"And I have found both freedom and safety in my madness, the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us. But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jail is safe from another thief. "

Khalil Gibran (How I Became a Madman)

Lübnan Marunîleri / Yasin Atlıoğlu

NEWS AND ARTICLES / HABERLER VE MAKALELER

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Interview Given by President al-Assad to Lebanese Al-Manar TV- SANA


DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to al-Manar TV broadcasted on Thursday, 
 
Following is the full text of the interview:
 
Al-Manar: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Assalamu Alaikum. Bloodshed in Syria continues unabated. This is the only constant over which there is little disagreement between those loyal to the Syrian state and those opposed to it. However, there is no common ground over the other constants and details two years into the current crisis. At the time, a great deal was said about the imminent fall of the regime. Deadlines were set and missed; and all those bets were lost. Today, we are here in the heart of Damascus, enjoying the hospitality of a president who has become a source of consternation to many of his opponents who are still unable to understand the equations that have played havoc with their calculations and prevented his ouster from the Syrian political scene. This unpleasant and unexpected outcome for his opponents upset their schemes and plots because they didn’t take into account one self-evident question: what happens if the regime doesn’t fall? What if President Assad doesn’t leave the Syrian scene? Of course, there are no clear answers; and the result is more destruction, killing and bloodshed. Today there is talk of a critical juncture for Syria. The Syrian Army has moved from defense to attack, achieving one success after another. On a parallel level, stagnant diplomatic waters have been shaken by discussions over a Geneva 2 conference becoming a recurrent theme in the statements of all parties. There are many questions which need answers: political settlement, resorting to the military option to decide the outcome, the Israeli enemy’s direct interference with the course of events in the current crisis, the new equations on the Golan Heights, the relationship with opponents and friends. What is the Syrian leadership’s plan for a way out of a complex and dangerous crisis whose ramifications have started to spill over into neighboring countries? It is our great pleasure tonight to put these questions to H. E. President Bashar al-Assad. Assalamu Alaikum, Mr. President.
President Assad: Assalamu Alaikum. You are most welcome in Damascus.
 
Al-Manar: Mr. President, we are in the heart of the People’s Palace, two and a half years into the Syrian crisis. At the time, the bet was that the president and his regime would be overthrown within weeks. How have you managed to foil the plots of your opponents and enemies? What is the secret behind this steadfastness?
 
President Assad: There are a number of factors are involved. One is the Syrian factor, which thwarted their intentions; the other factor is related to those who masterminded these scenarios and ended up defeating themselves because they do not know Syria or understand in detail the situation. They started with the calls of revolution, but a real revolution requires tangible elements; you cannot create a revolution simply by paying money. When this approach failed, they shifted to using sectarian slogans in order to create a division within our society. Even though they were able to infiltrate certain pockets in Syrian society, pockets of ignorance and lack of awareness that exist in any society, they were not able to create this sectarian division. Had they succeeded, Syria would have been divided up from the beginning. They also fell into their own trap by trying to promote the notion that this was a struggle to maintain power rather than a struggle for national sovereignty. No one would fight and martyr themselves in order to secure power for anyone else.
 

مقابلة الرئيس الأسد مع قناة المنار اللبنانية


Syria: Border Clashes Pit FSA Against Kurds- Al-Akhbar

Tension returns to the already unstable relationship between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Kurdish Popular Protection Units in the countryside of Aleppo, following attempts by the FSA to raid Kurdish-controlled villages in the Afrin region.
 
The clashes in the Afrin region – between units of the Muslim Brotherhood's Tawhid Brigade and Islamist and Kurdish groups supported by Ankara – resulted in the displacement of some villagers and the closure of the Afrin-Aleppo road.
 
Kurdish sources confirmed to Al-Akhbar that 14 members of the opposition units and two Kurdish fighters were killed over the weekend. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes caused the death of 11 rebel fighters and the injury of more than 20.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syria-border-clashes-pit-fsa-against-kurds

Esed: S-300 Hava Savunma Sistemini Teslim Almaya Başladık- İSRA HABER

Suriye Cumhurbaşkanı Beşşar Esed, Rusya'nın Suriye'ye gönderme kararı aldığı S-300 hava savunma sisteminde ilk partinin Suriye'ye ulaştığını açıkladı.

Suriye Cumhurbaşkanı Esed, dün akşam el-Menar TV'ye yaptığı açıklamasında, S-300 füze savunma sisteminde ilk partinin Suriye'ye ulaştığını, geri kalanın ise yakın dönemde Suriye'ye ulaşacağını söyledi.

İsrail'in Suriye'yi hedef alan saldırıları hakkında sorulan bir soruya yanıt olarak Esed "Suriye, İsrail'in bundan sonra düzenleyeceği saldırılara anında yanıt verecek. Suriye, Golan'da kurtuluş savaşı verecek Suriyeli örgütlerin önünde durmayacak" diye konuştu.
http://israhaber.com/esed-s-300-hava-savunma-sistemini-teslim-almaya-basladik-15265-haberi.html

Heysem Menna: Suriye'ye Sokulan Her Türlü Silaha Karşıyız- İSRA HABER

Suriye Ulusal Koordinasyon Kurulu liderlerinden Heysem Menna, Suriye'ye bir tek silahın dahi sokulmasına karşı çıktıklarını söyledi.

http://israhaber.com/heysem-menna-suriyeye-sokulan-her-turlu-silaha-karsiyiz-15269-haberi.html

Report: Police foil al-Nusra bomb attack planned for Adana- Today's Zaman

Seven members of Syria's militant al-Nusra group were detained on Wednesday after police found sarin gas, which was reportedly going to be used in a bomb attack, during a search of the suspects' homes, Turkish media have reported.
Newspapers claimed on Thursday that two kilograms of sarin gas, which is usually used for making bombs and was banned by the UN in 1991, had been found in the homes of suspects detained in the southern provinces of Adana and Mersin. Twelve suspects were caught by the police on Monday. The reports claimed that the al-Nusra members had been planning a bomb attack for Thursday in Adana but that the attack was averted when the police caught the suspects. Along with the sarin gas, the police seized a number of handguns, grenades, bullets and documents during their search. Five of the suspects were released later on Thursday.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-316966-report-police-foil-al-nusra-bomb-attack-planned-for-adana.html

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Syria: After Qusayr, Regime Eyes Aleppo- Al-Akhbar


As the battle for Qusayr winds down, regime forces are preparing to wrest Aleppo from the Syrian opposition, which overran the city last July.
 
According to Syrian security sources, the Syrian army has begun building up its forces in several areas in preparation to storm opposition-controlled Aleppo. The sources explained that they are in the process of surrounding the city in order to cut off the oppositions supply lines.
 
