Syria's Assad says Western strike could trigger regional war

[Scott]

Please exercise care in your posts and stay on topic.

[Chicog]

Is it not the Sunnis, assisted by KSA and the Gulf States that are supporting insurgency operations in Iraq, not Iran?

Now you essentially have a Shi'a government, yes, but that wasn't the case when Saddam was in power, and it wasn't when America was trying to "establish democracy" as they laughingly call it.

It's hard to say what help Iraq is giving Assad, they don't want to cut off their US sources of income.

[Sing_Sling]

Not long ago, Iran was at war with Iraq. Now they're exacerbating problems in Syria. They give new meaning to 'bad neighbor.'

Are you referring to the Iraq Iran War, if so that was initiated by Iraq, who were given support by the US.

Technically true, but done in response to Iranian attempts to destabilise Iraq and foment an insurgency, something they also repeated in the last few years.

Technically true?

Yes, but also practically and in all other manners . . . true.

[boomerangutang]

One of the images which linger from the Iraq/Iran war, was the decision by Iranian bosses, to commit large numbers of mid-teen boys to die on the front lines. Now we hear of Iran actively fanning the flames of conflict in Syria. It's troublesome.

[Chicog]

Not long ago, Iran was at war with Iraq. Now they're exacerbating problems in Syria. They give new meaning to 'bad neighbor.'

Are you referring to the Iraq Iran War, if so that was initiated by Iraq, who were given support by the US.

Technically true, but done in response to Iranian attempts to destabilise Iraq and foment an insurgency, something they also repeated in the last few years.

Technically true?

Yes, but also practically and in all other manners . . . true.

No, because it doesn't take into account that Saddam and the Shi'a were prima facie enemies already.

[simple1]

Are you referring to the Iraq Iran War, if so that was initiated by Iraq, who were given support by the US.

Technically true, but done in response to Iranian attempts to destabilise Iraq and foment an insurgency, something they also repeated in the last few years.

Technically true? Yes, but also practically and in all other manners . . . true.

No, because it doesn't take into account that Saddam and the Shi'a were prima facie enemies already.

Not surprising is it? Saddam's Sunni minority dictatorship (many leaders from his tribe) oppressed the Kurds (supported Iran in the war) and Southern Shittes for decades. The flow on effect is still being manisfested internally in Iraq and in Syria.

[Crushdepth]

journalist Georges Malbrunot who asked him to provide proof that his army did not use chemical weapons

Guilty until proven innocent?

How many more bodies do you require?

[Baloo22]

Gee, I wonder where these guns and explosives were going and who were the intended recipients ?

" Greece stops ship carrying 20,000 Kalashnikov guns "

The Greek coastguard has intercepted a Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship in the south-eastern Aegean Sea with about 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles on board, officials say.

The coastguard said efforts to give a full account of the firearms and ammunition on board the cargo ship were continuing.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/greece-stops-ship-carrying-20000-kalashnikov-guns-20131109-2x90x.html#ixzz2kLd2Dr9A

[Chicog]

Gee, I wonder where these guns and explosives were going and who were the intended recipients ?

" Greece stops ship carrying 20,000 Kalashnikov guns "

The Greek coastguard has intercepted a Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship in the south-eastern Aegean Sea with about 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles on board, officials say.

The coastguard said efforts to give a full account of the firearms and ammunition on board the cargo ship were continuing.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/greece-stops-ship-carrying-20000-kalashnikov-guns-20131109-2x90x.html#ixzz2kLd2Dr9A

I don't know, would you care to enlighten us? Hezbollah? Palestine? The Syrian opposition? The Syrian government? The Egyptian opposition? Libyan militias?

The ship was also allegedly carrying a large quantity of explosives, ANA said.

It said the ports of Tartus in Syria and Tripoli in Libya had also been declared as destination ports to marine traffic authorities. The ship's captain had declared Iskenderun as the destination port.

