CAKE, AND HERE IT IS !!

TWO DRONES WERE DOWNED BY SYRIAN DEFENSE, FIRST ONE UNMANNED , 2ND DRONE AND F-16 FLOWN BY AN ISRAELI COLONEL WHO IS NOW DECLARED MISSING IN ACTION, ACCORDING TO ISRAEL’S CHANNEL 10 NEWS ..

COULD IT GET ANY BETTER TONIGHT , THIS IS THE BEST NEWS . GOD IS GREAT .. ALLAH W AKBAR, COME AGAIN ISRAEL … –

February 20th, 2013, 7:11 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Visitor
Joshua started this blog with the help of Alex Camile Otrakji, who worked as moderator too.you can goggle it.

February 20th, 2013, 7:16 pm

 

revenire said:

Correct on Alex. And one can see many of the same cast of characters (AIG, Akbar Palace, Syrian Hamster, Mayasaloon etc) posting below. This was over one year ago. All their silly predictions failed.

http://qifanabki.com/2011/05/02/camille-otrakji-syria-protests/

February 20th, 2013, 7:46 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

General Salim Idris sent a threat to HA,gave them 48 hour to withdraw from Syria,and they must stop aiding Assad to kill Syrians.
I doubt HA will respond positively, since they take orders from Iran,and the question is,what can FSA now do to HA?
All what FSA can do must be kept secret, probably the most FSA can do is making sure that HA needs for its existance a good relations with future Syria,meanwhile no one is immune from violence,also pro revolution lebaneses can paralize HA

February 20th, 2013, 8:01 pm

 

zoo said:

France uses Israeli drones to kill Islamists in Mali

Participation of Israeli drones in Mali war
Monday, 18 February 2013 18:00

http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/5263-participation-of-israeli-drones-in-mali-war

According to the French Ministry of Defence, 26 UVAs were deployed over Mali.

An American newspaper, World Tribune, has revealed that France used of Israeli drones in airstrikes targeting armed Islamists in Mali.

The newspaper quoted officials in the French Ministry of Defence as saying that since the beginning of the military operation in Mali earlier this year, the French army have been using “Harfang” drones, which can fly at medium and high altitudes.

It added that such drones are considered a modified model of the Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), “Heron”, manufactured by Israeli Aerospace Industries.

The newspaper also quoted a report by the French Defence Ministry issued on February 8th that the drones conducted their first operations on 18th January.

February 20th, 2013, 8:10 pm

 

zoo said:

Syrian and Lebanese News Agencies Claim Israeli Drone Downed
By: Jewish Press News Briefs
Published: February 20th, 2013

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/syrian-and-lebanese-news-agencies-claim-israeli-drone-downed/2013/02/20/?src=ataglance

Two news agencies in Lebanon and Syria claimed Wednesday evening that an Israeli drone was downed, possibly by a SAM anti-missile that was fired from Syria. The official Lebanese National News Agency reported, “The tail of a surface-to-air missile (SAM) fired from Syria fell in the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Deir al-Ashayer,” near the border between Syria and Lebanon and approximately 15 west of Damascus.

February 20th, 2013, 8:12 pm

 

omen said:

Justice fo Hamza and Omar and Yasser and all of the martyrs of this revolution.

sorry, trying to catch up. who is yasser?

February 20th, 2013, 8:28 pm

 

revenire said:

The FSA can do nothing to Hezbollah.

Nasrallah had a little warning of his own for Israel and her FSA allies.

Don’t test him.

February 20th, 2013, 8:37 pm

 

Tara said:

I am growing more resentful to HA than I am to the regime. It is plain and simple sectarianism that is motivating HA to kill Syrians. They are willing to kill all Sunnis to protect their interest. For the regime, it is kill whoever to protect the mfia family. The Alawis just happened to be hijacked by them. I hope and pray that the FSA is prepared to deal with those terrorists before and after the regime fall. And I also hope that Iran’s nuclear capability is bombed and the world is rid from those evil mullahs.

February 20th, 2013, 8:46 pm

 

omen said:

observer requested we absorb this report:

When Syrian soldiers burst into a home and found no trace of the young men they had come to recruit by force, they raped their sister instead. Helpless, her father watched in horror as his daughter was defiled in his own living room, he later told a United Nations relief worker in Jordan. Another Syrian man, blinded by fear and the shame of risking his family’s honor, shot his own daughter to prevent approaching Syrian soldiers from gang raping her. One Syrian father opted for the unbearable, heart wrenching choice of giving up his youngest girl to armed troops lusting after her at a military checkpoint. They had threatened to mow down all family members in the car with him under a hail of bullets unless he complied with their commander’s request.

Sexual violence against women and, in some cases, young boys, documented and aggregated in reports by Human Rights Watch , the International Rescue Committee and the New York-based Media Center initiative known as Women under Siege, have shattered all pretenses, shredding all fake veneers of social propriety in war-lacerated Syria. Assumptions about Arab family cohesion and paternal protection shielding women folk against predators and rape have been turned inside out.

Though humanitarian organizations tracking the rise of rape in Syria largely accuse the Syrian Army, and the proxy militia of the regime, the Shabbiha, for perpetrating these acts, they do not exclude certain elements of the predominantly Islamist rebels.

As outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton once aptly said, women do not start conflicts, but they often end up as victims. Syria is inching toward replacing the Congo as the world’s rape capital. The U.S.-based IRC designated rape as a primary factor in the exodus of women and children refugees to neighboring Lebanon and Jordan.

“Many women and girls relayed accounts of being attacked in public or in their homes, primarily by armed men. These rapes, sometimes by multiple perpetrators, often occur in front of family members,” the IRC said. The findings, based on 240 interviews, indicate that rape has become a “significant and disturbing” feature of Syria’s war.

Women and girls told of being kidnapped, raped and tortured. At military checkpoints, they have become targets of opportunity. Later, some victims are killed or married off.

Melissa Fleming, the Geneva-based spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, said, “The taboo is so great that what we are hearing is a fraction of what is going on. What we are trying to do with groups such as Save the Children, the IRC and UNICEF is create spaces so that these women can come forward.”

how do people continue to remain loyal to this regime?

February 20th, 2013, 8:54 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara here you are calling for Iran to be bombed and you’re worried about me calling Bill Scherk what he is – an aging queen? Tara you are a confused and weak woman. Syria is too good for you. You would need to atone and change to be allowed to walk on her sacred soil.

You might have nice black hair and a shape that men admire – I don’t know – but inside it your soul is ugly.

Your words sicken me.

February 20th, 2013, 8:55 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

OMEN
How far is it from wanting to gas entire cities to rape? I would say not far. Rape is not sexual, it is power crime. So I would easily imagine some (not all) of the retards here as standing trial one of these days for rape or sexual assault.

February 20th, 2013, 9:06 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Omen said
how do people continue to remain loyal to this regime?

I said it before those who are not afraid of God,those we should be afraid of.
Civil war is inevitable,and all Assad thugs will vanish, their crimes justify their death.

February 20th, 2013, 9:07 pm

 

omen said:

bernard, if you really wanted to demonstrate your loyalty and support for assad, you would run off to be in syria. i wish you would. that way you’d find out first hand what the regime does to people like you. it wouldn’t take long before you’re crying for rebels to come save you.

February 20th, 2013, 9:12 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Nus-lira sounded like it was laying an egg.

good… retard, push that impotent rage button, it is the red colored one. Right here ↓

February 20th, 2013, 9:19 pm

 

ALI said:

Please pay respect when talking about Sayed Hasan Nasrallah. Nasrallah belongs to the same ranking of Hafez and Jamal AbdolNasser

February 20th, 2013, 9:29 pm

 

Sami said:

Tara,

The sharper you are the more vile they grow… Having said that when dealing with a disbecibel, demented, dimwitted and juvenile anus one should take into account all this entity is good for is spewing crap. It is best to avoid it because it likes nothing more than to taint you with its filthy disgusting crap… But if you insist try the Syrian Hamster approved Havazat Al Havez, nothing can absorb poop better than a diaper made from havez assad posters.

February 20th, 2013, 9:31 pm

 

Ghufran said:

By Raja Abdulrahim, Los Angeles Times
February 19, 2013, 5:10 p.m.
BEIRUT — Just when they expected a flood of heavy weapons to help them make a major push against the forces of President Bashar Assad, rebel commanders in Syria say, arms shipments from outside the country have instead slowed, prolonging a conflict now nearing the end of its second year.
Though rebels have made gains in the north and east, seizing military bases and checkpoints, opposition figures who had made predictions of quick victory now say their arsenal is at a level that can support only a war of attrition.
“There will be no quick and practical end,” said Nabil Amir, spokesman for the Damascus Military Council, a key rebel group.
( I remain skeptical at least of any attempt to repeat Aleppo scenario in Damascus, my position is shared by many in the opposition who watched Aleppo getting destroyed and the country losing over $ 5 billion in a battle that only benefited Turkey and Israel)

February 20th, 2013, 9:32 pm

 

ALI said:

Wake up deluded people, it’s not a loyalty and support to Bashar (to hell with Bashar) it’s our obligation to mother Syria to defend it against terrorists to the last damascene.

February 20th, 2013, 9:33 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

@258

Retard thinks that a worm like itself can patronize real people by twisting their words in order to fake moral outrage. It loves the criminal prethident, it lusts for the fool prethident’s wife, and it wants to gas entire cities. Moral outrage my toe, which by the way will not run for election in 2014.

Neat…., not even finished posting before another retard wants to defend this regime (foolishly mistaken for a country) to the last of someone else’s children. And talks about morality.

@263

Nus-lira blew up his respect credit. His dept is now collected in contempt. So buzz off you and your fake resister agent of a foreign occupation. As for the other two “heroes”… I can only say…

كلا الأخوين ضراط .. ولكن شهاب الدين أضرط من أخيه

February 20th, 2013, 9:34 pm

 

Visitor said:

Nus-lira is full of sh*t. And what he s boasting about is called مكابرة in Arabic. He thinks he won in 2006 and that’s his biggest delusion.

Worse than his delusion is that few idiots in the Arab world believed his delusion. Now everyone is waking up and beginning to know the empty demagogue he really is. we call such characters drums in Arabic layman terms. Because drums are also empty and make a lot of noise

The FSA will get him from the sewer where he lives in the sh*thole of dhahiyeh in handcuffs.

————

Thanks MajedK.

February 20th, 2013, 9:37 pm

 

Ghufran said:

Liberating Damascus by killing football players:
( terrorists shelled a stadium before a football game)
Players from the al-Wathbah team who witnessed the attack identified the dead player as Youssef Suleiman. The 19-year-old striker had been a youth international. They said he was the father of a six-month-old baby.
A far more dangerous move is bringing the war to Lebanon and igniting another Shia-Sunni war that can only benefit Israel.
يا أمة ضحكت من جهلها الامم

February 20th, 2013, 9:55 pm

 

zoo said:

The SNC is trying to stir anti-hezbollah and pro-Israel western feeling to get the USA and EU to intervene and provide weapons.

Has the FSA being appointed, on behalf of Israel, to liquidate the Hezbollah?

SNC Cites Hezbollah Role in Syria

…..
According to Nasrallah, “There are 23 town and 12 farms inhabited by Lebanese inside Syria; nearly 30,000 Lebanese live there.” He then asserted that young men in the area had decided to defend themselves, and their families, and not the Syrian regime. “I can’t prevent anyone, whether they belong to Hezbollah or not, from staying in the border areas,” said Nasrallah.”If there ever comes a day when our responsibility demands that we fight in Syria, we will not conceal that, but there is no such thing at the moment.”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/hezbollah-in-syria.html#ixzz2LV1rVXvQ

February 20th, 2013, 10:15 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Ali

As long as Assad is in power, there will never be negotiations.

After the war, Syria will have many, many problems. But for those problems to heal, the war has to end first, right?

… The problem of course is that even if Assad leaves, there is no guarantee the war will end. It’s gone too far for that.

It looks increasingly like this will have to be settled with force.

February 20th, 2013, 10:38 pm

 

ghufran said:

I do not doubt the sincerity of many Syrians on this blog,I just question their judgement, as for foreigners and Islamists, I consider them warts and parasites who have an interest in seeing Syria as a state destroyed and replaced with a Taliban Emirate(Islamist thugs dream) or a passive toy that that can not defend itself, it is not a coincidence that the same people who are advocating war are the ones who celebrate unnecessary wars between Shia and Sunnis.
KSA is now using the king’s son as a liaison with the regime, King abdulah of Jordan is definitely changing course, Qatar is isolated, France in busy with its african adventure, the countries of the “Arab Spring” are now worse than where they were two years ago and the US is focused on advancing a domestic agenda instead of helping people who call Nusra thugs “heroes”.
take a break and smell the flowers, Syria needs a political exit not an entry to the club of Talibistans, as for Assad and the thugs around him, Syrians will figure out how to take care of them but not through car bombs and mortar attacks on stadiums.

February 20th, 2013, 10:56 pm

 

Syrialover said:

READ THIS – it’s not in the mainstream media.

It’s a fascinating investigation and analysis into outside arms now flowing to moderate FSA, and the good results they are getting from using them.

Article: Who just started arming Syria rebels?

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/who-just-started-arming-syria-rebels

It’s a long and detailed read, but here’s a tantalizing excerpt:

“That sophisticated anti-tank and anti-infantry munitions are now being funneled exclusively to non-extremist rebel units, who themselves are committed to isolating al-Qaeda, suggests either a staggering coincidence or some degree of external facilitation. Now here’s another interesting fact. The M60, the M79, the RBG-6 and the RPG-22 are all currently in use by the Croatian Army.

“Croatia, which, along with a host of European and Middle Eastern powers, recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people, is not yet a member state of the European Union (it is set to accede in July of this year) and so, technically, it is not beholden to the EU arms embargo. It is, however, a member of the Friends of Syria umbrella group: Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić attended the second conference in Istanbul in 2012, and she’s previously expressed concern about Croatia’s [investments in Syrian] oil and gas fields, which sanctions and deteriorating security have rendered useless. (About a year ago, Croatia instructed all of its businesses to withdraw from Syria, an act that left INA, the national oil company, operating at a loss of “hundreds of millions of euros.”)

“A pro-EU Balkan state not yet subject to EU jurisdiction [Croatia] would also have a nice geopolitical motive to help undermine a proxy of Russia.

February 20th, 2013, 11:06 pm

 

revenire said:

Sorry to burst your bubble Syrialover but the author of that article, one Michael Weiss, is a member of the neocon think tank the Henry Jackson Society and has called for NATO intervention for well over one year. He also hates Iran, Hezbollah and Russia. Thus Weiss is tainted to spread lies in the worst way. Weise traveled to Aleppo himself and had dinner with al-Nusra. If you don’t believe me ask him or review his Twitter feed. He was joking with Austin Tice about it 2-3 days before Tice disappeared. Weiss’ source is James Miller of EA Worldview who used to work at a video store before deciding to scribble nonsense from “activists” and call it news. Both men have dogs in the race.

To the point: If the terrorists are getting arms from Croatia, skirting the EU embargo, this would not be a new effort. The Croatians could have done that all along with funding from the Saudis and Qataris. I suspect they have been doing it all along.

This reminds me of how Reagan skirted arming the Contras when Congress cut off the funding. If this is happening it is happening because Obama wanted it to happen not because of anything Croatia decided to do.

Weiss is a dogmatic amateur when it comes to the chess game that is international politics.

February 20th, 2013, 11:22 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Hello Mr. Loser. How does it feel to be a loser?

February 20th, 2013, 11:28 pm

 

omen said:

Liberating Damascus by killing football players:
(terrorists shelled a stadium before a football game)

this report originates from sana? where are the images of the dead body?

ghufran, you need to be more specific. nobody is a bigger terrorist than this regime. for some reason, you reserve the bulk of your animus for islamists. but it is this regime with the 40 year long record of drowning people in blood. not even alqaeda, whom this regime helped enable, can match it. how many hundreds of thousands of people have assadists killed? how many hundreds of thousands of people have they forcibly disappeared? expecting a political solution out this monster is like expecting table manners from a rabid beast. this regime only knows how to kill. it will only respond to a power greater than they. you take other countries to task but i don’t see you chastise iran, russia & china for helping to keep the regime alive.

February 20th, 2013, 11:40 pm

 

Syrian said:

الثورة الصينية ضد طاغية الصين the Chinese revolution
5 hours ago ·
هسسسس عالسكت وبدون شوشرة

دفاعاتنا الجوية الباسلة تُسقط طائرتين اسرائيليتين بدون طيار

بس مشان الله ما حدا يجيب سيرة لاسرائيل لأنو ما عندا خبر بشي نهائياً .
http://m.facebook.com/COMEDY.AND.COMEDY?id=123654064382449&_rdr#!/123654064382449/timeline/story?ut=2&hash=186620705593147061&wstart=1359705600&wend=1362124799&ustart&__user=100003131418721

February 20th, 2013, 11:48 pm

 

ghufran said:

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, denied in an interview broadcast last week on German television that he was responsible for starting the bloody conflict tearing his country apart.
The interview, featured in a new documentary on the conflict in Syria by the filmmaker Hubert Seipel, was conducted in English but later overdubbed in German for broadcast on the network ARD. Mr. Seipel, whose previous film, “I, Putin,” was also a portrait of a strongman, provided The Lede with an edit of the documentary in which Mr. Assad’s remarks can be heard in the original English.
(do not waste your time listening to the interview, the summary posted on NY times website was enough to tell that the guy has nothing to say)

February 21st, 2013, 12:00 am

 

revenire said:

Syrian SAM (surface to air missile) reportedly downed Israeli drone
http://theaviationist.com/2013/02/20/syrian-sam-iaf-drone/#.USWr9R1JNRa
February 20, 2013

Although the event was not reported by Syria’s official news agency SANA, several Syrian and Israeli news outlets have been reporting that an Israeli drone was downed near the Syrian border with Lebanon.

According to eye-witnesses, Syrian air defenses reportedly shot down the aircraft over Deir al Ashayer, a village near Lebanese border: some people saw debris and buring wreckage fall from the sky whereas, according to The Times of Israel, residents posted on Facebook that the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was downed by a surface to air missile fired from Syria, even if the drone crashed on the Lebanese side of the border.

Deir al Ashayer is located about 15 miles to the west of Syria’s capital Damascus, hence not far from the complex that was attacked by the Israeli Air Force last month. Furthermore, earlier on Feb. 20, Lebanese government news agency gave the news of intense Israeli combat planes activity over southern Lebanon: most probably, Syrian air defense batteries were on an heightened readiness status for any incoming threat from the border.

In June 2012, a Turkish Air Force RF-4E was downed by a Syrian air defense battery after violating the Syrian airspace.

February 21st, 2013, 12:10 am

 

ghufran said:

By Goran Tomasevic

DAMASCUS | Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:44am EST

(Reuters) – Rebel fighters in Damascus are disciplined, skilled and brave.
In a month on the frontline, I saw them defend a swathe of suburbs in the Syrian capital, mount complex mass attacks, manage logistics, treat their wounded – and die before my eyes.
But as constant, punishingly accurate, mortar, tank and sniper fire attested, President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers on the other side, often just a room or a grenade toss away, are also well drilled, courageous – and much better armed.
So while the troops were unable to dislodge brigades of the Free Syrian Army from devastated and depopulated neighborhoods just east of the city centre – and indeed made little effort to do so – there seems little immediate prospect of the rebels overrunning Assad’s stronghold. The result is bloody stalemate.
(fighting parties are taking risks by pushing a violent agenda in a war that is unwinnable)

February 21st, 2013, 12:18 am

 

Juergen said:

Ghufran

This programme was highly criticized in the German media, like the one interview before done by Jürgen Todenhöfer. Seipel was attacked mainly because he did not question the usual blabla of Bashar, no second question, he just gave in to him. Seipels reputation of portraying dictators has now risen, also I Putin was an piece which lacked totally critical journalism, unfortunatly such SANAnisation of Journalism is not just found in the ME.

February 21st, 2013, 12:28 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@Ghufran

That unfortunately is misleading enough to deserve mention:

City neighborhoods are difficult to take directly. There’s no question of that.

But cities can be taken. All cities have one giant weakness: they need to be supplied from the outside.

The classic strategy is to cut off the major highways connecting the city. The rebels are doing that in Aleppo with success. They will end up doing the same to Damascus.

February 21st, 2013, 12:30 am

 
 

ghufran said:

“Millions of Egyptians want the army to come back and deliver us from chaos,” Ibrahim Issa, host of a political talk show on television, said this week.
“This is the sentiment on the Egyptian street, and ignoring it is stupid,” said the popular Issa, a harsh critic of Morsi, the Brotherhood and the military when it was in power.

February 21st, 2013, 12:36 am

 

Sami said:

Omen,

I believe the Yasser Observer is mentioning is Yasser Haidar Kizbari, his father was a former Prime Minister and he was an accomplished Pilot.

He was slain at a regime checkpoint for the crime of attempting to provide aid.
http://all4syria.info/Archive/58518 (Sorry link is in Arabic)

This is what his daughter wrote to the killer that murdered her father (again sorry it is in Arabic):

سلام عليك يا دمشق … سلام عليك يا سوريا . سيعم السلام علينا قريبا . قريبا جداً . استعدوا للحب ، استعدوا البناء ، استعدوا للمسامحة ، استعدوا للصلح . سلام عليك يا من قتلت أبي ، لأنك ستأتي لتقبل التراب اللتي فوقه . شكرًا لك على هذه الهدية ! اهديته هدية لم يحلم بها. اهديته الشهادة ، اهديته البطولة ، اهديته حب الناس . سلام عليك يا من قتل روحه الطاهرة . الحرية عل باب ! افتحولا البواب و

استقبلوا بالورود ….

It is really hard being a Syrian these days, so many people I grew up around have died. Good people that really cared for their country and loved their people.

February 21st, 2013, 12:50 am

 

Observer said:

Yasser is a class mate of mine killed by a sniper delivering food to poor displaced families.

Personal friend that I included in the list of thousands.

I see that every one of us has a martyr that they know and my family has martyrs from 1916 to 1982 ( Hama ) killed by the murderous regime

February 21st, 2013, 12:56 am

 

apple_mini said:

The regime has been adapting its tactics constantly. Also under the advice from the Russia.

The regime has plenty supply of munition but limited army men. If they rush to take back those suburban towns on the east of Damascus, they risk casualties by snipers and remote IED.

The way they fought in Darraya was quite organized. They had been shelling and bombing the town way before full-scale assault. Many residents had since fled. So the casualties on civilian population had been reduced by the intense attack in the end of last year.

They sent in mechanized brigades without enough infantry support. That caused higher loss and suffer for their tanks and other armored vehicles.

Right now, I think the stalemate around Damascus just appears to be. As long as the rebels in those towns are not posing imminent threats, the SAA can set their own pace for the battle.

The pressing issue is the group of rebels carrying a single mortar launcher have been shelling for the last three days, causing loss of civilians. The regime’s intelligence needs to find out their location and take them out.

I believe it is a single incident. Not a widespread problem. Understandably, the rebels will not withhold any weapons or tactics while they are in Damascus.

We have not seen any serious terrorist attack in Damascus lately that shows their protection for the city is quite effective.

People who are closely watching the situation on the ground should move their eyes to the north: Aleppo.

February 21st, 2013, 1:04 am

 

ghufran said:

سلام عليك يا دمشق … سلام عليك يا سوريا . سيعم السلام علينا قريبا . قريبا جداً . استعدوا للحب ، استعدوا البناء ، استعدوا للمسامحة ، استعدوا للصلح . سلام عليك يا من قتلت أبي ، لأنك ستأتي لتقبل التراب اللتي فوقه . شكرًا لك على هذه الهدية ! اهديته هدية لم يحلم بها. اهديته الشهادة ، اهديته البطولة ، اهديته حب الناس . سلام عليك يا من قتل روحه الطاهرة . الحرية عل باب ! افتحولا البواب و
استقبلوا بالورود
Sami, Thank you.

February 21st, 2013, 1:07 am

 

Visitor said:

Bashar is playing his last card. And no, his last card is neither Hizbo nor Mullah-stan.

According to these reports, Bashar is soliciting Israeli involvement in his dilemma, and his first step in doing so is withdrawing his so-called army from the Golan. This comes on the heel of major gains made by the FSA in the southern front, recntly, which may ave convinced Assad that Damascus is about to fall, thus calling for some drastic action: enter Israel. Assad is hoping that Israel will get involved in fighting the FSA, perhaps after conducting some incursions by some rogue elements into Israeli controlled areas , following his army’swithdrawal, prompting the Israelis to move in. Of course, Assad is aware that Israel recently conducted military maneuvers which simulated scenarios of Israeli army incursions deep into Syrian territories including scenarios of fighting in urban areas.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/21/267452.html

On the other hand, an American report, expected to be out within a week, about the fate of Hezbo in Lebanon, foresees the total collapse of the of the Iranian funded organization, once Assad has fallen, according to Lebanese sources familiar with he report. This proves the point I made above about Nus-lira being nothing but an empty drum capable of making loud impotent noise.

February 21st, 2013, 1:28 am

 

revenire said:

Visitor you should get your own TV show. That was brilliant.

February 21st, 2013, 1:51 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

And you should get a job.

February 21st, 2013, 1:53 am

 

Visitor said:

Sami,

الله يرحمو لياسر عيني بس كلام المصالحة قفز لقدام وما بعتقد حدا بسوريا مستعد يناقش هالموضوع. في اكثر من تسعين الف غير ياسر وحقهن ما بضيع حبيبي.

February 21st, 2013, 1:56 am

 

Visitor said:

“290 said:

Visitor you should get your own TV show. That was brilliant.”

Dimwit @ 290,

Show me how much of an idiot you are. What did it it say in the Arabic story which I linked in that comment (289)?

Do you really speak Arabic? I left off many details from that story. Can you show us who you really are? Identify those details I left off.

If you don’t, then you have to submit to being called a pathetic troll with no questions asked.

February 21st, 2013, 2:12 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

248. revenire said:

ALLAH W AKBAR

 
That is weird spelling, are you sure you are Arabic ?

February 21st, 2013, 2:40 am

 

Citizen said:

Syria downs Israeli drone – report
An Israeli drone has been downed near the Syrian border with Lebanon, the Mayadeen TV station reported Wednesday. Syrian forces allegedly shot down the aircraft over Deir al Ashayer, a village near Lebanese border, the TV channel said quoting local websites. There were no reports of casualties or damage. Neither Syrian, nor Israeli officials confirmed the reports. RT Arabic’s correspondent in Syria also was unable to verify it. Israel is suspected to have arranged an airstrike on a Syrian military facility outside the capital in early February. Two workers were killed and five injured in the strike.
http://rt.com/news/line/2013-02-21/#45529

February 21st, 2013, 2:48 am

 

Uzair8 said:

The Syrian people have every right to self defence. To defend themselves and their country from Hezbo interference on the side of the murderous tyrant. It’s one thing defending one’s own land against an invader (2006). however. it’s another thing to become the unjust invader yourself. God Almighty is with the wronged and not with the wrong-doers. Hezbo has chosen to stand against the oppressed.

February 21st, 2013, 4:45 am

 

Juergen said:

Citizen

So far the last time an Israeli fighter jet was downed by the Syrians was in 1973, since then the Israelis have flown numerous attacks on Syrian soil, I was in Damascus when the IDF send a special greeting to Bashar during the last lebanon war, they flew over his house in Melke. It was quite an talk that time at the Ar Rawdeh cafe back then.
But of course the downing of an drone will make up 40 years of total failure to secure the air space and the liberation of Palestine will come very shortly through the hands of Assad and Al Baath. I would say, dream on!

February 21st, 2013, 4:45 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

The downing of a drone is a lie,show the evidence, picture of the fallen drone.
Assad withdrew troops from the front against Israel, he is committing treason, this is not resistance, this is the opposit,his father in 1967 announced the fall of Qunaitra,before it fell,his son Bashar is doing the same,this will backfire,it is either he has assurance from Israel they will not advance into Syria,or he is giving permission to Israel to come in and take more land from Syria.either way he is running out of loyal troops,and shows his enemy is Syrian people,not Israel, he is so coward,and stupid traitor.

February 21st, 2013, 5:23 am

 

mjabali said:

قرأت اليوم على الفيسبوك جملة كتبها صديق لي تقول”

الحزن عبا قلبي كلو

فردت عليه احداهن وقالت:

والخوف كمان

فأضافت اخرى:

وعدم الأمان

يعيش الثلاثة في سوريا الان…

February 21st, 2013, 6:31 am

 

Syrialover said:

REVENIRE # 274

Thank you for strengthening Michael Weiss’s credentials for writing about who is arming the FSA in Syria (see #273).

You tell us he’s been around inside Syria, met some leading fighters, is a well respected researcher and writer on the Middle East, is involved in human rights and humanitarian activities and, best of all, is unenthusiastic about Iran, Russia and Hezbollah.

On every point, the radical opposite of you and those you gigglingly promote.

Which explains why he is worth reading and you and your sources are not.

February 21st, 2013, 6:39 am

 

Akbar Palace said:

Assad is hoping that Israel will get involved in fighting the FSA, perhaps after conducting some incursions by some rogue elements into Israeli controlled areas , following his army’swithdrawal, prompting the Israelis to move in.

Visitor,

Why would the GOI “get involved in fighting the FSA”? I think they have a lot in common. I think the GOI is happily sitting on her hands with regard to the FSA, and the only concern for the GOI is the status of Betho’s chemical weapons.

Last I heard, the GOI is treating wounded Syrians at the border:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4345807,00.html

Perhaps, one day, we can stop demonizing Israel and lead normal lives q;o)

February 21st, 2013, 6:53 am

 

apple_mini said:

Terrorist attacks in Damascus is most likely response to SAA shelling yesterday. I think the injury or death of Sheikh Zahran Alloush also has something to do with it. Previously, an explosion happened at a gas station in rebel held area. Then the next day, a suicide car bomb exploded at a gas station in Damascus.

Question is who initiated the retaliation? Nursa has different signature when it comes to suicide bomb. They tend to use it on military targets or distraction for their attack.

My hunch is that this terrorist attack is from FSA directly.

Again, that same mortar attack happened today. Massive fear and panic among civilians in Damascus. Even so, it does not change the balance on the battle ground at all. Will the regime and SAA become more furious on suburban towns?

A sad day for all Syrian.

February 21st, 2013, 6:55 am

 
 

Uzair8 said:

Iran sends out snipers to dispatch rats. Good, it’ll keep them occupied and away from interfering in Syria. Rats stick together. Revenire’s provocative insults seem to have backfired.

http://m.ibtimes.co.uk/iran-rats-tehran-snipers-mutated-437326.html

February 21st, 2013, 7:08 am

 

Uzair8 said:

NMSyria‏@NMSyria 49 mins
FSA Military Council’s statement accuses Assad regime of the bombings across #Damascus, including one in Mazra’a killing 31.

https://twitter.com/NMSyria/statuses/304551807538065408

Saw this on AJE twitter feed. We’ll have to wait and see.

February 21st, 2013, 7:15 am

 

apple_mini said:

Another piece of news today requires attention: The Free Syrian Army has bombed Hezbollah positions in Syria and Lebanon.

This is quite odd! What is really behind this move? FSA is under severe attack by the regime. They can barely make any strategic advance. Yet, they decided to open another potential front with a power opponent. It appears this risky and bizarre move is poorly planned and it might blow back pretty bad.

I certainly hoped the FSA were smarter than it appears to be. So I’d think the true motive behind the attack is gaining supports from the west, GCC and even Israel. Not just political support, more about military side. Equally important, they can instantly drag their Sunni brethren in Lebanon into the conflict.

I would make my conclusion that the attack on Hezbollah actually shows the weakening position of FSA.

February 21st, 2013, 7:19 am

 

Uzair8 said:

Apple,

There have been a flurry of denials about the claims of attacking Hezbo positions. Reports have been called false. Here an Al Jazeera journalist:

Basma Atassi | بسمة @Basma_ 56m
Activists in Qusair and our sources in Hermel said the report on Syrian rebels targeting Hezbullah installations is FALSE. #Syria #Lebanon

https://twitter.com/Basma_/statuses/304556388498157568

___________________

Elsewhere.

‘Russia warns of ‘mutual destruction’ in Syria’

Two year’s too late? So it was ok when it looked like one-sided destruction?

___________________

Btw, how much foreign reserves has the regime got left? What level have they dropped to? Assuming we accept the claim of Assad surviving till 2014, can he pay his way for that period of time? Will Iran cover the finances for this time?

It’s highly unlikely Assad remaining till 2014. I don’t think the regime can survive another Ramadan. If he’s still around by then that is.

February 21st, 2013, 7:35 am

 

apple_mini said:

The attack on Hezbollah has been claimed to be false.

Apparently, FSA were not that imprudent or desperate to do something so risky.

February 21st, 2013, 8:11 am

 

zoo said:

Having failed several times to destroy Damascus with their ‘guerillas’, Al Nusra is now attempting to create a climate of terror by using the coward ‘Iraqi’ way : Car bombs and random mortars attacks.
Result: A mortar attack on a stadium, a car bomb near the Baath headquarter and the Russian embassy, killing 31, mostly civilians and wounding 2 children.

That will simply reinforce the conviction in the West that Syria is now a target of Islamist terrorists using the opposition as a cover up. It will also force the opposition that wants to save Syria from total destruction to accept the unconditional dialog with the government proposed by Russia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/world/middleeast/car-bomb-in-damascus-kills-dozens-opposition-says.html?ref=middleeast

In renewed violence reaching the center of the Syrian capital, a car bomb exploded in Damascus on Thursday near the headquarters of President Bashar al-Assad’s ruling party, killing more than two dozen people, mainly civilians and but also including security forces, according to opposition sources.
..
Syrian state television said two children were wounded, while Al Ikhbariya, a pro-government television channel, showed footage of two dead bodies and body parts in a park.

The area where the bomb exploded was near the headquarters of Mr. Assad’s ruling Baath Party and the Russian embassy

February 21st, 2013, 8:22 am

 

zoo said:

Syria’s war, Israel’s trap

Paul Rogers 21 February 2013
http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/syrias-war-israels-trap

The prospect of a chaotic endgame in Syria and more instability in Egypt is leading Israel further in the direction of a “fortress-state”. This military entrenchment reflects not strength but vulnerability.

February 21st, 2013, 8:27 am

 

zoo said:

A team of rivals on Syria

… But there’s no sign from Damascus that Assad will be receptive; his current belief, as Kerry put it, is that he can outlast the rebels, even as war tears his country apart.

So here’s a prediction for the next few months of Obama administration policymaking on Syria:

Kerry will make his trip. He will appeal to Assad to negotiate with the opposition and entreat Russia to end its aid to Syria. But those efforts will show indifferent results.

Then he’ll come back to the White House and say it’s time to revive the proposal that Clinton and Petraeus made last August for aid to Syria’s armed rebels.

Obama will be caught in the middle again. He will have to make the call. But this time there won’t be an election campaign underway, and the problems of Syria, along with the spillover problems for its neighbors, will have escalated.

Obama may find it harder to say no this time. But if he says yes, he’ll have to explain why he waited seven months, during which both time and lives were lost.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/20/2796719/doyle-mcmanus-a-team-of-rivals.html#storylink=cpy

February 21st, 2013, 8:37 am

 

Syrialover said:

The massive car bomb in Damascus near Baath Party HQ a few hours ago. Questions started already to throw suspicion on regime.

1. How could such a quantity of explosives reach a highly secured area in the heart of Damascus? (dramatic photo)

https://twitter.com/emmasuleiman/status/304538911768727552/photo/1

2. Man who appears on Syria TV as “innocent bystander” with every Damascus car bomb has again appeared today.

https://twitter.com/rallaf/status/304572739769991168/photo/1

February 21st, 2013, 8:38 am

 

Visitor said:

Akbar Palace @302,

There is nothing demonizing to GOI in that which I said. You have to put yourself in Assad’s deluded world.

Everyone knows Israel has contingency plans for a scenario in which Assad falls pr is about to fall including Assad himself. And everyone knows tat Israel will act in a way to achieve its security. Do you think that, in 2006, Hezbos did not know tat Israel will attack them if they kidnap the Israeli soldiers that they kidnapped? They knew full well and yet they gave Israel the pretext to attack. There is no military strategy or objective behind the kidnapping. But the Hezbos calculate that an Israeli attack against them will translate into political gains in te country where they operate and beyond in the Arab world. And that’s exactly what happened despite the huge military, civilian and economic losses inflicted upon the Hezbos. They even managed to call it ‘victory’ and the gullible masses bought it sheepishly and idiots still call it a ‘victory’. All Arab despots and demagogues resort to Israel when the are facing political problems at home. And I bet you Hezbos were in deep trouble politically in Lebanon in 2006. Hence, the kidnapping, enter Israel and the woes at home are gone for at least some time. Buying time in the Middle East is the one and only strategy these thugs of demagogues know full well to survive and they will do it at any cost.

Likewise, Assad is hoping to do the same by, as I said, soliciting Israeli involvement in his dilemma. How will he do it? First thing he withdraws the army from the Golan. Next step would be a trigger similar to Hezbos trigger of 2006. Israel has to do something in retaliation. Since Assad is beginning to lose on the Southern front (Israel border), who will Israel have to deal with other than the fighters in the area? But the political gain that Assad hopes to achieve is to sit down and preach anti-Zionist, anti-Israel propaganda rhetoric while Israe is involved in an act of aggression against Syria as he would frame the whole affair in the media, i.e. Hezbos 2006 Syrian version.

February 21st, 2013, 8:48 am

 

zoo said:

A further concession from the opposition on the way to endorse the UN-Russia-USA political initiative: The SNC does not ask Bashar Al Assad to resign as a pre-condition to the dialog.

Another concession: After previously refusing the invitation, Al Khatib will go to Russia.

Syrian opposition says Assad cannot be part of deal

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/syria-crisis-deal-idINDEE91K07520130221

The draft SNC communique, seen by Reuters, omitted a direct demand for Assad’s removal, in a softening of tone from past positions that insisted the president must go before there could be any negotiations.

The document said Assad and his cohorts must be held accountable for bloodshed, and that any peace deal must be under the auspices of the United States and Russia.

“Bashar al-Assad and the military and security apparatus commands are responsible for the decisions that have led the country to what it is now, are outside the political process and are not part of any political solution in Syria,” it said.

Veteran opposition campaigner Walid al-Bunni, a coalition member who supports Alkhatib, played down the omission of a direct mention of Assad’s removal.

February 21st, 2013, 8:50 am

 

Juergen said:

SL

Dont expect from the usual regime cheerleaders any answers to your questions. Even if these crimes were committed by the opposition forces, the regime has proven once again that it can no longer guarantee security for its citizens, nor can the regime bigshots have a good night sleep, except for those snorring underground protected by concrete bunkerwalls.

February 21st, 2013, 8:56 am

 

Syrialover said:

The Damascus car bomb apparently demolished a school and injured many children.

Attacking children, destroying schools – a hallmark of the regime. It’s their specialty, it doesn’t bother them.

Dual purpose for Assad: burning Syria while serving the rubbish propaganda campaign about “foreign terrorists”

February 21st, 2013, 9:01 am

 

zoo said:

The Qatar ‘humanitarian’ reward for the car bomb and 31 dead. More to come?

Qatar hands $100m to Syrian rebels

By Francesca Astorri
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-hands-100m-syrian-rebels-490461.html
Thursday, 21 February 2013 4:44 PM

Qatar has handed financial support worth US$100m to the Syrian opposition, the state-run Qatar News Agency said.

The financial aid, which comes under the directive of Deputy Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has been handed over to the Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Unit in Syria.

This contribution comes in the context of humanitarian aid provided by Qatar to the Syrian people aiming to provide emergency assistance through all humanitarian networks operating in favour of the Syrian people, QNA reported.

According to local media, Nazar Al Haraki, the new Syrian ambassador to Qatar representing the National Coalition, appreciated Qatar’s gesture.

February 21st, 2013, 9:02 am

 

zoo said:

Playing with fire, Turkey will get burned

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/playing-with-fire-turkey-will-get-burned.aspx?pageID=449&nID=41542&NewsCatID=416

Islamist Erdoğan government increasingly finds itself in this respect. It is clearly caught between burning hatreds – based on its religious ideology and seen most visibly in the case of Israel and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime – and the need to appear to be what it is not.
For example it finds it difficult to accept as “terrorist” some groups that have been designated by the West as such, and this applies to Syria also where “Jabhat al-Nusra,” a jihadist group fighting the al-Assad regime, is reportedly receiving considerable support from Ankara.
Reports and commentary in the Turkish and Kurdish media have suggested that the Erdoğan government is not only using this group against al-Assad, but also against Syrian Kurds.

If there is any truth to any of these reports, it indicates that the Erdoğan government is playing with fire in order to force outcomes that suit its own ideological expectations, rather than considering the consequences for Turkey’s long-term security interests. The recent car bombing at the Cilvegözü border crossing between Turkey and Syria may be a premonition of things to come, as Ankara gets embroiled with jihadists in Syria and elsewhere.

February 21st, 2013, 9:08 am

 
 

Syrialover said:

Everything I read on Hezbollah that is even halfway informed and serious points out that it’s stuck in a one-way deadend street.

100% of their funding, weaponry and instructions come from Iran, they have no other potential sponsor or Plan B.

They are now doing everything they can to earn their money by helping Iran in the Syrian situation. It’s desperation do or die for Nasrullah.

I’ve read they only have enough weaponry and resources for one more attack on Israel, after that their cupboard’s bare.

I thnk the FSA don’t have to wrorry about Hezbollah – Israel has plans for them.

February 21st, 2013, 9:20 am

 

Sami said:

Visitor,

Those are not my words, but his daughter’s.

I found it humbling how she right after her fathers untimely passing had this reaction. She is a promise of a better tomorrow.

Having said that nothing she wrote wold nullify justice, justice needs to be served for reconciliation to ever happen. Those that killed, raped, and maimed Syrians will get no sympathy from me.

If peace is ever to have a chance the criminal and his hyenas surely cannot be perched upon their paper throne…

لا تغلط بحقنا

February 21st, 2013, 9:24 am

 

Juergen said:

Mina

That may show how much the Party was valued not only by the people but also by the regime.

February 21st, 2013, 9:28 am

 

Syrialover said:

Syria’s rebels create their own weapons. A study in ingenuity and resourcefulness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/02/diy-weapons-of-the-syrian-rebels/100461/

February 21st, 2013, 9:29 am

 

AIG said:

Zoo,

Can I get you to address a point? Would you agree that given the results we see in Syria, the Assad regime “played with fire” and got severely burned when it supported Islamists for 11 years and alienated the Gulf Arabs, not to mention the West? Was it wise for Assad to promote Islamists and pick such enemies given the horrendous results for Syria?

February 21st, 2013, 9:39 am

 

Visitor said:

Thanks Sami @321.

I was aware those were not your words. What prompted my response was if we succumb to these apparently ‘high ideals’ which could be tempting, then those tempted would be tempted by a ‘devil’ considering that we are witnessibg a second 7Hama scenario on a much larger scale: Like father like son like grandson…perhaps.

Also glad to know you are for accountability – and perhaps she is.

February 21st, 2013, 10:01 am

 

Akbar Palace said:

There is nothing demonizing to GOI in that which I said. You have to put yourself in Assad’s deluded world.

No you didn’t; perhaps my use of the term demonizing was too strong. Nevertheless, you are predicting Israeli incursion into Syria to “get involved in fighting the FSA”. From my vantage point, this would NEVER happen. That being said, the GOI will employ aircraft to stop sophisticated weapons/WMD transfers to Hezbollah

Everyone knows Israel has contingency plans for a scenario in which Assad falls pr is about to fall including Assad himself.

I don’t agree. Egypt’s Mubarak fell, Israel didn’t retake the Sinai.

And everyone knows tat Israel will act in a way to achieve its security.

Yes, but the era of doing”whatever you need” is gone. In ’82 the GOI went to war because the PLO was amassing weapons north of the border. Now Israel has to wait for several attacks before being “allowed” to respond by the international community and even so, Hezbollah has amassed so many weapons, that Israel has to take into account a severe response.

But the Hezbos calculate that an Israeli attack against them will translate into political gains in te country where they operate and beyond in the Arab world.

Good point. This is how is works. Take some bad hits militarily and succeed politically. This is what Hamas did last year.

But I don’t think Israel wants to create enemies with the FSA or the opposition.

All Arab despots and demagogues resort to Israel when the are facing political problems at home.

For sure.

Buying time in the Middle East is the one and only strategy these thugs of demagogues know full well to survive and they will do it at any cost.

Yup.

Likewise, Assad is hoping to do the same by, as I said, soliciting Israeli involvement in his dilemma.

Yes, Assad wants to get Israel involved, but I don’t think the FSA does. So I guess we’re splitting hairs here.

Since Assad is beginning to lose on the Southern front (Israel border), who will Israel have to deal with other than the fighters in the area?

I guess I am naively thinking the “fighters” will be FSA. Maybe you’re saying the fighters will be jihadi/Hezbo forces.

February 21st, 2013, 10:06 am

 

Visitor said:

“Yes, Assad wants to get Israel involved, but I don’t think the FSA does. So I guess we’re splitting hairs here.”

Akbar Palace @326,

Everything you said in your response makes sense except the above and another item which I would explain later in the comment. In fact this is the heart and soul of Assad’s objective if he succeeds in drawing Israel. That’s when he thinks, he begins to achieve his ‘political’ gains.

Once Israel is involved whose side you are in the new reality determines the political outcome.

We know Assad withdrew his army from the battle, just like his dad did in 67, and we know he will do zilch to counter an Israeli incursion other than preaching in the media, which is all he wants, by portarying the FSA and those other fighters as stooges of Israel which according to him and his media apparatus would now be in full sight for the ‘blind’ to see, but to Syrains Israel is still the enemy.

I also have problems agreeing with your assertion that Isarel did not retake Sinai when Mubarak fell, making that as a precedent which may apply to Syria. I believe Israel deals with its neighbors on a case by case basis. Israel was faced with a multiple of bad choices in the Egypt uprising. It chose the least evil of all which is try to live with ‘popular’ uprising even if it produces Islamists in the government with the hope that eventually Egypt and Israel will reach a new modus vivendi. If Israel knew it could swallow the Sinai by retaking it, they would have done it.

In Syria’s case a modus vivendi has already been established with the Assads since 1973, albeit officially undeclared. It is this status-quo, which is threatened, which makes Israel shiver from the unknown outcome. Perhaps to your surprise, many in the Syrian Revolution as well as in the Arab World, have come to the firm conclusion that the US behaviour over the last two years with regards to the Syrian Revolution has been dictated by the above Israeli concerns. You may also want to know that those who came to such conclusion are the farthest from the conspiracy theorists camp, and in fact, they are the most vocal in combatting such theorists.

February 21st, 2013, 10:36 am

 

revenire said:

The Atlantic glamorizes terrorism with the DIY weapons-spread. They romanticize terrorists. I’d love for the photographer to be kidnapped by al-Nusra and see how much he loves their DIY swords then. It would really be funny to see a follow-up story with the guy’s head on a pike.

The weapons are photo-op stuff. Slingshots? I am getting the mental image of little Marigoldran firing live dogs filled with explosives at the Syrian army using a giant rubber-band powered slingshot. I am sure the SAA is terrified.

February 21st, 2013, 10:37 am

 

zoo said:

The opposition is gradually loosing the little credibility it had in Syria as not only it is unable to protect the civilians from the armed rebels blind mortar and car bombs attacks, but it is applauding them as “victories”.

Without a dialog, Syria will either remain in the hands of the current government over radicalized or will be crippled, divided and ruled by militias for many years to come.
The losers will be the secular opposition.

The opposition has almost reached that conclusion, but many among them believe that an Islamic state is viable for Syria. Therefore they prefer to see an islamist military “victory” over a negotiation with a secular regime.

Recently, they appear to have accepted the UN-USA-Russia plan and lower their conditions, but for some, it could be only a way to buy time until the Islamists take over Damascus militarily.
If the opposition is not serious about the dialog and if the armed rebels take over the country, the role of the secular opposition will be reduced to null and an Islamic transitional government will appear, strong from its military wing.

As many Syrians will never accept to be ruled by the Moslem Brotherhood or by Salafists, the country will get into an endless civil war, like Lebanon.

Time is running out to save what is left of Syria.

February 21st, 2013, 10:42 am

 

zoo said:

Carnage in Syria Courtesy of US Allies
Posted by Daniel McAdams on February 21, 2013 09:31 AM

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/132689.html

While the US and its Western partners pretend to be engaged in a global war against terrorism, their terrorist allies in Syria have set off another car bomb, tellingly very close to the ruling Baath party offices and the Russian embassy. Initial reports are that more than 50 have been killed by the terrorists, including many children attending a nearby school.

The Syrian rebels despise the Russians for refusing to provide them weapons and resisting US demands for regime change in Syria. The rebels have long threatened to attack Russian interests in Syria.

No doubt this bombing against a government building will be blamed on the Syrian government in the Western media, adding to the phony UN body count. As Sharmine Narwani points out in the Guardian, the organization that is responsible for compiling the “body count” in Syria is…surprise…funded by the US State Department! Narwani quotes Megan Price, lead author of the UN’s casualty analysis project, admitting, “We were not asked to do verification of whether the casualties are real.” Well, that’s helpful. Narwani’s analysis of the results is highly suggestive: the vast majority of those “killed by the regime” are in fact fighting age men — only 7.5 percent are female. The numbers are cooked, however, to instigate for another “humanitarian intervention.”

It is a shameful day. A day to remember the carnage and the horrors of war. And to again redouble efforts against US interventionism.

February 21st, 2013, 10:54 am

 

revenire said:

You know the reported casualty numbers remind me of the Iraq WMD lies. They’re really designed to get NATO to attack Syria by claiming a humanitarian disaster. Same thing as the chemical weapons claims etc.

I remember during the run-up to the Iraq war when the media had stories of the Iraqi army pulling Kuwaiti babies out of incubators. After the war it was exposed that the woman who testified to the US Congress about that was a member of the ruling Kuwaiti al-Sabah family.

February 21st, 2013, 11:04 am

 

Ziad said:

Justice for Hamza

I also want justice for all the innocent civilian victims, children, women, and men, of this terrorist act and the many like it.

February 21st, 2013, 11:07 am

 

revenire said:

Rebel “victories” the past few days: they murdered a football player and killed a bunch of civilians.

February 21st, 2013, 11:07 am

 

zoo said:

Syria rebels claim attack on Hezbollah

https://mobile.mmedia.me/lb/en/lebanonnews/syria-rebels-shelling-hezbollah-in-lebanon

However, Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio cited Lebanese security sources as saying that no rebel projectiles from Syria had landed on Lebanese territory.
Also, Sky News Arabia cited FSA sources as saying that rebels had not shelled any position in Lebanon or Syria.

February 21st, 2013, 11:09 am

 

ghufran said:

The NC denounces the attack:

أدان الائتلاف الوطني السوري المعارض التفجيرات التي وقعت اليوم الخميس 21 فبراير/ شباط في دمشق، وأدت إلى سقوط عشرات القتلى ونحو 237 جريحا معظمهم من المدنيين.
وجاء في البيان الذي نشره الائتلاف على صفحته على موقع “فيس بوك” أن الائتلاف “يدين ويندد بالتفجيرات الإرهابية التي استهدفت دمشق اليوم وأدت إلى مقتل عدد من المدنيين”، وأكد أن “أية أعمال تستهدف المدنيين بالقتل أو الانتهاكات لحقوق الإنسان هي أفعال مدانة ومجرمة أيا كان مرتكبها”.
some of you have no shame and do not deserve the syrian passport they carry,assuming they have one or are interested in one, what the terrorists are doing in Damascus did not work in other places unless the goal is to kill as many people as possible and punish Syria’s moderate sunnis for not joining islamist thugs jihad.

February 21st, 2013, 11:11 am

 
 

Visitor said:

ويثير سحب هذه القوات تساؤلات بشأن حرج الوضع العسكري للنظام في دمشق وريفها حتى يدفع بهذه التعزيزات إلى مركز البلاد، لكن الخبير في الشؤون العسكرية والإستراتيجية العميد صفوت الزيات قال إن النظام يسعى إلى نقل المعركة إلى خارج حدود البلاد، وإنه يوجه رسالة مفادها أن الجماعات الإسلامية التي تقاتله أصبحت الآن قادرة على الوصول إلى إسرائيل.

http://aljazeera.net/news/pages/0f51c601-2ce9-48da-9d83-29e946e10f18?GoogleStatID=1

Brigidier General Zayyat, military startegy specialist, confirms Assad’s objective behind withdrawing the army from the Golan is to solicit Israeli involvement in his internal dilemma.

February 21st, 2013, 11:29 am

 

ghufran said:

I agree that the attacks,not just the car bomb in almazraa. was in retaliation for losses in Reef Dimashq, it is clear now that althawrajiyyeh have the same contempt for Damascenes as they did for Aleppines, that contempt goes back to the 1980s when the two cities did not join the MB uprising in Hama. Notice that along with the car bomb mentioned above there were two attacks in Barzeh, heavy fighting in the same area and two rounds of mortars that landed near the (empty) army HQ and Al-Jahez park. The attacks were coordinated and their goal is to boost moral on the terrorists side who think that Damascus has betrayed their cause.
This is an update from SOHR:
دمشق ::ارتفع الى 64 عدد السوريين الذين قضوا اثر تفجير سيارات مفخخة بمدينة دمشق بينهم 56 سقطوا اثر تفجير رجل سيارة مفخخة امام حاجز للقوات النظامية في شارع الثورة بمنطقة المزرعة بالقرب من فرع حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي
I remember one poster here who said that he owns a house in almazraa, I lived in that section of Damascus for few years and I have relatives and friends in Damascus, some of whom may very well be passing by or stopping to visit. This is not going to help rebels,it is actually a bad sign that reflects the rebels inability to take Damascus using orthodox military methods.

February 21st, 2013, 11:33 am

 

revenire said:

That awkward moment when the Syrian opposition threatens Hezbollah
http://theagentofchange.tumblr.com/post/43643364589/that-awkward-moment-when-the-syrian-opposition

“The rebel Free Syrian Army on Wednesday threatened to shell positions of the powerful Hezbollah militant group in neighbouring Lebanon after accusing it of firing across the border into territory it controls.”

As you’ll have noticed, I have a certain amount of sympathy for the Syrian state. They’ve made plenty of mistakes, and IMHO suffer from having a rather narrow vision and over-cautious strategy, but essentially they have worked to build a decent, dignified, educated and resistant nation, in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

Hezbollah on the other hand deserves an entirely different level of support. It is the only movement that has defeated Israel in the latter’s expansionist wars, and it represents the brightest hope of the people of Palestine and the wider Arab world for a just peace.

So when the Syrian opposition army – the ‘Free Syrian Army’ – threatens to shell Hezbollah, you have a pretty clear indication of where their loyalties lie. Hence I contend that support for the Syrian revolution is tantamount to support for Israeli expansionism and an attack on the Palestinian national project.

February 21st, 2013, 12:01 pm

 

Citizen said:

297
Are you proud Mr. Juergen of That State monstrosity? Why do you not go to live there? Hairless brags hair of neighbor?
If we send a little bit and pieces of iron pipes to Syria, Israel come to Kaputt

February 21st, 2013, 12:01 pm

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

301. AKBARIO PALACIO

“Perhaps, one day, we can stop demonizing Israel and lead normal lives”

One can only hope, AP. But with these people, it’s doubtful. Syrians have it in their DNA to blame the Jews for everything. If a Syrian man has erectile dysfunction, it’s due to an Israeli plot. If a Syrian taxi driver runs out of petrol on the way to the airport, he blames the Jews. If a Syrian woman stubs her toe, the Jews did it. These people see Jews behind every rock and under every bed. It’s part of the reason Syrians are, along with North Koreans and Albanians, the most unlikeable people on earth.

A New Bashar Cartoon:

http://7ee6an.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/100328174002.jpg

http://lhvnews.com/files/en/news/2013/1/14/2675_226.jpg

February 21st, 2013, 12:10 pm

 

Citizen said:

A repeat of the terrorist bombings require demand from friendly countries to provide all operational support for Syria’s help in the fight against terrorism, as the Security Council must vote on the condemnation!

February 21st, 2013, 12:26 pm

 

apple_mini said:

Looks like Iran is getting even closer to their goal for peace: IRAN INSTALLS NEW CENTRIFUGES AT NATANZ ENRICHMENT PLANT

With the help of North Korea, Iran might be getting ready to test their first nuclear bomb within two years.

The choice for enriched uranium is much better than plutonium. Iranians can actually use it as fuel for their power generators. But again, keep aggression of Israel in check is the priority.

February 21st, 2013, 12:45 pm

 

AIG said:

Terrorism is bad, full stop. Attacking civilians is bad, full stop.
Therefore, I cannot take the regime idiots seriously when they decry terrorism against them and cheer terrorism by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israelis and jihadists against Iraqi citizens.

How do you think these guys were trained to build car bombs? The learned in Iraq courtesy of Assad. You play with fire, you get burned. Terrorism is bad, full stop, not only when it is directed at you. So stop crying crocodile tears and beef up the security measures. And if Assad cannot protect his people, that is more reason to resign.

February 21st, 2013, 12:47 pm

 

omen said:

314. concession, zoo? ali haidar has been all over the map on whether or not the regime will talk to khatib.

funny how there is an increase in car bombings just when obama* is alleged to be reconsidering arming the rebels and when russia is said to be supportive of talks with the opposition. developments that must make the regime nervous.

February 21st, 2013, 12:49 pm

 

Visitor said:

Hey all ya regime apologetic ‘thugs’ here,

We have had enough of your alligator tears and hypocrisy. We know full well how much you care about Syria and Syrians. You have made that abundantly clear over the last two years, especially during 7Houleh, bombings of bakery line-ups from the air, systematic destruction of civilian neighbourhoods, etc, etc, etc….. You guys are shameless and also a big shame on Syria if you are indeed Syrians (we know Zoo, Revenire, Ghufran, are definitely not. So what are you trio up to shedding snake’s tears?).

While we do not know who is behind this bombing yet, I personally regret that the long time terrorist Hawatmeh had survived the bombing.

February 21st, 2013, 12:49 pm

 

Citizen said:

Brigadier-General Safwat El-Zayat said!
Of course it is necessary to say!!!
Does one of you know how much earns this Zayat on a monthly basis?
Imagine if, after all this wage does not say anything, is not a joke? Such as a drum , He predicted events, expect and will expect more of them to continue bonuses

February 21st, 2013, 12:50 pm

 

omen said:

zoo and ghufran call for dialog in order to “save what is left of Syria.” this is an expectation that keeps being thrown out there without elaboration or support of how this is supposed to work. tell us, HOW will negotiation with the regime save syria? what is this magic formula which will cause the regime to stop its wanton mass killing and get the rebels to put down arms? why do minorities expect to gain protection through dialog?

February 21st, 2013, 1:00 pm

 

revenire said:

AIG coming from a killer of Palestinian women and children like yourself I must pause and laugh.

February 21st, 2013, 1:06 pm

 

revenire said:

RAT-STATS courtesy of Ziad:
http://syrianperspective.blogspot.com/2013/02/first-post-february-21-2013-news-from.html

DAMASCUS: The frustration of the terrorists and their U.S. enablers is manifest in their sudden recourse to attacks only on civilians. The terrorists have been routed and are seeking refuge now with the Zionist Abomination of Polish and Russian settlers on Southern Syrian soil. The stats cannot be disputed any more:

At Zabadani, in a continuing effective operation, the following rats were sent to Hell as they tried to escape into neighboring Lebanon. They were shot as cowards, in the back as they threw their weapons away to make their run:

Harith Jamal Al-Ward
Ali Muhammad Al-Lahham
Tawfiq Ali Al-Tawil
Muhieddine Khaled
Ibrahim Burhan

At Darayya, where Mr. Clean is particularly active, these terrified little mice were put in the matchbox and lit up:

Adnan (a/k/a Abu Abdo – id. pending)
Muhammad (aka Abu Abdullah – id pending)

At Al-Muazzamiyya in Damascus, we can attest to the departure of these scavengers:

Muhammad Adib Abu-Khaldoun (carrying fake papers)
Subhi Ahmad Matar
Muhammad Ahmad Lasmeh (?)
Hadi Sadeq Al-Burj
Mamdouh Ahmad Al-Aseel

Huge losses for FSA and J.N. at Shifooniyya (Chiffoniere) with lists coming in. Will provide when Monzer sends it. This was a big battle.

At Al-Dhiyaabiyya, the SAA killed about 7 rodents with only one carrying i.d.:

Abdallah Al-Fuhaid

February 21st, 2013, 1:07 pm

 

omen said:

301. Akbar Palace said: Perhaps, one day, we can stop demonizing Israel and lead normal lives

there is something gross about exploiting the regime in an attempt to rehab israel.

yes, the regime is evil incarnate. the need for it to be toppled is the utmost priority. but that doesn’t absolve israel from all of its past crimes. both have unapologetically borrowed tactics from the same play book.

– demonize ordinary civilians as “terrorists” in order to dehumanize them and to justify naked brutality
– wage collective punishment on the innocent

goes without saying the US has also been guilty of this.

February 21st, 2013, 1:18 pm

 

zoo said:

Car bomb kills more than 50 people in Syria

Published February 21, 2013
While no group has claimed responsibility, the attacks suggest that rebel fighters who have gotten bogged down in their attempts to storm the capital are resorting to guerrilla tactics to loosen Assad’s grip on the capital.

….
Syrian state media put the toll at 53 with more than 200 wounded. However, anti-regime activists said 59 died, which would make this the deadliest attack in the capital since the Syrian uprising began nearly two years ago

Within hours of the car bombing, two other bombs went off elsewhere in the city and a mortar attack struck the army’s central command. Thirteen people were killed by the other two bombs, activists said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/21/large-explosion-shakes-syrian-capital-near-headquarters-ruling-baath-party-in/?test=latestnews#ixzz2LYkQEyrQ

February 21st, 2013, 1:29 pm

 

ghufran said:

another islamist party is formed:
أعلن في مدينة إسطنبول عن تأسيس حزب التوحيد الإٍسلامي السلفي السوري المعارض، برئاسة إبراهيم فارس الزعبي. وأكد الحزب التزامه بثوابت الثورة والمضي قدما في طريق تغيير النظام وتطبيق الشريعة الإسلامية.
وقال الزعبي، الأمين العام للحزب، في تصريح لـ”سكاي نيوز عربية” إن الحزب يسعى إلى “تأطير العمل السياسي الذي ينبثق من أهداف الثورة، والتي نعتبرها أهدافا ذات رؤية إسلامية”، وأضاف أن “هذه الأهداف لن تتحقق إلا من خلال بروز إدارة سياسية أو تمثيل سياسي للأهداف التي أعلن عنها الداخل” السوري.
وعن هوية الحزب الجديد قال: “نحن من أفراد الشعب السوري الذي عاني من هذا النظام خلال الثورة وما قبلها، ولأننا نمثل الطيف الأوسع في هذا المجتمع، طيف أهل السنة والجماعة، فهذا يعطينا تبريرا لنقول أننا موجودون في الخارطة التي يتشكل منها المجتمع السوري”.
أما عن الانضمام إلى الائتلاف الوطني لقوى الثورة والمعارضة السورية، أشار الزعبي إلى أن الحزب لا يمانع الانضمام إلى أي كيان سياسي، مستدركا: “لكن هذا لا يعني أننا سننخرط بالكامل تحت رؤيتها أو أجندتها، نحن حزب ولنا رؤينا الخاصة، وسنكون مهتمين بالتمثيل الداخلي أكثر من الخارجي”.
ومضى يقول: “هناك أعضاء من الحزب داخل سوريا، ونحن نتشاور ونتعاون ونتحرك مع الكتائب والحراك السلمي والمعارضين في الداخل، وسيبرز هذا الامتداد خلال الأيام القادمة بعد عقد المؤتمر التأسيسي الأول للحزب”.
وفي سؤال بشأن ما إذا كان الحزب قد أسس ليعطي غطاء للجماعات الإسلامية المسلحة التي تقاتل في سوريا، ويصفها الغرب بأنها “متشددة”، قال الزعبي: “نحن لا نأخذ تصنيف الغرب للمقاتلين على أنهم متشددين أو غير متشددين طالما أن حالة التدمير والتعذيب تمارس ضد شعبنا الأعزل”.
وأضاف أن “هذه الكتائب التي رفعت السلاح في وجه بطش النظام، من الأولى أن يقدم لها الدعم كي تقوى صفوفها، ويفسح لها المجال، بدل التضييق الذي يمارسه المجتمع الدولي على هذه الكتائب بوصفها بالمتشددة أو إرهابية”.
وعن إمكانية انضمام فئات وطوائف مجتمعية إلى الحزب قال: “عندما نتكلم عن حزب له أيديولوجيا محددة، فنحن نتكلم عن نوعية معينة من هذا المجتمع، وهذه ليست دعوة لرفع الخطاب الطائفي داخل سوريا”، وأضاف: “لا أعتقد أن هناك طوائف أخرى ستنضوي ضمن هذه الأيديولوجيا”.
it is clear that the arab spring is bringing more mess than democracy, freedom requires a level of responsibility and respect for the rule of law, random violence in the name of toppling a regime is a form of terrorism, I regret the fact that this experiment has failed, it basically means that Arabs are not ready to enter the 21st century yet, two main reasons for this tragic outcome: militant islamist wahhabi ideology and past/current governments, take those governments out and you are left with the wahabbis since secular opposition is out of the arab world, in jail or dead.
the more I watch current regimes in the arab world and the new islamists movements the more convinced I am that the waste land called the Middle East offers no future for its residents unless they are islamist thugs or part of the corrput establishment.

February 21st, 2013, 1:37 pm

 

Badr said:

If the first interest of Assad regime’s decision makers were what is good for Syria, they would declare their willingness to step down, should this lead to an agreement on a political solution.

February 21st, 2013, 1:37 pm

 

ghufran said:

While arabs were busy killing each other,Israel was busy building settlements in occupied land, stealing water, cleansing whatever is left of Arab presence in Jerusalem, bombing military targets in Syria and Gaza,assassinating wanted arab and muslim military personnel and now stealing oil and gas from Syria and Lebanon, this is the latest from Golan:
ذكرت وسائل اعلام اسرائيلية الخميس ان اسرائيل سمحت بالتنقيب عن النفط في الجولان، حيث سمحت وزارة الطاقة الإسرائيلية لشركة “جيني إنرجي” الإسرائيلية – الأميركية بمباشرة أعمال التنقيب.
وقالت صحيفة (يديعوت أحرونوت) في عددها الصادر يوم الخميس أن وزير الطاقة الإسرائيلي عوزي لانداو، وافق على طلب شركة “جيني إنرجي”، بأن تنقب الشركة عن النفط في الجولان.

February 21st, 2013, 1:48 pm

 

zoo said:

A car bomb massacre in Damascus

The armed rebels are running wild like headless chicken, killing civilians, bombing residential areas, threatening, in a hysteria of blind violence. I doubt that anyone sees these desperate acts as signs of strength.
It is so ugly that the FSA did not even dare claim the responsibility of the massacre or call it a ‘victory’. Yet, it is clear for the whole world that they are behind it and they are the ones bearing the responsibility of 59 dead and 200 wounded.

One thing is sure now, is that they have lost forever the trust of the Damascenes and of many Syrians.
They have degenerated into vulgar terrorists that need to be mercilessly crushed.

February 21st, 2013, 1:49 pm

 

zoo said:

The death of a country

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21572193-syria-disintegrates-it-threatens-entire-middle-east-outside-world-needs-act

As Syria disintegrates, it threatens the entire Middle East. The outside world needs to act before it is too late
Feb 23rd 2013 |From the print edition

AFTER the first world war Syria was hacked from the carcass of the Ottoman empire. After the second, it won its independence. After the fighting that is raging today it could cease to function as a state.

As the world looks on (or away), the country jammed between Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Israel is disintegrating. Perhaps the regime of Bashar Assad, Syria’s president, will collapse in chaos; for some time it could well fight on from a fortified enclave, the biggest militia in a land of militias. Either way, Syria looks increasingly likely to fall prey to feuding warlords, Islamists and gangs—a new Somalia rotting in the heart of the Levant.

If that happens, millions of lives will be ruined. A fragmented Syria would also feed global jihad and stoke the Middle East’s violent rivalries. Mr Assad’s chemical weapons, still secure for now, would always be at risk of falling into dangerous hands. This catastrophe would make itself felt across the Middle East and beyond. And yet the outside world, including America, is doing almost nothing to help

February 21st, 2013, 1:55 pm

 

Juergen said:

Citizen

I would love to live in the area, not sure if Damascus would be my choice, I have seen very pretty villages near Bloudan or near Slunfeh. Anyway i would consider if these would be possible as it was 70 years ago:

Breafast in Jerusalem, lunch in Damascus and dinner in Bagdad.

February 21st, 2013, 1:56 pm

 

revenire said:

“354. BADR said:
If the first interest of Assad regime’s decision makers were what is good for Syria, they would declare their willingness to step down, should this lead to an agreement on a political solution.”

Good thing you have zero influence…

What would they negotiate? Their executions?

Who would they negotiate with? The puppets or their Western masters?

Go take a nap and maybe when you wake up you won’t make such ridiculous statements.

February 21st, 2013, 1:57 pm

 

Citizen said:

February 20 Syrian government troops attacked a command center on Islamist militants in the northern suburbs of Damascus Duma. As a result, the building was completely destroyed, killing several militants, severe injuries to the leader of one of the key groups “Liwa al-Islam,” Sheikh Zahran Alloush.
This official said the group, and a cousin of the wounded commander. The so-called “team-Liwa Al-Islam” combines Islamist mercenaries and coordinates with the famous group “Dzhebhat en Nusra.” Insurgents “Liwa al-Islam” control a significant part of the Duma and are raiding other northern suburbs.

Sheikh Alloush death, according to militants groups can initiate conflict between Islamists and the unity which is often held to his authority.

Militants are trying to fire the central districts of Damascus. February 19 became aware of the attempt to attack the presidential palace. The next day, militants fired mortars Stadium “Tishrin”, resulting in the death of Suleiman Yousef football team “Al Wathba.” A few more players to train at the stadium when the explosion occurred, were injured.

February 21st, 2013, 2:14 pm

 

omen said:

360. citizen: The next day, militants fired mortars Stadium “Tishrin”

are there political prisoners being held underground at this stadium?

February 21st, 2013, 2:23 pm

 

Citizen said:

Where are western denounce the car bombings in Damascus? or have selectively chosen news? such as zebra white stripe, black stripe, white stripe, black stripe, white stripe, asshole!!

February 21st, 2013, 2:34 pm

 

AIG said:

Badr,

Of course you are right and Assad should take his family and move to Moscow or Tehran. That will facilitate dialog. Alas, we should not expect someone who had 11 years to reform Syria but instead delivered the current catastrophe to do anything right.

It looks more and more that the situation in Syria will only be settled by the use of guns and suicide bombers. The regime idiots really believe in “Assad or we burn Syria” instead of sharing the country.

February 21st, 2013, 2:46 pm

 

AIG said:

Badr,

Also, Assad knows he cannot win. Because while he is there Syria will be under sanctions with zero chance of rebuilding and under constant attack from the jihadis. Syria will be a hell hole from which anyone with money will leave and millions will be internal refugees. But Assad is staying on out of spite because he does not care about Syria. The more time it takes Assad to go, the more jihadis will swarm into Syria and the less secular the outcome will be. Assad knows this also but doesn’t care.

February 21st, 2013, 2:52 pm

 

revenire said:

Frightened Hasbara describing current Israel: “It looks more and more that the situation in Israel will only be settled by the use of guns and suicide bombers. The regime idiots really believe in ‘Netanyahu or we burn Palestine’ instead of sharing the country.”

February 21st, 2013, 2:57 pm

 

AIG said:

Why are the regime idiots complaining about the West after having proclaimed that the West is their enemy? Do they expect their enemy to be nice to them? Suck it up and fight. Don’t whine like little babies. You wanted to take on the West and the Gulf, you have your wish. You claim you are winning, so what are you worried about?

February 21st, 2013, 3:00 pm

 

omen said:

348. a clarification:

while i hold the regime incapable of honoring promises, i don’t fault or demonize khatib for making the effort (even though i suspect he’s taking his cues from the west who are hell bent on a “political solution” in an attempt to preserve the regime.) even if his call for negotiation results in an impasse doesn’t mean it was pointless. an additional layer of stress on the regime is a plus in my book. pile it on.

February 21st, 2013, 3:05 pm

 

ghufran said:

did somebody on this blog thank Israel for treating wounded rebels?
كشفت القناة العاشرة الإسرائيلية أن “الجيش الإسرائيلي يستعد لإنشاء مستشفى ميداني في هضبة الجولان المحتلة بالقرب من الحدود السورية.
وتأتي هذه الخطوة بعد ان قامت قوات الاحتلال الاسرائيلي بنقل مقاتلين ينتمون لميليشيا الجيش الحر الى الاراضي المحتلة لمعالجتهم بعد ان أصيبوا في مواجهات مع الجيش السوري قرب المنطقة المحتلة في الجولان.
rebels may now have a whole hospital to go to in sister country
Israel, next they may get recruited,like South Lebanese Army before 2000,and go back to Syria to return the favor and spy on those evil Syrians who want to destroy the peace-loving jewish state !!

February 21st, 2013, 3:06 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

What comes around, goes around. A lesson that the regime and its supporters have forgotten.

February 21st, 2013, 3:06 pm

 

AIG said:

Marigoldran,

If the people killed were those that sent jihadists to Iraq, you would be right. But most likely, the civilians killed had nothing to do with that. They just paid a price for Assad’s failed policies, as are all of Syria’s inhabitants.

February 21st, 2013, 3:18 pm

 

AIG said:

Ghufran illustrates the muddled thinking about Israel prevalent in many Syrian’s minds. If Israel would have let the wounded die, it would be “barbaric”. If it helps them, it is an Israeli conspiracy. Oh, well there is no pleasing some idiots.

February 21st, 2013, 3:22 pm

 

Citizen said:

@DrMarcusP
Turkey and Libya have become the main training grounds and staging grounds for Islamic terrorists.
It is simply an exercise in futility for the West to continue stating that the militants in Syria are fighting for “freedom”.
The Syrian people are waiting for an unequivocal condemnation from Western governments of the terrorist attack in Damascus today.
Condemn FSA, condemn terrorism
Contrary to what Western media states, the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra Front is part of the FSA. The FSA is a ragtag organization.
Every success the #FSA achieves in Syria constitutes a blow to the fight against international terrorism. And every achievement scored by the #FSA in Syria helps to bring terrorism that little bit closer to the streets of Western capitals.
Terrorism is terrorism. Those found guilty today in Birmingham of plotting terrorist attacks are, ideologically, the same as the FSA.

February 21st, 2013, 3:26 pm

 

omen said:

368. ghufran, shame on you. it’s the regime guilty of creating the police state. you know this. how can you level that accusation without irony?

THE FIFTEEN BRANCHES of Syria’s intelligence apparatus, the mukhabarat, count some 50,000 to 70,000 full-time officers, along with hundreds of thousands of part-time personnel and informers. By 2011 it was estimated there was one intelligence officer for every 240 or so Syrians. A third of the country’s military budget has historically gone to the security services, including the Palestine Branch of Military Intelligence, which does not gather intelligence against Israel (the regime’s nominal enemy), but rather monitors Syria’s 500,000-strong Palestinian population (along with many Syrians) and runs a notorious detention and torture center in Damascus. “The garbage collectors are intelligence agents,” a protester told the Associated Press after 120 people were killed in two days of protests in April 2011. “Sometimes we think even our wives are working with the intelligence. All the phones are monitored. We live in hell.”

if the west or the gulf states were sincere about stopping the carnage, they would have offered these workers the guarantee of a salary as an incentive to walk off the job.

February 21st, 2013, 3:27 pm

 

revenire said:

It’s very nice of Israel to build a hospital for their fighters in Syria. In turn their fighters threatened Hezbollah.

In the West Bank today the Israelis opened up on Palestinians protesting in support of hunger strikers in Israeli prisons.

It’s all very cozy.

February 21st, 2013, 3:34 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

The regime is a terrorist group too.

So any blow against the regime, is a blow to terrorism too. After all, some of the people who died today were family members of Baath party officials. Similarly, some of the Aleppines who got killed a few days ago by a regime missile were family members of rebels.

Terror for terror. As I’ve said before: what comes around, goes around.

February 21st, 2013, 3:35 pm

 

Citizen said:

368. GHUFRAN
Turkey has erected tents on the border with Syria before they open their borders for infiltrators and before starting the military scene in northern Syria and in Aleppo especially! So your understanding is enough.

February 21st, 2013, 3:37 pm

 
 

revenire said:

NEW FROM ALEPPO:
http://syrianperspective.blogspot.com/2013/02/first-post-february-21-2013-news-from.html

ALGERIAN-DANISH RAT EXCREMENT DISPOSED OF IN ALEPPO. GOOD BYE! AND OUR CONDOLENCES TO THE RAT MOTHER AND FATHER WHO CREATED THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE.

http://alhittin.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/slimane-hadj-abderrahmane.jpg?w=300&h=225

Danish-Algerian pest and plague-carrying rodent, Sulayman Hajj Abdul-Rahman, met the Devil on Saturday along with his fellow rodents. A thief by profession, he came to Syria to collect some money from Prince Pedophile of Qatar. He is now enjoying his wages in Hell itself.

SYRPER HAS RECEIVED GREAT NEWS THAT THE MENNAGH AIRBASE IS COMPLETELY SECURE. WAEL REPORTS THAT OVER 649 RODENTS WERE DISPATCHED TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE BASE. THEY HAVE NOW WITHDRAWN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE ENTIRE FILE FOR THE BASE IS WITH SYRIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE AND THEY DO NOT RELEASE DETAILED INFORMATION.

The FSA has been monitored communicating withdrawal orders from all Aleppo bases in a clear indication that their commanders now know it is a hopeless cause. Air power and Syria’s very accurate artillery and missile units have made the difference. As Wael says, however, the Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorists do not take orders from the FSA. Let’s see what happens.

Western media and anti-Syrian Lebanese Phalangist sources are completely confused about Aleppo. It is almost rat free now with remnant rat infestations to the northern suburbs and in Hanano. There are also some Islamist terrorists still operating in the Industrial Zone northeast of the city. Their time has come.

February 21st, 2013, 3:43 pm

 

revenire said:

The war continues.

February 21st, 2013, 3:45 pm

 

Citizen said:

No Dispute with the peoples of the West! Dispute is with Zionist lobby dogs pervasive there.

February 21st, 2013, 3:46 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

The FSA will never send suicide bomber,they fight the Assad thugs and defend the civilians, the bomb explosion today is certainly an action of the regime, and must be condemned,the regime has no fear of God,
The dialogue suggested by the Coalition is only to satisfy the west,Russia will not change their mind,and such dialogue is not approved by the rebels,and will not be accepted by this criminal regime,I have no doubt that Mr. Khatib is patriotic and sincere,what we need is a mean guy,Mr. Khatib is a nice guy,Assad is criminal comes from criminal people and they don’t believe in God.
The rebels should be merciful toward the Syrians,but should be brutally unforgiving against Assad people.

February 21st, 2013, 3:51 pm

 

revenire said:

LOL these guy are idiots. Without Israel and the West’s help they would all be dead by their own hands by now.

February 21st, 2013, 3:54 pm

 

revenire said:

‘Syrian rebels too weak to target Hezbollah sites’
http://rt.com/op-edge/syria-violence-Hezbollah-rebels-219/

The situation in Syria has escalated lately since terror groups are trying to counter any negotiations that could lead to a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict, strategic expert Ameen Hutait told RT Arabic.

In a new turn in the nearly two-year-old civil war, Syrian rebels warned the Lebanese political party Hezbollah to stop the shelling of Free Syrian Army-controlled territories in Syria or face consequences. The group posted its statement on its page on a popular social networking service and gave Hezbollah a 48-hour deadline to stop the attacks.

However, Beirut-based analyst Ameen Hutait believes these threats are not likely to be fulfilled and are rather linked to the events in neighboring Lebanon. RT Arabic asked the commentator to discuss the latest developments in Syria.

RT: There has been intense fighting in Damascus, bombing and casualties. How could you explain these developments?

Ameen Hutait: The events in Damascus reflect clearly how desperate the terror groups are as they saw the peaceful solution to the crisis – which is led mainly by Russia, which is keen to achieve a peaceful solution – has started to move forward. This is because these terrorists will not have a place in any future peaceful settlement.

