Syria – News

ASSAD BOMBS CIVILIANS IN ALEPPO FOR 4TH STRAIGHT DAY – AS MANY AS 60 CHLDREN NOW REPORTED DEAD:

TIMELINE – 18th DECEMBER 2013 13.25 GMT:

For the 4th straight day Assad’s forces are raining barrel-bombs, shells and rockets on Opposition-held civilian areas of Aleppo today, Wednesday, with more than 135 killed there since Sunday.

Despair And Nowhere to Run As Assad’s Barrel-Bombs Rain Down

Unconfirmed reports say that the victims now include as many as 60 children.

The intensity of the campaign suggests that Assad is trying to crush opposition against his regime and regain territory prior to the January “peace conference” to be held in Switzerland at Montreux.

Assad’s military aircraft unloaded their deadly cargo over 4 Aleppo neighbourhoods yesterday, some of the barrel-bombs exploding near a school and a student dormitory.

A barrel-bomb landing on the suburb of Al-Shaar yesterday, reportedly killed 17, including 5 children

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which supports a number of field clinics in Aleppo, said doctors were overwhelmed and ambulance crews were being called to several areas at the same time.

This Reuters video (EDITOR: With somewhat odd, dispassionate commentary) shows the aftermath of one such attack, HERE:

In an opposite reflection of the grim reality, some residents or the city are reported to have gotten used to the bombing and one local reported that just 100 metres from a bombing site “people were buying and selling like nothing had happened”.

Others just stare at the sky watching for barrel-bombs, looking for somewhere to hide only if the bombs seem to be heading in their direction.

Assad’s Air Force also dropped as many as 12 barrel-bombs on the Opposition stronghold of Al-Bab, north-east of Aleppo city, yesterday, leaving massive destruction in their wake, HERE:

Aleppo’s Al Shaar District After Monday’s Attack

The blasts also caught some on motorbikes in Al-Bab, killing some and leaving others seriously wounded, HERE:

In other events within Aleppo city, a number of Assad’s troops have been reported killed around the Kindi Hospital barracks in the north and alarmingly, shooting has been heard this morning, Wednesday, from the political wing of Aleppo Central Prison. Both locations remain under Opposition siege.

In Aleppo’s Old City, the St. Elias Maronite Christian Cathedral was seen  to be burning,

South-west of Aleppo in Idlib province, Opposition fighters are reported to have blown up and then taken control of a checkpoint infront of the Alawite enclave of Al Fu’ah, while in Homs city Government Shilka anti-aircraft gun armoured vehicles have been shelling the high rise buildings in the Al-Waer district, HERE:

In Deraa province, Opposition fighters have been attacking Assad’s checkpoints near Jasim, destroying 4 tanks in heavy fighting over the last 6 days. In a Government attack on Opposition positions near Inkhill, also in Deraa, fallout from the explosion almost hit a cameraman filming the events.

UK GOVERMENT MINISTER ACCUSES ASSAD REGIME OF MURDER OF BRITISH DOCTOR JUST DAYS BEFORE HIS PLANNED RELEASE:

On December 11th (scroll down – see below) we reported here the story of Abbas Khan, a married 32 year old British Orthopaedic surgeon with 2 small children, who went on a mercy mission to help the injured in Syria in 2012.

After just 2 days in Aleppo he was stopped at a regime checkpoint, arrested and then held in prison for 13 months. His mother, Fatima, travelled to Damascus to look for him and for 4 months pleaded and searched until she found out where he was.

Dr Abbas Khan RIP

Her calls for assistance and mercy resulted in him being moved to better conditions at Adra prison where she was able to visit him.

During his incarceration he had been tortured and at one point his weight had gone down to 5 stone (70 lbs, around 32 kilos).

Finally, the Syrian authorities agreed that Dr. Khan, who had never been charged or prosecuted, would be released this week and informed his family by telephone this week.

Additionally Dr had written to his brother saying that he was “looking forward” to seeing his family at Christmas.

Last Monday, 16th December, when his mother went to visit him, she was told that “he had died” the previous Thursday.

Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad has apparently told the BBC that Dr Khan used his pyjamas to take his own life after having breakfast, an explanation the family rejected as “complete fiction”, especially as he knew he was likely to be released this week.

George Galloway, a renegade British MP, who has been friendly with Iran and Syria, and has had a regular programme on Iran’s Press TV, was due to fly to Damascus this coming Friday to bring Dr. Khan home.

Even Galloway has said he believed someone in the Syrian regime had killed Dr Khan in defiance of President Assad’s decision to release him and described the event as “murder most foul”, HERE:

British Foreign Office Minister Hugh Robertson said there was “no excuse” for Dr Khan’s treatment and that Syrian authorities had “in effect murdered a British national who was in their country to help people injured during their civil war”, HERE:

Dr.Khan’s family are devastated and criticised the UK Government for not acting sooner, HERE:

In the letter dated December 7th Dr Khan told his family: “To everyone! Good work guys, seems they are now responding to the threat of a foreign delegation. But keep up the pressure. We don’t want to lose the Christmas period ‘window’. Till I’m not released — I’m not free! They can release me immediately if they wanted to.”

Dr. Khan’s only “crime” was that he entered Syria to help the injured, without a visa. May he rest in peace along with the other 126,000 killed in this bloody and insane war.

MORE NEWS FOLLOWS SHORTLY …..

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IN VICIOUS AND INHUMAN ASSAD BARREL-BOMB ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS IN ALEPPO AND DAMASCUS, DEATH-TOLL RISES ABOVE 125:

TIMELINE – 16th DECEMBER 2013 13.59 GMT:

After a series of devastating weekend barrel-bomb attacks on Opposition held districts of Aleppo and Damascus, and continuing this morning Monday, the death toll of almost all civilians is in excess of 125 and rising.

He Wore a Hat to Keep Him Warm But it Did Not Protect Him From Assad’s Barrel-Bombs

In Aleppo, at least 86 people have died, 28 of them children, though that figure could go much higher as many others are critically injured and field hospitals in Aleppo are filled to bursting with their surgical teams working well beyond normal capacity. Video of the devastation, cruelly exposing people’s private lives and space, HERE:  and HERE: Civil defence teams in Opposition areas are also working round the clock to recover dead bodies or to find those still buried but alive. As they point out they have very little heavy lifting gear, just basic equipment like picks, shovels and helmets with lights. More than 50 people are still thought to be buried in the 11 areas hit by barrel-bombs in Aleppo in the last 3 days. The bombs, typically a cylinder or oil drum, are packed with nails, metal fragments, explosives and oil and rolled out the back of a helicopter, exploding with deadly force when they hit the ground. Including other attacks across Syria, activist sources claim at least 38 children and 14 women were killed in air raids by Assad’s Air Force on Sunday alone. At least 21 people died in regime attacks in Doumair and Douma near Damascus. Al Jazeera have a video report, HERE: On Saturday another 10 former prisoners were escorted from Aleppo Central Prison by the Syrian Red Crescent, the second small group released from the 366 that the Assad regime says it is going to let go on “humanitarian grounds”.

