Round Up: Lethal Aid, Human Interest Stories, Lebanon
Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
US Policy and Weapons for Rebels
In Turnabout, Syria Rebels Get Libyan Weapons – NYT
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
During his more than four decades in power, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya was North Africa’s outrageously self-styled arms benefactor, a donor of weapons to guerrillas and terrorists around the world fighting governments he did not like.
Even after his death, the colonel’s gunrunning vision lives on, although in ways he probably would have loathed.
… Evidence gathered in Syria, along with flight-control data and interviews with militia members, smugglers, rebels, analysts and officials in several countries, offers a profile of a complex and active multinational effort, financed largely by Qatar, to transport arms from Libya to Syria’s opposition fighters. Libya’s own former fighters, who sympathize with Syria’s rebels, have been eager collaborators.
… As the United States and its Western allies move toward providing lethal aid to Syrian rebels, these secretive transfers give insight into an unregistered arms pipeline that is difficult to monitor or control. And while the system appears to succeed in moving arms across multiple borders and to select rebel groups, once inside Syria the flow branches out. Extremist fighters, some of them aligned with Al Qaeda, have the money to buy the newly arrived stock, and many rebels are willing to sell.
For Russia — which has steadfastly supplied weapons and diplomatic cover to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria — this black-market flow is a case of bitter blowback. Many of the weapons Moscow proudly sold to Libya beginning in the Soviet era are now being shipped into the hands of rebels seeking to unseat another Kremlin ally.
Those weapons, which slipped from state custody as Colonel Qaddafi’s people rose against him in 2011, are sent on ships or Qatar Emiri Air Force flights to a network of intelligence agencies and Syrian opposition leaders in Turkey. From there, Syrians distribute the arms according to their own formulas and preferences to particular fighting groups, which in turn issue them to their fighters on the ground, rebels and activists said.
Qatari C-17 cargo aircraft have made at least three stops in Libya this year — including flights from Mitiga airport in Tripoli on Jan. 15 and Feb. 1, and another that departed Benghazi on April 16, according to flight data provided by an aviation official in the region. The planes returned to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The cargo was then flown to Ankara, Turkey, along with other weapons and equipment that the Qataris had been gathering for the rebels, officials and rebels said.
… The movements from Libya complement the airlift that has variously used Saudi, Jordanian and Qatari military cargo planes to funnel military equipment and weapons, including from Croatia, to the outgunned rebels. On Friday, Syrian opposition officials said the rebels had received a new shipment of anti-tank weapons and other arms, although they give varying accounts of the sources of the recently received arms. The Central Intelligence Agency has already played at least a supporting role, the officials say.
The Libyan shipments principally appear to be the work of armed groups there, and not of the weak central state, officials said.
Mr. Bukatef, the Libyan diplomat, said Libyan militias had been shipping weapons to Syrian rebels for more than a year.
“They collect the weapons, and when they have enough they send it,” he said. “The Libyan government is not involved, but it does not really matter.”
One former senior Obama administration familiar with the transfers said the Qatari government built relationships with Libyan militias in 2011, when, according to the report of a United Nations Panel of Experts, it shipped in weapons to rebel forces there in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
As a result, the Qataris can draw on their influence with Libya’s militias to support their current beneficiaries in Syria. “It’s not that complicated,” the former official said. “We’re watching it. The Libyans have an amazing amount of stuff.”
U.S. training Syrian rebels; White House ‘stepped up assistance’ – LA Times
White House officials refused to comment Friday on a Los Angeles Times report that CIA operatives and U.S. special operations troops have been secretly training Syrian rebels with anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons since late last year, saying only that the U.S. had increased its assistance to the rebellion.
The covert U.S. training at bases in Jordan and Turkey began months before President Obama approved plans to begin directly arming the opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to U.S. officials and rebel commanders.
“We have stepped up our assistance, but I cannot inventory for you all the elements of that assistance,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. “We have provided and will continue to provide substantial assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as the Supreme Military Council.” …
Who is Ben Rhodes? – Posted by Daniel McAdams on June 17, 2013
Everyone is wondering (at least I am) who is Ben Rhodes, a 30-something who ascended from literally nowhere to be what seems a main driving force behind Obama’s foreign policy. He is credited with convincing the president to embrace the Arab Spring, convincing the president to bomb Libya, and, now, convincing the president to start yet another war, this time against Syria.
Who is he? How did a 24-year old aspiring fiction-writer in 2002 suddenly become one of the drafters of not only the 9/11 Commission report but also the Iraq Study Group Report? Then move on to Obama’s presidential campaign as a speechwriter and then to Deputy National Security Advisor, from which he announced the beginning of a US war on Syria while the president met with supporters in the East Room of the White House? Those familiar with Washington know that such miraculous ascents rarely happen on their own and are equally rarely the result of pure, raw talent.
There might be some clues to his brother David’s also improbable rise — from a lowly production assistant at Fox News at the end of the 1990s to covering presidential elections for Fox News (including the one where his brother was writing Obama’s speeches) to the lofty position of president of CBS news by 2011!
The excellent Russ Baker was wondering about all this way back in March, when he noticed a typical New York Times gloss-over article on Rhodes.
Aside from his quite unbelievable rise, we do know that he was catastrophically wrong on Libya, where a Time Magazine article pointed out at the time that he was the strong counter-weight to those who argued for more caution on the use of force.
Here is how Time put it back in 2011, when the interventionists were on the verge of their triumph:
Obama and his aides know they are taking a big risk. “It’s a huge gamble,” says the senior administration official. The administration knows, for example, that al Qaeda, which has active cells in Libya, will try to exploit the power vacuum that will come with a weak or ousted Gaddafi. They also know that the U.S. will have to rely on other countries for the crucial task of rebuilding Libya and that the region may in fact be further destabilized by intervention. Outweighing that, the National Security Council’s Ben Rhodes says, are the long-term benefits of saving lives, protecting the possibility of democratic change elsewhere in the region and—tellingly—ensuring “the ability of collective action to be a tool in circumstances like this.”
Rhodes carried the day on Libya and he was completely incorrect in his assessment, his analysis, his prediction, and his prescription. Anyone who bothers to look at Libya today, which is run by gangs of roving extremist death squads would see what a fool Ben Rhodes is for his promise of “democratic change” in Libya — and how much more foolish is the president for following the advice of such a person.
Rhodes is named as the source of the White House-altered CIA talking points on Benghazi, where references to the Islamist extremist role in the attack on US Ambassador Chris Stevens were erased. It is understandable why the fiction writer Rhodes would want to toss that reference in the circular file: that particular sub-plot did not fit in with the main theme he had already painstakingly written, namely that the US attack on Libya would end the killing, stabilize the country, and bring about a democratic revolution that would continue to spread through the region. Fiction writers understand that a sub-plot could take your readers too far off the main narrative of the story and cause serious structural problems. That is why there are so many rounds of re-writes. The killing of Stevens and the rise of murderous — and racist — extremists did not fit the plot, so it had to be deleted.
Being wrong on war when you are on the sending end of death and destruction is less obvious to your countrymen than when you are on the receiving end. But anyone living in Libya after Rhodes’ “life-saving” mission knows full well the kind of liberation that comes at the tip of a US missile. And neighboring countries know as well what happens when a nation armed to the teeth with weapons, including chemical weapons, completely implodes after its infrastructure is destroyed by foreign attack.
In Washington, though, being catastrophically wrong on Libya eminently qualifies Ben Rhodes to take the lead on US Syria policy.
Why the Current Syria Policy Doesn’t Make Sense – Atlantic – Obama’s move to arm the rebels is angering both sides of the intervention debate.
President Obama’s decision to arm Syrian rebels — after resisting such a course for nearly two years — has come under some withering criticism. Marc Lynch, who has long opposed military intervention in Syria, calls it “probably his worst foreign policy decision since taking office,” while Daniel Larison casts it as “certainly one of the two or three worst [decisions].” Despite being on the opposite side of the debate — I began writing in favor of military intervention nearly a year and a half ago — it is hard to disagree with their assessment that providing “small arms” to the rebels is unlikely to make much difference.
What makes Obama’s decision so unsatisfying — and even infuriating — to both sides is that even he seems to acknowledge this. As the New York Times reports, “Mr. Obama expressed no confidence it would change the outcome, but privately expressed hope it might buy time to bring about a negotiated settlement.”
Syria rebels say they have ‘game-changing’ new arms – AFP
“We’ve received quantities of new types of weapons, including some that we asked for and that we believe will change the course of the battle on the ground,” Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Muqdad said.
… Muqdad declined to specify what weapons had been received or when they had arrived, but added that a new shipment was expected in the coming days.
So You Want to Intervene in Syria Without Breaking the Law? Good luck with that. – FP
So let’s say you’re the president of the United States and you want to use military force to intervene in Syria. I’m not saying you do (it sorta looks like you don’t), and I’m not even saying you should (you’re not wrong to worry that military intervention might not end well).
But let’s say you become convinced that military intervention is the only way to protect Syrian civilians from being slaughtered by government forces, or that it’s the only way to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from becoming dangerously emboldened, or the only way to prevent factions with links to al Qaeda from gaining the upper hand within the Syrian rebel movement, or the only way to prevent the conflict from spilling over into neighboring countries, or the only way to do all those things. And let’s say that Russia continues to block every U.N. Security Council resolution that might pave the way for a civilian-protection intervention á laLibya.
You’re a president who respects international law — or, at any rate, you’re not inclined to thumb your nose openly at international law. You’re not Dick Cheney, and you don’t like being compared to Dick Cheney. That means that if you decide America should intervene militarily in Syria, you want to be able to tell the world, with a straight face, that the intervention is legal. At a bare minimum, you want to at least feel confident that what you’re doing isn’t blatantly, manifestly, obnoxiously illegal, in a “F*** the U.N. Security Council and the horse it rode in on” kind of way.
Can you do it? Would it be lawful, as an international law matter, for the United States to use military force in Syria without a Security Council resolution authorizing the intervention?
The short answer: Probably not. …
Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria now best-equipped of the group – CNN – Barbara Starr
Al Qaeda’s affiliate inside Syria is now the best-equipped arm of the terror group in existence today, according to informal assessments by U.S. and Middle East intelligence agencies, a private sector analyst directly familiar with the information told CNN.
Concern about the Syrian al Qaeda-affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the al-Nusra Front, is at an all-time high, according to the analyst, with as many as 10,000 fighters and supporters inside Syria. The United States has designated al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group with links to al Qaeda in Iraq.
That assessment is shared by some Middle Eastern intelligence agencies that have long believed the United States is underestimating the Sunni-backed al Qaeda movement in the country, according to a Middle East source. It is also believed that Iran is running training camps inside Syria for Hezbollah and that other Iranian militia fighters are coming into the country to fight for the regime.
The analyst has been part of recent discussions with the U.S. intelligence community, which is urgently working to understand what is going on inside the war-ravaged country and is consulting outside experts. The analyst, who declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the information, stressed that all assessments about Syria are approximate at best because of the lack of U.S. personnel on the ground.
With the growing strength and support for al-Nusra, U.S. concerns are growing about its influence to further destabilize Syria and potentially pose a greater regional threat, administration officials have told CNN.
“They are making desperate attempts to get chemical weapons,” the analyst told CNN, noting that in the past few weeks, security services in Iraq and Turkey arrested operatives who were “trying to get their hands on sarin.”
A senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN recently that gathering intelligence on Syria, including its potential future use of chemical weapons, is now one of the top priorities of the U.S. intelligence community.
The Obama administration announced last week that it will start arming rebels because Syria crossed a “red line” by using chemical weapons – including sarin gas – against the opposition.
Amazing Stories from the Conflict
Reuters visits abandoned Alawite village: Deepening ethnic rifts reshape Syria’s towns
The villages that dot the valleys and terraced hills of Syria’s northwest used to epitomize the country’s diversity. Each one was dominated by a different religion or sect. The settlements coexisted – sometimes peacefully, sometimes less so – for centuries, a patchwork of distinct but interwoven communities that, for many Syrians, was central to the nation’s identity.
Over the past two years, that order has fallen apart.
In Zambaki, a concrete-block village in a valley near the border with Turkey, Sunni families have moved into homes abandoned by Alawite owners; Sunni instructors teach in the Alawite elementary school; and Sunni religious slogans in black paint mark the walls.
Mohamed Skafe, a 40-year-old Sunni maths instructor remembers how the Alawites began to flee nearly a year ago. As government troops withdrew and rebels took over, he phoned a friend in the village and pleaded with him to stay.
“He told me, ‘Can you protect me?'” Skafe recalled, holding his hands out, palms upward. “I said, ‘I have no guarantee.'”
As the revolt against Bashar al-Assad that began as a mostly secular call for democratic reform descended into civil war, communities have split along religious and ethnic lines. Majority Sunnis have come to dominate the opposition, while Shi’ites and Alawites, the offshoot sect of Shi’ite Islam that Assad belongs to, have largely sided with the government. Other minorities, such as the Christians, Druze and Kurds, have split or tried to stay neutral.
Across the country, violence and fear have emptied entire villages, forced millions of people to flee their homes, and transformed the social landscape.
The involvement of Shi’ite power Iran on one side and the ascendancy of hardline Islamists, including groups linked to al Qaeda, on the other has accelerated the process. For some fighters, the war has taken on an apocalyptic overtone. For others, enmity is rooted in old resentments and suspicions.
During a 10-day journey through rebel-held territory, Reuters saw first-hand how the sectarian divisions are transforming the country. Those splits, and the risk of large-scale communal retribution, are one reason Western powers have hesitated to intervene.
Now, as the United States prepares to arm the rebels, it risks getting entangled in an intricate conflict that often pits neighbor against neighbor. As in Yugoslavia or in neighboring Iraq, where conflicts were marked by sectarianism and ethnic cleansing, Syria is unlikely to go back to the way it was. Even when the war ends, the reordering of villages and towns will leave behind a very different country, a change which could reverberate through the region.
In Zambaki, in a house once owned by Alawites, a Sunni family of 10 has moved in after fleeing their own homes outside Hama, in central Syria. “The whole village was completely empty. We were in a Turkish camp, but it was so crowded. We decided to come back,” one man in the family said, asking not to be named.
“The regime is playing a big game, a very big game. We had Alawite neighbors and I swear we were living like brothers. But the regime played with their minds, and frightened them. We were neighbors.” …
My Harrowing Escape from Qusayr, Part II – Syria Deeply – Recommended
As part of our effort to highlight civilian stories, below is a conversation between Syria Deeply and Rifaie Tammas, a 24-year-old from Qusayr. The Lebanese militia Hezbollah, working with Syrian government troops, overran the key smuggling route between Lebanon and Homs province last week. Tammas describes the final anxious hours in his city, his chaotic evacuation and a tearful reunion with his mother after losing three close family members.
The most dangerous place we had to cross on our journey was the Homs-Damascus highway. The areas around it to the west were under shelling and sniper fire, because the regime and Hezbollah knew that the civilians and rebels would flee there. But it was either we wait until the next morning for them to come and kill us, or we move fast and cross. We made the choice that we had to cross, not knowing our fate.
In order to reach a safe place, we had to cross a 50 meter-wide stretch of the highway. But even before we reached this spot, we had to cross over about 1.5 or 2 km of lands that were open to shelling. We started calling it the “death opening.”
When we saw there was no guide, people were confused. It was terrible. The way leading up to the highway was very hilly and tough. There were some houses and tress, but it was mostly open fields. We do not know this area at all and we felt that we could be shot at any minute. And I had my wounded brother Rami with me the whole time.
Rami was completely exhausted after crossing 20 m on crutches. He told me he can’t move another meter and he wants to die right there. He is 22 years old and a defected officer. I put him on my back. He is 85 kg. I moved him for 50 m and I couldn’t move anymore. Even though his leg was broken, sometimes we had to walk or duck and lie flat when there was shelling and shooting.
At one point we saw two lights ahead and we knew that these were checkpoints. We thought the dark area in between might be safe, so we headed in that direction. Then all hell broke loose.
We came under intense shelling, and some people decided to turn back and continue on a safer route, but we decided to keep moving through. On our way I saw many wounded people lying on the ground with no one to help them. Some people had run for their lives during the heavy shelling, and so many others had been left behind.
We were halfway to the highway when we saw a big house where about 50 people had stopped, most of them wounded. Suddenly, a huge tank shell hit the house when we were 20 m away. Fragments flew above our heads and we ducked for cover. We were okay because the house absorbed the whole shock.
When we started to make our way over, we heard so many sounds. Many people were crying for dear life. You could smell flesh burning. We couldn’t do anything. We were exhausted with no water or food. We had been surviving on tree leaves and some fruit.
I saw these people and I can still remember them begging for help. But I couldn’t. I had to choose my brother. I was also carrying my brother’s rifle because he was a defected soldier. He was trained to not leave his weapon. He had learned to kill them or kill himself, not be captured as a prisoner. I took it just in case we were ambushed.
About 20 m away from the house another shell hit a group in front of us. They were civilians with wounded people and they had been targeted. Imagine. I felt that’s the end, I’m going to die. I kept on saying shahada with my brother. Even if I made it there is no safety at the end. After all this we might end up near the checkpoint. All we could do was continue under the sniper fire and shelling. Sometimes we would duck. I knew it was useless, but we did it anyway.
My brother kept falling to the ground, and I had to help him stand up or sometimes carry him. I had to lie to him and keep telling him we were almost there because he wanted to give up. We had just lost our brother Hadi, so it was not just physically but also mentally terrifying. But we kept thinking about our mother and sisters.
When we finally crossed the highway, there were people on the other side who congratulated us. But we still had to walk for about another hour before we reached a relatively safer place. We waited in a small village, and then we continued our journey on foot for an hour before we got to another village called Deeba. We arrived there at about 6 a.m. on Friday, and then we stayed there until 10 p.m. Then we could take cars to the Damascus suburbs, where I am staying right now.
An Ill-Planned Evacuation
One of the things that I really hated – that really frustrated me and changed the way I look at things – was not the fall of Qusayr, or that it fell in the hands of Hezbollah. That was sad, absolutely horrible, but the dreadful thing was the way we evacuated. It was the lack of cooperation among Free Syrian Army [FSA] members and civilians. There wasn’t a very good plan, and the regime knew about this. They knew we were panicking and they took advantage of that. They knew about almost every move we made.
There were guides along the way giving directions to people and telling people, go this way, or shut off your mobile phones, or don’t shout. Some of the guides were excellent and would tell you where to go every step of the way. But the problem is they weren’t spread all across the way.
We were lost many times and got very close to regime checkpoints because of this. Some of the guides were confused. They kept having us go back and forth, and we were carrying wounded people the whole time. There were not enough stretchers, so we were moving them on blankets, pieces of wood or whatever we could find. Sometimes we put them on our backs and took turns. And when we reached the most dangerous spot by the highway, we had no one to guide our group. Some people didn’t do their job well, and this is what caused chaos and many people to be killed.
I would not put all the blame on the regime or Hezbollah, but I also blame the FSA leaders who didn’t know how to do things effectively during this evacuation. We were thousands, and this was a very hard test, and they didn’t pass it very well. They had to know that the regime would take advantage of their lack of cooperation.
On the other hand, the FSA didn’t know how to manage this crisis because they’ve never experienced it. The FSA leaders were very keen on the safety of the wounded, and they tried not to leave anybody behind. Most people acknowledge what the FSA has done for us, but they are so angry with the way the evacuation happened.
Where Are They Now?
The people of Qusayr have spread out to many different cities around Syria. Some made it to Lebanon, but the majority are staying in towns like Nabak, Yabroud and other cities. The rebels are scattered as well and trying to reorganize themselves into a more coherent unit. There is a lot of debate about assigning new leaders and making huge changes after what happened.
Most people are determined to go back and fight. Some have given up and decided to stick with their families, but I think that even they will go back to fight after they rest a bit and think about the whole thing. Being forced to live outside their hometown will make a lot of people go back and fight.
These were the craziest two weeks of my life. I don’t think I could suffer more than this. Ten days before the fall of Qusayr I lost my uncle – he was killed while trying to evacuate the wounded. Days later, I lost my father – a shell killed him when he was going outside to bring us some food. Next, my younger brother’s leg was wounded. And after a week I was forced to leave my house and hometown, and a day later I lost my youngest brother.
Now it feels weird to be away from home, to feel homeless and live in other people’s houses. Luckily, I have some friends who came here before me, and they welcomed me to stay until I sort things out. However, I will have to leave once their mother and sisters come back from a trip to a nearby city.
The only good thing about getting out of Qusayr was reuniting with my mother and little sister. The moment we saw each other, we burst into tears although I was trying to sound strong so that she wouldn’t break down, but I simply could not. Seeing her reminded me of losing my father and youngest brother. Hadi was the hero in our family. He was very loved by his friends and everyone who knew him. He was in the FSA and responsible for firing 14.5 medium machine guns, which is considered a big thing since you have to be very strong to do it. Before all this he was majoring in history.
I still don’t know how I am coping and how I am still thinking. I am crying a lot, especially when I pray. We as Muslims believe that our martyrs are in heaven, so my condolence is that my father and brother are in a happy place now.
Losing them all makes me even more determined to continue what I started. I am going to expose the crimes of Hezbollah and the regime to the whole wide world – that is, if the world cares. They are going to pay for what they have done to us. Sooner or later, they will be brought to justice.
The Price of Loyalty in Syria – NYT – Robert F Worth – Recommended
Ibtisam Ali Aboud (with her son Jafar) says that her husband, a Syrian Alawite, was killed by his Sunni friend. – Jehad Nga for The New York Times
The Damascus neighborhood known as Mezze 86 is a dense, dilapidated warren of narrow hillside streets adorned with posters bearing the face of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad. The presidential palace is nearby, and the area is crawling with well-armed guards and soldiers. It is next to impossible to enter unless you are accompanied by government officials or well-known locals, almost all of them members of Assad’s Alawite sect. I drove there on a quiet Friday morning in May, and we were stopped several times at checkpoints by young soldiers who examined our documents carefully before waving us on. When we arrived at our destination, in a small parking lot hemmed in by cinder-block towers, I emerged from the car to the suspicious glares of several middle-aged men in fatigues. “They are not expecting foreigners here,” one of the men who accompanied me said. “The rebels are trying constantly to hit this place, because they know who lives here.” He pointed to a damaged roof not far away. “A mortar struck very close the other day. A lady was killed just above us, and another just below.”
To many Syrians, Mezze 86 is a terrifying place, a stronghold for regime officers and the ruthless paramilitary gunmen known as shabiha, or “ghosts.” These are the men accused of carrying out much of the torture and killing that has left more than 90,000 people dead since the Syrian uprising began two years ago. Some of the older men living in the neighborhood are veterans of the notorious defense brigades, which helped carry out the 1982 massacre of Hama, where between 10,000 and 30,000 people were killed in less than a month. Yet Mezze 86 now emanates a sense of aggrieved martyrdom. The streets are lined with colorful portraits of dead soldiers; every household proclaims the fallen and the wounded and the vanished.
I went there to meet a woman named Ibtisam Ali Aboud, who had fled her home after her husband — a retired Alawite officer named Muhsin — was killed in February by rebels. Ibtisam is a woman of 50, but she looked 20 years older, her face a pale canvas of anxious lines over her long, black mourning cloak. Her son was with her, a timid-looking 17-year-old named Jafar. We spoke in a dingy, sparsely furnished room, with a picture of a bearded Alawite saint on the wall. “We never used to feel any distinction between people of different sects,” Ibtisam told me. “Now they are ready to slaughter us.” Her husband’s killer was a car mechanic named Ayham, she said, who had eaten at their table and casually borrowed money from her husband only 10 days earlier, promising to pay it back soon. Someone had been slipping notes under their door — “Die, Alawite scum,” “Get out, regime thugs” — and sectarian killings and kidnappings were growing more common; even Muhsin had narrowly escaped being taken captive by armed men. But he refused to listen to his wife’s warnings when she told him that Ayham was working with Sunni rebel gunmen. “Ayham is my friend,” he had told her. “This is Syria, not Iraq.” One night he went out to run an errand and never came home. They found his body in the family car the next day, a bullet hole in his head. The family’s small auto-repair shop was burned to the ground days later. Jafar said that he was on his way home from there when five men surrounded him. “We will cut you all to pieces if you don’t get out,” the men said. “You will follow your father to the grave.”
The family fled their home on the capital’s outskirts to Mezze 86, where they would be surrounded by other Alawites. “We are the ones who are being targeted,” Ibtisam told me. “My husband did nothing. He was a retired officer volunteering at a hospital.” Now, she said, she could barely afford to rent two cramped rooms with her four children. A dull artillery boom shook the coffee cups on the table where we sat. The men who took me to her, also Alawite, began to reel off their own stories of murdered friends and relatives, and of neighbors abducted by rebels. “You will find stories like this in every house, people killed, people kidnapped, and all because of their sect,” one of them said. “They think all Alawites are rich, because we are the same sect as Bashar al-Assad. They think we can talk to the president whenever we like. But look how we are living!”
No one in the room would say it, but there was an unspoken sense that they, too, were victims of the regime. After two years of bloody insurrection, Syria’s small Alawite community remains the war’s opaque protagonist, a core of loyalists whose fate is now irrevocably tied to Assad’s. Alawite officers commanded the regime’s shock troops when the first protests broke out in March 2011 — jailing, torturing and killing demonstrators and setting Syria on a different path from all the other Arab uprisings. Assad’s intelligence apparatus did everything it could to stoke sectarian fears and blunt the protesters’ message of peaceful change.
Yet the past two years have made clear that those fears were not completely unfounded, and it did not take much to provoke them. Syria’s Sunnis and Alawites were at odds for hundreds of years, and the current war has revived the worst of that history. Radical jihadis among the rebels now openly call for the extermination or exile of Syria’s religious minorities. Most outsiders agree that Assad cynically manipulated the fears of his kinsmen for political survival, but few have asked — or had the opportunity to ask — how the Alawites themselves feel about Assad, and what kind of future they imagine now that the Sunni Arab world has effectively declared war on them.
“What is horrible is that everyone is now protecting his existence,” Sayyid Abdullah Nizam, a prominent cleric in Damascus, told me. “For all of the minorities, it is as if we have entered a long corridor with no light.”
… Latakia, the capital city of Syria’s Alawite region, is a sleepy seaside town with a tattered charm. The hills around it have long provided refuge for Syria’s minorities, and once briefly formed part of an Alawite state under French protection, just after the First World War. This gives its people a different view of the country and its history, one that Western journalists have not often been permitted to see. It was in Latakia that I met a devoted regime supporter named Aliaa Ali, the 27-year-old daughter of a retired Alawite military officer and a French teacher. Aliaa has a broad, pretty face and knitted brows that convey a mix of petulance and determination. She is intelligent and fully aware, thanks in part to a year spent studying in England, of how the West views the conflict. Unlike many loyalists, she was willing to acknowledge the brutalities of her own side, and at times seemed embarrassed by the Syrian police state. “I was pro-revolution at first,” she said. “There is a lot that needs to change here, I know that. But the fact is that it turned sectarian and violent much sooner than people think.”
Soon after the first protests broke out, Aliaa told Noura about some of the sectarian protest chants she had heard. Noura refused to believe it. The next month, when the army cracked down in Jableh, Noura was desperate, saying innocent protesters had been killed. Aliaa told Noura it was “not logical” for a government to kill its own people. Noura backed down. “Maybe we just heard different stories,” she said. As she and her family moved deeper into the opposition camp, however, the friendship began to fray. Once, after they had gone for a drive along the seafront, Noura suddenly said: “If Sunnis ever attacked you, I’d protect you. And vice versa.” Both of them laughed. “At the time, it seemed like a joke,” Aliaa told me. “We couldn’t really imagine that happening.” Aliaa traveled to England at the end of the summer, and shortly after, when Noura’s mother was arrested, the two friends stopped speaking. In October, Aliaa told me, she was half-asleep one night when she heard a buzzing on her laptop: Noura was calling to video chat. It was 4 a.m., but they spent an hour talking and laughing as if nothing had changed. “When we hung up, I burst into tears,” Aliaa told me. “I felt so happy that we were still friends, that none of the differences mattered.”
Soon afterward, Noura and her family fled to Turkey. In December, Noura unfriended Aliaa on Facebook, but Aliaa continued to check Noura’s Facebook page every day. The postings were passionately anti-Assad, and included sectarian slurs against Alawites. Noura married a Sunni man from Jableh, whose Facebook photo showed the black banner used by Al Qaeda. In mid-May, Noura posted a long passage praising Saddam Hussein, followed by this sentence: “How many ‘likes’ for the conqueror of the Shia and other heathens?” Aliaa showed me the Facebook page of Noura’s teenage brother Kamal, with an image of him clutching a Kalashnikov. “I used to carry him on my shoulders and feed him crackers,” she said.
Noura now lives in Turkey. I reached her by phone at the Syrian school that her aunt runs near the border. She acknowledged her friendship with Aliaa, but her religious zeal soon became apparent. She said her husband did not permit her to talk by phone to foreign journalists. I then spoke to her aunt Maha, the director of the school, who confirmed the outlines of Aliaa’s account of the friendship and the uprising in Jableh. Her voice rose almost to a shout as she told me only the regime was sectarian. “Before the uprising, we lived together with no problems,” she said. “They felt reassured about us, because ever since the events of Hama, they felt we would not rise up against them. But as soon as we chose the path of revolution, they felt it was directed against them, not against Assad. We told them: We only want freedom. But they shut the door in our faces; they would not talk to us.” Maha struck me as a reasonable woman who regretted the rupture, much as Aliaa did.
But when I asked her about the Alawite religion, I was startled by her response. “Aliaa is a nice girl,” she said. “But the Alawites don’t have a religion. They are a traitor sect. They collaborated with the crusaders; during the French occupation they sided with the French.”
For the Alawites, these familiar accusations have the sting of a racist epithet. The Alawite faith, developed a millennium ago, is a strange, mystic blend of Neoplatonism, Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism. It included a belief in reincarnation and a deification of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. These unorthodox tenets may have led the crusaders and other outsiders to favor them, seeing them as potential allies against Muslims. The theologian Ibn Taymiyya — the ancestor of today’s hard-line Islamists — proclaimed in the early 1300s that the Alawites were “more infidel than Jews and Christians, even more infidel than many polytheists,” and urged good Muslims to slaughter and rob them. The Alawites sought shelter in the mountains, and rarely dared to come even to Latakia. Many of them were slaughtered by Ottoman armies, and parts of the community stood close to extinction at some points in their history. According to the historian Joshua Landis, as late as the 1870s, supposed Alawite bandits were impaled on spikes and left on crossroads as a warning. They lived in desperate poverty on the margins of Syria’s feudal economy, often sending their daughters into indentured servitude as maids to wealthy Sunni families.
In 1936, when the French were poised to merge the newly formed Alawite coastal state into a larger Syrian republic, six Alawite notables sent a petition begging them to reconsider. “The spirit of hatred and fanaticism embedded in the hearts of the Arab Muslims against everything that is non-Muslim has been perpetually nurtured by the Islamic religion,” they wrote. “There is no hope that the situation will ever change. Therefore, the abolition of the mandate will expose the minorities in Syria to the dangers of death and annihilation, irrespective of the fact that such abolition will annihilate the freedom of thought and belief.” One of the petition’s signers was Sulayman al-Assad, the grandfather of Syria’s current president. Later, after the French abandoned them, the Alawites rushed to embrace the cause of Syrian nationalism, and went to great lengths to make the rest of the country forget their separatist ambitions.
I thought of that petition when I entered Aliaa’s family home in Jableh, where a black-and-white portrait of her grandfather in a stiff collar and tie hangs on the living-room wall. “He studied in France in the 1930s,” Aliaa said brightly. Then she quickly added, “And later he took part in the struggle for independence — I think.”
I asked Aliaa what she thought of Alawites who joined the opposition, like the novelist Samar Yazbek, who is also from Jableh. She grew wary at the mention of Yazbek’s name. “I met her once,” Aliaa said. “She told me I had a bright future in front of me. But I don’t want a future like hers. I think Alawites who join the opposition don’t realize that they are being used as tools. Or they think they can turn this jihadi war into a democratic revolution. But they will never succeed.”
Yazbek was also in Syria during the early months of the revolution. In her diaries of the revolt’s first four months — later published in English under the title “A Woman in the Crossfire” — she describes the furious campaign conducted against her after she publicly backed the insurrection. Her family was forced to disavow her, and leaflets were passed out in Jableh denouncing her. At one point, she describes a terrifying encounter with the regime apparatus. After being driven from her house in Damascus to an interrogation center, she finds herself with a scowling officer who knocks her to the floor, spits on her and threatens to kill her. Guards then lead her blindfolded downstairs to one of the regime’s basement torture rooms, where she is forced to look at bloodied, half-dead protesters hanging from the ceiling. The officer tells her at one point that she is being duped by “Salafi Islamists” and that she must come back to the fold or die. “We’re honorable people,” he tells her. “We don’t harm our own blood. We’re not like you, traitors. You’re a black mark upon all Alawites.”
When I spoke to Yazbek, who is now living in Paris, she told me she believed that the Alawite community had been the Assad clan’s first victim, that they had been used as “human shields” to keep the regime in power. “They believe the regime’s rhetoric, that they would be massacred if Assad falls,” she said. “But this is not true. They are very afraid, and very confused.” Some Alawites inside Syria quietly make the same point, though it is far more dangerous for them to do so. But the ones I spoke to also argued that it does not matter whether the Alawites were duped or not, because their sectarian fears have been realized. In Latakia, I met an Alawite cartoonist named Issam Hassan, who told me that many Alawites who sympathized with the opposition have shifted to the other side. “The government knew it couldn’t fight peaceful protesters, so it pushed them to violence,” he said. “But now, the violence we have seen on the rebel side has frightened everyone. And look at the media: Al Jazeera and Syrian state television take different sides, but both are pushing toward the same end. They are promoting hatred.”
… When I asked her about the opposition, she said: “I am ashamed to say it, but the opposition has lost its meaning. Now it is only killing, nothing but killing. The jihadis are speaking of a caliphate, and the Christians are really frightened.” There was a pause, filled by the churn of Arab pop music. “I waited all my life for this revolution,” Rita said. “But now I think maybe it shouldn’t have happened. At least not this way.”
If the opposition has lost its meaning, so has the regime. The Assad clan has always defined its Syria as the “beating heart of Arabism,” the bulwark of the Palestinian cause. The Baath Party was meant to embody this spirit, and Syria’s minorities were eager to prove their loyalty as Arabs in a Muslim-majority society. This was the glue that would hold together the country’s fractious communities. But now Syria has been formally excommunicated by the Arab League, the reigning pan-Arab institution, and the old unifying ideologies — paid lip service until the crisis began — are openly mocked.
… In April, I met Manaf Tlass, one of Bashar’s oldest friends, and asked him to narrate the conflict from Bashar’s perspective. Tlass, whose father served as Syria’s defense minister for three decades, was a general in Syria’s Republican Guard until he defected last July. He knew Bashar in childhood and was a member of his inner circle for years. We met at a cafe in Paris on a warm afternoon, and Tlass, who is sometimes mocked as a dandy, wore a blue silk shirt, unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, and aviator sunglasses.
On the day the crisis broke out, Tlass said, “Bashar called me and said, ‘What would you do?’ ” It was mid-March 2011, and the southern city of Dara’a was in uproar after the local security director — a cousin of Assad’s — ordered the imprisonment and torture of a group of boys who had scrawled antiregime graffiti on a wall. Tlass told me he urged Assad to visit Dara’a himself, and to order the arrest of the local security director. Others, including the leaders of Turkey and Qatar, have said they gave him similar advice.
Tlass said he continued to urge Assad to manage the crisis through negotiation rather than force, and with Assad’s permission, he began meeting with civic groups in towns where unrest had broken out, sometimes with as many as 300 people. He would hear their grievances and write down lists of possible fixes to local police corruption, lack of water or electricity and other problems. He would identify local leaders who could be trusted, then forward the list of issues and names to Bashar’s people. Each time, the leaders were promptly arrested.
Finally, Tlass told me, he confronted members of the Makhlouf family, Assad’s first cousins, who are now said to be his closest advisers. “There was a big disagreement,” Tlass said. “They wanted to handle the problem with security, the old way.” He decided to speak to Assad directly, but his old friend put him off for two weeks. When they finally met, Assad made clear that he was no longer interested in Tlass’s advice. “Bashar knew from the start that this was a big crisis,” Tlass said. “He decided to play on the instincts of the people.”
One morning in early May, I drove with Aliaa Ali and her brother to their ancestral town, Duraykish, in the Alawite mountain hinterland. The road climbs up from the coast along hairpin turns into a magnificent landscape of lush, terraced hills and orchards. We stopped briefly to look at a new monument to the town’s war dead, an imposing 25-foot marble plaque engraved with hundreds of names. We parked the car at the bottom of a narrow hillside street named for Aliaa’s grandfather and walked up to the family house, a 100-year-old stone building with ceramic tiles that had begun to wear away. Aliaa’s uncle, Amer Ali, stood waiting for us, a sturdy-looking man of about 50 with closely cropped, graying hair. He led us upstairs to a large, high-ceilinged room where sunlight splashed in through two open walls. Dozens of people waited inside.
Amer Ali had gathered them to tell their stories of relatives or spouses lost to the war. I listened to them, one by one. They were working-class people: soldiers, construction workers, police officers. All were Alawites, as far as I could tell. Some were probably shabiha, though none of them would have used that word. One of them, a middle-aged construction worker named Adib Sulayman, pulled out his cellphone and showed me the message he received after his son Yamin was kidnapped by rebels: “We have executed God’s will and killed your son. If you are still fighting with Bashar, we will come to your houses and cut you into pieces. Never fight against us.”
A 20-year-old man who had been shot twice in the head and had lost some of his memory and half his hearing told me he would go back to the front as soon as his wounds healed. His father stared at me and said: “I would be proud to have my son become a martyr. I am in my 50s, but I am ready to sacrifice my life, too. They thought we would be weak in this crisis, but we are strong.”
After lunch, Aliaa’s uncle showed me around the house. On the wall was a Sword of Ali, an important symbol for Alawites, with verses engraved on the blade. There were old farming tools, a stick for catching snakes, hunting knives and a century-old carbine — a kind of visual history of the Alawite people. There were ancient Phoenician amphorae and a framed photograph of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.
Later, Amer Ali led me to the roof, where we gazed out at the town where his family has lived for hundreds of years. The hills were lovely in the golden afternoon sunlight. You could see an ancient spring with a stone arch over it, and a mosque that was built by one of his ancestors 240 years ago. Aliaa stood next to me on the terrace, looking out at the town with an expression of rapturous pride. I asked her how it made her feel to know that Western human rights groups had documented repeated atrocities by the Syrian regime — some, perhaps, by people like the ones we had just talked to. Aliaa glanced downward. “Yes, there have been atrocities,” she said. “You can never deny that there have been atrocities. But you have to ask yourself: What will happen if Bashar falls? That’s why I believe victory is the only option. If Bashar falls, Syria falls. And then we, here, will all be in the niqab” — the full veil worn in conservative Muslim societies — “or we will be dead.”
Before we climbed back down, Aliaa’s uncle showed me a rusted white tripod, set in the center of the roof, under a gazebo. “It is for telescopes, for looking at the stars,” he said. He looked up at the cloudless evening sky, then down the mountain toward where the hills give way to the vast Syrian plain. “But we can use it to set up a sniper rifle and defend ourselves here.”
The Lebanese Conflict
Lebanese Army deploys after one killed in Sidon clashes – Daily Star
Lebanese kids evacuated from school (The Daily Star/Mohammed Zaatari)
The Lebanese Army deployed Tuesday in the suburb of Abra, south Lebanon, after clashes between supporters of Sheikh Ahmad Assir and the Resistance Brigades, a pro-Hezbollah group, claimed the life of one resident, security sources told The Daily Star.
Backed by 20 armored personnel carriers, some 400 soldiers made their way into Abra, an eastern suburb of the southern coastal city of the Sidon, the sources said.
Sidon residents brace for further violence – NOW – Locals tell NOW they expect worse to come, though analysts downplay talk of a “new Tripoli”
Rina Hassan has only just returned to her apartment in Sidon’s Abra neighborhood, four days after fleeing heavy gun battles that raged on her street between partisans of Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and those of the Hezbollah-affiliated Resistance Brigades, leaving one dead.
“When it started, [Assir’s] fighters were under my house. They blocked the street with burning oil so no cars could get in or out, and then began firing RPGs and machine guns non-stop. For two hours, I sat in the corner of my bedroom because it was the only room with no windows.”
Terrified and alone in the house, Hassan then received a call from her son imploring her to come to the comparative safety of his restaurant nearby, which has an underground kitchen.
“He came to my front door and said, ‘Close your eyes, don’t look around, it will just take two minutes.’ Getting there was a real risk. We stayed for two more hours in that kitchen with two fighters outside firing M16s at any car that approached.”
When negotiations between Assir and the city’s Mufti, Sheikh Salim Sousan, brought the fighting to a close, Hassan decided to leave Sidon for her native southern village.
“I called a friend who had a friend involved with Assir’s movement, and he told us of a safe exit route. We had to tell them exactly what cars we would be in so they would know it was us. Many people in Abra were doing the same thing.”
“Today, I returned to Sidon, because I heard that Assir had agreed to postpone any military action for now. But I’ve prepared a bag in the house. The moment I feel tensions are rising again, I’ll get out of here.”
Hassan’s attitude is a widespread one in the city today, which residents fear could become the site of increasingly frequent and bloody clashes in future. Sheikh Maher Hammoud, a pro-Hezbollah cleric who survived an alleged assassination attempt in Sidon earlier this month, accused Assir on Thursday of wanting to turn Sidon into a “new Tripoli,” referring to the northern city that for years has witnessed repeated bouts of deadly sectarian violence.
Certainly, Abra locals NOW spoke to on Friday felt worse was yet to come. “There will be clashes again, of course,” said a roast chicken vendor directly across the street from Assir’s Bilal bin Rabah mosque. “Sheikh Assir agreed to postpone them until after school examinations [concluding on 6 July]. Next time, the fighting will be more intense, yes.”
Assir himself also appears to be taking precautions. The side-street leading up to his mosque now sports a new metal barrier, flanked by heavy concrete blocks and sandbags. A friendly young man, possibly in his teens, raises the barrier to allow a car to enter the complex. Like the two men standing on the corner behind him, he carries an AK-47, evidently undeterred by the heavy deployment of Lebanese Army troops on the adjacent street below. No, he says, we can’t take photos of him. But if we like, we can snap the large new holes on the building’s exterior – the results, he claims, of RPGs fired by the Resistance Brigades from Haaret Saida, the predominantly Shiite quarter two kilometers to the southwest.
In Haaret Saida, where Hezbollah and Amal flags line the streets, another restaurateur initially shrugs off the prospect of further clashes before launching an animated speech about how dangerous they could become.
“The problem of sectarian hatred here is huge. In Sidon, we have every sect: Sunnis, Shiites, Druze, Christians, Palestinians. These Islamists are playing with fire. Since when did they care about school exams? Are children’s exams more important than children dying?”
NOW also spoke to the mayor of Haaret Saida, Samih al-Zein, who was the target of a public death threat from the celebrity Assir partisan, former pop singer Fadel Shaker.
“I made a formal complaint to the judiciary,” he said with regards to the threat. “The attorney general and the security apparatus will deal with this. We don’t have a personal reaction – we won’t sink to that level.”
Al-Zein played down the possibility of further clashes, implying that Hezbollah and Amal would seek to avoid confronting Assir.
Syria war prompts move for Lebanon’s Baalbek festival – AFP
Lebanon’s renowned Baalbek International Festival, normally held in the town’s spectacular Roman ruins, is to move to an alternative venue in the face of a spillover of violence from neighbouring Syria, organisers said on Friday.
Miscellaneous
Jordan jails jihadists trying to join Syria rebels – Ahram
A Jordanian military tribunal jailed on Tuesday three men convicted of trying to join Syria’s jihadist Al-Nusra Front and fight President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
“The state security court today initially sentenced the three to five years in jail each, but immediately halved the prison terms,” a court official told AFP.
“They attempted in January to interfiltrate Syria and join Al-Nusra Front.”
The official said the men were charged with “carrying out acts that the government does not approve and that would expose Jordan to the risk of aggression, as well as possession of unlicensed firearms.”
Al-Nusra, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Syria, is among the most prominent groups involved in Syria’s 26-month conflict, which has killed more than 94,000, according to monitors.
The ruling comes a day after the same court jailed two Jordanians for five years for going to Syria last summer for jihad, a judicial official said.
The two were arrested after they returned to Jordan in August, “pretending that they were Syrian refugees.”
In May, the military court handed down similar jail sentences for nine Muslim extremists who wanted to go to Syria.
Jordan, which says it is hosting more than 500,000 refugees from Syria’s civil war, has arrested dozens of jihadists as they tried to cross into the war-torn country.
Jordanian Salafists have said there were more than 500 jihadists from the country in Syria.
Amman denies accusations from the Syrian regime that the kingdom has opened up its borders to jihadist fighters.
Jordan generally does not tolerate Salafist groups that espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam.
But slain Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, hailed from the impoverished northern city of Zarqa, considered a stronghold of Muslim extremists.
The Wannabe – Daily News Egypt – Mahmoud Salem
One of the few remaining benefits of living in Egypt these days is the ridiculous amount of entertainment that our Islamist rulers provide. In a scene that’s beyond parody, a number of Islamists held a massive conference to support Syria, which in their world means “Let’s kill those Shi’a Infidels”. In the first ever display of state-sponsored-Jihad-promotion in Egypt’s modern history, a number of Islamists, alongside our great ruler Mohamed Ibn Morsi the first, called upon the Nation’s Muslims to support Syria and, if possible, go fight Jihad there, because, after two years of inaction, they suddenly realised that there was a conflict there and on one side there was some non-Sunni Muslims fighting some Sunni Muslims. Gasp and horror.
In case you didn’t know, that’s completely unacceptable of course. Non-Sunni Muslims have no business being alive to begin with, or at least that’s what the speeches of the day implied. Sectarian rhetoric got spewed for two hours on live television, proving that Morsi doesn’t only have a “Christian problem”, but a “down with anything other than Sunni Muslims” problem, which should console our Christian brothers in so far that it’s not only them he dislikes. Today’s article should then bemoan the first Egyptian democratically elected openly sectarian president. If only it was that simple…
… Oh, how I wish that what took place in that conference was simply Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood showcasing their true sectarian selves, because the alternative is so utterly pathetic: That the MB is so desperate to hold on to power in the face of sweeping national anger, that they had to pander to Jihadist elements in such a disgusting way. The Jihadist elements naturally returned the pandering in kind, with Sheikh Mohamed Abdel Maksoud openly stating that 30 June will be a great day for Islam to stand against the “infidels” behind the “Rebellion” movement. Meanhwile, Sheikh Mohamed Hassan informed the average-electricity-and-fuel- deprived Egyptian citizens about the great benefits of Jihad in Syria: 1) There are the brownie points you get with God for killing other people, 2) There are the spoils of Jihad for the taking in the bountiful lands of Syria, like looting, pillaging and hot Syrian women, and 3) If you die, you get to die fighting in a Jihad for Islam, which immediately puts you on Heaven’s VIP list. Dear Sunni Muslim Egyptian citizens, what more could you possibly ask for? It’s a win-win situation.
… Had Morsi truly wanted to help Syrians, he would have issued some initiatives that would help the estimated one million Syrian refugees in Egypt so as not to suffer daily humiliation. He could have issued a directive that equalised the degrees of educated Syrian with that of Egypt’s to allow Syrian doctors and engineers a chance to work in their vocations. He could have given them all work permits, thus giving the Syrian refugees a method to exist, work and survive in Egypt legally. He could have banned the practice of selling Syrian women as wives to Egyptian males that happens in Salafi mosques. Instead, in a grandiose move, he shut down their embassy, which is the only place that provided Syrian refugees access to crucial consular services, and helped them get to their next destination if they wanted out of Egypt. Dear Syrian refugees, you can start thanking us any minute now.
I am willing to wager that when historians document this phase in Egyptian history, they will call it “the LSD period”, because we are watching the hallucinations of the Islamists and their leaders being broadcasted on our national televisions, creating a binary primordial world where Islam is threatened, all of their enemies are infidels bent on destroying the religion and where they are the faith’s sole defenders and champions. It’s beyond sad. Had a US channel created a TV show depicting Islamist rule and simply copied and pasted the actions and speeches of the Morsi government, its writers and producers would’ve been called Islamophobic and out of touch with reality. Unfortunately this is reality, and it must change. 30 June cannot come fast enough.
Confusion arises among Syrians after accelerating drop in Syrian pound’s value – Xinhua
In all the hubbub over the dramatic devaluation of the Syrian pound that has declined by roughly 40 pounds against the U.S. dollar in a single day in the black market, top Syrian officials are still determined that the economy is stable and capable of facing all challenges.
Following the steep depreciation of the pound over the past 24 hours — the dollar soared from 170 pounds to around 210 pounds — many Syrians rushed to markets to buy basic food stuff and commodities out of fears that their prices would rise soon.
Media reports said that there is currently a meeting combining top Syrian officials and economists, including the governor of the Central Bank of Syria and exchange dealers, to discuss the issue of the striking rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the pound, and to find an appropriate way of intervening to rein in the upward climb of the dollar price.
The Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said Monday during the meeting of the economic commission entrusted with following up the pound exchange rate that the government has large reserves of foreign exchange to provide all the needs of the Syrian market of imported goods and production inputs. …
Syria: ‘I saw rebels execute my boy for no more than a joke’ – Telegraph
Nadia Umm Fuad watched her son being shot by Islamist rebels in Syria after the 14-year-old referred to the Prophet Mohammed as he joked with a customer at his coffee stall in Aleppo. She speaks to Richard Spencer.
Mohammed Katta’s mother witnessed the execution of her son in three stages.
She was upstairs at home when she first heard the shouting. The people of the neighbourhood were yelling that “they have brought back the kid”, so she rushed out of her apartment.
“I went out on my balcony,” Nadia Umm Fuad said. “I said to his father, they are going to shoot your son! Come! Come! Come! I was on the stairs when I heard the first shot. I was at the door when I heard the second shot.
“I saw the third shot. I was shouting, ‘That’s haram, forbidden! Stop! Stop! You are killing a child.’ But they just gave me a dirty look and got into their car. As they went, they drove over my son’s arm, as he lay there dying.” …
Palestinians in Syria find themselves displaced again – WP
To date, an estimated 55,000 Palestinians have sought sanctuary in Lebanon from the war in Syria, according to the United Nations, most of them descendants of families displaced by the creation of Israel in 1948.
Armed Factions: Sunni and Shi’i
Aron Lund profiles and maps a number of rebel fighting forces for the The Independent:
BATTLEFIELD ALLIANCES: THE MAJOR GROUPS
The Syrian Islamic Front (SIF):Leader Abu Abdullah al-Hamawi (Ahrar al-Sham)
Affiliated fighters Group’s own figures claimed about 25,000 in Dec 2012
A hardline Salafist alliance created in December 2012, which receives funding from conservative clerics in the Gulf. The SIF has distanced itself from the Western-backed FSA, but it is also wary of Jabhat al-Nusra’s al-Qa’ida connection. Unlike the SILF and the FSA, the SIF has demonstrated some degree of internal cohesion and significant ideological homogeneity. It is dominated by Ahrar al-Sham, but the front also includes the Haqq Brigade (Homs), the Haqq Battalions (northern Hama), the Ansar al-Sham Battalions (northern Latakia), and the Tawhid Army (Deir al-Zor). It is demanding an Islamic state with sharia law.
AFFILIATES: Islamic Ahrar al-Sham Movement
The Free Syrian Army (FSA):
Leader Brig Gen Salim Idriss
Affiliated fighters Many different claims. Most recently, in June 2013, Idriss claimed he is the leader of 80,000 fighters
The FSA name has been used by several overlapping rebel networks since mid-2011. This version, which is also often referred to as the Supreme Military Council, was created in December 2012 after pressure from Western and Gulf Arab nations, which seek to make it the military wing of Syria’s civilian exile group, the National Coalition. Foreign funding has drawn numerous rebel commanders to the FSA, including all the SILF heavyweights. But these commanders retain operational control over their own forces, and Idriss therefore serves more as a spokesperson than a military leader. Idriss steers a secular-nationalist line, while many of the factions that make up his army have opted for some form of Islamic rule.
AFFILIATES Syria Martyrs Brigades, Farouq Battalions, Tawhid Brigade, Suqour al-Sham Brigades and Islam Brigade
The Syrian Islamic Liberation Front (SILF):
Leader Ahmed Eissa al-Sheikh (Suqour al-Sham)
Secretary General Zahran Alloush (Islam Brigade)
Affiliated fighters Spokesperson says 35,000-40,000 June 2013
The SILF is a very loose Islamist alliance created in September 2012, around a bare-bones ideological plank demanding more Islam and less Assad. It now includes about 20 armed movements, among them powerful factions like Farouq and Tawhid. The SILF members joined the new version of the FSA at its inception in December 2012, and now make up the bulk of its fighting force. A representative of the SILF describes it as ”the largest of the revolutionary coalitions”.
AFFILIATES Farouq Battalions, Tawhid Brigade, Suqour al-Sham Brigades and Islam Brigade
MILITANT FACTIONS
Farouq BattalionsLeader Osama Juneidi
Numbers Approximately 14,000 now, according to their spokesperson.
