Competing claims regarding battles and success - Government vs Rebel perspectives....
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/88996-syrian-observatory-says-car-bomb-rocks-damascus-neighborhood
and.....
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/05/312357/syria-army-kills-groups-of-takfiris/
Foreign-sponsored militancy has taken its toll on the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, since March 2011.
Reports indicated on Thursday that the Syrian troops confiscated weapons and communication devices during their operations in the northern and southern countryside of Damascus, killing a number of Takfiris.
According to official sources, Syrian soldiers further stormed a terrorist hideout in the southern countryside town of Herjjira, killing many of the Takfiri militants and destroying their arms and ammunition.
Syrian army units also destroyed a storehouse for making explosive devices and a tunnel used by Takfiri armed groups.
Reports indicated that scores of militants were killed in the northwestern strategic city of Aleppo and its suburbs during clashes with the Syrian soldiers, who managed to destroy three mortar cannons, heavy machineguns and ammunition.
In the western city of Homs, the Syrian army has dealt heavy blows to the armed groups in several neighborhoods of the city.
According to reports, Syrian forces killed and wounded several extremist militants in a number of towns and villages in the province of Idlib, tightening their control over a number of terrorist hideouts.
The army troops conducted mop-up operations in the central city of Hama, killing and injuring another group of militants and destroying a warehouse.
Similar operations have also been carried out in the countryside side of Lattakia in western Syria.
Foreign-sponsored militancy has taken its toll on the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, since March 2011.
In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Thawraon published on July 4, President Assad said the opposition and their foreign supporters have “exhausted all their tools” in a conspiracy against Syria.
MKA/HSN
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/07/syria-opposition-faults-challenges-popular-resentment.html
By | Associated Press – Wed, Jul 3, 2013
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/88996-syrian-observatory-says-car-bomb-rocks-damascus-neighborhood
Syrian Observatory Says Car Bomb Rocks Damascus Neighborhood
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A car bomb rocked a district of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without giving any immediate word on any casualties.
"A large explosion apparently caused by an explosive device placed inside a car rocked the district of Kfar Sousa," the watchdog said.
A video posted to the website YouTube by activists late Monday night purportedly showed members of the Liwa al-Sham rebel group claiming responsibility for the blast.
Two members of the group said its fighters "on the ground targeted a group of senior officers responsible for crimes of the Assad regime."
They said a statement with the names of those targeted would be released later.
The southwestern neighborhood of Kfar Sousa is home to a number of government and military intelligence buildings.
The district has been targeted before, including in a massive double bombing early on in the uprising against President Bashar Assad in December 2011.
Suicide bombers hit two security service bases in the neighborhood, killing 44 people, in attacks the regime blamed on al-Qaida but the opposition accused the regime of carrying out.
Those attacks were the first against the regime's powerful security services in the heart of the capital, but have been followed by many others, targeting both civilian and military areas.
More than 100,000 people have died since Syria's uprising began in March 2011, according to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, lawyers and doctors on the ground.
The uprising began with peaceful anti-government protests, but evolved into a civil conflict after the regime cracked down on demonstrators.
and.....
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/05/312357/syria-army-kills-groups-of-takfiris/
Syria army kills groups of Takfiri militants across country
Syrian soldiers (file photo)
Fri Jul 5, 2013 10:12AM GMT
2
Syrian forces have killed a number of Takfiri militants in a series of operations across the country, gaining upper hand in their fight against foreign-backed armed groups.
Reports indicated on Thursday that the Syrian troops confiscated weapons and communication devices during their operations in the northern and southern countryside of Damascus, killing a number of Takfiris.
According to official sources, Syrian soldiers further stormed a terrorist hideout in the southern countryside town of Herjjira, killing many of the Takfiri militants and destroying their arms and ammunition.
Syrian army units also destroyed a storehouse for making explosive devices and a tunnel used by Takfiri armed groups.
Reports indicated that scores of militants were killed in the northwestern strategic city of Aleppo and its suburbs during clashes with the Syrian soldiers, who managed to destroy three mortar cannons, heavy machineguns and ammunition.
In the western city of Homs, the Syrian army has dealt heavy blows to the armed groups in several neighborhoods of the city.
According to reports, Syrian forces killed and wounded several extremist militants in a number of towns and villages in the province of Idlib, tightening their control over a number of terrorist hideouts.
The army troops conducted mop-up operations in the central city of Hama, killing and injuring another group of militants and destroying a warehouse.
Similar operations have also been carried out in the countryside side of Lattakia in western Syria.
Foreign-sponsored militancy has taken its toll on the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, since March 2011.