[Mosha]

With friends like this, who needs enemies? Long may it continue

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24957195

[Chicog]

Bomb kills at least 31 Syrian troops

By Anne Barnard

New York Times

POSTED: 11/17/2013 12:01:00 AM CST | UPDATED: ABOUT 10 HOURS AGO

BEIRUT -- At least 31 Syrian troops, including four senior officers, were killed Sunday in a bombing that collapsed a building on a government military base just north of Damascus, the Syrian capital, an anti-government monitoring group said. It was one of the deadliest attacks on government soldiers in recent months.

The deaths came as a government offensive against rebels continued on three fronts: in the outskirts of Damascus, in the south; outside Aleppo, in the north; and in the Qalamoun mountain region bordering Lebanon, in western Syria.

http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_24544458/bomb-kills-at-least-31-syrian-troops?

[Chicog]

Thursday, November 21, 2013, 00:01 by Reuters

Suicide attack blocks Assad advance

Two suicide bombers from al-Qaeda-linked groups blew themselves up at an army post in the Syrian town of al-Nabak yesterday, halting an advance by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces near the Syrian-Lebanese border.

The battles raging around the Qalamoun range spanning Syria and Lebanon are part of a much-anticipated offensive by Assad’s forces to secure a highway linking Damascus to the province of Homs and thus consolidate their grip on central Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said suicide bombers attacked the army checkpoint in explosive-laden cars, killing and wounding several soldiers, but gave no precise toll.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131121/world/Suicide-attack-blocks-Assad-advance.495650?

[Chicog]

Assad: We'll 'subdue' rebels in six months

Published: 11.21.13, 12:54 / Israel News

Syrian President Bashar Assad estimated that "the army will subdue the rebels within half a year," according to Lebanese media outlets.

Assad met on Wednesday with a Lebanese delegation from the March 8 camp which supports the Syrian regime and Hezbollah. (Roi Kais)

[Chicog]

Islamist rebels capture Syria's largest oilfield - activists

BY ERIKA SOLOMON
BEIRUT Sat Nov 23, 2013 2:57pm GMT

Reuters) - Islamist rebels led by al Qaeda-linked fighters seized Syria's largest oilfield on Saturday, cutting off President Bashar al-Assad's access to almost all local crude reserves, activists said.


There was no immediate comment from the government and it was not possible to verify the reports of the capture independently. But the loss of the al-Omar oil field in the eastern Deir al-Zor province, if confirmed, could leave Assad's forces almost completely reliant on imported oil in their highly mechanised military campaign to put down a 2-1/2-year uprising.

"Now, nearly all of Syria's usable oil reserves are in the hands of the Nusra Front and other Islamist units ... The regime's neck is now in Nusra's hands," said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/23/uk-syria-crisis-oil-idUKBRE9AM03I20131123

[folium]

Islamist rebels capture Syria's largest oilfield - activists

BY ERIKA SOLOMON

BEIRUT Sat Nov 23, 2013 2:57pm GMT

Reuters) - Islamist rebels led by al Qaeda-linked fighters seized Syria's largest oilfield on Saturday, cutting off President Bashar al-Assad's access to almost all local crude reserves, activists said.

There was no immediate comment from the government and it was not possible to verify the reports of the capture independently. But the loss of the al-Omar oil field in the eastern Deir al-Zor province, if confirmed, could leave Assad's forces almost completely reliant on imported oil in their highly mechanised military campaign to put down a 2-1/2-year uprising.

"Now, nearly all of Syria's usable oil reserves are in the hands of the Nusra Front and other Islamist units ... The regime's neck is now in Nusra's hands," said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/23/uk-syria-crisis-oil-idUKBRE9AM03I20131123

Gosh that means that Assad will be reliant on oil and gas from Iraq and Iran. Is that pipeline still functioning?

[Chicog]

If it is, I hope it's buried.

