The Syrian Crisis

[The Messiah]

Armed Rebels Massacre Entire Population of Christian Village in Syria

TEHRAN (FNA)- Armed rebels attacked a village in Syria's Western province of Homs and slaughtered all its Christian residents on Monday.

The armed rebels affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) raided the Christian-populated al-Duvair village in Reef (outskirts of) Homs near the border with Lebanon today and massacred all its civilian residents, including women and children.

The Syrian army, however, intervened and killed tens of terrorists during heavy clashes which are still going on in al-Duvair village.

The armed rebels' attack and crimes in al-Duvair village came after they sustained heavy defeats in al-Qusseir city which has almost been set free by the Syrian army except for a few districts.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

In October 2011, calm was almost restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies sought hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances.

Fars News Agency :: Armed Rebels Massacre Entire Population of Christian Village in Syria

@W.G.Ewald why is that your govt is aiding those people who are killing christians while the one who they are calling the devil is actually the one protecting the christians ?

 

[pmaitra]

I don't know why Russians Still keeping their Alliance with Syrians ...NATO fails to EU fails because of your Pressure Russia

I don't know how much this Poor peoples take this Long


Feeling sad about innocent Syrian Lives..God be with you Peoples

The poor Syrian people are not suffering because of Russia, they are suffering because the FSA terrorists have, over the past 2 years, consistently refused to talk, and continued to escalate violence. Even the role played by Israel is dubious, as it is more interested in weakening Assad, thereby strengthening the al-Qaida affiliated FSA. The fact that FSA is targeting Christians, and Israel survives because Christian majority US supports Israel, is of little consequence to the thankless idiots sitting in the Government of Israel.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

@W.G.Ewald why is that your govt is aiding those people who are killing christians while the one who they are calling the devil is actually the one protecting the christians ?

If you don't know by now what my opinion of the US government is, you haven't been paying attention.

To specifically answer your question, the US government (Obama, H.Clinton, Kerry, et al.) is incompetent if not criminally negligent insofar as foreign policy is concerned. The killing of four Americans in Benghazi last September is an example.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Exclusive: John McCain Slips Across Border Into Syria, Meets With Rebels - The Daily Beast

Sen. John McCain Monday became the highest-ranking U.S. official to enter Syria since the bloody civil war there began more than two years ago, The Daily Beast has learned.

McCain, one of the fiercest critics of the Obama administration's Syria policy, made the unannounced visit across the Turkey-Syria border with Gen. Salem Idris, the leader of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army. He stayed in the country for several hours before returning to Turkey. Both in Syria and Turkey, McCain and Idris met with assembled leaders of Free Syrian Army units that traveled from around the country to see the U.S. senator. Inside those meetings, rebel leaders called on the United States to step up its support to the Syrian armed opposition and provide them with heavy weapons, a no-fly zone, and airstrikes on the Syrian regime and the forces of Hezbollah, which is increasingly active in Syria.

Senile old bastard needs attention.

 

[SajeevJino]

The poor Syrian people are not suffering because of Russia, they are suffering because the FSA terrorists have, over the past 2 years, consistently refused to talk, and continued to escalate violence. Even the role played by Israel is dubious, as it is more interested in weakening Assad, thereby strengthening the al-Qaida affiliated FSA. The fact that FSA is targeting Christians, and Israel survives because Christian majority US supports Israel, is of little consequence to the thankless idiots sitting in the Government of Israel.

I am Also strongly Condemning Arming the Rebels they Think It's good for today but won't Know what happens in Tomorrow ..they eating Soldier's Heart Brutal Killings and so on ..In Assad view Since the Operation Orchard Syrians become More Hostile to Israel Assad want the revenge ..As per my view If no FSA in Syria clearly Assad declare war on Israel and It's goes on with a Biggest Middle east war with combined Force of Iran, hamas, hezbullah

The role of Jewish state in Syria is simple they won't give any Sophisticated weapons to anyone Not to the Syrian Regime not to the FSA as per some Official views in Israel Israel Knew FSA is more hostile than Assad ..Even the Rebels also said Israel wants Assad keep in power


Currently Russia deploying more than 15 Ships ..This is the Clear statement from Russia they not going to allow NATO intervention in Syria ..

