Yahoo: Assad predicts disaster if West meddles in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ing?CMP=twt_gu

US manipulation of news from Syria is a red herring

Another day, another massacre in Syria. It is increasingly clear that large numbers of civilians have been killed once more, this time in Tremseh, near Hama, in what the UN "assessed as an extension of a Syrian Arab air force operation", although UN observers were prevented from entering the village.

The fog of war is as thick as ever in Syria. Independent reporting is not allowed, so the reporters covering the story, Arab and western, have today been trying to contact their sources in the area. Some will risk their lives once again by trying to make their way across the Turkish border into Syria to try to get closer to the truth.

The bigger picture, however, is abundantly clear. A slaughter is under way, largely carried out by government forces and allied militias. Whether this should mean western military intervention is quite another question. It is hard to see how air strikes could stop the killing, but authorising the international criminal court to start a full investigation into who is responsible would seem like a step in the right direction.

Nothing could be more important than working out how to respond to the brutality in Syria. We ought to be having that debate. Investigating the pedigrees of cherry-picked individuals on each side is not the way to arrive at the right answer.

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/p...09Cwzh.twitter

Can It Get Worse in Syria? It Just Did

Syria's descent into ever-greater violence steepened yesterday. Driven by the regime's desperate attempt to stay in power, an already ugly conflict took an ominous turn with the reported movement of chemical munitions and what appears to be the worst massacre of civilians yet.

The Tremseh massacre and the movement of chemical weapons show that the Syrian regime is on an increasingly deadly path and will not be diverted by negotiations. The situation is becoming rapidly worse, and diplomatic efforts to end the fighting will continue to fail. UN envoy Kofi Annan's efforts are increasingly out of touch with realities on the ground, giving the regime a fig leaf of legitimacy and time in which to break the opposition. In short, this is a dangerous regime -- dangerous to its people and, as the CW movement suggests, dangerous to the region. The time for talking with Bashar al-Assad has passed. It is time for ultimatums -- and, if those fail, armed action to topple the regime.

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Major General Adan Salo joins the FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGfLIL … Highest rank so far.
3:25 PM

Brigadier General Talal Ferzat, Colonel Suleiman Ferzat, Colonel Mohamed Ferzat defect and join the FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6znej
3:30 PM

Major General Adnan Salo is now Commander in Chief of the FSA since he is the highest ranking defector http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGfLIL
Deputy Manager of the Chemical warfare college
3:41 PM

Colonel Tourki Rahmoun, 1st Lieutenant Basel Rahmoun (his son) and Lt. Colonel Khaled Shaul defect and join FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh_gwJ
3:50 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

I'm worried about Annan...he's been shocked by Bashar so many times...that can't be healthy... :/
3:59 PM

https://twitter.com/Reuters

U.N. Chief Ban says Syria massacre "casts serious doubts" on President Assad's commitment to Annan peace plan
4:06 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

UN observers inside Traimseh today one day after the massacre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhHzTy … [Hama R.C]
4:11 PM

FSA destroy a tank that was shelling Azaz, ‪Aleppo‬ today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG0H38
4:25 PM

FSA destroy two tanks right next to each other that were shelling Azaz, ‪Aleppo‬ today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87KVRT
4:26 PM

Some villages and towns have joined the revolution for the first time today. Such as Maryamin village in ‪Aleppo‬ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rheToj
5:13 PM

Tawelaha village in ‪Idlib‬ join the revolution in their first protest today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZIbWp
5:20 PM

https://twitter.com/tweets4peace

Reports that regime thugs have stormed Maret Alnoman and are committing a massacre. Waiting for more info ‪Idlib‬
5:37 PM

https://twitter.com/cjchivers

Soon on the NYT: Inside today's meeting of Syrian Rebel Commanders in Antakya, Where the Talk Was of Money & Guns.
5:57 PM

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

The Local Coordinating Committees in Syria documented 80 martyrs thus far today and recorded 738 demonstrations in Syria, on Friday, July 13, 2012.

Despite the regime's attempts to suppress the peaceful demonstrations, which the Free Syrian Army tried to protect, people were able to go out in 106 more demonstrations today than a week ago.

The largest number of demonstrations was in Hama with 140, then Aleppo with 138, followed by Damascus with 92 demonstrations, 42 more than last week. In Damascus Suburbs, which witnessed continuous shelling in most of its cities and towns during the past week, the people stood up to the regime with 80 demonstrations. In Idlib, which witnessed yet anothe massacre today, there were 78 demonstrations to stand up to the regime's oppression and aggression.

In Daraa, and despite the shelling that targeted the daily demonstrations, there were 61 demonstrations, while in Deir Ezzor, there were 55 demonstrations in solidarity with the disaster-stricken cities. In Hasaka, demonstrators chanted for the unity of the Syrian People in 32 demonstrations, while in Lattakia there were 20 demonstrations despite the arrest campaigns and violence by the regime forces.

In Homs, the people were only able to go out in 19 demonstrations because of the nonstop shelling at most areas and neighborhoods. Raqqa saw 13 demonstrations, Tartous had 8, while Swaida only had 2 demonstrations.
4:38 PM

[visionary]

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

Pilot’s escape from Syria illustrates difficulty of defecting

ALTINOZU, Turkey — When helicopter pilot Ahmad Trad decided he wanted to defect from the Syrian air force earlier this year, he realized it wasn’t going to be easy. His Damascus air base was closely monitored, he was sure his phone was tapped and he suspected that one in every three of his colleagues was spying for the government.

He also confronted the dilemma that he and other defectors say is the biggest deterrent to those who would like to abandon the Syrian regime but have not yet dared: the safety of his family. Slipping away from his base was one thing, but it was just as important for Trad, 30, to make sure his relatives would not be targeted for revenge attacks once he was gone.

“I had to get everyone out,” he said as he sat surrounded by many of the 15 family members who fled with him last month to the picturesque town of Altinozu in southern Turkey, including his pregnant wife.

“If you want to defect, you have to plan it really well,” he said. “It is so difficult.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/wo...n.html?_r=2&hp

Fresh From Syria, Rebel Commanders Unite in Frustration

The meeting of the rebel commanders, held after Friday Prayer in this Turkish city near Syria’s northern border, said much about the priorities of the Syrian opposition fighting groups at this stage of the conflict, now 17 months old. There was limited discussion of the mass killings in the village of Tremseh the day before — even though the commanders had heard about it and at least one had lost relatives. There was no talk about United Nations cease-fire monitors, the peace envoy Kofi Annan, or endless Security Council debates to halt the conflict. These commanders were focused on the basics of waging war against President Bashar al-Assad.

Mr. Moayed, from Idlib, was one of dozens of commanders who converged on the meeting, called by the Idlib Revolutionary Command Council. Held high above the street in a pair of large rooms in an apartment building, the gathering framed both a degree of expanding coordination among anti-Assad fighting groups inside Syria and their frustrations with the opposition’s political leadership outside.

One complaint throughout was that the Syrian National Council, the coalition of exile opposition groups based in Istanbul, was disconnected from the battles fought on the ground. Another was contained in the field commanders’ suspicion that unnamed members of the Syrian political opposition in Turkey were either diverting funds or playing favorites in funneling weapons and money across the border.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/poli...medium=twitter

Syrian Military Defectors Face Cold Welcome in Jordan

In the past few weeks, Jordan has seen a remarkable increase in the number of brigadier-generals, officers and soldiers defecting from the Syrian army into Jordan, taking refuge in the kingdom to escape the killings taking place in their country.