[simple1]

There have been a number of attacks on Syrian regime oil facilities over the past few years. Difficult to know what's going on right now as 50+ plus international & local journalists have been killed or kidnapped since the uprising. Accordingly, foreign media are mostly no longer entering Syria & local media are keeping their heads down as they are being deliberately targeted by the regime & Islamic extremist forces. As you probably know there are conflicting reports on the rebel forces / regime gains.

A report on the degradation of the Syrian oil supply at:

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2013/09/syria-oil-sector-devastated-war.html

[Chicog]

(Reuters) - The commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said on Tuesday his group would shun a planned peace conference in Switzerland in January and would pursue its fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad regardless.

General Salim Idriss's stance highlights how hard it will be for international mediators to get Syria's warring and divided parties to the negotiating table in Geneva.

The "Geneva 2" conference will convene on January 22, the United Nations said on Monday, with the stated goal of agreeing a transitional government to end a 2-1/2-year-old conflict that has killed well over 100,000 people and displaced millions more.

"Conditions are not suitable for running the Geneva 2 talks at the given date and we, as a military and revolutionary force, will not participate in the conference," Idriss said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/26/us-syria-crisis-talks-rebels-idUSBRE9AP0BB20131126

[Chicog]

RUTH SHERLOCK BEIRUT – 03 DECEMBER 2013

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has authorised war crimes and crimes against humanity Syria, the United Nations human rights commission said yesterday, the first time the agency has publicly accused the president of directing such abuses.

Navi Pillay, the head of the UN office of the high commissioner for human rights, said the scale and ferocity of abuses being perpetrated in Syria by both sides almost defied belief. Investigators had "produced massive evidence", Mrs Pillay told a news conference. "They point to the fact that the evidence indicates responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state."

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/assads-war-crimes-defy-belief-says-damning-un-report-29803520.html

[simple1]

RUTH SHERLOCK BEIRUT – 03 DECEMBER 2013

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has authorised war crimes and crimes against humanity Syria, the United Nations human rights commission said yesterday, the first time the agency has publicly accused the president of directing such abuses.

Navi Pillay, the head of the UN office of the high commissioner for human rights, said the scale and ferocity of abuses being perpetrated in Syria by both sides almost defied belief. Investigators had "produced massive evidence", Mrs Pillay told a news conference. "They point to the fact that the evidence indicates responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state."

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/assads-war-crimes-defy-belief-says-damning-un-report-29803520.html

Have you watched the recent reports whereby the Assad regime forces have deliberately targeted hospitals and medical facilities? The regimes forces are also using snipers to kill children and women to create a climate of fear. I would guess the rebels are also using similar tactics. For a long time it's been reported (prior to the Arab Spring demonstrations) the regime tortures children as a tool of intimidation against dissidents families, there have been claims this is on the increase.

[simple1]

Detailed report on child casualties in Syria @

http://www.openbriefing.org/blog/stolen-futures-the-hidden-toll-of-child-casualties-in-syria/?utm_source=The+Weekly+Briefing&utm_campaign=b29c4ed588-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7cdaf4e67c-b29c4ed588-312262113

[Chicog]

I wonder why this thread is still going..

The strike will never happen ,plus the West has semi-officially welcomed Iran into the nuclear club

What a difference a couple of months make...

I asked for it to be kept open so that we had one placeholder for emerging news stories about the Syrian crisis.

[Chicog]

Syria turning into 'World War II scenario'

The Syrian conflict has become the most brutal of the 21st century. Children are often the victims, as a new NGO report shows. Some activists say they are not just innocents caught in the crossfire, but Assad's targets.

http://www.dw.de/syria-turning-into-world-war-ii-scenario/a-17268610?maca=en-rss-en-world-4025-rdf

[Chicog]

Not that it will make much difference, but Geneva II is upon us (Jan 22), so it's time for the players to start puffing out their chests.

The Iranians have said the discussions should focus on a Syrian solution and should discourage "foreign meddling".

