Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...89308V20121004

Syrian soldiers killed in Turkish strike: Syrian Observatory

Several Syrian soldiers were killed in an overnight Turkish bombardment of a Syrian military post near the border town of Tel Abyad, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday.

It gave no figure for the number of soldiers killed in the Turkish attack, which came after a mortar bomb fired from Syrian territory killed five Turkish civilians on Wednesday.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...110169706.html

Turkey strikes targets inside Syria

Turkish armed forces have launched artillery attacks against Syria in response to a mortar attack which killed five members of the same family in southeastern Turkey.

In a statement on Wednesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said the attacks, carried out following radar tracking, were within the rules of engagement.

Separately, Bulent Arinc, the deputy prime minister, said: "There has been an attack on Turkey's mainland and its citizens lost their lives. There is definitely a response to it in international law ... We are not blinded by rage, but we will protect our rights to the end in the face of such an attack on our soil that killed our people."

The government in Ankara is expected to ask the parliament on Thursday to authorise cross-border military operations in Syria, according to Turkish media reports.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Antakya on the Turkish-Syrian border, said Arinc's mention of "certain responsibilities" contained within NATO treaty articles, could mean that Turkey responded without consulting international bodies first.

http://syriasurvey.blogspot.com/

The Fight for Northern Idlib Province

By Asher Berman
The rebels of northern Idlib Province have consolidated control of the entire northern border area and are attacking the regime’s remaining positions along the eastern border. Idlibcity has remained out of the rebel’s grasp since they were pushed out in early March, but attacks in the provincial capital are rising.

Although rebels brigades in northern Idlib collaborate during specific operations, they have yet to form the larger regional command structures that have emerged in Aleppo province and Damascus city, and are not collaborating with the powerful rebel groups in southern Idlib Province. The regime’s position in northern Idlib has weakened significantly since early 2012, but the rebels are not yet strong enough to mount a final push against the regime.

Northern Idlib province borders Turkey to the north and West, Aleppo province to theeast, and the Jebel al-Zawiyah region to the south. The area is mostly rebel-controlled with the exception of Idlib city, the provincial capital which sits between the rebel-held Jebel al-Zawiyah region to the south and the rebel-held north.

Despite the presence of strong rebel groups on all sides, the regime has maintained tight control of Idlib city and the Mastouma military base located six kilometers to the south. The regime alsocontrols the town of Harem near Idlib’s northwestern border with Turkey.

The dominant rebel groups in northern Idlib are the Shuhada Idlib and Tawhid Brigades based outside Idlib city, the Dera al-Thawra Brigade and Farouq al-Shamal Battalion based around Sarmada near the Turkish Border, The Ahrar al-Shamal Idlib Battalion based in Sarmin.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...omb?CMP=twt_gu

The Aleppo bombings were among the biggest seen in Syria in 18 months of uprising. Attackers, believed to have been dressed in military fatigues, are thought to have convinced regime soldiers stationed in Saadallah al-Jabiri Square to let them enter the secure zone. They are then thought to have detonated the bombs believed to have been packed into cars.

Devastation was immense in the square. State television pictures also revealed significant damage to nearby residential buildings and offices. Both the Free Syria Army and a jihadist group, known as the Jabhat al-Nusra, claimed responsibility for the attack. Both said the blasts had targeted a military officer's club. Regime officials said the bombings were a suicide terrorist attack that had killed scores of civilians.

Saadallah al-Jabiri Square is not far from Aleppo's ancient market, parts of which have been destroyed in recent days during intense clashes between regime troops and rebels. The battle for Aleppo is taking an increasingly heavy toll on the city's historical sites as battle lines, which are drawn largely through a north to south line, slowly shift.

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Reuters: Security sources say Turkish artillery continue bombardment into Syria targeting Tel Abyad district around 10km from border
1:29 AM

http://www.france24.com/en/20121004-...medium=twitter

Turkey artillery hits Syrian targets again: security source

Turkish artillery again hit targets in Syria on Thursday morning in reprisal for cross-border fire that killed five Turkish civilians the previous day, a security source told AFP.

"Artillery fire resumed at 0300 GMT this morning," the source said on condition of anonymity.

https://twitter.com/LeShaque

Some reports say Iran is amassing IRGC troops and long-range missile launchers towards Turkey. Khamenai would be quite stupid to do that.
2:49 AM

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/wo...-fighters.html

Cajoling, Drugging and More as Rebels Try to Draw Defectors

For months, the disparate militias known as the Free Syrian Army relied on defections from the Syrian military to lead a credible if halting challenge to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Every day seemed to bring word of new recruits. Soldiers fled in packs, or officers stole across a border, lifting the rebels’ morale while swelling their ranks.

But now opposition commanders say defections have slowed to a trickle. Some commanders have given up trying to entice defectors, and others have resorted to more desperate measures: cajoling, duping, threatening and even drugging and kidnapping military men to get them to change sides, or at least stay out of the fight. Without defections, they say, the opposition cannot hope to grow, never mind prevail.

As Syria’s fighting burns into its 19th month, Mr. Assad’s forces have moved effectively to cut off what amounts to the armed rebellion’s most significant resource: soldiers with training and weapons who change sides. In a shift in strategy, the government has preferred to attack towns and neighborhoods from a distance using artillery and air power, preserving its resources and distancing its soldiers from rebel fighters — and from the public, including friends and neighbors, who might encourage defections.

Several commanders said they were still trying to persuade. Mr. Qunatri, the rebel commander, said in an interview here in Antakya that he preferred sending innocent-seeming emissaries to soldiers at military checkpoints. A 12-year-old boy, for example, helped turn one soldier, teasing him mercilessly until he relented. “Dude, why don’t you defect,” the boy would scold, repeatedly, as if the heavily guarded checkpoint was a schoolyard.

Another rebel officer, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Ali, sent a barber, Walid, who made friends with the soldiers by offering haircuts or doing laundry. “They want to defect,” Abu Ali said. “They don’t know how, or who can help.”

Another of the former merchant’s operatives, a food delivery man, identified six recruits, but the checkpoint they guarded was too well secured for them to leave: there was no way past the officers. “We thought of sending sleeping pills,” the commander said. The recruits spiked the water and the tea. “Thirty-eight soldiers fell asleep,” said a soldier named Shadi, one of those who defected that day. Rebel seized the sleeping soldiers along with their weapons. Some willingly flipped and others were made to promise they would not return to the fight, he said. “Two of the 38 returned to the army,” he said.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/repor...-store-devices

Turkish PM aide: Turkey won't declare war on Syria

An aide to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of declaring war on Syra.

The aide says Thursday that Turkey's shelling of Syria following a mortar attack that killed five civilians in Turkey and the proposed bill to authorize military actions against its neighbor should be seen as a "warning to Syria."

Turkey's Parliament on Thursday was debating a bill to authorize the military to launch cross border operations in Syria, while Turkey resumed artillery shelling of Syrian targets near the border.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/world/...nts/index.html

As regional leaders shift stance, Syrian state TV aims rants at friends turned foes

As former friends turn against Syria for its brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, the country's state television -- the government mouthpiece -- has taken to insulting and belittling those regional leaders in scathing editorials read to camera.

Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsy, is "Mr. Thank You" for allegedly taking money from Western ally Qatar to betray Syria.

Qatar's leader Sheikh Hamad, who has spoken out against the bloodbath, is "nothing but a kitchen knife only good for chopping off onions."

And other Arab states that have called for military intervention are "NATO's orphans."

In the past, criticism of former allies-turned-foes has abounded on Syrian TV. But hurling undignified language at neighboring heads of state has been rare.