There is an official silence regarding the details of the number of defected soldiers and senior officers who have arrived in Jordan over the various stages of the crisis. However, sources in the Syrian opposition confirmed to Al-Hayat that this number has risen to over 800, including four brigadier-generals, 20 colonels, 45 senior officers and 10 pilots.

The defectors are currently under house arrest in a camp set up by the local authorities in Jordan in the northern city of Mafraq, which is only a few kilometers away from the Syrian border.

Afaq Ahmad, a defected Syrian officer and former director of the office of the chief of operations for Syrian Air Force Intelligence who has sought refuge in Jordan, told Al-Hayat that close to 8,000 soldiers, officers and noncommissioned officers have taken refuge in the kingdom since the start of the protests in Syria and after running out of ammunition while fighting forces loyal to the Bashar al-Assad regime.

However, he stressed that the defectors “have returned to Syria after the right conditions became available for them, and they were told by the Jordanian authorities that their choice to return to their country would mean that they would not be able to return to Jordan again.”

Ahmad said, “The remaining defected soldiers and officers in Jordan number over 800, while there were only scores of defectors previously.”

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/unde...t-die-all-once

We don't want to die all at once

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Many people killed and wounded from renewed shelling on Douma, ‪Damascus‬
6:45 PM

Six members of one family were killed when a shell landed on their home in Douma, ‪Damascus‬ tonight.
6:49 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

Summary of the Battle between the ‪FSA‬ and regime army in Alrami in ‪JabalAlzawiyah‬: 24 martyrs between civilians and FSA fighters. 300 regime soldiers were killed in the battle. Over 15 army vehicles (BMPs, tanks, carriers) were destroyed. 2 checkpoints were destroyed
8:16 PM

Its all about the terrain and the "gang war" tactics the FSA uses. The regime army is mostly in concentrated checkpoints while the FSA attacks from many different locations and scattered throughout. Most of the 24 are civilians that died from shelling
8:40 PM

Missiles and mortars being fired from Wadi Aldaif at Jabal Alzawiyah are exploding in Maarat Al-Nouman, raising the death toll to 5.‬
9:41 PM

Missiles being fired from military aircraft on Maarat Al-Nouman right now.
9:43 PM

Some more news from earlier:
http://www.lccsyria.org/9382

Damascus: Yarmouk Refugee Camp: More than 100 people are injured after regime security forces opened fire in the Palestinian Refugee Camp, most of the injured are in a critical condition amid the continued gunfire

Damascus Suburbs: Madaya: A large number of injured civilians near Abdo Assaf’s house due to a mortar falling there, and another mortar fell nears the medics, which resulted in injuring them as well

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of Syrian martyrs has risen to 80 so far, including 3 families. 28 martyrs were reported in Idlib, 14 in Homs, 13 in Yarmouk Refugees Camp in Damascus, 12 in Aleppo, 5 in Daraa, 3 in Deir Ezzor, 2 in Damascus Suburbs, 2 in Hama, and 1 in Lattakia

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
18,919 people killed so far in Syria
(not to mention an unknown number of regime soldiers, probably in the low thousands)

[visionary]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/14/world/...html?hpt=hp_t2

Opposition: Syrian regime launches attacks from the sky

Still grappling with a gruesome massacre that has outraged world leaders, Syrians endured yet another bloody day Saturday as regime forces fired from low-flying helicopters and a bombing at a state security headquarters killed at least six people, opposition activists said.

At least 35 people were killed in Saturday violence, including 10 in Homs, eight in Damascus Suburbs and seven in the town of Muhrada, in Hama province, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

Another opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said a car bombing targeted a state security building in Hama, and "a number of state security personnel were killed and wounded."

Syrian state-run TV said at least three civilians and a security officer were killed in Muhrada by a suicide bomber in a truck.

Farther south, the Daraa province town of Khirbet Ghazaleh came under heavy shelling and machine gun fire after the Syrian army surrounded it with tanks, the LCC said.

"Helicopters fly over the city at a low altitude with a continued siege of the city and gunfire from snipers," the opposition network said.

Meanwhile, Deir Ezzor, where six deaths are reported, is subject to intense shelling by government forces, it said, as well as fierce clashes between regime forces and the Free Syrian Army, the LCC said.

http://www.brecorder.com/world/middl...s-maliki-.html

Syria's defected Baghdad envoy criticises Iraq's Maliki

DUBAI: Syria's former ambassador in Baghdad, Nawaf Fares, criticised Iraqi premier in an interview broadcast Saturday, saying Nuri al-Maliki's stance towards Damascus was "contradictory" to the truth.

"I personally reproach the (Iraqi) prime minister on his stance which is contradictory to the truth," Fares, who defected earlier this week, told Doha-based Al-Jazeera television channel.

"He knows very well what (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad had done to him and to all of Iraq and to (Muslim) Shia specifically, Fares said, adding that Assad has "killed thousands" by opening "the doors for Al-Qaeda" militants to carry out bombings across Iraq.

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

about 3 hours ago
The old districts of Homs, located in the centre of the city, have witnessed bombardment by government forces and heavy clashes with opposition rebels.

The troops of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been attempting to regain control of opposition-held areas there

The area contains the city’s oldest mosques and churches and was one of the few districts in Homs that retained its older look.

This part of the city has mostly been ruined, as these photos show:

http://aljazeera.smartgalleries.net/...=0aat08egPka4d

about an hour ago
Arab nations are set to hold an emergency meeting of the Arab Committee on Syria.

The July 22 meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha, will discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria and the massacres being committed in the nation's towns and villages.

Ambassador Ahmad ben Huli, Arab League deputy secretary general says the emergency meeting follows intensive talks between Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber, and the foreign inisters of Kuwait, Iraq and Egypt, as well as Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby, discussing the Syrian governments bombardment of cities and neighbourhoods and use of heavy weaponry.

https://twitter.com/lealolivas

Just came back from ‪Tremseh‬ where +200 people got killed.I saw proof of executions,the army hit the town severely, it's everywhere.
3:47 PM July 13

Syrian forces went to ‪Tremseh‬ thinking that the FSA where there, but the huge majority where just civilians, some very young.
4:27 AM July 14

@m_madi Hi Mohamed, not, thats not true, the huge majority where civilians. yesterday we went there. Is a very very small town.
4:29 AM July 14

https://twitter.com/bbclysedoucet

Eyewitness ‪Treimseh‬ Journo Daniel Leal "saw lot of blood, handprints everywhere..few houses burnt, lots cars burnt" @BBCNewshour
9:14 AM

Treimseh‬ eyewitness - @lealolivas "everyone told us a few ‪FSA‬ were killed, huge majority civilians, some v young" @BBCNewshour
9:17 AM

Treimseh‬ eyewitness - @lealolivas "we saw a lot of blood in the toilet room, at least two bodies executed there" @BBCNewshour
9:21 AM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

Very strong image from ‪Qusair‬, ‪Homs‬ 2 injured sisters worried about each other try to hold each other's hands. pic.twitter.com/O6CKSGdu
10:28 AM

https://twitter.com/Brian_Whit

Iranian Press TV says WikiLeaks is a CIA plot against Syria http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07...tack-on-syria/
10:33 AM

[visionary]

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

What the U.S. should do to help Syria

First, the administration should dispense with its informal contacts with the main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Congress, and formally recognize and work with the SNC as the transitional authority. This would boost the SNC’s capacity to speak effectively to the outside world and plan for Syria’s future. In exchange, the administration should insist that the SNC build bridges to minorities such as Syria’s Christians and Alawites, who, fearing what might follow Assad’s Alawite regime, have continued to support the government.