That’s why they have carried out these desperate attacks on the capital Damascus, hoping to stop any possible negotiations that might lead to a peaceful solution for the crisis. And also they aimed at punishing the Syrian people for their steadfastness and for their rejection of any form of fighting and terrorism.

RT: How serious are the threats by the so-called Free Syrian Army to target Hezbollah sites?

AH: These threats are not linked at all to the Syrian crisis. Rather, they are linked to the current events in Lebanon such as the elections law. We know that these threats came from a supporter and a comrade of Ukab Saqar, member of Tayyarul-Mustaqbal (Future Current Party). Moreover, Saad Al-Hariri, who has lost control over the legislative process and is now facing an election law which will not secure majority for him in the parliament, wanted to threaten Hezbollah and send a message to him that a security chaos might take place in Lebanon in order to stop the elections. The so-called Free Army is too weak to carry out such actions.

RT: News about the participation of Hezbollah in fighting alongside the Syrian army, are they real or they are mere escalations aiming at widening the conflict?

AH: This is all fabricated lies. Hezbollah has courage enough to announce its plans and actions. Hence, it is all fabrications. Besides, everybody knows that there are 23 Lebanese villages on the Lebanese-Syrian border, but they are inside Syrian territory, and these villages are inhabited by Shiite Lebanese. Those Shiite Lebanese, who support the Resistance of Hezbollah, are being targeted by An-Nusra front fighters and the Free Army. These people are defending themselves; and they cannot allow the Free Army to invade them and kill their families. This would never happen.

February 21st, 2013, 4:04 pm

 
 

jna said:

[…]Private sources have revealed to Al-Monitor that during one of these skirmishes, Jabhat al-Nusra militants attacked a Hezbollah training camp in the Hermel region from the Al-Qusayr countryside, killing and wounding 10 Hezbollah members. This was followed by a retaliatory operation by Hezbollah, which resulted in the killing of many members of the Syrian opposition.

In general, Hezbollah is cautious about stepping into the sectarian strife raging in Syria. However, the issue of providing protection for the 14 Shiite villages located inside Syrian territory within the Al-Qusayr countryside arose as a challenge for the party before its social base in the Hermel region. It seems that the party has made the decision to protect these villages and prevent the people’s displacement based on the following considerations: […]

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/hezbollah-shiites-syria.html#ixzz2LZP46oa7

February 21st, 2013, 4:10 pm

 

ghufran said:

I think wounded fighters should receive treatment, and if the only place to provide treatment is Israel then be it, the last people to talk about humanity is the Israelis, their history for the last 100 years speak volume about their values, Syria and the countries around Israel are blessed with two diseases: Israel and their own governments,I do not need lectures from Israelis and Islamists, the Midlle East had suffered enough from both, on behalf of most Syrians:
Tiz feekon wa bi daoulet al’isabaat tabaakon
ma asfal min Israel illa alirahbiyeen almuta’aslimeen

February 21st, 2013, 4:10 pm

 

AIG said:

Again all Ghufran can muster is muddled thinking and trash talking. You do need a serious education into values. If Syria were run according to Israeli values, it would be a much nicer place. Just ask the Druze in the Golan. I am starting to believe that the regime supporters are only good at killing other Syrians and running their big mouth while quoting propaganda outlets.

February 21st, 2013, 4:33 pm

 

revenire said:

FORMER OPPOSITION SUPPORTER HAMAECHO EXPOSES RATS

Extremist Murderers in Syria
Posted on February 17, 2013 by hamaecho
https://hamaecho.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/extremist-murderers-in-syria/

There are more and more extremist idiots spreading their filthy ideas across the country. They think they can create a silly “caliphate” Islamic dictatorship to replace the Baathist dictatorship. How nice! Did 60,000+ people died so we can have a new Assad with a beard??

They hate all the national symbols, even our national flag, calling it “french mandate” like the regime does. According to these people, only their kandahar mandate islamic flag is the only banner allowed in the country.

We have to still live in fear with these idiots around, if I said any of this in public I would be arrested or worse. These groups are not popular at all, but our secular Syrianist groups are too weak compared to them and no one is helping our groups so people have no choice.

You might think Islamic extremists might be alright in the short term since no one will arm our secular groups, but in the long term Syria will be raped by them more than anyone in history ever did.

Look at who the extremist pigs are killing:

https://hamaecho.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/extremist-murderers-in-syria/

February 21st, 2013, 4:41 pm

 

zoo said:

Who was predicting that the FSA were winning the airport battles?

Could you kindly update us on the prediction? News are confusing.

February 21st, 2013, 5:00 pm

 

Citizen said:

387. AIG – If Syria were run according to Israeli values –
Do you think it’s smart to request a certificate of good conduct for the Zionist state from the Knights of Damascus?Do you suffer from confusion?
by the way
​​what happened to Avigdor Lieberman after he shot to fame in money laundering?Are 85% of the Israeli economy in the hands of ten Israeli families?

February 21st, 2013, 5:04 pm

 

Juergen said:

time to give a name to this John Doe guy. I wonder what would be an
typical syran name for such an guy? Fadl Tahan?

Syrian Television’s Most Outraged Bystander

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/syrian-televisions-most-outraged-bystander/?smid=tw-thelede&seid=auto

I hear that two mortars have hit Chami Hospital, any confirmation on that? Where will Assad and his buddies go now for treatment?

February 21st, 2013, 5:08 pm

 

revenire said:

It’s Elvis Juergen.

February 21st, 2013, 5:12 pm

 

zoo said:

Oh yes, once Bashar al Assad is gone these Islamist terrorists will pack their bags and weapons, say good luck and go home. They will let the moderate Islamist that they hate to take over, of course…

The naivety of the people who think like that is total stupidity.
Once these Islamists are here, they won’t leave until they are all chased and killed.
Guess who will do that job after the Syrian Army had collapsed?
The only chance Syria still has to survive is the Syrian Army and its commanders.

February 21st, 2013, 5:12 pm

 

revenire said:

“If Syria were run according to Israeli values” they’d have imprisoned an entire nation of people in a giant Nazi concentration camp called Gaza.

Thank God we have President Assad and not the war criminal Netanyahu.

February 21st, 2013, 5:14 pm

 

revenire said:

hamaecho was one of the biggest rat supporters EVER. Now look what he says about the murderers. This is the reality of the war.

I hope al-Nusra doesn’t try to kill him.

“We have to still live in fear with these idiots around, if I said any of this in public I would be arrested or worse.” – hamaecho, opposition member

February 21st, 2013, 5:20 pm

 

zoo said:

US condemns “discriminate acts of violence” in Syria
21/02/2013

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (KUNA) — The U.S. strongly condemned here Thursday any “discriminate acts of violence” against civilians or diplomatic facilities in Syria.
State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters: “We do have the same reports you have of intense ongoing violence in Damascus today, including a car bomb that reportedly killed 31 people, most of whom were civilians in the vicinity of the Russian Embassy and the Baath Party headquarters.” “We strongly condemn any indiscriminate acts of violence against civilians or against diplomatic facilities which violate international law, and we continue to emphasize that perpetrators on all sides have to be held accountable,” she stressed.

February 21st, 2013, 5:21 pm

 

Juergen said:

Omar ‏@AllWeAskFor has tweeted this:

My aunt has to pass through two checkpoints to get to a bakery in Damascus. Yet explosive filled cars somehow snuck through?

Reve I am sure you can tell us how one can drive a bus filled with explosives through the checkpoints to its designated explosion site, yet conveniently one of the best monitored areas of Damascus.

February 21st, 2013, 5:21 pm

 

Ghufran said:

It makes a lot of sense for Israelis to love this revolution, first it is leading to Syria’s destruction, second it forced Hamas to sell its body to Qatari pimps, and third it made Iran an enemy for Syrians instead of Israel. Israelis on this blog can only fool those who are born to be idiots and others who are in a state of total confusion due to understandable emotions of anger and guilt, when this is all finished and done Israel will regain its rightful position as a terrorist apartheid state.

February 21st, 2013, 5:22 pm

 

zoo said:

William Hague playing on all the horses…

UK to train Lebanese troops amid fears of Syria overspill

Beirut Thursday 21 February 2013
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/uk-to-train-lebanese-troops-amid-fears-of-syria-overspill-8505814.html

Britain will help train 2,000 Lebanese soldiers this year amid heightened concern that Syria’s neighbour will be sucked into the country’s civil war, the Foreign Secretary has said.

The announcement by William Hague during a two-day visit to Lebanon came amid a tense face-off between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which rebels accuse of assisting Syrian regime troops. The UK also pledged to provide “equipment support” for the Lebanese army, though officials declined to provide details.

Britain is hoping to help shore up stability in Lebanon, where politics are closely interwoven with those across the border in Syria. Since the start of the uprising the situation has become increasingly unstable, with armed clashes and a car bombing that killed a security official in the capital Beirut last year.

The armed forces have so far managed to contain any large-scale conflagration, but there are threats by the FSA to attack targets in Lebanon if Hezbollah does not withdraw its fighters backing President Bashar al-Assad. An FSA spokesman said that rebels had struck a Hezbollah base in their heartland of the Hermel, but the claims could not be corroborated.

February 21st, 2013, 5:24 pm

 

revenire said:

Juergen no idea but I do believe your Tin Foil Hat is showing. 🙂

February 21st, 2013, 5:32 pm

 

Juergen said:

Christopher Dekki: A (very) rough guide to the Christians of the Levant
“I challenge you to let this be the first step to understanding the depth of the Middle East’s diversity”

http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/opinion/christopher-dekki-a-very-rough-guide-to-the-christians-of-the-levant_13147

Reve you might consider this your motto:

If I can’t dance I don’t want to be part of your revolution. — Emma Goldman

February 21st, 2013, 5:37 pm

 

revenire said:

Juergen does Chris fit in with your views? You sure?

“Chris Dekki ‏@CDekki
‘#Obama is part of the #MB!’ But the imperial strategy re: anti-#Arab nationalist political #Islam took shape long ago… #PT”

I can go on Juergen.

Let me know.

🙂

February 21st, 2013, 5:46 pm

 

Visitor said:

Those regime idiot apologists over here who continue to spin stories back and forth about Hezbos must know that the clash between the FSA and the Mullah stooges in Lebanon is inevitable. It is now clear what the Hezbos are up to, and actually it started long before the recent skirmishes and even well before the Arsal fiasco in which the Hezbos were the instigators on orders from the thug who was killed recently, the RG general Khoznevi.. According to this story Hezbos are actively involved in defending the so-called Alawite thug regime in order to create the midget statelet of Alawistan by orders from the grand ape-gorilla mullah in Qomistan,

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/ar/nowspecialar/حزب-الله-يريد-ضم-القصير-إل-الدويلة-العلوية

But, it is all in vain and it will result in the total destruction and annihilation of the Mullah agents and the stooges in ‘Alawistan’. Your game is over and your time is up. FSA will destroy you all without mercy.

February 21st, 2013, 5:51 pm

 

Juergen said:

See Reve, contrary to you I have my very own opinion, I dont share necessarily what the author thinks, f.e. I like the style of Fisks articles more than his actual standpoint. But i assume you dont question anything you post right?

Midanibatman tweets:

So you guys all support the president that your families don’t live under? Sounds easy.

February 21st, 2013, 5:55 pm

 

revenire said:

401.) Juregen this one better for you?

“Chris Dekki ‏@CDekki
#Hydrabad, #India and #Damascus, #Syria affected by #terrorism today… #tragic”

403.) The rats were complaining about Hezbollah a year ago. Why so upset now? Something happen? I can show you news reports over a year old claiming Hezbollah had sent 1000s of fighters. Now you’re upset over a few border clashes of men protecting their villages from your rats?

Believe me if Hezbollah gets involved you will know about it. They are not shy.

February 21st, 2013, 5:56 pm

 

DAMASCUSROSE said:

Not that I trust Isareli motives or their policies, but offering to help treating the wounded Syrians is a nice humanitarian gesture. A wounded human being needs care no matter what their political affiliation and I commend the Isarelis for doing the right thing here. Thank you to the Isareli doctors and nurses who took care of the wounded.

February 21st, 2013, 5:56 pm

 

revenire said:

Hasbara rat AIG this is how Israel conducts itself: “IOF arrests 19 Palestinian children in two weeks.”

ROSE the hospital is for FSA terrorists not anyone else. Wake up.

February 21st, 2013, 6:00 pm

 

omen said:

why do minorities expect to gain protection through dialog?

instead of relying on the regime to negotiate protection for them in a post-assad world, minorities should do an end run around the regime and send their own emissaries to the various factions of the opposition to work out their own accords. minorities need to start establishing their independence away from the regime as something they can point to.

i get the sense this is already being done on the local level with village elders negotiating differences between the two groups.

relying on the regime is bad PR. in the long run, it wont benefit any group to be seen even as tacit supporters of the regime. not to mention the inner circle cannot be counted upon to honor agreements and have only their own selfish, greedy, wicked interests at heart.

February 21st, 2013, 6:11 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

407. REVENIRE said:

¨Hasbara rat AIG….. ¨

REVENIRE,

Do you know what? You are surely the great rat here, the FSA will impale Assadists like you. Go to hell you and your dirty words. People like you are going to vanish from earth, in sha allah.

I understand this way of free expression is allowed in SC since Revenire is permanently vomitting these kind of, let´s say, words and ape arguments.

February 21st, 2013, 6:12 pm

 

Syrian said:

Even the Nytimes took notice of the Shabih that shows up after every regime bombing

February 21, 2013, 4:19 pmComment
Syrian Television’s Most Outraged Bystander

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/syrian-televisions-most-outraged-bystander/?smid=tw-share

February 21st, 2013, 6:13 pm

 

omen said:

Oh yes, once Bashar al Assad is gone these Islamist terrorists will pack their bags and weapons, say good luck and go home. They will let the moderate Islamist that they hate to take over, of course…

if syrians are strong enough to topple this regime, it will be strong enough to tackle anything coming after it.

it’s not islamists with hundreds of thousands of spies running around throwing the innocent in dungeons. it’s not islamists who are disappearing tens of thousands. it’s not islamists creating mass graves. it’s not islamists who are dropping bombs from aircraft and reducing syria to rubble.

February 21st, 2013, 6:19 pm

 

revenire said:

“409. SANDRO LOEWE said:
407. REVENIRE said:
‘Hasbara rat AIG….. ‘
REVENIRE,
Do you know what? You are surely the great rat here, the FSA will impale Assadists like you. Go to hell you and your dirty words. People like you are going to vanish from earth, in sha allah.
I understand this way of free expression is allowed in SC since Revenire is permanently vomitting these kind of, let´s say, words and ape arguments.”

I’m going to be impaled by terrorists for pointing out a Hasbara rat? Don’t hold your breath.

If you must call me names I prefer that you call me Hyena as Tara does.

Thank you.

February 21st, 2013, 6:42 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

Revenire,

After loooong loooong years living in that Paradise turned Prison called Syria, I say once and forever that I am FED UP and fuxxxingly FED UP of people like you and all the shabihha and supporters of the regime who used to have wasta for everything and cosidered that it was reason enough to TREATHEN any other memebr of society as if they were real BADASSES.

Now you are beginning to receive what you deserve. Sadly tens of thousands of innocent people will die because of those rats who destroyed Syria from inside for vile reasons. Sahme on you Assad, forever and ever. We will kill you with our hearts and souls.

February 21st, 2013, 6:55 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

SYRIAN
I have a feeling that this thug and some of the retards on SC are graduates from the same kennel.

February 21st, 2013, 7:15 pm

 

revenire said:

Sandro what’s that you say? Calm yourself… Dr. Assad is in control of things. Read the excellent news:

U.S. Diplomat: Majority of Syrians Stand Behind Bashar Assad
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2013/02/us-diplomat-majority-of-syrians-stand-behind-bashar-assad.html#comments

A member of the UN independent panel investigating human rights violations in Syria, Karen Abuzayd (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Koning_AbuZayd), said what we have asserted here all along.

A majority of the people of Syria stand behind their president Bashar al Assad.

Thanks to J. Bradley for a comment (http://www.moonofalabama.org/2013/02/open-thread-2013-4.html#c6a00d8341c640e53ef017d4129b740970c) that pointed to Monday’s (http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/episode/2013/02/18/monday—syria-war-crimes-banksy-mural-for-sale-south-african-rain-frog/) CBC Radio Show As It Happens.

Starting at 2:00 minutes into the first part (http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/popupaudio.html?clipIds=2336416028,2336416291,2336417666) of the show Karen Koning AbuZayd, a former U.S. diplomat, is interviewed about the latest UN Human Rights Council report (http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A.HRC.22.59_en.pdf) (pdf) about the situation in Syria.

At 5:35 min into the audio with regard to a question about a possible indictment of Assad a comparison is made to Milosovic and Serbia. There Karen Abuzayd, who was involved with Bosnia, says:

“… Milosovic had a lot of his population strongly behind him, throughout, until the end, until now I would say, and the same goes for President Assad – there’s quite a number of the population, maybe as many as half, if not more, who stand behind him.”
That determination certainly runs counter to the “western” propaganda campaign. Why should Assad, as the “west” demands, go when the majority of the Syrian population is supporting him?
PS:
And lets keep in mind, as Noirette reminds us (http://www.moonofalabama.org/2013/02/open-thread-2013-4.html#c6a00d8341c640e53ef017c370380cf970b), that the court found no evidence linking Milosovic to genocide and war crimes committed in the Bosnian War. His indictment was just another propaganda act. Just like an indictment of Bashar Assad, which the Russians will prevent anyway, would be solely to support the ongoing disinformation campaign.

February 21st, 2013, 7:27 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Retard @ 362

stripe, asshole!!

Thought it was going incognito…

February 21st, 2013, 7:27 pm

 

zoo said:

From his palace in Paris or in Ryadh….

Hariri slams Cabinet silence on Hezbollah involvement in Syria

February 22, 2013 01:44 AM

BEIRUT/HERMEL, Lebanon: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri blasted the government Thursday over its silence on recent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Syrian rebels, accusing it of handing over national security to the party.

Meanwhile, Lebanese security sources denied claims by the rebel Free Syrian Army that one of its battalions had struck Hezbollah bases in the eastern city of Hermel near the border with Syria.

“What is happening on the Lebanese-Syrian border is extremely dangerous, and most dangerous of all is that the Lebanese government is [acting unaware] and allowing Hezbollah to take control of national security,” Hariri said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-22/207431-hariri-slams-cabinet-silence-on-hezbollah-involvement-in-syria.ashx#ixzz2LaEFN0aS
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

February 21st, 2013, 7:32 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

Revenir

Assad does not control even his brain, I wonder how many doses of cocaine he is taking daily. He has always been garbage son of a garbage family of criminals but now evidence is clearer and all the suckers behind him are going to be shown crystal clear. I would dare to say that Assad has reached a lower point than Bush and Sharon. Maybe similar to Hitler.

You keep on repeating the mantra ¨Assad is in control¨ until a truck fulled with 20 tones of explosives explodes in the face of Assad. Even when he is dead, time will come, you will say Assad is in Control or you will be already in the hands of a Psychiatric.

February 21st, 2013, 7:32 pm

 

zoo said:

This has not been reported by the Lebanese authorities, the Hezbollah or any independent source..

Syrian rebels attack Hezbollah’s positions in Lebanon: FSA commander
February/21/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?PageID=238&NID=41647&NewsCatID=352&op=sent

A commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said Syrian rebels had started to attack Lebanon’s Hezbollah Feb. 21, less than a day after the FSA chief of staff issued a 48-hour ultimatum warning the militant group to stop shelling territory held by the insurgents.

“We have bombed the territories of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria. The Free Syrian Army will continue bombing these positions,” Col. Hisam al-Avvak of the Group of Free Officers, which operates under the umbrella of the FSA, told Anatolia news agency

February 21st, 2013, 7:45 pm

 

ghufran said:

According to UN OCHA, less than 20% of syrian aid that pledged by donors was actually delivered (to help Syrian refugees), some countries like Bahrain has not paid a penny yet, others,like KSA, only paid a fraction of what was pledged and sent the money to WHO but not to refugee camps or UNICEF. UAE which pledged $ 300 million has only paid $ 12 million, and the list goes on and on. The main responsibility for the refugee crisis still falls on the shoulders of the Syrian government but I never believed the myth that the GCC cared about ordinary Syrians.
it tells a lot that the country that paid the most to help Syrian refugees was the US.

February 21st, 2013, 7:53 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

There is no point in discussing with Revenire about anything related to Syria. He doesn’t care about Syria. Instead, criticize him directly. He cares about that.

For example:

Revenire is a loser. He lives on the comments section of a blog for 12-16 hours a day.

Revenire is a retard.

He should get a job.

Etc. etc. At this point they’re not even insults. They’re statements of TRUTH.

February 21st, 2013, 7:56 pm

 

Syrialover said:

One striking thing about an Assad interview is the bizarre childishness of the lies, and the way he delivers them.

One is reminded of a toddler standing in a mess and saying earnestly, “Teddy did it”.

The weakly-deliverd lies, the failed mustache, the undersized head, the creepy lisping voice – has there ever been a “national leader” like it anywhere, even in sci-fi comic books?

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/assad-denies-starting-war-in-new-interview/

February 21st, 2013, 7:57 pm

 

Tara said:

Brahimi staying for 2013.  I wonder how much they pay him? 

• Lakdar Brahimi is to renew his contract as Syrian peace envoy for the UN and the Arab League. The veteran diplomat took over in August last year as envoy, succeeding former UN chief Kofi Annan. Brahimi’s contract is due to expire tomorrow but he will continue for a further six months, a UN spokesman said.

February 21st, 2013, 7:57 pm

 

zoo said:

After accusing Hezbollah of killing Israelis, Bulgaria PM accuses Turkey politician of plotting to kill him.

Bulgaria’s Borisov accuses Turkish politician of murder plot

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bulgarias-borisov-accuses-turkish-politician-of-murder-plot.aspx?pageID=238&nID=41603&NewsCatID=351

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov accuses the ex-leader of the country’s Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedom, Ahmet Doğan, of plotting an assassination attempt against him

February 21st, 2013, 7:57 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Assad should never have been allowed to run a country. We can see the consequences of that now.

One wonders just how much power he actually has.

February 21st, 2013, 7:59 pm

 

zoo said:

#421 Ghufran

guilt…

February 21st, 2013, 8:03 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Wrong as usual, Zoo. The Syrians did this to themselves.

As long as stupid people blame others for their stupidity, they will always remain stupid.

February 21st, 2013, 8:04 pm

 

zoo said:

After the Iranian monkey, Morsi is to be to be traveling in space.
Will he take the Moslem Brotherhood with him?

https://www2.axeapollo.com/en_AE/244825/mohammed-morsi?image=0(hash)./mohammed-morsi?&_suid=13614680934900703352844006959

February 21st, 2013, 8:17 pm

 

Syrian said:

Syrian Hamster
Of course they are the graduates of the same kennel, one can spot the same cold rigid ways of talking and using the same talking points.
Here in SC when they want to go out side the lines drawn to them they use different names just to get away a little and speak their minds away from their watchful handlers.

February 21st, 2013, 8:18 pm

 

Tara said:

Not even in their wildest dream…..   

Syria not part of Iran

Iran has been trying to link its nuclear programme to regional issues, raising the question of whether it regards Syria as an Iranian province, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/1546/19/Syria-not-part-of-Iran.aspx

In a move that has stirred controversy among the Arab countries, Iran has submitted a proposal to the P5+1 group composed of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council along with Germany and in charge of negotiating Iran’s nuclear programme, asking that the Syrian and Bahraini crises be included in the talks to take place in Kazakhstan on 26 February.
Iranian officials hope that the proposal will effectively merge the future of Syria and Bahrain with the prospects for Iran’s nuclear programme with the approval of the international parties, constituting an audacious move to place its ambitions in Bahrain and Syria on the negotiating table as if it had legitimate rights in those two countries.

The move follows reports in the US media of the presence of Iranian combat units in Syria, together with an attempt by Iran to turn Syria into an “Iranian province”, as one Iranian cleric declared recently.

Such statements have shocked Syrian public opinion,…

Read more….

February 21st, 2013, 8:33 pm

 

Ziad said:

One of the two suicide bombers of today’s attack caught alive.

دمشق – لحظة القبض على الانتحاري الثاني حياً 21 2 20

February 21st, 2013, 9:15 pm

 

Akbar Palace said:

Visitor responds to my posts from this morning:

Once Israel is involved whose side you are in the new reality determines the political outcome.

… which is all he wants, by portarying the FSA and those other fighters as stooges of Israel which according to him and his media apparatus…

Assad is claiming this NOW, w/o any Israeli involvement. Arab despot/jihadist conspiracy theories are so ridiculous and so prevalent; and it’s been this way for years.

It is all part of the process of dehumanization. By referring to people as being less than human, we can justify the worst atrocities. An example of that was George Galloway’s refusal to speak with an Israeli just yesterday. And of course, on this website, it is the riff-raff who calls all opposition supporters “rats”. It a common thread for all the immature, arm-chair freedom fighters here.

http://www.danielpipes.org/1294/deadly-denial-of-muslim-anti-semitism

I also have problems agreeing with your assertion that Isarel did not retake Sinai when Mubarak fell, making that as a precedent which may apply to Syria.

Visitor, it’s not an assertion. It’s a fact, no?

I believe Israel deals with its neighbors on a case by case basis.

Of course. Just like Obama helps the Libyans, but turns his back on the Syrians. Every country is free to act in its best interest.

If Israel knew it could swallow the Sinai by retaking it, they would have done it.

Visitor,

What is your point here? That Israel enjoys swallowing countries? Simply put, there is no reason for Israel to retake the Sinai with the current peace treaty and Egypt, even under the MB/Islamist administration knows there are bigger fish to fry than start a war with Israel.

In Syria’s case a modus vivendi has already been established with the Assads since 1973, albeit officially undeclared. It is this status-quo, which is threatened, which makes Israel shiver from the unknown outcome.

Visitor,

Again, I’m a bit confused here. As long as there are mortal enemies to Israel, whether that is Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria or Iran, Israel is on guard. She has protected herself fairly well. I don’t think Israelis are any more or less concerned if jihadists somehow manage to gain control of Syria. Assad or jihadists are both at war with Israel. Perhaps the only difference is that the jihadis will fight, but the Baathist will subcontract to the other jihadists.

AIG,

Keep up the good work.

406. DAMASCUSROSE said:

Not that I trust Isareli motives or their policies, but offering to help treating the wounded Syrians is a nice humanitarian gesture.

Thanks. This makes me proud to be Jewish and pro-Israeli.

A wounded human being needs care no matter what their political affiliation and I commend the Isarelis for doing the right thing here. Thank you to the Isareli doctors and nurses who took care of the wounded.

Just FYI, Israel treats Palestinians like this on a daily basis.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/12/hamas-leader-kin-gets-israeli-medical-aid-even-as-terror-group-blasts-jewish/

One day we’ll all get educated outside of the madrassas and then we may live in peace. Tell George Galloway.

February 21st, 2013, 9:15 pm

 

Ziad said:

قصف مبنى الاذاعة والتلفزيون في دمشق 21-2-2013

February 21st, 2013, 9:30 pm

 

Syrian said:

الثورة الصينية ضد طاغية الصين the Chinese revolution
about an hour ago
مطلوب شبيح .. للظهور كمواطن شريف .. في المقابلات التلفزيونية .. و ما بعد التفجيرات .. و خلف “سيادتو” بالمسجد .. و في الكنيسة أيضاً .. و في الندوات .. و مؤتمرات الحوار الوطني .. و أن يظهر كمواطن عادي يشتري بطيخ في الشارع .. و يصوّت في أي انتخابات .. و أن يظهر في المسيرات المؤيدة (إن حصلت) كمواطن عفوي
الخبرة غير ضرورية
يُفضل من سكان العاصمة
التفرغ التام للعمل
و على استعداد للظهور على اليوتيوب .. تحت مُسمى .. الشبيح متعدد المواهب2 .. بعد ما احترق الأول تماماً .. و ربّي يسّر!

وانغ 14

February 21st, 2013, 9:31 pm

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN #427 said:

“The Syrians did this to themselves. As long as stupid people blame others for their stupidity, they will always remain stupid.”

How insulting and offensive. How ignorant. How insenstiive. And above all, how stupid to say something like that.

Where the HELL are you coming from?

February 21st, 2013, 9:37 pm

 

Syrialover said:

By the way MARIGOLDRAN, if you ever actually met any Syrians (which I suspect you never have), would you stand there and say your statement in #427 directly to them?

You’ve now exposed what a self-important thrill you must get sitting on your sofa making patronizing remarks about what is happening in Syria.

What a privileged, safe, free life you have. Unlike all those stupid Syrians who “did it to themselves”.

February 21st, 2013, 9:50 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

It was in response to Zoo’s comments. He was, I think, blaming America for the regime’s troubles. My comment refers to the fact that the regime was stupid, and they have no one to blame but themselves for the trouble it’s in.

But regardless of which side you’re on, a Syrian Civil War is a war of Syrians vs. Syrians. So yes, they did do it to themselves.

Was it inaccurate?

And yes, I do have a pretty good life. I love my job and I like the people around me. The same is probably true for you too. After all, you post here pretty often, and you seem pretty well-adjusted (albeit somewhat angry at times) which means that you have both internet access and free time and probably job as well.

February 21st, 2013, 9:50 pm

 

Syrian said:

@431
Only in Syria
A General commit suicide with 3 bullets to his head(Ghazi Kena’an)
And catch a” suicide bomber”alive after exploding his car
I wonder which dungeon you got this poor soul from, so you can make him admit to what ever that you want him to say

February 21st, 2013, 9:52 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

And, to answer your rhetorical question:

Yes I would. I understand why they would feel angry about it. But it is true. If it makes you feel any better, I would like to remind you that I am very much against the regime.

EDIT: In case others haven’t noticed, I treat reasonable people with respect, even if they’re on the other side. For example, I have no problems with Ali or Ghufran. I may disagree, but I respectfully disagree.

But I will attack mal-adjusted retards like Revenire. They do not deserve respect.

February 21st, 2013, 10:00 pm

 

Ghufran said:

Qadri Jamil praised Moaz on sham fm and called him Ustaz Moaz then Sayyed Moaz, of notice is the fact that the NC did not accuse the regime of being behind the massacre in almazraa, I have not heard anybody, outside the usual rebel mouth pieces, Who seriously think that regime forces were behind that terrorist attack, the lies about car bombs started with the first incident, now after Islamist gangs admitted to being behind many of those crimes nobody believes anything that comes out of rebel sources and their supporters when it comes to these ugly crimes that show total disregard to innocent civilians, many posters here, and I was one of them, condemned the army’s indiscriminate bombing of areas that are heavily populated even though these areas were controlled by the rebels or had rebel presence, but none of the thawrajiyyeh had the moral courage to call car bombs with their true name: terrorism.

February 21st, 2013, 10:04 pm

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN #437

You have no idea.

What you said was sneering at Syrians and calling them stupid and suggesting they deserve what’s happening because they brought it on themselves. (#427)

I think you’re out of your depth.

I suggest an apology to me and all Syrians who read this forum and are in real life hell because of what is being inflicted on so many millions of dignified, decent, courageous Syrians.

The people of Kanfranbel had a poster that said Syria is not a Roman coleseum to be watched like a game.

Think about that if you are going to keep posting your commentaries here, which I am now seeing in a clearer light.

And maybe make an effort to actually meet and get to know some Syrians.

February 21st, 2013, 10:15 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Ghufran is right. The car bombings are terrorist act.

They were made in response to the regime’s terrorist acts. And the regime has committed many more terrorist acts than the rebels. So I am still on the side of the rebels.

But still, terrorism is terrorism. As I’ve said: what comes around, goes around.

February 21st, 2013, 10:17 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Syrialover

Are the “decent courageous Syrians” only on one side? Or are can they be on both sides?

And I don’t see what I have to apologize for. My statements are accurate:

1. The war continues.
2. Both sides commit terrorist acts, though the regime commits more, and thus is the evil side.

3. A Syrian Civil War is caused by Syrians.
4. The regime has lost half of the country in a little over a year of fighting.
5. This will be a long war.
6. Revenire is a retard.

Which one of these statements is factually un-true?

February 21st, 2013, 10:21 pm

 

Ghufran said:

أنقرة ـ يو بي آي: قال مسؤولون في الإستخبارات التركية، الخميس، إن القوات الحكومية السورية أطلقت أكثر من 40 صاروخاً باليستياً من نوع ‘سكود’ استهدفت مواقع للمعارضين في شمال البلاد خلال الشهرين الماضيين.
ونقل الموقع الإلكتروني لصحيفة (حرييت) عن مسؤول استخباراتي لم تسمه، قوله إن الجيش السوري استهدف بشكل خاص حلب وإدلب، مشيراً إلى أن اياً من تلك الصواريخ لم يسقط على مقربة من الحدود التركية.
وأضاف المسؤول ‘حلب وإدلب قريبتان من حدودنا، ولكن الصواريخ لم تصب مناطق تجعلنا نشعر بها’. وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن المعلومات الإستخبارية التي جمعتها تركيا، تشير إلى استخدام 40 صاروخ ‘سكود’ حتى الآن.
American sources said that those missiles were fired from areas around Damascus, there is no way to avoid the fact that firing those inaccurate missiles is a form of collective punishment and a war crime, I hope nobody tries to defend using those missiles, one military expert said that the regime is experimenting with scud missiles and sending a message to turkey and Israel at the expense of Syrians who are being used as guinea pigs, the regime denied using scud missiles.

February 21st, 2013, 10:22 pm

 

Ghufran said:

An update from SOHR:
محافظة دمشق :: ارتفع الى 72 عدد السوريين الذين قضوا اثر تفجير سيارات  مفخخة  بمدينة  دمشق بينهم  59 سقطوا اثر تفجير رجل سيارة مفخخة امام  حاجز للقوات النظامية  في شارع الثورة بمنطقة المزرعة بالقرب من فرع حزب البعث  العربي الاشتراكي الحاكم في  سورية  بينهم مالايقل عن 16 من القوات النظامية وغالبية  الخسائر  البشرية كانت بصفوف المدنيين من سكان المنطقة او مستقلي سيارات صودف وجودها في المنطقة والعدد مرشح للارتفاع بسبب وجود  نحو جرحى بحالات خطرة ولقي  13 شخصا مصرعهم   بينهم 10 من  القوات النظامية  وذلك اثر تفجير سيارتين مفخختين قرب مراكز امنية  في  منطقة  برزة  التي عثر فيها على  جثة  مواطن كردي  مقتول  باطلاق رصاص ويظهر انه  قتل حديثا ودارت  عصر اليوم اشتباكات عنيفة  في  البساتين  القريبة  من حي باب شرقي الذي  سقطت عليه  قذيفة  هاون
Where are those noble and angelic FSA leaders who are watching foreign jihadists and Islamist terrorists killing Syrians indiscriminately ?

February 21st, 2013, 10:42 pm

 

Syrian said:

Now no one can claim that Firass Tlass is a Salafi
Firas Tlass
vor 14 Stunden
بعد اتصالات متعدده للتأكد من طبيعة التفجيرات أجزم ان من قام بها هم عناصر العصابه الاسديه والسبب على ما يبدوا اذا ربطناه بما يحصل في حمص والحشد العسكري الكبير على يسار الطريق المؤدي الى حمص . وتواجد حزب الله في قرى حمص ودخوله الى جبال الزبداني ان هدف التفجيرات حث الناس على بدء مرحله خطيره من التهجير لمناطق آمنه نسبياً . القصف البعيد من اللواء 105 خلف قاسيون ومن هضاب المعضميه من مواقع الفرقه الرابعه . ضرب الهاون هو محاوله من الجيش الحر لخلق بلبله أتمنى ان تتوقف اليوم .

February 21st, 2013, 10:56 pm

 

revenire said:

“436. SYRIALOVER said:
By the way MARIGOLDRAN, if you ever actually met any Syrians (which I suspect you never have), would you stand there and say your statement in #427 directly to them?”

What do you expect from someone who admits eating dogs?

February 21st, 2013, 11:24 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

440. Ghufran said:

none of the thawrajiyyeh had the moral courage to call car bombs with their true name: terrorism.

 
The term terrorist is meaningless. It is used for Hamas which Assad supported; but now Assad is also fighting terrorists? Duh.

A car bomb is simply a decent mechanism of fighting back against Shiite oppressors.

February 21st, 2013, 11:37 pm

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN #443,

Stop making those 6 unoriginal, over-obvious, repetitive points as if they had some special meaning. Nothing that shallow deserves to be labeled “accurate” or otherwise.

I suspect you must be quite young.

The war was caused by a vicious criminal group who hijacked the country and kept Syrians controlled by fear for 42 years, and are now keeping it up with the assistance of Russia and Iran.

And yes, I have limitless sympathy and respect and caring for ordinary Syrians caught up and suffering on both sides and who now have to show great courage. My attitude is shared by everyone who knows the people of Syria and understands the situation.

Here’s my challenge to you:

I have no idea where you live, but I recommend you get yourself to what ever place locally where Syrians gather (maybe even a voluntary aid organization) and have some discussions about real things with real people.

Then come back on here with some insights about those “stupid Syrians” who brought their situatiom on themselves.

Maybe then you might re-read your shallow, callous statement in #427 and feel a little bit apologetic.

February 21st, 2013, 11:58 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Dolly Buster

That is fair, and I would agree with that. However, that would ALSO mean that the missile strike in Aleppo is a legitimate way of fighting against the Sunni majority.

@ The Retard

That name has stuck.

February 21st, 2013, 11:59 pm

 

ghufran said:

“A car bomb is simply a decent mechanism of fighting back against Shiite oppressors”
I settle my case, may be people like those who believe in car bombs deserve a leader like Assad.
I read Marigold statement about Syrians, he probably went too far but not far enough to be attacked for stating a largely true opinion. there is foreign interference in Syria but much of the suffering and the misery there is self-made, nobody is forcing the regime and its violent oppoenents to be brutal and dumb,that was a choice, this is why an outside force needs to step in and stop those idiots from killing each other and destroying what is left of that beautiful country.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:04 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

Those points are simplistic… but true. It’s an accurate assessment of the situation on the ground. Much MORE accurate than 90% of the predictions and assessment made by journalists on both sides of the conflict. Stupid people like Zoo think complications = intelligence. Intelligent people KNOW that it’s always a good idea to stick to the basics. That way you can’t be wrong.

Furthermore, at this point, what else can be said about the situation?

1. The war continues.
2. Revenire is a retard.
3. The regime is evil.
4. The regime is losing.
5. What comes around, goes around.
6. This will be a long war but the regime will eventually lose.
7. People are dying.
8. There is no more Syria left.

Is there really anything more to be said, besides trash talk?

February 22nd, 2013, 12:11 am

 

Observer said:

This from the NYT makes me suspicious the regime did the bombing
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/syrian-televisions-most-outraged-bystander/

February 22nd, 2013, 12:18 am

 

ghufran said:

“It is the first time to feel we are living in a war condition,” said a 30-year-old Mazraa resident named Anas, who lives with his family in a house behind the headquarters of Mr. Assad’s Baath Party. “Today I saw what was happening in Baghdad in my city, Damascus. This is not the Damascus I know.”

(that was a powerful statement, indeed the SAME animals who are killing Iraqi civilians with car bombs in Baghdad are killing Syrian civilians with car bombs in Damascus)
The regime lost the support of more Syrians today who thought until now that Damascus proper is mostly immune from terrorists,and that is exactly why those animals did what they did in Al-Mazraa, however, for the long term, car bombs never toppled a regime and never won political support, the regime is stupid for not making conciliatory gestures towards moderate Sunnis who are now ready to engage in a dialogue which is the only way to defeat Nusra and other terrorist Islamist gangs, Assad guns and jets are not enough)

February 22nd, 2013, 12:22 am

 

revenire said:

Ghufran the nation is at war. There are only two sides. Good and evil – and no man can walk down the middle of that road. You will see.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:32 am

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN,

I think you must be VERY young.

There is plenty more to say and share and some people here are certainly doing that. Do you read their comments and the articles they recommend? And also follow what’s being said in other forums?

The simplistic and repetitve nature of your comments is a reflection of how little information and opinion reading and processing you are doing.

Stop being lazy. Go out and meet some Syrians and read some deeper material.

Would you like some references?

February 22nd, 2013, 12:33 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Intelligent people ARE simplistic. That’s why they’re so smart. They’re capable of understanding complications, but they know that the more complicated something is, the more likely it’s wrong.

Your recent comment, for example, falls under the category of “trash talk.”

@ Revenire

There are retards, and there are non-retards. There cannot be anything in between. You are in the first category.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:40 am

 

revenire said:

“456. Syrialover said:
MARIGOLDRAN,
I think you must be VERY young.”

He’s a child soldier? Wow.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:40 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Revenire, you’re a retard. At this point this is no longer an opinion, but a statement of fact.

As I’ve said before, retard, always stick to the basics.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:41 am

 

revenire said:

Nothing complicated about my peace plan: just start carpet bombing, two weeks later it’s over.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:45 am

 

Juergen said:

Syria’s Christians fearing religious persecution

Many of Syria’s Christians are fearful of what might happen if the Islamic rebels prevail over President Assad’s regime and worry they could face the same kind of religious persecution they’ve seen in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Clarissa Ward reports.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50141509n

February 22nd, 2013, 12:46 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

That’s because you’re too retarded to tell apart the difference between “simple” and “retarded.”

There’s two types of simple ideas: the ones that work and the ones that don’t.

Your plan doesn’t work, Revenire. That makes you a retard.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:48 am

 

Juergen said:

Observer

I just checked there are about 7-8 checkpoints to reach the bomb site near the russian embassy if one would come from outside Damascus. Its just unthinkable someone could pass all those with explosives in a car. Of course the thought that government forces did this is tempting, given that in Iraq the Syrians learned how to operate such bombings.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:50 am

 

Hanzala said:

Sorry if already posted, this is the “innocent” bystander Assad government interviewed after the Damascus explosions.

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s480x480/480879_566318506713893_1224802901_n.jpg

February 22nd, 2013, 12:52 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

For example, the last two comments by Juergen and Hanzala fall under the categories of:

The regime is evil. And/or
The regime is losing.

If the regime did the car bombing, that means it is evil. If it did not do the car bombing, that means the regime is losing. These categories of mine work.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:54 am

 

revenire said:

Juergen gee, what a revelation you found. Salafist apes hate Christians and want to kill them all.

I guess after the rats beheaded Syrian Christian men and raped their women about two years ago the rest of us knew then.

Better late than never I suppose.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:59 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Ah, it’s the retard again. How does it feel to be a retard, retard?

Revenire, you’re so retarded that you can’t even troll without getting trolled.

EDIT: This comment falls under the category:

2. Revenire is a retard.

See? My categories work.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:59 am

 

revenire said:

“I just checked there are about 7-8 checkpoints to reach the bomb site near the russian embassy if one would come from outside Damascus.”

You know how many checkpoints there are between point A and B? You’re crazy Juergen.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:06 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

In case you haven’t noticed yet, Revenire, but he’s not responding.

Once a loser, always a loser. Once a retard, always a retard.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:10 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

In case you haven’t noticed yet, Revenire, but he isn’t responding. The only people who talk to you, Revenire, are the ones who call you retarded.

Revenire, you can’t even troll properly. I guess what they say is true: Once a loser, always a loser. Being a loser in life makes you a loser online too.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:11 am

 

revenire said:

Someone from Germany on a message forum making an idiotic statement they know the exact amount of checkpoints the bomber had to pass in Damascus. I’ve heard a lot of stupid things here on SC but that tops them all.

Juergen you outdid yourself with that one.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:16 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

This is getting pathetic. Good night, Revenire. Have fun TRYING to interact with people.

P.S. If you’re interested in getting people to talk to you, have you considered NOT insulting them?

P.S.S. Also, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re the only person I consistently insult on this forum. What does this tell you about what I think about you and what I think about other people?

February 22nd, 2013, 1:18 am

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN,

You are looking younger and younger (and I am being kind here).

A grown up would not be reacting the way you are.

And repeating “Revenire is a retard” and describing him as retarded is also playground stuff, unworthy of the space you keep taking for it.

Those pointless silly slanging matches crash the standard of this forum. It chases away a lot of quality people who come here for information exchanges and debate. Which is exactly what REVENIRE and others like him want to happen.

Your insult posts are actually supporting REVENIRE in his mission.

And here’s another grown up perspective. Do you know anyone who has a family member with an intellectual disability? Would you throw around that insult in their hearing? It’s no different than mocking a physical handicap.

REVENIRE’s performance is something he cynically chooses to work on. Not because he is mentally retarded. BIG difference.

I’m coming down hard on you because you have shown a careless and insensitive disregard for the realities of what has been inflicted on the Syrian people, saying they are stupid and have done it to themselves (#427.)

Being “against Assad” from your sofa isn’t a free ticket to patronize and insult all Syrians.

If you want to redeem yourself, take up my recommendations in #456.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:54 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

450. MarigoldRan said:

However, that would ALSO mean that the missile strike in Aleppo is a legitimate way of fighting against the Sunni majority.

 
No, it depends who initiated the war. For example in Iraq, the Shia started the hostilities. Then, Zarqawi responded to them with car bombs.

In Syria: regime sickos bomb civilians using Russian-delivered Migs. Today, finally a smile on people’s faces as Baath HQ is demolished with VBIED.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:56 am

 

ALI said:

بدكن حرية خدو حرية و ارهاب و تفجير و قتل
لك العمى بعيونكم العمى متشوفوا شو عملت فيكن الحرية
بدي العن دينكن يا كفرة اذا لسه بدكن حرية قطر و الناتو

February 22nd, 2013, 1:59 am

 

Juergen said:

Reve

I was suggesting that such an attacker would come from outside Damascus, to travel from the suburbs and outskirts to the city center one has to pass at least 7-8 checkpoints, you can verify that with anyone living still in Damascus. But of course anyone related to the security staff of this regime wouldnt need to pass that many checkpoints, there are many compounds and barracks right in the center, but such an thought would never come from you right?

February 22nd, 2013, 2:02 am

 

revenire said:

You’re saying the government did the bombing?

February 22nd, 2013, 2:36 am

 

revenire said:

Syrialover I don’t mind Marigoldran at all. We’re used to dealing with much worse in Syria. We wish the rats were throwing words instead of bombs. Young Mari’s just a typical terrorist supporter – not very smart and keen to see blood flow all over Syria. He talks a lot about Sunnis. Maybe you should inform him most of our army is Sunni so when he cheers “the stupid Syrians” he’s cheering on the death of Sunnis. Perhaps Mari is fatherless and sees me as a surrogate? No idea really.

I was not taken aback by his statement calling Syrians stupid. There is a germ of truth in that from my perspective: to wit.. have you ever seen these videos where they shout Allahu Akbar like 1000 times and then end up getting killed by our snipers? The videos are all over YouTube. Well, if those guys are really Syrians they are pretty stupid. Hardly seems like God could be with people who blow up children and murder football players does it? Or behead people. No need to answer. We all know the right answer.

Seriously to me Syrian blood is precious, all Syrian blood – the smart blood and the stupid blood. We will win this war and then there will be less blood.

Thanks for sticking up for me. I admit after being called a retard I started crying.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:48 am

 

revenire said:

Dolly if you’re Syrian you must be one of the stupid ones my son Marigoldran talks about. The air force doesn’t bomb civilians. That is a lie. The air force protects civilians. That is the reality.

Like my son said: simple.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:51 am

 

revenire said:

“And here’s another grown up perspective. Do you know anyone who has a family member with an intellectual disability? Would you throw around that insult in their hearing? It’s no different than mocking a physical handicap.”

LOL I am surprised Tara didn’t volunteer she knows Asma’s cousins.

signed,
The Retarded Hyena

😉

February 22nd, 2013, 2:53 am

 

Visitor said:

Akbar Palace @432,

First, if Israel gets involved, as Assad wishes, then the Revolution becomes no longer a Syrian issue. It becomes part of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Assad still claims to be the so-called champion of this onflict from the Arab side. Right now whatever he employs against the revolution in terms of propaganda does not have the majic appeal to the general public as if Israel is in the theatre. Once and if it is in, it becomes a completely different game.

Seondly, I did not say that Israel is after swallowing countries. I said that Israel will do what it takes to achieve its own security. In the case of the Egyptian revolution it was faced with a combination of bad choces. When it became evident that Mubarak is about to fall, one of the scenarios GOI considered was whether the treaty will survive the outcome or not. In this case, I am sure the GOI would have considered retaking Sinai as a possible scenario, among many others, to counter this pssibility.

Thirdly, in the case of Syria, the general consensus among Syrians is that Israel prefers the Assads over any other outcome. This consensus is supported by historical evidence going all the way back to 1967 when Assad senior was the defense minister during the war. It has further been reinforced by the events of the last two years. We all know it is Israel’s security which is driving ths behaviour. But from our perspective it is all the same, because we end up paying the price. And by the way, this consensus is shared by Arabs in general including those who support the revolution, and even within the GCC decision makers.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:02 am

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

441. SYRIALOVER

“millions of dignified, decent, courageous Syrians”

Millions? Name even one. The fact is, the last dignified, decent, courageous Syrian died 1400 years ago during the Arab invasions (634 AD)

New Bashar Cartoons:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/c36da21a84249133707d8fe1241a54eb/tumblr_mik3j8qFog1r1boeoo1_1280.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/26613dcdd7c90fe4d1047614019184fb/tumblr_migevatHfF1r1boeoo1_500.jpg

http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d417153ef016766f30b66970b-800wi

February 22nd, 2013, 3:05 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

The air force doesn’t bomb civilians.

Screw the niceties.. It is a retard. And it does not deserve wasting intellectual argument on.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:11 am

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

481. VAT

“the general consensus among Syrians is that Israel prefers the Assads over any other outcome”

What you didn’t say is that the average Syrian is a credulous idiot who believes the CIA, the Saudis, the Jews and al Qaeda are close allies.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:11 am

 

Juergen said:

Reve
I am sure one loyalist like you with a crush on Batta would never think in this way. In real live qui bono always is an indicator, but as long as we dont have an Swiss investigation team on the grounds no one could be sure of who did it. But as I know this area quite good from before the war, even then it was impossible to access some of the bombing sights of prior attacks without lets say at least insight knowledge or Laissez faire et laissez passer on behalf of regime forces.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:19 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

@ 475
Spoken like a true shabbee7, one would wonder which cigarette smuggling route did this person work…

February 22nd, 2013, 3:23 am

 

Hopeful said:

#476 Juergen

I do not put it past the regime to be involved in the bombing, but the existence of checkpoints is not a proof. Many of the people manning the check points are all easily corruptable and can be paid off. They are, after all, part of a corrupt and rotten regime.

Indiscriminate killing of civilians is an outrage, no matter who is responsible, and for what reason. It is an outrage when the regime does it, it is an outrage when the Islamists do it, it is an outrage when Israel does it, and it is an outrage when the Palestinians do it. It is evil, inexcusable and everyone should condemn it. Humanity can at least agree on this simple unambiguous principle. I challenge all of you on SC to voice your agreement now. All you need to do is post a “Hopeful – I agree” one-liner right now!

February 22nd, 2013, 5:19 am

 

apple_mini said:

Was watching a vid on liveleak, showing several rebels cutting off phone cable and water pipe.

Their mindsets are just as scary as those who detonate car bombs. Basically, they have one thing in mind: destroy this country in every corner.

Who are those men? If they are from outside of Syria, there is an explanation for it and we ought to blame and condemn those Syrians who collaborate with them. If they are Syrians, I won’t be surprised.

There are always some uneducated, unintelligent and violent people in every society. Under normal circumstance, they are under the rules of law and state forces. Generally, they do not have much qualification to ascent to upper ladder in society. Understandably, they are always the group of people who pose potential threats to stability of the society.

In a turbulent state, as soon as they get armed, they immediately become deadly menace to people and the country. This is happening to Syria now.

The opposition can use them to fight against the regime. But the opposition has absolutely no power or mean to contain them.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:22 am

 

Juergen said:

Hopeful
We could not agree more.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:16 am

 

Citizen said:

US refuses to condemn Damascus terror act frustrating – Lavrov
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_22/U-S-refusal-to-condemn-Damascus-terror-act-frustrating-Lavrov/
Most of the victims are women and children as there was a school nearby.

Syrian opposition decries ‘terrorist bombing’ in Damascus
Syria’s main opposition group, the National Coalition, denounced as “terrorists” those behind a deadly car bombing in Damascuson Thursday, regardless of who carried it out.
According to a press release of the Russian Ambassador to the UN, the US delegation has deplorably, for the umpteenth time, vetoed the UN Security Council required reaction to a terrorist attack by tying it with other issues.

Russia sees this kind of effort to justify terrorists’ moves as unacceptable.

Mr. Lavrov also unveiled plans of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s Communist leader Xi Jinping to attend the forthcoming meetings of the G-20, BRICS and SCO.

In return, Mr. Yang expressed “deep gratitude” to the Russian foreign office for creating favourable conditions for his visit.

He stressed that the upcoming visit of Xi Jinping to Russia would boost Russia-China relations, adding that bilateral partnership was effectively “nurtured” by the leaders of the two nations.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:35 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

Russia is pretending to care about the car bomb, but in fact Russia aims to support dictatorship. This is evident from the brand new benefits it gave Cuba.

The douchebags in the Kremlin think they can carve out a Russian area of global influence. They cannot, Putin will fall by around 2017.

All allies of Russia will collapse, and Syria is just one example.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:32 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Hopeful – I agree

February 22nd, 2013, 7:39 am

 

zoo said:

Obama’s Bad Brotherhood Bet
Jonathan S. Tobin 02.21.2013 –

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/02/21/obama-bad-muslim-brotherhood-bet-egypt/

For the last few months, conservative critics of the Obama administration’s foreign policy have obsessed about its failure in Libya. The fiasco in Benghazi that took the lives of four Americans including our ambassador deserved more media scrutiny and Republicans are right to continue to demand answers about it.

But the unfolding disaster next door in Egypt is a far greater indication of the way the president has blundered abroad than even that tragic episode. Obama’s decision to force the Egyptian military to accept a Muslim Brotherhood government in Cairo and Washington’s subsequent embrace of Mohamed Morsi’s regime has materially aided the descent of the most populous Arab country into the grip of an Islamist party.

The Brotherhood regime is determined to extinguish any hope of liberalization in Egypt and its drive to seize total power there is a direct threat to regional stability and Middle East peace.

As Friedman notes, the Brotherhood has prioritized the cleansing of non-Islamist aspects of Egyptian culture over its supposed hope to reboot the economy. The banning of the Belly Dancing Channel on Egyptian TV made for a comic lede for Friedman’s column, but it is no joke, as it illustrates Morsi’s desire to turn a multi-faceted society into another Iran.

Yet as right as Friedman is about the current situation, his advice about the Brotherhood having to change or fail misses the point about a movement that has no intention of ever allowing power to slip from its hands.

Friedman is right that the Brotherhood’s version of political Islam will sink Egypt into poverty.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:19 am

 

Observer said:

Obama needs a Plan B for Syria

By Vance Serchuk, Published: February 21

Vance Serchuk, a former foreign policy adviser to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, is a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow, based in Tokyo. This is his first monthly column for The Post.

John Kerry will depart shortly on his first overseas trip as secretary of state, a major focus of which, he has said, will be the conflict in Syria. There is no crisis more deserving of the attention of America’s top diplomat, and Kerry deserves credit for immediately throwing himself into the fray.

In previewing his trip, however, Kerry has suggested that the key to ending the bloodshed in Syria is to change Bashar al-Assad’s “calculations” — a formulation he has invoked repeatedly in recent weeks — and that the path for doing so may run through Moscow.

This raises the specter that, rather than forging a new direction on Syria policy, the Obama administration is poised to repeat mistakes of the past.

The first of these has been to vest unrealistic hopes in the Russians. If the past two years should have taught anything, it is that the Kremlin is unlikely to help the United States orchestrate Assad’s exit.

This is not because of Russian arms sales or naval facilities in Syria, nor for any lack of U.S. engagement with Moscow. Rather, the Kremlin believes it has a broader interest in thwarting another U.S.-engineered regime change — seeing such interventions, stretching from Serbia to Libya, as a threat to international stability and as a precedent that could someday be used against itself.

More important, the Russians have less confidence than Washington does in their influence over Damascus. Even if Moscow were to pressure Assad, it is far from clear that would prompt him to consider leaving when countless other diplomatic and military setbacks haven’t, including the loss of Assad’s Turkish allies and the northern third of his country to rebels.

This points to a second, deeper problem with Kerry’s formulation. The United States has long staked its strategy on the hope that persuading Assad and the worst of his cronies to go would pave the way for a negotiated settlement between a unified Syrian opposition and remnants of the regime — avoiding an Iraq-like state collapse. But this notion of a “peaceful political transition” is increasingly questionable.

Rather than regime change without state collapse, the inverse is unfolding in Syria: the emergence of a failed state in which a contracted, consolidated Assad regime fights on — more sectarian, repressive and tightly aligned with Iran and Hezbollah.

Such a regime is less likely to be willing or able to negotiate its own end — regardless of whether Assad is its leader — and more likely to keep fighting, even if this means abandoning Damascus and establishing an Alawite rump state on the Mediterranean coast, protected by chemical weapons and militias sponsored by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the conflict, al-Qaeda-linked extremists continue to gain influence by providing the help the West won’t — likewise dimming the chances of a negotiated peace.

Washington can, of course, keep hoping that Russia will flip, Assad will go and a deal will follow that saves the Syrian state — but we cannot count on it. Just as Assad and the Iranians have their Plan B, so must we.

The first element of such a strategy should be to recognize that, if any prospect remains to change the calculations of Assad and his gang, it will be because of bold leadership from Washington, not Moscow — specifically, the use of limited military force, such as airstrikes, to neutralize Assad’s airpower, protect civilians in liberated areas and underscore that the Syrian leader’s cause is hopeless.

Just as a diplomatic settlement was impossible in Bosnia until NATO airstrikes pushed Slobodan Milosevic to the negotiating table, the same may prove true for Syria.

Second, we need to accept the possibility that a negotiated settlement won’t be achievable and start working to mitigate the most sinister consequences of state collapse.

This leads to the question of U.S. support for the Syrian opposition. Proponents of arming the rebels — who, as of last fall, we now know, included Obama’s last secretary of state, defense secretary, CIA director and chairman of the Joint Chiefs — have argued that doing so could help tip the balance against Assad, empower moderates and build leverage with the opposition.

These arguments still hold. But there is another, more compelling reason now: Lethal assistance is our last, best tool to help determine whether the post-Assad vacuum is filled by a unified, military opposition that can maintain something resembling order — or a patchwork of ethnic and sectarian militias over which we have no influence.

Any hope for the former will require not just funneling weapons to guerrilla groups in the shadows but also a large-scale, transparent U.S.-sponsored effort to train, equip and mentor a new Syrian army.

Such a shift in strategy would run against the instincts of the Obama administration — its aversion to nation-building and military intervention, and its preference for letting others lead.

If John Kerry hopes to save Syria, the leader whose calculations he will need to change is not Vladimir Putin nor even Bashar al-Assad but the president of the United States.

Sorry for the full post

February 22nd, 2013, 8:40 am

 

Visitor said:

Hundreds of thousands of our Iraqi brothers are now in the footsteps of the Syrian Revolution. They want to get rid of the hated safawi majousi agents who were brought to Iraq on American tanks,

http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/975505a9-6baf-445f-a65d-90aeb4a89147?GoogleStatID=9

February 22nd, 2013, 8:42 am

 
 

zoo said:

Jabhat a-Nusra releases videos of its deadliest attacks in Syria

22/02/2013l
http://observers.france24.com/content/20130222-jabhat-al-nusra-front-video-deadliest-attacks-syria

Al-Manara al-Bayda, the media arm of the jihadist group Jabhat al-Nusra, has published a video showing several of their attacks on Syrian regime forces – a striking example of the militia’s firepower and the meticulous preparation. Jabhat al-Nusra is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, which says it has links to Al-Qaeda.
..
For the majority of their operations Jabhat al-Nusra use the explosive C4 (mainly used by armies and demolition experts, and thus highly controlled). Most of their stock comes from contacts in Iraq, because the border between the two countries is very porous and open for trafficking. Otherwise, the C4 comes from Syrian army stocks seized by barrels, or occasionally sold by Syrian army officers.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:10 am

 

zoo said:

After buying weapons to kill Libyans and Syrians, the French football club, now Qatar buys “Le Printemps” in Paris.
When will they buy “the Folies Bergeres”?

Paris’s Arab Spring: Qatar eyes iconic retailer

http://www.france24.com/en/20130222-qatar-france-printemps-store-shopping-paris

After buying out the Paris Saint-Germain football club and investing heavily in major French energy and media firms, the Gulf state of Qatar could soon own Paris’s iconic Printemps department store.

Qatari ‘invasion’ continues

While no deal has been made yet, it appeared Qatar would be a part of an eventual acquisition, thus extending the oil-rich state’s influence or outright ownership of significant French businesses and landmarks.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:15 am

 

zoo said:

As the opposition is meeting in Cairo, this exclusive interview on video with Lakhdar Brahimi leaves no doubt anymore that the guy is senile and useless.

‘No military victory for any side in Syria’ – UN peace envoy

http://rt.com/op-edge/syria-assad-un-brahimi-262/

“LB: The problem is that the opposition is saying every five minutes that they don’t want to talk to Bashar Assad. This is the problem.”

February 22nd, 2013, 9:30 am

 

Syrialover said:

#484 JOHANNES SILENTIO

You are a very sad case.

Why make such juvenile, ignorant, offensive statements about the people of Syria?

To feel less of an empty little kid?

Looks like your school homework is too hard for you. You desperately need to feel like a smartass somewhere, anywhere.

I wonder if your parents know what you are doing on this forum (and no doubt a lot of other forums to fill your days).

February 22nd, 2013, 9:51 am

 

Syrialover said:

HOPEFUL #487

You have written what I was thinking.

In Syria, as in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, wherever terrorist bombs are exploding among people, there is nothing crueller, more pointless and more evil.

And nothing more unworthy of the human race.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:58 am

 
 

zoo said:

488. Hopeful

Your outrage is irrelevant. The rebels have already invited suicide bombers, car bombers, criminals and Islamists terrorists to help them create a ‘democracy’ in Syria financed by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and rich Syrian expats.

For the ones who have supported the rebels actions and their sinister alliances, it is too late to show outrage to clear your conscience.

February 22nd, 2013, 10:10 am

 

AIG said:

Well, If something good comes out of this revolution it is perhaps the heightened awareness among Syrians that terrorism should never be used as a weapon. As they say, better late than never. I did not see any Syrian rebuke when Assad was funding and cheering on Hamas to blow up Israeli buses, restaurants, hotels etc. killing a thousand Israeli civilians. What I saw was mostly joy. Same when Hezbollah was firing rockets at mostly civilian targets. It is not very convincing when you only bother to denounce terrorism when it is aimed at you but think it is a legitimate weapon to use against your enemies.

February 22nd, 2013, 10:15 am

 

Visitor said:

I find it extremely naive to talk about terrorism without understanding the political maneuvering embedded in the use of this term.

First of all, I will never condemn terrorism based on an American defintion of the term. The American admin. has blown it. American admin. misuse of the term was made evident when they labelled the holy warriors of Nusra as a ‘terrorist’ group. Nusra is the best fighting force in Syria, is made up of Syrians and they are simply and plainly heroes of the Syrian Revolution. You don’t like it then tough luck. America we do not need you. So go to hell along with your machination.

Secondly, the regime is known to be a terrorist regime. It was behind yesterday’s bombing and all the other bombings that came before it. It will be ridiculous if the regime is not universally condemned first for its 50 years of terrorism and secondly for its continuing to cling to occupying Syria when the Syrians made it clear that they hate it.

February 22nd, 2013, 10:29 am

 

Hopeful said:

#503 Zoo

I support the Syrian people’s right for freedom and democracy. I support their right to protect themselves. But I am outraged when some of them indiscriminately attack civilians, whether intentionally or not.

You clearly support the Syrian regime. Are you outraged when its military fires scud missiles into residential areas?

My moral compass is unambiguous, and my conscious is clear. Are yours?

February 22nd, 2013, 10:31 am

 

revenire said:

Juergen please don’t give me “cui bono” lessons on Machiavellian tricks and realpolitik okay? You are not talking to some ape who repeats “the war continues” or “what goes around comes around” over and over, like a mantra for gibbering idiots.

I asked if you believed the government did this bombing and wanted a yes or no answer not conspiracy theories (and unless you have proof that is exactly what those theories are).

It is sick to suggest such a thing and reminds me of when you posited that the government bombed its own university in Aleppo.

You suffer from the delusion that the rebels are a noble breed who would never murder civilians with suicide bombers. Or that this was some rogue operation because the good FSA guys don’t do this sort of thing. Maybe you even feel they fight the army on the open battlefield? I don’t know.

You’ve romanticized this thing beyond all cold, rational analysis. You fawn over ridiculous propaganda (like your 250 person circulation “newspaper”) and post the most obvious propaganda pieces taken from the YouTube “front line” as it were.

I can’t say I’m surprised.

February 22nd, 2013, 10:59 am

 

revenire said:

The Hasbara is like a pig in mud seeing Syria torn apart.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:01 am

 

Akbar Palace said:

Terrorism

Visitor, AIG, et al,

Terrorism is actually fairly easy to define.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rules+of+war

The problem is, the offenders make excuses, and the international community doesn’t apply it’s own definition equally to all offenders. Perhaps “might makes right”.

The issues are:

1.) targeting civilians
2.) firing weapons from civilian and population centers
3.) military personnel not using uniforms to identify as such
4.) use of WMD
5.) disproportional use of weapons

Of course Israel is always at the center of this discussion because, although the Jews control the world (sarcasm), many in the international community point to Israel under heading 5.).

Was America’s use of nuclear weapons disproportional?

How about America’s use of drones, where, as one Senator admitted yesterday, has killed about 4700 people. Israelis and pro-Israelis are therefore, skeptical, because the US kills thousands half-way around the world, while the UN castigates Israel for responding to missile fire into her own territory.

I guess life isn’t fair?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate_over_the_atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

February 22nd, 2013, 11:09 am

 

Visitor said:

Akbar Palace @509,

We seem to agree that the US admin. is misusing the term for its own political maneuvering.

In my opinion, the US admin. must first apologize to the Syrian people and to the Nusra Front for its flagrant attempt as evidenced by its latest labelling of so-called terrorists to the most effective fighting force in the Syrian revolution. It is yet another clear evidence of the US betrayal of the Syrian Revolution.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:23 am

 

apple_mini said:

I do not see there is any need from either sides to claim moral high ground. It is already too late for that. Both sides are dirty and brutal. When some people think their side is holding more justice because their side is less brutal, they fail to acknowledge the fact: Right now, the only victim are those silent majority of Syrians who never wanted to have a war in their homeland to tear apart their home and their family.

Both sides have people with their best intention and aspiration. At this stage it won’t help if those people cannot form a momentum to push for a political solution.

Whoever wants to set a condition for a dialogue is not genuine. As I stated above, both sides are not clean so they can despise their opponents. But in the meantime respect your opponents so they can sit down and try to save the country.

Attacking on civilians will drive more supporters out that is a warning to both sides. To keep the war going and slowly turn the land in ruin bleed everyone’s heart.

No one is winning the war tomorrow or even next year. If there is no hero here to save Syria, then use collective conscience and wisdom to get this country out of hell.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:27 am

 

omen said:

456. Syrialover said: read some deeper material. Would you like some references?

if you’ve already prepped a list, please post it. don’t let it go to waste!

February 22nd, 2013, 11:30 am

 

Ziad said:

Dubai Takes on Al-Jazeera: Foes of the Muslim Brotherhood Unite

Dubai Takes on Al-Jazeera: Foes of the Muslim Brotherhood Unite

February 22nd, 2013, 11:31 am

 
 
 

revenire said:

Crazy Visitor the US isn’t going to apologize to anyone. They back al-Nusra behind the scenes and allow it to continue its killing spree. They won’t send advanced weapons but will allow their clients to do so. That’s how it works.

The US was stung by Libya and Afghanistan. If you think about it the US is fighting the enemy it created in Afghanistan back in the 1980s to fight the former USSR. That’s how smart the US is.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:34 am

 

omen said:

I do not see there is any need from either sides to claim moral high ground.

uh huh. only one side has built a 40 infrastructure to brutally oppress the masses. it’s remarkable, even shocking, the level of denial regimists resort to in order to rationalize their support for evil.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:38 am

 

revenire said:

For Israel the regional equation changed in 2006 with the victory of Hezbollah. That was the first time in Israeli history they were defeated. Israel was not defeated by a national army but by a resistance movement.

The weapons for that movement came from Syria and Iran.

For Israel it was a matter of survival and something had to be done to change the situation or during the next war all of Israel would be hit by resistance rockets and it could spell the end of Israel. Israel’s fighter jets were useless and the resistance promised that during the next war Israeli jets would fall from the skies. The vaunted Iron Dome was already a failed system that could be easily overwhelmed by thousands of rockets in a way any military man can understand. Israel watched in horror as the power of Iran grew and the strategy to isolate and weaken Iran failed. The alliance of Syria-Iran-Hezbollah was the only potent enemy Israel faced.

The project to destroy the resistance has been ‘baking in the oven’ for a very long time. Sectarianism is used. When the FSA targets Syria and Hezbollah they are working directly for Israel. Israel is building a field hospital near the Golan so Israel can better take care of its proxies in Syria, as they backed the fascists in Lebanon all those years.

This is more of a “cui bono” than believing Syria would blow up its own citizens in the heart of Damascus – a ridiculous theory when looked at from any angle.

Israel is salivating over the fall of Syria.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:41 am

 

Citizen said:

Now live about Suria
http://rt.com/on-air/

February 22nd, 2013, 11:42 am

 
 

zoo said:

#507 Hopeful

You know what you believe in and I know what I believe in. That’s enough.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:47 am

 

zoo said:

The USA kills 4700 innocents to claim the death of some Al Qaeda leaders: No problem, they are not American citizens.

Lindsey Graham: Drone Strikes Have Killed 4,700 People

Posted: 02/21/2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/lindsey-graham-drone-strikes_n_2734133.html

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) estimated that the United States has killed 4,700 people in drone strikes, saying he supported the Obama administration’s program.

“We’ve killed 4,700,” Graham told the Easley Rotary Club in South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon. “Sometimes you hit innocent people, and I hate that, but we’re at war, and we’ve taken out some very senior members of al Qaeda.”

February 22nd, 2013, 11:56 am

 

PHALANGISTE said:

Revenire are you syrian?

February 22nd, 2013, 11:59 am

 

omen said:

116. Syrialover: Today in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Syria Humanitarian Forum, U.S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Nancy Lindborg announced that the United States is providing an additional $19 million in humanitarian assistance in response to urgent needs emanating from the brutal conflict in Syria. On January 29, President Obama announced an additional $155 million to help those suffering inside Syria and refugees in the neighboring countries. Today’s announcement brings the United States total contribution of humanitarian support in response to this crisis to nearly $385 million.

looks impressive at first blush. but then you run across other figures that puts these numbers into context that makes you realize just how meager they really are. aje interviewed a turkish official who said it cost $30 million to open up a refugee camp. a decent one where refugees are treated with dignity and are given trailers. that $19 million announced wouldn’t even cover the cost of one camp. and how much of that earlier contribution actually wound up going to the regime after it was laundered through the red cross?

obama is said to want to tackle syria on the cheap. it would have been less expensive had the US been more proactive and had helped to unseat the regime early on. half of syria wouldn’t have been reduced to rubble and there wouldn’t be millions displaced, with so many refugees escaping to house & feed that it threatens the stability of neighboring countries.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:00 pm

 

AIG said:

As usual, the regime idiots continue to disrespect the intelligence of the Syrian people and keep peddling their crazy conspiracy theories about Israel. Simple question, if the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

The Syrian people bought the “resistance” myth for decades. Hopefully, they have seen the light. If not, they can stick with Assad, the Rabbit of the Golan, who prefers to kill his own people than shot at Israeli planes.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:09 pm

 

Citizen said:

تغيير الأسلوب الأمريكي لمعالجة الأزمة السورية تكتيكي هدفه التبرؤ من تهم دعم الإرهاب
واشنطن تحاول تنفيذ لعبة مزدوجة من أجل أن تتبرأ من تهم دعم الإرهاب
Washington is trying to implement a double game in order to disassociate itself from charges of supporting terrorism.
Change the way the U.S.To tackle the Syrian crisis tactical goal repudiate charges of supporting terrorism

February 22nd, 2013, 12:15 pm

 
 

zoo said:

Russia begins new bid to end Syria conflict

http://www.dw.de/russia-begins-new-bid-to-end-syria-conflict/a-16621718?maca=en-rss-en-world-4025-rdf

The Syrian regime and the opposition are to meet in Moscow next week for talks to end the country’s civil war. But dialogue between the two sides is a distant prospect and Russia’s clout in Syria isn’t unlimited either.

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) meanwhile has been reported to say they were only willing to talk to government representatives who have no blood on their hands.

Finding such people is an illusory idea, Wimmen said, adding that the war had dragged on for too long for that to happen. He said talks in Moscow next week will likely break down, with the warring parties jostling to pin the blame on each other.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:23 pm

 

Hopeful said:

# 511 Apple_Mini

There is a moral equivalence between the regime and the terrorists attacking civilians through car bombs, no matter who they are.

However, there is absolutely no moral equivalence between the brutal regime and the freedom fighters who carried arms to protect themselves, their families and their peaceful protests, including those who defected from the army because they did not want to be part of the brutality.

The opposition should do all it can do to find a political settlement with the regime, not because they are equally guilty, but because saving the life of one more Syrian is worth more in my opinion than seeking justice or revenge. I frankly do not know how they can be successful at convincing the tens of thousands of families who’ve lost loved ones and the hundreds of thousands of refugees to give up their desire for justice and revenge.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:25 pm

 
 

majedkhaldoun said:

Akpar Palace
please add .
terrorism=discrimination
Terrorism=deprivation of freedom.
terrorism=abuse of power
Terrorism=not helping the poor=cheap labor

February 22nd, 2013, 12:26 pm

 

zoo said:

Revenire

“Israel is salivating over the fall of Syria.”

I am sure Qatar, Saudi Arabia and some Lebanese too…

Revenge is eaten cold.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:28 pm

 

AIG said:

Thank you Citizen, showing the difference between how Israeli soldiers act and how the murderous Assad regime acts. There are tons of cameras in the West Bank. Please, find me ONE video 1/10th as gruesome as the videos coming out of Syria. Show me ONE beheading, show me ONE video of mutilating bodies, show me ONE video of executions. Good luck.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:32 pm

 

AIG said:

The regime idiots do not understand the difference between wanting Bashar and his murderous regime to go and wanting the “fall of Syria”. Only in their primitive minds does Bashar equal Syria.

February 22nd, 2013, 12:35 pm

 

PHALANGISTE said:

Revenire are you syrian? Please answer this simple question

February 22nd, 2013, 12:51 pm

 

revenire said:

We all saw Israel murdering women and children in Gaza. Each day Israel treats Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews.

Video evidence of Israeli genocide is indisputable.

The Hezbollah rockets of the resistance is what Israel fears.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:02 pm

 

revenire said:

Let’s not kid ourselves: the Israeli regime’s wet dream is to replace the Syrian government with a weak, Muslim Brotherhood-dominated collection of apes. These Takfiri apes would be no threat to Israel.

That is the plan and every Israeli move – from the hospital to the bombing of Syria to the murder of Iranian scientists – is designed to further that goal.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:05 pm

 

Friday Morning Linkage » Duck of Minerva said:

[…] Landis’ survey of the debate over counting casualties in Syria.  There is a strong sense that the numbers are […]

February 22nd, 2013, 1:09 pm

 

omen said:

527. Hopeful said: I frankly do not know how they can be successful at convincing the tens of thousands of families who’ve lost loved ones and the hundreds of thousands of refugees to give up their desire for justice and revenge.

i’ve heard a number of syrians argue the way to quell revenge is to hang bashar. i’ve come to believe that such symbolic gesture would help a great deal to appease the aggrieved and help to provide closure.

ironically, by the west insisting on a muddled political solution that seeks to preserve elements of the regime – a solution that will satisfy no one (except for the west’s own self-serving agenda) – threatens to backfire and wind up inciting more anger, further fueling demands for revenge.

for all of its rhetoric about wanting to preserve threatened minorities, the west’s refusal to provide a clean break from the past and demonstrate a clear example of justice by decapitating the inner circle – could wind up causing a sectarian cleansing the west claims it wants to avoid.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:12 pm

 

Akbar Palace said:

Akpar Palace
please add .
terrorism=discrimination
Terrorism=deprivation of freedom.
terrorism=abuse of power
Terrorism=not helping the poor=cheap labor

majedkhaldoun,

Why do you write Akbar as “Akpar”? Must be an inside joke?

Terrorism is terrorism, discrimination is discrimination, etc., etc.

The reason I say this is because we have to communicate problems effectively without the use of exaggeration, hyperbole and demonization. Murdering tens of thousands of civilians is not the same as posing for a picture with a prisoner or ripping out an olive tree, or burning a mosque, or knifing a dead corpse, or murdering a whole family in bed.

All the things you’ve listed are problems that need to be at the national level. And they are certainly important.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:25 pm

 

Akbar Palace said:

These Takfiri apes would be no threat to Israel.

Reverse,

So your definition (in your effort to dehumaniize people) of an “ape” is someone doesn’t pose a threat to Israel?

I guess you’ve just named yourself using your own words.

Each day Israel treats Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews.

Reverse,

Just provide us the pictures showing the gas chambers, the ovens, the barracks, the rail cars, the tatoos, and the forced labors camps.

Here’s what I found. Take a look (but be careful, the pictures are really gruesome)…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_localities_in_Israel

February 22nd, 2013, 1:28 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

If Assad continues to fire Scuds and rockets at Aleppo then he’ll anger Aleppans and lose the city’s population on mass (fence sitters, everyone). Perhaps he feels he’s about to lose the city anyway so has nothing to lose?

February 22nd, 2013, 1:32 pm

 

AIG said:

Still waiting for any one of the regime idiots to answer my question:
If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

Let me add another one:
If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?

February 22nd, 2013, 1:36 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

I understand recently the kurds and rebels came to a deal and will work together (Michel Kilo apparently mediated). Today there were protests in the north with kurd and revolutionaray flags being held aloft.

If Assad went after the kurds in punishment, he would risk turning all the regional kurds (in neighbouring countries) as well as syrian kurds against him.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:38 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

If Hezbo deepens it’s involvemnet in Syria it could be a terrible error. The hunter would become the hunted. Rebels, using guerilla tactics, would slip away and Hezbo would chase ghosts while getting picked off and ambushed. American satellite intelligence on Hezbo positions and movements would give rebels a further advantage.

I don’t buy this idea of the Hezbo fearsome reputation giving them a ‘psychological edge’ (in Syria). Ask anyone (pro-rev’n) here on SC about Hezbo involvement in Syria and they’ll describe feeling anger. Justified anger. Not fear. The revolution has faced and conquered great fears over the last 2 years.

If Hezbo does get further embroiled they will suffer and, like SyriaLover said, Isreal, who has probably been planning to settle old scores, may see the perfect opportunity to resume it’s conflict with a distracted Hezbo, in south Lebanon.

February 22nd, 2013, 1:58 pm

 

revenire said:

Uzair8 the FSA can do nothing to Hezbollah. It is a joke to even threaten them.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:04 pm

 

revenire said:

The Kurds won’t support Erdogan’s terrorists. That’s ridiculous. Sober up.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:07 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Each day Israel treats Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews.
__________________________________________________________________

Stop regurgitating hoaxes and false Jewish propaganda about the German Nationalists. Nazi did not do anything as bad as Jews did to Palestinians, Iraqis and Syrians. Nazi were far more humane, they did not steal others land, fabricated fictitious National history fairytales, did not traffic in persons either, nor killed for body part sale, and did not forced women into sex slavery, Jews in Israel did all that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Israel

February 22nd, 2013, 2:13 pm

 

AIG said:

I see the regime idiots are trying to change the subject. So let me repeat my questions:

If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?

Any regime idiot willing to try answering these simple questions?

