The Syrian Conflict Thread

This last post is a picture of the Middle East in general. Constant terrorism and war amongst Sunni and Shiite. Each thinks they are going to be in charge of the worldwide caliphate. Won't be long now and Lebanon is in a constant war, with the new rebel government of Syria.
 
Syria's air force bombarded Qusayr on Sunday, two weeks into a Hezbollah-backed assault, as a car bomb in Damascus killed nine members of the security forces.

The regime responded to a Red Cross appeal to let them help civilians trapped in Qusayr by saying they would only be admitted once its forces had defeated rebels there.

At the United Nations, diplomats said Russia blocked a draft Security Council declaration expressing "grave concern" about the situation in the strategic town near the border with Lebanon.

France meanwhile said that the Geneva peace conference on ending the bloodshed could be delayed.

The car bomb in Damascus added to an estimated 94,000 lives lost in the conflict which broke out more than two years ago.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the suicide attack appeared to have been carried out by the jihadist Al-Nusra Front, although there was no confirmation.

"At least nine regime forces were killed in the explosion of a car bomb near a police station in the Jubar neighbourhood," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

State news agency SANA reported "10 citizens were wounded when a car driven by a terrorist exploded in Jubar", but gave no information on deaths.

In the central province of Homs, regime warplanes carried out multiple raids Sunday against the northern part of Qusayr and the area between the town and Dabaa, said the Observatory.

A day earlier, international aid groups had called for the evacuation of civilians trapped in the town, where regime forces backed by fighters of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah launched an all-out offensive on May 19.

But Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told UN chief Ban Ki-moon in a telephone call that the Red Cross would not be allowed to enter until the assault is over.

"Syrian authorities will allow the Red Cross in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent access to the area immediately after the end of military operations," SANA quoted him as saying.

The Observatory said the regime has continued to bolster its forces in Qusayr, key to the regime and the rebels alike as it links Damascus to the coast, and is near the Lebanese border, providing a conduit for weapons and fighters.

On Saturday, Ban and international aid groups expressed concern about civilians trapped in Qusayr, and for between 1,000-1,500 injured residents still in the town of 25,000 people.

Muallem voiced "surprise" at the concern over Qusayr, SANA reported, "given that no one expressed this concern when terrorists took control of the city and the surrounding area."

At the UN, Syria's most powerful ally Russia demanded "wider political discussion" after blocking a Security Council declaration that expressed concern about civilians trapped in Qusayr, diplomats said.

The international community has pinned its hopes for resolving the conflict peacefully on a US-Russian initiative to hold a conference that had been mooted for June in Geneva.

But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said it could be delayed.

"'Geneva 2' is in my opinion a last-chance conference. I hope it will take place, I think it could take place in July," he said.

It was not a good sign ahead of the two-day EU-Russian summit in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, which gets underway later Monday.

Russia's support for the Damascus regime and the EU's backing of the rebels has strained already difficult relations between the two sides.

The fighting in Syria has increasingly drawn in neighbouring Lebanon, despite Beirut's official neutrality on the conflict.

Members of Hezbollah, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, are fighting alongside government troops.

And some members of Lebanon's Sunni community have also crossed the border to fight alongside the Sunni-led rebels, encouraged by clerics including the influential Qatar-based Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

On Sunday, a security source said Hezbollah fighters and rebels clashed just inside Syria along the Lebanese border, leaving one Hezbollah member dead.

The fighting also spilled into Lebanon. Two rockets fired from Syria landed in the northeastern region of Hermel, a Hezbollah stronghold.

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah, warned it could take measures against interests of Hezbollah, though it gave no other details.


Source : Sapa-AFP /ma
Date : 03 Jun 2013 04:39
 
A missile strike near Syria's biggest city Aleppo killed 26 people and government warplanes pounded Qusayr, a watchdog said Monday, as a regime offensive to retake the town entered its third week.

Regime opponents also suffered a blow when one of the main groups in the National Coalition withdrew from the bloc, denouncing its leadership.

US officials said, meanwhile, that Washington would send a Patriot missile battery and F-16 fighters to Jordan for a drill and may keep them there to counter any threat posed by the Syrian war.

The missile attack on Kfar Hamra came as Assad's forces mounted an assault on the rebel-held countryside surrounding Aleppo in the north.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the surface-to-surface missile struck around midnight, killing 26 people, including six women and eight children.

"Regime forces... are trying to take the village, and then to break the rebel siege of Nubl and Zahra," two villages north of Aleppo, it added.