I have an Option.. no need NATO no need EU ..just you can change the Situation ..Use your Diplomatic power or Military power ..You Choose do you need Assad or FSA

otherwise we will wait till Geneva conference

 

[pmaitra]

I am Also strongly Condemning Arming the Rebels they Think It's good for today but won't Know what happens in Tomorrow ..they eating Soldier's Heart Brutal Killings and so on ..In Assad view Since the Operation Orchard Syrians become More Hostile to Israel Assad want the revenge ..As per my view If no FSA in Syria clearly Assad declare war on Israel and It's goes on with a Biggest Middle east war with combined Force of Iran, hamas, hezbullah

The role of Jewish state in Syria is simple they won't give any Sophisticated weapons to anyone Not to the Syrian Regime not to the FSA as per some Official views in Israel Israel Knew FSA is more hostile than Assad ..Even the Rebels also said Israel wants Assad keep in power


Currently Russia deploying more than 15 Ships ..This is the Clear statement from Russia they not going to allow NATO intervention in Syria ..

I have an Option.. no need NATO no need EU ..just you can change the Situation ..Use your Diplomatic power or Military power ..You Choose do you need Assad or FSA

otherwise we will wait till Geneva conference

We all are entitled to our views. You might as well be, and I could be wrong, that had it not been for FSA, Assad would have invaded Israel; just that I do not subscribe to that view. I am opposed to any kind of invasion of Israel by Assad, and I am also against Hamas striking Israel. However, at the current situation, between Assad and al-Qaida-FSA alliance, the choice is pretty clear to me - it is Assad.

 

[The Last Stand]

RIP to those who died in the evil *******'s chemical attacks.

 

[nrupatunga]

US backtracks on Syria peace meet

The Russian-American idea of convening an international conference on Syria is nosediving within a week of its uncertain takeoff last Tuesday when US secretary of state John Kerry paid a 'working visit' to Moscow.

The strategic community and the Cold Warriors are up in arms in the US at the prospect of a US-Russia concord on Syria. The nasty interview given by the old war horse from the Council of Foreign Relations Stephen Sestanovich suggests that the Obama administration is caving into the pressure to revert to its blueprint for regime change in Syria.
Sestanovich underlines that there is nothing really there to discuss on Syria except the exit of President Bashar al-Assad. "The real issue is whether the Russians are prepared to tell Assad and his supporters that the jig is really up for their regime." Period.
The Sestanovich line seems authentic and the CFR can't be out of sync with the spirit of the times on US-Russia ties.
Interestingly, both US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron virtually repeated what Sestanovich maintained, namely, that the non-negotiable bottom line is that Assad should exit.
At a joint press conference in Washington on Monday, the two statesmen reverted to the ancient line of argument that the support for the Syrian opposition will be stepped up. Regime change is back in vogue.
While Obama raked up the chemical weapons issue and flaunted it as the sword of Damocles hanging over Assad's neck, Cameron pledged to get the European Union embargo on arms supplies to the Syrian rebel fighters lifted.
Obama also took a swipe at Moscow doubting Russia's capacity to influence now that "the Furies have been unleashed" in Syria and where Iran and Hezbollah also happen to be players. He subtly warned Russia that it could as well be affected by spillover from Syria just as Turkey or Jordan have been.
Cameron lost no time to distance himself from the bonhomie displayed at his weekend visit to Sochi and insists now that what he actually had with President Vladimir Putin was a "very frank conversation" regarding Syria– which in diplomatic idiom means the two leaders sharply disagreed to the point of quarreling.
Clearly, it appears that Kerry's feedback to Obama following his "working visit" to Moscow has not exactly been in glowing terms. In fact, now it transpires that while Kerry was in town, the Russian intelligence was apparently moving in to entrap an American diplomat in Moscow who was allegedly involved in cold-war era espionage.
The diplomat has since been declared persona non grata. At any rate, Moscow is not going to like the tone of the Obama-Cameron press conference (here), and all of this of course could only suggest that the US-Russia ties continue to remain in doldrums with hardly a month to go for the Obama-Putin meeting on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
The French have an uncanny sense of dark forebodings. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned on Tuesday that the planned peace conference on Syria is hard to organize.