February 22nd, 2013, 2:13 pm

 

AIG said:

I just love the great PR the regime idiots are doing for the regime. Let’s hear more how Israel is worse than the Nazis or how Assad is a “genius”. Please elaborate so people will know what Assad and his regime represent.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:16 pm

 

revenire said:

Akbar Palace you take a look at the Israeli Nazi behavior against Palestinians:

http://scrapetv.com/News/newsbrief/international/images-2/gaza-death-toll.jpg
http://img4.allvoices.com/thumbs/image/609/480/95401231-update-gaza.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdrqwvKBXe1r6m2leo1_1280.jpg
http://cache.tcm.ie/media/images/g/GazaDeadWomanNov12_large.jpg
http://mondoweiss.net/images/2012/11/Gazawomen.jpg
http://islamgreatreligion.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/gaza-under-attack-images-and-photos.jpg

Syria and Iran arm the resistance against the murder. That is what Israel wants to end so they can murder all the women and children they want without anyone being able to defend themselves.

Give the Palestinians nuclear weapons as Israel has and see how many children you murder then.

Israel knows her day is coming.

God willing we will all live to see that day.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:22 pm

 

ghufran said:

أثار الإعلان عن وصول «أمير منطقة القوقاز» الجهادي الإسلامي عمر القوقازي للقتال في سوريا، ريبة المعارضة السورية التي أعربت لـ«الشرق الأوسط» عن مخاوفها من «استغلال النظام السوري لهذا الإعلان للإيحاء بأن الثورة يحكمها الإسلاميون المتشددون»، فيما رحبت «جبهة النصرة» التي أدرجتها الولايات المتحدة على قائمة المنظمات الإرهابية، بقدوم القوقازي لقتال «عصابات الأسد وميليشيا حزب الله» ردا على «حشدها لميليشياتها حول القصير» في ريف حمص.
وأكد عدد من الناشطين السوريين على صفحاتهم الإلكترونية «وصول عدد من المقاتلين من الشيشان وأفغانستان والقوقاز يتقدمهم (أمير منطقة القوقاز)، إلى سوريا للمشاركة في القتال الدائر في سوريا». ونشر هؤلاء فيديو على موقع «يوتيوب» يظهر مجموعة من المقاتلين الإسلاميين المتشددين في سوريا، وفي مقدمهم «أمير القوقاز»، الذي ألقى خطابا باللغة القوقازية، ونقل عباراته إلى العربية مترجم يجلس إلى جانبه.
why do rebels need more fighters?
who invited those thugs?
how did they get in?
who still thinks that this is a revolution?

February 22nd, 2013, 2:25 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Each day Israel treats Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews.
__________________________________________________________________

Stop regurgitating hoaxes and false Jewish propaganda about the German Nationalists. Nazi did not do anything as bad as Jews did to Palestinians, Iraqis and Syrians. Nazi were far more humane, they did not steal others land, fabricated fictitious National history fairytales, did not traffic in persons either, nor killed for body part sale, and did not forced women into sex slavery, Jews in Israel did all that.

The body parts harvesting and trade in Israel:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2009/07/organ_failure.html

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/human-corpses-harvested-in-multimilliondollar-trade-20120717-2278v.html

February 22nd, 2013, 2:27 pm

 

AIG said:

The regime idiots cannot explain how the “resistance” is defending the Palestinians. In the last 6 years, Israel fought with Gaza two main battles. In either case, and in fact throughout the 6 years, neither Hezbollah or the Rabbit of the Golan fired ONE, let me repeat ONE, missile at Israel. Yet they claim they are defending Palestinians. Can they explain how? By talking? And can they explain how they are defending the Palestinians by fighting Hamas???

And of course the regime idiots have not answered my previous questions:
If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?

February 22nd, 2013, 2:28 pm

 

AIG said:

Regime idiots, keep up the antisemitic diatribes, they are quite helpful. We know that is the true face of the murderous Assad regime and an excellent reason why the West should not tolerate it anymore.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:31 pm

 

revenire said:

SYRIAN NATIONALIST PARTY we will let history decide who was worse: the Zionists or the Nazis. One day Hamas will get nuclear weapons and be able to launch a few “hot ones” at Tel Aviv.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:38 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

392. Revenire:

‘It’s Elvis…’

I could have sworn if one listens to Elvis close enough one can just about make out a hidden prediction of the future warning of the current situation. Assad forcing alawites into fighting for him. Nah, I guess too much conspiracy got to my head.

Chorus
Alawite army is here to stay
Alawite army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today

[…]
London is full of arabs
We could be in palestine
[…]

http://www.lyricsdepot.com/elvis-costello/olivers-army.html

Video

February 22nd, 2013, 2:41 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Very odd that is on this blog Israelis who are well known at the service and payroll of Israel are the vocal supporters of the “REGIME CHANGE” in Syria. If that is not telling, what could be!!! They are here to support their Islamic Fronts Terrorists and paid mercenaries.

EXTERMINATE THEM TERRORISTS BASHAR.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:42 pm

 

AIG said:

Thank you regime idiots for putting to rest the lie that Assad and his regime are peaceful. The truth has come out: You want to develop nuclear weapons and destroy other nations, especially Israel. All the more reason to get rid of the murderous Assad regime.

And still the regime idiots have not answered a few simple questions I posed.

The regime idiots cannot explain how the “resistance” is defending the Palestinians. In the last 6 years, Israel fought with Gaza two main battles. In either case, and in fact throughout the 6 years, neither Hezbollah or the Rabbit of the Golan fired ONE, let me repeat ONE, missile at Israel. Yet they claim they are defending Palestinians. Can they explain how? By talking? And can they explain how they are defending the Palestinians by fighting Hamas???

And of course the regime idiots have not answered my previous questions:
If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?

February 22nd, 2013, 2:44 pm

 

revenire said:

Syrian opposition agrees to form government in ‘liberated’ areas
Friday, 22 February 2013
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/22/267770.html

Syria’s opposition National Coalition decided on Friday to form a government to run areas of the country “liberated” by rebels and will meet in early March to name a prime minister, a spokesman said.

“We agreed to form a government to run the affairs of the liberated areas,” Walid al-Bonni told AFP after a meeting in Cairo.

He added that the coalition would meet in Istanbul on March 2 to decide on the composition of the planned government and to choose its head.

Almost two years after the national revolt against Assad broke out in southern Syria, the absence of a political leadership from swathes of land under rebel control has been a glaring weakness of Assad’s foes, who have little control over Islamist brigades making advances on the ground.

“You have a situation developing where chaos reigns in liberated areas while, relatively, there is still fuel, electricity and basic services in the Assad-held regions,” one diplomat in contact with the opposition said.

“If the situation persists like this popular support for the opposition will dwindle and they could lose the war,” he added.

On the second day of meetings of the Syrian National Coalition, an umbrella group of political players in the opposition, members heard reports from members of a committee formed to help decide on the viability of a government and whether it could have enough financial and diplomatic support, according to sources at the meeting.

Opposition sources estimate several billion dollars is needed a month for a government to operate in rebel-held areas, mostly rural and desert regions estimated to comprise over half of Syrian territory.

The coalition’s financial backing falls way short of that, the sources said, adding that Qatar, a main supporter of the revolt, this week pledged $100 million for humanitarian aid to be administered by the Assistance Coordination Unit, anon-partisan division of the coalition.

The opposition’s failure to provide services, mounting reports of rebel indiscipline and looting in rebel-held areas have undermined public support for their cause.

Air strikes
Opposition brigades have wrested large swathes of Syria from the control of Assad’s forces but the areas remain the target of army artillery, air strikes and, increasingly, missiles.

“Even if a government is not viable right now we should name a prime minister and let him start forming it to send a message to the people on the inside who are demanding one,” a high-level coalition member said.

Another source said a block in the coalition that includes the Muslin Brotherhood, the only organized political force in the opposition, is against forming a government at this stage.

Opposition by the brotherhood helped scuttle an attempt backed by the coalition’s secretary general Mustafa al-Sabbagh, a businessman with good links to the Gulf to name former Syrian premier Riad Hijab as prime minister at a meeting in Istanbul last month, the sources said.

Hijab, the highest defector to abandon Assad since the beginning of the revolt, does not have good ties with the brotherhood. But several liberals in the coalition also oppose him because was a long serving ruling Baath Party operative.

“Hijab has said the right things and is an administrator. He is qualified but his history in the regime plays against him. We could see a surprise name circulating by the end of tonight, “the coalition member said.

Munther Makhos, a veteran opposition figure who fled Syria in the 1970s for his opposition to Assad’s father, said a government needed an opposition force capable of keeping Assad’s air force and long range weapons at bay to be able to operate in liberated regions.

“It does not make sense to form a government and present it as a present for the regime to target,” said Makhos, a respected member of the coalition.

The meeting of the Western, Arab and Turkish-backed coalition began on Thursday before Syrian Foreign Minister Walidal-Moualem is due for talks in Moscow, one of Assad’s last foreign allies.

One diplomat said that the coalition spent a long time debating a peace proposal that appeared to “be going nowhere “and it was time it got to the nutty gritty of governance, such as how to administer the newly pledged aid from Qatar and building an alternative administration.

Coalition president Moaz Alkhatib came under strong criticism from Islamist and liberal members alike for proposing talks with Assad’s government without setting what they described as clear goals. The coalition adopted a political document that demands Assad’s removal and trial for the bloodshed, members said.

A statement issued by the coalition said any political solution has to be based on “the removal of Bashar al-Assad and the heads of the military and security apparatus responsible for the decisions that led the country to this stage.”

The statement said any future initiatives have to emanate from the 12-member collective leadership of the coalition.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:45 pm

 

AIG said:

Regime idiots continue to conflate between Assad and Syria and believe that anyone against Assad is a terrorist. Please keep this coming, it just shows what the Assad regime is all about.

February 22nd, 2013, 2:46 pm

 

zoo said:

A mini-government in North Syria?

The opposition “coalition” is under heavy pressure from Turkey to put some order in the mess of the North-East Syria that is threatening Turkey, especially after the blast near a border controlled by the rebels.
Turkey wants also to send back the hundred thousands of Syrian refugees that are becoming a real financial and security burden. As Turkey have failed to get a “No-fly” zone in North East Syria, they are pushing the opposition to create a “mini government” in the North-East with the hope of forcing the international community to implement a no-fly zone so they can get rid of the refugees.
It is clear that, despite their promises and dates set, the expat opposition have repeatedly failed to create a “transition government”. They need now to show some initiative other than putting conditions that are blocking the dialog, to gain some credibility.

So they announced a mini-government “a la Vichy” to assert their authority in areas that are “controlled” by a myriad of militias often opposing each other. They set a date of the 2 march to elect a ‘prime minister’ and they ” hoped the rebel government would be based in Syria.”
There is a lot of doubt about the realization of that idea. The expats opposition would never dare put their foot in Syria for fear of being killed. Therefore it will be “liberated areas government in exile” set in Turkey … that will be totally powerless.

It all sounds absurd. There seem to be no doubt that Turkey and the expat opposition are squeezed from all sides and literally loosing their senses, if it ever had one.

Al Khatib has been silent about that. Has he been sidelined and Walid al Buni taking over?
Another deadline: 2n March

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/article8970750.ece

We agreed to form a government to run the affairs of the liberated areas,” Walid al-Bonni said after a meeting in Cairo.
He added that the coalition would meet on March 2 to decide on the composition of the planned government and to choose its head, with members of the group saying the gathering would take place in Istanbul.

Bonni said he hoped the rebel government would be based in Syria.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:00 pm

 

jna said:

AIG, whatever credibility you have here is diminished when you keep addressing those with opposing views as “idiots”.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:01 pm

 

revenire said:

I am personally looking forward to the new government in liberated areas being bombed to smithereens on its first day.

We await your order Dr. Assad.

AIG is a Hasbara shill here to gloat at the spectacle of Al-Qaeda murdering Syrians. He laughed at the Damascus bombing yesterday.

We all have seen the Israeli war tourists watching from the occupied Golan.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:08 pm

 

zoo said:

Revenire

“Coalition president Moaz Alkhatib came under strong criticism from Islamist and liberal members alike for proposing talks with Assad’s government without setting what they described as clear goals”

Al Khatib seems virtually expelled from the SNC. Is Russia going to sit and discuss with a dead duck? Will the USA invite a dead duck?

The coalition internal bickering and power struggle only emphasizes the unity and coherence of the Syrian government.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:13 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Mr.Khatib will head the new goverment

February 22nd, 2013, 3:13 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

I am absolutely positively sure that Bashar Assad like his boss the rag head Shia mullah are playing one grand Zionist plan. Nothing Iran, Syria or HA doing to fight Israel mercenaries is making any sense to me. How these three mighty armies are struggling with rag tag Israeli backed mercenary terrorists units is beyond me. It leaves no room for any doubt that they are playing along to please the master Jews.

Look how Ahmadinejad runs around hugs and kisses the hand of every one claiming to be a “MOSLEM” even though all that fucker action is utterly destroying the land of Islam. He goes around and kisses Abdullah hands, when this dude is giving Americans and Israelis all the military bases they need to kill Moslems. He goes and lick the shoe of that idiot in Egypt claiming to be Moslem, you know the guy that SOROS put in office to rob Moslems in Egypt, after draining Tunisia and Libya or any valuable. And what did that mother do, he goes and flood all the underground tunnels with sewage water that Moslems using to bring food and medicines to Gaza, a place been under siege for a decade by Jews. WHAT A BUNCH OF FUCKING SCAM ARTISTS MOSELMS ARE.

If I was in power in Syria, the very first Palestinian attack any Syrian or operate against Syrians, I will launch the most powerful array of Missiles straight unto the Aqsa Mosque complex, obligating it to dust. And if no Palestinian got involved, will fabricate an attack involving a fictitious one, ala 9/11, a false flag and do the same, launch the missiles and force all of Lebanon and Syria Palestinians out to Jordan, no food, just all the guns and ammo they need to win and take over Jordan, go free the Holly land from that Jewish Hashemite abomination. Then after, declare an Islamic Emirates in Jordan and make sure all of Allah slaves ABDULLAH’S are kicked out to that filth of Ammon Emirates. Jews will never let Moslem rebuild on the mount that turn the table on the fucker Semites, let them deal with it while we grow Poppy, bankrupt ALCIADA by dropping prices of poppy in the world, then go rebuild Syria.

Islamists then are no longer Syria problem; they are Israel and Arabian one. But again, I am not playing the Zionist plot like Bashar, Ayatollah ad HA playing, slowly demolishing Syria.

STOP PLAYING THE ZIONIST PLOT AYATOLLAH, ASSAD, AND NASRALLAH. YOU CANNOT DELIVER GET HELP; OTHERWISE, YOU ARE JUST COMPLACENT CULPRITS IN THE ZIONIST PLOT TO DISMANTLE SYRIA.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:23 pm

 

revenire said:

“Al Khatib seems virtually expelled from the SNC. Is Russia going to sit and discuss with a dead duck? Will the USA invite a dead duck?”

It does seem rather odd doesn’t it?

I can’t imagine any area of Syria being ‘liberated’ enough to have another government in it. Maybe directly on the Turkish border? Maybe Turkey has promised a few kilometer ‘nation’ to be protected by a no-fly zone? That way he Erdogan could dump the refugees in that sliver of land. It hardly seems workable.

It’s a mess for the West’s project (not that they care).

I am certain Israel and the West would like nothing better than for this war to go on for a decade. They probably give the terrorists just enough weapons to keep this going but not enough to change the situation on the ground but that is just a guess of mine.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:27 pm

 

revenire said:

Aldendeshe I too wish Dr. Assad would open up with the missiles. Enough playing around. Give 24 hours notice and then start bombing and don’t stop until the enemy is all dead. I would not even give them a chance to surrender. The next time a bomb – or even one lone hunting rifle – goes off in Damascus I’d level a rat nest like Kafranbel with hundred of Scuds. Let them make a poster of that.

I can tell you our army wants to be unleashed.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:33 pm

 

zoo said:

Syrian strife prompts Israeli rethink on Golan
7 fighters of the FSA find refuge in Israel

PATRICK MARTIN The Globe and Mail

As civil war rages in neighbouring Syria, Israel has taken a series of dramatic steps that alter the nature of its hold on the occupied Golan Heights and place the Jewish state clearly on the side of the rebel opposition in Syria.

The latest development came Thursday when the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu announced it has awarded a licence to a local subsidiary of a U.S. company to explore and drill for oil and gas on the occupied Golan plateau. The move followed the surprise admission to an Israeli hospital last weekend of seven wounded Syrian rebel fighters, and an apparent plan to set up a field hospital on the Syrian frontier capable of treating more fighters.

In a move that was played down by authorities, Israel gave refuge to seven wounded rebel fighters who had presented themselves at the frontier that separates Syrian and Israeli forces on the Golan. The men, believed to be members of the Free Syrian Army, were treated at a military hospital on the Heights and then moved inland to a hospital in Safed. One of the men remains in serious condition.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:34 pm

 

zoo said:

Revenire

I think the West never expected such a level of stupidity, arrogance and greed in the expat opposition, supposedly fed with democratic principles.
Destroying Syria has been the dream of Israel and the Gulf countries for year. They could not bear its determination, pride and its independence. The Arab spring was a good cover up.

Yet, after seeing how dumb and inefficient the expat opposition was, sensible Syrians should have postponed the revolution and not condone its escalation to a spiral of violence that is destroying the country. They are paying a high price for that immature revolution.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:46 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

The Gharqad Tree Plan:

Move the conflict south of the border, split the Islamist hardcore fighters from the whore friendly, hotel lobby Islamist Moslem Brotherhood fakes (Al Banna British MI6 clowns). Turn the Islamic hardcore ones onto Syria and Iran/HA side by arming them to fight the Jew Hashemite puppet and set up an Islamic Emirate state down south on Israel/ Sinai/Arabia border. It is prefect strategic land patch to launch an Islamic Holy war, and to help real Islamists hardcore in Sinai and Egypt, as well as Palestine, to win and take over. Afterward, comes Arabia and North Africa turn. Iran can provide the funding and arms, HA can provide the training. The paid mercenaries of Israel and Alciada will be eliminated by the real Islamist hardcore; they will help identify the masters pulling the strings in Syria and Turkey. Will deal with Turkey after Jordan, we have the master plan. It is a piece of cake; no one will come to Turkey help, because the world will be in financial upheaval then and Jews will have to take the curse and anger of the Gentiles then.

http://www.questionsonislam.com/question/war-between-jews-and-muslims-end-time-mentioned-will-you-give-information-about-talking-tre

February 22nd, 2013, 3:55 pm

 

zoo said:

News from the “liberated areas”

Security forces fires “indiscriminately” bullets on the crowd of thousands:
Result: 1 dead. Where did the other bullets go?
The security forces are less good that the snipers who killed 3?

Forces fire at protesters, three killed in Raqa
February 23, 2013

BEIRUT: Thousands of people held an anti-regime protest on Friday under the banner of “Raqa the proud on the road to freedom” in solidarity with the embattled province of northern Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the protesters were “greeted by bullets fired indiscriminately by the security forces” in the district of Mishlib and February 23 Street of Raqa city.

“One person was killed by regime forces during the demonstration and three others were killed by snipers in the same area shortly after, but we cannot confirm who was firing,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said by telephone.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:57 pm

 

revenire said:

That makes sense Zoo.

I feel the opposition is being told not to negotiate by some Western governments. How else can we explain their stance? They have no hope of a military victory. The worst – absent a NATO attack – that can happen is 100s of 1000s of Syrians will die in a prolonged war (and I feel this is the goal of some in the West and Israel). The government won’t fall but it could be fighting for years if the weapons and jihadis keep pouring in.

I also believe if the situation ever became truly dire the Iranians would send troops. By that time the Lebanon would be in flames. I don’t think we will get that far. On the ground the army is making gains slowly. It is a hard fight with neighborhood by neighborhood, inch by inch, progress.

February 22nd, 2013, 3:59 pm

 

zoo said:

Kfar Nabal, the “intellectual center” of the revolution accuses the world of “carelessness” and welcomes Al Nusra.

http://gulftoday.ae/portal/850c5c19-ce2e-44e8-bba0-c71eb4abe87e.aspx

In the Idlib town of Kfar Nabal, which has seen deadly air raids in the past week, demonstrators carried banners to denounce the escalating violence.

“World! Your carelessness produced extremists like Assad. Now, we need extremists to get rid of your products,” read an English banner held by men and boys standing in front of a bombed-out building.

February 22nd, 2013, 4:05 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

Absolutely, the Syria conflict, even right now, not only is winnable, but it can be used to Syria’s advantage, reshaping the Middle East to our own strategic interests, regaining our stolen Golan and Iskenderun. Turn it from the enemy Civil War plan for Syria into a nightmare for the whole world. With few pop in Saudi Arabia oil storage facilities, oil prices will shoot to the sky, gold and commodity prices will hit the roof and fiat paper currency with all the countries deficit and inflation will collapse. It all can be accomplished with relocating Palestinian down to the south, the new dynamic will roll, I will pull the trigger for the Aqsa demolition if I was asked, that, will really get it rolling fast and furious.

ALL IT TAKES IS STOP PLAYING THE ZIONIST PLAN. SYRIA NEEDS NATIONALIST LEADERSHIP.

February 22nd, 2013, 4:08 pm

 

zoo said:

#571 Revenire

I think it is Qatar and KSA who are pressing them not to negotiate. The humiliation will be unbearable if there is a dialog and Bashar is still in power.
The USA and Israel are happy to see Syria weakening by the day. The wild card is the Islamists extremists. If they turn against Turkey, Jordan or Israel, then the USA will move.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia who are funding Al Nusra are careful that it does not spill over to the neighbors. But they don’t have control over all the militias.
A terrorist attack in Jordan or Turkey may change the whole dynamic. This is why Turkey is worried and is pushing urgently the Syrian opposition to set up some kind of control of the Syrian side of its borders.
In my view, a second terrorist attack in Turkey is inevitable.

February 22nd, 2013, 4:20 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

دير الزور: الجيش الحر يسيطر على موقع الكبر النووي بشكل كامل ومركز الابحاث النوويه بعد اشتباكات كانت الاعنف مع قوات النظام

February 22nd, 2013, 4:29 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

تحيا سورية

February 22nd, 2013, 4:30 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

ان سورية للسوريين وهم امة تامة

We don’t need a degenerate rag head Semite from the desert of Arabia and a fake gypsy boy made into king in Canaan in our nation history, nor its future. Leave the rag head for the sand bugs. Look at those two degenerate bastard nations today. Anyone want to emulate? can anyone points out what these two nations offer humanity of positive attribute today. A sore thumb in the face of descent humanity, that is all.

February 22nd, 2013, 4:36 pm

 

AIG said:

JNA,

Do you call antisemitic diatribes, calls to nuke Israel, calls to bomb Saudi oil facilities, calls to wipe out Syrian cities, do you call all that “an opposing point of view”? The regime supporters on this blog are idiots.

How about you take a shot at answering one of the questions I posed above? How about making a sane argument of your own that can actually be discussed? We actually did that here for many years before the idiots started spamming this blog.

February 22nd, 2013, 4:41 pm

 

revenire said:

AIG please, the days of Hasbara disinfo are long past. Spam the Jerusalem Times with your silly rants.

February 22nd, 2013, 4:45 pm

 

annie said:

and all the while Syrians are dying in an astounding indifference

#yallasouriya 10:36 pm on February 22, 2013 Permalink | Reply | Follow

#Syria, The Local Coordination Committees in Syria The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 162 thus far today, including 14 women and 17 children: 70 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, 47 martyrs in Damascus and its suburbs ; 16 martyrs in Daraa (most of them in Hrak); 10 in Homs; 6 in Hama; 5 in Deir Ezzor; 3 in Hasakeh; 2 in Idlib; 2 in Raqqa and 1 in Swaida

February 22nd, 2013, 4:58 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

579. anniesaid:
and all the while Syrians are dying in an astounding indifference

__________________________________________________________________

If mighty Allah and his Moslems don’t giva a f**ck why should we. Sunni Moslems are dying by the thousands in Syria, all complaints should be addressed to Allah not left here. This is a humanist political forum. Try to leave a note paper in the crack of the Wailing Wall or Mohammad grave stones; otherwise it will go in my crack.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:09 pm

 

AIG said:

“Sunni Moslems are dying by the thousands in Syria, all complaints should be addressed to Allah not left here.”

Wait, aren’t most Palestinians Sunni? Again the idiot regime supporters have been lying about their support for the Palestinians. And they still have not answered any of my questions. What does it mean that they cannot answer simple questions except that they are idiots?

Let’s recap:
The regime idiots cannot explain how the “resistance” is defending the Palestinians. In the last 6 years, Israel fought with Gaza two main battles. In either case, and in fact throughout the 6 years, neither Hezbollah or the Rabbit of the Golan fired ONE, let me repeat ONE, missile at Israel. Yet they claim they are defending Palestinians. Can they explain how? By talking? And can they explain how they are defending the Palestinians by fighting Hamas???

And of course the regime idiots have not answered my previous questions:
If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?

February 22nd, 2013, 5:15 pm

 

AIG said:

“This is a humanist political forum.”

That is one of the funniest thing a regime idiot wrote. After they advocate nuking other countries, flattening cities and post racist rants they call themselves “humanists”.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:22 pm

 

revenire said:

AIG please, Netanyahu called me to tell me the Likud janitor is missing. Run along.

No one will take your bait.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:25 pm

 
 

Visitor said:

وفي تطور لافت لاستراتيجية المعارضة السورية، أعلن الائتلاف الوطني السوري، تعليق مشاركته في مؤتمر روما القادم وزيارته إلى موسكو وواشنطن.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/22/267774.html

So-called SNC decided to suspend participation in so-called FOS, and no visists to Moscow, and no visits to Washington. That must have been a long steep learning curve for these newbees – after 90000 martyrs!!

It looks like the novices have just taken the first baby step towards political maturity.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:32 pm

 

revenire said:

“Muslim beheads 2 Christians in New Jersey, MSM silent, not a word.”

How funny this man looks exactly like the rats in Syria chopping everyone’s head off.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:34 pm

 

revenire said:

Things are going exceedingly well for the army.

February 22nd, 2013, 5:37 pm

 

Citizen said:

551. AIG -keep up the antisemitic diatribes-
Scarecrow you can use with the non-Semitic, O ignorant!Most Syrians Semites more of you!Do you laugh at yourself!
Do you consider yourself the single representative Sam son of the Prophet Noah, boy?

February 22nd, 2013, 6:07 pm

 

Tara said:

Syria opposition to choose provisional PM on March 2

http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-opposition-renews-efforts-form-provisional-government-175614559.html

CAIRO (Reuters) – Syrian opposition leaders will meet in Istanbul on March 2 to choose a prime minister to head a provisional government that would operate in rebel-controlled areas of Syria, coalition officials said on Friday.

Opposition sources estimate several billion dollars is needed every month for a government to function in rebel-held areas, mostly countryside and desert estimated to comprise more than half of the major Arab state’s landmass.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:12 pm

 

Citizen said:

French authorities for the first time acknowledged the presence of fifty fighters with French citizenship in Syria
French authorities have now recognized the presence of CAP fifty Salafi militants and French citizenship.
The head of the investigative committee on counter-terrorism, Mark Trevedsh found that about fifty French Salafists are now in Syria.
In turn, the French Interior Minister, Manuel Valls, said that about 100 people with French citizenship or resident in France are present in Syria as part of groups close to the “Al-Qaeda.”

February 22nd, 2013, 6:13 pm

 

Tara said:

I am glad that the National coalition suspended its visit to the US. Let Obama knows that he made himself completely irrelevant.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:14 pm

 

zoo said:

I commented ealier that as Al Khatib no longer seems to have any power in the opposition any more, it was a waste of time for Russia or the USA to meet him. They did well in cancelling their visit now irrelevant.

Al Khatib turned out to be a coward, not standing on his early courageous position. Walid Al Buni will probably replace him soon in the ever divided nest of snakes.
By relying on the bad advices of GCC that provides them with the money, the expat opposition has lost all its western allies, they are isolated and now at the mercy of Qatar, KSA and Turkey.
In my view, they are drowning.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:27 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

@REVENIRE,

I always liked the videos you post here. This last one reminded me with an old story, LOL & LOL. Looking at the ugly face of that Jewish Ambassador Feltman brought old memory. Back in May 73’ I was attending English courses at UCLA, living in a dormitory called La Mancha (Now Westwood Marquis Hotel). In the evening we play Monopoly at the club house with a team, a look alike of Feltman, Gary, a banking student and ardent Jew, A Saudi Scholarship student, a Lebanese son of industrious fruit farmer and me. The Saudi always team up with Gary against us, whenever he is totally losing, he gives his cash and properties to Gary so he can beat us up in the game. One night, I was so infuriated with the Saudi we got into fist fight and never talked to him ever. We teamed up at the dorm club with an Italian Nuclear Physicist doing research at UCLA and an Israeli student who served in 67’ war on the Golan height. Developed good friendship, gone out every night to places together, but It took the school director some effort to make out after the 73’ war, including taking us all three Middle Eastern to the Rotary Club to speak at luncheon of which, the Lebanese kissed a*s*s to the audience, the Israeli thanked everybody, and I said exactly what I say on this blog, so you guess, no one applauded, all I get is angry Jewish faces staring at me and every time they ask question, I shell out the right answer, until it was dim silent. Sorry, I am not an as*skisser.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:35 pm

 

Tara said:

A family at war.  With families like this, Syria bi khair

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/22/syria-brothers-uprising-war-chulov
Brothers in arms: the 10 brothers fighting for the Syrian uprising

February 22nd, 2013, 6:38 pm

 

zoo said:

That articles brings some light on the urgency for the opposition to create a “government” for North Syria: Massive humanitarian aid for the North is been worked out by the West and it needs an ‘administrative’ Syrian entity to manage it.

Here’s Your Plan B
Arming the rebels isn’t the only way the United States can help Syria.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/02/22/here_s_your_plan_b_syria_aid?page=0,0

February 22nd, 2013, 6:39 pm

 

Tara said:

Aldendeshe,

You were once cursed by your own mother who needed to take a shelter at a neighbor house?

February 22nd, 2013, 6:49 pm

 

Tara said:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/car-bomb-kills-53-in-syrian-capital-as-rebels-mount-a-sustained-challenge-in-civil-war/2013/02/21/2df49be0-7c88-11e2-9073-e9dda4ac6a66_story.html

BEIRUT — Gunmen from rival Sunni and Shiite Muslim villages in northern Syria have freed more than 200 people snatched in tit-for-tat kidnappings this month, easing tensions that threatened to touch off more sectarian violence, activists said Friday.

February 22nd, 2013, 6:58 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

All blames, grievances and curses belong to Sharmoot-Allah, he should get off his ass and take care of his Moslems and Quran devotees. I only care about Syria and Syrians.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:00 pm

 

revenire said:

Aldendeshe I remember a cousin of mine walking against the ADL on Wilshire Blvd in LA with Casey Kasem. Something about the Zionists spying on all these American groups.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:01 pm

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

598. ALDENDENDENDESHINSKY

“Allah should get off his ass”

Oh God! You’ve done it! You PISSED HIM OFF now.

Anyone knows God does not have an ass, you twit. God is a perfect sphere. Plato said that a long time ago, way back when your smelly ancestors were still in the desert beating their women, drying camel turds for camp fires and bowing down to the Moon Goddess. But I digress…

February 22nd, 2013, 7:09 pm

 

Visitor said:

In this comment, you (the reader) are supposed to answer who is who before you open the link for the roght answer. You are also supposed to keep your own score. No cheeating allowed and you are given 10 minutes before you open the link,

OK!

So who is who?

قامع اكبر ثورتي
(easy bonus question) محافظ اطول رقبتي
(easy bonus question) ناهب اكبر ثروتي
(easy bonus question) وليد اعظم ملتهمي
انشقاقي سري مري

Find right answers here,

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/22/267759.html

I expect regime idiots to score 3 out of 5. That is the reason for the bonus questions. No one is supposed to score 0. Score 3 means extremely low IQ – pathetic idiocy.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:09 pm

 

Tara said:

Silentio,

“Oh God! You’ve done it! You PISSED HIM OFF now.”

Kinda bored. We are not going out tonight.

He is easy. It doesn’t take much. I just repeated what he proudly shared with us.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:20 pm

 

ghufran said:

This is not from SANA, it is from SOHR, an opposition site:
لم تأت تفجيرات دمشق الأخيرة من خارج سياق التطورات الميدانية والسياسية السورية، وإن كان المنطق يقول أن لجوء المسلحين إلى التفجيرات يعكس حال الفشل في تحقيق إنجازات كانت وعدت بتنفيذها المعارضة المسلحة لإجتياح العاصمة دمشق.
لكن إدانة الإئتلاف المعارض تبيّن أن المزاج السوري العام لم يعد يبرر أيّ تفجير أو يصدّق إدعاءات المعارضين التي كانت تردد أن النظام يقف خلف عمليات التفجير، ما اضطر المعارضات السورية للتسابق في إصدار بيانات الإستنكار. أما “جبهة النصرة” التي تتمدد في جسم المجموعات المسلحة، باتت تشعر أن المجالس المعارضة تستعد للتخلي عن دعمها، رغم الدفاع السابق عنها إلى حد إستغراب ضمّها إلى اللائحة الأميركية للإرهاب.
ما هي الأسباب التي دفعت “جبهة النصرة” إلى العودة للتفجيرات الدموية الإنتحارية؟ وهل تُرسل الجبهة رسائل إلى الإئتلاف المعارض رفضاً للتسوية المقترحة؟ أم أن الرسالة مزدوجة للمعارضة والنظام؟ وهل يقول تنظيم القاعدة: الأمر لي وليس لأي جسم معارض عسكري أو سياسي؟
tfu ala kil wahed feekon who supports car bombs or is still trying to cover for Nusra terrorists (I borrowed mixing arabic and English from Morsi)

February 22nd, 2013, 7:22 pm

 

Tara said:

I am an average ordinary Syrian and I believe the regime is behind Damascus explosion.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:25 pm

 

ghufran said:

Mr AIG,
If you think that Syrians on this blog have forgotten the 2006 war and how Lebanon, the weak link, stood up to Israel’s terrorism and inflicted substantial damage on the aggressor you are sadly mistaken.
One major goal of the dirty war in Syria is to make sure that Israel does what it wants in the Middle east unchallenged, the legitimate rights of Syrians that were violated by our criminal regime was the fuel that ignited the war,then islamists and their friends took advantage of the mess. Find another place to sell your garbage, Syria with or without Assad will not compromise, the Syrian nation is bleeding but it is not dead yet.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:30 pm

 
 

zoo said:

The USA and Russia will certainly be very unhappy and will change their policy immediately.

Syria opposition spurns U.S., Russia invites in protest

Reuters February 23, 2013, 12:46 pm
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/16214852/syria-opposition-spurns-u-s-russia-invites-in-protest/

CAIRO (Reuters) – The main Syrian opposition grouping has said it turned down invitations to visit Washington and Moscow to protest what it described as international silence over destruction of the ancient city of Aleppo by Syrian missile strikes.

February 22nd, 2013, 7:39 pm

 

Tara said:

Bravo! Bravo! The Coalition has finally made themselves relevant.

The statement says:

“Hundreds or civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes. Aleppo, the city and the civilisation, is being destroyed systematically,” the statement said.

“The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons,” it added, referring to Moscow’s status as a leading ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“In protest of this shameful international stand, the coalition has decided to suspend its participation in the Rome conference for the Friends of Syria and decline the invitations to visit Russia and the United States.”

February 22nd, 2013, 7:53 pm

 

AIG said:

Mr Ghufran,

Substantial damage on Israel? The total number of Israelis that died throughout the whole war about 150. Less than what die in Syria in one die. Israel’s economy grow about 5% in 2006. Substantial damage only in your dreams. Instead of talking nonsense why don’t you answer the simple questions I asked and show us you an ounce of realism in your bones instead of just bombastic hot air:

Let’s recap:
The regime idiots cannot explain how the “resistance” is defending the Palestinians. In the last 6 years, Israel fought with Gaza two main battles. In either case, and in fact throughout the 6 years, neither Hezbollah or the Rabbit of the Golan fired ONE, let me repeat ONE, missile at Israel. Yet they claim they are defending Palestinians. Can they explain how? By talking? And can they explain how they are defending the Palestinians by fighting Hamas???

And of course the regime idiots have not answered my previous questions:
If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?

If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?

February 22nd, 2013, 7:53 pm

 

zoo said:

The USA did a favor to the expat op in giving them the recognition they have been begging for 2 years.
Now the ‘Sole representative of the Syrian people’ is sulking and saying to Lavrov and Obama: Al Khatib will not visit you because you are naughty.

In fact the real reason behind that is that Al Khatib does not represent the coalition anymore, the group is more disunited than ever and they will be given the same old lesson by Obama and Lavrov to unite and control the armed rebels, tasks that they are too weak, stupid and greedy to be able to perform.

I think this slap on Obama and Lavrov will have far reaching consequences. No one refuses an invitation from the president of the USA and gets away with it.

The opposition is increasingly isolated. Their only bed fellows are Qatar, KSA, Al Nusra, Erdogan and Brahimi… Who does not envy them?

February 22nd, 2013, 7:58 pm

 

AIG said:

“No one refuses an invitation from the president of the USA and gets away with it.”

Right, but you expect Assad to get away with sending jihadists to kill Americans in Iraq. Or get away with hosting Hamas which the US considers a terror organization. How logical.

It is a good move by the opposition. The US and Russia should be put on the spot for doing nothing while Assad murders his own people.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:08 pm

 

revenire said:

I can’t wait until Al Khatib starts trash pick up again… there are rodent carcasses laying all over the place and the smell is overpowering.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:09 pm

 

Tara said:

Mr. Obama will take the “slap on the face” and will absolutely not be able to do a thing.

Let him cut off the quality weapons he never supplied.

And for Russia, this was not the first time.. They are used to slaps on their face. Alkatib refused a Russian invitation not too long ago. The Russians are lightweight and they mean nothing.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:09 pm

 

zoo said:

If it was not to avoid giving satisfaction to Bashar Al Assad and boosting the morale of his troops, the West would have declared this pathetic coalition immature and irrelevant a long time ago.
Its credibility is below zero with hundred of promises, plans, and deadlines it never met.

Now time is ticking faster.
If on 2nd of March they don’t come out with a viable ‘government’, their role will be re-evaluated and they may loose the “sole” and return to “a”

February 22nd, 2013, 8:23 pm

 

Tara said:

Let it tick as fast as it can get.

Obama will change the opposition status from “the sole” to “a”. Big deal! Like that changes any thing.

Let him cut the supply of the weapons he never supplied.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:37 pm

 

BALANGO said:

I think this is a good move by the opposition. US and Russia are useless and irrelevant anyway.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:43 pm

 

Syrian said:

Burhan Ghalioun
قرار الإئتلاف الوطني لقوى الثورة والمعارضة الذي أعلن فيه بعد اجتماعاته الدورية في القاهرة عن تعليق مشاركته في مؤتمر روما لأصدقاء سورية وعدم تلبيته الدعوة لزيارة موسكو وواشنطن، هو أكبر صفعة وجهها باسم الشعب السوري على ضمير عالم لم يعد لديه ضمير، واقتصر دوره منذ ما يقارب السنتين على إحصاء عدد الشهداء والقتلى واللاجئين والمهجرين السوريين.
نعم. لا ينبغي الاستمرار في الكذب على النفس في المشاركة في اجتماعات لا هدف لها سوى التغطية على غياب إرادة العمل والإفلاس الروحي والفكري والأخلاقي. وإلا إصبحنا متواطئين مع الجبن وتبلد الاحساس وانعدام الضمير. إذا لم يكن أمام العالم ما يفعله لوقف نظام الأسد الاجرامي عن إبادة شعب، فهو لا يستحق الاصغاء ولا الحوار ولا الاحترام.
كل واحد منا ينبغي ان يكون صرخة احتجاج في وجه هذا الصمت المتواطيء الأثيم.
الصمت على وحش سلطة قاتل لم يترك وسيلة لم يستخدمها لكسر إرادة شعب روى بدمائه أرض سورية باكملها.
الصمت على استخدام أسلحة الدمار الشامل التي لم يكف المجتمع الدولي عن تحريم انتشارها، ضد شعب أعزل من الأطفال والنساء والشيوخ والفتيان المدنيين.
الصمت على إبادة شعب كامل من أجل استعباده وإخضاعه لإرادة عصابة إجرام وبلطجة لم يعرف لها تاريخ السياسة مثيلا في كل العصور.
الصمت على مأساة شعب كريم تشرد في أرضه وفي كل البلاد من أجل أن يرضىي مسخ زنيم شرهه للمجد والسلطة والمال والجاه.
الصمت على قتل الأطفال والنساء والتمثيل بهم.
الصمت على تدمير حضارة وطن الحضارة ومهدها.
وهو صرخة احتجاج على تلك الدول التي رفضت إلغاء الحظر عن سلاح المعارضة في الوقت الذي لم تحرك فيه ساكنا إزاء استمرار النظام في تلقي كل أنواع الدعم والسلاح من قبل حماته الروس والايرانيين.

February 22nd, 2013, 8:51 pm

 
 

MarigoldRan said:

The West and the opposition outside of the country have no influence on the ground. It honestly doesn’t matter what they do.

No weapons = no influence.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:17 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

would anyone believe that huge amount of explosive passed through several military check points and reach central Damascus(Mazeaa) and not being stopped? he who denies the regime has planned such explosive,is co-responsible for such crime, and will make him pay for it.
The regime has done it before several times, this is criminal regime ,will not hesitate to commit such crime, then we hear someone here on SC defends the regime,ofcourse no body believes him, and frankly his opinion is as usual worthless.
Al 7himar is 7himar even if his name Ghufran
ممرضة لبنانية تدعى ….(فاطمة سمراء )….قصيرة القامة تعمل حاليا” في مشفى المجتهد بدمشق تقوم بإعطاء الجرحى حقن تؤدي للموت أو الشلل أو تلف في الخلايا العصبية…

February 22nd, 2013, 9:20 pm

 

revenire said:

The weapons come from the West via its clients Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Libya. The largest shipments have come from Libya via ship to Turkey and then into Syria. It is a complete myth that the rats are fighting with weapons secured from Syrian bases. Any video shows foreign weapons obtained the way I said or via the black market.

The man who gives the green light for all this is Obama. I don’t care what your newspaper says. If Obama wanted the weapons to stop he orders Qatar and Saudi Arabia et al. to stop and they stop – that simple.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:38 pm

 

revenire said:

“If it was not to avoid giving satisfaction to Bashar Al Assad and boosting the morale of his troops, the West would have declared this pathetic coalition immature and irrelevant a long time ago.
Its credibility is below zero with hundred of promises, plans, and deadlines it never met.”

I believe that is absolutely correct. The opposition doesn’t even have the support of the pro-terrorist faction here on SC. Listen to them denounce the SNC etc. It is funny.

On the ground you have over 150 different so-called brigades and battalions fighting against the government, none of which are united.

It is impossible for the opposition to set up a government in liberated areas of Syria because there are no liberated areas of Syria as the articles announcing the formation of a government said: “Opposition brigades have wrested large swathes of Syria from the control of Assad’s forces but the areas remain the target of army artillery, air strikes and, increasingly, missiles.”

I have to laugh at the irony of saying that “large swathes” of the nation is not under government control and in the same sentence say the areas are vulnerable to artillery, air strikes and missiles. Where would this government meet? In back alleys of Aleppo? I am LOL at this stuff.

Assad has nothing to worry about from these ants.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:46 pm

 

omen said:

apologists still refuse to acknowledge the regime guilty of committing houla massacre. that tells you their unwillingness (or inability) to face reality.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:47 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

The majority of people who support the regime are losers. Simple as that.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:49 pm

 

omen said:

595. zoo said: That articles brings some light on the urgency for the opposition to create a “government” for North Syria: Massive humanitarian aid for the North is been worked out by the West and it needs an ‘administrative’ Syrian entity to manage it.

if you are hinting snc/mb corruption, that’s an interesting supposition. it wouldn’t surprise me if that were the case.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:52 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

599. REVENIRESAID:
Aldendeshe I remember a cousin of mine walking against the ADL on Wilshire Blvd in LA with Casey Kasem. Something about the Zionists spying on all these American groups.

__________________________________________________________________

Well, you got me in a talking mood now. I am nursing really bad flu tonight, not going Ice Skating. Casey Kasem (Top Countdown) and George Nouri (Cost to Coast) are really great American legends, one in music field and the other on the most informative radio show ever produced in the world.

Hell, Zionists and Israelis spying on the world, not just Americans. SNP compiled huge file on this worldwide activities by this enemy of humanity. We probably know more about it than any Government Intelligence Agency in the world knows. Personally, I can tell you few of personal stories:

They used Israeli artist back in early 90’ to bug my Art showroom/ offices at Hutton Center. Broke and stole business deals from a trading company, called customers and told them I am Arab terrorist. Used my Jewish neighbor whom I supplied with power each time the power company cuts him off for non-payment to spy on my internet activity. Used details obtained through espionage, of an Iranian American girl who befriended me and after going back to Oklahoma City, she called and begged me to come visit her, after making hotel and plane reservation, I get an “SSS” call (Syrian Secret Service) that is SNP unit in charge of tracking Israeli, called men and said the girl is talking to Israeli Nationals. That night I cancelled the trip without telling her, and the next morning the Oklahoma City bombing occurred. Some coincidence, go figure what setup they were working on based on that espionage on me.

Afterward, I disconnected all PacBell landlines, three days later, the phones still working. I called the phone company and they confirmed, assuredly, that all my lines are cut, that my acct is closed, and the final bill is sent. After paying it, a week later, the phone still working, so we started making calls and used it for 3 months, never receive phone co. bill. But we only can call out, because we did not know the phone number to call it in. Then a third generation Syrian immigrant who we know at the phone company, tested the line and gave us the number and a Jewish person name attached to it, he also discovered a sort of fraud going on and told me to be quite. It is a long story, we know it all. In fact the world knows it now, see link below.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what I know about Israeli spying. I was able to deal and cover securely what I need to keep away from them, but not without losing quite a bit of money. The biggest loss was the early 5 patent applications. They not only stole the technologies, they used the exact words of my patent description page on Rafael Company website per verbatim, mind you the application was never published. In another case, Harvard University funded a development of another patent for an Israeli “HALAVEY” then cancelled after I brought the matter to the attention of Harvard MIT Attorney.

This patent application has to do with using laser to scan Cuneiform tablets, store the original and translate the text to modern language, based on stored impute.

The biggest financial loss occurred out of their espionage activities were in the textile business. Where they stole Ross Stores hosiery account and used the U.S. Department of Treasury U. S Customs to harass and delay for security inspections, entry of my shipment coming from Syria back in the 90’s. They stole another big account for my neckties, again, this time using the Treasury dept, U.S. Customs which practically forced me out of business. They simply stated, based on an Israeli-American tester employee that the neckties are made with wool inner liners, that is not admissible into U.S. because of import ristriction laws. After hiring a lawyer and investigators, they released 3 samples of a huge seasonal shipment. We sent the ties to one of the U.S. reputable laboratory to examine the liner content, and they came back stating, using nuclear molecule test, that it was in fact 100% silk available in Western China, which is exactly what the factory swore it is from. The Customs still refused to accept the result and ordered destruction of container content. We contacted then Congressman Christopher Cox for help, he was cooperative and the customs buckled on condition of posting bond. We told the customs and Bond Company to go fu*ck themselves after we took delivery and just got out of business. As it turned out an Israeli took over that big neckties acct the shipment is destined to.

Few of the men that are engaged in such Israeli activities were known to SNP. We lost track of them now, but in one late instance, 3 years ago, I was on vacation in San Francisco, the Embarcadero area that the Rockefeller built. Walking downtown sidewalk, noticed this man that I know but could not remember who and from where, we both kept at turning head deeply gazing at each other, then all the sudden we recognized each other. He was station manager for San Francisco. They bugged the Financial District to the tee, in and out. They even have agents running after me downtown taking turn, at least 3 of them, young American males, but very Amateurish work, it was rather funny when I approached one of them and pointed on my ear saying: see this, I can hear everything you saying about me for 1000 feet, he bolted out of the store running.

I used to go to San Francisco every month. Walking the Golden Gate Bridge round trip is the most exhilarating experience to me. After 2001 Insider Job on 9/11 and demolition of the Towers by Thermate explosive and some nuclear devise, my internet activity is of course was monitored, every time plans made for San Francisco trip, the T.V. starts reporting that “terrorists are targeting the bridge”, cancel, then later, and again, gave up in the end, for years I did not go.

But the most pity Israeli espionage and most profitable is the Mall Cart scam. This where the peddlers just stand up looking like selling trinkets, that nobody wants to buy, yet the mall charges as much as $5000 for each cart. Well, it is reported by many, that those Israelis are there to steal, using electronic espionage, credit card data from unsuspecting mall shopper at the nearby stores. Many Americans get hit between Christmases and New-year with a $9.95 charge, few astute ones like me will detect the illegal charge on the statement during the shopping frenzy of the Holiday week. Imagine the millions they make on this scam alone, although I think fed got after them lately, got smart for the game.

If that all not enough, the most evil of Israeli scams in a very long list, is not the Uri Geller spoon bending one, that is a small ac, it is Palestinian-Israeli named Benny Hinn Preacher, check him out here, I am not sure if he is using some stunt gun array, or high velocity pneumatic gadget, to get these idiots to fall. I noticed the helpers always run away after they deliver someone to him.

This is just one of hundreds of spy cases by Israeli. Just use BING to search it all.

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/spyring.php

This is Benny Hinn:

February 22nd, 2013, 9:55 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

I fully support the Coalition refusing to go to Russia and FOS, but I have mix feeling toward refusing to come to Washington, Mr.Khatib visit to Washington,will have tremendous oppurtunity,where he will have a chance to talk to the congress and the president, and will meet many Arab Americans who mostly support him, and will be able to meet the press, it is great public media oppotunity he should not miss,Mr. Najib Ghadban should work on making him change his mind,and convince him to come.He is a likable person,and I like Mrs. Suhair Atassie to come with him,hopefully Mr. Burhan GHailion to come too.

February 22nd, 2013, 9:56 pm

 

Syrian said:

Dr MK
I don’t think the Obama admin. Is waiting on Mr. Alkhatib visit to make up their minds, their satellites are watching everything, they can see the Scuds being fired and every airplane bombing,They will use MR. Alkhatib visit as a photo-op. to show as if they care or getting involved.So I think it was a good decision not to come.
The Syrians with the help of those who have the objective of not letting Iran complete is grand design of the Shia crescent will not let Iran make Syria its 35th province.
The US and Israel are capable of living with a friendly Shia crescent, which Iran will have no problem providing, because its main enemy are the Sunnies and their holiest places are in Iraq and not Jerusalem.
Turkey, the GCC will not let Iran win, not out of love for the Syrians but out of hate to Iran.
And those countries where MR. Alkhatib should be concentrating his effort on.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:04 pm

 

DAMASCUSROSE said:

AIG,

You seem frustrated, and maybe understandably so, that the regime supporters haven’t attempted to answer your questions. I’m gonna give it a shot though I’m not a regime supporter. However, you do yourself a great dis-service by referring to people as “idiots”, it’s not helpful.

You wrote:

“The regime idiots cannot explain how the “resistance” is defending the Palestinians. In the last 6 years, Israel fought with Gaza two main battles. In either case, and in fact throughout the 6 years, neither Hezbollah or the Rabbit of the Golan fired ONE, let me repeat ONE, missile at Israel. Yet they claim they are defending Palestinians. Can they explain how? By talking? And can they explain how they are defending the Palestinians by fighting Hamas???”

Who are we kidding, the whole “resistance” stance is a sham perpetrated by these pathological dictators to keep the masses occupied by the big bad wolf lurking around the corner, most of them are nothing more than paper tigers (or rabbits) and they know fully they don’t possess the courage nor the means to fight Israel toe to toe. So it’s all bluster, you know it, the Israeli government knows it, and most of the educated Arab world knows it. Give it a rest.

“And of course the regime idiots have not answered my previous questions:
If the “resistance” axis has the technology to shoot down Israeli planes, why don’t they do so instead of let Israel bomb in Syria and fly at will over Lebanon?”

See above, The Syrian Army may be many things but they’re not suicidal. The funny thing is that the Syrian Army is now using the same tactics used by the Israeli Army against the Palestinians (collective punishment and disproportionate force). I’m sure you’re not proud to export such ideals and values?!

“If the Hezbollah rockets are so effective, why doesn’t Hezbollah just use them? What are they afraid from? Why haven’t they fired ONE rocket at Israel in 6 years?”

The same can be said about Israel though, why hasn’t Israel, with all its superior military might, not destroy HA once and for all, they can do it anytime but why haven’t they? This is all about self-preservation and security. HA doesn’t fire rockets because they don’t want to antagonize Israel, the same reason Israel doesn’t just invade Lebanon every few months because they also don’t want to antagonize HA and invite insecurity to their citizens.

Finally, if I may, I have some questions to you and your cohorts on this bog – why are you here? What are you trying to achieve? We know this is an evil regime, we know the crimes they’re perpetrating on us are horrific and unconscionable. We know they may go down as the worst in history, we live it every day, we don’t need anyone to tell us. Or are you here to make yourself feel better, that by comparison, no one can any longer point the finger at Israel for how it treats the Palestinians? I have members of my own family divided between those who are pro and against this regime. If people in the same family can’t be convinced their thinking is wrong, you think you can preach your values to us? If Israel had a good human rights record, some of us may be willing to listen to what you have to offer, but overall your governments’ record over the last several decades is abysmal, they have convinced its citizens that it needs to use disproportionate force to protect you against the Palestinian “terrorists”, does that sound familiar when you read about what this regime is doing now? And yet you continue to call them “idiots”, kind of ironic, don’t you think?

I am hopeful though, putting aside geopolitical agendas and interests, I think the majority of Israeli citizens are decent people and just want to live in peace. I don’t buy the propagandists’ hateful rhetoric that try to show you in a different light, maybe you can start to see us differently as well. You have a lot of good virtues and we share a long history. We can use your help, you can put pressure on your government to do the right thing and stand for truth and justice. We’re all human beings and we all aspire for the same things in life.

February 22nd, 2013, 11:35 pm

 

ghufran said:

I think the NC decision not to go to Russia and the US was a mistake. This is from SOHR:
اتفق أعضاء المعارضة السورية بعد مناقشة مبادرة مثيرة للجدل طرحها رئيسهم على أن الائتلاف الوطني السوري المعارض مستعد للتفاوض من أجل التوصل إلى اتفاق سلام ينهي الصراع الدائر في سوريا على ألا يكون الرئيس بشار الأسد طرفا في أي تسوية.
وجاء اجتماع الائتلاف السوري المعارض الذي يضم 70 عضوا ويحظى بدعم تركيا ودول عربية وغربية قبل محادثات يجريها وزير الخارجية السوري وليد المعلم في موسكو أحد آخر الحلفاء الأجانب للأسد وفي الوقت الذي يستأنف فيه المبعوث الدولي الأخضر الإبراهيمي جهوده للتوصل إلى اتفاق.
وبعد جلسة غاضبة حتى وقت متأخر مساء الخميس تعرض فيها رئيس الائتلاف معاذ الخطيب لانتقادات حادة من الأعضاء الإسلاميين والليبراليين على السواء على اقتراحه إجراء محادثات مع حكومة الأسد دون النص على ما سموه أهدافا واضحة، تبنى الائتلاف وثيقة سياسية تطالب بتنحي الأسد ومحاكمته عن إراقة الدماء.
وقالت مسودة الوثيقة التي اطلعت عليها رويترز وتم توزيعها للمناقشة انه يجب ألا يكون الأسد طرفا في أي تسوية سياسية ويجب محاكمته لكنها لم تتضمن مطالبة مباشرة بتنحيه.
وقال عبد الباسط سيدا عضو المكتب السياسي للائتلاف المكون من 12 عضوا والذي انتقد الخطيب لتصرفه وحده “لقد تبنينا الوثيقة السياسية التي تحدد معايير أي حوار. والإضافة الرئيسية إلى المسودة هي بند عن ضرورة تنحي الأسد.”
وأضاف سيدا قوله “حذفنا بندا عن ضرورو مشاركة روسيا وأميركا في أي محادثات وأضفنا أن قيادة الائتلاف يجب مشاورتها قبل إطلاق إي مبادرة في المستقبل.”
ومع ذلك فإن الوثيقة التي تم الاتفاق عليها تنطوي على تخفيف لحدة مواقف سابقة أصرت على ضرورة رحيل الرئيس قبل بدء أي محادثات مع حكومته.
وفي مؤشر على ان الأسد ما زال يتخذ موقف التحدي قال الإبراهيمي ان الأسد أبلغه أنه سيبقى رئيسا حتى نهاية ولايته في عام 2014 ثم يرشح نفسه لإعادة انتخابه.
وقال الإبراهيمي لقناة العربية الفضائية التلفزيونية انه يريد أن يرى حكومة انتقالية تتشكل في سوريا ولا تكون مسؤولة أمام أي سلطة أعلى وتستمر حتى تجرى انتخابات تحت إشراف الأمم المتحدة في البلاد.
وقال الإبراهيمي انه يؤيد الرأي القائل بانه يجب ان تأتي قوات لحفظ السلام تابعة للأمم المتحدة إلى سوريا كما حدث في بلدان أخرى.
I stand by my personal position that Assad needs to step aside,then step down ahead of elections that he should NOT be part of.

February 23rd, 2013, 12:05 am

 

ghufran said:

One of Aleppo’s most famous anti-government activists, a man known as Abu Maryam, told CNN he was briefly detained and flogged by Islamist fighters last week.
After his release, Abu Maryam posted a photo on Facebook of his bruised back.
“They accused me of protesting against the caliphate,” Abu Maryam said in a brief interview with CNN.
Asked whether he thought the Nusra Front was taking over Syria’s uprising, Abu Maryam said, “Yes, of course, that’s true, but it’s all because of the mistakes of the Free Syrian Army.”
Nearly two years into the uprising, the rebel Free Syrian Army continues to be dogged by accusations of corruption.
In recent weeks, activists have mounted an online campaign accusing Ahmed Afash, a prominent commander based in Aleppo, of banditry and kidnapping. Afash has denied the charges.
But last week, a detachment of Afash’s fighters raided the offices of the Aleppo Media Center. They briefly detained several Syrian journalists who had published reports that Afash’s brigade had killed an innocent civilian.

February 23rd, 2013, 12:11 am

 

ghufran said:

web poll from SOHR:
هل تؤيد عمليات تفجير السيارات المفخخة

نعم – 10%

لا – 90%

SOHR is under attack by many in the opposition for suggesting that Damascus car bombs were done by the rebels.

February 23rd, 2013, 12:37 am

 

revenire said:

Sharmine Narwani said the opposition doesn’t use a lot of SOHR information because it goes against what they say. I trust Narwani 100%.

She has a fuller version of the article Dr. Landis posted above here:

“The Dirty Numbers Game in Syria”
http://mideastshuffle.com/2013/02/22/the-dirty-numbers-game-in-syria/

February 23rd, 2013, 1:12 am

 

Badr said:

Risky proposition

The political opponents of Mr Assad mostly live in exile.

They have floated the idea of a transitional government ever since their opposition coalition was formed in Qatar last November.

The BBC’s Jim Muir in Cairo says it is a risky and complicated proposition, and that is why it is taking so long.

If the transitional government fails to attract sufficient financial and diplomatic support, and if it cannot operate inside rebel-held areas of Syria, the coalition may lose its already shaky credibility, our correpondent adds.

But if the coalition does not try, it risks leaving those areas to slide further into the hands of the radical Islamist factions that are making the running on the ground, he says.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:12 am

 

apple_mini said:

When the opposition accuses the regime was behind those car bombs, it does not change the fact.

Most importantly, when it comes down to PR, it really does not matter who is really behind it. The attack was targeting the regime and many civilian casualties. After that the horrific images chip away some supports for the opposition from Syrians. It becomes another hard evidence to the world that terrorist tactics and radical Islamist are part of the rebels.

It drives SAA more determined to fight. It serves the regime well on its causes and methods to deal harshly with the rebels.

So while the opposition keeps accusing the regime which really has not much use to convince anyone else except those diehard supporters, the rest just keep turning away.

So I think those propaganda warfare after each terrorist attacks really is repeated fruitless attempts. People make their conclusion by simple facts: where did it happen? What was the target? What was the casualty? People can get those info and gory images everywhere. To convince people to believe there is a conspiracy behind it and ignore those simple facts just does not work well at all.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:31 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

And the reverse is true as well.

What goes around, comes around. Every SCUD missile attack means another potential suicide bomber.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:35 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

It is Positive to attack regime installations in the regime-held capital.

There is no reason to condemn such bombings, on the contrary.

The way to shake the government, is exactly through mass-casualty strikes on the regime.

Only Russians, Shiites, and other evil people are upset by Baath HQ bombing.

It is no coincidence that only Bolsheviks have condemned it, while the U.S. has stopped short.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:38 am

 

revenire said:

“Every SCUD missile attack means another potential suicide bomber.”

If all we get is one “potential” rat each time we kill dozens it is a bargain.

As my son has said: simple.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:47 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Revenire, you don’t have a son because you don’t have a wife or a girlfriend.

And you aren’t going to get a wife or a girlfriend because you’re a retard and a loser.

So stop lying. We know the truth.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:51 am

 

ALI said:

“they can see the Scuds being fired and every airplane bombing,”

What’s wrong with that?
You gotta do what you gotta do to save Syria

February 23rd, 2013, 2:12 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

639. ALI said:

“they can see the Scuds being fired and every airplane bombing,”

What’s wrong with that?
You gotta do what you gotta do to save Syria

 
So, to protect 1 person’s lifetime appointment as prez, you are prepared to level city blocks and let children sleep in the snow.

Why didn’t you try to send Bashar to a 1 month vacation to Paraguay, and then see if the war is over.

February 23rd, 2013, 2:23 am

 

Syrialover said:

Tweet:

“If Jabhat al Nusra or anybody else want to fight Assad then his thugs are not hard to find. Car bombs are for cowards”

Maysaloon – https://twitter.com/Maysaloon/status/304534882518986752

February 23rd, 2013, 2:35 am

 

Syrialover said:

#638. MARIGOLDRAN

Keep calling REVENIRE a retard and saying childish personal things.

Keep helping him trash this site, which is his goal in coming here.

Or instead, get advice before you post from a Syrian or just any grown up will do.

February 23rd, 2013, 2:43 am

 

Syrialover said:

Great tweets. From brilliant young Syrian journalist Hassan Hassan:

 Syria reveals everything ugly about this world: neighbors not only refuse to help refugees but steal donated money & allow their abuse.

 Syria reveals everything ugly about this world: outside powers not only stand by but actively prevent arms from reaching the helpless.

 Syria reveals everything ugly about this world: to make a point after bickering on Twitter, some ‘intellectuals’ contribute to this inaction

 Syria reveals everything ugly about this world: people make the conflict a way to advance their own narrow interests, whatever the cost.

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

February 23rd, 2013, 2:53 am

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN #638

Keep calling REVENIRE a retard and saying childish personal things.

Keep helping him trash this site, which is his goal in coming here.

Or instead, get advice before you post from a Syrian or just any grown up will do.

February 23rd, 2013, 2:55 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Oh he’s going to come here regardless. May as well get kicks out of it.

By the way, I’m not your enemy. Spare them for the regime and their supporters. In case you haven’t noticed, I refrain from attacking people on the same side.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:03 am

 

revenire said:

Syrialover please, let’s not restrain the energetic youth. He is the vanguard of our revolution and like a son to me. I’d be honored to take the lad into my own home and offer him a humble meal (and not dog).

Hassan Hassan is know to be one who uses words to defile. He also called for NATO air strikes from his comfortable perch in the UAE. Isn’t that funny?

How many Syrians would die if NATO attacked? Did your gifted wordsmith take that into account?

The promotion of traitors is not helping your cause.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:05 am

 
 

ALI said:

“Why didn’t you try to send Bashar to a 1 month vacation to Paraguay, and then see if the war is over.”

Paraguay or hell it does not matter

the bottom line you terrorists will not occupy Syria

February 23rd, 2013, 3:09 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

This is going to be a long war, Ali.

At the end of this I don’t there’s going to be much of Syria left to occupy, for anyone.

Still, there are debts to pay.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:17 am

 

Visitor said:

MajedK @626,

Syrian @627 is 100% right. America should go to hell even before Russia and FOS.

The only things you get from paying Big O. A visit are these:

1) Bashar will go to kinder garden all over again to be taught arithmatic by Kerry.

2) New instructions on who is and is not a so-called terrorist.

3) We are watching the Chems from the sky to make sure they don’t fall on Israel.

To hell with America. You want to win the revolution, you need to abandon naivete and depend on your own resources.

SNC’s can meet Arab Americans without need to meet with O. or any other sleezy administrator.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:24 am

 

ALI said:

“This is going to be a long war, Ali. At the end of this I don’t there’s going to be much of Syria left to occupy, for anyone.”

I agree and it’ll keep going as long those muthfkrs Arab Gulf people keep financing the killing terror machine.

Soon enough my friend you’ll see how these rats will be burned alive for daring to occupy Syria.

Yes there might not be the same Syria by the end if this terror cycle, but it’s the hope of better tomorrow that keeping us pushing forward to secure a better and safe life to our next generations.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:28 am

 

annie said:

He Provided Them with Bananas
source : http://beta.syriadeeply.org/op-eds/2013/02/bananas/#.USiCNGdaY3U

Karl Sharro is a Syria Deeply columnist, London-based architect and Middle East commentator. He blogs at the wildly popular karlremarks.com and Tweets @KarlreMarks.

In the early 90s I was in a taxi heading from Lebanon to Damascus with several other passengers. The trips were always educational. This prime mode of transport between the two countries allowed one to meet people from various backgrounds and walks of life.

Listening to the coded way in which Syrians spoke was quite revealing. Nuggets of truth lay under layers of innuendo and seemingly apolitical language, decipherable only by the trained ear.

On that particular trip, we had an estaz on board, the generic description for an intellectual, usually a university professor or teacher. This particular estaz sported an audacious comb-over, which bestowed an added sense of respectability to his appearance.

In those days imports to Syria were still highly restricted and travellers took the opportunity of being in Lebanon to purchase products that were not available in Syria. Lebanese bread was particularly sought after, as well as fruits and other foods.

Before we were about to depart, the driver asked the estaz if he wanted to buy some bananas. The estaz declined. Bananas weren’t in shortage in Syria any longer, he said.

Then he added, “God protect the president. [At the time, Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father.] He knows what the Syrian people want. He saw that the Syrian people wanted bananas, so he provided them with bananas.”

The pronouncement hung in the air for a while, before dissipating among the sea of mundane chatter that one was used to hearing in those days.

As it happened, that was the most profound political thought the estaz would make for the rest of the trip. To thank the ruler for his magnanimity in allowing the Syrian people access to bananas.

The words had come out un-selfconsciously, like the recitation of a familiar prayer. But for a learned man in particular, they must have been accompanied by a sense of shame at having to engage in this daily ritual of submission.

Those who don’t understand why Syria revolted two years ago are entirely oblivious to this deep sense of shame that its people lived with for decades.

It wasn’t the deprivation or lack of consumer goods. Rather, it was the incessant demand to submit to an all-knowing authority, one that cannot be questioned.

It was the lack of possibility, the closed doors of the future. It was the bureaucratic machine that reduced every citizen to a robot and then treated him or her accordingly.

In the 1980s, I remember going with a relative to an ice cream shop in one of Syria’s northeastern cities. I naively inquired about the flavors when the vendor was about to fill my scoop.

“Flavors? They’re all the same flavor, they’re just a different colour,” he said.

It was a perfect metaphor for the officially-sanctioned parties, available in various political shades but all subsumed by the ruling Ba’ath.

The illusion was elaborately constructed to remind you that you didn’t really have any choice.

Damascus in the 1960s was a thriving cultural center that had hundreds of media publications. By the ‘80s, just a handful was left. The two party-sponsored newspapers were completely interchangeable with little variation from day to day.

They provided sterile, mass-produced ‘opinions’ that were the journalistic equivalent of the estaz’s polyester suit. They belonged to a pacified intellectual class.

But they carried their shame with them. Everybody knew about the thousands in the regime’s prisons, those who refused to submit. Poets, writers, activists and workers who spent decades facing incarceration and torture but refused to sign a piece of paper denouncing their political aspirations.

Those on the outside felt that shame but thought they were helpless to do anything about it. They publicly sang the praises of the regime and the heroic role it played.

Syria’s rich and long history only increased the sense of shame. The feeling of being marginalized from the world’s consciousness was exacerbated by the ancient monuments that mocked your impotence.

What purpose does dwelling on past achievements serve other than to remind you of your helplessness and the squandered legacy you have not lived up to?

As Syria gradually opened to the Western world in the 1990s, the regime thought that it could pacify people by turning a blind eye to the satellite dishes that were sprouting like mushrooms on buildings, and later by allowing the internet.

But the feelings of inadequacy only increased. People could now compare between their lives and what was happening in the rest of the world. They had access to the internet, shopping malls and lots of bananas.

But they still had only one choice in presidential “elections.”

The sudden openness violently confronted Syrians with their helpless self-image. When the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt succeeded in removing aging dictators, the response in Syria, more than any other Arab country, was visceral.

Organised attempts at staging demonstrations never materialized. When the eruption came, it was brought about by the regime’s heavy-handedness and the instinctive reaction to it. The time for living with the shame was over.

Syria’s was the least well-articulated or organised of all the Arab uprisings. It was raw and abrasive.

The people who had the responsibility to lead the uprising failed it. Perhaps this was unavoidable, the accumulation of anger and shame got in the way of cold thinking and the decades of oppression meant that Syrians were starting from scratch.

What we’re seeing today isn’t what Syrians wanted. The situation got out of control, but the regime bears the main responsibility for that. What is clear is that there will be no return to the old ways. After all the sacrifices, the people of Syria won’t go back to living with their shame.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:47 am

 

Wim Roffel said:

A transitional government is not the way to go. It would be just as powerless as its Libyan counterpart. Continuity can only be achieved by a negotiated transition that transforms the old order into a new one.

http://nation-building.blogspot.nl/2013/02/peace-in-syria-how-it-can-be-done.html

February 23rd, 2013, 4:08 am

 

Badr said:

Annie:

Thanks for pointing out the article. I enjoyed reading it.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:21 am

 

Juergen said:

lately in Saudi Arabia:

February 23rd, 2013, 5:11 am

 

ALI said:

“God protect the president. [At the time, Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father.] He knows what the Syrian people want. He saw that the Syrian people wanted bananas, so he provided them with bananas.”

Rest in peace you greatest man ever been to Syria and Syrians, our forever president Hafez.

The author and few other ignorants on this forum are making fun of the importance of importing bananas to Syria at the time, when people were really struggling to find a kilo of banana till the president himself ordered Jood (famous merchant in Lattakia) to fill Syria with banana and so he did.

After that kids got to eat banana a lot and became more healthy, and adults started using banana for every meal even young guys used to take bets on who could eat 5 or 6 kilos of banana on one go next to the banana carts just because it went so cheap and the prices dropped from 175 SYP to only 15 SYP in no time, even at that time the famous Syrian actor Yaseen Baqoush used to say (بهدلوك يا موز) something like they ashamed the banana by dropping its price that much.

Yes every honest Syrian owes our president Hafez a huge favor for fixing the banana problem

February 23rd, 2013, 5:16 am

 

Juergen said:

Ali

You should open the Hafez al Assad memorial banana order. How about some pet stories of the late Hafez or some memories how he kissed an small innocent girl during a parade? See someone mentioned that earlier, Syrians have excelled themselves in ass kissing their leaders.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:27 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

ومين الدب يلي منع استيراد الموز من أصلو …؟

February 23rd, 2013, 5:32 am

 

Mina said:

Thanks to Bassam Youssef and his team to follow the latest ravings
of the fundamentalists
البرنامج – عنيفة يا مصر – الحلقة 14 – الجزء 2

February 23rd, 2013, 5:41 am

 

ALI said:

الى جردون

حصار الموز كان مفروض على سوريا من العدو الامبريالي الصهيوامريكي

February 23rd, 2013, 6:04 am

 

Syrialover said:

ANNIE #652

I was also about to post the same beautifuly written piece by Karl Sharro you gave us above, “He provided them with bananas”.

It’s brilliant in the way it describes the emotional abuse Syrians have been living under.

The decades of despair, shame and frustration the Assad dictatorship has inflicted on all Syrians at the point of a gun. Even how this made them feel about the ancient monuments around them.

Sharro captures how the Assads created a wasteland in the heart and soul and life of Syria.

How an illiegitimate brutal regime stripped out what was there and replaced it with a bleak landscape of deprivation, humiliation, fear and shame.

I am circulating it widely. Aother good one for the textbooks in post-Assad Syria.

February 23rd, 2013, 6:05 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

لعمش بقلبكون شو حمير …
حصار موز ..؟
!!!وعدو امبريالي صهيوني …

طيب كيف كسرو للحصار بأمر لتاجر
وسكتولولو
وما حاولوويعيدو فرض الحصار
قصدي حصار الموز

يقطعكون شو بتسلو … والله مسخره

February 23rd, 2013, 6:12 am

 

ALI said:

“stories of the late Hafez or some memories how he kissed an small innocent girl during a parade”

I’m not sure about the age segment of participants on this forum but I remember clearly how i used to accompany my father and the late forever president Hafez in his visits to youth camps (طلائع البعث) in Alzabadani and Nabe3 Alfawar every year during summer breaks.

I remember every moments of those days, the young guys used to come to father Hafez and he was shaking hands with them, listening to them like adults and at the end of every visit there was a reward of big dinner (including banana) to them as a gift from father Hafez. The love I have seen in their eyes to their one father is indescribable, there were tears from the young girls but he was comforting them when the saluted him.

These generations are the millions who currently are paying back their loyalty by protecting Syria which he built.

February 23rd, 2013, 6:14 am

 

ALI said:

“طيب كيف كسرو للحصار بأمر لتاجر
وسكتولولو”

مشان هيكي ميسموا سوريا قلعة التحدي

February 23rd, 2013, 6:16 am

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN,

A serious challenge for you.

Read the article ANNIE posted in #652 and my comments in #661.

See if you can swim with it or are out of your depth.

And think about how it flies with your appalling declaration in #427, (which you keep trying to justify) where you said:

“The Syrians did this to themselves. As long as stupid people blame others for their stupidity, they will always remain stupid.”

February 23rd, 2013, 6:20 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

له يا خاين. يا امبريالي .، يا صهيوأمريكي بلغاري أسترالي
…قلعة التحدي بس؟؟؟؟؟!!! وين التصدي … وين الصمود
والله ليخوزقوك
أذا بكرأخذوك عالجويه
متلوم ألا حالك
والمخبرين يلي رح ينفضو سلسفيلك تقرير
بأنو ولاءك مو كفايه …

يقطعكون شو بتسلو … والله مسخره

February 23rd, 2013, 6:25 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

له له له !!!
يا امبريالي .، يا صهيوأمريكي بلغاري أسترالي
…قلعة التحدي بس؟؟؟؟؟!!!
!!!! وين التصدي …
!!!! وين الصمود
!!!وين المقاومه
هيك بتقلل من قيمة ألقائد
البائض
للتحدي وبس …

والله ليخوزقوك

أذا بكرأخذوك عالجويه
متلوم ألا حالك
والمخبرين يلي رح ينفضو سلسفيلك تقرير
بأنو ولاءك مو كفايه …

يقطعكون شو بتسلو … والله مسخره

February 23rd, 2013, 6:30 am

 
 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

إلي جميع السوريين .الموالين
تعدل كتب التاريخ منذ هذه اللحظة .. ويضاف كسر حصار الموز لمنجزات الحركي التصحيحيي

التوقيع …
بطة ابن القائد البائض

February 23rd, 2013, 6:49 am

 

Hopeful said:

#656 Ali

I genuinely feel sorry for you. You think a great a president is one who “orders” a private merchant to import bananas for the people, and he complies. It never occurrs to you to ask what the problem is with a country whose citizens want to buy a product, but somehow magically, the product does not exist in that country. It never occurs to you to ask if the president has the right to order a private citizen to do something. It never occurs to you to ask what is wrong with a country in which a president has to deal with decisions at the level of buying bananas. You believe the nation and the people are property of the president, Sigh!

I thought North Korea was unique in this world. I was wrong. Clearly many Syrians still believe that their government is doing them a favor by allowing them access to things that the rest of the world has freely enjoyed for the past half a century.

February 23rd, 2013, 6:50 am

 

mjabali said:

Syrialover:

The article you are circulating is ok at best. It is filled with statements that are more prose than reality, for example: the writer wrote:

“Damascus in the 1960s was a thriving cultural center that had hundreds of media publications”

This is wrong. Damascus in the 1960’s probably had nothing important in terms of newspapers, or magazines. Most of the publishers, as today, are those publishing religious (Sunni) books. They used to publish some Sufi books of course. The books from that period speaks about what was the position of Damascus on the culture scene. Name one newspaper that was dominant and people still remember till today from Damascus from the 1960’s? None.

1960’s was dominated by the Naserites first (till 1961), then the Infisalis (till 63), then the Baathis(in different versions): really who amongst those is culturally inclined, or supported culture in Damascus in the 1960’s? None.

They probably published only few things. The literary scene was boring as you know. The city was filled with army men doing one coup after the other.

If you count how many coups happened in Damascus in the 1960’s you would know what I mean.

February 23rd, 2013, 6:55 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

MJABALI
You are, as usual, a thinking man, eager to learn and impart history’s lessons. This is one of the reasons I appreciate you.

You are right, once more, but not entirely. There was a cultural life in Syria in the 1960s, but it was merely an inertia from the previous phases of Syrian life, primarily in urban centres.

Some newspapers hung on with their teeth, but with the arrival of baathists to ultimate power and control, along with their bloody coups against each others, the country was more and more placed in a cultural black hole with assad era cementing the cultural depravity of the new elites and his son’s reign emphasizing the mafia cultural lifestyle even in art and literature and heightening the depravity, low taste, and unholy control of superficial cultural life in a style not different from how it is portrayed in the God-father series of books. Only few brave artists managed to break this monotonic,suffocating environment while paying very heavy prices. Ali Deek is definitely not one of them.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:19 am

 

Syrialover said:

ALI,

I appreciate you are sincere and honest in presenting your perspectives and experience as a school child in Syria under Hafez Assad.

You are giving us firsthand insight into what dictators do with young people under their control. You were officially told you that you were in a superior heaven, shown who was God and told why and how to worship him.

The same as masses of flagwaving excited children in Nazi Germany, Maoist China, Stalinist Russia and North Korea.

But other Syrians growing up in the same time and place later compared it with a wider reality, then saw life growing up under the Assads in a far less rosy light.

There’s the article posted above by Annie for example, but I can also recommend this one by another Syrian looking back with wiser eyes and damning what he was led to believe was “normal” when he was growing up:

“Growing up Baath: The Art of the Bribe” http://beta.syriadeeply.org/op-eds/2012/12/growing-baath-art-bribe/

February 23rd, 2013, 7:20 am

 

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships said:

Bravo Ali, bravo!

More please! more stories about the ETERNAL FATHER of…
WAIT! not only Syria but the whole Arab Umma, Nay, the whole of humanity! His love and compassion have surpassed those of Christ and the Buddha (neither has managed to feed a whole nation their fill of bananas, after all). Comrades Stalin and Kim il sung pale in the brightness of His light that hath shone upon the world and engulfed it and without which it would have lived in darkness.

Akh, you are making me feel really bad and ashamed at ditching my Atheist Syrian Salafist Against Dictatorships name.

Forgive me father Assad, for I have sinned.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:22 am

 

Hopeful said:

Which Syria do you want?

1. Syria under a Stalin-style regime with rusted pan-Arab ideology filled with empty anti-west and anti-Israel rhetoric, executing an economic policy that favors the few, promotes corruption and encourages nepotism; and conducting a foreign policy that turns all neighboring countries into enemies.

2. Syria under the rule of religious mullahs promoting Shariaa, treating non Sunnis as second class citizens, forcing certain religious ideologies on people’s lives, and allowing only economic policies and practices that they deem to be “Islamic”

3. A democratic free Syria, where all citizens are equal, where state and religion are separate, the country is at peace with its neighbors, with good relations with western countries and everyone else, and with an open free economy with equal opportunity for everyone and limited government involvement and interference.