Area National, but associated with Homs also has strong presence on Syrian-Turkish border
Affiliation SILF, FSA
The Farouq Battalions is a large, Islamist-leaning group which has its roots in the earliest Free Syrian Army formations created in Homs province in summer and autumn of 2011. It rose to prominence when leading the failed February 2012 defense of the Baba Amr neighborhood in the city. Since then the original group has expanded tremendously and it now runs affiliates across the country. A well-funded northern wing, Farouq al-Shamal, controls important border crossings and is rumored to enjoy Turkish patronage.
Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic state of Iraq
Leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani (Jabhat al-Nusra); Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Islamic state)
Number: a report this year by the Quilliam Foundation said Jabhat al-nusra had 5,000 fighters, but this is impossible to verify
Area Syria – Iraq
Affiliation al-Qa’ida
In mid-2011, the al-Qa’ida-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq sent a group to Syria to create a jihadi movement. In January 2012, it emerged as Jabhat al-Nusra with a string of suicide bombings. Declared a terrorist group by the US since December 2012, Jabhat al-Nusra has co-operated with other rebels on the ground but shunned alliances. In April, Baghdadi declared a merger of the Iraqi group with Jabhat al-Nusra under the name Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. This was opposed by Nusra’s leader, but Baghdadi persisted, backed by many foreign jihadis. Both groups are in Syria, the dispute unresolved.
Islamic Ahrar al-Sham Movement
Leader Abu Abdullah al-Hamawi
Area Syria (It is strongest in northern Syria, in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo, but has affiliates all over the country.)
Numbers Several thousand at least, maybe as many as 10,000. SIF (the alliance of which they make up around 75 per cent of forces) circulated an informal claim that it had 25,000 fighters back in December.
Affiliation SIF
Ahrar al-Sham is likely to be Syria’s largest salafi faction. It claims to run about a hundred local armed groups, as well as offices for humanitarian aid and sharia law. It was created in the Idlib-Hama region in early summer 2011. In December 2012 it spearheaded the creation of the SIF alliance, which drew like-minded Islamist groups into its orbit. In spring 2013, several SIF member factions merged into Ahrar al-Sham, greatly adding to its numbers and influence. It seeks an Islamic state based on sharia law.
Syria Martyrs’ Brigades
Leader Jamaal Maarouf
Numbers High thousands? Even 10,000? Maarouf claimed in an interview in December 2012 to have more than 18,000 fighters, but this is disputed.
Area Jabal al-Zawiya, Idlib
Affiliation FSA
Originally named the Jabal al-Zawiya Martyrs’ Brigade, a name change was engineered to match Jamal Maarouf’s growing ambitions in mid-2012. The group remains concentrated in the rugged, rural Jabal al-Zawiya region of Idlib, and has spawned only a few branches elsewhere. Unlike his local Islamist rival, Suqour al-Sham’s Ahmed Eissa al-Sheikh, Maarouf seems to have no particular ideology, but he is nevertheless said to enjoy Saudi funding.
YPG – Popular Protection Units
Spokesperson Khebat Ibrahim
Numbers Some thousands
Area Kurdish-populated areas, northern and north-eastern Syria, Aleppo.
Affilation Supreme Kurdish Committee, PKK
The YPG is the dominant Kurdish armed group, which took over large sections of northern Syria in August last year. It is not-so-secretly loyal to the PKK, which has by now forcibly co-opted most other Kurdish groups in Syria. The YPG has deep misgivings about the Arab opposition mainstream, which it considers to be Islamist and under Turkish influence, and it has steered a middle way between the regime and the rebels. True to the PKK’s Marxist tradition, the YPG makes a point of training female fighters. The YPG does not seek independence for Syria’s Kurds, but does argue for a form of self-governance within Syria.
Islam Brigade
Leader Zahran Alloush
Numbers Thousands
Area Mainly Damascus
Affiliation SILF, FSA
The Islam Brigade was set up by the Alloush family from Douma, east of Damascus. The elderly patriarch Abdullah Alloush, a religious scholar, lives in Saudi Arabia. His son Zahran, a salafi activist jailed by the government in 2009, founded the group when he was released from prison in mid-2011. It rose to prominence after bombing the National Security Office in Damascus in July 2012, which killed several of Assad’s leading military officials. Considers itself “the biggest faction in the Damascus region” and claims to have 64 sub-battalions, but it refuses to give an estimated number of fighters.
Tawhid Brigade
General leader Abdelaziz Salama
Military commander Abdulqader Saleh
Numbers Spokesperson claims ”around 11,000”
Area Aleppo, with smaller groups around the country
Affiliation SILF, FSA
The Tawhid Brigade was created in July 2012 through the merger of a disparate collection of militias from the Sunni Arab countryside surrounding Aleppo. Soon thereafter, the group led the charge into the city itself, but the rebels became bogged down during the autumn of 2012 after some initial victories. The Tawhid Brigade remains the dominant force in the Aleppo region, although it also has small affiliates elsewhere. It demands some form of Islamic governance, but says that religious minorities should be treated as equal citizens.
Suqour al-Sham Brigades
Leader Ahmed Eissa al-Sheikh
Numbers Several thousand, possibly climbing towards 10,000
Area Jabal al-Zawiya, Idlib
Affiliation SILF, FSA
The foundations of the Suqour al-Sham, one of Syria’s best-known Islamist groups, were laid in the summer of 2011 in the town of Sarjeh in Idlib’s Jabal al-Zawiya region. It has now grown considerably and some of its sub-units, such as the Dawoud Brigade, have been pushing south into Hama province alongside more radical Islamist groups. Suqour al-Sham helped create the SILF alliance, with Ahmed Eissa al-Sheikh serving as its leader since the start.
About the writer
Aron Lund is a Swedish writer and researcher who has published extensively on Syrian opposition movements. He is a regular contributor to the Swedish Institute for International Affairs. Mr Lund is considered one of the best informed observers of the Syrian opposition
Hizballah Cavalcade: Liwa’a Zulfiqar: Birth of A New Shia Militia in Syria? – Jihadology – Phillip Smyth
On June 5, 2013, the same day Lebanese Hizballah declared victory at the Battle of Qusayr, a page for a new Damascus-based Shia militia group, Liwa’a Zulfiqar (LZ or the Zulfiqar Battalion), was created on Facebook. The group asserts it is, “Assigned to protect religious shines, especially the Saydah Zaynab [shrine]”. This claim is also held by Syria’s other main Shia militia, Liwa’a Abu Fadl al-Abbas (LAFA). However, Liwa’a Zulfiqar is not competing with Liwa’a Abu Fadl al-Abbas. In fact, most of its members and leadership appear to have been drawn from LAFA. Furthermore, Liwa’a Zulfiqar does not hide the fact that it was created out of Liwa’a Abu Fadl al-Abbas. Along with new photographs, the new group has repackaged older LAFA photographs and claimed them as representations of the new group.
LZ’s formation results in a number of questions: Is Liwa’a Zulfiqar a genuinely new organization? Could it be another front for LAFA? Was LZ’s formation representative of something else going on within the ranks of Shia fighters in Syria?
Based purely on social media data, it appears LZ is less of a new organization, and probably a LAFA front or part of LAFA. At best, the group could be a repackaging of LAFA fighters into a new group which serves the same functions and cooperates closely with LAFA and the Syrian army. At the same time, the group could be little more than a web-based propaganda vehicle. Since the creation of a new organization would generate the sense that larger numbers of capable Shia fighters are flooding into Syria, LZ’s propaganda function may also be aimed directly at rebel morale. …
The Awakening Sunni Giant – Weiss – Saudi Arabia is dead-serious about ending the Assad regime
Last Friday, King Abdullah cut short his summer vacation in Morocco and flew back to Riyadh not only to meet with his national security advisors but to coordinate a new strategy for winning the war in Syria, one that encompasses a unified regional bloc of Sunni-majority powers now ranged against Iran, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime. The Wahhabi kingdom has exhausted its patience with miscarried attempts to resolve the Syria crisis through diplomacy and it will not wait to see the coming battle in Aleppo play out before assuming control of the Syrian rebellion. State-backed regional efforts to bolster moderate Free Syrian Army elements will thus be joined with the fetid call to jihad emanating from clerical quarters in Cairo, Doha, Mecca, and beyond. The mullahs have only themselves to blame. “Nasrallah fucked up,” one well-connected Syrian source told me recently. “He awakened the Sunni giant. The Saudis took Hezbollah’s invasion of Qusayr personally.”
Although long in coming, and evidenced in the recent contretemps between Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, this grand realignment has been unmistakably solidified in the last week. A day after the Saudi king returned to Riyadh, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi severed all diplomatic ties with Damascus and called for a no-fly zone in Syria, leaving no mystery as to reason behind this decision. “Hezbollah must leave Syria – these are serious words,” the Islamist president said. “There is no space or place for Hezbollah in Syria.”
Then, on Monday, June 17, it was Jordanian King Abdullah’s turn to strike a minatory, albeit more nationalistic, note. Ostensibly addressing cadets at a graduation ceremony at Mutah Military Academy, the Hashemite monarch was in fact speaking to Barack Obama and Bashar al-Assad: “If the world does not mobilize or help us in the issue [of Syria] as it should, or if this matter forms a danger to our country, we are able at any moment to take measures that will protect our land and the interests of our people.”
Unlike Morsi, who doesn’t have half a million Syrian refugees to contend with, Abdullah’s deterrent capability is not confined to persona non grata diktats and rhetorical posturing. Operation Eager Lion, the 12-day military exercise featuring the United States and 19 Arab and European countries, is currently underway in Jordan. Around 8,000 personnel – including commandos from Lebanon and Iraq who will no doubt be fighting some of their compatriots in any deployment into Syria – are given lessons on border security, refugee management, counterinsurgency, and counterterrorism warfare. Patriot missile batteries and anywhere between 12 and 24 American F-16 fighter jets were left in Jordan as a multilateral insurance policy against Syrian, Iranian, or Hezbollah provocations. This royal Abdullah is more in sync than ever with his namesake to the south.
If further proof were needed of Riyadh’s newfound earnestness about ending Assad’s reign, look no further than a recent column by Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist seen as quite close to Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former director general of Saudi intelligence who himself has described Hezbollah and Iraq’s Shiite Abu Fadhl al-Abbas Brigade in Syria as Iran’s “steel claws.” On June 15, Khashoggi published “The expanding Shiite Crescent” in al-Hayat. The piece can only be described as something between a Sunni cri de coeur and a Sunni fever-dream. Khashoggi begins by warning of creeping Iranian hegemony in the Levant, which is of course driven as much by energy and commercial interest as it is by ideology. Allow Assad victory and here’s what will happen, according to Khashoggi:
“The Iranian Oil Ministry will pull out old maps from its drawers to build the pipeline to pump Iranian oil and gas from Abadan (across Iraq) to Tartus. The Iranian Ministry of Roads and Transportation will dust off the national railways authority’s blueprints for a new branch line from Tehran to Damascus, and possibly Beirut. Why not? The wind is blowing in their favor and I am not making a mountain out of a molehill.”
As against Hafez’s careful balancing of Sunni and Shiite interests, Khashoggi concludes, the dangerous Bashar has submitted completely to Iran and their Lebanese proxy. “Consequently, Saudi Arabia must do something now, albeit alone. The kingdom’s security is at stake. It will be good if the United States joined an alliance led by Saudi Arabia to bring down Assad and return Syria to the Arab fold. But this should not be a precondition to proceed. Let Saudi Arabia head those on board.” [Italics added.]
According to Elizabeth O’Bagy, the policy director at the Syrian Emergency Task Force and a senior research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, the Saudis had a closed-door meeting with Gen. Salim Idris, the head of the Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Command, a few days ago, at which they offered to do “whatever it takes” to help Idris defeat Assad and his growing army of Shiite-Alawi sectarian militias. Though, this being a Saudi promise, “whatever it takes” can still be defined relatively: the discussion was limited to weapons, more resources and logistical support, O’Bagy said, though some of the hardware has already begun to materialize.
One unnamed Gulf source cited by Reuters has claimed that the Saudis have begun running shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles (MANPADs) into Syria. Furthermore, at least 50 “Konkurs,” Russian-made, wire-guided anti-tank missiles, have also turned up in Aleppo in the last week, as confirmed by the Daily Telegraph’s Mideast correspondent Richard Spencer (Konkurs are especially useful in destroying T-72 tanks, the most recent Soviet-era model that the Syrian Army uses.)
More intriguing still is the Western power evidently facilitating this campaign – France. Israeli Army Radio reported this week that French intelligence officials are working with their Saudi counterparts to train up rebels on tactics and weaponry, in concert with the Turkish Defense Ministry (no doubt because Turkish supply-lines to Aleppo are now even more crucial.) Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and mukhabarat head Prince Bandar bin Sultan (also the former Saudi ambassador to the United States and King Abdullah’s national security advisor), have traveled to Paris in urgent fits of shuttle diplomacy of late.
“The French have been really, really pro-active in pushing for greater action,” O’Bagy told me. “They have a lot of really active people on the ground.” The same Gulf source who told Reuters about anti-aircraft missiles bound for Syria also said they were “obtained from suppliers in France and Belgium, and France had paid to ship them to the region.” The Hollande government maintains that it hasn’t decided whether or not to arm the rebels yet, but here it should be noted, as O’Bagy has elsewhere, that the U.S. was gun-running before it ambiguously announced last week that it would (maybe) begin doing so.
Indeed, the Saudi-French concord provides some much needed context for the Obama administration’s adherence to the status quo ante. This has been amusingly characterized by some commentators in near apocalyptic language. The White House is still only interested in guiding a process absent direct involvement in it. Everyone from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey to the president has loudly rejected the prospect of air strikes or a no-fly zone. (These “realists” fail to realize that the surest way to limit argument to arm the FSA is to destroy the regime’s own Iranian and Russian resupply capability – ah, but that would require dropping bombs and we can’t have that, can we?)
Having thus determined that the Syria crisis was not in the U.S. “national interest,” the administration conveniently forgot about the national interests of its allies, all of whom lament the geopolitical vacuum left by a vanishing American presence and greatly fear the elements now rushing in to fill it. So instead, Washington palavers with Moscow about “Geneva II”, a conference set to resemble the last half hour of Rocky IV, as the war proceeds uninterrupted on the ground. Witness the buildup of Syrian Army soldiers and militants from Hezbollah and the Iranian-sponsored Popular Committees and the National Defense Forces in the Aleppo towns of Nubul and Zahra’a. Between 3,000 and 4,000 Hezbollah fighters, abetted by IRGC agents, are amassed in the province ready to try a repeat of their last victory in Qusayr.
Congratulations are in order. The United States has just earned a court-side seat to exactly the kind of transnational Sunni-Shiite confrontation it wished to avoid.
Syria’s sectarian war causes Hamas split, analysts say – Daily Star
Syria’s civil war has caused a split within Hamas over whether to cling to its Shiite backers Damascus, Tehran and Hezbollah or side with Sunni allies such as Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, analysts say. Some in the Islamist movement’s military wing insist that aid from Iran – a key Damascus ally – should not be shunned simply to publicly back the Sunni-led rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, Hamas sources told AFP.
News of the split within the Palestinian movement which rules the Gaza Strip coincides with reports that Iran has scaled down its financial support to the group.
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, who is behind the movement’s shift toward Sunni regimes such as Qatar that back the rebels, left his Damascus headquarters in 2012 for Doha after refusing to support Assad’s deadly crackdown.
Meshaal and his Gaza-based Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh were Tuesday in Ankara, another rebel backer, to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And the previous day, Meshaal had called on Lebanon’s Hezbollah to pull its forces out of Syria and focus on resisting Israel, accusing it of contributing to “sectarian polarization” in the region.
Pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi recently reported that leaders of Hamas’s armed wing the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades had warned Meshaal against getting too close to Qatar, as this was having a negative impact on aid from Iran.
It was Tehran’s military support rather than Gulf financial support, they reminded him, that had enabled Hamas to face the last major Israeli assault on Gaza in November. …
Comments (685)
Altair said:
The best argument against this regime, whether you are a supporter or opponent, is that it will do anything, absolutely anything, to stay in power.
As a secularist, and a believer in inter-faith harmony, I would have liked the regime to reform, not to see this present destructive war that is taking Syria back a decade, or maybe generations, and creating a situation whereby religious extremists can thrive. But it simply couldn’t reform.
I would like to ask you regime supporters how you could support a government that cares so little about its people, that can carpet bomb entire neighborhoods because a couple of rebels might be there?
Sure, many rebels are bad too. But a return to the old situation will probably just be like returning to 1982 when Hama was destroyed the first time. The regime will re-entrench and 20 or 30 years from now, the country will go through the same cycle all over again, assuming the country still exists as one unit!
Here’s the point: the regime had decades to reform and never did. It never will. It always resorts to force and only force whenever it is threatened and doesn’t change its basic structure of being a police state even when its not threatened.
This is not a formula for a successful state, and never will be. Regime supporters have to answer for that.
I had myself naively hoped in those hopeful days of March and April 2011 that the regime would take the high road and try to meet the demands for reform, respect for people’s dignity, rights, etc. But it was and still is hope against hope.
I care about the geopolitics of the situation, but not enough to ignore that this regime for 4 decades has never respected human rights. That should be the number one priority: restoration of human dignity to all Syrians, whatever their sect or ethnic group.
June 23rd, 2013, 4:45 am
Citizen said:
British P.M. Cameron /chameleon/ to Syrian military: Toss Assad and we’ll give you amnesty
According to some Arab media reports, David Cameron is encouraging members of Syrian Army and security forces to launch a coup against legitimate government of President Bashar al-Assad.
He also has shamelessly promised that members of the army and security forces would not be prosecuted for what he called “atrocities committed against the Syrian people”, if they took part in the coup.
June 23rd, 2013, 4:50 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
This regime has showed that they never wanted to reform and the only way they can be reformed is through bombs. And with them all Syria will be transformed not necessarily into something better but at least the cause of the nightmare will be over. Only time will let grow the seeds of freedom to get a better country.
The same thing can be applied to Hezbzballe in Lebanon. They will grow and grow and take more and more power, reducing democracy and the role of civil society until bombs determine their end.
June 23rd, 2013, 4:56 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
War will not determine who is right… only who is left.
Bertrand Russell
June 23rd, 2013, 5:08 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
CITIZEN
¨…against legitimate government of President Bashar al-Assad.¨
This is the most surrealist sentence I have heard in a long time. Do you call legitimate the dictatorship who:
* Was the son of another dictator who got power by coup d´etat.
* Who got ¨elected¨ without elections on June 2000
* Who got power supported by repression and tortures services
* Who was renewed in charge by fake elections without alternatives
* Who jailed all competitors during 12 years
* Who bulleted and tortured peacefull demostrators in 2011
* Who preferred to drive the country into civil war and destruction not to leave power.
If this is a legitimate president then you are not a CITIZEN, you are a SERVANT of a feudal medieval state.
June 23rd, 2013, 5:47 am
majedkhaldoun said:
I received this note
سرايا المهام الخاصة التابعة لكتائب عيسى بن مريم , تستهدف الحراسة المسؤلة عن صنم المقبور حافظ الأسد , عند بوابة الصالحية المعروفة بساحة عرنوس بعبوة ناسفة من العيار الثقيل وتمت العملية الساعة الثانية تماماً اثناء تبديل نوبة الحرس أدت لمقتل وجرح ما لا يقل عن
( 15 ) عنصرا ً من عناصر شبيحة النظام ..
I want to rename it to JOHN MC Cain Square
June 23rd, 2013, 7:16 am
majedkhaldoun said:
وقالت مصادر إعلامية في الدوحة إن من بين القرارات السرية التي اتخذها اجتماع أصدقاء سوريا إعطاء الثوار أسلحةً إضافية وفرض منطقة عازلة جنوب سوريا، إضافة إلى فرض حظر جوي وقالت المصادر إنه عُهد إلى عدد محدود من دول مجموعة أصدقاء سوريا في تنفيذ خطط المنطقة العازلة والحظر الجوي، وبعض هذه الدول مجاور لسوريا.
June 23rd, 2013, 7:20 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Two days ago,F 16 flew by mistake over Syria airspace close to Jordan, and only for few seconds, they quickly returned to Jordan.
Incident like this could trigger retaliation, F 16 are invisable to Syrian Radar
June 23rd, 2013, 7:33 am
revenire said:
Why would F-16s be invisible to Syrian radar? Magic?
June 23rd, 2013, 9:39 am
Citizen said:
5- SANDRO LOEWE
You can exercise your right to election.If you do not want it to be surreal! 🙂
http://youtu.be/eUqVw8ck4yc?t=1m51s
June 23rd, 2013, 9:54 am
Akbar Palace said:
Dawoud,
A Palestinian militia is fighting for Assad. I guesss Palestinians are not united against the regime. FYI.
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/17/cnn-exclusive-on-the-front-line-with-pro-assad-snipers-in-syria/
June 23rd, 2013, 9:55 am
Citizen said:
8. MAJEDKHALDOUN
Thank you! We put on alert last generation radar station range 8,000 kilometers to track objects at all altitudes and create new opportunities for protecting Syria’s interests! ! Thank you for your valuable comment!
June 23rd, 2013, 10:06 am
zoo said:
Thanks Aaron
As previously stated, there is no Free Syrian Army, just a number of militias with different sponsors suspicious of each other.
Now that the political coalition is virtually dead, all eyes of the “Gang of 11” are directed toward the military, with the hope it will unite under Selim Idriss and win.
In view of the multitude of militias calling themselves “ahrar’, the probability of uniting them is close to zero.
While the probability that they fight against each other is close to 100%
The “G11” and especially panicking Saudi Arabia seem to live in OZ. Just the stupidities that Hollande and Fabius emit show how far they are from the reality
The bonanza of the fresh weapons delivery will probably trigger more fights among militias. This will tremendously help the SAA in the reconquest of the swaths still controlled by the various rebel militias.
The lack of a serious strategy of the G11 is a revelation of their dangerous ineptitude.
June 23rd, 2013, 10:12 am
Citizen said:
‘Syria Will Be Armed With Weapons That Have Never Been Seen Before In the Middle East’
Last week, Noble Peace Prize winner President Barrack Obama advised that his administration would be arming the Free Syrian Army with weapons to resist the armies of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Furthermore, they would look to implement a Libya-style no-fly zone over the country, which like Libya, would likely involve widespread carpet bombing of suspected military strongholds and control centers.
With boots on the ground around Syria’s borders, the United States is without a doubt preparing for widespread engagement across the region yet again, with the aim of the new U.S. supplied weapons being more killing and destruction in a civil war that has left tens of thousands dead in the last year.
http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/86019-russia-syria-will-be-armed-with-weapons-that-have-never-been-seen-before-in-the-middle-east
June 23rd, 2013, 10:19 am
zoo said:
@1 Altair
The best argument against Qatar and Saudi Arabia, whether you are a supporter or opponent, is that they will do anything, absolutely anything, to take their revenge on Bashar al Assad and grab Syria as they tried without success yet to grab Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and Libya.
The source of their obsession and terror is the unstoppable growing power of Iran and the nearing possibility of a US-Iran deal that will marginalize the GCC.
June 23rd, 2013, 10:20 am
Ziad said:
1 hr ago
Explosion in Mezzeh Damascus with early reports of 3
martyrs and 8 injured. Material damage also
https://twitter.com/gi_syrian/status/348795231115821056/photo/1
June 23rd, 2013, 10:34 am
zoo said:
Ziad
It is expected that we will see more signs of despair among the rebels as they are gradually isolated and destroyed.
Putting bombs and killing civilians is a clear admittance that they have no other defense than terrorists acts.
I expect there will more terrorists attack as the SAA is moving forward in recapturing areas held by rebels.
June 23rd, 2013, 10:43 am
Ziad said:
ZOO
بهذا التفجير وبغيره من التفجيرات سقط السني والعلوي وووو
وبالتفجيرات الماضية نفس الكلام
الشهيد ابن صائغ الذهب ابو ماجد استشهد بالتفجير الماضي كردي سني مو علوي
والشهيد محمد صاحب محل تصليح البرادات سني من الدير مو علوي
وهنن ناس ابرياء متلنا لاحول لهم ولا قوة
وبالنهاية بتسبونا الله يسامحكم وبتخونونا الله يسامحكم
المهم رب العالمين شايفنا وبيعرف نوايانا
وانا طائفتي سوري
والله يرحم شهدا سوريا ويشفي جرحاها
from m86 n.n.
June 23rd, 2013, 10:58 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Supporters of Assad find legitimation in a dirty decaying politician who:
* Was the son of another dictator who got power by coup d´etat.
* Who got ¨elected¨ without elections on June 2000
* Who got power supported by repression and tortures services
* Who was renewed in charge by fake elections without alternatives
* Who jailed all competitors during 12 years
* Who bulleted and tortured peacefull demostrators in 2011
* Who preferred to drive the country into civil war and destruction not to leave power.
All the people who love this kind of leader should go to Iran and live there instead of getting intoxicated in democratic countries.
June 23rd, 2013, 11:16 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
CITIZEN,
Your video about Assad is ridiculous. Thanks God the end of this nightmare of emptyheaded Assad team is coming to its end.
June 23rd, 2013, 11:30 am
zoo said:
On Al Jazeera an exhaustive interview:
Nothing news coming out from the meeting in Qatar, except reiteration of the necessity of Geneva II conference.
Selim Idriss in the video interview in Hatay seems hysterical and desperate that the West will never match Russian weapons delivered to the SAA: “Shame on Putin, he is a dictator, a terrorist and he is lying”.
Please help….
With friends like these …
Why has there been no real action or decisions coming from the sixth international meet of the Friends of Syria?
Inside Syria Last Modified: 23 Jun 2013 14:05
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidesyria/2013/06/20136237429210738.html
June 23rd, 2013, 11:30 am
zoo said:
Selim Idriss opens all his cards:
“We will not go to Geneva unless we get heavy weapons. We will not go to Geneva. We are strong and we will win. We will not go to Geneva if Iran comes.
We have to win Aleppo, before that we can go to the Geneva. Otherwise what can we tell the refugees?
There will be no stop of killing unless Bashar al Assad resigns and leaves”
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidesyria/2013/06/20136237429210738.html
June 23rd, 2013, 11:49 am
zoo said:
Hollande more ridicule than ever asks Iran to help solve the Syrian conflict
France: Syria rebels must win back Assad-controlled areas
By REUTERS
Speaking in Doha after ‘Friends of Syria’ agree to aid rebels, French President Francois Hollande warns that Assad may benefit from chaos; calls on Iranian president to use his influence to help the Syrian situation.
June 23rd, 2013, 11:52 am
Citizen said:
Dear Uzair !
The Anglo-Saxons are trying to destabilize Pakistan
Established under the control of U.S. intelligence and the UK to deal with the Iranian Baluchistan Shiite Islamist terrorist group “Jundallah” (“Soldiers of Allah”) for the 10 years of its existence, has made many high-profile terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Iran. The grouping was transferred to the combat readiness in accordance to the presidential elections in Iran.
As always, for purely coincidence, immediately after the visit of the U.S. delegation in Afghanistan, “Jundallah” reminded another high-profile crimes. Tonight, about a dozen Islamist militants attacked the base camp of climbers from Ukraine, Russia and China in a relatively peaceful area of the Pakistani province of Gilgit-Baltistan in Kashmir. Militants took him outside and shot 9 climbers and their Pakistani guide. As we see, the world is too costly voyages in troubled regions of American political leaders and their separate talks with Islamist terrorist organizations.
Take care!
June 23rd, 2013, 12:01 pm
apple_mini said:
Robert Worth’s article on NYT is disturbing but not surprising. It has happened throughout history. In Poland, best friends of Jewish families did not hesitate to send them to concentration camp overnight.
There are many dark and evil sides of human beings and their behavior. They are contradictory and unpredictable. Sometimes good education won’t help either, like we have seen from some posters here. The only way to contain the evil is to suppress them. The same way a society maintains orders by law and authority.
In Syria, minorities’ hope to coexist with the Sunni majority peacefully relies on good faith of moderate Sunni. If moderate Sunni do not hold enough voice and power in Syria, then Syria needs to be either partitioned or Syria expunges all minorities.
June 23rd, 2013, 12:03 pm
zoo said:
In a long predicted shift, Hollande asks the FSA to fights against… jihadists
Damascus bombs kill 10 as France urges action on jihadists
AFP Updated June 24, 2013, 3:49 am
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/17719095/damascus-bombs-kill-10-as-france-urges-action-on-jihadists/
DAMASCUS (AFP) – Rebels in Syria launched an attack on a police post in northern Damascus Sunday which left four police and three insurgents dead, a watchdog said, as violence escalated in and around the capital.
The flare-up came as French President Francois Hollande appealed to rebels to “retake” zones that have fallen into the hands of extremist Islamist groups and a day after world powers agreed to provide the opposition with urgent military aid.
June 23rd, 2013, 12:05 pm
zoo said:
How the USA and Turkey’s are contributing to the ‘peace effort’ in Syria
Report: Turkish allies flying ‘new al-Qaeda’ fighters to Syria with U.S. support
http://www.examiner.com/article/report-turkish-allies-flying-new-al-qaeda-fighters-to-syria-with-u-s-support
June 23rd, 2013, 12:08 pm
Altair said:
@15 Zoo
You may be right that, but that doesn’t excuse what the regime has done and is still doing. Or do you believe it does?
June 23rd, 2013, 12:30 pm
Ziad said:
Washington is Insane
“The data about Assad’s use of chemical weapons is fabricated by the same facility that made up the lies about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. Obama is walking George W. Bush’s path.” Here in America no one will ever hear straight talk like this from the US presstitutes. Orwellian double-speak is now the language of the United States government.”–Aleksey Pushkov, Chairman of the Russian Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee
In the 21st century the two hundred year-old propaganda that the American people control their government has been completely shattered. Both the Bush and Obama regimes have made it unmistakenly clear that the American people don’t even influence, much less control, the government. As far as Washington is concerned, the people are nothing but chaff in the wind.
Polls demonstrate that 65% of the US population opposes US intervention in Syria. Despite this clear indication of the people’s will, the Obama regime is ramping up a propaganda case for more arming of Washington’s mercenaries sent to overthrow the secular Syrian government and for a “no-fly zone” over Syria, which, if Libya is the example, means US or NATO aircraft attacking the Syrian army on the ground, thus serving as the air force of Washington’s imported mercenaries, euphemistically called “the Syrian rebels.”
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/06/17/washington-is-insane-paul-craig-roberts/
June 23rd, 2013, 12:54 pm
Ziad said:
US troop buildup in Jordan after Turkey shuts US-NATO arms corridor to Syrian rebels
Erdogan’s decision will leave the Syrian rebels fighting in Aleppo virtually high and dry. The fall of Qusayr cut off their supplies of arms from Lebanon. Deliveries through Jordan reach only as far as southern Syria and are almost impossible to move to the north where the rebels and the Hizballah-backed Syrian army are locked in a decisive battle for Aleppo.
The Turkish prime minister told Obama he is afraid of Russian retribution if he continues to let US and NATO weapons through to the Syrian rebels.
Since the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland last week, Moscow has issued almost daily condemnations of the West for arming “terrorists.”
Rebel spokesmen in Aleppo claimed Friday that they now had weapons which they believe “will change the course of the battle on the ground.”
DEBKAfile’s military sources are strongly skeptical of their ability – even after the new deliveries – to stand up to the onslaught on their positions in the embattled town by the combined strength of the Syrian army, Hizballah troops and armed Iraqi Shiites. The prevailing intelligence assessment is that they will be crushed in Aleppo as they were in Al Qusayr.
That battle was lost after 16 days of ferocious combat; Aleppo is expected to fall after 40-60 days of great bloodshed.
http://friendsofsyria.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/us-troop-buildup-in-jordan-after-turkey-shuts-us-nato-arms-corridor-to-syrian-rebels/
June 23rd, 2013, 12:58 pm
Citizen said:
نقلت صحيفة”السفير” مساء اليوم على موقعها عن “مصدر أردني” إن هناك “معلومات عن تحضير لتفجير في مخيم اللاجئين السوريين في المملكة(من قبل المخابرات الأردنية أو الأميركية) ، من أجل اتهام المخابرات السورية فيه كمقدمة لتدخل عسكري”. وأشار المصدر الى أن هذا العمل “قد يكون سبب بقاء قوات اميركية في اﻻردن بعد انتهاء المناورات العسكرية الاخيرة”.
وكانت جهات رسمية أميركية كشفت اليوم أن عديد القوات الأميركية في الأردن من المارينز والقوات الجوية ، التي أبقتها واشنطن في الأردن بعد انتهاء تدريبات”الأسد المتأهب”، بلغ ألف ضابط وجندي، وليس فقط 700 كما زعم النظام الأردني. هذا بينما أكدت وسائل إعلام أردنية وغربية توجه ثلائمة منهم إلى الحدود السورية في منطقة”المفرق” المتاخمة جدا لمخيم”الزعتري” قبل يومين.
June 23rd, 2013, 1:00 pm
Ziad said:
Settlers Attack Shepherds, Burn Orchards Near Nablus
Local sources have reported Saturday [June 22] that several extremist Israeli settlers of the Bracha illegal settlement, attacked Palestinian shepherds in the southern area of Burin village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The settlers then burnt 20 Dunams of Palestinian olive orchards.
http://imemc.org/article/65715
June 23rd, 2013, 1:01 pm
revenire said:
Altair what good does it do to say “yeah we’re cannibals but the regime forced us to become cannibals”?
You think you’re morally superior to the Syrian government but you’re not.
June 23rd, 2013, 1:02 pm
Citizen said:
20- Sandro!
Why you are tolerate the abnormalities of USA when invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, attacked Yugoslavia and Libya ?
Why you are silent on all the crimes of American soldiers in Iraq?
Why you are silent on all the crimes of the Israeli soldiers in the occupied Palestine every day?
Why now you are silent on the United States abnormalities in their practices cursed toward the American people? They are Welcome to eavesdrop, monitors upon you every day?
How much is the counting of the security services, police and intelligence, eavesdropping and prosecution, tracking and control, planning services , and how is the number of people who work in those jobs to use weapons hardware In order to practice you’ll oppression ?
You’re not a citizen, you are a servant of the state in medieval feudal
June 23rd, 2013, 1:05 pm
revenire said:
Good points Citizen!
June 23rd, 2013, 1:20 pm
Ziad said:
3000 شخص يحاصرون منازل الشيعة بزاوية أبو مسلم فى الهرم ويهددون بإحراقها إذا لم يغادروا القرية قبل المساء
http://almogaz.com/news/politics/2013/06/23/970866
June 23rd, 2013, 1:28 pm
Badr said:
Kerry: US, Russia Not Going to Back off Helping Rivals in Syrian War
Scott Stearns, VOA
June 23rd, 2013, 1:34 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ziad said
The Turkish prime minister told Obama he is afraid of Russian retribution if he continues to let US and NATO weapons through to the Syrian rebels.
Are you such a naive person?do you believe everything?no
I know you are smarter than that,but once in a while you make such naive statement.
Further I can assure you that any weapon enters Syria ,it can go anywhere, if you remember Abdulqader Saleh,and Abduljabbar Aqidi, they came from Halab,to Qusair, and they went back freely,thru areas controlled by the regime
June 23rd, 2013, 1:47 pm
revenire said:
“Friends of Syria” meeting in Doha: 110 no-shows out of 121 members
http://www.voltairenet.org/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH250/arton179056-40dfb.jpg
There were 121 States attending the Paris summit of the Friends of Syria. It was July 6, 2012. There was talk of an imminent collapse of Syria and its wealth was already being divided up.
The “Friends of Syria” are scheduled to meet on 22 June 2013 in Doha (Qatar). Discussions will focus on arms shipments to the “Free Syrian Army,” in the presence of its “chief of staff” General Salim Idriss.
The 11 participants, to whom General Salim Idriss already submitted his list of grievances on 14 June, regard him as an eminent interlocutor. However, despite his title, there is no such thing as an “FSA joint chiefs of staff,” but merely a coordination by NATO of groups fighting under this label.
For all of that, out of 121 Member States, only 11 will take part in the meeting (Germany, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, United States, France, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, United Kingdom and Turkey). The other 110 members will keep a safe distance.
Indeed, during the G8 summit in Lough Erne, President Vladimir V. Putin recalled that the delivery of weapons to armed groups in Syria constitutes a violation of international law and exposes the guilty parties to prosecution in international courts.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article179056.html
June 23rd, 2013, 2:26 pm
Ziad said:
FSA General Gives Int’l Community One Month to Provide Anti Tank, Anti Aircraft
June 23rd, 2013, 2:27 pm
Citizen said:
http://youtu.be/b276h3369hE?t=6s
June 23rd, 2013, 2:39 pm
don said:
Bigger and better weapons LMAO!
June 23rd, 2013, 2:59 pm
Uzair8 said:
#1 Altair
That is some post!
Thanks.
June 23rd, 2013, 3:11 pm
Uzair8 said:
Dear Citizen
Thanks for keeping us informed on the Anglo-Saxon plot against Pakistan. I’m touched by your concern for international situations. You truely are a Global Citizen.
Where would we be without our Citizen?
June 23rd, 2013, 3:17 pm
Uzair8 said:
Debka included in the main post? Turkey cutting off Nato-rebel supply line?
Did Ann email that one in?
June 23rd, 2013, 3:23 pm
Mina said:
Qardawi and Morsi brought it to Egypt “Thank you France and Qatar!”
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74773/Egypt/Politics-/Angry-mob-kills-at-least–Shias-in-Giza-village.aspx
June 23rd, 2013, 4:15 pm
Tara said:
Watch out. Coming to Australia soon.. Read all
Saturday 22 June 2013 10.47 EDT
Syrian satirists take puppet show into war-torn towns to mock Bashar al-Assad
9
http://m.guardiannews.com/world/2013/jun/22/satirical-puppet-show-syria-bashar-al-assad
Saturday 22 June 2013 10.47 EDT
In the episode Prostitute Media, a protester is forced to confess to being a violent criminal on an official news programme, saying: “I held an olive branch in my hand … I mean I was holding an RPG [rocket-propelled grenade], a nuclear bomb, pistols, rifles I got from al-Qaida.”
June 23rd, 2013, 4:17 pm
Mina said:
Egypt is getting ready for civial war with last friday’s demonstration of force in an attempt to preempt the coming protest demos of June 30th
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74761/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-AlAzhar-issues-sharp-rebuke-to-Brotherhoods.aspx
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74704/Egypt/Politics-/UPDATE-Morsi-prison-escape-referred-to-Egypt-prose.aspx
and not to forget the inter islamist fight:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74740/Egypt/Politics-/AbulFotouh-honoured-by-Brotherhoods-chants-against.aspx
June 23rd, 2013, 4:27 pm
zoo said:
@28 Altair
The regime has all the rights to prevent the country from being taken over by Qatar and KSA. Syria is free to choose if its want to ally with Iran or not. It is none of the business of the other Arab countries. Infringement to sovereignity justifies strong resistance and that’s what the regime with its united army and a large number of its population are doing.
The task is hard because these two “family” dictatorships helped by colonialist and zionists have exploited naive and venal Syrians under the fake pretext of ‘freedom an dignity’ to kill each others and destroy their own institutions.
Once they called for foreign intervention, the Syrians who have decided to collaborate with Qatar, KSA and the West to destroy the country are simply traitors.
June 23rd, 2013, 4:39 pm
zoo said:
Tara
Mocking Bashar al Assad is the only satisfaction left to the opposition.
The SNC characters don’t need to be mocked, they ridicule themselves every day.
June 23rd, 2013, 4:42 pm
revenire said:
Hitto, Idris and the rest of the terrorist ‘leaders’ don’t need a puppet show do they?
June 23rd, 2013, 4:56 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
Mocking Bashar doesn’t entertain me anymore. I mean what more than getting his private email exposed and reading Shushu’s love and affection letters and seeing the bikini picture of that other girl pressing herself against the wall. Was quite entertaining for sometime. Nothing else could top that… It is becoming boring.
I am interested in an episode dedicated at Bashar worshiper/supporters .
June 23rd, 2013, 5:11 pm
Tara said:
And thus the Iranians spoke! The world powers should simply listen and retract. Is an apology needed too?
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/23/310488/iran-urges-end-to-arming-syria-militants/
Iran urges end to arming irresponsible armed groups in Syria
In a meeting with members of the follow-up committee on Syrian national dialogue in Tehran on Sunday, Amir-Abdollahian urged the countries which arm “irresponsible groups” and encourage them to carry out terrorist acts to stop their actions and instead contribute to Syria’s reconstruction.
June 23rd, 2013, 5:33 pm
Tara said:
Enjoy!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/gallery/2013/jun/22/observer-20-photographs-angelina-jolie#/?picture=411344786&index=6
June 23rd, 2013, 5:57 pm
Ziad said:
Lebanese Salafis kill six soldiers in Sidon
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gunfight-erupts-saida-between-army-and-al-assir-supporters
http://counterpsyops.com/2013/06/23/second-round-of-sidon-clashes-assir-partisans-attack-lebanese-army/
June 23rd, 2013, 5:57 pm
AMEERA said:
صراحة انا مبسوطة انها علئت بلبنان خرجهم الله لا يوفئن شو بهدلوا النازحين السورين و شو نصبوا علينا و شو غلوا الاسعار و في مناطئ حطوا لوحات مكتوب عليها يمنع تجول النازحين السوريين بدون ازن البلدية
فانا مبسوطة و بدعي ربي يزيدها عليهم كلاب هالزمن يلي ما صدقوا شموا ريحة اباطون لحتى تنمردوا اسيادون و تاج راسون السوريين
يلا و بالنكليزي داي اند بيرن ان ذا هيل وخليني اتفرج عليهم مع نفس اكيلة
June 23rd, 2013, 6:11 pm
Ziad said:
Ameera
You disappointed me 🙁
June 23rd, 2013, 6:17 pm
Ziad said:
Rebels rain down mortars & shells on civilian areas of Western Aleppo tonight. Mogambo & Zahra’a. injuries & casualties reported.
June 23rd, 2013, 6:26 pm
Ziad said:
Syria in ‘Free Fall’
Dark’s account should not be read as tainting the entirety of the pro-democracy opposition with the excesses of looters and terrorists who hold sway in many parts of liberated Syria. It is instead a reminder that the facts on the ground in Syria do not always match the high-minded negotiations and statements in world capitals; that the sectarian, regional dimension of the conflict is very much the reality of the war, not just the “narrative” of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; that the consequences of further militarizing the conflict will, absent a diplomatic track, make all of this worse; and that for many Syrians, the war is already lost, because of the scale of the humanitarian tragedy.
Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, warned on June 21 that “Syria is in free fall … Crimes that shock the conscience have become a daily reality in Syria. Humanity has been the casualty of this war. This is the price of the international collective failure to end this conflict.”
The best worst outcome, and what should be the only game in town, is to stop the conflict by convening the Geneva Conference on Syria as soon as possible.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/syriafreefall-weekinreview6232013.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
June 23rd, 2013, 6:40 pm
Ziad said:
jubilant crowd surrounds killed Shiite, one yells let the media film this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KUf2t2p6Lx4#at=91
“It happens every day in #Syria rebels kill Shiites & Alawites on sight.” Edward Dark
June 23rd, 2013, 7:00 pm
Tara said:
Ziad,
Do you realize that this occurred in Egypyt?
And you are adding a quote to deceive the readers who do not read or understand Arabic that it happen Syria where “Alawi and Shiaa” killed everyday.
Was the link just provided to you as a propaganda tool and you posted it before looking it over? Or Do you just have no shame?!
June 23rd, 2013, 7:19 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Geneva convention is not the goal, it is the way to achieve goal, the goal is to stop the killing,and next is to negotiate democratic reform, free election, Assad will lose in free election,so he will keep fighting Syrians to force them to accept him, he is tyrant,he lies when he calls for secularism,and his supporters know that, they keep on lying, now Bashar is making it sectarian fight, because he wants HA, Iraqi militias, and Persia to help,but he will lose because Syrians are brothers of Saudis,and Qataris,egyptians ,libyans,and the vast majority of moslems
Assad to blame for turning it to sectarian fight, it will be very bloody, foreign intervention will be the only way to prevent revenge,so we may go back to colonization, Assad to blame for that
June 23rd, 2013, 7:33 pm
Ziad said:
TARA
Your evil idea never crossed my mind. If you think the readers could be that easily deceived, then you are from a different world. Edward Dark was commenting on this Egyptian video saying what he said.
Tara you should be ashamed of yourself thinking that there is any difference if Shias are slaughtered in Egypt or in Syria.
June 23rd, 2013, 7:50 pm
Ilya said:
Only in Moslem countries
Pakistan comes to mind as the worst example of such state.
Arabs killing their fellow brothers and sisters because they are unclean dogs,how come Sunni don’t kill Shias in USA?
As we see Islamic government don’t punish sectarian crimes, they encourage them,in Pakistan,Egypt,Nigeria…
Long Live Secular word!!!!
Bunch of Animals *apes* yelling ,screaming clapping while killing innocent civilians.
No wonder these countries are in such abysmal conditions,they rather kill people ,than study and work harder to make living.
How come police watch do nothing?
What kind of societies is that ,is that Islam ?
June 23rd, 2013, 7:52 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Mr. Landis , Mr. Barber
Would you please re post the percentage of Alawis in Syria, it is clear that you always combine Alawis and Shiaa and Ismaili togather,Shiaa are not Alawis,Ismailis are not Alawis,with Sunni 73% Druze 3% Christians 7%,Kurds 10 %, that will leave 7% to Alawis,Shiaa and Ismaili and the other groups,.
I always felt that their percentage was exagerated when I hear they are 11%
Alawis are minority,they are 1/10 of Sunnis, so sectarian fight will favor Sunni, I feel it is stupid to turn this fight to sectarian by Assad.
June 23rd, 2013, 7:56 pm
Ilya said:
Head to Head – What is wrong with Islam today?
AlJazeeraEnglish
June 23rd, 2013, 8:00 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ilya
said,how come Sunni don’t kill Shias in USA?
What you should ask how come Shiaa don’t kill Sunni in USA, and the answer is USA has democratic system, not dictatorship as Assad.
Assad already killed over 200,000,this is a holocaust
Can you deny that Assad is murderer?
Can you deny that Assad is sectarian?
Can you deny that Assad is conspiring against Syrians by bringing in Barbaric Persians,including HA and Iraqi Shiaa Militia
June 23rd, 2013, 8:07 pm
revenire said:
Majed you, and your friends here, are about the only ones who ever talk sectarian.
It is pretty much all you talk about.
June 23rd, 2013, 8:10 pm
Ilya said:
Majeed
Wrong,Wrong,Wrong
On all your points.
In USA police will try to break away any trouble right away,will not watch someone getting killed,then will sort it out who is right or wrong.
Haven seen or read Assad killing anyone,i did not see statement by Assad encouraging to Kill Sunni,Christians or Shias.
By bring in HA Assad is protecting public from terrorists.
how come you dont complain when Al Qaeda,Nusra,some others come to kill Syrians.
June 23rd, 2013, 8:16 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ilya
Quraan has to be re interpreted correctly, and we must never accept the Persian interpretation of Bukhari and Turmizi,without thinking again about what we read in Quraan
June 23rd, 2013, 8:44 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ilya
In USA the goverment does not kill its citizens, stop this nonsense,
And all those 200,000 syrians who get killed ,who killed them? Assad is responsible for these crimes, he is the president and the authority in his hands, I am not going to argue with stupid statements like you are saying, You said Assad did not kill, who killed them ? his thugs that he and only he is responsible for that, he is the captain of the ship,those who killed did it on his order.
HA is not Syrians,the one get killed are Syrians.And stop calling all rebels as terrorists, Syrians want freedom they are not terrorists, all what you do is accuse, are the children who get killed terrorists, You call terrorist who oppose Assad, the fact is you and Assad are the true terrorists, since you blindly support the criminal assad, they ,The Syrians are rebels not terrorists, Barbarian Persians who came to fight in Syria are the terrorists
June 23rd, 2013, 8:58 pm
Ilya said:
Majeed
1 thing,I agree he is responsible for mess in Syria since he is in charge, for what happened under his watch.
June 23rd, 2013, 9:12 pm
revenire said:
The US government DOES kill its citizens via its economic policies. Ask doctors about cancer monies being cut off now. They are having to turn away patients – many of which will die.
It also kills a good number of people who are not Americans (and quite a few Syrians by sending arms to Al-Qaeda).
There is no revolution. There are only terrorists. The killers who ear human flesh are not doing so in order to have freedom.
I swear it is bizarre to hear someone suggest terrorists want to bring freedom to Syria.
June 23rd, 2013, 9:27 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
Pure nonsense, 3am tzet wa tolhosh
June 23rd, 2013, 9:29 pm
revenire said:
Assad has no responsibility for this war at all. The plans for the war started long ago. They have been written about. The idea was to foment sectarian war and weaken Iran and Syria.
It has nothing to do with demonstrations or freedom.
June 23rd, 2013, 9:31 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Did the barbaric persians miscalculate? when they sent HA and Iraqi militia to fight in Syria?, they should have anticipated the Gulf response, now they are miscalculating again by calling to export the fight to KSA and Qatar, this will certainly push USA to intervene in a swift and strong response,,no one should be surprised if US destroys Syrian military bases and airports, and Assad palaces are bombed,the Gulf oil countries are red line for the US and it is to the interest of american security to defend those states.
We say in Syria MA BTESGHAR LA HATTA TEKBAR, it will get worse before it gets better
June 23rd, 2013, 10:12 pm
revenire said:
A day ago you said Egypt was sending millions of fighters.
The week before that it was something else.
You remind me of an uncle of mine who would sit in a corner sleeping at family affairs. Every once in a while he would wake up and shout out something weird. Everyone laughed and he’d fall back asleep.
Calm yourself brother – the Iranians are not inside Syria like you think… not yet anyway.
June 23rd, 2013, 10:50 pm
i'm A real American said:
revenire aren’t you the same person who attacked marielle kronberg over her husbands suicide? if so what is a chicagoan from the larouche youth movement doing pretending to be syrian?
June 23rd, 2013, 11:26 pm
Ziad said:
Hatred between Sunnis, Shiites abounds in Mideast
Hatreds between the two are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria’s civil war. On Sunday, officials said four Shiites in a village west of Cairo were beaten to death by Sunnis in a sectarian clash unusual for Egypt.
Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides in the region have added fuel, depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect.
But among the public, views are complex. Some sincerely see the other side as wrong — whether on matters of faith or politics. Others see the divisions as purely political, created for cynical aims. Even some who view the other sect negatively fear sectarian flames are burning dangerously out of control. There are those who wish for a return to the days, only a decade or two ago, when the differences did not seem so important and the sects got along better, even intermarried.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/hatreds-between-sunnis-shiites-abound-mideast
June 23rd, 2013, 11:43 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
The real problema is not chia or sunna, the real problema is corruption against dignity. Dirty hands against clean hands. Corrupt rich elites against workers. Mafia members against plain people. This is the main reason of the revolution. You can try to change the talk to sunna and chia or to Us and Russia, but the cause of the revolution is the Syrian People and unfair distribution of richness.
And let´s admit Assad and all circles around him are the Caesars of Corruption and Clientlism.
People defending Assad in this SC are simply defending their own economic privilegies or their own sectarian interests. That´s all. There is no much more to talk about.
June 24th, 2013, 3:18 am
Altair said:
@43 Uzair8
Thanks for the appreciation. One would think from the vote count that standing up for the human rights of Syrians is an unpopular position on this forum. I think they should do away with the like/dislike buttons all together.
@49 Zoo
That was not my point at all. You’re arguing something completely different. I agree with you that any Syrian regime has the right to prevent the country from any foreign takeover. You criticize the 2 family dictatorships of Qatar and KSA, but what about the family dictatorship of Syria?
What is legitimate about the Syrian regime? Have there ever been open and contested elections? Elections where you vote Yes or No don’t count. Do republics typically hand over power from father to son?
I would be happy if at least Bashar came out and proclaimed that he wasn’t President-for-Life and intended to relinquish power some day, any day.
I agree with you that foreign intervention is not good. But what was the alternative. Demonstrating in the streets? Does the regime allow that, other than the staged ones that are pro-regime?
Does a regime have the right to take a 14-year old boy and torture him to death, in the name of protecting the country from foreigners, imperialism or Zionism or whatever? Or break the hands of a cartoonist because they don’t like his cartoons? Or arrest your brother or son because you criticized the regime.
Don’t tell me none of this happened or happens.
This is where all of you regime supporters go astray. You justify everything the regime does, condemn nothing, even torture of children. There is no dignity in this.
The brutality of the regime invited the outside interference because the desperate opposition had nowhere to turn to. What were they going to do, petition Syrian courts of law?
Sure, many of the rebels are extremists, or criminals or opportunists, but the regime opened the way for these by its extreme crackdown on the nicer people, the ones who thought demonstrations could bring change.
June 24th, 2013, 6:58 am
Mina said:
Nearly 24 hours after a mob lynching of an Egyptian Shii family in its own village by a crowd of 3,000 neighbours, still no condemnation by the governement or the religious authorities.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74773/Egypt/Politics-/-Angry-mob-kills-at-least–Shias-in-Giza-village-i.aspx
No article either on Le Monde or the BBC.
Memo: the Shii community in Egypt exists at least since the tenth century. Al Azhar mosque was initially founded by the Fatimids as a tool for Shiite propaganda. Many Egyptian Ismaili Shiis emigrated to India at the beginning of the twentieth century.
(Recent research shows that the islamicization of Egypt probably took some centuries and reached what we know of today around the 14th century, so it is very possible that these people who lynched their Shiite neighbours for “heresy” have themselves converted from Judaism or Christianity to Sunni Islam only after the ancestors of this Shiite family.)