Over the weekend, a male anchor twisted Morsy's name into "Mr. Merci" (Mr. Thank You), as he accused Egypt of taking payoffs from Qatar in an alleged plan to send 100,000 Egyptian troops via Jordan to fight in Syria.

"Mr. Merci Qatar is hallucinating, and he must have a high temperature," the anchor said. "Why don't you send your troops to liberate Gaza or Jerusalem?"

He ended by calling Egypt a young donkey leading the camels -- meaning other Arab states -- in an allusion to an Arabic proverb.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153

14 minutes ago
An explosion followed by an exchange of fire with rebels in the Syrian province of Qudsaya has now claimed the lives of 21 Republican guards, according to Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, who is reporting from Lebanon.

Quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Amin said several ambulances are now rushing to scene west of the capital Damascus.

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

More Hizbollah bodies arrive from Syria, Hizbollah covers up by saying another weapons depot exploded in the S. Lebanon, reports casualties.
2:59 AM

Hizbollah wants u to believe that no weapons depots ever mysteriously exploded in S. Lebanon in 5 yrs, but somehow 2 in a row in 24hrs.
3:01 AM

Homs is now Hizbollah's #1 enemy, overtaking Israel. It has been shipping Hizbollah fighters in body bags like Apple shipped iphone 5.
3:11 AM

https://twitter.com/RT_com

Damascus should publicly promise that it will not let new military incidents happen on border with Turkey - Lavrov http://on.rt.com/udaxd9
4:11 AM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

Turkish Parliament voting on Syria situation as we speak.
4:43 AM

Turkey's parliament in secret-session to discuss bill giving PM Erdogan extensive war powers after cross-border shelling with Syria.
4:49 AM

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

CORRECTION: Turkey's response to Syrian mortar fire is understandable, but escalation should be avoided, UK foreign minister says - @Reuters
4:43 AM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Russian FM says Syria must openly declare that mortar attack on Turkey was an accident. But it is happening almost every week.
5:14 AM

Actually from what reporters have said the Syrian army shells constantly along the border every day, but I assume they don't hit anything much most of the time.
(not to mention raiding across the Lebanese border and gunning down women and children fleeing to Jordan.)

Turkish return fire last night

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...pe=marketsNews

Turks wary of greater military action against Syria

Many Turks on Thursday welcomed their army's swift reprisal for deadly Syrian artillery fire into Turkey but their anger was tempered by fears of being dragged into full-blown intervention in a war that could blow back across their borders.

After shelling from Syria's civil war killed five people in a Turkish border town on Wednesday, parliament authorised the government to take military action in Syria if there was a further spillover of violence.

But while Turks voiced widespread support for a retaliatory round of Turkish shelling that killed five Syrian soldiers, fears of greater military involvement in Syria's civil war grew.

The Turkish slogan "savasa hayir" ("no to war") was the top trending item on Turkey's Twitter on Thursday morning.

A small group of anti-war protesters chanted "We don't want war!" and "The Syrian people are our brothers!" outside parliament in Ankara. Police fired tear gas to stop them approaching the building.

Opposition parties and civil society groups, expressing misgivings over the Turkish military response, called a further protest in Istanbul for later on Thursday.

Russia proposes diluted UN text on Syria attack in Turkey

Russia on Thursday blocked the adoption of a draft statement condemning a deadly Syrian mortar attack on a Turkish town and proposed a weaker text that would call for "restraint" on the border without referring to breaches of international law.

"The members of the Security Council called on the parties to exercise restraint and avoid military clashes which could lead to a further escalation of the situation in the border area between Syria and Turkey," said Russia's proposed statement, which was obtained by Reuters.

If adopted, the non-binding statement would also call on the two neighbors to "reduce tensions and forge a path toward a peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis."

However, the Russians proposed removing the following sentence, which diplomats said was crucial language: "Such violations of international law constitute a serious threat to international peace and security."

The language removed by the Russia, U.N. envoys say, was intended to signal that the Security Council, which is supposed to be the guardian of international peace and security, should remain involved in the matter.

Council diplomats said they would continue negotiating on the draft statement. U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Susan Rice told reporters before heading into a council meeting on other issues: "Let's go work on it."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-midd...28#TWEET251124

Turkey's parliament authorises military action in Syria

Turkey's parliament has authorised troops to launch cross-border action against Syria, following Syria's deadly shelling of a Turkish town.

The bill, passed by 320 to 129, also permits strikes against Syrian targets.

But Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay insisted this was a deterrent and not a mandate for war.

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

Reports: Iran dispatches its VP & Deputy FM -Asian Affairs to Istanbul.
5:32 AM

https://twitter.com/CFKlebergTT

Shells hitting several areas in Damascus outskirts, local activist tells me:"We hear explosions and shelling, MiG's and mortars being used"
5:40 AM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

FSA operation by Suqoor Alsham in Ariha Idlib.An attack on a regime checkpoint. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymeZD...layer_embedded
7:34 AM

https://twitter.com/NeilMacFarquhar

UNSC stalled on Syria Turkish tension as usual. West wants to condemn govt, say dips, Russia wants more muted "shelling from Syria"
12:23 PM

https://twitter.com/DSyrer

Salhab (Alawite village) FB page complaining about random & illegal drafts - pic.twitter.com/TJQYqVtW
12:40 PM

Tel Abyad is very quiet right now. Not a single regime shell fell on the town since yesterday.
12:47 PM

[visionary]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-aleppo/100381

Destruction Comes to Aleppo

https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian

I captured [photographed] yesterday: A FSA sniper in SalahAddin front in Aleppo pic.twitter.com/6paO9cbU
11:01 AM

FSA has killed +30 soldiers including high-rank officers & destroyed a military vehicle in al-Sefira town in Aleppo
1:44 PM

alZebdyia & alSalheen neighborhoods in Aleppo r now under Assad's heavy cannon shelling.
2:45 PM

The area between Qadi Askar & Hawouz squares (douwar) in Aleppo is under Assad's cowered shelling.
2:53 PM

https://twitter.com/Avend93

very heavy clashes now at the airport. Qamishlo
3:46 PM

basically, there are three FSA battalions near Qamishlo who could be the ones clashing with Assad forces now.
3:58 PM

is FSA trying to take the airport? would be a great catch for them and a Knockdown for Assad in the north.
4:01 PM

there must bee a plan with full support coming for them from other places.. i'm amazed: VERY HEAVY CLAHSES
4:08 PM

https://twitter.com/DSyrer

@Avend93 Don't think they have enough power to do it... Unless the airport is lightly-defended (Not sure)
4:06 PM

Only target I think might be worth it is the Rûmelan pipeline. Regime doesn't have much presence in Hasaka.
4:11 PM

Meanwhile, UNSC still failing to pass a resolution condemning Assad's mortar attacks.
4:13 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Turkish PM Erdogan: No state should test Turkey's determination in protecting our borders.
1:46 PM

Turkish PM Erdogan: On the one hand, Syria says mortar attacks were an accident. But one mortar bomb fell in Hatay today again.
1:47 PM

Turkish PM Erdogan goes very angry: How can it be an accident when Syria fires into Turkey eight times.
1:47 PM

Despite Turkey's announcement that Syria apologized to Turkey, UN envoy Jaafari says there is no apology, investigation continues.
1:52 PM

Syrian opposition sources say Turkey's bombing of Syria leaves at least four tanks destroyed, ten Syrian soldiers dead.
5:08 PM

https://twitter.com/IvanCNN

Syria's UN Ambassador says 2 army wounded by Turkish artillery, rebels tell CNN 13 Syrian soldiers killed & army withdrew from border base
4:57 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Conditions in Qudsayya Damascus are getting worse by the minute. My cousin and her family barely got out 2 days ago Alhamdulillah.
5:53 PM

https://twitter.com/MajdArar

All hills are controlled by Assad Republican Guards; small Qudsaya is turned into rubble, hammered with shells & rockets. Damascus
5:57 PM

Qudsaya had a truce for 2 weeks, when #Assad was engaged in south of #Damascus. Week ago his loyalist militants invoked the fighting
6:05 PM

http://www.bnowire.com/inbox/?id=1161

UN Security Council statement on Syria-Turkey tensions
Posted on 10-04 at 21:14:02 CST
Security Council press statement

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the shelling by the Syrian armed forces of the Turkish town of Akcakale, which resulted in the deaths of five civilians, all of whom were women and children, as well as a number of injuries. The members of the Security Council expressed their sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Turkey.

