Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AH00920121118

Israel returns fire on Syrian Golan, may have caused deaths

Israel fired artillery into Syria in response to gunfire aimed at its troops in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, and may have killed Syrian soldiers, Israel's army said on Sunday.

There were no reported injuries on the Israeli side from the shootings, which occurred on Saturday, the third case this month of violence seen as a spillover of civil unrest in Syria that has also alarmed other neighbors such as Lebanon and Turkey.

"There was small arms fire (at Israeli forces), there was a response and from what I hear over Arab media it appears Syrian soldiers were killed," Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, Israel's chief military spokesman, told Army Radio.

He said Israel was trying not to be dragged into battles between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels. The chaos of the 20-month-old insurgency often makes independent assessment of casualties within Syria difficult.

"Our trigger finger is very stiff, not light," Mordechai said. "Under no circumstances do we accept any shooting on the State of Israel's territory, but nor do we intend to heat up the area."

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/middl...=MasterAccount

Lebanon struggles with refugee spill

The crisis in Syria continues to send people over the border seeking safety.

According to the UN more than 115,000 refugees are now in Lebanon.

Some are in the small border town of Irsal.

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reports on the efforts being made to accommodate them.

http://gitm.kcorp.net/index.php?id=6...pe=Top&lang=en

Syria rebels seize airport near Iraqi border: Activists

Rebels captured an airport used by Syria’s military near the Iraqi border yesterday, activists said, a move which they said would allow them to maintain their hold on the recently seized border town of Albu Kamal.

President Bashar Al Assad’s forces have retaliated by bombing the airport with fighter jets, said Ziad Al Amir, a local activist. Video published by rebel groups showed fighters patrolling a dusty desert air base in Syria’s Deir Al Zor province. Plumes of grey smoke rose from some low concrete buildings as fighters examined several abandoned tanks.

Assad has been struggling to put down the 20-month-old revolt against his rule, which began as peaceful protests but has morphed into a civil war that has spread to most of the country. Activists say more than 38,000 people have died.

Hamdan airport was once used to transport farm produce but was converted to a base for helicopters and military tanks during the unrest. The capture of Hamdan means Assad’s forces now only hold one air base in the province - the main military airport in Deir al-Zor city.

But the rebels’ hold of territory on the ground is unlikely to prevent attacks from the sky, in what has become a typical cycle for clashes between the Syrian army and rebels. Opposition fighters, using improved tactics and equipped with heavier weapons than previous months, are able to capture territory and force out military units but are unable to fend off attacks from the air. The army often bombs security sites taken by the rebels, perhaps to destroy any useful equipment.

“Some of the army officers left the soldiers in the airport and fled with three of the tanks and are trying to arrange a rescue, so the fighting has become fierce in the area,” Al Amir told Reuters by Skype.

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

Meanwhile in Damascus, regime forces have stormed University dorms, and have arrested dozens of students.
6:04 PM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

Fighting limits inflow to 308 refugees 2 safety of jordan last nite. Incl. 6 new borns and 35 infants. Oldest were two 80 yr women.
11:34 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated the regiment 46 base in aleppo countryside
10:36 PM

resistance fighters arrested many assad troops in regiment 46 base in aleppo countryside
10:39 PM

resistance fighters killed +12 assad troops in the citadel of harem (idlib). clashes continue
10:47 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

10 assad troops defected to resistance fighters in al-amiriyah neighborhood in aleppo city
9:08 AM

10s of homes were destroyed in darayya due to heavy bombardment
9:12 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank & a military checkpoint at a petrol station near the palestinian camp in damascus city
9:28 AM

resistance fighters fired mortar missiles on al-mazzeh military airport. there is thick smoke in the airport
9:32 AM

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

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of martyrs in Syria today [Saturday] has reached 136[3], including 3 women and 6 children. 63 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 7 martyrs in Harasta; 30 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 21 in Deir Ezzor; 11 in Idlib; 4 in Homs; 2 in Daraa; and 2 in Hama

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,101 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/op...?smid=tw-share

Inside Syria, a Grandma Faces Down War

A STOUT woman named Warda al-Haji was struggling to construct a mud dike in hopes of stopping rainwater from seeping into the tent that is her family’s fifth home this year. It was futile, but Ms. Haji kept busy to stave off the paralyzing question: Who in my family will be next to die?

Ms. Haji, 54, a strong and outspoken bundle of energy in a black hijab, has already lost her husband, son and daughter-in-law to the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

When you cross from Turkey into rebel-held Syrian territory, the geopolitical construct of “Syria” disappears. Instead, Syrians come into focus: aching, frightened moms and dads just trying to keep their kids alive.

Or, in Ms. Haji’s case, her grandchildren. Several months ago, one of her sons, Abbas, a barber, was riding his motorcycle with his wife, Leila, as she held their 10-day-old daughter in her arms. A government plane dropped a bomb nearby. Miraculously, Abbas and the baby were unhurt, but Leila was hit by shrapnel in the leg and bled to death.

Syrian doctors routinely treat the war injured, knowing that if they are caught doing this they may be tortured to death by the Assad regime’s security services. Dr. Hassano is wearied by a parade of children like Rokia who are sick as a consequence of war. Rokia has hepatitis A — along with 60 percent of the children in the camp for displaced people here — because of a lack of clean water and sanitation.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...11-18-14-14-22

Syrian civil war spillover draws Israeli fire

Israel shelled Syrian fighters after gunfire from their civil war spilled over to the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, the military said Sunday, as the conflict appeared to inch closer to the Jewish state.

The civil war in Syria has renewed tensions in the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war. Despite constant hostility between the two countries, Syria has been careful to keep the border quiet since the 1973 Mideast war.

In recent days, Israeli troops have fired into Syria twice before, responding to what appeared to be stray mortar shells exploding in Israel-held territory. On Sunday, an Israeli military spokesman said soldiers fired artillery toward the source of gunfire late Saturday night.