June 24th, 2013, 7:09 am
Citizen said:
/You truely are a Global Citizen/.
PAKISTANI living in BRITAINE Write a Review in SYRIAN affairs on the AMERICAN site !What would we do without this respected GLOBAL one?
Al-Qaeda in Lebanon
http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/are-al-qaedas-lebanese-affiliates-opening-a-lebanese-front-in-the-syrian-war/44571/
June 24th, 2013, 7:17 am
Akbar Palace said:
Ziad’s Profound Discovery
Hatreds between the two are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria’s civil war.
Ziad,
Well gee, maybe if Syria wasn’t ruled by a minority, things would be different. Democracy demands that the majority rules.
And BTW, since you already know Syria isn’t a democracy, what is it we are really talking about? You just want business as usual: an self-appointed despot telling people (including the majority) what they can say or think.
106. Ziad said:
MAJED
Look me in the eyes and don’t blick or smile then say:
When assad goes freedom and democracy will come to Syria.
June 3rd, 2013, 1:54 pm
June 24th, 2013, 7:43 am
Mina said:
Update: al Ahram initially reported that it was a family house that was attacked, but it was instead the house of an Egyptian Shiite leader, Hassan Shehata. The people killed seemed to be from the persons who were in his house at this time. The calls for violence from local Salafi sheikhs may be (partly) related with the claim that 100,000 had signed the “Rebel” petition against Morsi, launched mid-May.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/mob-attacks-shias-egyptian-village-four-killed
June 24th, 2013, 7:57 am
Tara said:
What does Rohani do in his first day in office? He contacts its puppet Lebanon. I understand that HA is an Iranian faction on a Lebanese land, but why does the Lebanese president bother? Couldn’t he tell Rohani that he is busy and to call him later? Is he afraid of assassination Harriri-style?
Iran’s Rohani dismisses foreign military intervention in Syria
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/24/310549/rohani-rejects-military-bids-in-syria/
June 24th, 2013, 8:46 am
majedkhaldoun said:
This is serious situation, Snowden is in Russia,he is 30 year old, and has a laptop with top US security informations.
Obama must be very nervous
June 24th, 2013, 8:48 am
revenire said:
The Lebanese are cleansing Lebanon of the terrorists. Assir and Fadl Shaker are to be arrested, or shot – those are the orders.
God is great.
Lebanese commandos seized Monday a complex belonging to Sheikh Ahmad Assir in the southern coastal city of Sidon, in the second day of clashes between the military and gunmen loyal to the militant preacher that have claimed the lives of at least 17 soldiers and more than 25 gunmen.
Army eavesdropping devices indicated that Assir was still in the vicinity of the complex, the sources said, adding that the fiery sheikh was heard as urging his gunmen not to surrender to the military and “fight to the death.”
Lebanon’s military prosecutor issued arrest warrants against Assir and 123 of his followers, a judicial source told The Daily Star. The warrants included the names of Assir’s brother and singer Fadl Shaker who gave up his singing career to follow the radical sheikh, they added.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Jun-24/221395-fierce-clashes-rock-south-lebanon-city-for-second-day.ashx#ixzz2X8bs50M8
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
June 24th, 2013, 8:56 am
revenire said:
Syrian FM Muallem told the opposition not to bother going to Geneva if they expect the government to hand over power.
Bravo.
No negotiations with terrorists. Crush them.
Give the order Dr. Assad.
June 24th, 2013, 8:59 am
revenire said:
Salute to the Lebanese Army for doing its job against the Zionist terrorists.
June 24th, 2013, 9:05 am
Tara said:
Reve,
“Give the order Dr. Assad.”
He did but the impotent army can’t get the job done even with HA and IRGs help. What else you think he should do?
May be he should hold some prayers?
June 24th, 2013, 9:08 am
revenire said:
You know what I think he should do.
June 24th, 2013, 9:16 am
Tara said:
Reve,
I sure do.
He is too of a Batta to do it. Names do reflect on the personalities .
Did he try prayers?
June 24th, 2013, 9:22 am
revenire said:
Did you?
June 24th, 2013, 9:38 am
zoo said:
Syria has replied bluntly to the “Gang of 11” Qatar communique that recycled the opposition absurd conditions.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/syria-says-not-hand-over-power-geneva-talks-114143460.html#l7yI2iA
The foreign minister said he advised anyone with “illusions” that the government would hand over power “not to go to Geneva.”
The Syrian government has said it will attend the mooted conference, being proposed by the United States and Russia, despite their support for opposing sides of the Syrian conflict.
June 24th, 2013, 9:45 am
zoo said:
Moallem: Idriss is fantasizing about power balance .
Rebels would take years to match army’s strength: Syria
http://www.brecorder.com/world/middle-east/125038.html
Walid al-Moualem told a news conference in Damascus that the opposition had little hope of matching the Syrian army’s strength despite a pledge by the states that make up the “Friends of Syria” to increase military support to the rebels.
“If they expect or fantasize that they can create a balance of power, I think they will need to wait years for that to happen,” he said during the televised news conference.
June 24th, 2013, 9:50 am
zoo said:
#88 Reve
It was time the Lebanese army acts responsibly against these hysterical Sunni sheikhs who are acting on Qatar and KSA’s new panic-driven strategy: Weaken Hezbollah and Lebanese Shias at any cost.
I hope this serve as a lesson to the other hysterical Sheikhs in North Lebanon.
If they resort to their own martyrdom, I won’t object…
June 24th, 2013, 9:56 am
revenire said:
People are very deluded if they think Syria or Hezbollah will be crushed.
These salafists must be rounded up and imprisoned.
June 24th, 2013, 9:58 am
revenire said:
Brother Majed Snowden did the world a favor by blowing the whistle on the police state apparatus Obama is running. He is a hero.
I am sure the US would love to send a drone for him but I think he is safe for now.
June 24th, 2013, 10:00 am
zoo said:
@87. majedkhaldoun
Really?
June 24th, 2013, 10:04 am
zoo said:
#98 Reve
They should get their own Sharia law punishment as enemies of Islam.
Like in Syria these Islamist use mosques as military headquarters. and they claim that ‘women and children’ are wounded while the army is using heavy weapons indiscriminately… Familiar?
June 24th, 2013, 10:07 am
zoo said:
The Islamists create a burst of violence in South and North Lebanon: 12 lebanese soldiers killed.
The Lebanese army have asked the religious leaders in Saida to take and express publicly a clear position: Either they support the armed Islamists or they support the Lebanese army.
June 24th, 2013, 10:22 am
revenire said:
Just a day or two ago brother Majed was telling all of us how Hezbollah would be crushed in Lebanon. He used very sectarian language – as he usually does.
Well today the Lebanese army is crushing those who support the fake revolution.
I will add this to brother’s Damascus Volcano prediciton and the rest of his crystal ball gazing.
Bravo brother!
June 24th, 2013, 10:25 am
Syria no kandahar said:
While Sunni and Shia are busy killing each other,this is very interesting innovation:A bullet covered with pigs oil!!what is going to happen to a jihadist
Killed by pig oil -covered bullet ??Is he going to heaven to have six with virgins
While covered with pigs fat?
نشرت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية خبراً عن شركة أمريكية لصناعة الذخيرة تنتج أول طلقات نارية مغلقة بطبقة من الطلاء ممزوجة بالخنزير خصيصاً لمنع دخول المسلمين إلى الجنة.
والطلقات النارية التي قررت شركة “ساوث فورك للصناعات” تسميتها “جهاوج أمو” يمكن استخدامها كـ”درع دفاعي” ضد أولئك من يلجأون لاستخدام العنف باسم الإسلام.
وتعتقد “ساوث فورك للصناعات” أن أي مسلم تجري إصابته بتلك الرصاصات سيحظر عليه دخول الجنة.
وبحسب ديلي ميل، قالت في بيان صحفي: “مع طلقات جهاوج امو.. فأنت لا تقتل جهادياً إسلامياً فحسب بل تبعثه إلى الجحيم.. هذا قد يدعو المقبلين على الشهادة إعادة النظر قبل شن أي هجوم.. فإذا اقتضت الضرورة القصوى أن تدافع عن نفسك وعمن حولك فإن ذخيرتنا تعمل على مستويين.”
June 24th, 2013, 10:26 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir and Zoo
All what Muallem said is La3ee, he is hoping to get big turkey,but what he will get is bantam
June 24th, 2013, 10:27 am
revenire said:
Brother your words are magical.
June 24th, 2013, 10:34 am
revenire said:
HNN Homs News Network
LEBANON – ARMY CRUSHES OVER 30 TERRORISTS
More than 30 Armed Salafi Terrorists mostly Syrians belonging to the criminal gangs of “Ahmed Al-Assir”, have been crushed by the Lebanese Army in continuing violent clashes .
June 24th, 2013, 10:36 am
Ziad said:
AKBAR PALACE #84
Every new statement you make you reach a new low in shallowness and confusion.
Sunni-Shia hatred neither started in Syria, nor will it end with Bashar Al-Assad gone. It has absolutely nothing to do with democracy. It is being artificially reinforced by a coalition of salafis, corrupt GCC countries, and UISrael to counter the ascendancy of Iran. After the strong showing of Hizullah in the 2006 war, Amb Feltman, Mini Hariri and Bandar bin Sultan, realized that the only way to counter the power of Hizbullah is to create a counter force of takfiri extremists. Money and weapons started flowing, and many Salafi TV channels were created and Wahhabi sheikhs started the agitation.
I admit that it was an excellent strategy of Israel and its supporters to let the Sunnis fight the fight. The stupid Sunnis and Shias will kill each other for Zion.
We all know that the US defines democracy as being accepting US hegemony and has nothing, or very little to do with the rule of the majority and respecting human rights.
Finally I challenge you to state that:
“When Assad goes freedom and democracy will come to Syria.”
You don’t need to look me in the eyes.
June 24th, 2013, 10:55 am
zoo said:
Majed
Thanks for your predictions. Please give us more, I really enjoy them.
June 24th, 2013, 11:26 am
zoo said:
Contrary to the so-called coalition and its 11 allies’s wishy-washy meetings and communiques, the Syrian Government remain consistent and clear in its decision.
Syria’s al-Assad won’t cede power at Geneva peace conference
24 Jun 2013 15:09 AFP
http://mg.co.za/article/2013-06-24-syrias-al-assad-wont-cede-power-at-geneva-peace-conference
Syria’s Bashar al-Assad won’t step down at a proposed peace conference in Geneva but will only discuss the formation of a national unity government.
June 24th, 2013, 11:32 am
zoo said:
Majed
sorry, this is my correct post:
Thanks for your “suggestions”. Please give us more, I really enjoy them. Very creative.
June 24th, 2013, 11:37 am
revenire said:
For 2 years the March 14 Bloc in Lebanon with all it’s forms have incited sectarian strife against the Shiites in particular due to Hezbollah possessing arms.
These arms have been declared legal under the constitution of Lebanon and the Taif accord that was signed at the end of the civil war as Hezbollah itself was never involved entirely in the sectarian conflict that occurred and was created to defend Lebanon as a whole – Sunni. Shia, Alawi, Druze, Christian etc..
For Since 2005 they have plotted and planned, from the moment Harriri senior was killed, the March 14 bloc has made guarantees to the US and Israelis in taking away the weapons from the resistance.
They accused them of his murder, they accused them of bringing the war on Lebanon in 2006 they accused them stirring the battles in 2008 Beirut.
Then they accused them of the sectarian strife in Syria.
Everything they have accused the resistance of has been proven time and time again, they have lied, lied and lied.
2005 killing of Hariri was pointed at the resistance before the investigation begun, the UN investigation set up was built on lies, thieves, criminals and FALSE witnesses.
The 2006 war was agreed to by the March 14 Bloc, Arab states, the West and Israel.
2008 clashes occurred due to Seniorias government bowing down to American pressure in trying to dismantle the main weapons of the resistance – its telecommunication network which was one of the key reasons the Resistance was able to dominate the war in 06
Now… We have Syria – for 2 yrs the FSA and its affiliates have declared their hatred for Shiites and minorities. For 2yrs Hezbollah remained silent and patient and tried to negotiate a ceasefire, a political solution while they were on air on ALL the Arab broadcasting networks declaring a JIHAD against Hezbollah.
In Lebanon We have Ahmad Al Assir who has antagonised the Lebanese for 2yrs trying to start a Jihad on who? Hezbollah… For what reason? Its weapons.. Why? Why O Ahmad Al Assir have you tried to start a war in Lebanon on sectarian lines?
Hezbollah remained silent and patient as it always has and will continue doing. It let the dog bark and bark till it bit itself in the bum
Today… We see who the enemies of the Arab and Islamic world is. It is the Takfiris who have ruined Libya Egypt who are trying with Syria and Lebanon
Hezbollah has always stood with the people of Lebanon and the Lebanese army. It has always assisted and will continue assisting the Lebanese army.
And if they Lebanese army calls on Nasrallah’s men for assistance he will sacrifice all of Hezbollah for the Lebanese people, the Lebanese army and the land of Lebanon.
Syrian Perspective
https://www.facebook.com/SyrianPerspective
June 24th, 2013, 11:47 am
Ghufran said:
We all know that politics in Lebanon runs along sectarian lines, many want Syria to follow, I hope Syrians reject this plan. Things for Sunnis started to deteriorate in Lebanon when decent clean men like Salim Alhuss were replaced with GCC pimps like saad alhariri , and now we are supposed to look at a thug like Al-aseer as the face of Sunni revival in Lebanon !!
The Lebanese army is the only unifying institution in Lebanon , it has been under attacks by terrorists who are claiming to protect Sunnis ( does that ring a bell?) , the end result will be disastrous for Lebanon regardless of which side wins , I regret the fact that Sunni jihadists are now the face of Sunnis in most of the Middle East , that is by all counts a tragic turn !!
June 24th, 2013, 11:51 am
zoo said:
When will the “peace-loving” Sunni countries and the OIC condemn such religious horrors?
Sunnis Lynch, Murder Shi’ites in Egypt
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169266#.UchqdDdWq1k
In a savage incident in Egypt Sunday, thousands of Sunnis lynched and murdered four Shi’ites in an Egyptian village
First Publish: 6/24/2013, 6:28 PM
The tension in Syria between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims is spilling over into the rest of the Arab world. In a savage incident in Egypt Sunday, thousands of Sunnis lynched and murdered four Sh’ites in the Giza-district village of Zavia Abu Muslam, beating them and burning their houses down.
Some 3,000 Sunnis, led by Salafist religious leaders, conducted their own “Jihad” against the hapless Shi’ites, who were far outnumbered. A top Egyptian Shi’ite leader, Hassan Shachata, was dragged out of his home into the street, beaten to a pulp and then stabbed to death by dozens of Sunnis. Shachata was accused of “insulting the Muslim prophets who came after Muhammad,” village residents said.
Before the executions, Salafist preachers riled up the crowd, portraying the Shi’ites as “heretics” who “spread immorality” in the village.
June 24th, 2013, 11:52 am
zoo said:
Sheikh Assir wants to die as a martyr. Will the Lebanese Aremy will help him in that noble fate?
“There has been a decision taken to finish us off, but we’re resisting up until now,” Amjad al-Assir told AFP by phone.
“Sheikh Assir will stay in the mosque until the last drop of blood.”
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/17730717/lebanese-troops-killed-in-clashes-with-sunni-radicals/
June 24th, 2013, 11:57 am
revenire said:
This Assir will either be killed or arrested. His days of terrorizing Lebanon are over.
June 24th, 2013, 11:59 am
Ziad said:
تنشر لأول مرة .. فضائح أخطر رجل في قطر الشيخ حمد بن جاسم
قامت جريدة الوطن المصرية الخاصة بنشر ترجمة كاملة لكتاب فضائحي صدرفي باريس عن شيوخ قطر كشف فيه المؤلفان الفرنسيان جورج مالبرونو وكريستيانشينو في ما يتداول في كواليس الدبلوماسيات الغربية والعربية ومفاده أن أمير قطربات مهووسا بسورية ويعتبر الأمر معركة شخصية حيث يعلم أن بقاء القيادة السورية يعني أنه سيدفع الثمن ولذلك يوظف كل طاقته بغية تغيير النظام في سورية
وقال الإعلامي اللبناني سامي كليب في مقال له عن الكتاب نشرته صحيفة السفير:إن الكتاب ينقل عن أحد أبناء عمومة أمير قطر ودبلوماسي أوروبي في الدوحة تأكيدهما أنه “إذا طال عمر الأزمة في سورية فقد يهتز التوازن الداخلي في الدوحة ذلك أن ثمة صراعا يدور بين رئيس وزراء قطر حمد بن جاسم بن جبر آلثاني الذي يهندس الإستراتيجية القطرية في سورية وولي العهد تميم بن حمد آل ثاني الذي يعمل بطريقة مختلفة حول هذا الملف
وفي السياق ذاته أكد دبلوماسي فرنسي آخر التقاه المؤلفان أن السلطة في قطر لاتخطط للمدى الطويل بالأزمة في سورية وإنما تعمل للمدى القصير وهو ما يشكل نقطة ضعفها.ولفت كليب إلى أن الكتاب الفرنسي الصادر عن دار ميشال لافوني قدم شهادات ومعلومات كثيرة لمن يريد أن يفهم التركيبة الداخلية القطرية ولكن أيضا آلية الإستراتيجية القطرية ووسائلها وأهدافها حيال قضايا عربية ملتهبة وخصوصا في ملفي ليبيا وسورية
http://www.taqadoumiya.net/2013/06/15/%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%B1-%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%81%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AD-%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4/
June 24th, 2013, 12:10 pm
Tara said:
The supporters are drooling over the killing of Assir. Let them. They have had a tough week. A bit of self consolation is healthy especially that I see depression is setting in.
If Assir followers attacked an army barrak, they should be arrested.
June 24th, 2013, 12:17 pm
Ziad said:
التقدمية تسفه بيان شيوخ آل سعود وآل ثاني في القاهرة وتكشف مدى نفاقهم وكرههم للإسلام وارتزاقهم. بقلم أستاذ الدراسات الاسلامية الناصر خشيني
اجتمع تحت عنوان ” موقف علماء الأمة من أحداث سوريا ” حشد علمائي سلطاني غير مسبوق بحيث لم يحصل ذلك عند اشتداد الغزو الصهيوني لفلسطين أو لبنان أو غيرها من الدول العربية ولم يقع مثل ذلك الاجتماع الرهيب في التقتيل الوحشي لمسلمي بورما ولا عند التطهير العرقي لمسلمي البوسنة وقد شارك في المؤتمر أكثر من70 جمعية ورابطة للعلماء في العالم الإسلامي، وعلى رأسها: الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين، رابطة علماء أهل السنة، رابطة علماء الشام، وبعض علماء السعودية ، الإخوان المسلمون , وناقش المؤتمرون سبل نصرة الشعب السوري وكل هذا الحشد سلطاني بامتياز أي انه يأتمر بأوامر دول الناتو والقوى الرجعية في المنطقة هي التي تدعم وتمول وتحرض هؤلاء العلماء وتدفع لهم الرواتب السخية والامتيازات لكي يصدروا مثل هذا الموقف ومن غرائب هذا المؤتمر أن يقرأ بيانه الختامي شيخ مثل الشيخ حسان الذي ثبت عليه الثراء الفاحش بطريقة مذهلة من خلال قصره المنيف أو سيارته الفارهة التي تساوي أكثر من مليون ونصف مليون دولار وآلاف من المسلمين في أصقاع العالم يتضورون جوعا فكيف له أن يخالف أولياء نعمته من الحكام الفاسدين ومنهم حكام أقرب منهم للأمية بحيث لا يحسنون قراءة نص فكيف لهذا المجمع أن يكون نزيها وموضوعيا في أحكامه .
ولنا العديد من الملاحظات على بيانهم هذا بحيث أقروا منذ البداية وجوب النفرة والجهاد لنصرة اخواننا في سوريا بالنفس والمال والسلاح وكل أنواع الجهاد والنصرة وما من شأنه انقاذ الشعب السوري من قبضة القتل والإجرام ونسوا أن مقاتلين من عشرات الجنسيات وقع التغرير بهم لممارسة شتى أنواع الجرائم كالذبح والاغتصاب والسرقة وتدمير الممتلكات فهؤلاء يتم التسهيل لهم واغراؤهم بالأموال والدعم اللوجستي والاعلامي فضلا عن الفتاوى المانحة لهم حور العين عند الموت على أيدي الجيش العربي السوري وهم في الغالب الأعم من الشباب العاطل عن العمل ومحدودي التعليم من الناحية السوسيولوجية فيسهل التأثير فيهم تبعا لذلك .
http://www.taqadoumiya.net/2013/06/14/%d8%b1%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%af%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%81%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%89-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b4%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84/#more-29495
June 24th, 2013, 12:29 pm
Mina said:
Ziad
As you know, Israel has no interest in “peace and democracy” in Syria. What it wants is a Middle East with “pillars” or confessional states, a Lebanon at a continent size. This way it will sell as “completely normal” its racist idea of a “Jewish” state for “Jewish” citizens.
The model is the Gulf: small number of citizens with privileges but under the iron boot of a state religion, and a mass of slaves whose residence permit is related to the working permit and have no rights whatsoever (no unions, no vote etc).
June 24th, 2013, 12:41 pm
Mina said:
#107
It is getting better everyday: the Syrians are fighting in Lebanon for the sake of a self-proclaimed sheikh while they let the fight to foreigners within the borders of Syria.
Mafish wala 3arabi salim dalla…
June 24th, 2013, 12:44 pm
Akbar Palace said:
Every new statement you make you reach a new low in shallowness and confusion.
Ziad,
Of course, my statements advocating free elections and rule by the majority (ya’ani “democracy”) is foreign to you, especially when you admit that the Syria YOU support isn’t democratic.
My posts would be considered “enlightened” and “astute” if I supported a self-appointed despot like you do, and I won’t.
Anyway, Syria won the war according to Reverse, so I guess its just a matter of rebuilding all the cities the Assad-led government destroyed.
June 24th, 2013, 12:47 pm
revenire said:
Coming from a guy who lives in a country where money determines who is “allowed” to run for president.
In other words, coming from a slave.
June 24th, 2013, 12:56 pm
revenire said:
Israel says Syria should even be handed over to al-Qaeda-linked terrorists if that is the only option to change the government in order to harm Iran.
A top figure in Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Sima Shine, issued a statement on Sunday urging that Israel unconditionally back government change in Syria, no matter who replaces President Bashar Assad, simply to harm Iran.
“Israel’s main strategic threat is Iran, not Syria,” Shine declared, insisting that Israel should base all strategic policies on “what harms Iran”.
Shine rejected any results that would keep Mr. Assad in power, even in the weakest condition after the bloody war, because then “he’d be even more dependent on Iran”.
Shine conceded that this might mean handing Syria over to the al-Qaeda-linked militants, saying that there were “no good options” on Syria but that anything that really stuck it to Iran.
– See more at: http://en.alalam.ir/news/1487577#sthash.chG7sIff.dpuf
June 24th, 2013, 1:06 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ziad
Democracy is what we are working for, there was democracy in Syria in the early 50s, and after Assad we will work hard to re-establish democracy
Revenir
3am tzet wa tolhosh, pure nonsense
Zoo
2adeemeh
June 24th, 2013, 1:23 pm
Ziad said:
AKBAR PALACE #122
“…advocating free elections and rule by the majority (ya’ani “democracy”) is foreign to you,..”
I lived in Germany, Australia, Canada & the US, ya’ni democracy is not foreign to me. In the US I see democracy failing miserably and frankly my dear I am not impressed with a democracy that has been hijacked by AIPAC, and big money interests, while high unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, 16 trillion dollars dept, and two military interventions, many are itching for the US to fight Israel’s third war in the middle East, again on credit card. My sun and his sun will have to pay it back.
You might know that the major point of contention between the Syrian government and the opposition is that Bashar Al-Assad stands as a candidate in a free and supervised election in 2014. In my Wikipedia it can’t get any more democratic than this.
Now let me check your IQ by asking you the following question:
Why is the opposition refusing to agree?
June 24th, 2013, 1:26 pm
revenire said:
LOL
June 24th, 2013, 1:40 pm
revenire said:
Majed please, last week you said this terrorist Assir – the one the Lebanese army has caught in a trap – was going to destroy Hezbollah. This sectarian cannibal-supporter went to Syria to kill Syrians. He is one of yours and if they arrest him many Syrians will celebrate.
Rejoice brother!
June 24th, 2013, 1:43 pm
Ziad said:
MAJEDKHALDOUN
“we will work hard to re-establish democracy”
The Imperial We is very cute.
Democracy fought for by Salafi/Wahhabi jihadists and financed by KSA and Qatar. If you say so.
June 24th, 2013, 1:43 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
14 ألف مقاتل من حزب الله في سوريا، قتل منهم 1092
14000 criminal from HA, a branch of barbarian persians,they sustained 1092 death,most in Qusair
Revenir
You are lying
June 24th, 2013, 1:52 pm
revenire said:
Brother I never lie.
June 24th, 2013, 2:11 pm
revenire said:
1100 Hezbollah deaths in Qusayr? LOL brother is cannabis legal for medicinal purposes in Colorado?
June 24th, 2013, 2:19 pm
annie said:
This is up the regime’s street; found on fb thru Reinette Arnulf
“Jim C. Kubik
URGENT: 23-06-2013: There are credible reports that the regime’s media outlets are preparing videos and pictures purporting to show ‘Islamist fighters’ and ‘militants’ (actually regime personnel in ‘Islamist’ attire) carrying sophisticated weapons, which are to be distributed to Western media in order to persuade the Western public of the dangers of equipping the opposition with sophisticated weaponry. Please share this in order to help raise awareness of this latest propaganda campaign by the regime.
علمت صفحة الثورة السورية أنّ العصابة تقوم بتحضير فلم يُظهر مقاتلين بزي إسلامي، وأنّهم ينتمون إلى تنظيمات متشددة، يعلنون فيه أن أسلحة نوعية قد وصلت إلى إيديهم، بحيث يتم استخدام هذا الفلم في الإعلام الغربي لإظهار خطر دعم الثورة السورية بأسلحة نوعية..
علمت صفحة الثورة السورية أنّ العصابة تقوم بتحضير فلم يُظهر مقاتلين بزي إسلامي، وأنّهم ينتمون إلى تنظيمات متشددة، يعلنون فيه أن أسلحة نوعية قد وصلت إلى إيديهم، بحيث يتم استخدام هذا الفلم في الإعلام الغربي لإظهار خطر دعم الثورة السورية بأسلحة نوعية
June 24th, 2013, 2:29 pm
revenire said:
Don’t they have sophisticated weapons Annie? Just go check out the Brown Moses blog and I am sure you will see the weapons.
You are in favor of arming Al-Qaeda. I am not.
June 24th, 2013, 2:58 pm
zoo said:
The rumor is that the ‘honorable” Sheikh al Assir escaped from the mosque in Saida disguised as a woman, probably wearing false breasts and high heels under the niqab hiding his beard.
That’s the glorious martyrdom he is looking for?
June 24th, 2013, 3:14 pm
revenire said:
Ha ha typical of these cowards.
June 24th, 2013, 3:24 pm
zoo said:
Reve
There is no doubts that the weapons the panicking KSA and Qatar are sending to Syria are ending up in Al Nusra hands.
Selim Idriss’s militias are amateurs, he said it himself. They may soon find themselves squeezed by both the SAA and the Al Nusra experienced fighters.
June 24th, 2013, 3:24 pm
mjabali said:
Did anyone saw the video of how the Sunni Egyptian killed the 4 Shia?
June 24th, 2013, 3:29 pm
Mina said:
Mjabali,
The video is in the alakhbar english article. I have no guts to watch it.
June 24th, 2013, 3:33 pm
zoo said:
>While UK and France are still pushing in words for a military solution, the EU declares that its priority is a political settlement. Austria: No weapons to be sent to the rebels.
Ashton says EU united on political solution for Syria
24/06/2013 | 10:15 PM | World News
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2318719&Language=en
(KUNA) — EU High Representative Catherine Ashton Monday reiterated that the Syrian crisis should be resolved through a political process and that efforts are being made to hold the Geneva II conference.
“First of all I wanted to reiterate how united we remain in our belief that the crisis in Syria needs a political process and needs to be solved through negotiations,” she told a press conference after the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg this evening.
“That is why huge efforts have been made to help, support and facilitate the planned ‘Geneva II’ peace conference,” she noted.
The ministers also discussed the Middle East Peace Process. “We fully support the current efforts of the United States in support of the resumption of negotiations and we welcome very much their involvement and the engagement of (US) Secretary of State John Kerry,” she added.
On his part Michael Spindelegger , Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs, told reporters after the meeting that “We have not discussed Syria in detail.” “I believe that we should not allow under any means (of) arms delivery to Syria. I am in principle against arms delivery to Syria no matter to which side, this would only lead to an escalation and not to peace,” he added. (end) nk.bs KUNA 242215 Jun 13NNNN
June 24th, 2013, 3:34 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali,
Yes. It is criminal and barbaric. And those who did it should receive capital punishment while those who cheered should be imprisoned.
While I absolutely give no excuse to the perpetrators , I believe HA and IRG fighting in Syria has unraveled hatred that we must extinguish ASAP otherwise river of shiaa snd Sunni blood will flow in the ME. And while Nasrallah getting fatter, many will die in vein.
It is very sad.
June 24th, 2013, 3:37 pm
Juergen said:
Last week I had a peek view of an inspiring exhibition unfolding, if you are in London, make a visit.
#withoutwords exhibition of emerging Syrian artists in London
starting June 27th
Syrian art smuggled from the midst of civil war to show in London
The exhibition #withoutwords: Emerging Syrian Artists features artists who remain in Syria under threat of persecution
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/22/syria-art-smuggled-exhibition-london-uk
June 24th, 2013, 3:37 pm
zoo said:
If the “Gang of 11” starts arming the rebels with heavy weapons, Russia will fell compelled to fulfill its contractual obligations with the Syrian Army and deliver 36 Yak-130
Syria’s Yaks await political decision
Jeremy Binnie, London – IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly
23 June 2013
http://www.janes.com/article/23512/syria-s-yaks-await-political-decision
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) has constructed the airframes for some of the Yak-130 advanced jet trainers ordered by Syria, but their delivery depends on an unspecified political decision, an unidentified Russian official told RIA Novosti on 20 June.
“They are standing outside the factory waiting for a political decision,” the official, who was part of the Russian delegation at the Paris Air Show, told the news agency. “If a positive decision is made, the maker’s specialists will install the engines and avionics, and the planes will be delivered to the customer.”
In January 2012, the Russian business daily newspaper Kommersant reported that a source close to the state arms export organisation Rosoboronexport had said that Syria had signed a USD550 million contract for 36 Yak-130s.
June 24th, 2013, 3:43 pm
SimoHurtta said:
125. majedkhaldoun said:
Ziad
Democracy is what we are working for, there was democracy in Syria in the early 50s, and after Assad we will work hard to re-establish democracy
Well Majedkhaldoun considering the low approval rate your opinions in general get in this blog’s comment section, are you sure democracy is the right choise for your “side”? You seem to get most of your thumbs up votes from Israel and Israel supporters and thumbs down by exile Syrians. Not a very good start for candidate in future Syrian elections. Better changes in elections in Israel, but your handicap is wrong religion. And in Saudi Arabia you do not need to worry about elections.
One must be a real optimist if one believes, that militias of authoritarian religious cults and financed by kingdoms which rulers do not even understand what democracy means, would voluntary disarm themselves, organize elections and honour results.
June 24th, 2013, 3:44 pm
revenire said:
Juergen do you know if anyone drew any art of cannibals eating soldiers? Or is that not part of the story of Syria? How about any art of Nusra raping Syrian women or beheading people? How about art of Idriss begging for weapons to kill more Syrians? Or is this just more garbage propaganda (like your Kafranbel 300 person ‘newspaper’)?
June 24th, 2013, 3:46 pm
zoo said:
Tara
I wonder who had a tough week. Sabra has stopped yelling. Now it is Idriss who is yelling. No wonder, the EU and the USA are starting to realize they are fighting a lost cause. Neither the divided Syrian opposition nor the amateurish and heavily polluted armed rebels can ever stand up to the strong and united Syrian government and the Syrian Army, with or without delivery of weapons.
More tough and humiliating weeks to come for both Selim Idriss and Sabra.
June 24th, 2013, 3:59 pm
zoo said:
#142 Juergen
I have noticed that the West just loves artists ‘threatened of persecution’, even if they are bad artists.
June 24th, 2013, 4:05 pm
Mina said:
Crocodile tears of 141 won’t dupe anyone here. You have spend a whole week joining the calls for lynching Shiites, just re-read your posts. How do you want on one side to allow Salafi sheikhs the type of sectarian incitement as we have witnessed in the latest months in Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt, and claim now that the perpetrators should be put in jail? When the Saudi and Qatari dogs aka religious authorities can only go to Egypt to bark and spread the hate they are not allowed to in KSA and Qatar, but are paid to go and say anywhere it fits the political agenda of these countries? Please quote a single speech of Hizbollah (“HA” as you like to call them) where they play on sectarianism and call for hatred towards Sunnis and say any minority represent a danger and an heretic deviation. I bet you won’t find one. Eveybody in the Middle East know that without the Iranian advisors, Gaza would not have resisted against the Israelis during the 2006 war. At the time, Qatari and Turkish media was giving Iran as the example to follow for the Arab world. How much did it cost this time to have them change their view?
By the way, must read by V. and J. Wilson
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/23/nsa-intelligence-industrial-complex-abuse
June 24th, 2013, 4:07 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
SimoHurtta
Most likely I understand democracy more than you, because of my long experience, for you to take SC blog as an example, is more than ridiculous, some has more than one moniker, so voting is false, Zoo has three monikers,Ziad has two monikers.
Further to consider me salafist is just as stupid, I am True Moslem, but I have called for re interpretation of Quraan on numerous times,only stupid people think of me as radical.
The Syrian revolution is not radical one, FSA number 150,000 the radicals are 4-5 thousand, at the end the fSA will win,KSA and Qattar are against Al Qa-eda, however Nusra front has not committed terrorist actions in Syria, we differ from them,but welcome their help in removal your Idol,the tyrant,member of the barbarian persians,Barbarian persians are worse than Al Nusra,and you and Zoo and Revenir are worshipper of This tyrant, you don’t deserve to rule in democratic Syria.
June 24th, 2013, 4:19 pm
Dawoud said:
11. AKBAR PALACE said:
“Dawoud,
A Palestinian militia is fighting for Assad. I guesss Palestinians are not united against the regime. FYI.”
Yes, if you think that less than 5% of Palestinians mean a majority! Heck, you can’t even find 100% of Alawis supporting the Alawi Bashar! As to the Palestinians who are now fighting in Syria with murderous dictator, they are mostly associated with the terrorist Ahmad Jibril and his “General Command.” Jibril has for long time been a tool for the Syrian Mukhabarat (intelligence). Hafez al-Assad used him during the Lebanese Civil War to fight Yasser Arafat and the PLO. Instead of killing Palestinians directly (and Hafez did this on a few occasions), Hafez al-Assad preferred to hide behind his Palestinian tools or agents. Robert Fisk still believes that the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103 was carried out, not by Libya (although Mo’ammr al-Qadhafi was bloody dictator), but by Iran. The story, according to Robert Fisk (and I find him convincing) was that Iran had wanted to retaliate for the 1987 downing of an Iranian passenger plane above the Arab Gulf by the U.s. navy, which the United States declared was accidental. Iran sought the help of its Syrian ally, the murderous/killer Hafez al-Assad, who ordered his “Palestinian” agent Ahmad Jibril to carry out the attack. Now, this explanation was being investigated by the Untied States and Britain until August of 1991, which was when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Then, President George H. W. Bush wanted and “Arab cover” for “Desert Shield” and later “Desert Storm,” which was provided by the deployment of Syrian and Egyptian troops to Saudi Arabia in opposition to Saddam. President Bush himself traveled to Geneva to meet with Hafez al-Assad, which surely meant that the Pan Am 103 investigation had to take another track. Libya’s al-Qadhafi became a very convenient and easy “scapegoat,” particularly given his anti-U.S. terrorist attacks in Europe (for example, the West Berlin terrorist attack on a nightclub visited by American soldiers).
Therefore, don’t be surprised to find that the Syrian regime is benefiting from the services of Palestinian terrorists like Jibril, especially because they are the same Palestinians that the regime have always used to kill other Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon!
Free Syria, Free Lebanon, Free Palestine!
June 24th, 2013, 4:19 pm
revenire said:
Too late brother – we already rule Syria.
June 24th, 2013, 4:25 pm
zoo said:
Happy post-revolution days continue in Egypt
Was Morsy’s elected on forged results
Shafiq vs Morsi redux: Egypt Court to rule on 2012 presidential poll results
An appeal by Ahmed Shafiq, the runner-up in last year’s presidential elections, could have major ramifications if it is successful
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/74849/Egypt/Politics-/Shafiq-vs-Morsi-redux-Egypt-Court-to-rule-on–pres.aspx
Shafiq’s lawyer Shawky El-Sayed, who filed the appeal on behalf of his client who currently resides in the UAE, claims that the election results were forged.
El-Sayed filed a previous complaint about violations.
This case is currently being investigated by the general prosecution, and a committee of experts was delegated to look into El-Sayed’s submissions.
Last year, media reports circulated claiming that Morsi’s campaign used Amiri printing company to print special voting ballots which showed Morsi already selected from the list of candidates.
El-Sayed claims that he has documents proving these reports.
June 24th, 2013, 4:25 pm
zoo said:
Majed
“Nusra front has not committed terrorist actions in Syria”
They have only sending suicide bombers to throw flowers.
That’s why the USA and the EU considers them a terrorist group
June 24th, 2013, 4:37 pm
Tara said:
Sunni Mina,
I read the first line of your post and stopped as usual .
Although I have an extreme willpower, I can’t force myself reading a Shiaa or a Copt pretending to be Sunni and never expressing the slightest of emotions towards slaughtered children because the were born Sunni. You on my book belong to the ” hardly a massacre ” crowed.
Please do not bother with me. I have nothing but profound contempt to hardly a massacre crowed. I do not enjoy thinking or expressing negative emotion and I am for often forced to do so. Please spare me.
June 24th, 2013, 4:37 pm
Tara said:
Zoo @ 146
I do not share your opinion. The armed struggle was at the verge of annihilation until Obama authorized lethal aid. The rebels know they will not receive enough weapons that will lead to overwhelming military victory and therefore they know they must work harder to unit and to accept the preservation of the state institutions albeit in a reformed fashion.
This in my opinion had been the best month for the revolution ever as a good strategy is planned to preserve the country. Remember our goal is freedom and dignity for all. We the ordinary Syrians are unlike the supporters not interested in a Pyrrhic victory.
June 24th, 2013, 4:53 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Tara
I quit reading Mina comments long time ago
June 24th, 2013, 4:57 pm
zoo said:
It’s folly for the West to try to shape Syria’s future
June 25, 2013
The old Middle East order is collapsing and this time outsiders should stand back.
To understand what is happening in Syria, look at a map of the Middle East. Today it is still very much the way it was drawn a nearly a century ago by an Englishman and a Frenchman. During the First World War, Mark Sykes and Francois Georges Picot sat down together and divided up what was left of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire between their countries.
….
So the people of Syria are caught up in something much bigger and more complex than the overthrow of a dictator. They are suffering the collapse of the political order not just in their own country, but in their wider region. And there is little the rest of the world can do to help them.
Barack Obama clearly understands this. The recently announced decision to supply arms to those fighting Assad was extremely cautious and limited, and served only to underline how determined he is to avoid any serious commitment in Syria. In this he is certainly correct. There is no reason to believe that any level of US – or wider Western – involvement would offer a credible chance of establishing a stable, effective government in Syria, and any serious attempt would carry truly immense costs and risks.
The surprising thing is that after Iraq and Afghanistan so many people still assume the opposite. They take it for granted that America and its friends have the power to determine the futures of other countries and regions with little effort and cost. This is a fantasy based on a very serious misunderstanding of the nature and extent of Western power.
The reality is that if the Sykes-Picot order in the Middle East is indeed collapsing, there is nothing outsiders can do to save it, or to shape what follows. That is up to the people of the Middle East themselves.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/its-folly-for-the-west-to-try-to-shape-syrias-future-20130624-2osoo.html#ixzz2XAZJS0ut
June 24th, 2013, 4:58 pm
SimoHurtta said:
149. majedkhaldoun said:
SimoHurtta
Most likely I understand democracy more than you, because of my long experience, for you to take SC blog as an example,
Majedkhaldoun I really do not categorize you as a radical. Well I do as a Middle age style “radical” and a religious extremist. I have a rather long experience in political activities in a real functioning multi-party democracy. One thing I have learned by experience is that people with a very narrow, extreme and over-strong religious conviction are the worst democrats, no matter are they Christians, Jews or Muslims, because they do not want to share any power with others who they think and treat as inferiors. Could a person like you share power with those you call barbarians and have a slightly different interoperation of your religion? Reading your comments only one conclusion is possible. No you can not and you will not.
June 24th, 2013, 5:03 pm
zoo said:
#154 Tara
You have your way of turning obvious failures to ‘victories’
The opposition is cornered and in decomposition. They have not elected a “president”, Al Khatib has gone into oblivion, Sabra is suspiciously silent and PM Hitto has just disappeared taking with him the illusion of the ‘Rebel-areas government”.
It’s been a long time they lost their ‘freedom and dignity’. They are just the puppets of the “Gang of 11”. They spend more time begging than trying to unite. Their credibility is at all time low.
Yet they must be comforted that some expat like you still believe in them. I think what you are doing is very commendable and you should continue. They’ll need all the cheers you can give them.
June 24th, 2013, 5:10 pm
zoo said:
Turkey and Jordan are openly accomplices in delivering of deadly ‘Libyans’ weapons to Syrian rebels
Syrian rebels to receive weapons in ‘few days’
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-rebels-to-receive-weapons-in-few-days.aspx?pageID=238&nid=49405&NewsCatID=352
Syria’s main opposition group the Syrian National Coalition’s (SNC) has said that they are expecting to receive arms from the northern and southern borders in a few days, without referring directly to Turkey, following the Friends of Syria group’s decision to give military support to rebels amid warnings from Damascus and Russia.
“There are two borders which we can get arms from: One of them is in the north and the other is in the south. As we cannot get arms from Lebanon where Hezbollah forces are deployed and Iraq, we expect to receive them either from the northern or the southern border,” Khaled Khoja, the group’s Turkey representative, told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
June 24th, 2013, 5:17 pm
SimoHurtta said:
155. majedkhaldoun said:
Tara
I quit reading Mina comments long time ago
Majedkhaldou in creating a real democracy you have to listen to others opinions even the opinions in your mind are “wrong”. In creating a Caliphate listening is not so important, swords and guns do the talking.
I really hope that people will read your opinions. Then democracy in Syria has a slight chance, because in them people will see glimpses of what is the future if the religious extremists win.
June 24th, 2013, 5:23 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Simo
You still can not comprehend what I said, there are good Shiaa, Tofili, Amin, Abdulhamid Beidhon, etc. but those Barbaric Persians are the same or even worse than Al Qaeda,how would you justify working with criminals, no, they are traitors, would you work with traitors, no, many has been indoctrinated in a deceiving way, they can be corrected, but to tell me that I am not willing to work and cooperate with all Shiaa, you are considering the bad and good, togather, no,you are wrong, only the barbarian persians that I am against, do not generalized.
I crticize Shia religion,they want to take revenge for the killing of Hussein, but not for the killing of Ali, because they themselves killed Ali,they changed Quraan,they fast differently,they pray different, they lie(dissimulation), they believe in Mutaa marriage, I point out to these diferences, but what I am against is Persia always want to dominate Syria, this is long before Islam, they are barbarians,and Nasrallah is their puppet he sweared alegiance to Persia, so I have to attack him.
June 24th, 2013, 5:24 pm
zoo said:
Sarkozy, Hillary Clinton and HBJ who repeatedly called on Bashar al Assad to step down are now out. Who is next? Morsi?
Report: Qatar’s emir plans to step down for son
http://news.yahoo.com/report-qatars-emir-plans-step-down-son-164226028.html
…..
The emir is expected to make a nationwide address Tuesday.
While no immediate policy changes would be expected under the crown prince, a possible transition could include the departure of Sheik Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, the country’s highly influential prime minister and foreign minister. He has played a central role in expanding Qatar’s international clout since 1995, when the emir took power in a bloodless coup against his father. His resignation would allow the crown prince to immediately put his stamp on key positions in the government.
June 24th, 2013, 5:27 pm
revenire said:
Majed you strike me as a barbarian. I wonder if you are on some sort of terror list?
June 24th, 2013, 5:36 pm
Uzair8 said:
Citizen
LOL.
June 24th, 2013, 5:51 pm
Uzair8 said:
Dear Altair
After reading your comment my immediate decison was that I would share it elsewhere. It was good to read (and be reminded of) some hometruths. Truth resonates and gains traction whilst falsehood (lies/propaganda) doesn’t (thought it may have a temporary effect).
June 24th, 2013, 5:56 pm
Uzair8 said:
Can the Syrian Rebels Prevail in Aleppo?
21 June 2013
Sophisticated weapons from Syria and Qatar are now arriving in Syria for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA). The rebels are being supported as they look to fend off any attempts by regime forces to regain control of Aleppo.
[…]
June 24th, 2013, 5:59 pm
revenire said:
Alaa Ebrahim shared شبكة اخبار المزة 86 M86.n.n’s photo.
2 hours ago via mobile ·
Pic of the obituary of the three years old who was killed in car bomb attack on Mezzeh neighborhood #Damascus #Syria
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=507881599284708&set=a.410873945652141.96529.410814808991388&type=1&ref=nf
دارة وكادر عمل شبكة اخبار المزة 86 M86.n.n
واهالي المزة 86 واهالي القرداحة
نزف اليكم الشهيد البطل
الـــطفل لم يكمل بعد الثلاثة اعوام
ـــــــــ حيدرة علاء عيسى ــــــ
ابن القرداحة وابن المزة 86 الذي استشهد البارحة بالتفجير الارهابي الجبان الذي ضرب المزة 86
للشهيد الرحمة ولذويه الصبر والسلوان
June 24th, 2013, 6:09 pm
Uzair8 said:
Hussain AbdulHussain @hahussain 23 Jun
Anyone fighting Assad and Hezbollah tyranny is a hero. Anyone fighting Assad and Hezbollah because their Shia is a criminal like them.
June 24th, 2013, 6:55 pm
revenire said:
Is Abdul-Hussain with March 14? He used to work for the US government at Alhura. At any rate, his positions are aligned with March 14. Ask him about the salafists that shot the Lebanese army soldiers.
June 24th, 2013, 7:09 pm
Ziad said:
ZOO #151
I don’t get it. I read that Hizbullah helped Morsi escape prison. His gratitude is hatered and enmity!!!.
June 24th, 2013, 7:10 pm
zoo said:
Syrians rebels among the Al Assir fighters in Saida
Hezbollah fighters report killing Syrians ( fighters) in fierce battle in Lebanon’s Sidon
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/24/194812/hezbollah-fighters-report-killing.html#storylink=cpy
The fighting was surprisingly fierce, considering that Assir’s followers were thought to have limited military skills. One Islamist leader from Sidon said the group had been stockpiling arms for the past two months with the support of Sunni Persian Gulf nations, which also have been arming the anti-Assad rebels in Syria.
“His men have been storing weapons for two months with money given to them by Qatar,” said Sheikh Maher Hammoud, a conservative Sunni cleric who has a close relationship with Shiite Hezbollah. Hammoud said a few dozen radical Sunni Islamists from the Palestinian camp had bolstered Assir’s military capability.
June 24th, 2013, 7:37 pm
Tara said:
Zoo, 158
Our definition of victory is very different.
To the Assad’s supporters, victory is keeping him in power even on top of burned land, trail of bodies and subjugated enslaved majority. It is about the man.
To ordinary Syrians. Alkhareeb Hitto, Sabra, Idriss, AlQaidi all are unimportant. The revolution is a movement to bring the country to democracy, freedom and dignity. Individual people do not matter. Names come and goes. People are remembered and measures in term of how the helped us succeed. It is not about a one man.
Hence, what has happened, arming the revolution to create a balance of power on the ground is one step that brings us to our victory.
That is how I see it.
June 24th, 2013, 7:41 pm
zoo said:
#170 Ziad
Do you expect Moslem Brotherhood capable of gratitude. They are revengeful and power-greedy opportunists. I just hope they won’t fool the Egyptians for long.
June 24th, 2013, 7:43 pm
Ilya said:
Syrian Rebel Commander Ahmad ‘Issa: Iran Will Always Be Our No. 1 Enemy, Syrian People Will Decide about Israel
http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3882.htm
Pretty interesting interview with the commander of Syrian Suqur Al-Sham brigade
Hee talks about what kind of democratic islmic future he wants to bring to Syria.
June 24th, 2013, 7:52 pm
zoo said:
#172 Tara
Bashar al Assad has declared that the Geneva conference’s aim is to bring peace and create a democratic national unity government to share power. The leaderless opposition wants revenge and absolute power under the umbrella of the worst non democratic countries in the region.
Just see what happened to Egypt, Libya, Yemen..
You idealist and lyrical view of the “revolution” bringing ‘freedom and dignity’ while the impotent opposition is begging 11 countries for help is really weird.
I wonder why sort of ‘dignity’ you are talking about, becoming the puppet of KSA, Qatar and the USA?
Thank you… Keep it for you, Syrians don’t want that.
June 24th, 2013, 7:53 pm
zoo said:
Israel’s wet dream
The Fall of Hezbollah’s Leader
by Ronen Bergman
(Ronen Bergman is a senior correspondent for military and intelligence affairs at Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli daily, and a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine.)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-24/the-fall-of-hezbollah-s-leader.html
…
Nasrallah had his own Arab Spring dream — taking control of Lebanon without resorting to arms and turning it into an Islamic state that leaned on a Shiite majority but also guaranteed the welfare of all its citizens. It was to serve as a beacon of Islamic success in the Middle East. Instead he will end up as a deceitful Iranian puppet who cares for the narrow interests of a small group and helps a dictator butcher his own people.
June 24th, 2013, 7:58 pm
Uzair8 said:
Last night was the blessed night of Shab-e-Baraat. Many Syrians will have supplicated aplenty at night and observed a fast during the following day.
We await the spiritual consequences. InshaAllah.
Also, it means the blessed month of Ramadan is about 15 days away. It could be a very significant month and a very draining one for the regime.
Will there be intervention before Ramadan? Unlikely. Intervention in Ramadan would also probably be even more unlikely unless there were very serious developments.
June 24th, 2013, 8:02 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
The Assad regime is barbaric, what else you call such regime that killed 200,000 destroyed All Syria, bombs artillaries Scud missiles,guns ,and persian because this regime and HA and Iraqi militia are financed by Persia, and supplied militarily and politically by Persia.
So Revenir, you have to agree to the term barbaric Persians, and you and Zoo support this barbarism by persia.
What did HA achieved after Qusair,nothing, infact all the news are telling us that with arming the FSA we expect some achievements by FSA in the next few weeks,that is why Muallem is calling for Geneve2 in his press conference today,the opposition will not go now till they achieve victories, then the regime will change his mind.
June 24th, 2013, 8:02 pm
zoo said:
Syria still faces an uncertain future
Updated: 2013-06-25 06:59
By Liu Yueqin ( China Daily)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2013-06/25/content_16654196.htm
…
The 2012 Geneva communique calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers, made up of members of the Syrian government and the opposition and other groups as part of agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition.
But the US and the EU don’t seem prepared to honor this.
…
The international community, therefore, cannot expect much from talks. The efforts made by the US and Russia to resolve the Syrian crisis politically show the former is reluctant to resort to military means, which is a positive sign. The problem is that the US and Russia alone cannot resolve the crisis and the international community can do very little to restore permanent peace in Syria.
…
Too many obstacles have to be overcome to organize an international conference on Syria, especially because the two parties at war, as well as the two great powers acting as mediators are unwilling to compromise. All this does not abode well for the Syrian people who have been undergoing untold sufferings for the past more than two years.
The author is a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies, affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
June 24th, 2013, 8:05 pm
Uzair8 said:
test
June 24th, 2013, 8:07 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Zoo
You are not Arabic Syrian when you call the Arabic gulf persian gulf,shame on you
June 24th, 2013, 8:10 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
No one believes what Bashar says. He has not done a single measure of reform and will not relinquish an ounce of power unless he is forced too. Whatever he says would only convince his supporters. The rest of the world doesn’t buy anything he says. Unless there is balance of power, no real solution can be achieved.
Additionally, I find it ironic when supporters start taking about the opposition being a puppet to Qatar and KSA, while the regime they are defending is an Iranian puppet. Do you think one puppet is at higher ground than another puppet? Sorry, the puppet argument does not work for me.
And by the way, I like what is happening in Egypt. It is democracy at its glory. The people have spoken… The MB were elected fair and square. They are trying to rule and appears to be failing. The next election will probably fail them and new government will take place. I watch the Egyptians on TV and no one, absolutely no one hesitates to badmouth Morsi and plot to bring him down. Yet those same people cursing at Morsi go hone intact, not raped, not tortured, not killed… I truly envy them!
June 24th, 2013, 8:11 pm
Uzair8 said:
The following was posted on Yalla Souriya over an hour ago. I hope it reflects the ‘espirit de corps’ amongst the regime forces generally.
leeh786
WE JUST CAPTURED AN ASSAD SOLIDER!! He is here with me right now!