If it were to succeed, then the regime would have managed to regain two of Syria’s most important governorates: Homs and Aleppo.
 
Homs was the “capital of the Syrian revolution,” until government troops retook the city. Ten months have passed since opposition fighters managed to flood Aleppo by the thousands, surprising both the regime and the city’s residents. The city had remained solidly in the loyalist camp for more than a year into the Syrian crisis and no one expected it to fall into the hands of the opposition so quickly and easily.
 
Government sources attributed the fall of Aleppo to the collusion Mohammed Mufleh, the former chief of Syrian Military Intelligence in Hama, with the opposition’s Farouq Brigade. According to military sources, Mufleh was paid a large sum of money to facilitate the passage of thousands of opposition fighters into the city.
 
Military sources maintained that the Aleppans were not particularly welcoming of the opposition, which committed massacres against whole loyalist families, like the Bazzi clan. The same sources estimated the number of fighters in the city may have now reached 20,000.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syria-after-qusayr-regime-eyes-aleppo

Monday, May 27, 2013

Hezbollah Intervention in Syria Redraws Political Map- Al-Akhbar

Relations between the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus and the Lebanese Resistance had already reached a high-level of coordination and mutual support even before the outbreak of the Syrian crisis. At the time, the two allies tended to respect each others’ boundaries, recognizing each other’s key roles in the region.
 
The onset of the Syrian crisis only served to further intertwine their interests as both became targets of the Syrian opposition and their regional and international backers.
 
In the early stages of the uprising, Hezbollah tried to play the role of mediator, seeking ways to open up channels between the regime and the opposition. But quickly, developments – like Israel’s growing involvement in the crisis – prompted a qualitative change in the relationship between Damascus and the Lebanese Resistance.
 
Assad’s response to the latest Israeli attacks on Damascus would have not meant much if it did not also have the strong support of Hezbollah, Iran, and even Russia – with the Resistance openly declaring its willingness to take part in any effort to ward off Tel Aviv’s threats.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hezbollah-intervention-syria-redraws-political-map

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Hezbollah’s war in Syria threatens to engulf Lebanon (Robert Fisk- The Independent)

This is potentially the greatest danger to Lebanon’s people since the 1975-90 civil war
 
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has crossed the Rubicon.
The Hezbollah chairman who said exactly 13 years ago that his resistance movement would not cross the Israeli frontier – that it was for the Palestinians to “liberate” Jerusalem – has declared that Hezbollah has crossed the Syrian frontier. Not only that, but Nasrallah said at the weekend he would fight “to the end” to protect President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Hezbollah, he said, was entering “a completely new phase.” He can say that again.
 
 
 

Four Rockets Strike Hezbollah Strongholds In Lebanon- NPR

Four rockets hit areas of Beirut, Lebanon that are controlled by Hezbollah on Sunday. The attacks came hours after the leader of the militant group, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, vowed to continue its fight to keep Syrian president Bashar Assad in power.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/26/186693766/four-rockets-strike-hezbollah-strongholds-in-lebanon

Two rockets hit Hezbollah district of Beirut- BBC News

At least three people have been wounded by a rocket strike on the southern part of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Two rockets hit a district controlled by the Hezbollah organisation, officials and residents were quoted as saying by news agencies.
Tension has been high over the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
On Saturday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised his supporters they would prevail in Syria, where they are backing President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria on Sunday said it had agreed "in principle" to take part in next month's talks in Geneva aimed at negotiating an end to more than two years of violence in the country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22671565

Muallim: Hiç Bir Güç Suriye Halkı Adına Karar Alamaz- SANA Türkçe

BAĞDAT – Başbakan Yardımcısı Dışişleri ve Gurbetçiler Bakanı Velid el-Muallim Suriye'nin krizin başından beri tek çözümün, Suriye halkının kesimleri arasındaki diyalog aracılığı siyasi olduğuna inandığını belirtertti.
 
Irak Başbakanı Nuri el-Maliki ve Dışişleri Bakanı Hoşyar Zebari ile bugün Bağdat'ta bulunduğu temasların ardından Zebari ile düzenlediği ortak basın toplantısında Muallim; dünyada hiç kimse yada hiç bir gücünün Suriye'nin geleceği konusunda Suriye halkı adına karar alamayacağının altını çizdi. Muallim; bu konuda karar alma hakkı ve yetkisinin sadece ve sadece Suriye halkının olduğunu vurguladı.

http://sana.sy/tur/237/2013/05/26/484176.htm

Foreign Minister: No Force in the World Can Make Decisions on the Syrians' Behalf- SANA


BAGHDAD, (SANA)- Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem said the international conference on Syria due to be held in Geneva next June constitutes a favorable opportunity to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria.
 
"Since the start of the crisis in Syria, we believed that dialogue among the Syrian people is the solution to this crisis," al-Moallem told reporters in a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
 
"Nobody and no force in the world that can make decisions on behalf of the Syrian people as they alone have the right to do that," he added.
 
Al-Moallem pointed out that he informed the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Foreign Minister Zebari of "Syria's decision on agreeing in principle to participate with an official delegation in the international conference," noting that he "felt relief on their part about the Syrian decision."
 
"The Syrian government believes in all good faith that the international conference constitutes a favorable opportunity for a political solution to the crisis in Syria," the Foreign Minister said.
 
He clarified that his visit to Iraq came to express "the Syrian people and leadership's solidarity with the Iraqi people and leadership in the face of the terrorist operations targeting the Iraqi civilians."
 

Syrian army makes more gains against militants in al-Qusayr- PRESS TV

The Syrian army has made more gains in its fight against foreign-backed militants in the strategic city of al-Qusayr, a former militant stronghold in the western province of Homs.

http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/26/305558/syria-army-makes-more-gains-in-alqusayr/

FSA denies any role in Beirut attack- Ya Libnan

The rebel Free Syrian Army on Sunday strongly condemned the Sunday rocket attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, distancing itself from an earlier threat by an FSA official that the “fire raging in Syria will spread into Lebanon.”
 