Speaking on condition of anonymity according to protocol, the spokesman said the military identified a hit. He did not know if the targets were Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad or forces loyal to him.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters continue their attack on the artillery brigade in al-mayadin desert http://youtu.be/Y7z81i9QOco
10:39 AM

from suqour al-sham brigade in idlib: liberation of the fertilizer factory http://youtu.be/gJ1205GOkAQ
1:39 PM

resistance fighters arrested the military commander of regiment 46 in aleppo countryside
1:47 PM

resistance fighters attacked a military convoy in jisrin (damascus countryside). some assad troops were killed
1:52 PM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria

LCC reports Assad is sending many reinforcements to the town of Kasab, Latakia at the border with Turkey near Yayladagi.
2:01 PM

https://twitter.com/DSyrer

Rebel brigades have destroyed the Frunloq checkpoint & are marching deeper into Alawite heartland. Regime is very distressed.
2:05 PM

Amazing. Syrian Soldiers from Regiment 46 happily run towards FSA forces. They defect during the battle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjxgvDeQzOw
2:42 PM

FSA providing some medical treatment to the defected soldiers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZj7YS-fDBg&feature=plcp
2:49 PM

https://twitter.com/THE_47th/status/270252598152544256

Pimp daddy aka daddy black suit entering Regiment 46, Assad's single biggest loss in Aleppo https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=VhjkwYqRe2c
2:50 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters attacked an airforce defense base in al-hajar al-aswad & seized weapons
2:00 PM

by the way, regiment 46 base in aleppo countryside is 8 miles square
2:06 PM

regiment 46 base contained artillery, rocket launchers, special forces & mortar brigades. it's the most powerful base in aleppo
2:25 PM

resistance fighters have liberated a military brigade in the southern countryside of aleppo & arrested 6 assad troops
2:51 PM

assad's troops continue to bombard al-hajar al-aswad & the palestinian camp in damascus city
3:44 PM

https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses

Six Type 63 Multiple rocket launchers captured by the Syrian opposition, that's a lot of long range fire power http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojmFFmwVHEU&feature=plcp
4:31 PM

Just some of the artillery pieces captured at the 46th Regiment base http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kujy_Spy-mM&feature=plcp … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX7XhSeJVLA&feature=plcp
4:47 PM

More of the artillery pieces captured at the 46th Regiment base http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9_st...&feature=g-u-u … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARZ8x...&feature=g-u-u
4:49 PM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AH0J520121118

Syria rebels say seized military base near Turkey border

Syrian rebels said they captured a large special forces base on a main road between the city of Aleppo and the Turkish border on Sunday.

No independent verification of the rebels' statement was immediately available.

Video footage showed rebels inside the 18 sq km (7 square mile) facility in Orum al-Sughra among tanks and artillery they had seized. At least 18 troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were taken prisoner, opposition campaigners said.

A statement by the Aleppo Media Centre said at least 15 tanks were seized and that officers were among loyalist forces captured.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...857_story.html

The Post’s View

New Syrian opposition group needs U.S. support

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...ian-opposition

EU ministers unlikely to fully recognise Syrian opposition

EU foreign ministers will on Monday thrash out positions on increasingly thorny problems in the Middle East, but the bloc will likely not follow France in giving full recognition to the new Syrian opposition, diplomats said.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...issiles-turkey

Report: Netherlands, Germany may send missiles to Turkey

The Netherlands and Germany may send Patriot missiles to NATO ally Turkey to help defend the country's border with Syria, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Sunday, citing the Dutch defence minister.

Turkey has said it has intensified talks with NATO allies on how to shore up security on its 900-km frontier with Syria after mortar rounds fired from Syria landed inside its territory.

A Dutch Defence Ministry spokesman said: "There is no request but the Netherlands and Germany are the only countries in Europe with Patriots."

The Dutch minister spoke to her German counterpart last week about a possible deployment, ANP said.

A spokesperson for Germany's Defence Ministry said on Saturday NATO would consider any request from Turkey and confirmed that the United States, the Netherlands and Germany were the countries that had the appropriate Patriot missiles available.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...-Syria-standby

BRITISH TROOPS ON SYRIA STANDBY

It comes two days after foreign secretary William Hague urged for more involvement by the International community, and a week after defence chief Gen Sir David Richards confirmed the Ministry of Defence was making “very limited contingency plans” for military action.

However last night senior army figures warned that any British troops sent to Syria must be deployed in sufficient numbers and with the power to use lethal force if they are to retain a quick exit strategy.

Both Britain and France currently have more than 2,000 troops in the Mediterranean as part of the Exercise Cougar 12 joint amphibious war games, which will culminate in seaborne landings in Turkey later this month.

While no decision for military intervention by Britain has yet been taken, experts say the force represents the most likely source of boots on the ground once the green light is given.

https://twitter.com/DSyrer

Syrian Turkmen continue to contribute brave men to our revolution. Formation of the Yılmaz Ali battalion, Aleppo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6sCQ...&feature=share
4:53 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

assad's troops are bombing +8 neighborhoods in damascus. i hope you realize the difficulty (& danger) of getting news
6:50 PM

an activist from jabhat al-nusrah says resistance fighters blew up a military checkpoint in busra al-sham & destroyed 2 tanks.
8:05 PM

an activist from jabhat al-nusrah sent me an official statement saying al-nusrah killed 12 military officers & thugs in daraa
8:13 PM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

Latest Count is 404 x'd last nite to safety of jordan. Youngest 2 wks old & oldest 70 yr old woman. Some 60,000 have x'd in 4 mnths.
11:26 PM

http://www.lccsyria.org/10525

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Sunday LCC could document 78 martyrs including three children and four women, 26 martyrs in Damascus and suburbs; 15 in Aleppo; 10 in Idlib; 9 in Hama; 8 in Daraa; 5 in Deir Ezzor; 4 in Homs; and 1 martyr in Banyas

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,179 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticl...aspx?ID=458429

Italy recognizes Syrian opposition bloc

Italy has recognized the newly formed opposition National Coalition as "legitimate representatives" of the Syrian people, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti told reporters in Doha on Monday.

"We have recognized the coalition that brings together the various opposition groups as legitimate representatives of the Syrian people," Monti said, based on an Arabic translation of his remarks.

France has so far been the only Western country to recognize the National Coalition, formed on November 11 after extensive talks in Qatar, as the sole representative of the Syrian people.

It has also announced a decision to host an opposition ambassador and said it would ask the European Union to approve a proposal to arm the rebels.

In an interview with Doha-based Al-Jazeera English, Monti, who is on a tour of Gulf states, said that supporting the arming of Syrian rebels "is not a straightforward implication of the recognition aspect."

"That of course needs to take into consideration many other factors as well," he said according to a transcript of the interview received by AFP.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AI0P620121119

Turkey to ask NATO for air defense missiles aimed at Syria

Turkey is expected to formally request on Monday that NATO Patriot missiles be placed on its border to defend against Syrian attacks, Western officials said.

Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad have been able to take large swathes of land but are almost defenseless against Syria's air force. The rebels have called for an internationally enforced no-fly zone, a measure that helped Libyan rebels overthrow their long-term leader last year.

German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Germany expected Turkey to make the request to NATO for Patriot deployment on Monday and would study such a request "with solidarity".

"But if we have a deployment of Patriots on the Turkish border then this will happen with German soldiers," he told reporters in Brussels, on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defense ministers.

Only the United States, the Netherlands and Germany have the appropriate Patriot missile system available.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that Turkey could count on "allied solidarity" but said that the missiles would be purely for defense and not for creating a no-fly zone in Syria.