I want Syria # 3. We need to dismantle the Syria #1 we have today and make sure we don’t allow Syria # 2 to replace it.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:46 am

 
 

apple_mini said:

Be realistic. Is it fair to pin in Assad, his father, the dictatorship and Baath party for every problems the Syria had faced? Name one country in ME from 70s till 90s which was a model for prosper and democratic state.

From those arguments presented here, Syria would have been an Utopia without dictatorship.

So please show a little respect to history and do not throw in cheap judgement.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:12 am

 

Syrialover said:

MJABALI and SYRIAN HAMSTER

Economics and instability had slowed down cultural life in 19th century Syria, but it still flourished in its traditional forms, and there was a buzz of political and intellectual debate in the pre-Baathist years. That’s the picture I get from reading about it and speaking to my elders.

The dead cement started to block Syria’s air passages when a backward, brain dead dictatorial “government” started turning inward and drawing the blinds. Merit, quality, creativity and originality had nowhere to go in public in Syria any more.

Hafez Assad’s version of runnng a country included ramping up cenrorship (both what was locally produced and what was allowed in), tightening controls on academic and cultural institutions, rewriting official history to be force fed to students and civil servants, controlling news sources, monitoring and persecuting intellectuals and political thinkers – and so on. And keeping Syria poor and culturally deprived.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:23 am

 

Tara said:

Enough is enough

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/23/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html

“Enough is enough. The whole world is not doing anything,” Adib Shishakly, a member of the Syrian National Coalition, told CNN on Friday. “We are not going to any more conferences.”
In a statement released Friday, the coalition said it also would not accept upcoming invitations to meetings in Washington and Moscow.
//
Counterproductive move?
The news that the National Coalition was pulling out of the meeting came as a surprise to the United States where at least one senior U.S. official warned the move would be counterproductive.
The meeting will provide the opposition its first opportunity to meet with new U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The coalition did not notify the United States ahead of its decision, said the official, who was not authorized to release the information.
….

February 23rd, 2013, 8:24 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Well said HOPEFUL
#2 is the illegitimate child of #1، which itself an illegitimate child of totalitarianism.

#1 to be obliterated — working on that

#2 to be guarded against– more work needed

#3 to be built– It is being built with every demonstration, with every defection, every inclusive word, and every time a Syrian extends a hand to another syrian victim of the ugly, criminal, totalitarian #1 and to the innocent victims of #2’s attempts to force itself on Syria and Syrians

February 23rd, 2013, 8:25 am

 

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships said:

Thank goodness we have a German commenting here. Juergen, quick, please write to His Holiness Pope Benedict a letter in perfect German (I know he is a polyglot, but I think a letter coming from a fellow German in his own mother tongue will surely soften him up) and please intercede with him to perform his last and most perfectest act as Pope by conferring and confirming the sainthood of Hafez el mahfooz lil-abad fi qulub al-arab Yes, Saint Hafez he must become! The miracle required? Well, of course, he reduced the price of Bannanas to where a kilo of them was cheaper than a falafel roll and every bannana-deprived and crazed Syrian got his fill of Bannanas. If that ain’t miracle enough for the Vatican, I don’t know what is.

وبعد هيك ماحدا بيسترجي يصرخ “يلعن روحك ياحافظ” ولك صار قديس حافظ
عيب يابشر
استحو
ليك

February 23rd, 2013, 8:26 am

 

Syrialover said:

Explanation behind current Syrian National Coalition stance against proposed talks. Also talks of announcing transitional government in the coming days.

Story: Syria opposition to boycott upcoming talks

Syrian National Coalition pulls out of Friends of Syria meeting in Rome over “shameful” international silence on Aleppo.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201322218202590207.html

February 23rd, 2013, 8:35 am

 

Tara said:

What was Aboud’s plan again for Saint Hafiz Abou Batta?

I am less and less concerned with Batta now and more concerned and resentful to the fat boy in Lebanon, Nasrallah and his militia in Syria.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:37 am

 

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships said:

The Obama Adminstration will surely feel slighted by the snub delivered by the syrian national coalition and will announce an absolute definite stop to the arms deliveries that had never started or existed or were ever contemplated. Furthermore, the US government will appoint Toughy Gonzalez as its reposession contractor to go and bring back all the communication equipt. they gave the FSA. Should the S N Coalition persist in dissing the US, it shall be henceforth declared a terrorist organization!

Don’t anybody dare say the US don’t play fair!

وذنبكم على جنبكم

February 23rd, 2013, 9:01 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Extending Ibrahimi tenure for six months means US will not change its policy toward Syria for six more months.
I call on Ibrahimi to resign,his failure is due to Assad intransigence.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:02 am

 

Syrian said:

The Syrians plans for Hafez grave
http://youtu.be/_autEehkkmw

February 23rd, 2013, 10:29 am

 

AIG said:

Damascus Rose,

Thank you for your thoughtful and well-argued response. It reminds me of the good old days where at least we could have a decent discussion on this site. I almost missed your post in the barrage of nonsense that you find here now, so if you don’t get an answer from me in the future, please remind me with another comment. I will answer you in several posts to make the discussion simpler.

The regime supporters that post on this site are idiots. They run away from honest discussion, quote propaganda sites, post racist rants and cannot argue a point if their life depended on it. What else can you call them but idiots? Please convince some intelligent regime supporter you know to come and post here and I will not call him an idiot.

1) The “resistance” myth
Yes, you do understand that this whole “resistance” stance is a myth, but do all educated regime supporters? I don’t think so. Cammile Otrakji, who used to “own” this site, does not think so. I still read plenty of educated Syrians and Arabs that talk about “resistance” and “Israeli hegemony” and how Assad is the only one standing up to the West. Just read the leftists papers in Lebanon who have been arguing that Assad should be supported because of these facts. And please show me ONE significant Syrian politician on either side that is willing to say in public that hosting Hamas was an Assad mistake. You won’t find one because there is still muddled thinking even in the educated classes about “resistance”.

I think I detect some of it in your post also. It is not that you are against “resistance” in principle; it is that you don’t think Assad is able to deliver. This point is crucial because unless Syrians come to the conclusion that the only way to reach Arab-Israeli peace is through negotiations, not violence, Syria will not be able to develop. As I have been saying on this blog for years, you can have “resistance” or you can have economic development, but you cannot have them both at the same time.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:57 am

 

Ziad said:

مقابلة السيد وزير الإعلام عمران الزعبي مع سكاي نيوز

February 23rd, 2013, 11:02 am

 
 

Juergen said:

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships

I think you may like this one.

This is Germanys best politcal comedian Gerhard Polt.

February 23rd, 2013, 11:11 am

 

zoo said:

In Cairo, Qatar and Turkey have advised the opposition, as a last chance, to ignore the West and rely exclusively o them to achieve the first step to full “victory”. The promise is : We will help you rule on North Syria.

The opposition has no plan. After millions of dollars spent in traveling and conferences, they have not been able to convince anybody inside or outside Syria that they are a force to reckon with.
Now they accuse their bankers and supporters of not giving enough money and weapons to solidify them, while after two years they have nothing to say other than repeating ‘every five minutes’ that Bashar al Assad has to go.

So Qatar and Turkey advised them to bypass the useless Western countries. Instead, they promised the opposition that they will support them in creating a ‘mini government’ in the ‘liberated areas’. Qatar promised it will fund it and Turkey will host it on Turkish territory until it settles in Syria.
This aims of this plan are many:

– Protect Turkey from the repeat of terrorist attacks on its territory
– Force the West to think again about the long-waited no-fly zone
– Allow massive humanitarian help in the North that will boost the opposition credibility.
– Allow the costly refugees to go back home
– Channel the deliveries of salaries and weapons to the FSA
– Create the embryo of a ‘government in exile’ that may expand to rule the whole country.
– Show that the opposition is powerful

That seems to be ideal on paper, but it faces a major hurdle: The opposition has a very limited leverage on the military componenst presently in North Syria. The Al Nusra and the dozens of militias, Islamists or secular won’t be able to unite and accept to be managed by ‘expats’.
With this in mind, it seems that such an ambitious plan has almost no chance to succeed.
Sooner or later the opposition will have to turn again toward the international community for help

February 23rd, 2013, 11:12 am

 

ghufran said:

“unless Syrians come to the conclusion that the only way to reach Arab-Israeli peace is through negotiations, not violence, Syria will not be able to develop. As I have been saying on this blog for years, you can have “resistance” or you can have economic development, but you cannot have them both at the same time”

This is pure zionist garbage, Israel was established by terrorists and illegal immigrants who stole land they do not own, this is still true today, negotiations are fruiltless when the other side is much more powerful and you are weak and divided, Israel is unable and unwilling to deliver justice to the palestinians and other Arabs who suffered from its brutality and oppression because “they do not have to”, Israel took the Golan in 1967 and announced it as part of Israel and now wants to look for oil in that part of Syria, Israelis love this “revolution” for the reasons I explained in a previous post, every time you speak the truth about Israel you are called an idiot and anti semite, the truth is bitter,my friends !!

February 23rd, 2013, 11:16 am

 

AIG said:

Damascus Rose,

2 . “The funny thing is that the Syrian Army is now using the same tactics used by the Israeli Army against the Palestinians (collective punishment and disproportionate force). I’m sure you’re not proud to export such ideals and values?!”

Really, is the Israeli army using the same tactics? Yes, the Israeli army kills innocent people by mistake just as any modern army does. But it goes to great depth to try to acquire pin-point intelligence and to try to target only militants. It does not carpet bomb cities nor fire scuds or other inaccurate weapons at civilians. So while the Israeli army is far from perfect I am very proud of the effort we make to spare civilians. And there is one additional major difference that many Syrians fail to acknowledge. The IDF is fighting Israel’s enemies, not its own people.

3)”The same can be said about Israel though, why hasn’t Israel, with all its superior military might, not destroy HA once and for all, they can do it anytime but why haven’t they?”

Israel’s aim is not to destroy Hezbollah or kill many of the Shia of Lebanon which in fact what it would take. If that were our aim we would not have left Lebanon completely in 2000. Our aim is to have a quiet border, and while we have one, why should we do anything in Lebanon except gather intelligence? Hezbollah’s aim is to destroy Israel. There is just no symmetry. While there is peace and quiet, we are winning. In fact, Hezbollah hardly even mentions the Sheba Farms any more.

February 23rd, 2013, 11:16 am

 

AIG said:

Ghufran,

Yo are right, the truth is bitter. It is just a fact, you cannot have “resistance” and economic development at the same time. The faster you accept it, the better Syria will be. Please, make a reasoned argument how you can have both at the same time. Give it a try.

Yes, Israel “loves” it when the Assads keep Syria technologically backwards and an economic basket case. Every bad thing that happens to Syria Israel “loves”. But at some point you have to come to realize that 99% of your problems are not related to Israel and that the best way to fight Israel is to build a strong economy and a strong technological base. And you just can’t do that without learning from and trading with the West. Even for China this is crucial. So take a few years rest with the “resistance”, build your country and then take on Israel. Isn’t that a much better strategy?

February 23rd, 2013, 11:23 am

 

AIG said:

Damscus Rose,

Why am I on this site? I have been on this site for about 7 years because I enjoy a good give and take and am curious about Syria and the way its people think. I am not on this site because of the revolution or the Palestinians. I am not here to preach or claim any superiority. Nobody is telling you to learn anything form Israel. And yes, Israel’s human rights record is not perfect and we have much to improve.

And again, I just cannot see the equivalence between fighting one’s stated enemies and fighting one’s people. You really need to be an idiot to accept that your country should level major cities like Homs or Aleppo and support any government that did so. Maybe I am wrong, but is there any reasonable argument why a government should kill its own people and level its own cities? Seriously, I am really curious to read how some of the regime supporters in your family argue that this is the right thing to do not just from a moral point of view but even a realist one.

February 23rd, 2013, 11:39 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

I listened to Mr. Umran
He denied facts, Iran is sending troops and weapons to Assad, I showed it in the video I posted before.and the evidences are abundant.
He keeps on saying he will negotiate but with those who lay down their weapons, it is his boss the grand Shabbih who refused to stop violence.
Russia is supplying jets and missiles to Assad,and that is what Assad is using against Syrians,who fight with simple guns and rpg.
He talked about patriotism, is it patriotic to kill 150000 Syrian,or to destroy cities and town, is it patriotic to have 160000 syrian in jail,to rape women to kill children.
Mr. Umran is just like his syrian media,they lie and deny that they are lying,
to negotiate with an idiot ,it will take another idiot like him.

February 23rd, 2013, 12:11 pm

 

Hopeful said:

# 677 Apple_mini

The only country in the region that was worst than Syria in terms of brutality and suppression of freedom was Iraq and maybe Libya. Syria under Bashar was better than under his father, but not much better. But now that he mishandled the crisis so badly, he will go down in history as one of the worst leaders in modern history, having destroyed half of the country, killed thousands, and forced millions into exile.

And his supporters? Many will one day wake up and come to the realization that they were on the wrong side of history, like the Nazis and the Serbian nationalists, but some will never see the light.

February 23rd, 2013, 12:40 pm

 
 

Hopeful said:

#694 AIG

You are forgetting one important fact: Dictators do NOT want their countries to develop economically, because middle class citizens will soon rise up and demand political freedom. So with the “resistance” rhetoric, you kill two birds with one stone: keep your people busy running after their daily meals, and give them a fake sense of pride for belonging to the great “resistance”. The Syria and Iranian regimes are masters at this game, so was Saddam.

What is shocking to me is that many Syrians living in the West fell for this crap, unlike the Iranians living in the west, who know it is all crap.

February 23rd, 2013, 12:58 pm

 

zoo said:

The consumption of tear gas is skyrocketing in Egypt

Egypt ordered $2.55m in US-made teargas: memo

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/egypt-ordered-255m-us-made-teargas-memo

Egypt ordered 140,000 unlabeled teargas canisters worth $2.55 million from the United States this January, Egypt’s al-Masry al-Youm revealed Friday.

A 30 January letter from the Interior Ministry to the Defense Ministry, leaked by the newspaper, said a US company had been contracted to import 70,000 gas bombs and 70,000 long range gas projectiles.

The order came at the start of a week of mass protests against President Mohammed Murisi and police brutality.

It cited a “growing need for gas bombs to deal with rioters,” and urged the Defense Ministry to facilitate the shipment by taking the goods on board a military jet from the US to Egypt.

The US has seemingly tried to escape scrutiny by having Egypt remove the company’s name and country of origin from the canisters, another memo showed.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:00 pm

 

AIG said:

HOPEFUL,

You are of course right. I can only report that for years educated Syrians were arguing with me on this blog that:
1) Assad was providing adequate economic development
2) That Syria could follow the Chinese model and that would work for it.
3) Assad was fighting “Israeli Hegemony” and worth supporting.
4) Assad plans to reform democratically and just needs another 7-10 more years.

There were also brave souls here like Ehsani who constantly highlighted the economic problems of Syria. And of course, Off The Wall, that changed his views once he saw how Assad reacted to the peaceful demonstrations.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:06 pm

 

Wim said:

Annie,

The story of the bananas is nice. But I think it is wrong to accuse Assad of the closing of Syria’s mind. You can only have freedom when it is not abused: just look how much freedom the US has lost due to 9/11. Assad came to power in a climate where political freedom was an excuse for freedom to scheme your own coup. And things became even worse when the Muslim Brotherhood saw intellectual freedom as an opportunity to launch a religious war.

That is why you need a negotiated solution where you make very detailed agreements on what is acceptable behavior and what not. To see how it can go wrong you may look to Tunisia where a climate where Salafist gangs were free to impose their vision with violence has escalated towards a climate where political murder becomes normal.

February 23rd, 2013, 1:31 pm

 
 
 

Tara said:

Battle for Syria’s Aleppo airport intensifies
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/battle-syrias-aleppo-airport-intensifies-131106416.html

BEIRUT (AP) — The battle for Syria’s second-largest airport intensified on Saturday as government troops tried to reverse recent strategic gains the rebels have made in the northeast in their quest to topple President Bashar Assad.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the current fighting was focused on a section of a highway linking the airport with Aleppo, the commercial hub of the nation.

The rebels have cut off the highway, which the army has been using to transport troops and supplies to a military base within the airport complex. Rebels have made other advances in the battle for the complex in recent weeks, including capturing two army bases along the road to the airport.

February 23rd, 2013, 2:12 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

There are idiots in this world that believe in Al Qaida, Al Nusra and Al Santa Clause.

February 23rd, 2013, 2:37 pm

 
 

Syrian said:

الشباب الشجعان في منطقة المصنع اللبنانية الحدودية مع سوريا يعيدون صهاريج المازوت (الديزل) من حيث أتت والتي كانت متوجهة لدعم النظام المجرم القاتل
The brave Lebanese young men in Al-Masna’a bordering area with Syria are forcing the diesel tanks to return back, preventing Hezbollat from supporting the criminal killer regime

http://youtu.be/sd9W2c68Bi0
http://youtu.be/sd9W2c68Bi0

February 23rd, 2013, 2:57 pm

 
 

Citizen said:

U.S. President Barack Obama announced to send 100 U.S. military personnel in Nigeria to help the French in the fight against Malian …

February 23rd, 2013, 3:07 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara’s been going on and on about the airport in Aleppo for six months. Each week it is going to fall. LOL

February 23rd, 2013, 3:23 pm

 

omen said:

we’ve gotten used to the world’s indifference & apathy, but still,
can you imagine broadcast tv news ignoring scuds hitting israel or the u.s.? where is obama? still playing golf?

shameful international failure to stop the violence in syria.

coalition’s london representative walid safour: we are very angry from the international community’s silence towards what is going on in syria.

jim muir: what is exercising them is particularly is the regime’s recent use of scud missiles attacking rebel held parts of aleppo. missiles obviously supplied by the russians. there is even suspicion circling in opposition quarters suggesting that russian technicians may even be firing those.

bbc radio podcast
3 Feb 13: Syrian Talks Boycott
Sat, 23 Feb 13
Syrian opposition anger
@ 1:23

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/globalnews/globalnews_20130223-1634a.mp3

February 23rd, 2013, 3:28 pm

 

Citizen said:

Irony: the West is fearful of chemical weapons falling into the hands of Islamist militants in Syria yet it supports the FSA and the SNC.

There is an assumption in the West that Syrian refugees are opponents of the Syrian government. But it is just that – an assumption.

After Syria, where next for the Western media circus??? That is the question. Coming to a town and city near you. But where???

It never ceases to amaze me how Western politicians and journalists have, over night, become ‘experts’ on Syria.

Prime Minister Erdogan is playing a very dangerous game…both for Turkey and the neighbouring region.
@DrMarcusP

February 23rd, 2013, 3:34 pm

 

Visitor said:

Defection of more than 75 in 3Adra, (عدرة) among them high ranking officers. Just now!

February 23rd, 2013, 3:35 pm

 

omen said:

visitor, i hope you are right but we never got confirmation from the last batch of defections.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:40 pm

 

Syrian said:

@711
Your militia leaders has stopped talking about talking back Aleppo altogether.!!

February 23rd, 2013, 3:43 pm

 

revenire said:

So many volunteers we can’t get them trained fast enough.

February 23rd, 2013, 3:45 pm

 

revenire said:

One missile did this. Just one. Imagine if the president took my advice and launched 1000s of them on the rats. PS Where was the FSA Air Force and Capt. Omen? 🙂

February 23rd, 2013, 3:48 pm

 

Visitor said:

In a recent comment, I compared President O.’s foreign policy to the isolationist policies of President Wilson after WWI.

That comparison does not capture the true picture. I believe we have a case of the disproven policy of appeasement – disproven at the cost of millions upon millions killed when a more resolute policy would have averted the losses had it been undertaken. A more appropriate picture than Wilson’s policy describing Obama’s would be Chamberlain’s policy on the eve of WWII. We have a President with no foregn policy experience supported by novices in the field.

This story is based on revelation made by high ranking Western diplomat who has long been involved in the so-called nuke negotiations with Mullah-stan. The first fruits of O’s recent appointments to the State and Defense portfolios is the increase of Uranium enrichement to 20% by Mullah-stan,

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/23/267928.html

February 23rd, 2013, 3:49 pm

 

Syrian said:

@rev.
So now the Shabihas are wearing uniforms, looks like Rami Makhlof can not afford to pay them 2000sp a day. Now they can die as combatants and not as “civilians”
BTY the Assad’s regime has only about 200 long-range Scuds, he already used about 40.
I can bet that have of the rest don’t even work,they have not killed one FSA member yet, all he is doing by using them is sending more recruits to the FSA.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:00 pm

 

AIG said:

Damascus Rose,

Just in time to prove my point. Only a prize idiot would write: “One missile did this. Just one. Imagine if the president took my advice and launched 1000s of them on the rats”

I would really like to see a nuanced and well argued point of view supporting the regime. So far though, there is only intellectual vacuum.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:13 pm

 

omen said:

653. Wim Roffel said:

Peace in Syria starts with building trust

wow…

February 23rd, 2013, 4:17 pm

 

AIG said:

Syrian,

The stupidity of firing Scud missiles at civilian neighborhoods is beyond comprehension. It serves no purpose at all, neither politically nor militarily. It does not even serve as revenge since the regime argues that people in Aleppo are against the rebels, so why hit at them? It was the work of an impulsive idiot, just murder for murders sake.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:18 pm

 

Visitor said:

After Tripoli, another Bekaa town prevents diesel from Lebanon from crossing the border and getting to the hands of criminals,

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/73109-protesters-in-bar-elias-prevent-fuel-tankers-from-heading-to-syria

February 23rd, 2013, 4:25 pm

 

zoo said:

It’s time for Obama to flip and give a hand to the Syrian army

Al Nusra: Al Qaeda’s Syria Offensive

by Bruce Riedel Feb 23, 2013 1:15 PM EST
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/23/al-nusra-al-qaeda-s-syria-offensive.html

The terror group’s Syrian front, al Nusra, is not only attacking Assad, but building a base from which it can threaten U.S. interests in the region.

Al Qaeda’s franchise in Syria, just one year old, is now the fastest growing al Qaeda front in the world, attracting fighters from across the Islamic world. Jabhat al Nusra, translated variously as the Victory Front or the Support Front for the Syrian People, was founded in January 2012, almost a year after the first demonstrations against the dictatorship of President Basher al Assad. It was created with the assistance of the al Qaeda franchise in Iraq that was formed nearly a decade ago during the American invasion. The Iraqi base provided a safe haven for setting up the front in Syria and still provides sanctuary for the Syrian group to this day.

For now the jihadists are focused on Syria and winning the war against Assad. But their ambitions are much larger. With a base in Syria they can threaten American interests in the entire Levant region, Europe, and our allies in Turkey, Jordan and Israel. The worst danger is that the al Nusra front will get control of some of Syria’s large chemical weapons arsenal. Bashar’s father, Hafez al Assad, built major chemical weapon capability in the 1980s, including the deadly nerve agent Sarin, which was first developed by the Nazis. Al Qaeda has been trying to get a weapon of mass destruction for years. Now in Syria it may be closer than ever.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:29 pm

 

omen said:

israel must be getting pressure from its own populace for failing to do anything to stop the regime’s carnage. treating a few wounded momentarily quiets the grumbling.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:29 pm

 

revenire said:

“Syrian” Scuds? Oh the army has enough Scuds. Iran sends thousands of them to us. Don’t worry about it.

They haven’t hit any rats? Really? What are they hitting? Bakeries? Little kids? Women? Is Assad using Scuds to terrorize civilians?

LOL more idiocy from the desperate rats.

Aleppo will be fine.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:32 pm

 

AIG said:

Omen,

That is not correct. Most Israelis are busy with their daily life and unfortunately don’t care very much about what is happening in Syria and want our government to act only in case WMDs will fall into irresponsible hands. They think Syria is the responsibility of the Arab League and the international community, not Israel.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:35 pm

 

GEORGES said:

Revenire, are you syrian? From where?

February 23rd, 2013, 4:43 pm

 

omen said:

aig, as you often demonstrate on this board, israelis know very well this regime’s record and its history of supporting terrorism. i dont buy your argument that they don’t care what is happening in syria or what happens to assad. israelis are not known for being inattentive.

syria is the responsibility of the international community? one of israel’s officials pointed to syria recently as an object lesson to remind israelis that the international community cannot be counted upon for help.

i found it twisted that he sought to exploit syrian suffering to make that case that, in actuality, its israelis who are persecuted and alone in the world.

February 23rd, 2013, 4:55 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

653. Wim Roffel said:

Peace in Syria starts with building trust

__________________________________________________________________

Don’t ever trust the Satanist devils and their rep*toid masters, EXTERMINATE THEM ALL. We know the hiding holes in the dirt and in the water.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:03 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

The regime seems very serious about not losing Aleppo airport. According to reports it has already sent reinforcement convoys, elite troops and is using scud missiles. This is a litmus test and if the airport falls it will gives us a good idea of the state of play.

It won’t be easily dismissed as some ‘symbolic’ victory.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:04 pm

 

revenire said:

Syrian Army shells terrorists council

February 23rd, 2013, 5:06 pm

 

AIG said:

Omen,

I am one Israeli, not an example of the majority. “Care” is a funny word. Israelis “care” but not enough to make any significant sacrifice in blood or treasure.

The official that made the point about the international community is correct and I think you interpret his intentions incorrectly. Israelis believe in general that Syria is the responsibility of the international community but that the international community does not have enough will power to do anything. There is no contradiction.

As for the intent of the official, it was simply to make the point that we have to fight our wars on our own and that we shouldn’t expect anyone to help us fight and that any agreement that is based on guarantees of the international community is worthless. And I agree with him.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:10 pm

 

Visitor said:

I read the article whose author is Bruce Riedel, an ex-CIA analysts, and no where did I find in it that Riedel was recommending to Obama to presumably “It’s time for Obama to flip and give a hand to the Syrian army”

In fact, Riedel clearly shows that it was Assad’s plan from day one to frame the uprising as a fight against so-called terror. And now the hyena is telling us it is time for the whole world to oblige and to come to the rescue of his equally idiot and low IQ prethident-mayor.

Riedel says,

“Assad, of course, from the beginning of the uprising against his tyranny, has blamed it all on terrorists and al Qaeda. But the truth is that by refusing to give up power and by resorting to a brutal war against his own people, he has created a self-fulfilling prophecy and brought al Qaeda to Syria. The longer the war goes on now, the stronger al Qaeda will get in Syria.”

But only extremely low IQ hyenas living in a Zoo would make their wishful thinking known based on an article that implies the complete opposite, not to mention that Obama never took the opposite side of the prethident-mayor, and in fact Obama did everything in his power to undermine the Syrian Revolution from the day one.

So hyena what else can abu ama can do to help your prethident-mayor?

If you guys still have doubts that Zoo is in fact the venomous Warren, you are advised to think agains.

Warren is Zoo.
Zoo is Warren

Both are hyenas in disguise.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:18 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

This tank crew seems to have got lucky this time. The wall appears to have saved them. [From a few days ago]

February 23rd, 2013, 5:22 pm

 

Citizen said:

Since the beginning of the new year in Syria began receiving new types of U.S. weapons
A source in the Syrian security services, told reporters the news agency Asia that, despite the resumption of the Council of the EU ban on arms shipments to Syria, fighters with the knowledge and approval of the U.S. daily continue to receive large quantities of arms from European and Arab countries.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Syrian security since the beginning of the year show the rebels new weapons, never used the Syrian army, in particular, in large quantities, it enters the province of Daraa and the province of Aleppo. Until the end of last year, the weapon was not seen in the country. We are talking about such weapons as a grenade launcher turret powered by six-cylinder Milkor MGL, M-60 grenade M-79 Hornet and rocket launchers RPG-22. The source also said that there was a weapon in the other provinces of Syria.
Elliot Higgins, a well-known blogger, tracking the events of the war in Syria in his blog, “Brown Moses”, was the first to demonstrate new weapons coming into Syria before his arrival in Damascus.
The source also noted that the above-mentioned weapons are used by the Croatian army and the government of this country has recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:24 pm

 

Syrian said:

AIG,
Most likely those who are giving the orders have no conection to Syria,they Are most likely the IRG or HA.
It is very clear that Bashar has become an impotunt leader and has let outsiders take over everything including the war, his commanders were never good at anything to begin with except to inrich themselves,they were never chosen for thier military abilities but only for their loyalties and connections to the mafia family.
You can see here how Rev. who we all know is not a Syrian getting so excited about their use, while Zoo the regime theologian only mentioned them once, though in quotes as to say he dose not even believe that they are being fired to begin with,this way he act as a Syrian who has a conscious

February 23rd, 2013, 5:26 pm

 

Uzair8 said:

Galloway leaves debate with Israeli upon learning of his origin

Fri Feb 22, 2013

British MP George Galloway has walked out of a debate at Oxford University upon finding out that his opposite side is an Israeli.

According to Thursday reports, Galloway immediately left the discussion session at the university’s Christ Church College, after Eylon Aslan-Levy, accidentally revealed his Israeli origins.

The British lawmaker was arguing that the Israeli regime should immediately withdraw from the occupied West Bank when Aslan-Levy used the word “we” to describe Israel’s stance on the issue.

“You said ‘we’,” said Galloway. “Are you an Israeli?”

“I am, yes,” Aslan-Levy replied.

Galloway then said, “I don’t debate with Israelis. I have been misled, sorry,” reiterating as he walked out that, “I don’t recognize Israel and I don’t debate with Israelis.”

“I never debate with Israelis nor speak to their media. If they want to speak about Palestine – the address is the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization],” Galloway later said on his Facebook page.

Read more:

http://presstv.com/detail/2013/02/22/290240/galloway-shuns-debate-with-israeli/

Video:

George Galloway storms out of Uni debate:

February 23rd, 2013, 5:37 pm

 

omen said:

another commonality. of course the regime is far worse but both the regime and the israeli government have worked to build a national narrative that trades on a persecution complex that gives them sanction and license to commit war crimes.

this explains the denialism of assadists who refuse to acknowledge the regime’s barbarism. because in their minds, they’re the real victims.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:41 pm

 

Citizen said:

Again
In the U.S., there was a leak of radioactive waste
In the U.S., there was a large leak of radioactive waste repository in the state of Washington. According to the State Governor Jay Inslee, damaged six underground storage tanks.

“Today we received a very disturbing news. I think that we need to develop a new set of measures, and we will actively deal with this in the next few weeks”, – quotes Inslee The Associated Press.

Governor assured that the leak is not harmful to the environment as well as radioactive waste has not yet reached the groundwater. This can take a long time, perhaps several years. While monitoring the state shows that the radiation background is normal.
…..

February 23rd, 2013, 5:49 pm

 

syrian said:

@736 Uzair
I think it is a big hit,all that smoke can not be comming from those 2 cinderblok

February 23rd, 2013, 5:51 pm

 

revenire said:

Israel has never fought a war on her own. She has always had the United States standing behind her and without the United States Israel would not exist.

February 23rd, 2013, 5:51 pm

 

Citizen said:

The policy of the West in Syria is myopic. It goes on losing control over the events in this country. In fact it gives refuge to terrorists and faces the prospect of raging terror spilling over to Europe. Hotbeds of Islamic extremism that appeared with the connivance of the West in the former Yugoslavia are sparked again under the influence of Middle East events. Europe appears to be threatened by a big fire…
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2013/02/23/syrian-rebels-get-arms-from-kosovo-and-bosnia.html

February 23rd, 2013, 5:53 pm

 
 

zoo said:

Stop putting the blame on the international community. Start by helping yourself before they can help you.

The rebels have irreversibly polluted the ideals of a national revolution by allowing extremists Islamists to join their rank
and foreign countries to finance them.

The excuse they insist on is that they did not get the help they wanted from foreign countries, so they used renowned terrorists and criminals to fight against Syria’s regular army.

If they are too weak to handle a revolution on their own, then they should not have started it on false assumptions in the first place and now that it is going nowhere but destroying the whole country, they should accept their loss and proceed into a dialog under the auspices of Russia, the USA, and the UN and stop blaming the whole world for their own flaws.

February 23rd, 2013, 6:08 pm

 
 

AIG said:

“If they are too weak to handle a revolution on their own, then they should not have started it on false assumptions in the first place and now that it is going nowhere but destroying the whole country, they should accept their loss and proceed into a dialog under the auspices of Russia, the USA, and the UN and stop blaming the whole world for their own flaws.”

Do you recommend this course of action also to the Palestinians?

February 23rd, 2013, 6:30 pm

 

Tara said:

Syria fired more than 40 Scud missiles in two months

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-fired-more-than-40-scud-missiles-in-two-months.aspx?pageID=238&nID=41564&NewsCatID=352

Syria’s government has fired more than 40 Scud-type ballistic missiles at rebel positions in the country’s north in the last two months, according to intelligence Turkey has gathered from the region.
Damascus began to use Scuds at the end of December after it lost control of its northern provinces amid high numbers of casualties to its security forces,,

February 23rd, 2013, 7:03 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara too bad it wasn’t 4000.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:04 pm

 

zoo said:

Bashar al Assad owes a big “thank you” to the FSA and Qatar who have helped him to realize the prophecy he made that Al Qaeda terrorists would join in, give a hand to the rebels and kill the revolution.

It is not a “self-fulfilling prophecy”, it is a FSA-fulfilling prophecy

February 23rd, 2013, 7:08 pm

 

omen said:

zoo, it was regime who released alqaeda members from prison.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:39 pm

 

zoo said:

The irony is that in Bahrain, it is not the opposition who called for foreign weapons and military help, it is the regime and they got it.

Because the Bahraini revolution stayed clean, independent and strong and the regime showed his cowardice and weakness, the Bahrain revolution is alive and will succeed without destroying the country.

A good lesson for the Syrian opposition who shamefully begged foreign countries for help and destroyed their country without achieving any goal.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:44 pm

 

zoo said:

Omen

That’s not proven and even if what you say is true, the FSA helped Bashar al Assad realize his prophecy when they integrated the terrorists in their ranks to fight against the government.
Bashar al Assad ignored the ungratefulness of the terrorists but is certainly grateful to the FSA for their valuable contribution in fulfilling his prophecy.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:51 pm

 

zoo said:

Scuds or drones? Who cares as long as terrorists are killed?

February 23rd, 2013, 7:55 pm

 

omen said:

the irony is the regime wouldn’t still be standing if bashar hadn’t begged for foreign help in terms of weapons and manpower from russia and iran.

February 23rd, 2013, 7:57 pm

 

revenire said:

Capt. Omen what happened to the FSA Air Force? Maybe it is in the New Syria, the Liberated Syria, with the new government?

February 23rd, 2013, 7:57 pm

 

zoo said:

That’s why the opposition refuses to attend conferences: They are afraid that they will forced by the international community to dialog with the regime. They seem trapped.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21558225

The decision to pull out of talks has dismayed diplomats.

But opposition leaders are clearly worried that the coalition risks being discredited and losing touch with realities on the ground if it gets drawn into a diplomatic process involving compromise with a regime that shows no sign of readiness to step down, our correspondent adds.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:08 pm

 

Tara said:

Zoo

“Scuds or drones? Who cares as long as terrorists are killed?”

You are more and more sounding like Reve. How many civillians have been killed by the last Scud? Or do you not care unless the civillians killed are minorities?

Don’t you think your statement is shameful?

February 23rd, 2013, 8:08 pm

 

Visitor said:

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed once again presents the most thourough and accurate analysis of the maneuvers of the last few weeks,

http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2013/02/24/267962.html

Al-Rashed makes the same conclusion many of us made here on SC. There is only one way forward in the Syrian crisis, and it is of military nature. Assad terrorism must be defeated, and the revolution is making great strides towards that end.

Rumours are also circulating that the recent move by SNC may have been a premeditated move which would be followed by more active Arab and Turkish military roles in the ongoing war on Assad terrorism. The region has grown tired of almost 50 years of terrorism inspired by Assadism and wants to get rid of it.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:11 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Do you guys remember people in Homs saying
The people want to down Muhafiz.
I guess we now know they meant Bashar, the governor of the 35 muhafaza in Iran

February 23rd, 2013, 8:16 pm

 
 

omen said:

since it’s slow, i’m going to try an experiment.

if you were curious how to create italics in order to differentiate one speaker from another, it’s simple. use these:

<i> </i>

surround a block of text with these tags to italicize.

por exemplo, this:

<i> And the situation is almost certainly worse than that: The researchers completed the survey in only about 40 percent of the provinces’ area and excluded the city of Aleppo </i>

turns into this:

And the situation is almost certainly worse than that: The researchers completed the survey in only about 40 percent of the provinces’ area and excluded the city of Aleppo

don’t forget to close the gate behind you before you leave. that’s the diagonal bar next to the “i” in the ending tag. tweak whatever you need to in edit.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:19 pm

 

zoo said:

#785 Omen

Are you fooling yourself trying to find arguments? You know very well that this is false.
But if you really believe it, that’s great, at least you can sleep convinced and contented

February 23rd, 2013, 8:23 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara quit acting like a victim. We remember what you said about the Damascus bombing. You’re a venal woman full of hatred.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:29 pm

 

zoo said:

#761 Tara

Do you have any original recomandation on how to kill terrorists who hide among civilians?
The USA is using drones in Afghanistan, Syria is using Scuds as they have no drones. The goal is the same, the risks too.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:32 pm

 

omen said:

how do you not see this, zoo? most everybody recognizes the fact that russia and iran are helping to prop up the regime. this has general consensus. this is not a controversial statement.

are you having trouble sleeping?

February 23rd, 2013, 8:35 pm

 

zoo said:

#767 Omen

Thanks for your concern. Actually your statements are so predictable that they make me sleep.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:41 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

A bit of perspective:

For a civil war, 70000 dead is not a lot. The Russian and Chinese Civil wars had casualty figures in the millions. The Vietnamese and Afghan wars also had casualty figures in the millions. The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia killed several millions of their own people. The Iran-Iraq war had casualty figures in the several hundred thousands, etc. etc.

Granted that we’re only 2 years into what appears to be a long war and so casualty figures for this war will reach high into the 6-figures. But this is similar to all the other big civil wars in the past 100 years.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:54 pm

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

Then you would not complaint should the revolution win, a scud who will then be own by the new masters hits Qurdaha or Qasaa to wipe out terrorist shabeeha? What about where the sister from hell, Agnes the devil? Should a scud hit the area where she will be hiding?

February 23rd, 2013, 8:55 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

A bit of perspective:

For a civil war, 70000 dead is not a lot. The Russian and Chinese Civil wars had casualty figures in the millions. The Vietnamese and Afghan wars also had casualty figures in the millions. The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia killed several millions of their own people. The Iran-Iraq war had casualty figures in the several hundred thousands, etc. etc.

Granted that we’re only 2 years into what appears to be a long war and so casualty figures for this war will reach high into the 6-figures. But this is similar to all the other big civil wars in the past 100 years.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:56 pm

 

Tara said:

Reve,

Stop obsessing about me. You do not interest me.

February 23rd, 2013, 8:57 pm

 

AJ said:

TARA said:

Zoo

“You are more and more sounding like Reve. How many civillians have been killed by the last Scud? Or do you not care unless the civillians killed are minorities?

Don’t you think your statement is shameful?”

Tara, with all due respect to you, anyone who supports Assad today is guilty in participating in the oppression and destruction in Syria. At the very least Revenire is authentic and is open about his worshipping of Assad. Zoo is the biggest hypocrite on here.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:00 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara you cheered the Damascus terrorist attack. You can please go to Hell. Do it for the revolution.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:03 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Al Nusra’s rise in Syria has had mixed effects on the progress of the war:

1. Al Nusra is a pretty good fighting organization. They’re the principle group behind the rebels gains in Deir El Ezzor, and in the North. Their car bombs in retaliation for regime jet bombs and missiles are giving the regime trouble.

2. Al Nusra’s rise has helped regime propaganda. Now the regime can honestly say they are fighting international “terrorists.”

3. Unfortunately, because the West and the GCC consider both Al Nusra and the regime to be terrorist organizations, the West and the GCC are INCREASING its weapons shipments to carefully vetted and more secular rebels in the south. The net result for the regime is negative.

In summary:

The regime can claim it’s fighting terrorists, and to a certain extent that statement is true. However, since the regime is ALSO considered a terrorist organization, this claim does not help the regime.

According to the West, Al Nusra vs. Regime = Terrorist vs. Terrorist. In other words, the West wants BOTH terrorist groups to lose the war.

And so as part of this strategy, Al Nusra’s presence is encouraging the West to supply weapons to other more secular groups to counter both Al Nusra’s rise AND the regime.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:03 pm

 

zoo said:

Tara

Al Nusra who is leading the FSA has been officially granted the qualifier of “terrorist organization affiliated to Al Qaeda” by the USA. Using Scuds or drones to eradicate them is perfectly justified. France and the USA are doing that in Mali and Afghanistan and are applauded by the UN and the international community.

I have not seen any country officially qualifying Sister Agnes of belonging to a ‘terrorist’ organization.
Of course for you the USA decisions means nothing, you have your personal criteria to decide who is a terrorist and who is not.
Then there is no common ground of discussion.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:09 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Zoo

The West considers the current regime a terrorist organization in all but name.

Yes, they consider Al Nusra a terrorist organization, but that designation does not help the regime one bit because it only encourages the West to supply MORE weapons to more secular groups to counter the rise of Al Nusra.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:10 pm

 

revenire said:

My son Marigoldran your logic is flawed.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:12 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

And that’s because you’re retarded.

Seriously though: any counter-arguments?

February 23rd, 2013, 9:13 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

And that’s because you’re retarded.

Seriously though: any counter-arguments? Otherwise I believe my position stands.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:14 pm

 

revenire said:

Nusra doesn’t matter to weapons flows at all. They have been around since the start. The West knew Nusra is Al-Qaeda and armed them anyway, just like they did in Libya and Afghanistan.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:16 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Evidence? You’re making unsubstantiated claims, as usual.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:17 pm

 

Syrian said:

The FSA already have scuds
A question will be asked very soon
should it hit the areas that is hiding regime supporters among them?
http://youtu.be/tntOBy56tYU

February 23rd, 2013, 9:17 pm

 

Tara said:

Reve,

Your stupidity kills me. And you lie too. I wrote one solo post that has one sentence about Damascus explosion. In that sentence I blamed the regime for it.

Again, stop obsessing about me. There has been no one day where you did not address me or mention my name. Wallahi, I have not the slightest interest. Do you believe it now?

February 23rd, 2013, 9:21 pm

 

revenire said:

Marigoldran what evidence do you have for anything you say? Quit playing games.

Nusra gets the best weapons. From where? Libya, Bosnia mainly via the West allowing it. I think you’re smart enough to know the West could choke off the majority, not all, of the weapons with a few phone calls.

Are you really arguing the CIA and the Israelis and the British and the French intelligence services didn’t know what Nusra was? I think you’re yanking my chain if you say this.

It defies logic.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:23 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Honestly, the West wants both Al Nusra and the regime to lose. It makes sense. And if the price is the death of hundreds of thousands of Syrians, then so be it.

Cynical? Yes. Evil? No. If the West got more involved in the war, everyone would blame the West for the situation. So it’s better from their perspective to let the combatants kill one another and to supply weapons to more secular groups to continue the war.

After all, many of the Syrians who wanted America to intervene in Syria protested when America intervened in Iraq.

EDIT: There’s no point in discussing this point with you anymore. I asked for evidence behind your claims, and as usual you post a bunch of rubbish.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:25 pm

 

Tara said:

Zoo@ 776

Ok. Let me use your standards for terrorism definition. HA is classified by the US as a terrorist organization. Would you complain if the US or Israel targeted Aldahya and the Lebanese Shiaa village with scuds to eradicate the terrorist HA?

What has happened to you Zoo?

February 23rd, 2013, 9:26 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara you’ve wished death on many. You’re not on some moral high ground here. I wish you’d get some help before we all get infected with your hatred and lies.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:28 pm

 

revenire said:

Marigoldran yes that I can agree with. The West wants both to lose.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:29 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

No, no, no. Revenire, you don’t understand.

Tara’s fine with most people. However, she is NOT ok with you.

In case you haven’t noticed, the only person Tara is NOT polite to on this blog is to you. She finds you personally disgusting, as do I.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:30 pm

 

revenire said:

Marigoldran do you really believe soldiers like this can defeat an army? They can’t even handle RPGs.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:36 pm

 
 

Syrian said:

the FSA can play this game
The FSA in easten Ghouta have enough howitzers to make the residents of Jaramana and Bab Touma who are hiding regime supporters run for thier lives back to their villages.
Should they use the regime tactic?and start firing their bombs at them instead of firing at Teshreen palace.??

February 23rd, 2013, 9:38 pm

 

revenire said:

Marigoldran it is you my son who doesn’t understand.

Your treatment of me is a BADGE OF HONOR for me. It is what I want from you.

Tara the same.

I am not here to beg for friends from terrorists.

Again your logic is weak.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:40 pm

 

revenire said:

“The FSA in easten Ghouta have enough howitzers to make the residents of Jaramana and Bab Touma who are hiding regime supporters run for thier lives back to their villages.”

Please open up with those howitzers. I can guarantee you if the FSA dares to there will be nothing left of Ghouta but a giant grave.

Please, please, PLEASE fire even one.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:43 pm

 

Tara said:

Reve,

You are just begging for an interaction, any interaction. You do not care about the content. You are here thriving for someone to interact with you. It is sad, very sad.

Nevertheless, interact with someone else. Not me. I have not the slightest interest.

February 23rd, 2013, 9:49 pm

 

Syrian said:

794
They already did and at no other place than Batta’s palace himself you moron

February 23rd, 2013, 9:58 pm

 

omen said:

odd how you dodged the question, zoo.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:15 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara the only content I see from you is sectarian hatred and ridiculous name-dropping so you can pretend to be important.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:18 pm

 

revenire said:

796 you’re out of your mind to believe the FSA has fired howitzers at anything in Damascus. Too many drugs or born stupid. I don’t care either way.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:22 pm

 

omen said:

a continuation of 763.

now this is what you use to do block quotes:

<blockquote> </blockquote>

to turn this:

<blockquote> Syria is the largest IDP crisis in the world,” said Clare Spurrell of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, the leading body monitoring internally displaced people worldwide. “The longer we underestimate the reality of what is happening on the ground, the further we are getting from an appropriate response. </blockquote>

into this:

Syria is the largest IDP crisis in the world,” said Clare Spurrell of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, the leading body monitoring internally displaced people worldwide. “The longer we underestimate the reality of what is happening on the ground, the further we are getting from an appropriate response.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:27 pm

 

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships said:

Omen @ #740

Absolutely spot on, you hit the nail on the head. Ewdward Said dealt with this predicament of being the victim’s victim and how difficult it is to gain any sympathy. And we know how on the face of this earth there is only one group of eternal victims that matters most and whose suffering will never ever be surpassed.

Then we shift back to the assadists and their perception of their own victim-hood and we see how they have been emulating their Ultimate Victim buddies in their response to the revolution and the demands of the majority, literally blow by blow, in strategy, tactics and implementation. Arrest, torture, kill and all the while call for 7iwar, and when someone says “ok, hiwar we can do but not with the killers”, the killers say “no preconditions!”, and so on and on it goes, ad infinitum. Now where have we heard that one before?

Which brings me to the latest decision by the Syr. Nat. Coalition: I think it is a mistake to clip Sheikh Mu3ath’s wings because his main aim was to expose the criminal regime’s lies and deception for what they are and show the whole world plus put the Russians and the Chinese on the spot while also knocking a few cracks in the block, separating those within who did not support or participate in the regime’s murderous violence.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:36 pm

 

Syrian said:

799
I meant mortars and those more than adequate to do the job
The regime already admited to being hit,moron
http://youtu.be/4eYAClMCsSI

February 23rd, 2013, 10:43 pm

 
 

revenire said:

Yeah I know you didn’t mean howitzers because the first time a howitzer is fired at Damascus from your rat brothers the place it came from will no longer exist.

February 23rd, 2013, 10:59 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

امة سورية واحدة ذات رسالة خالدة – شبحو قرد قرد انقل المعركة لللأردن علجنوب ياخيو علي يرضى عليك – ولاية اسلامية متعصبة اصولية في جنوب سورية ومصر اسماع الكلمة يازلمي

February 23rd, 2013, 11:05 pm

 

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships said:

Dear Dr Landis,

Could you please disable video embedding for commenters! It just clutters up the page, makes it heavier to load and is frankly just too “in your face”. Surely posting links is enough, no?

February 23rd, 2013, 11:07 pm

 

ALI said:

Some of you might not fully understand what our father Hafez has done for Syria, but soon enough when we go to liberate Palestine and wipe off the Israeli cancer showing all our hidden strategic weaponry which built and acquired by a direct order and supervision of our father, at that point of time yes all Syrians will head to Qurdaha to thank him for preparing us for this moment. At that time popular parades will storm the streets demanding to name our lare father Hafez as a real saint no kidding.

February 23rd, 2013, 11:42 pm

 

ALI said:

Many of you kept complaining about the compulsory camps throughout different education stages back home in Syria

(معسكرات منظمة الطلائع
معسكرات شبيبة الثورة
معسكرات التدريب الجامعي
معسكرات الخدمة العسكرية)

Some have claimed that they were only a waste of time, an opportunity to mix boys and girls to encourage them for the bad and driving them away from their religion …etc. All these allegations have been proven wrong and everybody now understands if it was not for these camps we would not be prepared to defend our country in dark days like we’re passing.

This is what I call a strategic vision of the later great leader Hafez, he always could see at least 50 years ahead of his time. He knew these days are coming and for that prepared all of us.

we ALL (from all sides) owe him a big thanks for his vision

February 23rd, 2013, 11:50 pm

 

ghufran said:

making a U-turn in a matter of weeks:
أكد عضو الإئتلاف الوطني للمعارضة السورية عبدالباسط سيدا في حديث صحفي، أن “الهيئة العامة للإئتلاف السوري إتفقت أنه لا حوار مع النظام السوري”.
ولفت سيدا الى أنه “لا توجد مبادرة مطروحة على الائتلاف، وأنه لن يقدم مبادرات وأنه تم وضع أسس ومحددات لأي حوار يجرى مع الائتلاف”.
وكشف عن أنه تم الاتفاق على عقد اجتماع في أسطنبول يوم 2 آذار المقبل وأنه تم الاتفاق على أن يكون مقر الحكومة في الداخل، كما تقرر أن يكون المقر الرئيس للائتلاف في تركيا للقرب من الأحداث وسهولة السفر والإجراءات.
وأوضح أن رئيس الحكومة سيتم اختياره في اجتماع إسطنبول في الثاني من مارس
Turkey and Qatar asked the NC to swallow their words,so they did

February 24th, 2013, 12:00 am

 
 

omen said:

782. Syrian said: The FSA already have scuds
A question will be asked very soon
should it hit the areas that is hiding regime supporters among them?

no. unarmed civilians are innocent.

it’s the regime who wages collective punishment.

February 24th, 2013, 12:03 am

 

revenire said:

Look at the lovely Kurdish women who have heard the call to defend the Motherland.

Kurdish women in Syria create first female battalion
http://rt.com/news/syria_kurds-female-battalion-351/

February 24th, 2013, 12:08 am

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

807. ALI

“Some of you might not fully understand what our father Hafez has done for Syria”

Ali, you acid-sucking piece of illiterate excrement! Don’t ever send this brain-damaged swill in to SC again. If I had the time, I’d come out there and drive a fucking wooden stake through your head. Why don’t you get a job, asshole, instead of sitting in your low rent bedroom, typing out hymns of praise to Batta’s worthless father?

A New Bashar Cartoon:

http://english.the-syrian.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/20130223_cna400.jpg

February 24th, 2013, 12:11 am

 

ghufran said:

These are the NC’s “conditions” for a political solution:
1. تحقيق أهداف ثورة الشعب السوري في العدالة والحرية والكرامة، وحقن دماء السوريين وتجنيب البلاد المزيد من الدمار والخراب والمخاطر الكثيرة التي تحدق بها، والمحافظة على وحدة سوريا الجغرافية والسياسية والمجتمعية بما يحقق الانتقال إلى نظام ديمقراطي مدني تعددي يساوي بين السوريين رجالا ونساء جميعاً على اختلاف انتماءاتهم الدينية والطائفية والقومية والاثنية.
2. تنحية بشار الأسد والقيادة الأمنية – العسكرية المسؤولة عن القرارات التي أوصلت حال البلاد إلى ما هي عليه الآن واعتبارهم خارج إطار هذه العملية السياسية وليسوا جزء من أي حل سياسي في سوريا، ولابد من محاسبتهم على ما اقترفوه من جرائم.
3. إن الحل السياسي ومستقبل بلادنا المنشود يعني جميع السوريين بمن فيهم الشرفاء في أجهزة الدولة والبعثيون وسائر القوى السياسية والمدنية والاجتماعية ممن لم يتورطوا في جرائم ضد أبناء الشعب السوري.
4. إن أي مبادرة تستند إلى هذه المحددات يجب أن يكون لها إطار زمني محدد وهدف واضح معلن.
5. ضمانات دولية من مجلس الأمن ،وبخاصة روسيا والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، ورعاية دولية المناسبة وضمانات كافية لجعل هذه العملية ممكنة عبر قرار ملزم صادر عن مجلس الأمن الدولي.
6. الالتزام باستمرار دعم الثوار على الارض بما يحقق تعديل ميزان القوى على الارض
7. العمل على الحصول على الدعم اللازم من أصدقائنا وأشقائنا للحل السياسي وفق المحددات اعلاه
8. الهيئة العامة للائتلاف هي الجهة الوحيدة المخولة بطرح أية مبادرة سياسية باسم الائتلاف

February 24th, 2013, 12:12 am

 

ghufran said:

The next big story in 2013 will probably be Lebanon, one in five people in Lebanon today is a refugee, and elments for a new internal war are brewing.
“At first, most refugees — mainly Sunnis, like most of the rebels fighting Syria’s government — headed for friendly Sunni areas. Now, those communities are swamped and resentful, and Syrians are spreading to places where they fit less comfortably, from Christian mountain villages to the Mediterranean city of Tyre in the southern Shiite Muslim heartland”
Syrians took thousands of Lebanese refugees in 2006 but at that time Syrians and most lebanese were united against israel’s bombing of Beirut’s southern district, today Syrians and Lebanese are divided over their support,or lack of, of Syrian rebels.

February 24th, 2013, 12:27 am

 

syrian said:

804
The only rats kind are yours,especially the one like yourself who admitted that his wife dreams of another man in bed
Now back to mortars, they have the same terror effect as the Scuds that are being used by the regime which both of you and ZOO have no problem with it
The FSA have the ability and the means to hit the areas that are being used by the regime supporters to reside and hide in,It’s the FSA higher morality that is stopping them of doing it.
but don’t count to much on it,

February 24th, 2013, 12:27 am

 

syrian said:

808
‘everybody now understands if it was not for these camps we would not be prepared to defend our country in dark days like we’re passing’

It was also the places where all the FSA soldiers learned how you to defend themselves

February 24th, 2013, 12:35 am

 

Aldendeshe said:

1. تحقيق أهداف ثورة الشعب السوري في العدالة والحرية والكرامة، وحقن دماء السوريين وتجنيب البلاد المزيد من الدمار والخراب والمخاطر الكثيرة التي تحدق بها، والمحافظة على وحدة سوريا الجغرافية والسياسية والمجتمعية بما يحقق الانتقال إلى نظام ديمقراطي مدني تعددي يساوي بين السوريين رجالا ونساء جميعاً على اختلاف انتماءاتهم الدينية والطائفية والقومية والاثنية.

___________________________________________________________________

Bring the compensation and rebuilding cash and hand over the Alciada/Mossad terrorists, start singing about the criminals behinds stripping Syria industrial and commercial base, theft of artifacts, destruction of military, and include a U.N. Tribunal to bring them to justice whatever nationalities the bastards sub-humans they are from (the plotters of the roll Syria back plan).

Otherwise, go fuck yourselves, you will never rule a day in Syria fuckers. And this evil plan to roll back Syria will become the Roll the motherfuckers on planet earth back.

February 24th, 2013, 12:35 am

 

ghufran said:

even Tareq Al-Hameed is not happy with the NC:

المقاطعة ليست الحل بالنسبة للمعارضة السورية، وأيا كانت المبررات، فالأصل بالسياسة هو التواصل، ولو عبر القنوات الخلفية. والمعارضة السورية في أمس الحاجة للتواصل بنفسها مع المجتمع الدولي، سواء روسيا أو الغرب، وليس عبر وسطاء يتحدثون نيابة عنهم، سواء عرب أو غربيون.
صحيح أن الموقف الدولي محبط ومتخاذل، لكن ما البديل، خصوصا أن إيران، مثلا، تقدم دعما مهولا ومستمرا للأسد؟ ولذا فإن المقاطعة والانفعال أمر غير مجدٍ، فالمفروض على المعارضة أن تقوم بالزيارات المقررة لها لموسكو وواشنطن، وتشرح موقفها، وتحاول حشد المواقف الدولية لمصلحتها دون كلل أو ملل، وإلا فإن المستفيد هو الأسد الذي ما مل يحاول، ومنذ اندلاع الثورة، على ضرب مصداقية المعارضة، والسعي لتفتيتها، وقد فعل الأسد كل ما بوسعه لتحقيق ذلك، فلماذا تمنحه المعارضة الآن ما لا يستحق، خصوصا أن الحديث عن الأوضاع في سوريا وضرورة التدخل فيها أمر مطروح للنقاش، وبجدية
little is said about compensation and rebuilding despite the fact that GCC countries and regime thieves should be able to come up with enough money to do the job but that is gonna happen,Syrians are left to lick their wounds alone.

February 24th, 2013, 12:41 am

 

ghufran said:

even Tareq Al-Hameed is not happy with the NC:

المقاطعة ليست الحل بالنسبة للمعارضة السورية، وأيا كانت المبررات، فالأصل بالسياسة هو التواصل، ولو عبر القنوات الخلفية. والمعارضة السورية في أمس الحاجة للتواصل بنفسها مع المجتمع الدولي، سواء روسيا أو الغرب، وليس عبر وسطاء يتحدثون نيابة عنهم، سواء عرب أو غربيون.
صحيح أن الموقف الدولي محبط ومتخاذل، لكن ما البديل، خصوصا أن إيران، مثلا، تقدم دعما مهولا ومستمرا للأسد؟ ولذا فإن المقاطعة والانفعال أمر غير مجدٍ، فالمفروض على المعارضة أن تقوم بالزيارات المقررة لها لموسكو وواشنطن، وتشرح موقفها، وتحاول حشد المواقف الدولية لمصلحتها دون كلل أو ملل، وإلا فإن المستفيد هو الأسد الذي ما مل يحاول، ومنذ اندلاع الثورة، على ضرب مصداقية المعارضة، والسعي لتفتيتها، وقد فعل الأسد كل ما بوسعه لتحقيق ذلك، فلماذا تمنحه المعارضة الآن ما لا يستحق، خصوصا أن الحديث عن الأوضاع في سوريا وضرورة التدخل فيها أمر مطروح للنقاش، وبجدية
little is said about compensation and rebuilding despite the fact that GCC countries and regime thieves should be able to come up with enough money to do the job but that is not gonna happen,Syrians are left to lick their wounds alone.

February 24th, 2013, 12:42 am

 

ALI said:

Johannes de Silentio:

Who are you? identify yourself walak 7aywan
quli men ween init ya dabeh?

If you playing a big boy then tell me who are you? tell me whats your town? I swear by Hafez’ soul I’ll make you and your family a line in history book. I’ll burn your house with all the terrosit rats in it, neek your women and put you on a high ‘7azouq up your hairy arse till you bleed to death

The dust of Hafez’ shoes is your mummy facial cream

February 24th, 2013, 1:38 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

The desire to bomb, shell, and kill the people who do not agree with you [and I mean this for BOTH sides] is precisely why Syria is the way it is today.

As I’ve said before: What comes around, goes around.

February 24th, 2013, 2:39 am

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

This SC forum is not anymore about politics but about war tactics and strategies.

Hatred is all over, war is war, and it will remain untiul Assad dogs are finished and extinguished.

The harm done to the unarmed innocent populations of Syria is so important that there is no turning back to the initial point. Assad was the powerfull dictator in charge of avoiding violence extend across the country, but instead of this he was the one who ordered to create violence and chaos in all villages and towns who demonstrated against the Assad excrement.

February 24th, 2013, 3:50 am

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

Assad should have been sent to the primitive shepherds villages of al Nusairia Ranges of Mountains to live a hard life with simple primitive alawi people. Had he managed to survive and develop then he could have been a brilliant president as any other person, because Assad had nothing to offer to Syria and he was a tainted president from the day he took power.

February 24th, 2013, 3:54 am

 
 

apple_mini said:

I hope the civilians and security in the regime held area in Aleppo to be extremely vigilant.

Due to recent loss on the battle ground around Aleppo, including injury of Abed al-Qader Saleh. We have reasons to believe that retaliation targeting civilians and government facilities is very much likely.

The extremists have done it many times and they won’t stop now.

February 24th, 2013, 5:06 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

I hope the new government will deal harshly with Shia places of worship. The worship of Ali and Husayn must become illegal, and their monasteries should be taken down.

February 24th, 2013, 5:28 am

 

Citizen said:

U.S. arming Syrian rebels, they are arming jihadists. Clinton did not understand. Obama seems to understand!
Obama has not lived up to expectations in either the U.S. or the world? Absurd only Peace Prize to him!

February 24th, 2013, 5:32 am

 
 

Citizen said:

What is happening in Syria is a foreign sponsored and run terrorist insurgency. The main foreigners running these war crimes being Israel and the USA. That latter point is what many would like to avoid mentioning, just like these same people tend to avoid mentioning the influence of the Jewish/zionist lobbies in the USA, Europe, Canada, Australia…

February 24th, 2013, 5:52 am

 

Uzair8 said:

Thanks Omen

I was meaning to ask you to kindly share the various codes for wordpress but I didn’t want to trouble you. I wished to save them as it is difficult searching on google for such codes. All you mostly get is results talking of plug-ins.

Could you tell us how to post links (replaced by text)?

Btw I use for italics. Is it the same as using ?

Recently, in ‘test’ comments, I’ve tried posting images (syria related) using a few codes from the net but they didn’t work. Is it possible to post images in the SC comments section?

Thanks.

February 24th, 2013, 6:33 am

 

Uzair8 said:

If Assad is so confident of victory then why the long face?

February 24th, 2013, 6:35 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Syrian and Omen
Syrian suggested the use of Scuds missiles against Qurdaha.
Omen said
no. unarmed civilians are innocent.

Omen
I agree, You have good thinking.
In war all good ideas has no meaning anymore.what is important is who will win at the end.

February 24th, 2013, 6:37 am

 

Uzair8 said:

In Godfather 2, Michael Corleone, facing troubles from his own and rival mafia families as well as from the government, visits his elderly mother and asks her:

MICHAEL

Tell me, when Pop had troubles…
did he ever think, even to himself,
that he had gone the wrong way;
that maybe by trying to be strong
and trying to protect his family,
that he could… that he could…
lose it instead?

http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Godfather-Part-II.html

February 24th, 2013, 6:42 am

 

Uzair8 said:

831.

The tags disappeared. I’ll use brackets below.

Should be:

‘Btw I use (em & /em) for italics. Is it the same as using (i & /i)?’

February 24th, 2013, 6:51 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Few weeks ago I said Syria importance is in its strategic location,whoever owns Syria owns the region.
Romans owned Syria,they owned the region,Ottomans too,Arab Musslems they owned Syria and were able to spread their hegemony from the east (Pakistan) to the west Andalus, Mongol could not own Syria for long, they lost.
Today an Iranian religious leader recognized that and said,Syria should be Iran 35th province,more important than Ahwaz.

There is too much Evil in the world, but in the end, good will win over evil, as the great prophet said ( I would not worry as long as God is not angry of us)

February 24th, 2013, 7:05 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

http://www.aawsat.com//details.asp?section=45&article=717908&feature=1&issueno=12503
Dr. Burhan Ghalioun is a great asset to this revolution

February 24th, 2013, 7:43 am

 

Citizen said:

THE HISTORY OF “REGIME CHANGE”
The Holy Triumvirate — The United States, NATO, and the European Union — or an approved segment thereof, can usually get what they want. They wanted Saddam Hussein out, and soon he was swinging from a rope. They wanted the Taliban ousted from power, and, using overwhelming force, that was achieved rather quickly. They wanted Moammar Gaddafi’s rule to come to an end, and before very long he suffered a horrible death. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was democratically elected, but this black man who didn’t know his place was sent into distant exile by the United States and France in 2004. Iraq and Libya were the two most modern, educated and secular states in the Middle East; now all four of these countries could qualify as failed states.

These are some of the examples from the past decade of how the Holy Triumvirate recognizes no higher power and believes, literally, that they can do whatever they want in the world, to whomever they want, for as long as they want, and call it whatever they want, like “humanitarian intervention”. The 19th- and 20th-century colonialist-imperialist mentality is alive and well in the West.

Next on their agenda: the removal of Bashar al-Assad of Syria. As with Gaddafi, the ground is being laid with continual news reports — from CNN to al Jazeera — of Assad’s alleged barbarity, presented as both uncompromising and unprovoked. After months of this media onslaught who can doubt that what’s happening in Syria is yet another of those cherished Arab Spring “popular uprisings” against a “brutal dictator” who must be overthrown? And that the Assad government is overwhelmingly the cause of the violence.

Assad actually appears to have a large measure of popularity, not only in Syria, but elsewhere in the Middle East. This includes not just fellow Alawites, but Syria’s two million Christians and no small number of Sunnis. Gaddafi had at least as much support in Libya and elsewhere in Africa. The difference between the two cases, at least so far, is that the Holy Triumvirate bombed and machine-gunned Libya daily for seven months, unceasingly, crushing the pro-government forces, as well as Gaddafi himself, and effecting the Triumvirate’s treasured “regime change”. Now, rampant chaos, anarchy, looting and shooting, revenge murders, tribal war, militia war, religious war, civil war, the most awful racism against the black population, loss of their cherished welfare state, and possible dismemberment of the country into several mini-states are the new daily life for the Libyan people. The capital city of Tripoli is “wallowing in four months of uncollected garbage” because the landfill is controlled by a faction that doesn’t want the trash of another faction.1 Just imagine what has happened to the country’s infrastructure. This may be what Syria has to look forward to if the Triumvirate gets its way, although the Masters of the Universe undoubtedly believe that the people of Libya should be grateful to them for their “liberation”.

As to the current violence in Syria, we must consider the numerous reports of forces providing military support to the Syrian rebels — the UK, France, the US, Turkey, Israel, Qatar, the Gulf states, and everyone’s favorite champion of freedom and democracy, Saudi Arabia; with Syria claiming to have captured some 14 French soldiers; plus individual jihadists and mercenaries from Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Libya, et al, joining the anti-government forces, their number including al-Qaeda veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are likely behind the car bombs in an attempt to create chaos and destabilize the country. This may mark the third time the United States has been on the same side as al-Qaeda, adding to Afghanistan and Libya.

Stratfor, the private and conservative American intelligence firm with high-level connections, reported that “most of the opposition’s more serious claims have turned out to be grossly exaggerated or simply untrue.” Opposition groups including the Syrian National Council, the Free Syrian Army and the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights began disseminating “claims that regime forces besieged Homs and imposed a 72-hour deadline for Syrian defectors to surrender themselves and their weapons or face a potential massacre.” That news made international headlines. Stratfor’s investigation, however, found “no signs of a massacre,” and declared that “opposition forces have an interest in portraying an impending massacre, hoping to mimic the conditions that propelled a foreign military intervention in Libya.” Stratfor added that any suggestions of massacres are unlikely because the Syrian “regime has calibrated its crackdowns to avoid just such a scenario. Regime forces have been careful to avoid the high casualty numbers that could lead to an intervention based on humanitarian grounds.”2

Reva Bhalla, Stratfor’s Director of Analysis, reported in a December 2011 email on a meeting she attended at the Pentagon about Syria: “After a couple hours of talking, they said without saying that SOF [Special Operation Forces] teams (presumably from US, UK, France, Jordan, Turkey) are already on the ground focused on recce [reconnaissance] missions and training opposition forces.” We know of Bhalla’s comments thanks to the 5 million Stratfor emails obtained by the Internet hacker group Anonymous in December and passed on to Wikileaks.3

Human Rights Watch has reported that both Syrian government security forces and Syria’s armed rebels have committed serious human rights abuses, including kidnapings, torture, and executions. But only the Holy Triumvirate can get away with the sanctions they love to impose. Assad’s wife is now banned from traveling to EU countries and any assets she may have there are frozen. Same for Assad’s mother, sister and sister-in-law, as well as eight of his government ministers. Assad himself received the same treatment last May.4 Because the Triumvirate can.

On March 25, the US and Turkish governments announced that they were discussing sending non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition, implying quite clearly that until then they had not been engaged in such activity.5 But according to a US embassy cable, revealed by Wikileaks, since at least 2006 the United States has been funding political opposition groups in Syria as well as the London-based satellite TV channel, Barada TV, run by Syrian exiles, that beams anti-government programming into the country. The cable further stated that Syrian authorities “would undoubtedly view any U.S. funds going to illegal political groups as tantamount to supporting regime change.”

Regime change in Syria has been on the neo-conservative wish list since at least 2002 when John Bolton, Undersecretary of State under George W. Bush, came up with a project to simultaneously break up Libya and Syria. He called the two states along with Cuba “The Axis Of Evil”. On a FOX News appearance in 2011 Bolton said that the United States should have overthrown the Syrian government right after they overthrew Saddam Hussein. Amongst Syria’s crimes have been their close relations with Iran, Hezbollah (in Lebanon), the Palestinian resistance, and Russia, and their failure to conclude a peace treaty with Israel, unlike Jordan and Egypt; all this constituting evidence to the Holy Triumvirate of Syria, like Aristide, being “uppity”.

The clinical megalomania of the Holy Triumvirate can scarcely be exaggerated. And never prosecuted.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-history-of-regime-change-putting-syria-into-some-perspective/30181

February 24th, 2013, 7:44 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

@ 821

tell me who are you? Silentio Assad (originally known as wahsh)
tell me whats your town? Qurdaha

Go have fun.

February 24th, 2013, 7:45 am

 

Tara said:

US’s response to the coalition statement:

US condemns Syria rocket attacks against Aleppo 
By REUTERS02/24/2013 07:40
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=304295
State Department says Assad’s regime “has no legitimacy and remains in power only through brute force.” 

The United States on Saturday condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the latest series of rocket attacks against Aleppo, specifically referencing the Scud missiles attack on Friday that killed several dozen people.

Also mentioning an assault on Aleppo on Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a press release: “These attacks, as well as other atrocities such as the strike against a field hospital earlier in the week, are only the latest demonstrations of the Syrian regime’s ruthlessness and its lack of compassion for the Syrian people it claims to represent.” 

“We look forward to meeting soon with the leadership of the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, the Syrian Opposition Coalition, to discuss how the United States and other friends of the Syrian people can do more to help the Syrian people achieve the political transition that they demand and that they deserve,” she added.
….

February 24th, 2013, 8:28 am

 

revenire said:

Contrary to the chatter on Twitter, and elsewhere, our army is on the offensive on all fronts of Aleppo. This offensive has netted some rather dramatic results.

I find it amusing to hear the cries about Scuds re: Aleppo. This is one indication of the army offensive. Cries of rats indicate success. As my son Marigoldran has said many times: simple.

The offensive is being led by the regular army, trained and commanded by the Republican Guard, and backed up by the newly formed brigades. The soldiers are mainly conscripts from Aleppo. They could easily flee to Turkey (some have).

Please don’t believe me. Check your rat sources and see if I am right. I believe you will find I am correct.

My sources are in Aleppo and not supporters of the government.

More to come…

February 24th, 2013, 8:31 am

 

Hassan said:

Thanks Revenire for the info. We have very huuuge loong dicks to fuck the Sunni women and our dicks are analogous to the loong barrels of our Tanks and Artillery. And our powerful shells, rockets and missiles are like our powerful cumshots, devastanting and eradicating the Sunni subhuman race from our Motherland.

February 24th, 2013, 8:55 am

 

Hassan said:

Long live the Syrian Army !!! Assad’s Commandos !!!

We will devour your flesh and drink your blood. The international community wob;t do anything. We have all the time to rape your women and brun your homes.

February 24th, 2013, 8:58 am

 

Hassan said:

Revenire, the conscripts and soldiers from Aleppo are very feroicous !! I wonder if you remember, but one commando from Aleppo had killed an Israeli soldier in 1982 in Lebanon and ripped off his neck with his teeth and chewed and ate his organs alive.

I hope they gave training to those conscriots on how to skin alive rats ( in human clothing). Assad’s soldiers will devour your flesh bloody rats !!!

February 24th, 2013, 9:02 am

 

Hassan said:

How does it feel to be fucked by Assad’s SCUDS ya rats ?

February 24th, 2013, 9:05 am

 

Hassan said:

Syria has the one of the best Tank forces in the world. Syrian Tank crews are the best as they are trained as commandos / shock troops for commando operations, where the Tank is treated like an commando in urban combat and blitzkieg assaults.

Syria also has THE best snipers in the world. Also our Army has the higest Sniper-to-soldier ration. We have more than 50,000 Snipers.

3 (Three) Assad snipers well-positioned and waiting with long muscular dicks and longer sniper rifles can destroy an entire attacking FSA platoon in 10 minutes.

February 24th, 2013, 9:12 am

 

revenire said:

All I can say is the rats wanted Aleppo to join the revolution and they have: On the side of President Assad.

The irony is delicious.

February 24th, 2013, 9:13 am

 

Citizen said:

Syrian Opposition Group Boycotts International Meetings
“We hold the Russian leaders in particular ethically and politically responsible because they continue to support the [Damascus] regime with weapons,” the statement said.

Will learn lesson in politics and history from the Privacy of your country and regional ramifications!
O Wise! “REGIME CHANGE” cannot be achieved under the carbon paper,
Removal regimes are a long political transformation processes! You have pushed own country to pay the exorbitant bill , and now you have begun to understand ethical responsibilities and political! That is good! Stop raising arms that is the beginning of the political and ethical solutions!

February 24th, 2013, 9:13 am

 

zoo said:

#788 Tara

The USA and Israel have bombed the HA in 2006 to destroy it and they failed.
I am still waiting that they bomb Al Nusra.
No.. They are letting the Syrian government do the dirty job on Al Nusra because the USA doesn’t care about Syrians dying as long as Israel is not threatened.

As far as my objections, when Al Nusra will be supported by more than 40% of the Syrians and be an elected part of the Syrian government, then I would disagree with its military elimination. In the meantime, they are fanatic murderers to be dealt with mercilessly and their accomplices too.

February 24th, 2013, 9:13 am

 
 

revenire said:

Rat dogs make an old man cry. Dogs. To Hell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljvenejHYcw

This video shows an elderly Armenian-Syrian Christian man (Krikor) in the hands of the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) — Islamic Council, after he was kidnapped by the FSA.

In the tape, the man seems to have been forced to convert to Islam while changing his first name from Krikor to Abdul Wahed. The abducted civilian was sobbing throughout most of the interview as he says that he was treated respectfully and was given chicken, potatoes, and soda as a meal, something that his children cannot even get.

The FSA interviewer kept asking the abducted man to send a message to the Armenians (Syrians of Armenian descent) not to ally themselves with the Syrian government.

If anything, this video shows that – according to the FSA – there’s no future for minorities in Syria unless they convert to Wahhabi version of Islam and welcome the Taliban boys with open arms.

February 24th, 2013, 9:18 am

 

zoo said:

Tara

“We look forward to meeting soon with the leadership of the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, the Syrian Opposition Coalition’

The leadership of the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, the Syrian Opposition Coalition said NAH!

Keep hoping Vicky!

February 24th, 2013, 9:21 am

 

Citizen said:

Syrian Opposition Group Boycotts International Meetings
“We hold the Russian leaders in particular ethically and politically responsible because they continue to support the [Damascus] regime with weapons,” the statement said.

Will learn lesson in politics and history from the Privacy of your country and regional ramifications!
O Wise! “REGIME CHANGE” cannot be achieved under the carbon paper,
Removal regimes are a long political transformation processes! You have pushed own country to pay the exorbitant bill , and now you have begun to understand ethical responsibilities and political! That is good! Stop raising arms that is the beginning of the political and ethical solutions!

February 24th, 2013, 9:24 am

 

revenire said:

Vicky? Vicky?!? LOL

Tara have you been a bad girl and not been honest with me about your name? Does Bill Scherk know this?

February 24th, 2013, 9:25 am

 

zoo said:

#816 Ghufran

The flurry of NC ‘conditions’ show that the fruit is not ripe enough. I worry it will rot before becoming ripe.

The NC is still fantasizing on its “power”. The expected fiasco of the ‘mini-government in exile’ hosted by Turkey will be the ‘coup de grace’.
It will also expose Turkey’s complicity that Erdogan has been trying to keep low key. A diplomatic disaster in perspective for Turkey and another blow to the already weak credibility of the NC.

February 24th, 2013, 9:34 am

 

ann said:

Al Nusra: Al Qaeda’s Syria Offensive – Feb 23, 2013

The terror group’s Syrian front, al Nusra, is not only attacking Assad, but building a base from which it can threaten U.S. interests [`israel] in the region

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/23/al-nusra-al-qaeda-s-syria-offensive.html

The Syrian franchise has also gotten crucial support from the al Qaeda core in Pakistan. Al Qaeda’s Amir Ayman Zawahiri issued a public call in February 2012 in which he demanded that “every Muslim and every free and honest person in Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon to rise and help their brothers in Syria with everything they have and can do.” Zawahiri’s call, just after the announcement of the creation of the al Nusra front and its first major attacks in Aleppo, was clearly coordinated with the fighters on the ground. Since Zawahiri’s call at least one senior member of the al Qaeda shura council in Pakistan has traveled to Syria to further coordinate plans and operations with the core hiding in Pakistan. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton termed the exchanges of messages between al Qaeda in Pakistan and al Nusra in Syria as “deeply disturbing” in one of her final interviews in office.

Estimates of the size of the al Nusra organization vary but they may now account for up to a quarter of the opposition fighters in Syria. The al Qaeda presence is stronger around Aleppo and the north than around Damascus, but it is becoming a national phenomenon. Without doubt, they are among the most effective fighters in the resistance to the Assad regime and the most willing to use multiple simultaneous suicide bombings, an al Qaeda trademark. Al Qaeda in Iraq has a wealth of experience in developing large sophisticated bombs – experience that has been exported into Syria.

And the front is attracting more fighters rapidly, not just among Syrians but from across the Muslim world. A recent review of jihadist websites found over a 130 martyrdom notices — that is, obituaries posted on extremist websites “celebrating” the martyrdom of fighters in Syria. Most are relatively new — 85 of the 130 were posted in the last four months. The majority of these were for fighters in the al Nusra front. They came to Syria from Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, Australia, Chechnya, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, France, Iraq, and Spain.

The Danish press reported this week that a 39-year-old Danish citizen, Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, along with another unnamed Danish citizen, were killed fighting in Syria. Abderrahmane, the son of a Danish mother and an Algerian father, had served two years in Guantanamo, Cuba after being captured by American forces in Afghanistan in 2002. Danish reports say at least thirty Danish Muslims have gone to fight with al Nusra in Syria. Senior European intelligence officials have told me that there is a wave of angry young Muslim men from all across Western Europe going to Syria to join al Qaeda and fight Assad.

The Syrian group has also tried to export its violence to Jordan. Last October the Jordanian intelligence service foiled a plot based in Syria by al Qaeda to stage a mass-casualty terror attack in Amman that was apparently modeled on the 2008 attack by Pakistani terrorists on Mumbai, India. The attack would have begun with suicide bombings in two shopping malls in Amman; then, when the security forces rushed to deal with those, other attackers would attack the American embassy and other Western diplomats in the city.

Jordanian authorities believe that the planned attacks were scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the November 9, 2005, terrorist attacks in Amman, in which 60 people were killed and 115 injured in multiple hotel bombings. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing its rejection of Jordan’s alliance with the United States and its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. Jordanian intelligence said that group nicknamed its terror plot “9/11 the second” after the 2005 bombings. Among those arrested were two cousins of the Jordanian founder of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musaib al Zarqawi, who planned the 2005 attack.

[…]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/23/al-nusra-al-qaeda-s-syria-offensive.html

February 24th, 2013, 9:59 am

 

zoo said:

“Higgins witnessed the militants’ use of new weapons, including M-79 anti-tank weapons and M-60 recoilless. He noted that the Syrian government does not possess such weapons and the armaments must have been supplied by foreign countries.”

