Islamist rebel leader walks back rhetoric in first interview with U.S. media- McClatchy DC

ISTANBUL — From the pulpit at a mosque in the besieged Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syrian rebel leader Zahran Alloush denounced democracy last December as a corrupt system and left no doubt that he seeks an Islamic state to succeed the government of President Bashar Assad.

 

But in his first interview with U.S. news media, Alloush was the model of pragmatism.

 

Gone were his previous calls to expel members of the ruling Alawite sect from Damascus. In the interview he called them “part of the Syrian people” and said that only those with blood on their hands should be held accountable.

 

Abandoned, too, was the talk of an Islamic state. Now he said he favored allowing Syrians to decide what sort of state they wanted.

 

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/05/20/267327/islamist-rebel-leader-walks-back.html

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/05/20/267327/islamist-rebel-leader-walks-back.html#storylink=cpy

ISIS Captures the Northern Sector of Ancient Palmyra- Al-Masdar News

The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) has launched another powerful assault on the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra (Tadmur), just three days after the Syrian Arab Army’s 18th Tank Battalion and the National Defense Forces recaptured all points seized by the enemy combatants within the city’s parameters.

 

As dawn approached on Wednesday morning, ISIS stormed the northern perimeter of Al-‘Amuriyah, where they were able to penetrate into the village and seize control of large swaths of territory after engaging the National Defense Forces in a series of violent firefights that eventually resulted in the militant group capturing the entire area.

 

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-captures-the-northern-sector-of-ancient-palmyra/

Change and Reform Bloc Reiterates Importance of Partnership to Terminate Crises- Naharnet

Change and Reform lawmakers toured for the third day in a row parliamentary blocs to tackle Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's initiative to end the lingering presidential crisis in Lebanon.

 

“Aoun's initiative is an opportunity that we should cease as it's a chance to end the deadlock,” MP Emile Rahme, who is loyal to Aoun, told reporters after meeting with Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc at its headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs.

 

He reiterated calls on the political arch-foes to “return to partnership and maintain national unity.”

 

Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad stressed after the meeting that the party is “keen to end the crises in Lebanon and maintain stability.”

 

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/179510

Hezbollah, Syria army advance toward Qalamoun’s Flita- Daily Star

BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Syrian army Wednesday took more positions around one of the few remaining strongholds of jihadi militants in the border Qalamoun region, with a security source saying 13 militants were killed in the fighting.

 

The source, speaking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, said the Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters seized control of a number of strategic hilltop positions early Wednesday on the southern outskirts of Flita.

 

A portion of the Nusra-led rebels fled toward the outskirts of Lebanon's northeastern town of Arsal, while others headed toward Jarajeer, according to the source.

 

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/May-20/298682-hezbollah-syria-army-advance-toward-qalamouns-flita.ashx

Rebels Take Largest Remaining Army Base in Syria's Idlib- Naharnet

A rebel coalition including Al-Qaida's local affiliate seized the Syrian regime's largest remaining military base in northwest Idlib province on Tuesday, after an explosion and heavy clashes, a monitor said.

 

"All regime forces have withdrawn from Al-Mastumah, the largest regime base in Idlib, leaving it completely in the hands of opposition fighters," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

 

The rebel alliance that seized the camp calls itself the "Army of Conquest" and includes Al-Qaida affiliate Al-Nusra Front and other Islamist factions.

 

"With the help of God, Al-Mastumah was completely liberated after Al-Nusra Front stormed it from the south," the affiliate wrote on its official Twitter account.

 

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/179417

Amine Gemayel, Future MP dismiss Aoun presidential proposals- Daily Star

BEIRUT: Kataeb leader Amine Gemayel and another March 14 official Tuesday dismissed Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun’s proposals to end the presidential deadlock.

 

“Some suggestions come out from here and there, attempting to [manipulate] the Constitution and parliamentary work, while the only thing we need is to go to Parliament and elect a president as soon as possible,” Gemayel said after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

 

Gemayel added that the country “could no longer stand the threats from outside," and that the domestic socio-economic situation has become “unbearable.”

 

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/May-19/298502-future-hezbollah-seek-presidential-crisis-breakthrough-mp.ashx

Russian Embassy in Damascus Comes Under Mortar Attack- Sputnik News

Two mortar rounds landed on the premises of the Russian Embassy in Damascus on Tuesday afternoon, causing damage but no injuries, embassy's spokeswoman Asiya Turuchiyeva told RIA Novosti.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150519/1022330411.html

Syrian Armed Forces Withdraw from the Al-Mastoumah Camp- Al-Masdar News

The militants from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” were finally successful in breaching National Defense Forces (NDF) frontline defenses at the Al-Mastoumah Camp after they recaptured the Primary School and the strategic Al-Mastoumah Hill, resulting in the complete withdrawal of the Syrian Armed Forces from this town located south of the provincial capital.

