Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/s...f-assad-leaves

Syria's opposition coalition may allow peacekeepers if Assad leaves

CAIRO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Syria's newly formed opposition coalition said on Saturday it may allow an international peacekeeping force into Syria if President Bashar al-Assad and his allies leave power.

Coalition spokesman Walid al-Bunni, asked about statements by U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi that any ceasefire would only hold if it was overseen by a peacekeeping mission, said the opposition could accept such a deployment if Assad leaves power first.

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

British doctor 'detained in Syria'

Syrian opposition activists said they believe Dr Abbas Khan is 31 years old and works as an orthopaedic specialist at an NHS hospital in south London.

He is said to have entered the country from Turkey, without a visa, on Nov 14 and worked at a field hospital in rebel-controlled Saraqeb, south-east of Idlib. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has connections to opposition groups inside the country, said it was told that Dr Khan was arrested with one or more other people at a government checkpoint on the way to Aleppo on Nov 22.

"He was not an armed combatant or a jihadist, he was only helping people," said a spokesman.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/op...sis.html?_r=1&

Measured Approach to the Syrian Crisis

Syrian rebels are making headway against President Bashar al-Assad. In recent weeks, they have seized several military bases and shot down military aircraft, reportedly with shoulder-fired missiles, but there is no end in sight to the war. More than 40,000 Syrians have been killed, 2.5 million are now displaced and more than 600,000 are refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.

Mr. Assad’s bloody rule must end. Still, neither NATO, the Arab League nor the United Nations Security Council have called for military action. And President Obama’s caution is certainly the right approach. But it is necessary to look for ways to raise the pressure on Mr. Assad and encourage a stable postwar Syria.

One way to do that is for NATO to approve next week the deployment of surface-to-air Patriot missiles in Turkey, which requested the weapons. Syria is believed to have several hundred ballistic surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads. Turkey is alarmed by Syrian bombing raids near its border and has reason to fear the conflict could spill over. NATO says the Patriot missiles are strictly defensive. Stationing missile batteries in Turkey should limit Syrian bombing of the northern border towns, where the rebels hold territory.

The administration is also working with a new opposition coalition to represent all Syrians and establish a transitional government to take over once Mr. Assad is gone. The original opposition group failed because it was divided, incapable of making decisions and unable to persuade Syrians that they were a viable alternative. Since it was founded a month ago, the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces has made progress but not enough. Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council have recognized the group as Syria’s legitimate representative, but Washington is right to hold off until it sees more results, perhaps by an international meeting in Morocco on Dec. 12.

https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2

Yesterday I talked to a FSA member who participated in battle for Regiment 46, He said they captured 16 tanks, many missiles
2:46 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated the military security compound in aqraba (damascus countryside)
5:26 AM

a colonel has defected from taftanaz military airport. details later
5:30 AM

resistance fighters have liberated the radio station in deirezzor city
5:31 AM

resistance fighters have liberated regiment 35 near damascus airport road. +80 military officers & troops were killed
7:02 AM

update: resistance fighters destroyed 3 military tanks near aqraba road crossing
8:06 AM

https://twitter.com/deborahamos

Getting water at the camp outside Atma - northern Syria. Can hear Air strikes every half hour further south. pic.twitter.com/EQpwneYk
9:23 AM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

Breaking: The internet is partially BACK in Syria
9:46 AM

https://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY

BREAKING: Military aircraft brought down by FSA militants 2kms from Damascus International Airport as clashes continue on airport rd
5:25 AM

What's frustrating is rumours of travellers using Damascus airport to depart or arrive in general, there is no airport activity full stop
10:53 AM

Heavy shelling has continued for the past 2 hours just by Busra of the city of Daraa regime ground forces are said to be closing in Syria
11:03 AM

UPDATE: some areas in Aleppo still witnessing blackout of telecommunications including cellular and Adsl lines
11:21 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

2 buildings were destroyed in al-hajar al-aswad neighborhood in damascus. 2 children were killed & many injured
10:45 AM

an assad warplane has bombed ashrafiyat sahnaya (damascus countryside). 10s of (druze) people were killed
10:51 AM

ahrar al-sham brigades say they attacked a military convoy & killed 35 assad troops near the town of mahmbel in idlib
10:54 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a mig warplane & a military copter in deirezzor airport
10:59 AM

resistance fighters shot down a warplane in hama countryside
11:03 AM

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated an important area (the free zone) near the infantry school in aleppo countryside
11:12 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a radar & an artillery in hujairah base (al-safirah countryside, aleppo) & killed troops & thugs
11:16 AM

4-5 hours ago, resistance fighters destroyed a military tank near bustan al-basha neighborhood in aleppo city
11:22 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint (sharkas) in al-qusayr (homs)
11:42 AM

https://twitter.com/OmarShakir91

five mig, 2 helicopter have been destroyed by FSA
12:46 PM

FSA took control of the military regiment No. 35 near Damascus national airport confirmd
12:50 PM

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

Unconfirmed reports of Syria regime officials left Damascus for Moscow.
12:59 PM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

More rumors and unconfirmed reports floating around that a “senior regime official” has left Syria to Moscow.
1:03 PM

Notice how the flight went all the way around Turkey instead of straight through. Wimps. http://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/rb441/
2:06 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

The FSA in MaaratAlNouman Idlib shot down a MiG today during clashes at Wadi Aldayf! The MiG fell in northern Hama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLNJrT5HuCU …
1:28 PM

Syrian activists in Rihanlyi in Turkey are reporting that 5 regime shells fell on Turkish land and there is a state of panic there now.
1:39 PM

A friend in Riyhanli is saying this. Apparently police surrounded the area preventing people from getting close to the site.
1:42 PM

The activist said it hit a bakery. Other activists are denying. Its all chaos apparently and people are confused.
1:46 PM

Reports that there are injured in Rihanyi, Turkey after regime shells fell in the area. Ambulances transporting the injured to hospitals.
2:05 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Three Syrian shells land in border villages of Turkey's Hatay while one bomb fell near a camp where Syrian defected army officers stay.
1:46 PM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8B003E20121201

Syrian opposition edges toward appointing transition PM

Syria's new opposition coalition edged closer on Friday toward choosing a prime minister to lead a transitional government after three days of talks in Cairo that furthered the dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Former Prime Minister Riad Hijab, a longtime apparatchik in President Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party before he defected in August, is the strongest candidate for the job, delegates said.

