Livestream out of Syria

Neutral said:
Yup this is a 'game changer' - not saying it's going to be a walk in the park, but can't see Assad + Hezbollah + Iran winning here
Click to expand...

The rebels will certainly receive a boost however the balance of manpower isn't going to alter, of course we don't know what the logistic situation for Assad is like at present and how far Russia might be willing to go to remedy any shortfall.

Now the regime must've known that they couldn't rely on the supply situation for the rebels to remain unchanged, particularly after their recent gains and use of chemical weapons, yet the advances appeared to grind to a halt . Either Assad is up to some other game or the Syrian military is more stretched than we realise.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
The rebels will certainly receive a boost however the balance of manpower isn't going to alter, of course we don't know what the logistic situation for Assad is like at present and how far Russia might be willing to go to remedy any shortfall.

Now the regime must've known that they couldn't rely on the supply situation for the rebels to remain unchanged, particularly after their recent gains and use of chemical weapons, yet the advances appeared to grind to a halt . Either Assad is up to some other game or the Syrian military is more stretched than we realise.
Click to expand...
Personally I don't think the new weapons will make much of difference, because the rebels already had those before. The announcements about those weapons have more to do with the psychological war after Assad's victory in Qusair than an actual (significant) influence on the battlefield IMO.
 
Arming them is futile since the Russians will respond by arming the Syrian army with an even more sophisticated array of weaponry, tit-for-tat. All they're doing is prolonging the bloodshed, which I think suits them just fine.
 
The Iranians have propped up the regime with billions of dollars and boots on the ground through Hezbollah. The Russians are pushing weapons onto the battlefield and diplomacy is going nowhere. If the US gets enough weapons there, then the west can do to Iran what Iran did to the US in Iraq, bleed them and cost them treasure for getting involved. All in a country they had no stake in before while weakening their main enemies in the region. It does suit them I suppose but even if Assad can win quickly there follows a blood bath in Syria any way.
 
I've stayed out of this thread because I can't even stomach what's going on in Syria at the moment. I've watched a fair few documentaries and I read the headlines every day, but last night I watched VICE'S new documentary about a hospital there and it was heartbreaking.
 
Don't Kill Bill said:
The Iranians have propped up the regime with billions of dollars and boots on the ground through Hezbollah. The Russians are pushing weapons onto the battlefield and diplomacy is going nowhere. If the US gets enough weapons there, then the west can do to Iran what Iran did to the US in Iraq, bleed them and cost them treasure for getting involved. All in a country they had no stake in before while weakening their main enemies in the region. It does suit them I suppose but even if Assad can win quickly there follows a blood bath in Syria any way.
Click to expand...

I don't think Iran (or even Hezbollah) is as deeply involved in Syria as the US was in Iraq.

The conflict with or without the extra weapons from the US is going to drag on till at least 2014 anyway.
 
I suspect that they would have been more than able to launch that attack regardless of Western involvement although that being said, increased support could easily lead it to become part of future national policy or at least in a region of the country as central control is diminished. So unless the international community would set it as a precondition that the FSA must confront its extreme elements and with force if need be, that form of persecution will be inevitable. Both the opposition hierarchy and others outside Syria likely view them as a too convenient and efficient fighting force to worry enough about their crimes.

Alternatively a sizeable UN force take the decision out of theri hands except that it would be a target just like in Iraq or Afghanistan.

For another thing, what proportion of the present Syria military would the rebels be willing to maintain were they to reach power, American would surely insist on a significant amount following the lesson of Iraq yet i wonder if they would accept that.
 
http://www.glassrpske.com/novosti/v...remna-da-ide-u-rat-u-Siriju-VIDEO/124033.html

Group of men from Bosnia on their way to join the Syrian rebels at Hama. 'Jihad is our flag, Afghanistan the example, our brothers in Iraq fighting endlessly...' and similar type of lyrics. Jihadists groups are all known to the police. The Bosnian government has not commented so far. Bosna and Hercegovina, a ridiculously impossible state. Should be joining the EU very soon though ;)
 
Sakhr Al-Makhadhi explains how some Syrian refugees are finding a warm welcome in Hizbollah communities in northern Lebanon.

Listen online :: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p019zqjz/From_Our_Own_Correspondent_Lebanon_and_South_Africa/http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p019zqjz/From_Our_Own_Correspondent_Lebanon_and_South_Africa/
Click to expand...