Similarly, Washington should publicly help the Free Syrian Army, the Turkey-based military opposition organization, coordinate with military elements in Syria, particularly the regional military councils. The administration must play a more active role in coordinating arms deliveries from third countries to ensure they reach secular elements of the opposition who will not turn on us after they win. The United States should also provide its own arms, training and intelligence, helping to ensure that we become a sought-after partner, with commensurate influence.

The White House should publicly consider enforcing humanitarian corridors (“no drive” zones) as well as no-fly zones to counter the regime’s increasing use of helicopter gunships. It should launch formal discussions of such measures with NATO allies. Merely planning for serious military options would have an important psychological effect on the regime and its military forces, possibly prodding more defections.

Lessons of things not to do when we intervene have been learned the hard way in Iraq and Afghanistan. Srebrenica and Rwanda have provided their own hard lessons — most important, the cost in lives and U.S. moral standing — for failing to intervene. The United States must summon its leadership skills and, as it did in Libya, put an end to a disastrous conflict that challenges our sense of ourselves as Americans as well as our national interests.

https://twitter.com/martinchulov

From Dutch reporter @svhoorn currently in ‪Tremseh‬ : Lots of destroyed houses, cars, school. No bodies. No blood
9:13 AM

Spoke to 2 ‪Tremseh‬ residents present during massacre. They said some attacking soldiers tried to defect & were executed
11:53 AM

Tremseh‬ witnesses said many bodies burned & others taking away by attackers.
11:54 AM

https://twitter.com/NuffSilence

Five officers from one family defect. Ferzat is a connected family. With links to the Tlass's and Shihabi's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_5nxT
11:38 AM

Moncef Marzouki also said that Tunisia and Egypt are ready to send peace keeping forces to ‪Syria‬ in case there was an agreement.
12:18 PM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria
@NuffSilence Assad will never accept that as long as he has the military advantage.
12:20 PM

@Turk4Syria of course not. This is why I said Moncef's ideas are good and dreamy but naive and unrealistic.
12:23 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

In Atmeh, ‪Idlib‬, the ‪FSA‬ were tricked by members of the Kurdish PKK and were fired upon by trained armed women, killing 9 FSA members.
12:41 PM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria

Unfortunately, the KNC has allied itself with the PKK. The PKK will make things worse, people are naive about them.
1:01 PM

https://twitter.com/Austin_Tice

Not that most ppl know the diff, but a missile is guided, a rocket is not. I've not seen helos here shoot missiles, only rockets.
12:58 PM

FSA prep for combat. The anticipated action was called off for reasons not entirely clear to me. http://www.flickr.com/photos/abtice
1:05 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of Syrian martyrs has risen to 49 so far, including 8 defected soldiers, 9 children and 6 women. 14 martyrs were reported in Homs, 12 in Hama; including 5 in Maharda explosions (their names didn't arrive yet) and three children from explosions in Karama neighborhood, 7 in Damascus Suburbs "Douma, Deir Asafier, and Mleha", 7 in Deir Ezzor; including 3 from one family were martyred from shelling on their house, 8 in Idlib; who were martyred in Tal Sour in Aleppo, and 1 in Daraa
12:04 PM

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

Hama: Dozens of wounded fell from indiscriminate shelling in Arabeen neighborhood
1:20 PM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...86D09H20120714

Exclusive: Red Cross ruling raises questions of Syrian war crimes

The Red Cross now views fighting in Syria as an internal armed conflict - a civil war in layman's terms - crossing a threshold experts say can help lay the ground for future prosecutions for war crimes.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the guardian of the Geneva Conventions setting down the rules of war, and as such is considered a reference in qualifying when violence has evolved into an armed conflict.

The independent humanitarian agency had previously classed the violence in Syria as localized civil wars between government forces and armed opposition groups in three flashpoints - Homs, Hama and Idlib.

But hostilities have spread to other areas, leading the Swiss-based agency to conclude the fighting meets its threshold for an internal armed conflict and to inform the warring parties of its analysis and their obligations under law.

"There is a non-international armed conflict in Syria. Not every place is affected, but it is not only limited to those three areas, it has spread to several other areas," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan told Reuters in response to a query.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18840535

Syria: UN observers probe Tremseh killings

"We have sent a large integrated patrol today to seek verification of the facts," UN spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh told Reuters news agency.

Ms Ghosheh later said the team had arrived in the village.

The observers from the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNMIS) have had their normal duties suspended because of the violence but are able to undertake short-term missions to investigate specific incidents.

Our correspondent says that, in contrast to the massacre at Houla two months ago, the opposition has not yet produced videos or a detailed lists of names of civilians killed.

He says that activist and human rights groups have named a handful of civilians they say died in the bombardment of the village, but the few video postings they have produced, showing the bodies of young men, are consistent with the government line that many rebel fighters were killed.

However, UN observers have confirmed that government forces used tanks, artillery and helicopters during the attack, in violation of a commitment given to UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan.

The journalist who was there yesterday seemed pretty sure that there was a lot of civilians killed.
It's kind of hard to imagine that there wouldn't be with that sort of assault going on.
Seems like there was some cleaning up done by the regime forces since then.
I do recall seeing some videos and pictures of victims, including burnt ones.


http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/j...d&type=article

Syria massacre: Assad's forces 'shot anything moving'

Residents of the battered Syrian town of Tremseh have described being chased from their homes and hunted down by regime forces after seven hours of shelling during a major assault that left more than 150 people dead last Thursday.

The first observers to reach the devastated town yesterday described widespread scenes of destruction, and many residents appeared too traumatised to talk about their ordeal. The massacre in the small farming community of 6,000 to the north-west of Hama is being described as the worst single atrocity of the Syrian uprising.

Two eyewitnesses from Tremseh who spoke to the Observer yesterday blamed regime forces and the pro-regime militia, the Shabiha, for the attack, which has seen many of its residents flee and left more than 100 people missing. "We don't understand why they attacked us," said a local woman, Umm Khaled. "We haven't brought harm to the region. All we've done here is hold demonstrations."

Umm Khaled, who had lived in Tremseh – a Sunni Muslim enclave – all her life, said people trying to flee through nearby fields were shot dead as they ran. She claims some of the bodies were taken away by regime forces and that others were handcuffed, then summarily executed.

https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses

Likely to be significant, FSA captures documents from the intelligence services: http://wp.me/p2vyM7-5fh via @sherbalkis
2:43 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

JabalAlzawiyah‬ ‪Idlib‬:: The ‪FSA‬ in the town of Alrami targeted 2 regime soldier carriers with RPGs and PKCs killing 30 soldiers.
2:39 PM

I've see some FSA soldiers cry after battles because although the soldiers were shooting at them...they are still Syrians.
2:59 PM

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

Deir Ezzor: Boqrus: Al-Haj Saleh Al-Hosain, 70 years old, was martyred from indiscriminate shelling in the town from heavy artillery in Myadein town
2:49 PM

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

Damascus Suburbs: Mouadamyet Al-Sham: Four martyrs and dozens of wounded from Al-Khateeb family fell after a mortar fell at their house in Rawda area
2:58 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of Syrian martyrs has risen to 73 so far. 20 martyrs were reported in Homs, 14 in Deir Ezzor, 13 in Hama; including 5 in Maharda explosion (their names didn't arrive yet) and three children from explosion in Karama neighborhood, 12 in Idlib; including 6 who were martyred in Tal Sour in Aleppo, 11 in Damascus Suburbs (5 in Douma, Deir Asafier, and Mleha; and 4 in Mouadamyeh), 2 in Damascus, Tadamun, and 1 in Daraa
3:56 PM

