New video of ‘Islamist’ public beheadings of ‘Assad loyalists’ surfaces in Syria- RT

A video purportedly showing an extrajudicial public beheading of two Bashar Assad loyalists has been uploaded onto the internet. Its authenticity has been verified by pro and anti-Assad sources, though it remains unclear who is behind the execution.

http://rt.com/news/syria-beheadings-video-assad-401/

Lebanese Army Faces Spillover From Syria's War- VOA

BEIRUT

— For years, Lebanese have been saying that the Army was the only institution capable of holding the country together through its turbulent and sometimes bloody history.

This past week, the Army provided fresh support for those sentiments – and drew much praise - by routing gunmen from a radical Sunni group in the port city of Sidon, 40 kilometers south of Beirut.

But despite this latest success, most Lebanese are convinced the Army will be facing even bigger challenges very soon from sectarian fighting closely linked to the ongoing civil war in neighboring Syria.

http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanon-army-hezbollah/1691569.html

Armed Kurds clash with protesters in Syria- Al-Jazeera

Three people killed in northern Amuda town after Kurdish party members open fire on protesters, activists report.

Members of a dominant Kurdish party have opened fire at a protest in the Syrian Kurdish-dominated town of Amuda, killing at least three people and leaving at least 10 others injured, activists have told Al Jazeera.

 

Thursday's rally was held to protest against the detention of three prominent Kurdish activists by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), an armed group that controls much of the Kurdish areas in Syria's north and northeast.

 

Activists posted footage online purporting to show a protest being dispersed amid sounds of heavy gunfire.

 

Kurdish website Firat News, meanwhile, said an "armed gang" shot at People's Defense Units (YPG), a group made up mainly of PYD fighters and responsible of the security of Kurdish areas. The website, citing YPG Press Office, said one YPG fighter was killed.

 

"Clashes in the area broke out after YPG units surrounded the city and denied access into and out of it following the attack by the armed group," the website said a day after the reported attack.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362723251718913.html

 

Syria's Rebels in Rift With Aleppo's Civil Opposition- Al-Monitor

ALEPPO, Syria — The schism between civil activists and armed revolutionaries is at its widest since the Syrian uprising began, and it’s only getting worse. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but the most important one is expectations — what each side hoped the uprising would achieve. For the civil activists, it was the overthrow of tyranny and the establishment of a secular, civil and democratic society. For those who took up arms, it was basically a many pronged power struggle; class, sectarian or opportunistic, depending on which spectrum of the armed groups they belonged to.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/syria-aleppo-rebels-civil-opposition.html#ixzz2Yn1AeItr

Russia slams arming Syria rebels as contradictory to Geneva talks- PRESS TV

Russian Foreign Minister has slammed Western efforts to supply more arms to Syrian insurgents as a bid to regain lost ground before the Geneva Conference, saying the scheme contradicts the very essence of the peace talks.

 

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/28/311221/lavrov-slams-arming-syrian-rebels/

Moscow stresses necessity of speeding up international Syria conference- SANA

Moscow, (SANA) Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in a phone call with the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan the regional situation, mainly the situation in Syria.

 

Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday that the two sides ''expressed readiness to coordinate efforts for a political settlement to the crisis in Syria,'' adding that they agreed to continue contacts.

 

Lavrov stresses necessity of speeding up international Syria conference

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov stressed the necessity of expediting the convening of the international conference on Syria in Geneva.

 

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lavrov informed during a phone call his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on the outcomes of the Russia-US-UN meeting in Geneva on June 25 to prepare for the international conference on Syria.

 

Lavrov affirmed that stress was put during the meeting on the importance of the conference that will help in reaching a political settlement to the crisis, the statement added.

 

The ministry said that the two sides agreed to continue contacts on the subject.

 

Russia, US and UN delegations convened a meeting in Geneva a couple of days ago aimed at paving the way for holding the international conference in Syria.

http://sana.sy/eng/22/2013/06/27/489697.htm

4 citizens martyred, 8 wounded in suicide bombing in Damascus- SANA

Damascus, (SANA)_Four citizens were martyred and eight others wounded in a suicide bombing outside Dar al-Ihsan charity in Tale' al-Fidda Street in Bab Sharqi area in Damascus on Thursday.

