Syria’s Foreign Ministry called on the Security Council to end Israeli violations. It reiterated Syria’s right to respond immediately to any breach of its sovereignty. Under international law, doing so is legitimate self-defense. … Read More
Israel gearing up for ‘surprise war’ with Syria if Assad falls – general
“When you look [around] today I think that a surprise war can be born in very many configurations,” Major General Amir Eshel said at a conference near Tel Aviv.In particular, the general stressed that if rebels ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and seized the huge stockpiles of missiles within the country, it could lead to a major conflict in the region.”If Syria collapses tomorrow, we are liable to find ourselves in this stew very quickly and in a very big way,” Eshel said.”The enormous arsenal parked there… will be spread all over the place and you find yourself having to act on a very broad scale.”On Tuesday, Israeli chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz issued a personal warning to President Assad, saying the Syrian leader would “bear the consequences” in the event of further attacks on Israeli forces. The threat followed the Syrian military firing across the armistice line on the Golan Heights, hitting an Israeli military vehicle. Israeli troops have responded to such events by taking retaliatory shots at targets across the Syrian border.Technically, Israel has been at war with Syria since it seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan territory from its neighbor in the 1967 Six-Day War. Fourteen years later, Tel Aviv annexed the land, though the move has never been recognized by the international community.Israel warned it would not tolerate fire from Syria, or the transfer of advanced weapons to militants.Tel Aviv maintains that its main concern is that Syria’s arsenal – which includes chemical weapons, anti-aircraft systems and missiles – could be sent to Hezbollah or fall into the hands of rebel groups linked to Al-Qaeda. Israel reportedly conducted flights into Syria to determine if there were any chemical weapons stored across the territory of the conflict-torn state. Tel Aviv has denied the flights took place.Earlier, Israeli defense officials spoke out on a more positive note, saying that Israel’s ability to deter attacks on its positions in the occupied Golan Heights was undiminished.”The good news is that the continued stability of the Golan Heights [and] the deterrent power of the Israeli army have not been weakened,” senior defense adviser Amos Gilad told Army Radio at the time.However, this past week there have been three consecutive cross-border shootings, and the Israeli military is concerned by the incidents, according to Army Radio. … Read More
Kerry wars Assad over Syria violence
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Lebanon: Spillover of violence from Syria
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Anti-government fighters in Syria are continuing to clash with the army in the border town of Al Qusair.
It is some of the fiercest fighting seen in months in the country’s two year old civil war, which is now said to have cost over 80,000 lives.
Government air strikes and shelling have rocked the town as the two sides battle it out for control.
Syrian TV claimed scores of opposition fighters had been killed.
Strategically, Al Qusair is important. It is right on the border with Lebanon and the latest fighting has once again drawn the nearby city of Tripoli into the conflict.
With the death toll mounting, the Lebanese army has been put on the streets of two of the city’s neighbourhoods in an attempt to bring calm.
Supporters of both the Assad regime and sympathisers of the insurgents have been clashing even though the actual conflict is in a foreign country.
The city has seen sporadic violence since the civil war in Syria started, but residents say this latest upsurge is the fiercest yet.
More about: Armed conflicts, Bashar al-Assad, Civil War, Lebanon, Syria
Copyright © 2013 euronews
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‘Syrian soaring sectarianism & division used to target Iran’
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Assad insists he will not step down
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‘Turkey to see more bombings as Erdogan’s support for Syrian rebels backfires’
Turkish police have fired tear gas at protesters in a town near the Syrian border, which was the scene of a deadly double car bombing a week ago. Demonstrators are angry over Ankara’s support for the Syrian rebels, which they say is putting Turkey in the firing line. World affairs journalist and broadcaster, Neil Clark, believes Erdogan must reconsider his policies and stop accusing the Syrian government of targeting the Hatay province, as it would’ve been an “absolutely absurd” move from Damascus.RT: Tension and discontent on the Turkish-Syrian border is now escalating – what ramifications could this have?Neil Clark: I think if I were Turkish I would be protesting too, because Mr Erdogan has made colossal blunder here because in August 2011 he took the line he’s going to play a leading role in trying to topple the Syrian government. He allowed rebels to be based in the country. His government gave arms to them and equipment. And now it’s sort of a blowback time. We had some terrible bombings in Turkey this week and this will only continue, until Turkey changes course in relation to Syria. RT: Turkey maintains Syria was responsible for last weekend’s bombing of a Turkish town that left more than 50 dead, but why would Damascus orchestrate a cross-border attack?NC: It’ll be absolutely suicidal for Syrian president [Bashar] Assad to order an attack on Turkey, knowing that very powerful countries in the West are just itching for an excuse to militarily attack the country, to bomb the country. So the last thing would be doing is trying to bomb Turkey. It’s absolutely absurd. I don’t know who was responsible for these bombings, but it’s clear that what Erdogan has done has actually involved Turkey in this war. He’s brought the war to Turkey. And understandable the Turkish citizens – not just those on the border with Syria, but throughout the country – are getting increasingly angry and they demand that he changes his course. RT: Turkey has made it clear it doesn’t want to get directly involved in Syria, but has pledged to respond to the bombings. What action could we see?NC: We haven’t got any evidence as to who’s responsible for these bombings. And I think Erdogan has to seriously reconsider his entire policies, because all he’s doing is increasing the tension here by backing the rebels. He took a gamble in August 2011 believing that the Syrian government would fall very shortly and that there’ll be a very nice Islamist government in power in Damascus that’ll be very friendly to Turkey. It backfired. It hasn’t happened. And I think that the position, Turkey is in, is getting worse and worse. I hope I’m wrong, but we’re going to see more bombings, I’m afraid. Because the war has been brought to Turkey and, of course, the rebels themselves are fighting among themselves – the radical Islamists, the not so radical Islamists. It’s all happening in Turkey. RT: An international conference on Syria – endorsed by Russia and the US – is expected soon. What results can we expect?NC: It all depends on the stance of the US and its allies. Because if they’re still going to carry on with this rhetoric, this Assad must go, we’re not going to get any progress, are we? The people, who are pouring the petrol on the fire, the countries like the US and Turkey, have got to change their position. It’s no use that they’re having a conference, if they’re still going to back the rebels. They’re still saying that the Syrian people could decide the government they want as long as Assad goes. That’s not democracy, is it? It’s up to the Syrian people alone. It’s up to US, Qatar, Turkey to stop interfering in Syria. … Read More