OPPOSITION FORCES REGAIN GROUND IN EASTERN GHOUTA AND TAKE THE TOWN OF ADRA, BLOCKING MAIN ROUTE TO HOMS:

In the area 12 miles north-east of Damascus, Opposition fighters are said to be very near gaining control of the whole of Adra, a key town on the main routes to Homs and Palmyra. The route to Homs has now been blocked for more than 3 weeks and fuel prices in Damascus are reported to have doubled. The success of the Opposition fighters in Adra has, not unsurprisingly provoked heavy regime bombardment on the town in retaliation. At least 32 civilians have been reported killed there in the last few days, though some of Assad’s troops are reported to have surrendered or to have retreated to a pro-Government area in the town. This was a map of the situation on Friday, but all reports suggest the Opposition have expanded their area of control since then:

Map Military Situation Adra 13.12.13

The newly formed Islamic Front, now the largest single Opposition force in Syria, also claims to have recaptured all towns and villages in an area of more than 40 square kilometres in Eastern Ghouta, just east of the capital. In a video they also claim that more than 800 troops and members of Shia militia, including 200 Syrian Army officers, have been killed and many others captured, though there is no independent verification of this. The Opposition also invited the UN, the Syrian Red Crescent and the International Red Cross to provide aid into their liberated areas, promising to provide protection, but it is clear that the Assad regime will do everything they can to prevent that happening. In the centre of Damascus UN Aid advisors in their 5 star hotel are not allowed by the Syrian Government to provide emergency supplies to children starving to death and dying of cold in Opposition-held suburbs no more than 5 miles away. “According to the Syrian government’s official position, humanitarian agencies and supplies are allowed to go anywhere, even across any frontline,” Ben Parker, a former UN Aid negotiator wrote last month in the journal Humanitarian Exchange. “But every action requires time-consuming permissions, which effectively provide multiple veto opportunities.” Fighting and rebel groups are also obstacles.

Unofficial Refugee Camp in Arsal, Lebanon

Ben Parker, adds that as far as the Assad regime is concerned, aid operations are “a Trojan horse to delegitimise the state, develop contacts with the opposition and win international support for military intervention”. As a consequence they delay visas for aid workers for months or never issue them at all and provide numerous other obstacles to prevent aid reaching anti-government areas. You can read more, HERE: A senior US official, Simon Henshaw, principal deputy assistant secretary with the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, today, Monday accused both the Syrian regime and radical rebel factions of blocking humanitarian aid inside Syria “The regime is the worst offender here in not allowing access and we have continuously called on the regime to allow unfettered access to all areas of Syria,” , Henshaw told reporters in Ankara. The UN is now predicting that there will be 4.1 million refugees outside Syria by the end of 2014 and another 9.3 million needing assistance inside the country, and it has appealed today for another $6.5 billion to help those affected by the war in Syria.

LEBANON, WHERE SYRIANS ARE DYING OF COLD, TURNS DOWN AN OFFER OF SHELTERS FROM IKEA AND UNHCR:

In Lebanon, where officially there are no refugee camps because the Lebanese Government (when it actually exists) is fearful that permanent ones will result in a re-run of the Palestinian crisis whose victims never went home, the countries population has now nearly reached the number it was not expected to reach until 2050.

Not Even Shoes to Keep them Warm

The Lebanese government is even reported to have turned down an offer of shelters from the Swedish DIY giant Ikea which had teamed up with the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR. The lightweight $1,000 dollar plastic shelters consist of insulated panels that snap together and house a family of 5. The shelters even have solar panels and are made of a special fabric sheeting that reflects heat during the day and traps warmth at night.  But the Lebanese said “No thanks – we are doing fine”. You can read more, HERE: More than 800,000 Syrians are now in Lebanon, having to find accommodation where they can.  3 children died in the cold in the unofficial camp at Arsal over the weekend.

And in a dangerous move a Lebanese Army sniper is reported to have shot dead an Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldier while on patrol in his vehicle on the Israeli side of the border on Sunday night. The IDF vehicle was hit by 7 shots and the Master Sergeant inside later died of his wounds in hospital

The IDF have retaliated and are said to have shot two Lebanese soldiers, though their condition is not known and the Lebanese authorities have issued no statement. 

Israeli jets in the air above the Israeli/Lebanon border today, Monday, have been reported as particularly active.

Meanwhile on the Syrian battlefront, Opposition fighters attacked the “hospital barrier” with a captured tank on Saturday in Inkhill in Deraa province and scored a direct hit on a regime building in Deir El-Zour province, HERE:

Lastly, the people of Toronto have stepped forward to show their support for Syria by singing “Roar” by @katyperry. And you can see more about Saif Shawaf and his creative team below. Watch and donate:

“CHRISTMAS CARDS” FROM SYRIA:

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OPPOSITION FIGHTERS LAUNCH MAJOR ATTACK IN NORTH-EASTERN OUTSKIRTS OF DAMASCUS RESULTING IN A REGIME “CALL TO ARMS”:

TIMELINE – 13th DECEMBER 2013 13.25 GMT:

On Wednesday, Opposition forces led by Jihadist brigades attacked a police station in Adra Al-Ummaliya on the north-eastern outskirts of Damacus, eventually capturing the building.

Refugees in the Snow

Since then, Opposition fighters are reported to have taken control of the main highway intersection in Adra known as “Baghdad Bridge”, an airforce security branch and the town of Hafir Tahta west of Adra and close to the Government missile base of Brigade 155.

An Assad regime report claimed that the Jihadists had “massacred” 14 Alawites, Druze and Christians in Adra, though the picture put out with the report is of people murdered by pro-Assad militia in Homs, rendering the report highly suspicious. Blaming the “Jihadists” for everything bad is probably an new Assad regime pastime.

At the same time there is a reliable report that Colonel Jihad Makhlouf, a cousin of President Assad on his mother’s side of the family, was killed on Thursday in the fighting around Adra.

The Syrian Government has called on every “man, woman and child” to take up arms to protect the Adra area. Apparently the Adra area is home to significant fuel depots, both military and for domestic heating.  Loss of these under current circumstances, both economic and weather related, would be a severe blow.

Iraqi SWAT Teams Seen in Damascus

Over the last 2 weeks, a number of photographs have appeared of what appear to be SWAT teams of specially trained soldiers (presumably originally trained by the Americans) from Iraq. 

That they are being deployed in Iraq without the Shia-controlled Iraqi Government’s permission is inconceivable, despite the Iraqis saying officially they are “neutral” in the conflict.

In the Qalamoun area, there is an unconfirmed report that pro-Assad fighters have murdered another 14 people in Ameen Street, their bodies being burnt after the killings.

Although the battlefields are largely frozen as the bad weather takes over, such as this one in Hama, HERE:  most of the reported action is coming currently from Deir El-Zour.