 

[nrupatunga]

Exclusive: John McCain Slips Across Border Into Syria, Meets With Rebels - The Daily Beast



Senile old bastard needs attention.

His recent article on Time
Syria: Intervention is in Our Interest - By John Mccain

The strategic and humanitarian costs of the conflict in Syria continue to rise, not just for Syrians but also for vital U.S. interests. Chemical weapons have likely been used by President Bashar Assad's regime against civilians, and more than 70,000 people have been slaughtered. The -al-Qaeda-aligned al-Nusra Front has gained unprecedented strength on the ground. Iran and its proxy Hizballah are building a network of militias inside Syria. A staggering 5 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, cross-border spillover threatens the security and stability of our allies and partners Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon.

I know Americans are war-weary and eager to focus on our domestic and economic problems, not foreign affairs. I also know the situation in Syria is complex and there are no ideal options. But the basic choice we face is not complicated: Do the costs of inaction outweigh the costs of action? The events of the past 26 months have convinced me that they do. All of the terrible consequences those against intervening predicted would happen in Syria if we intervened happened because we did not. This conflict will grind on with all of its worsening effects until the military balance of power shifts more decisively against Assad and his Iranian, Russian and Hizballah backers.

The U.S. does not have to act alone, put boots on the ground or destroy every Syrian air-defense system to make a difference. We could train and arm well-vetted Syrian opposition forces, as recommended last year by President Obama's national-security team. We could strike Assad's aircraft and Scud-missile launchers. We could destroy artillery and drive Assad's forces from their posts. We could station Patriot-missile batteries just outside Syria to create safe zones across the border.

Taking these steps would save innocent lives, give the moderate opposition a better chance to succeed and eventually provide security and responsible governance in Syria after Assad. However, the longer we wait, the worse the situation gets, and the tougher it will be to confront.

For America, our interests are our values, and our values are our interests. Nearly two decades ago, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to support President Clinton as he led the U.S. to stop mass atrocities in Bosnia. The question for another President today, and for all Americans, is whether we will again answer the desperate pleas for rescue that are made uniquely to us, the USA.

 

[amoy]

Iraqi Shiites fight for Syrian government - The Washington Post

But Iraqi officials have warned repeatedly that Assad's fall would spell disaster for Iraq, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the Associated Press in February that a rebel victory in Syria would revive Iraq's sectarian war. In an interview, Sami al-Askari, a Shiite lawmaker close to Maliki, said the government "turns a blind eye" to the flow of Shiite fighters to Syria, as it does in the case of Iraqi Sunnis who help Syrian rebels.

Analysts and Shiite militia leaders say it is unclear how many Iraqi Shiites have gone to fight in Syria, but Abu Sajad put the number at about 200 and said the ranks were growing quickly. He said Shiite fighters had been particularly motivated by an April statement by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who glorified the Syrian opposition in what he depicted as its fight against Assad and Iran, and by the Syrian Islamist rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra's recent pledge of fealty to al-Qaeda.

Syria's war can't drift into holy war - CSMonitor.com

As more outside forces intervene in Syria, the more the war becomes a "clash within a civilization," or intra-Muslim struggle. But as more countries recognize this dangerous course, the more they must back talks to end it. Holy wars are never holy.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

His recent article on Time
Syria: Intervention is in Our Interest - By John Mccain

We could train and arm well-vetted Syrian opposition forces, as recommended last year by President Obama's national-security team. We could strike Assad's aircraft and Scud-missile launchers. We could destroy artillery and drive Assad's forces from their posts. We could station Patriot-missile batteries just outside Syria to create safe zones across the border.

Taking these steps would save innocent lives, give the moderate opposition a better chance to succeed and eventually provide security and responsible governance in Syria after Assad. However, the longer we wait, the worse the situation gets, and the tougher it will be to confront.

For America, our interests are our values, and our values are our interests.