If Lebanon continues to be unwilling to establish refugee camps like those in Jordan then these people lacking the right sort of connections should be moved elsewhere by the UN. There's enough money at the disposal of those states involving themselves to not have 100s operating their own ill equipped and unsafe camp. If necessary put up some temporary housing on a military base back here in Europe, i'm sure i can recall seeing planes carrying asylum seekers from the Kosovan conflict arriving in Britain. More bloody use than much of Cameron's rhetoric at any rate.
 
The rebels publish a video of beheading a priest and another Christian man in Idlib (near Aleppo) with more than a hundred rebels gathering to watch and cheer.. One of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.

Obviously the clip is too graphic to post.
 
Danny1982 said:
The rebels publish a video of beheading a priest and another Christian man in Idlib (near Aleppo) with more than a hundred rebels gathering to watch and cheer.. One of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.

Obviously the clip is too graphic to post.
Click to expand...

Is this related to the attack on the monastery Kaos posted about?
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
Is this related to the attack on the monastery Kaos posted about?
Click to expand...

No, it was thought to be the same at first, but the it turned out to be another incident. The priest (Fransois Murad) wasn't beheaded, just murdered.

The full identity of the two men beheaded in the video is still not confirmed.
 
US to send arms to Syria within a month

The United States plans to start supplying arms directly to Syrian rebels within a month, US officials said, as it emerged that the CIA has begun shipping weapons to a secret network of warehouses in neighbouring Jordan.

By Damien McElroy
27 Jun 2013

Leaked CIA plans disclose that Washington will despatch arms from Jordan to specially vetted groups in the Free Syrian Army in coordination with European and Arab allies.

The “parallel push” will see backers of Syrian rebels provide training and arms deliveries to the rebel forces deemed moderate and separate from al-Qaeda linked forces.

The arms supplies are intended to be in the hands of the rebels before an offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s regime is launched in early August, according to the Wall Street Journal.

US deliveries so far include light weapons and anti-tank missiles but talks are underway with the French to send more supplies from Europe.

Saudi Arabia has promised to despatch up to 20 shoulder-fired surface to air missiles, capable of taking down regime fighter jets in a controlled and managed process.

A CIA vetting procedure for those groups that are given weapons is the lynchpin of the US approach. Officials said it was vital to bolster moderate groups so that they can blunt the appeal of the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda linked group that has grown to dominate the battle against the Damascus regime.

“Numbers are an issue,” a counter-terrorism official told the Journal. “Al-Nusra has added thousands of fighters in the past year. We are going to have to outpace that.”

The development comes after Washington determined the Assad regime had used chemical weapons against its opponents.

UN inspectors who have been blocked from entering Syria moved into Turkey on Thursday to compile evidence of chemical weapons attacks in the civil war.

The team will be unable to gather soil samples or scientific evidence needed to prove chemical use, but could compile intelligence and interview or take blood samples from witnesses or victims of alleged attacks.

Angela Merkel the German chancellor, meanwhile signalled growing acceptance of plans for European involvement in arming the rebels, conceeding that “anyone with a heart” could understand Western countries wanting to help Syrian rebels.

“In this desperate situation, which is increasingly threatening the entire region, surely each of us can understand that our friends and partners the US, Britain and France are considering helping parts of the Syrian opposition with weapons shipments,” she said.

“But surely the desire to take an effective stand against the killing in Syria and to put an end to the Assad regime’s activities can be understood by everyone - at least by anyone with a heart.”

British officials have said Whitehall is not close to taking a decision on providing arms to the rebels and the government face substantial opposition in parliament, which has been promised a vote on a decision to send weapons.

At Foreign Office questions in the House of Lords yesterday, Lord King of Bridgewater, who was defence secretary at the time of the first Gulf War, spoke out against possible intervention in the conflict.

“Many of us would very much hope that it never would be taken,” he said. He claimed the “most urgent and important challenge is to get Russia and China on board, together with Iran, into a wide-ranging conference” to prevent a “terrible Sunni-Shia split right across that region with very serious consequences”.

He added: “The other most urgent thing is help for Jordan, who are facing the most appalling refugee problem at the present time.”

Distinguishing good rebels from bad has become a major focus for Western police planners assessing the risks of intervention in the war.

The task has not been assisted by a steady stream of evidence of atrocities by the rebels.

New video has emerged of foreign fighters beheading civilians accused of collaborating with the Assad regime. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels, who spoke in classical Arabic with an accent, may have been Chechen.