North-west of Deir El-Zour, Opposition fighters have stormed an Army base and storage area south of Ayyash village, HERE:  and attacked several other checkpoints, weapons storage and Army bases on the western edge of the regional capital.

In Deraa province to the south, which is also now covered with snow, the Opposition took over a regime barrier near Inkhill.

AFTER ASSAD, COLD AND SNOW NOW THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE SURVIVAL OF THE SYRIAN POPULATION:

The 2nd biggest enemy of those trying to survive the conflict in Syria is now the cold and snow. 4 children are reported frozen to death by Thursday and there are also unconfirmed reports that 13 detainees have died of cold and hunger in the besieged Aleppo Central Prison.

More Snow Covered Tents

Latest reports from Aleppo this morning, Friday, say that the regime is releasing 366 prisoners, mainly convicted criminals, from the Central Prison for “humanitarian reasons”.

The first batch of 10 were released, accompanied by the Syrian Red Crescent, yesterday and supplies of medicine, food and supplies are being taken in.

According to Opposition activists, conditions inside the prison, which has been under Opposition siege for months, are “horrific” and the real reason prisoners are being released is because of the outbreak of disease, including tuberculosis.

Increasingly the very young and very old are at risk from the severe weather conditions.  One child that died from the extreme cold was just 3 days old.

This distressing video shows a young child that died of cold in Al Rastan in Homs province, his little arms stuck in the air.

Killed by the Cold

Snow usually makes run-down areas look better than they normally are – but not in Homs, HERE:

More has emerged over the claims that the Islamist Front “took over by force” the Free Syrian Army (FSA) warehouses and the Bab Al-Hawa crossing to Turkey in Idlib province.

It appears that the FSA warehouses were attacked by armed gunmen (presumed to be Jihadists by many) and the FSA called on the more moderate Islamic Front brigades for reinforcements.

By the time the Islamic Front arrived, one warehouse had been emptied completely and another had lost around 50% of its contents. The story continues that at this point the weakened FSA, not having the manpower to protect the warehouses or the border crossing, “handed over the keys” to the Islamic Front.

At one point there were reports that the head of the western-backed Supreme Military Council, General Salim Idriss had fled Syria/Turkey and flown to Qatar, but this has been denied.  The FSA says he was in Turkey all the time and in fact had a meeting with FSA commanders and the Islamic Front in southern Turkey on Tuesday.

As a result of the Islamist Front takeover, both the US and now the UK have suspended deliveries to the FSA of non-lethal equipment such as field rations, night vision goggles, communications equipment and flak jackets.

SHIFT IN WESTERN THINKING OVER ASSAD DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR OPPOSITION SUPPORT:

However, there does appear to be a shift in Western thinking over Syria, a former head of the CIA even suggesting that “Assad is preferable” to seeing Syria completely falling apart. An Israeli general has made a similar suggestion.  The BBC has an article on this, HERE:

The West also seems keen to see an Assad victory in Qalamoun as the only way of getting some chemical weapons out of sites around Damascus to a port in Latakia where they can be loaded and trans-shipped to an American vessel at sea, is to secure the Damascus – Homs highway.

Unless this done, the live chemicals could be very vulnerable to attack, from roadside bombs for example, before they have left the country.  All of the above is not good news for the Syrian Opposition which seems to lose more clout, unity, power and authority by the day.

3 Days Old – Also Killed by the Cold

At this point it is difficult to know who exactly they are representing, especially if they go to the talks in Geneva (or now Montreux, as hotels in Geneva will be full with people attending another conference). 

The UN investigation team who looked into reports of chemical weapons attacks in Syria have concluded that such weapons have been used in 5 of the 7 attacks they investigated, and 4 of those events involved the deadly nerve gas Sarin.

“The report noted that in several cases the victims included soldiers and civilians, though it was not always possible to establish with certainty any direct links between the attacks, the victims and the alleged sites of the incidents”.

The UN investigating team found “clear and convincing” evidence that Sarin was used on a large scale against civilians in the Opposition-held Damascus suburbs of Ghouta on August 21st and that Sarin “had likely also been used on a small-scale in the districts of Jobar, Saraqeb and Ashrafiat Sahnaya”.

However, the inquiry was only looking at whether chemical weapons were used, not who used them. Both the Syrian Government and the Opposition have accused each other of using chemical weapons, and both have denied it.  You can read more, HERE: and The UN report in its entirety is HERE:

ASSAD REGIME REVELS IN RELEASE OF NEW FILM DEPICTING SAUDI MONARCH AS BLOODTHIRSTY WOMANISER:

More than 30 countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia have been invited to the Geneva 2 “peace conference” scheduled for January 22nd 2014 in Switzerland, though the Islamist Front, now the largest Syrian Opposition group of fighters, has labelled anyone attending as “traitors”.

Syria has kept up its campaign against Saudi Arabia, who it now sees as the main sponsor of “terrorists” and has made great play of the release of a new film in Syria, called “King of the Sands”, made by a Syrian director and Assad supporter, Najdat Anzour.

The film depicts events leading up to the creation of Saudi Arabia in 1932 and features the founder of the Saud dynasty, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, as a bloodthirsty monarch cutting off hands, stoning couples to death for pre-marital sex and at the same time having numerous wives and a predeliction for sex with underage women.

The Saudi monarchy is apparently outraged and has called for the film to be banned. It was launched with great fanfare in the Damascus Opera House this week in the presence of a “VIP guest list” and will appear in other Syrian film theatres following a heavy state-sponsored advertising campaign.

Lastly, I was sent a report of how hard life is for Syrian refugees trying to survive by making a modest living in Lebanon. Living in very basic conditions, working long hours for minimal pay they are easily exploited.

You can read the report by Luna Al Abdallah (slightly edited for English by me) telling the story of Mustafa Abo Al-Abdul Kader, just one Syrian refugee of 800,000 in Lebanon, working on the pleasure boats in Beirut’s harbour, HERE:

EDITOR: On many occasions I have given the good people of Kanfranbel in Idlib province the last word on this blog, and therefore could not resist their snowy version of the upcoming “Geneva 2 conference”. Note the varying head gear!

Kanfranbel’s Take on Geneva 2

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SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OVER SYRIA BRINGS MORE MISERY FOR SOME AND JOYFUL LIGHT RELIEF FOR  OTHERS:

TIMELINE – 11th DECEMBER 2013 13.50 GMT:

Significant snow fell over southern Turkey and Syria yesterday, providing misery for some living in tents and broken buildings but temporary joy for other children who perhaps has somewhere warm to retreat to afterwards.

Cold and Hungry in Syria

A drive-by video of snow in Aleppo is featured, HERE:,  while children in the Al-Waer district of Homs have fun, HERE:

Snow was also filmed falling over the battered city of Deir El-Zour and the Euphrates river, HERE:  and more fun was had in the Opposition held city of Raqqah, a change from falling regime bombs.