The b*st#rd was abandoned by his fellow fighters after they tried entering our area under the cover of darkness. #Daraa #Syria
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/leeh786-we-just-captured-an-assad-solider-he/
June 24th, 2013, 8:11 pm
Ziad said:
Graphic 18 Syrian girls beheaded by FSA
I dont know what to say since I feel much anger. So sad to see what FSA has done to Syrian children. It was too hard for me to watch this video so I couldnt watch the entire video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZokV4BEYg4
June 24th, 2013, 8:15 pm
AMEERA said:
الله يئطع ايدين يلي أطع هالبنت
لك الله لا يوفكن كلكم يا بجم يا نور يا ارزال
لك يا ويلكم من الله كل هادا مشان الكرسي لك تفو عليكم و على كل واحد بدو الكرسي
ما عرفانة شو احكيلا بس بدي غنيلا بلكي بتنام و بتفيق بعالم ما فيو جهاد ولا مجاهدين ولا مغتصبين اطفال ولا حيوانات جنسية ولا تعدد زوجات ولا أتل على الهوية و اللهجة ولا مشايخ بتبعت الناس ليئتلونا و بيطلعوا على بريطانيا ليعرصوا بعدين
امي نامي يا صغيرة… تانغفى عا لحاصيري
نامي عالعتيمي تا تنزاح الغيمي… ويصير عنا ضو كبير
يضوي عا كل الجيري…
نامي نامي يا صغيري… تانغفى عا لحاصيري
بكرة بيك جاي… حامل غلت الليمون
بيجبلك تنورة وشال… تاتدفي في كانون
يا زغطورة الحندقة… شعرك أسود ومنقى
واللي حبك بيبوسك… والبغضك شو بيترقى
نامي نامي يا صغيري…تانغفى عا لحاصيري
نامي عالعتيمي تا تنزاح الغيمي… ويصير عنا ضو كبير
يضوي عا كل الجيري…
نامي نامي يا صغيري… تانغفى عا لحاصيري
June 24th, 2013, 8:26 pm
Ziad said:
Arrest warrants issued against Sheikh Assir and 123 of his partisans
https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/101733/LBCI-News
June 24th, 2013, 8:27 pm
AMEERA said:
بدكم حوريات بالجنة لك الهي لا تشموا ريحة الجنة و يطلعلكم ابو بريص من جهنم و ينام معكم يا مرضى الجنس و الشهوة انتو. كل واحد حامل قرفوا و شاطة ريالتو وبس بدو يسبي السوريات لك تفو على كل زلمة سوري ما فيو نخوة اصلن انتو مو رجال وانتو عم تتفرجوا شو عم يصير فينا روحوا انتفوا هالشعر يلي بوجكم احسنلكم و يلا و جاهدوا بالمناكحة يلا قليلين الضمير و الناموس
June 24th, 2013, 8:36 pm
revenire said:
I could not watch them with the little girls either. I hate the FSA.
June 24th, 2013, 8:45 pm
zoo said:
Tara
OK.
June 24th, 2013, 8:52 pm
Tara said:
How sad!
The Fall of Hezbollah’s Leader
Even if the conniving Nasrallah, with Iran’s support, holds on as head of his extremist Shiite organization for a long time to come, his principal goal — to become a pan-Arab and Lebanese leader — is now unattainable. The man who for some time was seen as Israel’s main strategic enemy has, with his own hands, buried his accomplishments.
…
For a number of years, Nasrallah was considered, according to polls, the most popular of all Arab leaders: a man who says what he means, isn’t corrupt like the tyrants and oil sultans, and who can defy Israel and defeat it.
In Israel, opinion was divided over whether he was merely an Iranian proxy on the Israeli northern border or an authentic Lebanese politician acting ultimately in his own best interests and not those of Tehran. This is a relevant question in the debate over how Hezbollah would react the day after an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear project.
The eruption of the war in Syria made things clearer — Nasrallah is, after all, more of an Iranian representative in Lebanon than a Lebanese statesman. Nasrallah would certainly be happy if the past two years in his career could be erased, a period in which he either came to the rescue of his ally in Damascus or was dragged into the conflict. If, initially, Nasrallah believed it was possible to save Assad’s regime, he hasn’t been convinced of this for a while, according to intelligence sources. Nevertheless, he followed Iran’s orders in full and sent thousands of his best fighters to assist Syria’s Alawite regime.
Israel couldn’t have hoped for a greater miracle. The fighting has not only weakened the Syrian army, the strongest that Israel faces, and significantly eroded Hezbollah’s operational power. It has also completely shattered Nasrallah’s image. He used to justify the Hezbollah militia’s existence, alongside the legitimate Lebanese army, by saying its role was to battle Israel. Now he is sending it to assist in the massacre of Sunnis by a bloodthirsty regime.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-24/the-fall-of-hezbollah-s-leader.html
June 24th, 2013, 8:58 pm
Sami said:
Ziad,
What sense is there in posting something that Bashar has committed and lying as if it is in fact the FSA that has done that act? Other than of course to propagandize… Shameful!
http://www.therevoltingsyrian.com/post/31732603020/horrific-amongst-the-dead-bodies-in-the
What’s next you posting that Houla was committed by Ninja Jihadist, oh right you have done that already!
June 24th, 2013, 9:01 pm
Ilya said:
Majeed
Its Persian Gulf,Persian,Persian Gulf!!!!
All these oil money will never change, rename history name of mankind its always been Persian,Rich Arabs countries will never erase history,by bribing the west.
tra lalla ….
June 24th, 2013, 9:02 pm
Tara said:
Sami,
Can’t watch the links in their entireties to judge for myself. Please tell me, the link Ziad posted was a murder committee by the regime and he is making it sound like done by the FSA?
June 24th, 2013, 9:09 pm
Sami said:
Dear Ziad,
Here are a few more girls that had their head decapitated by the barbaric act of targeting civilian areas with mortars, barrel bombs and SCUD missiles by the Assadi militia for you to recycle and pretend it was the FSA that has done it:
http://www.therevoltingsyrian.com/post/40844264440/graphic-another-little-girl-is-decapitated
http://www.therevoltingsyrian.com/post/40767544442/horrific-this-is-what-bashar-al-assad-is
http://www.therevoltingsyrian.com/post/39663424055/yet-another-headless-child-decapitated-by-assads
http://www.therevoltingsyrian.com/post/33304213618/disturbing-awful-an-injured-boy-shot-in
June 24th, 2013, 9:12 pm
zoo said:
The virus that the Syrians rebels have invited in their womb and fed with the money of the GCC is now infiltrating neighboring countries.
June 24th, 2013, 9:12 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
ziad
You reached such a low level, those kids were killed by Bashar if you watched the video you will hear that these crimes are Bashar crimes, and yet you change the story to blame the FSA, watch the video again you will see who did it, stop lying , stop changing stories, be honest once in your life
June 24th, 2013, 9:14 pm
Ziad said:
SAMI
“The Regime did it” is a broken record that has been played too many times. Only fools and cerebrally challenged buy it.
You can believe what you want; I am not going to argue with you. I don’t care.
June 24th, 2013, 9:15 pm
Sami said:
…
June 24th, 2013, 9:19 pm
Sami said:
Tara,
The link is of Fatima Meghlaj, the little girl wearing the blue dress that had her house blown up from an airstrike in September of last year in Kafr Owied.
She had her head decapitated from the airstrike, and sadly she is not the first one. What I find disgusting is the cheap method that regimist try to hide the crimes committed in their name and slither and connive of ways to deflect the blame from themselves.
It is not like there is a lack of opposition crimes for them to paste on here, this is just another example of how disgustingly low they can be. They won’t ever condemn these crimes unless they can blame it on someone else or else they will cheer it as “cleanup and disinfection”.
June 24th, 2013, 9:21 pm
zoo said:
Majed
Oh yes, the Sunni Arab countries on the Gulf are persecuted by National Geographic and worldwide geographical societies and media that keep referring to the Gulf as the Persian Gulf.
Maybe you can ask some of you al Nusra friends to take care of that.
June 24th, 2013, 9:22 pm
Tara said:
Ziad,
May you be never forgiven if you did this on purpose.
There is no word, absolutely no word to describe this.
June 24th, 2013, 9:22 pm
zoo said:
Tara
Thanks for copying me @176
I just want to add again the name of the author of the article that you conveniently avoided to mention
“The Fall of Hezbollah’s Leader”
by Ronen Bergman
(Ronen Bergman is a senior correspondent for military and intelligence affairs at Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli daily, and a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine.)
June 24th, 2013, 9:27 pm
Sami said:
“I am not going to argue with you. I don’t care”
Of course not, and you would lose because your entire surmise is based on falsehoods being pushed by slithering snakes that have no shame.
Btw if you know Arabic you would hear how the folks around her including HER FATHER are blaming the regime for her death, but hey don’t let facts get in the way of your lies…
June 24th, 2013, 9:29 pm
Sami said:
Sorry Zoo but you are incorrect yet again (What’s new?)
http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2004/11/23/statement-on-persian-gulfarabian-gulf/
June 24th, 2013, 9:34 pm
Ziad said:
SAMI, MAJED, TARA
When I posted the video I watched only 2 seconds of it. I can’t stand violence. I forced myself to watch it to the end. Indeed I heard voices cursing Bashar Al Assad for doing it. I did not change the headings or the quotations. They were picked up from YouTube.
My sincere apologies.
June 24th, 2013, 9:36 pm
zoo said:
After this ‘good week’, Fabius is totally discouraged about Syria’s opposition and western support and prefers to agitate the fear of Iran nuclear capabilities
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/views/242618-us-reticence-on-syria-leaves-vacuum.html
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius did not disguise his pessimism, and his chagrin over the fading fortunes of Syria’s rebel forces when I asked him recently about the Geneva conference the Obama administration still holds out as the one good chance for a solution to the bloody sectarian war.
Fabius was far too diplomatic to attribute the opposition’s abrupt battlefield decline directly to Washington’s hesitant, on-again, off-again support for arming the coalition of aggrieved Syrians, opposition politicians and murderous jihadists fighting to overthrow Bashar Al Assad.
But in the course of an hour-long conversation, Fabius did voice broad concerns about an absence of strong leadership in the West.
And other figures in President Francois Hollande’s Socialist government expressed strong fears that a loss of US credibility in Syria will encourage Iran to intensify its quest for nuclear weapons.
June 24th, 2013, 9:37 pm
zoo said:
Ziad
I have not watched it but remember that dubbing voices coming from people we don’t see on the screen has been a characteristic of Youtube videos on Syria. You should switch the sound off when you watch any video about Syria.
While images can be manipulated too, it is more complicated.
Sound dubbing is very simple and has been used exhaustively to induce the viewer to believe something that isn’t there
June 24th, 2013, 9:44 pm
zoo said:
#204 Sami
Thanks on behalf of Majed for the consolation you are giving him, even as a secondary name in parenthesis. He is in serious need of any token of success.
Anyway, these days everything is for sale.
June 24th, 2013, 9:52 pm
Sami said:
Zoo do you want to see the interview with her father that was done sometime later? You can mute it and read his lip if you want.
I would try to get the message out to the documenters that they should hire a sign language expert to translate everything into sign language so that you could verify its authenticity, but I think you would end up calling the translator a marionette!
Question do you use the same level of scrutiny when it comes to crimes committed by the opposition that are on YouTube?
June 24th, 2013, 9:58 pm
revenire said:
Sami we know who the beheaders are. We know who the cannibals are. Nothing can wash the blood away.
June 24th, 2013, 10:36 pm
don said:
The entire world knows who the be-headers and cannibals are.
Footage Shows Brutal Execution in Aleppo [UPDATED]
http://syriareport.net/footage-shows-brutal-execution-in-aleppo/
June 24th, 2013, 11:25 pm
Ziad said:
Lebanon’s Ahmad al-Assir Phenomenon
Events and developments in Lebanon often conceal or reveal the roles of outside powers. The sudden dramatic rise of the Salafi movement in the last few years in Lebanon is the product of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) funding and manipulation. The sectarian anti-Shia campaign that was unleashed by the House of Saud (and later by Qatar’s House of Thani) required the use and proliferation of various sectarian Salafi voices and clerics. This is why the Saudi (US-approved) campaign to mobilize and agitate the entire Arab region along sectarian lines, had its risks.
It necessitated that declared foes of the US (al-Qaida and its variants) be used toward that end. The US, in Syria and in Lebanon, turned the other way as al-Qaida established networks and raised its flags. In Syria, the US had to declare (belatedly) that al-Nusra Front (but not other fronts and organizations with the same ideology of al-Qaida) as a terrorist organization. All other allies of Nusra in Syria were spared. In Lebanon, the US embassy never raised a voice against the public emergence of Bin Ladenite organizations because they were operating under the umbrella of what Western media dubs as “the pro-Western March 14 coalition.”
The Assir movement may have run its course, but regardless of the outcome of the current showdown in Saida, it won’t go away. It is part of the acute sectarian tensions and conflicts in the region that Saudi Arabia and Qatar have unleashed, all at the behest of the US-Israeli alliance, in order to switch public hostilities from Israel to Iran and the Shia “crescent” – to use the term that Jordan’s king used in a speech that was written for him by one of his many American advisers.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/angry-corner/lebanon%E2%80%99s-ahmad-al-assir-phenomenon
June 24th, 2013, 11:35 pm
AMEERA said:
زياد
الله ينتقم منك انت التاني لك شو انتو وحوش يعني هيك أعدين بالمنتدى وعم تلعبوا بمشاعر الناس. صحيح متل ما بئولوا يا محلا الفص على المرتكي
June 24th, 2013, 11:51 pm
Ziad said:
AMEERA
عندما نشرت لي شريط الفيديو لم أشاهد سوى 2 ثانية منه. أنا لا يمكن أن يقف العنف. أنا أجبر نفسي على مشاهدته حتى النهاية. بالفعل سمعت أصوات شتم بشار الأسد لفعل ذلك. لم أكن تغيير عناوين أو الاقتباسات. تم التقاطها من موقع يوتيوب.
خالص الاعتذار.
June 25th, 2013, 12:00 am
majedkhaldoun said:
أميركا ترد على المعلم: اتفقنا مع الروس على رحيل الأسد
Nuri Maliki said Muallem asked to deposit money in Iraq,and Maiki refused,
I don’t believe him, ,he did not refused
June 25th, 2013, 12:03 am
Ziad said:
MAJED
وأضاف المتحدث كنا واضحين مع الروس أنه بإحضار النظام السوري إلى طاولة المفاوضات يعني أن الحل هو في نقل كل السلطات التنفيذية إلى حكومة انتقالية.
does not imply
اتفقنا مع الروس على رحيل الأسد
http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/2013/06/25/%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D9%82%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%AF.html
June 25th, 2013, 12:14 am
Ghufran said:
Lebanese army will have plenty of support from the west as it battles jihadists in Lebanon ;
سيطر الجيش اللبناني، مساء الاثنين، بالكامل على مجمع الشيخ السني ، احمد الاسير، في مدينة صيدا (جنوب)، وذلك بعد معارك عنيفة، تواصلت منذ الامس مع انصار الشيخ السني، بحسب ما افاد مراسل “فرانس برس”، في حين لم يعرف مكان وجود الاسير.
وتمكن المراسل من التجول في المجمع المؤلف من مسجد بلال بن رباح، وعدد من الابنية المحيطة، واشار الى ان الجيش كان موجودا في كل مكان، وبدا عناصره “مرتاحين”، بعد اكثر من 24 ساعة من المعارك التي قتل فيها 16 جنديا، وتعد اخطر حوادث امنية في لبنان منذ بدء النزاع في سوريا المجاورة قبل اكثر من عامين.
Flags of Nusra and alqaida were seen by assafar correspondent , this is sadly how jihadists and Harirites have hijacked the political votes of Lebanese Sunni population who are now more than ever in need for a leadership away from these two corrupt and destructive movements , the same is true for alawis in Syria who must open s new page without the Assads and their thugs, the blood of tens of thousands of Syrisns was not spilled to keep Assad in power or to deliver syris to the GCC pimps and their terrorist friends.
June 25th, 2013, 12:21 am
Mina said:
Zoo 174
Not so many Egyptians are fooled by the Muslim Brothers: Morsi won with less of 25 percent the first tour, which witnessed 40 percent of absention.
But maybe when the Western media and politicians will stop being fooled, it will help them to uncover the irregularities that surround every voting operation? (spread of rumours, threatening from local thugs, no petrol available for cars to reach the poll stations, meat and money distribution, etc).
June 25th, 2013, 2:41 am
Tara said:
Zoo,
بعرف
كنت بس عم بتحركش فيك
June 25th, 2013, 6:50 am
Tara said:
Golani, Baghdadi, Zawahiri, ….from one retard to another.
Al-Qaida’s Syria rift may lead to open conflict among jihadis By REUTERS06/25/2013 11:38
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Al-Qaidas-Syria-rift-may-lead-to-open-conflict-among-jihadis-317649
Trouble has been brewing since April over what Syria’s Nusra Front regards as a power grab by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. Now, Baghdadi’s insistence that he will keep fighting as head of a united jihadi brigade in Syria, defying orders from al-Qaida chief Ayman Zawahri, has brought the two groups close to turning on each other.
Baghdadi’s attempt to unite the Syrian and Iraqi wings of al-Qaida has provoked the dispute at a sensitive time when some Western governments are considering arming more moderate rebels, but fear the weapons might fall into the radicals’ hands.
In April Baghdadi announced his Islamic State of Iraq was merging with the Nusra Front, which has staged some of the deadliest attacks on Assad’s forces.
This apparently unilateral move opened up bitter and public rifts with the Nusra Front leadership – which resisted what it saw as his bid for overall power – and with Zawahri, the global al-Qaida leader who instructed him to put the merger on hold in an apparent attempt to settle the row.
Baghdadi dismissed the demand from Zawahri, who has headed al-Qaida since U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. The merged Islamic state of Iraq and Levant “is staying as long as we have a pulse and an eye that blinks… We will not compromise over its existence,” Baghdadi responded earlier this month.
“After consultation I decided to (follow) the order from God over the order that opposes it,” he added in an audio message.
Nusra fighters, other rebels and Islamic sources reacted by saying Baghdadi had effectively severed his al-Qaida links.
“He rejected the ruling of Sheikh Zawahri and therefore he is no longer a brother of al- Qaida,” said a senior Nusra commander. “After Sheikh Zawahri ruled in our favour, the State (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) is illegitimate.”
PUSHING BAGHDADI OUT
A source close to Nusra leader Abu Mohammad Golani described Baghdadi’s defiance as dangerous. “We have no choice but to confront them, or Zawahri himself has to deal with these people,” he said.
Nusra was ready to fight Baghdadi’s forces and kick them out of Syria, but “Golani does not want bloodshed among brothers in Islam, he added. “Right now there is a decision to avoid them… but if he acts in a way that goes against Syria’s interest he will be pushed out by force, him and his people.”
Read all
June 25th, 2013, 7:12 am
Ghat Al Bird said:
A must read by all including Dr. Landis and contributors.
http://nationalinterest.org/print/commentary/brzezinski-the-syria-crisis-8636
Look forward to reading reactions. salamat.
June 25th, 2013, 7:39 am
Akbar Palace said:
Don said:
The entire world knows who the be-headers and cannibals are.
Yes, the entire world DOES know who the beheaders are.
– Assad and the Shabiha goons, Hezbollah and the Iranians
– Foreign Islamist crazies and rejects
All the suffering and normal people are caught in between
But we also know that this has nothing to do with a people who have not known freedom in over 40 years.
So there are 2 issues:
1.) A war with a lot of dead including attrocities and massacres
2.) Freedom and democracy for Syrians
So it seems to me you have to get through 1.) before you get to 2.)
All people deserve basic human rights. That includes Syrians.
June 25th, 2013, 7:40 am
Akbar Palace said:
Look forward to reading reactions. salamat.
Ghat,
Here’s my reaction: Brzezinski is sad that another ME despot is fighting for his life.
You can’t teach a old dog new tricks, so expecting Brzezinski to back freedom and democracy for the people of Syria, I guess, is out of the question.
June 25th, 2013, 8:12 am
zoo said:
Tara
بعرف تعودت معلش
June 25th, 2013, 8:34 am
zoo said:
Ghufran
In my view the Al Assir episode is a turning point in the mind of the Sunnis.
Never in Lebanon there has been such a unity among Sunnis, Shias and Christians to ask the army to finish up and hunt the Sunnis extremists lead by religious figures. Religious figures are no more tabou.
In addition the Hezbollah came out not as the aggressor, but as the victim.
Until now any serious attack on Salafists has been considered tabou, and when they were repressed violently, Sunnis of all boards called it a ‘massacre’.
I think this may lead the Syrian Sunnis to revise their judgment about who is really their enemies and who want to destroy their country by using religion.
June 25th, 2013, 9:00 am
zoo said:
#216 Majed
Maliki is one more liar…
June 25th, 2013, 9:02 am
zoo said:
#210 Sami
I never look at Youtube videos, I think they only dramatize the events, incite to revenge and do not help in solving anything.
Civil wars are always abundant in horror stories. It must stop now.
The group who use any pretext to refuse to negotiate bears the full responsibility of the continuation of the violence.
Don’t blame the victims, blame them.
June 25th, 2013, 9:09 am
revenire said:
Ghat it is a good analysis by Brzezinski. He tells some uncomfortable truths. Many tend to dismiss it because they can’t understand or show they are not really honest.
Dr. Landis wrote something similar in TIME magazine in 2006:
“‘Ever since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which Syria opposed, the Bush Administration has been looking for ways to squeeze the government in Damascus,’ notes Joshua Landis, a Syria expert who is co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma.”
Landis went on to detail Bush’s conspiracy against Syria. Obama basically furthered the conspiracy. Brzezinski simply told the truth about US foreign policy. It has nothing to do with dictators – the US backs dictators all over the world and has for decades.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1571751,00.html
In the old days, the United States would go into another country and destabilize the government there in coups. They would install governments favorable to their designs. This happened in Nicaragua, Chile, Iran and a host of other nations. The US installed brutal dictators and despots. Is it any wonder the US is seen as a corrupt, venal power?
June 25th, 2013, 9:11 am
revenire said:
Brother Majed I have been told you will be replacing Hitto as the new head of the Syrian government. Get ready.
June 25th, 2013, 9:12 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Ghat
There are two points
As Nuri Saeed said once, Big countries determine the fate of small countries.
Delaying action(intervention) means you will need larger action later(early protection better than treatment)
Syria is destroyed more and more every day by the barbaric Assad,aided by barbaric Persia, there will be wider sectarian conflict,from now on,because of Obama delay in action, that will cost US much more,if you take out the cancer early when it is small,the results would be much better than to wait till it spreads out.
June 25th, 2013, 9:15 am
zoo said:
When cornered, the Islamists recycle Islam old divisions to stimulate hatred and violence
Morsi Plays the Sectarian Card
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-wagner/morsi-plays-the-sectarian_b_3494922.html
Morsi’s new position on Syria is further confirmation that the Middle East’s tangled web of alliances are forming along increasingly sectarian sides. The stance on Syria taken by the Arab states is almost entirely along Shia-Sunni lines.
Except for Algeria and Yemen, all Sunni-led Arab governments have utilized diplomatic, military and/or economic leverage to undermine the Assad regime while attempting to empower the rebels. Assad’s strongest Arab allies are Lebanon’s Hezbollah-led coalition and Nouri Al-Maliki’s Iraqi regime. Yemeni militants have also traveled to Syria to fight alongside the Assad regime, which further underscores the sectarian character of the conflict
June 25th, 2013, 9:16 am
zoo said:
Majed
“if you take out the cancer early when it is small”
I agree, the cancer is the Islamists. They must be destroyed once for all. It has started in Syria, then in the UAE and now in Lebanon. It may take time but they will be taken care of.
June 25th, 2013, 9:20 am
zoo said:
After the promises and expectations, the reality shock for Selim Idriss
Syria: Rebel Leader Warns Of Weapons Delays
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/syria-rebel-leader-warns-weapons-delays-105322852.html#6waiU85
The leader of Syria’s biggest rebel alliance has told Sky News that delays in promised weapons deliveries from abroad is causing dissent and resentment in his ranks that will drive fighters into the ranks of al Qaeda.
General Salim Idris, the chairman of the Supreme Military Council, said that reports that he had received lethal aid from the US but was not delivering it to the front line were “very difficult for me”.
He is the channel through whom all lethal aid from the US is supposed to be delivered to the rebels following Washington’s decision to send weapons to support the rebellion against Syrian president Bashar al Assad.
“I have not received a single thing. So this is very difficult for me,” said the rebel chief who was visibly angered by a meeting with top commanders from across Syria.
June 25th, 2013, 9:24 am
zoo said:
Syrian monk killed as rebels overrun monastery
CWN – June 24, 2013
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=18255
A Syrian hermit was killed by gunfire at a Franciscan monastery in Syria.
Father Francois Mourad, who was a guest at St. Anthony of Padua monastery, may have been killed by an errant bullet, or he may have been deliberately shot by rebel troops who ransacked the monastery.
June 25th, 2013, 9:30 am
Ghufran said:
It was the GCC money that allowed a political dwarf like Bahiyya and ahmad alhariri to hijack the votes of Lebanese Sunnis from somebody like Osama saad:
أسامة سعد في مؤتمر صحافي : “الجماعة الشاذة” لم تنشأ في صيدا لوحدها بل كان هناك من حماها وأمن لها التغطية السياسية والتمويل
– 25/06/2013 – 15:56:26
Saniora in a desperate attempt to cover up the scandal of Aseer claimed that the whole thing was orchestrated by Hizbullah !!
Aseer and his followers are the Lebanese version of shabeehas, they just use religion as a cover, both Syria and Lebanon need a new generation of leaders who are held accountable by voters and are not tainted by political money and foreign connections.
June 25th, 2013, 9:39 am
Akbar Palace said:
Ever since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which Syria opposed*…
*Except for one little UNSC Resolution that Syria voted in favor of: 1441
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CDQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fdepts%2Funmovic%2Fdocuments%2F1441.pdf&ei=H57JUb22OYHC4AON8oDgBg&usg=AFQjCNGxjippykFppD-SgZ7RIEUzj8nOcQ&sig2=qdhAkljBwY7rbOuiPwO9_A&bvm=bv.48293060,d.dmg
13. Recalls, in that context, that the Council has repeatedly warned Iraq that
it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violations of its
obligations;
Now in 2013, Syria needs the same “seriousness” from the UNSC today as it did for Iraq. Another in a long series of failed arab states directly related to the unelected “leadership”.
But while conducting regime change in Iraq was “bad”, continued murder in Syria is now “good”. That’s the Bzezinski foreign policy in a nutshell.
June 25th, 2013, 9:48 am
revenire said:
Brzezinski has had a change of heart like Rabin did.
So what?
Don’t pretend this war is about human rights or freedom. It is about replacing Assad with someone more pliant to the goals of some in the West.
The rebels are no different than Latin America death squads, like the Contras.
Your assertion that this war is somehow “another in a long series of failed arab states directly related to the unelected ‘leadership'” is laughable considering the US is allied to Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the war against Syria.
I will remind you that during the Iran-Iraq war Israel armed the ayatollahs (as did the US). There was no concern for the rights of Iranians or Iraqis.
June 25th, 2013, 9:53 am
zoo said:
Syrian al-Qaida branch claims suicide attacks
By JOHN HEILPRIN | The Associated Press • Published June 25, 2013
BEIRUT – A Syrian branch of al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on security compounds in Damascus that killed at least five people.
Jabhat al-Nusra claimed Sunday’s attacks in Damascus in a statement posted on a militant website Tuesday.
The statement said the group sent seven suicide bombers wearing Syrian military uniforms to break into a police station in northern Damascus and a security compound in a southern district of the capital.
The statement warned President Bashar Assad’s government that the “criminal regime” should know that the group’s fighters “do not fear any confrontation with the enemies.”
The Nusra Front has emerged as the most effective fighting force in the Syrian conflict on the opposition side.
Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2013/06/25/2598377/un-envoy-hopes-for-syria-conference.html#storylink=cpy
June 25th, 2013, 10:11 am
Tara said:
Reve,
Who are you Reve? And what is the Real Guy from America is accusing you of?
June 25th, 2013, 10:14 am
revenire said:
Good job on killing the Franciscan monk. We wouldn’t want men of God getting in the way of bringing freedom to Syria.
June 25th, 2013, 10:14 am
revenire said:
Syrian priest killed during rebel attack on Franciscan convent
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A 49-year-old Syrian priest and hermit was killed June 23, apparently when a group of rebels attacked the Franciscan Convent of St. Anthony in Ghassanieh, a village in the north near the Turkish border.
Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, told Vatican Radio June 24 that Father Francois Murad was not a Franciscan, but had taken refuge in the convent when it became clear he was not safe at the Syriac Catholic hermitage he was building nearby.
Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hassake-Nisibi told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, that Father Murad “sent me several messages which showed he was aware of living in a dangerous situation and was willing to offer his life for peace in Syria and the world.”
Father Pizzaballa told Vatican Radio that Ghassanieh — “like other Christian villages — has been almost completely destroyed and is almost totally abandoned.” He said he believes the only people left in Ghassanieh “are the rebels with their families, rebels who are not from Syria and who are extremists.”
“The only thing we can do, other than pray for Father Francois and all the victims, is pray that this folly ends soon and that no more weapons are sent to Syria because that would only prolong this absurd civil war,” Father Pizzaballa said.
The Franciscan leader said Syria is a “battleground, and not just between Syrian forces, but also for other Arab countries and the international community. The ones paying the price are the poor, the small and the least, including the Christians.”
“The international community must put the brakes on this,” he sai
June 25th, 2013, 10:16 am
revenire said:
Tara I am one of Asma’s cousins. 🙂
June 25th, 2013, 10:17 am
majedkhaldoun said:
worthless
June 25th, 2013, 10:34 am
zoo said:
Hamad and HBJ are stepping down. Bashar hasn’t. Some predictions are coming true?
New emir for Qatar as father abdicates throne for his son
Among the changes expected is the stepping down of prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, who has been the public face of Qatar’s growing influence for the last half decade.
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/new-emir-for-qatar-as-father-abdicates-throne-for-his-son#ixzz2XEr8YGXg
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
June 25th, 2013, 10:37 am
Akbar Palace said:
Don’t pretend this war is about human rights or freedom.
Reverse,
It never is, because there are too many arabs like you who don’t want human rights and freedom*.
*Unless we’re talking about Israel of course.
June 25th, 2013, 10:37 am
Tara said:
Zoo,
Any personal profile of Tamim? Is he married? Most of those emirs are married to Syrian or Lebanese.
June 25th, 2013, 10:43 am
Ghat Al Bird said:
@ 229. REVENIRE.
According to an un-named [US] website Henry Kissinger is quoted as saying in 2012 that in 10 years;- ” Israel will cease to exist “.
On another website the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US was quoted as saying that SA’s interest in Syria that “a free and democratic election be held”.
And so it goes…….
June 25th, 2013, 10:45 am
Ziad said:
TARA #240
Your and Majed’s obsession with who the commenters are indicate an indoctrinated, shallow, and narrow minded personality. Instead of debating the content of a message, you find it easier to discard it due to who you think the messenger is.
June 25th, 2013, 10:46 am
majedkhaldoun said:
7aka badri
June 25th, 2013, 10:51 am
revenire said:
Tara honestly maybe your ex-associate ‘marigoldran’ made up a name. He was “into” this place and had a healthy love for me.
Next time you ask who I am please add your real name, address and telephone number to the post – be sure to scan your ID and link the image so we can all see who we are talking to.
Someone told me you’re a rather corpulent Qatari male. Of course, I don’t believe them but the Internet is full of oddities isn’t it honey?
🙂
June 25th, 2013, 10:51 am
zoo said:
Tara
I’l be interested to know more about him when I’ll see what he says and does. Anyway his facial expression is much healthier than the viper HBJ…
We will drink to the stepping down of the criminal HBJ and to the health of Sheikha Moza who hates him and will send him as far as possible away from Qatar.
June 25th, 2013, 10:52 am
revenire said:
Kerry acts like he runs the world.
US Secretary of State John Kerry called for Russia on Tuesday to be “calm” and hand over accused leaker Edward Snowden, saying Washington was not looking for “confrontation.”
Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_06_25/No-need-to-escalate-confrontation-with-Russia-over-Snowden-Kerry-1888/
June 25th, 2013, 10:54 am
John said:
Catholic Priest Executed by the “Revolutionaries”
http://syriareport.net/catholic-priest-executed-as-foreign-weapons-flow-into-syria/
June 25th, 2013, 11:01 am
zoo said:
A Lebanese military source:
80% of the fighters of Sheikh Al Assir are well paid Sunnis Syrians financed and armed by Qatar and KSA.
Al Assir plan was intended to pit Sunnis against Shias to destabilize Lebanon and neutralize the Hezbollah.
It failed.
June 25th, 2013, 11:03 am
Ziad said:
ZOO #254
This battle failed. There will be many more.
June 25th, 2013, 11:09 am
zoo said:
#253 Reve
It’s Kerry who is agitated: Snowden may reveal more devastating information about the USA spying on US civilians.
June 25th, 2013, 11:09 am
Tara said:
Zoo @253
What are you drinking in celebrating HBJ stepping down?
I recommend low salt Ayran..
June 25th, 2013, 11:18 am
Tara said:
Reve,
You are a bit of suspicious character. You do not understand Arabic. You have nothing else to do day and night, and you are emotionally detached. Again, non-sectarian and not fed with hatred. yet, calls for chemical weapon use and carpet bombing..
And Tara is a Qatari male?! HBJ’s twin brother?
June 25th, 2013, 11:33 am
zoo said:
#258 Tara
You see, I’m not the only one suspecting your genetic link to Qatar.
June 25th, 2013, 11:36 am
zoo said:
#257 Tara
Be sure that I will disobey Erdodan’s islamic advices…
I am sure he drinks raki in the bathroom…
June 25th, 2013, 11:39 am
Ziad said:
مؤتمر صحفي لوزيري خارجية السعودية والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية
June 25th, 2013, 11:45 am
revenire said:
Tara you seem almost as obsessed with me as you are with Assad.
How do you know what languages I understand or anything else about me? How do you know what business I have? What color socks I have on?
The answer is you don’t know.
I proposed a peace plan that started with a 24 hour notice for civilians to evacuate any areas under terrorist control. This would be followed by a sustained campaign of bombing until the enemy was prostate. Then I would send in the SAA to mop up remnants. This was done in Qusayr.
I admit when the terrorists hold civilians hostage my peace plan might not work but in some areas of Syria it is worth a go. It seemed to have worked in Qusayr very well.
I didn’t call for chemical weapons use.
June 25th, 2013, 11:46 am
Citizen said:
“Putin isolated”
Poor Mr. Putin. So “isolated”! Not a friend in the whole wide world, all because he refuses to join The New World Order…and all because he will not allow Syria and Iran to be attacked. The images below demonstrate just how extreme Putin’s “isolation” is.
http://www.tomatobubble.com/putin_isolated.html
***************************************
Russia’s main nuclear arsenal is in mobile, hidden and secret areas known only to the Russians, the US knows at any time between 1-5% of the location of these launchers which are satellite invisible and greatly protected.
Russia on the other hand knows where every single US silo and facility is, of course both sides submarine fleets add ambiguity but to beat the MAD doctrine the US would have to hit most if not all of Russia’s launchers and probably all of China’s who are treaty bound as SCO members to retaliate (and vice versa) to gain a possible advantage but with Russia’s MRV smart missiles on its subs its a moot point as its likely that whether the US has or has not disabled Russia’s weapons that its naval contingents can still erase life in the US.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/obama-prepares-to-wage-offensive-first-strike-strategic-nuclear-warfare-against-russia-china-iran-north-korea-and-syria/5340299
June 25th, 2013, 11:53 am
zoo said:
Reve
The reason the advances of the army are slow is clear: It’s because the rebels are using the civilians as human shields and discourage them from leaving. Also many civilians have no place to go and fear to be killed by snipers when they try to escape.
This is why it is a very delicate operation as the Syrian Army does not want to kill civilians. If they were, as people like Tara claim, they would have taken back all these areas by intensive carpet bombing a long time ago.
Guerilla wars in the middle of a city is a very complex matter.
I trust the Syrian army to eliminate the terrorists while preserving the lives of the trapped civilians, like they did in Al Qusayr.
June 25th, 2013, 11:59 am
Citizen said:
Al-Akhbar Newspaper: Free Army loses “Aleppo Storm” besides 130 militants
http://breakingnews.sy/en/article/19947.html
glory for Soldiers and officers of the Syrian Arab Army
June 25th, 2013, 12:00 pm
revenire said:
Yes I agree Zoo. The SAA could easily level the entire country if they were not so careful about saving lives.
The FSA is composed of horrid monsters.
June 25th, 2013, 12:12 pm
Tara said:
No Zoo, I think out of all of them, you know I am from Damascus and I am a girl.
He was just repeating what you accused me of during one of your temper tantrum.
I am glad that Yaya is over hers, so I can handle yours.. 😉
June 25th, 2013, 12:26 pm
Tara said:
Reve,
No. Neither you nor Batta interest me.
I think time has come for you to troll on another topic and on different blog, like your usual.
June 25th, 2013, 12:28 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
العقل زينة الإنسان ..
sorry for Assad minhebakjiyyeh,they don’t have it
June 25th, 2013, 12:44 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
revenir
were you in Zurich yesterday?
June 25th, 2013, 1:21 pm
Ziad said:
الأزمة السورية… ومؤتمر إنهاء المحاور
عمليا فإن المؤتمر الدولي حول سورية يوسع أوراقه باستمرار، وعدم ظهور معلومات واضحة حول التحضير له لا ينفي أمرين أساسيين:
– الأول أن مسألة التوافق بين موسكو وواشنطن لا تعني وضع حدود للصراع القائم في سورية وحولها، بل ربما إيجاد قواعد في مسألة الدعم المقدم لأي طرف، بحيث يمكن تطويق الأزمة عند الوصول إلى تحديد واضح لكافة الأدوار الإقليمية في الشرق الأوسط، وعدم تركها بؤرة مفتوحة على احتمالات تؤدي إلى حرب إقليمية، لا يبدو أي طرف دولي مستعد للتعامل معها.
– الثاني متعلق بالاتفاق على آلية تعامل كل طرف مع تطورات الأزمة، فاللقاءات الدبلوماسية وعلى الأخص على مستوى وزراء الخارجية تمثل محاولة إيجاد خطوط عامة في مسألة “إدارة الأزمات الدولية”، وتبدو سورية هنا نقطة استقطاب أساسية بالنسبة لروسيا وأمريكا والصين من أجل خلق تحالفات جديدة تميز مرحلة “ما بعد العولمة”.
ويبدو إيجاد جغرافية شرق أوسطية “دون دول محورية” مسألة معقدة إن لم تكن مستحيلة، حيث لا يبدو التاريخ القريب والبعيد قابلا لمنح أبعاد لمثل هذا الموضوع، كما ان وجود “إسرائيل” يحد من أي إمكانية واقعية لتحقيق هذا الأمر، لكن الأزمة السورية فتحت “هوامش” حقيقية لإنهاء مسألة المحورين اللذان امتدا منذ منتصف القرن الماضي وحتى اليوم، لكن هذا الرسم الجيوستراتيجي سيبقى ضمن دائرة الاختبار من جهة، ومرهون برؤية سورية كـ”سياق علاقات” تضمن توازن بين كتل تاريخية ضخمة مثل تركيا وإيران والعراق وحتى مصر.
http://souriaalghad.me/index.php?inc=show_menu&dir_id=48&id=32103
June 25th, 2013, 1:34 pm
Citizen said:
Kim Jong-il hands absolute power to his young son=result ribaldry. Emir of Qatar does the same =result… Rubbing of hands in admiration…
George Galloway
June 25th, 2013, 1:45 pm
Mina said:
At 3’50, Morsi in the stadium playing with Egyptian and Syrian flags as he was going to call the Egyptians to go and die in Syria as he is unable to give them a future in Egypt; same event in the stadium continue at 5,40. Both Morsi and the crowd don’t seem to know exactly what they are doing in the stadium and it looks more like a soccer event than anything else (in albernameg, halqa 28)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFYafIfZWn4&feature=share&list=PLblwmgOZDF8Lc5lD-XKlak7RYYzihEsCs
6’20, pictures from Tahrir in 2011 a good example of how the Muslim Brothers use rumours and lies in purposes of hamasa and propaganda.
June 25th, 2013, 2:00 pm
Mina said:
Same link, at 17’30, the conference (live on the 1st Egyptian channel) with a Salafi sheikh inciting against Shiites (rafida… najasa…) in the presence of Morsi.
June 25th, 2013, 2:13 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
قال رئيس المجلس التشريعي الفلسطيني، القيادي البارز في حركة حماس عزيز دويك إن دعم المعارضة السورية للإطاحة بنظام الرئيس بشار الأسد بات أولوية مستعجلة تتقدم على أي انشغال آخر بما في ذلك الجهاد في فلسطين
ونقلت صحيفة “الشروق” الجزائرية عن الدويك قوله في حديث لمراسلها في الضفة الغربية أعتقد أن بقاء نظام دكتاتوري “نظام الأسد” هو طعن في صدر وقلب القضية الفلسطينية، وزوال الدكتاتورية هو بداية الطريق لانتصار القضية الفلسطينية ورفعة شأنها.
June 25th, 2013, 2:28 pm
Citizen said:
http://youtu.be/kzbf68llnPk?t=1m8s
June 25th, 2013, 2:37 pm
revenire said:
Tara what’s that?
June 25th, 2013, 2:45 pm
Citizen said:
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says Tel-Aviv must reoccupy the Gaza Strip.
“Israel must consider reoccupying the entire Gaza Strip,” Lieberman, who is now the Chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said on Monday.
Lieberman made the remarks after Israeli warplanes launched aerial strikes in central and southern Gaza Strip.
June 25th, 2013, 2:48 pm
revenire said:
Assad is the only thing holding Syria together right now. If he is killed look for 500,000 dead in a long civil war.
June 25th, 2013, 2:58 pm
Mina said:
In the Emirates, imported slaves and their progeniture are not allowed to kiss.
Hollande, Fabius, Hague, Obama, how do you want these countries to bring peace and democracy to Lybia, Egypt and Syria?
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/courts/kissing-teens-to-be-deported-from-the-uae
June 25th, 2013, 3:12 pm
Akbar Palace said:
Assad is the only thing holding Syria together right now.
Except that Syria isn’t being “held together”.
Last year you were probably saying if he’s killed, look for 100,000 dead.
Give it up Reverse.
Oh, that’s right, you also said Syria “won” the war…
June 25th, 2013, 3:15 pm
revenire said:
You remember when the Zionists armed Iran don’t you? Now they’re arming Al-Qaeda.
June 25th, 2013, 3:21 pm
revenire said:
You remember when the US sent death to Nicaragua and backed Somoza? Somoza the butcher who murdered his own people. Israel armed him too.
Israel is now arming cannibals and beheaders to overthrow the only nation they feel threatened by.
Syria is the last Arab nation that stood against them.
June 25th, 2013, 3:24 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
REVENIRE
You are dreaming out of reality. Assad´s Syria is over forever !!!
June 25th, 2013, 3:36 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir said
Syria is the last Arab nation that stood against them
Stood doing nothing, only lies
3am tzet wa tolhosh
June 25th, 2013, 3:40 pm
Akbar Palace said:
You remember when the Zionists armed Iran don’t you? Now they’re arming Al-Qaeda.
Reverse,
And Syria arms Hezbollah and Iran arms Syria. So what?
The point is, your assertion that Assad is protecting Syrians and winning a war is, um, false.
You can talk about Israel all you want, but Assad isn’t protecting Syrians. A fact you cannot deny. Any Israeli leader who let 100,000 Israelis die and cities turn to ruin would be thrown out of govenment.
June 25th, 2013, 3:40 pm
revenire said:
Cheer up.
Outside of yourself no one accepts your version of history. Assad hasn’t killed anyone. He has protected Syria during war time. The people you support, armed by your government, are the ones who have murdered Syrians.
Remember Israel armed Ayatollah Khomeini (as did the US). If that makes you squirm so what? You might delude yourself that you’re morally superior but you are not. The US has more Syrian blood on her hands than anyone else I can think of.
June 25th, 2013, 3:48 pm
Tara said:
Mina said:
“281. MINA said:
In the Emirates, imported slaves and their progeniture are not allowed to kiss.
Hollande, Fabius, Hague, Obama, how do you want these countries to bring peace and democracy to Lybia, Egypt and Syria?”
So because public kissing is not allowed in the conservative Arabic Peninsula, Syrians should be ruled by a murderous brutal oppressive regime..
Can some one please contact the activists in Kafr Nabl and have them demand on their weekly banners allowing kissing anywhere and everywhere so we can get our freedom and dignity.
June 25th, 2013, 3:52 pm
revenire said:
My sectarian brother Majed you need to read a few history books. You claim to be Syrian but I doubt you are Syrian. Hafez Assad was the only Arab leader that was able to keep Israel in check. He was the only one to stand up to Israel and the US – Egypt surrendered as did Iraq. Who else was there?
There is a reason you live in Colorado and not Syria.
Keep dreaming.
June 25th, 2013, 4:00 pm
revenire said:
The US backs the worst human rights offenders on the planet. Syria looks like a paradise compared to the governments the US supports.
June 25th, 2013, 4:01 pm
revenire said:
Tara Saudi Arabia sent their prison convicts to murder Syrians. You don’t care. You are here for unknown reasons – at least unknown to me – but not for “freedom” because the place you live is not free and the governments you back are brutal dictatorships.
June 25th, 2013, 4:04 pm
apple_mini said:
After the FOS(Flies Over Syria) meeting, they went back on what they have been doing with the new blessing from US administration to arm the rebels with more weapons.
By openly announcing providing weapons to the rebels, US administration just put its ME puppets on the front to do the job.
Let’s bust some lies first.
Saudi Arabia: Syrian rebels must be armed. Haven’t Saudi and Qatar been arming the rebels for the last three years?
Kerry says, “we do not believe it is appropriate for the Assad regime to have invited the Iranians and Hezbollah to cross international lines and to have their fighters on the ground. There are no United States fighters. There are no Saudi fighters. There are no Qatari fighters on the ground.” Wasn’t a federal judge in Virginia just sentenced an US vet for fighting with Nusra? Is it CIA that has been training the rebels in Jordan since last years. No Saudi or Qatari fighters in Syria? Kerry, please repeat this in front of any Syrians who is not with the rebels or the opposition.
Saudi wants direct military intervention from US because they know the rebels have no chance to turn the table. Also none of those puppets has guts or strength to attack SAA. Will US do it? No, US government is selfish, hypocritical and diabolic, but not completely insane.
Peace conference in near future? Unlikely. Besides, judging from the opposition and its supporters on SC, it seems useless and worthless to have a dialogue with them. The peace conference is truly meant to a negotiation with their masters.
At this moment, SAA is still doing well with amazing momentum. The recent victory and fewer civilian deaths have further enhanced the images and confidence of SAA among Syrians. With brazen and blatant backing from the west, the rebels and the opposition further debase them as tools for the colonists and Zionists.
June 25th, 2013, 4:45 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
All what you said is not true, garbage, 3am tzet wa tolhosh.
There is a reason why I live in Colorado, it is that criminal who butchered Syrians, and the Shabbiha, I like freedom, the day we get rid of this criminal I will be going there,
You are not in Syria, why?, did you take away millions of dollars and ran away?, why are you not in Syria?, I know you hired persians ,the barabera to do your ugly job
June 25th, 2013, 4:46 pm
revenire said:
Are you a fugitive then? What did you do? Rob a bank?
I don’t even believe you’re Syrian.
June 25th, 2013, 4:48 pm
Uzair8 said:
The International Community – Lost in Syria’s Bloody Maze
25 June 2013
Abdel Bari Atwan
[…]
Moreover, the Syrian regime, which has officially been accused by the US and Britain of using chemical weapons against its people, will continue to use them, and keep denying the charges.
[…]
June 25th, 2013, 5:04 pm
zoo said:
Subtitle of the Saudi ‘blasts on HA’:
Terrified Saudis are begging Kerry for US intervention in Syria: “If they win in Syria, those heretics Shias will come after us and despite the billions of dollars of weapons we buy from the US, we are weak and we can’t defend ourselves Please do something!
Riyadh blasts Hizbollah meddling
June 26, 2013
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/fd43637b-4b3d-4d90-b2c7-03d3dfefd4d9.aspx
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia regards the involvement of Iran and Hizbollah in Syria’s civil war as dangerous and believes the rebels must be offered military aid to defend themselves, the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference with US Secretary John Kerry in Jeddah, Prince Saud Al Faisal added that Saudi Arabia “cannot be silent” about Iranian intervention and called for a resolution to ban arms flows to the Syrian government.
June 25th, 2013, 5:05 pm
revenire said:
The heroes of the SAA are clearing out nests outside Damascus now.
I understand they’re not taking prisoners.
June 25th, 2013, 5:07 pm
revenire said:
Jean @jeanassy 3h
Lebanese Army arrested 3 ____* of Al-Assir terrorists in Sidon now (Aljadeed) #Lebanon
* censored for family audience
Jean @jeanassy 3h
Clashes between Amal movement & Future movement supporters in Beirut. #Lebanon
Jean @jeanassy 3h
Heavy gunfire in Qasqas neighborhood of Beirut.#Lebanon
Jean @jeanassy 3h
Hello Lebanese, this ___ @kasimf is attacking our Army.. Make sure he gets from you what he deserves! #Lebanon
* censored word (see Matt)
June 25th, 2013, 5:12 pm
Uzair8 said:
From AJE live Syria blog:
About 11 hours ago:
Fierce battles raged on the edges of Damascus Tuesday as the army pressed a major assault to crush rebels around the capital, a monitoring group and activists said.
And in the contested city of Aleppo in the country’s north, rebels attempted to advance into western regime-held districts, sparking clashes with government forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“The army is trying to take over Qaboon, Barzeh, Jubar, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and Yarmuk,” said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman, referring to neighbourhoods in the northern, eastern and southern outskirts of the capital.
“The army doesn’t have the capacity to take over these neighbourhoods, and the rebels are fighting back. But the humanitarian situation there is catastrophic,” Abdel Rahman told AFP.
June 25th, 2013, 5:15 pm
revenire said:
Apple_Mini I really enjoyed your post above and agree with it.
===
Saudi Arabia: Syrian rebels must be armed. Haven’t Saudi and Qatar been arming the rebels for the last three years?
Kerry says, “we do not believe it is appropriate for the Assad regime to have invited the Iranians and Hezbollah to cross international lines and to have their fighters on the ground. There are no United States fighters. There are no Saudi fighters. There are no Qatari fighters on the ground.” Wasn’t a federal judge in Virginia just sentenced an US vet for fighting with Nusra? Is it CIA that has been training the rebels in Jordan since last years. No Saudi or Qatari fighters in Syria? Kerry, please repeat this in front of any Syrians who is not with the rebels or the opposition.
Saudi wants direct military intervention from US because they know the rebels have no chance to turn the table. Also none of those puppets has guts or strength to attack SAA. Will US do it? No, US government is selfish, hypocritical and diabolic, but not completely insane.
===
Yes. The US is led by a madman and a bloodthirsty one at that!
June 25th, 2013, 5:16 pm
Uzair8 said:
Why is, from what I remember, SANA shy to include the names of the writers on it’s articles? We see only initials of one or two people.
On a related note, I wouldn’t be surprised if some employees of SANA/State Tv are active on this blog on instruction.
June 25th, 2013, 5:20 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
Rob a bank? no that is what you did
Apple Mini
You said,KSA and Qatar has been arming the rebels”, The majority of weapons the rebels has came from the SAA, later KSA did send weapons but not enough, and intermittently, while Assad has a bridge of weapons coming to him from the barbarian Persia and Russia.
You said CIA arrested a man for fighting with Nusra, one or two is different from 70,000 HA and Iraqi militia sent to kill Syrians, also USA punishied those who went there to fight, HA and Persia they encouraged their thugs to do it
You said
“they know the rebels have no chance to turn the table. Also none of those puppets has guts or strength to attack SAA. ”
the Rebels were defeating Assad thugs,and gaining grounds,till 70000 persian barberians get in
June 25th, 2013, 5:28 pm
revenire said:
Uzair why would either matter?
June 25th, 2013, 5:29 pm
revenire said:
70,000 Iranians are fighting in Syria? LOL whoa! Cocktail hour started a bit early today in Colorado.
For those of us not in the know where did you hear that 70,000 Iranians are fighting in Syria?
June 25th, 2013, 5:34 pm
revenire said:
Syria – Assad forces grow in strength as rebel onslaught continues
The fightback by Syrian government forces continues apace.
Troops loyal to Bashar al Assad have been stepping up their attack
on the northern city of Aleppo, further diminishing chances of a peace conference taking place this month.
The insurgents have suffered a recent series of battlefield setbacks with advancing government soldiers appearing to regain the upper hand.
Despite a pledge by the “Friends of Syria” to increase military
support to the rebels, Syrian government forces are expected to outmatch the opposition in size and resources.
The rebels are also besieged on the outskirts of Damascus and hopes of a ceasefire appear ever more remote.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=323_1372163444
June 25th, 2013, 5:39 pm
Ziad said:
Tal Kalakh: Syria’s rebel town that forged its own peace deal
The town is back in the hands of Syria’s army but the move says more about local disillusion than military defeat
Once a rebel stronghold, the town of Tal Kalakh on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon changed sides at the week-end and is now controlled by the Syrian army. The switch in allegiance is the latest advance by government forces into areas where they have had little or no authority since the start of the revolt in Syria two years ago.