 

An official source told SANA that a suicide bomber blew himself up amongst a group of citizens who were receiving medical services at the charity, killing four and injuring eight.

 

SANA reporter said that the bombing caused huge material damage in the area.

http://sana.sy/eng/337/2013/06/27/489675.htm

Live Coverage: Fighting rocks Sidon- Now Lebanon

Supporters of Sheikh Assir engaged in clashes with the Lebanese army.

 

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/lebanonnews/live-coverage-fighting-erupts-in-sidon

Lebanese Salafis kill six soldiers in Sidon- Al-Akhbar

 

Updated 9:27 pm: Armed supporters of Salafi Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir killed six Lebanese soldiers near the southern town of Sidon on Sunday, the army said.

 

"An armed group loyal to Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir attacked, for no reason, a Lebanese army checkpoint in the village of Abra" just east of Sidon, it said.

 

The army identified the victims as First Lieutenant Samer Geryes Tanyous, Lieutenant George Elian Bou Saab, Sergeant Ali Adnan al-Masri, and soldiers Rami Ali Baker, Bilal Ali Saleh and Elie Nicolas Rahme.

 

It added that one gunmen was killed and 15 injured.

 

The fighting erupted when Assir supporters surrounded an army checkpoint in Abra, where a vehicle transporting other supporters of the radical cleric had been stopped, a security source told AFP.

 

"After the armed men attacked with gunfire," the army fired back, the source added.

 

The army vowed it "will not tolerate" the latest developments, and that it "will continue to fulfill its mandate to suppress strife."

 

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gunfight-erupts-saida-between-army-and-al-assir-supporters

Fighting rages in s. Lebanon, 6 soldiers killed- The Daily Star

ABRA/BEIRUT, Lebanon: Six Lebanese soldiers were killed in clashes Sunday with supporters of an anti-Hezbollah preacher in Abra, east of Sidon, said the Army, which vowed to push on with a crackdown against those targeting the military in response to the “cold-blooded” attack.

 

Security sources said 19 soldiers were also wounded in the fighting that erupted after 2 p.m. and continued with growing ferocity throughout the evening hours of the day. They added two gunmen loyal to Sheikh Ahmad Assir were killed in the clashes.

 

The fighting, which the Army said was reminiscent of events preceding Lebanon’s 1975-90 Civil War, highlighted the increasing impact of the conflict in Syria on its small neighbor.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jun-23/221317-assir-supporters-attack-lebanese-army-one-wounded.ashx#ixzz2X4mEzqDW
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Assir’s Gamble: Blunder or Breakthrough?- Qifa Nabki

Translation: “To all of our supporters: we are coming under attack from the Lebanese Army, which is  Iranian-[controlled] and sectarian, and also from the shabbiha of Hassan Nasr al-Lat and Nabih Berri. I call on all our supporters: the peaceful ones should go and block the streets. And I call on the honorable men — both Sunni and others — in the Lebanese Army to leave the Army immediately. And I call on our supporters outside Lebanon to go to the Lebanese embassies to protest. And on all of our supporters in every region who are prepared to come defend our religion and heritage and our women. We’re being shot at from Mar Elias, the Shiite neighborhood in Saida. We’re being shot at with every kind of shell, rocket, and mortar. God suffices us, and an excellent guardian is He.”

 

So announced the Lebanese salafist shaykh Ahmad al-Assir earlier today on YouTube after some of his followers clashed with the Lebanese Army, leaving several people dead including five soldiers. The army vowed to strike back “with an iron fist” and demanded that Saida’s politicians and religious figures (read, the Sunni imams and muftis who have been cowed by Assir’s vitriolic rhetoric) to “express in complete frankness their stance: either to stand next the Lebanese Army to protect civilians … and prevent [an explosion] or to stand beside the provokers of strife and killers of soldiers.”

http://qifanabki.com/2013/06/23/assirs-gamble-blunder-or-breakthrough/

Are Al-Qaeda’s Lebanese Affiliates Opening a Lebanese Front in the Syrian War? (Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya- Global Research)

The US and its allies are working to open a new front of the Syrian conflict inside Lebanon.
 