The strike comes a few days into an army offensive aimed at advancing on Aazaz, a rebel stronghold north of Aleppo, the most populated city and commercial hub before the war.

Regime forces mounted a fierce onslaught on Qusayr, the strategic town near Lebanon, and also slightly farther north in Dabaa, the site of a disused military airbase partly under insurgent control.

There were numerous dead on both sides, the Observatory said without giving any details.

An estimated 94,000 people have been killed in Syria since a peaceful protest movement that began in March 2011 quickly became an armed revolt when the regime cracked down.

Warplanes bombarded Qusayr for the second consecutive day, the Observatory said.

Three missiles also hit the flashpoint town causing serious damage, but it was unknown if there were any casualties.

Raids were also reported on the Al-Hajar al-Aswad district of southern Damascus itself, where pillars of dark smoke rose into the sky.

The Syrian Revolution General Commission announced on Monday it was withdrawing from the National Coalition.

Some Coalition leaders were "more interested in appearing in the media than helping the revolution," said a statement from the opposition faction, a Syria-wide network of activists.

"A lot of money has been wasted because they used it for their own personal interests while the Syrian people inside the country lack everything," it added.

As fears mount of the conflict spilling over, six people were killed in 24 hours in Lebanon's second city Tripoli during clashes between pro- and anti-Assad Alawite and Sunni residents, a security source said.

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, meanwhile, said Russia would be unable to deliver a shipment of advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Syria before 2014, army radio reported.

Last week, Assad had hinted his government might already have received a shipment of the S-300 missiles.

But Yaalon told an Israeli parliamentary committee: "No deliveries have taken place. If they do take place, it will not be before next year."

In Washington, US Lieutenant Colonel T.G. Taylor said a Patriot missile battery and F-16 fighters being sent to Jordan for a drill may stay there, if requested, "to enhance the defensive posture and capacity" of the country which borders Syria.

On Saturday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and international aid groups expressed concern about civilians trapped in Qusayr, and for up to 1,500 injured residents still in the town of 25,000 people.

On Sunday, the regime said it would not allow the Red Cross into Qusayr until after the fighting stopped.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday denounced that decision in a fierce attack on Assad.

In Qusayr, he said "...you have an extraordinary number of civilians who are trapped, and he will not allow the Red Cross and humanitarian aid to go in until the military has finished what it intends to do...

"I think the world is seeing the actions of a person who has lost touch with any reality except his own and who is willing to wreak any kind of punishment... on the people of his country simply so that he can maintain power."

At the United Nations, diplomats said that over the weekend Russia had blocked a draft Security Council declaration expressing "grave concern" about the situation in Qusayr.

Moscow, a key ally of Assad's regime, had wanted "wider political discussion" on the issue, they said.

Germany, meanwhile, joined France in saying the proposed "Geneva 2" peace conference on ending the bloodshed in Syria could be delayed until next month.

The international community has pinned its hopes for resolving the conflict peacefully on the US-Russian initiative that had been mooted for June in Geneva.


Source : Sapa-AFP /mjs
Date : 04 Jun 2013 04:26
 
Test confirm use of Sarin Gas in Syria

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Tuesday that tests carried out by France on samples from Syria proved that sarin gas had been used in the country "on several occasions in a localized manner."

"The tests demonstrate the presence of sarin in samples in our possession. With regard to these elements France now is certain that sarin gas has been used in Syria on several occasions in a localized manner," he said in a statement.

He did not say which side - the regime of President Bashar al-Assad or the rebels - had used the gas, which is a highly toxic chemical weapon.

Fabius said he had met earlier with Ake Sellstrom, head of a United Nations fact-finding mission into possible chemical weapons use in Syria, to present him with the results.

"It would be unacceptable that those responsible for these crimes go unpunished," he said.


Source : Sapa-dpa /sdv
Date : 04 Jun 2013 18:43
 
He did not say which side - the regime of President Bashar al-Assad or the rebels - had used the gas, which is a highly toxic chemical weapon.
Click to expand...

He's pointing the evidence at the regime side using it.
Now that Nato's beginning to lose their proxy war i'd expect all sorts of excuses to start hitting the table for action.
 
Garyvdh said:
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Tuesday that tests carried out by France on samples from Syria proved that sarin gas had been used in the country "on several occasions in a localized manner."

"The tests demonstrate the presence of sarin in samples in our possession. With regard to these elements France now is certain that sarin gas has been used in Syria on several occasions in a localized manner," he said in a statement.

