{"id":11107,"date":"2011-08-01T00:59:22","date_gmt":"2011-08-01T04:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=11107"},"modified":"2011-08-01T00:59:22","modified_gmt":"2011-08-01T04:59:22","slug":"120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/","title":{"rendered":"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir"},"content":{"rendered":"

120 dead as tanks sweep into Hama in Syrian uprising\u2019s worst day of violence<\/a>
\nby Phil Sands, Aug 1, 2011, the National<\/p>\n

DAMASCUS \/\/ Syrian security forces killed more than 120 people yesterday in what human rights activists called the bloodiest single day since the current uprising began almost five months ago.<\/p>\n

Army operations hit multiple parts of the country simultaneously. Tank-backed infantry units firing shells and heavy machine guns swept into Hama at dawn, heralding the start of a long-anticipated crackdown on a city that had become a model for large-scale peaceful dissent.<\/p>\n

Abdul Karim Rehawi, head of the Syrian Human Rights League, an independent civil-liberties group based in Damascus, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a day of disaster, there are many dead, many have been seriously wounded and will die, and hundreds have been arrested.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems the authorities have decided to try to finish everything at the start of Ramadan. They have seen cities out of their control and they are moving to crush it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For weeks, non-violent demonstrations calling for the toppling of the president, Bashar Al Assad, and the autocratic system of government he heads had routinely involved more than half a million people, prompting some to declare Hama \u201cliberated\u201d.<\/p>\n

The prospect of such a major urban centre slipping beyond the authorities\u2019 control appears to have prompted yesterday\u2019s significant military escalation.<\/p>\n

More than 90 civilians were killed by security services in Hama, activists said. Residents and medical staff described rooftop security-force snipers shooting at people in the streets with the wounded and dying overwhelming hospital facilities. Electricity, water and communications were cut.<\/p>\n

Syrian security forces also conducted deadly offensives yesterday in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, another rebellious city with growing mass protests, and in parts of southern Syria and working-class districts surrounding the capital, Damascus.<\/p>\n

The repression in Hama has a huge symbolic resonance. During the 1980s, President Hafez Al Assad, the current leader\u2019s father, despatched elite armoured units against the city in response to a militant Islamist uprising. Entire districts were razed and tens of thousands of people killed, leaving a permanent scar on the psyche of the nation.<\/p>\n

In Deir Ezzor city, in the heart of Syria\u2019s Arab tribal region, at least 19 people were killed by security forces yesterday, activists said, with further deaths in Abu Kamal on the Syria-Iraq border and in Harak, a village in the Houran plain, close to the city of Deraa, the original centre of the uprising.<\/p>\n

Moadamiya, on the outskirts of Damascus, was placed under a renewed military siege, while residents in Harasta, also on the edge of the capital, said more than 40 protesters were wounded when pro-government forces threw fragmentation bombs into a crowd.<\/p>\n

State-run media accused \u201cterrorist groups\u201d of shooting at civilians and attacking security forces in Hama and Deir Ezzor, killing at least two police officers, overrunning security buildings and stealing weapons.<\/p>\n

State-run media accused “terrorist groups” of shooting at civilians and attacking security forces in Hama and Deir Ezzor, killing at least two police officers, overrunning security buildings and stealing weapons.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Scores of gunmen were stationed on the rooftops of the main buildings in the streets of Hama, carrying the latest machine guns and RPGs and shooting intensively to terrorise citizens,” the official news agency, Sana, claimed.<\/p>\n

It said security units had exchanged fire with the armed groups and would deal with the situation in suitable ways.<\/p>\n

Syrian authorities insist they are fighting an insurrection by Islamist militants, as they were in the 1980s. That claim is rejected by activists, dissident intellectuals, human rights monitors and international organisations, including United Nations agencies, who say the pro-democracy uprising is a largely peaceful call for increased rights.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jim Muir, BBC News, Beirut<\/strong><\/p>\n

“In over four months of protests, no-one can predict with any confidence what the outcome will be. The uprising won’t go away but has yet to engulf the two biggest cities of Damascus and Aleppo. The protesters face a government that is talking about comprehensive reforms, but hitting back with ferocity. The Americans have not explicitly called for President Assad to go. The international community is not united on this in the way it was on Libya. So there is not going to be any outside intervention.\u00a0 It is up to the Syrians themselves, and at this stage, nobody can say how it will go.”<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Syrian protests pile pressure on the value of the pound<\/a>
\nHussain Abdul-Hussain
\nAug 1, 2011<\/p>\n

The Syrian economy has been in ruins since mid-March. Tourism has come to a halt and foreign investments have stopped. The situation puts the Syrian currency, the pound, in a precarious position…. As of yesterday reports from Syria had it that the US dollar is worth 67 Syrian pounds on the black market, while the official rate is around 47.5.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Reuters:<\/strong> Germany has requested that the U.N. Security Council meet on Monday to discuss the worsening violence in Syria, a spokesman for the German mission at the United Nations said.<\/p>\n

Syria will undermine \u201cnew chapter of conspiracy\u201d: president,
\n2011-08-01<\/p>\n