Whose arms are they anyway? The smuggling routes of Syria supply international weaponry to rebels

http://www.albawaba.com/news/syria-arms-rebels-472858
Published February 24th, 2013 – 13:41 GMT via SyndiGate.info

The foreign-backed militants in Syria have reportedly been supplied with a large new consignment of weapons, including heavy armaments, over the recent weeks.

The new armaments, including anti-tank weapons and recoilless rifles, have been sent across the Jordanian border into the southwestern Governorate of Daraa, The Washington Post cited Arab and militant officials as saying on Sunday.

The officials, however, declined to disclose the name of the foreign countries supplying the armaments, the first heavy weapons, according to the report, supplied by foreign powers to militants so far.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the US and its major European allies, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are some of the major supporters of the militants in Syria.

February 24th, 2013, 10:05 am

 

Citizen said:

West Pours Arms into Syria as Al Qaeda Mass Slaughters Civilians
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.gr/
February 24, 2013 (LD) – Repeat a lie often enough, and hopefully people will begin to believe it. That is what a concerted effort by Western media houses hopes to achieve as they claim the recent flow of heavy weapons from Western nations and their Arab-Israeli partners is boosting “moderate rebels” and “tilting” the balance of Syria’s conflict against the Syrian government.

The Washington Post in particular, sets the tempo for this coordinated propaganda campaign, claiming in their report, “In Syria, new influx of weapons to rebels tilts the battle against Assad,” that:
A surge of rebel advances in Syria is being fueled at least in part by an influx of heavy weaponry in a renewed effort by outside powers to arm moderates in the Free Syrian Army, according to Arab and rebel officials.
The report also states:
The officials declined to identify the source of the newly provided weapons, but they noted that the countries most closely involved in supporting the rebels’ campaign to oust Assad have grown increasingly alarmed at the soaring influence of Islamists over the fragmented rebel movement. They include the United States and its major European allies, along with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the two countries most directly involved in supplying the rebels.
The Washington Post refuses to use the term, “Al Qaeda,” and instead labels the international, Persian Gulf financed, armed, and harbored terror organization as, “radical Islamists.” It quotes an unnamed Arab official as saying,:
“If you want to weaken al-Nusra, you do it not by withholding [weapons] but by boosting the other groups.”

February 24th, 2013, 10:06 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

845

Ask the 38 children you murdered yesterday… pedophile.

February 24th, 2013, 10:10 am

 

zoo said:

Which is ‘true’ Islam, which is ‘true’ Sunnism?

Sheikhs against the Brotherhood

23/02/2013 By Mshari Al-Zaydi
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=32979

“It is sufficient to read what the Salafists say about the Muslim Brotherhood and what the Brotherhood say about the Salafists, not to mention what Hizb ut-Tahrir say about them both, to see the ferocity of these disputes.

The question that is raised here is: Which of the above represents the “true” Islamic viewpoint?

Speaking for myself, they are all mere mortals and nobody has a monopoly on the divine, regardless of what slogans one shouts.

February 24th, 2013, 10:15 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

@ 850

Now we know how does a snake sound when it lays eggs

February 24th, 2013, 10:15 am

 

ann said:

How to Save Syria from Al Qaeda – Feb 24, 2013

The real dangers in Syria today come less from Assad, or even Iran, and much more from increasingly potent Sunni extremist fighters. If the “rebels” win, as matters now stand, jihadis likely would be the real victors. They’d swiftly create a terrorist state to menace Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. U.S. strategy must be constructed to blunt that nightmare

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/24/how-to-save-syria-from-al-qaeda.html

Stopping jihadis from taking over Syria could represent the only common goal between Syria’s ruling Alawites and the secular Sunni rebels. Shiite-related Alawites rightly fear an al Qaeda-like triumph in Syria as the worst possible outcome. There can be no doubt in their minds that Sunni extremists would make the mass killing of Alawites their number one priority. The secular leaders of the Syrian rebels, clustered in the exile group known as the Syrian National Council, also must worry about the extremist threat they themselves would face if the Assad government fell now. Remember, most Syrian Sunnis don’t have a history of religious radicalism. They don’t want rule by shari’a law any more than the Alawites do.

U.S. strategy must focus on building this common ground. Washington should want to ensure that neither its European nor its regional allies gave arms to groups suspected of being even slightly jihadi in nature. In particular, our Arab friends already sending arms must err even further on the side of great caution. Such restraint on our part would show the Alawites we care about their safety, a critical signal. Our negotiating efforts would follow along similar lines: yes, Assad would have to go. Yes, secular rebel leaders and the remaining Alawite leaders would agree to freeze the jihadis out of negotiations and governmental power. And yes, both secular Sunni and Alawite leaders would agree to share governmental power and to protect their own respective communities for the indefinite future. It’s not pretty or easy, but it is common ground.

There are two good reasons to try this strategy, however messy it may be. First, it zooms right in on what most worries the United States and its principal allies neighboring Syria – namely, the prospect of Syria becoming an al Qaeda den. The terrorists would have a ready-made storehouse of modern armaments, i.e. chemical weapons and sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles and radars. Washington is well aware of the dangers, but focused not nearly enough on prevention.

Second, the anti-jihadi strategy just makes more practical sense than the policy ideas now dominating public debate. One favorite is that the U.S. should be promoting negotiations between the rebels and the government. But rebel leaders in Turkey are nearly powerless and with little control of the fighting rebels inside Syria. Of equal importance, there’s nothing on the negotiating table now to sway the Alawites to ditch Assad. Apart from saving lives, we haven’t given either side a good argument for making peace – and obviously, neither side is too concerned with saving lives right now, or they would have stopped killing each other long ago. The negotiating track hasn’t worked, and won’t – unless we get the Alawites and secular Sunnis to focus on common political interests. The UN can keep sending representatives to talk to the rivals, and Secretary of State John Kerry can visit the neighborhood. Alas, none of this will amount to a hill of beans.

The other “solution” gaining ground, especially here in the United States, is for the U.S. to arm the rebels for military victory. That’s much easier said than done; advocates need only stop and imagine our limitations in being able to distinguish between good and bad rebels. Arabs all look alike to Americans, even CIA operatives. Only ignoramuses don’t fret about arms falling into the wrong hands. Proponents of arming the rebels might also note a telling fact – namely, that those Arab states already arming rebels, like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, have limited their own distributions. They realize that even if they know the rebels better than Americans do, they don’t know them well enough to give them sophisticated arms. So, if those who know the rebels best can’t figure out whom to arm, and with what, how can Americans do better?

The only strategy that stands a chance – and not even necessarily a very good one – is for the United States, the post-Assad Alawites, and the secular Syrian Sunnis to focus relentlessly on the common goal they all share: stopping the victory of Islamic extremists.

[…]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/24/how-to-save-syria-from-al-qaeda.html

February 24th, 2013, 10:15 am

 

Citizen said:

Interview: U.S.’s 35-Year Afghan War; “Freedom Fighters’ Now Terrorists
The USSR brought peace, the USA brought war – interview with Dr. Gulzad
Dr Zalmay Gulzad spoke to the Voice of Russia’s John Robles about the history of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and about how the USSR assisted the Afghan people and built almost everything there is in the country. Dr. Gulzad details how the US turned their own “freedom fighters” into the very “terrorists” that they are now fighting and he says the US wants to stay in Afghanistan for a very long time due to its strategic geopolitical location.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_23/The-USSR-brought-peace-the-USA-brought-war-interview-with-Dr-Gulzad/

February 24th, 2013, 10:20 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

There is definite re-evaluation of american policy toward Syria. US wants Assad to negotiate his exit,he must be convinced that he has to leave,he must realize that the US is dead serious that he must leave.
The way to do that ,as I said before, is to create a north Syria, and protect it with no fly zone,while continue the fight everywhere else in Syria,this will force him to sit on the table and negotiate.
Changing Syria will weaken Iran and will weaken HA.
This is critical period,and the Coalition must communicate with US,with new US secretary of state,the Coalition must not close the door .They want to form a goverment,that is why they should not isolate themselves.

February 24th, 2013, 10:50 am

 

zoo said:

#860 Citizen

In view of the heavy weapons the ‘friendly’ neighbors are sending to the Al Nusra and its ally the FSA, the use of Scuds missile to destroy them is now an absolute necessity.

February 24th, 2013, 10:57 am

 

apple_mini said:

No progress on the political front for the opposition. No progress on military front either. As expected, the rebels got driven back to several Sunni towns on the east of Damascus. Since the opposition has not talked about situation around Damascus for several days, my guess is it is not looking good for the rebels.

Lattakia also disappears from MSM, but the regime news does mention it every now and then. From their bulletin, it looks like the regime’s position has been consolidating. I have to take the regime’s words since the rebels does not give updates.

Along Lebanon border, Lebanese Sunni fighters just keep trying to infiltrate. If they succeed, they can threaten Homs and Homs-Lattakia highway. I don’t believe the regime will allow that to happen. It’s pretty tough fight for those Lebanese. They have to cross open field without cover by any air or heavy weapons. They have taken quite a bit loss.

Airports in Aleppo are not changing hands. The regime has intensified its shelling and bombing causing lots of headache to the rebels. I guess that’s why we no longer hear from MSM or the opposition mentioning those battles.

Aleppo is much much harder to fight for the regime compared to Damascus area. Read a news that some Turkish offices got killed over there. The rebels in Aleppo got lots of supports from many international players, weapons, logistic, fighters, advisors and news coverage. They do have some advantages. I think supports from the locals might play a very important role in the end. The battle over there will not end any time soon.

In my opinion, the regime still has upper hand. While you are at war, you’d better do it right. This applies to the opposition as well.

February 24th, 2013, 10:59 am

 

zoo said:

The ‘coalition’ has never been so divided, confused, isolated and powerless.

They take erratic actions, make fantasy promises, shout at the West, threat Lebanon, bicker among themselves.

These are all signs of a profound disarray and it indicates they are reaching soon the end of the rope.
They’re falling.

February 24th, 2013, 11:04 am

 

revenire said:

MAJEDKHALDOUN your babbling gives me a headache. Dr. Assad will send thousands of missiles to save Syria. Let’s not get hysterical.

February 24th, 2013, 11:09 am

 

ann said:

Prof. Landis,

please disable video embedding on your blog. It is making it too big and harder to load on a mobile device.

Thank you

February 24th, 2013, 11:12 am

 

Tara said:

Josh,

Please disable the video embedding thing. It is a real pain now logging in and very difficult to access it via smart phone too. This seems to be a bi-partisan request.

February 24th, 2013, 11:37 am

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

“said NAH”

What is NAH?

And you do not like vicky now?

Do you have a problem with women?

February 24th, 2013, 11:42 am

 

apple_mini said:

Some of the opposition members are aligning with American national interests (Really is about Israel), hoping they could still convince US for military intervention.

Regardless what will be after this war, Israel will stay as enemy of Syria. Unless they return Golan Heights and give up their aggression including their nuclear arsenal. For whom as a Syrian to assist Israel, it is a blatant treason.

The newest US national interest about Syria has changed because of worsening radical Islamist and Jihadists in Syria. Also regime change is no longer in their mind to be the priority.

The only wants to get involved is Turkey. Too bad, their government does not have guts to do it. If Erdogan dare to rush it alone, he will be finished in the next election.

He was hoping NATO can do all the legwork, providing military means and risking any fallout. Unfortunately, it did not end up as their plan. See, everyone got it’s agenda. Everyone is cunning and calculating.

Anyway, after all those dramas and screaming, Erdogan has clearly shown the world what a nut job and clown he is. Also images of Turkey has been severely tarnished.

February 24th, 2013, 11:54 am

 

ghufran said:

source: aksalser
قال معارض سوري إن رئيس الائتلاف الوطنى السوري المعارض معاذ الخطيب اجتمع سرا برجل أعمال سوري، ممثلا عن رئيس النظام السوري بشار الأسد.
واتهم فايق المير، من حزب الشعب الديمقراطى السوري المعارض، الخطيب بلقاء رجل الأعمال محمد حمشو من دون علم هيئات الائتلاف.
وذكر المير، فى صفحته الشخصية على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيسبوك” أن اللقاء دام نحو ساعة، وتضمن عرضا حمله حمشو من النظام من أجل الوصول إلى حل، ولم يذكر المير متى وأين تم اللقاء.
يشار إلى أن المير سجين سياسي سابق، وهو يعيش متخفيا فى سورية
erdo came up with a “strong” statement today shortly after the NC reversed its decision to visit the US and Russia.
it is clear that Moaz does not call the shots at the NC and that he is overpowered by Islamists and Qatar/Turkey step children. Assad’s refusal to step aside is being used by hardliners to justify their position that favors violence over politics, I yet have to hear any convncing argument that the only person who can protect minorities and the army is Assad and his inner circle,to me it is all about power and preserving financial interests of thieves and thugs but not about Syria and minorities.

February 24th, 2013, 12:00 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Washington Post
In Syria, new influx of weapons to rebels tilts the battle against Assad

February 24th, 2013, 12:01 pm

 

ghufran said:

Dardari:

سوريا بالفترة القادمة ستحتاج الى رفع حصة الدين الخارجي من 6%الى 16% وهذه ليست مشكلة شرط أن تتوقف الأزمة وإذا استمرت الازمة الى 2015 لن يكون هناك سورية، نحن بحاجة الى استثمار حكومي عام يقدر بـ8 مليارات دولار وهو مبلغ لا نملكه. فالدين العام سيصل الى 25% ونحن قادرون على تحمله، وشروط تمويل 10مليارات دولار سنويا رقم مؤمن عالميا والبنك الدولي يمكن أن يقدم الدعم اللازم والشروط التي يطلبها الصندوق أصبحت واقع طبيعي بسبب الأزمة فنحن ملزمون بإلغاء الدعم بالظروف الحالية، عمليا خسرت سورية مواصفات كانت تمتلكها، فكانت أقل مديونية بالعالم لكن هذه الامور انتهت، وعجز الموازنة 1,7 % سيقفز الى 16% أما العملات الأجنبية فانتهت او ذهب ثلاثة أرباعها، كيف سنقوم بالأعمار إن لم نستدن؟! الآن حصة الدين العام من الناتج الداخلي والخارجي 23% وحتى اذا وصل إلى 60% فهو ضمن الدستور، في النهاية فإن الكثيرين يخافون من شروط البنك الدولي لكن الواقع يقول أننا لانستطيع الإعمار دون قروض.
Syria,with or without Assad, will be in a weak position, poverty and crimes will be a huge problem regardless of who is in power,
that was the plan from day one, the stupidity and selfishness of the regime made this tragic outcome possible, that gave armed thugs a window to earn support using violence, instead the regime should have agreed to share power and make peace with Syrians who were ready for a change.

February 24th, 2013, 12:12 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

845. Hassan said:

How does it feel to be fucked by Assad’s SCUDS ya rats ?

 
Hey did you watch the Sayf Qathafi trial?
There is some footage on Memritv.org

He also used to run his mouth, about exterminating rats etc.

Of course Bashar al Kalb won’t make it to court, there are thousands of fighters converging to tear him apart.

February 24th, 2013, 12:54 pm

 

Visitor said:

MajedK@ 864,

I wrote a comment for you about ths issue @650. You may have missed it because of its position. Please have a look.

—————————

JL,

Allowing video embeding here was the stupidest idea ever.

February 24th, 2013, 12:55 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

سوريا بالفترة القادمة ستحتاج الى رفع حصة الدين الخارجي من 6%الى 16% وهذه ليست مشكلة شرط أن تتوقف
__________________________________________________________________

Not a penny goes to the Zionist bankers, jews and Airabs. Rather see Syria turn to dust than taking one penny loan. Compensation and reconstruction cash FIDYE only.

February 24th, 2013, 12:57 pm

 

Akbar Palace said:

628. DAMASCUSROSE said:

…Finally, if I may, I have some questions to you and your cohorts on this bog – why are you here?

Damascusrose,

I’m here to witness another (in a long series of) regime change in the ME, and to witness democracy finally take hold there.

What are you trying to achieve?

Learn.

We know this is an evil regime, we know the crimes they’re perpetrating on us are horrific and unconscionable.

YOU may know this, I would say a LARGE majority of Syrians do NOT know this.

I have members of my own family divided between those who are pro and against this regime.

Proof that not all Syrians are on the “same page” as you and the rest of the opposition.

If people in the same family can’t be convinced their thinking is wrong, you think you can preach your values to us?

IMHO, you can learn that your enemy isn’t Israel. Another point that seems to be too ingrained to penetrate.

If Israel had a good human rights record, some of us may be willing to listen to what you have to offer, but overall your governments’ record over the last several decades is abysmal, they have convinced its citizens that it needs to use disproportionate force to protect you against the Palestinian “terrorists”, does that sound familiar when you read about what this regime is doing now? And yet you continue to call them “idiots”, kind of ironic, don’t you think?

No. I think Israel has a fine human rights record under the circumstances (state of war with Lebanon, Palestinians, Syria, Iran, etc). Israel is not in a state of war with their own arab population, and Israeli Arabs have one of the highest standards of living in the ME. Those pointing at Israel for “disproportionate” use of force, like Richard Falk, Jimmy Carter, etc, turn a blind eye toward the US, Great Britain, etc, who have killed orders of magnitude more than Israel, a half way around the world. These liberal “do-gooders” are the ones that seem to “clam-up” when arabs get killed by their own people. IMHO, they are NOT the friend of arabs, they are merely antagonistic of Israel.

I am hopeful though, putting aside geopolitical agendas and interests, I think the majority of Israeli citizens are decent people and just want to live in peace.

I believe the same about arabs.

I don’t buy the propagandists’ hateful rhetoric that try to show you in a different light, maybe you can start to see us differently as well.

My problem is I’m NOT SURE what percentage of arabs are “pro-resistance” and which are not. I think a large percentage of arabs are still clinging to the “resitance” ideology like some on this website and your family members.

You have a lot of good virtues and we share a long history. We can use your help, you can put pressure on your government to do the right thing and stand for truth and justice. We’re all human beings and we all aspire for the same things in life.

FYI, I am FOR the US government to create a no-fly zone over Syria, and to bomb Assad back to the Stone Age. I think a Republican/Conservative American president would have done that by now. Obama’s claim that we needed to help the Libyans to save lives, now rings totally hollow, and if I were a Syrian-American, I throw a couple dozen dirty shoes at him.

Be Well,

AP

February 24th, 2013, 1:09 pm

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

Your answer in regard to approving the Scuds missiles when used by the regime to kill Syrians and your disapproval of using similar tactic against the officially designated terrorist organization HA is unacceptable. If anything, it reflects sectarian hatred and I do not like this. And FYI, I do not approve either one not then, not now, and not in the future, despite my extreme resentment to HA and despite my “recent” approval of their terrorist designation.

Politics aside and to share some raw emotions, your rejoice and approval of using Scuds in civilian areas where your perceived enemies are hiding does sadden me…tremendously. It is inhuman and you will be judged by God on it one day. The image you are displaying is not fitting my mental image of you. Please think of what I said. Is that really you?

February 24th, 2013, 1:09 pm

 

ann said:

Irish Mercenary Islamist Teen killed in Syria – 24 February 2013

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/teen-killed-in-syria-is-remembered-29090848.html

MEATH teenager Shamseddin Gaidan, who had spent the past year fighting with rebel forces in Syria, has been killed in a clash with Syrian government forces.

The 16-year-old is believed to have joined a rebel group while on a visit to Libya last year and travelled to Syria with a cousin and other members of a Libyan group, including men who had been living in Ireland.

Shamseddin was recalled in a service at St Patrick’s Classical School, which he attended in Navan, where his father, Ibrahim, runs a butcher’s shop.

Shamseddin is the second Irish resident to be killed in the war in Syria. Egyptian-born Hudhaifa El Sayed, 22, from Drogheda, was killed in fighting in December.

[…]

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/teen-killed-in-syria-is-remembered-29090848.html

February 24th, 2013, 1:19 pm

 

Visitor said:

Luay Al-Miqdad (لؤي المقداد), official spokesman of FSA, just made an announcement in which he declared that the next few days will witness developments that will shock the whole world. Aparently, from reading between the lines, the FSA has means to track Bashar, the criminal, and the criminal can do nothing about it. May be what Luay meant is that a decision has been taken at the highest levels to eliminate Bashar, the criminal.

February 24th, 2013, 1:30 pm

 

revenire said:

Ghufran if Assad was assassinated today you know the war would not end. Let’s be realistic.

What happy news the sixteen year old Irish rat was exterminated by our army. I am thrilled to read about it.

February 24th, 2013, 1:35 pm

 

mjabali said:

Yasin Baqqush, a legend comedian, died today in Damascus from a shell that fell near, or on his car. The rebels said the government forces fired an RPG, the others said it was one of those erratic mortars the idiots are firing on Damascus these days.

At the end: Yasin Baqqush is dead in the most horrific way after he made people smile and be entertained for years.

All the idiots calling for violent methods to solve the Syrian crisis do not care about Syrian lives.

Foreigners should never advocate or participate in violent actions on the soil of Syria.

February 24th, 2013, 1:41 pm

 

zoo said:

#882 Tara

My position is clear: Islamist terrorists must be destroyed before they bomb and destroy totally Syria. Any mean is justified to stop them.

That’s what France did in Mali on behalf of the the weak Mali army, using advanced missiles, drones and other military means. That’s what the USA has done in Iraq and in Afghanistan: Tolerance zero for Islamist terrorists.

The Syrian army is strong, united and determined to get rid of that plague. It does not need foreign troops to eradicate the terrorists. It is fighting a very difficult battle and many are dying. The young Syrian soldiers of all sects in the Syrian army are heroes.

Sorry I don’t share your sympathy for suicide bombers, car bombers and religious mercenaries.
You’ll remain free to support them and encourage them until they knock on your door..

February 24th, 2013, 1:43 pm

 

zoo said:

885. revenire

When you see these pathetic young religious addicts getting killed while fighting for an absurd religious cause, one really believes that Marx was right: Religion can be a powerful drug.

February 24th, 2013, 1:48 pm

 

ann said:

Shamseddin Gaidan, 16, who lived near Dublin, died last week, a spokesman of the Muslim Association of Ireland said.

“He was killed fighting, he was killed in Syria,” said Hussein Buhidma.

Mr Gaidan told the Irish Times: “We don’t know where or how he was killed and we don’t know where his body might be.”

“It is very difficult to get any information. This confusion makes our grief much worse.”

The teenager spent his summer holidays [training in a terrorists camp] in LIBYA last year and was supposed to fly back to Ireland via ISTAMBUL in mid-August.

His family raised the alarm when he did not arrive in Dublin. They later learned he had crossed the TURKISH BORDER into Syria.

“He was keen to go fight with the rebels. In 2011 he talked about wanting to join the Libyan revolution.”

It is thought that Shamseddin joined the Syrian rebel forces with a COUSIN from LIBYA who had travelled to Syria some time before. The cousin is also believed to have been killed last week.

The teenager is the SECOND person from IRELAND to die after joining rebels in Syria. Egyptian-born Hudhaifa El Sayed, 22, from Drogheda, was shot dead in northern Syria in December.

[…]

February 24th, 2013, 1:56 pm

 

zoo said:

The regular empty threats of the ‘not silent’ Sulkytan Erdogan

Sunday,February 24 2013, Your time is 1:54:05 PM
Turkish PM Erdoğan vows no silence on Syria regime ‘crimes’

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates – Agence France-Presse
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that his country will “not remain silent” over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s “crimes” against his own people.

February 24th, 2013, 1:56 pm

 

ghufran said:

The death of Yaseen Baqqoush is symbolic and painful regardless of where you stand politically, many innocent Syrians are paying the price for a criminal regime and a thuggish rebel force that is now dominated by terrorists, most Syrians are not in either camp but they are voiceless and helpless.
I denounced the practice of discrminate bombing of cities and the policy of collective punishment,but most Syrians do not want a destroyed Syrian army,they want a national army that is only loyal to the country not to the politicians in charge, therefore, I believe that the opposition should not put the army and Assad thugs in the same basket, people who are doing this and want to finish what is left of the Syrian army are traitors or too dumb to see beyond their nose, no country can stand if its army is replaced with a collection of divided and competing militias.
the last thing Syria needs is erdogan’s help:
قال اردوغان,في كلمة ألقاها، في افتتاح فعاليات الدورة الثانية لمنتدى الاتصال الحكومي، الذي تستضيفه إمارة الشارقة، نشرتها وكالة أنباء (الأناضول) التركية, إن “الأحداث التي تشهدها فلسطين وسورية والصومال والعراق وأفغانستان وميانمار، تحتم علينا عدم الوقوف مكتوفي الأيدي تجاه الظلم الممارس في تلك البلاد، والصامت عن الحق شيطان أخرس، لذا فتركيا لن تصمت ابدا”.
last time Turkey cared about Syria they stole Syria’s most valuable piece of land: Liwaa Iskandaron, Turkey since 2011 supported armed thugs who went on a violent spree killing,looting and destroying, Aleppo is a living example of how caring Turkey is. Advocates of a Turkish intervention were and still are idiots who do not need or deserve a Syrian passport (not that this passport is a hot commodity today).

February 24th, 2013, 2:03 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Ghufran if Assad was assassinated today you know the war would not end. Let’s be realistic.

___________________________________________________________________

Who knows, maybe a great man like Adolph Hitler will rise up after Bashar and deliver Syria from the evil hand of semites and degenerate Moslems. Unless they already have a “Hess” in waiting within. But second coming is a Biblical promise.

February 24th, 2013, 2:07 pm

 
 

omen said:

835. Uzair8

i haven’t been able to post images either earlier when i tried. annie tried more recently and wasn’t able to be successful. i don’t think the blog allows permission.

i don’t know about em & /em. bold works here however.

example: <bold> </bold>

if you were curious how i was able to post tags without it disappearing, this code is used for demonstration purposes.

& l t ; produces <

& g t ; produces >

space included in the first 4 characters so they show up.

February 24th, 2013, 2:21 pm

 

zoo said:

#892

After watching in the last 2 years the pathetic parade of wannabe Syrian leaders, I have reached the conclusion that Syria does not produce great leaders anymore. The new local candidates are frightened chickens, the expat ones are cupid and stupid hyenas.
Blame it on Assad?

February 24th, 2013, 2:22 pm

 

annie said:

How long is this Hassan maniac going to continue spurting his madness ? don’t we have enough with the others like the REVerend ?

February 24th, 2013, 2:24 pm

 

revenire said:

Annie calm yourself – Hassan is no worse than terrorist supporters who litter this site with their hatred (no names .. Tara). Sure Hassan might have gotten a bit excited but that is understandable given the war situation.

If you don’t care to read him skip over it. In the New Liberated Syria everything will be allowed – from beheadings to freedom of speech and free speech means just that: free speech.

February 24th, 2013, 2:29 pm

 

zoo said:

Tara

NAH means NO when uttered by sulky kids.

I never liked like Miss Piggy, I don’t like Miss Vicky either, but I like Asma and Sheherazade.

February 24th, 2013, 2:35 pm

 

zoo said:

Syria jihadists claim bus bombing on Hama factory; 60 civilians dead
February 24, 2013 09:18 PM

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-24/207748-syria-jihadists-claim-bus-bombing-on-hama-factory.ashx#axzz2LqZcCVaE

BEIRUT: The jihadist Al-Nusra Front on Sunday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack earlier this month on an army factory in the central province of Hama that reportedly killed at least 60 people.

“Thank God, your brothers in Al-Nusra Front… carried out a martyrdom (suicide) operation that targeted an army factory in the town of Tal Baraq in Hama province,” on February 6, the jihadist group said in a statement posted on the Internet.

According to its account, one of its fighters “drove a bus loaded with 2.5 tonnes of explosives” towards a group of “shabiha” or pro-regime militiamen as they gathered outside the factory to receive their pay and blew himself up.

Al-Nusra said the attack was “in revenge for the Muslim children of the Sunni community who suffered from the crimes of the Alawites and their collaborators.”

February 24th, 2013, 2:42 pm

 
 

Tara said:

# 896

And your wife likes Bashar too?

February 24th, 2013, 2:49 pm

 

omen said:

831. Uzair8 said: Could you tell us how to post links (replaced by text)?

<a href=”http://www.sampleURL.com/”> word you want to link here </a>

.

the complete url address must be included inside the 2 quotation marks.

if you later misplace the code, google “html how to make a hyperlink.”

February 24th, 2013, 2:50 pm

 

zoo said:

“Raqqa, Hassaka and Deir Al Zor are increasingly going to Al Nusra Front,”

Opposition to boost credibility by forming government.

It will help fill security vacuum in areas where Islamists have upper hand, experts say
February 24, 2013

http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/syria/opposition-to-boost-credibility-by-forming-government-1.1150450

“It is important for the opposition to be on the ground so that it is not overrun by chaos and armed groups,” in a post-Al Assad period, Levallois said.

Shaikh agreed and warned that with the influence of rebels growing, particularly that of Islamist insurgents, the vacuum will “develop and more dangerous elements will take advantage, and that is what is happening.”

“The Al Nusra Front could well be controling de facto three provinces in the next stage,” said Shaikh.

“Raqqa, Hassaka and Deir Al Zor are increasingly going to Al Nusra Front,” he said referring to three oil hubs in eastern Syria.

“They are doing the clever thing, establishing local agreements with tribal elders, administering some of the aid required and getting revenues by controlling some of the oilfields,” Shaikh added.

Both Shaikh and Levallois agreed on the need for a provisional government, recognising however that the task facing the opposition is great.

“Different factions inside [the opposition coalition] are probably jockeying to put their people in key positions, even though it is supposed to be a government of technocrats,” said Shaikh.

But the time is overdue for the opposition to act, and setting up a provisional government will force its supporters in the West and in the region to reciprocate and take action as well.

February 24th, 2013, 2:59 pm

 

omen said:

892.

correction:

spelling out bold doesn’t work.

it’s like this instead:

<b> </b>

February 24th, 2013, 3:02 pm

 

Citizen said:

889. GHUFRAN

قال اردوغان إن “الأحداث التي تشهدها فلسطين وسورية والصومال والعراق وأفغانستان وميانمار، تحتم علينا عدم الوقوف مكتوفي الأيدي تجاه الظلم الممارس في تلك البلاد، والصامت عن الحق شيطان أخرس، لذا فتركيا لن تصمت ابدا
ليغور أردوغان في دورات المياه الاسرائيلية و ليتعلم هذا الكلب ان الظلم الممارس ليس ( في ) و انما (على ) تلك البلاد ! فهلوي مصطلحات ! ان تركيا صامتة عليه و هو ينبح كالكلب ! ليخرج ضباطه و أعضاء مجلس الشعب التركي من السجن و ليعيد لتركيا سيادتها المسلوبة حيث حولهاالى منشفة صحية لاستخدام الغرب!

February 24th, 2013, 3:06 pm

 

zoo said:

#901 Tara

Are we on Oprah’s blog?

February 24th, 2013, 3:10 pm

 

Citizen said:

150 terrorists blew up on their own IEDs
In Al-Aziziyah, located in the Al-Marjah city of Aleppo, there were two powerful explosions. As it turned out, the first – was the result of an error terrorists who were trying to establish an IED in a car. The second explosion was caused by the detonation of explosives in the other car, ready for a terrorist attack. The accident killed 150 militants, whose corpses, according to eyewitnesses, the blast was pulled for a considerable distance in all directions.
A similar case occurred in the village of al-Bashir Idleb province, where the manufacturing process missiles artisanal took its explosion, which resulted in 18 more dead bodies of terrorists, 9 – were injured.

February 24th, 2013, 3:11 pm

 

zoo said:

After sulking a bit for the show, will the NC will budge and meet the USA under… conditions?

US scrambles to salvage Syrian opposition talks
By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press | February 24, 2013 | Updated: February 24, 2013 2:13pm

LONDON (AP) — The U.S. is frantically trying to salvage a Syrian opposition conference set for this coming week that John Kerry plans to attend during his first official overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state.

A senior Obama administration official said Sunday that Kerry has sent his top Syrian envoy to Cairo in hopes of convincing opposition leaders that the Rome conference will be critical to securing additional aid from the United States and Europe.

Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott Wednesday’s meeting.

According to the official, U.S. envoy Robert Ford will say that the conference is a chance for foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad to make their case for new and enhanced aid, and especially to America’s new chief diplomat.

The U.S. is concerned that the same kind of infighting that doomed the Syrian National Council may be hindering the SOC.

February 24th, 2013, 3:18 pm

 

Tara said:

#

No. We are on Menhebkum blog.

February 24th, 2013, 3:18 pm

 

ALI said:

You’ve traded your happy, secured, and social life with terror and terrorist. As a result you should pay for incubating these rats by Scud and even powder, the only way to avoid death is by spitting these Jihadists out of your homes and suburbs otherwise too bad just wait for more of our special rain.

At this stage there’s no mercy, and here we’re giving you the last chance to repent and come back to where you belong

February 24th, 2013, 3:19 pm

 

ALI said:

For all terrorist and terror supporters get OUT of this blog, this blog has been liberated and now all participants heart and soul with our Syrian army in its cleansing mission following the roadmap of our late great leader Hafez

February 24th, 2013, 3:21 pm

 

omen said:

caught part of a documentary on rwanda. a million people were killed in that genocide. did you know the figure was that high? in the aftermath, during the reconciliation process, killers were actually released from prison early, whereupon they begged for forgiveness from very people they had once victimized. remarkably, murderers are now living in the very same communities as the the survivors, where everybody knows who did what to whom.

mind boggling to consider and i still don’t understand how this could work. this is probably more complicated than the broad overview that was given. of course each country is unique to their own experience and different approaches need to be specific to that culture, but if rwandans can live together after the horrific nightmare they experienced…

we shouldn’t take it for granted that retribution is an inevitable fate for syria. other countries like rwanda & south africa have demonstrated that revenge can be avoided.

i find it strange that corporate media has pushed this suggestion of sectarian cleansing early on. i remember this prediction being made in earnest from last spring. this was before 70k dead and half of syria lying in rubble. whose interest does it serve to pound this idea of revenge into people’s minds and make it so ingrained that it turns into a self fulfilling prophecy?

February 24th, 2013, 3:32 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

There’s this concept called freedom of speech, Ali. It means you can post whatever you want, but it also means others can post whatever they want too.

These threats are empty here.

Furthermore, the regime is losing. The regime still has the capability to carry out some of its threats, but that capability is being diminished with each passing week. As I’ve said before: the war continues.

February 24th, 2013, 3:35 pm

 

zoo said:

In the wake of the Arab spring with its Islamist and nationalistic connotations, is the Palestininan cause re-emerging as the only common and unifying issue among Arabs?

Protest in Cairo in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers
Activists in Cairo will protest Israel’s inhumane practices against Palestinian detainees Sunday after one prisoner dies of reported heart failure
Ahram Online, Sunday 24 Feb 2013

February 24th, 2013, 3:40 pm

 

omen said:

912. if the majority of palestinians are unified in support of the revolution, what does that suggest about other arabs? funny how arab support for a free syria gets little media attention.

February 24th, 2013, 3:49 pm

 

Citizen said:

Another attempt to get to SAR terrorists from Lebanon
Today, 24 February, at the Syrian-Lebanese border clash occurred between the Syrian border guards and armed men, attempted illegal entry into the territory of Hong Lebanese Wadi Khaled.
Intense exchange of fire lasted for about 4 hours with the use of various types of weapons, which resulted in two members of the terrorist group were killed, 8 – were wounded, and the rest – have been forced to return.

In Aleppo eliminated four Turkish army officer and field commander of the terrorist group
As a result, WHO Syrian Army Institute of Physical Education in the city of Aleppo, which is located in the quarter of Bustan al-Basha, was killed four Turkish army officers, field commander of the terrorist group that belongs to “Djebhat Al-Nusra”, nicknamed Abu Bahri and 8 of its ordinary members. Wounded commander “Liwaa al-Tawhid” – the largest gang “Djebhat Al-Nusra”in the city of Aleppo.
Another warlord fighters ” Liwa ahl Al-Bayt” neutralized in an-Njar, located 20 km west of Aleppo. Destroyed seven vehicles with DShK.
In Damascus, the last two days of fierce fighting in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk and Falastin where militants attempted to capture the city halls, which could reflect orders militia. In shootouts killed many attackers.
In the area of Seyyede Zeinab popular militia forces eliminated five terrorists “Djebhat Al-Nusra”
Large cache of arms and ammunition was discovered Syrian army division in the gardens of the Duma, killed 16 terrorists, an arsenal seized. In stock units were a lot of different weapons, including heavy machine guns.
In 3erbeen precision strikes eliminated 4 cars with militants.
In the province of Homs in areas Buweyda al-Sharqiya al-Haidariya, in total offset killed and wounded more than 300 terrorists.
In the province of Idleb in the Wadi al-point Deyf artillery strikes destroyed several cars to be in them militants of terrorist groups.

February 24th, 2013, 3:51 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

That’s nice, Citizen. In the meantime the regime continues to lose.

The regime has lost… more than half the country in 12-14 months of fighting? And Damascus is under siege?

Also, the number of rebels have INCREASED (despite casualties) during the progress of this war. What does this say about the regime’s counter-insurgency strategy?

What matters in the end is who wins the war.

February 24th, 2013, 3:53 pm

 

zoo said:

The GCC forgets that during the Iran-Iraq war, they sided with Sunni Saddam Hossein, supported him financially, and help him get WMD chemical weapons to fight Shia Iran they were fearful of.
Result: Saddam Hossein lost the war with Iran and invaded Kuwait.

The GCC is doing the same again in Syria by sending money and weapons to Sunnis terrorists to fight Bashar Al Assad and indirectly Iran.

Sooner or later, these Sunni terrorists will turn against them. They have not learned to see farther than their primitive sectarian solidarity.

February 24th, 2013, 3:55 pm

 

ALI said:

MarigoldRan

Yeah man i agree, we’re happy to allow them to come and post here but they should pay respect to late Hafez and Sayed Nasrullah.

The war continues for sure but in the last four months the Syrian army has shown its high heels and soon after deploying Suds and other heavy weaponry these rats will evaporate, so we’re pretty confident.

Talking about confidence, I was in Syria 5 weeks ago and I could see and hear what proved to me that we’re on the path of victory. We’re pretty sure to finish the whole thing by the end of the year and Bashar will be reelected for extra term.

At this stage my mother started thinking about which color we should paint the interior and exterior of our farm coz the terrorist rats attacked it in Ya’foor. while just 10 months ago we were looking for a buyer!! See how confident we are now.

More Scuds please.

February 24th, 2013, 3:56 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Sigh.

Revenire, go back to whatever hole you came from. Stop hijacking other peoples’ accounts.

What a retard.

Revenire, as I’ve said before, you can’t even troll properly. It’s so easy to out you because of how idiotic and psychopathic you sound.

February 24th, 2013, 3:59 pm

 

ALI said:

ياسين بقوش

The terrorists killed our famous Syrian comedian “Yaseen Baqoush” and as usual want to accuse the heroes of Syrian army in killing him.

In this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9pdo_-CwBY)

They showed his body with many torturing marks on his face, they claim his car was targeted and burned by an RPG. How the f*ck his papers are so clean with no marks of burns or smoke on them? how come there are no burns marks on his face?

This poor good man was arrested by the terrorist in Yarmouk where he lives and was forced to record a video announcing his defection, but he refused because he was a great loyal and chose death over treason

February 24th, 2013, 4:07 pm

 

omen said:

916. zoo, it was the u.s. who supplied saddam with chemical weapons. we rewarded saddam with additional contracts after he gassed the kurds. (is assad counting on history repeating itself?) and the gcc, in deference to the west, are not arming the rebels. individuals from those countries may be doing so but not the state.

February 24th, 2013, 4:09 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

So now the SAA is using SCUDs on what was once its cities, and that is something to be proud of?

I believe I have proven my point.

February 24th, 2013, 4:12 pm

 

orange said:

The heroes of our brave army will prevail against the terrorists.

February 24th, 2013, 4:13 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

While they doing every thing they can to distract humanity with pitty wars and silly news. They are working fast on this, what are they hiding, what do they know!!!

February 24th, 2013, 4:18 pm

 

Hanzala said:

my vote for best poster goes to Hassan

February 24th, 2013, 4:18 pm

 

Citizen said:

Damascus denies the use of force “Scud” missiles in battles with opposition militants
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/608651/

February 24th, 2013, 4:22 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

That’s nice, Citizen. So whose missile was it that landed in Aleppo?

In the meantime, the opposition denies it uses car bombings. See? I can make up facts too.

February 24th, 2013, 4:25 pm

 

Citizen said:

if you tern activly attention to them, logicly they must be yours !!!!

February 24th, 2013, 4:29 pm

 

zoo said:

922. omen

The rich GCC countries, KSA, Qatar and to a less degree Kuwait are very cautious not be caught red-handed sending the weapons that the US is selling them. They just send lots of money and some smart intermediates take care of the transportation from Libya or elsewhere through Turkey and Jordan to Syria. Of course these intermediates will become the future millionaires in Syria after the war. KSA had announced officially that it is paying the salaries of the fighters and there are a multitude of Sunnis “charities’ in Sunni countries like Pakistan sending money to al Nusra. Don’t worry, there is a lot of money involved in this ‘regime change’ jihad.

During the Iraq-Iran, KSA and Kuwait were also very discreet in sending gold and food to Saddam Hossein. Later, they were well rewarded, the same way Qatar and KSA will sooner or later be rewarded for their good deeds in Syria.

February 24th, 2013, 4:30 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Well that’s nice. Except the rebels don’t control any usable SCUD missiles. It’s like trying to blame a jet bomb attack on rebels.

February 24th, 2013, 4:31 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

# Zoo

And Iran is not so discreetly sending weapons and money to support the regime. In fact, Iran considers Syria to be its 35th province.

If Iran can do it, why can’t the GCC countries? Talk about foreign interference in Syria at this point is moot. BOTH sides are partially or fully funded by foreign powers, and everyone knows it.

What comes around, goes around.

February 24th, 2013, 4:32 pm

 

omen said:

923. Hanzala said:

my vote for best poster goes to Hassan

who do you vote for the worst?

February 24th, 2013, 4:37 pm

 

Citizen said:

some of your fireworks

February 24th, 2013, 4:39 pm

 

Visitor said:

Ali الحمار

Do you and Hafiz like to kiss my ass?

And don’t forget Hassan nus-lira, he may want to do some kissing of his own.

February 24th, 2013, 4:41 pm

 

omen said:

KSA had announced officially that it is paying the salaries of the fighters and there are a multitude of Sunnis “charities’ in Sunni countries like Pakistan sending money to al Nusra.

sure, nusra doesn’t seem to be wanting for money but fsa rebels are not getting the salaries promised by ksa. the gcc has a reputation for not delivering on money aid pledged.

being left high & dry is part of the reason rebels had to resort to looting just to be able to stay alive.

February 24th, 2013, 4:41 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

So the regime has tried artillery and mortars. Then it tried helicopters and jet bombers. Now it’s using SCUDs and large ordinance missiles.

And yet it continues to lose.

EDIT: Also, the reason the regime is relying on SCUDs and missiles is because it can no longer rely on jets or helicopters to strike rebel-held territory.

First the regime used artillery: those bases were captured.

Then the regime used jets and helicopters: their airfields were captured or they got shot down.

So in desperation the regime turns to missiles and SCUDs: but the regime only has a limited number of them.

The logic is simple: the faster the regime launches missiles, the sooner they’ll run out of them. At which point the regime will no longer have any long-range capabilities to strike at rebels in rebel-held territory.

February 24th, 2013, 4:42 pm

 

orange said:

The government has denied using Scuds.

February 24th, 2013, 4:46 pm

 

Syrian said:

So a new phase is starting
What I was warning about yesterday have come to pass
The FSA started shelling regime supporting slums around Damascus
Here is the most obvious target, the slums of 3uesh Alwarar

قام أبطال الجيش الحـــر باستهداف قوات و تجمعات عصابات الأسد التشبيحية في منطقة عش الورور بعدة قذائف هاون عيار 120 ..
الجزء الأول :

الجزء الثاني :

الجزء الثالث :

February 24th, 2013, 4:55 pm

 

Visitor said:

Another great success and great victory for our holy warriors of the Nusra Front with the admission of those same countries which are opposed to these heroes.

According to this report based on a Washington Post story, and accompanied by actual pictures fom the field, the Nusra Front, which never required foreign arms to achieve its numerous victories, the countries opposed to our holy warriors are now forced to supply weapons to FSA, which they perceive as so-called moderates, but we perceive them as good Muslims and as good as the members of the Nusra Front.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/24/268113.html

Once again, Nusra Front proves how essential it is to the Syrian Revolution. And this latest victory will only increase the popularity of these holy warriors among Syrians.

February 24th, 2013, 4:55 pm

 

omen said:

927. zoo said: The rich GCC countries, KSA, Qatar and to a less degree Kuwait are very cautious not be caught red-handed sending the weapons that the US is selling them. They just send lots of money and some smart intermediates take care of the transportation from Libya or elsewhere through Turkey and Jordan to Syria. Of course these intermediates will become the future millionaires in Syria after the war.

ok, let’s take this idea at face value for a moment. let’s say it’s true the gulf states are sending money and weapons to moderate rebels. why would they mark up the cost of the weapons to such a degree that it’s near prohibitive? these wealthy gulf states don’t need the money and should be able to provide these weapons at no cost at all if they truly supported the cause of liberation. just pay for the intermediary.

and this theory doesn’t explain why it’s been so hard for the rebels to get a hold of very weapons needed to tip the balance of power: manpads.

February 24th, 2013, 5:02 pm

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

917. ALI

“the Syrian army has shown its high heels”

So what you’re saying is, Syrian soldiers are cross dressers?

http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297314230578_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x&stmp=1348074605075

February 24th, 2013, 5:26 pm

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

850. REVENIRE

Put the video of Nasrallah, the great prophet of your rats, in a place you can easily clean up. He has been born to martyrdom, and he is delaying too much in reaching his goal. He needs someon´s helps to fulfill his life, this deceptionist dog.
We are fed up of your rats and of the rat that lives with you. I thank you very much for swallowing your own garbage instead of expanding it noisily around you like an ape would do.

February 24th, 2013, 5:30 pm

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

You may want to add Merkel to the list of women you do not like.  The list is growing and growing..

Merkel: China, Russia realizing Assad’s time in Syria is up
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/merkel-china-russia-realizing-assad-s-time-in-syria-is-up-1.505546

China and Russia are increasingly realizing that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s time is up, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday, as she visited German troops stationed with NATO Patriot missiles close to the Turkish-Syrian frontier.

February 24th, 2013, 5:34 pm

 

revenire said:

Merkel and Haaretz? Oh yeah I believe that story. We’ve heard this about Russia and China for almost a year. Russia and China don’t support Assad per se but supports Syria’s sovereignty. That stance won’t be changing.

February 24th, 2013, 5:37 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

What sovereignty? It’s not a country anymore.

February 24th, 2013, 5:42 pm

 

AJ said:

“909. ALI said:

For all terrorist and terror supporters get OUT of this blog, this blog has been liberated and now all participants heart and soul with our Syrian army in its cleansing mission following the roadmap of our late great leader Hafez”

lek 3alawa tel7ass tizi inte well qa2ed tab3ak.

Yel3an ro7ak ya Hafez w 3ala hel ja7sh called Ali on “Syria Comment” yalli khalaftou

February 24th, 2013, 5:49 pm

 

omen said:

the international community ignored darfur until activists started pointing out china’s support for the murderous sudanese regime was one of root causes for the slaughter. nothing was done until china started getting bad press.


Beijing
has “a vested interest in the continuation of a low level of insecurity. It keeps the other major investors out,” charged the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) in a 2002 report. The report argued that China welcomes the absence of real peace in Sudan as enhancing its business opportunities, whatever the cost to southern Sudanese civilians.

looks like this pattern is being repeated in syria.

February 24th, 2013, 5:53 pm

 

omen said:

942. marigold, isn’t it up to syrians to decide whether or not syria is still a country? i doubt rebels would sacrifice themselves for a non-entity.

February 24th, 2013, 5:58 pm

 

revenire said:

Omen as my son Marigoldran said some of the brothers are “stupid” and would die for a drugs or some loot. Not everyone is a pure revolutionary like the two of us Capt. Omen of the FSA Air Force.

February 24th, 2013, 6:01 pm

 

Syrialover said:

Here’s a good news story, posted above in edited messed-up form by loyal Assad man CITIZEN, who apparently didn’t understand it.

Story: In Syria, new influx of weapons to rebels tilts the battle against Assad

ANTAKYA, Turkey — A surge of rebel advances in Syria is being fueled at least in part by an influx of heavy weaponry in a renewed effort by outside powers to arm moderates in the Free Syrian Army, according to Arab and rebel officials.

The new armaments, including anti-tank weapons and recoilless rifles, have been sent across the Jordanian border into the province of Daraa in recent weeks to counter the growing influence of Islamist extremist groups in the north of Syria by boosting more moderate groups fighting in the south, the officials say.

The arms are the first heavy weapons known to have been supplied by outside powers to the rebels battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad and his family’s four-decade-old regime since the Syrian uprising began two years ago.

The officials declined to identify the source of the newly provided weapons, but they noted that the countries most closely involved in supporting the rebels’ campaign to oust Assad have grown increasingly alarmed at the soaring influence of Islamists over the fragmented rebel movement. They include the United States and its major European allies, along with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the two countries most directly involved in supplying the rebels. Security officials from those nations have formed a security coordination committee that consults regularly on events in Syria, they said.

Although the Obama administration continues to refuse to directly arm the rebels, the administration has provided intelligence assistance to those who are involved in the supplies, and it also helps vet opposition forces. U.S. officials declined to comment on the new armaments.

The goal of these renewed deliveries, Arab and rebel officials said, is to reverse the unintended effect of an effort last summer to supply small arms and ammunition to rebel forces in the north, which was halted after it became clear that radical Islamists were emerging as the chief beneficiaries.

“The idea was to get heavier stuff, intensify supply and make sure it goes to the good guys,” said an Arab official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the operation. “If you want to weaken al-Nusra, you do it not by withholding [weapons] but by boosting the other groups.”

Louay al-Mokdad, the political and media coordinator for the Free Syrian Army, confirmed that the rebels have procured new weapons donated from outside Syria, rather than bought on the black market or seized during the capture of government facilities, the source of the vast majority of the arms that are in the hands of the rebels. But he declined to say who was behind the effort.

Another coordinator for the Free Syrian Army, whose units have received small quantities of donated weaponry in the past two weeks, said that as much as empowering moderates, the goal of the supplies also is to shift the focus of the war away from the north toward the south and the capital, Assad’s stronghold. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed so far in the conflict, which has thus far frustrated all attempts by the international community to broker a diplomatic settlement.

(The Washington Post, February 24)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-syria-new-influx-of-weapons-to-rebels-tilts-the-battle-against-assad/2013/02/23/a6bf2bc0-7dfb-11e2-9073-e9dda4ac6a66_story.html

February 24th, 2013, 6:10 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor

“Do you and Hafiz like to kiss my ass? … some kissing of his own”

والرب انك حيوان وابتفهم ولك متعمل زلمة بس قلي مين انت

Again for the last time I say it loud and clear, don’t you ever dare to badmouth any of these two leaders in my presence. Don’t tell me I did not warn you

Don’t forget that for long 40 years you were coming and kissing our shoes, for 40 years you were just where you belong under our shoes and you’ll stay there.

After this crisis everything will go back to where it was, thanks to the whole world

February 24th, 2013, 6:12 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Revenire, you can’t even troll a brick wall.

@ Omen

I’m pretty confident that Syria should not stay as one country. What has the concept of Syria as a nation brought except destruction, dictatorship, and suffering?

Better for everyone to be honest and split the country up like Lebanon. The different groups obviously cannot live together in one nation.

EDIT: Ali, I take that earlier comment back. But don’t start speaking like Revenire. It does not help your cause.

EDIT 2: Freedom of speech allows anyone to say pretty much anything they want. This cuts both ways. If one side uses vile language, the other side gets to use it too. However, vile language is better than guns and bombs.

February 24th, 2013, 6:13 pm

 

revenire said:

Forget Merkel and let’s take a look at a real woman…

Asma al-Assad: A Rose in the Desert

“The first impression of Asma al-Assad is movement—a determined swath cut through space with a flash of red soles. Dark-brown eyes, wavy chin-length brown hair, long neck, an energetic grace. No watch, no jewelry apart from Chanel agates around her neck, not even a wedding ring, but fingernails lacquered a dark blue-green. She’s breezy, conspiratorial, and fun. Her accent is English but not plummy. Despite what must be a killer IQ, she sometimes uses urban shorthand: ‘I was, like. . . .'”

February 24th, 2013, 6:14 pm

 

ALI said:

AJ

“lek 3alawa tel7ass tizi inte well qa2ed tab3ak.

Yel3an ro7ak ya Hafez w 3ala hel ja7sh called Ali on “Syria Comment” yalli khalaftou”

Lak el3ama ba3yonak el3ama, lak init ma te3ref sho ma te7ki? Lak init bedak ta3leq men qu3rak ya 3ar3or.

3aref 3an nafsak lak 7ewan

it’s Souria Alassad it’s Souria Hafez Alassad and it’ll stay for ever

February 24th, 2013, 6:19 pm

 

ann said:

We’ve already established that ID called HASSAN is an `israeli imposter like most wanna be Syrian IDs on this blog.

February 24th, 2013, 6:22 pm

 

ALI said:

MarigoldRan

“Freedom of speech allows anyone to say pretty much anything they want. This cuts both ways. If one side uses vile language, the other side gets to use it too. However, vile language is better than guns and bombs”

I have a great respect to your logic, and you’ll be my guest in Syria after finishing off these Jihadists but don’t badmouth our figures please.

February 24th, 2013, 6:24 pm

 

AJ said:

For ALI, Revenire, Zoo, Ann and all the rest of the Assad supporters on this blog:

February 24th, 2013, 6:25 pm

 

omen said:

the 3 links associated with this story listed up top:

On Monday, United Nations investigators called for Syria to be referred the International Criminal Court (ICC).

they all go to the oklahoma university exchange system. how do you sign up for that? do i really have to give my ss # to enroll?

February 24th, 2013, 6:25 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

@ANN, I was a wondering if some on here did not make that out yet. He is also known as MARIDUBJEW and AKABARJEW.

February 24th, 2013, 6:26 pm

 

revenire said:

Hassan was a bit too exuberant but I say let the good times roll!

We must learn to live and let live in the New Syria. Soon the government will be announced in the liberated areas. I am moving to this wonderful, free and safe country as soon as it is announced.

February 24th, 2013, 6:27 pm

 

ALI said:

“قال معارض سوري إن رئيس الائتلاف الوطني السوري المعارض معاذ الخطيب اجتمع سرا برجل أعمال سوري ممثلا عن رئيس النظام السوري بشار الأسد.
واتهم فايق المير، من حزب الشعب الديمقراطي السوري المعارض، الخطيب بلقاء رجل الأعمال محمد حمشو من دون علم هيئات الائتلاف.

وذكر المير، في صفحته الشخصية على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي (فيسبوك) أن اللقاء دام نحو ساعة وتضمن عرضا حمله حمشو من النظام من أجل الوصول إلى حل، ولم يذكر المير متى وأين تم اللقاء.

ويشار إلى أن المير سجين سياسي سابق وهو يعيش متخفيا في سورية.

As said you can’t leave where you belong, under our shoes.

February 24th, 2013, 6:28 pm

 

ALI said:

Revenire

“I am moving to this wonderful, free and safe country as soon as it is announced”

Don’t forget to grow your beard and shorten your pants

February 24th, 2013, 6:34 pm

 

omen said:

956. Aldendeshe said: @ANN, I was a wondering if some on here did not make that out yet. He is also known as MARIDUBJEW and AKABARJEW.

i was suddenly reminded of something activists are warned about. the guy who is the loudest voice advocating violence is most likely to be an undercover agent provocateur.

by that logic, as the loudest bigot, that makes YOU mossad.

February 24th, 2013, 6:44 pm

 

Tara said:

Syria rebels fight for key Aleppo buildings
Rebels launch new offensive for government complex housing a police academy
Feb 24, 2013  

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/02/24/syria-rebels-offensive.html

Rebels backed by captured tanks launched a fresh offensive on a government complex housing a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo, Syria on Sunday, while the government hit back with airstrikes to try to protect the strategic installation, activists said.

If rebels capture the complex on the outskirts of Aleppo, it would mark another setback for President Bashar al-Assad. In recent weeks, his regime has lost control of key infrastructure in the northeast including a hydroelectric dam, a major oil field and two army bases along the road linking Aleppo with the airport to its east.

Rebels also have been hitting the heart of Damascus with occasional mortars shells or bombings, posing a stiff challenge to the regime in its seat of power.

On Saturday, opposition fighters in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour overran a military post believed to have once been the site of a partly built nuclear reactor that Israeli warplanes bombed in 2007. A year after the strike, the UN nuclear watchdog determined that the destroyed building’s size and structure fit specifications of a nuclear reactor. Syria never stated the purpose of the site known as Al-Kibar.

After the bombing, the regime carted away all the debris from the destroyed building and equipment from the two standing structures, analysts said, adding that the rebels were unlikely to have found any weapons in the abandoned complex.

February 24th, 2013, 7:04 pm

 

Syrialover said:

Here we go.

Another patronizing biff in the face for Syrians from MARIGOLDRAN (#949, and see also #427)

“I’m pretty confident that Syria should not stay as one country. What has the concept of Syria as a nation brought except destruction, dictatorship, and suffering?”

Yes, truly spoken from the sofa of someone in another country far away, with all the options and freedoms and opportunities in the world. Who has citizenship and identity in another country but doesn’t think Syrians should have their own.

MARIGOLDRAN, I still urge you to go and meet some Syrians and do some deeper reading.

Then you might understand that all the grief and sacrifice is about Syrians fighting to take back control of their own country and destiny. If you ever went to Syria you would understand Syrians’ pride in their identity aned love of their homeland.

Hint: It’s easy to come here and talk of being “against Assad” – that’s how 98% of westerners who watch the news feel.

The more significant response lies in being for the people of Syria, respecting them, supporting them and caring about their future as a nation.

February 24th, 2013, 7:39 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

For heaven’s sake every one tell Ali who you are and where do you come from. It is going nuts…. The thing is almost bursting… Just tell it who you are.

February 24th, 2013, 7:51 pm

 

revenire said:

Syria will never be divided like Vietnam was.

February 24th, 2013, 7:53 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Good news for Bashar, his end is coming soon,FSA are getting weapons,antitank,,and it is coming thru Jordan,Deraa will be another Aleppo

February 24th, 2013, 8:02 pm

 

revenire said:

“Then you might understand that all the grief and sacrifice is about Syrians fighting to take back control of their own country and destiny. If you ever went to Syria you would understand Syrians’ pride in their identity aned love of their homeland.”

True. We are fighting to take it back from a foreign cancer that has invaded bringing toxic ideas and ways to our country.

Long live Syria. Long live Bashar.

February 24th, 2013, 8:18 pm

 

Syrian said:

Paolo Dall’Oglio
عبرت الدجلة وزرت المالكية والقامشلي وعمودة ورأس العين ومررت بتل أبيض وبمنبج و الباب والآن إنني في شمال حلب… اليوم كنا في عزاز وعفرين … شبابنا أبطال فعلا … في هذا المساء كنت أتحدث مع رئيس كتيبة من 300 رجل وهو شيخ في ال 24 من عمره… والبارحة كنت مع مرابط وهو شاب في ال70 من عمره… اليوم عشت مع سوريين أحرار من كرد وعرب و موحدين سنة وشيعة ومسيحيين … راحت عليك يا بشار، هذا الشعب وعي فلم يعد يقهر! تكون سوريا حرة وواحدا طوعا لا غصبا، جكارة في خونة ومجرمي الأمم المتحدة وجبناءها!

February 24th, 2013, 8:36 pm

 

Ghufran said:

Source: SOHR

تبنت جبهة  النصرة  عملية  تفجير  رجل  حافلة  امام  معامل  الدفاع  في  قرية براق بريف حماة بتاريخ 6/2/2013 والتي  ذهب ضحيتها  عشرات  العمال في  معامل  الدفاع وثق  المرصد  السوري  لحقوق الانسان اسماء  60 منهم بينهم 11 امراة وهم من سكان مدينة سلمية بريف  حماة  الشرقي  وقرى مجاورة لها  ومدينتي حمص  وحماة  وقالت الجبهة في  بيان صادر عنها  اليوم  “بناءً على معلومات خاصة- تحديد مكان تجمع أغلب الشبيحة وأعوان النظام بعد الانتهاء من الدوام لاستلام رواتبهم؛ ففي تمام الساعة 3.20 من عصر يوم الأربعاء 25 من ربيع الأول 1434هـ، الموافق 6/ 2/ 2013م، أقدم البطل الاستشهادي أبو البراء الحمصي بحافلته المحمَّلة بـ (2.5طن) من المتفجرات ليتوسط تجمعهم، مزلزلاً الأرض من تحت أقدامهم، مقدِّمًا روحه فداءً لدينه وأهله، وثأرًا لأطفال مسلمي أهل السنة الذين عانوا من جرم النصيرية وأعوانهم طوال عقود، وكانت حصيلة التفجير عشرات القتلى من كوادرهم وأمثالهم من الجرحى، ولله الفضل والمنَّة.”
Supporters of random violence and car bombs are the same ones who celebrated the murder of 3,000 Americans on 911, yet many of them still live in the US and Canada and trash the countries that host them and treat them better than Muslim countries.
يشار  الى  ان  الضحايا  الذين  سقطوا  في  التفجير  قد  وصل  الى اكثر من 100 بحسب  مصادر  من  المنطقة

February 24th, 2013, 8:38 pm

 

ann said:

964. revenire said:

Syria will never be divided like Vietnam was.

Syria is already divided into Cyprus, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, Jordan, Alexandretta (Iskandarun) and Turkey.

February 24th, 2013, 8:44 pm

 

Syrian said:

منقول

مات نهاد قلعي مفقوع..
اتوفى محمد الماغوط و هوة عم يكفر بالقومية من النفاق..
انقتل ياسين بقوش فقط لتحيتو للجيش الحر..
مرض ابو عنتر و صابو سرطان خداع اصحاب الامس و مات..

و ما زال رسول النفاق و الدجل غوار يبتسم في ضيعة غربة..

February 24th, 2013, 9:17 pm

 

AJ said:

These are the kids ANN, Revenire, Zoo and Ali “son of the Batta” want to kill

February 24th, 2013, 9:24 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Ali

That is fair. I have not verbally attacked anyone living in Syria, regime or otherwise. However, that does not mean others will feel the same way. They have the right to attack Hafiz, just as you have the right to defend him. Similarly, you have the right to attack them for attacking Hafiz, and vice versa. That is free speech, and it does not bother me. Yelling at one another, after all, is better than shooting at one another.

Personally I think the current Assad would have been a fine… doctor. However, he should never have become president of Syria, a sentiment that I suspect is also shared within some members of the Alawite community.

Still, at this point the war is no longer about Assad. All of the gains the Alawites made over the last 40 years are now under threat. You claim you are fighting terrorists, and I agree with you. However the Sunnis also claim they’re fighting the terrorist regime, and I agree with them too. After all both sides have used terror tactics. On a moral and physical level, a car bomb is the same as a SCUD missile or a barrel bomb. Both are weapons designed to sow destruction over a large area with indiscriminate explosives.

My point is that I’ve gotten a little tired of this “terrorist” talk from BOTH sides. If the rebels are terrorist, then so is the regime. And vice versa. Mind you, I still support the rebels because the regime has committed much more destruction than the rebels. However, as the rebels acquire better weapons and begin to even the score, my opinion will begin to change as well.

EDIT: And thank you for the offer. If you’re still around, I think I will accept it after all of this fighting is over. Until then, best of luck and stay alive and try not to kill anyone except in self-defense.

February 24th, 2013, 9:33 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

I don’t agree. After all of this is over, I think it is best for everyone to live separately, in their own enclaves.

BOTH sides have shown an inability to live with one another without blowing each other up. This is not a statement that even you can refute.

February 24th, 2013, 9:40 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Owen

The basic problem is that the rebels want a unified Syria under their control and the regime wants a unified Syria under THEIR control and so they’re fighting over it.

My point is that this is already impossible. Just look at the hate and the destruction. The country is already fractured into many pieces and no one living will be able to put it together again. This is the truth.

February 24th, 2013, 9:46 pm

 

Tara said:

Mari

“After all both sides have used terror tactics..”

May be true but with one fundamental difference. The regime and its supporters are hell bent on using terror against the Syrian people. In fact, it was the only thing they have used from day one. On the other hand, the revolution started peaceful, then became armed in self defense, and in the interim got infiltrated by elements that used terror tactics BUT every time terrorism is used by those elements, most people of the revolution condemn it, a moral stand we never see among the regiments and we all see that first hand on SC.

February 24th, 2013, 9:54 pm

 

zoo said:

The SOC coalition is trapped. Either they reject Kerry’s willingness to meet them and appear immature to the international community and not worth helping or they backtrack, meet Kerry in Rome and expose to the whole world their serious internal divisions.

The doubt that the USA has about the SOC is the same they had about the SNC, that made the SNC irrelevant.

Because of the obvious dead-end reached by the SOC, we suddenly see a flurry of declarations from Erdogan and others, threatening Bashar al Assad and claiming that the rebels are winning, claims of Hezbollah interference etc…

Anything is good to divert the attention that the Coalition is in danger of crumbling.

February 24th, 2013, 9:59 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Tara

Agreed. And that is why I support the rebels. After all, the regime has committed MORE heinous offences than the rebels. And therefore I consider the regime worse.

However, think about it from the other end:

To many Alawites, Hafiz Assad IS a hero (Bashar on the other hand might be a different matter). Many Alawites have made gains, socially and economically thanks to this regime. Now all of these gains are under threat from a Sunni wave, some of whom are terrorists.

Yes, these gains have come at the expense of other groups (which is why they’re in the situation they’re in right now). Even the most uneducated of Alawites are starting to understand that things can never be what they were again. But still, if someone is going to take away your stuff, even if it was gained unjustly, are you not going to fight for it?

Of the Sunni Syrians on this blog, how many of your friends are Alawi? SyriaLover challenged me to talk to Syrians. Fine. My challenge to her is for her to talk to an Alawi, preferably a regime supporter WITHOUT blood on his/her hands. If she can’t do that, then I think I’ve proven my point.

What comes around, goes around.

February 24th, 2013, 10:04 pm

 

Visitor said:

” 948. ALI said:

Visitor

“Do you and Hafiz like to kiss my ass? … some kissing of his own”

والرب انك حيوان وابتفهم ولك متعمل زلمة بس قلي مين انت

Again for the last time I say it loud and clear, don’t you ever dare to badmouth any of these two leaders in my presence. Don’t tell me I did not warn you”

ولك كلب جربوع ابن الف شر..طة.
لسه ما عرفتني يا جرو؟
لك انا اللي بدو يجيب آخرتك وآخرة ابو اللي خلفك
فيك وبحافظ وبابو حافظ وبام حافظ وبحسن الجربوع٠
كول خ.. وسد بوزك ونئبر من هون … اختك شو واطي٠

February 24th, 2013, 10:23 pm

 

Tara said:

Mari,

How many of my friends are Alawis? If you basking me, I will share:

Lots of mix marriages in my family. Mostly Sunni women married to Alawi men. My family had enough Alawi friends in Syria but we never talked religion or politics. It was the republic of fear you know and Alawis have always been sensitive to “little girls” slavery and the historic Alawi oppression and I do not blame them. I must say I am more angry with the Sunni riches than I am with the Alawis. I can’t even start to tell you how much contempt I have for the Sunni riches in support of the regime.

In regard to living together, I personally am willing to forgive but justice must be served first. There is no other way. People with blood on their hand whatever their color might be must be tried in a court of law.

February 24th, 2013, 10:24 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Freedom of speech cuts both ways.

Don’t forget that.

February 24th, 2013, 10:26 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Freedom of speech cuts both ways.

February 24th, 2013, 10:26 pm

 

Syrian said:

Mari you are like rev. In the way that you never been to Syria
You have believed their propaganda of a civil war not a revolution and of “the other side”
There is no other side, the Syrians are fighting Iran and HA,the rest are at most a 50,000 to 100000 hard-core armed regime supporters who are fighting against the Syrian majority,
Their use of Scuds is the biggest proof that they have got nothing else to fight with, as soon as we broke this last group, the dam will break and the flood of the majority will drown them for ever,
Iranian will go back to Iran HA will go back to south Lebanon and will be happy ending all around .

February 24th, 2013, 10:26 pm

 

ghufran said:

قالت صحيفة سعودية اليوم السبت إن سفارتا الولايات المتحدة وبريطانيا في العاصمة الأردنية عمان، تحاولان جس نبض الشارع الأردني لبيان مدى تقبله فكرة استقبال اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في سوريا على أراضي المملكة الأردنية مقابل حل أزمته المالية وإلغاء ديونه الخارجية التي تجاوزت 22 مليار دولار.
ونقلت صحيفة “الشرق” اليومية عن مصادر سياسية في عمّان قولها إن السفير البريطاني في عمان بيتر ميليت، يُجري لقاءات على مستوى ضيق بقيادات المجتمع المدني الأردني، بهدف استطلاع آرائهم حول مسألة قبول الشارع والحكومة استقبال اللاجئين الفلسطينيين المقيمين في سوريا وتوطينهم في الأردن.
كما يطرح السفير الأمريكي في عمان ستيورات جونز، الأفكار ذاتها ولكن في سياق “العصا والجزرة”، وذلك بالتحذير من الأزمة الاقتصادية التي قد تعصف بالاقتصاد الأردني جراء مشكلات المديونية والعجز في الموازنة، مع التلويح في الوقت نفسه بإمكانية تقديم عرض دولي تحمله الإدارة الأمريكية بإعفاء الأردن من كامل ديونه الخارجية التي تتجاوز 22 مليار دولار حسب موازنة العام 2012، شريطة قبول الدولة باستقبال واستيعاب اللاجئين الفلسطينيين الموجودين في سوريا
I personally think that the prospect of a two state solution in historical Palestine is as good as the potential for Nusra thugs to become champions of women and minority rights.

February 24th, 2013, 10:27 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Tara

In which case: is your family an exception to the general rule, or not?

Also, did you come from an urban, middle-class background or a rural one?

February 24th, 2013, 10:31 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Syrian

You’re mincing words here.

1. Most revolutions BECOME civil wars. Perhaps it started as a revolution. Now it is very clearly a civil war.

2. I think the regime has more than 100,000 supporters. I suspect 90% of the Alawis support the regime if only out of desperation. Since there are several million Alawis in the country, this means there are more than 100,000 regime supporters. There is very clearly an other side.

3. Justice is nice. But I’ve noticed that in wars like this, only the losing side gets sent to courts at the end of the war.

February 24th, 2013, 10:36 pm

 

AJ said:

Whoever thinks Hafez Assad, Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden or Hitler are heroes is sick and needs psychiatric help and put in a controlled environment. It’s a matter of national security

February 24th, 2013, 10:37 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ AJ

I personally wouldn’t go that far.

After all, Mustapha Kemal, father of the Turks, was pretty ruthless towards the Armenians and the Greeks. The basic disadvantage (advantage?) with studying history is that you gain perspective.

February 24th, 2013, 10:43 pm

 

Tara said:

Mari,

Urban from Damascus.

May be not the norm in term of inter-marriages. Some of those marriages were for love but most were for “money”.

Syrians are simple, welcoming , and forgiving people in general. My opinion, if justice is properly served, Syria can stay one piece.. but then there is the terrorist HA and the Mullahs behind it will not allow tis to happen, rather their vision might be to form a Syrian HA so to speak… But only in their wildest dreams

February 24th, 2013, 10:44 pm

 

ghufran said:

It seems like new weapons were delivered to the FSA, some are known to be used in Croatia, but I am not sure how easy smuggling heavy weapons through Lebanon or Jordan will be. Another question is what the FSA is supposed to do in return, some people think that is a trap to create a non governmental force that can fight Nusra as Western and Saudi authorities are getting nervous watching an AlQaida type terror group dominating the fight against regime forces, supplying more arms to rebels only led to more blood shed and more indiscriminate bombing by the regime who is technically able to keep doing this for few years at least.
In a perfect world, Syria will be well served if the army is spared, Assad is gone and defecting officers in the FSA joins a national army after hard core assadists are removed,but that is not what Islamists have in mind and that is not something the regime will accept, I have to conclude that more fghting is likely to be seen with the possibility of an attempt on Assad’s life which I do not support for a number of reasons, do not rule out the possibility of a pro regime person, group or a government,sacrifying Assad to save something bigger and more important.

February 24th, 2013, 10:46 pm

 

Syrian said:

Mari,
I siad” hard core armed supporters ”
The Alawaits are about 3 millions vs about 18 millions Sunnies, so this is not a 2 sided
They got the best arms, Iran and HA
The 3 millions will not all fight to death for Bashar,
Of those 3 millions not even 20% got any real privileges from the mafia family
The Sunnis supporters and other minorities will switch sides because that what they have always done,

February 24th, 2013, 10:48 pm

 

Tara said:

Syrian

“The Sunnis supporters and other minorities will switch sides because that what they have always done,”

Eloquent! And smart. Totally agree.

February 24th, 2013, 10:53 pm

 

AJ said:

986. MARIGOLDRAN said:

@ AJ

“I personally wouldn’t go that far.

After all, Mustapha Kemal, father of the Turks, was pretty ruthless towards the Armenians and the Greeks. The basic disadvantage (advantage?) with studying history is that you gain perspective.”

How can we compare Attaturk to that imbecile Assad? What has Assad done other than “introduce the internet” to Syria?

I’m not a fan of any brutal leader, even those who have done some good to their country. But Assad hasn’t done 1 positive thing to Syria. His supporters are mostly simple minded conspiracy theorists like Ann and Zoo, or cult-like worshippers like Revenire and Ali.

February 24th, 2013, 10:53 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Almost every ethnic or national group likes to think of themselves as “welcoming or forgiving.”

The Lebanese before 1975 thought of themselves as “welcoming and forgiving” too. Now they’re jaded, cynical, not that welcoming (look at their treatment of Syrian refugees), and masters of dark humor, the sort that Kafranabel specializes in. But at least they’re not shooting at one another (or at least not to the extent the Syrians are).

According to the Lebanese, it is now Syria’s turn to have their long civil war. If there’s one group in the entire Middle East that DOESN’T want to get involved in this war, it is the Lebanese (the OTHER Lebanon, the Hezbollah controlled-area, doesn’t count. Most of the non-Hezbollah Lebanese are pretty pissed at Hezbollah right now because Hezbollah’s belligerency might drag their sects into the war as well).

February 24th, 2013, 10:57 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ AJ

In case you haven’t noticed, Mustapha Kemal is known as the father of the TURKS. In other words, he is worshiped by ethnic TURKS, and rightfully so. Mustapha Kemal IS a great hero to the TURKS.

But have you ever wondered what happened to the Greeks who lived in Asia minor (I.e. Turkey) since the times of Herodotus?

Or the Armenians?

[granted that they deserved it, but still].

EDIT: There were a lot of Armenians living near Aleppo before the Syrian civil war. Have you wondered where that Armenian community originally came from? Why was there an Armenian community in Northern Syria, and none in Turkey, which after all is just next door?

February 24th, 2013, 11:11 pm

 

AJ said:

@ Mari

Again, my point is that Assad has done absolutely NOTHING to merit this cult like worshipping.

February 24th, 2013, 11:16 pm

 

Sami said:

Mari,

My uncle’s wife whom is not only an Alawite, but an Alawite that comes from Qurdaha helped lead one of the LCC’s in a predominately conservative Sunni Suburb of Damascus (Douma).

Her and a group of 30 Alawites went over there every Friday for protests, bringing with them medical aid, baby formula, and water. Because of the security forces raiding looking for them it would take them 4 days to get back to their homes in Damascus proper, during which conservative Sunni families would shelter them.

They risked their lives to bring help, and in turn the families risked theirs to shelter them. This is the very definition of Syria that you fail to see.

Yes the regime brutality has pushed this revolution into an armed conflict, and in turn let in everyone and anyone with an agenda into the affairs of Syria where Syria has become a playground for regional powers to duke it out at the expense of the Syrian people. This however does not mean Syria as a nation is gone, I might be still stuck in the romanticism of the revolution but I still firmly know my country will overcome this poison called Assadism and become a country it deserves to be.

And for the record my uncle is Sunni, and my family has for over 4 consecutive generations had inter faith marriages.

February 24th, 2013, 11:19 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ AJ

The problem with studying history is that you start to gain perspective.

With the current Assad, I would agree with you. But that’s not a point of contention. I suspect that many Alawites secretly would agree to that statement too. In case you haven’t noticed, Ali RARELY praises Bashar Assad. I believe he once said, “Send Assad to Paraguay or to hell, it doesn’t matter. [and then he ruins it by saying something else about terrorists]…” But if you’ve been paying attention, he saves his most fulsome praises for Hafiz Assad.

Does Hafiz Assad deserve these praises? Well, for Alawites I believe he does. Prior to the regime takeover of Syria, Alawites were treated by a significant minority of Sunnis like a lower caste in Syria. Under Hafiz, they got new opportunities in education, government business, etc.

Granted this came at great resentment by the Sunni majority, some of it justified and some of it not. If the Alawites were smart, they could have defused that resentment by establishing a democracy with strong minority rights (power-sharing). But Hafiz thought the proper way of running the country, and the only way to protect his groups’ rights was to rule the country with an iron fist.

And that is the major difference between Kemal and Hafiz Assad. After ridding their countries of their enemies, Kemal chose democracy. Hafiz chose dictatorship. But otherwise I’d say they were not all that different from one another, except that Kemal came from a majority group, and Hafiz came from a minority group.

February 24th, 2013, 11:29 pm

 

AJ said:

@Mari

I completely disagree with your argument as it would justify Germans supporting Hitler and Iraqi Sunnis supporting Saddam. Both have done amazing things to their country, but that does not justify supporting these despicable animals.

The only reason Ali is not supporting Bashar is because he believes Hafez would have been even more brutal and would have been able to crush the rebels by now. It’s this frustration the regime loyalists are feeling right now that are causing some to criticise Bashar. Even hardcore islamophobe Mohammad Susli AKA SyrianCommando was criticizing Assad for not being brutal enough.

February 24th, 2013, 11:41 pm

 

Syrian said:

Tara
Really,Ican never imagine the Christians or the merchants of Damascus and Aleppo defending Batta to death, most Sunni soldiers who are fighting now are either stuck with no way to escape or the very few illiterate from the fringes of the society, like the tribal selections of Deer Alzore or Raqua provinces.
Also the Alawait soldiers are not that brave, Darayya which is next to the best division Batta has, is still holding for almost 100 days, the cowards they are, they can only bomb it by air plans or throw all kinds of Iranian missiles that they got,
The great Daryya has 2 new names now, the back hole and the Bermuda triangle of death.

February 24th, 2013, 11:44 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

1. Hafiz never carried out genocide. Nor did start a world war. So don’t compare him to Hitler. Yes, there was Hamas. That was a massacre and an injustice, and ultimately a stupid thing to do. But it was not genocide. So you’re wrong on the Hitler comparison.

2. Hafiz Assad, despite his flaws, was ALSO a better ruler than Saddam. He was as ruthless as Saddam, but he did not have Saddam’s sadistic streak. Also he did NOT start random wars with neighboring countries like Kuwait or Iran. He attacked Israel, but so did Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc. etc.

3. In other words, in terms of ranking:

Kemal > Hafiz Assad > Saddam.

As a dictator, I’d say Hafiz was average, Saddam poor, and Hitler terrible. Kemal on the other hand was special.

However, all of them were ruthless men.

February 24th, 2013, 11:49 pm

 

ghufran said:

I have heard enough and read enough, minorities fear of reprisals and revenge killing is not paranoia,it is very real, one woman asked me: what do you think will happen if the army is crushed and all security and police chiefs are gone?
she added,even with the president being an alawi and many sensitive posts being held by alawis, alawites are targeted or killed on a daily basis,not just soldiers and officers.
just take 10 minutes and read the ugly threats all over the net by Syrians who think it is their holy duty to kill alawis anywhere they see them, there were a number of Imams who publically called for killing alawites, even this blog received a fair share of sectarian filth and incitement of violence.
the buttom line is, without a transitional period and cessation of violence,or at least a major reduction of violence, that is monitored and guaranteed by the international community no solution to this deadly war is likely any time soon, what many of you fail to understand is that hating Assad and his regime, which is wide spread in Syria now, does not automatically translate to support for rebels,especially islamists.