Hijab, who is backed by Jordan and Gulf states, is likely to be chosen before or during a gathering in mid-December of the Friends of Syria, according to coalition insiders.

Members of the new government cannot be members of the coalition, which numbers 60.

"I think Hijab has the best chance. He has taken big risks to defect and has since come across as a balanced and composed choice," said coalition member Munther Bakhos, a veteran opposition figure forced to flee Syria during the 1970s, as bloody repression by Assad's father, late President Hafez al-Assad, intensified, eventually killing many thousands.

Under internal coalition rules reached late into the night, the prime minister will be elected by a simple majority in the coalition, in which the Brotherhood and its allies have more than 50 percent of the seats

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

Flow of Arms to Syria Through Iraq Persists, to U.S. Dismay

The American effort to stem the flow of Iranian arms to Syria has faltered because of Iraq’s reluctance to inspect aircraft carrying the weapons through its airspace, American officials say.

The shipments have persisted at a critical time for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who has come under increasing military pressure from rebel fighters. The air corridor over Iraq has emerged as a main supply route for weapons, including rockets, antitank missiles, rocket-propelled grenade and mortars.

Iran has an enormous stake in Syria, which is its staunchest Arab ally and has also provided a channel for Iran’s support to the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah.

To the disappointment of the Obama administration, American efforts to persuade the Iraqis to randomly inspect the flights have been largely unsuccessful.

Adding to American concerns, Western intelligence officials say they are picking up new signs of activity at sites in Syria that are used to store chemical weapons. The officials are uncertain whether Syrian forces might be preparing to use the weapons in a last-ditch effort to save the government, or simply sending a warning to the West about the implications of providing more help to the Syrian rebels.

“It’s in some ways similar to what they’ve done before,” a senior American official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. “But they’re doing some things that suggest they intend to use the weapons. It’s not just moving stuff around. These are different kind of activities.”

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

In a Jordan camp, outsiders seek Syrian brides

ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan — Between bitter fall weather and unceasing war at home, Syrian refugees at this northern desert tent camp have enough problems. But fathers like Abu Yousef say they must also contend with something else: older Arab men in search of Syrian brides.

“Of course I would rather her marry a Syrian, someone from our community, but what can we do?” Abu Yousef said of his daughter, whose husband was killed in the Syrian uprising. Although he at first rejected the idea, Abu Yousef said he had consented to an arrangement proposed by a 55-year-old retired Saudi engineer as an opportunity to provide for his widowed daughter, 27, and her three children.

Because most of the hundreds of Syrians who cross into Jordan each day arrive with little more than the clothes on their backs, relief officials and refugees said, offers that include dowries of as much as $5,000 can be hard to resist.

Proponents of the unions said they provide a humanitarian service to the more than 360,000 Syrians displaced throughout the region, often by arranging marriages for Syrian widows who would otherwise struggle to care for their families.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...iref=allsearch

Added On November 30, 2012

Arwa Damon reports on the Aleppo "lottery" and how civilians struggle against the odds in one ravaged neighborhood.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...iref=allsearch

December 2, 2012

Children swarm local volunteers as they literally scrape the bottom of pots for some kind of food. Arwa Damon reports.

https://twitter.com/arwaCNN

woman we met close 2 frontline in aleppo says "we look at bread w/desperation of a drug addict. if we have breakfast we cant have dinner"
9:44 AM Dec 1

11yo boy from neighborhood close 2 frontline pulls my sleeve and asks "auntie, auntie, can you bring the power back please"? aleppo
9:46 AM Dec 1

activist in aleppo just said "i am not worried about the physical destruction, i am worried about the destruction of people's souls"
10:22 AM Dec 1

the second cell phone coverage came back 3 of the activists we are with called their wives, they hadnt spoken 2 them in 7 days
10:59 AM Dec 1

https://twitter.com/OmarShakir91

Idib MarrtNouman FSA shot down warplane "MIG" in countryside of city
4:57 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed sharkas military checkpoint in al-qusayr city, killed +16 assad troops & arrested 9.
5:58 PM Dec 1

a report says resistance fighters have shot down a warplane near the infantry school in aleppo countryside
6:50 PM Dec 1

resistance fighters have liberated al-diyabiyah military checkpoint (al-qusayr, homs)
6:55 PM Dec 1

heavy clashes are going on in al-jabilah neighborhood in deirezzor city. a warplane is bombing the city
4:50 AM

from al-fateh brigade: liberation of a military compound in aleppo countryside http://youtu.be/IbwWHP3MVMY
5:28 AM

https://twitter.com/arwaCNN

meeting so many families close 2 various frontlines in aleppo who had 2 return 2 their homes despite the risk bc winter & ran out of monry
5:55 AM

"we know freedom has a price but how long can we keep paying?" 28yro mother of three living in sakhour, right next 2 a frontline
5:56 AM

woman whispers to me "sometimes i wish i was dead rather than live like this". aleppo
5:57 AM

just about every single person i have met in syria has one main Q: "why is the world mute? how many of us need 2 die?"
6:09 AM

http://www.lccsyria.org/10584

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

By the end of Saturday the LCC managed to document 165[6] martyrs (including 9 children and 6 women), 60 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (most of them in Theyabiya in Damascus Suburbs), 38 martyrs in Aleppo, 21 martyrs in Idlib (most of them in Teftenaz), 13 martyrs in Daraa, 15 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 8 martyrs in Raqqa (due to explosion), 8 martyrs in Homs and 3 martyrs in Hama

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
40,849 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

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

about 2 hours ago
Free Syrian Army officers meet at Marat al-Numan near the northern province of Idlib.
[Source: Reuters]

about 2 hours ago
Photo: Syrian-Kurdish women and members of an armed opposition group fighting against the Syrian government.