The members of the Security Council underscored that this incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability. The members of the Council demanded that such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated. The members of the Security Council called on the Syrian Government to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours.

The members of the Security Council called for restraint.

Wow! It looks like they went with a much harsher version than the one Russia was proposing....

[visionary]

http://www.lccsyria.org/10302

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The LCC managed to document 120 martyrs by the end of Thursday including 5 children and 3 women; 52 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 35 in Aleppo, 11 in Homs; 9 in Deir Ezzor; 5 in Hama; 4 in Daraa; 3 in Lattakia; and 1 in Qunaitera

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
32,513 people killed so far in Syria


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88J0X720121005

Turkey warns "not far" from war after Syrian attack

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his country was "not far" from war with Syria following cross-border attacks this week - words which highlighted the danger that the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Asaad will drag in its neighbors.

In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Assad government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with Turkey.

AIR DEFENCE BASE CAPTURED

The rebels said they had captured an air defense base with a cache of missiles outside Damascus on Thursday, a boost to their campaign after a series of setbacks in the capital.

Video posted on YouTube of the aftermath of the assault showed dozens of rebels dressed in army fatigues celebrating as black smoke rose from a military installation behind them.

A middle-aged man holding a rifle says the attack was carried out by a rebel battalion from the town of Douma. It also showed rebels at a weapons cache which included what appeared to be part of a surface-to-air missile.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-2943...port-says.html

Syria keeping military 10 km away from Turkish border, report says

The Syrian administration has told its military to keep aircraft at least 10 kilometers away from the Turkish border and to avoid artillery fire near the border one day after the Turkish government received a mandate from Parliament for military operations in foreign countries, a news report said on Friday.

Turkey's ntvmsnbc.com news portal claimed, citing “reliable sources,” that the Syrian regime had ordered all kinds of military aircraft, including warplanes and helicopters, to stay at least 10 kilometers from the Turkish border. The report also said a number of Syrian warplanes which approached within 10 kilometers of the Turkish border despite this warning had been ordered to turn back immediately by Syrian authorities.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-2943...rs-100000.html

Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey nears 100,000

The Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) announced on Friday that the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has reached 96,397, as raging battles have forced thousands of Syrians to flee their tumultuous country, seeking shelter in neighboring countries.

In a written statement, AFAD noted that there are five tent cities in the southern province of Hatay, and such cities in other provinces include two in Şanlıurfa, three in Gaziantep and one each in Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman, with one container city in Kilis.

http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/20...rian-army/dyzg

In the Land of the Free Syrian Army

Since July, the rebel battalions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have increased their attacks on Damascus and Aleppo, while regime forces have reinforced garrisons in the cities with forces drawn from other areas. This has weakened government authority in the northern province of Aleppo, as well as in large swaths of Idlib, Daraa, Homs, Deir el Zour, and in the predominantly Kurdish regions. In the vacuum created by the regime’s absence, new self-governing structures are filling in. In August, I crossed the Turkish border cities of Kilis and Antakya into Syria twice and entered rebel-held Aleppo province and the towns of Binnish and Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib, where the rebels have also claimed large tracts of territory. I wanted to see how the daily life of locals continued in the aftermath of the fighting and the regime forces' withdrawal.

The district of Al Bab in the broader province of Aleppo boasts a population of 200,000. Peaceful protests began there as early as April 2011—only three weeks after demonstrations first broke out nationwide—and they endured despite the government’s brutal crackdown. A year later, according to local accounts, the newly founded (first) FSA battalion in Al Bab started its armed uprising in April 2012, when the regime began its unprecedented use of force. FSA battalions eventually consolidated control of the area, chasing out 400 regime troops and a few tanks. The present fifteen FSA battalions stationed in and around the city recently united to form the Umawiyeen Brigade under the command by Zaher Sharaqad, the former commander of the Abu Baqr Battalion—Al Bab’s largest unit.

Now under FSA control but lacking access to public services, residents have been making do. In order to reestablish Al Bab’s city council, the various facets of society have been conducting forms of consensus-building with new stakeholders: revolutionary youth, elders (who kept open channels with regime authorities until their departure), and “educators” (some of the earliest backers of protests). I participated in three of the meetings where these various segments came together in sessions usually over two hours long. On the last day of my stay, August 11, mediations with the groups (conducted mainly by the youth team) seemed to bear fruit: the council’s 21 members agreed on a new structure of 36—twelve from each party—and concurred on issues to be tackled.

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

Kafranbel solidarity shout-outs to Assad's hometown of Qerdaha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxXlM7Ap1zw
11:05 AM

https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses

Two videos showing a helicopter crashing and it's remains in East Ghouta, near Damascus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ-UDhhsibs … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxkLcxRLUnM
11:18 AM

New video on that same channel showing the debris field http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxkLcxRLUnM&feature=plcp …
11:18 AM

Here's two shots of the helicopter actually getting hit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlfdn8_9SWc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdItymwxjjo&feature=plcp
11:32 AM

https://twitter.com/CFKlebergTT

Regime forces have shelled several areas around Damascus today, local activists tell me. Eastern and Western suburbs hit hard.
11:09 AM

"Terrible things" have happened today in Douma, Damascus activist tells me. Syrian rebels present but shelling affects everyone.
11:18 AM

In Qudsayya, regime forces break into homes, drag out those who haven't already fled, Damascus activist tells me.
11:19 AM

"They're not letting any men leave the town", Damascus activist tells me abt Qudsayya. "Several people have been killed."
11:20 AM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

FSA has shot down a Mig fighter jet over Mohsen, Deir_Ezzor
11:46 AM

[visionary]

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-2944...-in-hatay.html

Turkey strikes Syria again after mortar bomb falls in Hatay

Turkish authorities have said Turkish army fired back at targets in Syria in a third straight day after a mortar shell fell in a non-residential area in southern Turkish province of Hatay amid cross-border attacks this week.

Hatay Governor Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz told reporters on Friday that a mortar shell fell in Aşağıpulluyazı village of Yayladağı district, 50 meters away from the Syria border and Turkish army immediately “fired back at targets” within Syria. The governor said there were no causalities.