“We condemn in the strongest terms the act of sabotage and terrorism that targeted Dahiyeh and reiterate our commitment to Lebanon’s security, sovereignty and stability,” Fahd al-Masri, head of FSA’s Central Media Department, said in an interview with MTV.

http://www.yalibnan.com/2013/05/26/fsa-denies-any-role-in-beirut-attack/

Sayyed Nasrallah: As I Promised You Victory in July, I Renew My Promise Today- Al-Manar

"I say to all the honorable people, to the mujahedeen, to the heroes, I have always promised you with victory and now I promise you with another one," with these words Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah ended his Saturday's speech on the 13th anniversary of Resistance and Liberation Day, referring to the battle in Syria against Takfiris whose masters are the US and 'Israel'.

http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=95030&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=14&s1=1

Hizbullah, Suriye oyununa niçin girdi? (Alptekin Dursunoğlu- YDH)

Hizbullah Genel Sekreteri Hasan Nasrullah’ın 25 Mayıs konuşması, Suriye’ye yönelik uluslar arası savaşta yeni bir aşamaya girildiğine işaret ediyor.
Suriye’de yaşananları bir “uluslararası savaş” ve savaşın taraflarını da “ABD ekseni ile Direniş ekseni” olarak ortaya koyan Nasrullah, Direniş’in “Suriye’yi yalnız bırakmayacağını” belirterek hem açık bir konum belirlemiş hem de bu uluslar arası savaşın girdiği yeni aşamayı ortaya koymuş oldu.
Hizbullah, girdiği her oyunu o oyunun kurallarına göre ve açık oynayan bir aktör olarak tanınıyor. Kararlarını misyonuyla belirlediği ilkeler çerçevesinde alıyor; sonuçlarından emin olmadığı adımlar atmıyor; ama bir adım attığı zaman da hem politik hem de pratik düzeyde bunu öngördüğü sonuca ulaşıncaya kadar açıkça ve kararlılıkla sürdürüyor.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/YD364_hizbullah-suriye-oyununa-nicin-girdi-.html

Army Units Regain Control over al-Hamidiyeh Town in al-Qseir - SANA



HOMS, (SANA)- Army units on Sunday regained full control over al-Hamidiyeh town in the countryside of al-Qseir in Homs province.
 
The army units restored security and stability to the town after having killed all terrorists and destroyed all their gatherings and dens to the last one.
 
The source added that army units dismantled scores of explosive devices of various weights that terrorists planted on main roads before they were killed and injured by the army.
 
SANA said that units of the army tightened grip on the eastern entrance of the northern neighborhood and the dirt road between al-Dab'a Airport and al-Qseir city.
 
Earlier in the day, SANA reporter in al-Qseir said army units gained control over the Consumer Establishment building, the Party's Division building and the Region Directorate in the eastern part of the northern neighborhood after having killed all the terrorists who were stationed inside these buildings.

http://sana.sy/eng/337/2013/05/26/484228.htm

Friday, May 24, 2013

İdris: Silah verirseniz Cenevre’ye gelirim- YDH

YDH-Washington Post gazetesi, Selim İdris’in “İkinci Cenevre konferansına katılıp katılmamam, bize tanksavar ve uçaksavar gibi gelişmiş silahların verilmesine bağlı” dediğini nakletti.
Amerika’dan haftada 700 ton silah ve mühimmat isteyen Selim İdris’in, Amerikan Dışişleri Bakanı John Kerry’ye yazdığı mektubunda müzakerelere başlamadan önce Suriye yönetimine karşı askeri ve stratejik dengenin muhalifler lehine oluşması gerektiğini söylediği bildirildi.
11 Kasım’da Doha’da Ulusal Koalisyon adlı Suriye karşıtı yeni bir siyasi örgüt kurulmasını sağlayan Amerika, 5-7 Aralık tarihlerinde de Antalya’da Suriye’de savaşan silahlı gruplara komuta etmek üzere bir askeri örgütün kurulmasına öncülük etmişti.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD11866_idris--silah-verirseniz-cenevreye-gelirim.html

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Kuseyr ve sonrası (Mehmet Serim- YDH)

YDH- Şam Temsilcimiz Mehmet Serim, Kuseyr’in Suriye içinde yaşanan çatışmalardaki stratejik önemini ve son gelişmeleri yazdı.

Suriye’de devam eden savaşla ilgili haberlerde Kuseyr ilk defa çok geniş yer buldu.

Kuseyr’in üzerinde neden bu kadar duruldu? Hem Suriye basını çok büyük önem verdi hem de dünya basını. Peki Kuseyr kendisinden bu denli bahsedilecek kadar önemli mi?

Üç aşamada anlatmaya çalışalım:

Ön bilgi

Suriye’nin doğusu çöl olduğu için bu bölgede nüfus yoğunluğu az. Dolayısıyla Halep – Dera arasında kabaca bir çizgi çizecek olursak nüfus yoğunluğu bu çizgi ve batısında oluşuyor. Bu hatta “kuzey – güney hattı” diyelim.

Bu hatta yer alan şehirler Halep (güney batısında İdlib), Hama, Humus, Şam, Dera (ve doğusunda Suveyda).

Bu hattın batısında ise güneyden kuzeye Kuneytra, Tartus ve Lazkiye var.

Simdi haritayı biraz daha genişletelim ve Lübnan ve Irak’ın bir kısmını da görüş alanımıza getirelim.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD11859_kuseyr-ve-sonrasi.html

Army Restores Security to More Villages in al-Qseir, Eliminates Terrorists in Several Areas- SANA

PROVINCES, (SANA) - Army units restored stability and security to al-Akkari farm and Tal al-Sur and continue hunting the fleeing terrorists in al-Hamidiyeh town in al-Qseir countryside in Homs.
 
Tunnels used by terrorists to move around and store weapons and munitions were uncovered in the western district of al-Qseir city, and tens of explosive devices planted by terrorists in homes and road were dismantled.
 
An Army unit restored security and stability to Akkari farm and Tal al-Sur after eliminating the last terrorist gathering there, dismantling tens of explosive devices planted by the terrorists, while other units continued hunting the fleeing terrorists in al-Hamidiyeh town in al-Qseir countryside.
 
Terrorist hideouts were destroyed in the villages and towns of Aqrab, Kisin, al-Ghanto, Talbiseh, al-Mashjar al-Janoubi, Beit Hajjo, al-Buwaida al-Sharqiya and al-Rastan in Homs countryside.
 

Ordu Muhtelif Bölgelerde Güvenliği Sağlamaya Devam Ediyor- SANA Türkçe

HOMS – Homs iline tabi Ksayr Kenti ve kırsalında teröristleri bertaraf etmeye devam eden silahlı kuvvetlerimiz Ekkari Mezrası ve Tel el-Sır Bölgesinde güvenliği yeniden sağladı.

http://sana.sy/tur/339/2013/05/22/483541.htm

Kerry Suriye Konferansına Destek Arıyor- VOA

Dışişleri Bakanı John Kerry, Suriye muhalefet liderleri ve Amerika’nın müttefikleriyle görüşmek üzere Umman’dan Ürdün’e geçti.