The government is triumphant at the surrender of 39 local leaders of the rebel Free Syrian Army with their weapons, which were ceremoniously stacked against the outside wall of the town’s military headquarters. The exact terms of the deal are mysterious, but there is no doubt that the regular Syrian army now holds all parts of Tal Kalakh, which had a pre-war population of 55,000 and is an important smuggling route for arms and ammunition from Lebanon a couple of miles to the south. Syrian army commanders claimed the reason the rebels had given up in the town so easily was because of their defeat in the battle for the similarly strategically important town of Qusayr, 20 miles away, earlier in June.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tal-kalakh-syrias-rebel-town-that-forged-its-own-peace-deal-8673695.html
June 25th, 2013, 6:20 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
US is not doing enough. We need humanitarian aid and developed logistic assistance as well as intelligence information against Russian and Iranian criminal activity inside Syria.
The time of Assad´s beheading is nearer and nearer.
June 25th, 2013, 6:28 pm
Uzair8 said:
Uzair8 @U8 now
If Friends of Syria had provided a tenth of the support the regime’s allies have provided it, Assad would have fallen long ago.
June 25th, 2013, 6:40 pm
Ziad said:
The US’s Afghan Exit May Depend on a Syrian One
Washington’s options in Syria are dwindling – and dwindling fast.
Trumped up chemical weapons charges against the Syrian government this month failed to produce evidence to convince a skeptical global community of any direct linkage. And the US’s follow-up pledge to arm rebels served only to immediately underline the difficulty of such a task, given the fungibility of weapons-flow among increasingly extremist militias.
Yes, for a brief few days, Syrian oppositionists congratulated themselves on this long-awaited American entry into Syria’s bloodied waters. They spoke about “game-changing” weapons that would reverse Syrian army gains and the establishment of a no-fly zone on Syria’s Jordanian border – a la Libya. Eight thousand troops from 19 countries flashed their military hardware in a joint exercise on that border, dangling F-16s and Patriot missiles and “superb cooperation” in a made-for-TV show of force.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/sandbox/uss-afghan-exit-may-depend-syrian-one
June 25th, 2013, 6:44 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
REVENIRE
Can you smell the blood of Assad getting closer? It´s over, now it is just a question of time until US decide that the time to change Assad has come. Russia has given up probably some months ago and is just playing a character for selling máximum amount of weapons. Assad lil abad ibn hafian.
June 25th, 2013, 6:47 pm
Uzair8 said:
Uzair8 @U8 now
When in Ramadan the devils are chained up, the regime will be a lot weaker without their assistance.
June 25th, 2013, 6:49 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Delighting images of refined civilized Assad Gangs hitting detained men and women until death.
June 25th, 2013, 7:08 pm
Akbar Palace said:
US is not doing enough.
Sandro Loewe,
I agree. No one is doing enough. What are the arabs doing? The Arab League? The Opposition? The FSA? Not enough.
I hope that weapons make it soon to the Syrians so they can end this thing and choose a new leader. Not all Americans were so thoughtless. I hope Syrians will forgive America for our stupid president and our stupid administration and will work with the US like many other arab nations.
June 25th, 2013, 7:20 pm
Tara said:
Animals!
They are animals.
I will stop short from wishing their mothers the same fate.
Animals!!
June 25th, 2013, 7:24 pm
revenire said:
Tara don’t be so hasty.
June 25th, 2013, 7:32 pm
revenire said:
All more weapons would do is kill more Syrians. The government won’t be overthrown.
June 25th, 2013, 7:34 pm
don said:
Catholic Priest Executed as Foreign Arms Flood into Syria
http://syriareport.net/catholic-priest-executed-as-foreign-weapons-flow-into-syria/
Sectarian bloodshed has increased following the Syrian army’s securing of the strategic Homs city of al-Qusayr earlier this month. Despite the overt sectarianism of armed groups in Syria, America and it’s allies have pledged to continue the transfer of weapons in an effort to turn the tide of the conflict. Advanced weapons have since been spotted in the hands of extremists militants.
June 25th, 2013, 7:45 pm
don said:
Syria Militants Massacre Christian Village Population (Graphic Images)
http://syriareport.net/syria-militants-massacre-christian-village/
More details of a massacre in Homs late last month have emerged following the global outcry of a massacre in Deir el-Zour yesterday.
The massacre, carried out by Free Syrian Army militants reportedly targeted men, women and children in the Christian village of al-Duwayr/Douar close to the city of Homs and the border with Lebanon. The incident received little media attention, having occurred at the same time as thousands of Syrian troops converged on the insurgent-occupied town of al-Qusayr.
According to sources, around 350 heavily armed militants entered the village, broke into homes and assembled residents in the main square of the village where they were executed. The final death toll is not known but photos show severe damage to property in the village.
Syrian army sources said that they reached the village after the massacre, resulting in clashes with militants. Sources also reported that Turkish and Chechen extremists were among the perpetrators. Chechen militants are known to have kidnapped two Christian bishops in Aleppo earlier this year. The following images show al-Duwayr/Douar village after the massacre:
June 25th, 2013, 7:56 pm
Tara said:
I just watched a rerun of a very educational program about Iran on Aljazeera. It is called
في العمق- إيران
Highly recommend!
June 25th, 2013, 8:56 pm
Mjabali said:
Tara : I do not believe you based on the mere fact that al Jazeera is not neutral when it comes to reporting about Iran . Respect our minds
June 25th, 2013, 9:01 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali,
Judging a person or a thing before checking it out is called prejudice. Was a factual program, the three quarters I watched.
June 25th, 2013, 9:14 pm
revenire said:
Tara likes to try to stick it to people. Like Majed there is a reason she is not in Syria and that reason has nothing to do with the lack of freedom.
June 25th, 2013, 9:18 pm
Dawoud said:
320. TARA
في العمق- إيران
I watched it myself yesterday. Very informative. I just wish that the host allowed the professor to explain why the latter believed that Syria [the ongoing revolution] “brought Rohani!”
June 25th, 2013, 9:25 pm
zoo said:
In Tal Kalakh disillusioned FSA soldiers defects to the Syrian Army and Al Jazeera continues to lie.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tal-kalakh-syrias-rebel-town-that-forged-its-own-peace-deal-8673695.html
By Patrick Cockburn
A local FSA commander, who said his name was Khalid al-Eid, explained that he had gone over to the government side along with 20 men he led because of general disillusionment with the uprising. A paunchy man in his early thirties with a black beard and a red baseball cap, he appeared self-confident and almost truculent as he talked about his life as an FSA .
….
The Syrian opposition denied that the town had fallen, saying that there was still fighting going on there. In a three-hour visit, I saw no sign of it.
…..
The pro-rebel Al-Jazeera Arabic satellite television channel claimed smoke was rising from the town. I did not see or smell any.
June 25th, 2013, 9:31 pm
AMEERA said:
تميم ابن حمد
مواليد الدوحة ٣/٦/١٩٨٠ يعني عمرو ٣٣ سنة
الولد الرابع لابوه حمد بس المفضل لحمد و موزة
امو الشيخة موزة بنت ناصر
معو الجنسية البريطانية من امو
تزوج اول مرة بنت عمو الشيخة جواهر بنت حمد ب ٢٠٠٥ شهر واحد
عندو من جواهر بنتين المياسة و عائشة و ولدين حمد و جاسم
تزوج تاني مرة الشيخة عنود الحجري يلي امها اردنية ب ٢٠٠٩ شهر تلاتة
عندو من عنود بنت اسمها نائلة و ولد اسمو عبدلله
امو الشيخة موزة اخدت الخلافة من اخواتو الشباب من مرتو الاولى لحمد و اعطتها لتميتم
بلعب بادمنتون
بحكي عربي وانكليزي و فرنسي
June 25th, 2013, 9:37 pm
revenire said:
Yes Dave, I am sure a documentary on Iran produced by the corrupt Qatari dictators would be fair. Indeed.
BTW Dave, I am still waiting for that poll. I imagine you’re not man enough to admit you made it all up.
Cheers.
June 25th, 2013, 9:38 pm
zoo said:
The Saudi are too terrified and confused to note the stupidity of what they claim
Saudi Arabia warns against foreign involvement in Syria, but vows to aid rebels
(Xinhua)
Al-Faisal called for prohibiting the flows of arms to the Syrian troops. But at the same time, he pledged to provide military aid to the opposition fighters to “defend themselves.”
June 25th, 2013, 9:40 pm
Tara said:
Beautiful inside and outside. She looks even better in the second link..with the hijab
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/21/world/meast/syria-refugees-angelina-jolie/index.html
Angelina Jolie turns spotlight on Syria
By Mariano Castillo, CNN
updated 2:02 PM EDT, Fri June 21, 2013
…..
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120915085336-jolie-syria-01-horizontal-gallery.jpg
June 25th, 2013, 9:42 pm
Tara said:
Ameera
“امو الشيخة موزة اخدت الخلافة من اخواتو الشباب من مرتو الاولى لحمد و اعطتها لتميتم”
Wow!
Did not think that Moza is that powerful.
June 25th, 2013, 9:45 pm
AMEERA said:
عن جد لبس العود بجود
بصدر او بلا صدر (بعيد من هون) بيضلى انجلينا بتجنن
يا ريت شفايفي متل شفايفا
June 25th, 2013, 9:46 pm
Ilya said:
Al Jazeera Qatari USA propaganda machine
truth ? ha ha biased channel as it gets,to fool audience.
they report 70% truthful information,30 % is deceiving
All theirs special documentaries are usually fabricated or just covering 1 side of the story, if its political story.
June 25th, 2013, 9:47 pm
zoo said:
Facing the possible victory of their Nemesis Bashar al Assd, the Saudis urge the USA to intervene to prevent a “genocide” and an “invasion” by Iran/ Kerry doesn’t seem moved and repeat the necessity of the Geneva Conference.
Saudi pushes Kerry for hard line on Syria
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/middle-east/242854-saudi-pushes-kerry-for-hard-line-on-syria.html
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal told Kerry that Assad, a secular leader who belongs to the heterodox Alawite sect, has waged “unprecedented genocide” through the more than two-year conflict that has claimed nearly 100,000 lives.
“The kingdom demands a clear, unequivocal international resolution that bans any sort of weapons support for the Syrian regime and declares null and void the legitimacy of that regime,” Faisal said at a joint news conference.
“The regime’s illegitimacy eliminates any possibility of it being part of any arrangement or playing any role whatsoever in shaping the present and future,” he said.
Faisal also voiced dismay at the role of Iran, which has poured assistance to Assad to save its main Arab ally. Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia backed by Iran, has increasingly fought alongside government forces in Syria.
“Along with the regime’s genocide against its own people, this adds an even deadlier element in the form of an all-out foreign invasion,” Faisal said of Iran’s role.
…
Despite Faisal’s stance, Kerry said that the US supported an agreement last year in Geneva that would create a transitional government that includes both the rebels and regime, although not Assad himself.
“We believe that the best solution is a political solution in which the people of Syria have an opportunity to be able to make a choice about their future,” Kerry said.
“We believe that every minority can be respected, there can be diversity and pluralism and that the people can do so in a climate of peace,” he said.
June 25th, 2013, 9:47 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Egypt is important in the Syrian revolution, stability in Egypt will help Syrians,Mursi has to establish dialogue with the so called opposition,the opposition has to respect democracy,and any violence must be dealt with firmly, who ever the side that starts the violence.
Arabic people has to learn democracy,respect the other person opinion,wisdom of the army and the goverment will determine the outcome
abscence of Parliament in Egypt, is an obstacle, every effort has to be made that election of house of parliament must be done , the constitutional court should not stands in the way of such election anymore,limiting the court power has to be done by referendum
Five days and we will know
June 25th, 2013, 9:51 pm
zoo said:
#330 Tara
Moza is behind the dismissal of HBJ…
June 25th, 2013, 9:51 pm
AMEERA said:
لا حبيبتي موزة هي الامر الناهي بقطر متلا متل الاميرة نور بزمانها مرة الملك حسين ملك الاردن لما زحلطتوا لاخوه للملك لأمير الحسن بن طلال و حطت الملك عبدلله وريث العرش
لكن تئبشيني لك هدا كيد النسا مو اي كلام
June 25th, 2013, 9:53 pm
zoo said:
Assad forces grow in strength as rebel onslaught continues
http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/24/assad-forces-grow-in-strength-as-rebel-onslaught-continues/
The fightback by Syrian government forces continues apace.
Troops loyal to Bashar al Assad have been stepping up their attack on the northern city of Aleppo, further diminishing chances of a peace conference taking place this month.
The insurgents have suffered a recent series of battlefield setbacks with advancing government soldiers appearing to regain the upper hand.
Despite a pledge by the “Friends of Syria” to increase military support to the rebels, Syrian government forces are expected to outmatch the opposition in size and resources.
The rebels are also besieged on the outskirts of Damascus and hopes of a ceasefire appear ever more remote.
June 25th, 2013, 9:55 pm
zoo said:
Happy post “successful’ revolution days in Libya continue…
Armed group attacks Libyan oil guards’ headquarters
Gunmen in Tripoli attack headquarters of Petroleum Facilities Guard on Tuesday, killing one and injuring five
AFP , Tuesday 25 Jun 2013
Libya has become terrorism transit hub: African Union
Gunmen kill six Libyan soldiers at checkpoint near Sirte
Bombs destroy police station in Libya’s Benghazi
An armed group guarding a major Libyan oil field attacked the headquarters of the Petroleum Facilities Guard in Tripoli on Tuesday, and one person was killed and five were wounded in the violence, the oil force said.
June 25th, 2013, 9:59 pm
Tara said:
Ameera,
So how come Asma could not use her power to protect Homs?
Has she got none?
—–
Rania is the best looking one out of all of them
June 25th, 2013, 10:00 pm
AMEERA said:
جاك شيراك راح وضل بشار
جورج بوش راح وضل بشار
توني بلير راح وضل بشار
مبارك راح وضل بشار
حمد راح وضل بشار
احمدي نجاد راح وضل بشار
علي صالح راح وضل بشار
القذافي راح وضل بشار
خوسيه ماريا ازنار راح وضل بشار
June 25th, 2013, 10:00 pm
AMEERA said:
ليش من قلك انو اسما هاكله هم حمص هي بهما انو بشار ما يتزوز عليها و ابنها الصغير حافظ يصير ملك عفوا امير قصدي رئيس جمهورية والامور ماشية تمام معاها
June 25th, 2013, 10:08 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
Why doesn’t Moza like him? Jealousy?
June 25th, 2013, 10:08 pm
AMEERA said:
مبارح شفت فيلم الانترنشب تبع كوكل او غوغل او يمكن جوجل بالعربي
يعني الفلم بسلي بس لا تتوقعوا ضحك كتير
بس عجبني النايت كلب يلي فيه و عجبني بس الوحدة تحب الزلمة بتعطيه كل شي و احلى مقطع لما جوز اختوا بيحكيلوا على الباب الخلفي
June 25th, 2013, 10:11 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ameera
It is time bashar to go
June 25th, 2013, 10:11 pm
AMEERA said:
لا اخي ماجد مو وقتوا بنوب ليروح و يتركنا لهدول جماعة الجهاد و المناكحة اول شي خليه يفرمن و يبعتون محملين من مطرح ما اجو و بعدين الله وملائكتو و كل محبينوا معو
June 25th, 2013, 10:15 pm
Tara said:
Ameera
You are right.
What was I saying?! She was born in England so Homs may have meant nothing to her.
June 25th, 2013, 10:16 pm
zoo said:
Tara
Repulsion. I understand her, the guy is a freak.
June 25th, 2013, 10:23 pm
revenire said:
Tal Kalakh… SAA in total control. “FSA” surrendered … the “new” weapons did nothing for them because they lost the will to fight.
Thank you President Assad.
PS – Tal Kalakh fell without a fight. The rebels just surrendered….
The rebels’ strenuous denial that they had lost an important town without a fight may show a certain desperation on their part. Ahmed Munir, the governor of Homs province, which includes Tal Kalakh, pointed out in an interview that the Syrian army had moved into the town just as 11 major powers, including the US, Britain, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, meeting in Qatar, had promised the rebels more weapons and equipment.
A local FSA commander, who said his name was Khalid al-Eid, explained that he had gone over to the government side along with 20 men he led because of general disillusionment with the uprising. A paunchy man in his early thirties with a black beard and a red baseball cap, he appeared self-confident and almost truculent as he talked about his life as an FSA leader.
He said that before the uprising, he “used to work as a policeman during the day-time and in the family perfume shop in the evening”. He seemed assured he would be able to return to his old routine.
Listening to him impassively were Syrian army officers and some civilians, including Khalid al-Eid’s father, who expelled his son from the family home when he joined the FSA. The deal that brought the army back into Tal Kalakh appears to have been brokered by leading citizens of the town who did not want it to become a battleground again. The devastating destruction at Qusayr when it was stormed over two weeks by the Syrian army and the Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah gave a sense of urgency to the final negotiations.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tal-kalakh-syrias-rebel-town-that-forged-its-own-peace-deal-8673695.html
June 25th, 2013, 10:29 pm
Tara said:
Zoo
” ….I understand her,..”
Ah… How romantic! You are bringing tears to my eyes…
I thought you did not like her?
—–
On a different note, why do Qatari women have ugly name? Moza? Anoud (Tamim’s second wife). Really?
June 25th, 2013, 10:32 pm
AMEERA said:
ريفرين ريفرين
تست تست تست
انت بتفهم عربي؟
June 25th, 2013, 10:33 pm
AMEERA said:
زوو
والله كنت مفكرتك صبي طلعت بنت
اهلا و سهلا الى نادي النسوان بالمنتدى تارا و اميرة و زوو
مين كمان؟
June 25th, 2013, 10:39 pm
zoo said:
The ‘Sex Jihad’
Posted GMT 6-24-2013 17:51:40
http://www.aina.org/news/20130624125140.htm
News emerged a few weeks ago in Arabic media that yet another fatwa had called on practicing Muslim women to travel to Syria and offer their sexual services to the jihadis fighting to overthrow the secularist Assad government and install Islamic law. Reports attribute the fatwa to Saudi sheikh Muhammad al-‘Arifi, who, along with other Muslim clerics earlier permitted jihadis to rape Syrian women.
Muslim women prostituting themselves in this case is being considered a legitimate jihad because such women are making sacrifices–their chastity, their dignity–in order to help apparently sexually-frustrated jihadis better focus on the war to empower Islam in Syria.
And it is prostitution–for they are promised payment, albeit in the afterlife. The Koran declares that “Allah has purchased of the believers their persons [their bodies] and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain (Yusuf Ali trans. 9:111).
On the basis of this fatwa, several young Tunisian Muslim girls traveled to Syria to be “sex-jihadis.” Video interviews of distraught parents bemoaning their daughters’ fates are on the Internet, including one of a father and mother holding a picture of their daughter: “She’s only 16–she’s only 16! They brainwashed her!” pleads the father.
Most recently, the Egyptian-based news service Masrawy published a video interview with “Aisha,” one of the Tunisian Muslim girls who went sex-jihading in Syria, only to regret her actions. While in Tunisia, Aisha said she met a Muslim woman who began talking to her about the importance of piety, including wearing the hijab; she then went on to talk about traveling to Syria to help the jihadis “fight and kill infidels” and make Allah’s word supreme, adding that “women who die would do so in the way of Allah and become martyrs and enter paradise.” (According to mainstream Islamic teaching, dying in jihad is the only guaranteed way to avoid hell.)
June 25th, 2013, 11:35 pm
Juergen said:
Mjabali
A friend who is writing a book about his time in Syria brought up a question, which I find difficult to answer. He asked me if its true that Alawites believe that women have no soul. Apparently there is such notations, I have found this paragraph in a text by the controversial Daniel Pipes.
“Women do most of the hard labor ; they are prized “precisely because of the work they do that men will not do except grudgingly, finding it incompatible with their dignity.” Women are never inducted into the mysteries (“Would you have us teach them whom we use, our holy faith?”); indeed, their uncleanliness requires their exclusion from all religious rituals. Females are thought to retain the pagan cult of worshipping trees, meadows, and hills, and to have no souls. In all, females are treated abominably; but one consequence of this disrespect is that they need not be veiled and enjoy greater freedom of movement than Muslim women.”
http://www.danielpipes.org/191/the-alawi-capture-of-power-in-syria
What do you think, do Alawites believe that women have no soul?
June 25th, 2013, 11:38 pm
don said:
Syria: Arming Rebels Is ‘Dangerous’ US Decision
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syria-arming-rebels-dangerous-us-decision-19475443
Walid al-Moallem said sending more weapons to the opposition would also hinder efforts to convene a peace conference in Geneva to work on a negotiated solution. He said his country remains ready to take part but added that Assad will not step down. His resignation is a key opposition demand to be raised in any talks with Damascus.
Al-Moallem spoke two days after an 11-nation group that includes the U.S. met in Qatar and agreed to step up military and other assistance to the Syrian rebels. He said all those who met in Qatar “have Syrian blood on their hands.”
“They will not be victorious no matter how much they conspire,” al-Moallem said. He said arming the rebels “is a dangerous decision because it aims at prolonging the crisis, prolonging the violence and killing and encouraging terrorism.”
“President Bashar Assad will not step down,” he said. “If anyone has such illusions on the other side, my advice to them is not to go to Geneva,” he said, rejecting the opposition’s demand that Assad’s departure from power should top the agenda in at the peace conference.
June 25th, 2013, 11:55 pm
Ghufran said:
I have always asked for Assad departure and I still do but I do not believe that people who are kiting each other today can sit down and be part of the sane government tomorrow even though I believe that power sharing is the only hope for keeping Syria in one piece. I have serious doubts that those who lost loved ones, from both sides, are now willing to forgive and play along. A transitional period is really needed before any real reconciliation can take place, the wounds are simply too deep to bandage.
June 25th, 2013, 11:56 pm
don said:
Poll: Majority of Americans disagree with Obama arming the Syrian rebels
http://www.examiner.com/article/poll-majority-of-americans-disagree-with-obama-arming-the-syrian-rebels
Obama’s numbers show no signs of recovery
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2503449370001/obamas-numbers-show-no-signs-of-recovery/?playlist_id=928378949001
June 26th, 2013, 12:11 am
Ilya said:
Do people really believe Assad is the problem?
look at Libya and Irak as 2 prime examples.
Qaddafi and Hussein are gone yet problems in those countries only got like 100x worse,stability wise, politically,economically since those rulers were dismissed.
Now the Al Qaeda terrorizing populations there with daily suicide attacks and assassinations,governments are weak there cant protect citizens from the gangs terror.
Why would anyone in their right mind want to disarm SAA, who will it benefit?
Did the armed gangs ever left or disarm on their own in Afghanistan,Irak,Libya after civil wars there?Why would they leave Syria after Assad is gone?
Either gotta be political solution,or one side has to win militarily for conflict to end ,otherwise they fight till full destruction.
This western propaganda that arming rebels will bring peace is lunacy most ridiculous thing i ever heard in my life.
should not then Russia arm Taliban to reach peace in Afghanistan?
Assad should give full amnesty to criminals if they want to leave country.
June 26th, 2013, 12:16 am
don said:
Erdogan Confronts Ataturk in Turmoil While Trying to Emulate Him
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/erdogan-confronts-ataturk-in-turmoil-while-trying-to-emulate-him.html
“Erdogan is here to destroy what Ataturk built, but we won’t let him,” Devrim Oncu, a 22-year-old member of the small, leftist People’s Salvation Party, said in an interview in the park beneath one such banner. “We’ll fight against him and we will defeat him like Ataturk defeated his ancestors, who also wanted to continue their autocratic rule.”
Many protesters accuse the government of eroding Turkish secularism by easing curbs on Islamic-style headscarves while tightening them on alcohol, devoting more school time to religion, and jailing hundreds of officers from the secular army on charges of plotting a coup.
June 26th, 2013, 12:44 am
Juergen said:
Freedom fighters? Cannibals? The truth about Syria’s rebels
The US wants to send them arms, Vladimir Putin says they’re cannibals – but what do we really know about the opposition movement fighting to topple Assad? Syria expert Aron Lund profiles some of the most powerful factions
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/freedom-fighters-cannibals-the-truth-about-syrias-rebels-8662618.html
June 26th, 2013, 12:58 am
revenire said:
Juergen it is sort of hard to deny they are cannibals when they are on film cheering as an FSA commander eats someone’s flesh. I mean I suppose that could have been faked but the cannibal later gave a speech defending his choice of “food” you know?
June 26th, 2013, 1:05 am
Citizen said:
Top Al Qaeda/Mujaheddine says it was Israel and US that started the uprising in Syria with $$$Millions of promise dollars and they who fought would like the Al-Nusra once the US screws them placing Puppets in place of Assad (Whom he now supports as Assad lets you Worship whom ever) that the US will add you to the terrorist list and you’ll all be killed, to stop the Fake Jihad.
http://youtu.be/PtIMM5MVk-o?t=3m32s
June 26th, 2013, 1:51 am
Citizen said:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/are-al-qaedas-lebanese-affiliates-opening-a-lebanese-front-in-the-syrian-war/5340160
http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/obama-overtly-supports-al-qaeda-provides-terrorists-with-chemical-weapons-michel-chossudovsky-2/45241/
June 26th, 2013, 1:55 am
revenire said:
Juergen it is sort of hard to deny they are cannibals when they are on film cheering as an FSA commander eats someone’s flesh. I mean I suppose that could have been faked but the cannibal later gave a speech defending his choice of “food” you know?
June 26th, 2013, 1:55 am
don said:
Turkey protests put strain on Syria planning
ISTANBUL — The Obama administration’s decision last week to send weapons to Syrian rebels has made the United States more dependent than ever on Turkey — at the same time that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ability to act on Syria may be newly constrained.
The protests rocking Turkey this month have given new life to old grievances among those opposed to Erdogan, and his active support for the Syrian rebels is on the list. Now, as the United States needs Turkey’s help to get weapons into the hands of those fighters, Erdogan faces the threat of more street protests the moment he pursues unpopular policies.
On Syria, Erdogan’s “wings have been clipped,” said Osman Faruk Logoglu, a deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People’s Party and a former ambassador to the United States.
That was evident, Logoglu said, after the United States said the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons, crossing a “red line” that President Obama had set. “Normally [Erdogan] would have said this is the time to take more action against Syria. We haven’t seen that,” Logoglu said.
Erdogan’s ‘aura is gone’
The intersection of the protest movement with Obama’s policy change on Syria has created a quandary for U.S. officials, analysts say, with unhappiness about Erdogan’s crackdown mixing with surprise that a leader they considered a consummate politician would react as he did to the challenge to his decade-old rule.
“The perception of Erdogan in Europe and the United States has dramatically shifted,” said Henri Barkey, a Turkey expert at Lehigh University who worked at the State Department under President Bill Clinton. Washington “respected the fact that these guys were supreme politicians. Now that aura is gone, because Erdogan really did miscalculate.”
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-20/world/40091828_1_syrian-rebels-obama-administration-turks
June 26th, 2013, 1:58 am
annie said:
A glimpse at the new Syria
http://qunfuz.com/2013/06/25/pictures-from-syria/
June 26th, 2013, 2:06 am
annie said:
A glimpse at the dear neighbour :
http://pulsemedia.org/2013/06/24/former-israeli-ambassador-advises-that-another-country-should-be-wiped-off-the-map/
June 26th, 2013, 2:11 am
Badr said:
المعلم يرى الحل بتعديل وزاري
طاهر العدوان
قبل ساعات من اجتماع في جنيف يحضره المبعوث الأممي الأخضر الإبراهيمي وكل من نائب الوزير الأمريكي والروسي للتحضير لاجتماع جنيف ٢ خرج وزير الخارجية السوري وليد المعلم بجملة تصريحات تتلخص بان الحل هو « بحكومة شراكة وطنية وانه اذا كانت المعارضة تريد حلاً بدون الأسد عليها ان لا تذهب إلى جنيف « . أي ان المعلم يرى ان الصراع المدمر المستمر منذ عامين والذي قتل فيه ١٠٠ ألف سوري ودمرت فيه نصف البلد وتحول ربع شعبه إلى لاجئين سيحل بمجرد الاتفاق مع المعارضة على ( تعديل وزاري ) على طريقة شراكة احزاب الجبهة الوطنية مع حزب البعث التي نجحت في ان تكون ديكوراً لحكم وراثي استبدادي .
هذه التصريحات وغيرها تؤكد بان المجتمعين في جنيف ( يخضون في قربة مثقوبة ) فمنذ ان اعلن كل من كيري ولافروف الاتفاق على عقد جنيف ٢ تعقدت وتدهورت الأوضاع في سوريا بسبب انطباعات تكونت في كل من دمشق وموسكو وطهران بان الولايات المتحدة سلمت الملف إلى روسيا وبان جنيف ستكون مكاناً لنصب الموائد الذي ستوقع عليها المعارضة وثائق خضوع الشعب السوري للديكتاتور ، لهذا زاد هوس آلة القتل ، وتكالب الأسد وحلفاؤه على القصير وباقي المدن السورية بهدف دفع المعارضة إلى الهرولة للمؤتمر وهي ترفع الرايات البيضاء .
بمثل تصريحات المعلم سيستمر القتال في سوريا والسبب ليس فقط نتيجة تدفق السلاح الروسي إلى الأسد ، والأمريكي إلى المعارضة انما لان العقلية المتحكمة بالنظام السوري لم تتغير ولا تريد ان تتغير ، فهي لم تر في ربيع الشعب السوري الذي استمر ٧ اشهر سلمياً الا مؤامرة أمريكية صهيونية على سوريا الأسد سوريا المقاومة والممانعة . ولو ان الأسد لم يرتكب هذا الخطأ وتوجه إلى تحقيق مطالب الشعب الإصلاحية ، كما اعترف بوتين في احد تصريحاته ، لكان قد وفر على سوريا والمنطقة كل ما تمر بها الآن من كوارث وأحقاد وثارات مذهبية .
عقلية تريد ان تخرج الشعب السوري قسرا من دائرة الربيع العربي على اعتبار انه شعب سعيد في ظل حكم آل الأسد وعليه ان يصلى كل يوم لله لانه انعم عليه بحكم القادة الملهمين الذين لا تلد بطون السوريات غيرهم حباً بالوطن والعروبة والذين تغطيهم غبار المعارك وأكاليل النصر في ميدان المقاومة خاصة في مرتفعات الجولان !!.
عقلية لا تريد استيعاب ان الشعوب العربية كبرت ونضجت وكسرت القيود وان موجة الربيع هي حركة تاريخية عميقة انطلقت من مستنقعات الاستبداد الوحيدة الباقية على وجه الارض في القرن الحادي والعشرين . وبانه لا عودة عن مطالب التغيير والإصلاح التي تقوم على المواطنة ومبادئ الحرية والكرامة ، والديموقراطية السياسية بمفاهيمها وتطبيقاتها العالمية القائمة على إرادة الشعوب وليس على خرافات القائد الملهم والزعيم الأوحد والرئيس إلى الأبد .
في سوريا المطلوب بناء نظام سياسي جديد قائم على هذه المبادئ وليس المطلوب تعديل وزاري مع الحزب القائد ولا استبدال طاغية بأمراء حرب يستغلون معاناة الشعب السوري من اجل تمرير أجنداتهم بتنصيب طغاة آخرين ، وهذا الأمر هو ما يريده الشعب المصري اليوم والشعبان التونسي والليبي حيث لم يتوقف الربيع العربي في هذه الدول أمام عقليات لا تريد ان تتغير باستبدال استبداد متوحش باستبداد ناعم ، باسم الدين او باسم الإخلاص وغير ذلك من شعارات تعيد انتاج سابقاتها التي أذلت الأمة واغتصبت استقلالها الوطني وحولتها إلى ملطمة هزائم ومطية لكل أجنبي ، فقط هي الشعوب الحرة الكريمة التي تملك إرادتها من يصنع القوة والتقدم والأمن والاستقرار وكذلك المقاومة والممانعة .
June 26th, 2013, 2:13 am
annie said:
Am I black listed ? Why the moderation ?
*Your comment is awaiting moderation.*
A glimpse at the dear neighbour :
http://pulsemedia.org/2013/06/24/former-israeli-ambassador-advises-that-another-country-should-be-wiped-off-the-map/
June 26th, 2013, 2:19 am
apple_mini said:
When I read this: Saudi Arabia warns against foreign involvement in Syria, but vows to aid rebels
It reminds me this scene: some Royal aristocrats are out on hunting. They have their hunting dogs on leash. Those dogs are very agitated. They won’t stop barking. After their masters release them, those dogs dash out with full ferocity.
June 26th, 2013, 3:31 am
Mina said:
Useful reminder, from Angry Arab and Martin, quoting S. Hersh in 2007
http://angryarab.net/2013/06/25/seymour-hersh-in-2007%c2%a0%e2%80%9cjihadis-in-lebanon%e2%80%9d/
From Martin: “Do you remember Seymour Hersh’s piece in the New Yorker, “The Redirection”, in march 2007? There was this part about “Jihadis in Lebanon”.
I think this is important to remember, because:
– it reminds that the Salafist phenomenon in Lebanon begins with March 14th in 2005 according to Hersh, and not as a “sunni reaction” to the events of 2008;
– it reminds that it’s not the “syrian war” coming to Lebanon, but a very specific political action specifically created in Lebanon and with a purely lebanese target (Hezbollah); this is not an importation from the Syrian conflict.
– And of course, absolutely all of March 14th declarations today are based on lies. But that’s the very obvious part.
======
The United States has also given clandestine support to the Siniora government, according to the former senior intelligence official and the U.S. government consultant. “We are in a program to enhance the Sunni capability to resist Shiite influence, and we’re spreading the money around as much as we can,” the former senior intelligence official said. The problem was that such money “always gets in more pockets than you think it will,” he said. “In this process, we’re financing a lot of bad guys with some serious potential unintended consequences. We don’t have the ability to determine and get pay vouchers signed by the people we like and avoid the people we don’t like. It’s a very high-risk venture.”
American, European, and Arab officials I spoke to told me that the Siniora government and its allies had allowed some aid to end up in the hands of emerging Sunni radical groups in northern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and around Palestinian refugee camps in the south. These groups, though small, are seen as a buffer to Hezbollah; at the same time, their ideological ties are with Al Qaeda.
During a conversation with me, the former Saudi diplomat accused Nasrallah of attempting “to hijack the state,” but he also objected to the Lebanese and Saudi sponsorship of Sunni jihadists in Lebanon. “Salafis are sick and hateful, and I’m very much against the idea of flirting with them,” he said. “They hate the Shiites, but they hate Americans more. If you try to outsmart them, they will outsmart us. It will be ugly.”
Alastair Crooke, who spent nearly thirty years in MI6, the British intelligence service, and now works for Conflicts Forum, a think tank in Beirut, told me, “The Lebanese government is opening space for these people to come in. It could be very dangerous.” Crooke said that one Sunni extremist group, Fatah al-Islam, had splintered from its pro-Syrian parent group, Fatah al-Intifada, in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, in northern Lebanon. Its membership at the time was less than two hundred. “I was told that within twenty-four hours they were being offered weapons and money by people presenting themselves as representatives of the Lebanese government’s interests—presumably to take on Hezbollah,” Crooke said.
The largest of the groups, Asbat al-Ansar, is situated in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp. Asbat al-Ansar has received arms and supplies from Lebanese internal-security forces and militias associated with the Siniora government.
In 2005, according to a report by the U.S.-based International Crisis Group, Saad Hariri, the Sunni majority leader of the Lebanese parliament and the son of the slain former Prime Minister—Saad inherited more than four billion dollars after his father’s assassination—paid forty-eight thousand dollars in bail for four members of an Islamic militant group from Dinniyeh. The men had been arrested while trying to establish an Islamic mini-state in northern Lebanon. The Crisis Group noted that many of the militants “had trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.”
According to the Crisis Group report, Saad Hariri later used his parliamentary majority to obtain amnesty for twenty-two of the Dinniyeh Islamists, as well as for seven militants suspected of plotting to bomb the Italian and Ukrainian embassies in Beirut, the previous year. (He also arranged a pardon for Samir Geagea, a Maronite Christian militia leader, who had been convicted of four political murders, including the assassination, in 1987, of Prime Minister Rashid Karami.) Hariri described his actions to reporters as humanitarian”.
June 26th, 2013, 4:09 am
Mina said:
Talk of an American education, these guys have no political program but for perpetual war:
“In Istanbul, Fahed Awad, a spokesman for one major Free Syrian Army battalion, told me, with disarming candor, that it would probably take three wars to complete the Syrian revolution — one to defeat Assad; then a sectarian war within Islam between the Sunnis and Assad’s Shia sect, the Alawites; and finally a fight over just how Islamic the new Syria should be.”
http://angryarab.net/2013/06/25/upcoming-sectarian-war-revolutionary-no-less-in-syria/
June 26th, 2013, 4:11 am
Mina said:
You’ve been victim of a “democratic spring” and don’t want people to go and vote or demonstrate except for the ones you bring in your own hired buses? Just make gas unavailable!
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/74952/Business/Economy/Egypt-officials-attribute-fuel-shortage-to-hoardin.aspx
June 26th, 2013, 5:40 am
Mina said:
Everything you need to know about the new king of qatar: he just switched job with HBJ ho is the new manager of the Qatar Investment Fund.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-260613.html
June 26th, 2013, 5:59 am
Tara said:
It seems like the Russians not only want to impose Iran in Geneva II but also impose a fake opposition group to negotiate a fake transition.
http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKBRE95O0XG20130625?irpc=932
After five hours of talks in Geneva sponsored by the United Nations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said there was still no consensus on a role for Assad’s ally Tehran, or on who would represent the Syrian opposition.
“There is a disagreement on whether or not, for example, Iran should take part. From our point of view, Iran’s participation in the conference is necessary because it can play an important role as a country of the region,” he told reporters.
Washington has opposed including Iran in the talks amid continuing disagreement about its disputed nuclear programme.
Gatilov added that Russia wanted the opposition delegation to represent all the main groups, without saying which he meant.
With such issues unresolved, the conference is not expected now to be held before August or even September.
June 26th, 2013, 6:44 am
mjabali said:
Juergen:
All of the things you wrote about the Alawis and women are written by their enemies. So I do not take it to be true: the same way al-Jazeera could never present a fair program about al-Shia.
If you want to learn about someone see what they say about themselves and not their enemies.
June 26th, 2013, 7:25 am
Akbar Palace said:
To all the conspiracy theorists and regime supporters out there, here’s something you may be interested in seeing.
Of course, all we hear from regime supporters and resistance professionals is how corrupt and conniving the US and Israel are as a way to deflect attention away from their favorite murderous despot. These people, for example, never discuss Russia and the role they’ve been playing in the ME.
Here’s an article in the Daily Mail that gives a glimpse of the role Russia is playing in the ME:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2348191/EXCLUSIVE-KGB-operation-seeded-Muslim-countries-anti-American-anti-Jewish-propaganda-1970s-laying-groundwork-Islamist-terrorism-U-S-Israeli-targets.html
June 26th, 2013, 7:48 am
Ilya said:
Do people really believe Assad is the problem?
look at Libya and Irak as 2 prime examples.
Qaddafi and Hussein are gone yet problems in those countries only got like 100x worse,stability wise, politically,economically since those rulers were dismissed.
Now the Al Qaeda terrorizing populations there with daily suicide attacks and assassinations,governments are weak there cant protect citizens from the gangs terror.
Why would anyone in their right mind want to disarm SAA, who will it benefit?
Did the armed gangs ever left or disarm on their own in Afghanistan,Irak,Libya after civil wars there?Why would they leave Syria after Assad is gone?
Either gotta be political solution,or one side has to win militarily for conflict to end ,otherwise they fight till full destruction.
This western propaganda that arming rebels will bring peace is lunacy most ridiculous thing i ever heard in my life.
should not then Russia arm Taliban to reach peace in Afghanistan?
Assad should give full amnesty to criminals if they want to leave country.
June 26th, 2013, 8:00 am
Ghufran said:
Ford and his ” democratic” friends think that Syrians are too dumb to see the truth about the NC:
قالت صحيفة السفير إن السفير الأميركي لدى سوريا روبرت فورد قد بدأ الاجتماع التحضيري لمؤتمر جنيف بطرح قضية تشكيل الوفود، التي قال إن الولايات المتحدة تريد إعادة مناقشتها، وإنها لم تحسم في اللقاء الماضي (5 حزيران الحالي)، مجيبا بذلك على اعتراض بوغدانوف.
وقال فورد للروس: إننا لا نريد وفوداً متعددة للمعارضة، وإنما نريد وفداً من “الائتلاف”يضم عسكريين، وان “الائتلاف” يضمن وجود وفد منسجم وقوي بوجه وفد النظام. وأضاف إن المعارضة السورية غير جاهزة حتى الآن، لكنه تحدث باسمها، ووعد بأن يكون وفدها جاهزاً إذا وافق الروس على ذلك، بعد اجتماع يعقده “الائتلاف” في اسطنبول في الرابع والخامس من تموز المقبل.
ورفض الأميركيون حضور وفد كردي تعيّن أعضاءه “الهيئة الكردية العليا”، باعتبار أن “الائتلاف” يضم في صفوفه أكراداً قادرين على التحدث باسم الجناح الكردي من المعارضة السورية. وقال فورد إن الأميركيين لا يريدون أن يحضر المعارض السوري هيثم مناع المؤتمر، أو أن يشارك في وفد المعارضة، وإنها وجهة نظر “الائتلاف”.
We know who the regime is, we know about its flaws and its brutal history but we keep discovering new issues with the NC. To create a new regime, Ford and his friends should let Syrians choose who represent the opposition, the NC as of now does not speak for many Syrians who are sick of the regime and its violent opponents and now have the right to be sick of Ford and NATO politicians.
June 26th, 2013, 8:19 am
revenire said:
There are no conspiracies in Middle East politics or US politics? LOL
June 26th, 2013, 9:09 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Ilya said
“should not then Russia arm Taliban to reach peace in Afghanistan?”
Taliban who fought Russia and caused the death of thousands of Russians, Ann wants Russia to arm them.
Taliban a Qa-eda group,Ann wants Russia to arm them
Do you know what you are talking about Ilya(Ann)?
You are begining to sound like Zoo
According to Ameera, Zoo is a woman,
June 26th, 2013, 9:28 am
revenire said:
Ann was banned.
Are you okay brother?
June 26th, 2013, 9:31 am
revenire said:
Majed according to Ameera Zoo is woman? Why would that matter? Who is Ameera?
Brother I am worried about you.
June 26th, 2013, 9:33 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
If Zoo is a woman, you can ask Zoo for a date
June 26th, 2013, 9:40 am
Citizen said:
The non-plan Syria-plan… analysis
Obama’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Syria Strategy
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/06/25/obamas_alice_in_wonderland_syria_strategy?page=full
June 26th, 2013, 9:54 am
Citizen said:
Let knowledgeable DAVID MARTOSKO Tell us about Western (American, British, Israeli ..) secret services in terms of justice and conscience for the sake of the readers!
At this stage, the “Battle of Syria,” a special role of foreign intelligence services, which in the summer of this year, significantly expanded its operations in the country. American, British, Turkish, French and Qatari and Saudi intelligence services are particularly active on the weakening of the Syrian regime . Their subversive work is multifaceted.
Supporting role of great importance in the anti-syrian is also given to the auxiliary functions. With the help of foreign intelligence agencies established health care militants not only in neighboring countries such as Israel, Jordan (making medical and surgical unit in a refugee camp Zaatari), but also directly on Syrian territory. An important role is played by the involvement of foreign intelligence agencies in setting rescued from the official Damascus territories. In this field manifest themselves French intelligence, which helps the Eric Chevalier, who served as French ambassador to Damascus until February of this year It’s not just about the food supply, but also about the structure of government in the occupied areas Assad’s opponents, as it was in Azaz, where he coordinated the work, together with a prominent member of the opposition Riyad Seif.
***
Two Syrian boys treated in Israel hospital
http://www.topix.com/world/syria/2013/06/two-syrian-boys-treated-in-israel-hospital
F**k up y**r h*lp
June 26th, 2013, 10:31 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Assad regime is planing to assasinate Haytham Mannaa,and blame it on the opposition
.
June 26th, 2013, 10:44 am
revenire said:
SOHR numbers on the dead:
36,661 civilians
25,407 SAA
17,311 NDF militia
169 Hezbollah
13,539 rebels
2,015 army defectors
2,518 foreign jihadis
My comment is that the majority of the dead are pro-government – either soldiers or civilians the terrorists have murdered.
http://www.newsday.com/news/world/activists-say-at-least-100-000-killed-in-syria-war-1.5570093
June 26th, 2013, 10:51 am
don said:
shared Sham fm شام اف ام’s video: النصرة تذبح مطراناً وشابا في ريف إدلب.
June 26th, 2013, 10:54 am
Ziad said:
CITIZEN #360
I just watched the interview. In my opinion it is the best I have heard from any one in a very long time. It is full of facts, and calm rational analysis that should be an eye opener to every Islamist supporting the Syrian revolution.
I hope I will someday meet Sheikh Nabil Naim. I will gladly kiss his hand out of respect. What a difference between him and our house Muslim Sheikh Yacoubi.
THAN YOU CITIZEN
June 26th, 2013, 11:16 am
zoo said:
#353 Juergen
“alawite women have no soul”
I know you are furious that the Alawites are still strong and that Bashar is still in power, but please spare us such stupidities.
Leave this garbage to Majed who hates anything which is not a Sunni.
June 26th, 2013, 11:28 am
revenire said:
All posters take notice:
Zaky Mallah Finally Arrested
Posted on June 25, 2013 by Womens Rights Advocate
Lebanese/Australian Zaky Mallah, has finally been arrested on Terrorist Charges, after being on the Watch list for years.
Oz jihadist charged for issuing ‘how-to survive’ holy war list on Facebook
An Australian has been charged under anti-terrorist laws for issuing a how-to list on Facebook for how young men can engage in holy war without getting killed or ending up in Guantanamo Bay.
Zaky Mallah had travelled to Syria and lived with the rebels engaged in the bloody civil war against Muslim hardliner President Bashar al-Assad.
He has posted some top tips for joining jihad and experiencing life on the frontline, news.com.au reports.
According to the report, Mallah, now 29, said that ASIO once claimed he was at risk of becoming Australia‘s first suicide bomber.
At the age of 20, he was arrested and charged for making a jihad-style video after ASIO refused him a passport.
He spent two years in the high maximum security Multi Purpose Unit at Goulburn prison before being acquitted.
According to the report, Mallah said that young people should go to Syria and engage in jihad to experience the freedom fight taken up against El Assad by members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
http://friendsofsyria.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/zaky-mallah-finally-arrested/
June 26th, 2013, 11:32 am
revenire said:
The people Obama sends weapons to:
“Jihadi Terrorists Beheading Attrocities in Idlib
Newly released video has surfaces showing the brutal slaughter of 3 Christians in the Syrian countryside of Idlib. This is not for the faint of heart..”
http://www.mideastpress.org/jihadi-terrorists-beheading-attrocities-in-idlib/
June 26th, 2013, 11:33 am
zoo said:
Syria: Where the Obama Doctrine of Covert War Spectacularly Backfired
http://warisacrime.org/content/syria-where-obama-doctrine-covert-war-spectacularly-backfired
…
Qatar has reportedly spent $3 billion to recruit and arm combatants in Syria, including “signing bonuses” of $50,000 each to Syrian soldiers who defect – although few have taken up the offer. The CIA has coordinated the delivery of at least 70 planeloads of weapons from Qatar to Turkey, Saudi-funded shipments of European arms from Croatia to Jordan and shipments of fighters and weapons from Libya to Turkey in unmarked NATO planes.
Wealthy Gulf Arab paymasters fund hundreds of hardened mercenaries from Croatia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia who reportedly earn up to $2,000 per day fighting in Syria. Many of these operations began in 2011, even as a Qatari-funded YouGov poll in December 2011 found that most Syrians still supported the government, not the rebels, upsetting the foreign narrative of a popular mass uprising.
Saudi and Qatari money and weapons have been systematically funneled to Jabhat al-Nusra, affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq and now the strongest rebel force in Syria, thanks to their generous funding, a core of experienced fighters from Iraq and Libya and the training given to recruits by American, British and French Special Forces in Turkey and Jordan.
The CIA has tried to steer new recruits and weapons to more secular groups, but without much success. Once fighters are inside Syria, they gravitate to the more effective units led by al-Nusra.
Foreign efforts to form a government-in-exile have likewise been hijacked by the Saudis and Qataris. Moaz al-Khatib recently resigned as president of the Syrian National Coalition, protesting that it was controlled by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Khatib had offered to meet President Assad in January and seemed to be serious about a political resolution of the crisis.
His resignation is a loss that leaves the coalition even more committed to violence.
….
The only moral way forward in Syria now is for Secretary Kerry to marshall whatever authority and influence his office has left to bring America’s proxies in Syria to the table, to sign a cease-fire and plan a peaceful political transition led by legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, not by foreign puppets or proxies.
This could include members of the National Coordinating Body for Democratic Change, who launched peaceful protests in Syria in 2011 and who have remained committed to non-violence, non-sectarianism and non-intervention as their revolution has been hijacked and their country destroyed.
June 26th, 2013, 11:41 am
zoo said:
Syria: Saudi behind uprising
June 26 2013 at 04:17pm
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/syria-saudi-behind-uprising-1.1538019
Damascus – Syria has lashed out at Saudi leaders, accusing them of being behind the country’s more than two-year armed uprising, according to statements published on Wednesday.
“The violence in Syria is being caused by Saudi arms, Saudi money and terrorists linked to Saudi Arabia,” said Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi.
Zohbi also said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal had “Syrian blood on his hands”.
June 26th, 2013, 11:45 am
revenire said:
The SAA is on the move… news from the front
In a process that started in Al-Qusayr, the second most important land route for smuggling weapons into Syrian has been permanently shut down as the Syrian Arab Army overwhelmed the town’s ___* defenders. We must comment here that the citizens of the town played a major role in helping our troops to identify locations of pests before giving them the Orkin treatment. Wael is traveling to Tal Kalakh today for some matter pertinent to his work. He will give me details about the ____* when he arrives. The estimated number of _______* dead is 394 with large numbers taken prisoner. The defeat of the terrorist cannibals was completed when the SAA surrounded and snuffed all resistance in Jabal Ghalyoon and the Market Area of the town. This is a catastrophic defeat for the terrorist enablers in the U.S., Turkey, Saudi Arabia and all the other war criminal countries playing a role in the suffering of the Syrian people.
http://syrianperspective.blogspot.com/2013/06/second-post-june-26-2013.html
*censored
June 26th, 2013, 12:09 pm
Citizen said:
391- REVENIRE
This is a very horrible scene!!!Interestingly the presence of people from Central Asia and some of them are owners of slanting eyes speak Russian!!!
http://youtu.be/bIiJ6udOtiM?t=5m40s
Putin! this alarm bell!It’s time to move forward!
June 26th, 2013, 12:13 pm
Ilya said:
Can someone explain incredible fascination with beheading among these animal Extreme terrorists?
cant they simply execute them,why such a hatred?Why put them through such unimaginable pain,now i can see why army has to be brutal sometimes.3
This is awful how can anyone support them in right state of mind,these videos should be sent to Obama and USA Senate.
June 26th, 2013, 12:19 pm
Ziad said:
ANNIE #365
“a country which “thumbs its nose at the world” and possesses nuclear weapons “should be wiped off the map of the world”.”
There is only one country in the world to which this applies. It is Israel. Dan Gillerman is right.
June 26th, 2013, 12:31 pm
Ilya said:
That dude 5:01 looks like Chechen most famous Terrorists Doku Umarov
i could be wrong
http://www.kavkazcenter.com/russ/
here is Norther Caucausus terrorist website in different languages
June 26th, 2013, 1:01 pm
Citizen said:
Russia has reported the deployment of an advanced
intelligence naval ship in the eastern Mediterranean.
http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/06/25/russia-deploys-intel-ship-off-coast-of-syria/
The Russian Navy has deployed its CCB-201 for intelligence operations off the coast of Syria. CCB-201 was deemed one of the largest intelligence-collection ships in the Russian fleet.
“The ship arrived in June 2013 and would stay in the region for a while,” a Russian Navy source said.
CCB-201 was designed to collect signals, including telephones, e-mail and faxes from countries along the Mediterranean coast.
The source said the vessel was capable of intercepting messages from NATO and Arab allies to Sunni rebels in Cyprus, Syria and Turkey…
June 26th, 2013, 1:31 pm
Juergen said:
Mjabali
Thank you for the answer, I thought so.
Zoo
This was an honest question, for which I couldnt find an answer. I could of course let my friend write what he thinks is plausible, now he will at least know that people on this blog find such accusations stupid. Point made.
Is Ann really banned?
June 26th, 2013, 1:35 pm
Citizen said:
396. ILYA
Here’s to you Mr Obama!
‘Obama overtly supports Al-Qaeda, provides terrorists with chemical weapons’ – expert
http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_06_25/Obama-overtly-supports-Al-Qaeda-provides-terrorists-with-chemical-weapons-expert-0417/
June 26th, 2013, 1:37 pm
Juergen said:
We’re coming to slaughter you – بالذبح جيناكم
June 26th, 2013, 1:40 pm
Citizen said:
Cyprus considering Russian military use of airbase, port facilities
http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/13522
Financially strapped Cyprus is looking at allowing Russian military aircraft to use an airbase in Paphos, the country’s defense minister said this weekend.