Members of the Popular Protection Units (YPG) stand guard during the funeral of a comrade in the northern Syrian border village of al-Qamishli [AFP]

about 2 hours ago
Several shells fired from Syria hit a Turkish border town late on Saturday but caused no casualties, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

The shells landed near the Reyhanli town in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border amid clashes between troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebel forces in Syria's Bab al-Hawa border post with Turkey, Anatolia said Sunday.
It was not immediately clear whether Turkish border units struck back at Syria after the incident.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...ntre-homs-city

Two deadly car bomb explosions rock upscale neighbourhood in the centre of Homs city

Two car bomb explosions in the central city of Homs have left at least 15 people killed and scores of others injured, state TV and medics reported.

Sundays's blasts occured at al-Malaab neighbourhood, an upscale government controlled-area in the centre of Homs.

Security forces surrounded the area and state-sponsored television arrived to film at the scene.

Al-Malaab neighbourhood, which contains many cafes and restaurents, has seen frequent anti-government protests and ensuing crackdown by security forces. It was also hit by deadly stray mortar rounds on several occasions since the uprising in the country began.

It currently houses hundreds of displaced people who fled their homes in the violence-hit areas of the city.

https://twitter.com/DSyrer

Protest in Raqqa city chanting "The Syrian Army is a traitor!", "Long live the FSA!" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyizKGyJfqo
7:13 AM

Many protests & strikes in Raqqa during past 2-3 days. Anger against regime rising after army & security forces respond with brutal force.
7:17 AM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

I am in Syria now. Many phones still off. Difficult to communicate. But will do my best to tweet regularly.
6:50 AM

wherever u look in Northern Syria, u see refugees. Here 2 refugee kids from Aleppo living in tent camp close 2 Azaz: pic.twitter.com/6Dsr51Q1
7:41 AM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

Almalab massacre: Eyewitnesses to the attack said people began chanting against the regime forces & regime TV crew to push them away.
7:59 AM

This disgusting tactic being used by regime forces across Syria now, detonating cars, will break society even more. So sad.
8:00 AM

What's worse than homs explosion is the way regime TV crew run excitedly to the scene and begin covering it..to hell with the injuries+dead
8:08 AM

This is 1 of the few safe areas left in Homs to take care of displaced, this is what happened today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWb9B...ature=youtu.be
8:09 AM

Will start sharing videos. So awful & sad. The already broken Homs, destroyed further. Bodies lie everywhere:
8:17 AM

https://twitter.com/BigAlBrand

I was few blocks away from the street where the bomb exploded (car bomb). One of the martyrs was a friend of my cousin.
8:45 AM

I am 100% certain that regime's security forces are behind the bomb as I know that area well. No car gets in without being checked by them.
8:47 AM

The targeted area has no FSA and many refugees live there. Security barriers surround it completely and the car-bomb went off near a mosque.
8:50 AM

I didn't break my twitter absence when I was dragged by security forces at gunpoint two weeks ago, but now they're bombing near me.
8:53 AM

I NEVER LEFT HOMS, AND I NEVER WILL. I LIVE OR DIE HERE.
9:19 AM

https://twitter.com/Homsae

Malaab car explosions went off right as kids went off to school. Boy wearing backpack helps with relief effort https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2yt...e_gdata_player
9:08 AM

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...-deterioration

Egypt Air will resume flights to Damascus and Aleppo airports after halt due to a deterioration in security situation

EgyptAir will resume flights to Damascus and Aleppo airports on Monday after a three-day halt due to a deterioration in the security situation, the head of EgyptAir said on Sunday.

"The decision comes after coordination with the Egyptian embassy in Damascus and the EgyptAir office in Syria and making sure the security conditions are stable at the moment in Syria, especially on the roads leading to Damascus and Aleppo airports," Roshdy Zakaria in a statement.

https://twitter.com/RafifJ

If you're considering end-of-year giving options, please consider Smile4Christmas at http://www.free-syria-foundation.org.
9:30 AM

https://twitter.com/BigAlBrand

My house is shaking right now as heavy nearby shelling is back. What a week!
10:31 AM

Now my mom don't want me to leave the house even to buy bread. The car bomb today was not far away from the bakery I always go to.
10:36 AM

I'll get going now. I'll tweet when there's something big happening only. Hoping for good news. Bye
10:43 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed an armored vehicle & 2 buses carrying assad troops on damascus airport road
10:35 AM

assad's rocket launchers are intensely bombing south damascus. many people were injured. many houses were destroyed
10:40 AM

fierce fighting is going on in al-raqqah city center
10:42 AM

assad's troops in al-hamidiyah base fired rockets on farkya (jabal al-zawiyah, idlib). +6 people were killed. +15 were injured
10:47 AM

heavy clashes are going on near the town of ariha (idlib). bombardment continues
10:49 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

assad's troops have entered the town of mahmbel (idlib). many homes were burned
10:51 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank in ma`arrat al-nu`man http://youtu.be/jkk4kolq6F0
10:53 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint & 2 tanks in the town of aqrab (hama). many assad troops were killed
10:59 AM

resistance fighters shot down a military copter near al-mazzeh military airport (damascus)
11:01 AM

resistance fighters blew up a military tank in kafr soseh countryside (farms)
11:04 AM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

My passport stamped by FSA at Bab El Salemeh crossing. Its a brand new stamp that reads 'New Syria'. pic.twitter.com/tuQ4WH7O
7:06 AM

I arrived in Aleppo. Columns of smoke in the horizon. Still some people in street. I guess they are just used to it by now.
9:52 AM

