Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/2...#storylink=cpy

Once a curiosity, captured tanks are a growing part of Syrian rebels’ arsenal

Ankir Ankir normally drives a wheat harvester, but a battle in December found him piloting a tank, a skill he had learned 17 years ago as an 18-year-old conscript in the Syrian army.

“If the government knew we would use these against them one day, they never would have trained us,” said Ankir, who used a Russian-made T-72 tank captured from government forces to help drive Syrian soldiers from this north-central Syrian town of 25,000.

“We used the tank to destroy another tank, a truck with an anti-aircraft gun and to attack a building the army was using,” Ankir said.

The rebel use of captured tanks and armored personnel carriers was first noticed last summer, though the engagements then were often short. One battle that this reporter witnessed in June outside the city of Talbiseh south of Kfar Nbouda ended quickly when government helicopters destroyed two armored personnel carriers the rebels had captured and turned on government soldiers.

Since then, however, rebels have captured dozens, if not hundreds, of tanks and armored vehicles and have become adept at using them to attack Syrian government positions. The prevalence of rebel armor – in rebel-held areas it’s now common to see tanks and other armored vehicles parked in alleyways and orchards or covered with foliage to camouflage them from airstrikes – belies the common image of the rebels as vastly outgunned by a superior government force.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-midd...30#TWEET633667

Syria conflict: John Kerry extends US aid to rebels

Mr Kerry said the US would provide direct support to rebel forces in the form of medical and food supplies.

He also promised an additional $60m (£40m) in aid to the opposition to help it deliver basic governance and other services in rebel-controlled areas.

Mr Kerry was speaking at a gathering of the Friends of Syria group in Rome.

Mr Kerry said the decision was designed to increase the pressure on President Assad to step down and allow a democratic transition.

John Kerry: "This funding will allow the opposition... to be able to rebuild"
"The US decision to take further steps now is the result of the brutality of superior armed force propped up by foreign fighters from Iran and Hezbollah.

"President Assad is out of time and must be out of power," said Mr Kerry, adding that the Syrian leader could not "shoot his way out" of the situation.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...weapons-rebels

However, Kerry's offer "fell short of rebel demands" for arms, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as the alternative military assistance – body armor, armored vehicles, training – some had speculated would be on the table, Reuters reported.

Western and Arab countries may go further, however, when they meet with leading opposition bloc the Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul next week. One European diplomat told Reuters that the SNC's allies would discuss providing "military and humanitarian support."

The US pledge has been met with skepticism inside Syria.

"America is planning and bluffing the world with statements many know they will not adhere to it," said one activist from Ariha who asked not to be named. "When has America committed to its promises?"

The university student, who studied in Aleppo before the revolution suspended has education, said little of the money received through the Syrian National Council, based outside of the country, reaches the fighters on the ground.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/2142...-aleppo-mosque

Syrian opposition postpones meeting to choose PM

The main Western-backed Syrian opposition group has postponed an upcoming meeting in Turkey where it was to choose a prime minister for a transitional government in rebel-held areas.

The Syrian National Coalition said in a statement posted on its Facebook page Thursday that the March 2 conference in Istanbul was canceled for "logistical reasons." It said it would announce a new date as soon as possible.

The opposition umbrella group has struggled to agree on the leadership of a transitional administration since the Coalition was formed late last year. The group has met on previous occasions to select an interim prime minister, but has failed to reach a compromise.

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/...r-th.html#1603

1603 GMT: Croatia to Withdraw Troops from Golan.

Croatia has been implicated - by EA Worldview, Eliot Higgins, Michael Weiss, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, just to name a few - of having their weapons show up in Syrian rebel hands.

Whether the government of Croatia had knowledge of this fact is unknown, and their government has denied this knowledge, but the existence of the weapons is now well established. Now, it seems that the Croatian government has decided to remove its troops, part of a UN peacekeeping team, from the Golan Heights as a result:

Croatia said Thursday it will withdraw its soldiers stationed on the Golan Heights as part of a UN force after reports said that Syrian rebels battling the regime of Bashar al-Assad were receiving weapons from the Balkan country.

"After talks with President (Ivo) Josipovic I have initiated the withdrawal of Croatian troops from the Golan Heights," Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic told a cabinet session...

"We can deny the reports as much as we want but that won't go anywhere," Milanovic said. "Our soldiers are no longer safe. We want them back home safe and sound."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...8de_story.html

Putin says Russia should listen to French arguments on Syria, over vodka

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia should listen to some of the French arguments about Syria — over a bottle of vodka, not merely wine.

Putin made the comment after talks in Moscow with French President Francois Hollande, whom Putin said made some new proposals on dealing with the nearly 2-year-old conflict in the Arab state.

The Russian leader did not offer any details on the French ideas or elaborate which of them Moscow should heed, but his remarks were unusually conciliatory for a man who has spent most of the past two years criticizing the West’s stance on Syria’s civil war and insisting Russia’s approach is best.

“We should listen to the opinion of our partners on some of the aspects of that difficult problem,” Putin told reporters. “It seems to me that we would need to sit over a bottle of vodka — a bottle of good wine wouldn’t be enough — to sort things out. We would need to sit down and think it over.”

Hollande responded jokingly that he would prefer port.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed military station 36 near the jordanian border http://youtu.be/dC6S4fCLXGQ
4:08 AM

resistance fighters have destroyed a bmp-1 in darayya
5:25 a.m

jabhat al-nusrah says resistance fighters have liberated an oil field near the town of al-ramilan in al-hasakah
6:08 a.m

resistance fighters near al-qamishli airport http://youtu.be/KvFv7Ek1p7A
7:40 a.m

https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam

Russia, US+France can agree all they want on a unified Syria. But disintegration is happening on ground,longer they wait, harder to prevent
10:56 a.m

[visionary]

http://blogs.cfr.org/abrams/2013/02/...id_in_s-022713

American Humanitarian Aid in Syria: Too Little, Too Late, Too Much to Assad

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/wo...=tw-share&_r=0

U.N. Warns of Dire Rise in Refugees From Syria

The top United Nations refugee official told the Security Council on Wednesday that the number of registered Syrians who had fled their homeland for safety elsewhere in the region could surpass one million by next month — much sooner than expected — and that the Syrian conflict threatens to overwhelm the international response.

“We are facing a moment of truth in Syria,” the official, António Guterres, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, told the Council at a closed session in remarks that were later published on his agency’s Web site. “The humanitarian situation is dramatic beyond description. The refugee crisis is accelerating at a staggering pace.”

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/201...dAX1eY.twitter

Background Briefing on Additional Nonlethal Assistance to Syria

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have entered the town of al-ya`rubiyah in al-hasakah
1:33 p.m

resistance fighters say they are now near al-saba` bahrat square in aleppo city
1:44 p.m

a fierce war has been going on in al-yarmouk camp for 2 hours. resistance fighters say they destroyed a tank damascus
2:18 p.m

resistance fighters killed 4 assad troops & destroyed a tank near the great mosque in aleppo city
2:52 p.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters liberated khan al-birsham & khan al-khish near the great mosque in aleppo city
2:51 p.m

i can say now that resistance fighters have liberated about 95 % of jobar neighborhood in damascus city
3:26 p.m

resistance fighters say they have liberated the border point in the town of al-ya`rubiyah (al-hasakah)
4:09 p.m

just in: resistance fighters say they have liberated the whole town of al-ya`rubiah. people are shouting allah akbar
4:31 p.m

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...5&l=00abc0c804

Local Coordination Committees in Syria (LCC)

By the end of Monday, LCC was able to document 135 martyrs, including 8 children and 12 women and 1 martyr under torture: 40 martyrs in Damascus and its Suburbs , 25 martyr in Aleppo, 21 martyrs in Idlib, 14 martyr in Raqqa, 14 martyr in Homs, 10 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 7 martyrs in Daraa, 3 martyrs in Hama and 1 martyr in Hasakeh

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
At least 53,736 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/0...91R12B20130228

Syria's Assad deluded by his inner circle, U.N. envoy Brahimi says

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been convinced by his inner circle that his country is the victim of a broad conspiracy led by terrorists, U.N./Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday.

Brahimi said hope for a solution to the crisis, which began as a peaceful pro-democracy uprising but has turned into a conflict on largely sectarian lines, lay in the hands of Russia and the United States.

More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed in almost two years of fighting. Damascus refers to the rebels, who range from local fighters to foreign jihadists, as "armed terrorist groups".

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/s...,1829150.story

Scud missile fired in Syria lands near Iraqi village: mayor

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A Scud missile fired from Syrian territory landed near a village in Iraq's Nineveh province on Friday, causing no damage but terrifying its inhabitants who fled, the mayor said, identifying the rocket as Russian-made.

The conflict in neighboring Syria has previously spilled over the border into Iraq. In September, a five-year-old girl was killed when three rockets struck a border town in the al Qaim area.

