'Noorden Palmyra (Syrië) in handen van IS' #2

twitter:

sayed_ridha twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 13:51:09 It was the 'rebels' who liberated #Jisr_Shughour but it was #JN who wanted to blow up the Hospital KNOWING there were civilians in it right? reageer retweet

twitter:

IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 08:49:07 #Syria #Idlib #Latakia #Lattakie #SAA hero returning to his home village after arriving safely from #Jisr Hospital. http://t.co/1nBrVxcU0u reageer retweet

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Syria regime 'to accept de facto partition' of country

AFP , Sunday 24 May 2015

Weakened by years of war, Syria's government appears ready for the country's de facto partition, defending strategically important areas and leaving much of the country to rebels and jihadists, experts and diplomats say.

The strategy was in evidence last week with the army's retreat from the ancient central city of Palmyra after an advance by the Islamic State group.

"It is quite understandable that the Syrian army withdraws to protect large cities where much of the population is located," said Waddah Abded Rabbo, director of Syria's Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the regime.

"The world must think about whether the establishment of two terrorist states is in its interests or not," he said, in reference to IS's self-proclaimed "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq, and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front's plans for its own "emirate" in northern Syria.

Syria's government labels all those fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad "terrorists," and has pointed to the emergence of IS and Al-Nusra as evidence that opponents of the regime are extremists.

Since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with peaceful protests, the government has lost more than three-quarters of the country's territory, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor.

But the territory the regime controls accounts for about 50 to 60 percent of the population, according to French geographer and Syria expert Fabrice Balanche.

He said 10-15 percent of Syria's population is now in areas controlled by IS, 20-25 percent in territory controlled by Al-Nusra or rebel groups and another five to 10 percent in areas controlled by Kurdish forces.

"The government in Damascus still has an army and the support of a part of the population," Balanche said.

"We're heading towards an informal partition with front lines that could shift further."

People close to the regime talk about a government retreat to "useful Syria".

"The division of Syria is inevitable. The regime wants to control the coast, the two central cities of Hama and Homs and the capital Damascus," one Syrian political figure close to the regime said.

"The red lines for the authorities are the Damascus-Beirut highway and the Damascus-Homs highway, as well as the coast, with cities like Latakia and Tartus," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The coastal Latakia and Tartus provinces are strongholds of the regime, and home to much of the country's Alawite community, the offshoot of Shiite Islam to which Assad adheres.

In the north, east and south of the country, large swathes of territory are now held by jihadists or rebel groups, and the regime's last major offensive -- in Aleppo province in February -- was a failure.

For now the regime's sole offensive movement is in Qalamun along the Lebanese border, but there its ally, Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement, is taking the lead in the fighting.

"The Syrian army today has become a Praetorian guard that is charged with protecting the regime," said a diplomat who goes to Damascus regularly.

He said the situation had left Syrian officials "worried, of course," but that they remained convinced that key regime allies Russia and Iran would not let the government collapse.

Some observers believe the defensive posture was the suggestion of Iran, which believes it is better to have less territory but be able to keep it secure.

"Iran urged Syrian authorities to face facts and change strategy by protecting only strategic zones," opposition figure Haytham Manna said.

The shift may also be the result of the dwindling forces available to the regime, which has seen its once 300,000-strong army "whittled away" by combat and attrition, according to Aram Nerguizian, a senior fellow at the US Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"On the surface, the regime appears to have accepted that it must secure, hold and defend its core area of control... with its current mix of forces," he said.

Those are approximately 175,000 men from the army, pro-regime Syrian militias and foreign fighters including from Hezbollah and elsewhere.

The Observatory says 68,000 regime forces are among the 220,000 people killed since the conflict began.

But the new strategy does not indicate regime collapse, and could even work in its favour, Nerguizian said.

"Supply lines would have far less overstretch to contend with, and the regime's taxed command-and-control structure would have more margin of maneuver."

Thomas Pierret, a Syria expert at the University of Edinburgh, said that to survive, "the regime will have to lower its expectations and concentrate on the Damascus-Homs-coast axes.

"Militarily, the regime probably still has the means to hold the southeastern half of the country long-term, but further losses could weaken it from within."

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Turkey says deal with US on air support for Syria rebels

ISTANBUL: The United States and Turkey have agreed "in principle" to give air support to some forces from Syria's Western-allied opposition, Turkey's foreign minister said, in what if confirmed could mark an expansion of U.S. involvement in the conflict.