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Intense shelling on MaaratAlNouman where 50 shells have fallen. Shelling also on the southern suburbs at a rate of 10 shells per minute.
2:09 AM

Intense clashes at the checkpoints around MaaratAlNouman. FSA heard regime soldiers say they have 50 dead bodies. Idlib
5:13 AM

Helicopter shot down over MaaratAlNouman and fell in Kafarzaita in Hama.
5:21 AM

The battle at Wadi Aldayf has intensified. Many regime soldiers have been killed and there are reports of 2 destroyed tanks. MaaratAlNouman
7:15 AM

https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint

Turkish Airforce gen resigns (due to downed F4 jet&hesitation to retaliate Syrian helicopters), not accepted by the top http://haber.gazetevatan.com/o-komut...lAsEBM.twitter
11:33 AM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Back for five minutes to post urgent clarification on this bull**** Aleppo statement. Next tweets mainly from what join command told us.
11:03 AM

Tawheed Brigade co-operates well with external opposition, just like the Aleppo MC. This statement was very suspicious and questioned.
11:07 AM

That's all the important things they said. Basically they reject it completely, support the NC and said a lot of insults to these units.
11:09 AM

https://twitter.com/jfoleyjourno

Heavy shelling MaaratalNuman today, 2 killed half dozen wounded, local FSA reinforced by groups from Hama
12:39 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

I just spoke to a member of Suqoor Alsham who works directly with Abu Issa in Idlib. He confirmed that Abu Issa and Suqoor Alsham are 100% behind the new Coalition. And that any reports about him being against it are lies. He also explained that the Aleppo video was released without knowledge of the brigade command.
12:53 PM

I also got word that a friend of mine in Idlib was injured...he was shot in the head and lost one of his eyes.
12:59 PM

The reason why WadiAldayf is taking so long to liberate is because some battalions betrayed them and pulled out of the attacks. Idlib
1:02 PM

https://twitter.com/Reuters

FLASH: Syrian rebels say they've seized battalion HQ near southern gate of Damascus - opposition activists
2:09 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a military convoy near the town of qastal ma`af in latakia countryside. many assad troops were killed
9:49 AM

resistance fighters say they have liberated 90 % of qastal ma`af. they ask their supporters to pray for them
12:10 PM

resistance fighters control al-faranlaq crossroads in latakia countryside
1:32 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the village of zinzif in latakia countryside
1:35 PM

i've been reading a long report from latakia. resistance fighters destroyed 2 military convoys & killed +150 assad troops
5:41 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a convoy, including 3 tanks, near al-buwaidah (damascus countryside). assad troops were killed
10:22 AM

resistance fighters liberated hatitah military base in damascus countryside http://youtu.be/o41koUK4WVo
11:35 AM

activists say assad's troops have left all their military bases in the town of al-houl in al-hasakah
12:16 PM

troops are defecting near the town of khan al-asal in aleppo countryside
12:25 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the rockets brigade near al-hajar al-aswad (south of damascus)
1:38 PM

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

The Local Coordination Committees

The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 161[0], including 6 women and 10 children. 54 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 36 in Deir Ezzor Most of them were martyred when an oil pipeline exploded in the town of Khasham; 22 in Aleppo; 16 in Lattakia; 12 in Idlib, including an entire family; 6 in Daraa; 5 in Hama; 4 in Hasakeh; 3 in the Golan Heights; and 2 in Homs.
6:03 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,339 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

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

UK recognises Syria opposition coalition

Britain has formally recognised the newly formed Syrian National Council opposition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people, as violence continued to rage across the country.

William Hague, British Foreign Secretary, told the UK parliament on Tuesday it was in the interests of Syria, of the wider region and of the UK that "we support them and deny space to extremist groups".

"Her Majesty's government has decided to recognise the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," he added.

Last week, France became the first Western nation to officially recognise the Syrian National Coalition, which was formed on November 11 in Qatar in opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

Paris said it was now considering whether to arm Syria's rebels.

Britain said no option is off the table but Hague told parliament that no decision had been taken to supply arms to the Syrian rebels. The EU currently has an arms embargo on Syria.

On Monday, the coalition received an EU-wide recognition. Italy, Turkey and the Gulf Arab states have also recognised it as the sole representative.

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

Aleppo rebels retract rejection of coalition

Opposition commanders in the Syrian city of Aleppo have voiced their support to the Syrian National Coalition, a day after a video emerged showing fighters from at least 14 brigades announcing their rejection of the opposition bloc.

The powerful Liwaa al-Tawhid Brigade, along with the Aleppo Military Council and Transitional Military Council, in a Youtube video uploaded on Tuesday, said they would cooperate with the newly formed opposition body, but called for greater representation in it.

They also said that the earlier statement by some local commanders rejecting the Coalition was due to "the marginalisation of the revolutionary forces on the ground".

"We call on [the Coalition] to increase the representation of the revolutionary forces and to activate their role in the Coalition's offices and aparatus," Tuesday’s statement, read by Abdel Qader Saleh Saleh, the head Liwaa al-Tawhid Brigade, said.

Liwaa al-Tawhid Brigade, formed in July, is said to have at least 10,000 fighters. it is credited for the opposition’s control of vast areas in Aleppo province.

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Mortar fire hits Syrian information ministry, causes damage but no casualties, state TV reports - @Reuters
3:33 AM

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Talks on deployment of NATO Patriot missile defense system on border with Syria in final stage, Turkey's foreign minister says - @Reuters
4:13 AM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Rebel sources tell Reuters that opposition fighters storm Syrian air defense base near Turkish border.
5:03 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed 4 military trucks & 2 pick up trucks & killed many assad troops near al-qalamoun university
8:01 AM

resistance fighters seized a tank in deirezzor city. assad troops defected
8:15 AM

3 troops have defected in hama countryside. resistance fighters killed assad troops near qal`at al-madiq
8:30 AM

resistance fighters have liberated 85 % of regiment 111 in the western countryside of aleppo
8:54 AM

resistance fighters have destroyed a tank & a pick up truck in darayya
12:06 PM

https://twitter.com/farGar

My friend's cousin, her husband, & their kid just arrived to USA from Damascus Syria. Their house was bombed. All 3 on depression pills now
12:12 PM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

Turning the desert into a refugee camp Zaatri. 600 prefabs made in jordan donated by KSA now in place. pic.twitter.com/dbyAFpcK
12:59 PM

A refugee infant hides amongst the tents, washing & satellite dishes Zaatri #jordan. Most of pop'n are children. pic.twitter.com/6y6MJRAG
1:55 PM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AJ1FV20121120

Syria Kurdish leader rejects new opposition coalition

A party that controls much of Syria's Kurdish region on Tuesday rejected the new opposition coalition, highlighting the deep divisions still remaining between the many Syrian armed groups 20 months into the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

Saleh Muslim, head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said he had not been invited to talks in Doha this month in which the Syrian National Coalition was formed, and he labeled the group a proxy of Turkey and Qatar.