 

According to a military source in Ariha, the Syrian Armed Forces withdrew all the soldiers from the Al-Mastoumah Camp after Jabhat Al-Nusra and Jund Al-Aqsa militants stormed the area for the second straight day, resulting in the disintegration of their defenses around this town in the Idlib Governorate.

 

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-armed-forces-withdraw-from-the-al-mastoumah-camp/

Rejimin askeri üssü muhaliflerde- Al-Jazeera Turk

Suriye İnsan Hakları Gözlemevi, İdlib kentinin kırsalında bulunan ve rejim tarafından kontrol edilen Mastuma askeri üssünün muhalifler tarafından ele geçirildiğini ve rejim birliklerinin bölgeden çekildiğini duyurdu.

 

Gözlemevi'nin Başkanı Rami Abdulrahman, İdlib'deki en önemli askeri üslerinden birinin tamamen muhaliflerin kontrolüne geçtiğini söyledi.

 

Daha önce Karmit bölgesinin ele geçirilmesinden sonra muhaliflerin büyük oranda üstünlüğü ele aldığı Mastume'nin de ele geçirilmesiyle rejimin İdlib kırsalındaki etkinliği çok büyük oranda zayıflamış oldu.

 

Son gelişmelerle İdlib kırsalında bulunan Foa ve Keferya köyleri dışında rejimin askeri varlığını sürdürdüğü yerleşim birimi kalmadı. Bu köyler ise hâlihazırda tamamen muhaliflerin kuşatması altında. Köye ikmal havadan rejim uçakları ve helikopterleri tarafından sağlanıyor.

 

Al Jazeera'nin ulaştığı bilgilere göre, Mastume'de süren çatışmalarda iki taraftan da çok sayıda ölen ve yaralananlar oldu.

 

İdlib mart ayı sonlarında uzun süren çatışmaların ardından muhaliflerin eline geçmişti. O günden bu yana Esed rejimine bağlı savaş uçakları ve helikopterler kenti havadan bombalıyor. Saldırılarda şimdiye kadar çok sayıda sivil hayatını kaybetti.

 

http://www.aljazeera.com.tr/haber/rejimin-askeri-ussu-muhaliflerde

Lebanon Army shells militants as Nusra, ISIS clash on northeast border- Daily Star

BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army pounded jihadi hideouts on the outskirts of Arsal Tuesday, as fresh clashes erupted in the area between ISIS and Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front.

 

A security source told The Daily Star that Army units located in the northeast region of Wadi Rafeq shelled jihadi positions deep in the outskirts, which comprise an area of around 400 square kilometers.

 

Large numbers of ISIS and Nusra militants operate in the area, which is connected to the Qalamoun hills where Hezbollah and the Syrian army have been carrying out a military campaign against jihadis for two weeks.

 

The source said that Nusra and ISIS fighters engaged in sporadic clashes Tuesday, following similar fighting the previous day.

 

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/May-19/298533-lebanon-army-shells-militants-as-nusra-isis-clash-on-northeast-border.ashx

ISIS attacks Syria Druze village, battles for Palmyra: activists- Daily Star

BEIRUT: ISIS jihadis attacked a village in Syria's southern Druze heartland Tuesday and clashed with pro-government forces north of the ancient city of Palmyra, an activist group said.

 

"ISIS killed five fighters from the National Defense Forces and one woman in their attack on the Druze village of Al-Haqef in Swaida province," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

 

He said the extremists seized control of the town for a few hours before NDF fighters - local pro-government militia - forced them back out.

 

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/May-19/298530-isis-attacks-syria-druze-village-battles-for-palmyra-activists.ashx

Velayeti: Bazı bölge ülkelerinin hayalleri gerçekleşmeyecek- YDH

YDH-  Fars haber ajansının bildirdiğine göre bir konferans için Lübnan’a giden Dr. Ali Ekber Velayeti, bugün karayolu ile Şam’a geçerek Suriye Cumhurbaşkanı Beşşar Esed’le görüştü.

İran İslam Devrimi Lideri Ayetullah Hamenei’nin dış politika danışmanlığını yapan eski dışişleri bakanlarından Ali Ekber Velayeti, ile Suriye Cumhurbaşkanı Beşşar Esed’in görüşmesinde terörizm, aşırılık ve teröre destek veren bazı bölge ülkelerinin tutumlarının değerlendirildiği bildirildi.

