http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-07/us-supported-free-syrian-army-downs-iranian-cargo-plane-damascus-airport
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/07/2013 16:04 -0400
When all else fails , try bribery I guess.......
US-Supported Free Syrian Army Downs Iranian Cargo Plane At Damascus Airport
Has the long-awaited "kinetic strike" catalyst finally arrived?
#BreakingNews - Activists: #FSA downs Iranian cargo plane at #Damascus International Airport. #Syria
http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/08/08/iranian-cargo-plane-shot-down-over-damascus-airport/
Iranian cargo plane shot down over Damascus airport
AUGUST 8, 2013 ⋅ 12:04 AM ⋅ POST A COMMENT
An Iranian cargo plane carrying arms and ammunition was shot down over Damascus airport by the Free Syrian Army FSA fighters .
According to FSA the cargo plane caused a huge fire as it fell over the DamascusInternational airport and claimed that the fired spread all the way to the passenger terminal.
Neither the Syrian authorities nor the Iranians commented on the incident according to the report which could not be independently verified.
Iran has been a key supporter of Syrian president Bashar al Assad in his 2 1/2 year crackdown against the Syrian rebels. Most of the arms and ammunition are coming from either Iran or Russia according to the activists.
Over 100,000 Syrians have been killed so far in the Syrian civil war according to UN reports
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Aug-07/226614-62-rebels-killed-in-syrian-army-ambush-east-of-damascus-activists.ashx#axzz2bKgJNOTz
Syrian troops kill more than 60 in desert ambushAugust 07, 2013 11:58 AM (Last updated: August 07, 2013 10:57 PM)By Bassem Mroue
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| A Free Syrian Army fighter runs with his weapon at one of the battlefronts in Jobar, Damascus August 3, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah |
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BEIRUT: Syrian troops ambushed a large group of rebels Wednesday trudging through what once was a secret route through a desert road northeast of Damascus, killing more than 60 fighters in a barrage of machine gun fire and leaving their bodies in the sand.
State television claimed those killed came from an al-Qaida-linked group that has joined the battle against President Bashar Assad, whose troops are trying to drive opposition forces from areas surrounding his seat of power in the capital.
There were conflicting reports on the attack in Adra, which lies on a supply route between Damascus and rebel-held areas to the east that is often the scene of heavy clashes between the two sides. The dawn attack dealt another heavy blow to opposition troops following a string of recent regime successes.
Syrian troops have been on the offensive in the past few months in an attempt to clear out Damascus suburbs held by opposition fighters.
Syrian state-run media showed footage of bloodied corpses lying on the ground, some wearing camouflage gear with their weapons scattered around in the sand. One picture showed gas masks next to the weapons.
The state-run SANA news agency said "dozens" of rebels were killed in the ambush as they were on their way to attack an army post near Damascus. SANA identified the dead as members of the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, and said some were foreign fighters.
Broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya also showed a Tunisian passport, Islamic headbands and automatic rifles apparently carried by the rebels.
Some activists disputed the account, saying those killed were Syrian fighters from a mix of brigades delivering aid to besieged areas.
Mohammed Saeed, an activist based near Damascus, told The Associated Press that 65 rebels were on their way from Damascus' eastern suburbs to Qalamoun nearby. Saeed said rebels walked the 30-kilometer (19-mile) route because it is dangerous to drive in the area as it is watched by Assad's forces.
"It seems that the regime discovered the secret road that the rebels were using," Saeed said via Skype. "The regime forces riddled them with heavy machine gun fire."
He said 62 died and three escaped to Qalamoun.
Another activist said the rebels were on their way to deliver medicine, flour and other foodstuffs to the Eastern Ghouta region, which has been besieged for months. He said the rebels were a "mix of fighters," including some from Nusra Front. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears of retribution.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 62 rebels died in Wednesday's ambush. It did not report any government casualties.
In the north, a missile struck the rebel-held city of Raqqa, killing three people and wounding dozens including children, the Local Coordination Committees activist group said. The Observatory said that two children were among the three killed.
Amateur videos showed at least three children who suffered wounds and were rushed away in a pickup truck.
A boy, with minor wounds to his mouth, knees and feet, screamed as he was held by a man in the pickup truck and shouted "Dad!" The man holding him tried to calm him down, saying: "Dad will come soon."
The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.
Wednesday's missile attack came after Human Rights Watch said missiles fired by the Syrian army into populated areas have killed hundreds of civilians in recent months.