He did not say which side - the regime of President Bashar al-Assad or the rebels - had used the gas, which is a highly toxic chemical weapon.

Fabius said he had met earlier with Ake Sellstrom, head of a United Nations fact-finding mission into possible chemical weapons use in Syria, to present him with the results.

"It would be unacceptable that those responsible for these crimes go unpunished," he said.


Source : Sapa-dpa /sdv
Date : 04 Jun 2013 18:43
Click to expand...

http://rt.com/news/sarin-gas-turkey-al-nusra-021/

He should read rt.com a bit more.

It amazes me that he basically makes it seem like the government did it when the reality is turkey caught rebels with sarin gas, of course that was not broadcast on cnn, bbc etc and rt.com reported it which means it is made up lies except the turks really did catch rebels with sarin gas and nobody can say they are lying because the turks would love to see the end of assad.

So where are the people who still believe rebels who have sarin gas and rebels who are now backed up by al queda are going to make syria a better place? The government must destroy al queda, then they must try negotiate a peaceful solution but given the chance al queda are the more likely to terrorize the syrian people with chemicals than assad. Al queda will soon have very advanced weapons as well. Humans just do not learn from the past. Don't arm groups that hate you!!!!!! al queda could gain access to chemical weapons, that doesn't scare anyone else?
 
Last edited:
killadoob said:
http://rt.com/news/sarin-gas-turkey-al-nusra-021/

He should read rt.com a bit more.

It amazes me that he basically makes it seem like the government did it when the reality is turkey caught rebels with sarin gas, of course that was not broadcast on cnn, bbc etc and rt.com reported it which means it is made up lies except the turks really did catch rebels with sarin gas and nobody can say they are lying because the turks would love to see the end of assad.

So where are the people who still believe rebels who have sarin gas and rebels who are now backed up by al queda are going to make syria a better place? The government must destroy al queda, then they must try negotiate a peaceful solution but given the chance al queda are the more likely to terrorize the syrian people with chemicals than assad. Al queda will soon have very advanced weapons as well. Humans just do not learn from the past. Don't arm groups that hate you!!!!!! al queda could gain access to chemical weapons, that doesn't scare anyone else?
Click to expand...

The chemical weapons are being created by the rebels, or smuggled to Syria. Yes, there is concern about the stockpiles in Syria.

Countries like Israel previously voiced concern that Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles could fall into the hands of terrorists if the Assad regime collapses; Tel Aviv has reportedly prepared to seize control of the arms by military force. On several occasions, the alleged use of chemical weapons was trumpeted by adversaries of Damascus as a justification for an invasion of the country.

Syrian rebels have said they are seeking to acquire chemical weapons. Last month, a militant commander from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) claimed in an interview with Al Arabiya that the rebels have agents in the ranks of the Syrian army who are ready to seize control of at least part of the chemical weapons stockpile.

Earlier, an FSA leader claimed his group has the components and knowhow to produce chemical weapons.

http://rt.com/news/damascus-al-qaeda-aleppo-attack-450/
Click to expand...
 
Britain also confirms use of Sarin Gas by Regime in Syria

Britain said Wednesday that physiological samples from Syria had tested positive for sarin gas and there was growing information that the regime was using chemical weapons.

"The material from inside Syria tested positive for sarin," a government spokesman said.

"There is a growing body of limited but persuasive information showing that the regime used -- and continues to use -- chemical weapons, including sarin.

"The room for doubt continues to diminish. This is extremely concerning. Use of chemical weapons is a war crime. Assad must grant immediate and unrestricted access to the UN investigation team."

He said Britain thought chemical weapons use in Syria was "very likely" to have been by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"We have obtained physiological samples from inside Syria which have been tested at DSTL," the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on the government's Porton Down military science park in southern England.

"The material from inside Syria tested positive for sarin. We are not able to go into any further detail on the samples -- beyond saying that they are physiological."

The European Union agreed last week to lift its embargo against arming Syrian rebels after tough talks that exposed sharp differences between Britain and France, champions of the move, and their more reluctant partners.


Source : Sapa-AFP /pk
Date : 05 Jun 2013 09:13 OrigID : LP613069
 
Al-Qaida calls on Sunnis to fight in Syria

Al-Qaida's leader has urged Sunni Muslims to spare no effort to join the battle in Syria, overthrow President Bashar Assad and set up Islamic rule in the country.

Ayman al-Zawahri called on Sunnis everywhere to devote their lives, money and expertise for the fight and prevent a U.S.-allied government from taking over in post-Assad Syria.