Suriye Cumhurbaşkanı Beşşar Esed, Velayeti’nin ziyaretinden duyduğu memnuniyeti belirterek bu ziyaretle somut bir siyasi mesaj verildiğini vurguladı.

İran İslam Devrimi Lideri Ayetullah Hamene’nin Suriye’de ve bölgede yaşanan gelişmelere hakim olduğunu belirten Suriye Cumhurbaşkanı Beşşar Esed, İran’ın Suriye halkının direnişine ve Suriye hükümetine yaptığı yardımlardan dolayı teşekkür ederek şunları söyledi:

“Bölgede direniş ekseni oluşmuştur, hiç kimse bunu kıramayacaktır hiç şüphesiz biz kazanacağız. Şimdiye kadar Türkiye, Suudi Arabistan ve diğer bazı bölge ülkelerinin destekleriyle direnişi ortadan kaldırmayı başaramadılar. İnşallah bundan sonra da yeni zaferler kazanacağız. İran’ın desteği olmadan bunlar olmazdı. Terörizme, bazı bölge ülkelerine, bölücü ve aşırı düşüncelere karşı zafer, İran ve Suriye’nin zaferidir” dedi.

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD13888_velayeti--bazi-bolge-ulkelerinin-hayalleri-gerceklesmeyecek.html

In Geneva, UN envoy on Syria meets with international stakeholders amid ongoing consultations- UN News Centre

18 May 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria has continued to meet with Syrian, regional and international interlocutors today in the framework of the Geneva Consultations, according to a spokesperson for the Organization.

 

Addressing reporters in New York earlier this afternoon, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Staffan de Mistura met this morning with a delegation of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, led by Qadri Jameel, who briefed on various perspectives on resolving the Syrian conflict while also addressing the deteriorating situation in Syria and in the region.

 

According to the UN, during Syria’s tragic five-year arc of conflict, 220,000 people have been killed, more than one million have been injured, 7.6 million have been displaced and four million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. And the suffering continues to this day. In the past weeks alone, well over 100,000 people were displaced in a new wave of fighting in Idlib while some 14 million people are now displaced due to the interlinked crises in Syria and Iraq.

 

The UN envoy also reportedly received a delegation from the People’s Republic of China, with whom he discussed the ongoing efforts of the international community to help Syrians end their conflict through political means, as well as the role of the UN and the Security Council.

 

Meanwhile, this afternoon, a delegation of the State of Qatar briefed the Special Envoy on regional efforts in support of a political solution to the Syrian conflict, Mr. Haq noted.

 

Against that backdrop, Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, joined today's Geneva Consultations, impressing upon Mr. de Mistura the significance of engaging regional countries and organizations in constructive efforts to end the conflict in Syria.

 

The ongoing consultations – facilitated by the UN and Mr. de Mistura – are aimed at bolstering implementation of the Geneva Communiqué, which was adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012, and since endorsed by the UN Security Council.

 

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50891#.VV5mkRsw_IU

Ancient City of Palmyra Under Complete Control of the Syrian Army- Al-Masdar News

The Syrian Arab Army’s 18th Tank Battalion – in coordination with Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Falcons Brigade) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – has forced the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) to withdrawal from the western and southern flanks of the ancient city of Palmyra in the eastern part of the Homs Governorate after fierce clashes on Sunday.

 

The Syrian Armed Forces was able to recapture all of Mount Qassoun to the east of the city, along with the Radio and Television Broadcast Tower, the Ancient Palmyra Aqueducts, and the Palmyra Dam; this forced the militants from ISIS to retreat to the northern flank, where the SAA’s 18th Tank Battalion began their assault on Sunday morning.

 

As dawn approached on Sunday, the SAA’s 18th Battalion and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra stormed the Desert Development building at the northern sector of Palmyra, resulting in the death of 26 enemy combatants from ISIS and the confiscation of their heavy weaponry before they began their complete withdrawal from this building and the residential neighborhoods.

 

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/ancient-city-of-palmyra-under-complete-control-of-the-syrian-army/

Syria conflict: IS 'withdraws' from ancient Palmyra- BBC News

Islamic State militants have been pushed back from the ancient Syrian site of Palmyra, officials and a monitoring group say.

 

Militants seized part of the town of Tadmur on Saturday, which is located on a strategic east-west route next to Palmyra's World Heritage-listed ruins.

 

Nearly 300 have reportedly died in four days of fighting.