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/edwardedark

Aleppo has just had a large exodus of internally displaced refugees from Dier Ezzour, Homs and the countryside, we can no longer cope
4:07 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

3 of the injured Syrians in ‪Lebanon‬ died today due to the refusal of the government to offer them treatment. via @ikhwanSyria
6:21 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Special forces Colonel Omar al-Mara'i defects and joins the FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZGcSs
6:16 PM

Hama statistics for today: 12 people killed, 370 arrested, 22 protests, 16 were fired on, 17 areas shelled. [‪Hama‬ R.C]
6:17 PM

Colonel Omar al-Mara'i arrived in Turkey last week, they are really slow in making these statements.
6:26 PM

Brigadier General Mohamad, Brigadier General Akram Sa'ad Eddine, 3 Colonels & other officers defect and join FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KtDpZ
6:55 PM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria

If the news regarding the defection of the Head of the Political Security Branch in ‪Damascus‬ is true, than this is a huge step forward.
6:22 PM

The Political Security Branch is by far the most notorious security branch in ‪Syria‬. Once you go in, you never come out.
6:22 PM

https://twitter.com/RafifJ

Alawi activist tells me that about 10% of Alawis are in the Syrian opposition.
7:36 PM

https://twitter.com/KareemLailah

Activist from Homs has just told me that Munaf Tlas fled Syria to Lebanon & not to Turkey after few days he stayed in Kousair.[/SIZE]
7:47 PM

https://twitter.com/TaziMorocco

BREAKING: The Joint Commander of Free Syrian Army says The head of Political Security Branches in Damascus (Intelligence) has defected
8:00 PM

Syria Snc confirms the news of the defection of the head of the Political Security in Damascus
8:15 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

Saturday ended with 75 martyrs in Syria. Of those, 20 were in Homs; 14 in Damascus Suburbs, among them 5 in Douma and 5 in Moadamiya, Deir Al-Asafir, and Mleha; 13 in Hama, including 5 in the Mhardeh bombing and 3 in the Karama neighborhood bombing; 13 in Idlib including 6 who were martyred in Tal Soor, Aleppo; 12 in Deir Ezzor; 2 in Damascus in Tadamun neighborhood; and one martyr in Daraa.
6:44 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
18,994 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

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

about 3 hours ago

Daniel Leal Olivas is a Spanish freelance photojournalist who has just left Syria after spending three weeks in the country.

During his visit to the village of Tremseh in Hama on Saturday, he said he saw tank tracks and mortar shells, disputing the Syrian government's claim that the military did not use heavy weaponery.

Activists say that more than 100 people were killed in the village during the military campaign on Thursday.

So the government's line has gone from
1. The terrorist armed gangs killed everyone
2. Actually it was us, but we only killed terrorists.
3. We didn't use any heavy weapons.
Clearly the buildings destroyed themselves, and shell parts and tank tracks magically appeared everywhere.

8 minutes ago The AFP reports:
Syrian troops bombarded several rebel areas in several parts of the country on Sunday killing at least 25 people, a watchdog said, as an AFP correspondent reported shelling near Aleppo.

A girl was among four people killed when the army rained shells on the town of Rastan, a rebel stronghold in the central province of Homs held by insurgents since February, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported...

The eastern oil city of Deir Ezzor also came under heavy shelling and five people, including two rebels, were killed, the watchdog said, adding that three others died in fighting between troops and rebels near the Albu Omar oilfield.

...In the central province of Hama, two civilians were killed and others wounded in bombing of Qalet al-Madiq. In the same region, the military also stormed the villages of Jreires and Maarzaf, using heavy weapons.

The so-called Kurdish mountains region of Latakia were also the target of heavy bombing, while in Damascus soldiers were wounded in an explosion near the southern neighbourhood of Al-Zuhur, the Observatory said.

In the city of Daraa, the cradle of the uprising against the regime, a civilian and two rebels were killed in an assault by government forces, while there were reports of casualties among regime troops.

In the province of Idlib, near the Turkish border, three soldiers were killed in fighting with rebels in areas of Jisr al-Shughur from where sounds of explosions could also be heard, the Observatory said, adding that two civilians were also killed at the entrance of Salqine village by machine gun fire.

An AFP reporter said there was also steady bombardment for nearly six hours about 30 km west of Aleppo, Syria's second city and commercial hub, although there were no immediate details of any casualties.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...86E0AP20120715

Heavy fighting inside Damascus: witness

Opposition fighters battled Syrian government forces in districts in the south of Damascus on Sunday, some of the most intensive daytime fighting yet inside the city limits of the capital.

Activist Samir al-Shami, who spoke to Reuters by Skype from Damascus, said the fighting was under way in the poor al-Tadamon district, after a night of sustained battles in the nearby Hajar al-Aswad district.

"There is the sound of heavy gunfire. And there is smoke rising from the area. There are already some wounded and residents are trying to flee the area," he said, showing live video images of smoke visible over the skyline.

"There are also armoured vehicles heading towards the southern part of the neighborhood."

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Brigadier General Fayez al-Majarish, Brigadier General Kamel al-Majarish & two Colonels defect and join FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDwIsJ
4:46 AM

Children killed and injured from shelling on Rastan, ‪Homs‬ today
6:42 AM

Rescuing a family from under the rubble in Rastan, ‪Homs‬ Some of them are still breathing. ‬
6:45 AM

Fierce clashes taking place in Tadamon neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ for more than 30min. Sounds of explosions and machineguns
10:32 AM

Massive explosions from shelling on Damascus city. Can hear it from 5KM away. Will it now be a usual thing to shell the capital?
10:49 AM

https://twitter.com/AletheiaLibya

Assad‬ regime thinks if's fine it targeted "activists" in ‪Tremseh‬. These are civilians working to provide information to the world
8:08 AM

Syria‬'s ex-ambassador to ‪Iraq‬ confirms what many long suspected - regime complicity in ‪Damascus‬ bombings. About what else did ‪Assad‬ lie?
10:14 AM

Defected ambassador Fares says regime trained jihadis to attack US troops in ‪Iraq‬. Now we know who really introduced extremists to ‪Syria‬.
10:17 AM

https://twitter.com/THE_47th

Tadamon neighborhood in Damascus is being shelled for the past 20 minutes. It is a low to middle income area of Syrians & Palestinians.
10:54 AM

Activists: Reinforcement la arriving around Tadamon area of Damascus. BMPs seen accompanying buses filled of security personnel.
10:58 AM

If only 2 other neighborhoods take it to the streets RIGHT now, Damascus will fall.
10:59 AM

This is the lack of coordination that Damascus is missing, knowing how to cut reinforcement routes, have neighboring decoy attacks... Etc
11:02 AM

https://twitter.com/Nora0315

This is insanely awesome lol. - http://pic.twitter.com/Za6goDYh
11:04 AM

[visionary]

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

Exclusive interview: why I defected from Bashar al-Assad's regime, by former diplomat Nawaf Fares

Mr Fares's most damaging allegation is that the Syrian government itself has a hand in the nationwide wave of suicide bombings on government buildings, which have killed hundreds of people and maimed thousands more. By way of example, he cited the twin blasts outside a military intelligence building in the al-Qazzaz suburb of Damascus in May, which killed 55 people and injured another 370.

"I know for certain that not a single serving intelligence official was harmed during that explosion, as the whole office had been evacuated 15 minutes beforehand," he said. "All the victims were passers by instead. All these major explosions have been have been perpetrated by al-Qaeda through cooperation with the security forces."