In the Turkman mountains of Latakia, where electricity is already cut off and fuel supplies are low, families of those opposed to Assad are struggling even harder following the blizzards that hit the area last night, Tuesday, HERE:

Faced with harsh winter conditions, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced that it would start relief flights tomorrow from Arbil in northern Iraq to Hassakah airport in Kurdish north-eastern Syria using Ilyushin-76 commercial cargo planes.

The people of the cities of Hassakah and Qamishli, who the UN says have been “out of reach” for a long time, are to receive food and relief items as the winter sets in. The cargo will also include blankets, kitchen sets, plastic tarpaulins for shelter, sleeping mats, and jerry cans, a UNHCR spokesman said.

The Syrian Government is still refusing to allow the UN to bring in aid across the Turkish border, as this would benefit mainly Opposition held areas.

On the Turkey/Syria border in Idlib province, where the largest grouping of Opposition fighters, now under the banner of the Islamic Front, has taken over control of the Bab-Al-Hawa crossing and warehouses belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the Turks have closed their side of the frontier.

As a result of the takeover, the US Government has also suspended all deliveries of “non-lethal assistance” into northern Syria, though humanitarian aid supplied via aid agencies will not be affected.

The Islamic Front, which has disassociated itself from the FSA, is a merger of 6 Opposition Brigades and has pledged to form a “moderate” Islamic state once Assad has been removed.  The Islamic Front does not include extreme Jihadist groups like the Al-Nusra Front (ANF) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL).

ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, HR LAWYER AND OTHER ACTIVISTS KIDNAPPED BY ARMED GUNMEN – ISIL ACCUSED:

One of these 2 Jihadist groups has been accused of abducting Razan Zeitoune, a prominent human rights lawyer, along with her husband and 2 other colleagues.

Zeitoune had been a target of Assad regime for years but had recently fallen foul of ISIL which she had condemned in a recent article pubished in Lebanon, holding them responsible for 90% of the kidnappings in Opposition held areas.

The 4 activists were taken from their offices in the Opposition held area of Douma on the outskirts of Damascus, (ironically on the UN Human Rights Day) where they ran the Violation Documentation Center. No group has as yet claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Syrian Refugee Camp in the Snow

Zeitoune was one of 4 recipients in the Arab World of the Sakorov Prize for Freedom of Thought awarded by the European Parliament and also the 2013 International Women of Courage Award.

In an unrelated event, the families of 2 Spanish journalists, Javier Espinosa, Middle East bureau chief of El Mundo newspaper and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, a photographer, have gone public on calling for their release from captivity in Syria.

The 2 men were detained by armed men at Tal Abyad in Raqqah province on September 16th but the families had remained silent until now in the hope of arranging their release. Once again ISIL have identified at the culprits.

Also the story of a British orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Abbas Khan, who disappeared a year ago while carrying out humanitarian work at an Aleppo Opposition field hospital. His mother has bravely spent 2 months in Damascus fighting for his release.

At one point his weight was down to 5 stone (70 lbs), but his determined mother discovered his whereabouts and got him moved to a better prison facility.  Dr Khan was arrested at a regime checkpoint 2 days before he was due to return home in November 2012.  You can read more, HERE:

ASSAD’S ARMY STEPS UP PRESSURE IN QALAMOUN AMID REPORTS OF LOOTING, BUT OPPOSITION STRENGTHENS ADVANCE IN DERAA:

On the fighting front the Assad regime seems to be firmly in control of Nabek in the Qalamoun region and has now turned its attention to the main Opposition held town of Yabroud, hitting it with rockets and missiles.

Meanwhile, large trucks have been seen entering the Alawite districts of Homs carrying furniture and other household items, believed to have been looted from captured towns and villages in the Qalamoun area.

Elsewhere in Damascus province, the regime forces claim they have retaken the village of Qaysa to the east of the capital and just north of the International Airport, but in Al Qaboun Opposition fighters continue to fight back hitting regime positions with rockets fired from shoulder held launchers.

In Deraa province, the Opposition advance contiues apace with the capture of  a shoe factory in the south-western part of Deraa city, HERE:  and attacks on Government positions north-west of the provincial capital at Inkhill.

In southern Aleppo, Opposition fighters are reported to have taken control of a Military Housing Construction Facility south of the Sheikh Saeed district and to have destroyed a military vehicle near Khanasser on the Aleppo to Hama road.

There are reports of continued attacks from all sides on the Al-Kindi Hospital, the hospital/barracks and Aleppo Central Prison to the north of it being the only 2 remaining facilities in Government hands on the north side of the city.

Interestingly, some Opposition fighters took control of a warehouse which had been held by the regime 2 days earlier, finding a discarded phone with pictures of exactly the same scenes in the process of being attacked. And in Hama province , Opposition fighters demolished a firing regime Chilka armoured vehicle, HERE:

Lastly, on Monday, the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, Tweeted: Today is 1,000 days since Syrians took to the streets calling for freedom. It is time to end the conflict in #Syria” and attached this picture:

Assad’s 1,000 Days of Destruction

1,000 days it may be, but the people of Syria, who reject tyranny from any source and who have every right to freedom, democracy and self-determination will not give up:

They Will Never Give Up Their Call for Freedom

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OPPOSITION HELD TOWN FALLS TO ASSAD’S ARMY BACKED BY HEZBOLLAH, BUT MAIN HIGHWAY REMAINS “UNSAFE”:

TIMELINE – 9th DECEMBER 2013 14.22 GMT – UPDATED 15.55 GMT:

It has been confirmed this morning, Monday, on the 1,000th day of the Syrian conflict, that the Opposition held town of Nabek in the Qalamoun region of Damascus province, has fallen to Assad’s Army backed by Hezbollah and other militia after many days of fierce fighting.

Thousands of Rain Soaked Syrians Flee the Fighting

However, there are still battles in the area with Opposition forces having withdrawn to the town of Rima between Nabek and Yabroud.

The fighting is also not without cost to the Government side with a number of Hezbollah fighters reported killed, including another top commander, Ali Bazzi, whose death in combat was announced in southern Lebanon.

The taking of Nabek allows the Syrian Government to reopen the road between Damascus and Homs, which has been closed for almost 3 weeks, but it is by no means “safe and secure” and still subject to regular Opposition attack.

Al Jazeera has a video report, here:

The road is crucial to the safe removal of some chemical weapons by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in order to get them to a port in Latakia where they will be trans-shipped to an American naval vessell for destruction.

The heavy fighting in the Qalamoun has increased the numbers of refugees fleeing to Lebanon.  Al Jazeera has this video report, HERE:

Elsewhere in Damascus province, the Assad regime is keeping up its brutal attack on the capital’s suburb of Moadamiyeh, with reports that Assad’s 4th Division is hitting it today with shells at the rate of 3 per minute.

Around 8,000 people, including women and children, are thought to still be “living” in what is left of the district.

On the other side, activists are also reporting that Opposition fighters are claiming that they have killed around 50 members of Hezbollah and the pro-Assad Abu al Fadl al Abbas Brigade in fighting around the sacred Shia shrine of Sayyeda Zeinab in the southern Damascus neighbourhood of the same name.