The coalition, led by moderate Sunni Muslim cleric Mouaz Alkhatib, was meant to unify Syria's myriad opposition groups in a bid to secure Western backing in their efforts to topple Assad, and has been endorsed in the West by Britain and France.

On Monday, Syrian rebels clashed with armed Kurds near the Turkish border, the latest sign of a power struggle in Syria's ethnically diverse northeast.

Muslim said his party did not want to carve a separate Kurdish enclave, and denied any coordination between his party and the PKK over Syria.

"We don't want separatism or to draw new borders. What we want is constitutional recognition of the Kurdish presence, and constitutional guarantees of the democratic rights of the Kurdish people," Muslim said.

PYD offices in Syria are however adorned with portraits of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and PYD fighters wear badges bearing the image of the moustachioed militant who is jailed in Turkey.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed 6 military vehicles on latakia - kasab road (turkman mount). heavy clashes continue
4:43 AM

assad's tanks, artilleries & rocket launchers in al-mazzeh airport are bombing the town of darayya (damascus countryside)
5:31 AM

resistance fighters are attacking wadi al-dayf & al-hamidiyah military bases near ma`arrat al-nu`man. 2 tanks were destroyed
6:47 AM

resistance fighters liberated brigade 77 base http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvGPr...=ULEvGPrZSpOGg
8:10 AM

https://twitter.com/jfoleyjourno

Saw what looks like white phosphorus or other incendiary dropped on old citadel of MaaratalNuman In a city w/ almost no civs left Why?
10:57 AM

Horrible- looks like first 3 floors dar al shifaa been gutted by airstrike today http://youtu.be/t5qrkk5n4W0 via @AmalHanano any #'s on killed?
11:54 AM

https://twitter.com/AmalHanano

Did you know that soldiers in Syria are tortured and imprisoned for the accusation of "THINKING about defection"?
11:52 AM

@jfoleyjourno Initial number over 20 dead and "tens" wounded. No hard numbers yet.
12:05 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Man stares at a mosque's podium sitting outside the destroyed mosque... MaaratAlNouman Idlib pic.twitter.com/MmSOTBfc
11:45 AM

btw in case you were wondering...that is not the Imam of the mosque. The Imam was martyred when the mosque's roof fell on him.
11:54 AM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

376 refugees x'd to jordan last nite. Youngest less than a mnth old, oldest 76 yrs. Several women were pregnant & others injured.
11:34 PM Nov. 20

What it takes to keep water flowing & refugees alive in the desert. UNICEF/Mercy Corps drilling Zaatri jordan. pic.twitter.com/U8HIpSUC
12:07 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

update from darayya: resistance fighters destroyed 4 tanks & 3 pick up trucks. darayya is under seige for 14 days. bombing continues
9:13 AM

an assad warplane has bombed al-sha`ar neighborhood in aleppo city. +20 people were killed
9:44 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank near the artillery brigade in al-mayadin desert
11:19 AM

colonel hamadi al-abid, head of the police department in al-ramilan (al-hasakah), has defected
11:47 AM

resistance fighters blew up a military building in khan al-wazir in aleppo city
12:25 PM

http://www.lccsyria.org/10534

The Local Coordination Commitees in Syria

By the end of Tuesday, the LCC was able to document 122[117] martyrs, including 2 women and 2 children. 52 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 10 martyrs from Daraya; 28 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 10 in Idlib; 9 in Raqqa; 8 in Lattakia; 5 in Homs; 3 in Deir Ezzor; 1 in Hasakeh; and 1 in Daraa

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,456 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

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

Syria: rebels fight to unite opposition-held areas before 'final push' for Damascus

Rebel factions that have until now fought Mr Assad's government in separate, largely independent battles are now working together to create one, large 'liberated' area of Damascus from where they could launch a major assault on the city.

The movement represents the most serious challenge to the president's hold on the Syrian capital in months.

"The rebels are trying to connect towns in south Damascus so that the Free Syrian Army can move between them and closer inside," a Damascus activist calling himself Saif Dimaskhy told The Daily Telegraph.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AJ1FK20121121

Syrian jets blast rebels in Damascus suburb

Syrian warplanes bombed a Damascus suburb on Wednesday in a push to dislodge rebels from a stronghold that threatens President Bashar al-Assad's hold on the capital, opposition activists said.

Heavy fighting also raged in other outskirts of the city in the most serious challenge to Assad's seat of power in months.

After months of slow progress, the rebels have in the last few weeks captured several army positions on the outskirts of Damascus and outlying regions, including a special forces base near Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub, and an air defense position near Damascus's southern gate.

Assad's opponents are also gaining support internationally with a new coalition of opposition and rebel groups seeking recognition as the legitimate voice of the Syrian people.

Shashank Joshi of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London said the developments of the last few weeks were shifting the balance in favor of the rebels.

On Wednesday, MiG fighter jets launched a second day of raids on the opposition-held suburb of Daraya, set in farmland near the main southern highway, where rebels have been battling elite Republican Guard units.

https://twitter.com/simmjazeera

Resistance to Patriot missiles for Turkey from opp parties in 1 of 2 suppliers, Germany:"we cd be sucked into war"
3:14 PM

NATO's rules of engagement on Patriot missiles for Turkey awaited with great interest. It's a done deal. But don't expect No Fly Zone.Yet.
3:27 PM

Turkey to get Patruots: NATO military team on the ground here next week. Our sources say locations already chosen.
3:52 PM

https://twitter.com/DamascusTribune

The rockets Assad is firing onto the besieged city of Homs are very massive. They're shaking the entire city.
2:42 PM

A nurse got martyred 2day in Shifaa hospital, Aleppo. She's the 1 mentioned in CSM article [who married an FSA fighter recently] http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middl...ospital-scrubs pic.twitter.com/H7zSUtGR
3:41 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

4 troops have defected in al-qusair countryside (homs)
1:50 PM

resistance fighters blew up 10 assad troops on al-mastoumah - idlib road
2:17 PM

i got a text saying resistance fighters have liberated kasab border crossing between latakia & turkey. details later
2:48 PM

heavy clashes are going on now in midan, al-hajar al-aswad, al-qadam, al-yarmouk, naher aisha & al-tadamon in damascus
3:46 PM

activists confirm that 100s of assad troops were killed in the last 3 days in latakia countryside
4:14 PM

[visionary]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/21/world/...war/?hpt=hp_t1

Rebels say Syria hospital strike kills 40

Syrian rebels accused government forces of bombing a hospital in the besieged city of Aleppo late Wednesday, killing at least 40 people as the conflict there ground on.