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

AFP reports:

US President Barack Obama must not wait until his re-election bid is resolved to take action to stop the slaughter of thousands in Syria, the head of the main Syrian opposition group said Sunday.

"We would like to say to President Obama that waiting for election day to make the right decision on Syria is unacceptable for Syrians," Abdel Basset Sayda, president of the Syria National Council, told CNN.

"We cannot understand that a superpower ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of an election campaign that a president may win or lose."

https://twitter.com/Samsomhoms

Assad‬ regime used poisonous gas in Joruet Shayyah neighborhood in center of ‪Homs‬ city after failing to enter it today.
11:34 AM

The regime army isusing poison gas inJourat Shayah in center of ‪Homs‬ after several failed attempts to invade z FSA-controlled area.
11:36 AM

no a friend work in field hospital near the area confirmed that and said it was used in small area
11:40 AM

[if there are videos or pictures available] i don't think so, i'll check, there's videos 4 simlar use in Rastan near ‪Homs‬, againg z use was insmall area some FSA soilders were
11:48 AM

I'm sceptical, because there's been claims of similar things before, and chemical weapon use in Syria has yet to be verified.
I hope this is more of the same.
With recent reports of wmds moved to Homs though, it is worriesome as hell.





https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

‪BREAKING‬ ‪Damascus‬:: Streets are blocked and roads to the airport have been closed. All the paths to ‪Tadamon‬ are surrounded by tanks.
11:19 AM

BREAKING‬ ‪Damascus‬:: There is now shelling on several neighborhoods of the city with tanks and mortars.
11:20 AM

Reports of clashes in ‪Tadamon‬ neighborhood of ‪Damascus‬...Initial reports say that 2 tanks and 1 BMP have been destroyed.
11:33 AM

The regime army has withdrawn from ‪Silqeen‬, ‪Idlib‬ after experiencing many losses as a result of attacks by the ‪FSA‬.
11:39 AM

Clashes still ongoing in Salqeen, ‪Idlib‬. The ‪FSA‬ has just brought down a military helicopter and destroyed several tanks and BMPs.
12:19 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Dead and injured on the streets of Tadamon neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ as a result of the heavy shelling. [LCC]
11:37 AM

Protests started in Qadam, Nahr Aisha, Midan neighbourhoods of ‪Damascus‬ in response to the shelling on Tadamon neighbourhood.
11:51 AM

Nahr Aisha neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ is being shelled as well, for the first time.
11:54 AM

Group defection of 5 Colonels, a Lieutenant Colonel, a Major, 3 First Lieutenants & 2 Lieutenants in Houla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjNZH...feature=colike
12:05 PM

Tadamon neighbourhood of Damascus a few min. ago. People setting up roadblocks to stop security forces entering http://pic.twitter.com/q71LDs2z
12:12 PM

Nahr Aisha neighborhood, Damascus



https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

A protest has started in Assali neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ along with blocking the main roads there in response to the shelling.‬
12:27 PM

Clashes taking place in Sit Zainab bus station, Senaa, Zahra, and Al-Ameen street in ‪Damascus‬ city.
12:34 PM

Fierce clashes also taking place in Bebila suburb of ‪Damascus‬, which is close to Tadamon, reinforcements have arrived there. [LCC]
12:36 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

Protest in ‪DaffAlshok‬ ‪Damascus‬ despite the ongoing shelling on them in solidarity with ‪Tadamon‬.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktHG...layer_embedded
12:40 PM

Meanwhile‬ in ‪Kafrtkhareem‬, ‪Idlib‬:: Unprecedented shelling on the city using tanks, mortars, and military aircraft.
12:44 PM

Finally tally for the clashes in ‪Salqeen‬, ‪Idlib‬: 1 helicopter, 4 tanks, 7 BMPs, 2 buses, many soldiers killed. ‪
12:53 PM

FSA in Hama destroy a tank


Protest in Daff Al Shok neighborhood, Damascus



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

Damascus: Displacement movement from Tadamun, and Daf Al-Shouk neighborhoods after shelling from regime forces. Clashes between the regime's army and the Free Syrian Army are occuring in both neighborhoods
12:53 PM

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

Daraa: Regime's forces are using rockets, mortar shells and heavy artillery in shelling Daraa Al-Balad. More than 30 shells have targeted the city so far amid tight siege of its neighborhoods by the regime's forces
12:55 PM

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Smoke rising in the sky of ‪Damascus‬ from shelling on several neighbourhoods http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtWkee_w56g
12:42 PM

Anger and blocked roads in Midan neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ in response to the shelling across the capital today ‬pic.twitter.com/x8vRi9Gp
12:53 PM

Protest started in al-Zahra neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ in response to the shelling on the city. ‬ pic.twitter.com/4Bn5M2pX
12:58 PM

All the roads in Hajar Aswad neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ were blocked off in response to the shelling on Tadamon neighbourhood. [LCC]
1:20 PM

Protests started in Rukn Eddine neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬, and in Khalid Bin Walid street (for the 2nd time) in support of Tadamon
1:45 PM

Protests in Midan neighborhood, Damascus



https://twitter.com/AAzizAlSibaai

Damascus today, makes me remember the last days of Gaddafi...
1:00 PM

Clashes between the Free Syrian Army and Assad forces near the Omayyad Masjid in Damascus.
12:58 PM

Clashes between the Free Syrian Army and Assad forces in AlQazaz, AzZahra and AlSina'a neighborhoods.
1:14 PM

https://twitter.com/NabilAbiSaab

Pres Hollande to withdraw Jean-Marie Guehenno, Annan's deputy, from Annan's mission. http://www.lemonde.fr/international/...enhenno&xtcr=1
1:13 PM

https://twitter.com/alepsyria

The mass migration of people out of Tadamon in Damascus clogging up the roads http://pic.twitter.com/82KEPqZe
1:35 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

Finding out that your friends were injured and martyred from a Youtube video is heartbreaking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuSZ2S
1:44 PM

https://twitter.com/RazanSpeaks

A Syrian woman carrying her injured son who was shot by Syrian guards when crossing a river from Syria to Lebanon. http://pic.twitter.com/hD5dne8I
1:52 PM

https://twitter.com/AnonymousSyria

#FreeDrArab‬ Dr. Muhammad Arab was detained by ‪Assad‬'s regime on Nov 2nd 2011 & underwent torture for months since then. ‬
2:00 PM

‬Dr. Muhammad Arab was detained on the basis of his peaceful participation in peaceful demonstration in his ‪Aleppo‬ city.
2:01 PM

Dr. Muhammad Arab was denied his right to attorney and never given a fair trial at all.
2:03 PM

FreeDrArab‬ Dr. Muhammad Arab is detained for 8+ months, way beyond the legal 60 days for a Syrian citizen to be held without trial.
2:05 PM

FreeDrArab‬ Dr. Muhammad Arab is the only son of his mother. She lost vision in one eye, her health is deteriorating, all while he's absent.
2:08 PM

https://twitter.com/AmalHanano

Medicine is the most esteemed profession in ‪Syria‬. Only the best students attend medical school. Now they're tortured to death.
2:07 PM

Young, idealist doctors—some of the brightest minds in ‪Syria‬—are in dark cells, punished for doing their job: saving lives.
2:09 PM

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

Damascus: Nahr Aisha: Several explosions were heard in the neighborhood accompanied by intense fire from intermediate and heavy artillery, amid a state of panic among the residents and electrical cut
1:27 PM

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

Damascus: Midan: Intense clashes between members of the Free Army and the regime's forces
1:31 PM

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

Damascus: Qadam: Abu Abdo Moree, 85 years old, was martyred when a mortar fell at his house in the lane of Sayyeda Khadija mosque
2:16 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 57, 11 of them were martyred under torture in the regime's prisons and 7 of them were soldiers who defected from the regime's army.
The 57 martyrs were distributed as follows: 18 martyrs in Homs, 11 in Deir Ezzor, 5 in each of Aleppo and Daraa, 4 in Damascus Suburbs, 7 in Idlib and 3 martyrs in each of Damascus and Hama, and one martyr in Swaida
2:06 PM

Homes being shelled and burning in Tadamon, Damascus

[visionary]

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

about 3 hours ago

The AFP brings us this shot: Residents of Qusayr, which has come under daily bombardment, inspect a makeshift shelter underneath a tyre shop that can accommodate up to 30 people in Qusayr in Homs province near the border with Lebanon. Residents of the town are digging shelters under their homes or shops to escape to during shelling by government forces.

about an hour ago
The UN has issued a statement on the killings in Tremseh (which it spells "Treimseh"):
UN Observers returned to the village of Treimseh, today, to gather more information on the military operation of July 12.