Meanwhile, the Observatory said that Kurdish gunmen captured about 70 government troops Wednesday who fled the air base of Mannagh in the northern province of Aleppo. The base was captured by rebels Tuesday after months of fighting.
The Observatory also reported fighting and shelling in the mountains of the coastal province of Latakia, an Assad stronghold.
Rebels captured 11 Alawite villages in an offensive earlier this week and troops launched a counterattack to retake it.
Syria's conflict has taken on an increasingly sectarian tone in the last year, pitting predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels against members of Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Syria's crisis started as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad's rule in March 2011. It turned into a civil war after opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the violence.
The scale of that destruction could be seen in satellite images released Wednesday by Amnesty International. The images showed hundreds of damaged or destroyed houses and more than 1,000 roadblocks around the northern city of Aleppo, which has seen months of vicious fighting.
"Satellite images really speak for themselves," said Donetella Rovera, a senior Amnesty adviser who recently returned from a trip to Aleppo. "You can see really clearly buildings - groups of buildings - that were there a year ago that are no longer there today."
State television claimed those killed came from an al-Qaida-linked group that has joined the battle against President Bashar Assad, whose troops are trying to drive opposition forces from areas surrounding his seat of power in the capital.
There were conflicting reports on the attack in Adra, which lies on a supply route between Damascus and rebel-held areas to the east that is often the scene of heavy clashes between the two sides. The dawn attack dealt another heavy blow to opposition troops following a string of recent regime successes.
Syrian troops have been on the offensive in the past few months in an attempt to clear out Damascus suburbs held by opposition fighters.
Syrian state-run media showed footage of bloodied corpses lying on the ground, some wearing camouflage gear with their weapons scattered around in the sand. One picture showed gas masks next to the weapons.
The state-run SANA news agency said "dozens" of rebels were killed in the ambush as they were on their way to attack an army post near Damascus. SANA identified the dead as members of the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, and said some were foreign fighters.
Broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya also showed a Tunisian passport, Islamic headbands and automatic rifles apparently carried by the rebels.
Some activists disputed the account, saying those killed were Syrian fighters from a mix of brigades delivering aid to besieged areas.
Mohammed Saeed, an activist based near Damascus, told The Associated Press that 65 rebels were on their way from Damascus' eastern suburbs to Qalamoun nearby. Saeed said rebels walked the 30-kilometer (19-mile) route because it is dangerous to drive in the area as it is watched by Assad's forces.
"It seems that the regime discovered the secret road that the rebels were using," Saeed said via Skype. "The regime forces riddled them with heavy machine gun fire."
He said 62 died and three escaped to Qalamoun.
Another activist said the rebels were on their way to deliver medicine, flour and other foodstuffs to the Eastern Ghouta region, which has been besieged for months. He said the rebels were a "mix of fighters," including some from Nusra Front. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears of retribution.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 62 rebels died in Wednesday's ambush. It did not report any government casualties.
In the north, a missile struck the rebel-held city of Raqqa, killing three people and wounding dozens including children, the Local Coordination Committees activist group said. The Observatory said that two children were among the three killed.
Amateur videos showed at least three children who suffered wounds and were rushed away in a pickup truck.
A boy, with minor wounds to his mouth, knees and feet, screamed as he was held by a man in the pickup truck and shouted "Dad!" The man holding him tried to calm him down, saying: "Dad will come soon."
The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.
Wednesday's missile attack came after Human Rights Watch said missiles fired by the Syrian army into populated areas have killed hundreds of civilians in recent months.
Meanwhile, the Observatory said that Kurdish gunmen captured about 70 government troops Wednesday who fled the air base of Mannagh in the northern province of Aleppo. The base was captured by rebels Tuesday after months of fighting.
The Observatory also reported fighting and shelling in the mountains of the coastal province of Latakia, an Assad stronghold.
Rebels captured 11 Alawite villages in an offensive earlier this week and troops launched a counterattack to retake it.
Syria's conflict has taken on an increasingly sectarian tone in the last year, pitting predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels against members of Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Syria's crisis started as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad's rule in March 2011. It turned into a civil war after opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the violence.
The scale of that destruction could be seen in satellite images released Wednesday by Amnesty International. The images showed hundreds of damaged or destroyed houses and more than 1,000 roadblocks around the northern city of Aleppo, which has seen months of vicious fighting.