We are staying in a place in Aleppo without electricity or water. Also no phone network. And I just heard an explosion.
10:17 AM

A refugee boy in aleppo just came up to us & asked if we have extra bread. His family is hungry. They sometimes sleep without food.
11:31 AM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

CALL everyone you know in SNC, NC, LCC, RedCross, AI & other orgs, asking them to act asap to help the hungry kids in Aleppo.
11:38 AM

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters captured a brigadier general in daraa http://youtu.be/0C4ElTJkLAY
11:37 AM

resistance fighters say they shot down a warplane in aqraba (damascus countryside)
11:28 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a military tank near bustan al-basha neighborhood in aleppo city
11:59 AM

resistance fighters have liberated a military checkpoint (azouz) in the southern countryside of aleppo
11:57 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters captured a brigadier general in qatana
12:49 PM

houla: resistance fighters seized an armored vehicle http://youtu.be/QYmC6gDp52w
1:59 PM

2 colonels & a major have defected in al-raqqah
2:34 PM

resistance fighters say they liberated a military compound & destroyed 5 military cars in the eastern countryside of al-raqqah
2:39 PM

+20 troops have defected in daraa (nawa)
2:47 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

At least 6 martyrs in firkaya, Jabal Alzawiyah, Idlib due to shelling. All 6 are either children or women. Number expected to rise.
12:10 PM

FSA battalion led by a woman https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=Gv-rOVjSiwg …
4:36 PM

https://twitter.com/OmarShakir91

FSA commender: our politic in Damascus doesn't depend on controlling a piece of ground in damascus, we are middle of street war
6:51 PM

FSA commander: we don't have and we are not planning to take control of the national airport of damascus it's enough that we stop it
6:54 PM

FSA commander: Assad forces are using this airport to bring more weapons to kill civiliansin Syria and thats why we have to stop it
6:57 PM

FSA commander: we are surrounding Damascus international airport for the seven day, and today we cut the airport electricity off
7:16 PM

FSA commander: Assad army using all possible power to hold Damascus airport ,but he's losing tons of his soldiers every day
7:22 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

Another bloody day lived in Syria as LCC Syria could document 202[199] martyrs by the end of Sunday. 82 in Damascus and suburbs, 42 in Aleppo, 29 in Homs most of them in Houla and the explosion of Almal'ab neighborhood, 13 in Deir Ezzor, 13 in Hama, 10 in Idlib, 8 in Raqqa, and a martyr in each [1] Qunaitra and [1] Daraa
6:31 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
41,048 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetai...?newsId=300016

Lebanese troops exchange fire with Syrian opposition fighters

Lebanon's state news agency says Lebanese soldiers have exchanged fire across the border with rebels in neighboring Syria.

The state-run National News Agency said late Sunday that Lebanese soldiers stationed near the village of Qaa in the Bekaa Valley returned fire into Syria after "armed men" shot at them from across the frontier.

The agency quoted a statement from the Lebanese army that said the exchange of fire took place Saturday and that there were no casualties.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters blew up a big military checkpoint (souq al-baqar) near al-ramousah motorway in aleppo
3:09 PM

ahrar al-sham brigades say they are attacking a military compound in a school near the town of aqrab
3:54 PM

heavy clashes continue in al-jabilah & al-muwazzafin neighborhoods in deirezzor city. assad's artilleries are bombing the city
11:27 PM

this is about the liberation of the radio & tv compound in deirezzor city http://youtu.be/DKBmiq2NR3A
11:37 PM

resistance fighters have destroyed a tank in khan al-asal in aleppo countryside. heavy clashes continue
3:26 AM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

Another 311 cold & traumatized refugees made it 2 jo last nite. Oldest 80 yrs. temp almost freezing 1 cel. Several disabled injured
11:26 PM

https://twitter.com/RafifJ

So proud and honored that @MARYAMALKHAWAJA joined our Strike4Syria protest today at the White House.
11:38 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

At least five mortar shells hit southern Turkish territory in Hatay last night. Total seven hit Turkey in the past two days.
1:11 AM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

Morning from aleppo. We slept on floor last night. It was freezing. No electricity. Now no water to wash/ toilet. How do these pple manage?
1:19 AM

We woke up 4 times at night due to large explosions. And heavy fighting in area. Pitch dark. Scary night.
1:20 AM

Luckily shells didn't fall close to apartment where we stay in aleppo. Also planes didn't bomb neighborhood. So it could have been worse.
1:23 AM

I keep on staring at people's faces in aleppo. Some look like ghosts. Tired, old, pale, scared... It's unexplainable.
2:14 AM

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

Putin to Istanbul to push 4 his plan: Assad hands presidency 2 Sharaa, current Def. Min 2 lead army & FSA. NC alrdy categorically refused.
3:12 AM

Btw, this is confirmed news: Russia is offering to help push the plan I previously tweeted about, Assad hands to Sharaa. But NC refused.
3:22 AM

Assuming that Russia or Assad have any intention of going through with such a transition. So far Russia and Syria have constantly rejected any plan that starts with Assad leaving power.
And have only held out the idea of him perhaps being voted out in 2014.


https://twitter.com/IvanCNN

Chaos at Turkish border after Syrian jets bomb RasAlAin. Turkish witness:There are people w/arms & legs missing coming across in ambulances
3:54 AM

.@lynseyaddario on airstrike in Ceylanpinar: Civilians are going nuts. They're all crying. They're running across border and its really sad
3:56 AM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8B21C320121203

Obama warns Syria's Assad against use of chemical weapons

President Barack Obama issued a warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday not to use chemical weapons against Syrian opposition forces, saying there would be consequences if he were to do so.

"I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: The world is watching," Obama said in a speech to a gathering of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons proliferation experts.

"The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable," Obama said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8AJ1FK20121203

Syrian spokesman flees country, diplomat says

A Syrian foreign ministry spokesman, who was the most public face of Bashar al-Assad's government as it battled a 20-month-old uprising, has fled the country, a diplomat in the region said on Monday.