"A Russian-made Scud landed near the village of Yoush Tapa, 3 km from the Iraqi-Syrian border between Telafar and Baaj," said Abdul Aal Abbas, the mayor of Telafar.

"There were no casualities or damage, but it created fear among the Turkuman population of that village and they fled their houses".

http://professional.wsj.com/article/...&mg=reno64-wsj

New Syrian Aid Slammed by Rebels

The U.S. unveiled a package of nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition, as the U.K. was expected to provide combat gear, in a new Western effort to support the fight against President Bashar al-Assad that Syrian rebels immediately blasted as insufficient.

Rebels trekked to the Rome conference of the Friends of Syria group in hopes of greater Western pledges of support, but left with an uprising still backed mainly by countries in the region that don't always share the same strategic and political interests as the U.S.

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/7...t-materialized

Lebanon, Jordan Say Donor Pledges for Syrian Refugees Haven't Materialized

Lebanon and Jordan confirmed on Friday that both countries still haven't received any of the aid that donor Arab and other states pledged to pay to assist with the influx of Syrian refugees.

“We need to tackle the matter with the international community in a united and collaborative way to resolve the burden of the refugees on our countries,” visiting Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jawdeh told reporters at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Adnan Mansour.

He called on creating new ways to provide Syrians with the necessary humanitarian aid to limit the numbers of refugees.

For his part, Mansour considered the situation as “very difficult,” pointing out that “the two countries will be able to overcome this dilemma.”

Jawdeh said that his country's stance from the turmoil in Syria is “firm,” noting that Jordan “will not close the border between the two countries” despite the fact that more than 3,000 refugees enter it daily.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/w...cle3702564.ece

US and allies are training rebels in fight against Assad

The US and several of its European allies are overseeing training bases for the Syrian rebels in Jordan in an effort to bolster moderate groups fighting to overthrow President Assad.

The move is the most far-reaching US involvement yet in the Syrian crisis and reflects broader Western concerns that Islamic militants such as Jabhat al-Nusra are making the running in the battle against the regime.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...d-supplies-and

Syrian rebel chief says his fighters are in "desperate" need of weapons rather than food supplies and bandages

The chief of Syrian rebel forces says his fighters are in "desperate" need of weapons rather than food supplies and bandages that the US now plans to provide.

The Obama administration says it will - for the first time - provide non-lethal aid directly to rebels, and announced an additional $60 million in assistance to the political opposition fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.

But Gen. Salim Idris, chief of staff of the Syrian opposition's Supreme Military Council, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Friday that the modest package of aid to rebels - comprising an undetermined amount of food rations and medical supplies - will not help them win against Assad's forces who have superior air power.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/wo...imesworld&_r=0

Syrian Rebel Leader Deals With Old Ties to Other Side

Gen. Salim Idris, convinced that the last stand of the Syrian Army in the long, grisly fight to control Aleppo will take place soon at the Academy of Military Engineering, dreads the moment.

It is not just the 2,000 or so well-armed soldiers already holed up there, inside the square-kilometer campus on Aleppo’s eastern outskirts. Nor is it the reinforced concrete bunkers built under every building to withstand an Israeli air raid.

The toughest part for him is his fondness for both the officers in charge and the campus itself. When he defected in July 2012, General Idris, now chief of staff of the rebel forces, was a brigadier in the Syrian Army and dean of the academy after teaching there for 20 years.

“I cannot imagine that we will attack the academy,” General Idris said in a wide-ranging interview in a hotel cafe. “All the officers inside the academy are my colleagues. I don’t want to fight against them; I don’t want to see them killed or injured. I hope they leave before we attack.”

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

Reports that the Iraqi army assisted Syrian army in regaining control over the crossing between Syria and Iraq from FSA control.
4:04 p.m

Al Arabiya reporting that Iraq's armed forces are shelling regions inside Syria
3:55 p.m

https://twitter.com/HasanSari7

BREAKING : Al Maliki troops shelling on FSA inside Syria border with Iraq continues now.
3:57 p.m.

So the Syrian regime hits Iraq with a scud and Iraq thanks them by helping them kill Syrians in Syria and retake a border post.

[visionary]

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...8FAObw.twitter

Give Us the Weapons We Need to Beat Assad

The United States has repeatedly expressed its reluctance to provide Syria's armed opposition with weapons, due to the fear that they will fall into the hands of extremists groups. At this week's meeting in Rome, the U.S. government promised only to provide non-lethal support. It's time for Washington and the international community to reconsider, because the only way to prevent the rise of warlords and extremist groups is to support the organized Syrian opposition in professionalizing the armed revolution.

In fact, the Syrian Coalition, an internationally recognized umbrella group of opposition parties, has made great strides to account for all advanced weaponry under the rebels' control. It now registers and traces all such arms to ensure that only trained officers under the command ever receive and use them.

If the international community fails to provide the necessary strategic military support, it will only help to contribute to a vacuum in Syria where radical foreign forces flourish. The Syrian opposition has already made a concerted effort to bring armed revolutionary groups under the umbrella of a controlled military command -- it forged the Syrian Military Joint Command, which united the Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades under a common leadership and helps equip them with advanced weaponry to counter Assad's military onslaught.

It has also taken a number of steps to marginalize extremist groups by ensuring that all FSA battalions uphold the Geneva Convention, imposing strict age requirements for new recruits, and cutting off units that break the rules from lethal and non-lethal support.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...untries-rebels

Syria crisis: European countries expected to start arming rebels

Some European countries are expected to break with Washington and start supplying the Syrian rebels with weapons in the next few months, the representative of the Syrian opposition in Britain has told the Guardian.

The National Coalition's London representative, Walid Saffour, predicted that by the next meeting of the western and Arab Friends of Syria group in Turkey, due in late spring or early summer, "there will be a breakthrough that will end the restrictions of the European countries".

"This would be for the ammunition we require, the quality weapons we need to deter the Syrian regime from using aeroplanes and Scud missiles to bomb villages and bakeries," Saffour said. "We on the ground are advancing steadily but we are suffering from a lack of ammunition. We expect that to change at the next Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul."

Another opposition figure involved in supplying the rebels said there had been a noticeable relaxation in recent days of the strict restrictions the US and Turkey had put on arms flows over the Turkish border. He claimed a Syrian army helicopter and a Mig warplane had been shot down in the past two days, for the first time by imported missiles.

"These were not weapons that had been captured from Syrian army bases as before. These were released from the Turkish warehouses. These are weapons the opposition had purchased previously but had not been allowed to take across the border," the opposition source said.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...rs-be-punished

Syria rebels say looting fighters to be punished

Syrian rebels say they have detained six fighters accused of looting from a Palestinian district in south Damascus, warning that those fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army will be held accountable for any crimes.

They said the fighters had been caught stealing goods in the Yarmouk district, home to many thousands of Palestinian refugees and the scene of heavy fighting late last year.

Their arrest was announced in a video released by Suqour al-Jolan (Golan Hawks) brigade and confirmed to Reuters by a rebel commander in another fighting unit, the Hajar al-Aswad
brigade.

"We warn every armed group that is saying that it is from the Free Syrian Army that we will punish everyone who perpetrates illegal acts," said a commander known as Abu Fahd.

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Funny story happened yesterday in Heesh Idlib south of MaaratAlNouman. A regime convoy was headed north towards Hamdiyeh base to break the siege that the FSA has had on it for the past month.

While they were passing the FSA attacked them destroying tanks and artillery vehicles and soldier carriers. But apparently one man survived & hid under a bridge.

Later during the day the FSA passed by that bridge he saw them and thought they were regime soldiers...he got up and said "what took you guys so long?"
3:13 PM

https://twitter.com/HasanSari7

BREAKING : A SCUD missile has just hit Der Hafer city near Aleppo causing humge destruction and civilian martyrs reported.
4:56 p.m.

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

My friend @midanibatman has postponed his trip to Syria until further notice. He will still be going as soon as possible.
1:54 a.m

https://twitter.com/Karybdamoid

Syria map March 1. More detail in Daraa, Hasakah, Hama . Multiple provinces slowly falling to opposition/FSA http://img.ly/t54A
2:05 a.m

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...8&l=fef9dbc9a1

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

By the end of Friday the number of martyrs has reached 125 martyrs, including 13 children 11 women and 1 martyr under torture. 54 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 45 in Damascus and its Suburbs; 9 in Daraa; 6 in Homs; 3 in Hama; 3 in Idlib; 3 in Deir Ezzor; 1 in Raqqa and 1 in Qunaitira

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
At least 53,861 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americ...615396525.html

Obama and Putin seek 'new Syria initiatives'

The US president and his Russian counterpart have expressed agreement in a telephone call on "the need to advance a political transition" and seek "new initiatives" to end the violence in Syria as soon as possible, the White House has said.

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin welcome "substantive and constructive consultations" by Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over a political transition in Syria, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

http://jordantimes.com/registered-sy...s-reach-240000

Registered Syrian refugees reach 240,000

Some 240,000 Syrians in the Kingdom are now registered as refugees with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Government Spokesperson for Syrian Refugee Affairs Anmar Hmoud said on Thursday.