There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials on the assertion -- though Washington has so far refrained from committing to enforcing a "safe zone" for Syrian rebels, as it could be seen as a declaration of war on the Syrian state.

The air support would protect Syrian rebel forces who have been trained by a U.S.-led program on Turkish territory, said minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The long-delayed scheme is meant to send 15,000 troops back to Syria to fight ISIS militants.

Cavusoglu did not go into details on what "in principle" meant or what kind of air power would be provided or by whom.

"They have to be supported via air. If you do not protect them or provide air support, what is the point?," Cavusoglu told the pro-government Daily Sabah during a visit to Seoul.

"There is a principle agreement on providing air support. How it is going to be provided is in the responsibility of the army."

The U.S.-led program has been mired in delays amid media speculation of disagreements between the two NATO allies.

Turkey has said that any support program must be part of a comprehensive strategy which includes battling Syrian army forces.

Washington has maintained its opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad but said that the goal of training is only to defeat ISIS militants.

Cavusoglu reiterated that while fighting ISIS is prioritized, the "regime must also be stopped".

The minister also dismissed media speculation that Turkey and Saudi Arabia had agreed on a joint operation in Syria.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 14:12 schreef reza1 het volgende:

twitter:

syrmukhabarat twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 11:40:04 If it happened in a rebel held area they would be crying Assad using CW. In #Latakia it's cool http://t.co/qOEfdIgyuk reageer retweet

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twitter:

sayed_ridha twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 12:16:38 Pics: A rocket falls on #Lattakia killing 4 civilians, 1 of them is a child http://t.co/butgiyWseH reageer retweet

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 14:54 schreef Slayage het volgende:
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Syria regime 'to accept de facto partition' of country

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Further militarization of Lebanese Shiites

Arrogance is not the only thing that pushes Hezbollah to threaten and kill their opponents. The main reason is that no one has managed to stop them.

Two pro-Hezbollah newspapers in Lebanon—Assafir and Al-Akhbar—reported this weekend that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said during a closed meeting that the battle against the takfiris is an existential battle, and that it will require many sacrifices, even if two-thirds of the Shiites have to die. He added that the Shiite al-Safara (the Shiites of the Embassy, referring to the anti-Hezbollah Shiites who are usually accused by Hezbollah of being US agents) are “traitors, agents and stupid,” and that Hezbollah will not be silent anymore and will “deal” with all those criticizing its sacred mission.

For the first time, Hezbollah’s top leader threatened his Shiite opponents, and this caused waves of heated reactions on social media, because we know from experience that these threats are serious. They mean one thing: that Hezbollah is going to militarize the Shiites in Lebanon by force, and that whoever disobeys will face severe punishment.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:28 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:
Al de vijfde speech van Nasrallah deze maand. Hezbollah is flink aan het mobiliseren geslagen. Toch wel tof van hem dat hij gewoon toegeeft dat hij liever de Libanese sjiieten, en de rest van Libanon, om zeep helpt dan dat hij zich terugtrekt uit andermans oorlog.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:28 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:
Al de vijfde speech van Nasrallah deze maand. Hezbollah is flink aan het mobiliseren geslagen. Toch wel tof van hem dat hij gewoon toegeeft dat hij liever de Libanese sjiieten, en de rest van Libanon, om zeep helpt dan dat hij zich terugtrekt uit andermans oorlog.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:28 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:
Al de vijfde speech van Nasrallah deze maand. Hezbollah is flink aan het mobiliseren geslagen. Toch wel tof van hem dat hij gewoon toegeeft dat hij liever de Libanese sjiieten, en de rest van Libanon, om zeep helpt dan dat hij zich terugtrekt uit andermans oorlog.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:28 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:
Al de vijfde speech van Nasrallah deze maand. Hezbollah is flink aan het mobiliseren geslagen. Toch wel tof van hem dat hij gewoon toegeeft dat hij liever de Libanese sjiieten, en de rest van Libanon, om zeep helpt dan dat hij zich terugtrekt uit andermans oorlog.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:45 schreef reza1 het volgende:

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Waarom heeft Hezbollah geen recht wat te doen in Syrië terwijl Libanon aangevallen werd door terroristen vanuit Syrië en het westen wel?

twitter:

thisdayinsyria twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 17:42:17 25 May 2012: 108 civilians (incl. 34 women, 49 children) massacred by pro-regime militias supported by Syrian Army in #Houla, #Homs #Syria reageer retweet

twitter:

ResistanceER twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 16:06:04 May 25th 2000 #Lebanon Liberation day٢٥ ايار ٢٠٠٠ يوم تحرير جنوب #لبنان http://t.co/5bItOsb1ZG reageer retweet

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:50 schreef Slayage het volgende:

twitter:

thisdayinsyria twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 17:42:17 25 May 2012: 108 civilians (incl. 34 women, 49 children) massacred by pro-regime militias supported by Syrian Army in #Houla, #Homs #Syria reageer retweet

quote:

Op maandag 25 mei 2015 14:46 schreef reza1 het volgende:

twitter:

sayed_ridha twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 13:51:09 It was the 'rebels' who liberated #Jisr_Shughour but it was #JN who wanted to blow up the Hospital KNOWING there were civilians in it right? reageer retweet

twitter:

IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 08:49:07 #Syria #Idlib #Latakia #Lattakie #SAA hero returning to his home village after arriving safely from #Jisr Hospital. http://t.co/1nBrVxcU0u reageer retweet

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:59 schreef TargaFlorio het volgende:

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Die overige jonge mannen op de foto hoeven niet te dienen in het leger?

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 18:18 schreef reza1 het volgende:

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Die zullen hun dienstplicht al wel voltooid hebben, die is 18 maanden.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 18:20 schreef TargaFlorio het volgende:

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Maar er is geen opkomstplicht voor mannen tussen 18 en 45 of zo?

twitter:

IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 08:53:55 #Syria #Aleppo #ﺣﻠﺐ Hell Cannon/Gas Canister Mortar workshop captured by #SAA #NDF yesterday. http://t.co/l2K63PxFd2 reageer retweet

twitter:

IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 18:23:38 #Syria #Homs #Palmyra #تدمر Civilians beheaded/Killed by #ISIS #IS UNCONFIRMED reports about 400 civilians killed. http://t.co/bLHJVdHbM5 reageer retweet

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 18:33 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:

twitter:

IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 08:53:55 #Syria #Aleppo #ﺣﻠﺐ Hell Cannon/Gas Canister Mortar workshop captured by #SAA #NDF yesterday. http://t.co/l2K63PxFd2 reageer retweet

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De 'barrel bombs' van de rebellen

quote:

Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:50 schreef Slayage het volgende:

twitter:

thisdayinsyria twitterde op maandag 25-05-2015 om 17:42:17 25 May 2012: 108 civilians (incl. 34 women, 49 children) massacred by pro-regime militias supported by Syrian Army in #Houla, #Homs #Syria reageer retweet

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:35 schreef al-qahira het volgende:

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Dat staat er helemaal niet hoor, je leest wat je wil lezen.

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Obama of een andere Amerikaanse offical zou ook zo zeggen dat ze van ISIS gaan winnen ook al kost het twee derde van de Amerikaanse soldaten hun leven.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:42 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:

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Zonder Syrië is Hezbollah in Libanon ook zo goed als dood, dit is een strijd voor eigen voortbestaan.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:36 schreef Slayage het volgende:

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ze hebben op een gegeven moment de conclusie getrokken dat wanneer assad zou vallen zijn organisatie nooit meer zou kunnen zijn wat het nu is.

ze zitten nu tot hun nek in het conflict en gaan daarom ook all in, ze kunnen niet meer terug, als ze zich terug trekken stort assad in elkaar en hebben ze voor niks al die mensen en middelen opgeofferd.

wat dit mogelijk het libanon zou kunnen doen is uiteraard secundair belang. primair belang is de alliantie iran-assad-hezz overeind houden.

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 17:45 schreef reza1 het volgende:

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Waarom heeft Hezbollah geen recht wat te doen in Syrië terwijl Libanon aangevallen werd door terroristen vanuit Syrië en het westen wel?

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 18:49 schreef pietba het volgende:

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Nee, werd door de gematigde kannibalen van Obongo gedaan. Aldus onder andere een Duitse krant: http://www.faz.net/aktuel(...)syrien-11776496.html

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Op maandag 25 mei 2015 19:53 schreef Frikandelbroodje het volgende:

De consequenties interesseert ze (waarschijnlijk) niet inderdaad, ze hebben Libanon bijna in een burgeroorlog gestort, zoals ze in 2008 bijna hadden gedaan. Maargoed het is ook Khameini die de beslissing voor ze heeft gemaakt natuurlijk.