The senator longs to be a military commander. That is not his job.

 

[SajeevJino]

If S-300 shipment leaves, we'll know how to act ,Israel​

Defense minister confirms Russian missile shipment has yet to depart for Syria; says budget cuts entail less training for reserves; Lieberman: Radical axis crossed red lines


Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon confirmed on Tuesday morning that the S-300 missile shipment from Russia to Syria has yet to leave for its destination.

He stressed that the missile shipment "is a threat, and I can testify that the deal is not making headway. The shipments have not left yet. Let's hope they won't, and if they do, we'll know how to act."

Syria signed a contract to buy four S-300 systems in 2010. The deal is worth a reported $800 million. At the request of Israel, Russia postponed delivery of the first batch last year.

The Sunday Times reported that after the alleged Israeli raid on targets near Damascus earlier this month, the Russians were furious, and Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, said the contract would go ahead.

In a conversation with reporters following a briefing in a Home Front Command base in Ramla, Ya'alon said: "The Home Front Command has drawn many lessons from the last years and is giving the populace ways to deal with wartime events.

"In recent years, our enemies have chosen to arm themselves with missiles and rockets. We have stood the tests, and sadly, we'll stand more tests."

Ya'alon also referred to reports on the cuts to the defense budget. "There are cuts and they should be withstood," he said.

"In the debate over the budget it was clear we're facing a tough year-and-a-half and we'll have to share the economic burden. There'll be fewer reserves calls, less training for reserve troops and less employment for servicemen."

Ya'alon warned against the proposed haredi conscription, and said that "When you disparage a sector and threaten to throw it to jail, it will not be integrated."

He said that the conscription outline was unacceptable, and that he believed the final draft will change.

In Tuesday's Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, MK Avigdor Lieberman referred to the Syrian crisis and to the Iranian nuclear threat, saying that "the last period is characterized by the radical axis crossing all the red lines."

Lieberman pointed a finger at the international community for failing to intervene in Syria. "There is no question today whether there was use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces," he said. "The massacre of 90,000 people was not answered by the international community."

Ya'alon: If S-300 shipment leaves, we'll know how to act - Israel News, Ynetnews

 

[W.G.Ewald]

If the Syrians get the AA missiles, we can put McCain in an F-4 and let him fly over.

 

[rock127]

Britain: EU Ends Arms Embargo On Syrian Rebels

Russia slams end of EU arms embargo, calls S-300s 'stabilizing factor' in Syria

 

[t_co]

If the Syrians get the AA missiles, we can put McCain in an F-4 and let him fly over.

It won't be the first time he's felt the fragmentation rods of a Russian SAM.

 

[nrupatunga]

@W.G.Ewald More than libya, syria is far more important to region , to asia. However much qatar/saudi try without a minimum of an air campaign the conflict wont resolve. Lebanon is already feeling the heat. Also iraq is feeling the heat. How long before entire west asia feels the heat. West has to ensure that either the regime slowly but surely regains ground. This can be achieved if gcc and other local players are sternly told to stay out. Or they can do what they did in libya. This prolonging is not certainly not in the benefit of anyone.

If the west does not want to do anything, atleast they should let iran and russia do their job. Else if they really want assad out, let they do an air campaign so that rebels can have control. Waiting for things to happen on its own is not helping anyone. Since assad cant be allowed to regain ground as its a big no from israel pov(as he would want a revenge and step up assymetric warfare. Syria just cant take on israel even in a local conflict), west has to act the other way. Certainly without any knowledge of pentagon, he certainly wouldn't have visited syria. Hopefully some concrete action takes place as US is now not interested in the peace conference which russia wanted.

 

[SajeevJino]

Wait till Ramzan ...They should Made our Dream become Reality

 

[W.G.Ewald]

It won't be the first time he's felt the fragmentation rods of a Russian SAM.

He might be better treated by Assad than he was by Ho Chi Minh.

 

[t_co]

He might be better treated by Assad than he was by Ho Chi Minh.

But not by the erstwhile 'freedom fighters' he supports.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

But not by the erstwhile 'freedom fighters' he supports.

Very true. :-(