The Syrian Crisis

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

i am no fan of Bashar al-Assad but those rebels are another monster in the making

 

[rock127]

i am no fan of Bashar al-Assad but those rebels are another monster in the making

Just think if these cannibal monsters come into power.

 

[t_co]

Just think if these cannibal monsters come into power.

If I were an IDF staff officer or Mossad member I would be losing sleep right now. Every single possible outcome for Syria except for a chastened Assad barely clinging on to power would create severe security challenges for Israel - and such an outcome is by far the least likely outcome out of this bloodbath.

 

[SajeevJino]

Israeli Official Contacts The New York Times To Warn Of Another Strike On Syria​

In sharp contrast to Israel's committed secrecy regarding military operations, an official from the Israeli government contacted the New York Times on Wednesday to warn of another possible strike on Syria.


The official, who was "briefed by high-level officials on the Syria situation in the past two days," said that Israel is "considering further military strikes on Syria to stop the transfer of advanced weapons to Islamic militants."

From The Times

The transfer of such weapons to Hezbollah will destabilize and endanger the entire region. If Syrian President Assad reacts by attacking Israel, or tries to strike Israel through his terrorist proxies," the official said, "he will risk forfeiting his regime, for Israel will retaliate."

Mark Lander of the Times notes that the "precise motives for Israel's warning were uncertain."

Israel still hasn't officially taken credit for previous airstrikes — which include one in January that targeted a major military research facility outside of Damascus and two earlier this month targeting a warehouse near Damascus International Airport and the Syrian military's fortress on Qasioun Mountain.

Following the most recent strikes, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Agence-France Press that Syria "will respond immediately and harshly to any additional attack by Israel."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was quoted saying that he would turn the Golan Heights — the contested land between Syria and Israel — into a "resistance front."

Today the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported that Iran has persuaded Assad to allow Lebanese militant group Hezbollah — currently reinforcing Assad in Syria — to open another front against Israel in Golan.

The Israeli military largely expected this outcome, as the leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nassrallah said just last week that Syria will supply them with "game changing weapons" — notably, exactly what Israel was trying to prevent.

The unnamed official noted to the Times that "Israel will continue its policy of interdicting attempts to strengthen Hezbollah, but will not intercede in the Syrian civil war as long as Assad desists from direct or indirect attacks against Israel."

Israel Warns Times Of Strike On Syria - Business Insider
=============================================

Nice Article cover Last Strike in Syria

Dilemma Facing Assad After Israeli Airstrike - Business Insider

Israel's Strike On Syria Is A Smart Move - Business Insider

 

[ladder]

Video shows Islamist rebels executing 11 Syrian soldiers

(Reuters) - A video published on Thursday showed fighters of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front in Syria executing 11 men they accused of taking part in massacres by President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

The film is believed to be from eastern Deir al-Zor province and dates from some time in 2012, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group.

The Observatory's head, Rami Abdelrahman, said the Nusra Front has recently been releasing several videos of their past operations. He said the man seen executing the prisoners in the video - a Nusra commander - had been killed in March 2013 in battles with local tribes in the province.

The footage shows the commander, his face covered in a black balaclava, shooting each prisoner in the back of the head as they kneeled, blindfolded and lined up in a row in the sand.

"The sharia court for the eastern region in Deir al-Zor has sentenced to death these apostate soldiers that committed massacres against our brothers and families in Syria," the executioner said on the video.

Islamist militants with black flags shouted "God is great" as each man was shot. The executioner returned to some victims, firing more bullets into them to make sure they were dead.

Videos of executions and torture have become increasingly common in Syria, where more than 94,000 people have been killed in a conflict now in its third year, according to the British-based Observatory, which has a network of activists in Syria.

Such videos posted online are hard to verify due to government restrictions on access for independent media.

The Nusra video is the second video to be published in the past two days showing executions by fighters who say they are from al Qaeda-linked groups.

A video issued on Wednesday from the northern province of Raqqa, which is controlled by Islamist rebels, showed three blindfolded men sitting on the curb of a central roundabout before being shot in the head with a pistol.

A man speaking in the video said the executions were revenge for killings in the coastal town of Banias two weeks ago. Photos and videos of the alleged Banias massacre showed dozens of mutilated bodies, many of them children, lying in the streets.

(Reporting by Erika Solomon; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Video shows Islamist rebels executing 11 Syrian soldiers | Reuters

 

[sorcerer]

Syria crisis: number of refugees tops 1.5 million, says UN

Syria crisis: number of refugees tops 1.5 million, says UN | World news | The Guardian

The scale and speed of the exodus of those fleeing the violence in Syria has been underlined by UN figures showing that the number of refugees has topped 1.5 million, just 10 weeks after the millionth refugee fled to safety.