Turkey’s state-run news agency Anatolia also reported that Turkey fired back at Syria on Thursday night after another mortar shell fell in Altınözü district of Hatay.

https://twitter.com/LizSly

Iraq PM Maliki: "He who starts a fire will be destroyed by fire in the end" (on those arming Syria rebels) http://bit.ly/Q0vVLu
12:03 PM

https://twitter.com/Reuters

U.N. Security Council strongly condemns Wednesday's "terrorist attacks" in Aleppo, Syria that al Qaeda-linked group says it carried out
12:06 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

A Syrian mortar bomb falls into Turkey's border province of Hatay and Turkey says it fired back on Assad targets within Syria.
12:03 PM

This is overlooked but Turkish state news agency reported five minutes ago that Turkey also struck Assad targets inside Syria last night.
12:07 PM

Today's bombing of Syria by Turkey is a third straight day of fighting between Turkey and Syria.
12:09 PM

https://twitter.com/siruan_h

3 Kurds killed and 7 wounded after attack by Syrian Air Force between Aleppo and Efrîn http://kurdi.onkurd.net/balafireke-s...e-kurd-kustin/
12:38 PM

https://twitter.com/Reuters

TURKISH MILITARY RETURNS FIRE AFTER MORTAR BOMB FROM SYRIA LANDS IN FARMLAND IN TURKEY'S HATAY PROVINCE - STATE NEWS AGENCY
12:44 PM

https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay

Ex-LAF officer: "Hezbollah regularly fires Grad rockets from Lebanese territory into al-Qusayr in Syria." http://bit.ly/RhxeF3 (in German)
12:47 PM

Ex-LAF officer: "Always, whenever the fighting is close for Assad's soldiers, 'the firing [by Hezbollah] begins from across the border.'" PT
12:53 PM

Süddeutsche Zeitung: "They [Hezbollah] always carry their dead and wounded back to Lebanon [from al-Qusayr]. This happens almost daily.
12:56 PM

https://twitter.com/pdanahar

Diplomat at UN told me 2-3 bodies a day of Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria arriving back in Lebanon for discreet burials
7:01 AM Oct 3

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/wo...ing-syria.html

Rebels Say West’s Inaction Is Pushing Syrians to Extremism

Majed al-Muhammad, the commander of a Syrian antigovernment fighting group, slammed his hand on his desk. “Doesn’t America have satellites?” he asked, almost shouting. “Can’t it see what is happening?”

A retired Syrian Army medic, Mr. Muhammad had reached the rank of sergeant major in the military he now fights against. He said he had never been a member of a party, and loathed jihadists and terrorists.

But he offered a warning to the West now commonly heard among fighters seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad: The Syrian people are being radicalized by a combination of a grinding conflict and their belief that they have been abandoned by a watching world.

If the West continues to turn its back on Syria’s suffering, he said, Syrians will turn their backs in return, and this may imperil Western interests and security at one of the crossroads of the Middle East.

This is a theme that has resonated in recent days, not just in Syria, but in Turkey, where the government fired artillery shells into northern Syria this week after a Syrian mortar round hit a Turkish town and killed five civilians. In Turkey, there is a growing sense of frustration shared by the Syrian rebels that the West, the United States in particular, called for Mr. Assad to leave power, only to sit quietly on the sidelines as the crisis transformed into a bloody civil war.

“We are now at a very critical juncture,” wrote Melih Asik in the Turkish newspaper Milliyet. “We are not only facing Syria, but Iran, Iraq, Russia and China behind it as well. Behind us, we have nothing but the provocative stance and empty promises of the U.S.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...y.html?hpid=z3

David Ignatius
48 hours in Syria

This scene Thursday afternoon captured several basic facts about the war in Syria, which is pulverizing a city that in calmer days was one of the jewels of the Arab world. First, there aren’t enough weapons for the rebels to defeat Assad’s forces, and almost every Syrian I talked to thinks this is America’s fault; second, the commanders of the Free Syrian Army are trying to exercise better command and control over what has been a disorganized, ragtag operation; and third, in this chaotic and underresourced fight, the power of the Salafist jihadists — who ask only to be martyrs — appears to be growing.

If the United States wants the rebels to coordinate better, it should lead the way by coordinating outside help. The shower of cash and weapons coming from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other Arab nations is helping extremist fighters and undercutting any orderly chain of command through the Free Syrian Army.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...er-Turkey.html

A family destroyed as the shadow of Syria's war looms over Turkey

Zuleyha Timuqin was killed instantly, along with three of her girls and a female relative. Had this random act of bloodletting taken place inside Syria, where 180 people are believed to have died on Thursday alone, it would probably have passed unremarked.

But Mrs Timuqin, 39, and her daughters were cut down in Turkey, making their tragedy an international incident and demonstrating how Syria's conflict is spilling over the country's borders.

The Timuqin family lived in the Turkish town of Akcakale, found on the southern frontier with Syria. They fell victim to the bloodiest cross-border attack of Syria's conflict, with five mortar rounds being fired into Turkey on Wednesday, provoking the country's army to retaliate by striking targets inside its neighbour with heavy artillery.

https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin

BREAKING: Turkish army shells a Syrian army post near al-Qaysaria town north of Syria in response to an earlier shelling by Syrian army
2:29 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

A report quoting officials as saying that in the 1st day of bombing, Turkey destroyed 3 Syrian tanks, 2 armored vehicles, killed 10 soldiers
2:42 PM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria

Assad forces have fired 2 mortar shells on the centre of Tal Abyad, falling at a point very close to the Turkish border.
5:32 PM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

Fierce artillery shelling reported on Yabroud. Family there told me it's so consistent, as if the shells are being launched on timer. -_-
6:30 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

The FSA in Darkoosh JisrAlshughoor in Idlib took control of a checkpoint today along with all the tanks and weapons after a week long op.
12:52 AM

they also captured 18 regime soldiers. Idlib
12:54 AM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

316 last & 219 the previous nite x'd into jordan. Zaatri calm. Great news w UNICEF school open kids can resume education
12:59 AM Oct 5

311 refugees x'd into Jordan @ nite. Mainly families w large number of children. All registered by HCR nite shift.
1:07 AM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 127 thus far. including 10 children and 4 women; 36 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 28 in Damascus and its Suburb; 19 in Daraa; 16 in Deir Ezzor;12 in Homs; 11 in Idlib; 3 in Lattakia and 2 in Hama
6:37 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
32,640 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Reuters: State TV says Turkish military returns fire after mortar bomb from Syria lands in Turkey's Hatay Province
1:51 AM

https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

Another incident in the border and it's already the fourth, turkish returns fire after mortar lands in Hatay Turkey
2:02 AM

https://twitter.com/AP

State-run agency: Turkish artillery return fire at Syria for fourth day after mortar lands: http://apne.ws/QZXCWQ -JM
1:55 AM

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/repor...yrian-shelling

Another mortar shell from Syria struck Turkish territory on Saturday, prompting a fourth day of retaliatory artillery fire from Turkey, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The mortar landed in a rural area near the village of Guvecci, during intense fighting between the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and the rebels in Syria's Idlib province across the border. No one was hurt by the mortar. But Turkish troops near Guvecci immediately responded with "counter-fire," the agency said.

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/wo...yria.html?_r=0

Syrian Forces Attack Rebel Stronghold Near Palace

A large armored contingent of Syria’s elite Republican Guard stormed a western Damascus suburb near the presidential palace on Friday, residents and antigovernment activists said, bringing intense combat with insurgents unusually close to the doorstep of the embattled Syrian leadership.

Hundreds of residents fled the fighting, which followed days of shelling by government forces after a three-month truce collapsed in the area. Home to hundreds of Guard members and their families, the suburb extends to within a mile of the palace, the residence of President Bashar al-Assad, which overlooks the capital.

The government and its armed opponents blamed one another, each claiming that residents of the neighborhood, Qudsaya, had requested protection from the other side.

“I feel there is no secure district or suburb in the whole of Damascus,” a 40-year-old Qudsaya resident, who gave only a nickname, Abu Mohammed, said in an interview. “We can see the Republican Palace, and I am sure that Bashar al-Assad is hearing his elite forces attack us. He will not feel happy and sleep well if the fighting is next to his palace.”

Antigovernment activists reported that security forces, led by 4,000 Republican Guard forces, stormed the Qudsaya area with artillery and tanks.