Lebanon has been sedated into a state of limbo by the lack of a government and the postponing of its parliamentary elections. Complicating matters, many institutional figures and military commanders have gone into retirement and the caretaker government is unable to replace them.

 

Hezbollah’s intervention into the Syrian conflict has given a boost to the Syrian government against the anti-government forces trying to overrun Syria.

 

This has turned the attention of the US and its allies onto Lebanon as a new arena of battle. Rockets are also being launched by anti-government forces from Syria, and even from inside Lebanon, against Hezbollah’s political strongholds and against Shia Muslim villages. The goal is to ignite the flames of sedition between Shiites and Sunnis inside Lebanon.

 

http://www.globalresearch.ca/are-al-qaedas-lebanese-affiliates-opening-a-lebanese-front-in-the-syrian-war/5340160

Peres supports US plan to arm Syria rebels- Jerusalem Post

President Shimon Peres has thrown his weight behind US plans to arm Syrian rebels, shrugging off fears the weapons could be turned on Israel and exacerbate the conflict.

 

In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters before his 90th birthday, Peres dismissed the idea that Israel could launch a unilateral military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities and urged Palestinians and Israelis to forge immediate peace.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Peres-throws-his-weight-behind-US-plan-to-arm-Syria-rebels-316898

Freedom fighters? Cannibals? The truth about Syria’s rebels- Thev Independent

The US wants to send them arms, Vladimir Putin says they’re cannibals – but what do we really know about the opposition movement fighting to topple Assad? Syria expert Aron Lund profiles some of the most powerful factions.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/freedom-fighters-cannibals-the-truth-about-syrias-rebels-8662618.html

Putin dashes G8 hopes for Syria breakthrough- The Guardian

Russian leader insists he cannot support peace talks convened on the assumption that Bashar al-Assad will step down.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/putin-dashes-g8-hopes-syria-breakthrough

Obama: Syria is not Iraq- USA Today

President Obama says the U.S. has "serious interests" in Syria, but he is aware of the pitfalls of over-involvement in the civil war there.

 

"It is very easy to slip slide your way into deeper and deeper commitments," Obama told Charlie Rose of PBS, because people will always want to do more if things don't go well.

 

"Now, on the other side there are folks who say, you know, 'we are so scarred from Iraq. We should have learned our lesson. We should not have anything to do with it,'" Obama said. "Well, I reject that view as well because the fact of the matter is, is that we've got serious interests there."

 

In his first public comments since the administration announced stepped-up aid to the rebels in Syria, Obama warned of "ongoing chaos in a major country" which borders a major ally in Jordan, which in turn borders Israel.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/06/18/obama-syria-iraq-charlie-rose/2433587/

Bölgenin Maruz Kaldığı En Büyük Meydan Okuma Radikalliktir- SANA

ŞAM – Cumhurbaşkanı Beşşar el-Esad; Ortadoğu'nun maruz kaldığı en önemli ve en büyük meydan okumanın, toplumlarımızda kaymaya neden olan ve ılımlılıktan uzaklaştıran radikalizmle temsil olduğunu belirterek, Suriye'nin topraklarındaki teröristleri bertaraf edeceğinin şüphesiz olduğuna dikkat çekti.

 

Alman Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Gazetesine verdiği röportajda; bölgedeki devletlerin sınırlarıyla herhangi bir şekilde oynama tehlikesine karşı uyarıda bulunarak, bunun oldukça uzak bölgelerin haritasını da etkileyeceğine dikkat çekti.

 

Cumhurbaşkanı el-Esad; Suriye'deki krizin uzun zaman sürmesinin temel faktörlerinin, bunun için siyasi ve askeri uğraş veren dış faktör olduğunu ifade etti.

 

Suriye'nin krizin ilk gününden beri diyalog arzusunda olan istisnasız herkese elini uzattığını belirten el-Esad; silah taşımayan, terörü desteklemeyen ve siyasi programa sahip olan her türlü muhalefete açık olduğunu vurguladı.