Ralib al-Omar, a leader of the Yusif al-Asma rebel group, said the attack targeted the Dar al-Shifa Hospital and that the dead included two nurses. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists, said a doctor was among the dead as well -- one of 108 people the group said were killed across the country on Wednesday.

Dar al-Shifa is one of the main sources of medical help for people in Syria's commercial hub. In video posted by opposition activists, the blast appeared to have hit the hospital's often-crowded front lobby.

Aleppo has been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the 20-month-old Syrian conflict since August, and an artillery shell had hit the hospital's maternity ward earlier this year.

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/wo...0,950867.story

Syria opposition seeks $60 billion to rebuild after fighting

Syrian dissidents trying to shake off President Bashar Assad told reporters Wednesday that $60 billion would be needed to rebuild the country after fighting stops, comparing it to “an economic ‘Marshall Plan for Syria.’”

At a Dubai meeting, Syrian National Council leader George Sabra said the money would be needed within six months of toppling the regime, the Agence France-Presse reported.

He urged help from "our Arab brothers and the international community." One country has already signaled its interest: United Arab Emirates officials said they would help Syria rebuild and were interested in investing in the country as it recovers, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The Syrian National Council that Sabra heads is part of a newly formed coalition of opposition groups, formally known as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, which has been courting international recognition and trying to unite Assad opponents. It gained a nod from the European Union as “legitimate representatives of the aspirations of the Syrian people” this week; Britain and France also threw their weight behind the group.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

a 3 floor residential building in bab houd (homs city) has collapsed due to bombardment
5:05 PM

heavy clashes are going on now in the town of mneen (damascus northern countryside)
5:35 PM

update: resistance fighters say they control latakia - kesab road, kesab resort & qastal ma`af. resistance fighters say heavy aerial bombardment has prevented them from controlling the border crossing near kesab (latakia)
5:17 PM

jabhat al-nusrah says its used 2 tons of explosives to blow up the french hospital in aleppo city. 100's of assad troops were killed. the 'hospital' was a military compound for assad troops
5:37 PM

resistance fighters have killed colonel riyad qudsiyah, the military commander of assad's forces near darayya
6:16 PM

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

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Wednesday, the LCC was able to document 108[6] martyrs across Syria, among them 2 women and 3 children. 40 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, most of them as a result of shelling in Al-Shaar; 30 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 11 in Homs; 8 in Idlib; 7 in Lattakia; 5 in Deir Ezzor; 4 in Daraa; and 1 in Raqqa

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,562 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...e3Jpnc.twitter

Gunning for Damascus

There are also signs that bigger gains are on the way. It's "March to Damascus Week" for the revolutionaries, as a multi-pronged offensive has taken shape in and around the capital. On Nov. 19, Ansar al-Islam and Jund Allah Brigades, two Islamist rebel groups, seized the Syrian Air Defense Battalion headquarters near Hajar al-Aswad, just south of Damascus. Another base in Ghouta, a region in the Damascus countryside, was also sacked. Opposition forces are also holding Daraya, a southwest suburb of the capital, despite days of intense aerial bombardment from Assad's Republican Guard.

This map, courtesy of the wonderfully obsessive EA Worldview website, shows how rebel operations have arrived right at Assad's doorstep the last 48 hours. Meanwhile, as EA Worldview's Jim Miller points out, the Syrian north is now effectively anti-Assad country: "The regime has not won a noteworthy military victory in this territory in over two months."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20442157

Syria rebels 'capture key army base' in the east

Syrian rebel fighters say they have taken a military base in the town of Mayadeen, leaving a swathe of eastern Syria under opposition control.

Opposition sources say they control a key oil-producing area between the city of Deir Ezzor and the Iraq border.

On Thursday morning, opposition groups said the Mayadeen military base had fallen under its control at 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT) after a 22-day siege.

Rebel fighters said that 44 of their number had died in the battle.

Syrian army casualty figures are as yet unknown, and the government has not commented on the loss of the base.

If the reports are confirmed, the rebels will now be in control of a large area of the Euphrates valley, from the Iraqi border to the provincial capital of Deir Ezzor.

The base is approximately 42km (26 miles) south-east of the city and was an important stronghold for the Syrian government, the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says.

The attack on Mayadeen follows the capture of a military airport near the Iraqi border last week.

Mayadeen is halfway between the now rebel controlled Bokamal near the Iraqi border and the mainly regime controlled Deir Ezzour City, the provincial capital.



http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/2...#storylink=cpy

With Syria’s eastern oilfields in rebel hands, a brisk business in pirated crude grows

SHAHEL, Syria -- Syrian rebels have captured two of the three major oilfields in the country’s southeastern Deir al Zour province and are extracting oil that they say is helping to support their rebellion.

“We are at the beginning of winter, and people need oil to run the bakeries and to heat their homes. The weather is very cold here,” said a rebel leader here who, for security reasons, identifies himself by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohamed.

The capture of the fields is another blow to the Syrian government’s attempt to offset inflation and shortages of various goods in the areas it still controls. It also has set off a booming oil trade in this impoverished area. Dozens of trucks wait in line 24 hours a day to fill up at rebel-held wells, which produce a light crude that can be burned without refining, though the result is dense smoke. Some farmers insist the unrefined crude can be used to power farm equipment, though it seems primarily to be used for heat.

Some of those waiting in line at one well this week said they’d been waiting for days. Along roadsides and at intersections all over the area, men could be seen reselling the oil from improvised tanker trucks and barrels loaded into the backs of pickups.

Abu Mohammed said the price at which the rebels sell the oil is largely a symbolic one, and prices at the various wells in operation appeared to be about $5 a barrel, far below the world price that hovers above $80 a barrel.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

10 hours ago: resistance fighters blew up an armored vehicle on al-mastoumah - idlib road. 12 military officers were killed
4:18 AM

assad's troops have entered kafr soseh neighborhood in damascus
4:14 AM

resistance fighters liberated the artillery brigade in al-mayadin http://youtu.be/TaW2pqNF3Ak liberation of the artillery brigade in al-mayadin http://youtu.be/E-bzFTDa0WQ
4:33 AM

people found the body of muhammad rashid ruwaili who was executed in #deirezzor city. he was chairman of the arab writers' union
10:58 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

heavy clashes are going on now near the town of beir ajam in al-qunaytirah. many assad troops were killed & injured
11:08 AM

resistance fighters attacked a military building near mahmbel (idlib) & killed all the troops who were there
11:13 AM

resistance fighters shot down a warplane in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
11:20 AM

the battle for al-hasakah has started. hope to hear pleasant news in the coming days
11:50 AM

resistance fighters seized a military tank in kafr soseh in damascus http://youtu.be/MOFCyg_66t0
1:25 PM

https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses

Another T-55 captured by the Syrian opposition, this time in Deir Ez Zor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV6dZjr5VS4&feature=plcp
1:24 PM

[visionary]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226522559059

Libyan leader opposes aid to Syria rebels

Libya's interim president Mohammed al-Megarif says he opposes arming the Syrian opposition.