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, said the number of refugees and those awaiting registration had reached 1,511,976. Its regional co-ordinator, Panos Moumtzis, said the figures showed the crisis was rapidly deteriorating.

He added: "Refugees tell us the increased fighting and changing of control of towns and villages, in particular in conflict areas, results in more and more civilians deciding to leave. Over the past four months we have seen a rapid deterioration when compared to the previous 20 months of this conflict."

In March the UNHCR warned that the crisis was "spiralling towards full-scale disaster" when the number of refugees topped 1 million for the first time.

If the number of people fleeing the conflict continues to increase at such a rate every 10 weeks there will be more 3.5 million Syrian refugees, or 15% of total population of Syria, by the end of the year.

Moumtzis warned that the official figure masked an even greater problem. "The fact that we have now surpassed 1.5 million people registered or those who have appointments sadly means the actual number is in reality much higher," he said. "This is due to concerns that some have regarding registration. There is increasingly a widening gap between the needs and resources available."

Campaigners warned that the figures would be even higher if neighbouring countries were not illegally blocking entry to tens thousands of people.

Syria crisis: number of refugees tops 1.5 million, says UN

UNHCR warns Syrian refugee total may be even higher as number fleeing conflict continues to soar at alarming rate

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Matthew Weaver
The Guardian, Thursday 16 May 2013 17.55 BST

Refugees shelter in the Turkish town of Reyhanli, near the border with Syria
Syrian refugees shelter in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli. Photograph: AP

The scale and speed of the exodus of those fleeing the violence in Syria has been underlined by UN figures showing that the number of refugees has topped 1.5 million, just 10 weeks after the millionth refugee fled to safety.

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, said the number of refugees and those awaiting registration had reached 1,511,976. Its regional co-ordinator, Panos Moumtzis, said the figures showed the crisis was rapidly deteriorating.

He added: "Refugees tell us the increased fighting and changing of control of towns and villages, in particular in conflict areas, results in more and more civilians deciding to leave. Over the past four months we have seen a rapid deterioration when compared to the previous 20 months of this conflict."

In March the UNHCR warned that the crisis was "spiralling towards full-scale disaster" when the number of refugees topped 1 million for the first time.

If the number of people fleeing the conflict continues to increase at such a rate every 10 weeks there will be more 3.5 million Syrian refugees, or 15% of total population of Syria, by the end of the year.

Moumtzis warned that the official figure masked an even greater problem. "The fact that we have now surpassed 1.5 million people registered or those who have appointments sadly means the actual number is in reality much higher," he said. "This is due to concerns that some have regarding registration. There is increasingly a widening gap between the needs and resources available."

Campaigners warned that the figures would be even higher if neighbouring countries were not illegally blocking entry to tens thousands of people.
Bushra, was identified last week as the one millionth registered Syrian refugee by the UNHCR. Bushra, identified as the millionth registered Syrian refugee. Photograph: AFP/Getty

Gerry Simpson, acting refugee programme director at Human Rights Watch, said: "Jordan should stop its flagrant violation of international law and end its border push-back policy that prevents tens of thousands of desperate people trying to flee one of the world's worst conflicts from seeking refuge in Jordan, including Palestinian and Iraqi refugees living in Syria, single men of military age and anyone unable to prove their identity. All these people have a right not to be forced back to situations threatening their lives."

"Turkey's continued partial border closure means up to 50,000 Syrians are stuck in Syria, in an active war zone, waiting to find protection in Turkey. Jordan and Turkey are playing Russian roulette with tens of thousands of lives."

But Simpson acknowledged that Turkey and Jordan were "shouldering a huge burden" of the problem, and needed help from the international community.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding, pointed out that about 10% of Jordan's population were Syrian refugees and that the Za'atari refugee camp was the fifth-largest city in the country.

Speaking at a briefing in the House of Commons he "At what point are other countries going to step up to the plate and start taking some of these refugees?" Doyle said. "I think it is unconscionable that we leave it to neighbouring states who have taken on so much. The EU has to open its doors."

 

[amoy]

U.N. General Assembly to vote on Syria resolution; Russia opposed

Russia China opposed, India this time abstained

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly is set to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that condemns Syrian authorities and accepts the opposition Syrian National Coalition as party to a potential political transition.

Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is opposed to the resolution, which was drafted by Qatar and other Arab nations and circulated among the 193 U.N. member states. Some Western diplomats said it was unlikely to win as many votes as a resolution that passed last year with 133 in favor.

No country has a veto in the General Assembly.