In total, 421,152 Syrians have crossed into Jordan since the violence erupted in their country around two years ago, Hmoud noted, adding that 108,000 of them were now residing in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, near Mafraq, 80km northeast of Amman.

The spokesperson said some 55,385 Syrians arrived in Jordan over the past 30 days, which has added to the burdens on the concerned local institutions dealing with the refugee crisis, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hmoud called for international support to Jordan as it hosts the largest number of refugees among Syria’s neighbours, highlighting the Kingdom’s scarce resources and lack of infrastructure to deal with the continuous influx, according to Petra.

The UN expects the number of Syrians in Jordan to reach 500,000 as early as the end of March.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...kesperson-says

Wounded Syria soldiers treated in Iraq, Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson says

Four wounded Syrian regime soldiers are being treated at a north Iraq hospital after clashes with rebels on the Syrian side of the border, the Iraqi defence ministry's spokesman said on Saturday.

"Four wounded Syrian soldiers were moved to Rabia Hospital, which is close to the Yaarubiyeh border crossing" from Syria into Iraq's Nineveh province, Mohammed al-Askari told AFP by telephone.

"There are clashes between the two sides inside Syrian territory, but as an Iraqi force this is unrelated to us and we did not interfere," although fire from both regime and rebel forces had hit Iraqi territory, Askari said.

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

Syria army seizes key Aleppo airport road

The Syrian army has announced it seized control of a key road linking the central province of Hama to Aleppo international airport and nearby Nayrab military airport .

"In collaboration with honourable citizens, troops carried out a special operation and restored security and stability to villages on the airport road," the military said on Saturday in a statement published by state news agency SANA.

The capture of the road will allow the army to deploy fresh reinforcements and send supplies to the area near the airports, where fighting has raged since mid-February.

"This achievement shows the commitment of our forces to continue to fulfil their sacred national duty, repelling killings and aggression targeting our people and our country," said the statement.

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

Iran says Assad 'will take part' in 2014 vote

President Bashar al-Assad will take part in Syria's next presidential election in 2014, the foreign minister of close Damascus ally Iran has said.

"In the next election, President Assad, like others, will take part, and the Syrian people will elect whomever they want," Ali Akbar Salehi said at a news conference on Saturday with his visiting Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Muallem.

"The official position of Iran is that... Assad will remain legitimate president until the next... election" in 2014, Salehi said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21641113

Syria: Fierce clashes in provincial capital Raqqa

Ferocious fighting has erupted around the northern provincial capital of Raqqa in Syria - one of several clashes between government and rebels forces.

Government forces shelled several areas of the city, while running battles on the outskirts of the city since dawn had left dozens dead, activists said.

Fighting also raged at a police academy near Aleppo, in the rebel enclave of Daraya and around Damascus.

The violence comes amid fresh diplomacy aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.

The crisis in Syria has been a central issue in John Kerry's first overseas trip as US secretary of state.

Visiting the Turkish capital on Friday, he said the US and Turkey believed "the first priority is to try and have a political solution. We would like to save lives, not see them caught up in a continuing war".

https://twitter.com/Avend93

BREAKING: YPG has started the operation of liberating the oil rich "Rumilan". - Kurdish LCC.
4:38 AM

Breaking: The Kurdish forces have completely controlled on the Oil rich Rumilan.
4:50 AM March 1

After Jabhat Al Nusra controlling on "Ali Agha" [10km south of Rumilan] yday; the Kurdish forces now controlling on Rumilan itself.
5:21 AM March 1

After the oil rich city of Rumilan, regime withdraws from Tirpê Sipî (Qahtaniya) and handing it over to the Kurds.
12:00 PM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

BREAKING: Reports of tens killed and others wounded after the FSA attacked a military convoy in Daraya. Damascus.
3:25 AM

Tal Uthman military base in Hama has been completely destroyed, along with several tanks and the killing of regime troops situated there.
4:27 AM

https://twitter.com/RafifJ

Atmeh village has court & prison. FSA's Saqr Al-Islam brigade maintains law & order. We saw s/o get a warning for driving a hot car.
3:06 AM

Atmeh Village: Three new hospitals established where none existed under regime control.
6:37 a.m

https://twitter.com/Ugariti_Homsi

While Waleed Moalem, Syrian FM, is speaking from Tehran about dialogue, the FSA is busy liberating the Police Academy in Aleppo.
6:31 a.m

The Syrian FM is calling for dialogue from Tehran while the regime army is busy setting up Scuds to be launched against civilians.
6:37 a.m

Activists: 7 FSA soldiers were killed by the Iraqi air strike targeting the Syrian side of Alyarobiya border crossing.
10:28 a.m

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Police Academy in Aleppo has been liberated??!
12:14 p.m

Never mind the battle is still ongoing but they're close...pray for them...a few of my friends are there. KhanAlasal Aleppo
12:18 p.m

One of the commanders fighting iat the police academy in Aleppo with the Alansar brigade lost his mother just yesterday.
12:23 p.m

https://twitter.com/HasanSari7

BREAKING : Al Jazeera: 80 Assad officers and soldiers defect in Damascus country side.
11:11 AM

BREAKING : Syrian Coalition Leader Moaz Al Khateeb:Turkish city of Ghazi Antab to host a meeting to elect municipal body for Aleppo.
11:26 AM

FSA now captures 101 Assad officers&soldiers in Tabaqa city of Raqqa.

When wanted to negociate prisoners ddeal with regime, answer was: We don't care about them all. Regime added: Just give us the dead body of Alawite Colonel Ali Dayyob(Chief of Air Intelligence) killed during battle when FSA liberated city.

FSA said regime even tried to bomb his captured officers&soldiers several times.
12:12 PM

BREAKING : FSA say their fighters hit 2 war planes (MiG&Sokhoi) today over Khan Al Asal town near Aleppo. Not shot down though.
12:31 p.m

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21646091#

Syria conflict: Assad accuses UK of bullying

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the British government of bullying and naivety in its approach to the conflict in his country.

In an interview with the UK's Sunday Times newspaper, he said Britain was determined to militarise the situation.

He repeated his conditional offer of talks with the opposition and dismissed suggestions that he might step down.

The UK says it supports the Syrian opposition but does not provide rebels with arms.

However, at a recent Friends of Syria meeting in Rome, Foreign Secretary William Hague said military aid was possible in the future.

Mr Assad, in a rare interview with a Western newspaper, accused UK Prime Minister David Cameron's "naive, confused, unrealistic" government of trying to end an EU arms embargo so that the rebels could be supplied with weapons.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...police-academy

Syrian rebels 'kill 34 government forces' in attack on Aleppo police academy

Syrian rebels killed 34 government forces in an attack Sunday on a police academy in the northern province of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The rebels "seized control at dawn of large parts of the police academy" in the town of Khan al-Assal, after days of fierce fighting for control one of the regime's last bastions in the western part of Aleppo province, the watchdog said.

On Saturday, rebels stormed the main building of the sprawling police academy.

https://twitter.com/samersniper

Heavy machine guns R screaming loud. very loud. Regime forces are trying to storm the OldDistrict from BabHoud now!! Fierce clashes!! Homs
10:36 p.m

Khalidiyeh is being bombarded with artillery now!! Also fierce clashes on the outskirt of the decimated neighborhood!! Homs
10:45 p.m

https://twitter.com/Karybdamoid

http://img.ly/t72y Syria map. Updated March2 vers. Had mixed up Marj Sultan with Marj Ruhayyil bases
12:04 a.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters say they have liberated the central jail in al-raqqah city
3:21 p.m

resistance fighters have liberated 2 military checkpoints, 2 oil fields & a military complex in al-raqqah. +100 troops were killed
3:34 p.m

al-yarmouk brigade says resistance fighters killed +60 assad troops & destroyed a tank & 2 bmp vehicles in daraa
3:47 p.m

resistance fighters say they have liberated a military detachment near the golan heights & seized cars, tanks & armored vehicles
4:03 p.m

i confirm that the resistance fighters have liberated the police school in khan al-asal in aleppo
1:01 a.m

https://twitter.com/AJELive

More on Syria: Rebels reportedly seized northern Raqa prison and freed hundreds of detainees overnight. More soon...
3:09 a.m

http://www.lccsyria.org/11032

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC):

By the end of Saturday The Local Coordination Committees were able to document 133 martyrs amongst 9 children, 5 women and 2 martyrs under torture. 36 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 30 in Aleppo; 19 in Homs; 12 in Raqqa; 10 in Hasaka; 7 in Daraa; 6 in Idlib; 5 in Hama; 5 in Deir Ezzor; 2 in Qunaitra and 1 martyr in Banyas.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
At least 53,994 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...8de_story.html

Ballistic missile strikes on Aleppo signal new escalation in Syria war

Dusk was falling at the close of another wearying day in this war-ravaged city when the ballistic missiles struck, signaling what appears to be a chilling escalation in Syria’s already devastatingly violent civil war.