The government said its forces had entered because citizens were “fed up with the acts of killing, abduction, sabotage and blocking of roads committed by the terrorists,” its term for its armed opponents. Syria’s SANA state news agency said that rebels had evicted residents and turned homes into firing positions.

Abu Mohammed, the Qudsaya resident, said that three months ago the president had sent senior Republican Guard officers to negotiate with the people of Qudsaya and Hameh, a neighboring area where fighting also flared on Friday. He said an agreement had been reached that neither security forces nor insurgents would enter the area.

“The agreement was good for both sides; there was no arresting, no killing and no shabiha,” he said, referring to pro-government militias. But recently, he said, shabiha from the president’s Alawite minority had violated the truce by killing three young men and attacking women, so residents sought protection from rebels, who began attacking government checkpoints. The government has shelled the area since Tuesday, according to residents and video posted by activists.

http://www.voanews.com/content/resid...e/1521734.html

Residents of War-Battered Aleppo Struggle to Survive

Aleppo, Syria's most populous city, which saw its historic market go up in flames in recent days - has been an epicenter of fighting in Syria's 18-month-long conflict.

Government snipers have been shooting people in the streets. Thousands have been killed in Aleppo in the past few months.

Parts of the Old City, a UNESCO heritage site, have been heavily damaged as government forces bomb areas they do not control.

In a nearby residential area, people line up to buy bread despite mortar shells exploding a few kilometers away.

Taxi driver Abu Hedar wants to leave, but has to stay to care for his cousin who is wounded and cannot be moved.

"Life is miserable here. People are leaving," Hedar said. "There is no food or drink. When there is bombing, people run away to the villages or into their basements."

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...s-syrias-armed

Mokhtar Lamani, head of theUN-Arab League peace envoy's office, met with members of Syria's armed opposition

Mokhtar Lamani, the head of UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's office in Syria, met members of the armed opposition on Saturday, a UN official told AFP.

Lamani visited the Lajat area some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Damascus and "met leaders of the armed opposition," spokesman Khaled al-Masri said.

The meeting came "as part of Lakhdar Brahimi's mission to make contact with and discuss with all Syrian parties to hear their points of view regarding the Syria crisis," he added.

Masri said Lamani visited Lajat after a trip to Daraa in the south, cradle of the anti-regime uprising that broke out in March of last year.

On September 30, Lamani met a rebel Free Syrian Army commander in the town of Talbisseh in Homs province.

He held talks with Colonel Kassem Saadeddine and other members of the FSA, which is made up of army deserters and civilians who have taken up arms against President Bashar al Assad's regime.

Lamani also met the governor of Homs province, Ghassan Abdelaal, and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent.
- Agence France Presse

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Turkey continues bombing Syria's Idlib city in the fourth day of attacks after three mortar bombs fell in Turkey's Hatay since 7 am today.
12:02 PM

https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

In the border with Syria, heavy clashes near by, you can see the explosions less than 1 km away Turkey
5:43 AM

Locals confirmed that 1 shell landed in Turkish territory near guveci. Regime is using now rockets to try to fight back a rebel offensive in this area
6:12 AM

In my way back to Antakya I just passed an army convoy heading to guveci with 1 piece of artillery. Turkish military deployment continues at Syrian border, including military vehicles (Anadolu Agency)
9:58 AM

FSA attack on the border of Syria Turkey is part of its plans to take control of all that border between Idlib and Aleppo
12:42 PM

Many FSA members waiting in Guvecci to join the fight in Syria, "the problem is that we don't have weapons", told me 1
12:44 PM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 105 thus far, including 10 members from the FSA, 3 women and 2 children: 31 martyrs were reported in Damascus and it's Suburbs; 24 in Homs, most of them in Houla; 22 in Aleppo ; 10 in Lattakia; 9 in Idlib; 7 in Daraa; 1 in Hama; and 1 in Deir Ezzor

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/wo...&bna=2664&_r=0

Citing U.S. Fears, Arab Allies Limit Syrian Rebel Aid

For months, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been funneling money and small arms to Syria’s rebels but have refused to provide heavier weapons, like shoulder-fired missiles, that could allow opposition fighters to bring down government aircraft, take out armored vehicles and turn the war’s tide.

While they have publicly called for arming the rebels, they have held back, officials in both countries said, in part because they have been discouraged by the United States, which fears the heavier weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists.

As a result, the rebels have just enough weapons to maintain a stalemate, the war grinds on and more jihadist militants join the fray every month.

“You can give the rebels AKs, but you can’t stop the Syrian regime’s military with AKs,” said Khalid al-Attiyah, a state minister for foreign affairs in Qatar. Providing the rebels with heavier weapons “has to happen,” he added. “But first we need the backing of the United States, and preferably the U.N.”

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-e...ousin-1.468579

Syrian rebels reportedly capture President Bashar Assad's cousin

Syrian rebels announced Saturday that they have captured Hussam Assad, the cousin of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The arrest was announced on the Twitter page of Sheikh Adnan Al Arour, who is considered one of the Salafi leaders in Syria. Al Arour claimed that his men successfully captured Hussam Assad, who is one of the men at the center of Assad's security establishment.

http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=9268

5+5 Summit Update: Magharief Says Libya is Supporting Syrian People in Attaining Freedom and to Choose Their Own Government

At the concluding press conference of the 5+5 Dialogue in Malta on Saturday, the president of Libya's National Congress, Mohammed Magharief, said that the new Libya is supporting the Syrian people in their fight to enjoy freedom and choose their own government.

He said that what is happening in Syria is a serious problem, and that it also an Arab problem. He said that Libya is with the Syrian people in their revolution and will continue in tis efforts to support the people in order to gain their rights against the regime that is committing crimes against its own people. Referring to President Bashar al-Assad, he said he has lost all reason to exist in that country.

Other Arab leaders who addressed the conference also expressed their agreement on the issue that also was raised during the summit that unanimously agreed to condemn the Syrian regime and also included the condemnation in the final declaration

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153

about 6 hours ago
Forty government soldiers and nine rebels were killed on Saturday when rebels took a town in the northwestern province of Idlib near the border with Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"The clashes at Khirbat al-Joz... ended when fighters of the rebel brigades took control of the area," said the Britain-based watchdog.

"The fighting lasted more than 12 hours and resulted in at least 40 dead among the regular forces, including five officers, and nine (rebel) fighters," it added after earlier reporting 25 soldiers and three rebels dead.
- Agence France Presse

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Total destruction in Qusour neighbourhood of Homs and remaining homes burning from shelling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEKXHR543cA
10:05 AM

Heavy shelling near the man filming in Qusour neighbourhood of Homs today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUTVBXEwOKg&feature=plcp What's left of Qusour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=TUTVBXEwOKg
10:07 AM

Fierce clashes in Khaldiyah, Homs after another invasion attempt by shabiha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eesk...layer_embedded Repelling invasion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkwX...layer_embedded
10:14 AM

Massive destruction in Mashaa al-Arbain neighbourhood of Hama after Assad's thugs demolished most of the neighbourhood http://ow.ly/egRjb
10:23 AM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

The FSA in Darkoosh Idlib seizes control of a checkpoint and all its tanks and BMPs and weaponry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSlox...ature=youtu.be
7:08 AM

FSA in JisrAlshughoor seize control of the village of Khirbet Aljoz after killing 50 regime soldiers. Idlib
7:01 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Lt. Abdulrazaq Tlass has been removed from all positions in the Farouk Brigade after he admitted that video was authentic. [sexting and exposing himself online to a girl who turned out to be a regime spy, which he later lied about and blamed on a conspiracy]
4:35 PM

Also why did this happen now? Circumstances are strange. I wonder what political links the new leader has.
6:47 PM

I'm currently working with the FSA with some things, I feel I can't do any useful things for the revo if I left.
6:59 PM

For Qubair, for Houla, for Daraya, for Baba Amr, for Arbain, for Rastan, it's time to join the fight at last. Won't be back on here, bye.
7:15 PM

Yes. For this boy … and this boy … and all the martyrs. See you one day.
7:22 PM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

As Saturday ended in Syria the LCC managed to document 110 martyrs, including 10 members from the FSA, 3 women and 2 children: 31 martyrs were reported in Damascus and it's Suburbs; 24 in Homs, most of them in Houla; 22 in Aleppo ; 10 in Lattakia; 10 in Idlib; 7 in Daraa; 2 in Hama; 2 in Deir Ezzor and 1 in Raqqa
5:08 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
32,750 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...144755307.html

Rebels 'cement gains' in northern Syria

Syrian rebels have cemented their control of the country’s northern frontier with Turkey, as their bastions in other parts of the country came under heavy shelling.