"Satellite images really speak for themselves," said Donetella Rovera, a senior Amnesty adviser who recently returned from a trip to Aleppo. "You can see really clearly buildings - groups of buildings - that were there a year ago that are no longer there today."
| Latakia Offensive Inflames Syria's Sectarian Wounds |
Riyadh, Ankara Call on Al-Qaeda to Declare War on Syrian Kurds
When all else fails , try bribery I guess.......
Saudi Arabia dangles lucrative arms deal in front of Russia in exchange for dropping Assad
August 7, 2013
Source: RT
The diplomatic initiatives were anonymously voiced to Reuters by multiple Gulf state diplomats and senior leaders of the Syrian opposition, in the wake of last week’s meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi National Security Council chief Prince Bandar bin-Sultan. The Saudi politician has orchestrated his country’s foreign policy in recent months.
"Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow," a senior Syrian opposition figure told Reuters.
"Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia."
The $15 billion figure was touted by a representative of the anti-Assad opposition, which Saudi Arabia has strongly backed throughout the rebellion in Syria which has lasted more than two years. Meanwhile, a Gulf source claimed that no specific figure was involved.
Moscow and Riyadh, which traditionally acquires its arms from the United States, have had a massive contract on ice since 2008. Under Saudi Arabia’s terms, Russia would supply a huge assortment of equipment, including 150 T-90 tanks and more than 100 attack helicopters.
In the past, Moscow has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Assad, as well as maintained a naval base in Syria.
Together with China, it has consistently blocked UN Security Council resolutions, saying they do not place any demands on the opposition - only on Assad.
Sources indicate that Bandar asked Putin to not oppose any future Security Council resolutions on Syria.
Bandar also reportedly assured Putin that Gulf states will not challenge Russia’s dominant position in the European gas markets, and assured him that extremist Islamic forces – which have gained prominence in the conflict – will not attempt to monopolize power in a future Syrian state.
While diplomats involved in the talks described them as “inconclusive,” one Lebanese emissary close to the delegation said its Saudi members were “elated.” There has been no comment from the Kremlin on the outcome of the visit, other than to say that the delegates discussed a “wide range of issues” with President Putin.
A Western diplomat told Reuters that Russia’s position was more a matter of prestige and geopolitics, and that the country was unlikely to publicly back down for the sake of mere economic incentives.
A long-scheduled peace conference in Geneva, proposed by Russia and the US, has been pushed back and is currently under threat of cancellation. The meeting was supposed to achieve an immediate ceasefire and govern a political transition in Syria.
The conflict has largely hinged on whether President Bashar Assad will be banned from playing any political role in post-conflict Syria - a condition the opposition has demanded before it sits down at the negotiating table.
"Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow," a senior Syrian opposition figure told Reuters.
"Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia."
The $15 billion figure was touted by a representative of the anti-Assad opposition, which Saudi Arabia has strongly backed throughout the rebellion in Syria which has lasted more than two years. Meanwhile, a Gulf source claimed that no specific figure was involved.
Moscow and Riyadh, which traditionally acquires its arms from the United States, have had a massive contract on ice since 2008. Under Saudi Arabia’s terms, Russia would supply a huge assortment of equipment, including 150 T-90 tanks and more than 100 attack helicopters.
In the past, Moscow has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Assad, as well as maintained a naval base in Syria.
Together with China, it has consistently blocked UN Security Council resolutions, saying they do not place any demands on the opposition - only on Assad.
Sources indicate that Bandar asked Putin to not oppose any future Security Council resolutions on Syria.
Bandar also reportedly assured Putin that Gulf states will not challenge Russia’s dominant position in the European gas markets, and assured him that extremist Islamic forces – which have gained prominence in the conflict – will not attempt to monopolize power in a future Syrian state.
While diplomats involved in the talks described them as “inconclusive,” one Lebanese emissary close to the delegation said its Saudi members were “elated.” There has been no comment from the Kremlin on the outcome of the visit, other than to say that the delegates discussed a “wide range of issues” with President Putin.
A Western diplomat told Reuters that Russia’s position was more a matter of prestige and geopolitics, and that the country was unlikely to publicly back down for the sake of mere economic incentives.
A long-scheduled peace conference in Geneva, proposed by Russia and the US, has been pushed back and is currently under threat of cancellation. The meeting was supposed to achieve an immediate ceasefire and govern a political transition in Syria.
The conflict has largely hinged on whether President Bashar Assad will be banned from playing any political role in post-conflict Syria - a condition the opposition has demanded before it sits down at the negotiating table.