Görüşmelerin amacı, önümüzdeki ay düzenlenmesi planlanan Suriye barış konferansına destek toplamak.

Kerry, Amerika’yla birlikte 10 Batı ve Arap ülkelerinden oluşan Suriye’nin Dostları grubundaki üst düzey diplomatlarla görüşecek. Suriye’de ana muhalefeti oluşturan Suriye Ulusal Koalisyonu da görüşmelere katılacak.

Görüşmelerin ana konusu, Amerika ve Rusya’nın önerdiği, önümüzdeki ay Suriye Hükümeti ve muhalefeti biraraya getirmeyi amaçlayan barış konferansı. Suriye Hükümeti ve muhalefetin konferansa katılıp katılmayacağı, temsilci olarak kimleri gönderecekleri ya da toplantıların nerede olacağı henüz açıklık kazanmış değil.
http://www.amerikaninsesi.com/content/kerry-suriye-konferansina-destek-ariyor/1666114.html

Beyaz Saray'da Suriye Kırılması (Sedat Ergin-Hürriyet)

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/23338851.asp

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

5 soru-5 yanıtta Kuseyr: Esad hükümeti ne yapmaya çalışıyor?- BBC Türkçe

Suriye hükümet güçleri, Lübnan sınırındaki Kuseyr'e zırhlı araçlar eşliğinde var güçleriyle yükleniyor.
 
Bir yılı aşkın bir süredir isyancıların elinde olan Humus'a bağlı bu ilçe, hükümetin bir süre önce benimsediği yeni stratejide kilit önem taşıyor.
 
Ayrıca muhalifler de Lübnan'dan silah ve insan akışı için bu ilçe ve çevresindeki bölgeye muhtaç durumda.
Çatışmayla ilgili en çok merak edilen konuları, Şam muhabirimiz Hediye Levent sizler için araştırdı.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/2013/05/130520_kuseyr_catismalar_soru_yanit.shtml

Monday, May 20, 2013

Kuseyr: Suriye ordusu tanklarla ilerliyor- BBC Türkçe

 
Suriye ordusunun, isyancıların elinde olan Kuseyr'e taarruz ederek, kent merkezini kontrol altına aldığı belirtiliyor.
Devlet televizyonu, 100'den "teröristin öldürüldüğünü" öne sürerken, muhalifler, aralarında isyancıların da olduğu 50 civarında kişinin öldüğünü kaydetti.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/2013/05/130519_suriye_kuseyr.shtml

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Evet Suriye’de elde var sıfır (Alptekin DURSUNOĞLU- YDH)

“Arap Baharı”, sonuçları bakımından da, uluslar arası güçlerin bu isyanları ve isyan sonrası süreçleri yönetme biçimi bakımından da üç model ortaya çıkardı.
1- Kitlesel “devrimler”: Büyük kentlerde bastırılamayan kitlesel gösterilere orduların müdahale ed(e)memesi sebebiyle üç haftada gerçekleşen bu devrimler, Tunus ve Mısır’da yaşandı.
2- Dış müdahaleli devrimler: Libya devrimi, NATO müdahalesiyle, Yemen devrimi ise Körfez İşbirliği Örgütü’nün Ali Abdullah Salih’i çekilmeye ikna etmesiyle gerçekleşti.
3- Bastırılan devrim: ABD’nin 5. Filosunun bulunduğu Bahreyn’de başlayan kitlesel gösteriler, Suudilerin askeri müdahalesiyle bastırıldı.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/YD363_evet-suriyede-elde-var-sifir.html

President al-Assad: Basis for Any Political Solution for Crisis in Syria is What the Syrian People Want- SANA


 
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that the basis for any political solution for the crisis in Syria is what the Syrian people want, which is decided through ballots, saying that Syria welcomes the Russian-US rapprochement, voicing Syria's support for any suggestion which halts violence and leads to a political solution and its readiness to hold dialogue with any Syrian side which didn't deal with Israel secretly or publically and which rejects terrorism.
 
In an interview with Argentina's Clarin newspaper and Telam news agency, President al-Assad said that Israel supports terrorists, directs them and gives them the general plan of their movements according to its interests which intersect with those of several foreign sides including Qatar and Turkey which don't want a political solution in Syria and which support terrorism.
 
Following is the full text of the interview:
Q1:
What has made the Syrian Crisis so complex and protracted?
Firstly, numerous factors have influenced the Syrian crisis both internally and externally, the most significant of which is foreign interference. Secondly, the calculations of confrontational states that intervened in Syria have now proven incorrect. These states perceived their plan would succeed within weeks or months; this has not materialized. What has transpired is that the Syrian people have resisted, and continue to resist and reject all forms of external intervention. For us, it is a matter of safeguarding Syria.
 
Q2:
What is the total number of fallen victims in the crisis so far? Some sources report that the numbers exceed 70.000 people.
The death of any Syrian is a tragic loss, regardless of the numbers; but one has to examine the credibility of these sources. We cannot ignore the fact that many of those that have died were foreigners who came to Syria to kill Syrians. There are also many missing who have been accounted for as dead without real authenticity. This affects the accuracy of the quoted numbers of the death toll. How many are Syrians? How many are foreigners? How many are missing? At present, there is no precise comprehensive number to quote. These numbers are constantly changing. Terrorists kill people and often put them in mass graves. We can only discover and account for those losses after the Syrian army goes into these areas.

http://sana.sy/eng/21/2013/05/19/482901.htm
 

Syria army 'storms' rebel town Qusair- BBC News


Syrian government forces have surrounded the rebel stronghold of Qusair and are storming it from several directions, says Syrian state TV.
Fighting has gone on around the town, near the Lebanese border, for weeks.
Opposition groups say militants from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement are fighting alongside government forces.
Correspondents say Qusair has strategic value for both sides. If the government retakes it, it would ensure access from the capital to the coast.
Russia, a key ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, has a small naval maintenance facility at the Syrian deep-water port of Tartus.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22586378

Opposition: Syrian army targets rebel-held city- CNN

(CNN) -- Syrian government forces launched airstrikes Sunday on the rebel-held city of Qusayr in Homs province, the opposition said.
The offensive comes after months of fighting on the outskirts of the city, said Abu Ali, an opposition spokesman.
Syrian state television confirmed that an assault is under way.
"The Syrian Army has tightened its siege on terrorists and is attacking their headquarters in the southern part of Qusayr," state media reported.
The city has been under rebel control for months.
The opposition also accused Hezbollah fighters from neighboring Lebanon of joining Syrians government troops in the assault, a claim the government of Bashar al-Assad has disputed in the past.
 