The beheading was caught on video and posted on YouTube. The civilians were captured in Khan al-Assal, a town west of Aleppo, according to one of the rebels who spoke on the film. The Observatory said it was unable to verify the location.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor.../US-to-send-arms-to-Syria-within-a-month.html
Click to expand...



Oh how reassuring.

What's this about the French, have they already sent weapons and i missed that?
 
I don't know about the rest of you but i get the feeling that the outcome of this next phase of fighting around Aleppo will determine a great deal both psychologically and militarily.

Alternatively it could be a pyrrhic victory which leaves both sides so drained that the bloody struggle continues
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
I don't know about the rest of you but i get the feeling that the outcome of this next phase of fighting around Aleppo will determine a great deal both psychologically and militarily.

Alternatively it could be a pyrrhic victory which leaves both sides so drained that the bloody struggle continues
Click to expand...

Assad's plan is actually not Aleppo. Assad's main plan is now Homs, and the area around Damascus, even though the operations around Aleppo are also still going. Recent reports also confirmed that the US intelligence have also warned the rebels that the satellite images show that Assad's forces aren't really preparing for an imminent big-scale attack on Aleppo, but rather on Homs.

If Assad wins Aleppo then the rebellion is practically over. Aleppo is "capital" of the rebellion. So there is no "next phase of fighting" if Assad retake Aleppo. However, don't expect the battle in Aleppo to be over before at least 1-2 years of fierce fighting, even though Assad is making quick progress now around Aleppo, regaining control of couple of new towns almost everyday.

A big problem for the rebels now is that they lost confidence that they can win this (and not only the rebels, but their allies too). Psychologically, Assad has the upper hand now, by far, which is why the rebels are trying to claim any psychological victory they can get now, no matter how small it is, just to try and raise the confidence of the fighters..
 
Australian Government lists anti-Assad Syrian group as terrorist organisation​

Updated 1 hour 25 minutes ago​
The Federal Government has raised concerns that Australians may be caught up with a group fighting the Assad regime in Syria that has been listed as a terrorist organisation.​
Jabhat al-Nusra is the first group in four years to be listed in Australia as a terrorist organisation.​
The Government describes Jabhat al-Nusra as an extremist group with direct links to Al Qaeda in Iraq and has been responsible for indiscriminate bombings in Syria.​
For operational reasons the Australian Government will not say how many Australians are believed to be fighting for groups in Syria but they face prosecution when they return home.​
There is the prospect that they could be charged and potentially face heavy penalties.​
Last month, the ABC's 7:30 program raised concerns from the Social Justice Network that there is a small minority group of Jabhat al-Nusra supporters in Western Sydney.​
 
Home front opens in a foreign war

June 30, 2013

Rachel Olding

Reporter
Auburn local shops targeted

Community spokesman Jamal Daoud from Auburn talks about how some of the local shops have been targeted because their owners support President Assad in Syria.

It was not so much a death threat as a declaration of war.
''You wanna go to war, you f---in' Shia dogs?'' the phone message says. ''We're taking all of you to war, in Sydney and overseas!''
It was 8pm and Jamal Daoud, an aspiring politician from Auburn was having dinner with his wife and children. An outspoken critic of the Free Syrian Army, Daoud is accustomed to abuse but this call was more frightening than most.
1_BO-syriasydney-wide-20130629204036132928-620x349.jpg

Threats: Jamal Daoud says intimidation has become common in Sydney's south-west. Photo: Wolter Peeters
''You wanna kill our brothers and sisters overseas, we're gonna kill you motherf---ers here,'' the caller says.
Advertisement
''We know where [you] live. We're coming past [your] house and shoot at [it], if there are people inside we don't give a f---. You wanna spill blood, we're gonna spill blood, you f---in' dogs!''
After two years and an estimated 100,000 deaths, the civil war in Syria has spilled on to the streets of Sydney. Auburn, Lakemba and Bankstown are the new battle lines.