Currently, Monday afternoon, the whole of Syria’s phone and Internet system is out of action, supposedly because of a problem with a main fibre-optic cable.

FIERCE FIGHTING CONTINUES AROUND THE KINDI HOSPITAL IN ALEPPO AS OPPOSITION FORCES CLOSE IN:

In Aleppo the battle for the Al-Kindi Hospital continues with Opposition bringing up a T-72 tank and an armoured vehicle, pounding the building from all directions and setting it on fire.

The fierceness of the fighting can be seen, HERE: and HERE:

This video of fires burning at the top of main building was released on Saturday, HERE:

Before and After Assad’s Great Plan to “Save the Nation”

Latest reports suggest that Opposition fighters are inside the ground floor of the nearby old Kindi Hospital building in the northern part of the city.

Other reports from Aleppo province say that there is heavy fighting on a frontline between Tell Shuwehneh and Maaret Artiq north-east of Aleppo city and that Opposition fighters have managed to damage 3 helicopters and 2 L- 39 warplanes, as well as blow up a fuel tank, inside the Quwaires airbase.

Another unconfirmed report also says that a regime helicopter dropped a barrel-bomb on a building within Quwaires by mistake, killing and wounding a large number of troops.

Clearly there are problems within the base, which has been under Opposition siege for months, as another leaked report says that 29 recruits inside Quwaires have been executed by the military and another 45 imprisoned, including Druze & Christians.

In Quneitra province, not far from the Israeli border, Opposition fighters have recaptured the mosque in the village of Ain Alabed, which the regime had been using as a barracks, despite heavy shelling on their positions.

And in Homs, this video shows the devastation caused by repeated Government shelling on the Jouret al-Shayya district of the city, HERE:

In Idlib province, there have been several reports that the Islamic Front, a large grouping of moderate Islamic fighters, some of whom were formerly aligned to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have taken over the main Bab Al-Hawa crossing into Turkey and the FSA arms base there.

The FSA however, has issued a statement saying that it had not “lost the border crossing” but only that it had “sort help” in securing the crossing against “armed gangs”. The splintering of Opposition allegiances and the forming of new ones has severely damaged the FSA’s strength and credibility.

7 Air Raids on Raqqah Kill at Least 12

On Saturday, a series of Assad airstrikes – 7 in total – hit the civilian area of Raqqah, the only provincial capital completely in Opposition hands.

12 people were reported killed in the attacks, including 5 children and 4 women.

JIHADISTS PROFESSING BELIEF IN “GOD’S LAW”, HAVE NO RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE – WORSE THAN ASSAD SAY SOME:

In yet another appalling report of Jihadists taking human life for reasons that most of us cannot comprehend, more and more anti-Government activists are leaving Jihadist controlled areas as it is no longer safe to protest against the same sort of abuses that they saw under Assad regime.

In the latest incident, Jihadists in Idlib province with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) executed a man after accusing him of “blasphemy”.  Ibrahim Qassum, a heating oil vendor who is believed to suffer from mental health problems, was arrested after being accused of selling “watered-down fuel”.

Asking him why it was “impure”, the oil vendor in the city of Saraqeb, replied in colloquial dialect saying, “How should I know? What am I, the God of fuel?”

The married father of 2 children was held for 2 days, after which his body with several bullet wounds to the head was found in the streets of the city on Sunday.

A new phenomenon on the Internet is the number of Jihadists who have come from the West and regularly use Twitter and Facebook to update reports on what they are doing, answering questions about their life and encouraging others to join them.

Western security services are hugely alarmed at the numbers involved and the prospect of these experienced extremists returning to Western countries. One Jihadist fighter, described the difference between the training he had received as a NATO soldier and as a Jihadist.

“NATO: Training, training, training. Jihad: Training, fighting, fighting and more fighting.” You can read more, HERE:

Many of the Western Jihadists are using “safe houses” in Turkey to cross and recross the border.  The owner of one such house said he had had 150 men pass through – including 20 Britons – in the last 3 months, others coming from France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Finland.

A former FSA commander said he had to flee to Turkey after his unit was captured by Jihadists. “They told us we were not true Muslims” … and “I saw how they beat my friends with iron bars, smashed their faces with ammunition boxes and then killed them. The floor was covered with blood.

We made the revolution for freedom and equality but the Jihadists don’t want this. They’ve come to destroy Syria.”  The commander was one of the few men from the unit to survive.  You can read more, HERE:

Opposition Build Home-Made Weapons

Some anti-Assad activists like Souad Nawfal, who was previously featured on the this blog in a video as “The Lady Who Wore Pants” for standing up and demonstrating against ISIL abuses, has also now fled to Turkey for her own safety.

Nawfal questioned the Jihadists as to why they dressed like Afghanis? “How can pants be sinful and not the mask? They kidnap, they steal, they arrest. And no one can complain about anything because we don’t know who they are!”

Her female gender may have bought her some time.  Many male protesters against Jihadist abuse have been thrown in prison, kidnapped, tortured or disappeared. Others have escaped but are now left re-thinking the revolution or have just given up. 

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ASSAD REGIME ACCUSED OF ANOTHER GAS ATTACK IN QUALAMOUN AND 12 NUNS APPEAR ON VIDEO IN “GOOD HEALTH”:

TIMELINE – 7th DECEMBER 2013 08.11 GMT:

In the Qalamoun region between Damascus and Lebanon, fierce fighting continues, with possession of territory ebbing and flowing between the 2 sides. Electricity and telecommunications, including the Internet, have been down for some days.

Jobar and Qaboun, Damascus, After Months of Fighting

As of this morning, Saturday, Assad’s troops appear to be in Nabek, arresting local elders and earlier reponsible for killing 17 people in a shelter, including children.

The bodies were found in the Al-Fatah district and it is currently not clear how long they had been dead, prompting calls for immediate access by the International Red Cross to assess the situation.

There were also reports Thursday that Nabek had been the target of a chemical weapons attack after 2 shells hit the town and 7 men were reported by activists as having swollen limbs and foaming at the mouth.

The Syrian Government denies that chemicals were used.

Video was released yesterday of the 12 nuns that were taken from Maaloula to Yabroud and whom appear to be safe and in good hands, (Arabic only), HERE:

The nuns say they are in “good health” and are said to be staying in the home of Christian.  Other reports suggest that an Opposition group, describing itself as “Free Qalamoun”, has demanded the release of 1,000 female prisoners held by Assad in return for the nuns safe passage to freedom.

This video (Arabic only) gives an overview of Maalalou, now in possession of Opposition forces for the second time, HERE:

Elsewhere in the Damascus region, Opposition fighters seem to have made extensive gains in Eastern Ghouta, taking control of Qasimya, Baharia, Jarba, Qaysa, Abbadeh and on the edge of Otaiba, not far from the International airport.