Activists on Sunday said that opposition fighters seized the town of Khirbat al-Joz in the northwest province of Idlib after fierce clashes with regime forces.

"The fighting [a day earlier] lasted more than 12 hours and resulted in at least 40 dead among the regular forces, including five officers, and nine [rebel] fighters," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Meanwhile, in the province of Damascus, Syrian state television said that government forces had pushed rebels out of two of their strongholds in Damascus province, Qudsaya and Hameh, where activists said that the bodies of 20 men were found.

Also on Sunday, Syrian troops pressed their offensive to retake rebel-held areas in Homs and southern villages on the border with Jordan.

In Aleppo, where fighting has raged since mid-July, the bombardment targeted the embattled district of Sakhur in the east and Kalasseh in the southwest.

The regime seems to be constantly pushing the rebels out of Damascus and Damascus Suburbs areas...but often they come right back or go into hiding for a few weeks and then come back.

Davutoglu, on the public television channel TRT, said: "Faruq al-Sharaa is a man of reason and conscience and he has not taken part in the massacres in Syria. Nobody knows the (Syrian) system better than he."

He stressed that the Syrian opposition "is inclined to accept Sharaa" as the future leader of the Syrian administration.

Sharaa, the most visible Sunni Muslim figure in the minority Alawite-led government, is trusted by the regime and was foreign minister for 15 years before becoming vice president in 2006.

Reports that he had defected in August were denied by Damascus, but some opposition leaders say he is apparently under house arrest.

That sounds like pretty much just the Yemen plan that gets mentioned every so often but goes nowhere.


https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

Very quiet right now in guvecci, just few shots in the Syrian side, battle seems to be over, locals say FSA captured the area
2:58 AM

I expect more incidents in the border 1 FSA member just told me the they will try to capture other positions in the area
3:13 AM

Syrian border in front of guvecci very important for FSA logistics, 1 told me "dozens died here trying to cross the border"
3:25 AM

https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian

Today in Hanano military base in Aleppo : FSA has destroyed 2 tanks & killed +250 of Assad's soldiers.
11:05 AM

Assad's army has withdrawn today to Sulaiman al-Halabi neigborhood in Aleppo due to FSA attacks.
11:09 AM

I filmed today in Aleppo : Smoke flying out of Hanano Military base due to the attacks of FSA http://youtu.be/50RkfpYQK-Y
11:30 AM

The Protestors in Ashrafyia in #Aleppo now : Azadi Azadi - watch it live on : http://bambuser.com/v/3043631
11:38 AM

https://twitter.com/bramvermeul

Breaking: Turkis tv reports Syrian mortars again falling on Turkish side of border at Akcakale
8:59 AM

Heavy fighting on Syrian side resulted in 3 bombs falling on Turkish side. Nobody died. Turkish reaction expected Akcakale
9:04 AM

One bomb fell in the same street where 5 Turkish civilians were killed on wednesday. Two bombs fell in nomansland on border with Syria-NTV
9:25 AM

Opposition fighters tell us 3 fighters injured after Syrian army shells Tel Abyat, close to Turkish border. ,,We are preparing for battle."
10:50 AM

Turkish artillerie shoots back after new Syrian shelling in Akcakale. Turkish artillerie hits Syrian army depot in Rasm el gazel, close to border. Fire still raging- CNN Turk
10:58 AM

https://twitter.com/RawyaRageh

ArabLeague says Syria envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to set up office at AL hq in Cairo Egypt
10:24 AM

UNHCR says more than 40,000 Syrian refugees in Egypt, the bulk of them not registered w the UN
11:16 AM

UNHCR - majority of Syrian refugees in Egypt are from Homs, Aleppo, Tartous, numbers from Damascus increasing
11:20 AM

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...=MasterAccount

Syria's Assad 'plans to escape to Russia'

Abdullah al-Omar says he was one of the staff members in the Media Office of Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president.

He was privy to many of the secrets of the adminstration until his defection last September.

In an interview with Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught in Antakya, southern Turkey, Omar claimed the Assad regime knows it cannot hold onto power and has already made plans to escape to Russia

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/syria...-south-lebanon

Turkey exchanges artillery fire with Syria

Turkey's military on Sunday fired artillery on targets inside Syria for a fifth consecutive day, immediately responding to a Syrian shell that landed on Turkish soil. The exchange kept tensions along the volatile border running high and stoked fears of a regional conflagration.

An Associated Press journalist witnessed the shell landing some 200 meters (yards) inside Turkey, near the border town of Akcakale. A short time later, eight artillery shells could be heard fired from Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday warned that Ankara would respond forcefully to each errant Syrian shell that lands on Turkish soil. The latest Syria-Turkey crisis erupted earlier this week, after a Syrian shell killed five civilians in a Turkish border town.

Inside Syria on Sunday, forces loyal to President Bashar Assad clashed with rebels across the country, from the northern city of Aleppo to the southern border with Jordan. Activists said opposition fighters were strengthening their hold over the village off Khirbet al-Jouz, in the northern province of Idlib, which borders Turkey and where violent clashes broke out a day earlier.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said Sunday that the rebels had regained full control of Khirbet al-Jouz. It said the Syrian army was forced to "pull back" following an "offensive" by some 700 rebels.

It also reported that Assad's troops were forced to retreat some 20 kilometers (12 miles) toward the town of Jisr al-Shughour. It said rebels in Khirbet al-Jouz celebrated their victory by firing their weapons into the air.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime forces pulled out of two villages in the Idlib countryside near Turkey. In Khirbet al-Jouz, wounded Syrian soldiers were left to fend for themselves after government troops were forced to retreat from the area, the Observatory said.

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationa...argely-ignored

In Syria's east, the revolution's strengths are largely ignored

Haidar Ali Al Fandi, a doctor I knew during my university studies in Damascus, was killed in the provincial capital of Deir Ezzor two weeks ago. According to activists, security forces raided his home and shot him because he had turned the house into a field hospital.

Dr Haidar was one of very few medical practitioners who had remained in the city after a major military assault started in June. The city has since been sealed off, with scores of people killed on a daily basis.