Read full article: http://www.smh.com.au/national/home-front-opens-in-a-foreign-war-20130629-2p3pi.html#ixzz2XccWGKEf
 
Kaos said:
Monastery stormed and a Catholic priest murdered by the rebels.

http://www.fides.org/en/news/33866-..._offered_his_martyrdom_for_peace#.Ucl8y-uSVaW

Nice to see all that western aid being put to good use.
Click to expand...
Mihajlovic said:
http://www.glassrpske.com/novosti/v...remna-da-ide-u-rat-u-Siriju-VIDEO/124033.html

Group of men from Bosnia on their way to join the Syrian rebels at Hama. 'Jihad is our flag, Afghanistan the example, our brothers in Iraq fighting endlessly...' and similar type of lyrics. Jihadists groups are all known to the police. The Bosnian government has not commented so far. Bosna and Hercegovina, a ridiculously impossible state. Should be joining the EU very soon though ;)
Click to expand...
Danny1982 said:
Another attack against Christians..

Syria conflict: Suicide bomb in Damascus Christian area
Click to expand...
Neutral said:
Australian Government lists anti-Assad Syrian group as terrorist organisation​

Updated 1 hour 25 minutes ago​
​
​
The Federal Government has raised concerns that Australians may be caught up with a group fighting the Assad regime in Syria that has been listed as a terrorist organisation.​
Jabhat al-Nusra is the first group in four years to be listed in Australia as a terrorist organisation.​
The Government describes Jabhat al-Nusra as an extremist group with direct links to Al Qaeda in Iraq and has been responsible for indiscriminate bombings in Syria.​
For operational reasons the Australian Government will not say how many Australians are believed to be fighting for groups in Syria but they face prosecution when they return home.​
There is the prospect that they could be charged and potentially face heavy penalties.​
Last month, the ABC's 7:30 program raised concerns from the Social Justice Network that there is a small minority group of Jabhat al-Nusra supporters in Western Sydney.​
Click to expand...
Neutral said:
Home front opens in a foreign war

June 30, 2013

Rachel Olding

Reporter
Auburn local shops targeted

Community spokesman Jamal Daoud from Auburn talks about how some of the local shops have been targeted because their owners support President Assad in Syria.

It was not so much a death threat as a declaration of war.
''You wanna go to war, you f---in' Shia dogs?'' the phone message says. ''We're taking all of you to war, in Sydney and overseas!''
It was 8pm and Jamal Daoud, an aspiring politician from Auburn was having dinner with his wife and children. An outspoken critic of the Free Syrian Army, Daoud is accustomed to abuse but this call was more frightening than most.
1_BO-syriasydney-wide-20130629204036132928-620x349.jpg

Threats: Jamal Daoud says intimidation has become common in Sydney's south-west. Photo: Wolter Peeters
''You wanna kill our brothers and sisters overseas, we're gonna kill you motherf---ers here,'' the caller says.
Advertisement
''We know where [you] live. We're coming past [your] house and shoot at [it], if there are people inside we don't give a f---. You wanna spill blood, we're gonna spill blood, you f---in' dogs!''
After two years and an estimated 100,000 deaths, the civil war in Syria has spilled on to the streets of Sydney. Auburn, Lakemba and Bankstown are the new battle lines.

Read full article: http://www.smh.com.au/national/home-front-opens-in-a-foreign-war-20130629-2p3pi.html#ixzz2XccWGKEf
Click to expand...

Dont be ridiculous, they are clearly fighting for freedom and democracy otherwise the west wouldn't be arming them.
 
Which would tie in with what Danny said in his post earlier.

The article goes on to report that a 13th Century mosque has been hit and that the rebels claim to have destroyed a tank. The Americans were said to have supplied anti-tank munitions so it might be interesting to know if and at waht rate this has been reaching Homs.
 
Last month, having previously restricted their involvement, Hizbollah threw themselves into that conflict headlong, sending hundreds of fighters to back up the Syrian army during its bid to retake Qusair from rebel control.

First the joint force besieged the town, shelling it with a fury that reduced much of Qusair to rubble. Then, using Hizbollah's guerrilla expertise, they launched a ground invasion, clearing out the rebels street by street until what remained of the opposition was forced to scatter and flee.

The battle, which deprived the rebels of a key southern stronghold, marked the first large-scale intervention by Hizbollah on Mr Assad's behalf, and also a turn in his fortunes in the two-year-long civil war. Ever since, the talk among diplomats has moved from how long Mr Assad has before he goes, to whether he might actually manage to hang on after all.

But the move has inevitably left Hizbollah inextricably embroiled in Syria's civil war, and massively raised the chances of it re-igniting all out sectarian conflict in Lebanon too, where skirmishing has already taken place between Sunni and Shia factions.