THE interim president of Libya, who came to power following a NATO-supported rebellion against former leader Muammar Gaddafi, says he opposes foreign intervention in Syria.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday with his Tunisian counterpart, Mohammed al-Megarif said he also opposed arming the Syrian opposition which has been battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for the past year and a half, with thousands of lives lost.

The two leaders, both products of the wave of uprisings that swept the Middle East in 2011, did call for Assad to step down.

Al-Megarif also said that he and Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki were withholding recognition of the new Syrian opposition coalition until they could evaluate how representative it was.

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

An endless stream of refugees > safety in jordan. Another 400 women & children x last nite. Zaatri is now a city pic.twitter.com/jGWxoyjw
4:52 PM

https://twitter.com/Ugariti_Homsi

Qatar invites the Syrian National Coalition to designate an ambassador for Syria in Doha.
5:35 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated a military checkpoint near the lebanese border (homs) & arrested 10 assad troops & thugs
4:32 PM

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint near al-zabadani city http://youtu.be/at1pekt2QNk
5:03 PM

it seems that resistance fighters have blown up a military compound in al-shadadi (al-hasakah). the explosion was huge
5:14 PM

resistance fighters shot director of the special forces office in damascus city center
5:40 PM

resistance fighters blew up 3 pick up trucks carrying assad troops in al-shadadi (al-hasakah). (i told you about an explosion there)
6:13 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Thursday the LCC managed to document 151 martyrs in Syria (including 5 children and 3 women), 66 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs, 34 martyrs in Aleppo (16 of them were martyred in shelling of Shaar yesterday), 21 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 12 martyrs in Daraa, 7 martyrs in Idlib, 5 martyrs in Hama, 3 martyrs in Homs, 2 martyrs in Lattakia and 1 martyr in Quneitra
6:55 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,713 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

defection of colonel pilot jihad al-khatib (al-rastan) http://youtu.be/mdTbD10sA-c
2:07 AM

defection of brigadier general munir al-hariri http://youtu.be/w02yN6XNZNQ
3:44 AM

iran's thug & parliament speaker ali larijani is in damascus (he brought weapons & ammunition). he says syria is standing for resistance
5:34 AM

resistance fighters blew up a military checkpoint on khalid ben al-walid street in damascus city
8:03 AM

resistance fighters from deirezzor countryside are moving to deirezzor airport
8:13 AM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria

Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Al Khatib is in Turkey.
7:49 AM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Ahrar Alsham blow up a car at the Iskan checkpoint in Idlib city leaving several regime casualties.
7:47 AM

https://twitter.com/ZeinakhodrAljaz

Syria : Turkey request for NATO to deploy Patriot missiles along its border "act of provocation"
8:00 AM

UNHCR : number of Syria refugees registered in neighboring countries nearly doubled since beginning of September to more than 440,000
8:04 AM

https://twitter.com/BSyria

Serious cluster**** in Hasakeh. Heavy fighting between FSA & co and Kurdish groups.
8:44 AM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

@BSyria should be noted that many kurds in Hasakeh are not fond of the PKK (fighting the FSA). Many kurds are fighting with FSA against PKK
8:45 AM

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...eaching-region

Syrian bishop appeals to the international community to prevent conflict from reaching region sheltering displaced

A Syrian bishop has appealed to the international community to prevent the conflict from reaching Jezireh in northeast Syria, saying it was sheltering 400,000 internally displaced people.

"I am launching an SOS so that you will not be able to say tomorrow with diplomatic hypocrisy: 'We didn't know'," Monsignor Behnan Hindo, the Syrian Catholic archbishop of Hassake-Nisibe, said in an appeal seen by AFP.

The impassioned appeal was addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and the UN and said it was written on behalf of the three Christian bishops in the region as well as all the different ethnic communities living there.

"What we really want is for all those to whom we are appealing urgently to put pressure on the different armed groups and the Syrian Liberation Army not to enter our region," the bishop said.

He also called for armed groups to leave the "ghost town" of Ras El-Ain, a border town from which some 30,000 people have fled.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AM0U920121123

HP says products may have been sold to Syria by others

Hewlett Packard Co said in a letter made public on Friday that its products could have been delivered to Syria through resellers or distributors, but the world's largest PC maker affirmed it did not sell directly to the country.

The letter was a response to a request from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Global Security Risk that asked whether HP's products were sold in countries where they would be subject to U.S. sanctions.

"We are aware of November 2011 news reports that your equipment was installed by the Italian company, Area SpA, in Syria as part of a nationwide surveillance and tracking system designed to monitor people in that country," the SEC wrote in its request.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters killed assad troops & destroyed a military tank near halisah (10 miles north of aleppo city)
12:52 PM

resistance fighters killed 6 assad troops in souq al-shajarah neighborhood in hama city. clashes continue
12:59 PM

resistance fighters killed +40 assad troops near the town of kassab in latakia countryside. they control the main road to the town
1:07 PM

many assad troops have entered the town of al-tabqa in al-raqqah
1:14 PM

al-fuqahaa brigade: resistance fighters captured colonel bashir al-salih in al-hajar al-aswad (south damascus) http://youtu.be/FcR8idVBxpw
2:10 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a tank in darayya http://youtu.be/mZmNxhJ0Yfo
1:25 PM

resistance fighters have defeated assad's troops near darayya.
tanks & military trucks left the area. many troops were killed. Update: resistance fighters destroyed 5 military tanks today in darayya. they have besieged troops & 2 tanks.
1:54 PM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank in khan al-asal (aleppo) http://youtu.be/2WJYePjg1Bc
3:38 PM

i can say now the resistance fighters have reached the infantry school in aleppo countryside.
will they enter the school tonight??? Resistance fighters say they killed +30 assad troops from the infantry school (aleppo countryside). they didn't say where
6:30 PM

brigadier general mahmoud al-ali (ministry of the interior) & his family have defected to jordan. Resistance fighters killed brigadier general wael yusuf in darayya
4:07 PM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

Reports that Assad forces (around 3000 soldiers) are preparing to enter Tadamon in an attempt to take back the neighborhood. - Damascus
5:49 PM

Activists in the neighborhood are urging families to leave their homes and seek refuge somewhere else.
5:49 PM

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

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The LCC was able to document 76 martyrs by the end of Friday. 30 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 17 in Aleppo; 6 in Daraa; 5 in Idli; 4 in Deir Ezzor; 4 in Lattakia; 4 in Hama; 2 in Homs; 2 in Raqqa; 1 in Banyas; and 1 in Quneitra
6:02 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,789 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AN09420121124

Lebanon army seizes men suspected of bomb plot against Shi'ites

The Lebanese army said on Saturday it had arrested five Syrian men found with explosives and suspected of planning an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim procession on Sunday.