"I'm convinced a lot of countries voted for this text because they believed they were voting for the winning side," a senior western U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in reference to the August, 2012 resolution. "They are not so sure anymore."

 

[Virendra]

Things are hottening up with the Russian navy stamping aggressively around their naval base in Syrian waters.
With this pre-emptive move by Russia, the Americans and their allies have their task cut out.
Million dollar question - Is the West going to intervene in Syria militarily?
-----------------------------------------------------------

Russia sends at least 12 warships to Syria | The Times of Israel
In a move considered aggressive by US and European officials, Russia has sent at least 12 warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Tartous, Syria.

The deployment appears to be a warning to Israeli and Western officials against military intervention in Syria's bloody civil war, which has now claimed the lives of over 80,000 people.

Russia's increased presence in the region — which began raising eyebrows in the US three months ago — represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

"It's a show of force. It's muscle flexing," a top US official told the Journal.

Russian news sources reported earlier Thursday that five warships had entered the Mediterranean Sea to bolster the country's new regional task force. The vessels were scheduled to dock in Limassol, Cyprus.

In March, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the naval task force was needed in order to protect Russian interests in the region.

Also Thursday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shrugged off Israeli pleas not to sell sophisticated S-300 air defense systems to Bashar Assad's regime, saying Moscow would fulfill its contract with Damascus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin, in emergency talks on Tuesday, that the sale could push the region toward war.
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Regards,
Virendra

 

[ladder]

Russia sends 'killer' missiles to Syria to help Assad regime

Michael R Gordon & Eric Schmitt, New York Times | May 17, 2013, 06.53 PM IST

WASHINGTON: Russia has sent advanced anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, American officials said on Thursday.

Russia has previously provided a version of the missiles, called Yakhonts, to Syria. However, those delivered recently are outfitted with an advanced radar that makes them more effective, according to American officials who are familiar with classified intelligence reports and would only discuss the shipment on the basis of anonymity.

http://http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Russia-sends-killer-missiles-to-Syria-to-help-Assad-regime/articleshow/20107950.cms

 

[SajeevJino]

damn Mostly all Frontline Media's and US officials and Israeli Newspapers Confirmed that the Latest Weapon supply from Russia to Syria is Upgraded Yakhont/Onyx missile P 800 Anti Shipping Missiles ..But the Reason and Problem of the Latest Arrival is confusing because of Unique launch Platform of S 300 sam and P 800 missile

THE p 800 Won't make any Reasonable effect to west and Israeli but S 300 will make It

Russia, one of Syria's strongest allies has been shipping advanced cruise missiles and other arms, citing a contractual obligation it has with the regime. According to the Times report, Syria placed orders for the S-300 antiship missiles to Russia in 2007, and Moscow supplied the first batch of missile systems in 2011.

So the P 800 ( s300 ) contract is signed by 2007 and will not pose any threats to Israel ..

and I will get update from my Friend only after 24 hr later ..because he is on Shabbat ..will update later with clear Info

 

[nrupatunga]

russia may provide any number of things. It may not help assad much. If west/israel wants to do mischief, they can do it. But one thing for sure, assad can't regain entire syria again.

 

[SajeevJino]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday claimed that the latest shipment of antiship missiles to Syria had no connection with Israel's recent air strikes against Syria. He said that the consignment was part of an old contract signed before the air strikes were launched on Syria last year, the Guardian Express reported.

According to Lavrov, no new contracts have been signed between Russia and Syria.

Russia Sold Advanced S-300 Ship-Killing Missiles To Syrian President Bashar Assad, Say US Officials

 

[sorcerer]

Russia Sold Advanced S-300 Ship-Killing Missiles To Syrian President Bashar Assad, Say US Officials

Russia sold this

According to the New York Times report, a recent Russian shipment to Syria included an advanced form of the Yakhont, a 6.7m-long (22ft) missile with a range of 290km (180 miles) and carrying either a high-explosive or armour-piercing warhead.

The initial order - for 72 missiles along with launcher and support vehicles - was placed in 2007 and the first deliveries received in early 2011, said the paper. It quotes two unnamed senior US defence officials as saying the most recent shipments had more advanced radar guidance systems, enabling it to evade a ship's defences.

Sergei Lavrov said on Friday he did not understand "why the media is trying to create a sensation out of this".

"We have not hidden that we supply weapons to Syria under signed contracts, without violating any international agreements, or our own legislation.

"And we most importantly supply anti-aircraft system, and it doesn't create any imbalance of power in the region or any kind of advantages in the fight against the opposition."

Its the business of peace..

 

[SajeevJino]

Sergei Lavrov said on Friday he did not
understand "why the media is trying to
create a sensation out of this".
"We have not hidden that we supply
weapons to Syria under signed contracts,
without violating any international
agreements, or our own legislation.