He urged Sunnis to "rise above their differences" and fight expanding Shiite influence in Syria.

The message came in a new audio recording posted on Thursday on the Internet. Its authenticity could not be independently confirmed but the message was posted on a militant website commonly used by al-Qaida.

Al-Zawahri has repeatedly called for holy war in Syria and has blasted Lebanese Hezbollah militants and Iran for supporting Assad.


Source : Sapa-AP /sdv
Date : 06 Jun 2013 13:15
 
France sends Chemical Weapons info to the USA

France has sent the United States information on what it has described as proof that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

The move follows a request on Wednesday from US Secretary of State John Kerry amid mounting pressure for the United States administration to act in response to the chemical weapons evidence.


Source : Sapa-AFP /sdv
Date : 06 Jun 2013 13:44
 
Syria retakes Golan Crossing after Qusayr Triumph

Syria's army have recaptured the only Golan Heights crossing on the ceasefire line with Israel, in another setback for rebels a day after they were forced out of the strategic town of Qusayr.

Austria, meanwhile, said Thursday it was withdrawing its troops from a UN peacekeeping force on the Golan because of the deteriorating security.

Qusayr's capture gives President Bashar al-Assad the upper hand if a US-Russian plan for the first direct peace talks with his opponents materialises, analysts say.

Russia said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem would lead a government delegation at the "Geneva 2" talks which have been delayed largely over opposition disputes about who will attend.

The rebels briefly took control of the Quneitra crossing, strategically and symbolically important for its proximity to Israeli forces and to Damascus, before being forced out.

An AFP correspondent said he could see tanks inside the area after Assad's troops moved back in Thursday.

Both the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Israeli army radio said the rebel advance had included fierce fighting in nearby Quneitra town.

The clashes were very close to the headquarters of a UN peacekeeping force, prompting Austria to announce it was withdrawing its troops and throwing the mission into disarray.

Two peacekeepers, from India and the Philippines, suffered "minor injuries" in shelling, a UN peacekeeping spokesman said.

In Vienna, the government said the threat to Austrian soldiers "has reached an unacceptable level."

Defence Minister Gerald Klug said the withdrawal would take between two and four weeks and could begin as soon as Tuesday.

Neutral Austria has been part of the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan since its inception in 1974 and is currently one of the biggest UNDOF contributors, with some 380 troops.

The UN peacekeeping force's numbers already dropped to around 900 in March after Croatia became the latest country to withdraw its soldiers, following similar moves by Canada and Japan.

UN leaders held emergency talks on replacing the Austrian troops.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, through his spokesman, expressed concern "about the potential consequences of such a withdrawal on the peacekeeping operation and also on regional security".

The Quneitra crossing, the only direct passage between Israel and Syria, is used almost exclusively by Druze residents of the Golan who are allowed to cross to study, work or get married.

Israel seized a large section of the plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, a move never recognised internationally.

Thursday's flareup prompted Israel to reinforce its military presence on the plateau, Israeli public radio said.

The developments came as soldiers hunting rebels who fled from Qusayr fired missiles at Eastern Bweida about 14 kilometres (nine miles) away, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Qusayr, just 10 kilometres from Lebanon, was once home to more than 25,000 people.

But thousands fled during the blistering 17-day regime onslaught, led by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

"Qusayr is completely destroyed, and totally deserted," Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of Syria's human rights observatory, told AFP.

The regime "has called on Qusayr's residents to return home, but there is nothing but ruins. How are they supposed to return?"

Hours after Qusayr fell, at least five rockets fired from Syria hit the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold. Two people were hurt.

In northern Lebanon, fierce clashes raged in the centre of the port city of Tripoli on Thursday killing one person and wounding seven, a security official said, in the latest Syria-related violence.

The fighting came as Paris said the international community must respond to test results from both French and British laboratories confirming the use of banned nerve agent sarin in Syria's war.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Pseki said Thursday that Washington had received and was evaluating the information, which it did not intend to "evaluate or litigate in public".

Russian, US and UN diplomats on Wednesday admitted the widely anticipated "Geneva 2" peace conference would not take place as planned this month.

A date has still to be fixed for the talks on the 26-month conflict, which is estimated to have killed more than 94,000 people.

The head of the Russian FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov, told a security forum on Thursday some 200 Russian Islamists are fighting in Syria for Al-Qaeda.