Cypriot Defense Minister Fotis Fotiu told the Nicosia daily Fileleftheros the country was “studying the possibility of providing in certain cases” the use of the Andreas Papandreou Air Force Base for Russian military aircraft./../..
June 26th, 2013, 1:41 pm
Citizen said:
401. JUERGEN
The favorite video from Bernard Lewis-John McCain Co. !!! Turd!
June 26th, 2013, 1:52 pm
Juergen said:
Looks like someone from the family finally realizes, that the time is up…
Bashar al-Assad’s uncle sells Paris mansion for 70 million euros
Bashar al-Assad’s uncle has hastily sold a sprawling Paris mansion for 70 million euros after it had been on the market for 100 million euros, apparently fearing it could be seized by police, it emerged on Tuesday.
Rifaat al-Assad, who allegedly has the blood of at least 25,000 people on his hands, sold the seven-storey home on one of Paris’s most desirable stretches of real estate overlooking the Arc de Triomphe.
Avenue Foch has been dubbed “the avenue of ill-gotten gains” by French media since police seized another mansion two doors down belonging to the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of misuse of public funds by foreign leaders and their families.
Mr Assad owns a string of properties elsewhere in Paris and other cities abroad, including a £10 million Georgian mansion in Mayfair, London.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10141461/Bashar-al-Assads-uncle-sells-Paris-mansion-for-70-million-euros.html
June 26th, 2013, 1:56 pm
revenire said:
Juergen I love how you make light of the beheadings. That’s really cool. You’re a real prince among men.
June 26th, 2013, 2:00 pm
Juergen said:
Homs a generation under siege, an shortfilm about life under siege.
June 26th, 2013, 2:00 pm
Juergen said:
Reve
why do compliments from you taste like sour sweets?
June 26th, 2013, 2:02 pm
Ilya said:
Citizen
Yeah who knew Obama was undercover Al Qaeda member…
June 26th, 2013, 2:06 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
C tizen
Thanks, ccb 201 ,may be someone can target it,another jule jammal
June 26th, 2013, 2:07 pm
Ziad said:
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are Responsible for Assir’s Crimes
Shortly after beating back Salafi Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir’s attempt to ignite a sectarian war in the southern Lebanese city of Saida, a chorus of his backers from the West, the Gulf, and March 14, rose up to call on the armed forces to turn their attention to Hezbollah, a group they consider armed and dangerous.
But do these forces really want to know what led to the bloody explosion in Saida? The army investigation will likely show that Assir’s attacks on the military’s checkpoints were planned in advance, the goal of which was to take their positions that overlook the adjacent Shia neighborhood of Haret Saida.
Although Assir miscalculated the army’s response, the overall plan sought to put his militia face-to-face with Hezbollah, after which his Future Party and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (Lebanon’s Muslim Brotherhood) allies would step in and reap what they believed would be a major political victory over the Resistance.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/qatar-and-saudi-arabia-are-responsible-assir%E2%80%99s-crimes?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlAkhbarEnglish+%28Al+Akhbar+English%29
June 26th, 2013, 2:09 pm
Ilya said:
Citizen
391. in that video 5:01 is that Doku Umarov?
June 26th, 2013, 2:16 pm
Uzair8 said:
It’s said Qusayr and Tel Kalakh are back under tyranny.
Hurray!
Hold the celebrations for one moment as it gets better! Apparently some hope and expect the same for Aleppo soon.
Let the celebrations commence. Save me a piece of cake. Thanks.
Long live tyranny!!
June 26th, 2013, 3:13 pm
revenire said:
Juergen because you choke when you post propaganda? Got me.
Were any of those kid’s parents beheaded because they were the wrong sort of Muslim?
June 26th, 2013, 3:30 pm
Uzair8 said:
The Syrian people, the victims of the regime, need our help. We can’t do much but we can at least pray for them. Every little helps. Sincere, heartfelt, intense and focused prayers and supplications can make a difference. With Ramadan coming up I encourage and advise, first myself and then everyone else to make an effort.
Don’t be discouraged for whatever reason. Even if you don’t usually pray or supplicate then you should. In fact for someone to take a first step, perhaps in a long time, towards their Lord, would be so pleasing to God Almighty that their supplication will be more likely and more quickly be accepted than that of others. InshaAllah.
We can win this. Yes we can and we will. No matter what the world thinks. Let’s contribute to the just struggle. Let’s be part of it and the coming victory.
That day will not be denied us. The day for tears of joy and finally getting a chance to really mourn for lost ones.
Once we shed tears. Now we cry on the inside, yet will show the world a dermination and will power unseen in recent memory.
InshaAllah.
June 26th, 2013, 3:36 pm
Uzair8 said:
404. Citizen said:
‘Cyprus considering Russian military use of airbase, port facilities’
Perhaps now they won’t need Tartous as much…
June 26th, 2013, 3:42 pm
Ilya said:
Hassan Hassan حسن @hhassan140 6m
Morsy doesn’t deserve to be ruling Egypt. All I can think about when I hear him speaking, a blithering idiot.
Hassan Hassan حسن @hhassan140 48s
This is Egyptian revolution? Applause and chants almost after every stupid sentence.
June 26th, 2013, 3:50 pm
Ilya said:
Syrian Religious Minorities Face Threat of Eradication
uze.
The hearing was a joint subcommittee hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, held by Representative Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida).
Eibner returned from a fact-finding and humanitarian aid mission to Syria on June 24, where he met with “many resilient and courageous Syrians, mainly displaced Christians and church workers.” Eibner testified that “victims recounted to me the religious cleansing of Christian neighborhoods in Homs and Qusair by armed jihadis who threatened them with death if they did not leave their homes.”
“A Christian woman told me that before she fled Homs, she had seen the beheading in broad daylight of an Alawite girl who was pulled off a public minibus by armed jihadis,” Eibner said.
Eibner also spoke of churches in Syria being “desecrated after falling under the control of the armed opposition,” and “the targeted kidnapping of non-Sunnis.” Eibner said he had learned of “a Christian girl who was kidnapped by armed insurgents and is now mentally deranged from the abuse.” The kidnapping of two high-ranking bishops in Aleppo in April “is widely interpreted within the Syrian Christian community as a message to leave the country,” Eibner said.
Eibner called on President Obama to pressure Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar to “end their support for armed Muslim supremacist forces in Syria” and “to cooperate with Russia in encouraging an end to Syria’s sectarian civil war,” noting, “We have already seen in Boston the tragic consequence of failure to cooperate adequately with Russia in combating the security threats posed by radical Sunni Islamism.”
Representative Smith thanked Eibner for his testimony, and commended CSI for its “bold and effective leadership.”
http://www.aina.org/news/20130626134400.htm
June 26th, 2013, 3:56 pm
Citizen said:
417- Uzair
your understanding is enough!و فهمكم كفاية
Goalkeeper can score a goal in the opponent’s goal!
take care! 🙂
June 26th, 2013, 3:57 pm
Tara said:
Rev,
What made you change your speciality? From trolling medical patients on medications to trolling on SC. I find that to be a big jump!
June 26th, 2013, 4:00 pm
Ghat Al Bird said:
The following statement is from today’s Guardian website:-
Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia “cannot be silent” at the intervention of Iran and Hezbollah, both close Assad allies, in Syria. “The most dangerous development is the foreign participation, represented by Hezbollah and other militias supported by the forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard,” he said. “There is no logic that allows Russia to publicly arm the Syrian regime and the foreign forces that support it.”
June 26th, 2013, 4:02 pm
Ilya said:
Amid Rising Extremism, Obama Continues Aid to Muslim Brotherhood
The Obama administration, along with other Western governments and supported by Ill-informed politicians like Republican-going-on-Democrat Senator John McCain, are ignoring the increasingly extremist tendencies of the opposition in Syria. What has already begun will escalate to horrific proportions, should the rebels prevail: Christians in Syria will be slaughtered with US weapons.
President Obama describes himself as a Christian, despite his Muslim upbringing. Not once, however, has he expressed the slightest disapproval of the war being waged against Christianity, here in the United States. Although America was founded upon the concept of religious freedom, the Progressive Left — along with so-called “Atheists” (a nonsensical term, since only an omnipotent deity could be certain that omnipotent deities do not exist) — have displayed remarkable intolerance towards all things Christian. It is worthy of note that, for a group of people who are so offended by religious practices, they never seem to complain about the practice of any other religions. The President seems to have no issue with the attempt to stamp out Christianity in the US.
Having decided to provide direct aid to the Syrian rebels — on the basis of dubious claims that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against them — Obama has chosen sides in a religious war. More accurately; he has chosen sides in two religious wars. firstly, he has determined to side with Sunni Muslims, against Shia Muslims. Both factions are a threat to the United States, but the majority Sunnis — who make up al-Qaeda, among other terrorist groups — have proven themselves a far greater danger. In addition, the President has chosen to side with Muslim, against Christian.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State John Kerry quietly allowed $1.3 billion of military aid to Egypt despite the country’s failure to meet human rights and democratic standards.
A key condition of the aid was that Egypt “is holding free and fair elections, implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association and religion, and due process of law.”
But this condition was waived due to “the interest of the national security of the United States.”
Another example of the administration’s support of the Brotherhood comes from a June 18 edition of Sada el-Balad. It reportedly shows that U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson asked the Coptic Church’s head figure, Pope Tawadros, to urge Copts “not to participate” in the June 30 demonstrations against the Brotherhood.
Christian Copts constitute about 10% of Egypt’s population, and are also uneasy about the impact of the Brotherhood’s rule on their position in the country.
Michael Rubin, a Middle East scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Caller that President Obama “has had some bad ideas, but giving aid to the Muslim Brotherhood is among his worst.”
“For eight decades, the Muslim Brotherhood was able to promise Egyptians the world because they were in opposition and had no real responsibilities,” Rubin said.
“Once in power, however, they focused on repressing women, inciting hatred against minorities and consolidating dictatorship rather than doing the hard work to improve Egypt’s economy for which Egyptians hoped,” he added.
The Obama administration’s aid to Egypt is rooted in the country’s peace pact with Israel, which has kept the regional balance of power since 1979.
But with rising extremism, whether the Muslim Brotherhood will ultimately uphold their end of the deal remains to be seen.
By Charles Rollet
http://dailycaller.com
Damning revelations about Obama …
June 26th, 2013, 4:17 pm
AMEERA said:
وهاي جوليا غيلارد رئيسة وزراء استراليا راحت و ضل بشار
انا عندي ملاحظتين
اول شي يعني عن جد شي غريب كل اعداء بشار عم يروحو و هو بعدو متل ما هو و على قولت جماعة النظام انو الله مع بشار
تاني شي الظاهر انو شي طبيعي انو الاسماء و الوجوه انو تتغير الا عنا الظاهر فايتين بمفهوم منكم و اليكم و السلام عليكم
June 26th, 2013, 4:23 pm
revenire said:
More towns and villages liberated by the heroes of the SAA! Keep going boys!!
June 26th, 2013, 4:25 pm
revenire said:
Morsi is making an idiot of himself. Hope he gets what he deserves soon.
Brother when are the millions of Egyptians coming to Syria?
🙂
June 26th, 2013, 4:26 pm
revenire said:
Tara I performed surgery already today. Maybe tomorrow but take a number.
June 26th, 2013, 4:27 pm
Citizen said:
413. ILYA said:
Citizen
391. in that video 5:01 is that Doku Umarov?
i think so !!!
Documentary. Doku Umarov: Chechnya
http://youtu.be/IUxuB5Jj6P4?t=5m44s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dokka_Umarov
June 26th, 2013, 4:30 pm
Mina said:
#425 Revenire
I told you, they took the opportunity to make a stop in Turkey or Jordan and have a chance to eat real food and drink clean water.
June 26th, 2013, 4:34 pm
AMEERA said:
ريفرين ريفرين
تست تست تست
انت بتفهم عربي؟
June 26th, 2013, 4:40 pm
revenire said:
Ha ha Mina 🙂
June 26th, 2013, 4:41 pm
Ilya said:
Citizen
May that Salafi terrorist Dog Dokku Umarov be finally captured by brave SAA!!!in Syria for his atrocities against humanity in Syria ,Russia,and Chechnya
it took FBI like 10 years to put him on terror list what a joke in beginning they called him a freedom fighter!!!
June 26th, 2013, 4:48 pm
Uzair8 said:
Rev
Since yesterday Ameera has been trying to get your attention. Thought I’d alert you in case you miss it.
June 26th, 2013, 4:52 pm
AMEERA said:
فارسی شما را در درک
June 26th, 2013, 4:54 pm
Uzair8 said:
420. Citizen
Perhaps Putin is about to shift the goalposts from Tartous to Cyprus?
🙂
June 26th, 2013, 4:55 pm
revenire said:
Uzair many try.
June 26th, 2013, 4:56 pm
Citizen said:
432. ILYA
yes Ilya !
It’s upside down image!
June 26th, 2013, 4:56 pm
Uzair8 said:
I haven’t heard the term ‘competent authorities’ for a looooong time. I’m missing it. Those were the days.. :SIGH: …
Is SANA still running?
June 26th, 2013, 4:57 pm
revenire said:
Uzair as far as I am concerned the Russians should have bases all over the world for their fleet. I find them soothing.
June 26th, 2013, 4:58 pm
revenire said:
Uzair Google not work where you are being held?
June 26th, 2013, 4:59 pm
Citizen said:
UZAIR
Be reasonable!Putin loves men shaved!Do you want to send you a barber? 🙂
June 26th, 2013, 5:02 pm
Uzair8 said:
#440
Now that’s a low blow.
Well since you asked, no, they only allow access to SC on condition of anti Assad activity in exchange for extra privilages.
#441
Now, now, my friend Citizen, behave…
Btw I think people owe you an apology for accusing you of being ‘Alan’, who has posted in recent days.
Btw where is WSS?
June 26th, 2013, 5:08 pm
revenire said:
Uzair you seem more civilized than many of them here. I would guess you’ve never tasted human flesh? LOL
June 26th, 2013, 5:10 pm
revenire said:
How about our heroes?
#IDLIB:
This governorate is almost finished with _______*. The Pied Piper and Mr. Orkin have done their job admirably.
Jisr Al-Shughoor Area:
At Al-Jaanoodiyya, Qastoon and Darkoosh, SAA and militia clean up the mess created by rampant _______*. Wael writes that over 20 carcasses were counted here. But not details.
#Areehaa: (Syria’s Jericho), a checkpoint was attacked by stupid runts from the Erdoghan litter:
Ahmad Abu-Faraj
Muhammad Malloohi
Sa’ad Dimashqi
‘Abdul-Tawwaab Saa’aati
Murhef Bulaytu
Kaamel Musulmaani
Kafr Naayaa: Helicopters and fast-moving APCs surrounded the _______* quickly and put them to death:
No details.
Awram Al-Jawz: Definite firefight and 4 dead ____*. A 23mm machine gun cannon might have been salvaged. No details.
Al-Raami: No details about firefight.
Central Prison Area: SAA and NDF seize 3 mortars and components for use against _______*. 9 confirmed ___ deaths with 7 taken prisoner and wounded.
*censored
June 26th, 2013, 5:14 pm
AMEERA said:
بلشت اتفرج على ماستر شيف امريكا
كتير غليظ هالموسم و مافي غير وحدة حلوة يبعتلا حما على هالكسم
وجربت اتفرج على ماستر شيف استراليا بس ما فهمت عليهم شي يئطع عمرون هني و هيك لهجة انكليزي خلص ما حبيتا لاستراليا ما بدي روح عيش عندون
June 26th, 2013, 5:16 pm
revenire said:
Uzair I have no idea what happened to Bill Scherk. Perhaps he went off to jihad. Canada to Turkey to Aleppo and then? I can see him with a sword can’t you?
June 26th, 2013, 5:17 pm
Uzair8 said:
#443
Funnily enough just the other week I watched the film ‘Ravenous’ with cannibalism as it’s theme. A very wierd film though an unappealing (beforehand) theme. A soundtrack and Robert Carlysle performance that will live long in the memory.
June 26th, 2013, 5:23 pm
Citizen said:
Theme of the program – the situation of Christians in the East. Guest of the program – Professor, Doctor of Economic Sciences, head of the agency “ANNA-NEWS” Marat Musin.
http://youtu.be/-Y-TF2-oiOY?t=4m59s
The fruit of faith
June 26th, 2013, 5:25 pm
revenire said:
You know what I don’t understand is if you’re going to eat your opponent why film it? Stupid? Proud? You know what I mean.
The same holds true for beheading people. Why film it for YouTube?
On another note – more good news:
Alaa Ebrahim
@Alaa_Ebrahim_tv
#SAA says it now controls Al-Sha’er oil field in #Homs governerate after days of fighting with Islamic rebels who took control of it
#Syria
June 26th, 2013, 5:26 pm
Uzair8 said:
Back to the topic of Syria…before we get censured for using the blog as some instant message (chat) service.
June 26th, 2013, 5:28 pm
Citizen said:
Judging by today’s unrest in Xinjiang region of China China and the U.S. have not agreed
In the troubled Xinjiang region of China’s Uighur Islamists attacked the city administration and the local police stations, burned several police cars. The police had to open fire. 27 killed: Islamists killed 17 people, including eight police personnel and nine civilians in response to 10 terrorists were shot dead by the police. There are wounded.
The clashes occurred early Wednesday in the village of Lukkun Shanshan County, (Lukqun township, Shanshan County) about 100 kilometers from the oasis town of Turpan in Zaaltayskoy Gobi and about 250 kilometers from the regional capital Urumqi.
Islam Uighurs are increasingly subject to the influence of radicals, which serves as a breeding ground of dissatisfaction with the resettlement of the Uighurs in Xinjiang representatives of the largest ethnic Chinese – Han.
June 26th, 2013, 5:32 pm
zoo said:
Terrified Saudi Arabia in search of a new virginity…
Kerry kisses the royal Saudi ring
http://www.examiner.com/article/kerry-kisses-the-royal-saudi-ring
It’s no accident that 15 of the 19 “9/11” hijackers were Saudi Arabian.
Conservative Wahhabi groups in Sauid Arabia fund the madrasses responsible for recruiting, indoctrinating and converting school-aged children into Islamic suicide bombers. “The most dangerous development is the foreign participation, represented by Hezbollah and other militias supported by the forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard,” said Saud, completing ignoring the strong financial and military backing of the Syrian civil war by Saudi Arabia. “There is no logic that allows Russia to publicly arm the Syrian regime and the foreign forces that support it,” said Saud, pointing finger at Russia and Iran, without looking at the strong Saudi role in funding insurgent groups battling the al-Assad regime.
Cheap Saudi petro-dollars have once again influenced U.S. foreign policy.
June 26th, 2013, 5:44 pm
Citizen said:
http://youtu.be/rHCm02uD-0c?t=36s
June 26th, 2013, 5:53 pm
Uzair8 said:
Melanie Phillips, well known columnist, staunchly pro-Isreal, in answer to a question about arming Syrian rebels went on a rant on the recent edition of the BBC’s flagship weekly panel/audience discussion programme, Question Time.
Shot herself and her cause in the foot. In danger of turning the whole British nation against herself and he cause.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6FvB61ChB0
The following piece may help describe what unfolded and the context.
http://shiftinggrounds.org/2013/06/melanie-phillips-question-time/
June 26th, 2013, 6:00 pm
zoo said:
Tamim Al Thani does not directly mention Syria in his speech. The snake HBJ eliminated without achieving his goal. A new less adventurous political orientation?
“Qatar is committed to the struggle of the Palestinian people to gain their legitimate rights and deem gaining these rights a condition for achieving a just peace,” he said.
This “includes Israeli withdrawal from all Arab lands occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. There is no settlement without a just peace.”
The emir made no direct mention of the conflict in Syria, where Qatar backs rebels fighting to topple Bashar Al Assad.
Sheikh Tamim said Qatar “rejects divisions in Arab societies on sectarian lines”. “We seek to preserve relations with all governments and countries and we respect all sincere, active and effective political directions in the region but we do not support one side over the other,” he said.
“We respect all the influential and active political trends in the region, but we are not affiliated with one trend against the other. We are Muslims and Arabs who respect diversity of sects and respect all religions in our countries and outside of them.”
Later yesterday the emir formed a new government, which does not include the former prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, who in his 21 years in office had become the face of Qatari foreign policy.
… The new emir split the positions held by Sheikh Hamad, naming Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani prime minister and interior minister, with Khaled Al Attiyah promoted to foreign minister.
“The appointment of the new prime minister, who possesses a strong domestic portfolio, certainly shows that the new emir is keen to focus on domestic issues and to develop the country internally,” said Michael Stephens, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in Doha.\
…
The cabinet also included a woman, with Hessa Al Jaber becoming communication minister.
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/qatars-new-emir-sheikh-tamim-sets-out-the-way-forward#ixzz2XMUoCeaj
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
June 26th, 2013, 6:03 pm
Ilya said:
edward dark
a prominent opposition coordinate in Aleppo admits rebels are shelling civiian areas & asks them to stop
One can imagine what FSA gonna do once they receive game changing arms
June 26th, 2013, 7:14 pm
ghufran said:
Qatar’s Emir and his hit man, HBJ, are out with orders from Washington, Iran elected a moderate, KSA king may not finish this year, Erdu is in trouble, and Hariri mafia is on life support. This leaves Bashar as the only Hdaydan left in Al-Midan, he, barring unforeseen circumstances, is likely to stay until Jun 2014 at least. Clearly Assad will be the focus now and Russia and Iran have to figure out how to keep the army intact without Assad, if NATO and the GCC do not compromise on core issues related to the new government and who controls the army and security forces this war will not end and Assad will not resign despite the fact that his departure will improve chances of a national dialogue, obviously the interests of Syrians is not the main concern of foreign powers controlling the Middle East, that has been the case from day one.
Who is responsible for this unfavorable outcome: islamist terrorists who managed to transform a movement for freedom into a global jihadi war that threatens freedom and everything the west stands for:
Director of the Center for the African Union to combat terrorism, Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira has said that Libya has become a very serious transit center for terrorism ..
Madeira was quoted by (AFP) as saying on the sidelines of a meeting about the Sahel region in Oran, that Western Algeria has had many reports that Libya has become a major transit center for larger terrorist groups moving from one country to another, and that some of the terrorists who are active in Mali, considered Libya a shelter and a place for reorganization ..
June 26th, 2013, 7:32 pm
zoo said:
Ater the Lebanese Army crushed the Sunni islamists fighting against Hezbollah , the USA wants to re-enforce it as well as the Iraqi shia army.
The USA top priority now is to prevent Al Qaeada appearance close to Israel. Arming the rebels seem directed as fighting against Al Qaeda, not at toppling the regime.
U.S. military chief recommends bolstering Lebanon, Iraq forces
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-syria-crisis-usa-lebanonbre95p1ky-20130626,0,2303837.story
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday he has recommended bolstering Lebanese forces grappling with the fallout from Syria’s civil war by sending in military trainers and accelerating arms sales.
General Martin Dempsey also said he had recommended helping Iraq better deal with the re-emergence of al Qaeda.
“We’ve made a recommendation that as we look at the challenges faced by the Lebanese armed forces, the Iraqi security forces with a re-emerging al Qaeda in Iraq, and the Jordanians, that we would work with them to help them build additional capability,” Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon.
June 26th, 2013, 7:46 pm
ghufran said:
Morsi, one of the illegitimate children of the “Arab Spring” :
قال مرسي فى خطاب له مساء الأربعاء 26 يونيو/حزيران بعد عام من توليه الرئاسة “إن المهمة كبيرة جدا ولكي ننتقي السوس من الجسد العظيم فالمسألة ليست سهلة بل تحتاج إلى عملية جراحية دقيقة، آن الآوان لإجرائها وأنا أتفهم أن تختلف المعارضة وأن تنافس من خلال الآليات الديمقراطية ولكن لا أقبل أن تشارك أبدا في الانقضاض على الثورة والتحالف مع أعدائها بأي شكل”.
وأقر مرسي بتدهور الأوضاع الاقتصادية والأمنية والمعيشية والمالية في ظل حكم الإخوان المسلمين، وقال: “إن الاستقطاب والتطاحن السياسي بلغ مدى يهدد مصر كلها بحالة من الشلل والفوضى حيث تأخر النمو الاقتصادي الذي لا بديل عنه وتأزمت الأحوال المعيشية”.
واعترف مرسي بأنه ارتكب أخطاء كثيرة منها عدم تغيير هياكل ومؤسسات الدولة قبل المضي في خطط التنمية والبناء وقال “أنني أخطأت بأشياء كثيرة وأصبت بأشياء واعتقدت أن الوقت حان لتحويل الثورة إلى طاقة بناء وتنمية لكن الممارسة خلال العام الماضي أثبتت أن الثورة كي تتحرك نحو تحقيق أهدافها لا بد لها من إصلاحات جذرية وسريعة في هياكل وأداء مؤسسات الدولة”.
واتهم مرسي جهات داخلية وخارجية بالتآمر على حكم فريقه الإخواني بمنظومة من العنف والتشويه والتحريض والتمويل، وقال: “إن هناك من يناصب الثورة عداء سافرا ففي الخارج هناك من يدرك ماذا تستطيع مصر الحرة القوية النامية المتطورة أن تقدمه لأمتها وعالمها وفي الداخل هناك من يتوهم امكانية ارجاع عقارب الساعة إلى الوراء”.
وهاجم مرسي المتظاهرين ضده ووصفهم بالبلطجيين وببقايا النظام السابق الذين يريدون هدم التجربة الديمقراطية وتوعد بقطع يد من يحاول العبث بأمن مصر وإهانة رئيس البلاد واتخاذ كل أساليب القسوة واعتبر أن دعوات التظاهر ضد حكمه هي دعوات للتخريب كما هاجم وسائل الإعلام واتهمها باختلاق الأكاذيب.
وهدد مرسي معارضيه وتوعدهم بهدم التعاون معهم وملاحقتهم خارج إطار القضاء ووجه اتهامات للقضاة الذين يرفضون الانخراط في مشروع أخونة الدولة ويعارضون سياسات جماعته المؤسسة لديكتاتورية جديدة وقال انهم زوروا انتخابات عامة في عهد الرئيس السابق حسني مبارك.
Morsi attacked everybody except his mother, the GCC and Israel.
June 26th, 2013, 7:57 pm
zoo said:
Ghufran
The USA have now a clear strategy: Eliminate al Qaeda presence in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq to protect Jordan and Israel. Bashar’s fate is a secondary issue to be tackled later.
Hollande called the rebels to use the weapons to retake all the areas occupied by the Islamists. That was very significant as we know that the Islamists are the core of the rebels.
So it seems that the USA is now arming the ‘good’ rebels with the aim at weakening the “bad” rebels in priority.
Are we seen finally a common goal between the FSA, the Syrian Army and the Iraqi army to crush the Islamists?
Is there a tacit deal in the background whereby Bashar will be allowed to stay if he manages to neutralize all the Islamists in Syria and guarantee Israel protected?
It appears there is something like that going on…
The Geneva conference has no more meaning, It will be reconvene when the Syrian army or the rebels would have taken back the areas occupied by Islamists… a long way to go
June 26th, 2013, 8:00 pm
Ziad said:
How Jihadi propaganda works ~ an example
This video is an excellent example of how Jihadi propaganda works. Remember that most of the youngsters leaving their safety and comfort in Europe to fight in Syria, are no hardcore Jihadi’s; they’re just people that get emotionally involved in the atrocities they see every day on all (Arabic) news channels. As for local Sunni’s, I choose too let them speak for themselves. This post is a mere perception …
This video can be seen as an example of a three step methodology:
http://pietervanostaeyen.wordpress.com/2013/06/26/how-jihadi-propaganda-works-an-example/
June 26th, 2013, 8:03 pm
ghufran said:
AB Atwan reminds readers of why Arabs are natural losers:
المشهد السوري قبل عامين وشهرين كان سهل الفهم لوضوح تفاصيله واحداثه: شعب يطالب بالحرية والعدالة واحترام حقوق الانسان والاصلاحات السياسية، ويعتمد اساليب الاحتجاج السلمي مثل المظاهرات والاحتجاجات، مقابل نظام يستخدم الحلول الأمنية بشراسة ويتحدث عن ارهابيين ومؤامرة خارجية.
المعارضة السورية، وبتحريض عربي وامريكي وتركي، طوّرت مطالبها الى الدعوة الى اسقاط النظام واللجوء الى السلاح تحت عنوان الدفاع عن نفسها، في مواجهة شراسة النظام وتصاعد اعداد الضحايا، ولعبت الفضائيات العربية دورا في تضخيم الاحداث، وانتصارات المعارضة وخسائر النظام.
مناطق بكاملها تساقطت في ايدي الجيش الحر ورجاله، وتفجيرات انتحارية استهدفت مؤسسات امنية في قلب العاصمة دمشق، وباتت الحدود السورية مع العراق وتركيا خارجة عن سلطة النظام، وتتدفق عبرها شحنات الاسلحة واعداد كبيرة من المتطوعين للانضمام الى الجماعات الاسلامية المتشددة.
فجأة يبدأ هذا المشهد في التغير سياسيا وعسكريا، وبشكل دراماتيكي غير مسبوق، وخاصة بعد معركة القصير التي تدخل فيها حزب الله بفاعلية وقلب بتدخله كل موازين القوى على الارض.
سقوط القصير تلاه سقوط قلعة الشيخ احمد الأسير في صيدا، واستسلام مدينة تل كلخ قرب حمص للنظام بعد صفقة عقدها مع المقاتلين والجماعات العسكرية المدافعة عنها، كان عنوانها القاء السلاح مقابل العفو.
لأول مرة ومنذ بداية الأزمة يقول لنا المرصد السوري الذي كان المصدر الرئيسي لاخبار القتلى والجرحى والمقرب من المعارضة ان هناك قتلى في الجانب الآخر، ومن المدنيين ايضا، بعد ان كان مجرد الحديث عن هؤلاء جريمة وخروجا عن الملّة.
المرصد السوري قال لنا ‘ان مئة الف قتيل سقطوا منذ بداية الصراع في الجانبين من بينهم 36661 مدنيا، و18072 مقاتلا معارضا، و25407 عناصر من قوات النظام’.‘ ‘ ‘
لماذا نشر هذه الارقام الآن على وجه التحديد، ولماذا تصاعد الحديث فجأة عن جرائم الجيش السوري الحر ونشر اشرطة مصورة لجماعات متشددة تقتل مراهقا امام اهله، وتبقر بطن آخر واكل كبده، وذبح اثنين من قبل جهاديين غير سوريين بالسكين بتهمة التعامل مع النظام؟
الاجابة اعطانا اياها واضحة صريحة يوم امس المستر جون كيري وزير الخارجية الامريكي عندما قال في مؤتمر صحافي عقده في الكويت انه ‘لا يوجد حل عســـكري في سورية’.. واكد ‘ان سورية ليست ليبيا’ في رده على سؤال حول سبب عدم التدخل عسكريا في الاولى مثلما حدث في الثانية.
المستر كيري اصبح حريصا على سورية ووحدتها الترابية ومؤسسات الدولة عندما قال ‘ان استمرار القتال سيؤدي الى دمار الدولة، وانهيار الجيش، واندلاع نزاع طائفي شامل يستمر سنوات يعزز المتطرفين ويزيد من احتمالات الارهاب’.
عندما كنا نقول ان سورية ليست مثل ليبيا وان النظام يتمتع بدعم اصدقائه وحلفائه، علاوة على دعم الجيش وقطاع عريض من الشعب، كانت اللعنات تنصبّ علينا من جهات الكون الاربع مرفوقة بالعديد من الاتهامات من كل الاوزان والاحجام، لكن عندما يقولها المستر كيري فلا تثريب عليه لانه وبكل بساطة امريكي بعيون زرقاء، وتحولت بلاده الى صديقة وفيّة في اعين الكثير من العرب، هدفها هو تخليص العرب من الاشرار العرب والمسلمين.
عندما تغيب المعارضة السورية بزعامة الائتلاف الوطني، او بالاحرى عندما تُغيّب عن اجتماع ‘اصدقاء الشعب السوري’ الاخير في الدوحة، وعندما يعود 65 الف لاجئ سوري من الاردن الى بلادهم، وعندما تعود مدينة تل كلخ الى سيطرة النظام، فهذا يعني ان تغييرا كبيرا يحدث على الارض علينا الانتظار للتعرف على كنهه.
لا نعرف ما اذا كان الامير سعود الفيصل وزير الخارجية السعودي الذي اطلق بالأمس تصريحات نارية اكد فيها ان سورية ارض محتلة (من النظام) وان ابادة جماعية تجري على ارضها، يدرك تسارع هذه التطورات على الصعيدين الميداني والسياسي في البلاد، ام انه مغيّب تماما، ‘ويذهب الى الحج والناس راجعة’ مثلما يقول المثل الشعبي؟
المؤكد ان الامير السعودي على اطلاع على هذه الحقائق وغيرها الكثير، وربما تكون عضبته هذه راجعة الى ذلك، خاصة انه اجتمع قبل يومين فقط مع وزير الخارجية الامريكي واستمع الى ما في جعبته من تقويمات للوضع في سورية، والموقف الامريكي تجاهها. لا بدّ ان الامير الذي تعلم في الجامعات الامريكية شعر بخذلان اصدقائه لبلاده والتخلي عنها في منتصف الطريق.‘ ‘ ‘
ما يرعب الامير السعودي، والكثير من اقرانه الخليجيين، هو النتائج التي يمكن ان تترتب على التحريض الطائفي الذي شجعته حكوماتهم لتبرير تدخلها العسكري والمالي في سورية، واحتمال عودة ‘المجاهدين’ الذين ذهبوا بحسن نية وحماس الى سورية لاسقاط النظام.
عندما تتراجع الانتقادات للنظام السوري في الاعلام الغربي خاصة، وتتصاعد الانتقادات للمعارضة وجيشها الحر، ويكثر الحديث عن قطع الرؤوس امام الكاميرات، فهذا ‘فأل سيىء’ لكل الذين اعتقدوا ان الغرب مستعد للتضحية بأبنائه من اجل العرب واحلال الديمقراطية وقيم حقوق الانسان في بلادهم.
نعم سورية ليست مثل ليبيا، لان الاولى بجوار فلسطين المحتلة، والثانية تبعد عنها 4000 كيلومتر، وتحتوي على نفط وفير، ولا يحظى النظام فيها (اي ليبيا) بدعم ايران وحزب الله وروسيا والصين.
انتظروا الآن مجازر تستهدف الجماعات الاسلامية المتشددة برضاء امريكا وروسيا، ومباركة دول عربية، بعدها يأتي الحل السياسي السلمي الذي تحدث عنه كيري في الكويت.
سورية تدمرت، وجيشها انهك، وشعبها كفر بالعروبة، والعراق ممزق، وتركيا اردوغان في الطريق الى الدمار، ومصر على فوهة بركان، فماذا تريد اسرائيل افضل من كل هذا.
انتهى الدرس ايها العرب.
None of the arab regimes represents its people and none of them is independent, a new day will come when arabs realize that their only route to the 21st century is a secular democracy that does not copy the west but departs from the illusion of “islam is the solution”, not because Islam is bad but because religion does not belong in the government, any government.
June 26th, 2013, 8:20 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Today Lavrov says Russia needs explanations from Kerry about Geneve 2, Yesterday Muallem says Syria is going to geneve2 to establish a goverment that includes both sides,Assad and opposition,in other word SHARING, but will not discuss creating new goverment with full authority,to Syria,Muallem says Geneve 2 is not about tranfer of authority it is about sharing authority,
It is clear that both Russia and US they don’t have clear idea about Geneve2 so how do we expect such meeting to convene?
Geneve2 is political way of reaching a solution when warring factions reach an impasse,so Balance on the grounds has to be established first.
We should never forget that big countries determine the fate of small countries, US and Russia has to reach agreement before such meeting, my guess is that Geneve2 is dead.
What is needed now,as the Barbarian Persians entered the battle,they turned this battle to regional war,and Persia has declared war on KSA,Qatar, Jordan and Egypt
June 26th, 2013, 8:20 pm
habib said:
403. Juergen
Too bad the girls in that video won’t get to dress like that ife their “revolutionaries” win.
406. Juergen
Rifa’at is today an ally of the Saudis. So what is your point?
June 26th, 2013, 8:21 pm
ghufran said:
Jim Muir of the BBC is talking about a possible partition of Syria:
In a de facto partition scenario, the regime-controlled areas could thus prove much more stable and coherent than the others.
That now seems the most likely scenario, by default if not by design.
Only two things could save Syria as a unitary state : complete victory by one side or the other, which seems very unlikely, or a political settlement, the chances of which look equally slight.
(I hope Jim is wrong)
June 26th, 2013, 8:54 pm
zoo said:
USA arming the rebels with lethal weapons is not for tomorrow or next week or month
Lawmakers want more details before funding Syria
Associated Press
Posted: 06/26/2013 04:45:08 PM PDT
http://www.montereyherald.com/rss/ci_23546645?source=rss
WASHINGTON — Congress is balking at the administration’s first attempt to pay for lethal aid to the Syrian rebels until the White House presents a more fully developed proposal than one they received last week from Secretary of State John Kerry, including options for what the U.S. will do next if the initial surge of arms fails to improve the rebels’ standing in the civil war that’s gone on for more than two years.
Lawmakers last week rejected the Obama administration’s initial proposal to arm Syrian rebels, refusing to fund the plan until the White House presents options for what action the U.S. might take at the U.N. or what actions might trigger the administration to set up an area where U.S. or allied forces prohibit Syrian planes from attacking rebel positions, known as a no-fly zone.
Top lawmakers met with administration officials at the White House Wednesday to see if they could break the impasse. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns was attending the meeting, which follows a classified briefing for lawmakers last week.
June 26th, 2013, 8:57 pm
revenire said:
“What is needed now,as the Barbarian Persians entered the battle,they turned this battle to regional war,and Persia has declared war on KSA,Qatar, Jordan and Egypt”
Brother perhaps a nap is in order? This Persian-bashing is bordering on racism.
June 26th, 2013, 8:57 pm
Ziad said:
Rev
“This Persian-bashing is bordering on racism.”
No Rev it is utter nonsense caused by emotional panic and hysteria.
June 26th, 2013, 9:10 pm
ghufran said:
Maxim Khalil (Best Arab actor 2013):
موركس دور 2013
“مرّت سنة من آخر مرة كنت واقف فيها هون, في كتير أشخاص ما اتغير شي عليهن, بس بالنسبة إلنا بواقعنا اتغيرت كتير أشياء.. وللأسف اختلطت كتير مفاهيم. زكي كورديللو وابنه مهيار, عدنان زراعي, سامر رضوان, عمر جباعي, وفي متلن مهندسين وأطباء ومحامين وطلاب جامعة, وطبعاً في منن عمال وفلاحين وصغار كسبة, وأنا ركزت عليهن لأنو نحنا 12 سنة بالمدرسة عم يعلمونا إنو هدول هني عماد المجتمع وأن لهم كل الأولويات والحقوق, منوجه إلهم تحية, ومنقول إنو هدول مكانن مو بالمعتقلات هدول العالم مكانن برّا بالضو.. على أرض سوريا, لأنن سوريا, وهي الجائزة لسوريا”..
June 26th, 2013, 9:23 pm
mjabali said:
Any one saw the video of the Sunni Fighter beheading the Christian priest in Syria?
That group had passed to Syria through Turkey..
June 26th, 2013, 9:23 pm
Ziad said:
Tom Gara@tomgara3h
How many presidents could give a 2 1/2 hour speech and not mention the four citizens dragged from their homes and lynched a few days prior?
June 26th, 2013, 9:28 pm
Ziad said:
قائد إحدى أكبر الجماعات المسلحة في “الجيش الحر” ..علي بلو : نحن مع إسرائيل والولايات المتحدة وسنقاتل معهما ضد حزب الله وإيران !؟
http://www.syriatruth.org/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%89/tabid/94/Article/9965/Default.aspx
June 26th, 2013, 9:38 pm
Tara said:
…
June 26th, 2013, 9:41 pm
Ilya said:
470 Mjabali
These were filthy Chechen c…s,one of the most brutal fighters
They formed brigade of their owns there ,hope they will stay in Syria forever
June 26th, 2013, 9:42 pm
Ziad said:
Syrian Army liberated Talkalakh city in Homs countryside
June 26th, 2013, 9:57 pm
Ghufran said:
A rare debate took place on a pro regime media site Sham fm, an opposition figure called for an army that is loyal to Syria and not to those in power, he said Syrians do not want an army whose officers declare that they are ” Assad soldiers”, he also demanded a government that is free from the influence of security forces. Let us hope that the guy does not end up in jail like dr AA Al-Khayyer.
Let us assume for the sake of the argument that Bashar was a good president, you know how I feel about this assumption, he has been president since 2000, for how long syrians are supposed to accept him as president ?
June 26th, 2013, 10:09 pm
revenire said:
Brother Majed is hysterical!
June 26th, 2013, 10:37 pm
Ghufran said:
Arab brotherhood at its best. First the statutory rape of teenagers in jordan and now this
Story from Lebanon:
Organizations providing aid to refugees try to avoid traveling to areas near the Syrian border that lack security. Instead, they identify local figures that can distribute the aid on their behalf. These local figures may be a mayor, a religious figure, or other people who are well-known in their communities. Some of these figures provide aid to a select few refugees while leaving the rest empty-handed. Others sell the aid to refugees as opposed to overseeing its distribution. Sometimes they will even give the aid to their own families and friends.
( refugees said they are paying $ 10 per person in rent)
June 26th, 2013, 11:04 pm
Ilya said:
Terrorist tunnels that were discovered in #Aleppo #Syria
https://twitter.com/gi_syrian/status/350043075864821760/photo/1
Well for some reason these creatures like to live underneath the earth like certain animals hmm…
June 26th, 2013, 11:21 pm
Ziad said:
AMEERA
ذكرت مصادر مقربة من الفنان الفلسطيني محمـد عسـاف انه قام ببيع
سيـارته اللي استلمهـا مـن
“Arab IdoL”
وتبرع بأموالها لصالح “اطفال فلسطيـن ” فـي لبنـان.
وأضافت المصادر أن عساف بقيامه بهذا العمل الرائع يستحقان يكون سفير النوايا الحسنة
June 26th, 2013, 11:44 pm
don said:
Animal rebels behead two Christians and commemorate the Moment with pictures and videos
A video uploaded to the internet yesterday shows two men with their hands bound, surrounded by dozens of people, many of them armed and cheering in celebration.
The two are brutally executed – beheaded with a small combat knife. Echoing previous beheading recorded by insurgents, the head is held up to the cheers of onlookers and then placed on the body.
This month has seen an escalation in sectarian atrocities committed by insurgents, who have been publicly armed and supported by America, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other actors. Indeed, the atrocities are coinciding with further arms transfers – with new advanced weaponry witnessed in the hands of militants in the past number of weeks.
The most recent beheading recorded on video and uploaded to the internet, reportedly took place in Idlib countryside.
Recently, a Catholic priest was executed by foreign militants. The monastery in which he resided was burnt and looted, echoing the events of a massacre in Homs last month which resulted in the entire population of a Christian village being wiped out and their houses and possessions burnt. Two Christian bishops who were kidnapped by Chechen gunmen in Aleppo earlier this year, are still missing.
As well as Christians, Shia villages are receiving the brunt of a boldly-confident insurgency. This newly-found confidence has resulted in having just recently received confirmation of America’s intent to supply them with more weapons. Last week, militants massacred dozens of villagers in the province’s town of Hatla. Since then, summary executions and sectarian house-to-house raids have taken place.
http://syriareport.net/syria-militants-behead-two-christians/
June 27th, 2013, 2:57 am
majedkhaldoun said:
After Assad soldiers took over TAL KALAKH they Robbed the city,stole properties and pillaged the town, in Damascus Assad army along with HA they bombed part of southern Damascus with chemical weapons
An Army like that must be punished for their acts
June 27th, 2013, 6:57 am
Tara said:
Russia is not sure of Bashar’s victory.
Russia Today, the Kremlin’s English-language propaganda channel, said: “The withdrawal was prompted not only by the increased risks caused by the ongoing military conflict, but also by the fact that in the current conditions any incident involving Russian servicemen would likely have some unfavourable reaction from the international community.”
Russia withdraws its remaining personnel from Syria
http://m.guardiannews.com/world/2013/jun/26/russia-withdraws-personnel-syria
Russia has evacuated the last of its personnel from Syria, including from its Mediterranean naval base in Tartus, in a move that appears to underline Moscow’s mounting concerns about the escalating crisis.
Russian media reported on Wednesday that they had confirmed the evacuation with officials in the country’s military and foreign ministry. But there was no official confirmation of a claim from rebel Free Syrian Army sources that a Russian plane had been shot down and its pilot captured in the western Aleppo area.
The effective closure of the Tartus base would be a significant loss, though a 16-ship naval task force is still in the eastern Mediterranean. The base is Russia’s only foothold in the Middle East.
June 27th, 2013, 7:20 am
Akbar Palace said:
Somebody “gets it”:
Despite the fact that Israel has not chosen sides in the Syrian conflict, Dagan insisted that “it is in our interests that Assad should fall. It would weaken Hezbollah dramatically and damage Iran’s standing in the Mideast.”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397600,00.html
June 27th, 2013, 7:26 am
zoo said:
US to send arms to Syria within a month
America has already begun shipping weapons to a secret network of warehouses that will be used to start supplying Syria rebels with arms within the month.
By Damien McElroy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10145779/US-to-send-arms-to-Syria-within-a-month.html
12:21PM BST 27 Jun 2013
US officials have leaked CIA plans to deliver the arms from Jordan to specially vetted groups in the Free Syrian Army within weeks.
The shipments are to be coordinated with a “parallel push” by European and Arab allies to provide training and arms deliveries to the rebel forces deemed moderate and separate from al-Qaeda linked forces.
The arms supplies are intended to be in the hands of the rebels before an offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s regime is launched in early August, the Wall Street Journal said.
So far the manifest of deliveries to the warehouses in Jordan includes light weapons and anti-tank missiles. Talks are underway with the French to send more supplies from European weapons manufacturers to the Syrians, US officials said.
Saudi Arabia has said it will despatch as many as 20 shoulder-fired surface to air missiles, capable of taking down regime fighter jets in a controlled and managed process.
June 27th, 2013, 8:11 am
zoo said:
Is the USA plotting with Al Qaeda?
Why was Israel-hating sheikh invited to White House?
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=10277
U.S. government officials reportedly met with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah at the White House earlier this month • Bin Bayyah is vice president of a group that praised jihad and issued a fatwa against the normalization of relations with Israel.
Dan Lavie, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
The White House meeting (Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah is second on the left, in white)
What was a radical Muslim sheikh doing at the White House earlier this month? Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah was invited to Washington and met with U.S. government officials on June 13 to discuss various issues, including the conflict in Syria.
The meeting was revealed earlier this week by Steve Emerson and John Rossomando of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. The White House meeting took place on the same day that the U.S. plan to arm rebels in Syria was announced.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah may not be well known, but he is the deputy of Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Qaradawi has called for the killing of Jews and Americans, but has also recently called on his followers to join the fight against Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria.
June 27th, 2013, 8:15 am
zoo said:
#483 Tara
A very smart Russian move.
The Russians know that after failing to rally the UN against Hezbollah, the opposition was plotting to accuse Russian military involvement through a smear media campaign. The intent was to spread rumors of Russia direct military actions and therefore to have Russia’s presence in Syria condemned and weakened by yet another UN General Assembly resolution. This method has become a main trick for the Gang of 11 to pass condemnations.
Putin has just cut the grass under their feet.
June 27th, 2013, 8:23 am
zoo said:
$465 Ghufran
I think Jim Muir is right. The country will be divided for a while just like Germany. The West including Damascus will be under the Syrian government control with the army. The East and part of the North will be controlled by a multitude of warlords and militias.
Aleppo, like Berlin will be divided.
The West part will find some kind of stability and security while the East will remain chaotic and will be attacked both by the Syrian army and by the ‘good’ rebels still hoping to create their ‘government’ and to get rid of the Islamists.
After a while the Western countries will come to the evidence that the ‘good’ rebels cannot get rid of Al Qaeda and control the East. They will then switch their support to the Syrian Government in the West, perceived as stronger and more reliable.
Ultimately the East will fall under the Syrian government control, but it may take many months, maybe years.
June 27th, 2013, 8:41 am
zoo said:
Thanks to Saudi Arabia, beheading is now part of Syria Islamic heritage
Syria rebels behead civilians for collaboration with Assad, , says rights group
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/06/27/syria_rebels_behead_civilians_for_collaboration_with_assad_says_rights_group.html
Rebels fighting alongside the Syrian opposition have beheaded two civilians with knives in front of onlookers including children, a pro-opposition group said.
The Syrian civilians were accused of collaborating with President Bashar Assad’s regime, the Coventry, U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on its Facebook page. The rebels, who spoke in classical Arabic with an accent, may have been Chechen, the Observatory said.
June 27th, 2013, 8:50 am
majedkhaldoun said:
So Zoo is finally admits that my suggestion of creating northern Syria state was the right idea
June 27th, 2013, 8:59 am
majedkhaldoun said:
http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Jun-27/221801-lebanese-military-to-probe-army-unit-seen-beating-detainee.ashx#axzz2XNJaHhmt
June 27th, 2013, 9:22 am
Mina said:
Zoo 490
And in Egypt, lynching is now part of daily life so much that Morsi does not need to condemn it when he gives a speech to the nation just two days after.
June 27th, 2013, 9:24 am
zoo said:
Will Morsy return to acting in the sequel of the Planet of the Apes, his favorite movie?
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/75073/Egypt/Politics-/Morsis-opponents-pick-holes-in-latenight-speech.aspx
…
Prominent writer Alaa Al-Aswany slammed the speech as “miserable,” predicting that 30 June demonstrations will put paid to Morsi’s rule.
Al-Aswany took a swipe at how Morsi perceives the current political deadlock as a mere “conflict” with old-regime figures and thugs aiming to ignite chaos, while turning his back on the opposition, the people it represents, and their demands.
“Are the 16 million who signed the Rebel [petition] thugs and remnants [of the old regime]?” Al-Aswany, a leading member of the opposition Constitution Party, wrote on Twitter.
The Rebel campaign, a mammoth anti-Morsi signature drive, has been the main force behind calls for mass anti-regime protests on 30 June demanding snap presidential polls.
In his speech, Morsi singled out and named certain “thugs” as well as opposition and old regime figures, leading some to threaten legal action against him for his statements.
June 27th, 2013, 9:33 am
Ilya said:
Majed
Barbaric Chechen slaughter Syrians like pigs,behead them 🙁
i don’t see you complaining about this …
i say divide Syria in 3 parts
Alawite,Kurds,Sunni states.
June 27th, 2013, 9:39 am
Mina said:
Moon of Alabama has an interesting hypothesis on the origin of the beheading trend: Pakistan
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2013/06/syria-the-army-secures-the-lebanese-border.html
What do the animals comitting such crimes expect to achieve? Already with the hideous cannibal who slaughtered and ate parts of a dead Syrian soldier, the opposition cannot say anymore that these gruesome videos are manufactured by the regime to serve as propaganda. I wish someone counts the number of posts that have been written by the pro rebels on this theme in the last two years after every bombing or massacre.
June 27th, 2013, 9:40 am
zoo said:
Majed
North Syria and the East will never be states, they will be “Vaziristans” controlled by Islamist militias.
On long term, they are doomed.
June 27th, 2013, 9:41 am
Uzair8 said:
I hear the Russian evacuation has begun?
I’m reminded of a Shaykh Yaqoubi tweet from last year (22nd June 2012):
Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi @Shaykhabulhuda 22 Jun 12
When the Russians start evacuating their citizens from Syria, know that the deal is done and the regime has collapsed.
June 27th, 2013, 9:41 am
Uzair8 said:
Denouncing the Killing of the Catholic Priest Francois Murad
Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi
Tuesday at 18:31
On Sunday, June 23, Syrian Catholic priest François Murad was murdered in his monastery in Gassanieh, northern Syria. The monastery was looted; and its bells and cross were removed.
As we received this shocking news with a lot of sorrow and sadness, we hereby declare our denunciation of this crime with the strongest words. The perpetrators are criminals who must be brought to justice. There is nothing in Islam or nor in any ethical principle that would justify such a crime.
Muslims and Christians in Syria have lived for centuries side by side in peace and harmony. Nothing happened to interrupt these historical relations. The Syrian people revolted against the Assad political regime for its oppression not against an ethnic or religious group. Therefore, we warn any change of the nature of our uprising to a religious or ethnic war. We stand all side by side, against crimes and oppression regardless of our religious or ethnic affiliation.
On my behalf and on behalf of many Syrians who share my views, I offer my condolences to the Latin Monastery of Mar Sam’an in Jisr al-Shughoor and to Catholic Church of Syria and to the Syrian people; as by killing him the criminals stabbed every Syrian in their hearts.
I call upon the syrian clerics who support the uprising of our people and the organisations and leagues of Syrian Ulema to issue clear statements denouncing this crime to prove to the rebels who may think of committing such crimes that they would go against Islam and they will be rejected by our people and brought to justice.