OPPOSITION FORCES RAPIDLY TAKING OVER FORMER REGIME BARRACKS IN NORTHERN ALEPPO:

(Originally published 6th DECEMBER 2013 – Since UPDATED 7th DECEMBER 07.35 GMT:)

From the northern suburbs of Aleppo there are many reports today, Friday, of Opposition fighters very rapidly driving Assad’s troops from the Al-Kindi Hospital which they have been using as a barracks.

Remains of Al-Kindi Hospital Building, Aleppo

Fighting over the last 4 days has been intense, with the Opposition co-ordinating attacks from several directions and the regime striking back with jet attacks on Opposition positions.

Fighters can be seen using tanks and heavy machine guns and in this one a fire can be seen burning under the left hand side of the building, HERE:

More long range tank and heavy machine gun fire, plus fighters moving towards the hospital buildings, HERE:

Finally, a suicide bomber blew up a BMP armoured vehicle packed with explosives.

Latest reports say that Opposition fighters are in control of the eastern half of the building – or at least what’s left of it.

Elsewhere in Aleppo, Opposition fighters detonated a mine near the Palace of Justice and destroyed 2 tanks south of the Sheikh Saeed neighbourhood.

Continuing power blackouts have been reported in large parts of the city, possibly because the Jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) is now in charge of the thermal power plant on the eastern side of Aleppo.

On Wednesday activists reported that as many as 30 members of Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Shia militia & Hezbollah were killed in the Al-layramoon suburb of northern Aleppo and that Opposition fighters had retaken the Ikthar Laboratory building there, which is not far from the Palace of Justice mentioned above.

Additionally, an Opposition rocket that landed in the pro-Government districts of Furqan and Meridian in western Aleppo on Wednesday is reported to have killed 18, including 5 soldiers, and wounded 30.

Similarly, in the Aleppo countryside, a Syrian Air Force air strike on Baza’a, a suburb of Al-Bab, on Friday is reported to have killed 21, including 6 children and 5 women.

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ASSAD’S QALAMOUN CAMPAIGN NOT GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN AS HIS TROOPS LOSE CONTROL OF PREVIOUSLY HELD TOWNS:

TIMELINE – 4th DECEMBER 2013 13.11 GMT:

In a frenzy of uncertainty, and perhaps lacking sufficient manpower, Assad’s troops in the Qalamoun region are frantically retaking towns and then losing them again as they “firefight” somewhere else.

Syrian Army Soldiers With Children in Deir Attiyeh – “Staying Long?”

Last week they retook Deir Attiyeh, then withdrew to reinforce Maalalou, allowing Opposition fighters back in and have since returned to take Deir Attiyeh again. 

In the meantime, as of this morning, Wednesday, the Opposition are once again in complete control of the centre of Maalalou.

Concern was expressed by the Vatican yesterday over the presumed “abduction” of 12 nuns and 3 other women described as “maids” from the Greek Orthodox convent of Mar Takla in Maalalou.

However, latest reports suggest they were safely evacuated to the Opposition held town of Yabroud and are in the care of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Orphans, who normally live at the convent in the care of the nuns, appear to have been evacuated earlier.

Opposition fighters, mainly Jihadists, took over Maalalou again by hurling down the steep slopes of the town, tyre bombs packed with explosives. Latest reports today suggest the Opposition have killed yet more Government troops including a colonel.

Regime forces are currently said to be shelling Maalalou, formerly a tourist attraction and a famous Christian religious centre, from Brigade 14 In Qutayfah. This video report (Arabic only), filmed before the Opposition retook the town, shows some buildings on fire, HERE:

Assad’s forces, who earlier seemed to be making progress in attacking the town of Nabek, north-east of Maalalou, as of today, seem to have been pushed out of the western part of the town and back to the hospital and the main highway.

Clearly the main highway, which runs from Damascus to Homs, is more easily targeted, Opposition fighters destroying a petrol station used as an assembly point by the Syrian Army yesterday between Nabek and Yabroud and also some heavy weaponry nearby. The heavy weaponry destroyed near Nabek included two T-72 tanks, a Chilka tank, a BMP armoured vehicle and 3 buses used for moving troops.

The Christian Town of Maalalou in Better Times

The Opposition Al Fath Falcons Brigade carried out a number of operations across the Qalamoun.

In central Damascus a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the 205th Monetary Unit in the Al-Jusr Al-Abiad area, killing 3 civilians and 2 military guards, as well as wounding 14 others.

This video, released by CNN, shows, unusually, the frontline in the suburb of Tadamon from the perspective of the Assad military, snipers shooting at anything that moves, (after ad) HERE:

SYRIAN ARMY BLOWS UP RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS NEAR ALEPPO IN DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO PROTECT DEFENCE FACTORIES FROM OPPOSITION ADVANCE:

In Aleppo province, a similar scenario as the one in the Qalamoun is being acted out around Safira, where Assad’s troops are blowing up residential buildings in the western part of the town and bombing advancing Opposition forces with heavy artillery, in a desperate attempt to try and protect the defence factories nearby.

Opposition fighters entered the eastern part of Safira last night, Tuesday, and heavy clashes are reported around the Al-Hal market area this morning. East of Aleppo city, Opposition fighters have cut the supply route between Base 80 and the Transport Directorate in Al-Naqqarin, destroying 1 Government tank in the process and capturing another plus 1 armoured BMP vehicle.

Rocket in School – Assad Investing in Syria’s Future

In the northern part of Aleppo city, varying reports say between 20 and 45 of Assad’s troops have been killed in fighting around the regime’s former headquarters at the Al-Kindi hospital.

To the south-east of the city heavy clashes are also reported around Al-Nayrab village, which is very near the military part of the International Airport.

This video shows Opposition fighters using a remotely controlled anti-aircraft gun, somewhere in Aleppo province, HERE:

In the desert east of Homs, heavy fighting is reported in the Ash Shumariya mountains, while near Atman, Opposition fighters with a ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft vehicle, “wait for MiGs”, HERE:

On the eastern outskirts of Hama city, the Opposition are reported to have captured the regime’s “Syriatel” checkpoint and to the north-west of the regional capital they have taken over checkpoints at both Jedideh & Shayzar. 

In Quneitra province near the Israeli border, where clashes are ongoing, Opposition activists claim that as many as 150 of Assad’s troops have been killed in the last few days. A military reinforcement convoy consisting of 20 troop carriers and to 4 tanks has been seen on its way to the area.  This video (Arabic only) shows Opposition action in the province, HERE:

JIHADISTS NOW TARGETING OTHER MINORITY GROUPS ACROSS NORTHERN SYRIA AND DRIVING AWAY COMMITTED OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS:

While the Opposition is both clearly holding its own and making repeated gains, the behaviour of Jihadists in imposing their extreme views remains a cause for concern.

Syria’s Turkman minority, spread across northern Syria near the Turkish border and numbering around 200,000, are now coming under pressure from the Jihadist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) who roll into their villages and try to impose their authority and extreme Islamic teaching.