Terör Patlaması.. 14 Şehit ve Yaralı- SANA Türkçe



ŞAM – Teröristler dün gece İbn-i Nefis Hastanesi yakınlarındaki Rükneddin otobanı üzerinde bir araca yerleştirdikleri bomba düzeneğinin infilak etmesi sonucunda bazı vatandaşların şehit ve yaralı düşmesine yol açtı.
 
SANA muhabiri, teröristlerin olay yerinde park halindeki bir aracın altına yerleştirdikleri bomba düzeneğini patlattıklarını, patlama sonucunda 14 vatandaşın şehit ve yaralı düştüğünü ifade etti.
 
Muhabir, patlamanın olay yeri yakınındaki sivil yerleşim binaları ve parka halindeki araçlarda büyük zararlara yol açtığını belirtti.
 
Şam’ın Duveyl’a Semtinde Terör Patlaması..4 Yaralı
Teröristlerin dün Şam’ın Duveyl’a semtinde bir araca yerleştirdikleri bomba düzeneğini patlatmaları sonucunda 4 vatandaş yaralandı.
 
SANA muhabirine açıklama yapan Emniyet Müdürlüğünden bir kaynak, Teröristlerin Opel marka bir araca bir bomba düzeneği yerleştirerek Semt’in girişinde uzaktan patlattıklarını belirtti.
Kaynak, patlamanın 4 vatandaşın yaralanması araç ile orada bulunan araçlarda maddi zararlara yol açtığını ifade etti.

http://sana.sy/tur/339/2013/05/19/482859.htm

Assad's strategy (Mahir Zeynalov- Today's Zaman)



The Syrian uprising, now in its third year, showed us that Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad is both a ruthless man and a very smart dictator to survive thick and thin throughout the crisis.
Assad is good at reading and predicting behaviors of his adversaries, adjusting his moves accordingly and walking a fine line not to cross “red lines,” whaetver they are. These smart moves have allowed him to continue his military campaign to root out opposition fighters and have made possible foreign intervention to end the 26-month crisis a distant possibility.
 
On the military front, Assad is rushing to capture as many lands as possible to have an upper hand in next month's peace conference. In diplomacy, he is labeling the opposition "fragmented" and "radical" to reduce support it gets from the West.
 
It is no more secret that forces loyal to the Syrian regime are winning the war that has already left nearly 100,000 dead. When the Assad forces outflanked the opposition siege near Idlib on April 14, it marked the turning point for the Syrian army. The successful military campaign has continued throughout the rest of April and early May, ringing alarm bells in the Western capitals.
 
 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Lavrov: Russia Hopes the Syrian Opposition Will Support Geneva Communique- SANA

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday said that Moscow hopes that the Syrian opposition's upcoming meetings will support the agreement between Russia and the United States regarding Syria.
 
In a statement, Lavrov said that it's known that the Syrian opposition will hold a meeting in Istanbul, and that there will be a meeting in Madrid organized by the opposition inside Syria, primarily the National Coordination Body.
 
Lavrov stressed the need for participants in the meetings to voice clear support for the Russian-US initiative for implementing the Geneva Communique.
 
Lavrov called on his U.S. counterpart to use all means to make the Syrian opposition specify its stance on the upcoming Geneva conference, adding that the Syrian Government has announced its stance positively, but the opposition has not yet unified its voice.
 
Russia and the US recently agreed to support a political solution in Syria by organizing an international conference to develop the Geneva Communique issued in June 2012.
 

Sorry, Syria. In U.S., humanitarian intervention is just 'politics as usual'- CNN

(CNN) -- Fresh accusations that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war have led many to renew calls for the world to take stronger actions to stop the growing humanitarian crisis.
But recent polls have shown Americans are very reluctant to support military interventions in Syria. In a Huffington Post/YouGov poll, as few as 5% of respondents were willing to commit troops to the cause.
The Obama administration has been similarly hesitant to get involved in Syria.
While the administration has made some efforts to respond to humanitarian crises elsewhere in the world -- the U.S. joined NATO in its successful mission to assist Libyan rebels, military advisers have been sent to Uganda to combat the Lord's Resistance Army and to Jordan to help Syrian rebels -- full-scale military intervention in Syria does not appear to be on the table.
President Obama's varying view on humanitarian intervention is in keeping with over 20 years of inconsistent American policy on the issue.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/14/opinion/opinion-syria-intervention-u-s-politics/index.html?hpt=imi_t3

Ankara'da Reyhanlı protestosuna polis müdahalesi- BBC Türkçe

Hatay'ın Reyhanlı ilçesindeki tıklayın bombalı saldırılardan hükümeti sorumlu tutan Ankaralı üniversite öğrencilerinin yürüyüşüne polis müdahale etti.
ODTÜ'de ve Hacettepe Üniversitesi'nin Cebeci'deki kampüsünde öğle saatlerinde toplanan öğrencileri polis tazyikli su ve biber gazı kullanarak dağıtmak istedi.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/2013/05/130515_odtu_reyhanli_protestosu.shtml

The horror of the Syrian video is the horror of war- The Guardian

Khaled al-Hamad's outrageous act is not a reason to change our minds about Syria's rebels. As Goya showed, war is vile.
 
A man has been cut into pieces by his enemies. His severed head now perches on a tree branch. Beside it hangs his headless, armless body and, further along the branch, the missing arms. Two other naked, mutilated bodies also slump around the tree.
 
This is not a video from Syria such as the one currently causing worldwide shock. Horrific images in this video reveal a rebel commander called Khaled al-Hamad appearing to eat the heart of one of his enemies. He cuts it out of the body on camera while uttering insults to the Alawite religious minority to which President Assad belongs: the rebel has confirmed it is him and this is what he did. He says he also has a video of himself dismembering an enemy with a saw. Time magazine says he ate a lung, rather than the man's heart.
 
The picture I started with, however, was drawn by Francisco de Goya in the early 19th century and it depicts the horrors of the Spanish peninsular war of 1808-1814. It is called Great Deeds Against the Dead. Khaled al-Hamad's acts on video might easily be given the same title. Do we really believe that soldiers or rebels or even civilians who come across a slain enemy always treat the fallen with respect? Or that the living fare much better at the heart of war?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/15/syrian-video-war-khaled-al-hamad

UN General Assembly passes resolution condemning Assad's forces in Syria war- RT

The UN General Assembly has voted to pass an Arab backed draft resolution which strongly condemns the Syrian government and accepts the Syrian National Coalition as a legitimate party in the country’s potential political transition.
 
The 193-member world body voted on Wednesday to pass the Qatari-drafted resolution condemning Syrian government forces and the “gross violation” of human rights in the country. The final vote tally: 107 in favor, 12 against and 59 abstentions.
 