Jihad al-Makdissi, who is in his 40s, previously worked at the Syrian embassy in London and returned to Damascus a year ago to serve as spokesman for the ministry, defending the government's crackdown on the revolt against Assad's rule.

He had little influence in a system largely run by the security apparatus and the military. But Assad's opponents will see the loss of such a high profile figure, if confirmed, as further evidence of a system crumbling from within.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...iref=allsearch

Dec 2, 2012 02:23

Residents of Aleppo, Syria, find themselves on the front lines of a bloody battle for a vital road to the city's airport.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

an assad warplane has bombed the town of ras al-ain in al-hasakah. +9 people were killed
4:42 AM

resistance fighters liberated a military compound in khan al-asal (aleppo countryside)
8:34 AM

resistance fighters are bombing deirezzor military airport
8:36 AM

resistance fighters have besieged a military checkpoint between mahmbel & basanqoul & seized a tank & 2 bmp vehicles
8:48 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have destroyed a military compound in kabajib (deirezzor countryside). a video later
9:15 AM

resistance fighters killed 10 assad troops & destroyed a military tank in bustan al-basha in aleppo city
9:22 AM

resistance fighters have liberated basnaqoul military checkpoint in idlib countryside
1:55 PM

10 troops have defected from a military checkpoint (al-salam) in khan shaykhoun in idlib
1:57 PM

resistance fighters shot down a warplane in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
2:10 PM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

Awkward moment when Assad regime says it "sacked" Jihad Makdisi but regime TV anchor Rafiq Lutf writes his anger @ Jihad "defecting"
2:31 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

reports say syria's consul in egypt fidaa al-amoud has defected
2:02 PM

reports say colonel ziad hamad al-bidaiwi (ministry of the interior) has defected
2:13 PM

resistance fighters seized 2 tanks & machine guns in the western countryside of deirezzor syria
3:40 PM

resistance fighters attacked a military compound in the town of tafas. 7 officers & +45 troops were killed. resistance fighters destroyed a tank & 3 bmp vehicles & seized weapons & ammunition in the town of tafas in daraa
3:50 PM

resistance fighters say they killed assad troops & destroyed 3 tanks in sidi miqdad (damascus countryside)
5:10 PM

https://twitter.com/T_Aldiery

Ive been told that my cousin Muhammad Shaybar,frm Ibleen has been killed in the Ma'sara battle in Mhambel, Idlib.
1:01 PM

Scenes from the fighting in the DeirEzzor military airport. The FSA bombard the premises. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=fgvCFKXolN8 …
6:33 PM

The FSA's intelligence units have secured the names of the 13 pilots currently being besieged in DeirEzzor airport. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater
7:05 PM

Jihad Makdisi's defection is nice, but remember, he's not part of the old guard inner circle. He's just a poster boy
7:11 PM

Regardless of what it is, Makdisi isn't a ring leader in this war. Neither is Waleed Mualem.
7:23 PM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

FSA Has taken 13 MIG fighters down within the last 2 days.
7:47 PM

All downed MIGs are documented, with exact date & time & sometimes we know who took each one by name.
7:53 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees of Syria: By the end of Monday

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 239 martyr, among them 10 children, 8 women, 116 martyr in Damascus and its suburbs (including 40 in Zayabieh Massacre), 41 in Aleppo, 18 in Daraa (including 10 in Tafas), 17 martyr in Hama, 13 in Idlib, 12 in Homs, 10 in Hassakeh, 10 in Deir Ezzor, and 2 in Lattakia
6:33 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
41,287 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/wo...obal&seid=auto

Assad Suffering Reversals in Fighting and Diplomacy

Fierce fighting on the battlefield and setbacks on the diplomatic front increased pressure on the embattled Syrian government on Monday as fresh signs emerged of a worsening battle for control of the capital.

A senior Turkish official said that Russia had agreed on Monday to a new diplomatic approach that would seek ways to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish power, a possible weakening in Russia’s steadfast support for the government. Fighting raged around Damascus, the Syrian capital, and its airport, disrupting commercial flights for a fourth straight day.

The United Nations said it was withdrawing nonessential international staff from Syria, and the European Union said it was reducing activities in Damascus “to a minimum,” as security forces pummeled the suburbs with artillery and airstrikes in a struggle to seal off the city from its restive outskirts and control the airport road. A senior Russian official spoke for the first time in detail about the possibility of evacuating Russian citizens.

A Russian political analyst with contacts at the Foreign Ministry said that “people sent by the Russian leadership” who had contact with Mr. Assad two weeks ago described a man who has lost all hope of victory or escape.

“His mood is that he will be killed anyway,” Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of a Russian foreign affairs journal and the head of an influential policy group, said in an interview in Moscow, adding that only an “extremely bold” diplomatic proposal could possibly convince Mr. Assad that he could leave power and survive.

“If he will try to go, to leave, to exit, he will be killed by his own people,” Mr. Lukyanov said, speculating that security forces dominated by Mr. Assad’s minority Alawite sect would not let him depart and leave them to face revenge. “If he stays, he will be killed by his opponents. He is in a trap. It is not about Russia or anybody else. It is about his physical survival.”

http://m.voanews.com/english/rss.jsp...l&cid=25228001

In Jordan, Syrian Refugees Await Assad's Fall

In a makeshift kitchen between refugee tents in Jordan, members of an extended family try to recreate some semblance of the life they left in Syria, before war tore apart their homeland. They are among more than 200,000 Syrians in Jordan waiting for the conflict to end.

Several women pat out dough for bread and cook it over an open fire. Om Ahmed, who cares for several children in the group, recalls their last days at home in el Sawra, in southern Syria.

”It was very bad," she says. "They were hitting us with rockets and tanks and mortar shells.”