Landing minutes and about a mile apart in two densely populated neighborhoods, they left scenes of devastation more closely resembling those of an earthquake, with homes pulverized beyond recognition, people torn to shreds in an instant and what had once been thriving communities reduced to mountains of rubble.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...626613118.html

Britain's Hague calls Assad 'delusional'

Speaking to BBC television, Hague said of Assad: "This is a man presiding over this slaughter."

"We, Britain, are the people sending food and shelter and blankets to help people driven from their homes and families in his name.

"We are the people sending medical supplies to try to look after people injured and abused by the soldiers working for this man.

"Assad thinks, and is told by his inner circle, that all of this is an international conspiracy, not the actual rebellion and revolt of his own people.

"This [Assad's interview with The Sunday Times] will go down as one of the most delusional interviews that any national leader has given in modern times."

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

Syria rebels 'capture most of police academy'

Syrian rebels have seized control of most of a police academy in the northern province of Aleppo in fierce fighting that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday at least 200 troops and rebels were killed after eight days of clashes in Khan al-Assal town.

The UK-based group said at least 120 army troops were among those killed in the battle for one of the last remaining bastions of the President Bashar al-Assad government in western Aleppo province. On Sunday, rebels killed more than 34 troops at the facility.

A police source in Aleppo confirmed that much of the academy had fallen into rebel hands, reporting that 40 security forces were believed dead. As many as 300 rebels were among those killed, he said.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world....XMj4WURX.uxfs

Syria regime blamed for massacre of 72 people near Aleppo

Pressure mounted on the international community to act against possible war crimes in Syria after claims that regime "death squads" executed 72 people near Aleppo.

Both the rebels fighting to overthrow Bashar Al Assad and the president's forces have been accused of committing war crimes during the Syrian civil war, which started in March 2011. But division within the United Nations Security Council, the only body that can refer cases of war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC), has hampered efforts to take action against alleged atrocities.

The latest massacre is said to have taken place in Malkiyeh village in the east of Aleppo province.

Mr Al Assad's "terrorist regime executed 72 people after a raid on Malkiyeh", the opposition Syrian National Coaltion (SNC) said on Thursday.

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyria...aleppo-council

Syria opponents vote for Aleppo council

Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voted on Sunday to elect 29 provincial council members to run rebel-held areas in the northern province of Aleppo, organizers and participants told AFP.

"For the first time, Aleppo will have a freely elected provincial council. We hope the whole of Syria will have a free election soon," candidate Yehia Naanaa from the bombed-out town of Hreitan told AFP.

The vote is being held in the Turkish town of Gaziantep because of security problems in Aleppo itself.

"The vote is full of challenges. Because of insecurity in Aleppo, we couldn't hold the vote there. Also, no candidate could campaign properly," Naanaa said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...92206U20130303

Iraq shuts border post after Syrian rebels seize frontier

Iraq shut a border crossing with Syria on Sunday after rebels battling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seized the other side of the frontier post from his army, Iraqi military sources said.

The Iraqi army fired warning shots into the air late on Friday as Syrian insurgents fought government forces in the Syrian town of Yaarabiya and eventually seized the border post.

The fighting so close to Iraq illustrates how Syria's near-two-year conflict could spill over its borders, dragging in neighboring countries and further destabilizing the region.

"Iraqi authorities were ordered to shut off Rabia border crossing until further notice because of the Syrian government's lack of control over the other side of the post," police said.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters say some assad soldiers have defected from deirezzor military airport
4:43 a.m

resistance fighters have liberated the al-sibahiyah military checkpoint in the western neighborhood of al-raqqah city
4:48 a.m

assad's forces have left the military security compound in al-qamishli city. many of them are in & around the airport
8:41 a.m

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister

After 1st day of Operation al-Jabaar, Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya claims seizing 1 Gas plant, 2 checkpoints, destroying 1 tank destroying 1 BMP infantry vehicle, neutralising 23mm guns, and the continuing of several "combing operations" surrounding Al-Raqqah city
1:06 p.m

A v big day for Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya today - major offensives & gains in Al-Raqqah & Hama after a quiet couple weeks.
4:50 p.m

MT @emmasuleiman: Moaz al-Khatib in Manbej today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5uPPY85uGI … Aleppo
8:22 a.m

According to Aleppo media sources, likely ballistic missile strike just hit Khan al-Asal, site of police academy seized last night
8:27 a.m

Several tanks were involved in the storming of the Al-Hagganah facility. More checkpoints seized & ongoing clashes in two locations.
9:44 a.m

https://twitter.com/TomAPeter

It's feeling like a pretty rough road here at the elections for the Aleppo Council.
5:44 a.m

Despite the recent US pledge of an additional $60m to Syria, no one here at the Aleppo Council elections has heard if money will reach them.
8:33 a.m

A lot of concerns about how conservative Islamists and jihadis will interact with the new Aleppo Council.
8:36 a.m

Only one female candidate in the Aleppo Council elections.
11:41 a.m

https://twitter.com/RandaHabib

Syria opposition chief makes 1st Aleppo visit. Khatib entered the country for few hours 2 view residents & discuss their living conditions,
12:27 p.m

https://twitter.com/hhassan140

Both Bashar Assad and Moaz Khatib made 'defiance' appearances today. Moaz's is more powerful, walking in rebel-held areas. Assad spoke on TV
12:30 p.m

[visionary]

http://www.bnowire.com/2013/03/03/un...-syrian-crisis

UN, League of Arab States ‘deeply’ frustrated about Syrian crisis

The United Nations (UN) and the League of Arab States on Saturday called on the international community to act in order to end the Syrian conflict.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Representative of the world organization and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, met on Saturday in Mt. Pelerin, Switzerland, where they expressed deep frustration at the failure of the international community to act with unity to end Syria’s conflict and reach a political solution.

Both leaders also regretted that the Government and the armed opposition forces have become “increasingly reckless with human life,” said Ban’s spokesperson.

Ban and Brahimi discussed several topics during their meeting, in which they reaffirmed their conviction that the international community should remain focused on pursuing a political solution to arrive at a peaceful, democratic Syria that protects the right of all of its communities.

In addition, following encouraging statements by the Government and the opposition indicating their willingness to engage in dialogue, they said the UN would be prepared to facilitate dialogue.

The leaders also emphasized the importance of ensuring accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

https://twitter.com/YallaSouriya

Moaz AL Khatib chanting in Mennagh http://wp.me/p2vyM7-xZx
7:27 p.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters killed the chief of the military police in daraa
3:13 p.m

resistance fighters killed the military commander of brigade 132 in daraa al-balad
3:22 p.m

resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint in the town of ma`riyah (south syria) http://youtu.be/rI755KNpy_k
3:29 p.m

resistance fighters have liberated the agricultural bank in al-raqqah city
3:33 p.m

resistance fighters seized a tank in al-raqqah http://youtu.be/WSD5-IVD1tU
3:39 p.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

30 troops from al-raqqah have defected to turkey
3:40 p.m

resistance fighters have liberated the town of al-zawik (or al-zuwaik) in the countryside of latakia
3:45 p.m

resistance fighters liberated al-jazrah road crossing in al-raqqah http://youtu.be/fpkIAZ85-sw
3:51 p.m

resistance fighters say they have started their fight against assad's forces in al-tabqa military airport
4:40 PM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

many assad troops have defected in the town of al-sanamayn in daraa http://youtu.be/61gpTAn7dC8
5:26 p.m

resistance fighters liberated the baghdad gate military checkpoint in al-raqqah city http://youtu.be/bfCvCFkwfr0
6:15 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the immigration & passports department in al-raqqah city
7:30 p.m

resistance fighters have destroyed the infamous statue of hafez assad in al-raqqah city
10:17 p.m

resistance fighters are in al-raqqah city center
10:19 p.m

https://twitter.com/Karybdamoid

Checkpoints in Raqqa city are starting to fall. If the city is taken, Raqqa province becomes Opposition territory, minus several bases.
11:09 p.m

Combined with Deirezzor being in opposition hands minus one neighbourhood, Assad's presence in NW Syria is 2 cities in Hasakah (+1 town)
11:14 p.m

http://img.ly/t8Xr Syria war map March 3. Minor changes to labeling / positions. Recoloured as promised
12:22 a.m

http://www.lccsyria.org/11036

Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

By the end of today, Sunday, the local coordination committees were able to document 154 martyrs, including 5 children 12 women, and 2 under torture: 44 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 24 in Daraa; 23 in Aleppo; 18 in Homs; 11 in Hama; 11 in Lattakia; 11 in Idlib; 10 in Deir Ezzor and 2 martyrs in Raqqa

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
At least 54,148 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/wo...=tw-share&_r=0

Syrian Rebels Reported to Take Key City After Heavy Fighting

Syrian rebel fighters seized much of the contested north-central city of Raqqa on Monday after days of heavy clashes with government forces, smashing a statue of President Bashar al-Assad’s father in the central square and occupying the governor’s palace, according to activist groups and videos uploaded to the Internet.