 

El-Esad Suriye'ye ilişkin düzenlenmesi beklenen Uluslararası Cenevre II Konferansının diyalogun ilerletilmesinde önemli bir istasyon teşkil etmesi, Suriye'ye silah ve teröristlerin gönderilmesine sınır koymada başarı sağlaması temennisinde bulundu.

http://sana.sy/tur/236/2013/06/18/487991.htm

Nasrullah: Öfkelerini anlıyoruz; çünkü güç dengesi değişti- YDH

YDH- Hizbullah Genel Sekreteri Seyyid Hasan Nasrullah’ın el-Menar ve el-Alem televizyonları tarafından canlı yayımlanan konuşmasının bölgesel gelişmelerle ilgili kısımlarının geniş bir özetini sunuyoruz.

Direniş, en başından beri gerekli ileri görüşlülüğe sahipti. İsrail işgalciliği karşısındaki sessizliğin sonuçlarının ve ABD’nin emperyalist projeleri ile birlikte yaşamanın tehlikelerini 1982’den beri biliyordu. Bu basiret, bu projeye karşı savaşmayı beraberinde getirdi. Halbuki o dönemde de İran ve Suriye’den başka tüm Araplar, zillet ve aşağılanmışlık içindeydi.

Direniş, fedakarlıklarla Lübnan’ı özgürlüğe kavuşturdu. Lübnan’ın özgürlüğü ve onuru, suları ve doğal kaynakları bu fedakarlıklar sayesinde elde edildi.

Direniş olmasaydı, ülkemiz ve kaynaklarımız sömürge olacak ve tıpkı Batı Şeria gibi, sudan bile mahrum olacaktı.

Lübnan milli kalmalıdır, uşak olmamalıdır. Bu sorumluluk tüm bürokrasiye, aydınlara, sanatçılara, düşünürlere, tüm Lübnanlılar aittir.

Şu an tarihi tahrif etmeyi amaçlayan çok yoğun bir medya saldırısıyla karşı karşıya bulunuyoruz.

Biz bu ülkenin bir parçasıyız, biz büyük fedakarlıklara katlanan Lübnan halkının bir parçasıyız. Bu yolda en sevdiklerimizi kurban verdik. Elbette kimseden bir minnet veya şükran beklemiyoruz. Bunları dinimiz için, ahretimiz için, ülkemiz için, kutsallarımız için yaptık.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD11936_nasrullah--ofkelerini-anliyoruz-cunku-guc-dengesi-degisti.html

Clerics in Egypt Call for Global Jihad Against Regime’s Shiite Allies- Syria Comment

The last post contained a question from a reader wondering why Egypt has been largely off-the-radar as a important regional presence in the Syrian conflict. With interesting timing, the last few days may have inaugurated the beginning of a change to Egypt’s lack of involvement, a development coinciding with the U.S.’s own policy changes.

http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/clerics-in-egypt-call-for-global-jihad-against-regimes-shiite-allies/

In civil war, Syria’s Kurds search for place but increasingly clash with Arab rebels- The Washington Post

BEIRUT — Taking advantage of the chaos of the civil war, Syria’s Kurdish minority has carved out a once unthinkable degree of independence in their areas, creating their own police forces, even their own license plates, and exuberantly going public with their language and culture.

 

But by pursuing their own path distinct from both the opposition and the regime, they are also colliding with Sunni rebels, who have increasingly clashed with Kurdish militiamen. Rebels have besieged a pocket of Kurdish towns and villages in the mainly Sunni Arab corner of northwest Syria for weeks, leading to reports of shortages of food and medicine.

 

The fighting threatens to expand into an ethnic war between Kurds and Arabs, adding another layer to the potent mix of fighters and conflicts in a brutal civil war that, according to the United Nations, has already killed 93,000 people. The ethnic tensions come on top of virulent sectarian hatreds between pro-rebel Sunnis and pro-regime Alawites and Shiites that have spiraled amid the fight for power.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-civil-war-syrias-kurds-search-for-place-but-increasingly-clash-with-arab-rebels/2013/06/17/431f4408-d786-11e2-b418-9dfa095e125d_story.html

G8 Northern Ireland summit: Syria crisis topping agenda- BBC News

The leaders of the world's eight main industrialised nations have gathered in Northern Ireland for a G8 summit likely to be dominated by the Syrian conflict.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22928197

Syria: No decision on arming rebels, says William Hague- BBC News

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned there are no "palatable options" for dealing with the crisis in Syria.