In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Thawraon published on July 4, President Assad said the opposition and their foreign supporters have “exhausted all their tools” in a conspiracy against Syria.
MKA/HSN
20 1
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/07/syria-opposition-faults-challenges-popular-resentment.html
Syria's Opposition Struggles
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Former Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz al-Khatib (C) attends the opening of its embassy in Doha, Mar. 27, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous )
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The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces is attending a dialogue in Istanbul with the Kurdish political council to determine its limits and unite its ranks.
About This Article
Summary :
Struggling to stay unified in the face of a regime that has gone to great lengths to undermine it, the Syrian opposition is having difficulty clearing its reputation two years into the bloody Syrian conflict.
Publisher: Al-Hayat (Pan Arab)Original Title: How Do Syrians See the Opposition? Author: Akram al-Bunni First Published: July 2, 2013 Posted on: July 3 2013 Translated by: Sami-Joe Abboud |
Syria
Afterward, it will hold a postponed meeting to announce its final position on Geneva II and elect a new president. Meanwhile, the internal National Coordination Committee (NCC) is struggling to exonerate itself from the authorities’ accusations of its supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The NCC is also trying to distance itself from the actions of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (KDPS), one of the NCC’s founding bodies, after its members randomly shot at peaceful demonstrators in the eastern city of Amuda on June 28, killing three and wounding more than 20.
This news, just like any other news related to the political opposition, no longer receives the usual attention it used to get. Today, most Syrians receive such news with bitter indifference due to their waning confidence in the members and leaders of this opposition.
Two years into the start of the revolution is more than enough time to test the conditions and capabilities of the political opposition and confirm its inability and failure to keep up with the popular movement. It failed to build communication channels with the popular movement and did not provide it with the motives for support and continuity. This is a major gap for a revolution, which came unannounced, spontaneously and eager for political forces to lead it and for historical and combative figures to top its ranks.
Unfortunately, the Syrian opposition will not succeed in addressing this gap, nor will it gain the confidence of the people and lead their revolution, so long as it fails to prove that it is a good role model, an example of perseverance and sacrifice.
In what condition are the Syrians left when the political opposition seems to be in one place and the popular movement and its armed activities in another? There are objections to the usefulness of internal advice and criticism and the priority of returning home to share the people’s suffering, concerns and moments of despair and happiness.
More important still is to channel their efforts and knowledge toward the organization of life in areas that are out of the regime’s control, and to face extremist forces that have managed to impose their presence on the ground, gain public sympathy and create a social and psychological reality that opposes the democratic opposition. We do not know if these objections have been heard by those who allow themselves to provide guidance to the revolution from afar.
In what condition are the Syrians left when the opposition still can’t unite its ranks, or at least set the rhythm of its political discourse? With each passing day, a new bloc emerges, as if the mutual allegations about the historical right to leadership and narrow partisan interests are what decide the fate and role of this opposition, not the interests of the revolution.
In what condition are the Syrians left when there are opponents who exchange a stream of insults and accusations as a result of a political dispute? The scene looks just as negative when some make use of the popular sacrifices and compete in the media to prove who reflects the demands of the street, even if these slogans are minor and even if they harm the patriotism and general spirit of the revolution.
Need I ask the opponents themselves about the negative impact of their stereotypical image beset by their own personal differences? Did they hear the phrase “Oh, injustice,” said by those who were watching the opposition’s preoccupation with its own accounts and the fact that the escalation of its disputes about the amount of expansion of the National Coalition coincided with the escalation of violence and attacks on the city of Qusair?
Many blame the opposition for deferring to Arab or international orders, or — to say the least — for catering to foreign agendas. The proof is that its most important component recognized that its work focuses on foreign relations, and not on the Syrian domestic arena. Moreover, the agenda of its political evolution and regulatory groups is linked to an agenda that has nothing to do with the Syrian situation on the ground as much as it is related to foreign demands. Didn’t the opposition race to hold conferences and announce political blocs in response to signals issued by foreign parties? Didn’t the National Coalition emerge as an apparent response to the foreign conditions set in order to provide the necessary support for the revolution?
People blame the opposition for saying that it is seeking to build a state of citizenship and equality, whereas some of its figures blatantly make use of sectarian and ethnic quotas. At times, they brag about their pre-political affiliations. At other times, however, they insist on the distribution of positions on the basis of religious and national quotas as opposed to capacity and efficiency. They even excessively focus on appointing Kurds, Alawites, Christians or Druze to leadership positions. They do so in a bid to show everyone that the opposition represents all society's demographics.