If the insurgents manage to gain and retain control of Raqqa, capital of Raqqa Province, it would signify a potentially important turn in the two-year-old Syrian conflict. Raqqa, a strategic city on the Euphrates River, would be the first provincial capital completely taken over by the armed resistance to President Assad. For the government, the loss of Raqqa would diminish the prospects that Mr. Assad’s military, now fighting on a number of fronts, could retake a vast swathe of northern and eastern Syria from the rebels.

Rebel videos posted on YouTube about the Raqqa takeover included the destruction of a statue of Hafez al-Assad, the former president and father of Bashar, whose family’s four-decade-old control of the country is now threatened by the insurgency. Footage showed anti-Assad activists pulling the statue down, its head smashing in the fall.

The Local Coordination Committees, a network of anti-Assad activists in Syria, said the governor’s palace in Raqqa had been seized by insurgents. An activist reached by phone in Raqqa, Abu Muhammad, said he also believed that the palace had been “completely liberated.” The whereabouts of its loyalist occupants was not clear.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...512939806.html

Dozens of Syrian troops killed in Iraq ambush

Unidentified armed men have ambushed a convoy carrying Syrian soldiers who had crossed into Iraq from the site of weekend fighting, killing 42 Syrians and seven Iraqis, security officers said.

The soldiers crossed into Iraq from the Yaarabiya border crossing, the scene of heavy fighting on Saturday between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Khalaf al-Dulaimi of the border protection forces on Monday.

The soldiers were first transported by Iraqi authorities from Nineveh province to Baghdad, and they were on their way back to be handed over to Syrian authorities on the border with Anbar province in western Iraq when the attack took place, Dulaimi said.

Armed men attacked the convoy from two sides with mortar rounds, automatic weapons and mines, killing 42 Syrian soldiers and seven Iraqis. Eight Syrians and four Iraqis were wounded, and three vehicles in the convoy destroyed, he said.

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetai...?newsId=308773

US, Saudi Arabia present united front on Syria and Iran

The United States and Saudi Arabia on Monday presented a united front to Iran and Syria. They warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that they will boost support to the opposition fighting to oust him unless he steps down and put Iran's leadership on notice that time is running out for a diplomatic resolution to concerns about its nuclear program.

After a series of meetings in the Riyadh, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters at a joint news conference that Assad must understand that recent scud missile attacks on regime foes in the city of Aleppo would not be tolerated by the international community and that he had lost all claim to be Syria's legitimate leader.

Saud, whose country along with other Gulf states is widely believed to be supplying weapons to the Syrian opposition, said Saudi Arabia could not ignore the brutality Assad is inflicting on his people, even after two years of escalating violence that has claimed 70,000 lives. He said that history had never seen a government use strategic missiles against its own people. “This cannot go on,” he said. “He has lost all authority.”

In his discussions with Kerry, Saud said he had “stressed the importance of enabling the Syrian people to exercise its legitimate right to defend itself against the regime's killing machine.” Saud also decried the fact that the Assad continued to get weapons from “third parties,” a veiled reference to Russia and Iran, which have backed the regime through the conflict.

http://www.mintpress.net/jordan-the-...syrian-rebels/

Jordan: The New Gateway For Foreign Aid To Syrian Rebels?

Jordan has been careful not to get overtly involved over the past two years in neighboring Syria’s bloody civil war, unlike other countries in the region. It has kept most of its activities restricted to supplying generous humanitarian assistance to the more than 425,000 Syrian refugees who crossed the border to safety.

It also provides refuge to more than 3,000 senior police and army officers who defected from the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as to the most prominent politician to defect to date, former Prime Minister Riyad Hijab. Access to these figures is tightly restricted, authorities say, for their own protection.

Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, has set up an office in the Jordanian capital, Amman, where hundreds of Free Syrian Army personnel also are present, signaling Jordan’s growing role as a quiet supporter of the opposition.

But some analysts believe that Jordan may now be taking on a more significant part, although Jordanian government officials are quick to dismiss the claims. They maintain that the kingdom has consistently worked for a diplomatic solution and has sought to avoid aggravating tensions with its more powerful northern neighbor.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...-suqur-al-sham

Syria: From IT to rebel commander

Ayachi Abdel Rahman never imagined he would become a military leader, much less branded a terrorist.

Behind a welcoming smile, he is soft-spoken and articulate. Even with the Islamic headscarf and the AK-47 on his arm, there is something peaceful about his appearance.

The son of a controversial Islamic cleric, 30-year-old Abdel Rahman was born in Saudi Arabia but grew up in France, his mother’s native country. He excelled in web design and ran his own IT company between France, Syria and Belgium before the Syrian conflict began.

“My dream was to expand my company and be a successful businessman. Now I have a company of 600 men, but they are fighters, not computer technicians,” he said, laughing. As he spoke he shared a meal of eggs, humus and falafel with some of his men on the floor of a home they turned into a base near the city of Idlib in northern Syria.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...l-assad-rebels

Syria: One on one with the leader of Jahbat al-Nusra

Officials in Washington and Damascus agree on something, they both call Jabhat al-Nusra a terrorist organization.

The US State Department describes the cadre of rebel fighters as Al Qaeda’s attempt to “hijack the struggles of the Syrian people for its own malign purposes.”

To date, members of al-Nusra have claimed responsibility for more than 600 attacks, which have killed hundreds of Syrians, both military and civilian.

But in rebel-held areas of the country, al-Nusra fighters are hailed as heroes, praised as the opposition’s most effective military force against a government that has leveled whole cities with airstrikes, killing tens of thousands.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...a-rebels-assad

An Australian in Syria: The journey of a foreign fighter

In a picturesque village on the outskirts of town, a small crowd of men and children sat on the grass, gathered around a laptop.

On the screen was Abu Walid, a former bricklayer from Melbourne, Australia. In a video, a smiling Walid skillfully mixed explosives. An overlaid graphic read, “This is Abu Walid, the Australian terrorist — Go to hell!”

The clip the crowd watched was from a Syrian state television broadcast, which aired several days after Walid, 30, died during a fight between rebel and regime forces. It was in this village that Walid had made his now infamous instructional video.

Known as Yusuf Toprakkaya back home, Walid is one of more than 100 Australians experts believe have joined the fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

But to villagers here, who have watched in horror as regime airstrikes level nearby Maarat Numan, Walid is not a terrorist. He’s a hero.

“He was so friendly and kind, so committed to his duties. Honest, humble … the whole village loved him from young to old,” said Abd al-Mundem, 37, who had become the young Australian’s closest friend.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated a military compound near the industrial area in al-raqqah city
4:47 a.m

resistance fighters destroyed a tank near the town of khirbat ghazalah in daraa
5:08 a.m

resistance fighters killed +20 assad troops & destroyed a tank in al-sheikh miskin in daraa
6:02 a.m

resistance fighters liberated a military base in al-raqqah http://youtu.be/2opL9emWaag
6:22 a.m

another video from al-raqqah: resistanc fighters liberated a military checkpoint http://youtu.be/IqG9IFq7d_w
6:24 a.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

khomeini & ali khamenei under the feet in al-raqqah city http://youtu.be/RliX_L68uBs
11:04 a.m

by the way, jabhat al-nusrah, ahrar al-sham & rayat al-nasr are conducting the military operations in al-raqqah
6:40 a.m

resistance fighters have destroyed a bmp-1 in deirezzor city. a fierce war is going on now in al-huwaiqah neighborhood
6:56 a.m

resistance figters have liberated the airforce intelligence complex in al-raqqah city http://youtu.be/NU612P7dP1c
10:54 a.m

resistance fighters liberated the farmers union building in al-raqqah city http://youtu.be/y7nEqtHh-Gw
10:56 a.m

https://twitter.com/mpoppel

REU: SYRIAN OPPOSITION FIGHTERS CAPTURE EASTERN SYRIAN PROVINCIAL CAPITAL CITY OF RAQQA -SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION OFFICIAL
12:49 p.m

https://twitter.com/farGar

22 Alawites of the presidential guard have defected from assad and are now in Turkey
12:59 p.m

assad is taking to our imaginary "courts" 62 Syrian companies, probably accused of supporting "foreign terrorist elements w/in the homeland"
1:01 p.m

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...92316N20130304

Israel warns it cannot "stand idle" as Syria war spills over border

Israel warned the U.N. Security Council on Monday that it could not be expected to "stand idle" as Syria's civil war spills over its border, while Russia accused armed groups of undermining security between the states by fighting in a demilitarized zone.

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor wrote to the 15-member council to complain about shells from Syria landing in Israel.

"Israel cannot be expected to stand idle as the lives of its citizens are being put at risk by the Syrian government's reckless actions," Proser wrote. "Israel has shown maximum restraint thus far."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/wo...iran-arms.html

Kerry Says Syrian Opposition Can Handle Military Aid

Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that the Syrian opposition is capable of properly handling the military support it receives.