February 24th, 2013, 11:52 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Don’t be deceived by AL Nusra endless “Allah Waakbar” flag postings, bearded appearance and attires. Neither by the various Islamic myth affirmation tactics used to fool you that they are Muslim Extremist. Not even by its declaration by the U.S. at terrorists group. This all for cover, to protect the fact that these nations are using terrorists and terrorism in violation of International Law to invade and destroy one nation after another, assigning all the blame on an “ISLAMIC AL NUSRA FRONT”, as they did in Iraq before, driving over 200 Chlorine filled truck and somehow managed to always get into the green zone to be blasted there, killing Sunni Moslems, never Americans or any of the 40 nations invaded Iraq. This Al Nusra, did not just popped at of nowhere to become the most military able units on the ground, they are well trained foreign mercenaries that took more than a decade by Alciada/Mossad and other Agencies to assemble, train, equip and make ready.

February 24th, 2013, 11:55 pm

 

AJ said:

@MARI

You mentioned earlier being a student of history. Haven’t you seen what Saddam did to Iraq in the first 10 years of rule? What has Hafez done that is so great in his lifetime?

Listen, there’s no point in arguing over who was the better dictator, may all of them burn in hell. But the point remains that you cannot justify (by any means) someone worshipping (let alone supporting) Hafez el Assad. This attempt at humanizing him or justifying his supporters is an insult to the millions of Syrians who lived under his oppression.

These people who support Assad, like father like son, have an inferiority complex. Ask Ali and he will agree. To him Hafez was a superior man and all Syrians (especially muslims) are inferior beings incapable and unworthy of democracy

February 25th, 2013, 12:00 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Sami

You can put me in the same category as Ghufran (who I believe is a little too neutral for his own good- but he probably thinks I’m too biased) because we’re willing to criticize BOTH sides.

However, do NOT put me in the same category as most regime supporters (Ali is an exception- he sounds like a decent man caught in a tough spot). Most of them on this blog are either crazy or stupid or both.

To answer your point:

Given the recent history of Syria, I don’t think Syria should stay together as one nation. I understand your sentimental attachment, but at some point enough is enough. The Lebanese realized this at around year 8 of their civil war. I guess Syrians haven’t quite reached that point yet, after all it’s only year 2, but I’m looking to the future.

Forgive me, but I’m not very optimistic about outcomes of civil wars. Based on my study of history, I believe I have good reason for this pessimism.

February 25th, 2013, 12:03 am

 
 

MarigoldRan said:

@ AJ

Most Turks have an inferiority complex towards Kemal as well. Many consider him to be the perfect Turk. I would agree. There are many statues of Kemal in public areas in Turkey. Furthermore you can’t insult Kemal’s name in public. That remains a crime in Turkey.

Also, Kemal was a dictator too while he was alive. So the situation is not as simple as you make it out to be. However, unlike Hafiz, Kemal was smart enough to transition his country to democracy.

About Hafiz:

To a certain extent, you’ve nailed it. I agree with you. Justifying Hafiz Assad’s rule IS an insult to millions of Syrians. However my point is that INSULTING Hafiz Assad is ALSO an insult to millions of Syrians too.

So all those huffy emotions you feel when I justify Hafiz Assad’s rule: the other side feels those emotions too. Except they feel it when people insult Hafiz Assad.

After all, Syria is in a civil war.

February 25th, 2013, 12:15 am

 

revenire said:

What a nonsensical idea: divide Syria. That will never happen.

Should all those who married outside their faith move to other areas?

It is stupid.

Marigoldran where do you come up with these ideas?

You do realize the army could defect right? They could flee to Turkey tomorrow. It is easy to do. The army hasn’t. Two years and counting.

Turkey is not far from Aleppo.

February 25th, 2013, 12:16 am

 

omen said:

968. Ghufran said: Supporters of random violence and car bombs are the same ones who celebrated the murder of 3,000 Americans on 911, yet many of them still live in the US and Canada and trash the countries that host them and treat them better than Muslim countries.

perhaps, but regime supporters also once celebrated bin laden. now loyalists have done a 360 and rail against the wahhabi threat.

wait, not every revolutionary is a supporter of car bombing. from what i’ve seen, they’re a minority.

February 25th, 2013, 12:24 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Revenire, when you pretend to be dumb, you’re actually not pretending.

You’re being your true self.

Dumb people think they can get away with being dumb by pretending to be dumb. Smart people understand that dumb people who pretend to be dumb are just dumb.

As I’ve said before, Revenire, you deserve no respect. Also, you’re stupid.

February 25th, 2013, 12:24 am

 

revenire said:

Suggesting Syria be broken into smaller states is idiotic but then again this is a clown who said Syria was no longer a nation and that Assad was the head of a Alawite militia (despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the army is Sunni and could defect any time they wanted to).

Please dog-eater – more pearls of wisdom.

February 25th, 2013, 12:29 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Pearls before swine, Revenire, pearls before swine.

EDIT: Actually, my last statement might have been too cryptic, for which I apologize. I always forget that Revenire is not as smart as I am. So to make everything clear:

“Pearls before swine” is an old Biblical quote. It means that pearls are wasted in front of swine. Now, I used that statement half-inaccurately. My words are not words of wisdom, so the “pearl” part is false. However, Revenire is most definitely a swine.

February 25th, 2013, 12:32 am

 

Sami said:

A eulogy written by L’Institut du Monde Arabe for Omar Aziz.

Je veux rendre hommage au courage des Syriens à travers un homme.

Omar Aziz était tout à la fois un mystique, un home de culture et une tête scientifique magnifiquement organisée. Francophone impeccable – il avait fait son doctorat d’économie à Grenoble – il incarnait cette force tranquille de la révolution syrienne, celle que l’on ressent lorsqu’on parle avec les jeunes manifestants de la première heure mais qui ne savent pas toujours l’exprimer.
Il est le père des conseils locaux qui sont devenus le centre d’intérêt de tous les partenaires extérieurs et malheureusement des cibles pour les jeux d’influence. Lui les avait conçus dès l’automne 2011 comme les supports de la société
civile ; il prévoyait une lutte longue qui aurait besoin de s’appuyer sur des structures alternatives à celles de l’Etat pour organiser la vie de la population dans les zones qui étaient déjà libérées et qui n’étaient encore que des poches. Il avait présenté un projet complet sur les différentes fonctions et activités de conseils locaux, leur attribuant un rôle essentiel dans la préservation de la dimension civile de la révolution et de la paix intercommunautaire. Cela faisait partie de sa remarquable clarté de vue. Il savait précisément où nous allions et le temps que cela prendrait. Il avait une confiance immense dans les jeunes et dans les capacités de résistance du peuple. Il m’avait dit un jour « jamais les Syriens se sont tant aimés les uns les autres ». Loin d’être un romantique, il était parfaitement lucide sur les acteurs, les risques, la nature du régime mais il savait que la jeunesse syrienne irait jusqu’au bout et que les déceptions qu’il avait vécues lui-même tout au long de sa vie, ne devaient en aucun cas se répéter. C’était la force de caractère habillée d’une voix et d’un style de la plus grande douceur.
Il est rentré en Syrie dans les premières semaines de la révolution et avait décidé de ne plus en sortir. Arrêté le 20 novembre, ses amis ont cherché à avoir des nouvelles. Mais ceux que l’on pensait avaient des relations avec tel ou tel responsable des services de renseignements ou pouvaient servir d’intermédiaire pour négocier une rançon que la famille et les amis auraient volontiers payée, manifestaient une réserve décevante et incompréhensible. Il fallait savoir que lorsqu’un activiste passait « de l’autre côté du soleil » (expression que les opposants égyptiens utilisent pour informer de l’arrestation d’un des leurs) ceux qui cherchent à s’informer sur son sort s’exposent eux- mêmes à de grands risques.
Omar Aziz est mort sous la torture la semaine dernière, mort parce qu’il a refusé de parler et a voulu protéger ses amis.

February 25th, 2013, 12:34 am

 

omen said:

1000. ghufran said: the buttom line is, without a transitional period and cessation of violence,or at least a major reduction of violence, that is monitored and guaranteed by the international community no solution to this deadly war is likely any time soon, what many of you fail to understand is that hating Assad and his regime, which is wide spread in Syria now, does not automatically translate to support for rebels, especially islamists.

who suggested or discounted the threat against minorities? certainly they are in a precarious position.

if the US was sincere about stopping the violence, there are a number of things it could have done.

-it would have pushed to put in peacekeepers.*
-it would have offered a guaranteed salary to entice civil servants to step down, allowing the regime to fall.
-it would offered the inner circle amnesty in an effort to get them to leave the country.

none of these things were done! instead the administration has focused mainly on denying rebels from getting needed weapons.

* a former envoy suggested this number of peacekeepers would be needed:

You would need a fairly sizeable peacekeeping force from my own experience of up to 10,000 troops. I had 3,500 in Namibia and 1,500 police officers when we monitored. So that was 5,000. And it was much more peaceful than Syria.

February 25th, 2013, 12:51 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Omen

The West did offer amnesty to the Assads. Assad refused.

Enticing thousands of people to leave with money is an expensive proposition. Also, how are you going to get the money to them?

Peacekeepers are useless if there is no peace to keep.

Don’t take it the wrong way, but I don’t think America or the West can do much about the war unless they spend a lot of money, which they don’t want to do.

February 25th, 2013, 1:00 am

 

omen said:

999. MarigoldRan said:
1. Hafiz never carried out genocide. Nor did start a world war. So don’t compare him to Hitler. Yes, there was Hamas. That was a massacre and an injustice, and ultimately a stupid thing to do. But it was not genocide. So you’re wrong on the Hitler comparison.

2. Hafiz Assad, despite his flaws, was ALSO a better ruler than Saddam. He was as ruthless as Saddam, but he did not have Saddam’s sadistic streak. Also he did NOT start random wars with neighboring countries like Kuwait or Iran. He attacked Israel, but so did Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc. etc.

i didn’t know this either, until recently, so i am not being critical here but you are leaving out the role hafiz played in the destruction of lebanon.

In 1976, the Syrian regime intervened militarily in Lebanon on the side of the Phalanges and Israel. The record is available (from Henry Kissinger’s memoirs to the memoirs of Israel leaders): Syria and Israel reached an understanding in Lebanon.

The understanding was that Syrian troops would enter Lebanon to defeat Israel’s enemies provided that the Syrian troops stay north of the Litani river.

The Syrian troops strictly adhered to the agreement all the way until their humiliating withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005. Never once did Syrian troops dare cross south of the Litani river no matter how brutal and savage Israeli attacks on South Lebanon were. The Syrian regime intervened to smash a promising revolutionary movement that would have changed the map of the Arab East.

plus hafiz’ hamas legacy musn’t be underestimated. it’s the template bashar is following.

February 25th, 2013, 1:25 am

 

omen said:

1013. marigold, france & the uk offered. not the US.

and a one off offer isn’t sufficient. if must be an offer repeatedly made so the other party knows it’s a serious offer.

February 25th, 2013, 1:28 am

 

revenire said:

Hafez al-Assad faced a Muslim Brotherhood insurrection in 1982. He put it down. He did the right thing. Any country facing the same would have acted as he did.

Omen you’re a historically illiterate person.

February 25th, 2013, 1:30 am

 

omen said:

1013 marigold: Don’t take it the wrong way, but I don’t think America or the West can do much about the war unless they spend a lot of money, which they don’t want to do.

it would have been cheaper to topple this regime early on. the cost of a no-fly zone is nothing compared to the billions it is going to cost to house and feed the displaced and refugees.

February 25th, 2013, 1:37 am

 

omen said:

i’m sorry. correction @ 1014.

hafiz’ hama legacy – not hamas.

February 25th, 2013, 1:41 am

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

1003. MARIGOLDRAN

“I don’t think Syria should stay together as one nation”

Exactly! Not to put too fine a point on it, but Syria never was a country. Look at its history. From 1000 BC to now, it has been “free” for maybe fifty years. The rest of the time, it has been property of the Davidic Kingdom, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Caliphs, the Crusaders, the Ottomans, the French and – deep breath – the Alawites. Face it, Syria, you’ve been fucked by every conqueror that ever was.

I say, break it up into ten, twenty, thirty mini-states and appoint a Grand Poobah to run each one. It will be amusing to watch all these “potentates” puff out their chests and act as if they had any real power while the rest of us try to figure out how to clean up the mess left behind by the Assads…

February 25th, 2013, 1:52 am

 

annie said:

Quotation. from “Kafka on the shore”, by Haruki Murakami.

“Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear and loathe. Of course it’s important to know what’s right and what’s wrong. Individual errors in judgment can usually be corrected. As long as you have the courage to admit mistakes, things can be turned around. But intolerant, narrowminds with no imagination are parasites that transform the host, change form and continue to thrive. Thay’re a lost cause, and I don’t want anyone like that coming in here.

I wish I could just laugh off people like that, but I can’t.”

February 25th, 2013, 1:56 am

 

omen said:

johannes, didn’t tara once peg you as being lebanese? is that why you hate syria & syrians so?

February 25th, 2013, 1:58 am

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

Tara thinks she knows more than she actually knows, Omen

February 25th, 2013, 2:06 am

 

Citizen said:

Repeat a lie often enough, and hopefully people will begin to believe it. That is what a concerted effort by Western media houses hopes to achieve as they claim the recent flow of heavy weapons from Western nations and their Arab-Israeli partners is boosting “moderate rebels” and “tilting” the balance of Syria’s conflict against the Syrian government.

The Washington Post in particular, sets the tempo for this coordinated propaganda campaign, claiming in their report, “In Syria, new influx of weapons to rebels tilts the battle against Assad,” that:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/24/290617/usled-west-pouring-arms-into-syria/

A surge of rebel advances in Syria is being fueled at least in part by an influx of heavy weaponry in a renewed effort by outside powers to arm moderates in the Free Syrian Army, according to Arab and rebel officials.

February 25th, 2013, 2:24 am

 
 

omen said:

1011. Sami said: A eulogy written by L’Institut du Monde Arabe for Omar Aziz.

He told me one day “never the Syrians are so loved each other.”

i’ve seen this expressed by expats. even zoo acknowledges the love & compassion syrians have for one another that transcends differing sects. khatib recently noted in a speech that syrians have a “hunger for unity.” may syrians overcome those voices fueling division & prove the cynics and doomsayers wrong.

February 25th, 2013, 2:31 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

at comment

[granted that they deserved it, but still].

Beyond disappointing, really sad to find once more that rationality is a veneer.

February 25th, 2013, 2:44 am

 

Syrialover said:

# 973. MARIGOLDRAN said:

“I don’t agree {that Syrians deserve and want to keep their own identity and homeland]. After all of this is over, I think it is best for everyone to live separately, in their own enclaves.

“BOTH sides have shown an inability to live with one another without blowing each other up. This is not a statement that even you can refute.

RESPONSE

If you had to stand up and properly argue that first statement in public somewhere you’d fizzzle out after 1 sentence. You’d make a terrible fool of yourself.

To Syrians you sound very patronizing, very smug and very, very shallow

But you’ve really let your pants fall down and left your backside bare with that ignorant and insulting second statement.

You declare that the citizens of a country in the grip of a vicious minority clique dictatorshhip sustained only by direct intervention by Iran and Russia have “shown an inability to live with one another without blowing one another up”.

Wow, are you making it up as you go along! Do you know ANYTHING about the Syrian issue other than what you post yourself?

I recommend that you digest what I said in #962.

Your comments are eerily empty of awareness that there are real people involved in real situations in a real place.

February 25th, 2013, 3:09 am

 

Citizen said:

BREAKING: #Syria regime ready to talk with armed opposition – Syrian FM. Details to follow.
@RT_com

February 25th, 2013, 4:10 am

 

Citizen said:

Syria: Ambassador Robert Ford is traveling to Egypt to meet with Syrian Opposition Coalition
We hope that Mr. Ford play a constructive role!
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/02/205128.htm

February 25th, 2013, 4:24 am

 

Citizen said:

مصدر عسكري: الاسطول الروسي سيرابط على اساس دائم في البحر المتوسط بحلول عام 2015
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/608699/
أعلن مصدر في هيئة الاركان الروسي ان السفن الحربية التابعة للاساطيل الحربية الروسية الثلاثة: البحر الاسود والشمالي البلطيق سيرابطون اعتبارا من عام 2015 على اساس دائم ضمن قوام التشكيلات العملياتية في البحر المتوسط.

واوضح المصدر يوم 25 فبراير/شباط “يتم دراسة مسألة انشاء تشكيلة عملياتية جديدة تابعة للاسطول البحري الحربي بحلول عام 2015 تتشكل على اساس سفن من ثلاثة اساطيل.. ونموذج هذه التشكيلة سيكون مجموعة السفن العملياتية الخامسة للاسطول البحري”.

واضاف المصدر ان “التشكيلة الجديدة ستعمل على اساس دائم وستقوم بحل المهمات القتالية المخطط لها والمفاجئة في البحر المتوسط وردع التهديدات لضمان الامن العسكري والوطني الروسي”.

واعاد المصدر للاذهان ان انشطة التشكيلة الجديدة في البحر المتوسط تم تحديدها والعمل عليها خلال التدريبات التي جرت في المنطقة في يناير/كانون الثاني، موضحا ان مجموعة السفن الخامسة خلال قيامها بالمهمات استخدمت قاعدة الدعم الفني المادي في طرطوس بسورية.

وكان وزير الدفاع الروسي سيرغي شايغو اعلن يوم 20 فبراير/شباط خلال جولة تفقدية الى اسطول البحر الاسود ان “الاسطول البحري الحربي الروسي قادر على القيام بمهمات في اي منطقة بالمحيط العالمي مهمة بالنسبة للمصالح الوطنية الروسية، وهذه المنطقة في الوقت الحالي هي البحر المتوسط.. حيث تتركز التهديدات الاكثر خطورة بالنسبة لمصالحنا الوطنية”.

February 25th, 2013, 4:29 am

 

Citizen said:

دعا وزير الخارجية الروسي سيرغي لافروف السلطات السورية الى عدم الانجرار وراء الاستفزازات الصادرة عن مناهضي التسوية السلمية للملف السوري.
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/608705/
وقال لافروف قبيل لقاء نظيره السوري وليد المعلم في موسكو يوم 25 فبراير/شباط ان “عدد المؤيدين لهذا الخط الواقعي (التسوية السلمية) في تزايد.. وهذا ما يشعر به من يريد ان تستمر الحرب الى النصر النهائي، كما يقال، وهم يحاولون خنق النزعات الايجابية في صفوف المعارضة ومنع الخطوات لبدء الحوار”.

وتابع لافروف “في هذه الظروف تزداد الضرورة بالنسبة للقيادة السورية في استمرار تأييد بدء الحوار وعدم السماح للاستفزازات بالتغلب”.

ولفت الوزير الروسي الى ان نصف عام مضى على اخر لقاء له مع وليد المعلم، وان اللقاء جرى قبل اجتماع جنيف في 30 يونيو/حزيران 2012، حيث تم الاتفاق على اعلان جنيف. قائلا “اعتقد انه لدينا حاجة في مزامنة التوقيت والنظر في كيفية دفع مسألة التسوية.. نحن سندعم هذا بكافة الطرق”.

وبحسب تقديره فان الوضع في هذا البلد على مفترق طرق حيث هناك قوى تسعى الى اراقة الدماء، الامر الذي يهدد بانقسام الدولة السورية والمجتمع، بيد ان هناك مؤيديون لحل الازمة عبر الحوار.

February 25th, 2013, 4:32 am

 
 

ALI said:

Visitor:

“ولك كلب جربوع ابن الف شر..طة.
لسه ما عرفتني يا جرو؟
لك انا اللي بدو يجيب آخرتك وآخرة ابو اللي خلفك
فيك وبحافظ وبابو حافظ وبام حافظ وبحسن الجربوع٠
كول خ.. وسد بوزك ونئبر من هون … اختك شو واطي”

وحق الرب و الامام ماني عارفك مين انت لحتى احرق ديارك و قعدك على الدولاب و قعد بيك على الكرسي الماني و لف السنيورة اختك على بساط الريح متل مالف السيكارة مع الكاس

لك يا قرد مبين من حكياتك انت من الشام و الرب بعد مانعبدكو العجل لتقولوا وين ايامك يا تيمورلنك

February 25th, 2013, 4:47 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

“BOTH sides have shown an inability to live with one another without blowing each other up. This is not a statement that even you can refute.”

And you have not refuted it. Instead you launch a hissy fit at the person who made that statement. I call that “shooting the messenger” and NOT a good way of winning an argument. Other than your insults, I don’t see one shred of concrete thought to refute that statement.

As things stand, both sides ARE trying to blow each other up. Once again: why do you believe this is an inaccurate statement?

February 25th, 2013, 4:51 am

 

Citizen said:

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry went to his first foreign tour as head of the U.S. Department of State. In his program, in particular, included a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Trip will last until March 6. Kerry to visit the capital of Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In each of these countries, Secretary of State plans to discuss bilateral and international issues.
We hope that Mr. Kerry play a constructive role in Syrian Q!

February 25th, 2013, 4:54 am

 

ALI said:

Bashar is not going anywhere and if he ever thinks of extending his hands to terrorists then he’ll receive it between his eyes. Anyway he’s the son of Hafez and he’ll fight to the last soul in Syria and we’re all backing him up.

For those misguided ignorant people who think 90% of Alawis with Bashar, rest assured 200% of Alawis are with him. It’s to be or not to be matter for us.

I apologize for using some bad words on this forum but some people used to the special service they used to get in our security branches so they keep itching till somebody gives it to them, and I’m this somebody here.

80% of influential Sunnis are backing us up along with all other minorities and Palestinians, so to hell with the unemployed, uneducated and uncivilized 30% of the rest.

February 25th, 2013, 4:58 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Omen

How do you enforce a no-fly zone with a Russian radar base in Tartous? Have you thought about that?

In order to enforce a no-fly zone, you have to bomb and destroy all of their radars. But bombing the Russian base is a no-no.

And if you don’t bomb the Russian base, the no-fly zone just got a lot more dangerous because the Russians can use their radar installations to transmit locations of incoming NATO airplanes to Syrian SAM sites.

Also, a lot of people were involved in the Lebanese Civil War. The regime played a role, yes, but so did Israel, the Lebanese themselves, the OPEC countries, the Palestinians and the West.

February 25th, 2013, 5:01 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

Sigh. One of the dangers of being relatively moderate is that you get flak from BOTH sides.

Many Alawites believe the Sunnis are out to get them. Similarly many, many Sunnis believe the Alawites are out to get them. Both sides are heavily armed and both believe the country belongs to them. This sounds a lot like Lebanon. Except bigger, and worse.

The regime made a HUGE mis-calculation when it thought that it could cow the original protesters into submission with force. Violence begets violence. Still, now they’re stuck in this position, and they’re fighting for their lives. And based on everything I’ve read from you recently, Syrialover, they may have a point.

If you care about the country, why are you not talking to Ali? For that matter, who besides me IS talking civilly to a regime supporter? Or do you consider him the enemy, and does not deserve talking to?

By the way, this applies to Ali as well. Free speech cuts both ways.

February 25th, 2013, 5:17 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

If I was the Russians, and if I had a naval base in the Levant, I would install a crapload of electronic eavesdropping and radar installations on that base.

Consider its location: it can monitor NATO movements in the Meditarranean. It can overhear electronic messages throughout the Middle East. It can spy on Israel.

Don’t be fooled. The Tartous base has TREMENDOUS electronic intelligence value for the Russians.

And of course the West knows this, which is why they’re averse to establishing a no-fly zone WITHOUT Russian cooperation.

February 25th, 2013, 5:39 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Marigoldran
When you talk about dividing Syria, I feel you mean Alawi state versus the rest of Syria,you don’t mean seperate Durzi state,or seperate christian state,
Do I understand you correctly?

February 25th, 2013, 5:48 am

 

Citizen said:

1038 –
http://youtu.be/xFss9KWcQG8?t=8s
Missile Defence & Counter-Attack:
Russia to Increase Readiness for Dealing with Any Incoming Ballistic Missiles

“Russia will start building new advanced next-generation radar stations later this year”

Russia is able to reliably detect ballistic missile launches and monitor and control all probable directions for a missile attack.

The Russian military tracked about 40 launches of foreign and domestic ballistic missiles and space rockets last year. The new radar stations that have been put into operation as part of the Russian missile attack early warning system enable it to track not only ballistic targets and space objects, but also aerodynamic targets. -Col. Alexei Zolotukhin, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman

The Central Command Post of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) conducted a simulated missile launch on Wednesday in the presence of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Defense Ministry said.

The minister visited the RVSN High Command and oversaw “the fulfillment of a special task, including a simulated missile launch,” the ministry press service said.

He was briefed by RVSN chief Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev on the SMF’s status and prospects for development, as well as the procedure for the organization of combat alert duty.

Russia announced it will no longer rent the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan. The lease, signed in 2002, expired last December. Russia is replacing the Gabala radar station, which has played a crucial role in its missile defense system, with a new system based at Armavir in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory.

The RVSN said earlier in January that the share of contract soldiers will be more than doubled by 2017. Between 2013 and 2017 their number will increase from 25 percent to 60 percent. News TXT -MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti)

February 25th, 2013, 5:54 am

 

Citizen said:

بالتفاوض يمكن الحصول على نتائج
بالعنف يمكن حصد الدمار و المزيد من الدمار
Negotiate results can be obtained
Violence can reap the destruction and more destruction

February 25th, 2013, 6:20 am

 
 

Uzair8 said:

We have to remember it was the regime that unnecessarily drew first blood. In fact not only did it draw first blood, it also drew 2nd blood, 3rd blood, 4th blood, 5th blood….so on and on. The regime is responsible for the violence and destruction.

The syrian people shouldn’t be deprived of their right to self defence or the right to topple their oppressors. If the syrian people decide to forego these rights for the ‘greater good’ then that is their prerogative. We stand behind whatever they decide. Nobody should demand this of them or unfairly apportion blame for the unfolding situation on those that don’t deserve it.

February 25th, 2013, 6:38 am

 

Citizen said:

1043. UZAIR8 النافخ في النار
The syrian people shouldn’t be deprived of their right to self defence or the right to topple their oppressors.

Why delegated yourself to speak on behalf of the Syrians?
Would not be surprised if your comments came from Zionist, who wants to pour more oil on the fire!

February 25th, 2013, 7:26 am

 

Citizen said:

UZAIR8 النافخ في النار
“Hurt them! Hurt them until they do what we say!”
“Yes Massa. Yes Massa. Hurt is on the way, Massa!”

February 25th, 2013, 7:34 am

 

Hanzala said:

Syria says ready to talk with armed opposition

(Reuters) – Syria is ready to hold talks with its armed opponents, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday, in the clearest offer yet of negotiations with rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-syria-crisis-dialogue-idUSBRE91O0BD20130225

hmmm..

February 25th, 2013, 7:38 am

 

Citizen said:

http://www.dw.de/syrian-government-shows-readiness-to-talk-with-rebels/a-16625970
Syria has indicated it is willing to enter dialogue with the armed opposition. The comments were made on the sidelines of talks in Moscow, where officials haved said Syria stands “at a crossroads.”
Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-Moallem said his government was ready to hold talks with the armed opposition, without mentioning any preconditions, such as forcing the rebels to lay down arms first.
“We are ready for dialogue with all who want dialogue, including those who are carrying arms,” al Moallem said going into talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Monday.

February 25th, 2013, 7:41 am

 

SANDRO LOEWE said:

Will Assad diallogue with terrorists? Or will the dictatorship regime diallogue with the armed democratic opposition ?

Assad´s end is now really near. Go Assad go. Go away, right now.

February 25th, 2013, 8:01 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Everyone agrees that a free election is necessary to know what the syrians really want, the question is how can we conduct really free election,and elect who?members of the house of representatives,or the president?the next question is what about the martyrs?what about the prisoners especially who were subjected to torture?what about those who lost their property,and the refugees,what about the women who got raped?

February 25th, 2013, 8:15 am

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN proudly stands by this statement (#1033):

“BOTH sides have shown an inability to live with one another without blowing each other up. This is not a statement that even you can refute.” [and therefore Syria should not exist as a country]

It is not an “incorrect” statement to be refuted. That’s dignifying it.

That statement is shallow and basically meaningless.

It’s also insensitive, racist and ill-informed about the people of Syria and what is happening there.

At best, his comment is the level of a throwaway thing said by someone who knows zero about Syria, commenting while watching a report of Assad’s attacks on the evening news.

Yet he is proud of it.

It’s embarrassing to witness.

And deeply infuriating having this from some young person faraway on a comfortable sofa. Someone with no connection or stake in Syria who’s having fun on this forum, skimming and skipping and making “grave pronouncements”.

NOTE: MARIGOLDRAN in the statement above is finding different ways to express the view he gave us in #427 ” The Syrians did this to themselves. As long as stupid people blame others for their stupidity, they will always remain stupid.”

February 25th, 2013, 8:22 am

 

Syrialover said:

SYRIAN HAMSTER,

Your link in #1025 does not work.

Were you referring to comment #993 by MARIGOLDRAN?

February 25th, 2013, 8:34 am

 

Citizen said:

Dead French Photographer was State Department Funded, Embedded With Al Qaeda
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/dead-french-photographer-was-state.html

February 25th, 2013, 9:11 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

1001. Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Don’t be deceived by AL Nusra endless “Allah Waakbar” flag postings, bearded appearance and attires.

[A]s they did in Iraq before, driving over 200 Chlorine filled truck and somehow managed to always get into the green zone to be blasted there, killing Sunni Moslems, never Americans or any of the 40 nations invaded Iraq. This Al Nusra, did not just popped at of nowhere to become the most military able units on the ground, they are well trained foreign mercenaries that took more than a decade by Alciada/Mossad and other Agencies to assemble, train, equip and make ready.

 
It makes no sense that USA is supporting AQ. Because: AQ is their sworn enemy. You may have noticed that WTC is missing from NYC skyline.

AQ in Iraq was the biggest enemy of the U.S.
because Zarqawi and Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir attacked: U.S. troops, U.S. contractors, U.S. allies #1 (Shia troops), U.S. allies #2 (Awakening Councils), and U.S. allies #3 (Kurd Peshmerga).

What did Iran do? They embraced Nouri al Maliki as an ally.

February 25th, 2013, 9:19 am

 

Citizen said:

http://youtu.be/qM__NJNKx8U?t=18s

Lavrov: We believe in the ability of the Syrians themselves, without any external intervention to solve the problems of their
Expand Reply Retvitnut Liked More

Lavrov: We call for Syria to be an independent, united, and all the groups of the population would live quietly in peace, stability, democracy

Lavrov: To guide Syria increases the need to continue to advocate for opening a dialogue and not allow provocations prevail

Lavrov: Reasonable force more acutely aware of the need an early start to negotiations for a political settlement in Hong

Lavrov: Gaining further bloodshed and escalation of the conflict in the SAR is fraught with the collapse of Syrian government and

Lavrov: Our assessment is that the situation in Syria is now at a crossroads as it
Lavrov: We have with Muallem is the need to “compare notes” to see how to further promote the settlement of SAR

February 25th, 2013, 9:35 am

 

Syrian Atheist Against Dictatorships said:

Mu3alem’s offer came only after the regime heard the SN Coalition’s announcement that they would not go anywhere and would never dialog with members of the murderous regime. In other words, it is an empty offer designed to give the regime an excuse, to say “we have no partner for a political solution” (btw, sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Yes the “no partner for peace” heard further south). This is because they know it would work to their advantage by producing a split among the different groups within the SN Coalition.

February 25th, 2013, 9:39 am

 

revenire said:

“It makes no sense that USA is supporting AQ. Because: AQ is their sworn enemy. You may have noticed that WTC is missing from NYC skyline.”

The United States has been allied with Al-Qaeda since the the early 1980s.

You don’t understand US politics.

February 25th, 2013, 9:45 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

SYRIALOVER
Precisely, I have no idea why the link is not working. SC is now bloated with comments, much of which is junk. But in all cases yes i was referring to comment #993, for which I was very disappointed that someone still find a whole peoples “deserving” of genocide.

February 25th, 2013, 9:53 am

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Given the testosterone oozing threats, I decided to repent. No longer will I speak badly of the eternal-leader

February 25th, 2013, 9:55 am

 

ghufran said:

Mr Moaz made a U-Turn in 3 weeks, that is not good for a potential leader:
أكد رئيس \”الإئتلاف السوري المعارض\” معاذ الخطيب في حديث تلفزيوني أن المعارضة السورية لن تجري اي محادثات مع النظام السوري قبل رحيل الرئيس بشار الاسد.
وأوضح الخطيب في حديث لقناة \”العربية\” أنه \”لا محادثات قبل تنحي الأسد ومحاكمة قادة أمنيين\”.
regardless whether you are with or against the regime, do you think the regime will sit down and talk to you about its own demise?
the only conclusion I got was that Moaz was given promises and new instructions that made him think,or may be forced him to pretend that he is thinking, that “the regime days are numbered”, we have heard this phrase two thousand times since March 2011, we have also seen 90,000 Syrians die while boneheads from both sides refuse to compromise and choose to send more Syrians to die while their kids are either abroad or being shielded from violence in their mansions or remote residence.

February 25th, 2013, 10:12 am

 

Tara said:

11.35am GMT Jabhat al-Nusra: our second front will soon be Damascus
A fighter with al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, has confirmed two suicide attacks by the group in the east of Syria, and says it co-ordinated its attacks with other rebel groups.

Speaking to the Guardian’s Mona Mahmood, Abu Albara said:

Last Wednesday, we were able to launch successful attacks by two suicide martyrs, who drove car bombs into the al-Shadada military compound in Deir Ezzor.

We do not operate alone. We always organise operations with two brigades affiliated with the Free Syrian Army: al-Qadissiyia and Mou’ata. We launched a joint attack against the air defence brigade in Hassaka city three days ago.

The regime has tried to impose a siege on Deir Ezzor province from the outside. Most of the province has been liberated, but not the airport or the headquarters of Brigade 131 nearby. Both sides of the [Euphrates] river from Abu Kamal to Deir Ezzor have been liberated and we have opened the way to Hassaka city.

Battles are still going on in Hawiqqa and Jebela districts as well as the old airport. We have been surrounding the air defence brigade for the last 20 days. Two days ago, 18 troops defected to our side.

Jabhat al-Nusra is gaining great support from the people in Deir Ezzor. We provide locals with their basic daily requirements. We are protecting all the government buildings liberated by rebels.

The regime depends Deir Ezzor for oil production. Now, we are almost in control of all the oil fields including al-Ward, al-Tanak, al-Jafera and al-Shadad.

We are meeting people’s demands for gas in the city, but for the oil we have stopped production. We are still considering what to do with the oil.

Jabhat al-Nusra is the only group in Syria with suicide bombers. Most of the suicide martyrs are Syrians, not foreigners as the media claims. But we do have volunteers from other countries, especially Saudi Arabia. We also have British, Turkish, Americans, Norwegians and Iraqi volunteers as well.

Foreign fighters are distributed all over Syria.

Jabhat al-Nusra and other brigades fighting with us, such as Ahrar al-Sham, Ansar al-Islam, have agreed that you cannot get rid of this regime with dialogue. It can only be forced out.

If [the opposition leader] Moaz al-Khatib sat with the regime to offer concessions even the children of Syria would be against him.

We are not only fighting the regime, we are fighting Iran, Russia, Hezbollah and the Iraqi Mehdi army.

Now we have heavy weapons, we have tanks and ant- aircraft missiles. We are chasing the regime army and inflicting heavy losses. They are losing ground every day.

It is not true that we are hardliners and oppress other religious sects in Syria. We are providing protection to Christian families in Deir Ezzor. In return, they sometimes even provide our fighters with food.

The imposition of Sharia law in Syria is the demand of most of Syrians now. We have nothing against the Christians but we can’t forget what the Alawites committed against the Syrian people who revolted against the regime. There are not many Alawites here but in Homs and Idlib people will not keep silent against the atrocities of the Alawites. When the fight is over, they will take revenge.

Our main goal now is to intensify our attacks against Damascus. But you need a huge force to storm the capital. You can’t liberate Damascus within two or three days. We are sending most of our fighters now to the capital. The eastern suburb of Ghouta is in our control. Our second front will soon be Damascus.

From the Guardian,

February 25th, 2013, 10:22 am

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

1053. Dolly Bustersaid:

1001. Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Don’t be deceived by AL Nusra endless “Allah Waakbar” flag postings, bearded appearance and attires.

[A]s they did in Iraq before, driving over 200 Chlorine filled truck and somehow managed to always get into the green zone to be blasted there, killing Sunni Moslems, never Americans or any of the 40 nations invaded Iraq. This Al Nusra, did not just popped at of nowhere to become the most military able units on the ground, they are well trained foreign mercenaries that took more than a decade by Alciada/Mossad and other Agencies to assemble, train, equip and make ready.

It makes no sense that USA is supporting AQ. Because: AQ is their sworn enemy. You may have noticed that WTC is missing from NYC skyline.

AQ in Iraq was the biggest enemy of the U.S.
because Zarqawi and Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir attacked: U.S. troops, U.S. contractors, U.S. allies #1 (Shia troops), U.S. allies #2 (Awakening Councils), and U.S. allies #3 (Kurd Peshmerga).

What did Iran do? They embraced Nouri al Maliki as an ally.

__________________________________________________________________

Keep the myth in your head. Hope you manage to deceive many. In the end it will make the fall much harder.

February 25th, 2013, 10:25 am

 

revenire said:

Short history lesson: to try to weaken the former USSR the United States fomented Islamic fundamentalism in the southern “belly” of the Soviet Union. This policy led the Russians to invade Afghanistan. The US funded the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Thousand of foreign fighters poured into the country to fight against the “godless communists” and the US financed and trained these fighters. Al-Qaeda was born out of that. The Saudis also funded the project, for different reasons. This was 1979.

The US has been an ally of Al-Qaeda for nearly four decades.

Al-Qaeda was, and is, in many respects a Frankenstein monster creation of the West. We all know the story of the book. The monster turns on its creator.

9/11

Of course, the story is far far more complex, with many nuances. It is the subject of many books and studies.

Today the US uses these mujahideen to try to topple the secular government of Syria just as they used them to topple the Libya government. It is about geopolitics and not about the rights of the people living in these countries. The US doesn’t care about your rights.

If anyone wants to know – those who are not brainwashed (and there are brainwashed terrorist supporters here) – can find proof of what I said from official government sources. They can find this evidence from friendly governments and from not so friendly governments.

All governments in the world know, and agree with, what I have said.

February 25th, 2013, 10:35 am

 

revenire said:

SYRIAN NATIONALIST PARTY people who can’t, or won’t, understand the US alliance with Al-Qaeda are 1.) ignorant 2.) stupid 3.) brainwashed.

Many forget that in Bosnia the US was allied with, and funded, the same Al-Qaeda terrorists against Serbia.

Today some of the most sophisticated weapons in the hands of al-Nusra come from the Balkans. The second area the weapons originate from is Libya.

Just get a map out and look at Libya and the last year’s events in Africa. France had to bomb the rats because they were getting out of hand in Mali.

Think of the Western alliance with Al-Qaeda as keeping rats in the basement. It is okay to have them down there but when they try to come upstairs for some cheese you have to kill them.

Mali.

Al-Qaeda are mercenaries. Jabhat al-Nusra are mercenaries. Sure they are motivated by religion but they are being played on psychologically.

Take a look at this board and people call al-Nusra holy warriors. These people are mentally gone. They don’t exist on the same planet as you and I.

There is nothing Islamic about blowing up civilians with suicide bombers, car bombs, IEDs, etc. When pushed on it they will say “you are right BUT the ‘regime’ is worse” as a way of justifying their murder.

This is what Assad, and most educated Syrians, know. The composition of the FSA that is Syrian comes from the poor, unemployed, illiterate section of the population. They are pretty easy to radicalize and to mobilize using religion. Just watch their videos where they do these stupid chants about killing all Alawites and Christians.

February 25th, 2013, 10:52 am

 

zoo said:

Despite loosing an helicopter, the Syrian army strikes back hard with scores of Al Nusra terrorists been killed.
Daraa where supposedly new weapons are getting in is pounded.
Who says the rebels are winning?

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-rebels-down-chopper-as-regime-raids-towns-ngo-.aspx?pageID=238&nid=41843&NewsCatID=352

In the west of the province, rebels pressed on with attacks on a police academy, taking control of a building where troops were entrenched as warplanes tried to repel back, the Observatory said.

At least 46 combatants — 16 rebels including a battalion commander and 30 troops — were killed over the past 24 hours in the battle for the academy outside the town of Khan Assal, it said.

Elsewhere, the Britain-based Observatory said, warplanes bombarded the southwestern and eastern outskirts of Damascus in an protracted bid to dislodge rebels from their rear bases, killing two people, including a child.

Inside the capital, loyalist troops shelled the eastern opposition stronghold of Jobar as fierce clashes broke out in the southern district of Qadam.

Fighter jets also raided the towns of Dael and Mleiha in the southern province of Daraa,

February 25th, 2013, 11:01 am

 

revenire said:

Crank up the air force President Assad!

BOMB! BOMB! BOMB!

Kill the rats!

No mercy! No prisoners!

February 25th, 2013, 11:14 am

 

apple_mini said:

About the above report from the Britain-based Observatory, how does he always know the SAA’s casualties and he always reports higher casualty on SAA side.

If those numbers had been true according to him, then SAA would have lost the war long time ago.

The real military advantage of the rebels is their number of fighters. They suffer very high casualty to compensate their disadvantage on weapons, experience and plans.

Reports from the Britain-based Observatory really do not make sense.

February 25th, 2013, 11:15 am

 

Visitor said:

I would to start my day by greeting the ‘ethereal’ leader with some ‘poetry’,

Lak yil3an rohak ya hafez.

Another MIG bites the dust – in Aleppo.

And another MIG defects to …. Jordan.

February 25th, 2013, 11:22 am

 

Visitor said:

What is the problem Dr. Landis?

Did the pen dry up?

No more Syria updates?

On vacation?

We are getting nightmares every time we load the page.

Time for something new.

February 25th, 2013, 11:28 am

 

zoo said:

1064 Revenire

I wouldn’t say that Al Qaeda is an ally of the USA.
These people need money, they’ll do anything to get money so that they can attract more fighters in their ranks . They live in the illusion that all paths are good to return to the islamic society of 1000 ago.

They are avaiable for hiring, paid and sent on missions as long as it is to kill “heretics”, atheist, westerners etc…
That’s what the USA did to get rid of the Soviets in Afghanistan they labelled ‘atheists’. Of course the consequences were dramatic for Afghanistan, but for the USA , at that time, Islamists were perceived as less of a threat than the Soviet Union. It is only 9/11 that opened their eyes that the USA and the West could become targets of terrorists attacks emanating from these Islamist groups they funded.
They became more cautious in using them for the dirty tasks but for the USA, the Al Qaeda fighters are still useful to accomplish guerillas tasks as long as they can be contained and eliminated after they did they job.

In Syria that’s the same reasoning that Erdogan, Qatar and the USA had. Let’s use the Al Qaeeda fighters to reach our goal of removing a regime that we don’t like. Then, as we are smarter, we will crush them.
Erdogan saw also a good opportunity to weaken the PKK in Syria.

They are now realizing that Al Qaeeda was so successful in Syria that it could soon threaten Israel and other regional allies.

So the alarm rang. The priority have changed. They are not keen anymore of a immediate regime change, they are now scrambling to find a way to fight al Qaeda’s expansion in Syria before it establishes itself in the whole country and threaten Israel and the region.

As they do not want to involve their own troops, they must make use of the Syrian army and the ‘moderate’ rebels to do that job.

One choice they are examining is the possibility of re-enforcing militarily the ‘moderates’ at the condition that they not only do not cooperate with Al Nusra’s fighters but turn against them.
In my view this is an illusion. Al Nusra is organically linked to the FSA and the chance the FSA will fight against al Nusra is very small.
The other choice is to find a way where the Syrian army be legitimized by a new government and therefore could be joined by the ‘moderate’ FSA fighters to put order in the country and destroy Al Qaeda.
Would the army commanders accept to be ruled by someone else that Bashar Al Assad? If not then keeping the army intact entails keeping Bashar al Assad in power.

That’s the dilemma the West is struggling with.
Time is pressing.

February 25th, 2013, 11:39 am

 

zoo said:

As expected, seduced by Kerry’s soft voice, the NC changes its mind.

Syrian opposition drops boycott of talks with John Kerry and William Hague

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/25/syrian-opposition-drops-boycott-kerry

National Coalition will attend talks in Rome with western backers after promises of increased support
….
The move came after Kerry, the US secretary of state, phoned Khatib urging him to attend.

Kerry, in London on his first foreign trip since becoming secretary of state, said he was sensitive to the frustration of the Syrian opposition, but promised new American support for the National Coalition would “come to maturity by the time we meet in Rome”. Other US measures would be discussed in the Italian capital if the opposition took part in the Friends of Syria meeting, he said.

Kerry insisted US policy remained the pursuit of a political resolution, suggesting that direct military aid was not on the immediate agenda, but he added: “We are determined that the Syrian opposition is not going to be dangling in the wind, wondering where the support is, if it is coming.”

Khatib said: “We will reconsider the decision on the boycott in light of the strong message of support we and Syrian people got over the weekend.”

February 25th, 2013, 11:51 am

 

revenire said:

Well I can agree with much of that but they are certainly allied in Syria against the government. They were allied in Afghanistan against the USSR.

Perhaps it is semantics.

Not only is the US allied with Al-Qaeda but also with the Muslim Brotherhood. The idea, as many have written about, is to foment sectarian warfare to divide the region into small satrapies with no strong central governments i.e. to Balkanize it. The idea is to crush the Syria-Iran-Hezbollah alliance and replace it with a “Sunni” one of so-called moderates. Israel supports this policy 100% and is licking her lips watching Syria, and her allies, being destroyed.

I don’t buy the “moderate” stores from the press stories about the new heavy weapons being given to “moderate” forces in the FSA. There are no moderate forces in the FSA. All work directly with al-Nusra – even if they turn on each other and kill each other for stolen loot. Mercenaries always do this. The press claims that Western governments are seeking to arm moderates to offset al-Nusra. This is a lie. There is zero discrimination as to where the weapons end up.

February 25th, 2013, 11:55 am

 

Ziad said:

The Quotable Sharmine Narwani

February 25th, 2013, 11:56 am

 

Tara said:

Bravo!

It is good. All good. Alkhatib is playing it right. The national coalition should go to Rome after all the conciliatory efforts by the US.

Regime supporters, please go sulk

February 25th, 2013, 12:00 pm

 

zoo said:

Weapons been smuggled into Turkey? Strange…
Are the FSA or Al Nusra fighters retreating to Turkey?
Are the PKK fighters replenishing their stock in Turkey?

Ammunition seized in two cars on Syria border

GAZİANTEP – Doğan News Agency

Turkish authorities have seized weapons and ammunitions from two vehicles crossing from Syria into Turkey at the Akçakale border gate in the southern province of Şanlıurfa.

Two cars with Syrian plates underwent extensive searches after raising the suspicions of custom officials. Officers found 120 air rifles, 50 blank firing guns, 60,000 fireworks, 14,300 shotgun shells, 4,500 blank firing guns bullets, 107 rifle binoculars and 280 kilograms of bird’s eye. The suspects were taken into custody and officials have launched an investigation into the incident.

February 25th, 2013, 12:04 pm

 

apple_mini said:

What a farce from the opposition and its foreign backers!

So the opposition complained the west had been ignoring their suffering and been soft on the regime. They demanded the west to condemn Scud attack which happened the day before the terrorist attack in Damascus. The opposition decided to boycott meeting with its sponsors.

Meanwhile, US blocked the move from UNSC to condemn the terrorist attack in Damascus. Also US was sending in his new secretary to ME to discuss Syria and other issues. It is Kerry’s maiden visit as the head.

Wow, that could have been a big problem for US without seeing the opposition delegates. So US government improvised a late condemnation on the Scud attack. Apparently, every parents wants to pamper their only spoiled child. Otherwise, they have no child left.

The spoiled child has to play along and behave at some stage. After all, the spoiled child got to have someone feed him and do other things for him.

Gee, I was hoping to see the opposition to keep up their resolve and stick to its boycott to win some of my respects. At least I would have thought they did mean it and they did do it for what they strongly believed in. Too bad…

February 25th, 2013, 12:17 pm

 

zoo said:

How to Save Syria From al Qaeda
by Leslie H. Gelb Feb 24, 2013 5:45 AM EST

The aim now in Syria can’t be just to help the rebels and get rid of Assad; it must be to prevent al Qaeda’s extremist cohorts from grabbing power.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/24/how-to-save-syria-from-al-qaeda.html

The real dangers in Syria today come less from Assad, or even Iran, and much more from increasingly potent Sunni extremist fighters. If the “rebels” win, as matters now stand, jihadis likely would be the real victors. They’d swiftly create a terrorist state to menace Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. U.S. strategy must be constructed to blunt that nightmare.

Stopping jihadis from taking over Syria could represent the only common goal between Syria’s ruling Alawites and the secular Sunni rebels. Shiite-related Alawites rightly fear an al Qaeda–like triumph in Syria as the worst possible outcome. There can be no doubt in their minds that Sunni extremists would make the mass killing of Alawites their No. 1 priority. The secular leaders of the Syrian rebels, clustered in the exile group known as the Syrian National Council, also must worry about the extremist threat they themselves would face if the Assad government fell now. Remember, most Syrian Sunnis don’t have a history of religious radicalism. They don’t want rule by Sharia any more than the Alawites do.

The only strategy that stands a chance—and not even necessarily a very good one—is for the United States, the post-Assad Alawites, and the secular Syrian Sunnis to focus relentlessly on the common goal: stopping the victory of Islamic extremists.

February 25th, 2013, 12:29 pm

 

syrian said:

@1075
“Meanwhile, US blocked the move from UNSC to condemn the terrorist attack in Damascus….”
Lies lies nothing but lies from the new regime propagandist.
THE US did not block it , It asked Russia it add one more sentence of also condemning the Scuds on Aleppo but russia refused

February 25th, 2013, 1:52 pm

 

zoo said:

The rebels are getting close to Israel.

‘Assad’s army has fled entire area bordering Israel’

Rebels now control the whole Syrian side of the Golan, activist tells Times of Israel; fighters refrain from taking Quneitra crossing for fear of political ramifications

By Elhanan Miller February 25, 2013, 8:05 pm 0
http://www.timesofisrael.com/rebels-claim-to-control-syrian-side-of-israel-border/

The Syrian villages along the border with Israel have been taken over by anti-Assad rebels, and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have fled, an activist on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights told The Times of Israel on Monday.

The Quneitra border crossing is still being held by the Syrian regime, he added, but only because the rebels prefer not to take control if it, given the political sensitivities of such a move.

February 25th, 2013, 1:53 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

SYRIAN
Truth and honest reporting are meaningless to regime propagandists. Just check the “Dismantle-them Sharmine Narwani” rant. News is what these characters make up as they go.

And to be on the safe side,
يا بشار طز فيك
وطز بيلي بيحييك

February 25th, 2013, 2:00 pm

 

zoo said:

Interview with Monzer Makhous, Syrian National Coalition’s ambassador to France
8 February 2013
As fighting intensifies near Bashar al-Assad’s seat of power in Damascus, Monzer Makhous, the Syrian National Coalition’s ambassador to France, tells Douglas Herbert why he sees no end in sight to the violence. They also discuss the authority the coalition has over fighters on the ground and how the rebels get arms.

http://www.france24.com/en/20130207-interview-monzer-makhous-syrian-national-coalition-ambassador-france-civil-war-rebels-bashar-al-assad

February 25th, 2013, 2:11 pm

 

revenire said:

Israel has nothing to fear from the terrorists – nothing at all. Israel has zero concerns at the FSA’s ‘closeness’ in the Golan.

Per the Jerusalem Post Israel is helping arm the terrorists:

‘Israel monitors weapons transfers to Syrian rebels’

“Israel is closely monitoring the transfer of certain kinds of weapons to Syrian rebel groups, as the downfall of President Bashar Assad’s regime draws closer, Israeli military officials told US-based McClatchy News Agency.

“‘Israel isn’t going to interfere and stop weapons shipments to the rebels at this point, but it wants to make sure it knows what they have,’ one official reportedly said.”

February 25th, 2013, 2:13 pm

 

Visitor said:

@1075
“Meanwhile, US blocked the move from UNSC to condemn the terrorist attack in Damascus….”

why are regime supporters complaining? You should thank the US.

The US did a favor to the criminal regime as usual. Not blocking the move means condemning the regime, because everyone knows that the regime was behind the bombing. That is why the US blocked the move. The US has been helping the regime since day one.

February 25th, 2013, 2:18 pm

 

Citizen said:

Do not U.S. administration have a dignity? it is a shock!!!!
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/02/24/us-tries-to-keep-syrian-rebels-from-boycotting-rome-conference/
US Tries to Keep Syrian Rebels From Boycotting Rome Conference
Rebel Leadership Spurns US, Russian Offers for Talks
by Jason Ditz, February 24, 2013

Despite claiming unity, the rebel Syrian National Coalition (SNC) seems more divided than ever, to the extent that the high profile Rome Conference, aimed at convincing Western nations to supply them with more funding and arms, may not even happen.

Well, it will happen, but most of the SNC may not be in attendance with several groups threatening to boycott the meeting, both as a function of internal divisions and tensions with the international community.

US officials are desperately trying to talk everyone into attending, warning this may be the only chance at convincing the West into short-term policy shifts toward Syria, with open talk of stepping up direct armament of the rebels.

Long-term anger at not getting armed seems to be fraying rebel patience however, with reports that they have recently spurned both US and Russian talks, citing “shameful” silence over the fighting in Aleppo.

February 25th, 2013, 2:23 pm

 

zoo said:

1077 Apple-mini

The opposition is a state of disarray, they are divided, they can’t control the events and they keep making empty statements and promises. I wonder how anyone in the West can have any trust in them.

On 21th January they announced they will have a ‘transitional governement within “10 days”. Where is it?

Syrian opposition fails to form transitional government
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/21/us-syria-crisis-opposition-idUSBRE90J0EW20130121

Now they announce that there will be a mini-transitional government on Northern Syria on 3rd of March

Obviously it is an erratic and unreliable group of people that have no chance to win anything. Conferences and training in Germany, the UK and the USA will not change them. They are intrinsically hopeless.
Kerry is hoping for a miracle..

February 25th, 2013, 2:26 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1056. revenire said:

The United States has been allied with Al-Qaeda since the the early 1980s.

 
But OBL declared war around 1998.
Then a bitter war ensued for about a decade.

The Christians launched drones, Zarqawi cut people’s heads off etc.

After such bad interactions, only weird people can speak of USA-AQ alliance.

February 25th, 2013, 2:27 pm

 

zoo said:

Revenire

Maybe you are right. The Islamist rebels on Israel borders may actually protect Israel if they are well paid.

February 25th, 2013, 2:30 pm

 

Visitor said:

The so-called SNC would be stupid to participate in the so-called Rome FOS meeting. After the Lebanese supporters of the revolution succeeded in blocking diesel trucks deliveries to Syria from Lebanon, Italy stepped in to deliver the diesel from Lebanon to Bashar’s hands through the sea.

With friends like these who needs enemies?

February 25th, 2013, 2:35 pm

 

Citizen said:

Salafis against Salafis
“There is no jihad in Jordan, no plans to jihad in Jordan and any statements of actions in neighboring states – no more than a Zionist propaganda.”

Mutations jihadist groups in Syria are at breathtaking speed. Even yesterday, Dzhabhat en Nusra seemed the embodiment of the apocalyptic radical Islam. Today there are groups, in comparison with which this process is “Al-Qaeda” is the embodiment of sobriety.

Foreign fighters, fighting in Syria, demanding, “Expand” the zone of operations, and to take the war in neighboring countries – Jordan, Turkey, Israel / Palestine and Iraq.

Such intentions directly contradict the stated position and intentions of the largest Salafi Alliance Syria – Dzhabhat Al-Nusra. The leaders of this terrorist organization declared the need to focus solely on the war against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. One of the coordinators Dzhabhat Al-Nusra, Mohammed Abu Suleiman said: “Among the leaders of the movement are worried that these foreign fighters brought the foreign’s Agenda. We do not want foreign groups have taken control of our war for the liberation of the Muslim nation of godless Assad regime. ”

Jihadist sources in Syria notify us of dissent among the Salafis. About 400 veteran jihadists in Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Jordan need to extend the war in the neighboring state, which the Syrian Salafis do not wish.

Ahmad al-Halabi, Action Dzhabhat en Nusra, said: “The relations between the Syrian and foreign jihadists cannot be considered confidential. Any threat against neighboring states lead to the depletion of our resources and a propaganda victory over the revolution mode, but foreigners do not care. ”

External manifestation of the split was the statement of one of the Salafi groups Aleppo Dzhabhat al-Haq. She declared a “holy war”, which should cover the entire territory of North Africa and the Middle East. Dzhabhat en Nusra hurried to make a counter-statement, which states that its mission “is strictly limited to the liberation of Syria.”

Jordanian jihadists, the most numerous of the number of foreign fighters in Syria, also rushed to distance themselves from Dzhabhat al-Haq. Abu Sayef representative Jordanian Salafis in Syria, said: “We support the Jordanian men, representatives of all Muslim nations seeking to fulfill their duty to liberate Syria from the godless Assad regime. No jihad in Jordan, no plans to jihad in Jordan and any statements of actions in neighboring states – no more than a Syrian-Zionist propaganda. ”

“Moderation” Dzhabhat en Nusra in this matter no one should be fooled. Jordanian battalion commander Dzhabhat en Nusra says: “No plans for regional jihad, and will not debate the regional jihad – as long as we do not witness the end of Assad. But with each new day of bloodshed we are moving in that direction. “

February 25th, 2013, 2:41 pm

 

annie said:

http://youtu.be/5y7JSrRHd9M

Syrian Diaries:Women of the Uprising.

February 25th, 2013, 2:41 pm

 

apple_mini said:

Too bad. Killing civilians in a war zone is called collateral damage by US and its allies.

Civilian casualties by SAA is called massacre.

If the regime provides a list of some of those rebel fighters got killed during the Scud bombing in Aleppo, will the regime be exempted from condemnation just like US and its allies got?

As a matter of fact, there have been many events that US targeted civilians exclusively by bad intel. Well, guess that was still an ok.

If you guys cannot present a solid reasoning to support your claims or accusation, then save it.

February 25th, 2013, 2:41 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1056. revenire said:

The United States has been allied with Al-Qaeda since the the early 1980s.

  
But OВL declared war around 1998.
Then a bitter war ensued for about a decade.

The Christians launched drones, Zarqawi cut people’s heads off etc.

After such bad interactions, only weird people can speak of USA-AQ alliance.
 

February 25th, 2013, 2:48 pm

 

Citizen said:

Russia not to support humanitarian aid to Syria via third countries
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/660304.html
GENEVA, February 25 (Itar-Tass) – Russia will not support the provision of humanitarian aid to Syria via third countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.
“We do not support such a position. Any humanitarian aid that is provided or will be provided to Syria should be delivered with the consent of the legitimate Syrian authorities and the government of the country,” Gatilov said in an in exclusive interview with Itar-Tass on Monday, February 25.
He believes that “the proposal of cross-border humanitarian supplies from the other side bypassing the consent and position of the Syrian government will be a violation of this country’s sovereignty.”
“Moreover, humanitarian aid is also being provided by U.S. special agencies and organisations, the International Community of the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies. According to humanitarian representatives, this is an adequate response to the situation and they are satisfied by how the Syrian government cooperates with them,” Gatilov said.
However the U.N. and the ICRC continue to provide inside the country since Damascus would not agree to cross-border supplies.

February 25th, 2013, 2:50 pm

 

Citizen said:

Turkish police disperse pro-Syria demo in Hatay
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/turkey/2123194.html
Clashes have broken out between Turkish police and supporters of the Syrian government in Turkey’s southern province of Hatay.
Police on Saturday used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the demonstrators who were calling for an end to Ankara’s interference in the internal affairs of Syria.
The demonstrators also protested against the presence of US forces in Turkey.
Over the past few months, Turkey has also been witnessing demonstrations against the deployment of NATO’s Patriot missiles and the presence of foreign troops in the country.
Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States have each deployed two missile batteries along Turkey’s border with Syria.
The missile systems became operational about a month ago. Ankara says the deployment is necessary to counter ‘threats’ from Syria. However, Damascus has called the move ‘provocative.’
On February 15, the Syrian government sent a letter to the United Nations, censuring Turkey’s ‘destructive’ role in the turmoil that Syria has been experiencing for nearly two years.

February 25th, 2013, 2:52 pm

 

Syrialover said:

Hafez Assad’s place in history explained:

https://twitter.com/emmasuleiman/status/306096256978124800/photo/1

The perfect thing for use in official backgrounding documents and school history texts when Syria gets a legitimate government.

Keep on file also this link provided by SYRIAN HAMSTER above:

https://twitter.com/emmasuleiman/status/306096256978124800/photo/1 https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/734553_488495051187873_2031501611_n.jpg

February 25th, 2013, 2:56 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1090. apple_mini said:

If you guys cannot present a solid reasoning to support your claims or accusation, then save it.

 
The Shiites have a vicious hatred for people of Sunnah, so they target and torture them.

There are many YouTube videos of their atrocities. They make it clear their motivation is religious.

In fact, it sounds unbelievable that such savage animals exist. So I too refused to believe the stories about Alawites, until this war started when I saw for myself. 

February 25th, 2013, 3:00 pm

 

Citizen said:

Battalions Split From Command For Failing to Pay Fighters
Armed Terrorist groups have announced the new so -called “joint military Command” of Terrorists in Damascus and its countryside, stating they had split from the former Command after he evaded paying fighters, in addition to the failure of promises for Military support, demanding the leadership’s accountability that had been especially negligent, and that they wanted to return to the “right path”, with the dissident Battalions including ” Sa’ad bin abi Waqas”, “Martyrs of Ghouta”, “Ja’afar Al-Tayar”, “Nasour Al-Sham” and “Rabi’ Al-Aslam.

Real “Revolutionists” are not paid a monthly salary, that would make them Paid Merceneries…JA

– The above information were posted by real Syrian activists from Syria & around the world, not by western intelligent post offices duped activists.
http://syria-updates.blogspot.com/2013/02/battalions-split-from-command-for.html

February 25th, 2013, 3:09 pm

 

revenire said:

Obama allied with Al-Qaeda in Libya and Syria against the governments of those countries. In Libya they succeeded with NATO help and only with NATO help. In Syria without NATO help in the form of bombing the SAA they won’t succeed no matter what they send to the rats in the form of munitions.

Later the US admitted the people it helped, in the form of giving them weapons, were Al-Qaeda. That is called an alliance for the illiterates here.

As far as Alawites hating Sunnis – this is ridiculous. Any honest Syrian here can tell you the multiconfessional nature of Syria is something that makes Syria precious.

As Tara said she comes from a family that intermarried, as did Bashar and Asma and millions of other Syrians.

YouTube is a propaganda machine for the rats.

February 25th, 2013, 3:11 pm

 

revenire said:

As a matter of fact, the US alliance with Islamic fundamentalism (Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda etfc) goes back to at least the 1950s. The United States viewed them as allies for two reasons:

1.) they were anti-communists

2.) they opposed secular nationalists such as Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and Iran’s Mohammed Mossadegh

This was a change from the policies of say a US president like FDR who wanted to develop the Middle East after aiding them in freeing themselves from British and French colonialism.

This was a mistake in US policy and cast the US in the same light at the British Empire – a colonial enforcer.

All the rats in Syria are is mercenaries for NATO (i.e. the West) that are being used by the West to try to change the situation in the region. The moment they get out of hand the US and Israel will kill every single one of them, as they are in Mali.

February 25th, 2013, 3:17 pm

 

apple_mini said:

Another huge suicide explosion in Damascus targeting a checkpoint. Certainly many civilian deaths.

Those car bombings are getting more deadly and indiscriminate. I am pretty sure those guards at all checkpoints are scared now.

The consequences are they might start random shooting on suspicious motorists out of panic more often and that will cause more innocent civilian deaths.

The question is whether those army men to be blamed for future tragedy.

February 25th, 2013, 3:38 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Most likely rumors and part of the Lebanese own war of deception
Nus-lira was transported to Iran for medical reasons.

Serious question
If true, anyone thinks that they will use Iran’s “peaceful” nuclear program to cure him?

Bids accepted at the HQ of the communist party of Russia. Before bidding, you may want to chant يلعن روحك يا حافر known to bring good luck, unless you are an officer in batta’s army or intelligence agencies (oxymoron noted)

February 25th, 2013, 4:01 pm

 

AIG said:

Some questions for the regime idiots:

1) If Assad is winning in Syria, why should the West be worried about the Isalmists?

2) Isn’t Assad the person most in bed with Islamists? He supported Hamas and Hezbollah. He is a servant of the Iranian ayatollahs.

3) If the US is so bad, why don’t the regime supporters in the US and the West in general move to Tehran? Or Moscow?

4) Why isn’t Assad firing anything at Israel? Why isn’t he asking Hezbollah to do so?

5) Are you and Assad enemies of the US? We would like a clear answer.

February 25th, 2013, 4:02 pm

 

Visitor said:

It is obvious now that the regime has resorted to terrorism because it feels it is about to lose Damascus.

This is the second regime terror attack in less than a week. We all expected the Damascus battle to be bloody. But the regime wants to make it as bloody as it can get, because this is a bloody regime.

When the regime is defeated it should be made to pay for every drop of blood it spilled. The revolution must prepare guillotines for the regime henchmen in order to exact accountability for these crimes. Bashar and Athma must be executed by the guillotine.

February 25th, 2013, 4:07 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor

When you say regime, you must put your hand on your head. Soon enough we’ll drag you back to where you belong behind bars in the “Zoo” ya Qerd.

February 25th, 2013, 4:21 pm

 

ALI said:

SYRIAN HAMSTER:

“Given the testosterone oozing threats, I decided to repent. No longer will I speak badly of the eternal-leader ”

Thanks for that and I’ll try to forgive you.

Would you like to start a dialog between us?

February 25th, 2013, 4:26 pm

 

Visitor said:

Ali,

Roh tilhas tizi lak dog inta whaik nizam
Yil3an rohak ya hafiz ya ibn alkalb.
Yil3an rohak ya abou hafez ya abou alkalb.
Yila3an rohik ya oum hafez ya oum alkalb.
Yil3an rohak ya hassan aljarbou ya ibn alkalb.

Roh wla kalb jarou.

February 25th, 2013, 4:28 pm

 

ALI said:

Mabrouk the revolution has succeeded and the passports to be renewed. So what now? will you stop your terror?

“ام بشار الاسد بتوجيه وزارة الداخلية بالاستجابة لطلب الشيخ معاذ الخطيب القاضي بمنح السوريين خارج سورية جوازات سفر عند انتهاء صلاحية الجوازات التي معهم ,وفعلاً قام الوزير باصدار القرار 530/ق تاريخ 23-2-2013 وتقضي مادته الاولى :
يمدد العمل بجوازات السفر الصادرة بالمدة الكاملة من ست سنوات الى عشر سنوات ولمرة واحدة فقط اعتبارا من 1-1-2013 .
وفي مادته الثانية (تقوم ادارة الهجرة والجوازات وفروعها في المحافظات بتمديد جوازات ووثائق السفر المنتهية للمواطنين السوريين ومن في حكمهم المقيمين خارج القطر لمدة سنتين بغض النظر عن الاسباب التي كانت تحول دون ذلك وعن الموافقات المطلوبة للحصول عليها واعادتها للبعثة المختصة خلال اسبوع من تاريخ وصول الاستمارة الى مركز الاصدار وفق القرار رقم 615/ق تاريخ 7-4-2005)
وقد قامت وزارة الخارجية اليوم 25 شباط / فبراير عبر مدير الادارة القنصلية فيها باصدار التعميم رقم 17 الذي يرسل قرار وزير الداخلية لكل البعثات والسفارات السورية للعمل بمضمونه”

February 25th, 2013, 4:30 pm

 

Visitor said:

Yeah Hamster, the dog invited you for a chat. Go ahead and talk to the dog if you like canine -chat and are immune from contamination. I have to stay at least 40 yards away from this filth to avoid contamination.

February 25th, 2013, 4:42 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

Only 144,000 will survive the final solution and will be transported to scew up yet another wonderful planet. Read the bible:

REVELATION 21:1

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

REPENT, and seek the Lord Jesus and his messege of love and hope now.

STOP SERVING BAPHOMET.

February 25th, 2013, 4:43 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor

الكلام من صفات المتكلم

Ya3ni halaq init cursed your dad, mother, grandfather and top of that your 3ar3or

Don’t try to come back with more insults because I’m using a mirror to reflect them back at and your family

February 25th, 2013, 4:44 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Text in green with a line under it is a link.

February 25th, 2013, 4:47 pm

 

ALI said:

Aldendeshe

“REPENT, and seek the Lord Jesus and his messege of love and hope now”

Syrians don’t need your Jesus because we have Hafez

February 25th, 2013, 4:50 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

1108, Changed medication?…. again?….

February 25th, 2013, 4:51 pm

 

Visitor said:

Ali,

Lak in3ibir ya 7hmar ya ja7hsh. Rouh taeallam alhaki ba3deen look 3almraya rah tchouf khyalek mitl alhmar with four ears.

Tilhas tizi kamen inta w Hafez w Bashar w Athma w Anitheh w Hassan w lkbeer feekon.

Al mraya al. chouf alhaywana la7hed wein.

qahqahqahqah: Qaqi ya abou al-Qaq. Lajeeb khabarak w khabar al-Qurda7hieh li 3ashaklak ya abou 4 ears . Walla lissah Al-3Ar3our rah yifrmak kibbeh nayyeh.

February 25th, 2013, 5:00 pm

 

Tara said:

Baphomet ?

Baphomet who?

February 25th, 2013, 5:01 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

VISITOR

Have you not noticed?

Just read this in @1112

Syrians don’t need your Jesus because we have Hafez

Ali just declared Hafizizm a religion, and with that it became legally protected in many countries with anti-religious defamation laws, including i may say, Egypt. Brilliant, brilliant…. I am speechless. You should be too. All of us, except BAPHOMET should be speechless.

February 25th, 2013, 5:02 pm

 

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Looks like Landis abandoned his blog for the mentally insane, some raises Baphomet six points star and some raises Hafez from the dead.

February 25th, 2013, 5:03 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

What a bunch of fucking losers, Bashar and the Ayatollah included. I am enjoying ye’all anguish and suffering. Go languish in your misrable failures, all of you.

February 25th, 2013, 5:06 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

TARA
Baphomet :The Beast, an earlier form of severe Islamophobia, presenting the mythic Satan-beast as a variation of the name “Mehmet”. 1108 is using it to incite hateful response, (i.e., attention) which tells me he is going through a low-cycle time in his bipolar (or perhaps multi-polar) disorder. I am really concerned for him and feel sad for his family.

February 25th, 2013, 5:13 pm

 

Citizen said:

Russia Warning in St Petersburg against interference in third-party global conflicts, Medvedev said: “At some moment such actions, which undermine sovereignty Syria, Iran, North Korea, can end with a full-fledged regional war, or even, and I don’t want to scare anybody, the use of nuclear weapons
NATO Missile Defense Forcing Russia To Take Countermeasures
February 2013 The lack of agreement on missile defense may negatively affect Russia-NATO cooperation in other areas, too, because Russian relations to the Western alliance rely on strategic stability, Russian Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko said in Brussels yesterday. As reported on Voice of Russia radio this morning, Grushko warned that if the nuclear balance is upset by the realization of NATO-supported U.S. plans for a stage-by-stage deployment of a missile defense system, this would strongly affect the entire range of cooperation in the framework of the Russia-NATO Council.

Russia”s probable retaliation measures to the missile defense system also were on the agenda of talks which Speaker of the State Duma Sergey Naryshkin had with French members of parliament in Paris Naryshkin stressed that Russia needs “guarantees backed by objective technical parameters that this system will not be targeted against Russia…. When someone tells us in words that this system is not targeted against Russia but refuses to sign a legally binding agreement in deeds, this certainly raises doubts in us,” he said, insisting that security should be equal for all countries and indivisible. Naryshkin warned that Moscow “cannot twiddle its thumbs while its U.S. partners make decisions on deploying missile defense elements in Europe and putting them into practice…. But this is surely not our choice.” Naryshkin said Russia will have to take measures in response to the missile defense system’s deployment.
http://youtu.be/0G4EDsuoUSI?t=53s

February 25th, 2013, 5:16 pm

 

Visitor said:

“Syrians don’t need your Jesus because we have Hafez”

lak 7hmar. you speak of urud of urd-land (urdaha) 7hameer like you. You do not speak for Syrians.

Shut your f*****g big braying dirty filthy mouth.

Yil3an koul wa7hed 3a shiklak.

February 25th, 2013, 5:22 pm

 

Tara said:

Hamster,

I think 1108 has schizophrenia.

But he kicked his mother out when he was sane. I do not like him for what he did to his mom.

February 25th, 2013, 5:23 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor

It seems you’re quite sexually frustrated, poor kiddo I thought “7ra2er elthawra” were doing good job

February 25th, 2013, 5:25 pm

 

Aldendeshe said:

Even if your god Yahwe/Elohim/Allah beg me on all his four,shake his horns and wag his red lizardy tail, I will spit in his face and refuse. We await the promises of the Christian Bible of inhereting this planet after you retards wipped out.

February 25th, 2013, 5:28 pm

 

Citizen said:

Syria: Kerry Does More Of The Same

When John Kerry on February 13 said this:
“We need to address the question of President Assad’s calculation currently. I believe there are additional things that can be done to change his current perception”
He likely thought of this:
A surge of rebel advances in Syria is being fueled at least in part by an influx of heavy weaponry in a renewed effort by outside powers to arm moderates in the Free Syrian Army, according to Arab and rebel officials.
The new armaments, including anti-tank weapons and recoilless rifles, have been sent across the Jordanian border into the province of Daraa in recent weeks to counter the growing influence of Islamist extremist groups in the north of Syria by boosting more moderate groups fighting in the south, the officials say.

There are U.S. special forces on the Jordan boarder with Syria. They will likely have trained the insurgents on their new weapons. Israel is kept informed of these weapon transfers and will have a veto about what gets delivered.
The hope is that these weapons will not fall into the hands of the Nusra front and other Jihadi groups. But unless U.S. and other special forces are on the ground closely working with the insurgents that is still bound to happen. A helicopter shot down near Aleppo today and earlier videos showed the first complete SA-24 anti-air systems in the hand of some northern group. While Turkey makes of show of capturing some ammunition on its border with Syria the new stuff is still coming through and will easily fall into the hands of people who hate not only the Syrian government but also the “west”.

The further weaponization of the conflict is the typical U.S. policy of more of the same. If something does not work, like sanctions on Iran or creating local “police” gangs in Afghanistan, repeat it again and again until everything fails.

There are foreign Jihadis from some 20 countries in Syria and they will not go away should the Assad government fall. The only way to get rid of them and to prevent another failed state is to help Assad to win the fight over them.

But such reasonable thought is not allowed in Washington DC. Instead we get the same stupid ideas of some corridor repeated in this or that form or unimaginative hand-wringing.

The Syrian government is ready to negotiate with anyone involved, even the armed groups. But those militants, freshly motivated by the new weapons, do not want to negotiate. The U.S. created exile opposition is childishly boycotting a conference with its supporters while demanding ever more money that it will then be unable to deliver to where it matters.

The new weapon delivery will not, as Kerry believes, change the Syrian government’s “current perception”. It will only reinforce it: Syria is under an external attack, it needs to fight back with all that it has and with the majority support we still have we will be able to win. The carnage will thereby continue until some outer circumstances change or sanity arrives in DC. As Washington is incapable of learning, the first is more likely to happen.
http://www.moonofalabama.org/

February 25th, 2013, 5:29 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor (حفيد تيمورلنك)

وحق الرب و الامام ماني عارفك مين انت لحتى احرق ديارك و قعدك على الدولاب و قعد بيك على الكرسي الماني و لف السنيورة اختك على بساط الريح متل مالف السيكارة مع الكاس

لك يا قرد مبين من حكياتك انت من الشام و الرب بعد مانعبدكو العجل لتقولوا وين ايامك يا تيمورلنك

February 25th, 2013, 5:36 pm

 

Citizen said:

Actually the situation in Syria works out nicely for Russia. For multiple reasons and quite funnily in the game that is considered their game by the usa. The “west” is loosing credibility and sympathy by the day. All Lawrow has to do (publicly) is to insist, insist, insist on playing along international rules and to remind what ignoring the international rules and replacing them by arbitrary “western” rules brought us in Libya. Who is to oppose that? How could one oppose that line? No way. And the west looses day by day and looks more criminal day by day.
At the same time the door is wide open for Assad to invite Russia as a neutral 3rd party that has proven again and again to honour international law to help the government and the people in Syria.

And there the “western” perspective would bite them again, if they dared to go against Russia. Because Russia has real soldiers rather than tired, desillusioned cowards and real money rather than trillions of debts along with a loud mouth, and real friends and partners rather than obedient satellites.

It’s not the usa trying to lure Russia into a war. That’s just the show version. The real version is that Russia has drawn a clear line and that the usa, albeit with lots of noises and show suggesting another interpretation, has caved in. It’s not anymore that usa to make the decisive rules, it’s Russia, China, BRICS, even Iran. All that is left for the usa is what is left to a 75 years old former diva; to keep a nice image alive and to retreat. If she doesn’t she will have a brutal awakening.

February 25th, 2013, 5:40 pm

 

ALI said:

Aldendeshe

“We await the promises of the Christian Bible of inhereting this planet after you retards wipped out.”

F**k you and f**k your Jesus, you idiot I’m quite busy here trying to educate people about Hafez and you coming with your filth. Go play with yourself as you do the whole day and btw try http://www.fukjesus.com

February 25th, 2013, 5:44 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

TARA
You may be able to help with this. I am having a real ethical and moral dilemma here. Most of us, sane people here do lack psychological training to interact appropriately with people like some of the pro-regime characters. While I have no explanation for the prevalence of psychological disorder among regime apologists, which perhaps is a sort of power lust due to severe inferiority complex that can be satisfied by cheering someone who can kill many , i feel really torn as to whether one should interact with them not being a professional therapist or expert.

is it likely that by interacting with them, even if one is making cruel jokes at them, or even when one is sympathetic or empathetic as you do with one of them, does amplify their disorder by reinforcing their bad “attention” seeking tactics. I don’t know, but I have a feeling that we may be doing that.

Please note the “diversionary obsessive compulsive disorder” obvious in the commenting style of 1119, 1124, 1126, for a sample of the most mild affliction of regime apologists.

February 25th, 2013, 5:49 pm

 

ALI said:

SYRIAN HAMSTER:

“Ali just declared Hafizizm a religion, and with that it became legally protected in many countries with anti-religious defamation laws, including i may say, Egypt. Brilliant, brilliant…”

I thought we’re on good terms, why are acting like that?

Hafizizm: Is not a religion neither a cult, it’s a phenomena started 40 years ago and still going through generations. I don’t believe the world to adopt it as a religion but soon enough it’ll be a school of thoughts across the world.

Did you renew your passport? hurry up so at least you could feel some satisfaction out of your revolution

February 25th, 2013, 5:50 pm

 

Visitor said:

Ali,

Lak ayya Rab? ya 7hawyan.

Lak ma l Rab wakkalni akhod rouhak w roh Bashar w roh abouk ya kalb inta w abouk.

Lak ma ana 3Izrael. Rohak bi 3edeh ba3mil feha li baddi ya!! Moo 4aref min ana ba3ed?

7hadder 7halak ayamak khilsit. rah i’ibad rouhak w irmeek bi Jhannam al sawda 3ind l7hamr hafez.

February 25th, 2013, 5:55 pm

 

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

I need some sane reading. I am going to spend an hour or two at the ONION.

February 25th, 2013, 6:09 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

عــاااااااجــــــــــــــل ::دمشق ::الجيش الحر يدمر أربع دبابات على أطراف جوبر وزملكا بأسلحة مضادة للدروع, في الساعة الماضية فقط, والمعارك مستمرة

منتشرة عصفحات الفيس بوك اليوم اشاعة متل كل يوم:
أنو حسن نصرالله نقلوه على طهران لانتشار السرطان بجسمو..