The main staging point for Hizbollah's activities in Syria is the Bekaa Valley, a rugged expanse of plains and mountains where Hizbollah's word is effectively law, and where vigilant plain-clothes "spotters" watch your every move.

Last week, though, Hizbollah's normally secretive command issued a rare invitation to The Sunday Telegraph to visit the border area that it controls, in a bid to explain to the outside world its motives for joining the Syrian conflict.

The effects of the war can already been seen in the Hizbollah stronghold of Hermel, a town of low-rise concrete houses not far from the border, where the movement's Kalashnikov-logoed yellow flag flutters on street corners. Shells fired into Lebanon by Syrian rebel groups left some of the buildings destroyed, while newly-printed "martyr" posters show Hizbollah fighters who have died across the border.

"Some fighters from Hizbollah asked me to pray for them to become martyrs," said Sheikh Ali, a tall, slender man in his early twenties, who sports a close-cropped beard. "I asked God that these men die on the battlefield. It is a difficult thing to do. The hardest thing is to go to the family and tell them about the martyrdom of their son."

However, Hizbollah has its own very pragmatic reasons for wanting Mr Assad's regime to stay intact. Damascus has long been the conduit through which Hizbollah has received weapons from the Shia mullahs of Iran, who have sponsored both Hizbollah and the Assad regime itself ever since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. Tehran supports them partly as fellow Shias in an area dominated by Sunnis, and partly as fellow opponents of Iran's arch-enemy Israel, with which Hizbollah fought a brief war in 2006.

The seizing by rebels of territory around Qusair in recent months posed an immediate threat to that weapons supply from Iran. And it could dry up altogether were Mr Assad's regime to fall and be replaced by a Sunni-dominated one.

A Hizbollah official in Hermel admitted to The Sunday Telegraph. "We consider the passage from the Lebanese border to Tartous (a port in Syria) as our breathing lungs. We won't, we cannot, allow this to be closed down because it is our key passageway for arms."

There is, though, another reason for Hizbollah's involvement in Syria - and one that gives it unusual common cause with its opponents in the West, which has backed Syria's rebels.
Click to expand...

There is, though, another reason for Hizbollah's involvement in Syria - and one that gives it unusual common cause with its opponents in the West, which has backed Syria's rebels.

In a strange twist in geopolitical alignment, Hizbollah, which is blacklisted by the United States as a terrorist organisation, shares a common enemy in al-Qaeda, whose fighters are now playing a major role in the anti-Assad rebellion. While al-Qaeda despises Christians and the West, it despises Shias just as much, seeing them as apostate creed worthy only of death.

In Hermel, a senior Hezbollah commander dressed in a smart beige suit, who spoke to The Sunday Telegraph on the condition of anonymity, said: "The US is very wrong in its evaluation. They are now helping the same side that did the 9/11 attack. There may be some way to understand why the US is defending Israel, but I cannot fathom why they are helping al- Qaeda. Does the West want to see them move against Europe?"

He added that while Hizbollah has largely managed to co-exist in peace with Lebanon's other religious communities, the same could not be said for al-Qaeda, which wants both Shias and Christians removed from Syria altogether.

"They destroyed our temples and shrines, they are trying to wipe away our philosophy totally," he said, wringing his hands for emphasis. "The Syrian government made a deal with all the people of Syria, based on a secular outlook. Al-Qaeda think Christians should pay extra tax just to stay alive."

With that in mind, the group's fighters have recently been seen in Damascus, guarding holy Shia shrines. But they have also reportedly amassed hundreds of fighters alongside Syrian government forces in the north of the country, preparing to try to take back Syria's most populous city of Aleppo. They are, in other words, digging in for the long-term in Syria, squaring up for a fight in which the West may soon be arming the other side.

"Hizbollah has very high tactical experience, it is very well armed and very well trained," the commander said. "It was a big morale boost for the Syrian Army to be helped - especially by an army that have never lost before."

But the decision to intervene in Syria could have dangerous repercussions for the militant group itself, as well as for the wider stability of Lebanon.
Click to expand...

Inside Hizbollah: 'Why we need Assad to stay'
 
The article raises an interesting albeit obvious point - how is it that the West is siding with Al-Qaeda - the proprietors of the 9/11 attacks, and yet are antagonising Hezbollah who are enemies of Al Qaeda.
 