The draft resolution further welcomes the establishment of the Syrian National Coalition "as effective representative interlocutors needed for a political transition."
The document noted "the wide international acknowledgment" that the main opposition group is the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding and therefore cannot be enforced. The last Arab-sponsored General Assembly resolution regarding Syria was approved by an vote of 133-12 with 31 abstentions last August.

http://rt.com/news/syria-resolution-un-condemn-328/

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Do the Massacres in Bayda and Banyas Portend Ethnic Cleansing to Create an Alawite State?- Syria Comment

This question is taken up in two thoughtful articles by Hassan Hassan and Michael Young. Hassan Hassan argues that “sectarian cleansing is not being conducted for the purpose of establishing a potential state, but rather for other strategic purposes, including recruitment of Alawi fighters, deepening sectarian tensions in Assad’s favor, and ensuring a popular base of support,” (see Elizabeth O’Bagy). Michael Young sees them as a possible prelude to what may be coming if the Alawites begin to lose, but for the time being, he suggests that “ethnic cleansing” may not have been the intended result, but the massacres did serve as a shot across the bow of the Sunni population of the coast. (see extended quotes below).
 
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Davutoglu claimed that Syria’s army has begun ethnically cleansing Banyas because it is losing elsewhere in the country. But Assad’s forces are not losing. According to both Liz Sly of the Washington Post and Reuters reports Assad’s forces are gaining ground in Syria, at least for the time being. This can only be cold comfort to the Sunnis along the coast who speak of their fear of ethnic cleansing.
 
The fighting in al-Bayda began when a bus carrying pro-regime militants, or Shabiha, was attacked, by rebel militiamen, killing at least seven and wounding more than 30, according to activists quoted by DPA. After the rebels attacked a bus, the village became “the scene of fierce fighting between the army and rebel battalions.” The brutality of the shabiha revenge on both al-Bayda and Banyas was depicted in a series of photos and videos that even by the standards of this war were shocking. The religious passions that have now colored every aspect of this fight ran out of control.
 
How likely is ethnic cleansing along the coast?
The likelihood of ethnic cleansing in the coastal regions is high. It will rise even higher should Assad’s troops begin to lose. The Sunni populations of the coastal cities will be the first to be targeted by Assad’s military, if it is pushed out of Damascus. Should the Alawites be compelled to fall back to the predominantly Alawite region of the mountains stretching along the western seaboard of Syria, the Sunnis of the coastal cities and eastern plan will be the first to suffer. Should Sunni militias, which are perched only kilometers from Latakia, penetrate to the city itself, Alawites may turn against the region’s Sunnis fearing that they become a fifth column. There are many precedents for this sort of defensive ethnic cleansing in the region. Zionist forces in Israel, cleared Palestinian villages of their inhabitants in 1948, rather than leave them behind Israeli lines. Armenians were driven out of Eastern Anatolia by Turks and Kurds, who claimed self-defense in their struggle against Russia in WWI. The Greek Orthodox Anatolians were driven out of Anatolia following the defeat of Greek forces which sought to conquer Anatolia in the early 1920s in an effort to resurrect the Byzantine Empire.

http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/round-up/

Suriye ve Türkiye Halkı Arasındaki İlişkileri Hedef Alıyor- SANA Türkçe

ŞAM – Suriye Arap Cumhuriyeti hükümeti; Türkiye'nin Reyhanlı İlçesinde sivil insanları hedef alan bombalı terör eylemlerini kınayarak; bu gibi çirkef suçların terör olgusunun bölgede yayılmasının direk sonucu sayıldığını, Türkiye ve Suriye halkları arasındaki ilişkileri sabote hedefli olduğunun altını çizdi.
 
Hükümet bugün yayınladığı ve SANA’nın bir nüshasını aldığı beyanında; bu korkak ve çirkef terör eylemlerine ilişkin Suriye'ye yönelik yapılan tüm suçlamaların kesinlikle hiç bir aslı gerçeği olmadığına vurgu yaptı. Bu terör eylemlerinin Suriye'nin ahlaki ve siyasi sistemine ilaveten uluslararası sorumluluklarıyla tamamen çeliştiğine dikkat çeken hükümet; Suriye ve Türkiye halklarının Türkiye'deki hükümetin teröre destekte izlediği politikaların bedelini kanlarıyla ödediklerini vurguladı.
 
Hükümet beyanında ayrıca; Suriye ve Türkiye arasındaki ortak sınır bölgelerindeki durumların aldıkları bu halden tamamen Türkiye hükümetinin sorumlu olduğunu ifade ederek, Türk hükümetinin bu bölgeleri teröristlerin karargah ve geçit merkezlerine dönüştürdüğünü belirtti. Beyanda Türkiye hükümetinin aynı zamanda Türkiye topraklarını Suriye'de masum kanları akıtan ve her türlü vahşette bulunan teröristlere gereken tüm desteği temin ettiğini ekledi.
 
Beyanının sonunda Suriye Arap Cumhuriyeti hükümeti; reyhanlı patlamalarında şehit düşenlerin ailelerine ve kardeş Türkiye halkına taziyelerini takdim ederek, yaralılara da acil şifalar diledi.

http://sana.sy/tur/236/2013/05/14/482123.htm

Exclusive: “We Will Slaughter All of Them.” The Rebel Behind The Syrian Atrocity Video- TIME

 
Khalid Al Hamad, (left), in an undated photo that originally appeared on the website of the Syrian rebel group, Independent Omar al Farouk brigade, which he commands. Al Hamad has acknowledged biting into an internal organ cut from the body of a dead government soldier.