He told the BBC there were "extremists" supporting both President Assad's government and rebel forces, but said help would go towards "moderates".

But Mr Hague said the government had not taken any decision on whether to send weapons to the opposition.

Labour said Syria was "awash with arms" and warned against "launching an arms race by proxy" with Russia.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22933902

Strategic Syrian town of Qusayr reduced to rubble- Irish Times

Our journey begins at a small Shia mosque outside the Lebanese hill village of Qasr, 10km to the strategic Syrian town of Qusayr retaken on June 5th by the Syrian army bolstered by seasoned Hizbullah fighters. Usama, our driver and guide, flashes an identity card at the Lebanese checkpoint before plunging the Jeep along the narrow winding back road to Qusayr. No passports are shown, no questions asked.

 

We whizz past fields of stumpy golden wheat, cherry and apricot orchards, olives and figs, jouncing over potholes, slowing for a bailey bridge over the fast-flowing Orontes River that irrigates this rich agricultural area.

 

Usama, a portly young local, says, “Hizbullah first came here to defend 25 Lebanese villages on the Syrian side of the border and had to take part in the battle for Qusayr because the extremists were kidnapping, looting, and killing Lebanese.”

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/strategic-syrian-town-of-qusayr-reduced-to-rubble-1.1430967

Repercussions of Assad’s strategic victory in al-Qusayr (Saeid Aqa-Alikhani- Tehran Times)

The Syrian military’s success in the al-Qusayr offensive should be regarded as a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad that obviously changed all the equations in the country.

The region had been a key supply route for the rebels fighting government forces in Homs, and the importance of al-Qusayr is redoubled by its location next to Lebanon and the potential role it could play if the conflict spilled over into that country.

The city was also a hub of intelligence activities against Syria and its allies in the region. Since 1983, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have given millions of dollars to the nomads living in the area and have used them as informants and agents. Over the past few years, these elements have been actively serving the intelligence agencies of those two countries and Israel. The recapture of al-Qusayr effectively neutralized these spy cells, and thus the Syrian government and Hezbollah regained their intelligence superiority in the region.

The Syrian government’s victory in al-Qusayr deprived Israel of the ability to acquire the intelligence necessary for bombing sensitive civilian and military sites in Syria. It has also significantly weakened Israeli intelligence agencies’ access to Hezbollah’s key locations in the Baalbek Valley. Al-Qusayr was the main supply route for rebels in nearby cities like Raqqah, and the Syrian military’s recapture of the city takes away one of their main tools in their battle against Assad.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/52-guests/108580-repercussions-of-assads-strategic-victory-in-al-qusayr

Al Qaeda leader in Iraq confirms continuing cooperation with Jabhat al-Nusra- SANA

Baghdad, (SANA) – An audio recording attributed to the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared recently online, confirming the continuing cooperation between Al Qaeda and the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria.

 

The recording said that the "merger announced earlier between the Islamic state of Iraq and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria to form the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant is still ongoing and will continue."

 

This "merger" was announced by Al Qaeda in Iraq in April, while Jabhat al-Nusra – which continues to commit horrendous massacres and bombings in Syria, most recent of which took place in the village of Hatla in Deir Ezzor – announced its fealty to Al Qaeda.

http://sana.sy/eng/22/2013/06/15/487692.htm

Russia Keeps Freeze on S-300 Contract with Syria – Kremlin- Ria Novosti

MOSCOW, June 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is not planning to deliver S-300 air defense systems to Syria, despite the announcement by the US administration on Thursday of its intention to supply the Syrian opposition with weaponry, a presidential aide said on Friday.

 

“The issue has not been raised yet,” aide Yury Ushakov told reporters in Moscow in comments on the US move.