The war in neighboring Syria, pitting majority Sunni Muslim rebels against President Bashar al-Assad's inner circle of Alawites - an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam - has widened rifts in Lebanon, still politically divided along sectarian lines deepened by its own 15-year civil war.

Lebanon's Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah has sided with Assad and anger is growing among Sunnis and other groups sympathetic to the Syrian opposition.

The arrests in the southern town of Nabatiyeh followed an army raid on a house where 450 grams of explosives were discovered, the army said. The men were believed to have been planning to attack a procession in the town on Sunday to mark the Shi'ite festival of Ashura.

"The five Syrians have been living in Lebanon for years. They are thought to have been planning an attack on Shi'ites," a source said on condition of anonymity.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/fea...=MasterAccount

Inside Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp

Ahmed Al Nuaimi comes from the outskirts of Deraa in southern Syria. There, he sold items meant to put people at ease - hookah pipes, coffee, and tea. He rode around on his motorcycle peddling his wares.

This summer, he and his family fled ongoing violence in Syria to neighbouring Jordan, ending up in Al Zaatari camp, 15 kilometres from the border. More than 200,000 other Syrians have made a similar journey across the border since March 2011, when the uprising against President Bashar Al Assad began.

More Syrians have fled to Jordan than to any other country. Zaatari is now the largest camp for these refugees in the world, and it's growing by the day.

With winter temperatures dipping and no end in sight to Syria's civil war, the camp's population has surpassed 41,000, according to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation. New tents and prefabricated housing units will soon be occupied by thousands more families.

Shelter is provided to camp residents by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR), the food is donated by the World Food Programme, and other basic needs are supplied by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Morocco, among others. However, basic needs are not always enough, especially for a population accustomed to a more urban lifestyle like that in Deraa, which a majority of the camp's population calls home.

Few people are able to reclaim a livelihood in this city of tents. The employment schemes put forward by aid agencies struggle to keep even a few hundred people working, let alone tens of thousands.

Yet Ahmed Al Nuaimi arrived in Zaatari and did just that, opening the camp's first coffee shop.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AN08D20121124

Turkey expects NATO Patriot missile decision within week

Turkey expects NATO to make a decision about deploying surface-to-air Patriot missiles along its southern border with Syria within the next week, Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz said on Saturday.

Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, on Wednesday after weeks of talks about how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border as the conflict in Syria deepens.

NATO said it would discuss the request "without delay" but the move has riled Syria, which called it "provocative", as well its allies, including Russia and Iran, who are hostile to any development that they perceive could be a first step towards implementing a no-fly zone.

"We asked for Patriots from NATO taking into account the critical situation that emerged on our border with Syria ... The aim is for the protection of the widest possible area in Turkey," Yilmaz told reporters.

"We expect the NATO Council to make its decision within the week," he said.

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

112 refugees x'd @ last nitein rain 2 jordan fleeing frm Busra Esh Sham & Tal Shihab. Incl. 3 new borns & 8 infants. Oldest 78 yrs.
12:06 AM

https://twitter.com/LordAldiery

Really great video by an Egyptian military expert explaining the battles in DeirEzzor & progress of FSA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzaMj...ature=youtu.be …
1:07 AM

While the FSA did have great strategic victories in Albukamal and Mayadeen, the city of DeirEzzor will be a blood bath for both sides
1:08 AM

The artillery military complex in Mayadeen which isn't very big cost the FSA 40 martyrs. The DeirEzzor military airport which is much bigger will likely cost many martyrs from the FSA and Assad forces inside DeirEzzor are not going to lose the eastern gateway easily
1:10 AM

https://twitter.com/Avend93

The statement says: Kurdish coalition agreed on adopting Federalism for "SYRIA", thus; Demanding a federal region for Kurds in United Syria
8:45 AM

Tensions increase between KRG and Baghdad after Maliki stated that KRG officials should ask Baghdad before flying outside Iraq using EIA
10:36 AM

120 armored vehicles of Peshmerge entering Kerkuk with orders of firing against Iraqi Army if they tried to enter. [Al-Hurra]
10:46 AM

KNC didn't agree about joining the new SNC. via @Dr_HakimBachar. Actually not refusing, they haven't reached a final decision about that.
10:53 AM

https://twitter.com/MajdArar

Assad troops tried to enter from Kafersouseh to Daraya. FSA hit two tanks stopping their advance. Damascus
9:09 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

ahrar al-sham brigades attacked assad's forces in south aleppo (near the motorway) & seized a bmp vehicle. assad troops were killed
9:23 AM

resistance fighters seized a military tank in kafr naha (aleppo western countryside)
9:24 AM

resistance fighters liberated a military building in khan al-asal & killed all assad troops who were there
9:27 AM

https://twitter.com/AmalHanano

Assad forces has executed an 80 years old man, Omar Najjar, in Babila today. Damascus
9:59 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint (al-shuqair) on damascus - daraa motorway & killed assad troops
1:23 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint & a tank & killed many assad troops near port said square in damascus
1:25 AM

resistance fighters have besieged the infantry school in aleppo countryside. they want assad's troops to defect & surrender
3:09 AM

5 hours ago: resistance fighters shot down a warplane in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
10:16 AM

from al-farouq brigades: 6 troops defect to resistance fighters http://youtu.be/7u8FDF5cP9E
10:28 AM

https://twitter.com/DSyrer

After a long absence, Ibrahimi comes up with a "transition plan" that ... wait for it ... includes Assad in power.
11:05 AM

https://twitter.com/Doranimated

Brahimi's plan is sinister b/c it allows Assad to manage a transition, thus legitimating regime maintenance.
11:27 AM

https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay

"Brahimi wants to persuade president Morsi to pressure the Syrian MB to accept his plan." http://bit.ly/YcSEtE (Fr.)
11:50 AM

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...cc9_story.html

Syrian rebels at cross purposes

The Syrian opposition took a big step forward this month by forming a broad political coalition that includes local activists who started the revolution. But the opposition’s military command is still a mess, and until it’s fixed, jihadist extremists will keep getting more powerful.

Talking with some of the Free Syrian Army activists who arranged my trip into Syria, I’ve heard examples of the chaos caused by bypassing the military council (MC) structure. Maj. Mohammed Ali and Maj. Maher Noaimi, two rebel commanders from Hama, are said to be receiving money directly from gulf nations. “Ali and Noaimi are still serving as middlemen for all sorts of folks, and they’re working outside the MCs,” complained one report last month to the State Department about the confused funding.

Another example is Sheik Adnan Mohammed al-Aroor, an extremist cleric from Hama who receives money from Saudi Arabia and appears often on Arab television. He is said to have undercut the military councils’ coordination in northern Syria. The United States have urged the Saudis to cut support for Aroor, but activists say that his followers remain potent on the ground.