They tried to find a haven in towns nearby, but were forced to cross the border, settling at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. At the camp's playground, children have a place to run in safety, away from the bombing and firefights which have claimed an estimated 40,000 lives since early last year.

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/...e=wessnmis1010

Fears Grow for Syrian Children and Families Struggling to Survive Bitter Winter, as Massive Funding Gap Threatens Aid Response, Save the Children Warns

Fears are growing for Syrian children and families hit by freezing winter weather as huge funding shortages endanger relief operations in the region, Save the Children has warned.

A new report published by the aid agency, Out in the Cold, documents the desperate steps that children in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan are taking to survive increasingly bitter weather in the region, with snow and sub-zero temperatures expected to hit many areas in the coming weeks. The current aid shortfall is over $200 million — half the total estimated needs — for Syrian refugees, hindering relief efforts and putting families at risk. Read the report.

Among the heart-rending testimonies given to Save the Children are children huddling three to a blanket, sleeping in makeshift shelters made of billboards and falling sick as temperatures plunge in the region.

"The heartbreaking stories we're hearing from Syrian refugees as winter approaches underline the fact that this crisis is rapidly deteriorating. Every day new refugees are arriving, but the funding required to give them the help they need is simply not there," said Save the Children International's Chief Executive, Jasmine Whitbread.

"The international community needs to match its diplomatic and security concerns with funding to help children. Unless there is a surge in funding, thousands of children are going to spend a bitter winter without proper shelter from the cold, and many will become sick as a result."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8N3JCZ20121203

NATO to agree to send Patriots to Turkey -diplomats

NATO foreign ministers will agree on Tuesday to send Patriot missiles to beef up Turkey's air defences and calm Turkey's fears that it could come under missile attack, possibly with chemical weapons, from Syria, diplomats said.

Turkey last month asked NATO for Patriots, which can be used to intercept missiles and planes, after weeks of talks with allies about how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria, which is immersed in civil war.

Foreign ministers from the 28-nation alliance are expected to give their backing to the move when they meet in Brussels for a twice-yearly meeting, sending a strong signal they stand behind their ally Turkey.

https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin

BREAKING: "Me and my family in a secured place outside Syria" - Defected Syrian Foreign Ministery Jihad Makdissi
2:41 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters blew up a military checkpoint in bab al-naser in aleppo city. many assad troops were killed & injured
4:23 PM

22 troops have defected in bustan al-basha neighborhood in aleppo city
4:25 PM

assad's barbarous thugs have executed +38 people in al-dhiyabiyah (damascus countryside)
5:24 PM

ahrar al-sham brigades say they destroyed a bmp vehicle & a tank in al-zabadani
5:29 PM

https://twitter.com/And_Harper

363 more arrived 2 safety of Jo last nite. Many desperate for food. Sound of artillery in syria could be heard from Zaatri.
11:31 PM

[Renegade7]

Saw the post about Assad still fighting because he knows he can't run and make it out Syria alive. Have so much respect for this resistance and it shows how and why governments need to fear their people and not the other way around...

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8B211O20121203

Russia, Turkey agree to differ over Syria conflict

Russia and Turkey agreed to differ on Monday on strategies to end Syria's civil war, highlighting how distant the prospects of a negotiated solution to the 20-month-old conflict are.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a one-day visit to Istanbul aimed partly at ensuring differences over Syria do not damage a deepening trade and energy relationship.

"The positions of the Russian Federation and Turkey completely correspond regarding what has to be attained (in Syria), but as of yet no shared approach regarding methods of how to attain it has been reached," Putin told a joint news conference with Erdogan after the talks.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

update: resistance fighters destroyed 2 military checkpoints in daraa city (the videos are dark)
2:25 AM

resistance fighters arrested 27 assad troops in hama countryside
7:45 AM

7 military officers & troops have defected in al-tabqa (al-raqqah)
8:44 AM

shuhadaa al-haqq brigade says it destroyed 2 tanks & a bmp vehicle in al-zabadani
9:35 AM

resistance fighters destroyed another tank in al-zabadani
11:03 AM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

It's crowded in rebel held neighborhoods of aleppo. I hear frequent explosions but life goes on while ambulances pick up the pieces
6:20 AM

It's raining here in aleppo. 2 kids came up 2 me wearing slippers. No socks, no sweater, no jackets. 'we have none,' they told me.
6:41 AM

Sometimes I just can't hold my tears. Even as a journalist, you just start crying in the middle of it.
6:47 AM

Another problem of aleppo is fuel lack. Petrol pumps don't work. Guys/ children fill up bottles, stand on side of roads 2 sell it
10:28 AM

Militarily, FSA is carrying out offensives on 3 imp targets: Mennegh military airport in countryside, aleppo airport & military academy. Military academy in aleppo surrounded for days now. Operation going on around #aleppo &Mennegh airprt. Not clear if FSA can take them soon
12:18 PM

https://twitter.com/mpoppel

REU: NATO GIVES GO-AHEAD FOR DEPLOYMENT OF PATRIOT MISSILES TO TURKEY-NATO OFFICIAL
12:50 PM

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

Just got a confirmation: @makdissi defected for sure, will issue a statement "soon".
12:59 PM

[visionary]

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

Defection or escape? Syria's foreign ministry spokesman 'on way to US'

The former Syrian foreign ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, is on his way to the United States after apparently defecting, the Guardian has learned.

Makdissi, the most senior Christian official yet to abandon Bashar al-Assad's regime, was reported on Monday to have variously been sacked or defected and to have arrived back in London, where he used to serve in the Syrian embassy.

But usually reliable diplomatic sources revealed on Tuesday that he is en route for – or already in – the US after managing to leave the capital, Damascus, for Beirut. He was not in the UK, British officials insisted. In Washington, a state department spokesman said: "We are not in a position to confirm his actions or whereabouts."

Last week the CIA reportedly issued an assessment that Assad would fall within eight to 10 weeks.

http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2012/1...rime-minister/

A Syrian ‘opposition prime minister' ?