 

Meanwhile, the number of militants reported killed in a rare US ground raid in Syria on Saturday rose to 32.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said that among those killed were "IS oil chief Abu Sayyaf, the deputy IS defence minister, and an IS communications official".

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32772894

IŞİD, ‘Çölün Gelini’ne göz dikti (Mehmet Serim-YDH)

Terör örgütü IŞİD’in Suriye’de son saldırdığı yer, UNESCO’nun dünya mirası listesinde yer alan antik Palmyra kenti kalıntılarının bulunduğu Tedmur oldu.

 

Tedmur çölün ortasında çok değerli tarihsel eserlerin bulunduğu bir müzeyi de barındırıyor. IŞİD’in saldırısı sonrası bu çok önemli tarihi kent büyük tehlike altına girdi.

 

Bugün itibariyle Suriye ordusunun operasyonları sonrası IŞİD’in Tedmur çevresinden çekildiği yönünde haberler geldiyse de, eğer Suriye ordusu IŞİD’i Tedmur’dan (Palmyra’dan) tamamen temizlemezse insanlık tarihinin en önemli eserlerinden birisinin daha yok olma tehlikesi var.

 

Suriye’nin geri kalmış bir ülke olması, Palmyra’yı yeterince tanıtamaması gibi nedenlerle tarihin en büyük hazinelerinden biri dünyada pek de bilinmiyor.

 

Roma imparatorlarının, kraliçelerinin birçoğunun Suriye doğumlu ya da Suriye asıllı olduğu, bu toprakların çekişmelerin, iktidar kavgalarının, savaşların, merkezlerinden biri olduğu da pek bilinmez.

 

Bu iktidar savaşlarındaki halkalardan birinin kahramanlarından biri de Zenobia’dır.

 

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD13884_isid-colun-gelinine-goz-dikti.html

ABD, IŞİD şefini Suriye’de vurdu- Hürriyet

ABD özel kuvvetleri terör örgütü Irak-Şam İslam Devleti’nin (IŞİD) Suriye’deki petrol ve doğalgaz operasyonlarından sorumlu komutanı Ebu Sayyaf’ı ülkenin doğusunda önceki gece komandoların da dahil olduğu nokta operasyonunda öldürdü. Operasyon ABD Başkanı Barack Obama’nın emriyle yapıldı. Ebu Sayyaf’ın Ümmü Sayyaf adlı eşi ise baskında sağ ele geçirildi ve Irak’ta bilinmeyen bir yere götürüldü.

 

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/dunya/29026800.asp

“Kalamun’da yeni hedef Flita”- YDH

YDH- Fars haber ajansına konuşan Suriyeli bir askeri kaynak, Suriye ordusu ve Direniş güçlerinin 78 kilometrekare genişliğindeki Ras el-Ma’rra bölgesini tamamen kontrol altına aldığını belirtti.

 

Suriyeli askeri kaynak, Ras el-Ma’rra’dan sonraki yeni hedefin Flita’nın terörist gruplardan temizlenmesi olacağını söyledi.

 

Suriye ordusu ve Hizbullah’ın bir hafta boyunca süren operasyonları sonunda silahlı grupların savunma hatlarının tamamen dağıldığını ve militanların toplu halde kaçmaya başladığını belirten kaynak, ordu ve Direniş güçlerinin Baruh sıradağları ile Flita sınır geçişini tamamen kontrol altına aldığını söyledi.

 

http://www.ydh.com.tr/HD13881_kalamunda-yeni-hedef-flita.html

'Suriye helikopterini düşürdük'- Al-Jazeera Turk

Milli Savunma Bakanı Yılmaz Türkiye sınırını ihlal eden bir Suriye helikopterinin Türk savaş uçakları tarafından düşürüldüğünü duyurdu. Suriye devlet televizyonu, düşürülenin keşif amaçlı insansız hava aracı olduğunu iddia ediyor.

 

http://www.aljazeera.com.tr/haber/suriye-helikopterini-dusurduk

Islamic State crisis: US special forces in Syria raid- BBC News

US special forces have killed a senior Islamic State (IS) member and captured his wife in a rare raid in eastern Syria, the Pentagon says.

 

Abu Sayyaf helped direct oil, gas and financial operations for IS, as well as holding a military role, the US Department of Defense statement said.

 

He was killed when he engaged US forces, the statement said.

 

The operation in al-Amr was authorised by President Barack Obama and was carried out by forces based in Iraq.

 

None of the US troops involved in the overnight operation were killed or injured, the White House said.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32764995