Presumably large shipments of weapons from Iran, plus the addition of Revolutionary Guard troops does not count as "foreign meddling"....

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has described as unacceptable any preconditions for the Islamic Republic’s participation in the upcoming Geneva II talks on the Syrian crisis.

Speaking at a Thursday press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Zarif further emphasized that any solution to the Syrian conflict must involve the Syrian people only and be without foreign meddling.

Meanwhile, the somewhat fragmented opposition are at least united on one topic:

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Following a meeting of the Friends of Syria Group in Paris on Sunday, the Syrian National Coalition opposition group reaffirmed its rejection of Bashar Al-Assad playing any role in the country’s future, adding that it will make a final decision on attending the internationally-backed Geneva II peace talks on January 17.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Chicog

[Steely Dan]

I wonder why this thread is still going..

The strike will never happen ,plus the West has semi-officially welcomed Iran into the nuclear club

What a difference a couple of months make...

Indeed, and now France and Germany are talking to Assad on how to combat Al Qaeda, that's the same Al Qaeda Assad claimed were behind moves to depose him from the very start. It looks like road to Damascus conversions are all the rage.

[Chicog]

Well the French at least are never shy of switching sides if there is a marketing opportunity.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Mosha]

I wonder why this thread is still going..

The strike will never happen ,plus the West has semi-officially welcomed Iran into the nuclear club

What a difference a couple of months make...

Indeed, and now France and Germany are talking to Assad on how to combat Al Qaeda, that's the same Al Qaeda Assad claimed were behind moves to depose him from the very start. It looks like road to Damascus conversions are all the rage.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5guU0QzdVmy6NXpyH8NIBn3RiuU3A?docId=84f751e1-e9c6-4280-a10f-4b0c30b26657&hl=en

Sounds like it's not just the French and Germans. However "concern in Western capitals about Syria's civil war drawing in foreign radical fighters who may return to carry out attacks in the homelands." A five year old could have told them this would happen.

[Credo]

Looking on the brighter side of the Syrian conflict, if there is such a thing, is the fact that there has been very little terrorist activity on the global front. There still seems to be plenty of the local, homegrown stuff, but the bad guys all seem to be headed to Syria.

[Chicog]

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday welcomed the Syrian opposition's agreement to take part in next week's international conference in Switzerland to seek an end to Syria conflict.

In a statement issued here by his spokesperson, Ban said the decision was "a courageous and historic step in the interest of a negotiated political solution to a three-year conflict that has caused so much misery and destruction. Ban said he looks forward to the opposition's expedited formation of a delegation that broadly represents the diversity of the Syrian opposition including women.

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC), Syria's main opposition bloc, announced earlier in the day after a vote in Turkey's Istanbul that it would join the peace talks, also known as Geneva II conference.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-01/19/c_133056750.htm

[Chicog]

Good old Ban Ki Moon, does all that good work then screws it all up.

Syria: Iran invitation throws peace talks into 'disarray'

Syrian Opposition threatens to boycott talks after Ban Ki-Moon extends invitation to Tehran

LAST UPDATED AT 09:07 ON MON 20 JAN 2014

THE SYRIA peace talks are "in disarray" after UN chief Ban Ki-Moon invited Iran, which supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, to join preliminary discussions in Switzerland.

Tehran has accepted the invitation and Ban says he has received assurances that Iran would "play a positive role in securing a transitional government", the BBC reports.

But the news has angered Syria's main opposition group which says it will pull out of the talks if Iran is at the table. Tehran is a key supporter of Bashar, the Syrian leader who they are trying to overthrow.

The US is also unhappy with the development. It said Ban should withdraw the invitation unless Iran gives "explicit" support to the conference's aim of setting up a transitional government in Syria, reports Sky News.

None of this bodes well for the talks which are scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Montreaux.

http://www.theweek.co.uk/middle-east/syria/56934/syria-iran-invitation-throws-peace-talks-disarray?