Savage Online Videos Fuel Syria’s Descent Into Madness- TIME

The video starts out like so many of the dozens coming out of the war in Syria every day, with the camera hovering over the body of a dead Syrian soldier. But the next frame makes it clear why this video, smuggled out of the city of Homs and into Lebanon with a rebel fighter, and obtained by TIME in April, is particularly shocking. In the video a man who is believed to be a rebel commander named Khalid al-Hamad, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, bends over the government soldier, knife in hand. With his right hand he moves what appears to be the dead man’s heart onto a flat piece of wood or metal lying across the body. With his left hand he pulls what appears to be a lung across the open cavity in the man’s chest. According to two of Abu Sakkar’s fellow rebels, who said they were present at the scene, Abu Sakkar had cut the organs out of the man’s body. The man believed to be Abu Sakkar then works his knife through the flesh of the dead man’s torso before he stands to face the camera, holding an organ in each hand. “I swear we will eat from your hearts and livers, you dogs of Bashar,” he says, referring to supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Off camera, a small crowd can be heard calling out “Allahu akbar” — God is great. Then the man raises one of the bloodied organs to his lips and starts to tear off a chunk with his teeth.
Two TIME reporters first saw the video in April in the presence of several of Abu Sakkar’s fighters and supporters, including his brother. They all said the video was authentic. We later obtained a copy. Since then TIME has been trying to ensure that the footage is not digitally manipulated in any way — a faked film like this would be powerful propaganda for the regime, which portrays the rebels as terrorists — and, as yet, TIME has not been able to confirm its integrity. Abu Sakkar has not commented on whether the man in the video is indeed him because he is currently fighting on the front lines in Syria, according to fighters under his command. The video became public on May 12 when it was posted online by a proregime group and is indeed now being used as propaganda by regime supporters (and has already been shared 1,115 times on Facebook and has over 46,000 views on YouTube). These 27 seconds of footage provide a glimpse at how brutal the Syrian war has become — and a startling example of how technology appears to be fueling that brutality.

http://world.time.com/2013/05/12/atrocities-will-be-televised-they-syrian-war-takes-a-turn-for-the-worse/

Human Rights Watch outraged by video showing Syrian rebel commander Abu Sakkar cutting out government soldier's heart and eating it- The Independent

Observers says the video shows Abu Sakkar - the prominent founder of rebel group Farouq Brigade - as opposition figures and Assad supporters condemn footage.
 
A chilling video showing a Syrian rebel commander cutting open a dead man’s chest, ripping out his heart and biting into it drew widespread condemnation today.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/human-rights-watch-outraged-by-video-showing-syrian-rebel-commander-abu-sakkar-cutting-out-government-soldiers-heart-and-eating-it-8615112.html

Syria Condemns Terrorist Attacks in al-Rayhanyeh, Turkey- SANA

DAMASCUS, SANA_The Syrian government condemned the terrorist attacks against civilians in al-Rayhanyeh area in Turkey, considering these crimes as a direct result of the spread of the phenomenon of terrorism in the region.
 
In a statement on Tuesday, the government stressed that "Accusing the Syrian state of those coward and terrorist acts are totally baseless," adding that the acts contradict Syria's morale, political and international commitments.
 
The statement added that the bloodshed of the Syrian and Turkish peoples is the result of the policies of the Turkish government in support of terrorism.
 
" Those heinous crimes aim at harming the relations between the Syrian and the Turkish peoples," the statement said.
 
"The Turkish government is responsible for the situation in the border areas through turning them into a haven and passage for the terrorists and allowing gunmen to use the Turkish lands to commit crimes against the Syrians," the statement said.

http://sana.sy/eng/21/2013/05/14/482130.htm

Monday, May 13, 2013

Reyhanlı: Hem göz önünde hem yalnız- BBC Türkçe



Sabah erken saatlerde Hatay-Reyhanlı yolunda bu kez sıra dışı bir trafik vardı: Cenazelere ve taziyelere gelenlerin araçlarının oluşturduğu bir trafik.
İlçede gün içinde camiler, mezarlıklar ve taziye evleri arasında binlerce insan sürekli gitti, geldi.
 
Toplu cenaze töreni düzenlenmeyen ilçede en fazla defin, merkezdeki Reyhanlı Asri Mezarlığı’nda gerçekleştirildi.
Mezarlıkta Reyhanlılıların alışkın olmadığı üzere polis, güvenlik önlemleri almıştı.
'Bu nasıl yas?'
Mezarlığın dört yanından ağıtlar yükselirken gazeteciler olarak dün olduğu gibi bugün de tepkilerden nasibimizi aldık.
Yakınını defnettikten sonra elimdeki fotoğraf makinesini gören bir kadın, “Ne çekiyorsun? Bugüne kadar kaç defa uyardık, yazmadınız. Bak ben bu hükûmetin düşmanıyım. Yaz da hapse atsınlar beni, inşallah girerim” diye gösterdi tepkisini.
Yaşı ileri başka bir mağdur yakını medya üzerinden tüm kamuoyuna tepkiliydi: “Bu kadar insan ölmüş ama kim acımızı paylaşıyor? Televizyonlarda eğlence programları bas bas yayın yaptı. Bu nasıl yastır ya?”
Özellikle yaşı ileri Reyhanlılılar bu durumdan son derece rahatsız olduklarını dile getirdi.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/2013/05/130512_hamsici_reyhanli.shtml

Under the black flag of al-Qaeda, the Syrian city ruled by gangs of extremists- The Telegraph


The black flag of al-Qaeda flies high over Raqqa’s main square in front of the smart new governor’s palace, its former occupant last seen in their prison. Their fighters, clad also in black, patrol the streets, or set up positions behind sandbags.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.html

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Assad forces gaining ground in Syria- The Washington Post

BEIRUT — Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are beginning to turn the tide of the country’s war, bolstered by a new strategy, the support of Iran and Russia and the assistance of fighters with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
 
A series of modest, scattered gains by government forces in recent weeks has produced no decisive breakthrough. But the advances have been made in strategically important locations and point to a new level of direction and energy previously unseen in the army’s performance, military analysts, rebels and Syrians close to the government say.

http://rt.com/news/turkey-bomb-blasts-syria-162/

Trading blame over bombings: Turkey calls Syria 'usual suspect', Damascus accuses Erdogan- RT

Turkey was quick to blame the Assad regime for two massive car bombs that killed 46 people in a town on the Syrian border. The Syrian Information Minister dismissed Turkey's accusations, claiming “this is not the behavior of the Syrian government.”
 
Omran al-Zoubi told a news conference on Sunday that “no one has the right to make false accusations,” adding that “Syria did not commit and would never commit such an act because our values would not allow that.”

"It is [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan who should be asked about this act... He and his party bear direct responsibility," Zoubi said. "As an assassin, he should resign."

After Saturday's bombings in Hatay province on the Turkey-Syria border, Ankara warned it would take “all retaliatory measures necessary,” raising the prospect of an escalation in the conflict.

"The attack has nothing to do with the Syrian refugees in Turkey, it's got everything to do with the Syrian regime,"Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview with Turkey's TRT television.
http://rt.com/news/turkey-bomb-blasts-syria-162/

Turkey warns of response after Syria border town bombs- BBC News

Turkey says it will take necessary measure to protect itself after two car bombs killed at least 43 people in a town on its border with Syria.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to catch those behind the attack in Reyhanli which is home to many Syrian refugees. "Nothing will go unanswered," Mr Davutoglu said.
Turkey, a member of Nato, said it suspected the involvement of a Syrian intelligence agency.
But Syria denied it was responsible.
Turkey is a strong supporter of the opposition in Syria's civil war and a vocal critic of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
The US and Nato have condemned the bombs and expressed support for Ankara.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22498891

Al-Zoubi: Turkish Government is to Blame for al-Rihaniyeh Bombings- SANA

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Information Minister, Omran al-Zoubi, stressed that the bombings which rocked al-Rihaniya city in Turkey are a terrorist act that is condemned by all moral, human and legal standards, offering condolences to the Turkish people for the martyrs and wishing recovery for the injured.
 