Syrians recognize that the opposition’s political action helped them raise the revolution's issues in Arab and international forums, and that it employed a privileged media effort to support the people's demands. They also recognize that they gave the opposition several chances. After all, they were the ones to profess that “the National Coalition represents me,” when they felt that this opposition group was the closest one to reflecting their ideas and aspirations, despite their complaints. Moreover, they are the ones who continued betting, despite their suffering and pain, on the National Coalition and gave it the time and opportunity to prove its credibility.
It is true that this is the first time in the history of the political opposition where its ability to lead a widespread public movement demanding radical change is put to the test. It is true that authorities assume a great responsibility in blocking opposition action and stifling its role and its channels of communication with the people. It is true that there are diseases plaguing the opposition as a result of decades of injustice and oppression that cannot be treated quickly.
It is, however, also true that the opposition is more aware of its great failure in monitoring its actions and overcoming its mistakes, and probably also aware, as some would say with a trace of irony, that the regime managed to take it where it wants.
Assad: My opponents failed to oust me | |||
Syrian president says the opposition has used all tools to overthrow his regime but failed.
Last Modified: 04 Jul 2013 10:46
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Assad shrugged off calls to step down, saying he will serve the rest of his term.
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Syria's President Bashar Assad has claimed that his opponents have "used up all their tools" and failed to overthrow his regime. In an interview with the state-run Al-Thawra newspaper published on Thursday, Assad rejected to name what has been happening in Syria since more than two years a revolution. Instead, he insisted it is a conspiracy by Western and some Arab states to destabilise his country. "The countries that conspire against Syria have used up all their tools and they have nothing left except direct (military) intervention," Assad said in the interview, adding that such an intervention would not happen. Assad also praised this week's massive protests by Egyptians against their Islamists leader and said the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi meant the end of "political Islam." He said that his opponents failed because they tried to bring religion onto the battlefield. "Whoever brings religion to use for political or factional interests will fall anywhere in the world," Assad said in the interview, again citing Morsi's overthrow by the military in Egypt. He has also shrugged off calls to step down, saying he will serve the rest of his term and could consider running for another one in next year's presidential elections. Opposition meeting The remarks came as Western-backed Syrian National Coalition (SNC) in Istanbul in the second attempt in as many months by Assad's opponents to unify their ranks. Sarah Karkour, a spokeswoman for the SNC, said that acting leader George Sabra and senior opposition figures Louay Safi and Mustafa Sabbagh are topping the list of candidates for the new leadership, including an interim government. In late May, the opposition leaders met for more than a week in Istanbul, but failed to elected new leaders or devise a strategy for possible peace talks that the U.S. and Russia have been trying to convene in Geneva. In Syria, more than 93,000 people have been killed since the crisis erupted in March 2011. The conflict began as peaceful protests against Assad's rule, then turned into civil war after some opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown on dissent. Millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes.  Assad says only foreign invasion can topple Syrian regimeAfter steady rebel gains in the first two years of civil war, momentum now looks to be behind Assad.
By Reuters | Jul.04, 2013 | 1:46 PM |
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Syrian President Bashar Assad said he and his government would survive the civil war, having endured everything his opponents could do to topple him and only the distant prospect of direct foreign military intervention could change that.
After steady rebel gains in the first two years of civil war, Syria became stuck in a bloody stalemate lasting months until a June government offensive that led to the capture of a strategic border town. Momentum now looks to be behind Assad.
"This was their goal in hitting our infrastructure, hitting our economy, and creating complete chaos in society so that we would become a failed state," Assad said in an interview with Syria's official Thawra newspaper published on Thursday.
"So far we have not reached that stage."
The only factor that could undermine the resilience of the government, he said, was direct foreign intervention. But he said that was a unlikely due to foreign powers' conflicting views of an opposition movement increasingly overtaken by radical Islamist militants.
"They have used every material, emotional and psychological means available to them. The only option they have is direct foreign intervention," he said.
"But there is hesitation and rejection (of intervention) from most countries so if we can overcome this stage with resoluteness and awareness, we have nothing more to fear."
Syria's two-year uprising against Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for more than four decades, began as peaceful protests but became militarized after an army crackdown.
The rebels remain strong in the north of Syria, but Assad has been slowly reinforcing his forces there in the hope of retaking territory. Fierce fighting is raging around several cities in central Syria and near the capital.
Assad's counter-offensive led the United States to announce last month military support for the opposition, a move it said would restore the balance of power ahead of any peace talks.
The United States and Russia, Assad's main weapons supplier, have proposed a "Geneva 2" peace conference but their deadlock over Syria has meant little progress on the diplomatic front.
Despite what the president acknowledged was widespread suffering in his country, he said his government and its supporters had proved they could weather the storm.