The Turkman, who are mainly Sunni, have been fighting the Assad regime alongside the FSA and sometimes the Jihadists, but now feel threatened by both ISIL and the Kurds who are also turning covetous eyes to the Turkman villages, particularly those in the north-west which give access to the Mediterranean. You can read more, HERE:

The Jihadists are also afraid of criticism, targeting anyone who publishes anything they don’t like and fearing, that as in Iraq, bad publicity will turn the population against them. In another article, Mousab Alhamadee, a Syrian activist who has guided western reporters in Syria, describes how after several months of threats by ISIL and related groups he felt, for the sake of himself and his family, that he had no choice but to get out of Syria altogether.

Many other good activists have made the same decision, as fighting Jihadists as well as the Assad regime seems pointless and soul destroying. 

Syrian Children Trying to Keep Warm

Meanwhile, in  Lebanon, the assassination  of Hassan Al-Lakis, a senior Hezbollah leader believed to be in charge of weapons procurement, was reported last night. He was  killed in a car park near his house in a suburb of Beirut. A Sunni militant group in Lebanon, Liwa Ahrar al-Sunna Baalbek, has claimed responsibility.

The strain on Lebanese society, where there are now as many Syrian children of primary school age as Lebanese, is beginning to show.

In the Bekaa Valley the Lebanese residents of the village of Qsar Naba set fire to the tents of 400 Syrian refugees, leaving them nowhere to go and the UN is reporting that by the end of 2013, 10,000 newborn Syrian babies will have been registered with them in Lebanon, further swelling the population.

This video from Al Jazeera shows Syria refugees in Kurdish Iraq preparing for winter, here:

Lastly, at the UN, Valerie Amos, the humanitarian chief, has demanded that the Security Council force the Assad regime to allow access to starving people in besieged areas, saying, “The brutality of this conflict is unacceptable. Even war has rules. In this conflict, the rules are not being respected. Holding civilians hostage to the conflict is not acceptable”.

While her UN colleague in Geneva, Navi Pillay, the human rights chief, has laid the bulk of the human rights abuses in Syria at the door of President Assad and his entourage, saying that a UN commission of inquiry into human rights violations in Syria “has produced massive evidence … [of] very serious crimes, war crimes, crimes against humanity … the evidence indicates responsibility at the highest level of government, including the head of state.” Navi Pillay added that the names of those involved in these crimes (some of whom are also Opposition fighters) will “remain sealed until I am requested to furnish them to credible investigation”.

The Commissioner continues to insist that the case against those in Syria be handed over to the International Court in the Hague (EDITOR: And quite right too – that’s where Assad should end up – if he survives this revolution.)

Some Syrians View of the Effective Help They Get From the UN

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OPPOSITION CONTINUE TO MAKE ADVANCES IN SOUTHERN DERAA PROVINCE, CAPTURING ANOTHER ASSAD BASE:

TIMELINE – 2nd DECEMBER 2013 13.35 GMT:

The Syrian Opposition continue to make advances in Deraa province to the south of the country, taking another base in the countryside and slowly encircling Deraa city itself.

FSA Fighters Near Deraa (from 2012)

Approaching Deraa city from the east, Opposition fighters have taken the Syrian Army base at Busser Al Harir, described as a “reinforcement brigade”, capturing stocks of ammunition.

Coming in from the south-west, Opposition fighters appear to have taken over a shoe factory,  the “technical inspectors institute” and a hotel.

Video footage, HERE:  and HERE:

Ongoing heavy clashes are also reported from the northern suburb of Atman. The Opposition made a very accurate strike on aT-72 tank.

This map shows the current position around Deraa, with the Opposition front in green, Assad territory in red, yellow areas are disputed.  For a larger version of the map, click HERE: and click on the map to enlarge:

Opposing Positions Around Deraa City

In eastern Homs province continued fighting is reported in the desert with a MIG fighter being shot down over the weekend in the Masoudia area, while on Saturday another war plane was brought down in the Hama countryside, HERE: In the north of Hama province, Opposition fighters have liberated Atschan village and in the east of the province they are targeting a regime base with a captured tank, HERE:

MORE THAN 50 DEAD OVER 2 DAYS AS ASSAD REGIME MISSES TARGET AND KILLS CIVILIANS INSTEAD:

In a 2 day barrel-bomb attack by the Syrian Air Force on the Aleppo province town of Al-Bab, east of the regional capital, more than 50 people are reported killed.

50 Dead in Barrel-Bomb Attacks on Al-Bab

On Saturday, the regime targeted the headquarters of the Opposition Tawhid Brigade in Al-Bab but missed, hitting the Nafasin market instead killing 26 people including 7 women and 4 children. Another attempt on Sunday killed a further 24.

Al-Bab is a main HQ for Opposition fighters in the Aleppo area and a base for attacks on Aleppo International Airport and the bases surrounding it. Yesterday, Sunday, Opposition fighters took over some buildings at Jabal ash Shaykh Yusuf just north of the airport and also stopped a regime breakout from the besieged Quwaires airbase, killing 20 soldiers in the process.

25 Syrian Army soldiers were also reported killed in fierce clashes on the outskirts of the Aleppo city districts of Al-Ashrafiyyeh and Al-Khalidiyyeh on Sunday, plus the capture by Opposition fighters of ammunition and weapons.

Ongoing sporadic clashes are also reported in the Old City this morning, Monday.

In Damascus on Friday, an Opposition mortar attack killed 4 people near the Ummayad Mosque in the central area of the capital and wounded 26, while another hit a French school in the capital’s upscale Mezzeh district on Sunday while more than 200 students were attending lessons, though no casualties were reported.

Outside Damascus to the north-east, Opposition fighters have kept up their attacks on regime positions at the Cherubim Monastery, HERE: and Jihadists are reported to have once again entered the Christian enclave and Aramaic speaking town of Ma’aloula.

Over the weekend the Syrian Air Force went on 10 air raids over the Qalamoun area, hitting Al-Nabek, Khan al-Shaikh, Drosha, Beit Sahm and the Rima area.

A suicide bomber killed 5 members of Assad’s security forces outside a police station in Nabek where the Government claimed to control 60% of the town. Unconfirmed reports say that Opposition fighters retook Deir Attiyeh after a heavy battle with regime forces backed by Hezbollah, but there is as yet no confirmation of that.

In Lebanon, further fighting broke out over the weekend between the Alawite and Sunni communities in the northern town of Tripoli resulting in 12 people killed, including a Lebanese soldier, and 50 injured.  The aptly named “Syria Street” divides the two communities.

LATEST TOTAL DEATHS IN SYRIA PUT AT NEARLY 126,000, 35% CIVILIANS, MORE THAN 40% PRO-ASSAD FIGHTERS:

Latest figures, today, Monday, from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, after November’s slaughter put the total killed in Syria since March 2011 at 125,835, among them 44,381 civilians (35%), including 6,627 children and 4,454 women.