A Syrian “opposition prime minister” could be named within a few days, according to France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

Last month, France became the first European power to recognize the Syrian opposition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people, and in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Monday, Fabius said he has faith in the leadership of the group.

“If we want to get rid of Bashar al-Assad, we have to show that the alternative is reasonable, and efficient,” Fabius said. “And we’ve met this coalition. The leaders of the coalition are nice people. They are not corrupt. They are dedicated to the country. And they are more and more united, which was and is an absolute necessity.”

https://twitter.com/arwaCNN

people we meet continue 2 amaze me...18yro highschool student says she cldnt pick up gun 2 fight so she's working @ field clinic aleppo
3:38 PM

18yro girl 1st aid @ field clinic says 1st she was scared "but smth inside me tell me i have 2 keep on, & w/time i got more courage"
3:58 PM

she says "sometimes i am afraid of the future, that its never going to be what we dream of, but we have 2 have hope"
4:01 PM

at a field clinic dr says they had to treat wounded in the street bc no power & couldnt find diesel for generator
4:03 PM

She also says "everyday its harder than before, harder about everything, about ppl who are dying, about the things we lose"
4:06 PM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

I'm sitting here w/ a syrian British activist. He came on short visit from Manchester 2 teach activists here how 2 edit & install Internet
1:04 PM

aleppo is a grey & gloomy city. But 2day we suddenly saw rainbow over city. Gr8 pic by @HaraldDoornbos: http://twitpic.com/bj3l1c
4:12 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

ahrar al-sham brigades say they liberated a rockets brigade (regiment 111) & killed 17 assad troops in damascus countryside
3:38 PM

resistance fighters have liberated aqraba military airport in damascus countryside
3:51 PM

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint & destroyed 5 tanks in sidi miqdad (damascus countryside)
3:53 PM

resistance fighters have blown up 2 buses carrying assad troops on damascus airport road
4:36 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

14 military officers & troops have defected from deirezzor military airport
2:17 PM

resistance fighters killed +8 assad troops & seized a bmp vehicle near deirezzor military airport
4:42 PM

resistance fighters have liberated brigade 22 in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
4:51 PM

resistance fighters say they have liberated a military base in maliha (damascus countryside)
4:52 PM

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

The Local Coordination Committtees in Syria

The number of martyrs in Syria has reached 160 thus far, and includes 1 woman and 33 children. 107 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 40 who were martyred in the Bahdalieh massacre and 30 students who were martyred when regime forces shelled a school in the Wafideen camp. 16 martyrs were reported in Homs, 15 in Aleppo, 9 in Deir Ezzor, 4 in Hama, 4 in Daraa, 4 in Idlib, and 1 in Tartous who passed away in Idlib
3:47 PM

[visionary]

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...ities-in-syria

Senate votes to require report on possible US military activities in Syria

The Senate voted to pass an amendment to the defense bill that would require a report on military activities that could be used in Syria.

The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, S. 3254, which funds the U.S. military and its operations, passed on a 92-6 vote.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced Amendment 3262, which would require the Department of Defense to submit to the congressional Defense committees a report identifying the limited military activities that could deny or degrade the ability of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to use air power against civilians and opposition groups in Syria.

Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Paul, Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) voted against the amendment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...f7b_story.html

Patriot batteries likely to play symbolic role near Syrian border

When NATO countries deploy Patriot batteries along Turkey’s border with Syria, the missile-blasting system is likely to play a more symbolic than tactical role, telegraphing to embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the alliance backs Ankara’s staunch support of the rebels trying to topple him.

Although Syria has hundreds of ballistic missiles, analysts say Patriots are unlikely to be fired unless an international coalition decides to establish a no-fly zone in northern Syria. That’s because Assad has shown no willingness to take on Turkey, his militarily superior neighbor, at a time when his forces are losing ground to the opposition, analysts say.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/04/wo...html?hpt=hp_c1

As fighting subsides, Aleppo residents find little left

In a small village outside of Aleppo where we are hunkered down for the night, our host apologizes profusely. He doesn't have enough blankets for us and it's bitterly cold.

He and his family were forced to flee their home in the city to their unfurnished, humble residence in the countryside with nothing but the clothes they could carry. He spent 25,000 Syrian pounds -- around $300 -- to pay a truck driver just to bring out the bedroom furniture and a TV from their Aleppo home.

He couldn't afford another run.

We went to stay with his brother, who was also full of apologies because he couldn't offer us tea. The power was out and there was no cooking gas.

In the dark, we chatted about the situation in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. There, airstrikes have transformed buildings into heaps of rubble, and most of the city is now under rebel control. Many Aleppo residents fled when the fighting began, finding themselves crowded into relatives' homes or in refugee camps as winter set in.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...iref=allsearch

December 3, 2012
Syrian rebels near Aleppo attacking a government military base are confident they will triumph. Arwa Damon reports.

https://twitter.com/DavidKenner

2 more journalists killed in Syria: A Tishreen editor and a reporter for a pro-opposition weekly. Always inexcusable. http://cpj.org/2012/12/journalists-c...e-in-syria.php
6:34 PM

https://twitter.com/T_Aldiery

FSA in DeirEzzor capture the Salt Centre and confiscate a tank and numerous other weapons from it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=zX-WD_mtGTA
7:06 PM

https://twitter.com/DanasaurBasha

Today my little cousin who is here from Syria was playing outside when she ran in the house screaming b/c a plane flew over my house and she thought it was a missile that was going to hit our house. How can a young child erase memories/thoughts like that?
7:34 PM

She started to tell me about how she sees many missiles going over her house a day wondering what house and family will be destroyed next.
7:36 PM

Everyday she tells me how amazing it is in America being able to go/say/do whatever you want with no fear and no one stopping you.
7:43 PM

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

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of martyrs in Syria has reached 184 by the end of Tuesday, and includes 1 woman and 33 children. 110 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, (including 40 who were martyred in the Bahdalieh massacre and 30 students who were martyred when regime forces shelled a school in the Wafideen camp.) 21 in Aleppo, 17 martyrs were reported in Homs, 12 in Daraa, 10 in Deir Ezzor, 8 in Idlib, 5 in Hama, and 1 in Tartous who passed away in Idlib
6:26 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
41,471 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-e...emium-1.482570

Assad seeking political asylum in Latin America if forced to flee Syria

Syrian President Bashar Assad has been looking into the possibility of claiming political asylum for himself, his family and his associates in Latin America, in case he is forced to flee Damascus.