June 27th, 2013, 9:49 am
Uzair8 said:
From the Shaykh’s twitter (25th June 2013), the 43rd anniversary of which uprising?
https://twitter.com/Shaykhabulhuda/status/349534643621597184
مداخلة محمد أبو الهدى اليعقوبي ـ الذكرى 43 لانتفاضة محمد بصير بالعيون
مداخلة محمد أبو الهدى اليعقوبي في الندوة العلمية الدولية تحت عنوان: “حقوق الإنسان بين الحقيقة والاستغلال” بمناسبة الذكرى 43 لانتفاضة محمد بصير التاريخية بالع
June 27th, 2013, 9:59 am
revenire said:
This is what many have said this was the rationale for the Zionists to aid the enemies of Syria all along. Assad and Nassrallah have said much the same thing all along.
I assume in order for some to accept this was the case it had to appear in Zionist media.
===
Despite the fact that Israel has not chosen sides in the Syrian conflict, Dagan insisted that “it is in our interests that Assad should fall. It would weaken Hezbollah dramatically and damage Iran’s standing in the Mideast.”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397600,00.html
June 27th, 2013, 10:04 am
revenire said:
Obama’s freedom fighters kill four Christians.
Suicide bombing in Damascus Christian area kills 4
A suicide bomb attack in a Christian area in the heart of the Syrian capital on Thursday killed at least four people, state television said.
“A terrorist suicide bombing… in Damascus has left four people dead and several others wounded,” the broadcaster said.
Repotedly several people have been wounded.
Voice of Russia, AFP, SANA
Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_06_27/Suicide-bombing-in-Damascus-Christian-area-kills-4-3702/
June 27th, 2013, 10:08 am
Mina said:
The BBC feels sorry for Twitter, but not for the users who are spied on!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23079607
(title of the article in the Technology section “Turkey seeks to tighten control over Twitter”; title on the front page: “Twitter under pressure in Turkey”.
Really? You make me cry…
But the best comes in the article “Previously the government has inferred it has better co-operation with Facebook, an assertion the social network was quick to clarify.
Facebook said it had not been asked by the Turkish government to provide any users’ data following the protests.
It has closed down some pages related to activism in Turkey, but only, it said, because they had had “fake profiles”.”
Mubarak must be jealous!!!
June 27th, 2013, 10:09 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Ilya
Thank you for agreeing with me that Syria will be divided, but not as you said
June 27th, 2013, 10:12 am
Citizen said:
499. UZAIR8
Ha ha ha! to understand something difficult, must deeply studied it! Your comment is empty!
500. UZAIR8
Do not wipe the Broadcloth! ye thumbscrew !
June 27th, 2013, 10:18 am
Tara said:
Zoo,
It amazes me how you can make apparently bad things look like victories. I am happy that you do not work for Asma.
….
June 27th, 2013, 10:27 am
Ilya said:
Libyan democracy post Qaddafi era.
Libya death toll rises to 5 with 97 wounded
Five people were killed and 97 wounded in gunfire and explosions triggered by rival militant clashes in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, on Wednesday. Tensions between heavily armed groups have plagued the country since the deposition of leader Muammar Gaddafi, and Wednesday marked the second consecutive day of violence between factions. Former rebel groups have developed increasing ambition over the two years since the old leader’s fall, and the new government has struggled to assert its control over them. In an unrelated incident late on Wednesday in the southern town of Sabha, two people were killed and 17 injured when three car bombs exploded in separate areas. Some are in a critical condition, reports Reuters.
June 27th, 2013, 10:33 am
Akbar Palace said:
#501
Reverse,
I posted that article earlier today.
You forgot to post this article from the same website:
Israel treating over 100 Syrian refugees…
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397565,00.html
June 27th, 2013, 10:35 am
habib said:
483. Tara
It is going so well for the govenment that the Russians don’t have to be in Syria.
And as was mentioned before, without Russian soldiers present, the West can’t accuse them of fighting on Assad’s behalf.
June 27th, 2013, 10:36 am
Citizen said:
In the East, you can not just rely on brute force. Otherwise, we can only rely on the Pyrrhic victory, which, as is known, is equivalent to defeat. Today we can safely say one thing – a war aimed at the neo-colonization of Syria, no winners will be in it.
June 27th, 2013, 10:55 am
apple_mini said:
The intense shelling by SAA yesterday morning was quite an action. We woke up from angry thunders at 4 in the morning. I counted it until went back to sleep. About every two seconds there was at least one shell fired.
Now tell me why anti-armor and anti-air missiles gifted to the rebels will be a turning point. SAA has changed. They are more mobilized and better integrated with its mechanized units, especially heavy artillery. They soften up their targets then move in with combat units who have gained so much experience in urban fighting. How could those badly factioned and backwards insurgents match up that?
In order to reduce civilian and personnel casualty, SAA adapts tactics of besieging and tightening loose to liberate rebel-held areas. In the meantime, cut off the rebels’ supply lines.
For the time being, SAA is not able to reclaim the west and the north due to the fact that those areas have very few populated cities or towns being used as bases. After SAA clears the west including Aleppo, they can deploy their infantry and sweep up the west. By the same analysis, the rebels won’t be able to hold the west if they do not have an army as coordinated and equipped as SAA.
One factor that can speed up the process is more Sunni in the rural areas can see through what this insurgency and revolution are about.
No wonder the Syrian government and SAA are confident for final victory and they also admit it will take time.
At this moment, they just need to manage the country under war economy.
June 27th, 2013, 11:07 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Tara
No, Rebels took over Deraa, things are not going well for the goverment
June 27th, 2013, 11:09 am
revenire said:
Akbar I didn’t forget to post anything. T TOOK your post to show you that Assad and Nasrallah said the same thing i.e. laid bare the exact same details. The Zionist strategy has been clear for a long time.
Trust me, you are not up to the job with me.
June 27th, 2013, 11:09 am
omen said:
christians aren’t more precious than others.
June 27th, 2013, 11:15 am
Uzair8 said:
Without Russian personel present intervention becomes just a little simpler. There’s no danger of them getting caught up in the airstrikes resulting in any potential undesired clash between US and Russia.
It seems Russia is expecting intervention. If they are evacuating military personel then presumably they will have already removed civilians beforehand. Perhaps they have done this in secret and gradually therefore it’s gone unnoticed.
June 27th, 2013, 11:19 am
Tara said:
Rev,
Do you run a hate site?
Why do you pretend to be a Syrian minority when you are American? Psychopath trait to induce more hatred when we got fooled into believing you are a minority Syrian calling for chemical weapon and carpet bombing. Does that satisfy your morbidity.
Sorry you are busted!
June 27th, 2013, 11:19 am
Tara said:
515. TARA said:
*YOUR COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION.*
Rev,
Do you run a hate site?
Why do you pretend to be a Syrian minority when you are American? Psychopath trait to induce more hatred when we got fooled into believing you are a minority Syrian calling for chemical weapon and carpet bombing. Does that satisfy your morbidity.
Sorry you are busted!
Click to EditRequest Deletion (9 minutes and 26 seconds)
June 27th, 2013, 11:20 am
Uzair8 said:
The rebels must adapt and also change their tactics. Perhaps return to the guerilla tactics and the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ strategy. Don’t just stand around and wait for the regime to carpet bomb and soften areas up before invading (as Apple Mini described).
Holding territory isn’t as important. Don’t play to the strengths of the regime.
The regime loyal fighting support base is limited. A gradual depletion of their ranks would be enough in itself.
June 27th, 2013, 11:27 am
omen said:
you hear numbers but they’re abstract until somebody gives you context:
June 27th, 2013, 11:37 am
revenire said:
If Russia stays it is bad news for the government (“they need help of Russian troops”), if Russia goes it is bad news for the government (“they are abandoning Syria”).
It is the same with Hezbollah or Iran: bad news if they’re there, bad news if they’re not there.
June 27th, 2013, 11:45 am
revenire said:
Tara I am a Captain in the FSA Air Force. LOL
June 27th, 2013, 11:48 am
Citizen said:
514. UZAIR
517. UZAIR
I congratulate you! You have reached the level of strategic planner!
suggest to you to work at the Pentagon! 🙂
June 27th, 2013, 11:53 am
Citizen said:
People need to understand that the elite globalist now running the world are members of the occult, inter-connected by the secret societies located throughout the world, who worship Lucifer and practice Satanic black magic at the very pinnacle of these societies; and are using false-flag terror incidents like 9/11 to provide the pretext for a global fascist NWO.
Magic (hidden technology like HAARP), torture, dismemberment, crucifixion, be-headings, mass murder and continuous warfare are now common place. To these people, their theocracy holds that there should be no guilt (do what thou wilt), and the greatest power can be derived from these horrific acts. The FSA thug who cut the heart out of a Syrian was practicing a black magic ritual where eating a living heart derives tremendous black magic (power).
Torture and murder are psychological control mechanisms used by these people. All one has to do is study the methods of Josef Mengele, the NaZi allowed to come and work for the CIA in United States via Operation Paperclip.
http://vigilantcitizen.com/hidden-knowledge/origins-and-techniques-of-…
Mengele’s Project Monarch quantified torture as a psychological control mechanism, and first used in ancient time by the Ismailis, who were outwardly Muslim, but were committed to its destruction.
http://www.terrorism-illuminati.com/assassins
On the level of the street thug, “Al Qaeda”, the Salafi, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamofascists being used to undermine regimes such as Libya, Syria, while held up as the pretext for police state laws here in the United States, have all been initiated using these torture methods in their training, purportedly by the Israelis in places such as the Maghreb in North Africa, and most likely by the US in Guantanamo. All people need to understand the threat these occult secret societies pose for their freedoms, the families, and their religions for the ultimate goal of the globalist elite is the overthrow of the world’s ecclesiastical institutions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism.
http://whatreallyhappened.com/ru/content/toddler-forced-watch-execution-parents-while-chained-obama-backed-syrian-rebels
June 27th, 2013, 12:03 pm
revenire said:
I think people that support beheadings, cannibalism and the other brutality we see in Syria from the “peaceful demonstrators” (that never really happened) must be Satanists.
I saw an image today of a young girl who was chained up to a wall. She must not have been more than 8-10 years old.
She has been kidnapped by the “opposition”.
Ali Mohsen @KkovAli 25 Jun
@Alaa_Ebrahim_tv Do you have any news on the little girl that was chained to a gate? Is she okay? Where is she now? Please share any info
Alaa Ebrahim @Alaa_Ebrahim_tv 26 Jun
@KkovAli ransom negotiations are still underway
Surely those who kidnapped her must be Satanists?
June 27th, 2013, 12:13 pm
omen said:
speaking of admitting mistakes:
re: trade embargo lifted
i knew sanctions would hurt but i was counting on this being resolved much more quickly. if i knew then that obama would do little to support the revolution and even block rebels from being properly armed, i would not have supported the embargo. the west keeps acting to bide the regime time and to prolong the conflict instead of acting to end it quckly. i knew, from the lessons of iraq, that sanctions wind up punishing the weak and poor more than the dictator. but i deluded myself into thinking this time would be different. where is the sense of sanctions on syria while iran & russia are free to arm the regime? why does the west insist on imposing policies that hurt the masses?
June 27th, 2013, 12:29 pm
Ziad said:
Neocolonialists’ History Remembered
Mandala will die soon. Today, tomorrow, this week, next week. It won’t be long.
Remember this, he out-lived Thatcher. When Cameron latches on the Mandela bandwagon this week remember that in 1985 he was a top member of the Federation of Conservative Students who produced the “hang Mandala” posters. In 1989 Cameron worked in the Tory Policy Unit at Central Office and went on an anti-sanctions fact finding mission to South Africa with pro-apartheid Lobby Firm that was sponsored by Botha. Remember this when he tells the world he was inspired by Madiba.
Thanks to Rocker Rosehip and John Antony for this
June 27th, 2013, 12:47 pm
omen said:
484. Akbar Palace said:
Somebody “gets it”:
Despite the fact that Israel has not chosen sides in the Syrian conflict, Dagan insisted that “it is in our interests that Assad should fall. It would weaken Hezbollah dramatically and damage Iran’s standing in the Mideast.”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397600,00.html
but akbar, how can israel not take sides? israel has spent decades blaming countries and institutions for failing to act to prevent the holocaust. and faulting them for clinging to an immoral stance of neutrality in the face of carnage. now israel is guilty of the very thing it once faulted.
June 27th, 2013, 1:20 pm
omen said:
Dagan insisted that “it is in our interests that Assad should fall. It would weaken Hezbollah dramatically and damage Iran’s standing in the Mideast.”
but there are different ways to topple the regime. which approach is israel advising the west to follow?
there is the theory that the west is baiting iran with syria, following the afghanistan model that bankrupted russia hoping to do the same with iran.
which would be unconscionable because this would call for prolonging the war as long as possible.
any group of people or country endorsing this is nothing but evil.
June 27th, 2013, 1:44 pm
Citizen said:
In the metropolitan area of Al-Kabun Syrian army cleared out the militants from the areas adjacent to the bus station Abbasiin.
During the operation, SAA found a new tunnel in which there was a large consignment of arms, ammunition and gas masks.
June 27th, 2013, 1:55 pm
Akbar Palace said:
526. omen said:
but akbar, how can israel not take sides?
Thanks for the question.
I guess for the same reason why the Syrian opposition can’t ask for Israeli help. Israel is so demonized in the arab world, that any hint of asking for Israeli assistance will be used by the opposing side as “proof” the “bad side” is working with the evil Zionists.
Secondly, Israel sees both sides as dangerous. Assad is a known danger, the opposition with all the Islamist organizations are another. Israelis are divided on who is the worst of the 2 evils. Daniel Pipes advocates keeping both sides fighting which I find morally bankrupt. It seems to me the world is adopting this POV while not saying so publically.
israel has spent decades blaming countries and institutions for failing to act to prevent the holocaust. and faulting them for clinging to an immoral stance of neutrality in the face of carnage. now israel is guilty of the very thing it once faulted.
Omen,
I’m not going to disagree with you, I can only give you my understanding of this. Jews feel that the Holocaust was “unique”. 6 million Jews died, and third of our people perished. Other similar events have occurred: Armenian genocide (1.5 million), Rwanda (0.5 million), Syria (0.1 million).
During Mao Tse Tung’s rule in China it is estimated 40 – 70 million were killed! In terms of China’s population, it made very little impact. During Mao’s leadership, the Chinese population doubled from 550 to 900 million.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong
Then there is the issue of the numbers of combatants and non-combatants. In Syria roughly half of the 100,000 killed are combatants (from the little I’ve read).
The GOI seems to be helping a little with injured refugees and a couple of people sending aide to refugee women, but it is very little. I wonder what help Israelis would get from the arabs if the shoe were on the other foot.
But like I’ve been saying all along, a democratic, free Syria would be a WIN/WIN for everybody, and I think most Israelis would agree.
but there are different ways to topple the regime. which approach is israel advising the west to follow?
Israel isn’t advising the West on this issue, only on Iran.
there is the theory that the west is baiting iran with syria, following the afghanistan model that bankrupted russia hoping to do the same with iran.
The US, Israel and the West are happy to see Iran, Syria and Hezbollah embroiled in a civil war. That’s unfortunately the truth.
which would be unconscionable because this would call for prolonging the war as long as possible.
Omen,
Where are the ARABS??? Aren’t there twenty-some arab states and an Arab League. If it were up to me, the FSA and the opposition would have won the civil war already and thrown Assad to the wolves.
any group of people or country endorsing this is nothing but evil.
I’m not disagreeing. What about Russia and China’s culpability in thwarting UNSC votes against Syria??
June 27th, 2013, 2:15 pm
Citizen said:
http://rt.com/usa/us-military-lebanon-iraq-335/
US mulls sending military training teams to Lebanon and Iraq
Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, on Wednesday revealed US plans to strengthen military assistance in Lebanon and Iraq as the conflict in Syria begins to spill over its borders. Dempsey noted that Iraq is suffering the re-emergence of al-Qaeda. Terrorist fighters, including members of the al Nusra Front, are crossing from Iraq into Syria, he said.
without comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 27th, 2013, 2:16 pm
Akbar Palace said:
Resistance Professional NewZ
The younger Tsarnaev brother was indicted on 30 counts by a Boston jury:
I guess Citizen was wrong and it wasn’t a Mossad operative afterall…
http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-boston-marathon-bombing-indicted-174349166.html
June 27th, 2013, 2:32 pm
apple_mini said:
Some facts about situation in Damascus.
In areas mainly resided by Sunni working class people, there is no suicide bombing or mortar shelling for obvious reason. But since those areas tend to get infiltrated by rebels, most of the clash happens in those areas. Those areas hence are more treacherous during night.
In other areas, suicide attacks and shelling are there to stay, at least for now. But it is safer during night in those areas.
The opposition people again shed some crocodile tears. Now they admit sanction hurts ordinary Syrians. But they say they regret the suffering caused by the sanction because the rebels have not been well-armed as like some kind of package deal by their western backers was not fully delivered.
Those people or shall we just categorically call them the opposition are truly something: they cut the flesh out of Syrians. Then they cry how much it pains them to watch. In the end, they do not miss the chance to rub some salt on those wounds.
June 27th, 2013, 2:33 pm
revenire said:
Anyone with a basic grasp of history knows Israel backs the opposition to Assad. They always have.
June 27th, 2013, 3:00 pm
revenire said:
US spooks stockpile arms for Syrian rebels in Jordan for August onslaught – report
http://rt.com/news/rebels-syria-us-cia-327/
June 27th, 2013, 3:05 pm
zoo said:
Tara
The fall of al Qusayr was a “bad thing” only for you and for the Islamist rebels. For the rest of the people loyal to Syria it was victory.
The fall of HBJ is a ‘bad thing’ for you as you loved him, but it is a victory to the same people: one less snake around.
The fall of Morsy, if it happens, will be a ‘bad thing’ you as you also loved him and for the Sunnis who worship the Moslem Brotherhood, yet for millions it will be a victory…
Please provide me with more ‘bad things’…
June 27th, 2013, 3:08 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Mini Apple
The crimes of Assad thugs are much worse than the opposition, this in no way to forgive the opposition crimes, they have to be condemned.
Those who are happy that HBJ and HBKH are gone will be surprised,there will be no change in policy toward Syria whatsoever.
June 27th, 2013, 3:08 pm
zoo said:
535. majedkhaldoun
“there will be no change in policy toward Syria whatsoever.”
A prediction or a suggestion?
June 27th, 2013, 3:10 pm
revenire said:
Brother Majed didn’t you tell us there were Russian troops in Syria? They say there are none.
Also, didn’t you say that there are 70,000 Iranian soldiers fighting there as well? Why hasn’t the US made this charge? Is it because it is absurd?
Syria’a majority-Sunni army has plenty enough soldiers to deal with the mercenaries sent by Obama.
June 27th, 2013, 3:25 pm
zoo said:
Apple_mini
I agree with you. Militarily the rebels are doomed. More weapons won’t help much as the manpower, even trained in Jordan is not united. Moreover they are fighting against each other.
Selim Idriss has been complaining all day long about the inefficiency of “his” troops and was trying to put the blame on the West for not supplying the necessary weapons. The rebels momentum has been over from the moment Al Nusra has been ostracized by the USA. The FSA is in a total mess as they now have two enemies: The Islamists who want to take over the country and the the Syrian Army who have the same goal. They have no chance…
The war economy is the most dangerous part of the game. I just hope that the Syrian government is able to manage with the multitude of sanctions and the low revenues.
June 27th, 2013, 3:25 pm
zoo said:
Lawmakers try to stall arming of Syrian opposition, as CIA presses ahead
Published June 27, 2013
As the Obama administration moves to begin arming certain factions of the Syrian opposition, a bipartisan group of lawmakers ramped up their push Thursday to stall the effort in its tracks.
A coalition of libertarian-leaning Republicans and liberal Democrats held a news conference promoting a resolution that would prevent the administration from going any further unless Congress approves the intervention.
“I’m opposed to getting involved in the Syrian civil war, I’m opposed to sending arms to the Syrian Islamic rebels, but I’m particularly opposed to doing it with no vote of the people through their representatives,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said.
The lawmakers are racing against the clock, and may be outnumbered by powerful lawmakers and officials who favor measured intervention.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the CIA is already moving weapons to Jordan in anticipation of arming small groups of Syrian rebels in about a month.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/27/lawmakers-try-to-stall-arming-syrian-opposition-as-cia-presses-ahead/?test=latestnews#ixzz2XRjwRofk
June 27th, 2013, 3:26 pm
zoo said:
NGO: Syrian troops storm rebel town in Homs
Thursday, 27 June 2013
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/06/27/NGO-Syrian-troops-storm-rebel-town-in-Homs-.html
Syrian regime forces stormed a town in the central province of Homs on Thursday after days of fierce clashes with rebels, a monitoring group said.
State television said the army had “restored peace and security” to Al-Qariatayn.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman said regime forces had “stormed the town of Al-Qariatayn” after days of fighting.
“Now the army is searching the town and detaining people,” he said.
The army has been pressing an assault on villages surrounding Homs city, dubbed “the capital of the revolution” by anti-regime activists.
Few enclaves remain in rebel hands today.
Regime forces have besieged rebel-held districts in Homs city for more than a year, shelling them daily.
June 27th, 2013, 3:28 pm
omen said:
529. Akbar Palace said: Secondly, Israel sees both sides as dangerous. Assad is a known danger, the opposition with all the Islamist organizations are another.
firstly, israel can do a lot of things covertly. jam signals, for instance, provide intel, etc. it does not need to be the tip of the spear in order to be effective.
secondly, israel has a lot of influence and ability to shape u.s. policy.
ignoring growing radicalism isn’t going to make it go away. the west needs to strengthen the secularist wing of the opposition (including the LCCs!) if it wants to curtail the influence of islamists.
but i’m not sure that it does.
it seems to me its policy for the west to allow islamists to get stronger. the secularists fsa haven’t gotten support. idris complains about lack of arms. one analyst pointed out how the u.s. even failed to support the secularists in the nc!
June 27th, 2013, 3:32 pm
zoo said:
If the US send weapons to Syria, Iran will be compelled to prevent it as part of the defense agreement between the two countries.
In anticipation of that, the USA has provided Patriots for the two countries that potentially will offer the facilities of smuggling the weapons to Syria.
If Turkey refuses, then the only path is through Jordan. The king is taking a huge risk.
Iran will probably be careful to attack the convoys once they cross the borders, otherwise it will start a war with the West.
I doubt Iran will stay idle watching heavy weapons going into Syria. August will be hot.
June 27th, 2013, 3:35 pm
Citizen said:
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-military-says-syria-naval-facility-operating-normally/482426.html
The Russian military on Thursday denied media reports that personnel had been withdrawn from its naval maintenance and supply facility in Syria, Russian news agencies reported.
The daily *Vedomosti on Wednesday cited an unidentified source saying that neither servicemen nor civilian Defense Ministry personnel were currently stationed at the naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartus.
But the Defense Ministry press service said the modestly sized and equipped facility had long since been manned by civilians and that they had not been withdrawn.
“These personnel continue to work in the usual regimen. And there is no talk of evacuating them,” RIA Novosti quoted the Defense Ministry’s press service as saying in a statement.
The ministry press service said it could not immediately provide the statement../…/..
* Vedomosti (Russian: Ведомости, literally “The Record”) is a Russian language business daily. It is a joint venture between Dow Jones, the Financial Times and Sanoma,, publishers of The Moscow Times.
June 27th, 2013, 3:44 pm
omen said:
in attempt to ward off calls for intervention, corporate media is jihadists mongering, making it sound like the entire opposition are nothing but extremists, when this is the reality:
12k fighters is enough for the world to ignore regime atrocities of 100,000. with more unaccounted for.
June 27th, 2013, 3:48 pm
omen said:
plus, not all islamists are extremists.
June 27th, 2013, 3:54 pm
Citizen said:
542. ZOO
If the United States and NATO made a mistake in their calculations in Syria, they would be in a disaster! That Russian Chinese trap very dangerous!US will dive into the moving sands of Syria and will not be able to get out! Point.End.
June 27th, 2013, 3:54 pm
zoo said:
Qatar’s intervention in Syria to become “less assertive”
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/2013/06/27/Qatar-emir-to-change-style-but-keep-father-s-policy-.html
Qatar’s young new emir is likely to stay the course on most of his father’s policies while opting for a less assertive approach on pressing diplomatic matters, including the Syrian war, analysts said.
In his first address to the nation late on Wednesday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani focused on what he called his government’s “top priority” of promoting development in the Gulf state.
He made no mention of the Syria conflict which has killed more than 100,000 people and which was a core policy of the past few years under the rule of his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
…
As a result, he added, the important role played by Qatar in Arab Spring countries, among them Syria, would “diminish in the absence of the two main pivots of Qatari diplomacy: the former emir and his prime minister,” the driving force behind Qatar’s rise to global prominence.
June 27th, 2013, 3:59 pm
AMEERA said:
كلهم نفس الشت بس ديفيرنت فلافير
يعني بسوريا استلم بشار بعمر ٣٤ وبقطر استلم تميم بعمر ٣٣
يعني بسوريا الاب مرء الحكم لابنه وبقطر نفس الشي
يعني بسوريا عيلة الرئيس ماسكين كل شي وبقطر نفس الشي
يعني بسوريا سميناه الاب القائد و بقطر اليوم سموه الامير الوالد
وبعد هدا كلو بيجو عشاق مشايخ الخليج بنظروا علينا و بقولوا نموزج حرية و تداول سلطة
June 27th, 2013, 4:03 pm
zoo said:
#546 Citizen
I hope Obama will have a good excuse not to arm the rebels as the Congress may oppose it. The Republicans are worried about Israel becoming exposed to the Islamists attacks with US supplied weapons.
Rep. Michael McCaul introduces bill to prohibit Obama from arming Syrian rebels
Thursday, June 27, 2013
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2013/06/rep-mccaul-introduces-bill-to-prohibit-obama-from-arming-syrian-rebels/
Rep. Michael McCaul introduced legislation to block President Obama from arming Syrian rebels unless Congress authorizes it.
The Austin Republican, whose district extends to Harris County, introduced the Congressional Accountability and Oversight in Syria Act to prohibit the administration from exercising American military force in Syria. McCaul would prohibit U.S. participation in enforcing a no-fly zone or putting American boots on the ground.
McCaul, who is the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement:
“Arming the rebels in Syria potentially places those weapons into the hands of the Islamist extremists who have infiltrated their ranks and who continue to plot against the United States and our interests abroad. If the president believes American involvement in Syria is necessary, he will have to present a convincing plan to the Congress and make the case that providing assistance to Syrian opposition forces would not pose a national security threat to the United States.”
June 27th, 2013, 4:04 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Zoo
How silly you could be
You make very silly prediction saying:
” Iran will attack the transfer of weapons”
You doubt my prediction that Qatar will be the same under the young Amir, then you say
“Qatar’s young new emir is likely to stay the course on most of his father’s policies ”
Do you realize how silly your comments? so quickly forgot?
You agree that creating northern Syria is the right thing to do, after I suggested that two months ago
Why don’t you admit that you agree with me? is it hard to admit the truth?
June 27th, 2013, 4:26 pm
zoo said:
Russia replies bluntly to Saudi Arabia and the GCC’s accusation
Russia accuses Saudi Arabia, others of funding terror
Published: 06.27.13, 23:08 / Israel News
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4398052,00.html
Russia accused Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states of funding “terror” on Thursday. It was responding to accusations by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal that Russia was responsible for mass killings in Syria because of its military support for the regime.
“A number of capitals, including Riyadh, unfortunately are not ashamed of employing all sorts of methods and contacts, including by financing and arming international terrorists and extremists,” a foreign ministry statement said. “Terrorists” is the term the government in Damascus uses for rebels in Syria.
June 27th, 2013, 4:28 pm
omen said:
529. Akbar Palace said: Then there is the issue of the numbers of combatants and non-combatants. In Syria roughly half of the 100,000 killed are combatants (from the little I’ve read).
meaning what? rebel deaths don’t count? most of them have only recently picked up a gun. they didn’t train to be soldiers. they were vendors, bakers, teachers, students, etc.
here are some figures:
someone made this overlooked point:
the numbers listed are the dead who have been able to be identified. what about the unidentified? a syria american council official cited a figure of 200,000 as missing. missing or forcibly disappeared?
how about all the people in prisons who are the living dead?
one building collapsed in bangladesh killing more than a thousand people. half of syria has been demolished! syrians don’t have the wherewhithal to dig them all out.
June 27th, 2013, 4:28 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
No offense, but you can’t speak on behalf of the Syrian people.
And who said I loved Morsi or Even HBJ. I do not love anyone contrary to what you may like to believe. I just judge public figures based on how many they killed… 😉
And BTW, I was laughing when Ameera accused you of being a girl in the very same day you accused me of being Qatari. Divine justice?
June 27th, 2013, 4:29 pm
Uzair8 said:
I expect the rebels to devise a strategy to harass, tire, stretch and bog down regime forces. To sap their energy and morale which btw will result in an increase in casualty rates. I expect the rebels to do this until the regime forces and their allies start publicly blaming each other for setbacks, blunders and major humiliating defeats.
I suspect this may well happen as their cause and mission is a cursed one.
At the moment regimists are desperately seizing on any sign of victory and trying to find and build momentum wherever they can and riding the crest of the subsequent wave. They’re hoping western media picks up on this noise, which btw they (some) are, and talk about ‘Assad winning’.
Once regime forces are bogged down in a costly war of attrition then watch their fragile morale plummet.
June 27th, 2013, 4:34 pm
zoo said:
Western countries discreetly applaude the removal of HBJ from the post of Ministry of Interior and Foreign Minister.
The snake is gone, Sheikha Mozza is back
It should be noted that the removal of the previous interior minister is a step that has been viewed very positively by Qatar’s western allies, owing to questions surrounding his political beliefs and associations.
…
A more obvious appointment was that of Dr Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah as the foreign minister. In the last year, he has been particularly active, working extensively with the Syrian opposition’s National Coalition and in Yemen and at the Arab League.
….
His appointment indicates that Qatar is unlikely to change its main foreign policy tracks any time soon: commitments to Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, which have been both time consuming and expensive, will likely continue.
Most importantly, the Syrian file will see little change. The fact that both Dr Al Attiyah and Sheikh Tamim expended considerable energy on this issue means that the policy they helped to build will remain in place.
Additionally the new emir’s mother, Sheikha Moza, remains the chairperson of Qatar Foundation, with a remit over education and social development. And her influence on domestic politics is as strong as
ever.
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/qatars-cabinet-shuffle-puts-focus-on-regional-relations#ixzz2XS1qUZ4B
June 27th, 2013, 4:38 pm
Uzair8 said:
Clarification.
Yesterday I mentioned the cannibalism themed movie ‘Reveni-‘..I mean ‘Ravenous’. I said the soundtrack and the Robert Carlysle performance will live long in the memory.
I meant to say the character played by Robert Carlysle would be hard to forget. Yes his performance was also good.
June 27th, 2013, 4:40 pm
zoo said:
#554 Tara
“No offense, but you can’t speak on behalf of the Syrian people.
No offense but neither can you…
Shall I dig in your posts praising highly HBJ and Morsy?
You seem to have a very short loyalty to your anti-Bashar idols, but it does not surprise me.
June 27th, 2013, 4:46 pm
zoo said:
Tara
I’ve been accused of much worse. Music to my ear.
June 27th, 2013, 4:53 pm
revenire said:
Tara you like to change it as you go along. You not only praised Morsi and HBJ but you also said you wanted Erdogan for president of Syria.
This reminds me of when you denied claiming the FSA had an air force.
June 27th, 2013, 4:54 pm
revenire said:
Uzair don’t you think Syria’s military can counter that sort of thing? Or did all the smart generals defect? 🙂
June 27th, 2013, 4:56 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Now we know that Zoo IS NOT SYRIAN,
Thank you Tara for exposing him
June 27th, 2013, 4:58 pm
zoo said:
#551 Majed
It’s the opposition who claimed that the North ‘rebels areas’ is a state. They even nominated Hitto as the PM of that ghost state.
But they failed to make a government because they know as well as you that there will never be a ‘state’ in the North, it is a militia controlled swaths of land that will end up in a disaster.
It seems that the USA will not deliver lethal weapons to the rebels therefore Iran will not have to intervene to destroy them.
June 27th, 2013, 5:02 pm
omen said:
i thought zoo was lebanese.
June 27th, 2013, 5:06 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
There is saying in Syria it says
Iza shift al khara ma3joo2 3ref anno stalam wazifeh
June 27th, 2013, 5:06 pm
zoo said:
‘The mood was one of resignation’: Death comes to Straight Street in Damascus
Patrick Cockburn sees five lives lost in the bombing of a Christian quarter of the Syrian capital
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-mood-was-one-of-resignation-death-comes-to-straight-street-in-damascus-8677460.html
…
It looked as if the mortar had been randomly fired into the Christian quarter by rebels who assume Christians, frightened of Islamic fundamentalism, are pro-government.
…..
I went and sat in the entrance passage of a house. Walking home I stopped for an orange juice at the Naranj restaurant which remained resolutely open. I asked if anybody had been injured in the second explosion and was told a woman had been killed, bringing the total number of dead to five.
….
Saudi Arabia is also expected to arm a group of hand-picked opposition fighters, and the US will attempt to keep track of the equipment in an attempt to stop it reaching Islamist groups. A “few hundred” rebels equipped in this way would join the fight every month. The US officials believe that within a few months this will begin to make a material difference on the ground.
June 27th, 2013, 5:12 pm
zoo said:
#565 Majed
Your literary erudition is impressive.
June 27th, 2013, 5:14 pm
omen said:
only 2 million alawites?
June 27th, 2013, 5:46 pm
AMEERA said:
زعلي طول أنا وياك و سنين بقيت
جرب فيهن أنا إنساك ما قدرت نسيت
لو جيت نهار عابيتي لقيت إنك حبيبي بغيابي جيت
بتشوف إن ما مرقوا إلا إيديك على هالبيت
كإنك حبيبي و أنت عينيك هلق فليت
يا ريتك هون حبيبي و ليل
و يكون نبيد و شمع الليل
و أكتبلك عا ورقة حتى ما قول ما بقدر قول
يا ريتك مش رايح يا ريت بتبقى عطول
June 27th, 2013, 6:01 pm
revenire said:
“562. MAJEDKHALDOUN said:
Now we know that Zoo IS NOT SYRIAN,
Thank you Tara for exposing him”
Majed you can play “Where’s Waldo” children’s games but remember the SAA is 80% Sunni – don’t ever forget that.
June 27th, 2013, 6:09 pm
Tara said:
Majed,
I do not know if Zoo is not Syrian. I was not trying to say he is or is not. I was just saying no one can speak for Syrians. I can’t either. Only the ballot box can speak for them.
June 27th, 2013, 6:21 pm
Tara said:
Ya dear Zoo,
“You seem to have a very short loyalty to your anti-Bashar idols, but it does not surprise me.”
Exactly right!!!
My loyalty is to the country not to the public figure.. And you?
June 27th, 2013, 6:25 pm
omen said:
529. akbar: Where are the ARABS???
arabs, as well as turks, refuse to act unless they have american blessing.
What about Russia and China’s culpability in thwarting UNSC votes against Syria??
the US has acted before when it wanted to get around security council obstructionism.
the nato air strikes against serbs & the nfz in iraq did not win un sanction.
June 27th, 2013, 6:28 pm
Tara said:
Ameera
That particular song kills me.
Any thing silly?
I wish you are my friend. I really like you.
June 27th, 2013, 6:29 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Omen
Alawite and Shiaa and Ismaili are 2 million
Revenir
You 3am tzet wa tolhosh
Zoo how much they pay you fot this 3aj2a
June 27th, 2013, 6:29 pm
Tara said:
574. TARA said:
*YOUR COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION.*
Ameera
That particular song kills me.
Any thing silly?
I wish you are my friend. I really like you.
June 27th, 2013, 6:33 pm
revenire said:
NATO found out 70% of Syrians support Assad. Of course, those driven out of Syria because they broke the law or are traitors don’t support Assad.
We’d hardly expect someone who has called for Assad’s murder to be lining up to vote for him would we?
June 27th, 2013, 6:36 pm
revenire said:
Majed they’re not paying me enough. Send a letter to Khameini and tell him to give me a raise. 🙂
June 27th, 2013, 6:37 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
Khamieni is stingy,like the rest of persians, but for your work you really deserve a steep cut, your comments all are 3am tzet wa tolhosh.
BTW I was talking about the other non syrian
June 27th, 2013, 6:45 pm
Tara said:
Rev
You are not a propagandist. You are white American on disability who morbidly trolled medical patients in the past. You did not even bothered changing your aliase-es.
Rev is your nick name, not even Reve.
June 27th, 2013, 6:48 pm
omen said:
574. khaldoun, now i see another cite from spiegel that is claiming nearly 3 million alawite. do you know what the real number is?
June 27th, 2013, 6:58 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
The last official number of only Alawite was three years ago, 1.1 million
June 27th, 2013, 7:04 pm
omen said:
zoo, i hope you are not maintaining loyalty for the regime merely out of stubborn, contrarian pride. it’s ok to admit you’ve seen the light. you are not any less of a person for doing so. are you still going to defend this regime 20 year from now when all of its horrors can no longer be hidden? not that what is already known is not horrifying enough.
June 27th, 2013, 7:05 pm
revenire said:
Tara I am what? LOL
June 27th, 2013, 7:09 pm
revenire said:
Homs, (SANA) – The residents of Tallkalakh and neighboring villages gathered in the city square to celebrate the return of security and stability to their city, after clearing it from the armed terrorist groups at the hands of the Syrian army.
The participants expressed their happiness for returning security to their town, pointing out to the important role of the authorities in settling the case of the misled citizens in the city.
The participants expressed their happiness for returning security to their town, pointing out to the important role of the authorities in settling the case of the misled citizens in the city.
Governor of Homs Ahmad Monier Mohammad affirmed that the gathering is considered as a real response to the allegations of some media partner in shedding the Syrians’ blood.
He pointed out that the governorate is working to establish an industrial area in Tallkalakh city which provides several job opportunities to the citizens.
The Governor said that the governorate will rehabilitate Tallkalakh hospital, which was sabotaged at the hands of the terrorists, to be able to offer health services to the citizens.
June 27th, 2013, 7:12 pm
revenire said:
Majed you are always wrong:
“The Alawis, numbering about 2,350,562 or 11% of the population of Syria, constitute Syria’s largest religious minority.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Syria#Alawis
June 27th, 2013, 7:14 pm
Ilya said:
Libyan Intelligence: Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood Involved in Benghazi
According to a Libyan intelligence document, the Muslim Brotherhood, including Egyptian President Morsi, were involved in the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, where several Americans, including U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, were killed.
On Wednesday, June 26, several Arabic websites, including Veto Gate, quoted the intelligence report, which apparently was first leaked to the Kuwaiti paper, Al Ra’i. Prepared by Mahmoud Ibrahim Sharif, Director of National Security for Libya, the report is addressed to the nation’s Minister of Interior.
It discusses the preliminary findings of the investigation, specifically concerning an “Egyptian cell” which was involved in the consulate attack. “Based on confessions derived from some of those arrested at the scene” six people, “all of them Egyptians” from the jihad group Ansar al-Sharia (“Supporters of Islamic Law”), were arrested.
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/raymond-ibrahim/libyan-intelligence-morsi-muslim-brotherhood-involved-in-benghazi/
June 27th, 2013, 7:24 pm
Ilya said:
Muslim Persecution of Christians: The Spring Offensive
The Islamic jihad against Christians in Nigeria is proving to be the most barbaric. A new report states that 70% of Christians killed around the world in 2012 were killed in the African nation. Among some of the atrocities committed in March alone, at least 41 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a bus station in a predominantly Christian neighborhood. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, these attacks “were a signpost of the intended extermination of Christians and Christianity from northern Nigeria.”
According to the Rev. Jerome Ituah, “Out of the 52 Catholic churches in Maiduguri diocese, 50 of them have been destroyed by Boko Haram. When two Christian brothers were returning home after Sunday church service, jihadis opened fire on them with machine guns, killing the brothers, as well as three others, and injuring several more Christians.
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/raymond-ibrahim/muslim-persecution-of-christians-the-spring-offensive/
Islam is Religion of peace and tolerance …
June 27th, 2013, 7:28 pm
omen said:
532. apple_mini said: The opposition people again shed some crocodile tears. Now they admit sanction hurts ordinary Syrians. But they say they regret the suffering caused by the sanction because the rebels have not been well-armed as like some kind of package deal by their western backers was not fully delivered.
i am not people, i am just one person.
us/eu sanctions or not – the opposition understood it would take sacrifice to win back freedom. for syria and for future generations.
i fault the west for fraudulently claiming to support the opposition, while actually working to safeguard the regime and making it harder for the revolution to prevail.
besides, you’ve never been wrong in your life? are you god’s gift to mankind, a model of perfection?
June 27th, 2013, 7:39 pm
omen said:
582. majedkhaldoun said:
The last official number of only Alawite was three years ago, 1.1 million
thank you, sir.
June 27th, 2013, 7:40 pm
AMEERA said:
وانا بحبك يا تاره و ما بتعرفي يمكن نتلاقى شي يوم بس للاسف ما خلينا سفارة تعتب علينا و كلوا مع الرفض و كأنو السوري تهمة او نجاسة لك اه شو بدي احكي البي من الحمض لاوي
هديك اليوم كنت عم ألو لاخي بسام عنك و ألي اخطبيلي ياها ألتلو يبعتلك الهنا عم إلك النت متزوزة و عندا بنوتة كمان فرد علي الشقي و ألي طيب عندا اخوات بنات؟
June 27th, 2013, 7:56 pm
ghufran said:
This is for readers who want facts not fiction. Landis and others have written extensively about alawites in Syria, plenty of information is available on the net, none of the reputable sources put the number of alawites at less than 10%, most put them at 12%, the CIA factbook states that 16% of Syria’s population are non sunni muslims:
Religions:
Sunni Muslim (Islam – official) 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Population:
22,457,336 (July 2013 est.)
I do not know how is it possible for some of you to live in the US, have a college degree and still be unable to write in proper English, comprehend simple facts or understand that in today’s world it is very difficult to hide info, both the regime and its opponents learned that the hard way.
There is no official stats about number of alawites in Syria, the consensus is that there are 2.2-3 million.
June 27th, 2013, 8:03 pm
zoo said:
American media not telling truth about Syria: Kissinger
June 27, 2013 – 09:45 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says the American media are not telling the truth about the current situation in Syria, according to Press TV.
“In the American press it’s described as a conflict between democracy and a dictator- and the dictator is killing his own people, and we’ve got to punish him. But that’s not what’s going on,” he said during a speech at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
“It is now a civil war between sectarian groups,” Kissinger added.
Kissinger’s remarks come as the United States has been criticized for fomenting sectarian discord in Syria and the broader Middle East by interfering in the nations’ internal affairs and backing up insurgencies.
Elsewhere in his remarks Kissinger said “the outcome I would prefer to see” in Syria was a broken-up and balkanized country with “more or less autonomous region
June 27th, 2013, 8:05 pm
omen said:
593. but zoo, if tony blair shouldn’t be heeded because he’s a war criminal, what does that make kissinger?
can i ask you something? would you still defend the regime if you weren’t from a minority sect?
June 27th, 2013, 8:13 pm
Tara said:
Ameera,
No sisters. I am the only girl.
June 27th, 2013, 8:31 pm
ghufran said:
A collection of observations from Homs by Patrick Cockburn-The Independent.
Thursday 27 June 2013
“I was living in al-Khalidiya when I was kidnapped by the Free Syrian Army because I worked for the government,” he said. “Fortunately, I knew somebody in the group who said I was a good man and they let me go, but the shock of my kidnap killed my father who died of a heart attack.” Munir moved to another area on the outskirts of northern Homs call al-Waar, where neither government nor rebels are in full control. He said, “I had to leave again because the rebels would set up checkpoints at night and ask people if they were Sunni or Alawite or they would ask for money or take your car.”
By pledging at a meeting in Qatar last weekend to send more arms and equipment to the rebels, the 11-member so-called “Friends of Syria”, including the US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, decided in effect to stoke the civil war in Homs and the rest of Syria. To pretend it is not a civil war or to support the rebel side as somehow uniquely representative of the Syrian people flies in the face of demonstrable facts. West of Homs in the port city of Tartus on the Mediterranean there is a long wall with pictures of many of the 2,000 young men from the city killed fighting as soldiers for the government in the last two years. The Syrian state, in control of most of the country, is not going to implode just because the rebels receive fresh supplies of money and arms.
Rickety local ceasefires do not solve the Syrian crisis but they do prevent a lot of people being killed, jailed or driven from their homes. The fact that people in Homs have become inured to living in a constant state of terror does not make their suffering any better. “It must be very dangerous to be a young man of military age here in Syria,” I said to a group of refugees in Homs, leading them to laugh dryly and respond: “No, you are wrong. They kill men in their 60s and 70s as well!” I asked if they expected things to get better and they dolefully shook their heads.
June 27th, 2013, 8:36 pm
revenire said:
“The Syrian state, in control of most of the country, is not going to implode just because the rebels receive fresh supplies of money and arms.”
In control of most of the country with the support of most of the people.
June 27th, 2013, 8:41 pm
Ilya said:
Syria’s Rebels In Rift
With Aleppo’s Civil Opposition
LEPPO, Syria — The schism between civil activists and armed revolutionaries is at its widest since the Syrian uprising began, and it’s only getting worse. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but the most important one is expectations — what each side hoped the uprising would achieve. For the civil activists, it was the overthrow of tyranny and the establishment of a secular, civil and democratic society. For those who took up arms, it was basically a many pronged power struggle; class, sectarian or opportunistic, depending on which spectrum of the armed groups they belonged to.
About This Article
Summary :
Aleppo’s civil opposition has been swept aside as hard-line armed groups assert their power in the city.
Author: Edward Dark
Posted on: June 27 2013
Categories : Originals Syria
The major defining characteristic of civil activists across the country was their insistence on non-sectarianism and an adherence to the higher ideals of justice and freedom. The armed groups morphed like a chameleon changing colors, at the beginning justifying taking up arms to “protect the protesters” from security forces, and later on justifying their violence as a reaction to the regime’s. Any hidden agendas some of those groups may have had initially were carefully kept secret, both from society as a whole as well as media scrutiny — of course some pan-Arab media was actively complicit in this cover up — although there were some troubling tell-tale signs. As the uprising progressed, and some of those groups were armed and trained by regional and foreign powers, they adopted other agendas — usually dictated by whoever was supplying the weapons and the paychecks. They simply no longer cared and transcended the popular uprising and protests that spawned them and gave them their legitimacy, to completely dominate the revolution, and so in essence destroyed it by morphing it into a civil war with visibly sectarian dimensions — as became evident with the deliberate targeting of Shiites and Alawis, regardless of their links to the regime.
And that’s not even mentioning the more sinister of the armed groups, the Islamists, Jihadists and al-Qaeda affiliates who wanted nothing less than to turn Syria into another Taliban-style theocracy. They already have their religious courts and councils set up, dispensing justice via “Sharia law.” The one in Aleppo, for example, is called the “Hai’aa Sharia,” which looks into anything from murder and rape to “morality” crimes such as drinking alcohol or wearing shorts. The worrying trend is that many locals see this as preferable to the rampant crime and lawlessness, and that helps these groups gain traction and support on the ground at the expense of the more moderate ones. That, plus the aid they supply to residents as well as their reputation for not looting private — public- or state-owned is fine, however — property.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/syria-aleppo-rebels-civil-opposition.html#ixzz2XT4WybHJ
June 27th, 2013, 8:54 pm
zoo said:
Ilya
Thanks for the article, it describe well the rise and fall of the authentic opposition whose major mistake was to turn military under the pretext of ‘protecting’ the civilians with the encouragements and support of foreign powers promising victory.
Not only they did not protect the civilians but they exposed them to worst violence and exile by inviting just any fighters in their ranks. The death toll went up exponentially from the moment they switched to armed rebellion.
By militarizing the conflict with the promise of “Libya II”, they opened a Pandora box that no one can close anymore.
June 27th, 2013, 9:11 pm
omen said:
there have been conflicting reports about this massacre. this update clears the confusion. how can anyone defend this treachery?
June 27th, 2013, 9:18 pm
zoo said:
$565 REve
Majedpedia: Half of the Syrian Alawites are barbaric Persians whose only pass time is to kill Sunnis that they hate since thousands of years.
June 27th, 2013, 9:23 pm
zoo said:
Walter Jones, GOP Congressman, Threatens Obama With Impeachment
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/walter-jones-obama-impeachment_n_3513138.html
North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones, an outspoken anti-war Republican, said Thursday that he was prepared to attempt to impeach President Barack Obama if U.S. military action in Syria reached a certain point.
“If Congress sends one troop, if one of our troops goes to Syria and is killed, I will introduce articles of impeachment against the President,” Jones said at a Capitol Hill news conference, alongside other lawmakers who expressed concerns about the arming of Syrian rebels and the general direction of U.S. involvement in the region.
Jones has been at the forefront of anti-war efforts for years. While he initially voted to approve the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he emerged as one of the loudest opposing voices during the latter half of Bush’s presidency, and even supported a move to impeach then-Vice President Dick Cheney.
He’s been equally aggressive during Obama’s tenure. In 2011, Jones sued the administration for getting American forces involved in Libya without first obtaining congressional approval.
“The president is not a king. He was elected by the people, just like the House and Senate,” he said at the time. “I think he is absolutely off-base. I think that is an abuse of power, and that’s why we’re going to the courts.”
In 2012, he prepared his first impeachment resolution regarding Syria, arguing that “the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress” would constitute “an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.”
June 27th, 2013, 9:27 pm
Ghufran said:
HRW issued a rare report directly accusing the regime in Egypt of helping establish a climate of hate and sectarianism in Egypt:
اتهمت منظمة “هيومن رايتس ووتش” التي تعنى بحقوق الإنسان جماعة الإخوان المسلمين الحاكمة في مصر الخميس، بالتحريض على الكراهية الدينية التي أدت الى إعدام أربعة شيعة خارج نطاق القانون في القاهرة هذا الأسبوع.
وقال جو ستورك مدير إدارة الشرق الأوسط بمنظمة هيومن رايتس ووتش ومقرها نيويورك: “القتل الطائفي الوحشي خارج نطاق القانون لأربعة من الشيعة يأتي بعد عامين من خطاب كراهية معاد لأقلية دينية تغاضت عنه جماعة الإخوان المسلمين.. بل وشاركت فيه أحيانا”.
وندد الرئيس مرسي بهذه الجريمة، لكن معارضيه الليبراليين يتهمون جماعته بالسماح لحلفائها السلفيين المتطرفين بتصعيد المشاعر المعادية للشيعة مقابل تأييدها.
وحضر مرسي هذا الشهر اجتماعاً حاشداً رمى فيه أحد الشيوخ السلفيين الشيعة بالكفر.
وتحدث تقرير هيومن رايتس ووتش عن الحاجة للتحقيق في الهجوم لمعرفة تقاعس الشرطة عن التدخل لوقف الهجوم.
وقالت المنظمة “الرد الرسمي إزاء أعمال القتل يعكس تقصيراً كبيراً بشأن الإجراءات اللازمة لحماية الشيعة في مصر من التعرض لهجوم في المستقبل وحماية حقهم في الحرية الدينية”.
June 27th, 2013, 9:30 pm
zoo said:
Poor Selim Idriss. He is under tremendous pressure with his dwingling troop of amateurs and the growth of Al Nusra and Cie.
Letters after letters to the UN, interviews after interviews, he hasn’t stop whining and begging for the last two months.
It’s too much for the guy, I don’t think he can last. He will probably soon join his demoted and now forgotten colleagues in the Turkish bunker.
June 27th, 2013, 9:39 pm
revenire said:
Maybe Idriss can join SC after he’s deposed?
June 27th, 2013, 9:43 pm
revenire said:
Majed sees Persians everywhere. I heard there was a man running down Denver streets today talking about a Persian invasion.
June 27th, 2013, 9:45 pm
Ilya said:
SAA is truly blessed that such charismatic, talented General like Selim Idriss leading FSA.
Could not FSA select more incompetent guy to lead them?
He acts like hysterical panicked woman,that issuing empty treats, looks like noone listens to him even among his peers he has no respect
99% of all revolutions are won through peaceful actions,Like in Egypt,Tunisia,Iran .. list goes on and on
not through foreign interventions.
All these military revolutions are just epic fails like in Mali,Libya,Syria.
June 27th, 2013, 9:46 pm
Tara said:
Rev, Mentallo, Escapo, or Mick.
Didn’t we have a Mick on SC and I asked if they were the same lesson.
I am so amazed with my sixth sense sometimes
——
People thinking to “date” Rev as suggested by MK should not do so.
June 27th, 2013, 9:50 pm
zoo said:
Syria won’t be Iran’s quagmire
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/syria-wont-be-irans-quagmire/2013/06/27/e596bf52-de9a-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html
…
That’s because the instability the Syrian conflict is fueling across the Middle East is largely good for Iran: Sectarian polarization is driving anxious Shiite populations closer to Tehran, while refugee flows are weakening key U.S. allies such as Jordan and Turkey.
Iran, meanwhile, is suffering no meaningful blow-back for its deadly interference in Syria. On the contrary, protracted bloodshed there fosters regional conditions in which Iranian power is likely to thrive.
…
That’s because Assad doesn’t need to reconquer all of Syria for the Iranians to emerge successful. Every day that Assad stays in power thanks to Iranian help, Tehran shows that it can prevent the Obama administration from achieving its stated goal — Assad’s ouster — and that Iran, not the United States, is the relevant power in the region.
And the longer the fighting drags on, the more radicalized Syrian society becomes and the deeper the Iranians can entrench themselves.
