– Some 186 people were martyred at the hands of Al-Assad’s battalions, mostly inAleppoandDamascus. The Free Syrian Army announced that it seized tanks and armored vehicles belong to the governmental army and killed scores of its soldiers. Furthermore, Syrian regime Consul to Armenia Mohammed Husam Hafez has defected. (2)
Field Mobility
- The Lebanese city ofTripoliorganized demonstrations which launched from a mosque in the city. The demo toured the streets to Al-Hadadeen district under the title “Greeting fromTripolitoAleppo” expressing solidarity with the Syrian revolution and in support of the people ofAleppo. (1)
Military Situation
- General Mohamed Al-Zaabi, who has recently defected from Al-Assad’s regime, emphasized that the military machine of Al-Assad’s regime is about to completely collapse due to the shortage of fuel and food, in addition to problems related to re-supplying soldiers. They are about to run out of missiles. Zaabi added that soldiers are tense, exhausted and hungry. (1)
- Free Syrian Army (FSA) Deputy Commander Col. Arif Hammoud warns that the governmental forces might carry out a massacre in Salahuldin district, referring to the continuous shelling against that neighborhood after the army failed to break into it, which indicates committing a massacre against civilians. (1)
- Chairman of the military council of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) inAleppocity Col. Abdul-Jabbar Mohammed Akidi said the FSA repulsed an attack by Al-Assad’s battalions after incurring them heavy losses, noting that his forces managed to destroy five tanks and armored vehicles and killed scores of Al-Assad battalions’ soldiers, let alone the defection of two tanks’ crews. (1) (2) (4)
-Aleppocity suffers from power and water cut, and people who stayed there face great difficulties in getting bread. Thousands of people resorted to streets to escape from the shelling while they were frightened of the helicopters shelling which were hovering in a low distance. (4)
- Al-Assad’s battalions launched an arrest campaign in Daraa, shelled Daraa camp and Al-Sadd Road, and launched a similar campaign in Kirnaz, Al-Asharina, Al-Madiq Citadel inHamacountryside. (2)
Political Mobility
– Chairman of the opposition National Syrian Council Abdul Basit Sida said the general secretariat of the council decided to form a committee to communicate with other opposition factions in Syrian, the Free Syrian Army and the other factions, in addition to discussing the formation of a temporary transitional government. This came at the end of the general secretariat’s two-day meeting in the Qatari capital ofDoha. (2)
– Abdul Basit Sida urges foreign allies to work outside the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying that any measures should be taken outside the UNSC through the Arab League’s initiative and the resolution issued by the UN General Assembly. (3)
Internal Situation:
– The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20,028 people, among them 13,978 civilians and rebels, 968 army defectors and 5082 members of the regime forces have been killed since the start of the revolt against Al-Assad regime on March 15 of last year. (2) (4)
- “There are currently nearly 34,000 Syrian refugees receiving aid in Lebanon through the efforts exerted by the Lebanese cabinet and its U.N. and non-governmental organization partners,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. (1)
Political stances
Syria
- Syrian authorities have released a Czech woman held since the end of last month on suspicion of aiding the opposition, the Czech foreign ministry has announced. (2)
Arab
- The Arab League warned against storming the highly populated city ofAleppo at the hands of the Assad regime’s troops and also against the catastrophic consequences of committing any massacre in that city. (1)
- Arab League’s deputy secretary general Ahmed Bin Hilli said that the Arab group in the United Nations (UN) – under the headship ofSaudi Arabia-has prepared an Arab draft resolution to be offered to the UN general assembly. (1)
- A five-day Saudi fundraising campaign to support the people inSyriahas raised more than $72.33 million, the kingdom’s Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz was quoted as saying Saturday. (2) (4)
International
- French President Francois Hollande on Saturday urged the UN Security Council to rapidly intervene in theSyriaconflict to pre-empt an all-out civil war. “The role of the countries of the Security Council is to intervene as quickly as possible,” he said, specifically addressingDamascusalliesRussiaandChinaand warning that failure to do so would mean “chaos and civil war.” Moreover, Hollande said he would keep trying to convinceRussiaandChina, which have Security Council vetoes, to support harder sanctions against Assad that they have opposed during the 16-month-old uprising. “I will once more addressRussiaandChinaso that they recognise there would be chaos and civil war if Bashar al-Assad isn’t soon stopped,” said Hollande. (1) (2) (3) (4)
- International mediator Kofi Annan said he feared an “imminent battle” forSyria’s biggest cityAleppo. “I am concerned about reports of the concentration of troops and heavy weapons aroundAleppo, in anticipation of an imminent battle,” Annan said in a statement. ”The escalation of the military build-up in Aleppo and the surrounding area is further evidence of the need for the international community to come together to persuade the parties that only a political transition, leading to a political settlement, will resolve this crisis.” (3)
-Russiaplayed down speculation that it might offer Assad asylum, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying on SaturdayMoscowhad no such agreement and was not even thinking about it. (1) (2) (3) (4)
-Russiais warning that a “tragedy” is looming inSyria’s second city ofAleppobut says it is unrealistic to expect the government will stand by when armed rebels are occupying major cities. “But when the armed opposition are occupying cities likeAleppo, where yet another tragedy is brewing as I understand,… it is not realistic to expect that they (the government) will accept this,” Lavrov added. He also added that violations are committed by both the regime and the opposition, calling for pressuring the two parties to stop further bloodshed. Furthermore, he accused western countries and someSyria’s neighboring countries of siding with the rebels and even of heading up the armed resistance carried out by the rebels. (2) (3) (4)
- Tony Badran, a writer with the “Foreign Policy” American magazine, said Assad has one card left to play: The Syrian regime has been setting the stage for a retreat toSyria’s coastal mountains, the traditional homeland of the Assad’s Alawite sect, for months now. It is now clear that this is where the Syrian conflict is headed. Sooner or later, Assad will abandonDamascus. (2)
Sources
1
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Asharq Al-Awsat
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2
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Aljazeera.net
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3
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Reuters
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4
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The AFP
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5
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The AP
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6
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The Guardian
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7
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The Telegraph
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