بعتقد الشباب فهمانين غلط.. و الخبر الصحيح هوة:
نقل السرطان على طهران بعد انتشار حسن نصرالله بخلاياه…

دمشق : برزة أنفجار ضخم في برزة يتوقع أنه من الفرع ١١٢….

دمشق: العباسيين: تصاعد اعمدة الدخان فوق ملعب العباسيين واصوات اطلاق نار كثيف واشتباكات يسمع من المنطقة

دمشق :إنفجار ضخم سمع في غالبية أحياء دمشق .. و إنكسار لزجاج النوافذ في حي ركن الدين من شدة الإنفجار

دمشق : الجيش الحر يستهدف القصر الجمهوري وتفاصيل حين ورود الفيديوهات

انفجار سيارة مفخخة داخل رحبة الدبابات بالقرب من كراجات العباسيين مع اشتباكات عنيفة جدا تسمع في الحي مع سماع اصوات سيارات الاسعاف في ساحة العباسيين وذعر شديد في المنطقة

عــــــاجــــل | الإنفجار وقع في كراجات العباسيين وسط دمشق

عشرات سيارات الاسعاف تتوافد على مشفى 601 بالمزة واغلبهم جرحى من الشبيحة

February 25th, 2013, 6:19 pm

 

zoo said:

I wonder why arabic posts are written using latin characters, don’t you have an Arabic keyboard? عيب!
or is that the future of Syria under the influence of Turkey whose revolutionnary father Atatuk dumped the Arabic letters so Turkey becomes modern!

February 25th, 2013, 6:24 pm

 

zoo said:

I wonder why Arabic posts are written using latin characters.

Can’t you write in Arabic with Arabic letters? عيب!
For people claiming to be Arabs and Syrians, that’s pathetic.

February 25th, 2013, 6:28 pm

 

Observer said:

TARA Syrian Hamster and others please do not try to analyze the obvious.

I do not think the posts are just pure stupidity. It is actually deliberate obfuscation and diversionary tactics from the real events on the ground.

I would like though for ALI and ZOO to tell us of
1. Who is the enemy? US Israel Salafist Al Qaeda MB? There is a mishmash of these enemies being lumped together in incoherent ways. ZOO in particular seems to be trying to sell the idea that the regime is best for the security of Israel as the Salafists may be more militant than ever and they will have another HA like hardened groups on the Golan. Goes to show you the Rami Makhlouf Saif Ghadafi logic of trying to have both sides of the argument. To the West the regime protects Israel and the Iranians you only have us to shore up your HA ally in case of a war with Iran.

2. Who and what is the resistance? Resistance against what and by whom? For the sake of what? And if for the Arab cause why the glorification of Kurdish nationalism?

3. Would ALI grace us with the latest strategic and tactical victories achieved by the so called SAA? And what about the statement of the Sect being 200% with the Prethident and even if he is not hard enough the sect is willing to go even further in militarization of the conflict. Now to business.

4. Iran has started plan B with an enclave on the Lebanese border where they can continue to supply HA. Are there any indications of successes? If Israel attacks Iran and HA intervenes on its side. It will be its last war. It has lost credibility with the regional Arab populations and has a Shia base that is getting smaller; if it subjects Lebanon to the adventures of Israel Iran war. It will be finished as a political and a resistance movement.

5. So far three aircraft downed today. And I must confess that the others that I saw seem to be due to malfunction of the flare system, whereby the flare that supposedly is ejected to defend against heat seeking missiles gets stuck leading to the aircraft falling down. So much for Russian made planes.

6. All indications are that the regime is exhausted. The drummer boy with his delegation went to Moscow and is climbing down from the Prethidential speech about ” who do we talk to” at the Opera house. Real of buying time I am not sure, but clearly meant to strengthen the hand of Laughvrov when he meets Kerry; pretending he holds the regime as a bargaining card. Laughvrov is holding a garbage bag called the regime and does not know how to get rid of it and does not know how to bring the rebels to sit and talk. The war has taken a life of its own. People have adapted to the new normal as war just as the Lebanese did. So either outside intervention a la Kosovo or one side wins and crushes the other. So far all the help the regime is getting from Iran and HA and Russia does not seem to be stemming the tide.

7. Whole units are defecting now with the ability of the rebels to organize their logistical transfers. I think it will be prolonged and it will be bloody and the iranians and Russians are going to get a taste of what bleeding might mean. Russia is bleeding political capital and soon the Iranians will be bleeding more.

Justice for all who suffered under the dictatorship of this regime.

Where is Majbali when we need him instead of ALI and Rev the give the order Mr. Prethident

February 25th, 2013, 6:31 pm

 

zoo said:

And he certainly is…

“You can see in his demeanor he is overwhelmed,” said Mustafa, who met with Khatib two months ago, shortly after he was chosen as head of the Syrian Opposition Coalition. “Every day that passes, people are dying, and he feels responsible.”

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/02/25/184121/syrian-opposition-leader-mouaz.html#storylink=cpy

February 25th, 2013, 6:37 pm

 

ghufran said:

one reversal (another U-Turn):
قرر “الائتلاف الوطني السوري” المشاركة بمؤتمر روما لأصدقاء الشعب السوري.
another reversal is the dismissal of a long serving mouth piece for the FSA:
اعلن المتحدث الإعلامي في القيادة المشتركة للحيش السوري الحر فهد المصري انه “بعد التواصل مع هيئة الأركان وقيادات الجيش الحر فقد تبين أن بسام الدادا قد تم إعفاؤه من مهامه منذ شهور طويلة وأن لا علاقة له بأي فصيل أو تشكيل عسكري، وبالتالي فإن تصريحاته وتحليلاته لا تعبر عن رؤية وموقف الجيش الحر والثورة السورية المجيدة ويمكن اعتبارها تصريحات تمثل وجهة نظر شخصية”.

February 25th, 2013, 6:38 pm

 

zoo said:

1139 Ghufran

Did he defected from the FSA?

February 25th, 2013, 6:43 pm

 

ghufran said:

More on Al-Nusra animals:
تبنت جبهة النصرة عملية تفجير سيارة سيرفيس على طريق محردة تل سكين تقل “شبيحة نصيريين” وفق البيان في حين كانت تقل طالبات جامعة من مدينة محردة غربي حماة، الأمر الذي أثار تعليقات متضاربة من رواد موقع المنارة البيضاء التابع لهذه الجماعة بين غالبية ثورية مهللة للعملية و بين قلة رافضة. وجاء في بيان لجبهة النصرة حمل الرقم 251 ” تم -بفضل الله- تدمير سيارة تقلُّ عددًا من شبيحة النظام على طريق (محردة – تل سكين) بريف حماة عبر تفجير عبوة مزدوجة، ممَّا أدَّى إلى مقتل 5 شبيحة من الطائفة النصيرية، وذلك يوم الخميس 4 من ربيع الآخر 1434هـ، الموافق 14/ 2/ 2013م، ولله الفضل والمنَّة”.
وكانت العملية قد أسفرت عم مقتل أربعة أشخاص من محردة هم سائق السيرفيس” أديب غازي الأسعد “و الطالبات الجامعيات ” جنان راتب زيود” و”نور فريد بلحوس” و”ليزا جهاد الخوري” كما جرح في التفجير كل من “بشرى فايز قنزوع” و”سارة نديم فلاحة.” و”شذا شادي شيحان” و “آنا فريد دعبول”. وحظيت العملية بتهليل وإشادة المعلقين من زوار الصفحة إلا أن واحداً فقط كتب منتقداً ويدعى حسن الخليل “حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل… كنت ممن يحب جبهة النصرة .. بس ليش هالأخطاء الفادحة ؟؟؟؟ يا أخي اللي ماتو بالسرفيس عطريق محردة تل سكين يوم الخميس كلن طالبات من جامعة حمص وهني مسيحيين ما في ولا واحد علوي معهن ليش هيك انتو؟؟؟؟؟ ازا كل تفجير هيك ربحنا والله …يعني معقول هالأخطاء؟؟ يروحو يتأكدو أول شي بعدها يساوو عملية كل اللي ماتو طالبات لك والله حرام وازا مسيحيين يعني”
Anybody today who repeats the preferred thawrajiyyeh slogan that the regime killed 90,000 Syrians is an ignorant person or a liar, Syria is a killing field today,yes the regime has killed more people than rebels but it is an insult to innocent Syrians who died on the hands of terrorists to discount them as Shabeehas, I also have news for the idiots among you: those soldiers and officers who got killed,13,000 of them or more, have families too, it is disgusting that the rich and the connected are safe and Syrians abroad are giving long distance internet advice while poor Syrians from both sides are dying daily, those who continue to lie and distort are internet Shabeehas and are not honest about their calls for freedom and democracy, they are as bad as their enemy.
Toz feekom wa bihalthawra, the real thuwwar are staying home now or are in Assad’s prison.

February 25th, 2013, 6:53 pm

 

zoo said:

Qatar expanding.. Will Mosa approve?

Janet Jackson says she has married Qatari billionaire

Jackson, 46, the younger sister of the late singer Michael Jackson, was engaged to billionaire Wissam Al Mana, 37, last year but kept the news under wraps.

“The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony,” Jackson and Al Mana said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight.

February 25th, 2013, 6:55 pm

 

zoo said:

Kerry is absolutely right: the opposition is “dangling in the wind.”

It will not remain like that, it will fall…

February 25th, 2013, 7:17 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Majed and Others

I don’t know how the country should be divided up. That’s up to the diplomats. But what is pretty clear based on the comments on this blog is that regime supporters and rebels CANNOT live together in peace.

Just look at some of the comments above. And look at the situation in Syria. I’m trying to get otherwise decent Syrians to talk civilly to one another but my efforts have been in vain.

SyriaLover gets all huffy when I point out the truth to her. I guess she can’t handle the truth.

February 25th, 2013, 7:19 pm

 

ghufran said:

More on Mhardeh’s terrorist attack:
جورج خوري من اهالي محردة: “نعرف أن هؤلاء
التكفيريين من قتل الطالبات، ولكن أن تبلغ فيهم الوقاحة حد التفاخر أنهم قتلوا “شبيحة” فهذا دليل على انفصالهم عن الواقع، كما يدل على أنه لاقيمة لحياة البشر عندهم.
مجد عبود من محردة: إن جبهة النصرة وميليشات الجيش الحر مسؤولة عن الجرائم الإرهابية في المنقطة، ونحن لم نفعل أي شيء لهم فلماذا يقتلوننا؟ و تساءل مستنكراً: هم فجروا السيرفيس ويعرفون أن لوحته محردة، هم دقيقون في التفجير وغير دقيقين في معرفة من يوجد في السيرفيس؟
محمد الحلفاوي (ناشط معارض): إن العملية خطأ تماماً ونحن أهل حلفايا نتبرأ من جبهة النصرة العميلة التي تقتل جيراننا أهل محردة، ونعتزم تشكيل وفد لزيارة محردة و شرح الحقيقة لهم أن جبهة النصرة العميلة للنظام هي من قتلت الطالبات لجعل أهل محردة يخافون من الثورة.
Those of you who believe that the military help terrorists provide justify tolerating those animals in Syria are stupid, history tells us that you can not win what you consider a noble fight by using thugs and terrorists on your side,the US,Russia and others learned that the hard way, the long term damage inflicted by Nusra and similar groups on what was a revolution far outweigh the temporary advantage they provide, friends of thugs are semi thugs, and friends of terrorists are half terrorists ,to say the least.

February 25th, 2013, 7:20 pm

 

Syrian said:

The explosion at the hit the tanks center in Abassin area
http://youtu.be/B0u4FzAkqRs

February 25th, 2013, 7:41 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Observer’s analysis is correct. It’s increasingly becoming clear that the regime is losing. With Iranian, Russian, and Hezbollah’s help, the regime can hold on for a long time but they’re fighting a losing war. The regime and its supporters can try to pretend otherwise, but it will not do them any good.

HOWEVER, regime supporters like Ali have a point. Given the hatred shown on this blog and elsewhere, Alawites who support the regime (and there are many of them- not as much as Sunnis, but still there are a lot of them) are going to fight to the death.

So my question is this: what is the rebel intentions towards regime supporters? What are their intentions towards the Alawite community? And what are their intentions towards Alawite regime supporters?

Based on everything I’ve seen and read so far, these intentions are NOT good ones. Just look at the hate on this blog between regime supporters and rebels.

February 25th, 2013, 7:44 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Marigoldran
I don’t believe that Alawis are all bad as Revenir,Ali Dandashi and Ghufran,I believe many are decent people ,those are the trash of this sect, remember Saleh Al Ali,Salah Jdeed,many Alawi are vocal against this regime, and I am sure many we can live with them,and will be glad to share the goverment with them..
I suspect Zoo is persian shiite ,
Further Alawi state will not survive because the surrounding hostility,unless international protection is provided.

Can we envision Bashar suddenly decides he will quit and leave,he brought Syria to total destruction,killed over 150000,Bashar has to to be killed,I am saying that because I believe Moallem statement today is a very major concession,portends depression and implies that Bashar has realized there is no chance for him to win, he somehow got the message US is getting serious,they delayed the military help till the new secretary of state starts working.
I do believe that Mr. Khatib is smart and clever,but lack experience.

February 25th, 2013, 7:45 pm

 

Syrialover said:

MARIGOLDRAN #1142 has changed my gender! Interesting. An attempt to insult or flatter me?

Kiddo, you are out of your depth.

You are not “pointing out the truth”. You are echoing the noises echoed inside this small echo chamber of a forum (which has been almost cleaned out of worthwhile contributors who quit in disgust at the flood of wasters and lightweights here).

As they say, you don’t know enough to see that you don’t know enough.

Including who you are naively dealing with on this forum with the Assadist operators.

February 25th, 2013, 7:48 pm

 

Syrialover said:

I see that MARIGOLDRAN #1142 has changed my gender! Interesting. An attempt to insult or flatter me?

Kiddo, you are out of your depth.

You are not “pointing out the truth”. You are echoing the noises echoed inside this small echo chamber of a forum (which has been almost cleaned out of worthwhile contributors who quit in disgust at the flood of wasters and lightweights here).

As they say, you don’t know enough to see that you don’t know enough.

Including who you are naively dealing with on this forum with the Assadist operators.

February 25th, 2013, 7:51 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Majed

First of all, the regime DESERVES everything that’s being done to it right now. It thought it could win by violence. It miscalculated. Now it’s paying the price. As I’ve said before: What comes around, goes around.

The rebels can try to kill or arrest everyone who believes in Hafiz Assad. Regime supporters cannot complain. After all, the regime tried to kill and arrest everyone who is against Assad, and failed. Who are they to complain when others do the same to them?

However, once the rebels do something like that, they are no better than the regime. Do you understand? Ali worships Hafiz Assad. If you believe he deserves to be arrested for that, then you are no better than a regime supporter.

Why is Ali a bad man? Because he worships Hafiz Assad? That’s a very stupid reason I think to arrest or to kill someone. That is also a very stupid reason to say that he is a bad man.

So once again, what are your intentions towards people like Ali? Because if the rebels intend to kill people like them, they will fight to the last man.

February 25th, 2013, 7:59 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Two questions:

1. What do the rebels intend to do with Alawite regime supporters?

You’ve been avoiding this question by saying “there are Alawites who support the rebels,” but the truth of the matter is that most Alawites support the regime.

What do the rebels intend to do with Alawite regime supporters similar to Ali? This is a very very important question that no one has bothered to answer. Do you intend to arrest them all and put them on to trial? How are you going to get them to accept something like this? And if they refuse to be put on trial, what next? Do you intend to kill them all?

2. Ali says he worships Hafiz Assad. Why does this make him a bad man? He said something that you didn’t like. Does that make him evil? A bad man is a person who cheats or steals or kills. If a man says bad words, does this make him a bad man?

February 25th, 2013, 8:07 pm

 

revenire said:

“I’m trying to get otherwise decent Syrians to talk civilly to one another but my efforts have been in vain.” – Marigoldran 1142

My son the peacemaker – I commend your efforts to end the war here at SC. Your fine work and keen diplomacy has stopped the bloodshed in Syria and caused many to reconsider their ways.

When you called all Syrians “stupid” that brought us together. Instead of fighting each other we turned our attention to you.

How can we ever repay you?

February 25th, 2013, 8:09 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

Marigoldran
Why is Ali a bad man?
because of what he said, but if he has no blood on his hand I would not call for his death

February 25th, 2013, 8:12 pm

 

Visitor said:

What will the so-called SNC accomplish in Italy while Italy’s oil tankers transport diesel to Bashar, the criminal, in order to continue to burn Syria with it?

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-26/207922-oil-exports-to-syria-resume-by-sea-after-protests-block-land-route.ashx#axzz2Lxn4to3s

February 25th, 2013, 8:17 pm

 
 

Visitor said:

Here’s a piece of good news for the blog شبيح Ali,

Our FSA heroes captured one of your fellow شبيح dogs whose name is علاء عبود who is the son of your fellow bitch حسيبة who is the sister bitch of the dog حافظ who is currently serving eternal life in جهنم.

علاء عبو is the head of شبيحة gang and is responsible for the famous robbery of الاهرام money exchange in Damascus.

I have been asked by the FSA to come and take his soul and throw it next to حافظ.
I will drop by and take yours as well since your time is up. I really have a very busy schedule. So no delays, get ready.

February 25th, 2013, 8:32 pm

 

apple_mini said:

#1155 One of the worst byproducts of this war is people like you really get to crawl out from cesspools.

February 25th, 2013, 8:58 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

الأمين العام السابق لحزب الله الشيخ صبحي الطفيلي يـــشــــن هــــجـــومــــاً عـــلـــى حــــزب الله: من يقتل من “حزب الله ” في سوريا لـــيـــس شهيداً ومصيره جـ…ــــهـــنّـــــــــم

ملخص ما قاله الأمين العام السابق لحزب الله الشيخ صبحي الطفيلي عبر برنامج بموضوعية على قناة Mtv في الشأن السوري:
• لماذا لا يمنع الجيش اللبنانيين في الهرمل من الذهاب لسوريا للقتال ولماذا لا يحمي المواطنين في البلدات العكارية الحدودية
• هناك مسؤول في حزب الله هددني بأن يضربني الطيران العسكري السوري
• حزب الله يحارب في سوريا في حين أن الشيعة هناك ليسوا بحاجة لمن يدافع عنهم وهو يتحمل مسؤولية كل قتيل
• دخول “حزب الله” الى سوريا يخدم العدو الإسرائيلي
• حزب الله يوم يحارب في سوريا والكويت والسعودية والإمارات
• حزب الله مثله مثل عبد الناصر، يرفع شعارات الحرب ضد إسرائيل ويرسل جيشه الى اليمن، وحين يحارب إسرائيل لا يصمد ساعة واحدة
• إذا لم تكن هناك خيانة لسلاح المقاومة ، وتواطؤ مع إسرائيل، على “حزب الله” أن يعود من سوريا
• الإسرائيلي اليوم أحرص الناس على “حزب الله” لأنه يتورط بالقتال في سوريا، وهو يشكل عامل تفرقة، في حين أننا دعاة وحدة.
• مقام السيدة زينب ليس بحاجة لدفاع حزب الله عنه، لأن أهل السنة يحبونها مثلنا وأكثر
• الأميركي هو من يحمي النظام السوري من السقوط الآن، ولكنه سيقبل لاحقا، عندما يأتي بعملاء له
• هل من يقتل من “حزب الله” في سوريا شهيد، وهو يقتل الأطفال ويهد بيوت الناس؟ لا ، ليس شهيدا!
• يجب أن ندافع عن المظلوم والحق، حتى يبقى المظلوم مصانا.الشعب السوري مظلوم، وكلنا يعرف ان النظام جر البعض الى السلاح، أي الى حيث يعتبر نفسه الأقوى. أنا مع تغيير النظام بوسائل غير عسكرية، ليس حبا بالنظام بل حرصا على الشعب السوري.
• أنا اطلب من أبنائي وإخواني في “حزب الله” ان يرفعوا الصوت ويرفضوا المشاركة في ما حصل بسوريا، لأنه أمر شنيع، وعليهم ، بالحد الأدنى ألا يشاركوا بقتل السوريين والمشاركة بالفتنة.
• النأي بالنفس، هي منذ الاول ، مجرد نظرية. وزير الخارجية يتصرف على اساس انه وزير خارجية سوريا. وزراء نجيب ميقاتي في مكان آخر، بعيدا عن النأي بالنفس.
• لم تمّ التبادل مع الإيرانيين ولم يشرك اللبنانيون في هذا التبادل؟ أنا بتّ أسيء الظن، فالمطلوب أن ينظر الشيعة في لبنان أن ينظروا بصورة عدائية للثورة في سوريا، فالخطف يخلق بيئة ملائمة لدفع الشباب الى القتال في سوريا، والجهة الخاطفة لا تخدم الثورة السورية.
• إن المخطوفين اللبنانيين في سوريا، وأنا أعرف بعضهم وهم ضد “حزب الله”، يجب تحريرهم، لأنهم ضحايا التدخل في سوريا.
• كان يجب الإفراج عن اللبنانيين قبل الإفراج الإيرانيين، وكان يجب وضعهم على رأس اللائحة.
• على العلويين والشيعة أن لا يكونوا أداة في أيدي النظام والمشروع الايراني.
===( # )

February 25th, 2013, 8:59 pm

 

Visitor said:

#1156,

You have always been in the cesspool and you are stuck there for ever.

So shut your dirty filthy barking braying bleeting hole of a mouth. Because everytime you open it you only produce contamination.

February 25th, 2013, 9:28 pm

 

ghufran said:

التشكيلة الحكومية التي بدأت تتناقلها صفحات تنسيقيات المعارضة ضمت الأسماء الآتية:
محمد الفارس رئيس حكومة
رياض الاسعد نائبا للرئيس وزير الدفاع
أحمد خالد بري وزيرا للداخلية و الشؤون الدينية
عدنان الأحمد وزيرا للخارجية
مالك الكردي وزيرا لشؤون المهجرين
عمر الأصفر وزيرا للإعمار
زياد فهد وزيرا للمصالحة الوطنية
محمد عبود وزيرا للصناعة
عبدالمحسن النعيمي وزيرا للتجارة والتموين
أحمد جديع وزيرا للمالية
محمد العمر وزيرا للتعليم العالي
بسام علولو وزيرا للشؤون الاجتماعية و العمل
والملاحظ بحسب هذه التشكيلة أنها استبعدت من حساباتها وزارات مهمة كالزراعة، والاتصالات، والطاقة والمياه، والصحة، كما أنها تضمنت حصول رياض الأسعد على حصة كبيرة فيها، وذلك عبر تسلم مالك الكردي (نائب الأسعد) وزارة المهجرين، ولم يعُلم بعد إن كانت هذه الحكومة قد نالت رضا وقبول جبهة النصرة أقوى الفصائل العسكرية التي تقاتل الجيش السوري
I do not want to ridicule any effort by the opposition to unite or administer “liberated” areas as long as those efforts help displaced and distressed Syrians but I do not know if the NC is serious about this step especially after looking at the names,most of whom are unknown, can anybody with common sense who speaks proper English or proper Arabic (that will naturally exclude 80% of you)educate us,the ignorants, about who is who and what is this mini government supposed to do?

February 25th, 2013, 9:31 pm

 

Juergen said:

Uzair

Depardieu visits Kadyrovstan, may be soon on his tour in Damascus?

Surely they talked about the murder of Anna Poitkowskaja and the crimes of the Kadyrov family. Nastarovje!

http://instagram.com/p/WIMuWnCRgU/

February 25th, 2013, 9:36 pm

 

ghufran said:

jonathan Steele-The Guardian:
Arming the rebels is not going to change the military situation, which is stalemated. The government army cannot win nor can the rebels. Adding more weaponry will merely raise the amount of killing, and make it even harder to deliver aid to the millions who have had to flee their homes. It also risks putting more guns in the hands of the jihadis and Salafis who are conducting most of the attacks as well as planting bombs in Damascus and Aleppo that kill civilians. No doubt, if there is a change of US policy, it will be argued that the aim is to arm the “moderates”, but with the chaos on the ground, where a hundred disparate local brigades compete for the best weaponry, there is little to stop US arms gravitating to the most ruthless.
Little can save Syria now. Even if talks started and were eventually successful in producing a government of national unity and a democratic constitution, the hardline jihadis would not accept the result. The country will probably be condemned to bloodshed on the pattern of Iraq, where car bombs and suicide bombs kill hundreds every month. But even that would be better than the all-consuming civil war that is Syria’s fate today.
As a man who saw the folly of the Vietnam war in his youth, Kerry should have the wisdom to choose a better course. Where his predecessor was a hawk on the issue, he needs to confront the SNC and the Washington rightwingers who back them, and say Khatib had the better vision

February 25th, 2013, 9:42 pm

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

1127. ALI

“You idiot, I’m quite busy here trying to educate people about Hafez”

Did you tell them Hafez was sexually attracted to donkeys? It’s true. He had a secret stable near a small town not far from the Bekaa Valley. He used to visit there when his wife was in London on her shopping trips. There’s a rumor he died from a disease he caught while having sex with his favorite donkey…

February 25th, 2013, 9:45 pm

 

Ziad said:

هذه حقيقة أكاذيب المعارضة السورية ومسلحيها عن مقاتلي حزب الله في “القصير” وضواحيها

http://www.syriatruth.org/الأخبار/أخباروتقاريرأخرى/tabid/94/Article/9261/Default.aspx

February 25th, 2013, 9:56 pm

 

Syrian said:

Visiter@1155
I remember watching that robbery on you tube,at the time there were not any hint of the blessed revolution , and the feeling of helplessness, and the feeling of getting stuck with this Mafia regime was very upsetting.
I tried to search for that video but could not find it because of the so many robbery that happened since then I guess, I remember how they even robbed the costumers who most came to get the money their kids sent to them, and this one guy who was about to not to go inside after he realized what is going on and how they pulled him in,opened his suitcase took his money and throw all his papers all over the floor,
They did all that in the middle of they day,then went back to Latakia and never got punished
I hope they make him pay dearly, I also hope one day we get all of them and all their defenders like apple mini and make them taste from the same cup of hopelessness that they made us feel for so many years

February 25th, 2013, 9:57 pm

 

ghufran said:

Jutarnji list, a Croatian daily newspaper, reported Saturday that in recent months there had been an unusually high number of sightings of Jordanian cargo planes at Pleso Airport in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital.
The newspaper said the United States, Croatia’s main political and military ally, was possibly the intermediary, and mentioned four sightings at Pleso Airport of Ilyushin 76 aircraft owned by Jordan International Air Cargo. It said such aircraft had been seen on Dec. 14 and 23, Jan. 6 and Feb. 18. Ivica Nekic, director of the agency in charge of arms exports in Croatia, dismissed the Croatian report as speculation.
(foreign businessmen and foreign governments are making money at the expense of Syrians who die as the result of competing fighting factions receiving arms from their supporters)

February 25th, 2013, 10:00 pm

 

Visitor said:

Syrian 1164

Patience bro.

We’ll get them all and they will pay dearly.

February 25th, 2013, 10:07 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

“I hope they make him pay dearly, I also hope one day we get all of them and all their defenders like apple mini and make them taste from the same cup of hopelessness that they made us feel for so many years”

That’s fair and perhaps even just. But you are aware that this means the other side will fight to the death.

February 25th, 2013, 11:19 pm

 

revenire said:

This rat didn’t get to see the New Syria. To Hell

February 25th, 2013, 11:23 pm

 

Visitor said:

The defection process has been arduous for most would be defectors. Each defector has a story to tell. Now, the process has become routine with the pace of defections picking up speed,

http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/7b30585b-3614-4e0f-b34c-b44f9b364d03?GoogleStatID=1

For many defectors, however, the above report tells us cost them their lives.

That is another reason the criminal regime and all its henchemen must be made to pay.

February 25th, 2013, 11:30 pm

 

ghufran said:

for those of you waiting for islamists to deliver freedom and democracy:
افاد مصدران في الشرطة لوكالة فرانس برس انه تم الاثنين اعتقال شخص يشتبه بانه قتل المعارض التونسي شكري بلعيد وشريكه المفترض، ولفتا الى ان المشتبه بهما ينتميان الى التيار السلفي.
واوضح المصدران ان القاتل المفترض عمره 31 عاما ويعمل في صناعة المفروشات المعدنية، وقد اعتقل في قرطاج بضاحية العاصمة تونس، فيما المعتقل الاخر هو الشريك الذي اتاح فرار مطلق النار صباح السادس من شباط/فبراير بعد مقتل شكري بلعيد قرب منزله.
واضاف المصدران لفرانس برس ان المشتبه بهما ينتميان الى التيار السلفي المتشدد وان اعتقالهما استند الى شهادة امراة وضعت تحت حماية الشرطة، واورد احد المصدرين ان القاتل المفترض كان ناشطا في “الرابطة الوطنية لحماية الثورة” في احدى الضواحي الشعبية لتونس القريبة من قرطاج.

February 25th, 2013, 11:36 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Ok. So it looks like a fight to the death it will be.

The regime wants to negotiate. The regime still doesn’t understand that no one’s planning to talk to Assad.

For that matter, it doesn’t seem like anyone on the rebel side wants to talk to any regime supporters at all.

February 25th, 2013, 11:44 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ SyriaLover

When I said “stupid,” I was referring to one of Zoo’s comments. In case you haven’t noticed, my particular comment came immediately after one of Zoo’s.

But then you got all huffy on me. I have no problems with that. After all, you’re a woman.

February 25th, 2013, 11:54 pm

 

Syrialover said:

While the Assads were busy with massacres in the 1980s we now know their vicious tyrannical soulmates in Iran were doing the same thing:

“Iran’s Srebrenica: How Ayatollah Khomeini sanctioned the deaths of 20,000 ‘enemies of the state’ – New report”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/irans-srebrenica-how-ayatollah-khomeini-sanctioned-the-deaths-of-20000-enemies-of-the-state-8485984.html

February 26th, 2013, 12:11 am

 

Syrialover said:

“We miss dad and have come to visit him”

https://twitter.com/RevolutionSyria/status/305826058916200448/photo/1

Hauntng. Very moving.

February 26th, 2013, 12:16 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

1150. MarigoldRan said:

What do the rebels intend to do with Alawite regime supporters?

Do you intend to kill them all?

 
Yes imo they should break out the machetes and go Rwanda on them.

After all, the Alawites attempted the exact same thing in reverse. The Christian+Alawite axis represents a minority of under 25%, but they are trying to ethnically cleanse Syria of its majority.

Unfortunately the FSA wants to be a noble (Christ-like?) organization that turns the other cheek.

 
The reason I don’t like that approach, is that the enemy doesn’t respect it.

Recently there was a video of Armenian cross-worshipper Krikor falling into hands of FSA. He was treated well. But the reaction by the Assadist enemy, was to say that FSA mistreated and tormented him.

So, obviously being nice doesn’t pay.
You need to show strength and brutality for the opponents to pay attention.

February 26th, 2013, 12:20 am

 

Tara said:

Mari,

“after all you’re a woman”

What does that mean?

February 26th, 2013, 12:20 am

 

syrian said:

MGR:said
“. But you are aware that this means the other side will fight to the death.”
I really hope they will not.For the majorty there is no going back, the lines has been drawn, we have seen the example of Hama,and we will not be made an example of again

February 26th, 2013, 12:32 am

 

revenire said:

Tara let me explain how my son Marigoldran feels. He has a hard time expressing himself so allow me please. ‘Mari’ believes all Syrians are stupid and we deserve the misery we’re suffering at the hands of the foreign conspiracy but he has an even stupider category than mere Syrians: Syrian women.

Welcome to the New Liberated Syria Tara. Enjoy.

February 26th, 2013, 12:37 am

 

Tara said:

Reve,

” but he has an even stupider category than mere Syrians: Syrian women.”

I don’t blame Marigoldran if the only Syrian women he/she knew were Shehrazad and Asma.

February 26th, 2013, 12:53 am

 

revenire said:

Israeli leak sheet DEBKAfile says it is all over and Assad has won:

PS – Tara I never let my son Marigoldran near Asma. He’s used to expats who wait tables in New Jersey. 😉

February 26th, 2013, 12:58 am

 

ghufran said:

أعلنت”هيئة التنسيق” المعارضة، رفضها القاطع لدعوة وزير الخارجية وليد المعلم المعارضة للحوار، حيث وصف المنسق العام للهيئة حسن عبد العظيم، تلك الدعوة بانها “علاقات عامة وغير جدية”، مشيرا إلى أن الهيئة لا تؤيد أي حوار مع “النظام” تحت إشرافه.
وأشار عبد العظيم في مؤتمر صحفي بدمشق، يوم الاثنين، إلى أن “دعوة المعلم المعارضة للحوار غير جدية وهي أشبه ما تكون للعلاقات العامة”، داعيا “النظام” إلى “خلق مناخات مناسبة للتفاوض، عبر وقف العنف الجدي المتصاعد في عموم المحافظات السورية”..
وأضاف عبد العظيم أنه “لا نؤيد أي لقاء أو حوار مع النظام تحت اشرافه، سواء دعا إليه النظام أو قوى المعارضة”، مشيرا إلى أن “الهدف من هذه الدعوات هو تجميل صورة النظام الحالية وإعادة انتاج نفسه بقالب جديد”..
وأردف عبد العظيم أنه “نؤيد التفاوض على المرحلة المقبلة وتشكيل حكومة انتقالية واسعة الصلاحية عبر توافق دولي واقليمي يفضي الى نظام ديمقراطي تعددي برلماني”.
وأعربت الهيئة في بيان تلاه عضو هيئة التنسيق صفوان عكاشة في المؤتمر الصحفي أن “الهيئة ترفض بشكل قاطع مبادرة النظام، التي تعتبر مجرد قطع طريق على التفاوض الجاد”، مشيرا إلى أن “الهيئة مستعدة للتفاوض مع عناصر من النظام مقبولة شعبيا، ووضع خارطة طريق للعملية التفاوضية تبدأ بخلق مناخات ملائمة، على أن يكون هدف التفاوض هو اقامة نظام ديمقراطي برلماني جديد، مما يعني انهاء النظام الراهن وتأمين انتقال سلمي للسلطة”..
وأكدت الهيئة في بيانها على “رفضها الانضمام للائتلاف الوطني المعارض كخيار وحيد لوحدة المعارضة”، داعية الى “حوار مفتوح بين قوى المعارضة الرئيسية الممثلة بالهيئة والهيئة الكردية العليا وشخصيات وقوى وطنية ديمقراطية من الفصائل المدنية والمسلحة الاخرى”، مضيفا أن “الهيئة بصدد الموافقة على دعوة وجهت اليها للمشاركة في اجتماعات واشنطن ونيويورك”.
the regime can not be trusted and the opposition is right on insisting that any negotiations take place under international supervision and guarantees. this war was not necessary, but after 90,000 Syrians died, Syrians must not allow the head of the regime and his inner circle to stay on top as if nothing happened,I am not for an Iraqi or Libyan type solution, I support a formula that preserves the army, brings a peace-keeping force, allows acceptable regime figures to participate, and I want a deal that installs a national reconcilliation body which supervises aid, return of refugees and compensation. Assad and his top generals are part of the problem and not part of the solution, Syria has hundred of officers who can easily replace the current Assadist security chiefs, the idea that Assad is allowed to stay beyond May,2014 is insane, he should step aside then step down as soon as the process of negotiation starts, his family and the thugs who thrived under his rule has enough money to build Homs and Aleppo combined, as for the right of major regime figures to stay in Syria, those who want to stay, most will not, should be held accountable in the court of law if they are charged with a crime and found guilty, those who leave should not be given immunity if they are found guilty of killing innicent Syrians, I do not consider armed Syrians and foreign jihadists innocent,do not expect this process to work if Islamists are allowed to run the streets unopposed or if justice takes the form of revenge, after all, most Syrians in this war are tools, the target should be the war lords and the kings of corruption.
(Muhammad alfares denied that he is forming a military government in exile)

February 26th, 2013, 1:05 am

 

ALI said:

لفنان ياسين بقوش قد اعتقل على حاجز لتنظيم القاعدة ( النصرة ) في حي قريب من مخيم اليرموك ونظرا لوجود اسمه في قائمة ( العار ) التي اعدتها التنظيمات المسلحة لكبار الكتاب والصحفيين والفنانيين السوريين على راسهم دريد لحام ورغده جرى تعذيبه قبل استصدار فتوى من عدنان العرعور الشيخ السوري المقيم في السعودية باعدامه وقد تم التنفيذ بطريقة مبتكرة حيث اجبر بقوش على الجلوس في سيارته وجرى ضربها بقذيفة ار بي جي وهي طريقة في الاعدام عرفت في العراق وتم تسجيل شريط فديو للجثة بعد سحبها من السيارة المحترقة وظهرت اثار التعذيب والتقطيع بالسكاكين على وجهه

February 26th, 2013, 1:12 am

 

Badr said:

On the Lighter Side

Marigoldran,

You addressed “Syrialover”: “After all, you’re a woman.” If you meant it literally, I’m curious to know on what you based your finding of the commentator’s gender.

February 26th, 2013, 1:17 am

 
 
 

omen said:

1142. marigold: Just look at some of the comments above. And look at the situation in Syria. I’m trying to get otherwise decent Syrians to talk civilly to one another but my efforts have been in vain.

sorry, calling syrians stupid isn’t being civil or acting to be a bridge builder, marigold.

but don’t feel bad. i too have been guilty of making a hasty comment that overgeneralized that i didn’t realize was rather insulting until later on.

February 26th, 2013, 1:28 am

 

omen said:

marigold, i do support your initiative, however. the war is going to end eventually. might as well start the reconciliation process now. judging from hamster (1128), he’s thinking along those lines as well. how about the two sides agree to take a break from the name calling?

February 26th, 2013, 1:44 am

 

Badr said:

It seems to me Marigoldran believes that women are huffier than men, hence the “After all, you’re a woman.” to “Syrialover”.

February 26th, 2013, 1:46 am

 

omen said:

syrian, did you get caught in moderation too? i don’t know why that happens.

February 26th, 2013, 1:49 am

 

Badr said:

Omen,

From “Hamster’s” comment, I did not get at all the impression you had.

February 26th, 2013, 1:57 am

 
 

omen said:

1150. MarigoldRan said:

Two questions:

1. What do the rebels intend to do with Alawite regime supporters?

the nc offered an amnesty plan for regime members with no blood on their hands.

demonstrators have also voiced support of offers of amnesty for regime members and supporters.

p.s. hmm, maybe you are right, badr. he wants to ignore half of the regimists? well, that would put an end to half of the name calling.

February 26th, 2013, 2:00 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

Women are huffier, this one woman unfriended me on Facebook because I said her tights were nice and I liked the fit around her body.

February 26th, 2013, 2:21 am

 

omen said:

speaking of peacekeepers, i forgot to note russia a few weeks ago proposed sending un peacekeepers into syria. i didn’t see the u.s. come out in support of the idea.

initially, i was skeptical about the notion of peacekeepers, but if it helps give comfort and peace of mind for minority groups, then, why not?

but why would russia support the idea in the first place?

russia maintains its practice of providing weapons to the regime is sanctioned by the unsc!

February 26th, 2013, 2:23 am

 

Juergen said:

soundtrack of Damascus

February 26th, 2013, 2:38 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

Here is my analysis. The reason Assad will fall, is:

1. There is a trend of 1-party dictatorships switching over to multi-party democracies. The trend has been valid for 50 years.
It seems to be a completely unstoppable global trend; so Syria will cease being a Baath dictatorship.

2. The allies of revolution (USA, UK, France, Germany) are much more powerful than the allies of regime (Iran, Russia, China).
In addition: Assad is trying to fight the majority, and subjugate 3/4 of Syria.
All of this means that the resources are on the side of FSA.

 
Now, why is the war dragging out? Because:

The allies of Bashar are active and panicky. The allies of FSA are laid back and confident.
That is what’s buying time for Baath.

Literally, American reasoning is this: “Sure, we could go to war and defeat Syria, but what if it costs us 1 wounded soldier? Isn’t that steep? Let the locals fight on their own.”

So they are trying to do it on the cheap.
 

February 26th, 2013, 2:55 am

 

Juergen said:

shocking images

Syria: BBC’s Ian Pannell meets children living underground

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21580922

February 26th, 2013, 3:00 am

 

Juergen said:

Reve

Debka has proven to be as trustworthy as Radio Yerevan.

February 26th, 2013, 3:19 am

 

Juergen said:

Former leader of Hezbollah:

“Hezbollah fighters who get killed in Syria ‘will go straight to hell”

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=335470756553240

February 26th, 2013, 3:24 am

 

Badr said:

Daily Life in Aleppo: The Struggle for Normality amid the Ruins of War
By Christoph Reuter, Der SPIEGEL

Washington apparently prefers to pursue negotiations with Moscow. But this won’t achieve a break in the fighting or put an end to the war. Both sides in Syria are exhausted. The rebels lack weapons while Assad’s regime is running out of troops. The situation is evolving slowly, but steadily, in one direction: Village by village, district by district, military post by military post, rebels are gaining control of the country and seizing weapons.

Instead of guerrilla warfare, the rebels are using their control of large areas of the countryside to pursue almost medieval siege tactics, cutting off supply routes and starving out the troops, who have no lack of ammunition but are running short of bread. For the time being, no provincial capital has fallen, but Idlib, Deir al-Zor, Rakka and Aleppo are surrounded.

February 26th, 2013, 5:16 am

 

Citizen said:

Israeli order to heat the border in order to ingest additional pieces of land!
Israelis may think that we will lay flowers to them there?

UN: abduction component of the peacekeeping mission in the Golan in mysterious circumstances
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/news/608784/

the Grabber named Carl Campo Australian nationality, is a legal adviser to the leaders of the United Nations forces for control separate the Syrian and Israeli armies in the Golan Heights.

February 26th, 2013, 5:28 am

 

Citizen said:

US State Department’s “Syriasly” Campaign Reaches New Level of Absurdity
February 26, 2013 (LD) – While the West and its Arab partners, the brutally autocratic regimes of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are now admittedly funneling heavy weapons to Al Qaeda’s stronghold in Daraa, southern Syria, the US State Department and its extensive network of faux NGO’s funded by the same corporate-financier interests that write its policy, have rolled-out a front organization they call “Syriasly.”
Syriasly describes itself as:
#Syriasly is a campaign of STAND, the student-led movement to end mass atrocities. Born out of the fight to stop genocide in Darfur, Sudan, STAND is devoted to creating a sustainable student network that actively fights genocide and mass atrocities wherever they may occur. We envision a world in which the international community protects civilians from mass atrocities.
Sporting the French colonial colors that flew over Syria during its Western subjugation, and echoing the now defunct fraud that is the “Responsibility to Protect (R2P)” (and here) which lead to, not prevented, mass nationwide genocide in Libya in the wake of NATO’s brutal bombardment of the North African nation in 2011, “Syriasly” attempts to pose as “student-led.”

However, “Syriasly,” which claims to be a campaign of STAND, is merely a carbon-copy of other US State Department, corporate special interest fronts masquerading as human rights crusaders to manufacture consent for long-planned wars of profit and domination. Syria’s destruction was admittedly conspired by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel as far back as 2007. And if “Syriasly” sounds as hammy as the now disgraced “Invisible Children” front, which was promptly exposed as a Wall Street, AFRICOM propaganda campaign after is “viral” Kony 2012 film, but before its front man Jason Russell melted down in public while performing lewd acts, stark naked, that’s because STAND’s Syriasly campaign and Invisible Children both fall under yet another corporate special interest-run shell organization, “Resolve.”……
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.gr/2013/02/us-state-departments-syriasly-campaign.html

February 26th, 2013, 5:40 am

 

annie said:

Syria: BBC’s Ian Pannell meets children living underground

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21580922

February 26th, 2013, 5:46 am

 

Citizen said:

1204. CITIZEN said:

1203. ANNIE
Why do you not read and just repeatе “1197. JUERGEN” ?
it is not solid from you Lady!

February 26th, 2013, 6:25 am

 

Citizen said:

Saudi Arabia helped the rebels in Syria with weapons Croatian
February 26, 2013
Saudi Arabia has financed large purchases of arms from Croatia and quietly transmitted them to the rebels in Syria in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough in the ongoing almost two years of civil war, writes in today’s edition newspaper New York Times.
Weapons have begun to arrive in Damascus, having previously obtained in Jordan. They are the reason for the small tactical successes of the rebels in the Syrian capital in winter, officials said officials with the theme of the United States and other Western countries.
The distribution of weapons was done in an attempt to balance Iran’s support for Assad’s regime. Recipients were factions of the opposition by secular and nationalist tendencies. The reason for avoiding jihadists are concerns of regional and global powers.
Guns have started to Croatia in December. Soon after, produced mainly in Yugoslavia rifles and machine guns began to appear in videos posted to the rebels.
Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Agency for arms exports denies any such items. Saudi and Jordanian officials refused to comment on the topic.
Official representative in Washington, said that in the summer of last year, a senior Croatian official has visited the U.S. capital and hinted that in Croatia there are many other weapons, if anyone is interested to deliver the Syrian rebels.
Croatian newspaper “Jutarnji list” reported last Saturday that in recent months has unusually large presence of Jordanian cargo aircraft at the airport in Zagreb. The planes were spotted on 14 and 23 December, 6 January and 18 February. Ivica Nekich, manager of the agency for the export of arms, called speculative information.
http://haskovo.co/23180?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Haskovo+%28%D0%A5%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%29

February 26th, 2013, 6:39 am

 

Citizen said:

Arms race
Israel, Pentagon Test New Interceptor Missile Over Mediterranean
http://www.mda.mil/news/13news0003.html
The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) completed a successful flight test of the Arrow-3 interceptor missile today.
This is the first flyout test of the Arrow-3 interceptor and was conducted at an Israeli test range over the Mediterranean Sea.
At 00:52:31 EST, the Arrow-3 interceptor successfully launched and flew an exo-atmospheric trajectory through space, according to the test plan.
The Arrow-3 interceptor was designed to provide another layer of defense against ballistic missiles, to add interception opportunities to Israel’s Arrow Weapon System…
The successful test is a major milestone in the development of the Arrow-3 Weapon System and provides confidence in future Israeli capabilities…
IMOD and MDA officials conducted the flight test. The main contractor for the integration and the development of the Arrow Weapon System is MLM of the Israel Aerospace Industries in conjunction with Boeing.

February 26th, 2013, 6:49 am

 

Tara said:

• Saudi Arabia has financed a large purchase of infantry weapons from Croatia and funnelled them to moderate Syrian rebel groups, American and western officials have told the New York Times. The weapons’ distribution has been principally to armed groups viewed as nationalist and secular, and appears to have been intended to bypass the jihadist groups whose roles in the war have alarmed western and regional powers, it said.

• Scores of recent videos and state TV footage provide evidence of a new flow of arms to moderate groups, writes Eliot Higgins for the New York Times. He identifies four types of weapons found in the former Yugoslavia and not used by the Syrian military. 

There’s a number of interesting things about these weapons. First, it appears these weapons are only going to moderate groups with links to the Free Syrian Army, and not to Jihadist and Salafist groups such as Al Nusra Front, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization. Second, the presence of the newly arrived Yugoslav weapons across the entire length of the country to the north suggests the possibility of two supply lines providing these weapons – one from Jordan and another perhaps from Turkey. Finally, these weapons offer a degree of control to those supplying them.

From the Guardian

February 26th, 2013, 8:41 am

 

Hopeful said:

#1181 Ghufran

You are one of the few voices of sanity on this forum. Maybe too much on the pessimist side, but very sane nevertheless (not to mention a true patriot). I salute you!

February 26th, 2013, 8:50 am

 

zoo said:

Saudi Arabia weapons to the “moderate” : the path to peace?

When the Syrian army will bomb and destroy these convoys of weapons sent by Saudi Arabia in the Deraa area, the media will repeat the activists’ claim that the Syrian army bombed XYZ villages and killed 72 children and 14 women.
And Navy Pillay will qualify the destruction of the lethal weapons as one more war crime.
By now, we know the song.

February 26th, 2013, 9:12 am

 

zoo said:

John Kerry should challenge the hawks on Syria

The US secretary of state should resist the SNC and Washington’s lobby and push for talks, not more arms
Jonathan Steele
The Guardian, Monday 25 February 2013 21.00 GMT

Little can save Syria now. Even if talks started and were eventually successful in producing a government of national unity and a democratic constitution, the hardline jihadis would not accept the result. The country will probably be condemned to bloodshed on the pattern of Iraq, where car bombs and suicide bombs kill hundreds every month. But even that would be better than the all-consuming civil war that is Syria’s fate today.

As a man who saw the folly of the Vietnam war in his youth, Kerry should have the wisdom to choose a better course. Where his predecessor was a hawk on the issue, he needs to confront the SNC and the Washington rightwingers who back them, and say Khatib had the better vision.

February 26th, 2013, 9:20 am

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

No. It is a song you have composed yourself to make you sleep better while a mother loses her child or a child loses his mother. I hope it is working for you.

February 26th, 2013, 9:22 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

Zoo, it may sound unbelievable to you that SAA bombs people & residential areas. You probably wouldn’t do that, so you assume everyone else is like you.
But you have to understand, some people are actually callous. It is counter-intuitive to ordinary folks who are not interested in murder and pillage.

You *assume* there is a big conspiracy going on, because you are unable to process the FACT that Shias are prepared to commit the worst atrocities.
 

February 26th, 2013, 9:24 am

 

Observer said:

One question for Ghufran

Which parts of the regime structure would you like to preserve and which need to be abolished entirely?

It is clear that the regime is going to fall. What I mean is that the very structure of the old regime is gone: the army is a shadow of itself, the Republican Guards are now heavily armed militias, the security branches are no longer run with any hierarchy but follow inner circle orders from pure Shabiha, the ministries are nothing more than meeting places where no decisions are being met.

So in your desire to preserve the remnants of this Syria; what would you preserve?

Let me try to help:

First and foremost is a truth and reconciliation commission run by Desmond Tutu for the Syrians will never agree to one figure. His deputies would be Maleh and Khayyer one from the opposition and one from the regime.

Second is the supreme court. 1000% independent and impartial and supervised by ICC chief judge with a Russian deputy. Many honest judges can be brought back from retirement an exile.

Third complete freedom of the press and entry to all outlets to the country.

Fourth dissolution of the 17 branches of the security services and enrollment of all of their officers and personnel into the police where they will be re organized and then vetted for crimes and those that are indicted will be brought to justice.

Fifth creation of humane detention camps for the hundreds of thousands of regime military supporters and their Shabiha under the UN pending the truth and reconciliation commission.

Sixth New constitution with complete separation of powers.

Seventh Reconstruction commission with the budget linked to the commission for the recovery of the stolen wealth.

Eighth the repatriation of the refugees to humane and decent living conditions paid for by Qatar KSA Russia and Iran.

These are a few off the cuff ideas that come to mind first when you talk about the new Syria.

Now what will you do with the regime inner core: the families that destroyed this country including those that fled like the Khaddams and the others that were given golden parachutes and what have you.

Last question for you: please tell us who started the cycle of violence. Your prethident said the other side did and did so shamelessly.

One other option for you is that we do not let anyone come in to help and we do it on our own.

Justice in a court of law.

February 26th, 2013, 9:26 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

1210. zoo said:

The country will probably be condemned to bloodshed on the pattern of Iraq, where car bombs and suicide bombs kill hundreds every month.

 
Well the Shia started a civil war in Iraq. Why don’t you tell us how many people have been hanged since 2003 ?

February 26th, 2013, 9:38 am

 

zoo said:

Al Azhar considering a TV channel and ‘fatwa-licensing’

A Talk with Egypt Grand Mufti Dr. Ali Gomaa

http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=32998

Q: Al-Azhar is set to establish a satellite television channel with some claiming that you may be placed in charge of this. What is your view?

A: The Al-Azhar channel is part of an attempt to confront the extremist religious satellite channels in their own backyard, not to mention the chaos and confusion that these channels spread by misleading people with false fatwas that including judging others as infidels. Our channel’s objective will be to promote a moderate approach and initiate rapprochement between the difference sects, eliminating the chaotic fatwas (issued by religious satellite television channels).

Q: It is easy for anybody to obtain a fatwa now. Some people believe that there should be a law licensing fatwa-issuance, particularly in the media. Do you agree?

A: Islamic scholars are very concerned with the fatwa-issuing process and have given this a high-profile due to its importance. The Prophet, peace be upon him, held this position during his lifetime, and after him it was held by the Prophet’s Companions, and then the scholars in general. Despite this, the religious arena today is in a state of chaos in terms of fatwa-issuance and religious discourse, due to the presence of non-specialists issuing fatwas, particularly via satellite television. This has led to a state of chaos and suspicion over religious issues. There can be no doubt that we must limit fatwa-issuance to scholars who specialize in this, ensuring that everybody has the proper standards for this important task.

February 26th, 2013, 9:38 am

 

zoo said:

Tara

Instead of pushing for a dialog, Saudi Arabia is pushing for more dead children.
No song will make me sleep when people are killed, especially not the hypocritical song you applaude that the Saudi Arabia supplied tanks will “protect” children.

February 26th, 2013, 9:48 am

 

Observer said:

The level of hypocrisy my dear TARA on this blog by regime supporters is beyond the pale.

Dialogue my foot indeed with the likes of the inner regime stooges on this blog.

February 26th, 2013, 9:54 am

 

Visitor said:

Again we start our day with a ‘song’ to, Allah la yirhamo, Hafez the head of shabiha dogs,

Yil3an rouhak ya Hafez.

Now, our most venerable and heroic FSAs are making great strides in the battle to liberate Menegh Airbase. And in order to accentuate their resolve and determination, they shot down today three criminal aitcraft in the vicnity of the said airbase. This, in and by itself, explains immediately the desperate state the regime is in, and why it recently resorted to terror bombings in Damascus, and why it is firing Scud missiles into civilian neighbourhoods. The regime is now desperate to the brim because its use of fighter jets and aircraft to achieve its sinister plot of subjugating the civilian population to thuggocracy has failed, due to the relentless efforts of the FSA in neutralizing and demolishing the so-called air power of the thuggish regime.

Therefore, we would expect the criminal regime to continue to stage terror attacks against civilian neighbourhoods by detonating more of these car bombs that we saw being detonated in the last week or so. It will also continue to fire scuds into cities in order to create more terror and more destruction.

However, we know that these tactics will fail. And we know that the regime henchemen along with Bashar and Athma will be brought to justice in handcuffs,

February 26th, 2013, 10:04 am

 

zoo said:

Conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims seen as escalating across Middle East

Scholars and analysts in Washington, DC predict the “intensification” of Sunni-Shia violence.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/belief/conflict-between-sunni-and-shia-muslims-seen-escalating-across-mi


The current battle in Syria is driven by many factors, including a desire to escape repression and poverty. But the majority Sunni population also wants to rid itself of rule by what it views as a heretical strain of Islam. And Syria’s civil war has increasingly taken on sectarian colors.

Riedel noted that Al Qaeda-like militias in Iraq, and among the myriad groups of Syrian rebels, are extremely hostile to Shias, whom they view as “the devil incarnate.” In Iraq, they can do a lot of damage but will never succeed in toppling the government because Sunnis are a minority, Riedel said.

However, Al Qaeda rebel groups in Syria, he added, are “riding a winning horse” because of the Sunni-majority population.

Although Sunnis and Shia have been fighting for 1,400 years, the current escalation of their conflict across the region is due in large part to heightened rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, Riedel noted, as both strive for hegemonic influence in the area and beyond in global Islam.

This Saudi-Iran enmity shows no sign of abating, he added, which means that “the likelihood is an intensification of” Sunni-Shia violence in the Middle East.

February 26th, 2013, 10:14 am

 

majedkhaldoun said:

I was told that Burhan Ghalioun may form the new goverment

February 26th, 2013, 10:20 am

 

Syrian said:

Another great oportaion for the FSA in Alqusir Homs
Check out this video on YouTube:br/>http://youtu.be/iqLdxso-NtI

February 26th, 2013, 10:30 am

 

zoo said:

Russia woos US to facilitate Syria talks
2013-02-26

http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Russia+woos+US+to+facilitate+Syria+talks&NewsID=367479

MOSCOW: Russia will urge the United States on Tuesday to press the Syrian opposition to hold direct talks with Damascus, but fears “extremists” now have the upper hand among President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said before leaving for Berlin to meet Secretary of State John Kerry that the new U.S. top diplomat seemed to grasp the gravity of the crisis in Syria.

He said Washington should lean on the Syrian opposition to drop demands that Assad must leave power before talks can start.

“In our contacts with other countries that can influence the parties in Syria, we have noticed a growing understanding of the need to influence both the government and, first of all, the opposition so that they do not come up with unrealistic requests as preconditions for the start of dialogue,” Lavrov said after talks with Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans.

“This is what we will discuss with John Kerry today. During our latest phone conversation I had the impression that he has an understanding of the acuteness of the situation in Syria.”

Lavrov signaled that the prospects for direct talks in Syria had receded in the past few days.

“A few days ago it seemed that conditions for the sides to sit down for talks … were getting clearer. There were calls in support of a quick start to dialogue,” he said.

“But then came denials of such an approach. It seems extremists, who bet on a military solution to Syria’s problems and block initiatives to start dialogue, have for now come to dominate in the ranks of the Syrian opposition, including in the so-called (Syrian) National Coalition,” he added.

February 26th, 2013, 10:35 am

 
 

Hanzala said:

The beautiful voices of the mujahideen.

February 26th, 2013, 10:48 am

 

zoo said:

Bahrain again: don’t annoy Saudi Arabia over Shias’ rights

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bahrain-again.aspx?pageID=449&nID=41847&NewsCatID=418


And the relationship between Sunnis and Shias throughout the region is coming to resemble that between Catholics and Protestants in 16th-century Europe.

The ensuing century of religious wars in Europe was not really about doctrinal differences. The wars were driven by the rulers’ conviction that people who did not share their particular brand of Christianity could not be loyal to them politically.

It was nonsense, but millions of Europeans were killed in the 1500s and 1600s in wars triggered by this belief. The same disease now seems to be taking root in the Arab Gulf states. Shias, it is argued, cannot be loyal to a Sunni ruling family. And if they object to being oppressed, it can only be because Shia-majority Iran has deliberately stirred them up.

So Saudi Arabia worries a lot about the loyalty of the large Shia population (maybe even a majority) in its Eastern Province, where all the oil is. It was certainly not going to tolerate a democracy – which it thinks would be a “Shia” democracy, and therefore a hostile regime – in Bahrain, right next door.
..
It certainly wasn’t what Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa intended: he was trying to negotiate with opposition parties about giving Shias a bigger role in the kingdom’s affairs. But Saudi Arabia didn’t want that kind of example right next-door, and it found hardline allies in the Bahraini royal family.

And even if it gets a great deal worse in Bahrain, no Western government is going to condemn the country’s rulers. That would seriously annoy Saudi Arabia, and they will never do that.

February 26th, 2013, 10:53 am

 

revenire said:

“1198. JUERGEN said:
Reve
Debka has proven to be as trustworthy as Radio Yerevan.”

I know that. It is still amusing to me because it is an Israeli leak sheet. And, while they are full of stories that prove to be false all they say is not false (like this story :)). Certainly you would agree they are more reliable than most Western news organs?

I mean yeah they’re full of it but no more full of it than your stories of “regime atrocities” or chemical weapons BS.

Think this over and get back to me.

February 26th, 2013, 10:56 am

 

zoo said:

The greatest strategic achievement of Israel in the last years is to have succeeded in pushing Shias and Sunnis to get into long and violent wars so as to weaken Israel’s most threatening enemy: Iran

Their Israelis and US neocons strategists are to be congratulated. Until now, it is working according to plan.

February 26th, 2013, 11:02 am

 

Visitor said:

Lebanon is strategically placed to be the ideal conduit for both the southern and the northenrn fronts, and that’s how the weapons are arriving into those liberated areas,

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/26/268472.html

We expect that the Syrian Revolution will strongly impact the Lebanese after this development. Turmoil may start to escalate in Lebanon assuming it ahsn’t already considering the Arasal and other incidents in the north of Lebanon.

On the other hand, Lavrov is still going around in empty circles trying to force determined Syrians to submit to criminal thugs,

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/02/26/268430.html

Likewise we expect that the Syrian Revolution will strongly impact the Russians and Russia due to Lavrov’s and Putin’s thuggish intransigence. No more Russia after this. Russia is going to the dogs for challenging the Syrian people

February 26th, 2013, 11:22 am

 

Hopeful said:

# 1227 Zoo

Israel is the main reason we remain backward societies, not because they are doing anything smart or wicked, but just because they exist to give us excuses not to look inwards to find our our flaws and try to address them. We can simply blame all our problems on Israel and sleep peacefully.

Did Israel exit when Imam Hussain and his infant son were killed by the Umayyad troops? Oh I forgot – it was America’s wicked neocon strategists who caused that.

Our main enemies live among us: they are our dictators and those who support them, and they are the religious extremists and those who give them the right to force their views of the world on the rest of us.

February 26th, 2013, 11:39 am

 

Visitor said:

“The greatest strategic achievement of Israel in the last years is to have succeeded in pushing Shias and Sunnis to get into long and violent wars ….”

The greatest strategic failure of idiot Khomeini was to dream and to tell his idiotic followers about his mid-noon dream that the time has come for them to rule over Muslims as the Arabs and the Turks did. Khomeini was an idiot to believe that his hereticism will be accepted by Muslims and that his idiotic dream is realizable. In case you haven’t noticed, Mullah-stan constitution was changed by Khomeini to make majoosi-safawi hereticism the exclusive source of heretic legislation. So to hell with Khomeini, his mullahs and all heretics. They are rejects.

Our beloved Prophet (PBUH) told us: No more Kisras after Kisra. And Al-Hussein made his curse upon the Shia before he died, which will haunt them till they enter Jahnnam forevevr and ever,

كان دعاء الحسين على شيعته : ” اللهم إن متعتهم إلى حين ففرقهم فرقاً ( أي شيعاً وأحزاباً ) واجعلهم طرائق قددا ، و لا ترض الولاة عنهم أبدا ، فإنهم دعونا لينصرونا ، ثم عدوا علينا فقتلونا ” { الإرشاد للمفيد 241 ، إعلام الورى للطبرسي 949، كشف الغمة 18:2و38

فقد قال السيد محسن الأمين ” بايع الحسين عشرون ألفاً من أهل العراق ، غدروا به وخرجوا عليه وبيعته في أعناقهم وقتلوه ” { أعيان الشيعة 34:1 }.

ثم ناداهم الحر بن يزيد ، أحد أصحاب الحسين وهو واقف في كربلاء فقال لهم ” أدعوتم هذا العبد الصالح ، حتى إذا جاءكم أسلمتموه ، ثم عدوتم عليه لتقتلوه فصار كالأسير في أيديكم ؟ لا سقاكم الله يوم الظمأ “{ الإرشاد للمفيد 234 ، إعلام الورى بأعلام الهدى 242}.

In case you ahven’t noticed, the above curse is recorded in heretic Shia sources.

So, what does Israel have to do with all of this?

February 26th, 2013, 11:41 am

 

Tara said:

Zoo,

I always wonder why someone like you is not able to look at the situation if not like Tara, like Ghufran @1181 for instance?   

You concern me and I worry for you.  You may have said something stupid in the past about your affection towards Syria, no different from any other poster on SC.  I may have been vulnerable at that time.  It was around the time when the old woman was shot dead and her dentures fell off and laid near her dead body.   I believed your affection to Syria and got stuck.  I may have believed that no one this passionate could be as indifferent to humanity in real life,  that the Zoo we see on SC is not himself, the real Zoo, a man with intense affection towards a country.  And your words did not matter..  

I worry for you having a moment of truth with yourself in 5 or 10 years from now.  I worry for you when you face God..   I know my whole post may sound ridiculous, especially to some of “my own kind”.  And it very well may be..       

February 26th, 2013, 11:53 am

 

zoo said:

Syria opposition mulls 5 candidates for ‘premier’
February 26, 2013 05:42 PM
Agence France Presse

BEIRUT: At least five candidates are vying to become “prime minister” of a government Syria’s opposition plans to create to administer rebel-held territory, a member of the Syrian National Council said on Tuesday.

The SNC, the main bloc within the opposition National Coalition, decided on Monday to present three names for the post, member Samir Nashar told AFP.

They are former SNC head Burhan Ghalioun and members Salim al-Moslet and Osama Kadi.

“Other names from outside the SNC are being circulated,” including former Syrian premier Riad Hijab, who defected last summer, and Khaled Mustafa, Nashar said.

The premier will be elected in a secret ballot by the 64 general assembly members of the Syrian National Coalition on March 2.

The Coalition decided on Friday to form a government to run areas of the country “liberated” by rebels. During the upcoming summit in Istanbul, it will also decide on the composition of the planned government.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-26/208018-syria-opposition-mulls-5-candidates-for-premier.ashx#ixzz2M1bencuf

February 26th, 2013, 11:53 am

 

Ziad said:

الاسلام حرم قتل الاسير المشرك والكافر … وحرم دم المسلم علي
المسلم …بماذا نصف هؤلاء القتلة؟؟

https://twitter.com/zuhair64/status/255269499350163456/photo/1

February 26th, 2013, 12:06 pm

 

zoo said:

#1233 Tara

Thanks for your concerns. In times like this, your questions are irrelevant. I want peace through dialog at any cost, you want victory through war at any cost.

We have no common ground for discussions.

February 26th, 2013, 12:06 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1234. zoo said:

I want peace through dialog at any cost, you want victory through war at any cost.

 
So, if we sign over Syria to Putin, and that achieves “peace,” you would find that acceptable.

Maybe he can appoint Kadyrov (Kafirov) or Depardieu to run Sham as a Russian satrapy.

Then the Kremlin can export its values (suicide, AIDS, heroin, death of old age at 50).

February 26th, 2013, 12:20 pm

 

revenire said:

Tara seems to have a bloodlust. The army will satisfy her.

February 26th, 2013, 12:26 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1233. Ziad said:

https://twitter.com/zuhair64/status/255269499350163456/photo/1

 
Sweet. I remember in Iraq they lined up a bunch of Shia thugs and shot them on video.
Those are the negotiations we need.

February 26th, 2013, 12:32 pm

 

Hopeful said:

# 1234 Zoo

You want peace through dialog at any cost? Simple – have some of the honest people within the regime/government agree to start negotiation with the opposition about a new Syria without Assad, his ruling family, and the thugs around them. I am sure the opposition will be happy to discuss and agree on excluding anyone from the opposition who is deemed to by guilty of committing crimes against civilians. Isn’t this a fair way to proceed? Would you support that solution? Does that fit within your “at any cost” criteria?

February 26th, 2013, 12:32 pm

 

omen said:

considering media has asserted before the saudis were arming the rebels when they weren’t, i’m still doubtful. and why croatia?

1207. tara: Finally, these weapons offer a degree of control to those supplying them.

what changed? how is it they are able to control these weapons now and not before?

the claim has always been ridiculous. the u.s. has spent trillions of dollars on security. alqaeda can’t even sneeze without the u.s knowing about it. technology now is such that industries can keep track of anything — and we are supposed to believe they cant keep track of a handful of manpads?

February 26th, 2013, 12:54 pm

 

omen said:

npr reporting the storm took out power in oklahoma.

February 26th, 2013, 12:57 pm

 
 
 

zoo said:

$1240 Hopeful

It’s the whole Syrian government that has been in violent confrontation with the rebels, not only Bashar Al Assad. So why exclude him, why does the opposition fear so much his presence?

By asking that, the opposition implicitly recognizes that Bashar al Assad has a major support in the population, in the army and other institutions therefore his weight in the dialog is far too big for the opposition that cannot boast as much support within Syria.
By forcing Assad to leave, they hope to neutralize the army and most of his population loyal to him, so they are in position of strength. That’s the real reason they insist he goes.

Who decides which members of the government are ‘honest’ and “don’t have blood on their hands? The opposition? Which criteria will they use?
It is such ridiculous request. If these members are still in the government, doesn’t it means that they are ‘accomplices’ and they all share the responsibility of the events with Bashar al Assad.

For me it is very clear that there are some ‘honest’ people in the opposition, but the majority are hardiners, fed by the money, the hatred and the ideologies of Qatar, KSA and Turkey and want either to dictate to the Syrian government an unconditional rendition or use the military to do that.
I don’t see any solution stemming from the Syrians. They have proven that they can’t find a solution on their own anymore.

The only solution I see will be an imposed one from the USA and Russia and endorsed by the international community. They are seeing the extreme danger of a post-Assad chaos, dominated by islamist militias similar to Iraq pre US withdrawal.

If they see it is their interest, that may make them put increased pressures on the opposition and the government to accept a dialog between any group nominated by the Syrian government and any group nominated the opposition, without any pre-conditions or projection in the outcome.
If the USA prefers the situation to deteriorate further to weaken Iran, then it will do nothing than claim outrage at the killings.

If there is a dialog, it will be that way, or there won’t be a dialog and the country will become like Lebanon and Algeria with 10-15 years of continuous violence and instability that will have a negative impact on Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel.

February 26th, 2013, 1:18 pm

 

omen said:

1222. zoo : MOSCOW: Russia will urge the United States on Tuesday to press the Syrian opposition to hold direct talks with Damascus, but fears “extremists” now have the upper hand among President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents.

for an example of extremism, look at what the state sponsor of terror, russia, did to chechnya.

russia hypocritically speaks of dialog while it continues to supply weapons. but it says something that the u.s. has been strangely quiet about both russia & iran continuing to arm the regime. where are the protests?

February 26th, 2013, 1:19 pm

 

Tara said:

Hamster#1128

It also amazes me the high prevalence of overt psychological disorders among the regime supporters on SC.  I think it has to do with the nature of the interaction being on a blog where one can be sitting disheveled , smelly, and unwashed yet able to post and get responses.  An opportunity that a real life can not provide.  I also think we, some of the anti regime, are not completely normal…in someway or other,  especially those of us who post frequently.  I am not sure if we were inherently abnormal or we were made so by the sheer enormity of what had happened to the country we once called home.  But it is obvious that their pathology is much more severe.

I also questioned some of my interaction ethically and morally.  In case of the one man party, I often try very hard to ignore or modify my response in order to cause “no harm” as the lack of facial clues makes it difficult to know if a particular poster is in acute psychotic phase and therefore not morally responsible for his delusion or not.  But coming to think about it, I think SNP is hiding behind his mental illness while spreading his disgusting islamophobe idea.  

Hyena is another example of psychological pathology dying for an interaction.  Negative or positive doesn’t matter as long as it is an interaction.  It is in this case that I try not to respond in order not to reinforce the  same behavior.

I am recovering from a heartbreaking interaction with a dying 22 yo mother who gave birth yesterday.  The separation between the mother and the infant broke my heart yesterday and reminded me with all the childless mothers and the motherless children in Syria.          

February 26th, 2013, 1:20 pm

 

omen said:

288. ghufran

that was nice of you.

February 26th, 2013, 1:25 pm

 

zoo said:

1246. omen

…And what the USA did in South America. Do you think China is better?
None of them have a clean history but you can’t just discard them, they are the current world powers who are managing the world affairs these days.
There are no other alternative than to deal with them.

February 26th, 2013, 1:33 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

1234. zoo said:

“I want peace through dialog at any cost”
For six months and the demonstrators demonstrated peacefully,yet you were against them, and who turned this conflict to military one? it is Bashar yet you support him unquestionable support,
Zoo you and Ghufran are not telling the truth

February 26th, 2013, 1:34 pm

 

omen said:

1036. MarigoldRan said: How do you enforce a no-fly zone with a Russian radar base in Tartous? Have you thought about that?

In order to enforce a no-fly zone, you have to bomb and destroy all of their radars. But bombing the Russian base is a no-no.

nato has the ability to electronically jam signals.

i believe israel did this as well when it bypassed the regime’s air defense to bomb its nuclear facility.

somebody once argued the west fears getting into a war with russia. that’s crazy. russia would never risk getting into a war with nato. europe would stop buying its natural gas as a result.

February 26th, 2013, 1:37 pm

 
 

Visitor said:

Who are the real Takfiris? The term has often been associated wrongly with so-called Salafists. In actual fact the real Takfiris are the Shia themselves. And based on that they consider themselves in an eternal state of war with the Sunnis. Consequently it is lawful according to their so-called fatwas to kill a Sunni, to rob wealth from Sunnis and to rape Sunni women. This is also from heretic Shia sources, so that idiots like Ziad @1233 will not come back and preach to us about whose blood is or is not lawful in Islam. That also should give you a clear idea about why many on this blog (almost all of whom are Shia or Shia sympathizers) consider the carnage going on in Syria as normal and even recommended by their heretic mullahs,

الشيعة و استحلال أموال ودماء أهل السنة

أموال أهل السنة مباحة عند الشيعة الروافض حسب الروايات التي ذكروها عن أئمتهم في كتبهم المعتمدة . وأن عدم قيامهم بذلك في الوقت الحاضر يرجع إلى أنهم في هدنه مع أهل المسنة إلى أن يقوم قائمهم المهدي .
والشيعي إذا استطاع بطريقة ما الاستيلاء على تلك الاموال ولو قبل قيام قائمهم فإن ذلك حلال على شرط أداء الخمس إلى نائب الامام لأنه يقوم مقامه في غيبته .
عن حفص بن البخترى عن أبى عبد الله عليه السلام قال :
خذ مال النامب حيثما وجدته وأدفع إلينا بالخمس (1) .
وفي رواية أخرى ” مال الناصب وكل شيء يملكه حلال ” (2) .
ويقول حسين الدرازي البحراني :
أن الاخبار الناهية عن القتل وأخد الاموال منهم(3) إنما صدرت تقية أو منا كما فعل علي عليه السلام بأهل البصرة . فأستاد شارح المفاتيح في إحترام أموالهم إلى تلك الاخبار غفلة واضحة لا علافها بالمن كما عرفت . وأين هو عن الاخبار التي جاءت في خصوص تلك الاباحه مثل قولهم عليهم السلام في المستفيض :خذ مال الناصب أينما وقعت ودفع لنا الخمس . وأمثاله . والتحقيق في ذلك كله حل أموالهم ودمائهم في زمن الغيبة دون سبيهم حيث لم تكن ثمة تقية وأن كل ما جاء عنهم عليهم السلام بالأمر بالكف فسبيله التقية منهم أو خوفا على شيعتهم (4) .
والخميني يجوز الاستيلاء على أموال أهل السنة ولو كانت بطريقة غير شرعية في حين أنه يمنع ذلك من أموال أهل الذمه فيقول : يجب الخمس في سبعة أشياء : الاول : ما يغتنم قهرا لا سرقه وغيله – إذا كانتا فى الحرب ومن شؤونه – من أهل الحرب الذين تستحل دماؤهم وأموالهم وتسبى نساؤهم وأطفالهم إذا كان الغزو معهم بإذن الامام عليه السلام من غير فرق ما حواه العسكر وما لم يحوه كالارض ونحوها على الاصح . وأما ما اغتنم بالغزو من غير إذنه فإن كان في حال الحصور والتمكن من الاستئذان منه فهو من الانفال ، وأما ما كان فى حال الغيبة وعدم التمكن من الاستئذان فالاقوى وجوب الخمس فيه سيما اذا كان للدعاء الى الاسلام ، وكذا ما اغتنم منهم عند الدفاع اذا هجموا على المسلمين فى أماكنهم وئو في زمن الغيبة . وما اغتنم منهم بالسرقه والغيله غير ما مرّ وكذا بالربا والدعوى الباطلة ونحوها فالاحوط إخراج الخمس منها من حيث كونه غنيمة لا فئدة . فلا يحتاج إلى مراعاة مئونة السنة . ولكن الأقوى خلافه ، ولا يعتبر فيه وجوب الخمس في الغنيمة بلوغها عشرين دينارا على الاصح ، نعم يعتبر فيه أن لا يكون غصبا من مسلم أو ذمي أو معاهد ونحوهم من محترمى المال ، بخلاف ماكن فى أيديهم من أهل الحرب وإن لم يكن الحرب معهم فى تنك الغزوة ، والأقوى إلحاق الناصب بأهل الحرب في إباحة ما اغتنم منهم وتعلق الخمس به، با الظاهر جواز أخذ ما له أين وجد وبأي نحو كان ، ووجوب إخراج خمسه …. (5) .
ولم تقتصر الشيعة على استباحة الاموال بل التعدي ذلك إلى إباحة إراقة دماء أهل السنة ولو بدون وجه حق . وأنه واجب عند الشيعة ومرتبط بحضور أئمتهم غير أن ذلك لا يمنع إن أستطاعوا إليه سبيلا على أن لا يترتب على ذلك ضرر يحدق بالشيعة وإليك بعض ما روى في هذا الشأن :
في آخر رواية إسحأق بن عمار : لولا أنا نخاف عليكم أن يقتل رجل برجل منهم ورجل منكم خيرمن ألف رجل منهم لأمرناكم بالقتل لهم ولكن ذلك إلى الامام عليه السلام (6).
وعلق الدرازي عليها قائلا :
وربما يسبط من هذه الرواية أن جواز قتلهم مخصوص بحضورهم صلوات الله عليهم وإذنهم . وقد عرفت أن الأخبار جاءت بالاذن في حال غيبتهم كحال حضورهم فلعل هذا مخصوص بزمن التقية (7).
وفي صحيحه الفضل بن شاذان عن الرضا عليه السلام :
فلا يحل قتل أحد من النصاب والكفار في دار التقية إلا قاتل أوساع في فساد وذلك اذا لم تخف على نفسك أو على أصحابك (8).
وعن الريان بن الصلت قال : قلت للرضا عليه السلام :
أن العباس يسمعني فيك ويذكرك كثيرا وهو كثيرا ما ينام عندي ويقبل ، فترى أن آخذ بحلقه وأعصره حتى يموت ؟ ثم أقول مات فجأة فقام ونفض يده ثلاثا وقال : لا يا ريان لا يا ريان . فقلت : أن الفضل بن سهل هوذا يوجهني إلى العراق في أمواله والعباس خارج من بعدي بأيام إلى العراق فترى أن أقول لمواليك المقيمين أن يخرخا منهم عشرون ثلاثون كأنهم قاطعوا طريق أو صعاليك فإذا أجتاز بهم قتلوه فيقال قتله الصعاليك . فسكت ولم يقل لي نعم ولا لا.
وعلق عليها فقال :ولعل سبب النهى فى الاول هو ظهور التقية وأن ذلك الاحتيال مما لايزيلها وسبب الثاني في السكوت هو التقية فيدل على الاباحة لأنه لا تقية في النهي لو أراده (9).
ويقول الجزائري بعد أن بين معنى الناصب : والثاني فى جواز قتلهم واستباحة أموالهم ، قد عرفت أن أكثر الاصحاب ذكروا الناصبى ذلك المعى الخاص فى باب الطهارات والنجاسات وحكمه عندهم كالكافر الحربي في أكثر الاحكام ، وأما كل ما ذكرناه له من التفسير فيكون الحكم شاملا كما عرفت . روى الصدوق طاب ثراه فى العلل مسندا الى داود بن فرقد قال : قلت لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام : ما تقول فى الناصب ؟ قال : حلال الدم لكني أتقي عليك ، فإن قدرت أن تقلب عليه حائطا أو تغرقه في لكي لا يشهد به عليك فافعل . قلت : فما ترى في ماله ؟ قال : خذه ما قدرت .
===
1) جامع أحاديث الشيعة 8/532 باب “وجوب الخمس فيما أخذ من مال الناصب وأهل البغي”
(2) المصدر السابق 8/533 .
(3) أهل السنة .
(4) المحاسن النفسانية ص 167 .
(5) تحرير الوسيلة للخمينى 1/352.
(6) المحاسن النفسانية ص 166 .
(7) المحاسن النفسانية ص 166 .
(8) المصدر السابق .
(9) المصدر السابق ص 167.
========

تكفير الشيعة لاهل السنةنحن بصدد فتوى تكفر وتخلد في النار من لا يعتقد بالامامة والولاية لعلي رضي الله عنه
هذا يعني اهدار من لايؤمن بها انها دعوة لابادة اهل السنة والجماعة اما ان تلغى او نشتكي على السيستاني لدى المحاكم الدولية بدعوى القتل لاهل السنة====

عند الشيعة الصحابة كفار ومن انكر ولاية علي او احد الائمة كافر
في دين الشيعة من انكر الامامة كافر
يقول محمد بن علي بن الحسين بن بابويه القمي الملقب بالصدوق ما نصه ((واعتقادنا فيمن جحد إمامه أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب والأئمة من بعده عليهم السلام أنه كمن جحد نبوة جميع الأنبياء واعتقادنا فيمن أقر بأمير المؤمنين وأنكر واحدا من بعده من الأئمة أنه بمنزلة من أقر بجميع الأنبياء وأنكر نبوة نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه آله)).
وينسب أيضاً إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم أنه قال(( الأئمة من بعدي اثنى عشر أولهم أمير المؤمنين علي بن ابي طالب وآخرهم القائم طاعتهم طاعتي ومعصيتهم معصيتي من أنكر واحدا منهم قد أنكرني)).
ويقول ابن المنجس الحلي(( الإمامة لطف عام والنبوة لطف خاص لإمكان خلو الزمان من نبي حي بخلاف الإمام لما سيأتي وإنكار اللطف العام شر من إنكار اللطف الخاص)).
يوسف البحراني في موسوعته المعتمدة عند الشيعة ((وليت شعري أي فرق بين من كفر بالله سبحانه وتعالى ورسوله وبين من كفر بالأئمة عليهم السلام مع ثبوت كون الإمامة من أصول الدين)).
ويقول الفيض الكاشاني ((ومن جحد إمامه أحدهمأي الأئمة الاثنى عشر ; فهو بمنزلة من جحد نبوة جميع الأنبياء عليهم السلام)).
ويقول الملا محمد باقر المجلسي والذي تلقبونه بالعلم العلامة الحجة فخر الأمة”إعلم أن إطلاق لفظ الشرك والكفر على من لم يعتقد غمامة أمير المؤمنين والأئمة من ولده عليهم السلام وفضل عليهم غيرهم يدل أنهم مخلدون في النار”.
ويقول آية الله الشيخ عبد الله المامقاني الملقب بالعلامة الثاني ((وغاية ما يستفاد من الأخبار جريان حكم الكافر والمشرك في الآخرة على كل من لم يكن اثنى عشري))
وينسب كامل سليمان حديثاً إلى النبي ونصه في كتاب يوم الاخلاص في ظل القائم المهدي ((هؤلاء هم خلفائي وأوصيائي وأولادي وعترتي من أطاعهم فقد أطاعني ومن عصاهم فقد عصاني ومن أنكرهم أو أنكر واحد منهم فقد أنكرني بهم يمسك الله السماء أن تقع على الأرض إلا بإذنه وبهم يحفظ الله الأرض أن تميد بأهلها)).
وأورد ايضا ((المقر بهم أي الأئمة الاثنى عشر مؤمن والمنكر لهم كافر)).
ويقول السيد عبد الله شبر الذي يلقب عندهم بالسيد الأعظم والعماد الأقوم علامة العلماء وتاج الفقهاء رئيس الملة والدين جامع المعقول والمنقول مهذب الفروع والأصول في ((وأما سائر المخالفين ممن لم ينصب ولم يعاند ولم يتعصب فالذي عليه جملة من الإمامية كالسيد المرتضي أنهم كفار في الدنيا والآخرة والذي عليه الأكثر الأشهر أنهم كفار مخلدون في الآخرة)).
ويقول الشيخ المفيد ((اتفقت الإمامية على أن من أنكر إمامة أحد من الأئمة وجحد ما أوجبه الله تعالى له من فرض الطاعة فهو كافر ضال مستحق للخلود في النار)).
ويقول الشيخ محمد حسن النجفي ((ومعلوم أن الله تعالى عقد الأخوة بين المؤمنين بقوله تعالى: إنما المؤمنون إخوة (الحجرات: 10). دون غيرهم وكيف يتصور الأخوة بين المؤمن والمخالفات بعد تواتر الروايات وتظافر الآيات في وجوب معاداتهم والبراءة منهم))
فهذه بعض اقوال لكبار علمائكم تقول بكفر من انكر الامامة

يعتبر الشيعة اهل السنة كفار
ولقد جاء الذكر عن أهل السنة في مراجع الامامية ” انهم كفار أنجاس بإجماع علماء الشيعة الامامية، وانهم شر من اليهود والنصارى “. راجع كتاب: ” أنوار النعمانية ، نعمة الله الجزائري ، ص 206 – 207 “. وأيضا: اعترف الشيخ المحدث ” يوسف البحراني في بيان معنى الناصب ” حيث بين كفر وخلود أهل السنة في النار- راجع كتاب: ” الشهاب الثاقب في بيان معنى الناصب ، ص 169 ، باب معنى الكفر”. وجاء في كتاب: الأنوار النعمانية ج2 ص 307 ( ان علامة النواصب تقديم غير علي عليه )، وجاء أيضا ان دم السني حلال عند الشيعة الإمامية ، فعن داود بن فرقد قال: لأبي عبدالله رضي الله عنه: ما تقول في قتل الناصب ؟ فقال: ( حلال الدم ، ولكني أتقي عليك فان قدرت أن تقلب عليه حائطا او تغرقه في ماء لكي لا يشهد عليك فافعل ) وسائل الشيعة 18/463 ، بحار الأنوار 27/231.
تأمل في الرواية جيدا وجاء في كتاب: الأنوار النعمانية ج2 ص 307 ( ان علامة النواصب تقديم غير علي عليه ) !
قولي بالله عليك لو سألت أي شخص من السنة مهما كان مستواه التعليمي- من هو الخليفة الرابع ؟
سوف يجيبك بكل ثقة انه علي رضي الله عنه – فهذا يعني انه ناصبي حسب رواياتكم وعقيدتكم في من يقول ذلك.
الى دعاة التقريب … لا تنخدعوا بالتقريب …

February 26th, 2013, 2:20 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1243. omen said:

but it says something that the u.s. has been strangely quiet about both russia & iran continuing to arm the regime. where are the protests?