News from Syria has been pushed off agenda a bit over the last week or so, however it would appear that government forces have been relentlessly pushing the rebels back in Homs, well either that or making the ground they hold not worth defending. Two thirds of rebel held areas destroyed is one estimate being given.

The opposition have offered Assad a ceasefire in the city during the month of Ramadan [highly unlikely], i can't recall such being observed in the past but i might be wrong and of course it must also be indicative of the precarious nature of their position.

Even with the increase flow of weapons from the US and countries in the region it doesn't sound like a retrievable situation.
 
Presence of Al Qaeda raises tension in Syria​
​
​
Activists say dozens have been killed near Aleppo in fighting between Al Qaeda's branch and other opposition groups.​
​
Last Modified: 09 Jul 2013 00:46​
​
​
Al Qaeda's Syrian branch has been cementing control of villages close to the Turkish border. Their presence has raised tensions with some armed opposition groups and locals.​
Activists say dozens have been killed, wounded or imprisoned in the latest fighting.​
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Dana, Aleppo.​
​
Video in link:
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/midd...&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount


The leader 'Emir' of this town is from Tunisia and they aren't just fighting Assad, but the opposition itself(Free Syrian Army)...Having killed and chased opposition fighters away from this town, which they now completely control. They are working towards a greater Islamic State.
 
Neutral said:
Presence of Al Qaeda raises tension in Syria​
​
​
Activists say dozens have been killed near Aleppo in fighting between Al Qaeda's branch and other opposition groups.​
​
Last Modified: 09 Jul 2013 00:46​
​
​
Al Qaeda's Syrian branch has been cementing control of villages close to the Turkish border. Their presence has raised tensions with some armed opposition groups and locals.​
Activists say dozens have been killed, wounded or imprisoned in the latest fighting.​
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Dana, Aleppo.​
​
Video in link:
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/midd...&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount


The leader 'Emir' of this town is from Tunisia and they aren't just fighting Assad, but the opposition itself(Free Syrian Army)...Having killed and chased opposition fighters away from this town, which they now completely control. They are working towards a greater Islamic State.
Click to expand...

Watching the video in that article and listening to the leader of the town, the Syrian conflict and its goals are totally incidental presently and irrelevant in the long run. The trouble is, that the al-Qaeda groups and al-Nusra are purportedly the best organised and most efficient infantry force among the opposition, where once t was convenient now even the FSA may be realising the danger within.

They've bought hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles did he say? There is Cameron's answer to his ability to control the distribution of weapons once delivered.

Amidst all this there are the residents of villages like the one mentioned who would probably much rather turn the clock back.
 
Syria naval base blast points to Israeli raid
Rebels claim attacked munitions cache held advanced Russian missiles; ferocity of attack consistent with military like Israel's, rebels say
Reuters
 
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Militants linked to al Qaeda in Syria killed a senior figure in the Western- and Arab-backed Free Syrian army on Thursday, an FSA source said, signalling a widening rift between Islamists and more moderate elements in the armed Syrian opposition.

Kamal Hamami, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, known by his nom de guerre Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, was meeting with members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the port city of Latakia when they killed him, Qassem Saadeddine, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, told Reuters.

"The Islamic State phoned me saying that they killed Abu Bassel and that they will kill all of the Supreme Military Council," Saadeddine said from Syria.

"He met them to discuss battle plans," Saadeddine added.

The Free Syrian Army has been trying to build a network of logistics and reinforce its presence across Syria as the U.S. administration pledged to send weapons to the group after it concluded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces had used chemical weapons against rebel fighters.

U.S. congressional committees are holding up the plan because of fears that such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants, security sources have said.

While Free Syrian Army units sometimes fight alongside Islamist militant groups such as the Islamist State, rivalries have increased and al Qaeda-linked groups have been blamed for several assassinations of commanders of moderate rebel units.
Click to expand...



How serious is this? we're only talking about one group at present and not all of the extremist factions, although Wiki says that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have 5,000 fighters in Syria which is not an insignificant number.

Whilst it is in the interests of the FSA to play up their willingness to confront the Islamists, taking this on face value Assad will obviously be pleased to see these divisions amongst his enemies [the victor ridding Syria of them afterward is another matter entirely].
 
Neutral said:
Why can't you guys leave the govt forces alone dammit :lol:
Click to expand...