The integrated patrol, comprised of specialized civilian and military experts, observed over 50 houses that were burned and/or destroyed. Pools of blood and brain matter were observed in a number of homes.

The consistent account relayed by 27 local villagers, interviewed by the UN Team, indicates that attack commenced at 5am Thursday morning on July 12. It began with the shelling of the village followed by ground operations. According to those interviewed, the army was conducting house to house searches asking for men and their ID cards. They alleged that after checking their identification, numerous were killed. Other men were taken out of the village.

On the basis of some of the destruction observed in the town and the witness accounts, the attack appears targeted at army defectors and activists.

UN Observers also confirmed the use of direct and indirect weapons, including artillery, mortars and small arms. A Free Syrian Army leader, Saleh al-Subaai, was confirmed shot dead. A doctor and his children were killed when a mortar shell hit their home.

The number of casualties is still unclear. The UN Supervision Mission in Syria is trying to seek further verification.

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Kafranbel tonight - Assad and fake revolutionaries try to grow sectarianism, real revolutionary stops it. https://twitter.com/HamaEcho/status/...774400/photo/1
2:23 PM

Kafranbel tonight - "There is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger, but let's face it, there is an ass in Assad" https://twitter.com/HamaEcho/status/...723456/photo/1
2:26 PM

Kafranbel's protest tonight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgaHEgxXAps
2:33 PM

[visionary]

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

Russian ship with helicopters bound for Syria turns back

A Russian ship that tried to supply attack helicopters to Syria last month before being forced back was on Sunday sighted sailing back home after unexpectedly starting a new voyage.

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

17 minutes ago

As heavy clashes are reported in several Damascus districts, activists have released these pictures from Tadmoun.

They say the first one shows smoke billowing over the area following bombardment and the second road blocks aimed at preventing regiem forces from entering.

https://twitter.com/Basma_

Makdissi says 5 buildings were damaged in Tremseh. The UN monitors today are saying 50 houses were burned and/or destroyed
2:52 PM

https://twitter.com/emmasuleiman

5 explosions just now in Mou'admieh alone.. My God Damascus is really on fire today!
3:25 PM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

BREAKING‬ ‪CONFIRMED‬ :: 70 soldiers, or an entire checkpoint in ‪Salqeen‬ ‪Idlib‬ near the Turkish border has defected. They are now in Turkey
2:44 PM

Clashes in the famous ‪Marjeh‬ square in the capital ‪Damascus‬.
6:32 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Hama statistics for today: 5 people killed, 75 arrested, 19 protests, 11 were fired on, 18 areas shelled. [‪Hama‬ R.C.]
5:49 PM

https://twitter.com/LeShaque

Wow. Damascus rumors tonight range from the FSA took over / blew up air force intel near Abbasid Sq to Rustom Ghazale defected.
7:04 PM

We know nothing happened on Abbasid, people who live there heard nothing.
7:17 PM

https://twitter.com/edwardedark

more and more refugees flooding into Aleppo city daily, putting further strain on food aid and flat rentals
7:29 PM

https://twitter.com/Austin_Tice

The logistics of moving a foreign journalist through a civil war zone are testing the outer limits of my American patience.
7:45 PM

My writeup on Yabroud, ‪Syria‬ should be in tomorrow's Washington Post. Hope y'all enjoy.
7:59 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...orld-headlines

In Syria, an oasis from the war

The flag of the revolution flies high above this prosperous town in southwestern Syria. Each week, thousands take to the streets to demonstrate peacefully. Rebels roam freely — but without weapons.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of Yabrud. But unlike Homs, Hama and countless other places where pro-Assad forces have unleashed furious assaults to keep their grip amid a 16-month rebellion, Yabrud appears to have been given up to the rebels. Here, at least for the time being, the revolution has been won. And it was won without a fight.

Aside from a brief foray into town in late December, the army has yet to attempt to occupy Yabrud. “They came here for a few days, but then they simply left. There was no significant battle,” said Abu Mohammed, an anti-government activist who asked that his full name not be used.

Yabrud is a wealthy town. Most families have at least one member working abroad in the Persian Gulf, often as an engineer. Porsches and Mercedeses roll through the streets. Many citizens regularly travel to Damascus for school or business.

As a result, activists and rebel army members here are cautious. Many wear masks. Others ask that their faces not be shown in photographs. “We have had less destruction here because we have been more discreet,” Abu Mohammed said. “For instance, there is still a government police station here. All of our civil records are kept there. We don’t bother them, and they don’t bother us.”

But there is nothing discreet about the 40-foot revolutionary flag flying from a cellphone tower atop a hill above town, or the weekly demonstrations on Fridays that draw thousands. Intricate revolutionary artwork covers the courtyard walls of most public buildings, and a sculpture of the FSA emblem sits atop a pedestal in the town center.

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria

The number of Syrian martyrs has risen to 72 so far, including 11 who were martyred under torture in regime's prisons, and 7 defected soldiers. 18 martyrs were reported in Homs, 12 in Deir Ezzor, 11 in Damascus Suburbs, 9 in Idlib, 7 in Daraa, 5 in Hama, 5 in Aleppo, 4 in Damascus, and 1 in Swaida
4:24 PM

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...=1#post9046975
19,066 people killed so far in Syria

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8610SH20120716

Armor heads for Damascus districts after heavy clashes

Armored vehicles headed towards southern districts of Damascus after rebels battled government forces into the early hours of Monday, in what residents said was the heaviest fighting in the capital in a 17-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Columns of armored vehicles were seen on the main road leading to the Tadamon district, a Damascus activist said.

At least five people were killed and dozens more wounded in Sunday's fighting but residents said people were returning to work and shops were starting to open in Damascus on Monday morning after the fierce exchanges died down.

Activist Samir al-Shami, who spoke to Reuters by Skype from Damascus, said Sunday's fighting in Tadamon came after sustained battles began at nightfall the previous day in the nearby Hajar al-Aswad district.

"There is the sound of heavy gunfire. And there is smoke rising from the area. There are already some wounded and residents are trying to flee the area," he said, using Skype to show live video images of smoke visible over the skyline.

"There are also armored vehicles heading towards the southern part of the neighborhood," he said.

Another activist reached by Skype said the fighting later spread to al-Lawan, a neighborhood on the southwestern outskirts of the capital.

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

Assad forces continue to pound Damascus

There has been no let up in violence in Syria with parts of the capital, Damascus, under fire for a second day, activists have said.