The medical and humanitarian situation is truly alarming. At the weekend, residents issued an urgent appeal to the outside world for help. Many medics had already left after closing their pharmacies and clinics. About half a million residents have been displaced from Deir Ezzor province, mainly to the neighbouring Hasaka and Raqqa provinces - where, residents say, rents have skyrocketed and many people have been forced to return home for financial reasons. Medical supplies and food are running out.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a military tank & killed +10 assad troops in al-qadam neighborhood in damascus city
9:44 AM

resistance fighters confirm they shot down a military copter in homs http://youtu.be/zsEe_RdQhRY
9:47 AM

resistance fighters control an important area around al-kabir river (south of amiriyah) near the lebanese border. more details later
11:07 AM

i can confirm now that assad's thugs have executed & imprisoned military officers from the clan of othman (they are from qardaha)
11:10 AM

https://twitter.com/Al_Sununu

After the Republican Guard burned Qudsia (Damas suburb) they went back 2 their complex (Masaken),fired fireworks & danced dabka thru z night
12:50 PM

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Syrian official says car bomb blows up near police headquarters in central Damascus - @AP
12:59 PM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria

412 Syrians entered Turkey via Reyhanli in Hatay today, 2 of them officers with rank higher than colonel, but not precisely given in report.
1:02 PM

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 91 martyrs, including 5 children and 3 women; 53 martyrs in Damascus and its Suburbs, 30 of whom were found field-executed in Hameh; 12 in Aleppo; 11 in Homs; 7 in Hama; 4 in Idlib; 3 in Daraa and 1 in Deir Ezzor
12:57 PM

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...7eb_story.html

Saudis line up against Syria’s Assad

When King Abdullah announced a national fundraising drive to aid Syrian refugees in late July, Saudis quickly donated nearly $150 million.

Saudi national television hosted a telethon, with banks of men in traditional robes manning phone lines and computers. Donations came by text, by direct deposit into special bank accounts, or from families stuffing crumpled Riyal notes into collection boxes or donating their cars and even their watches.

Abdullah, normally a discreet behind-the-scenes conciliator, has denounced the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with rare royal rage, and his people have joined in with gusto.

Beyond humanitarian concerns, Abdullah sees an opportunity to strike a key strategic blow against Iran, Syria’s key ally and Saudi Arabia’s main rival for power in the Middle East, analysts and government officials said in interviews across this oil-rich kingdom.

Saudi officials have been circumspect about their direct support to Syrian rebels, although government officials privately said Riyadh is buying arms and ammunition, as well as paying salaries for soldiers who defected from the Syrian military to join the rebels.

Abdul Rahman al-Rashed, general manager of Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television and an influential political analyst, said Saudi officials have paid for Kalashnikov rifles and other Russian-made weapons for defected Syrian soldiers who have been trained on Russian arms. Saudi officials have also financed shipments of millions of rounds of ammunition for the rebels, he said, echoing a common assessment among Saudi analysts.

Some analysts here said Abdullah wants to do more for the Syrian opposition, but he is being restrained by Washington. They said U.S. officials have discouraged Riyadh from sending heavier weapons, particularly shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, known as MANPADS, to combat Syrian government air attacks. They said U.S. officials are worried about such weapons ending up in the hands of extremist elements among the opposition forces, a concern reported over the weekend in the New York Times.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tur...f-aMTA.twitter

Turkey, Egypt set to hold navy drills in eastern Med

The navies of Turkey and Egypt will conduct a joint exercise between Oct. 7 and 14 in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish navy announced as President Mohamed Morsi addressed a large crowd to highlight his achievements in his first 100 days in office.

The exercise, called “Sea of Friendship” (Bahr al-Sadaka), will be hosted by Egypt. The Turkish Naval Forces will participate in the exercise with two frigates, two fast attack craft, one replenishment tanker, two landing ships, one marine infantry company, two helicopters and one special forces team. The navies of the two countries held the Sea of Friendship exercise last year, too

https://twitter.com/RaphaelThelen

Military is rounding up syria and egypt refugees in Beirut. I can see from my house how they are beating men lying on the floor. Lebanese military still beating syria refugees. One can hear the slaps for hundreds of meters. Crowd standing on the street watching.

Some of the men beating syria refugees wear street/plain clothes. Refugees wait for their turn, hands behind their heads. Soldiers yell at people in surrounding buildings not to watch. Beirut Syrian refugees
3:39 PM

The military operation on the Syria refugee house is still going on. Its in Geitawi, close to the Armenian Church/Beit Kataeb. I called police and informed military intelligence. They weren't interested. The Syrians are led one by one into a small room on the roof, have to kneel down, hands behind their heads. See the pic pic.twitter.com/Td5NTONd
4:26 PM

Still a dozen or more soldiers and men in civilian clothes on the roof of the refugee building. Still beating people. Can't take more pictures, as the soldiers saw/heard my camera and told me to stop. Earlier tonight, a man passing with his car said this is happening all over Beirut since yesterday. Does anyone have more info?
4:42 PM

20-30 Syrians lined up on the roof now, arms tight behind their backs. Its a mix of soldiers in camouflage and men in civilian clothes. The people in the house are
mostly Syrian.
5:06 PM

Situation seems calm now. Can't see anymore military. No more beating. Yes. Things calmed down. People sitting on the roof. Can't make out details. Going down now.
5:20 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Actually Farooq Brigade joined the Jabhat Tahreer Souriya unification with several other prominent brigades.
2:39 AM

The FSA in Qusair Homs has shot down a MiG 21 that was shelling the city.
5:10 AM

Another village in Jisr Alshughoor has been liberated...the 4th is 2 days...this time its the village of Shindreesh. Idlib
6:24 AM

6 martyrs in MaaratAlNouman Idlib after very intense shelling on the city.
4:13 PM

The FSA in JisrAlshughoor Idlib are working overtime and are determined to liberate the entire area!
4:58 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Turkey bombed Assad forces outside Syria's Tel Abyad after a mortar bomb fell in Turkey today. Turkish For Min: necessary response given.
4:49 PM

Turkey struck Syria twice at night after two Syrian bombs hit Turkey's Akcakale and Altinozu districts.
6:40 PM

[visionary]

http://www.acus.org/natosource/turke...syria-continue

Turkey deploy tanks and missile defense assets to border as clashes with Syria continue

Turkey deployed additional tanks and missile defense systems to the Syrian border following five days of artillery exchanges with President Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces.

The Turkish army sent reinforcements to an area near the border town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province on Oct. 6, while a convoy of military vehicles towing howitzers headed toward the border town of Reyhanli in Hatay province today, the state-run Anatolia news agency said in two separate reports.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-2946...rom-syria.html

Turkey returns fire after mortar bomb strike from Syria

The Turkish military launched a retaliatory strike on Syria on Monday after a mortar bomb fired from Syrian soil landed in the countryside in Turkey's southern province of Hatay, a Turkish state official told Reuters.

It was the sixth consecutive day of Turkish retaliation. The round from Syria landed 150-200 metres within Turkey's border in the district of Hacipasa at about 3:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT), the official said.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...-regime-forces

Activists posted videos that purport to show Qudsaya in Damascus province after regime forces stormed the town. Rebels there were pushed back yesterday following heavy clashes with government troops.

This video purports to show the destruction at Qudsaya's square

Activists say that government troops set fire to shops belonging to Qudsaya residents

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...ashes-continue

Al Sakhour neighbourhood in the city of Aleppo witnesses massive destruction as clashes continue

Activists posted the following videos from there:

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Suqoor Alsham as they attack a checkpoint in MaaratAlNouman Idlib http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDC2d...ature=youtu.be …
9:42 AM

The FSA has just freed several prisoners from regime cells in MaaratAlNouman
10:04 AM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

A man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley in Aleppo. pic.twitter.com/IBZo4zoB
10:03 AM

https://twitter.com/AlexCrawfordSky

syria Rebels make big gains in north, reclaim Bdama and capture key army post at Khibet al-Joz. Assad men leave behind weapons + landmines
3:47 AM

syrian Retreating Assad army in the north leaves behind landmines planted in residential areas. Rebels push on and build on momentum
10:00 AM

https://twitter.com/mpoppel

REU: TURKISH PRESIDENT GUL SAYS "WORST-CASE SCENARIOS" TAKING PLACE IN SYRIA, URGES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ACT
10:19 AM

REU: TURKISH PRESIDENT SAYS GOVERNMENT IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH MILITARY, WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY ACTION ON SYRIA
10:22 AM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Turkey says army hit Assad forces in Idlib after a mortar bomb fell in Turkey's Hacıpaşa district two hours ago.
10:54 AM

Turkey deploys large number of troops and armored vehicles to the Syria border after Erdogan said be ready for war. pic.twitter.com/JIMfmQ2X
11:03 AM

Turkish FM Davutoglu earlier said Turkey fired into Syria and effectively deterred attacks on Akcakale. But Syria hit Akcakale yest again.
11:25 AM

Turkey's retaliation against Syria is childish. Turkish warplanes must bomb Assad forces that are firing into Turkey.
11:24 AM

YESTERDAY:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Damascus Suburbs: Hameh: Regime forces commit a massacre against civilians, who try field-executed and then burned the bodies of some.