Secrets and missiles


Op-ed: Pentagon officials selling Israeli secrets know they are jeopardizing clear Israeli interests
Alex Fishman
Published: 07.14.13, 20:00 / Israel Opinion
​



Something is not right in the relationship of trust between Israel and the United States. It's illogical and unforgivable that in such an intimate relationship – as it is known to us, at least – between two defense establishments, the secrets of one side will be given away by the other side's mouth.


Those sources in the Pentagon who are selling the Israeli secrets for cheap to the American media know that they are jeopardizing clear Israeli interests in the region and putting the lives of Israel's citizens in danger, as bad as it may sound.


Latakia Strike

Report: Attack in Syria conducted by Israeli submarine / Ynet

Sunday Times says July 5 strike on arms depot in port city of Latakia conducted by Dolphin class submarine which fired cruise missile from sea; attack targeted Russian-made Yakhont missiles, according to report
Full story
​
When it happens once, it could be someone's slip of the tongue. When it happens twice – it's a work plan.


On May 5 at dawn, warehouses containing Hezbollah-bound Iranian Fateh-110 missiles were attacked in the Damascus area. Only several hours after the bombing, American government workers rushed to point a finger at Israel as the country behind the attack.


At the time Israel was still looking for excuses to explain to itself why the Americans got mixed up. After all, at the time President Assad did not want – just as he does not want now – an open conflict with Israel. At the time He was ready – just as he is now – to hide behind public declaration that the attack was carried out by the rebels. The American informing put him under huge pressure by the generals surrounding him, who demanded a response. And indeed, Assad, in a serious of public and aggressive statements, vowed that Syria would no longer practice restraint over damage to its sovereignty.


This time, after the attack on a military base north of Latakia, the Americans managed to control themselves for one week. On Friday night they once against pointed a finger at Israel as the country responsible for the attack on the weapons depot, which is believed to have contained Yakhont coastal missiles. Now, Assad is in a dilemma. When the Americans insist it was Israel, what is he supposed to do: Practice restraint and demonstrate weakness? Israel shouldn't bet on that.


Strategic partner revealed as unreliable

After May's leak the Americans apologized, explaining that it was the work of low-ranking officials, saying there was a commission of inquiry. Israel swallowed the lie. Two months have passed and the big mouths in Washington speculated with state secrets once again, proving that the allegedly close relationship between Hagel and Ya'alon has nothing to do with the secretary of defense's ability to control his people.


The odd thing is that Russian weapon systems have been damaged, and the Russians appear unfazed. What they care about is the deal. Once they have transferred the arms and received the money – Israel can do what it wants. With the Russians, the rules of the game are clear. On the other hand, the American government, our strategic partner, is revealed as unreliable.


And perhaps the American leak has to do with Israel's successful test-firing of a propulsion system of a long-range ballistic missile? Both reports include a game of hidden messages and psychological warfare.


Friday's test is part of a series of tests on the missile and propulsion system which have been taking place for a while now. When Israel wants to conceal its missile tests, it knows how to do it. On Friday it had an interest in publishing the test's success. The message is clear: Let no one have any illusions – the cuts in the defense budget are unrelated to the State of Israel's strategic abilities.


One the contrary, when it comes to its long arm, Israel has no intention of saving a penny. A ballistic missile with a propulsion system like the one tested on Friday could accurately place a satellite in space and could also accurately lead a lethal warhead as well.


​
There is no better "promo" for renewing the campaign against Iran than a successful ballistic missile test. The Israeli government is opening the Iran festival these days in light of the option that Rohani's presidency, which begins this coming month, will reduce the global pressure on Tehran.


The Israeli message is clear: We have the ability to act on our own. Experience shows that the Americans take Israel's threats seriously only when it demonstrates concrete military abilities. So could it be that this test irritated several Pentagon officials, who decided to "spoil things" for Israel on other fronts?
 
Report: Strike on Syria carried out from Turkish base


Russia's RT network reports Israeli planes on mission to bomb Syrian weapons facility left military base in Turkey and approached Latakia from the sea to avoid flying over Syrian airspace
Ynet
Published: 07.15.13, 09:34 / Israel News



Are Israel and Turkey cooperating against Bashar Assad's regime? The English-language Russian news website RT reported Monday that Israel used a Turkish military base to launch one of its recent airstrikes against Syria from the sea.

The report apparently refers to the alleged IAF strike on a weapons factory in the Syrian port city of Latakia.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4405079,00.html

Wild stories continue to link Israel with the strike. The Turks have already dismissed this latest story.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.