“There is no guarantee that one weapon or another might not at some point in time fall into the wrong hands,” Mr. Kerry said in a joint news conference in Riyadh with the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal. “But I will tell you this: There is a very clear ability now in the Syrian opposition to make certain that what goes to the moderate, legitimate opposition is, in fact, getting to them, and the indication is that they are increasing their pressure as a result of that.”

Mr. Kerry’s comments followed a conference in Rome last week on the issue of building support for a coalition of opponents to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, which Mr. Kerry attended. He spoke to concerns that aid that was meant for the Western-backed group might be diverted into the hands of extremists.

While President Obama has decided that the United States will not provide arms to the rebels, Mr. Kerry announced last week that it would send food and medical supplies to the armed wing of the Syrian opposition. The United States has also been training a select cadre of Syrian rebels in Jordan under a covert program run by the C.I.A., officials have said.

Other nations are also sending aid to the rebels. Britain is expected to announce a package of nonlethal military assistance, which could include items like bulletproof vests, vehicles and night-vision equipment. Saudi Arabia has been financing a large purchase of infantry weapons from Croatia and channeling them to fighters.

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters attacked a military detachment & destroyed a tank in the town of al-qahtaniyah in al-qunaytirah
4:59 PM

al-raqqah city is enjoying the first night of freedom. the governor & the general secretary of the baath party were captured
5:02 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the town of qashouta (near al-safirah) in aleppo
6:01 PM

resistance fighters have liberated the town of bashekooy (this is the official name) (5.2 miles to the south-west of al-safirah)
6:17 PM

https://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY

IMPORTANT: FSA Chief Commander Salim Idris to give a speech at European Parliament within the next 24 hours
7:39 p.m

New political developments have given green light by international community key players to begin actually Arming the FSA
7:43 p.m

https://twitter.com/Karybdamoid

Spurred by progress in Raqqa, opposition forces have moved north in Hasakah and taken a gas factory at Shadadi
5:34 p.m

Hasakah city is now under attack from the north. No idea if this is all out or a skirmish though.
9:20 p.m

http://img.ly/tavO Syria map Mar4. Opposition forces have captured #Raqqa city, and rest of province. Hasakah attacked from North
9:29 p.m

https://twitter.com/IbrahimOlabi

Driving around Aleppo Syria we faced this man made barrier. Peoples way to say "watch out! government sniper ahead' pic.twitter.com/ellWDS5Gct
2:23 p.m

Off to the fully liberated city in one day. Off to Raqqa. Stay tuned as I will try and report in English as much as possible
10:24 p.m

http://www.lccsyria.org/11040

Local Coordination Committees of Syria

With the end of Monday, the Local Coordination Committees were able to document 149 martyrs in Syria, including 6 children, 1 woman, and 2 martyrs under torture: 40 martyrs in Damascus and its countryside; 35 martyrs in Raqqa; 25 martyrs in Aleppo; 17 martyrs in Homs; 12 martyrs in Daraa; 10 martyrs in Idlib; 6 martyrs in Hama; 3 martyrs in Deir Ezzor; and 1 martyr in Lattakia

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
At least 54,297 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9240TW20130305

U.S. more confident arms flowing to Syria moderates: Kerry

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday Washington was increasingly confident that weapons being sent by others to the Syrian opposition were going to moderate forces within it rather than to extremists.

Kerry, on his first overseas tour since his appointment, said at a news conference in Doha that he had had talks in Qatar and during an earlier stop in Saudi Arabia about which kinds of arms were being sent to which Syrian opposition forces.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are widely believed to be providing weapons to the rebels, but the United States says it does not wish to send arms for fear they may find their way to Islamist hardliners who might then use them against Western targets.

"We had a discussion about the types of weapons that are being transferred," Kerry said.

Referring to the supply of weapons, he said, "We did discuss the question of the ability to try to guarantee that it's going to the right people and to the moderate Syrian opposition coalition and I think it's really in the last months that that has developed as a capacity that we have greater confidence in."

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...ion-lethal-aid

US general says Syria is too complicated right now to provide opposition with lethal aid

The situation in Syria is too complicated right now to provide opposition forces with lethal aid, a senior US military commander said during congressional testimony Tuesday.

Marine Corps General James Mattis, the top officer at US Central Command, said he is concerned US enemies might wind up with weapons that are given to the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because of instability throughout the country.

But Mattis also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Assad's support is eroding daily.

"He is losing ground," Mattis said of Assad.

http://www.france24.com/en/20130305-...t-russia-envoy

Damascus hands German journalist to Russia envoy

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad on Tuesday handed over to the Russian ambassador a German journalist, Billy Six, whose employers said they had not known for weeks whether he was alive.

"The aim of the meeting is to hand over the German journalist to the Russian ambassador," Muqdad said at a press conference in Damascus.

"As (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov asked us to mediate and solve the problem of German journalist Billy Six's release, we told him we were ready to help, though we once again expressed our reservations about those entering illegally into Syria," said Muqdad.

Six shook hands with Muqdad and Russian ambassador Azamatullah Kol Mohamadov after the two men addressed journalists.

Muqdad gave no further details concerning the reporter, and did not say whether he had been imprisoned.

I wonder where Austen Tice and James Foley are.



http://www.reuters.com/video/2013/03...Channel=117760

Wounded Syrians fill hospitals in north Jordan (1:16)

March 5 - A hospital in northern Jordan is oeprating at full capacity as large numbers of wounded Syrians cross over in to the country. Sarah Sheffer reports.

http://www.businessinsider.com/iraq-...13-3?0=defense

It Looks Like Iraq Has Joined Assad's Side In The Syrian War

At least 48 Syrian soldiers and eight Iraqis died on Monday when they were ambushed inside Iraq, The Associated Press reports.

The circumstances suggest a blurred border between the countries and a decision by Iraq's Shiite government to support the Shiite regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The attack occurred after the Syrians crossed into Iraq for refuge when rebels seized the al-Yaroubiyah border crossing point in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh on Saturday.

On Saturday an Al-Arabiya correspondent reported that Iraqi forces opened fire across the Syrian border for the first time, shelling opposition positions near the crossing (called Rabia in Iraq) while snipers took up positions on buildings. (There were reports of shelling on Monday as well.)

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationa...earts-in-syria

Jihadis grow more dangerous as they conquer hearts in Syria

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

Turkish FM Davutoglu says the Syrian regime has fired up to 90 Scud missiles into residential areas in the past two months.
2:13 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters destroyed a tank in darayya
2:38 AM

jabhat al-nusrah fighters have seized a tank & weapons near the town of halfaya in hama
5:32 AM

jabhat al-nusrah fighters have destroyed a military checkpoint near the town of halfaya (hama). all assad troops there were killed
5:31 AM

resistance fighters have liberated a train station near the town of al-duwairinah in aleppo. 7 assad troops were killed
6:27 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated the military security & military intelligence compounds in al-raqqah city
9:13 AM

resistance fighters liberated ammunition depots in al-raqqah http://youtu.be/dz1_qGYGiUw
11:11 a.m

resistance fighters have wiped out a military checkpoint in al-ghoutah al-sharqiyah. details later
11:14 a.m

resistance fighters destroyed 2 tanks near jobar neighborhood in damascus city
11:20 a.m

resistance fighters blew up a tank near khirbat ghazalah in daraa http://youtu.be/Nnw0w6cIGYI
11:39 a.m

https://twitter.com/IvanCNN

Aleppo activists accuse Liwa AlFateh fighters of beating Abu Maryam when he tried to stop them from robbing store http://tinyurl.com/a9cz9wd
1:18 p.m

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...76f_story.html

Qatar lectures Kerry on arming Syrian rebels

Qatar, which has provided weapons to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, gently lectured visiting Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Tuesday about American reluctance to get more involved in the two-year civil war that has killed more than 70,000.

Hamad Bin Jasim al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister, applauded the recent expansion of U.S. and European aid directly to fighters but said it should have come sooner. He suggested that the United States is needlessly preoccupied with worries that some arms meant for the Syrian rebels might end up in the hands of militants opposed to U.S. interests.

“There is a change in the international position and the American position,” said Hamad, who spoke through an interpreter at a news conference with Kerry. “They are talking about weapons. We hope that this had happened some time ago, because this would have maybe lessened the death and destruction that took place in Syria.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/wo...imesworld&_r=0

Kerry Says Administration Backs Mideast Efforts to Arm Syrian Rebels

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that the Obama administration supports efforts by Middle Eastern nations to send arms to the opposition in Syria, and had had discussions with foreign officials to make sure those arms go to moderate forces rather than extremists.

“We had discussions about the types of weapons that are being transferred, by whom,” Mr. Kerry said after a meeting with the prime minister of Qatar, which has been involved in arming the Syrian opposition.