This suggests a final flaw in likening the U.S. experience in Iraq to Iran’s intervention in Syria. After turning the corner in Iraq, the United States under the Obama administration walked away. You can bet that in Syria, Iran’s leaders won’t make the same mistake
June 27th, 2013, 9:50 pm
omen said:
359. Juergen said:
Freedom fighters? Cannibals? The truth about Syria’s rebels
The US wants to send them arms, Vladimir Putin says they’re cannibals – but what do we really know about the opposition movement fighting to topple Assad? Syria expert Aron Lund profiles some of the most powerful factions
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/freedom-fighters-cannibals-the-truth-about-syrias-rebels-8662618.html
ooooh.
June 27th, 2013, 10:00 pm
revenire said:
Omen it is kind of a stupid question. You can’t be a cannibal and be claiming to be a freedom fighter. The guy filmed himself eating someone.
June 27th, 2013, 10:08 pm
zoo said:
Farewell, Ataturk
An Islamist vision of the future
By AMIR TAHERI
June 26, 2013
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/farewell_ataturk_nfg8dxwogwaJ2rMNTHm6PP
…
If one regards favoritism as a form of corruption, the AKP administration emerges as the most corrupt since the fall of the Caliphate.
Nowhere is favoritism more evident than in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and a candidate to host the summer Olympics in 2020.
Erdogan, who was Istanbul’s mayor before he became prime minister, is turning the city into the largest building site in the world. Projects under construction or in the pipeline include a third bridge on the Bosphorus River, a canal to absorb part of the strait’s traffic and four giant shopping malls. Other projects include a third airport designed to be the largest in the world, handling 150 million passengers a year, and a new business district, again billed as the world’s largest.
There are at least three problems with Erdogan’s folie de grandeur.
…
To cap it all, the project includes the building of a mosque whose minaret is to be the highest structure in the world.
Islamic tradition insists that the Infidel should not be allowed to build edifices higher than those that belong to Islam. Over the past 30 years, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Dubai have built tall buildings to catch up with Infidel edifices. Now, Erdogan’s mosque would ensure Islamic ascendancy for a generation. The planned mosque, located on 30 square miles of prime urban land, will host more than 50,000 at prayer times.
The trouble is that Istanbul is unable to fill its 1000-plus mosques, including one named after Sultan Muhammad the Conqueror, the man who seized Constantinople for Islam in the 15th century.
June 27th, 2013, 10:14 pm
don said:
Maybe he’s already part of the SC moderation team lol
605. revenire said:
Maybe Idriss can join SC after he’s deposed?
June 27th, 2013, 10:18 pm
zoo said:
Reve
Omen’s post are always filled with questions, often quite silly. He usually knows the answer but likes to appear candid by asking them.
Besides emitting absurd predictions it seems to be a trademark of pro-rebels.
June 27th, 2013, 10:20 pm
revenire said:
LOL Majed is really Hitto?
June 27th, 2013, 10:23 pm
omen said:
zoo, what are you talking about? i don’t know the answers to the questions i asked you.
June 27th, 2013, 10:29 pm
zoo said:
King of Jordan: No to fragmentation of Syria, yes to the Geneva conference
….
the best and most rational solution … which now hinges on the efforts to organise an international conference to enforce the decisions that were agreed upon in Geneva in 2012.
“These decisions include an immediate halt to the violence, the start of a comprehensive political process of transition, and involving all – and, I insist, all – of the components of Syrian society, coupled with a review and reconciliation process.
” This,” the monarch continued, is to be followed by real political reform, as would be agreed by the Syrians themselves, while relief efforts would be intensified inside Syria to speed up the process of letting refugees return back home.”
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/syrias-fragmentation-unacceptable-jordan-monarch#ixzz2XTSEHQk7
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
June 27th, 2013, 10:30 pm
zoo said:
#616 Omen
Yet another attempt to appear candid.. It does not work with me, sorry
June 27th, 2013, 10:34 pm
don said:
You must be referring to our pre-pubescent Israelis pretending they’re pro-rebel Syrian posters
614. zoo said:
Besides emitting absurd predictions it seems to be a trademark of pro-rebels.
June 27th, 2013, 10:36 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
There is no reliable statistic, in Syria, most references combine Alawite in Syria and Turkey, and maximize their numbers
Would Joshua Landis children be considered Alawis?Educated people who respect themselves,would not follow the original religion of Alawis,those who consider Ali as God, as if the world has no God before Ali was born,most Syrians look at Alawis as those people who came from the mountain, who basically has no religion. MJabali never told us about Alawi religion, it seems that Religion is not important To most Alawis.but the definition of Alawis is best desribed as enemy number one of Sunnis,yet many Alawis love to mary sunni women.
June 27th, 2013, 10:37 pm
revenire said:
Russian Defense Ministry refutes reports of Syria evacuation
http://rt.com/politics/refutes-reports-evacuation-syria-328/
June 27th, 2013, 10:40 pm
revenire said:
Majed this is a very disgusting statement about Alawites:
“Educated people who respect themselves would not follow the original religion of Alawis.”
June 27th, 2013, 10:43 pm
habib said:
620. majedkhaldoun
Lol at this guy desperately grasping at straws.
Does anyone even give a damn any more?
June 27th, 2013, 10:49 pm
omen said:
appear candid? i don’t know what that means. how else am i supposed to be?
~~~
anyways, somebody pointed to this earlier:
if nusra is negotiating oil deals with the regime, what else are they colluding about? true opposition doesn’t strike deals with the devil!
June 27th, 2013, 10:53 pm
Akbar Palace said:
542. omen said:
firstly, israel can do a lot of things covertly. jam signals, for instance, provide intel, etc. it does not need to be the tip of the spear in order to be effective.
secondly, israel has a lot of influence and ability to shape u.s. policy.
Omen,
Remember, the minute Israel chooses a side, the arab street will turn against the party that is working with Israel. But more than that, and like I’ve been saying, it is not at all clear that the opposition is moderate. The Islamists have unfortunately taken over the fight for Syrians looking for freedom, and they can be a good bit more aggressive on Israel’s northern border than Assad and Hezbollah.
Now if the opposition could unite and sign an agreement with the west and/or with Israel, that would be great. Wishful thinking.
Right now, Israel is planning for the worst no matter who wins. Is that unreasonable?
It seems to me its policy for the west to allow islamists to get stronger.
Omen,
Believe it or not, the US and Israel has NO CONTROL over who gets stronger. Russia is dealing with a government and a organization like Iran and Hezbollah, respectively. Who does the US have to work with? A conglomeration of scores of gangs and jihadist groups. My impression is the average Syrian is REALLY caught between a rock and a hard place. They have NO ONE who represents what they want.
553. omen said:
529. Akbar Palace said: Then there is the issue of the numbers of combatants and non-combatants. In Syria roughly half of the 100,000 killed are combatants (from the little I’ve read).
meaning what? rebel deaths don’t count? most of them have only recently picked up a gun. they didn’t train to be soldiers. they were vendors, bakers, teachers, students, etc.
here are some figures:
Breakdown of Syria’s death toll of 100,191: at least 36,661 civilians, 25,000 regime troops and 18,072 rebel fighters.
I didn’t mean to be crude, however, some conflicts show unusually high percentages of civilian death. For example, the US civil war there were about 620,000 soldier deaths and about 50,000 civilian deaths or about 7.5% civilian deaths.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War
Of the 6 million jews murdered in WW2, I would say 99% were civilian. And so forth.
When a war occurs where the majority of the dead are armed soldiers, it doesn’t seem as much of an attrocity or war crime.
The numbers you present of 37,000 civilian deaths is horrible and unacceptable. And the world is silent. I guess history repeats itself.
573. omen said:
529. akbar: Where are the ARABS???
arabs, as well as turks, refuse to act unless they have american blessing.
Omen,
With all due respect, that is a bad excuse. The Islamists acting (unfortuantely) on behalf of Syrians is acting without American blessings and the US is arming them! The US is not going to stop millions of Egyptians, Jordanians and Turks from entering Syria to help kick ASSad out of the presidential akbar palace.
No one got America permission to kick out the Americans and Israelis from Lebanon or attack the WTC on 9-11. Arabs, when motivated, can do much. Where are they with Syria??
June 27th, 2013, 11:03 pm
revenire said:
Akbar you’re an American so when you ask “what are the Americans doing?” why not sign up for Cannibal School and go fight Assad?
Guys that moan that others are not doing enough while sitting on a computer… umm, are sort of what?
June 27th, 2013, 11:07 pm
Ziad said:
ZOO #601
We should call it Majedstupedia.
June 27th, 2013, 11:14 pm
revenire said:
LOL
Brother Majed has a new tidbit of info daily.
Today his best line was saying only idiots would be Alawi.
I am surprised Matt hasn’t banned Majed. He preaches anti-Shia hatred.
June 27th, 2013, 11:18 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Ziad
Like Ziadstupedia
Revenir
Shia are not Alawis
June 27th, 2013, 11:40 pm
revenire said:
Brother Majed why do you say such hateful things?
June 27th, 2013, 11:49 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
You call for carpet bombing and calling Rebels cannibals, and calling them rats and wants to call orkin all are very much hatred statements by you.
pointing to difference in sects is not hateful
June 27th, 2013, 11:57 pm
revenire said:
Majed did they chant “Allahu Akbar” as the commander ate human flesh? Yes, they most certainly did.
It wasn’t me who did it. It was the cannibals YOU support.
I didn’t make it up. They FILMED it.
I haven’t killed anyone brother.
Stop the sectarian hatred.
June 28th, 2013, 12:10 am
omen said:
625. akbar, i said israel could act covertly.
Believe it or not, the US and Israel has NO CONTROL over who gets stronger.
not so. US has been blocking heavy arms from reaching rebels for over a year now. the LCCs could be funded to strengthen the growth of secular, democratic civic structure – but the US choose not to.
the islamists have not taken over. only a third of the rebel forces are islamic. and not all of them are extremists.
When a war occurs where the majority of the dead are armed soldiers, it doesn’t seem as much of an attrocity or war crime
half of syria has been demolished! not a war crime?? human right reps say they’ve never seen anything this bad. worse than even chechnya.
numbers listed only account for identified deaths. the other half are probably still lying under rubble.
for a perspective on numbers, the nazi blitz on england killed 40,000. pinochet killed 3,000 with more than 1,000 missing. bashar has those records beat, yet his regime continues to be afforded legitimacy by world powers.
(arabs, as well as turks, refuse to act unless they have american blessing.)With all due respect, that is a bad excuse.
by arabs and turks, i meant the governments. excuse or not, this is the truth. i think it cowardly myself but you have to ask them why they tolerate being treated like sheep by the US.
June 28th, 2013, 12:26 am
majedkhaldoun said:
REVENIR
3am tzet wa tolhosh, pure nonsense, worthless opinion
When you say Cannibals with S at the end ,you are wrong and generalizing, while Assad thugs all, including those who are supporting Assad on SC all should be considered children killers, ,children haters,those are the criminals you support.
We say in Syria for every disease there is medicine, except for stupids there is no medicine.
so stupids bizetto wa byelhasho
You said you did not kill anyone, yet you call to kill millions, now what would a reasonable person call such man(woman) advocates of crimes and murders
You should have been banned long time ago
June 28th, 2013, 12:26 am
don said:
Maybe Matt shares his progressive views about Shia Islam
628. revenire said:
I am surprised Matt hasn’t banned Majed. He preaches anti-Shia hatred.
June 28th, 2013, 12:28 am
revenire said:
I don’t believe there are millions of terrorists in Syria Majed.
I proposed my plan to end this slaughter of Syrians. I’m sorry if you didn’t agree with it but we can’t please everyone.
Just remember the SAA is 80% Sunni and I think they’re doing a heck of a good job. Sunni do not want Nusra murdering their children and women. They are with Assad.
June 28th, 2013, 12:37 am
Mick said:
Tara,
I’m impressed! I post about once a fortnight and you remember me!
And no I’m not Rev. I can takallam/haki/hachi the ‘arabi if I want.
I know the difference between hissa/hallaq/dalwaqti/tawa/(or as the numerous non-Arabic FSA members would say ALAN) and where they come from.
One of my faves is the town of Abu Al Kamal. or AlbuKamal, or Abu ach Chamal… You can tell pretty quick where someone is from just by how they pronounce a town.
Katalavas? Oops, that’s Greek. Comprenda? Sorry, Spanish. Mafhooma?
I will say, some Egyptian small towns that actually pronounce the Jim as a Jim instead of a Gim, while still having the rest of the Egyptian dialect, does throw me off. That is a dialect you don’t hear often.
So I’m one of those strange creatures that can read the Western media and see people lying to me about how everyone is a facebook/progressive/gay girl in Damascus kinda of opposition fighter because I can read the battalion/brigade names of the fighters and how they all equate to the people fighting for a the Caliphate in 600 AD.
Egyptian Sunni leaders calling for Jihad and supporting the imaginary gay girl in Damascus are two different fights. No one has bothered to explain how we should support one while fighting the other (on either side). I don’t see Qatar and Saudi Arabia supporting the imaginary Gay Girl in Damascus. I don’t see the U.S. supporting the Salafist throat slitters. Thus the media in both regions tell one side of the opposition story.
No one is holding the opposition accountable for holding those two diametrically opposed positions at the same time.
Sure you can fool some people. But please. Don’t insult me.
June 28th, 2013, 12:39 am
Ziad said:
OMEN
Are you proposing an Israel-FSA alliance against the Syrian government?
Or are you requesting Israel to help the rebels, covertly or overtly?
What are you offering Israel to sweeten the deal? The Jolan? a friendship treaty? Iraeli military bases in Syria?
June 28th, 2013, 12:40 am
don said:
Russian Military Denies Syria “Evacuation”
http://syriareport.net/russia-denies-syria-evactuation/
Russia’s Ministry of Defence has denied reports that it has evacuated personnel from its Mediterranean naval facility in Tartus, Syria.
An official statement from the ministry said:
The personnel are working according to the everyday schedule. We cannot talk about any evacuation from Tartus in this case. Tartus remains the official base and repair facility for Russian ships in the Mediterranean Sea and it continues to execute its tasks in line with its purpose.
The Ministry added that the modestly sized and equipped facility had long since been manned by civilians and that they had not been withdrawn. Russian warships occasionally call to Tartus for replenishment of supplies and minor repairs.
June 28th, 2013, 12:40 am
don said:
http://english.alahednews.com.lb/essaydetails.php?eid=23521&cid=386
UN: No Evidence of Chemical Weapons in Syria, More Arming Means More War Crimes
The head of the UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria warned Friday that arming Syrians fighting on either side of the country’s bloody conflict could lead to more war crimes
June 28th, 2013, 12:48 am
omen said:
akbar, i forgot to mention reporters have acknowledged the existence of multiple mass graves, but of course, the regime wont let anyone in to perform exhumations in order to get an accounting.
June 28th, 2013, 12:50 am
omen said:
625. No one got America permission to…attack the WTC on 9-11.
what the hell…don’t equate a legitimate popular uprising with 9/11.
you make it sound like syria is nothing but 25 million bin ladens.
June 28th, 2013, 1:04 am
don said:
Ever notice how “Akbar-Palace” and “Omen” are one and the same. They seem to delight in the killing of Syrians and the destruction of Syria.
Omen also enjoys beheading Christian civilians and religious figures in public squares. Makes you wonder, would he substitute the word “Christians” with “Israelis” if these beheaded people were from Israel? Would he be the one serving lemonade to the cheering mob?
513. omen said:
christians aren’t more precious than others.
June 28th, 2013, 1:35 am
ghufran said:
This is strange, even if it was fake, it means that regime media/ mukhabarat has something against Charl Ayyoub:
على مدى سنة ونصف وأنا أرسل رسائل لسيادتكم طالباً معونة مالية وإلا فإني مضطر لبيع منزل والدي الذي أوصى بأن أورثه من بعدي.
سيادة الرئيس
كتبوا الكثير عني بأني لست في الحياة إلا “لاعباً للقمار” وأنا سوري قومي إجتماعي أقسمت اليمين في سن الـ17 ولا أنكر أني لعبت القمار لكن لا يمكن إختصاري بهذه الصفة فقط بل أنا مناضل لا أشيد بنفسي ولكن أدافع عنها وأرحل عن هذه الدنيا وأقول ” تحيا سوريا ويحيا سعادة ويحيا الرئيس الأسد أيضاً”.
همومكم سيادة الرئيس كبيرة ومسؤولياتكم خطيرة أنتم القائد العظيم الذي بات وحيداً يقود الأمة العربية أو العالم العربي بمفهومي القومي السوري.
أتقدم منكم سيادة الرئيس وأنا دمي لكم وحياتي من حياة سوريا الأسد وكل آمالي في رأسي هي في دمشق ملاذ الأحرار لقيادتكم.
أستحلفكم أن تساعدوني بمبلغ 700 ألف دولار وليكن ديناً رسمياً عليّ من خلال رهن جريدة الديار لأي مؤسسة إعلامية سورية وعندما تعود الأوضاع إلى حالتها فإن مدخول إعلانات الديار قادر على تسديد أقساط شهرية بالمبلغ المذكور.
سيادة الرئيس
والله العظيم أنا صادق، ورب العالمين شاهد، أستودعكم الديار بين أيديكم، وأستودعكم منزل والدي كي لا أبيعه واسمحوا لي أن أرجوكم طلباً واحداً يكون تكريماً كبيراً لي، أن يبلغني أحد من قبلكم الجواب سواء بالرفض أو القبول، لأن عشت مدة سنة ونصف على أعصابي أنتظر الجواب على كل رسالة كنت أرسلها كل شهرين لسيادتكم.
باسم الأمانة القومية، باسم دماء الشهداء، أرجوكم أن تعطوني شرف تلقي الجواب. نعم أم لا، وسلباً أم أيجاباً، عندها أقرر فوراً بيع منزل والدي كي أستمر في إصدار الديار ودفع مترتبات الورق والطباعة والديون عليّ.
بكل إحترام ومحبة وإيماناً بقيادتكم
المصدر: شارل أيوب – الديار
June 25th, 2013 – 11:39 AM
June 28th, 2013, 2:14 am
ghufran said:
A new chapter started in Egypt, details about the brutal unjustified attacks on a shia village in Egypt are starting to come out, Morsi most probably will follow HBJ and Mubarak, he has made too many mistakes and created too much animosity, Egyptians here are ashamed and outraged, they thought this type of violence is limited to Pakistan, Syria and Iraq, they were wrong, everywhere you have poverty, oppression and militant Islam you will have violence.
Egypt has about 1 million Shia who were never the subject of this type of violence before:
قرية صغيرة تدعى أبو مسلم، بها عدد أسر شيعية قليل جدا، باتت مشتعلة بعد حادث الاعتداء الأليم والمذبحة التي جرت بحق أربعة مصريين شيعة.
لا أحد في مصر يتحدث عادة عن سني أو شيعي، لكن الآونة الأخيرة بات الاحتقان فيها هو سيد الموقف، ليس في القرية الصغيرة فحسب، بل في مصر كلها، بعد حديث الرئيس مرسي نفسه عن فتح باب الجهاد في سوريا ضد “بشار” الشيعي في مؤتمر الاستاد الشهير منذ أسبوع تقريبا، وتحدث الداعية “محمد حسان” عما أسماه خطر الشيعة – في نفس المؤتمر – قائلا “الشيعة والروافض هم أخطر على الإسلام من الكفار”.
وطيلة الخمس أشهر الفائتة، ازدادت لغة العداء ضد الشيعة بشكل ملفت، رغم أن الشيعة عددهم في مصر لا يتجاوز مليون شخص بالنسبة لآخر إحصائية للمركز المصري للتعبئة والإحصاء، إضافة إلى أن الشيعة لا يفعلون شيئا ويتعايشون مع بقية الناس بالشكل الذي اعتادت عليه مصر طوال السنوات الماضية.
وكالة أنباء آسيا، ذهبت إلى القرية الصغيرة للوقوف على حقيقة ما حدث، عايشت القرية ليوم كامل لتعرف من دبر وخطط لمثل هذه المذبحة البشرية التي حدثت بحق مصريين، فقط يختلفون في العقيدة.
يقول أحد أبناء القرية وشاهد عيان على المذبحة ويدعى حسين محمد، “فوجئت بعدد من السلفيين وأصحاب ” الذقون” على حد تعبيره ينشرون بين الناس أن هناك شيعة ممن يسبون الصحابة والسيدة عائشة سوف يمارسون طقوسا شيعية “كافرة” والتي من بينها سب الصحابة والسيدة عائشة”.
يستمر حسين ويقول ، “عمدة القرية توجه إلى البيت والذي يمكله “شحات عمر العريان ” وهو شيعي المذهب، وأحد من قتلوا في المذبحة، وأخبرهم أن هناك من يثيرون أهالي القرية ضدهم لقتلهم، وطالبهم بضرورة الخروج من القرية لأن هناك من يشعل الناس ضدهم، لكنهم رفضوا واستمروا في منزلهم “.
ويضيف ” استمر محرضوا الفتنة على تحريض الناس وهو ما حدث بالفعل وتجمهر الآلاف من المواطنين أمام منزل العريان وكان به الشيخ حسن شحاته واثنين من أشقائه وبدأوا الهجوم على المنزل وإلقاء الحجارة عليه وقنابل المولتوف الحارقة لإجبار من بداخله على الخروج.
يقول علاء عبد المنعم أحد شهود العيان على الحادث “كان الآلاف يتجمعون على الشيعة واستطاع الأمن إخراج بعضا منهم من بين أياد الأهالي، وكان عددهم عشرين تقريبا لكن الشيخ حسن شحاتة وثلاثة آخرين لم يستطيعوا الفرار من بين براثن الأهالي الذين قاموا بتعذيبهم أكثر من ثلاث ساعات، كانوا يقتلونهم بكل شيء بالعصي والسكاكين والسيوف، طوال ٣ ساعات كانوا يعذبونهم قبل أن يجهزوا عليهم في الأخير.
ويضيف علاء ” قام أحد المجرمين بتلقين أحد القتلى الشهادة والذي كان أثخنه الناس ضربا قبل أن يجهز عليه قائلا “قول الشهادة “، وعندما ردد القتيل الشهادة قام المجرم بطعنه بالسكين في عينه مرددا عبارة “موت بقى يا ابن الكلب”، وقام بعدها بفصل رأسه عن جسده .
بينما قال محمود حامد من أبناء القرية إن الأمن ظل واقفا دون التدخل لمنع قتل الضحايا، وردد أحد اللواءات ” لو دخلنا الناس هتقتلنا”، مضيفاً ” أن الأمن في نهاية الأمر وبعد قتل الأربعة قام بسحب الجثث لتسليمها إلى مستشفى الحوامدية “.
عمرو حمزاوي المفكر قال أن ما حدث في أبو النمرس سببه “هو نتيجة للخطاب الديني المتطرف الذي يردده شيوخ التطرف، وتأجيج صراعات مذهبية لم تعرفها مصر من قبل، والمسئول عن ذلك الرئيس الذي دعا إلى ما أسماه للجهاد في سوريا وصمت عن قيام شيوخ في المؤتمر بسب الشيعة والمطالبة بقتلهم “.
الكاتب الكبير بهاء طاهر والذي يقود اعتصام المثقفين أمام وزارة الثقافة المصرية ضد أخونتها قال في تصريحات لوكالة أنباء آسيا ” ما حدث في قرية أبو مسلم أن الإخوان والتيار اليمين المتطرف يتحمل المسئولية كاملة تجاه ما حدث، مشيرا إلى أن هذا الحادث غريب على مصر وعلى الشعب المصري، لكن الخطاب الديني المتطرف طوال الشهور الماضية هو السبب فيما حدث، وهذه نتيجة طبيعة لحكم الإخوان المسلمين الذي ينفذ مشروعا أمريكيا في جعل المنطقة العربية كلها منطقة صراع مذهبي وطائفي”، وتمنى الكاتب الكبير ألا يتكرر مثل هذا الحادث الفترة المقبلة .
ورغم أن حزب النور السلفي قد تبرأ مما حدث وأكد على لسان المتحدث الرسمي باسم الحزب نادر بكار، رفض الحزب لأحداث زاوية أبو مسلم، إلا أن الشيعة في مصر حملوا السلفيين والإخوان ما حدث، وقام عدد من شباب الشيعة على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي بنشر صور لمؤتمرات لحزب النور كان قد نظمها الحزب طوال السنة الماضية تحت شعار ” الشيعة هم العدو فاحذرهم “.
وقال محمد حمدي أستاذ علم الاجتماع بكلية الآداب جامعة حلوان “إن حادث أبو مسلم هو دليل على انهيار قيم القرية وقيم المجتمع المصري، وأن هناك حالة من الردة الأخلاقية التي أصابت المجتمع في خلال السنوات القليلة الماضية وقام الخطاب الديني المتطرف وغياب الأمن والقانون بتغذية هذه الردة الأخلاقية، كما أن السلطة الحاكمة هي التي تتبى هذا الخطاب المتطرف “.
June 28th, 2013, 2:36 am
Citizen said:
Washington Is Insane — Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2013/06/17/washington-is-insane-paul-craig-roberts/
June 28th, 2013, 2:53 am
Citizen said:
Qatar’s Emir Is Leaving — Changes Are Coming
http://journal-neo.org/2013/06/26/rus-e-mir-katara-uhodit-predstoyat-peremeny/
June 28th, 2013, 4:16 am
Citizen said:
great Mr Putin !
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fi-korotchenko.livejournal.com%2F680259.html
June 28th, 2013, 4:44 am
Juergen said:
Iran, Russia and China prop up Assad economy
By Michael Peel in Damascus
a bold statement by the regime, yes foreign powers help economically
Syrian troops celebrate as they take control of a rebel-held village
Iran, Russia and China are propping up Syria’s war-ravaged economy, with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime doing all its business in rials, roubles and renminbi as it seeks to beat western sanctions, according to the country’s senior economics minister.
Syria’s three main allies are supporting international financial transactions, delivering $500m a month in oil and extending credit lines, Kadri Jamil, deputy prime minister for the economy, said in an interview with the Financial Times. He added that its allies would also soon help with a “counter-offensive” against what he called a foreign plot to sink the Syrian pound.”
““Now we have a straight line between the Syrian pound and those three currencies, and we have got out of the circle of euros and dollars,” he said.”
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/79eca81c-df48-11e2-a9f4-00144feab7de.html#axzz2XUqTFTDo
June 28th, 2013, 5:57 am
Tara said:
I do not know how the shiaa in Egypt could feel safe again.
What happened is horrible. And what is worse is that we did not hear about massive arrests of the perpetrators which appear to be many. Morsi would risk losing his base if he ordered massive arrests including of the Salafi sheiks but would have been proved a hero. Yet, the anti shiaa rhetoric happened under his watch in the same stadium so he too is partially responsible. He should quit if he was a real man…
Too many examples showing us that religion and greed for power are much more stronger than humanity. What a pity!
June 28th, 2013, 6:59 am
Tara said:
And what is sad is that we now lost a million Egyptian Shiaas to Iran!
I can’t blame them..
June 28th, 2013, 7:01 am
Badr said:
“The war is metastasising in ways that draw in regional and other international actors, erase boundaries and give rise to a single, transnational arc of crisis.”
From the executive summary of the new ICG report, Syria’s Metastasising Conflicts:
From the conclusion in the full report:
June 28th, 2013, 7:10 am
Akbar Palace said:
633. omen said:
625. akbar, i said israel could act covertly.
Omen,
They can’t. You see what happens if one smashed Israeli jeep with evil hebrew is discovered. It divides the arab street faster than the speed of light.
Israel is totally out of Syria, and waiting it out. Also, I don’t know how you can ask Israel to do something in this conflict when you hate Israel so much.
Frankly, it seems rather two-faced to me.
US has been blocking heavy arms from reaching rebels for over a year now.
We will have to agree to disagree on this. The rebels can use anything they want in this conflict if they can get the weapon and smuggle it into Syria.
the islamists have not taken over. only a third of the rebel forces are islamic. and not all of them are extremists.
I hope you are right. The news reports I have been reading isn’t clear on this and the opposition does not seem to be united at all.
half of syria has been demolished! not a war crime?? human right reps say they’ve never seen anything this bad. worse than even chechnya.
Yes, I forgot to mention the huge detruction this war has caused Syrians. Another Assad crime the regime supporters always overlook.
numbers listed only account for identified deaths. the other half are probably still lying under rubble.
for a perspective on numbers, the nazi blitz on england killed 40,000. pinochet killed 3,000 with more than 1,000 missing. bashar has those records beat, yet his regime continues to be afforded legitimacy by world powers.
NOt only by world powers, but also by Iran, Hezbollah and arabs like the regime supporters on this website. I am afraid there is no one Syria can depend on except their own people. I think Egypt and Jordan have to go in an help win this war.
638. Ziad said:
OMEN
Are you proposing an Israel-FSA alliance against the Syrian government?
Or are you requesting Israel to help the rebels, covertly or overtly?
What are you offering Israel to sweeten the deal? The Jolan? a friendship treaty? Iraeli military bases in Syria?
Omen,
As you can see, Ziad has a point. Why should Israel put their lives in harms way for a people that hate them?
641. omen said:
akbar, i forgot to mention reporters have acknowledged the existence of multiple mass graves, but of course, the regime wont let anyone in to perform exhumations in order to get an accounting.
A Saddam Hussein specialty. What a mess. I am not at all disputing these attrocities, I just don’t know how to solve them. I think Arab, sunni states like Egypt have to help militarily. I think this is the best choice. Family helping family.
you make it sound like syria is nothing but 25 million bin ladens.
Probably a mistake on my part. I guess my point is that when motivated, the arab people can accomplish a lot. Assad is in trouble because the arab people have spoken.
643. don said:
Ever notice how “Akbar-Palace” and “Omen” are one and the same. They seem to delight in the killing of Syrians and the destruction of Syria.
What gave you that idea Don? You can’t read english? Omen and I despise what Assad has done by not stepping down and by oblitherating Syrian cities.
June 28th, 2013, 7:46 am
zoo said:
As Syrian Intervention Looms, Can We Trust David Cameron on Foreign Policy?
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/james-elliott/syria-intervention-david-cameron_b_3511160.html?
…
Now we will hear the same arguments over Syria. Bashar al-Assad will inevitably be compared to Hitler, as if Western intervention in World War Two was in anyway related to the Nazi holocaust (the RAF declined to bomb the railway lines to Auschwitz, stating it would divert valuable resources). The Munich comparison will be made again, and anyone who dares suggest that a re-run of Iraq, Afghanistan or any other Western imperial project would not be in the interests of the Syrians, will be denounced as a Chamberlain.
Now, given David Cameron’s record as I have outlined, is he really the man to trust with the ‘liberation’ of the Syrians? The question is not so much, will Cameron be able to impose a stable, liberal democracy in Syria, but rather, does he actually want one?
June 28th, 2013, 7:54 am
zoo said:
Is this the answer to the accusations that the rebel fighters are using sane civilians as human shields in all the areas they ‘control’? What more can they invent to force a foreign military intervention?
Opposition claims Assad uses mentally ill as human shield
28 June 2013 14:27
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/198445–opposition-claims-assad-uses-mentally-ill-as-human-shield
Spokesperson of Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union accused the Syrian regime for using the mentally ill as human shield.
Muhammed el-Halebi, spokesperson of the Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union (SRCU), accused the Syrian regime for using the mentally ill as human shield.
….
“Assad regime uses mentally ill patients as human shield, and when they are done with them, they are executed just like political prisoners or activists. Murdered mental patients are thrown into the Quweiq river,” Halebi said.
Halebi, also claimed that mentally ill patients who were able to escape the Ed-Duveyrine Psychiatric Hospital were living on the streets in misery and noone cared about them.
June 28th, 2013, 8:02 am
zoo said:
Arming the Syrian opposition will create another Afghanistan
28 June, by Kapil Komireddi
http://mondediplo.com/blogs/arming-the-syrian-opposition-will-create-another
Syria, once a land of pluralistic coexistence in the Arab world, is now irreparably fractured between competing factions. There isn’t a single group that can claim to speak for even a modest majority of Syrians. Syria itself has become a catchment for foreign jihadists whose ambition goes far beyond toppling the secular dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad.
In Damascus alone I met fighters from more than half a dozen countries, some from places as far as Afghanistan, dreaming of transforming Syria into a theocratic state. Secular opponents of Assad, always a minority, have from the beginning found themselves in the impossible position of having to counteract the foreign fighters in Syria while also preserving themselves from the state’s overwhelming power.
Unable to win at home and neglected by the world, their own ideological complexion gradually altered, and many embraced the foreign jihadists in their midst. What could have turned into an Egyptian-style mass uprising dissolved instead into a series of local insurgencies in which religious minorities, particularly Christians, became targets of fighters sympathetic to or affiliated with Al-Qaida.
Ancient communities were cleansed from their homes in the province of Homs. Churches were bombed. Dissenters, in a phenomenon alien to Syria, were beheaded. And women, who had traditionally enjoyed greater freedoms in Syria than in most other parts of the Arab world, were forced into the veil.
For all the prophesies of imminent overthrow, Assad and his Baathist machine have remained the only stable features in Syria. Despite periodic bombings that claim dozens of lives, daily life in Damascus, Assad’s bastion, largely continues as before: schools and offices remain open, government employees receive their salaries, and new episodes of popular soaps continue to be produced and aired on television.
Unsettled by the extremist turn of the opposition, Syria’s minorities and, increasingly, its prosperous middle classes are once again viewing Assad as the guarantor of their security and Syria’s secularism. Most important of all, more than 250,000 soldiers in the Syrian Arab Army still pledge loyalty to Assad, fighting, dying and securing territory for him throughout Syria.
….
Washington will have to start by acknowledging that there is a substantial pro-Assad constituency in Syria — and, fearful of its place in a post-Assad future, it won’t settle for an arrangement in which Assad is denied a role.
A settlement that denies outright victory to any one party, and forces all sides to arrive at a power-sharing agreement under international supervision, is the least risky option available to the West.
A blueprint for this already exists in the so-called Geneva Communiqué of last year. Since then, all parties have tried to undermine it because it refuses to privilege any one side. But discord at the negotiating table is preferable to bloodbaths in towns and cities across Syria. This is the plan the West must back. The alternative is unthinkable: another Afghanistan.
June 28th, 2013, 8:13 am
Tara said:
Zoo,
Using Mentally ill as human shields?
Does not surprise me.
June 28th, 2013, 9:00 am
ilya said:
Terrorist confesses to participating in attacking al-Ikhbariya TV, receiving aid from Israel
Damascus, SANA_ Terrorist Basil Mohammad al-Ali confessed to participating, along with a Jabhat al-Nusra-linked terrorist group, in attacking al-Ikhbariya TV channel, in Drousha, Damascus countryside.
In confessions broadcast by the Syrian TV on Thursday, terrorist al-Ali admitted to taking part in killing a number of journalists and employees in the channel in addition to looting its contents before bombing it.
He also confessed to receiving assistances from the Israeli entity across the occupied Golan.
The terrorist admitted that he and members of a terrorist group linked to Jabhat al-Nusra were informed by al-Hajji, the group leader, to target al-Ikhbaria channel since it is a tendentious channel, as al-Hajji described it, and continuously unveils Jabhat al-Nusra lies.
According to al-Ali, the channel building was monitored by guard of a farm owned by a Saudi person, the guard is called Abu Hussein al-Dairi, who was working in prostitution.
Jabhat al-Nusra whipped al-Dairi and forced him to leave prostitution and join it to monitor the channel building through the farm and take part in the group criminal acts.
” The channel building was not a center of intelligence or a repository for weapons or a place of torture as aired by some channels,” terrorist Al-Ali said.
Al-Ali was a blacksmith and contributed in manufacturing and installing some of the channel equipment. He confirmed that the group to which he was belonging is responsible for bombing headquarters of the military judiciary.
Terrorist al-Ali said that his group also stormed Hospital of the martyr Mamdouh Abaza in Quneitra and looted medical equipment and drugs from the hospital to be used in treating the terrorists who were injured during the clashes with the Syrian Army.
Ghossoun /
June 28th, 2013, 9:07 am
Ilya said:
Al-Monitor @AlMonitor
this is .@edwardedark guest tweeting live about #Syria. If you have any questions, please free to ask
feel free to ask him any questions!!!
June 28th, 2013, 9:09 am
Ilya said:
Syria update Al Qaboon
June 28th, 2013, 9:26 am
Ilya said:
Syria rebels seize strategic position in Daraa city
BEIRUT: Syrian rebels advancing from the Jordanian border seized a strategic army position in the southern city of Daraa on Friday as fighting raged in the surrounding province, activists said.
“They seized two buildings in the provincial capital that regime forces were using to keep the whole city under surveillance,” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
“This is the most important army position that the rebels have seized in Daraa” in 27 months of conflict, he told AFP.
“The province could act as a key conduit for arms to stream in from Jordan to rebels in Damascus province,” Abdel Rahman added.
The Los Angeles Times reported last week that US special forces were providing training in Jordan to Syrian rebels, including instruction in the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.
Officials in Amman denied the report, which came as Washington said it was to begin delivering arms to the rebels.
The rebel advance came as the army stepped up its shelling of rebel-held areas of Daraa province, killing at least six women and four children, the Observatory said.
It also came after five people were killed in a bomb attack in a mainly Christian neighbourhood in central Damascus on Thursday, the Observatory said, revising an earlier claim the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber.
At least 115 people were killed on Thursday in violence in Syria, the Observatory said.
In 27 months, more than 100,000 people have died in the conflict, which morphed from a popular movement for change into an insurgency after the regime unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-28/221894-syria-rebels-seize-strategic-position-in-daraa-city.ashx#ixzz2XWI9Audh
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
June 28th, 2013, 10:08 am
revenire said:
Those who support terrorism and would have people believe the government is using the mentally ill as human shields.
Beheaders, cannibals, ____* and suicide bombers now ask us to believe the government – who takes care of the mentally ill – is now using them and committing war crimes.
Sick.
June 28th, 2013, 10:20 am
Uzair8 said:
From Yalla Souriya under an hour ago:
THE_47th
SANA retracts its “Jihadi suicide bomber story” after dead man’s body that mukhabarat picked 2 b the perpetrator turned out 2 b Christian 1
THE_47th
The only problem is. Hussam Serhan is a Christian Syrian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=480731365344019&set=a.117074455043047.29113.115885721828587&type=1&theater (2) #YRYH
THE_47th
Here’s Arabic SANA, missing the story http://sana.sy/ara/2/index.htm Here’s the edited English version, with name removed http://sana.sy/eng/337/2013/06/27/489675.htm 2
June 28th, 2013, 10:46 am
Uzair8 said:
Who’s gonna be 666. It may be telling…
June 28th, 2013, 10:49 am
majedkhaldoun said:
Revenir
stop talking sharawi gharawi
June 28th, 2013, 10:57 am
ghufran said:
They use car bombs in civilian areas, cut heads and attack christian areas then they wonder why the world is not supporting their war !!
If you have noticed the mute thawrajjiyeh response to recent events you are not alone, those people who called for a holy war lied from day one and have nothing left to say after all of their cards were exposed and Syrians made it clear that they are not ready to give their necks to the rebels, there is no revolution left, just a group of armed rebels most of whom are associated with Nusra and islamist groups that have no leadership and no vision for the future:
A suicide bombing and at least two other attacks hit the Christian quarter of the historic Old City in Damascus on Thursday, underscoring the Syrian civil war’s violent reach into relatively secure parts of the capital even as President Bashar al-Assad says his side is winning.
Syria’s official news agency and witnesses reached by telephone said at least four people were killed in the bombing, which targeted a medical charity treating patients in the Bab Touma neighborhood. Witnesses said the other attacks were caused by shells or mortar explosions, including one that hit a restaurant.
One resident, who identified himself as Ammar, said the streets of the Old City were deserted after the attacks, which he called the worst to hit the area, a Unesco World Heritage site, since the Syrian conflict began more than two years ago.
June 28th, 2013, 11:02 am
Ziad said:
Syria’s Rebels in Rift
With Aleppo’s Civil Opposition
The major defining characteristic of civil activists across the country was their insistence on non-sectarianism and an adherence to the higher ideals of justice and freedom. The armed groups morphed like a chameleon changing colors, at the beginning justifying taking up arms to “protect the protesters” from security forces, and later on justifying their violence as a reaction to the regime’s. Any hidden agendas some of those groups may have had initially were carefully kept secret, both from society as a whole as well as media scrutiny — of course some pan-Arab media was actively complicit in this cover up — although there were some troubling tell-tale signs. As the uprising progressed, and some of those groups were armed and trained by regional and foreign powers, they adopted other agendas — usually dictated by whoever was supplying the weapons and the paychecks. They simply no longer cared and transcended the popular uprising and protests that spawned them and gave them their legitimacy, to completely dominate the revolution, and so in essence destroyed it by morphing it into a civil war with visibly sectarian dimensions — as became evident with the deliberate targeting of Shiites and Alawis, regardless of their links to the regime.
And that’s not even mentioning the more sinister of the armed groups, the Islamists, Jihadists and al-Qaeda affiliates who wanted nothing less than to turn Syria into another Taliban-style theocracy. They already have their religious courts and councils set up, dispensing justice via “Sharia law.” The one in Aleppo, for example, is called the “Hai’aa Sharia,” which looks into anything from murder and rape to “morality” crimes such as drinking alcohol or wearing shorts. The worrying trend is that many locals see this as preferable to the rampant crime and lawlessness, and that helps these groups gain traction and support on the ground at the expense of the more moderate ones. That, plus the aid they supply to residents as well as their reputation for not looting private — public- or state-owned is fine, however — property.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/syria-aleppo-rebels-civil-opposition.html
June 28th, 2013, 11:17 am
don said:
Killing civilians a rebels trademark تفجير باب شرقي اليوم
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=191117777718933&set=vb.144130852378380&type=2&theater
Look at the woman carrying her baby. What was her and her baby’s sin?
June 28th, 2013, 11:37 am
Citizen said:
Let’s work on cleaning Aleppo from mud of foreign cannibals and cutthroats ! Glory for Aleppo 7000 BC and living up to the end of the world clean of foreign maniacs!
http://youtu.be/gD6uK-mE7Z4?t=12s
June 28th, 2013, 11:54 am
apple_mini said:
Some news from south America, Ecuador breaks US trade pack as preemptive measure against potential blackmail from US over Snowden asylum while Obama announces US will not play “wheeling and dealing” over Snowden.
I very much admire the move and find it very inspiring and encouraging. Such a bold and dignified decision purely based on principles rather than economic gain and political interests is so rare on today’s international stage, considering what Ecuador government is against.
We know the fact that Ecuador is not one of the FOS. On the contrary, Ecuador has been consistently denouncing any foreign country in meddling Syrian crisis and insisting the crisis being solved by Syrians.
What the Ecuador government did today not only slapped US empire, but also put countries like Qatar, Saudi, Jordan and Turkey to shame.
June 28th, 2013, 12:25 pm
don said:
Suicide bomb kills 4 in Syrian capital’s Old City
By ALBERT AJI
| The Associate Press
First Published Jun 27 2013 05:30 pm • Last Updated Jun 27 2013 05:30 pm
Damascus, Syria • A suicide bomber blew himself up near the headquarters of Syria’s Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus’ Old City, killing at least four people Thursday, minutes after the patriarch had entered the cathedral, state-run TV and a church official said.
The blast occurred nearly 15 minutes after John Yazigi, the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, entered the church, but he was unhurt, according to Hazim, an aide.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/56523900-68/syria-church-conflict-damascus.html.csp
June 28th, 2013, 1:11 pm
omen said:
664. Uzair8 said:
Who’s gonna be 666. It may be telling…
rofl it’s ghufran! lol
June 28th, 2013, 1:33 pm
omen said:
what’s wrong with the site?
June 28th, 2013, 1:43 pm
omen said:
653. Also, I don’t know how you can ask Israel to do something in this conflict when you hate Israel so much. Frankly, it seems rather two-faced to me.
akbar, i thought we were having a grownup discussion. why personalize it by taking jabs like that? i expect this from loyalists, not you.
what makes you say i hate israel?
do i hate what israel has done to palestine? yes. just like i hate what the u.s. has done to iraq & afghanistan. that doesn’t mean i hate both countries and damn them to hell forever & forever. both countries are capable of redeeming themselves – and i expect them to.
hating israeli policy doesn’t mean i hate israelis.
saying i hate israel is a semi-polite way of calling me antisemitic. do you really think that of me?
is it because you object to me saying israel wields influence? yes, i know this is a canard people who hate jews go on about. alleging there is a vast conspiracy where jews are pulling all the strings. that is not what i’m suggesting. even aipac admits to wielding strong influence in impacting u.s. foreign policy (as columnist michael kinsley has pointed out.) this is simply acknowledgment of reality. israel does carry influence. i’m not saying they’re a secret cabal who are ruling the planet. sheesh.
Probably a mistake on my part. I guess my point is that when motivated, the arab people can accomplish a lot. Assad is in trouble because the arab people have spoken.
thank you for acknowledging that. my first draft of that response included the proviso stating i must be misinterpreting you because i can’t believe this is what you are suggesting. i shouldn’t have deleted it. that would have sounded less accusatory.
June 28th, 2013, 1:50 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Great thing about Erdogan, he is now allowing Syrian refugees to work without special permission, and whoever employs them is exempt from tax
June 28th, 2013, 2:24 pm
revenire said:
That’s probably the least Erdogan could do given the number of Syrians he has murdered.
June 28th, 2013, 2:32 pm
Ilya said:
672. OMEN said:
664. Uzair8 said:
Who’s gonna be 666. It may be telling…
rofl it’s ghufran! lol
its funny you were last one 666 before that 🙂
666. OMEN said:
a good visual that explains why the west supports brutal dictators that oppress the masses.
1 9
Funny that you commented on this one !!!
June 28th, 2013, 3:03 pm
zoo said:
The children caught up in Syria’s war are not always innocent bystanders.
http://www.itv.com/news/2013-06-28/the-children-caught-in-syrias-war-are-not-always-innocent-bystanders/
Mokhles is fourteen, an apparently willing conscript to a rebel army that has given him a gun and a cause he values higher than his young life.
Warning: This report contains distressing images of a dead child.
“Only when the regime falls will I go home,” he says. “If I die a martyr, so what?”
It is a war crime to recruit a child of his age.
But international law mattered less to Mokhles than the objections of his parents.
And they tried but failed to keep him out of harm’s way.
“My uncles were killed, my friends were killed. My blood was boiling,” he explains. “I couldn’t sit at home any longer.
“Mokhles shows us how he can strip down and re-assemble a rifle.
Later, he takes up a sniper’s position and takes a couple of shots. He says he’s looking forward to the day he can take part in the fighting.
It is not just rebel groups who are accused of using and abusing children in a war that has claimed 1,700 victims under the age of ten. Pro-regime forces are said to forced children to fight, to carry supplies, and to act as human shields.
….
June 28th, 2013, 3:29 pm
omen said:
whoa, good catch, ilya. (didn’t think you paid attention to me.)
wonder what it could mean. that we are both damned to never realize our idealized expectations?
June 28th, 2013, 3:30 pm
zoo said:
Erdogan is a coward and a hypocrite, he uses the Syrian refugees as cheap labor to work on the factories he has stolen from Aleppo. In the same time he sneakily sends weapons to kill more Syrians and create more refugees, all in the name of his magnanimous Sunni solidarity.
He has little zero chance to be elected as president in 2014. The Turks and the Europeans, after the Syrians have seen his ugly face.
I am still waiting to see his promised visit to Gaza, he is waiting to get the green light from Kerry…
I suggest instead that he visits Cairo to give a boost to his failing Moslem Brotherhood ally Morsy.
June 28th, 2013, 3:36 pm
Akbar Palace said:
674. omen said:
653. Also, I don’t know how you can ask Israel to do something in this conflict when you hate Israel so much. Frankly, it seems rather two-faced to me.
akbar, i thought we were having a grownup discussion. why personalize it by taking jabs like that? i expect this from loyalists, not you.
what makes you say i hate israel?
Without searching the archives, I recall you asking that Israel be dismantled or destroyed.
Am I mistaken? If you can accept Israel as a legitimate state, please accept my apology.
do i hate what israel has done to palestine? yes. just like i hate what the u.s. has done to iraq & afghanistan.
What has Israel “done to palestine”, other than offer to negotiate with her either with the Partition Plan of 1947, after the ’67 war, after the ’93 handshake and Camp David 2000?
Israel can’t force the Palestinians to make peace, but Israel is the only country that has offerred land to the Palestinians. Egypt didn’t offer Gaza to the Palestinians and Jordan never offered the West Bank to the Palestinians when they controlled these territories.
hating israeli policy doesn’t mean i hate israelis.
Ttue.
saying i hate israel is a semi-polite way of calling me antisemitic. do you really think that of me?
Omen,
My method of determining an anti-semite is someone who blames Israel for everything, or can’t find one redeeming or positive thing to say about Israel. Usually accepting Israel as a legitimate country is a fairly good way of determining whether someone is an anti-semite. Now, I must say, I don’t think Tara and Majedkhaldoun “like” Israel, but I don’t think they are anti-semitic (anti-Jewish in Majedkhaldoun’s case).
is it because you object to me saying israel wields influence?
No. Israel has some influence. With Obama, not very much.
yes, i know this is a canard people who hate jews go on about. alleging there is a vast conspiracy where jews are pulling all the strings. that is not what i’m suggesting.
Yup!
even aipac admits to wielding strong influence in impacting u.s. foreign policy (as columnist michael kinsley has pointed out.) this is simply acknowledgment of reality. israel does carry influence. i’m not saying they’re a secret cabal who are ruling the planet. sheesh.
Thanks. Agreed.
thank you for acknowledging that.
No problem.
Omen,
Take a look at the video I linked to below. Positive change is coming where people are becoming tolerant and resistance professionals are headed for the sideline…
http://www.israellycool.com/2013/03/12/apartheid-video-of-the-day/
June 28th, 2013, 3:37 pm
zoo said:
#567 Tara
It doesn’t surprise me that you believe these horrors tales..
Your critical sense is reduced to zero when the tales are in line with you desire of demonization of the regime.
For me these stories are examples of the imagination of the activists desperate for a foreign military intervention.
I wonder what you think of the next post…
June 28th, 2013, 3:58 pm
zoo said:
New video of ‘Islamist’ public beheadings of ‘Assad loyalists’ surfaces in Syria (GRAPHIC CONTENT)
http://rt.com/news/syria-beheadings-video-assad-401/
A video purportedly showing an extrajudicial public beheading of two Bashar Assad loyalists has been uploaded onto the internet. Its authenticity has been verified by pro and anti-Assad sources, though it remains unclear who is behind the execution.
In the nine-minute clip, a group of several hundred people, including men, women and children stands around a hill, when the sentenced men, bound with ropes and wearing bags on their heads are led out. As the crowd closes in with shouts of Allah Akbar (“Glory to God!”) the two, who are wearing civilian clothes, are laid on the floor, and a bearded ‘executioner’ methodically saws through the throat of first one, then the other with a knife. The heads of the dead men are then placed on top of their bodies as the crowd continues to bay.
The phone-filmed video was uploaded on Wednesday to video-sharing site YouTube by Syrian Truth, a group that supports President Bashar Assad, which previously uncovered a clip of an anti-government fighter eating what appeared to be a human heart. According to the voices in the footage, it was shot in Khan al-Assal, near the city of Aleppo the north of the country.
The authenticity of the video was also endorsed by resources that have chiefly backed the rebels in the internal conflict that has lasted over two years – such as the UK-based Observatory for Human Rights and all4Syria.info, which moved to condemn its contents.
June 28th, 2013, 4:02 pm
zoo said:
The West promises of weapons are falling like a house of cards
Poll finds most Britons oppose sending arms to Syrian rebels
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/poll-finds-most-britons-oppose-sending-arms-to-syrian-rebels-8679189.html
Friday 28 June 2013
With 80 Tory MPs opposed to sending arms, the plan is not likely to win Commons approval
A majority of the British public are against sending arms to the opposition forces who oppose the Assad regime in Syria, according to a poll for The Independent.
In a setback for David Cameron, 52 per cent of people say they would oppose the Government providing arms to the Syrian rebels, while 35 per cent would support the move and 13 per cent are undecided.
June 28th, 2013, 4:10 pm
omen said:
Without searching the archives, I recall you asking that Israel be dismantled or destroyed. Am I mistaken? If you can accept Israel as a legitimate state, please accept my apology.
i never said destroy israel. although it should pull out of the west bank & leave gaza alone.
~~~
653. Akbar Palace said: As you can see, Ziad has a point. Why should Israel put their lives in harms way for a people that hate them?
because, as you’ve pointed out:
electronic sabotage & wiretaps doesn’t put lives in harm’s way.
israelis, of all people, should know what it’s like to be abandoned & alone in the world. how could they not empathize?
israelis made a promise to the world of never again. how can they fail to act when it would so simple for them?
i don’t expect any more from israel than the ideals they say they represent. i expect israel to stand up and act in the manner they hand out awards for. i want israel to be “righteous among nations.” i expect them to live up to their concept of tikkun olam, repairing the world.
watching a documentary on norman finkelstein, someone quoted his mother, someone who had been placed in a death camp but managed to survive the holocaust. she argued “jews have a special obligation to try to ease the suffering of humanity because of what was done to them.”
so, you see, don’t fault me for having these expectations. these are things israelis themselves say they represent.
yes, i know that reality is unlikely to live up to mythology.
~
p.s. why does your video say apartheid on it? is that said ironically or is it advocacy?
June 28th, 2013, 6:53 pm
Post a comment