The military offensive on Monday reportedly continued to batter several neighbourhoods in the capital, including Tadamon, Kfar Souseh, Nahr Aisha and Sidi Qadad.

"The regular army fired mortar rounds into several suburbs", where members of the Free Syrian Army, the main armed oppositiong group mainly composed of military defectors, are entrenched, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the UK-based activist group.

"(It has) never been this intense," Abdel Rahman told reporters.

"The security forces are attempting to take control of these neighbourhoods but so far they have not succeeded," he added.

https://twitter.com/GinnySacksMole

(07-14-12) Al-‪Rastan‬ | Homs | Largest Defection of High Ranking Officers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZTHDY‬
11:50 PM

https://twitter.com/CFKlebergTT

UN diplomatic offensive with Ban and Annan packing bags for China and Russia respectively, both to arrive today.
2:24 AM

But doubts abt UN's political traction w Russia/China (and ‪Syria‬) towering. Kremlin shows no sign of shift, China so far follows Russia.
2:26 AM

Russia FM Lavrov speaks ahead of Annan ‪Syria‬ meeting (Live): http://rt.com/on-air/
4:12 AM

"Unrealistic" for Russia to persuade Assad into stepping down, Lavrov says. Won't leave as "significant" part of population support him.
4:44 AM

So Russia admits that Assad leaving is not on the table.
In other words the whole ****ing peace plan is pointless.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...86F08O20120716

Russia's Lavrov signals no change in Syria stance

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signaled no change in Russia's position on the conflict on Syria on Monday before talks in Moscow with U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan.

Lavrov reiterated Moscow's opposition to a resolution being discussed by the U.N. Security Council on extending a monitoring mission in Syria which includes a threat of sanctions.

He told a news conference that such threats contained "elements of blackmail".

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

Damascus Suburbs: Qatana: Rocket shelling of the city continued amid intermittent helicopter shelling
4:13 AM

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

Homs: Rastan: Hesham Abbas was martyred, several were injured and several homes were destroyed due to the intense rocket shelling that targeted the city
4:40 AM

[visionary]

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

about 3 hours ago
We had a report earlier in the day indicating that Morocco had ordered the Syrian ambassador there to leave. There was no official response from Syria at the time. Now, Reuters reports that Syria has responded in kind:

Morocco ordered the Syrian ambassador on Monday to leave the North African kingdom and called for a transition to democracy in Syria, and Damascus retaliated by declaring the Moroccan ambassador there persona non grata.

Earlier on Monday rumours circulated that the ambassador to Rabat, Nabih Ismail, had also defected to the rebel side. A Syrian embassy official denied this but had no further comment.

Morocco's Foreign Ministry did not immediately explain the timing or the reason for its decision to expel Ismail, but said in a statement the situation in Syria "cannot remain as it is".

about 2 hours ago
The AFP reports:
European Union foreign ministers plan to adopt fresh sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime at talks next week, EU diplomats told AFP on Monday.

Several sources said on condition of anonymity that the EU's 27 foreign ministers would add to an existing EU blacklist of 129 people and 49 entities, or firms, when they meet in Brussels on Monday.

Talks were continuing this week to discuss names as well as decide on possible economic sanctions, sources said.

"We are working on a new package of sanctions but it is not clear what will be included," said one source.

The sanctions would be the EU's 17th round of targeted measures against the Assad regime since it began repressing protests in March 2011.

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Midan neighbourhood in the heart of ‪Damascus‬ is under attack now, big explosions and gunfire coming from there.
5:54 AM

FSA destroy a security forces car with everyone inside it during the clashes in Midan neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬
6:39 AM

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_z0bi … FSA using tanks to attack a checkpoint in Rastan, the first time
7:45 AM

FSA capture a security forces bus in Midan neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ ‪Syria‬ Entering earlier: http://i.imgur.com/7FB3K.jpg pic.twitter.com/Vgq2dIpK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYgtuqefCUo
8:05 AM

https://twitter.com/thebaghdaddy

The person recording the Live Steam from ‪Midan‬ is reporting 40 regime soldiers killed.
8:01 AM

https://twitter.com/sherwiebp

UNSC diplo says no movemt on Syria Res, Russia wants clarity on what happened in ‪Tremseh‬ & possibly briefing by MGen Mood before statement
10:10 AM

Not as if it would do anytthing anyway.

https://twitter.com/Dima_Khatib

Syria government refusing visas for aid workers http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul
10:32 AM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

One Syrian lieutenant colonel, one captain, two lieutenants, along with 266 people, defected and fled to Turkey today.
8:44 AM July 15

A report claims Syria's Belarus ambassador has defected, but his location is still unknown.
10:20 AM

One Syrian major, two major sergeants and two soldiers, along with 198 people, defected and fled to Turkey.
10:24 AM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

A T-72 tank has been deployed to Midan neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬.
12:34 PM

BMP has been deployed to Midan neighbourhood of central ‪#Damascus‬ ‪#Syria‬ pic.twitter.com/EpZCOiqA
12:42 PM

Damascus‬: Clashes in Midan and Tadamon neighbourhoods. Heavy gunfire in Nahr Aisha and Dahadeel neighbourhoods. Damascus‬: Protests in Qadam, Shagour, Bab Sreija, Kafarsouseh and Mazzeh neighbourhoods in support of Midan.
12:00 PM

Clashes now taking place in Assali and Tadamon neighbourhoods of ‪Damascus‬, and shelling on Tadamon, Nahr Aisha, Midan neighbourhoods
1:00 PM

https://twitter.com/NMSyria
‪

BREAKING‬: Syrian government has sealed off the ‪Damascus‬ - ‪Zabadani‬ road. Residents not allowed to go to Damascus.
12:49 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

The number of the Syrian martyrs has risen to 50 including FSA members, defected recruits and 5 children. In Hama, there were 14 martyrs, 12 in Homs, 8 in Aleppo, 6 in Daraa, 4 in Damascus, 3 in Idlib, 2 in Deir Ezzor and 1 martyr in Damascus Suburbs
12:59 PM

Destruction from shelling in Homs neighborhoods

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middle...652142621.html

Violence rages in Damascus

Syrian troops and rebels have clashed inside Damascus for a second day in some of the worst violence in the tightly controlled capital since the country's crisis began 16 months ago.

The fighting on Monday briefly closed the highway linking the capital with Damascus International Airport to the city's south and plumes of black smoke drifted over the city's skyline.

"Mortar shelling resumed in the early morning," the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), a grass roots network of activists, said. Reuters news agency said the crackle of small arms fire echoed through the streets of the city.

Troops backed by armoured vehicles were said to have advanced through the city centre, driving out rebels who had secured a foothold within striking distance of major state installations.

The military offensive on Monday reportedly continued to batter several neighbourhoods in the capital, including Midan, Tadamon, Kfar Souseh, Nahr Aisha and Sidi Qadad.

The LCC added that government troops and fighters of the Free Syrian Army also clashed in the western Damascus district of Kfar Souseh.

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

Syria crisis: border tribes could finish off Assad regime

Hassan Hassan, a Syrian columnist at UAE-based the National newspaper, described those shifts in his home region along the Iraqi border as a way of explaining the defection last week of the ambassador to Baghdad, Nawaf al-Fares. At the beginning of the revolt last year, Hassan says, Fares armed his clansmen in the region, part of the Egaidat confederation, and organised them against other Sunni tribes who had joined the insurgency.