Russia Delivers Missiles to Syria and Syria Transfers it to Hizbullah and Hizbullah says we are Ready for war Not only against Israel if they have AAA they test civilian Aircrafts if Anti Ship Missiles cargo ship or Oil Vessels

 

[average american]

Russia Delivers Missiles to Syria and Syria Transfers it to Hizbullah and Hizbullah says we are Ready for war Not only against Israel if they have AAA they test civilian Aircrafts if Anti Ship Missiles cargo ship or Oil Vessels

Isreal for the last five years has been going in and out of Syrian airspace like their was an open door, doubt if more missiles are going to make any differance.

http://newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/Missile-misses-target-again/2013/04/25/article1560392.ece


Missile misses target again




By Hemant Kumar Rout | ENS - BALASORE

25th April 2013 11:03 AM



In a joint exercise by Indian Air Force (IAF) and DRDO, a Russian short range surface-to-air missile was test fired from a defence base off the Odisha coast on Wednesday. The OSA-AK missile reportedly failed to hit a tow body suspended from a pilot less target aircraft (PTA) as it fell down before reaching the target.

Sources said air force personnel conducted the test, a part of target simulation exercise in the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on sea during noon.

The missile was fired from the launching complex - III and the PTA was flown from the launching -II of the ITR.

While three rounds of the missile were fired at 11.25 am, 11.45 am and 12.45 pm, the missile was to hit the tow body during the third attempt.

"The missile fell down immediately after take off. Though in initial two attempts the 10-km range missile travelled a certain distance, but during the target simulation exercise it failed to reach the target," said a source.

It was the third attempt in last three days which also proved futile.

While on Monday the pilot less target aircraft fell down before releasing the tow body and flying for a stipulated period due to technical snags, a similar attempt on Tuesday also failed as the missile could not be fired.

A defence official said the aim and objective of the exercise was to gauge the effectiveness of the missile and killing capabilities mid air.

The Russia-manufactured missile has already been procured by India for the IAF fighter air-crafts.

OSA-AK missile has been developed to be used against aircrafts, surface-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles.

The missile has already been inducted in the army and it was first user trial by the IAF.

Sources added that if all the preparations go according to the plan, another exercise will be conducted within a day or two.

Thereafter, the missile would be fired from the fighter air crafts targeting the PTA.


Does any one want to try and convince me if Russian Short Range Missiles proform this poorly that the lheir long range missiles are going to work better.

 

[SajeevJino]

Isreal for the last five years has been going in and out of Syrian airspace like their was an open door, doubt if more missiles are going to make any differance.

Israel is the only country that can do the above things even the US can't able to do this ..Who holds highest No. of Air Victories who holds record of Highest no of Planes destroy ...Is the US no The Jewish State ..Can US does the same Israel does in Syria ..Answer is big No

Missile misses target again - The New Indian Express

In a joint exercise by Indian Air Force (IAF) and DRDO, a Russian short range surface-to-air missile was test fired from a defence base off the Odisha coast on Wednesday. The OSA-AK missile reportedly failed to hit a tow body suspended from a pilot less target aircraft (PTA) as it fell down before reaching the target.

The OSA-AK is battle proved in Iron fist 2013 We Indian s seen in Live action of OSA AK firing and destroying a Flying Object that can be broadcasting in India thanks to DoorDarshan ..Mostly India's AD covered by Russian SAM'S And AAA till 1999 ..so till 1999 war No enemy tries to take Air Superiority in our Region ..Later 1999 India goes Israeli and Indigenous SAM and One more thing not all the SAM's Systems in US even entire country in the World is not 100% Believable

 

[Kunal Biswas]

OSA-AK is not a very efficient SAM system, It record is somewhat 6 targets out of 10 or 15, Same goes for most Russian SAM/AAA system..

The OSA-AK is battle proved in Iron fist 2013 We Indian s seen in Live action of OSA AK firing and destroying a Flying Object that can be broadcasting in India thanks to DoorDarshan ..

 

[SajeevJino]

OSA-AK is not a very efficient SAM system, It record is somewhat 6 targets out of 10 or 15, Same goes for most Russian SAM/AAA system..

50-50 Chances for Enemy Pilot facing OSA AK on his radar

 

[average american]

You talking about a drone flying in a straight line at slow speed, not a high preformance jet taking evasive manuvers and using counter measuresl

 

[SajeevJino]

You talking about a drone flying in a straight line at slow speed, not a high preformance jet taking evasive manuvers and using counter measuresl

Agree Completly...And I claim OSA AK is 50-50 Chance of Hitting the Target