A third example of confusion cited by rebel sources is the Farouk battalion, originally from Homs, which controls major northern border crossings into Syria. This group is said to have especially strong support from Turkey that allows it to operate outside the military council structure.

Most dangerous of all is the continuing growth of extremist Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-linked group that receives funding from wealthy individuals in the gulf. One example of the destructive, sectarian role played by Jabhat al-Nusra is that its fighters are said to have attacked Kurdish rebels recently in Ras al-Ain, in northeastern Syria. The extremist group’s influence is also growing because its fighters, eager for martyrdom, are the toughest.

The United States plans to step up its work with key opposition backers — such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and France — to build a stronger command structure. U.S. officials applaud the efforts of several military council commanders who have tried to foster unity, such as Col. Abdul-Jabbar Akidi in Aleppo, Col. Afif Suleiman in Idlib and Gen. Ziad al-Fahd and Col. Khalid Alhoubos in Damascus.

One key role for these councils is to broaden the opposition beyond its Sunni jihadist roots. Akidi, for example, is said to have twice met recently with a Syrian Christian bishop in Aleppo to assure Christians that they will be safe if the opposition wins. “If this is the future, we can work with it,” the bishop reportedly said afterward.

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationa...upporters#full

After Assad falls, Syrians will have to forgive his supporters

The derogatory dichotomy of for or against only serves Al Assad's existential narrative, and protracts the conflict at the expense of Syrian blood. Since supporters of Al Assad will continue to sustain their repulsion of the uprising and the refutation of its morality, the onus is on the various elements of the opposition to look towards the future, including both their supporters and those who remain loyal to the regime.

The physical, emotional and ethical scars of the conflict are disastrous and extensive. There must not be a postponement until the day after Al Assad to work on restructuring our souls or homes.

It is no longer a discourse of merely disassembling the Syrian National Council or forming a new opposition coalition. It is no longer the plethora of meetings, or dealing with Syria as an expensive business and the Syrians as mere figures.

It is the realisation of Syrians that they must jettison the antagonism of these past months and instead build on the similarities.

We, as Syrians, are the ones who must hold ourselves accountable. We have to realise that if we don't own our decisions of today, we will never own them in a new free Syria.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed 2 military copters in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah (marj al-sultan airport)
2:08 PM

resistance fighters killed many assad troops in the western area of al-qadam neighborhood in damascus city
2:12 PM

resistance fighters have liberated marj al-sultan airport in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
2:15 PM

resistance fighters killed all assad troops who were in marj al-sultan airport in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
2:17 PM

resistance fighters seized a t72 tank in marj al-sultan airport in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
2:18 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters say they arrested 15 assad troops near marj al-sultan airport in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
2:20 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the radar brigade base near marj al-sultan airport in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
2:22 PM

ahrar al-sham brigades have liberated the second icarda military checkpoint on aleppo - damascus motorway
2:51 PM

resistance fighters say they destroyed the last military checkpoint on al-raqqah - deirezzor road
3:17 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

the 'mayor' of tal bark (al-hasakah) has defected
3:40 PM

brigadier general ibrahim ahmad (chief of south al-hasakah) has defected
3:42 PM

fayez al-kati` (chief of the palace of justice in al-hasakah) had defected
3:44 PM

resistance fighters say they arrested +45 military officers & troops in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah & destroyed 2 tanks & 2 trucks
3:55 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

It is 6 Celsius in Idlib Syria right now...and 100s of thousands are sleeping out in the cold...with no homes or means for warmth.
3:47 PM

the city itself is under FSA control [Maret Al-Nouman]. There are currently 2 main battlefronts. One to the south as soldiers at Hamdiyeh Checkpoint attempt to enter the city. And one to the east at Wadi Aldayf.
4:07 PM

They could have won weeks ago but there were some internal issues. Several FSA units are now heading there to join the fight...hopefully they can take it soon. 46th regiment in Aleppo took much longer...but its worth it in the end.
4:19 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

So cold now in N. Syria and no heat sources. At least we have a shelter but there are hundreds of families displaced and homeless right now.
3:54 PM

Do you notice the recent fall in death toll? This is mainly because everything is going well on most fronts and Assad losing control fast.
3:55 PM

Good progress in Damascus recently, better than other places in the country. This is due to a lot of work on unifying the units there
4:12 PM

Damascus is where they started, so its the largest area of presence for them. They like quality of soldiers more than quantity. So their numbers are much smaller than the main groups like DAMC, DRMC & Ansar al-Islam. They mainly use AK & RPG and DIY bomb. Jabhat al-Nusra. Many people like them both in Aleppo and Damascus. They are honest and do many large attacks. They don't aim to disregard civilian life, even when entering the Damascus Army HQ they didn't kill the civilian workers in it. While many people support their actions, most do not support their Salafi ideas.

Very interesting.
Maybe the first defense of Nusra I've seen and from a pretty respectable activist.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

11 officers & troops have defected from the infantry school in aleppo countryside
4:15 PM

resistance fighters have liberated a military station between al-nakhlah & nasib in south
4:52 PM

resistance fighters attacked a military checkpoint in al-ziyarah (hama western countryside) & destroyed a tank & a bmp vehicle
5:11 PM

resistance fighters entered the 4th brigade (near the jordanian border), killed a major & arrested assad troops
5:23 PM

resistance fighters destroyed 2 military boats near teshrin dam (aleppo eastern countryside). Resistance fighters have entered a military compound near teshrin dam (aleppo eastern countryside). heavy clashes continue
7:01 PM

https://twitter.com/LordAldiery

Latest statistic shows that the FSA in Syria has downed 97 Assad helicopters and MiGs. A few more stingers would amplify that number.
7:40 PM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

4 field hospitals needed urgently in Damas suburbs, hoping to cover 1 tmrw at our event here, if any1 wants to sponsor 1 let me know.
7:44 PM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

269 x'd last nite 2 jordan, fleeing renewed violence in Daara. Youngest only 24 days, oldest 79. Several disabled, incl. whlchair.
10:33 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Saraqib Idlib now has revolutionary police officers...directing traffic...getting things done! pic.twitter.com/8n1tsJqp
11:26 PM

The FSA has reached the Abbasiyeen square in Damascus! This is HUGE!!!
10:48 PM

Next Step: Take down the military bases on Qasiyoon. Damascus
10:54 PM

There isn't much strategic importance to the Abbasiyeen square...but the fact that they got there gives hope! Damascus
10:58 PM

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

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The LCC was able to document 82 martyrs by the end of Saturday; this number includes 2 women and 4 chidlren. 35 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 18 in Aleppo; 12 in Homs; 7 in Idlib; 4 in Hama; 4 in Daraa; and 2 in Deir Ezzor
6:13 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
39,871 people killed so far in Syria