More than 100,000 people have perished in the conflict, according to UN estimates.
FWIW......who really knows where the truth lies these days , what we do know is we're told lots of lies......
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/08/07/nuclear-strike-on-syria/
But the two explosions in Homs and Qasyoon share the same property: They are both above ground air bursts according to Greg Thielmann, an expert on arms control policy whom I spoke with on Saturday at great length. I was first alerted to the connection by slow twitter chatter right after the bombing in Homs.
FWIW......who really knows where the truth lies these days , what we do know is we're told lots of lies......
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/08/07/nuclear-strike-on-syria/
The Genie is Out of the Bottle
By Jon Snow
Note – This item was posted on the Channel 4 (UK) website at this locationhttp://blogs.channel4.com/snowblog/nuclear-strikes-syria-genie-bottle/20846 on August 05, 2013, and has since been removed. A copy can still be found at Google Cache – and has been recovered and archived below.
The fight against Assad’s brutal regime has taken an unexpected turn late Thursday afternoon when a large weapons cache belonging to the so-called national protection force in Homs city, an arm of Assad’s Shabeeha, was destroyed.
The explosion was reminiscent of the attack on Qasyoon mountain, a stronghold for the Syrian army and a location said to house missiles targeting Israel.
It was first reported that the missile fueling station had blown up which seemed like a reasonable proposition especially since an ammunition depot was targeted.
But the two explosions in Homs and Qasyoon share the same property: They are both above ground air bursts according to Greg Thielmann, an expert on arms control policy whom I spoke with on Saturday at great length. I was first alerted to the connection by slow twitter chatter right after the bombing in Homs.
Needless to say I was shocked at what he told me next: “The fact of the matter is, what we are seeing in both these cases is a tactical nuclear strike, probably by cruise missiles launched from aircrafts near the borders of Syria or right off the coast in the Mediterranean.”
But sure, Greg, wouldn’t this mean a nuclear holocaust? Not so he says. “Tactical nuclear weapons lower the threshold on use of a nuclear bomb as their modern incarnation can be tuned in yield in order to target military sites using stand off weapons without escalating by destroy surrounding civilian infrastructure.”
He went on: “Keep in mind a nuclear bomb sounds like a huge device, but it can have a yield as small as the equivalent conventional payload carried by a formation of 5 F-15s. Sites in Syria are inaccessible to these jets due to the Russian support available in the field of air defense. So these strikes are an option for the west to implement its policy.”
The likely assailant in both cases is Israel he claims: “Israel is the only nation that can deploy these sorts of weapons with impunity without fear of a counter-attack. Syria has shown no appetite to get into a shooting fight even over the deployment of such weapons”.
This all presented a remarkably delicious possibility of removing the tyrant Assad using all tools available. “The army can be gradually destroyed with these sort of strikes, or destroyed all in one go in a devastating nuclear attack. Should Assad attempt to counter-attack, the cities can be destroyed by larger nuclear bombs with ease, since the insurgents have done the job of deteriorating Assad’s command on the ground”, an anonymous military strategist added.
What about the coast, I asked him? “The coast does present a problem for suppression of air defense missions by NATO due to Russian missiles stationed there, but as I speak hordes of Muslims are throwing themselves on coastal cities in the hopes of destroying these weapons to allow Israel and NATO to intervene.”.
This made no sense to me since the coastal cities are amongst the most supportive of Assad. “It’s not an issue, the insurgents are now armed with chemical weapons manufactured in Georgia exactly for this scenario. Assad’s pulse was tested in Khan Assal a week ago when an entire brigade was killed with chemical weapons and there was no response. We don’t see a likely response to further use of this tool.”
I concluded with him that it is awfully ironic that an inhuman weapon such as nuclear weapons and chemical weapons could be used to promote human rights and freedom in the world. But the Syrian people, or at least who will remain of them after these attacks, deserve to enjoy the same freedoms enjoyed today by Iraqis.
“Don’t be so sure”, another anonymous strategist disagreed, “We are now playing with nuclear fire and the use of all these weapons of mass destruction will definitely attract a counterattack with massive force. We are now on a slippery slope, there is no such thing as a limited nuclear strike, the retaliation will be delayed, but it is coming and god save us all when the nuclear fire spreads to our backyards.”
Spooky stuff. All I know is, I’ll be spending time in my summer home in the woods for the next few weeks.
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