On the humanitarian front, the European Union said it will give another 400 million euros ($530 million) in aid for Syria and neighbouring nations to cope with swelling refugee numbers.

The EU has already provided some 840 million euros.

Meanwhile top US Republican senator John McCain, who visited Syria last week, said The United States must deepen its engagement in the country by equipping the rebels or setting up a safe zone to protect the opposition.

Elsewhere, the elderly father of Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad was freed on Thursday, nearly three weeks after his abduction by gunmen, a security source told AFP.


Source : Sapa-AFP /mjs
Date : 07 Jun 2013 05:11
 
Syrian Offensive in the Golan Area Jolts Israel

Syrian rebels briefly seized control of a border crossing along the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Thursday, prompting the withdrawal of a major Austrian peacekeeping contingent and heightening fears in Israel that it could soon be dragged into the neighboring country's civil war.

From the Israeli side of the Golan, Syrian tanks and armored vehicles could be seen across the border. Large explosions could be heard throughout the day, and thick smoke and flames rose from the area. Israeli TV stations showed images of Israeli tourists flocking to the Golan to look across the frontier and gawk at the fighting.

Israeli troops along the border were on high alert, although the military said no special actions had been taken in response to the escalation.

By nightfall, the situation appeared to be quieting down. Israel's deputy defense minister, Danny Danon, said forces remained on high alert, but no special actions had been taken.

"We are following very carefully what's happening in Syria," Danon told The Associated Press. "We will do whatever is necessary to protect the interests of Israel."

Israel fears that Islamic militants who have joined the rebel ranks in trying to oust President Bashar Assad will turn their guns toward Israel if they topple the Syrian leader. Islamic groups are believed to be active in the fighting in the Golan area. Israel has also expressed concerns that Assad's sophisticated weapons, could slip into the hands of hostile groups, including Assad's ally, Hezbollah.

The Jewish state has kept a wary eye on the fighting next door since the conflict erupted in March 2011 and in recent months has been bolstering its forces in the area and reinforcing a fence along the frontier.

The rebels overran the border position near the abandoned town of Quneitra early Thursday, holding their positions for several hours before Syrian government troops retook it. The international peacekeepers who maintain a 40-year-old truce receive most of their supplies through that position from Israel.

Fierce gunbattles forced peacekeepers to seek shelter in a nearby base, and the Philippine military said one of its men serving in the force was wounded in the leg when a mortar or artillery shell struck the area. U.N. diplomats said an Indian peacekeeper also was injured.

In Vienna, Austrian leaders said the fighting made it necessary to withdraw their troops.

Defense Minister Gerhard Klug said he expected the withdrawal to be done within two to four weeks, but it is possible to complete it "within a few hours" if new violence threatened the soldiers' security.

"For the first time, it was not possible for the Syrian government to guarantee proper support of the U.N.," he said.

The decision dealt a heavy to blow to the 911-member U.N. force, which includes the 377 Austrian peacekeepers as well as 341 from the Philippines and 193 from India. Croatia withdrew its contingent in March amid fears they would be targeted.

Israel and Syria agreed to creation of the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force after Syria launched military action in 1973 in a failed effort to retake the Golan, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the United Nations is urgently looking for troops to replace Austrians and warned that any military activity in the zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces could jeopardize the long-held cease-fire.

The U.N. Security Council, in a statement, strongly condemned the intense fighting in the area of separation, urged respect for the 1974 disengagement agreement and called on all parties to allow the peacekeepers to operate freely.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it regretted Austria's decision and hoped that it would not lead to "further escalation in the region." It said it expected the U.N. to uphold its commitment.

Israeli military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity under military protocol, said several Syrians wounded in fighting were brought into Israel for medical treatment. Others who entered Israel were returned through alternative sites. It was not clear whether the wounded were fighters or civilians.

Israeli military officials said several errant shells landed in Israeli-controlled territory. Although no injuries were reported, the military restricted access to a main road running along the border for several hours and ordered farmers with fields in the area to remain indoors.

Nadav Katz, 65, of Kibbutz Merom Golan, a communal farm near the crossing, said the area was covered with smoke and residents could hear gunfire and mortar shells exploding nearby.

"We are concerned that things might evolve into something much harsher that will affect us," said Katz. "We like the idea that for 40 years the area was peaceful and quiet. Tourists have been coming, fields have been cultivated and children were born," he said.

Katz said he trusted Israel's army to defend the area, but residents felt betrayed by the fleeing U.N. troops. More than anything, though, he said people viewed the Syrian fighting as a terrible event. "People are simply sad over the slaughter," he said.