Mr. Kerry’s comments were the most direct public affirmation to date that the Obama administration supports efforts to arm the Syrian resistance, provided that the arms are sent by other nations and care is taken to direct them to factions the United States supports.

His comments appeared to signal a shift in the administration’s strategy on Syria, as well as a more transparent effort to coordinate American support for the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad with the efforts of other nations.

http://world.time.com/2013/03/05/syr...sad-rebellion/

Syria’s Many Militias: Inside the Chaos of the Anti-Assad Rebellion

Syria‘s rebels have been locked in a bloody uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad for nearly two years. But for 27 days after it was formed last December, the Free Syrian Army’s Military Command—elected by some 550 rebel delegates and tasked with commanding and controlling the myriad groups on the ground—did not receive so much as a bullet from its Arab and Western supporters. That lack of aid threatened to crush the nascent Military Command’s credibility with the fighting men inside Syria.

The body, headed by chief of staff Brigadier General Salim Idris, replaced the Joint Command of the Revolutionary Military Councils (which was formed less than three months prior), and shunted aside the dueling, Turkey-based so-called leaders of the Free Syrian Army, Colonel Riad al-As’aad and General Mustafa al-Sheikh, who were never more than figureheads.

After 27 days of pleading, the “valve was opened,” Idris told TIME in an interview at a hotel in Antakya, southern Turkey. (The command is based inside Syria, albeit close to the Turkish border.) He remains at the mercy of suppliers he declined to name but who are widely known — mainly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with the blessing of Turkey and Western states. “Our brothers in the field make demands as if I have any influence over our suppliers,” Idris said. “I can’t force them to give us ammunition. If they say ‘I don’t want to give you anything,’ what can I do?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/op...ees.html?_r=3&

One Million Syrian Refugees

On Wednesday, my colleagues will register the one millionth Syrian refugee. A milestone in human tragedy. And a figure that should, after two years of death and destruction, stir the level of political action needed to put an end to this war before more lives are lost, more people forced to flee and the conflict destabilizes the region.

The exodus from Syria has accelerated dramatically in recent weeks. In early December, some 20 months after the crisis began, refugee figures stood at 500,000. It has only taken three months for that number to double. As violence in Syria spirals out of control, more than 7,000 people arrive in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq every single day. Others make their way to Egypt and Europe. Three quarters of the refugees are women and children.

They have lost all they owned, and family members they loved. But at least in exile they are safe and cared for. The violent Syria they left behind is causing suffering on an unimaginable scale. At least two million people have sought precarious safety in other parts of the country. They live in abandoned buildings and makeshift camps, until they are forced to pack up again as the fighting spreads. As the devastation gets worse, it becomes more difficult, even life threatening, to access food, water or medicines.

https://twitter.com/samersniper

Whole buildings were destroyed completely due to Airstrikes carried out by MiG warplanes on besieged Homs today! http://twitpic.com/c8vg1f
9:55 AM

https://twitter.com/IbrahimOlabi

This is in the center of Raqqa in Syria. We went there after being in Aleppo. The city is indeed fully liberated pic.twitter.com/jDnzTxncGM
1:54 p.m

Heavy battles at Aleppo Airport near our location. The sound of heavy gun fire is breaking through the silence of the night.
2:25 p.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

al-yarmouk brigade has executed a brigadier general in daraa
2:13 PM

update: jabhat al-nusrah has wiped out a military checkpoint on damascus airport road. many assad troops were killed
2:18 PM

resistance fighters destroyed a tank in basida (idlib) http://youtu.be/yJQ6KTe_hEk
2:38 PM

resistance fighters seized an ammunition truck near al-hamidiyah military base in idlib http://youtu.be/XSBOTSDmKVA
2:43 PM

ahrar al-sham brigades say they have arrested the chief of the state security branch in al-raqqah
3:15 PM

https://twitter.com/farGar

I really miss @HamaEcho i didnt know him personally but I felt like he was an older brother for all of us, I hope he's okay.
3:45 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

Idlib martyrs brigade, after helping in the liberation of Raqqa, is now attacking regime bases in Idlib city..many regime soldiers killed.
4:56 p.m

There is a regime convoy composed of 75 tanks and artillery vehicles and soldier carriers headed towards Wadi Aldayf now. Idlib
4:57 p.m

The convoy is now in KhanSheikhoon south of MaaratAlNouman Idlib Syria If it reaches wadi aldayf there will be a catastrophe
4:58 p.m

atm the corridor isn't what matters...its keeping wadi aldayf and hamdiyeh cut off....they've been cutoff for over a month now.
5:05 p.m

it will be very hard...but you forget part of that road has been nicknamed "the road of death" because of how many regime convoys were killed there.
5:14 p.m

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

FSA has confirmed the defection of 220 soldiers in Daraa.
5:38 p.m

http://www.lccsyria.org/11044

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC):

By the End of Tuesday, the Local Coordination Committees were able to document 134 martyrs including 9 children, 7 women and 2 martyrs under torture. 34 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 27 in Daraa; 23 in Raqqa; 18 in Aleppo; 12 in Homs; 11 in Idlib; 5 in Deir Ezzor; 3 in Hama and 1 martyr in Lattakia

[visionary]

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

Arab League offers Syria seat to opposition

The Arab League has offered the Syrian National Coalition, an opposition umbrella group backed by the West and Arab nations, Syria's seat at the league on condition that it first forms a representative executive council.

Nabil Elaraby, the league's secretary-general, told a news conference on Wednesday that League ministers meeting in Cairo had invited the SNC to choose a representative to attend the league summit in the Qatari capital, Doha, later this month.

The umbrella group would retain Syria's seat in the 22-member organisation "until elections leading to the formation of a government to assume the responsibilities of power in Syria," the League said.

Iraq and Algeria expressed reservations, while Lebanon declined to be associated with the resolution, Elaraby told the news conference.

A statement issued by the 22-member bloc said that Arab states were free to offer military support to rebels fighting the forces of Bashar al-Assad if they wished.

https://twitter.com/RichardEngel

A million syrian refugees. From a relatively small nation. Plus the displaced inside. An utter disaster
2:56 AM

https://twitter.com/Psypherize

Jabhat al-Nusra just blew up two of Assad's checkpoints at the entrance to the city of Homs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmRoO4pEWA
9:10 a.m

The Yarmouk brigade captured a UN convoy demanding Assad to withdraw his forces from the town of Jamla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQMEtlHAPro
11:53 AM

The Yarmouk brigade gave Assad a 24-hour window to withdraw his forces from Jamla, or the UN observers will be kept as prisoners.
11:55 a.m

Um...yeah...that's not helpful.

Ahrar Alsham distribute bread, aid, and even wheelchairs to the displaced families in Sarmada Idlib http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1TJ0...ature=youtu.be …
9:22 a.m

This is the plane that WAS shot down today in southern Idlib! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAWaE...ature=youtu.be
9:36 a.m

https://twitter.com/IbnOmar2005

HUGE BREAKING NEWS | THE FSA HAVE LIBERATED THE OMARI MOSQUE IN DARAA AFTER DESTROYING ALL 3 ASSAD CHECKPOINTS... http://fb.me/ZCkAImNV
11:53 AM

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters attacked a military checkpoint in hama. 3 buildings & a bmp-1 were destroyed. many assad troops were killed
1:23 AM

resistance fighters say they destroyed an ammunition depot in bloudan (34 miles north-west of damascus)
1:39 AM

resistance fighters have liberated the power (electricity) complex in the town of al-duwairinah in aleppo
9:24 a.m

i can confirm now that the whole city of al-raqqah has been liberated the next step is to liberate al-tabqa military airport, division 17 & brigade 93 in al-raqqah
12:03 p.m.

https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin

BREAKING: Al-Yarmouk Brigades accused the UN observers of "helping government forces to redeploy in areas that was under rebels' control"
12:26 p.m

https://twitter.com/CFKlebergTT

"You look like that actor!" chief of FSA prison in Rai, #Aleppo, tells me. "Frodo!" I admit I'm less flattered than I could've been.
1:05 p.m

https://twitter.com/Reuters

U.N. Security Council condemns seizure of U.N. peacekeepers by armed fighters in Syria: council president http://bit.ly/TDSp7i
1:28 p.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

so-called un peacekeepers in south syria are not 'hostages' as the 'experts' claim. they supplied assistance to assad's beasts
1:26 p.m

i reject the united nations security council's claim that the resistance fighters have kidnapped u.n. peacekeepers in south
1:31 p.m

i got a statement from the resistance fighters who prevented so-called u.n. peacekeepers from supplying assistance to assad's forces
1:34 p.m

the united nations peacekeepers in south syria are well & safe. they will return to their work when assad's forces leave the area
1:38 p.m

Not sure about the details, but that seems kind of a broad claim to make.
I don't approve of kidnapping anyway.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...epers-are-safe

Filipino Armed forces say peacekeepers are 'safe'

The Philippine government strongly condemns the illegal detention of 21 Filipino peacekeepers under the United Nations commmand in the Golan Heights.