 
I am usually not into neocon nutjobs, but Dinesh D’Souza has a compelling theory.
He says that Obama believes it is BEST for the world if the U.S. makes itself less powerful on the global stage.
So, he deliberately allows idiots like Putin to run wild.

Romney would have totally kicked Putin back into his doghouse.

February 26th, 2013, 2:26 pm

 

ghufran said:

يمدد العمل بجوازات السفر الصادرة بالمدة الكاملة من ست سنوات الى عشر
سنوات ولمرة واحدة فقط اعتبارا من 1-1-2013 .
وفي مادته الثانية (تقوم ادارة الهجرة والجوازات وفروعها في المحافظات بتمديد جوازات ووثائق السفر المنتهية للمواطنين السوريين ومن في حكمهم المقيمين خارج القطر لمدة سنتين بغض النظر عن الاسباب التي كانت تحول دون ذلك وعن الموافقات المطلوبة للحصول عليها واعادتها للبعثة المختصة خلال اسبوع من تاريخ وصول الاستمارة الى مركز الاصدار وفق القرار رقم 615/ق تاريخ 7-4-2005)
وقد قامت وزارة الخارجية اليوم 25 شباط / فبراير عبر مدير الادارة القنصلية فيها باصدار التعميم رقم 17 الذي يرسل قرار وزير الداخلية لكل البعثات والسفارات السورية للعمل بمضمونه .
(that was a quiet response to Moaz’s first request)
where are the thousands of Syrians who are in prison without charges who never had the option to go to court and have a lawyer?
)I am not referring to armed rebels, I am talking about political prisoners and prisoners of opinion who are an asset for the country and can play a major role after this dirty war is over)

February 26th, 2013, 2:31 pm

 

ghufran said:

يمدد العمل بجوازات السفر الصادرة بالمدة الكاملة من ست سنوات الى عشر
سنوات ولمرة واحدة فقط اعتبارا من 1-1-2013 .
وفي مادته الثانية (تقوم ادارة الهجرة والجوازات وفروعها في المحافظات بتمديد جوازات ووثائق السفر المنتهية للمواطنين السوريين ومن في حكمهم المقيمين خارج القطر لمدة سنتين بغض النظر عن الاسباب التي كانت تحول دون ذلك وعن الموافقات المطلوبة للحصول عليها واعادتها للبعثة المختصة خلال اسبوع من تاريخ وصول الاستمارة الى مركز الاصدار وفق القرار رقم 615/ق تاريخ 7-4-2005)
وقد قامت وزارة الخارجية اليوم 25 شباط / فبراير عبر مدير الادارة القنصلية فيها باصدار التعميم رقم 17 الذي يرسل قرار وزير الداخلية لكل البعثات والسفارات السورية للعمل بمضمونه .
(that was a quiet response to Moaz’s first request)
where are the thousands of Syrians who are in prison without charges who never had the option to go to court and have a lawyer?
I am not referring to armed rebels, I am talking about political prisoners and prisoners of opinion who are an asset for the country and can play a major role after this dirty war is over.

February 26th, 2013, 2:35 pm

 

Mina said:

Visitor,
please see the real face of powerful takfiris, who can make fatwas on air and cheat people pretending to be religious leaders
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLblwmgOZDF8Jewx2wsmYHJknd-io4DVBO
(minute 13′ to 15′)
(I have posted this link before but apparently no one noticed the gravity of this piece, which is a drop in the ocean)

February 26th, 2013, 2:40 pm

 

Hopeful said:

# 1242 Zoo

Look, even if what you say is 100% correct – that everyone in the regime and government supported all Assad’s decisions to purse the military option; Assad is the one viewed by a large segment of the society – the one revolting against him, as a brutal dictator and a symbol of oppression who is responsible for their suffering. They do not trust him. period. Isn’t it worthwhile for the regime to sacrifice him for the sake of saving Syria? You said “at any cost”… This is the cost. You can argue as much as you want that this is unfair to him, etc., etc., but as you like to say, this is irrelevant now. The cost of saving Syria is for you and people like you to agree to push him aside. Are you willing to do that?

I am only pushing because I am seeing a glimmer of hope.

February 26th, 2013, 2:41 pm

 

ghufran said:

في مقابلة مع صحيفة “لو فيغارو” الفرنسية دعا عمُّ بشار الأسد إلى وقف حمام الدم والتنحي عن السلطة وتسليم السلطة إلى السوريين.
ورأى “رفعت الأسد أنه لا يمكن لبشار أن يبقى في السلطة من خلال مواصلة قتل شعبه.
رفعت الأسد أكد، ومن خلال خبرته بالنظام، أن بشار وحده يُدير البلاد رافضاً وجود رئيس ظل أو أكثر في البلاد وأضاف: “من يبتعد عن النظام يُقتل”.
وأضاف عمُّ بشار الأسد: “معنويات العلويين هابطة وهم فقدوا ثقتهم بقدرة بشار على إخراجهم من الأزمة ولكن الخشية من حصول أعمال انتقامية تدفعهم الى التزام الصمت”.
كما قلل رفعت الأسد من أهمية قرارات جامعة الدول العربية تجاه النظام ورأى أنه على منظمات أخرى دولية أن تتحمل مسؤوليتها ولا سيما الأمم المتحدة.
وردا على سؤال عما إذا كانت الثورة السورية ستضع حدا لبقاء عائلة الأسد على رأس السلطة في سوريا أجاب رفعت الأسد: نعم ولكن بشار مختلف عن القذافي وبن علي ولذلك على المجتمع الدولي إيجاد ملاذ له ولعائلته وفي حال طال أمد الصراع ثمة خشية من اندلاع حرب أهلية.
Rifaat and a number of his friends are hoping that alawites will give them a second chance after Assad is gone, I do not think that is going to happen, alawites are as eager as everybody else to have a clean government and are sick of this family (Assad).

February 26th, 2013, 2:43 pm

 

Visitor said:

Mina @1253,

First, we already determined quite a while ago that you are a liar.

Secondly, I have no qualms declaring Shia who follow those so-called fatwas I showed in my comment 1250 as kafirs. We also know that Shia are obedient sheep to those who make these fatwas.

February 26th, 2013, 2:45 pm

 

Mina said:

Visitor,

I have been accused by your crowd to be a liar, and this apparently based on the claims of the famous mid-life crising WSS. I still stand by what I said and have no concern about people calling me “a Copt”, a “regime lover” or an extra-terrestrial. People who believe WSS and Tara reports are too dumb to be followed, sorry.

I can’t see any link between the shias and what I am pointing you to. But continue following such guys and turning a blind eye on their baseness, and you will be able to stop definitely the enthusiasm of some people for Islam.

P.S.: For anyone who speaks Arabic, a “takfiri” is anyone who claims enough knowledge to call someone else a “kafir” (heretic, pl. kuffar). I. e. for example when in Egypt some preacher say “anyone who does not vote for Morsi is a kafir”. Some people use the expression “takfiri organisations” for the Islamic Dijhad and others because they are quick to condemn anyone who does not follow what they consider as customary practices. Your obession with the Shias just show your real face, thanks a lot.

February 26th, 2013, 2:59 pm

 

Visitor said:

Mina 1258,

No. You were accused by ME that you are a liar based on your claim to me in a comment that you are Sunni.

This new comment of yours shows that you are a worse liar than I originally thought or many others thought.

February 26th, 2013, 3:06 pm

 

majedkhaldoun said:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-syria-crisis-weapons-idUSBRE91P0PQ20130226
Weapons are flowing from Turkey,Lebanon,Jordan and Iraq, the fight will get tougher,defections increased,Battle for Damascus is closer,
Some of the regime supporters are realizing the futility of Assad use of his thugs to end this revolution,they call for peaceful dialogue at any cost, at any cost.
Moallem and Lavrov are loudly calling for dialogue,even with armed opposition.

February 26th, 2013, 3:06 pm

 

Visitor said:

I would like to remind everyone that it was I who first predicted here on SC that arms shipments from our Arab brothers will witness an acceleration as the spring season approaches. I made the prediction while Syria was in deep freeze in the winter, and while the fighting was passing through a lull. I also predicted that the war will pick up steam with the onset of the warming weather.

I now predict that arms shipments from our GCC brothers will experience an even more dramatical increase in quantity and quality until Mullah-stan declares its submission through its economic collapse. I also predict that Bashar and his henchemen have very little time left.

Long live the Great Revolution of the Syrian People, the greatest such revolution in the history of Mankind. Down with all those who oppose it in any way, shape or form.

February 26th, 2013, 3:30 pm

 

zoo said:

#1258 Hopeful

If Bashar al Assad is viewed as ‘brutal dictator’ by some, he is also seen as a hero and a warrant of their protection by others, that includes the army, the minorities and a large portion of the business community. Aleppo is a good representative of these Syrians who have rejected the opposition.
I am assuming that as Bashar Al Assad is the commander of the army and the security apparatus, his removal will provoke the dismantling of these institutions.
The opposition has never provided any proof that they can take over the protection and the security of the minorities and the Syrians who chose to be loyal to the government. Quite the contrary, the opposition has shown over the months that not only they have no control over the armed rebels but that the armed rebels despise them.
By asking the government to renounce to Bashar al Assad without any serious military and security structure to replace the ones that Bashar is commanding, you are asking the Syrian government to put the country and itself in the weakest position possible. In other words you are asking the government to surrender itself to the opposition with nothing in return and to betray the trust of of large part of the population.
Why would it do that? To see that large part of the population massacred while the opposition, already deeply divided is bickering on the spoils? To find itself sidelined by a group who has political allegeances to foreign countries, little recognition within Syria and no military wings under its control?
Why would the Syrian government go with that?

There is no solution than to allow each party of the conflict designate freely their representatives and enter into a peace conference sponsored by the UN, USA and Russia.

February 26th, 2013, 3:36 pm

 

revenire said:

“I think it has to do with the nature of the interaction being on a blog where one can be sitting disheveled, smelly, and unwashed yet able to post and get responses.”

In psychology we call this sort of statement a Freudian slip.

February 26th, 2013, 3:41 pm

 

zoo said:

The increase of weapons to the rebels applauded by warmongers, will translate into the escalation of the war and the increase of civilians death, but not into he fall of the regime.

There is no point for the warmongers to report the death of children anymore, it will happen on a daily basis, as this is what they want: victory at any cost

February 26th, 2013, 3:47 pm

 

Dolly Buster said:

1262. zoo said:

There is no solution than to allow each party of the conflict designate freely their representatives and enter into a peace conference sponsored by the UN, USA and Russia.

 
Russia is a Third World police state which kills own citizens.
So, they definitely shouldn’t get involved in other countries.

Minorities in Syria have NO RIGHT to kill off the majority, simply because they feel it would be a downgrade for them if they lost dictatorial power!

February 26th, 2013, 3:50 pm

 

zoo said:

Shall we see negotiating team from the opposition side after Kerry meets with Al Khatib in Rome?

Lavrov urges Syria opposition to talk after Kerry meeting
AFP Updated February 27, 2013, 9:23 am

….
Lavrov said his Berlin talks with Kerry were “constructive”, according to the Interfax news agency.

He added that representatives of the Syrian regime had “assured” Moscow that they “both have a negotiating team and are ready to start dialogue as soon as possible.”

He called on the opposition also to name a negotiating team.

Meanwhile, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters the two ministers had had a “really serious and hardworking session.”

Nuland said the “bulk” of their discussions on foreign affairs “focused on Syria and how we can work together to implement the Geneva agreement”, which remains hazy on whether Assad needs to step down before talks can begin.

Before the talks, Kerry stressed his personal relationship with Lavrov, voicing confidence the two could find “common ground.”

February 26th, 2013, 3:51 pm

 

Tara said:

Syrian missile strikes killed at least 141 people in Aleppo, says rights group
Children accounted for more than half of those who died last week in ‘an escalation of unlawful attacks against civilians’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/26/syria-missile-strike-kill-aleppo
Associated Press in Beirut
Tuesday 26 February 2013 09.20 EST

A Human Rights Watch researcher who visited Aleppo last week to inspect the targeted sites, said up to 20 buildings were destroyed in each area hit by a missile. There were no signs of any military targets in the residential districts, located in rebel-held parts of the city and rural areas to the north, said researcher Ole Solvang.

“Just when you think things can’t get any worse, the Syrian government finds ways to escalate its killing tactics,” he said.

Human Rights Watch said 71 children were among the 141 people killed in the four missile strikes on three opposition-controlled neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo – Jabal Badro, Tariq al-Bab and Ard al-Hamra – and one north of the city – Tel Rifat.

February 26th, 2013, 4:27 pm

 

Juergen said:

Reve

Sorry I can not agree. These DEBKA file folks are no better than those Voltaire networkers. If you owe them credibility, go ahead. To me they are suspicious to say in moderate terms. I assume through DEBKA some folks within the Israeli government channel their views and false informations. To compare their gossip to western style quality media ( I dont mean the yellow press ) is quite an insult. Either you are naive or you dont consume them. As we know its always an comfort to live in a western country and enjoy the freedom of free speech. The other day I was going through my collections of old GDR newspapers and I have to tell you I am quite happy that such stupidity is gone from Germanys media landscape. I would give credit to you if you would honestly critizize the double standards and the lack of knowledge of many journlists when it comes to arabic culture and the ME in general.

February 26th, 2013, 4:28 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor

“declares its submission through its economic collapse. I also predict that Bashar and his henchemen have very little time left.”

In your wet dreams while you’re masturbating on your revolutionist sisters or maybe your virgins in your virtual heaven.

And I here declare you’re a dumbass with no clue of what’s happening around, we’re still your lords and we’ll stay for ever. Once you see a wave of popular crowds performing their voluntarily pilgrimage to Hafez’ shrine, then you’re understand it’s all in your dreams

February 26th, 2013, 4:31 pm

 

Tara said:

Syria’s state media has questioned the neutrality of Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, after he said it was unfair to label Syrian rebels as terrorists.

In an interview with Russia Today, Brahimi said:

Very often a lot of people call terrorist what others call liberation movement. And I think in Syria we have something similar. There are definitely acts of horrible violence – unacceptable violence – that is done by both sides. But to say that the struggle is between the government and terrorist is a little bit pushing it too far …

A lot of people are backed from abroad that doesn’t necessary make them terrorists. The Jabhat al-Nusra is considered a terrorist organization by a lot of people, including a lot of Syrians. But it doesn’t mean that everybody is a terrorist in Syria …

The main struggle is really between a large part of the people of Syria, who want change. They want change in their country. And that is I think a legitimate aspiration. They want dignity. That’s what they said. They want dignity. They want change. They want democracy. This is the struggle. There are foreigners, they are a tiny minority, maybe a few hundreds, maybe a couple of thousands. But there are a hundred thousand at least of armed troopers, who are fighting against their government, unfortunately. So don’t try to say it’s foreigners, who are fighting against the Syrian government. This is not the case.

February 26th, 2013, 4:41 pm

 

revenire said:

Really Juergen? I can pull out dozens of mainstream German reports on all manner of things that seem like an Elvis sighting from a UFO. From Iraqi WMD to Syrian chemical weapons to reports on the German economy etc.

February 26th, 2013, 4:41 pm

 
 

Visitor said:

“we’re still your lords and we’ll stay for ever”

You have always been our servants, still are and you always will be.

And we know you can’t even get it up to mate with your bitches, so you have to imagine an idol to get some reinforcement because it is so soft and won’t do the bitch, and we have an example right here. You are the next specimen puppy dog.

“Once you see a wave of popular crowds performing their voluntarily pilgrimage to Hafez’ shrine”

You mean a swamp of urine around the pit of Hafez.

Ya jarou, Ana bi eedeh bedi raj3ak 3al kahf lli abouk, the dog, wu oumak, the bitch, ijo minno. w mi honeek al-jarou inta jeet.

February 26th, 2013, 4:45 pm

 

ALI said:

Visitor

“shipments from our GCC brothers”

Aren’t they the same brothers who’re denying Syrians from entering their countries to seek refuge?

Aren’t they the same brothers who’re f*cking your underage Sunni girls with the excuse “it’s permissible in sharia to do so”?

Aren’t they the same brothers who enslave you in their countries under the word “Kafeel”? ask Amjad of Arabia on this

To call these illiterate Bedouins who’re still wiping their filthy bums with stones “Brothers” is as low as sleeping with your mummy in the same bed

February 26th, 2013, 4:47 pm

 

Juergen said:

Reve

WMD were used in Iraq. Saddam had them from European countries including France and Germany. He destroyed them secretly and openly let the world believe he still had them, this was his tragedy, that even when he could have spared the war for the country, he insisted on playing games with the UN. Syria shows the world now what they have been doing since more than 40 years, collect weapons of all kinds, for an uprising, an situation we see now.

Whats is wrong of the media reporting on the German economy?

February 26th, 2013, 4:50 pm

 

Juergen said:

See these two videos of the now freed Omayad mosque in Aleppo

See what Assad soldiers left in the mosque, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8CB4pBfLD0

February 26th, 2013, 4:57 pm

 
 

revenire said:

No Juergen no WMD were used or found in Iraq but your German press was full of stories about it. They used the WMD scare stories to justify murdering almost one million Iraqis.

February 26th, 2013, 5:13 pm

 

revenire said:

FSA vs. FSA
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

From Ali, the Turkey correspondent: “There are some rumors in Turkey -still impossible to verify- about the hidden wars between some FSA groups and Al Qaeda affiliated ones mostly operating in northern Syria.

Syrian media has been reporting the deadly strifes of the FSA groups that cannot share the troophies of looting but what I am telling is you a little bit different. According to rumors, some FSA groups (mostly in Aleppo) informs Syrian army about the their rival groups and thus the attacks of Syrian army becomes more deadly. One of my journalist friend (prefers not to be named) told me that sometimes FSA militants informing the army about the Al Qaeda affiliated groups who are much more stronger and refusing to cooperate.

“They inform the army about the location of arm depots, the location of headquarters or even field hospitals of the rival groups and these critical informations help army to destroy easily its strtategic targets. For instance, army hit one of headquarters in Azaz las month with the help of a rival group. Sometimes they give the information for money…” he told me. “

February 26th, 2013, 5:13 pm

 

Juergen said:

Reve

You can ask the Kurds and the Iranians about usage of MWD in Iraq. Can you read what i wrote? Saddam had them and used them, but destroyed them before the second Gulf war. There were people serving prison time for exporting the raw materials to the regime, but of course even our legal system is part of the conspiracy right buddy?

February 26th, 2013, 5:17 pm

 

zoo said:

#1282 Revenire

That’s a good beginning: the FSA is helping the Syrian army crush al Qaeda. They have now a common enemy, it is the first step to reconciliation.
I can wait for the moment Al Nusra will decide to steal the advanced weapons that ‘our GCC brothers ” have sent to the FSA.

February 26th, 2013, 5:25 pm

 

revenire said:

Juergen you ask them. I know the facts. I read what you wrote but don’t take this wrong “buddy” but you’re not a source.

As far as conspiracies go, the US and Germany both lied – knowingly – to take the world to war in Iraq. That is, by any definition, a conspiracy. Of course, Tony Blair lied and so did many others – Germany just sort of tagged along. You know all this I am quite certain. You’re not as ape-like as some of the other terrorist supporters here.

Is the legal system part of the conspiracy? Only when they cover up crimes.

There is this charge men get charged with every single day in Germany. It is called conspiracy. Petty criminals do it and so do big ones like Blair. You go check the German legal system and get back to me “buddy” okay?

On another subject: Aleppo. If you check your sources you will find the army has made gains recently – dramatic gains. I am sure you can easily find news of these gains yourself.

February 26th, 2013, 5:27 pm

 

revenire said:

Juergen we can rely on the conspiracy theory newspaper the London Independent on Iraq if you agree.

Man whose WMD lies led to 100,000 deaths confesses all
Defector tells how US officials ‘sexed up’ his fictions to make the case for 2003 invasion

Juergen this is like the Syrian chemical weapons stories. The only motive for saying this is to get NATO to attack. That is the sole reason.

Israel would love to see NATO bomb the hell out of Syria. They don’t want to do it themselves but would cream their pants if NATO did it.

Same with the Patriots in Turkey. The idea that Syria would attack Turkey is totally bizarre. As much as I wish Dr. Assad would send 1000s of missiles to destroy the hydroelectric dams in Turkey he won’t do that. That is why he is president and I am not.

🙂

February 26th, 2013, 5:36 pm

 

Juergen said:

Reve

believe me no one in NATO headquarters wants an involvement in the war. If you could research better you can find out that the Schroeder government was totally unimpressed by Bushs claims ( Fischer the foreign minister became famous for his, I am not convinced statement) ,but again the weapons were there and used beforehand. Syria never had the pressure of an international community asking too many questions about WMD, so there was no pressure to destroy them either.

February 26th, 2013, 5:45 pm

 

revenire said:

Let’s not make such all encompassing statements – PLENTY of people in NATO want to attack Syria. You just don’t have intelligence (meaning the material you read not your brainpower) to see it. I believe you don’t try to see it and are concentrating on telling the few posters here about a xeroxed newspaper with 250-300 circulation in some rat nest you call a village.

So far the military men in NATO and the US have restrained the POLITICIANS from attacking Syria because the military men know that Syria has an advanced air defense system that remains intact despite Israeli-FSA attacks on it. The military leadership, the sane part anyway, wants no part in it. If you had said that you would have won my respect.

February 26th, 2013, 6:12 pm

 

zoo said:

The FSA: Weapons and money delivered ‘legally’ from Turkey, more coming after the transitional government announced.

Rebels told Reuters the weapons, along with money for cash payments for fighters, were being distributed through a new command structure, part of a plan by foreign backers to centralize control over rebel units and check Islamists linked to Al-Qaeda.

However, in a sign of the difficulty in uniting disparate fighting groups, some rebels said they had turned down the arms and refused to submit to the new command.

While not nearly enough to tip the military balance against Assad – who is able to deploy air power, missiles and artillery to devastating effect against rebel areas – any significant arms shipment is a boost to rebels who have long complained about the lack of international support.

The rebels refused to specify who supplied the new weapons, saying they did not want to embarrass foreign supporters, but said they had arrived openly via Turkey “from donor countries.”

“We have received this shipment legally and normally. It was not delivered through smuggling routes but formally through Bab al-Hawa crossing,” said a rebel commander in Homs province, referring to a rebel-held crossing with Turkey
“But it is not enough to help us win,” he told Reuters by Skype. “Another shipment has arrived in Turkey but we haven’t received it yet,” he added, saying he believed foreign donors were waiting for the Syrian opposition to form a transitional government to work with the rebel command. –

See more at: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-27/208049-syrian-rebels-bolstered-by-new-arms-but-unification-remains-elusive.ashx#axzz2M1baVRju

February 26th, 2013, 6:16 pm

 

zoo said:

“Generous” Qatar,Turkey and other donors are sending weapons to be paid in reconstruction contracts: the more destruction, the more business..

“Each front has received its share. All equally distributed,” the rebel said, adding that ‘payment’ for the weapons would come in the form of post-conflict reconstruction contracts in Syria awarded to countries that helped.

“So basically its like we have paid in advance. It is funded by the countries that will be involved in reconstruction of Syria,” he said.

– See more at: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Feb-27/208049-syrian-rebels-bolstered-by-new-arms-but-unification-remains-elusive.ashx#axzz2M1baVRju

February 26th, 2013, 6:22 pm

 

William Scott Scherk said:

MINA at #1258 says to VISITOR:

I have been accused by your crowd to be a liar, and this apparently based on the claims of the famous mid-life crising WSS.

I call baloney on this statement. I have defended you, MINA against worthless and snide insinuations about your heritage and allegiances. I accept that you are what you say you are over time on Syria Comment. Moreover, I believe you to tell the truth about not only your opinions, but your origins. I need not repeat them here, as it is irrelevant to your slagging of VISITOR. In that, I fully support anyone who calls him on his lordly ways with religion and his hatefulness. I did not suggest nor ignore TARA and other’s dumb ‘copt’-baiting.

I still stand by what I said and have no concern about people calling me “a Copt”, a “regime lover” or an extra-terrestrial. People who believe WSS and Tara reports are too dumb to be followed, sorry.

Equally, I could give a sh*t about what Visitor tells anyone is his or her religious fate. As for ‘regimist,’ you are not, MINA, you are perhaps at the anarchist edge of communism and abhor most if not all governments, including the Baath dictatorship, on principle. I believe you accept as a given that the Assad regime has been a beast.

VISTOR is too often personally nasty and threatening dire religious horrors for his erstwhile enemies for me to think of him as much more than a martinet. I do value his opinions more than I do say, hatemonger and hysteric REVENIRE’s, in that VISITOR, like you, is honest about who he is and what he is. As a fellow Canadian, I abhor his racist rants against Shia. It is nutty and awful to my ears. He would be damned in the streets for such incitements were he to say out loud in company in the real world Canada what he says to us here via his angry keyboard.

HAMSTER, thank you for righting this boat just when it needed righting. TARA, ZOOrritated has no heart for display, for public. He cannot reveal that which you ask for, and still perform his role here. Turn away from those who are hateful to you, pity them their heartlessness, and give those reconciliation veranda seats to someone else, someone more honest and open and human, someone not concerned with vanquishing you ‘and your kind.’

OMEN, JUERGEN, OBSERVER, MJABALI, etcetera thank you for either ignoring or wrily countering the hate and hysteria and Baathist spin by the regimists and the nutterzone accounts. You are keeping these commentaries weighted against hate and delusion. The bitterness and ugliness of the zealots here is revealed in contrast to your heart and attempts to dialogue and inform.

So, stuff your shonky WSS reference, MINA. Put it where ZOOLicious and his munchkin get their slag, and continue doing something useful, tarring VISITOR’s hateful commentary for what it is.

February 26th, 2013, 7:29 pm

 

Visitor said:

WSS,

I equally give a sh*t about what you say, and perhaps I am the only one here who you mean nothing to, since I am not aware of any grievances others have against you and, since I never witnessed any such incidents. So you are a non-entity, a non-existent, a no-body, a zilch as far as I concerned. In fact, a single cell organism would have more imact on the world than your non-relevance. Next time you go to see your shrink, which I am sure you are seeing one, ask him/her this question: hey doc, I badly need to get in touch with my own uniqueness.

You will why you need this at the end of this comment.

As to what Canadians would or would not abhor, you would be the last to be consulted. And whatever I say here about heretic Shia I also say it in public. Since you do not understand the issues involved I suggest you keep your lousy barking hole of a mouth close shut. In fact, I had nothing to do between you and this Mina and you should have just addressed your concerns with him/her without involving me, because my response to him/her was clear and to the point. So next time buzz off and never ever try to lecture here idiot.

But as a reminder! And also for your shrink session, you are the fakest contributor this site has to offer. And that was my first impression about you, and also made it clear to you. Strangely enough, it never changed and I believe will never change. I just hope the shrink will be of use to you. But I wouldn’t raise my hopes high. You’re a desperado.

February 26th, 2013, 8:20 pm

 

revenire said:

God, Scherk is – dare I say it -a drama queen.

Bill please – your mournful screed litters my iPad screen and causes me to feel as if I need to take a #2.

The Oscars were Sunday. You didn’t win.

February 26th, 2013, 8:25 pm

 

Visitor said:

……

February 26th, 2013, 8:37 pm

 

Visitor said:

Another FSA victory,

Brigidiere General Ali Durgham (علي ضرغام) is no more. Eliminated by special FSA ops. He is the head of western Damascus countryside for military operations. He was demolished along with other high ranking thugs.

But there was also another prize. Naim Qassim (نعيم قاسم) second thug in command of the Hezbos was also present and was injured. Hassoun الجربوع must be shaken.

February 26th, 2013, 8:38 pm

 

Observer said:

WSS thanks

I think that Visitor swallowed the bait of the regime. The regime wanted it a sectarian war and it will get it; it does it to justify its brutality and to hold the sect and others hostage to its survival.

Ghufran is slowly seeing the light. I am not a pacifist in the sense that I do believe in self defense to protect one’s life and family and possessions as well as freedom if necessary.

I also believe that there is evil and that the evil to thrive requires a demonization process of the other which we are seeing on display here by the likes of ZOO and ALI especially in this day and age of human rights, rule of law, democratic principles of governance, separation of powers, etc….

A Nobel Peace Prize winner has actually argued that democracy is not Westernization but universal human liberation from oppressive regimes. It is not in my opinion a state of man worshiping himself but a system of arbitration and independent justice.

The comments of ALI and ZOO and REV and CITIZEN and MINA and others on the regime are invaluable to me to follow the logic and the mind set of the regime as well as their fantasies. When ZOO thinks that the FSA is joining the SAA in fighting the Nusra it really shows me a nice glimpse of a fantasy world he lives in.

By the way finding the bottles of beer in the great mosque in Aleppo will also go viral and I can assure you that it will add significantly to the reaction of fundamentalists. They do not demonstrate for the death of children but in their own logic will do so for a stupid movie against the prophet and the presence of beer bottles in the mosque.

Laughvrov wants the opposition to dialogue with the regime. They will do so with weapons and more weapons. Today I saw not only the use of MRL but a 122 mm cannon being used against the regime.

A tank was blown in Daraya again. Three aircraft were shot down. A few more were destroyed on the ground in Minnigh airport.

In the meantime the second TV station in Israel announced that Nasrallah is ill. Injured or with cancer no one knows. Manar denied it. In the Bekaa valley refugee camps are springing up wildly. Lebanon is going to be drawn in. There is riding criminality in Sidon and Tripoli with kidnappings for money.

These states are all failing slowly.

Last but not least, please do not bring the doom and gloom of what is happening in Bahrain or Egypt to convince us that The Prethident is better for stability.

Justice in a court of law.

February 26th, 2013, 8:39 pm

 

Tara said:

Marigoldran

I think your contribution here is valuable and you should not be thwarted by criticism.

WSS,

Yes. I give up. I tried..

February 26th, 2013, 9:04 pm

 

Ghufran said:

بيروت ـ ا ف ب: تتداول اوساط المعارضة السورية بخمسة اسماء على الاقل لمرشحين محتملين لرئاسة حكومة تتولى ادارة المناطق الخاضعة لمقاتلي المعارضة في سورية، وذلك قبل ايام من الموعد المقرر لاختيار رئيس الحكومة خلال اجتماع للائتلاف المعارض السبت في اسطنبول، بحسب ما ذكر احد اعضاء الائتلاف لوكالة فرانس برس.
واعلن الائتلاف الوطني لقوى المعارضة والثورة السورية في 22 شباط (فبراير) ان الهيئة العامة للائتلاف ستجتمع في الثاني من اذار (مارس) في اسطنبول لتحديد هوية رئيس حكومة تتولى ‘تدبير الامور في المناطق المحررة’.
وقال عضو الامانة العامة للمجلس الوطني السوري والائتلاف الوطني سمير نشار في اتصال هاتفي مع وكالة فرانس برس من تركيا ان المجلس الوطني السوري، احد ابرز مكونات الائتلاف، ‘قرر البارحة اقتراح ثلاثة اسماء مبدئيا لكي يكون احدهم رئيس وزراء’.
والثلاثة هم برهان غليون، الرئيس السابق للمجلس الوطني، وسالم المسلط، والخبير الاقتصادي اسامة قاضي.
واوضح ان ‘هذه اسماء اولية سنقدمها للائتلاف وسنرى اذا كان في الامكان التوصل الى مرشح توافقي’.
كما اشار الى وجود اسماء اخرى من خارج المجلس الوطني، وبينهم رئيس الوزراء السوري المنشق رياض حجاب والكاتب المعارض خالد مصطفى.
I think the NC should consider a person who is less talkative and more focused on bringing people together, the era of hot heads is gone, drummers, belly dancers and big mouth aljazeera type stars are not suitable at this point.

February 26th, 2013, 9:19 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Honestly, there’s not much to say today.

1. The war continues.
2. Revenire is retarded.
3. The regime continues to lose ground.
4. The rebels will get more foreign support to counter the Iranian support for the regime.
5. The regime has fewer tanks and missiles today than yesterday.
6. No one’s planning to talk.

EDIT: Thank you, Tara.

February 26th, 2013, 9:30 pm

 

Syrian said:

Visitor
WSS, is obsessed with SC and its memebers more than the actuall events in Syria. Witch is really wired, in his 1st omment in a long while not one word about Syria yet he knew what Hamester said 200 comments ago.
So really he just a destraction not even worth replying to.

February 26th, 2013, 9:45 pm

 

revenire said:

Juergen you had mentioned this mosque… well it turned out you lied to us.

https://twitter.com/MortenHj/status/306535029226483713

Morten ‏@MortenHj
26.2.2013 #Syria #Aleppo #fsa fucks blow up Minaret of Umayyad Mosque http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f8a_1361915881 … More videos are surfacing from here 🙁

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f8a_1361915881

February 26th, 2013, 9:55 pm

 

Visitor said:

Syrian 1297,

Accurate observations. I told WSS he’s fake the first time he tried to interact with me. My first impressions never betrayed me.

That’s exactly what you said.

The guy is a freak of nature.

February 26th, 2013, 9:59 pm

 

zoo said:

The prize to the NC, SOC, SNC ( whatever it is called) for renouncing to humiliate John Kerry by skipping the FOS meeting is …. more non lethal support to the rebels.
I am sure they’ll grateful, they’ll jump of joy and stop ‘dangling in the wind’.

US reportedly considering direct aid to Syrian rebels

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/26/us-reportedly-considering-direct-aid-to-syrian-rebels/#ixzz2M43mciL6

Officials in the United States and Europe said Tuesday the administration is nearing a decision on whether to provide non-lethal assistance to carefully vetted fighters opposed to the Assad regime in addition to what it is already supplying to the political opposition. A decision is expected by Thursday when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will attend an international conference on Syria in Rome that leaders of the opposition Syrian National Coalition have been persuaded to attend, the officials said.

February 26th, 2013, 9:59 pm

 

zoo said:

“The rebels detonated an explosive on the wall of the Aleppo Mosque”

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/27-Feb-2013/battles-erupt-in-historic-aleppo-mosque

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels had pushed into the regime-held mosque from their positions at the southern entrance, and were also fighting troops in the Unesco-listed Old City. A military source earlier reported heavy fighting and said rebels had detonated an explosive near the southern outer wall of the mosque to break into the courtyard

February 26th, 2013, 10:07 pm

 

Syrian said:

1293. OBSERVER said:
I think that Visitor swallowed the bait of the regime. The regime wanted it a sectarian war and it will get it; it does it to justify its brutality and to hold the sect and others hostage to its survival.”
The regime used itself as the bait because they are and have been since taking over the country a sectarian mafia thugs
Now they will be swallowed,
They cried wolf and the wolf appeared for real

February 26th, 2013, 10:07 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

I personally don’t understand why the regime wanted a sectarian war in the first place.

In a sectarian war, the regime will lose.

February 26th, 2013, 10:08 pm

 

ALI said:

شبيحة الأسد
حماة الديار

I decided from now on to impose order on this forum, basically no insults allowed whatsoever. no exception , no tolerance policy.

February 26th, 2013, 10:09 pm

 

zoo said:

A good summary of the situation:

Iran is candid about how it sees the stakes. “We live in the region, and we understand the balance of power,” says the MP Bakhshayesh. “There are two fronts: one comprised of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the other [Gulf] kingdoms; and the other of Iran, Hizballah and Syria. The first front wants to weaken the second, and Bashar Assad is taking the stick for this.”

Read more: http://world.time.com/2013/02/26/assads-big-ally-how-deeply-entrenched-is-iran-in-syria/#ixzz2M476GxtH

February 26th, 2013, 10:10 pm

 

ALI said:

“I personally don’t understand why the regime wanted a sectarian war in the first place.

In a sectarian war, the regime will lose”

Wrong, we’re all one big family.

February 26th, 2013, 10:15 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

Ali,

You cannot control what other people write, just as they cannot control what you write. That is freedom of speech.

However, I’ve found that even with talking, like begets like. For example, if person B treats person C with respect, then that respect will be reciprocated. Similarly, if I insult someone else, I expect that person to hit me back.

EDIT: Sigh. You sound just like SyriaLover, a very fervent rebel supporter. Do you honestly believe after all of this that Syria is “one big happy family?”

February 26th, 2013, 10:16 pm

 

zoo said:

Can the Saudis Be Trusted in Syria?
Max Boot
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/02/26/can-the-saudis-be-trusted-in-syria/

What to make of news that the Saudis are providing Croatian surplus arms to the Syrian rebels?

It sounds, at first blush, like a throwback to the 1980s, when the Saudis worked with the CIA to acquire surplus military hardware from all over the world–including in Warsaw Pact states such as Poland–and then deliver them, via the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, to Afghan rebels fighting the Red Army. We know from that experience that, even with extensive CIA involvement, the Saudis and Pakistanis conspired to provide the bulk of their aid to hard-line Islamist commanders such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalalludin Haqqani rather than to more moderate mujahideen commanders such as Ahmad Shah Massoud

The Saudis, who are after all Wahhabis, have a natural ideological predisposition to favor other hard-line Islamic groups rather than democrats and secularists, in whom they have no interest in taking power in any country in the Middle East.

February 26th, 2013, 10:17 pm

 

Syrian said:

Mari
They thought they can control it, they even at the start of the revolution they let out if jail known hard Islamist and even used to leave some weapon behind so they can claim it is not a peaceful revolution,
They greatly miscalculated the amount of resentment under the surface il so blow up in their faces

February 26th, 2013, 10:23 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Syrian

In which case, if you are correct, that leads to a second question:

Why did the regime miscalculate this badly? How can future governments of Syria (or what is left of Syria) avoid these catastrophic mistakes?

My personal opinion is that when you don’t have freedom of speech, the government will ALWAYS struggle to understand what their citizens are secretly thinking.

The regime thought everything was going well because everyone SAID things were going well. However, most people were lying because if they said otherwise, they would be arrested. And so the regime thought things were going well, when things were not, and they miscalculated.

February 26th, 2013, 10:25 pm

 

William Scott Scherk said:

The trailer for the Canadian film “Inescapable,” set in the months before the uprising against the dictator:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qzdMCuFptc

— from a tepid review at NPR:

It’s hard to imagine an upside to the civil war now causing unspeakable suffering in Syria. But the conflict has turned out to be a break for the makers of Inescapable, a feverish political thriller written and directed by Ruba Nadda, a Canadian of Syrian origin whose last film was the languorous 2009 romance Cairo Time.

Set in Damascus in 2011, on the eve of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, the movie minces no words about the brutal police state he has kept in trim since the 2000 death of his father, Hafez Assad. Yet it’s also a story of redemption for one of the late dictator’s former intelligence operatives.

Adib Abdel Kareem (played by Alexander Siddig, a character actor whose quiet intensity and panther grace recall Omar Sharif) left Syria abruptly 20 years ago and is now comfortably resettled in Toronto with a cushy job in computers, a loving wife and two grown daughters whom he adores.

Adib is affable, confident with a touch of arrogance and prone to flashes of temper. When the murky past he has kept from his family returns to haunt him, the affability vanishes. While traveling in the Middle East, Adib’s daughter, a photographer, takes a sudden detour to Damascus and disappears, forcing him to return to his native city to find her.

February 26th, 2013, 10:37 pm

 

Hopeful said:

# 1262 Zoo

Zoo, I accept all what you say as reasonable and fair concerns and I agree that the opposition must address them, even though they may not have a solution to them, but they can find one in collaboration with people from the regime.

I now believe that the main problem maybe as follows: within the Syrian regime apparatus, no one, or no group of people, dare to Say to Bashar that he may have to pack and leave to save the country. There might be many who are thinking it, but no one dares to bring the news. People who dared to suggest alternate opinions in past ended up dead or in exile. This is now the dilemma. The emperor has no clothes and no one dares to tell him.

February 26th, 2013, 10:40 pm

 

Syria said:

MGR
You answered it your self. No freedom and more important there was no justice what so ever.
it was all corrupted from top to bottom, at the top Rami Makhlof controlled 60% of the Syrian economy all the way down to the walking policeman.
The original army and secret police officers who supposed to be watching the population got greedy they left their offices and became businessmen,it was all about who can control whatever they can, layers and layers of thief and all has to pay up the chain their fixed monthly or weekly agreed amount,
In Syria a killer can go free and the broke,the poor will lose his case every time

February 26th, 2013, 10:51 pm

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Syrian

That would mean that on this point, we are in agreement.

However, what do you intend to do about the tens of thousands of Alawites who have weapons and who intend to fight to the death?

February 26th, 2013, 11:05 pm

 

Syrian said:

MGR
There is no other option other than fight them,because at the other end the hundreds of thousands of the FSA knows very well what the Alawites intend to do them if they throw their weapon and did not fight to the end

February 26th, 2013, 11:38 pm

 

revenire said:

Juergen please have your boys analyze this for me and let me know if this is the real deal or more regime lies?

February 27th, 2013, 12:02 am

 

MarigoldRan said:

@ Retard

If that’s from a regime website, it’s a lie.

@ Syrian

Fair enough. This is going to be a long war.

February 27th, 2013, 12:17 am

 

Juergen said:

Abeer Etefa from the World Food Program

February 27th, 2013, 12:34 am

 

Juergen said:

sometimes I feel reminded here what Malcolm X had to say about the difference of a house and a field negro

February 27th, 2013, 12:39 am

 

Juergen said:

An other blow to the mercy of Assad towards the Palestinians

Yarmouk activist describes “atrocious” state of war-torn camp in Syria

http://electronicintifada.net/content/yarmouk-activist-describes-atrocious-state-war-torn-camp-syria/12231

Reve

It suits your faith to believe rebel forces would blow up Tutush masterpiece minaret. Since more than 700 years it has witnessed Aleppo history, and anyone who did harm to the mosque will find no shelter.

WSS

Thank you for sharing the movie, I was able to find the whole movie on movie2k.

February 27th, 2013, 12:42 am

 

Juergenq said:

thoughtful article:

Was Syria ever the secular, non-sectarian state we are led to believe it was?

“hat this neglects is that a large part of Syria – largely the parts that have driven the revolution – were not so visible to the outsider. From my experience (even much earlier in the war) of provincial towns and villages, they were often divided by faith, with “shia villages” separate from “Sunni” and “Christian” ones. That doesn’t mean they didn’t get on, but everyone knew who was who. Likewise, in these places, you certainly don’t see young women “hanging out”. A general form of segregation is observed in Sunni areas – male journalists put up in local houses kept well apart from the women – and young men pray diligently and regularly.”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/richardspencer/100204288/was-syria-ever-the-secular-non-sectarian-state-we-are-led-to-believe-it-was/

February 27th, 2013, 12:53 am

 

Juergen said:

thoughtful article:

Was Syria ever the secular, non-sectarian state we are led to believe it was?

“hat this neglects is that a large part of Syria – largely the parts that have driven the revolution – were not so visible to the outsider. From my experience (even much earlier in the war) of provincial towns and villages, they were often divided by faith, with “shia villages” separate from “Sunni” and “Christian” ones. That doesn’t mean they didn’t get on, but everyone knew who was who. Likewise, in these places, you certainly don’t see young women “hanging out”. A general form of segregation is observed in Sunni areas – male journalists put up in local houses kept well apart from the women – and young men pray diligently and regularly.”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/richardspencer/100204288/was-syria-ever-the-secular-non-sectarian-state-we-are-led-to-believe-it-was/

February 27th, 2013, 12:54 am

 

revenire said:

Funny, but I’ve always seen the FSA as being like plantation slaves.
When you look at the leaders of the foreign opposition they have no support inside Syria so who do they represent? No one really.

February 27th, 2013, 1:09 am

 

Hopeful said:

#1316 Rev

I watched this carefully and I believe it is accurate. The thugs that made this must be brought to justice for torturing the poor man and lying about it. The opposition leaders must be more vocal about all inhuman actions and human rights’ violations committed by the rebels, no matter who they are. For a while now, we have heard all international organizations blame the rebels for committing crimes, so no one is denying these facts.

Now here is the “but”. The opposition evolved from grass-roots organizations and groups. It has no central control. This has been its main weakness as it cannot win the “war” this way. But this has also been its main strength as it cannot “lose” the war either. Because of that, there is no “leadership” to blame for the violations committed by some of the rebels.

On the other hand, the regime is a very strong centrally-led organization. Therefore any violations of human rights goes all the way to the top. This is why Assad is viewed as the symbol of oppression. Any act of violence and murder committed by anyone from the regime side will be blamed on Assad.

February 27th, 2013, 1:14 am

 

Juergen said:

Reve

so when the rebels are in Malcolm X terms field slaves, it leaves the regime loyalists to be the house slaves. If you listen to his speech you will know which side he favors, you will see many characteristics of their attitude, like it: kullu bi khair.

February 27th, 2013, 1:18 am

 

revenire said:

Juergen any notion of romanticizing terrorists won’t work. Your comparisons are not valid.

I saw some photos today of the rats doing sewing, smoking, petting cats, etc. They were in the Western media. It is like showing Charles Manson cooking dinner or Hannibal Lecter walking a dog. The photographers are petting snakes and if not careful will get bitten. I believe a photographer was killed a day or so ago – turned out his finances came from some State Department NGO up to no good so good riddance to him.

Long ago I read Malcolm, Lenin, Mao, etc. I was a romantic revolutionary in the Baader-Meinhof gang in my youth in West Berlin.

February 27th, 2013, 1:35 am

 

Juergen said:

brave young boy talks about how 40 members of his family were killed

February 27th, 2013, 2:03 am

 

annie said:

Monday, February 25, 2013
The “Resistance” Myth is Dead

It is possible for an individual to hold the wrong views for the right reasons, just as it is possible to hold the right views for the wrong reasons. There is nothing wrong with believing in something at one stage, and then, when presented with a different set of facts, change our views completely. The same holds true for what was once referred to as the “resistance” axis in the Middleast: Iran; Hezbullah; Syria and Hamas.

There are some who had become so attached to the world view and ideology of the resistance axis, and had so internalized its discourse and nomenclature, that it has no effectively shaped their perception of the facts in such a way that it is not possible for them to understand what is happening Syria, they are epistemologically limited to what the Party wishes them to believe. This is nothing new, and human history is littered with failed experiments of alternative realities, whether of National Socialism or even Communism. History, however, is also littered with those who rejected “groupthink” and rejected the opinions and values that they had once held dearly and passionately.

If the idea of “groupthink” or of being epistomologically limited to understanding something only in a sanctioned mode of thought sounds familiar, then that is because such concepts had emerged in various literary forms, most notably in Orwell’s (née Blair) 1984. For those who haven’t ever read this book, I suggest you turn off your laptop or smartphone and immediately get your hands on it. In 1984, Orwell speaks of a totalitarian and authoritarian government that has been so successful in repressing its citizens, that it has even started limiting the language that they speak so that it would not even be possible for them to think of dissent, let alone express it.

In 1936, Orwell went to Spain to fight for the Communists as part of the Republican forces fighting back the fascist insurgency that eventually took over the country. During this time, it became clear to Orwell that Soviet Communism was not what he thought it was, and that rather than liberating people, it simply replaced one set of oppressors for another. This served as the inspiration for his other great story, Animal Farm, where the animals that revolt against the humans eventually find that the pigs who come to hijack their revolution are barely different from their former oppressors.

But Orwell is just one amongst many intellectuals and thinkers whose originally held beliefs were challenged by reality and who were forced to re-evaluate. Sartre denounced the Soviet repression of the Hungarian uprising in 1956, along with other communist intellectuals, arguing that socialism cannot be imposed “at bayonet point”. Not only did he condemn the violence, but he also boycotted all Soviet intellectuals who did not unequivocally condemn the oppression. The similarities with what is happening in Syria today are striking, and we find no less a division amongst intellectuals and writers who oppose imperialist designs on the region, but who were then plunged into crisis when the “heroes” of the resistance turned out to be nothing more than murderous thugs whose methods equalled if not exceeded anything that we had seen from imperialist adventures in the region.

The pseudo-intellectual who waxed poetic about the outrages and abuses of Abu Ghreib or Guantanamo Bay remained strangely silent about the torture dungeons in Syria or Evin Prison in Iran. In 2009 the Green uprising was dismissed as a “foreign plot”, and, but for the tens of thousands of videos documenting the abuses committed by Assad’s forces in Syria, would have done the same for the Syrian revolution. There is no doubt that foreign hands are meddling in Syria, but should that make the cause of toppling the regime there any less unworthy? The answer is a clear and resounding no. You cannot be against some injustice but not all of it without forfeiting your moral integrity. It is no argument to claim that because the Syrian regime, along with Hezbullah and Iran, have championed and suffered for the Palestinian cause, that this should give them a mandate to absolute power and control over the affairs of the People. There is no sovereign higher than the will of the People, for without them, in all their chaotic contradiction, there is no “resistance”, no culture and no history.

The basis of the argument by these pseudo-intellectuals is that a select few know what is best for the many, and that injustice by a local ruler is preferred to injustice by an invader. A consistent and principled human being can and should reject this thesis. There is no grade to injustice, no measurable point where it is acceptable to submit to it and another where it must be fought against. Such a thesis is not only illogical but a regression of human thought and development. To quote Orwell’s totalitarian “Big Brother” in 1984, “freedom is slavery” and the citizen becomes truly free, and truly liberated, when they not only accept slavery under Big Brother’s auspices, but love it and accept it with all their heart. This horrific vision of society for the people of the Middle East was not apparent so long as the “resistance” axis kept the worst of its excesses hidden, and focused its efforts on foreign threats. However, when the ugly violence upon which these regimes rely was brought to bear on the Syrian people, the truth can no longer be denied – the “resistance” myth is dead.

Some might be terrified to contemplate this evident truth, and others will surely deny it because it has not yet become fully apparent to them. This rotting carcass that has weighed down our region for decades must no longer be allowed to exist, and in its place a new tree of thought must be nurtured, one which is based on principles and a consistency to the truth. It is not possible for somebody to speak about the liberation of the Palestinian people, or the sovereignty of Middle Eastern “states” without at first clearly articulating the primacy of the human being and her rights as the principle goal of such states. The Arab Spring, for all its imperfections, is not just a revolution against despots and tyrants, but against the ideologies that had justified repression in the name of a greater good. These ideologies must be fought and challenged with as much ferocity as Gaddafi or Assad’s killing squads, or Mubarak’s secret police.
http://www.maysaloon.org/2013/02/the-resistance-myth-is-dead.html

February 27th, 2013, 2:41 am

 

Johannes de Silentio said:

SEE THE FILM, INESCAPABLE, starring Alexander Siddig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt2zvLZ-ntk

February 27th, 2013, 3:49 am

 

Syrialover said:

Proposed government for “liberated” areas in Syria.

At least five candidates are vying to become “prime minister” of a government Syria’s opposition plans to create to administer rebel-held territory, a member of the Syrian National Council said on Tuesday.

The SNC, the main bloc within the opposition National Coalition, decided on Monday to present three names for the post, member Samir Nashar said.

They are former SNC head Burhan Ghalioun and members Salim al-Moslet and Osama Kadi.

“Other names from outside the SNC are being circulated,” including former Syrian premier Riad Hijab, who defected last summer, and Khaled Mustafa, Nashar said.

The premier will be elected in a secret ballot by the 64 general assembly members of the Syrian National Coalition on March 2.

The Coalition decided on Friday to form a government to run areas of the country “liberated” by rebels. During the upcoming summit in Istanbul, it will also decide on the composition of the planned government.

Coalition spokesman Walid al-Bunni said the new government would bring together “technocrats” tasked with managing electricity and water supplies and other key infrastructure.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=57203

COMMENT: Here’s more on Osama Kadi, a major candidate who would serve as a technocrat: http://syrianeconomic.org/en/osamakadi/

February 27th, 2013, 4:25 am

 

Syrialover said:

ANNIE #1327,

That’s a quality piece with fresh insights by Maysaloonn as usual.

Thanks for posting it.

Anyone craving to read something sane and intelligent about Syria, just go back through the posts on his blog: http://www.maysaloon.org/

February 27th, 2013, 4:37 am

 

Syrialover said:

Looks like things could be moving!

Story: US ‘considers sending armour and vehicles to Syria rebels’

The US is considering a shift in policy towards the Syria conflict and may send rebels body armour and armed vehicles, as well as possibly provide military training, according to reports.

John Kerry, the Secretary of State, was expected to discuss the proposed policy change with officials during his nine-nation tour of European and Arab capitals, according to the Washington Post. US officials remain opposed to sending weapons to the rebels, it said.

Mr Kerry is to meet Syrian opposition leaders at a “Friends of Syria” conference in Rome on Thursday

Read story in full: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9896760/US-considers-sending-armour-and-vehicles-to-Syria-rebels.html

February 27th, 2013, 4:44 am

 
 

Syrialover said:

Yes things could be moving.

The story about the Saudis funding a flood of weaponry from Croatia to moderate branches of the FSA has now hit the headlines in the international media.

Nobody is denying it.

February 27th, 2013, 5:36 am

 
 

apple_mini said:

Thanks to US, EU and GCC. Now the war will get escalated.

Many people were hoping for a slight change of peace after they got blinded by a glimpse of light. People who have been pining for peace stayed in total darkness for too long.

Here we go again: more shelling, more bombing, more shooting, more missiles flying, more suicide bombers, more kidnapping.

Assad is not stepping down. It is too late to do that. And it is not up to him now. The opposition has been taken by hawks. The rebels just keep attacking and getting smashed.

The way Syrians are killing each other shows all Syrians are guilty and helpless.

February 27th, 2013, 5:59 am

 
 

Citizen said:

The world does not consist only of the western powers! Resistance against the rule of western pole essentially is here!
No wonder in opinion, which goes from western place of location!
We would be very happy if Western nations managed to overcome the chronic crises!!!

The BRICS Strategic Roadmap
http://mycatbirdseat.com/2013/02/the-brics-strategic-roadmap/

February 27th, 2013, 6:20 am

 

Citizen said:

In recent months has unusually large presence of Jordanian cargo aircraft at the airport in Zagreb. The planes were spotted on 14 and 23 December, 6 January and 18 February.
the work is primarily US-GB-Israeli most than Saudi or Croatian!

February 27th, 2013, 6:33 am

 

Citizen said:

The fact that weapons of Croatia in December 2012 and buys supplies through Jordan Syrian opposition in Saudi Arabia, reported the American edition of New York Times, citing sources in the U.S. and European countries.

BELGRADE, Feb. 27 – RIA Novosti, Nikolai Sokolov. Croatia did not perform arms Syrian opposition and does not intend to comment on the rumors on the subject, said the Foreign Ministry in connection with the publication in the media on this topic.
“Croatia is not sold and is not bestowed weapons Syrian rebels. Other rumors we do not comment” – quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Zagreb agency Hina. A similar statement was made and the Ministry of Defence of Croatia.
The fact that weapons of Croatia in December 2012 and buys supplies through Jordan Syrian opposition in Saudi Arabia, reported the American edition of New York Times, citing sources in the U.S. and European countries. The information has been widely quoted in the media in Croatia and other countries.
In addition, experts point out that the recently made to Syria and motion pictures that are distributed on the Internet, as can be clearly seen as Syrian insurgents use the Croatian arms. In particular, it is a grenade M-79 “Wasp”, recoilless artillery guns M-60 antitank rocket grenade Soviet-designed RPG-22 grenade launcher turret RBG-6 (Croatian version was developed in South Africa grenade Milkor). Experts remind us that in the arsenals of the government army like Syria weapons never existed.
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fanna-news.info%2Fnode%2F9970

February 27th, 2013, 6:54 am

 

Citizen said:

سورية، للأسف، تحولت في السنة الأخيرة إلى ساحة حرب بالوكالة. وتنظر إليها الأطراف الدولية كورقة على طاولة المفاوضات بعدما كانت رقما صعبا في المعادلات الإقليمية. وأشعر، كغيري، بأسى كلما طرقت ذاكرتي أهازيج أبناء الجنوب السوري في درعا والسويداء في الأعراس عندما كانوا يتحدون فرنسا بالقول “ديغول خبر دولتك … باريس مربط خيلنا”. وللدلالة على مآلات الأوضاع المأسوية أنقل ما كتبه أحد أصدقائي في صفحته على موقع “فيسبوك” تعليقا على قتل الفنان ياسين بقوش “ياسين بقوش سلم بطريقك على ابو عنتر وقل له: حارة كل “مين ايدو إلو(له)” صارت حقيقة وهي التي قتلتني. قل لحسني البورظان اذا أردنا ان نعرف ماذا يجري في سورية علينا ان نعرف ماذا يجري في روسيا وأمريكا وإيران وتركيا وكل دول العالم، وقل لبدري أبو كلبشة ماعاد تقدر تدوخ موسوليني .. صار عنا ألف موسوليني في البلد… وقل لمن سبقوك من الحارة ” اوتيل(فندق) صح النوم اتسكر(أغلق) .. وفطوم خُطفت وغوار ضاع والحارة تهدمت”.

وختاما فإن العالم يناقش مصير سورية ويتفاوض عليه وفق مصالح كل طرف، لكن مستقبل ومصير البلد لا بد أن يحدده أبناؤه الذين ينحدرون من سلالة أجداد أهدوا العالم أولى أبجدياته، ونشروا المسيحية إلى العالم، وبنوا صرح الحضارة الإسلامية من حدود الصين إلى إسبانيا. ولعل تسلح أبناء سورية بالوحدة الوطنية والمجتمعية على أساس التراث الرائع من الحضارة والتسامح هو أمضى سلاح لمواجهة مخططات تقسيم سورية وتحويلها إلى دولة فاشلة، أو تابعة لهذه القوة الاقليمية أوتلك. والمؤكد أن الاسراع في المفاوضات هو أفضل السبل لإنهاء الصراع الدموي، وبناء سورية تنعم بالديمقراطية والتعددية تختلف جذريا عما كانت عليه سابقا.

سامر الياس
http://arabic.rt.com/news_all_news/analytics/69297/

February 27th, 2013, 7:11 am

 

Citizen said:

Global Research Website: Germany Doubled Weapons Sales to Gulf States Which Support Armed Groups in Syria
http://syria-updates.blogspot.com/2013/02/global-research-website-germany-doubled.html

February 27th, 2013, 7:39 am

 

revenire said:

Juergen posts another faked video of a little rat actor. Cute.

February 27th, 2013, 7:59 am

 

Hassan said:

@ ALI 1304,

Our people were born to provide order and guardianship to this country. I just love you and ALL people like you and me out there bleeding for Syria and Assad. Assad is Syria and Syria is Assad.
Alawites must never forget our role and duty as guardians of order and civilization in the Levant.

February 27th, 2013, 8:25 am

 

Dolly Buster said:

1337. Citizen said:

The world does not consist only of the western powers! Resistance against the rule of western pole essentially is here!

 
But, why are non-Western nations dictatorships? How come these “resistance” countries can’t figure out a way to resist their own government? We have the Castro family running Cuba for 45 years, and the Communists running China for 60 years.

 
It seems that these countries are interested in Resistance against individual freedoms of citizens.

February 27th, 2013, 8:27 am

 

Hassan said:

@ HANZALA 1336.

Your video clearly shows Zionist rats firing at the Mosque minarets so they can later blame us for it.

Btw our commandos had a good meal of bacon and salami in that Mosque before retreating.

February 27th, 2013, 8:27 am

 

Hassan said:

مصطفى طلاس يجر ذيله خلف القائد رفعت الأسد .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RmBBMpOGwT0

Watch the video and see how irrelevant you Soonites are to us. Ali said right, a large number of people in Syria are born to kiss our boots.

Btw, that video brings back good old nostalgic memories.

February 27th, 2013, 8:35 am

 

Hanzala said:

Hassan 1345 I seriously laughed out loud. I don’t know why your posts always have me laughing. Soonites. Commando special ops.

Remember the days when we were specially trained by Maher al Assad and ate scorpions in the desert? Tough times, but it made us great defenders of Al Assad.

February 27th, 2013, 8:51 am

 

zoo said:

1315. Hopeful

Do you think that Bashar is so powerful as an individual that ‘no one dare to tell him to pack’? You are overestimating the guy. Yes, he has the clout of his father but he is just a part of a complex system of allegeances from business people, to minorities and remote peasants.

Removing him won’t remove the system. Some in the opposition know that and refuse to deal with anyone in the system. Other think that they can find some ‘with no blood on their hands’. It is not logical since these would have defected a long time ago and I don’t buy that they stayed because they are afraid.
Of the hundreds of Syrian diplomates worldwide, very few have defected voluntarily. They could have easily asked for asylum, no?. They did not, they stayed in their post or went back to Syria when they were unwanted. So what fear are you talking about?
The official who defected are weak, fearful and powerless: Tlass, Hijab etc.. They have zero power and zero clout. The ones that stayed are fearless, loyalists to the system and determined to fight for it.
Finding a ‘good’ one in the system is wishful thinking or just lying to oneself. The evidence is that without someone respected enough to control the Syrian army, the country will fall into the chaos of insecurity and violence.

The West would not be able to count on any cooperation from the Syrian government if they ask it to satisfy opposition pre-conditions that may weaken it significantly in the negotiation phase. The same way the rebels refuse to stop using arms.
So it is a stalemate and at this stage, the solution can only be imposed by outside powers.
If this does not happen, the country will be totally destroyed in years of fighting until one side wins or they become exhausted and the country is in ruins.
They may then wake up and accept to negotiate without conditions.

February 27th, 2013, 8:54 am

 

Citizen said:

1347
Are you serve as Bernard Louis soldier ? If not, stop this sectarian speech!

February 27th, 2013, 8:55 am

 

Hassan said:

@ CITIZEN :

I served as a loyal soldier in the Syrian Arab Army between 1958 and 1991 and was an ardent Baathist all this time. But since the last 2 years I have rediscovered Alawite Pride and what it means. ALAWITES + CHRISTIANS = SYRIANS

SOONITES = Foreign imported elements from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

If it weren;t for Alawites , Damascus would be Israeli today.

February 27th, 2013, 9:24 am

 

Hassan said:

I guess our soldiers were rather bored by constantly looking at the dull, glum, un-Syrian interiors of the Great Mosque Aleppo for the last 6 months, thats why they decided to allow the Rats to occupy it.

February 27th, 2013, 9:28 am

 

Citizen said:

Simply the process of revolutions in the Arab world, the creation of the Islamic arc of instability – a new direction of U.S. policy. This is the here and now and on this background that was before is not that interesting. In principle, subject already outlined, it will be necessary to run fluently, estimate details. Incidentally, the “political tsunami” rather detailed analysis of events.

February 27th, 2013, 9:28 am

 

Hassan said:

The guys also snacked on bacon and salami inside that Mosque.

February 27th, 2013, 9:34 am

 

Citizen said:

I served in the Syrian Arab Army too!
I stay away from pronunciation (ٍSunnah) being sensitivity arises when (Sunnah) honorable and often talk about the radical Wahhabi and mercenaries etc..Should not be mobilized (Sunnah) is unrivaled against you!

February 27th, 2013, 9:40 am

 

Visitor said:

Let’s start a day by ‘singing’ to, Allah la yirhamo, dog-in-chief-leader-of-dogs, Hafez,

Yil3an rohak ya Hafez

February 27th, 2013, 9:43 am

 

Hassan said:

Mr. Citizen with all due respect I think you are lying. You do not know any English. You are probably google translating from some other language, I don’t know what. Can’t you write in Arabic ?

Which unit were you commissioned in ? What was your trade ?

February 27th, 2013, 9:43 am

 

Hopeful said:

# 1348 Zoo

You make some great points and you sound like someone who knows more than I do about the inter-workings of the regime. I respect you for not continuing to repeat the usual story of the regime protecting Syria against a universal conspiracy. You are saying the system is dug-in, strong, and will defend itself to the end. This is a very useful insight.

Allow me to make a few points, and I welcome you thoughts on them.

1. In a system where the head of the government has zero power and zero clout, isn’t it understandable that no one will trust it to conduct genuine reforms? Aren’t people like Michele Kilo and others correct in stating that all the talks about dialogue and reforms by the regime were simply about buying time?

2. I think you are underestimating the state of fear that Syrians of all strides have lived under over the past 40+ years. Other than the people who’ve decided to carry arms, I still see it everywhere. I have cousins in Damascus who refuse to walk the streets of Damascus to distribute money to the families who are living in the public parks because they are terrified of the regime. Imagine that! So why haven’t the diplomats defected? The all have families at home whom they worry about their safety.

3. It sounds to me like you are in agreement that the system must be changed, and that it cannot change itself, but you are also worried about the chaos that will come after. Am I correct? If so, what is your solution? What would you like to see happen? What is the ideal outcome for Syria in your opinion?

February 27th, 2013, 9:53 am

 

zoo said:

The FSA is finally realizing that without the Syrian army, they will not be able to ensure Syria’s security.
Will the Syrian army renounce to Bashar Al Assad and respond positively or will it stand strong and reject it?

Brig Gen Salim Idriss calls the Syrian army to help ‘keeping order’ in the country if Bashar goes.

http://www.albawaba.com/news/post-assad-syria-473801

The commander of the Free Syrian Army, encouraged by recent successes on the battlefield, says he is ready to meet with military officers from the regime of President Bashar Assad to “discuss how to keep order in the country” should Assad give up power. Brig. Gen. Salim Idriss, who became commander in chief of the rebel forces three months ago, made the surprising offer of talks in a telephone interview Friday from Turkey. His comments follow a similar proposal last month by Sheikh Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the coalition of political opposition groups, to meet with officials of the regime to discuss a political transition.

Idriss’ comments were the first clear sign that the Free Syrian Army command is making serious plans for how to stabilize the country if Assad falls. His statements are likely to reassure top U.S. officials, who have been debating in recent days whether to support Idriss’ private request for training and weapons.

“We can say in the Free Syrian Army that we are ready to meet any parties in the [Syrian] army who didn’t have any role in making decisions to kill Syrians,” Idriss said. He specified two conditions for talks: Assad must state publicly that he is stepping down, and there must be trials of security-force commanders who killed unarmed Syrian protesters.

February 27th, 2013, 10:38 am

 

zoo said:

Hopeful

1. I did not say that Bashar has zero power or zero clout. He has as much power as many in the system and he also has the clout that comes from being the son of a strong leader, which is common in the middle east. For many, he is a powerful symbol of the Syrian Arab nationalism.

I think the regime took a ‘electro-shock’ Many of their assumptions of the loyalty and love of the all the Syrian people fell apart.
For 2 years they faced the real Syria. Many hidden realities have suddenly appear: The islamists, the poverty gaps, the revenge feelings, the hatred etc..
Yet, they were not totally wrong when they claimed that the crisis in Syria is part of a conspiracy to weaken the country, so it can’t obstinately support the resistance to Israel by cozying with its sworn enemies, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. That is a geopolitical reality that no one can deny.
As time went, they came to realize that there was a real discontent in many parts of the population that the conspiracy was feeding on.
Their attempts to calm dowm by improvising reforms failed as the media, associated with the international conspiracy, was setlling their account with the Syrian regime by demonized it. This encouraged the rebels to reject any compromise as the international conspiracy wanted the regime to fall, as it did in other countries.
As the regime did not find a listening ear in the opposition, it became more radical and escalated the repression.

In my view the regime took a very serious lesson and I think it could be able to make effective reforms without selling its soul to the USA as the opposition will be obliged to do. But, in view of the violence that has occured, I doubt it will be allowed to.

2. The fear exists now in both direction. Any one who wants to help loyalist families in trouble is afraid to be killed by anti-regime elements hiding among them.
About the family being a deterrent to defection, did you hear about the family of Tlass jailed? Is the family of Hijab in prison, or Ryad al Assad’s or Idriss’s? If you have , let me know. I do not deny that the system was authoritarian, but in view of the conspiracy to eliminate it, it had to be.
Did you forget the Patriot Act and Guantanamo in the USA that came when the USA felt it may be the victim of another conspiracy like 9/11? Any country feeling threatened becomes authoritarian and often abuses innocent people.
3. Yes, the system has to change but I don’t have the solution and I don’t know the outcome especially in view of the heavy infiltration of islamist extremists that have their own agendas.

In my view, the priority is to get a deal between the Syrian army and the ‘good’ rebels to enter into a cease fire, join in to fight against the Islamists and the criminals and put order in Syria..
If that deal is conditioned by asking the commander of the army, Bashar al Assad to resign, it just wont’ happen because, instead, I think the army will crumble and won’t be of any help anymore.

The ball is in the camp of the opposition and the ‘good’ FSA. If they seriously want the army to join in in putting order in Syria, they’ll have to drop their demand that Bashar goes and find a way to live with that until 2014 when Bashar’s term is over.

February 27th, 2013, 11:25 am

 

revenire said:

FSA getting their heads handed to them by the army, Kerry seems nervous and maybe will try to bail them out. Good luck rats.

February 27th, 2013, 11:27 am

 

revenire said:

Syrian rebels claim to kill Hezbollah deputy chief
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_27/Syrian-rebels-claim-to-kill-Hezbollah-deputy-chief/

Hezbollah’s deputy chief was killed Tuesday when Syrian rebels bombed a convoy consisting of high-ranking Syrian government officers near the Lebanon border, news portal Now Lebanon quoted the Free Syria Army as saying on Wednesday.

“It has been confirmed… that Hezbollah’s number two man died after [receiving] a serious injury,” the Free Syria Army posted on its Twitter account.

Naim Qassem, reportedly killed in the attack, has served as the deputy to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal quoted the Syrian rebels as saying mines placed on the Beirut-Damascus highway had detonated as the convoy returned from a high-level security meeting in Lebanon. The explosion reportedly took place near the town of Jdeidet Yabous near the Lebanon-Syria border.

The al-Mustaqbal report made no mention of Qassem being killed in the attack, saying that he had merely been injured.

Nasarallah was scheduled to make a televised address on Wednesday evening after it had been reported Tuesday that he was ill and undergoing treatment in Iran.

Voice of Russia, Interfax, Jpost.com

February 27th, 2013, 11:39 am

 

zoo said:

Brig Gen. Idriss denies that Al Nusra made any terrorists act in Syria, he outright rejects any talk with Russia and counts on the USA for help.
David Ignatius put his hopes in him.


A German-trained electronics engineer, Idriss is the most articulate of the many Free Syrian Army officers I’ve talked with over the past six months. Until he defected from Assad’s army in July 2012, he was a professor at the Military Academy of Engineering in Aleppo. He speaks fluent English and gives a coherent voice to what has often been a disorganized rebel military.

But despite Idriss’ talk of a clearer command-and-control structure, Syrian sources say the situation often remains chaotic on the ground, with independently financed battalions operating on their own, warlords controlling some liberated areas, and extremist fighters gaining growing power.

But if Idriss can follow through on the plans he outlined in the interview, it would make the possibility of a stable transition of power in Syria at least conceivable.

By David Ignatius

February 27th, 2013, 11:47 am

 

Hopeful said:

#1359 Zoo

I meant “Hijab” in 1. He was the head of the government (prime minister) and you mentioned that he had zero power and zero clout. The power all lies in the security apparatus, so how can you expect a government, with no power and no clout, to reform the system?

I know that the fear is now on all sides, and I am sympathetic.

It looks like we are back to square one. You believe that Assad is essential to keep the army intact and give the minorities security. I believe it will be impossible for the opposition to control the rebels if a political deal does not include his removal from power. It is a shame that the fate of a country is dependent upon a single person.

February 27th, 2013, 11:53 am

 

zoo said:

#1365 Revenire

There are man reasons the rebels are provoking Hezbollah.

It is possible that the weapons and amnunition from Croatia the Saudis gave them in December have been exhausted or destroyed by the Syrian army air raids. Therefore they need more weapons. The Deraa weapons passage from Jordan has been heavily bombarded and is probably unusable.
Turkey is conditioning more weapon delivery on the opposition creating a ‘government’ to manage North Syria. Therefore the only weapons passage is from Lebanon. The Lebanese army and the Hezbollah are blocking it. So Hezbollah has to be removed from the areas it protects.

The second reason is that the rebels think they will be able to count on the USA and Israel for weapons and support.

The third reason is the need of a diversion in view of the recent beatings they are taking in Aleppo and ‘liberated areas’

February 27th, 2013, 12:03 pm

 

Hopeful said:

By the way Zoo, the Patriot Act and Guantanamo were a disgrace and the Republicans lost the White House because of what Bush has done. I yearn for the days when Syria will have a system that has the checks and balances to prevent any ruler/government from overextending its authority on the people and the country.

February 27th, 2013, 12:06 pm

 

zoo said:

1367 Hopeful

Like in any large cohesive organization, as long as a member works within the system, he shares and contributes to the power of the organization. The total power of a cohesive organization is much more than the sum of the individual power.
The moment the member is out, he is naked and powerless, unless he is able to join another cohesive organization.
Tlass, Hijab , Bakkour are “dangling in the wind” they have zero power and zero influence.
Some FSA officers who defected attempted to recreate the cohesiveness of the Syrian army they left, but the task is overwhelming and they fell one after the others: Ryadh al assaad, General Sheikh, were are they?
The Syrian government has shown an amazing cohesiveness and coherence, sending only one message, unlike the FSA and the opposition where promises, declarations come from many different members and are contradicted the next day.

The Syrian government has shown an incredible resilience and I think is is still very strong. It can make a big difference if it is part of the transition. Also if it keeps that cohesiveness, it will certainly be in the majority when Syria will have political parties competing with each others.

The opposition is trapped by many contradictory demands coming from the armed rebels, the USA, Qatar, Turkey, The Syrian people etc.. They are disunited, no real leadership and have many voices within their group. I seriously doubt they can achieve anything unless someone start squeezing them and not cajoling them.

It has nothing to do with one man, it has to do with a whole system and the man is part of it and is the symbol of the ideology of the Syrian Arab nationalism. A symbol is much more than a man.

February 27th, 2013, 12:34 pm

 

zoo said:

Lavrov guarantees a ready Syrian government negotiating team, can Kerry do the same with the opposition?

Are the US and Russia bridging their divide over Syria?

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2013/0227/Are-the-US-and-Russia-bridging-their-divide-over-Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry came out of their Berlin meeting sounding optimistic, in contrast to recent discord in the US-Russia relationship

After a visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem to Moscow on Monday, the Russians insist they have firm assurances that the Syrian government has a negotiating team in place and is ready to sit down with opponents, even armed rebels, to discuss a transitional government.

But I would think it’s the US that has a problem here. If Washington is going to change its approach, and come out in favor of negotiations, it may find itself unable to bring the rebels to the table. The Syrian rebels are very fragmented, have little common ground, and some of them are completely intransigent. Some of them didn’t even want to go to Rome, to sit down with their friends, much less engage in talks with the Assad regime,” he says.

“Should Assad’s removal be a precondition? Now it seems clear that he will not leave, but he may be prepared to say he will not stay beyond the next election which should be in 2014. Hence, in order to achieve anything here, the rebels must be prepared to accept some compromise like that. But their big fear would be that Assad might reestablish his position as a negotiator,” he says.

February 27th, 2013, 12:53 pm

 
 

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