 

“We are not competing [with Washington] on Syria, on the contrary, we are seeking a constructive solution to this issue which is vital for the situation in the region and the world,” Ushakov said.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130614/181668154/Russia-Keeps-Freeze-on-S-300-Contract-with-Syria--Kremlin.html

Saudi Arabia, France agree Qusayr scenario can’t be repeated in Aleppo- Al-Arabiya

France and Saudi Arabia agreed during a meeting in Paris that the Hezbollah-backed Syrian troops, which defeated the rebels in the strategic town of Qusayr, should not be allowed to repeat the same scenario in province of Aleppo, Al Arabiya correspondent reported Tuesday.

The two countries expressed their stance after Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, and the kingdom’s intelligence head, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, met with French officials.

While both countries established the need for international measures to help stave off a repeat of the Qusayr battle, France said an international consensus is required before any military operation can take place.

After their talks, France noted that the Syrian conflict reached a “turning point” after the Syrian regime declared victory against opposition fighters in Qusayr.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/06/11/Saudi-Arabia-France-agree-Qusayr-scenario-can-t-be-repeated-in-Aleppo.html

Suriye’de savaşan yabancı militanlara ilişkin istatistik- YDH

YDH-Lübnan’dan yayın yapan el-Menar televizyonunun haberine göre şu ana kadar Suriye’deki çatışmalarda 6113 yabancı militan öldürüldü.

Bazı bölge ülkeleri tarafından desteklenerek Suriye’ye sokulan yabancı uyruklu militanlardan 17 bininin de kayıp olduğuna dikkat çekilen haberde, BM Suriye Özel Temsilcisi Ahdar İbrahimi’nin yabancı militan sayısını 40 bin olarak açıkladığı hatırlatılarak açıklanan rakamsal verilerin İbrahimi’nin tahmininden çok daha fazla olduğunu gösterdiği belirtildi.

Avrupa’daki bazı saygın araştırma merkezlerinin raporlarında yer alan verilerin Suriye’deki yabancı militan sayısının birkaç yüz kişi olduğunu öne süren Ulusal Konsey Başkanı Corc Sabra’yı yalanladığına işaret edilen haberde şimdiye kadar yaşanan çatışmalarda sadece İran karşıtı Halkın Mücahitleri örgütünden 640 militanın ölü olarak ele geçirildiği bildirildi.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD11929_suriyede-savasan-yabanci-militanlara-iliskin-istatistik.html

Muhalifler Esad’ın sarayını ele geçirdi! (Mehmet Serim- YDH)

YDH Suriye Temsilcisi Mehmet Serim, Kuneytra’daki sınır kapısının kısa bir süre isyancıların eline geçmesine ilişkin haberlerin yansıtılış biçimini ve basının Suriye’deki gelişmelerle ilgili çarpıtıcı yaklaşımını değerlendirdi.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD11917_muhalifler-esadin-sarayini-ele-gecirdi.html

What next after the fall of Qusayr?- Al-Jazeera

We look at how the balance of power has shifted after Syrian soldiers retook a strategic city from the rebels.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidesyria/2013/06/20136910716700762.html

Syria: Assad forces take control of Qusayr in major breakthrough- The Telegraph

The Syrian army has seized control of the strategic border town of Qusayr, in a major breakthrough for Bashar al-Assad's forces.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10099938/Syria-Assad-forces-take-control-of-Qusayr-in-major-breakthrough.html

Liberation Al-Qusayr Syria 2013/06/05- Youtube

Bashar al-Assad says Russian S-300 missiles have arrived in Syria- The Guardian

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has said Russian anti-aircraft missiles have arrived in Syria, Lebanese TV has reported – a claim likely to dramatically increase tensions in the region and which could provoke the Israelis to launch a strike against the weapons.

 

In an interview with the al-Manar channel, to be broadcast on Thursday, Assad reportedly confirmed that Moscow had begun to deliver the long-range S-300 air defence rockets. "Syria has received the first shipment … All our agreements with Russia will be implemented and parts of them have already been implemented," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/30/assad-russian-s300-missiles-syria