DAMASCUS, July 31 (Xinhua) \u2014 Syrian President Bashar Assad said Sunday that he is ultimately confident that Syria will undermine \u201cthis new chapter of conspiracy\u201d which he said aims at \u201d dividing the country as a prelude for dividing the entire region to conflicting states.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview with Ash-Shaeb magazine to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Syrian army\u2019s foundation, Assad said \u201cSyria has its own characteristics that are immune to all conspiracies and conspirators.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now more determined to go on with the process of dignity with confident steps \u2026 We will let war-makers and blood traders suffer the bitterness of defeat, disappointment and frustration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Assad reasserted that his country is subject to sectarian sedition, but indicated that the Syrian people were aware to what is being intrigued against them and were able to \u201cbury sedition.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pledged to go on with the process of an overall reform, noting that Syria will export an example of democracy, freedom and political pluralism.<\/p>\n

Assad reiterated that the Syrians would remain \u201cfree in our national decision and masters in our international relations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Syria has been in unrest since mid March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities. The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on \u201carmed groups and foreign conspiracy\u201d and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Op-Ed Contributor: To Topple Assad, It Takes a Minority<\/a>
\nBy BASSMA KODMANI, 2011-08-01<\/p>\n

(New York Times) — Paris
\nAFTER four months of popular demonstrations and ferocious repression, including a bloody crackdown on the central city of Hama on Sunday, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, still refuses to step down, insisting that he can reform his regime.<\/p>\n

What is keeping Mr. Assad in power is the extensive security apparatus that was engineered by his father, Hafez al-Assad, and is dominated by their fellow Alawites, a minority Shiite sect. …But he hasn\u2019t altered the total domination of Syria\u2019s security forces by his Alawite clan. In the last decade, Bashar left his brother Maher al-Assad to organize the security sector with the support of his uncle and cousins, who control the ubiquitous secret police.<\/p>\n

Since mid-March, as suppression of the protests became increasingly violent, the army has purged officers and soldiers \u2014 including many hitherto loyal Sunni troops \u2014 to reduce the chance of a revolt…<\/p>\n

The onus falls on the Sunni majority to reassure Alawites and other minorities like Christians, Druse and Shiites \u2014 who believe they need the regime\u2019s protection \u2014 that they will not be subjected to acts of vengeance. These Sunni religious and political leaders can save Syria from its sectarian demons.<\/p>\n

Only Syrians can initiate this delicate process; foreign governments, whether Arab or Western, have limited roles to play. The Syrian psyche is shaped by memories of foreign interference, something the Assad regime did not invent, but has exploited.<\/p>\n

In Syria, anyone who calls for outside intervention is likely to be branded a traitor; any Western threat of military action would therefore hurt the opposition more than the regime. Outside powers can play a useful role by declaring they will not use military force. Such a statement would weaken Mr. Assad\u2019s argument that the uprising is the result of foreign meddling and remove a major source of anxiety among Syria\u2019s hesitant majority.<\/p>\n

Syrians of all stripes are beginning to understand that everyone is a victim of this regime and that the real conspiracy is that of the Assads themselves. Sunni leaders must act now to prevent the revolt from descending into civil war by assuring minorities that they will not face reprisals in a new Syria. This could bring Alawites into the opposition\u2019s ranks and seal the regime\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n

Bassma Kodmani is the executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

120 dead as tanks sweep into Hama in Syrian uprising\u2019s worst day of violence by Phil Sands, Aug 1, 2011, the National DAMASCUS \/\/ Syrian security forces killed more than 120 people yesterday in what human rights activists called the bloodiest single day since the current uprising began almost five months ago. Army operations hit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-syria-revolution-2011"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir - Syria Comment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir - Syria Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"120 dead as tanks sweep into Hama in Syrian uprising\u2019s worst day of violence by Phil Sands, Aug 1, 2011, the National DAMASCUS \/\/ Syrian security forces killed more than 120 people yesterday in what human rights activists called the bloodiest single day since the current uprising began almost five months ago. Army operations hit […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Syria Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-01T04:59:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joshua\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@joshua_landis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@joshua_landis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joshua\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/\",\"name\":\"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir - Syria Comment\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-08-01T04:59:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3b31d23576e1b8c0928811e638957c80\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Syria Comment\",\"description\":\"Syrian politics, history, and religion\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3b31d23576e1b8c0928811e638957c80\",\"name\":\"Joshua\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.joshualandis.com\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/joshua_landis\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/author\/syriacomment\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir - Syria Comment","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir - Syria Comment","og_description":"120 dead as tanks sweep into Hama in Syrian uprising\u2019s worst day of violence by Phil Sands, Aug 1, 2011, the National DAMASCUS \/\/ Syrian security forces killed more than 120 people yesterday in what human rights activists called the bloodiest single day since the current uprising began almost five months ago. Army operations hit […]","og_url":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/","og_site_name":"Syria Comment","article_published_time":"2011-08-01T04:59:22+00:00","author":"Joshua","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@joshua_landis","twitter_site":"@joshua_landis","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joshua","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/","url":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/","name":"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir - Syria Comment","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-08-01T04:59:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3b31d23576e1b8c0928811e638957c80"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/120-dead-as-tanks-sweep-into-hama-and-deir\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"120 Dead as Tanks Sweep into Hama and Deir"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/","name":"Syria Comment","description":"Syrian politics, history, and religion","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3b31d23576e1b8c0928811e638957c80","name":"Joshua","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.joshualandis.com","https:\/\/x.com\/joshua_landis"],"url":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/author\/syriacomment\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p38J3A-2T9","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11107\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}