Three are officers including one major who is the leader of the group and the remaining 18 are enlisted men.

Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas in Manila spoke to Arnulfo Burgos, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, about the Filipino peacekeepers in Syria.

He said that the military in Manila is in touch with their personnel in UNDOF who have spoken to the detained Major directly, adding that the Major said they are "safe" and are being "treated as guests" by the Syrian fighters.

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/p...medium=twitter

What’s the Syrian rebels’ beef with the United Nations?

For well over a year now, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been bombarding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with undiplomatic statements, lending the impression that his sympathies lie with those seeking his demise.

So, why in the world would an armed opposition group in Syria seize a group of U.N. observers in the Golan Heights monitoring a nearly 40-year truce between Israel and Syria and using them as a bargaining chip in their fight against Assad?

In a statement released today, the "media office" of the obscure rebel Brigade Shuhada Yarmouk, said they had acted against the U.N. because they were providing humanitarian aid to "the criminal regime troops" operating in the area. "We condemn this low act," the statement said. "Why [isn't] humanitarian aid delivered to the unarmed citizens instead of the criminal groups?" The group also posted a YouTube video showing the insurgents in front of large white truck with a U.N. insignia, vowing to hold the U.N. peacekeepers as hostages until Syrian government forces withdrew from contest.

The group's action was denounced by the Free Syrian Army's political and media coordinator, Louay al-Mokdad. "We are not responsible for this, and we are in communication with all our groups to figure out who this group is and to try to solve it as soon as we can," Mokdad said, according to the Washington Post. "This is not the right action to take. We should protect the U.N. soldiers." U.N. officials said they suspect the captors are comprised primarily of armed Palestinian refugees loosely allied with the Syrian insurgency.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013...n_2817950.html

Syrian Rebels To Be Supplied With Armoured Vehicles And Body Armour Hague Says

Britain is to supply armoured vehicles and body armour to Syrian opposition forces as it steps up efforts to end a humanitarian crisis of "catastrophic proportions", William Hague has said.

The Foreign Secretary said he had ordered "more active efforts" after securing a relaxation of an EU arms embargo to allow the provision of non-lethal military equipment to protect civilians.

Testing equipment to provide evidence of any use of chemical weapons by the regime and training for armed groups in international human rights and legal standards is also being sent.

He said £3 million had been allocated this month for the work in Syria with another £10 million to follow - urging other countries to do the same.

"The Cabinet is in no doubt that this is a necessary, proportionate and lawful response to a situation of extreme humanitarian suffering, and that there is no practicable alternative," he said.

"All our assistance will be carefully calibrated and monitored as well as legal, and will be aimed at saving life, alleviating this human catastrophe and supporting moderate groups."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21685135

Syria's millionth refugee

As of today, a million Syrians have fled across their borders to escape terrifying violence at home.

How do we make sense of such a staggering sum?

The UN offers this guide. That's as if the entire population of Ottawa, Canada's capital, had to suddenly leave.

Or if everyone in the city of Birmingham, in the UK, was on the run.

But this deepening humanitarian crisis is not just about numbers.

"If we just discuss numbers, we miss the real story," cautioned Antonio Guterres, who heads the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR. "Each single family is a tragedy."

In an effort to put a human face on a grave and growing tragedy, the UN tried to find a Syrian who, on this day, was about the millionth to register. They found Bushra in Lebanon.

Only 19, Bushra already has two children. She hasn't seen her husband Mohammad for a year and two months. She now lives with 14 other family members in one small room.

This is a crisis hard to exaggerate. By the end of this year there could be a million refugees in Jordan alone, a country already struggling with its own economic and political tensions.

Syrians now make up 10% of Lebanon's population. There, and in other neighbours, the Syrian exodus strains already explosive political and sectarian fault lines.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/0...9251H820130306

Air raids on Syrian city of Raqqa kill 39 - activists

Syrian warplanes bombarded the north-eastern provincial capital of Raqqa for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, killing at least 39 people, opposition activists said.

The Local Coordination Committee, a grassroots activists' organisation, said 17 people were killed in one raid alone, on a square in the city. Video footage showed fighters putting dismembered bodies in an ambulance.

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

BREAKING: The FSA has destroyed the March 8 Compound checkpoint in Damascus - near Abbasiyeen Square.
4:50 PM

https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf

A vehicle full of artillery and food attempting to enter Hamdiyeh base in MaaratAlNouman was captured by the FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSBOTSDmKVA
2:56 PM

FSA's Chief of Staff says JAN fight on front lines...sacrifice own lives..dont take spoils of war. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUXd2TEDO9g
3:48 PM

Reports of a SCUD missile landing in the city of Ma`dan in Raqqa with preliminary indications of a massacre there.
5:20 PM

https://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY

A privilege for me to sit by FSA Chief of Staff Salim Idris as he gave his speech to European parliament http://yfrog.com/ocn9sqp
8:49 p.m

Full speech of FSA Chief of Staff at European Parliament in English http://www.alde.eu/live-event-video-stream/
8:52 p.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have destroyed a military checkpoint in al-zabaltani in damascus city
4:16 PM

26 troops defected from deirezzor military airport http://youtu.be/2SewDlgZms8
1:28 a.m

resistance fighters seized a tank & a truck near damascus http://youtu.be/IdYlHV40o1w
1:56 a.m

http://www.lccsyria.org/11050

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC):

By the end of Tuesday, The Local Coordination Committees were able to document 141 martyrs including 12 children , 11 women and 2 martyrs under torture. 34 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 27 in Homs; 30 in Idlib; 18 in Raqqa; 16 in Aleppo; 6 in Deir Ezzor; 4 in Lattakia; 3 in Hama and 3 martyrs in Daraa.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
At least 54,572 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9250KE20130306

Syria's Assad says Chavez death is "personal loss"

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad mourned the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, saying he was a great man for opposing the "war on Syria".

Chavez, an ally and regular guest of Assad's, shipped diesel fuel to Syria last year to help it overcome shortages caused by Western sanctions, and described the Syrian conflict as an international plot backed by Western powers.

Assad described Chavez's death as "a great loss to me personally and to the people of Syria".

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9260Z620130307

Germany says EU right not to arm Syria rebels, risks too high

The European Union was right not to arm anti-government fighters in Syria as doing so would risk regional "conflagration", Germany said on Thursday, highlighting divisions in the region over how to handle the Syrian crisis.

"The decision of the EU not to lift in total the embargo was wise and was right. But it is necessary to show more flexibility and to understand that we have of course to support the ... opposition in a responsible way," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told reporters at a briefing in London.

"We have to avoid a conflagration in the whole region," he added.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Sunday Britain did not rule out in future arming rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

On Wednesday, Hague went further, announcing that Britain would send the rebels armored vehicles and saying that the EU should be ready to take further steps if no political solution to the conflict is found.

An EU embargo prevents weapons being supplied to Syria's rebels, but sanctions have been amended in recent weeks to allow more non-lethal equipment, such as body armor.

http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/0...ekeepers-safe/

Syrian Opposition President: U.N. Peacekeepers safe

Syria’s Opposition President tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the detained U.N. peacekeepers are safe and will be released. Moaz al-Khatib told Amanpour that the peacekeepers were not kidnapped, but rather, according to him, removed from the battlefield for their own safety.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9260A020130307

Syria rebels want troop pullback before they free U.N. men

Rebels holding 21 U.N. peacekeepers near the Golan Heights in southern Syria say government forces must leave the area before they free their "guests", an activist in touch with the fighters said on Thursday.

Rami Abdelrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted a spokesman for the "Martyrs of Yarmouk" rebel brigade as saying the peacekeepers were being held as "guests" in the village of Jamla, about a mile from a ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

"He said they will not be harmed. But the rebels want the Syrian army and tanks to pull back from the area," Abdelrahman said after speaking to the rebel spokesman on Thursday morning.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/world/...ned/index.html

Rebel leader: Red Cross can pick up 21 U.N. peacekeepers

"There was a U.N. convoy at risk" in an area under bombardment for seven days, al-Khatib said.

The rebels are "ready to release them on the condition that the Red Cross come and receive them from the border," al-Khatib said. Injured civilians, including women and children, should also be rescued by the Red Cross, he added.

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

Reu: Syrian National Coalition of Opposition will meet next Tuesday in Istanbul to elect a Prime Minister & Transitional Government.
10:09 a.m

https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky

resistance fighters have liberated a military detachment near the occupied golan heights
9:21 a.m

resistance fighters say they attacked a military convoy & killed +50 assad soldiers near the town of jamlah in daraa.
9:31 a.m

resistance fighters destroyed a tank near the town of al-nayrab in idlib
9:33 a.m

update: resistance fighters destroyed 4 military checkpoints in the northern countryside of homs
10:58 a.m

resistance fighters have liberated a building attached to the airforce intelligence compound in aleppo
11:41 a.m