"Any accusation against Syria in any statement, where explicit or implicit, by any Turkish official is completely rejected," said al-Zoubi addressing the Intellectual Political Symposium which kicked off Sunday at the al-Assad National Library in Damascus.
 
Minister al-Zoubi, said that the Turkish government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to blame for the bombings in al-Rihaniyeh havign urned the border areas with Syria into "international terrorist concentrations," and turned the Turkish civilians' houses, farms and properties into centers and passages for terrorist groups.
 
He added that the Turkish government has been facilitating the delivery of weapons, explosive devices, car bombs, money and killers into Syria.
 
Al-Zoubi held Erdogan and the Turkish government directly responsible, both morally and politically, towards the peoples of Syria and Turkey, the region, and the whole world.
 

Turkey makes arrests in attacks blamed on Syria- Deutsche Welle

Authorities have detained nine Turks believed to have links to Syria in connection with bombs that killed 46 people. Elsewhere Sunday, Syrian rebels freed peacekeepers captured on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
 
The nine detained included the mastermind of the attack, said Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler, who added that he expected more arrests. Saturday's blasts have raised concern that Syria's bloody civil war is crossing into Turkey.
 
"This incident was carried out by an organization which is in close contact to pro-regime groups in Syria and I say this very clearly, with the Syrian mukhabarat," Guler said, using the Arabic word for intelligence. "We have determined that some of them were involved in the planning, in the exploration and in the hiding of the vehicles," he added.
 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Reyhanlı: 'Savaşta mıyız?'- BBC Türkçe

Balkonlardaki Galatasaray ve Türk bayrakları olmasa görenler Reyhanlı’yı Türkiye’den ziyade savaş içindeki bir ülkenin toprağı olduğunu düşünebilirdi.
İlçe merkezini sarsan iki patlamadan yaklaşık bir saat sonra Reyhanlı’dayım.
 
Patlamaların yaşandığı yerlerde polis kordonlarının dışında toplanan Reyhanlılar yerle bir olmuş binalara ifadesizce bakıyorlardı.
Ağlayanlar, akrabalarına ulaşamayıp öldüklerinden şüphelenenler, ne yapacağını bilemeyip bir köşeye çöküp sadece ve sadece bekleyenler vardı.
Ama şaşkınlık ve üzüntünün yanında öfke de büyüktü, hem de çok büyük.
'Yazamazsınız, cesaretiniz yok'
“Ya konuşmayın bunlara, nasılsa yazmayacaklar!” Patlamalardan birinin gerçekleştiği ve altı üstüne gelmiş bir sokakta Reyhanlılarla konuşurken arkadan bir esnaf onlara böyle seslendi.
Sonra başkaları da ona destek çıktı ve beni çevreleyip: “Size konuşsak ne olacak hükümet aleyhinde tek bir şey yazamazsınız siz!” diyerek tepki gösterdiler.
“Yazamazsınız, cesaretiniz yok” diye başladıkları başka bir cümleyse şöyle devam ediyordu: “Cesetleri kendi ellerimizle çıkardık, ölü sayısı çok daha fazla! Onu bile yazmazsınız!”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/2013/05/130511_reyhanli_mahmut_hamsici.shtml

Explosives detonate outside public buildings in Reyhanli- Youtube


Explosions hit Turkish town on border with Syria, killing at least 18- Hurriyet Daily News


Several explosions have hit the southern province of Hatay’s Reyhanlı district on the Turkish-Syrian border. At least 18 people were reportedly killed, while dozens were injured.

"Two car [bombs] were set off in front of the municipality," Interior Minister Muammer Güler told reporters, but other reports indicated that there were three or more explosions.

Initial reports described many casualties have been brought to nearby hospitals by ambulance.

The municipality building has also been severely damaged, according to reports.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/explosions-hit-turkish-town-on-border-with-syria-killing-at-least-18-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=46682&NewsCatID=341

Reyhanlı'daki patlamalar ile ilgili ilk açıklama- Hürriyet


İçişleri Bakanı Muammer Güler, Reyhanlı’da meydan gelen patlamalarla ilgili yaptığı açıklamada, “Belediye önünde iki bombalı araç patlatıldı. 18 ölü 22 yaralı var” dedi. Başbakan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ise ilerleyen dakikalarda ölü sayısın 20, aralarında dumuru ağır olanlar da olmak üzeri 46 kişinin yaralı olduğunu açıkladı.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/23257400.asp

Friday, May 10, 2013

Syria: Intervention Will Only Make it Worse (Zbigniew Brzezinski- TIME)

The Syrian conflict is a sectarian war in a volatile region whose potential to spread and directly threaten American interests would only be increased by U.S. intervention.
The struggle is between forces funded and armed by outside sponsors, notably Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran. Also participating are foreign religious groups not directly controlled by the sponsors, namely the Sunni Salafists and Iranian-aligned militias, not to mention intensely anti-Western al-Qaeda fighters. American involvement would simply mobilize the most extreme elements of these factions against the U.S. and pose the danger that the conflict would spill over into the neighborhood and set Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon on fire.
That risk has been compounded by the recent Israeli bombing of weapons sites inside Syria. Whatever their justification, the attacks convey to some Arabs the sense that there is an external plot against them. That impression would be solidified if the U.S. were now to enter the fight, suggesting a de facto American-Israeli-Saudi alliance, which would play into the hands of the extremists.

http://swampland.time.com/2013/05/08/syria-intervention-will-only-make-it-worse/

Sunday, May 05, 2013

Israeli strikes on Syria 'co-ordinated with terrorists'- BBC News


Israeli strikes on Syrian army targets show co-ordination with "terrorists" including al-Qaeda linked militants, the Syrian foreign ministry has said.
The strikes had led to a number of casualties and widespread damage, it reported in a letter sent to the UN.
State media said a research centre and other sites had been hit overnight. Israeli sources said weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon were the target.
The strike, the second in two days, drew condemnation from the Arab League.
Syria's government refers to rebels fighting against it as "terrorists".
On Friday, Israeli aircraft hit a shipment of missiles near the Lebanon border, according to unnamed US and Israeli officials.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22419995

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