Syrian opposition is beginning to get the regional and
international recognition it needs. But will this recognition go beyond “humanitarian
and non-lethal assistance?” The Obama Administration does not want us to expect
much beyond that in terms of overt assistance. The heavy lifting, it
seems, will have to be done by others. Will the Brits go for it?
Monday Sunday
November 12, 2012
Today’s
Death Toll: 155.
The Breakdown: Toll included
5 children and 3 women: 50 in Damascus and suburbs, 38 in Aleppo, 35 in Hassakeh,
9 in Deir Ezzor, 7 in Raqqah, 6 in Homs, 5 in Idlib, 4 in Daraa, and 1 in Banyas.
Other Developments: LCC also documented
124 points of random shelling by regime forces: 53 by artillery, 47 by
mortars and 24 by missiles. The fiercest shelling was reported in Damascus and Suburbs
with 63 points, followed by Aleppo with 46, and Idlib with 32. Rebels clashed
with loyalist militias in 75 points destroying several military vehicles in
Raqqah and shooting down a plane in Alboukamal (LCC).
News
Man
arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of Syria terrorism links Police
investigating alleged terrorism linked to Syria arrest 24-year-old man arriving
on flight from Bahrain
David
Cameron starts to force the pace on Syria conflict The PM's risk
calculus appears to have changed - and European officials do not know what to
make of his new stance
Special
Reports
Barack Obama called for Syrian's
Bashar al-Assad to step aside more than a year ago. Here's why he's still in
power.
Fighters on the front lines of the
Syrian war expressed optimism about the new council formed out of Syrian
opposition groups.
* Brotherhood says will not monopolise
new coalition
* Group said to control SNC, channel
funds to supporters
* Qatar, Turkey have backed
Brotherhood in Syria opposition
New National Coalition claims its
'accountability and unity' has assuaged concerns about arming rebels
With the U.S. election out of the way
and growing concerns about the rise of jihadist groups within Syria, Western
powers are now engaging groups fighting inside Syria, rather than the exiled
and ineffectual Syrian National Council. The ultimate goal may be to create a
safe zone -- a slice of liberated Syria -- where the opposition can form an
interim government.
Syria's neighbors are increasingly
being drawn into the country's civil war in a variety of ways, whether
militarily or due to an exodus of Syrians fleeing the fighting at home. The
spillover has raised concerns that the nearly 20-month-long conflict between
Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and rebels trying to topple him could
endanger the entire Middle East.
Khatib will be supported by three
vice-presidents: Riad Seif, a prominent dissident who had once been tapped to
lead the new body; Suhair al-Atassi, a leading female opposition figure; and a
yet-to-be-named Kurd. The new group is also backed by the SNC's new leader,
George Sabra, a Christian.
Sheikh Ahmad Mouaz al-Khatib is seen
as moderate and charismatic, but some worry about his political inexperience.
Those sceptical about his chances of
reinvigorating and bringing together Syria’s opposition are doubtful less about
the man himself than the possibility of anyone pulling off the task he has
taken on. “[He is] a figure who has long managed to bridge . . . communications between
secular and Islamist groups on the ground,” wrote Ammar Abdulhamid, a US-based anti-regime
activist, on his blog. “As
such, he is a potentially unifying figure, and his touch will be needed in the
days and months, if not years ahead.”
Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla
Yusuf: The
Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today
Press Releases:
Formation of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition
Forces Press Statement | Mark C. Toner | Deputy Spokesperson, Office
of the Spokesperson | Washington, DC | November 11, 2012
The
United States congratulates the representatives of the Syrian people on the
formation of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition
Forces. We look forward to supporting the National Coalition as it charts a
course toward the end of Assad’s bloody rule and the start of the peaceful,
just, democratic future that all the people of Syria deserve. We will work with
the National Coalition to ensure that our humanitarian and non-lethal
assistance serves the needs of the Syrian people. We also commend the
Government of Qatar for its steadfast leadership and support of this
conference.
Video Highlights
After three months of trying, local rebels finally managed to get the
body of their colleague, executed by pro-Assad militias in Deir Ezzor City. His
body has already turned into skeletal remains http://youtu.be/Je30mL3eTdA
Leaked video shows pro-Assad militias openly looting homes in the Damascene
suburb of Douma. They are making fun of how little they are getting,
while mimicking how rebels speak when they showcase the weapons they earn after
a successful battle with militias. The poor looting the poor while fighting so
a dictator can retain power and continues to enrich himself http://youtu.be/JSME6zSmscs , http://youtu.be/sUa1WQnjkko Posing for
the camera http://youtu.be/z1uynuHGg7E
Regime tanks taking part in pounding Harasta Suburb in Damascus http://youtu.be/stBdCz9ij20 Same in Yalda
http://youtu.be/fvRr2fjl1gc while
MiGs pound Saqba http://youtu.be/qbU8gbZzgls
, http://youtu.be/jLej_KNQOe8 And Hamouriyeh
http://youtu.be/wlfeFFJvstg Rebels
and loyalist militias clash in nearby Arbeen http://youtu.be/9u0IkOsuCjE , http://youtu.be/cPXDsdQPcj0 New massacre
in Dhiyabiyeh http://youtu.be/kc1nCPXt5vk
, http://youtu.be/0KvTG3KY8oM
Rebels clash with loyalist militias in Aleppo City: Boustan Al-Qasr
http://youtu.be/NXbkcEJhMko , http://youtu.be/6H3gofO__uc Khan
Al-Assal http://youtu.be/yL8PtzH5vmA
, http://youtu.be/DNj5hql94aY
Sounds of clashes in Deir Ezzor City http://youtu.be/qMgKraXsTvc
Remains of the downed helicopter in Alboukamal, Deir Ezzor
Province http://youtu.be/sHAl4NmoLno ,
http://youtu.be/mxesCV3rtn4 The plane
has been pounding the town before it was shot down http://youtu.be/I7vTIBcztFw
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