His position, however, became untenable last month, when the government mounted an offensive on his home town of Deir ez-Zour, allegedly killing 350 people. "The tribes are aware their stance today will affect their reputations for generations to come," Hassan wrote. "As a leader of a prominent tribe, Mr Al Fares's loyalty to the regime is secondary to his loyalty to the tribe and its place in the region. The news of his defection has already been received well by many tribal leaders. The defection of Fares, a longtime loyalist, shows the regime has lost its ability to turn the tribes against each other, and use them to maintain relative calm. It is yet another example of how the regime has become its own enemy,"

The conservative Gulf monarchies, who are determined to bring Assad down and are widely reported to be supplying arms to the Free Syrian Army, have long identified these tribal allegiances as the key to the regime's survival, and have gone about courting them. It is no accident Fares has made his new base in Qatar.

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

2 minutes ago
The AFP reports:
The bodies of two Iraqi men identified as journalists, who were stabbed and shot dead in Damascus, were handed over at a border post with Syria on Monday, officials said.

"Two Iraqi journalists, Ali Juburi al-Kaabi and Falah Taha, were killed by knives and bullets in Jaramana area," Colonel Abdelbasit al-Hilo, the Iraqi commander of Al-Waleed border post, told AFP, referring to a suburb of Damascus.

"The (Syrian) intelligence and police handed them over with the medical report of the hospital to Al-Waleed outpost today. They were killed the day before yesterday (Saturday)."

Al-Waleed border post lies at the southern edge of Iraq's border with Syria and is referred to as Tenef on the Syrian side.

Hilo said the two men carried identification documents from the Iraqi Journalists' Union but did not specify which media they worked for.

https://twitter.com/Sumayya92

30 confirmed martyrs in the ‪Hama‬ province today - 20 in a massacre in ‪Hamidiya‬, which included an entire family.
1:30 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Big protest taking place in Kafarsouseh neighbourhood of central ‪#Damascus‬, chanting for Midan and the FSA. Live on AJM.
1:37 PM

FSA capture a truck full of ammunition in Azaz, ‪Aleppo‬ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XsFeZ … They pushed back yet another convoy coming to Azaz today
2:38 PM

[FSA in Midan:] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC9WUurn2pM
They do say in the clip they're from Douma and Ghouta. FSA from Kafarsouseh has been entering other neighbourhoods slowly too
3:47 PM

https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria

I think it's a new development to see soldiers from Assad's army in Turkish hospitals. They must have been brought by opposition.
1:57 PM

After fighting at Jarablus near Turkish border, Turkey had sent ambulances to border near this town. I think they came in these ambulances.
1:59 PM

Painful to see, but it's the reality right now: Syrians fighting each other & then being treated in the same hospital.
2:01 PM

Assad sending reinforcements to Jarablis today, near the Turkish border: http://youtu.be/-QQc-uKn6ME
2:38 PM

One wounded FSA fighter from Jarablis in the Turkish hospital I tweeted about earlier said that they had downed two helicopters there.
2:40 PM

https://twitter.com/columlynch

Russia's UN ambo Vitaly Churkin stormed out of UNSC meeting on Syria, saying no point in discussing Western-backed resol under chapter seven
3:27 PM

Although Russian ambo Vitally Churking walked out on UNSC meeting on Syria, he left behind his deputy, dip.
3:27 PM

West. powers drop push for statement condemning Syria for role in Tremseh, citing Russian block. Move comes as facts on ground change
4:18 PM

https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov

1 Syrian general, 4 colonels, 1 lt. col., 3 majors, 6 captains, 1 lieutenant, dozens of soldiers, along with 525 people, defected to Turkey.
4:08 PM

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

Damascus: Zahira: Violent clashes between the FSA and the regime's army near the Atlashmer Mosque amid news about the arrival of 5 tanks near the Majed Mosque in Qaah area and explosions sounds were reported all over the adjacent neighborhoods
1:55 PM

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

Local Coordination Committees in Syria:

The number of the Syrian martyrs has risen to 84 including FSA members, defected recruits and 5 children.
In Hama there were 29 martyrs, 20 in Homs, 9 in Damascus, 8 in Aleppo, 8 in Daraa, 4 in Deir Ezzor, 3 in Idlib and 3 in Damascus Suburbs
4:07 PM

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18864629#

Syria: Assad regime 'ready to use chemical weapons'

The most senior Syrian politician to defect to the opposition has told the BBC the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons if it is cornered.

Nawaf Fares, ex-ambassador to Iraq, said unconfirmed reports indicated such weapons might have already been used.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topic...7&parent_id=17

Russia blocks UN Council statement on Tremseh killings

A draft statement had been proposed saying that Thursday’s attack on the village was a Syrian government “violation” of its commitments to UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan not to use heavy weapons. But Russia put a hold on its release.

Dozens of people were killed in Tremseh by President Bashar al-Assad’s troops and pro-government militias, according to Syrian activists. The government has denied involvement.

Russia called for Major General Robert Mood, the head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), to brief the council on the killings.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said UNSMIS was still trying to check the facts of what happened in Tremseh, but added that it was “quite apparent that something terrible happened there and that heavy weaponry was used.”

Western diplomats said they would now probably stop pressing for the statement so the 15-nation council can concentrate on negotiating a formal resolution on the future of the UN mission in Syria which has to be agreed by Friday.

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

There is nothing inside Abu Rummaneh, Im there now, but you can hear gunfire and explosions from other neighbourhoods somtimes
4:28 PM

State TV in Midan today, lady says "No shelling in Midan today, nothing is happening" Gunfire in background! Go to 0:16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA5ZWT …
5:01 PM

Heavy clashes and shelling are still ongoing in Midan neighbourhood of central ‪Damascus‬. Insane what is happening in Damascus these days!
5:18 PM

Qaboun neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ is under shelling tonight, LCC reports that one person was killed and several injured so far.
5:30 PM

Hama statistics for today: 36 people killed, 320 arrested, 17 protests, 9 were fired on, 24 areas shelled. [‪Hama‬ R.C]
6:06 PM

https://twitter.com/jfoleyjourno

visited hospital that treats wounded protestors Aleppo‬. Owner of hospital legs broken last week, still told us real name
6:41 PM

https://twitter.com/Salman_Shaikh1

Fighting in Damascus, protests in Aleppo, numerous high-level defections &, if confirmed, Ghazaleh....the regime's days really are numbered.
6:51 PM

Told by snr defected officer ....‪Assad‬ started arresting other suspected snr officers inside army following Manaf Tlass defection.
6:53 PM

CORRECTION: told by activists sister of Rustom Ghazaleh & husband have fled to Jordan. Husband, an officer in ‪Assad‬ army has defected.
7:27 PM

https://twitter.com/HamaEcho

Clashes now taking place in Jobar and Rukn Eddine neighbourhoods of ‪Damascus‬
6:31 PM

Clashes taking place in Barzeh neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ now, along with big explosions.
6:54 PM

Assali neighbourhod of ‪Damascus‬ is now under heavy mortar shelling. [LCC]‬
7:26 PM

FSA attack a military intelligence branch in Barzeh neighbourhood of ‪Damascus‬ with RPGs. [LCC]
7:35 PM

Brigadier General Arkan Ezz Eddine and other officers from his family defect and join the FSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mZWeLbx2gE
7:50 PM

https://twitter.com/AmbassadorRice

UNSC shouldn't perpetuate the status quo in Syria. Status quo is 18 months old & scores killed every day.
7:22 PM

Unarmed ‪UN‬ monitors are risking their lives. If we can't back up their mandate w/tools at our disposal, we're leaving them hanging.
7:23 PM

A ‪UNSC‬ resolution under Ch. VII that changes the dynamic on the ground is the only one that makes any sense.
7:26 PM

Protest in Aleppo tonight