Assad said the country's ability to avoid "failed state" status was due in large part to Syrian businessmen and workers who continued to do their jobs despite the chaos.
"The Syrian people remain unbroken in every sense of the word. There is an explosion, and within minutes of the cleanup, life goes back to normal," Assad said. "They go to work even as they expect terrorist rockets and terrorist explosions and suicide bombings to happen at any moment."
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Syrian army drops leaflets in north amid fighting
By | Associated Press – Wed, Jul 3, 2013- Associated Press/Aleppo Media Center AMC - In this Sunday, June 30, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center AMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting,
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BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian military dropped leaflets on opposition-held territory in the country's north on Wednesday, urging rebel fighters to surrender as the two sides fought for control of a major highway.
The psychological tactics are part of a relentless regime offensive against rebel forces that have recently acquired shipments of badly needed advanced weaponry from Gulf Arab states. Similar campaigns in the past by the regime to reach out to rebels through leaflets and SMS messages failed to achieve results.
The battle for Idlib province in the north is one of a series of flashpoints as government forces wage a fresh campaign against the rebels on several fronts. Regime forces are in firm control of the city, while dozens of rebel brigades hold rural areas outside.
The battle for the highway leading from Latakia province, a mountainous region along the Mediterranean, into Idlib province is crucial to rebel efforts to retain control of the villages and towns they hold in the area. The regime uses the highway to transport weapons and other supplies from the coastal stronghold to its troops in the north.
"Abandon your weapons and return to your family," read one of the leaflets dropped in Idlib and addressed to foreign fighters.
The leaflets signed by the General Command of the Army and the Armed Forces instruct rebels to approach Syrian government checkpoints slowly while waving the paper in the air as a sign of surrender.
The U.N. estimates that more than 93,000 people have been killed in Syria since the anti-Assad revolt began in March 2011. With so much bloodshed and much of the country still contested, the regime's call Wednesday to surrender was highly unlikely to find any takers on the rebel side, either Syrian or foreign.
Idlib holds strategic value to the rebels because it borders Turkey, which has been a critical source of weapons shipments and other supplies. Latakia province, meanwhile, is predominantly home to members of the president's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
In recent months, rebels have accessed more powerful weaponry, including anti-tank missiles and surface-to-air missiles, likely supplied by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Last month, President Barack Obama announced the United States would begin providing arms and ammunition to rebels, after Assad's military dealt the rebels serious setbacks and the U.S. said it had evidence the regime used chemical weapons against the opposition. But there is no sign yet of American weapons shipments reaching opposition fighters.
On Wednesday, troops dynamited a highway bridge near the northern city of Jisr al-Shughour, and demolished other parts of the road, according to Fuad al-Deek, an activist based in Idlib province.
Syrian troops fired mortar shells and conducted airstrikes to try to dislodge the rebels, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists on the ground.
Al-Deek said the rebels fighting for the Idlib highway were from two Islamic brigades, Suqour al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham. He said they were struggling to obtain weapons to keep up their fighting, despite the recent influx of arms.
Continuing their fight to try squeeze out regime forces from Idlib, rebels were besieging the provincial capital, causing food shortages and price hikes, said al-Deek and another activist based in the city, Mohammad Kenaan.
They said the siege had continued for the past two weeks, with rebels erecting checkpoints, blocking some roads with large rocks and destroying others, and preventing food and other basic supplies from entering.
"Residents are pleading with the Free Syria Army to loosen their grip, but they are trying to pressure people to leave Idlib," Kanaan said via Skype.
Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with largely peaceful protests against Assad's rule but escalated into a civil war in response to a brutal government crackdown. The conflict has since taken an increasingly sectarian bent, with mostly-Sunni rebels assisted by foreign fighters from across the Muslim world. Assad's forces are bolstered by fighters of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
The British-based Observatory also reported fighting in the northern province of Aleppo, in towns on the outskirts of Damascus as well as in the southern province of Daraa.
In the central city of Homs, Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah fighters were encircling the neighborhoods of Khaldiyeh and Bab Houd in the central city of Homs. Rebels have held those districts for the past year.
"The war here is now from building to building. They are trying to take the area a block at a time," said Homs-based activist Tariq Badrakhan via Skype. He added that Syrian forces were "cleaning" the area of rebel fighters by firing mortar shells at buildings.
In Damascus, Syria's state news agency said engineering units dismantled a bomb placed inside a car near the Opera House, a landmark building in the cpaital. It also said a mortar shell landed on the roof of a church in the mainly Christian al-Qassaa district in Damascus, causing material damage.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians have been internally displaced because of the more than two-year conflict, and the U.N. estimates that another 1.7 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, many of them children.