Of them, Ahmed Zeitoun, Ibrahim Ahmed Zeitoun, Mohammed Ahmed Zeitoun, Eyad Sbenati, Mostafa Abdul Latif Zeitoun, Mahmoud Abdul Latif Zeitoun, Ahmed Abdul Latif Zeitoun, Mohammed Abdul Latif Zeitoun, Motasem Ramadan, Abdul Menem Rahim, Sleem Al-Baba, Adnan Al-Sadat, Abdulrahman Al-Baba, Mahmoud Al-Baba, Yehya Hassan Al-Baba (20), Motaz Al-Baba (39), Raed Tayseer Al-Baba, Noori Eddin Ali, Samer Ghara, Mohammed Jouma, Fakhr Eddin Al-Shebli, Adnan Al-Khawalda, Khaled Al-Hamwi, a martyr called Mohammed who was a porter in a building and Khaled Rahmoun were known
3:36 PM Oct 7

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Aleppo: 20 soldiers were defected from 46 regiment along with heavy clashes between the defectors and the regime's soldiers
5:13 PM Oct 7

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...17848338242310

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 121 martyrs, including 7 children and 3 women; 62 martyrs in Damascus and its Suburbs, 38 of whom were found field-executed in Hameh; 23 in Aleppo; 15 in Homs; 8 in Idlib; 7 in Hama; 3 in Daraa and 3 in Deir Ezzor

Not sure if that's the final death toll from Sunday or not, it's the most recent numbers from yesterday that I can find.


http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
32,871 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticl...aspx?ID=444358

Hezbollah buries fighter killed in “Syria border area”

More than 2,000 Hezbollah supporters gathered in the Beqaa Valley of eastern Lebanon on Monday to bury one of their fighters who a security source said was killed in the border area with Syria.

Hussein Abdel Ghani al-Nimr, 35, "died while he was performing his jihadist duty," said a Hezbollah spokesperson from the eastern city of Baalbek.

A security source told AFP that the member of the Damascus-backed Shiite militant group was "killed in the Lebanon-Syria border region and his body was taken back on Sunday."

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres...mpaign=defense

These Are The Weapons That Could Set Off War Between Syria And Turkey

Turkey and Syria have now been exchanging mortar fire for six consecutive days as Syria's civil war spills over the 550-mile long border it shares with Turkey.

A Turkish newspaper Milliyet speculated that Turkish F-16 warplanes may strike Syrian artillery batteries with if Syrian shells cause new casualties, according to Bloomberg.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19874256

'Saudi weapons' seen at Syria rebel base

Three crates from an arms manufacturer - addressed to Saudi Arabia - have been seen in a base being used by rebel fighters in the city of Aleppo.

How the small crates reached Aleppo is unknown, and the BBC was not allowed to film their contents. The BBC is seeking a response from the Saudi authorities.

Separately, Turkey is calling for "international action" on Syria.

For a sixth day in a row, Turkey has returned fire across the border after a Syrian shell fell on its territory.

Meanwhile, fighting has intensified around the central Syrian city of Homs.

Syrian troops launched an assault on Homs, advancing into a rebel-held district after four days of bombardment.

"The army is in the midst of trying to cleanse the last rebel districts of the city of Homs," a Syrian army commander told the Associated Press news agency

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-2947...-district.html

Syrian forces advance into opposition-held Homs district

Syrian forces advanced on Monday for the first time in months into the rebel-held Khalidiya district in the central city of Homs, rebels in the neighbourhood said.

Government forces fighting rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad have been bombarding 12 districts in the besieged city for four days.

"For the first time in months the Assad army has entered these areas in Khalidiya," a fighter told Reuters by Skype. "They have occupied buildings that we were stationed in and we had to evacuate."

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticl...aspx?ID=444381

Lebanese Special Forces attack legal migrants

The Lebanese army entered an apartment rented by mostly Syrian workers in the Beirut neighborhood of Jeitawi on Sunday night, beating them for hours. Four people had to be treated in hospitals, while seven Sudanese men who were in Lebanon illegally were detained.

As NOW reporters looked on from an adjacent balcony, Lebanese army soldiers could be seen rounding up the Syrians and beating them with sticks and belts. At one point the Syrians were sent into the courtyard of the building. Afterward, they were forced to run up the staircase of the building one after the other. There, four men in civilian clothes waited for them, punching them in their faces and on their heads.

Once they were taken to the roof of the building, the Syrians were forced to kneel down, hands behind their backs, before being beaten again. Others were kicked in the abdomen while lying on the floor. The sound of objects hitting bodies and subsequent screams and moans could be heard across the street. The operation lasted for about four hours.

The soldiers, apparently belonging to the army’s Special Forces, yelled at people in surrounding buildings not to watch.

When NOW approached the building this morning, two Syrians who were present last night agreed to speak to reporters at a nearby park. There, nervously glancing over their shoulders, they said that “There is still an intelligence officer in the building.”

http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/10...Channel=117760

New anti-government brigade trains in Syria (1:23)

Oct. 8 - A new anti-government ''Jasmine Brigade'' trains fighters for a battle in Damascus, as amateur video purports to show heavy shelling and gun battles continuing across the Syrian city of Homs. Sarah Sheffer reports.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49330857

UNICEF says agrees with Syria to expand relief efforts

ZAATARI, Jordan (Reuters) - The United Nations Children's Fund has agreed with the Syrian government to expand humanitarian work across the country in a move that could save tens of thousands of lives, UNICEF chief Anthony Lake said on Monday.

Activists say more than 30,000 people have been killed in the 18-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, but with 1 million people displaced the approaching winter poses as much of a threat as the relentless violence.

Lake said the agency's agreement with Syria will allow it to go beyond its Damascus operations to reach Syrians in conflict areas. It aims to vaccinate within a couple of months 1 million vulnerable children against diseases such as measles, he added.

"The Syrian government has agreed especially in recent weeks to allow us to work with a number of local groups that will allow us to address the needs of the people," he told Reuters at a refugee camp for 30,000 Syrians in northern Jordan.

The deal will expand UNICEF's partnership with more than 40 Syrian civil groups and the Syrian Red Crescent, he said.

https://twitter.com/LizSly

The pace of Syrian shelling into Turkey has quickened since Turkey started firing back & the "deterrent" vote in parl't. More shells tdy.
12:01 PM

Syria Info Minister Zobai advises the Turkish government to step down, accuses it of "political and diplomatic confusion and blundering"
9:41 AM

The scale of the destruction in Syria is mindblowing. This is 1 street in Homs today. Many more like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMvtw...ature=youtu.be …
12:48 PM

https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

Local media said 2 shells fired from Syria fell in Lebanon,other towns being targeted by heavy gunfire, don't expect response from gov.
12:48 PM

HOMS