27,746 Opposition fighters (22%) are reported killed, including 6,261 non-Syrians who have joined the Opposition side. Worst casualty figures though are reserved for the Assad regime side with 50,927 deaths documented (40%), including 31,174 soldiers and 19,256 members of the pro-Assad militias, including 232 from Hezbollah and 265 from other Shia fighting groups.

On the Golan Heights a shell from the Syrian side is reported to have crossed the border to land near a Druze village but without causing casualties and this morning Israel is said to have returned fire, “scoring a direct hit”, after one of their troops was fired at by a Syrian soldier near the Quneitra border crossing.

In Germany, civilians, mainly with a background as chemists, have been undergoing training as chemical weapons disposal officers, as the BBC reports on video, HERE:  and are due to start work in Syria on Monday. Lastly, the largely unspoken tragedy of women abused, raped and deliberately used in warfare to undermine the other side. 

In the Kurdish part of northern Syria in Qamishli, some strong women have set up a women’s refuge to protect those who have been raped and abused and to prevent them from being killed as part of an “honour ritual”. Tragically, in many cases the best they can do to keep the women alive is to persuade the raped and the rapist to “marry”. 

The citizens of Kafranbel send a “Thanksgiving” message:

“Thanksgiving Greetings” from Kafranbel in Idlib, Syria

Even in War Syria Can be Beautiful – Sunset Over the Euphrates

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ASSAD REGIME RETAKES QALAMOUN TOWN, BUT AT HEAVY PRICE FOR HEZBOLLAH:

TIMELINE – 29th NOVEMBER 2013 12.57 GMT:

In the mountainous Qalamoun region, the Syrian Army retook the town of Deir Attiyeh which they lost to Opposition forces a week ago.

Battles were fierce, with reports of 5 doctors and 4 nurses killed at the hospital, before members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) withdrew from the area.

There are also reports that Hezbollah have suffered heavy casualties in the fight by the regime to completely control the Qalamoun area and to secure the highway between Damascus and Lebanon.

Hezbollah, Suffering Casualties, on Parade in Lebanon

Activists say that in Lebanon, at least 19 funerals have been held in the last 10 days for Hezbollah combatants, though this may only be the tip of the iceberg.  Unconfirmed reports say that as many as 250 Hezbollah fighters may have been killed this month alone.

The most high profile Hezbollah fighter killed this week is Majd Fouad Hajj Hasan, the nephew of Lebanon’s caretaker Agriculture Minister and Hezbollah MP, Hussein Hajj Hasan. Majd Hasan was buried in Beirut yesterday, Thursday, after he was killed near Deir Attiyeh.

Currently, Friday morning, the Syrian Army is pounding Opposition positions in the Qalamoun town of Nabek, which, if it falls, leaves only Yabroud and a few villages not in Government hands.

Due east of central Damascus on the edge of Eastern Ghouta, Opposition forces have confirmed that they have taken the town of Otaiba and just to the north-east of Otaiba, in the desert, the Jihadist group, the Al-Nusra Front (ANF), claims that it has shot down a jet fighter and a helicopter near the Dumeir airbase.

Fighting continues around the al-Marej area of Eastern Ghouta with reports that 11 Opposition fighters were killed in battles with Hezbollah, Assad’s National Defence Force (NDF) and the Shia Abu Fadel al-A’bass Battalion from Iraq.

Opposition sources also claim that the Assad regime has carried out another gas attack, this time on the Damascus suburb of Jobar, though no deaths have so far been reported, HERE:

Inside central Damascus city itself, an Opposition mortar attack on the Russian embassy compound is reported to have killed 1 Syrian but no Russian nationals. Two T-52 tanks, somewhere in the Damascus suburbs, were also destroyed.

In Hama province yesterday, Opposition fighters took over a checkpoint near Souran and captured many weapons, and in Deraa province they destroyed a tank emplacement near Inkhil.

Nearby Inkhil at Nawa, Opposition forces were well equipped with a Croatian multiple missile launcher.

VICIOUS SCUD MISSILE ATTACK ON  RAQQAH CAUSES NUMEROUS DEATHS BUT MISSES JIHADIST HQ:

In Raqqah city a Scud missile launched from an Army base near Damascus, struck a central area of the Opposition held city, causing widespread devastation. Reports vary from 6 killed and 30 injured, to 40 killed and 200 injured.

Scud Missile Attack Hits Civilians in Raqqah

The nearby ISIL headquarters was unscathed, but you can see the aftermath of the massive destruction in the local market area, HERE:

On the political front, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) has said it will attend “peace talks” in Geneva but is still insisting that the formation of any transitional government does not include Assad and his cronies.

At the same time the Assad regime says it will attend, “without pre-conditions” but that Assad’s position as ruler is not negotiable. Talks are due to start on January 22nd.

Colonel Selim Idriss, commander of the Opposition Supreme Military Council, says he will not attend the talks but continue the fight against the Assad regime instead.

In an interview in with Dubai TV he has also said that all those fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime are Muslims but that the draconian punishments imposed by Jihadist groups in Islam’s name are “alien.”

While welcoming moderate Islamic groups as “brothers” in the fight against Assad, Idriss went on to say, “Those who rose in revolt (against Assad) are known, and they are Muslims just as we are all Muslim. As such, all the factions are Muslim and are proud of Islam.”

But “there are those who come from abroad, and we know nothing about them… who want to impose on us customs… labelling people either Muslim or atheist, heretic and worthy of beheading. This is foreign to us, and to the moderation… of the Islam that we want to hold on to”.

USA COMES UP WITH PLAN TO DESTROY CHEMICAL WEAPONS AT SEA, WHILE AS RESULT OF WAR 70,000 SYRIAN FAMILIES ARE NOW WITHOUT FATHERS:

After a number of European countries declined to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons on their own soil, the United States has come up with a plan to destroy the chemicals at sea using its auxiliary vessel MV Cape Ray.

The process planned for on board MV Cape Ray will dilute the potency of the chemicals using sea water and produce an estimated 7.7m litres of effluent which will be packed into 4,000 containers. The difficulty remaining is how to get the chemicals to the MV Cape Ray in the first place.

None of this directly helps the millions of refugees struggling through the winter, 1.1 million of whom, now outside Syria, are children.

The BBC has been following an aid group from the UK who every few months raise enough money to buy ambulances and then drive them all the way to Aleppo packed with urgently needed medical supplies, HERE:

A new 60 page UN report has highlighted the position of Syria’s refugee children, many of whom remain traumatised by things they have seen and experienced. Over 70,000 Syrian refugee families now live without fathers and over 3,700 refugee children are either unaccompanied by or separated from both parents.

This BBC video highlights the problem, HERE:

Tens of thousands of Syria’s children have gone 2 or more years without education and many new ones are being born without birth certificates or registration and may remain stateless as a result.

This report and video from the Telegraph features a volunteer school started in a formerly derelict building by Syrians in Lebanon for children who have lost 1 or more of their parents, HERE:

All of these Children Have Lost 1 or More Parents

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