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad held meetings in Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador over the past week, and brought with him classified personal letters from Assad to local leaders.

A source in the Venezuelan capital Caracas who spoke to Haaretz was not able to say what the response to the Syrian request was, but Venezuela's foreign ministry confirmed to the El Universal newspaper that al-Miqdad did indeed bring a letter for President Hugo Chavez. Chavez received the letter just before he set out to Cuba last Wednesday to undergo further treatment for cancer.

All that the official spokesperson in Caracas could confirm was that Assad's message touched on "the personal relationship between the two presidents," and that the deputy foreign minister's visit defines the close relationship between the two states.

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticl...aspx?ID=463703

Russian warships made call in Syrian port, reports say

Two Russian warships have made a rare call at Russia's controversial Mediterranean naval base in Syria to resupply and refuel, reports said on Wednesday.

The landing ships Novocherkassk and Saratov docked in the port of Tartus for several hours but their crews did not go ashore, the Interfax and ITAR-TASS news agencies reported.

"They loaded up on fuel and water and had minor repairs. No shore leave was planned for the crew," a source in the naval chief of staff told the Interfax news agency.

ITAR-TASS said the call took place at the end of November and lasted several hours.

The Tartus base is Russia's only remaining foreign military base outside the former Soviet Union and is seen as a major strategic asset for Moscow.

Russia has defiantly refused to cut military cooperation with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite the conflict that according to rights groups has killed 41,000 people.

https://twitter.com/T_Aldiery

Two Assad officers have just defected from the DeirEzzor military airport and are in the care of the FSA who are besieging the airport
10:08 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint (corniche) & tanks in al-zabadani
1:50 AM

from al-zabadani: resistance fighters destroyed a tank http://youtu.be/iPGFoIG24zY
2:00 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank near damascus airport
2:01 AM

ahrar al-sham brigades have liberated a military field (regiment 5) 65 miles west of al-hasakah city & seized all its military equipments
3:52 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a copter in deirezzor military airport
4:40 AM

https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss

Davutoglu: Russia wants "a transitional government with al-Assad continuing in its normal process". So much for Putin is softening line.
5:58 AM

https://twitter.com/BowenBBC

Busy at the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. Two way traffic but more cars leaving Syria than entering
3:37 AM

Syrian passport guy just stamped us in with a cheery 'good luck'. Unusual at a border?!
5:02 AM

So in Damascus for first time since late Jan (couldn't get a visa) very interested to see how it has changed.
9:14 AM

First impression about Damascus. Loads more security. Very heavy traffic in centre. many roads closed to funnel people away from major HQs
9:17 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters say they have liberated the eastern part of daraa al-mahatta's market
6:54 AM

jabhat al-nusrah says it killed +7 troops & destroyed rockets & a bmp vehicle in brigade 602 base in aleppo countryside
7:01 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank near jaramana (damascus countryside)
11:07 AM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank & a pick up truck in haysh (idlib) http://youtu.be/7NoUN_zDxmg
11:20 AM

https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa

Shelling a while ago in BustanElKaser neighborhood of aleppo. 9 killed, tens wounded.
9:48 AM

Worse than not having a shower, I haven't been out of my clothes for 4 days. I sleep with shoes on in case we have to run.
11:32 AM

Aleppo now. Pitch dark outside. Few on streets. A Syrian told me, 'its easy 2 hate Bashar, not easy 2 stay human in this city'
11:42 AM

https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam

US State Dept Mark Toner: We believe Jihad Makdissi is in London, we cannot confirm. Not aware of him reaching out to US embassy.
12:29 PM

[visionary]

http://pietervanostaeyen.wordpress.com/

Jabhat an-Nusra ~ Hijackers of the Syrian Revolution

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

Inside Jabhat al Nusra - the most extreme wing of Syria's struggle

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/12/0...bel-nusra.html

U.S. might name Syrian rebel Nusra Front a foreign terrorist group

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...iref=allsearch

December 5, 2012
CNN's Arwa Damon descends into the darkness to meet an Aleppo family living underground.

https://twitter.com/arwaCNN

rebels in old city r using a massive slingshot 2 fire homemade grenades at govt forces. aleppo
10:21 AM

activists say that dr. osama, who was the 1st dr in aleppo 2 treat wounded demonstrators in secret clinics, kidnapped today by 4 armed men
2:55 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

There is constant propaganda campaign against JN [Jabhat Al Nusra], even some revolutionaries spreading it and attacking the people who eliminated the army HQ
1:35 PM

JN = Ahrar al-Sham with more support, power and great ethics. Regime hates them more because they trained some commanders to go to Iraq.
1:53 PM

Some commanders of JN were trained by regime years ago to fight in Iraq, it backfired on them now in the revolution and hurt Assad a lot.
1:57 PM

offline forever. We are going to Ghouta soon. I have a bad feeling about this but the only thing that can happen is martyrdom or victory
3:02 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

update: resistance fighters destroyed 7 tanks & 2 bmp vehicles in al-zabadani
1:59 PM

from al-farouq brigades: defection of 2 officers in al-raqqah http://youtu.be/0y9rgfPoQj8
2:37 PM

3 troops have defected in khan al-asal in aleppo countryside
2:41 PM

resistance fighters shot down a warplane in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah
3:21 PM

brigadier general nasr ahmad al-fayyad has defected
3:26 PM