Israeli military officials played down the significance of Thursday's fighting. They said that Quneitra is important symbolically to Syria, given its history and location along a main route to Damascus. The town has been largely abandoned since the 1967 war, though the crossing is sometimes opened to allow Druse residents to export produce or cross into Syria to study or to marry their brethren.

Israeli officials say they have no interest in taking sides or getting involved in the fighting.

But the military has intervened on several occasions, firing at targets inside Syria in response to shelling that landed in the Israeli-side of the Golan.

In one such incident last month, Syrian troops targeted an Israeli jeep they said had crossed the cease-fire line into the Syria-controlled sector. Syria said it launched two missiles in self-defense, accusing Israel of violating the cease-fire deal.

The Israeli air force has also carried out several airstrikes in recent months on weapons shipments believed to be headed to Hezbollah.

Fighting between Assad's forces and mainly Sunni rebels has already spilled over Syria's borders into Turkey and Lebanon, where factions that support opposing sides have frequently clashed.

Moshe Maoz, a Syria expert at the Hebrew University, played down Thursday's incident. He called it a small victory for the Surian military and said little would change even if the rebels gained control of the crossing.

"It's symbolic, but neither al Qaida nor the mainstream groups are going to shoot at Israel because they know Israel will retaliate very heavily," he said.

---

Federman reported from Jerusalem. Diaa Hadid in Jerusalem and George Jahn in Vienna also contributed to this report.


Source : Sapa-AP /mjs
Date : 07 Jun 2013 02:16
 
Meanwhile top US Republican senator John McCain, who visited Syria last week, said The United States must deepen its engagement in the country by equipping the rebels or setting up a safe zone to protect the opposition.
Click to expand...

I agree. The rebels must be kept fighting. When they win, the fight can continue between Lebanon and them. This whole saga should eat up a fair amount of jihadists.
 
Rebels Attack Air Base in Northern Syria

Activists say rebels have attacked an air base in northern Syria but failed to capture it.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the fighting concentrated near the command center in Mannagh air base, under rebel siege for months. It said rebels fired tank shells at the building.

The attack on Mannagh came after Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters captured the strategic central town of Qusair near the border with Lebanon on Wednesday.

Aleppo-based activist Mohammed Said said rebels failed to advance in the attack on the air base that continued until early Friday.

Syria's conflict started with largely peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's regime in March 2011 but turned into a civil war.

More than 70,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.


Source : Sapa-AP /pk
Date : 07 Jun 2013 11:24 OrigID : LP646195
 
Lebanese Army Slams Plot to embroil it in Syrian Civil War

The Lebanese army warned on Friday that a plot was afoot to embroil the country in the 26-month conflict in neighbouring Syria, as deadly clashes between Damascus supporters and opponents inside Lebanon multiply.

"The army command... calls on citizens to be wary of plots aimed at taking Lebanon backwards and dragging it into an absurd war," a statement said, adding that it would give an "armed response to any armed action".

One person was killed and seven wounded in a clash in the heart of Lebanon's second-largest city Tripoli on Thursday in the latest in a spate of deadly violence between Lebanese supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime.


Source : Sapa-AFP /pk
Date : 07 Jun 2013 11:43
 
The Lebanese army warned on Friday that a plot was afoot to embroil the country in the 26-month conflict in neighbouring Syria, as deadly clashes between Damascus supporters and opponents inside Lebanon multiply.

"The army command... calls on citizens to be wary of plots aimed at taking Lebanon backwards and dragging it into an absurd war," a statement said, adding that it would give an "armed response to any armed action"
Click to expand...

Yep, the plotters are hezbollah. From the moment they decided to enter the fight. Now fight.
 
Rebels simply don't have a clue how to fight.

Rather embarrassing for the Syrian army that they couldn't deal with them and that Hezbollah has made such a decisive impact.
 
Lightscribe said:
I agree. The rebels must be kept fighting. When they win, the fight can continue between Lebanon and them. This whole saga should eat up a fair amount of jihadists.
Click to expand...


I was thinking the same a long time back. Let russia fund and supply the syrian govt. Let the rebels get the weapons they desire and allow them to fight their religious war till the last man standing falls.
The west should stop getting involved in any way. Let these people sort out their own problems on their own, and when they squeel for humanitarian aid their oil rich bretheren must step up to the plate.
 
That did not take long.
The UN is now stating up to $5 billion is needed for humanitarian aid as a result of this war.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X