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Syrian Revolution Digest -Friday 27 July 2012

THE COMMENTARY IN THIS PIECE DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF IMPUNITY WATCH.  

*WARNING VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES*

 

500 Days of Night. 500 Days of Light.

Syrian Revolution Digest – July 27, 2012 

Judging things through the visor of international reactions, the past 500 days in Syria were an age of darkness and missed opportunities. But examining the situation from the point of view of an activist, every day that passed brought more people to the cause, and for all the complications still involved, that is a major achievement. Things will never be the same. Fear is gone. The spell is broken. 

Friday July 27, 2012

Today’s Death toll: 110. The Breakdown: 30 in Daraa, 23 in Damascus and Suburbs, 22 in Aleppo, 11 in Deir Ezzor, 10 in Hos, 5 in Idlib, 3 in Hama, 2 in Lattakia, and 1 in Raqqah.

Cities & Towns Under Shelling: Harasta, Arbeen, Moadamiah, Harran Al-Awameed, Zabadani, Madaya, Eltal, Dmeir, Hameh, Yelda, Rankous, Qarrah (Damascus Suburbs), Sit Zeinab, Al-Qadam, Modan, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Yarmouk, Kafar Sousseh, Mazzeh, Qaboun, Barzeh (Damascus City), Daraa City, Khirbet Al-Ghazaleh, Tafas, Bostra Al-Sham, Na’eemah, Mseifrah, Jimreen, Hraak (Daraa), Rastan, Talbisseh, Houla, Tal Kalakh, Al-Qusayr, Al-Hosn, Al-Ghanto, Al-Bouaydah, Old Homs (Homs Province), Hreitan, Elbab, Eizaz, Marei, Bayanoun (Aleppo Province), Haffeh, Jabal Al-Akrad (Lattakia), Deir Ezzor City, Mouhassan, Albou Kamal (Deir Ezzor Province), Kafar Zeiteh, Hawash, Shahshabo, Hama City (Hama Province), Jabal Al-Zawiyeh, Ma’rrat Al-Nouman, Saraqib, Maar Shoureen, Ariha, Kafroumah, Al-Rami, Khan Shaikhoon (Idlib).

News

Aleppo short on weapons, medical supplies as Syria’s next big battle looms

Assad’s fall only matter of time: former U.N. Syria mission chief

Russian warships not to enter Syria port: Navy chief

UNESCO Calls For Protection Of Heritage Properties In Syria

Poland closes embassy in Syria as crisis worsens

Syria: Inmate Describes Fatal Assault on Prisoners

Syria rebels ready for ‘mother of all battles’

Rebels hold Syria loyalists in Aleppo, Idlib

Syrian refugees flock to Iraq to escape violence

2 Western Photographers Freed From Syria Captivity

 

Op-Eds & Special Reports

Brief History of Aleppo: A Great World City Now in the Grip of War As Syrian government forces and rebels clash in Aleppo, TIME takes a look at the history of this ancient, cosmopolitan city now locked in a state of war

Syria’s Christians, Caught in the Middle of Worsening Chaos Every effort must be immediately made to anticipate the potential for post-Assad retaliation against civilians such as Alawites, Christians, and other minorities associated with the regime (or who simply stayed out of the fight)- and to form a real and workable strategy to prevent it, or to stop it if all hell begins to break loose.

Kurdish worries drag Turkey deeper into Syria war Turkey may be some way from acting on Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to strike Kurdish separatists in Syria, but week by week it finds itself sucked ever further into its neighbor’s worsening war.

By Ceding Northeastern Syria to the Kurds, Assad Puts Turkey in a Bind Ankara has been a key backer of Syria’s rebellion, but the prospect of an Iraq-style autonomous Kurdish zone has Erdogan threatening to intervene

Syria regime ‘reeling, armed to the teeth’ with chemical weapons Like a three-card monte player, the Syrian government has been shifting its chemical weapons around the country in the midst of the country’s increasingly violent and chaotic civil war, leaving foreign intelligence agencies to guess where the outlawed weapons of mass destruction might end up – and under whose control.

Meeting the Syrian Opposition in Antakya and Istanbul … It is very difficult on the ground to be sure who it is that you are really talking to and what they represent… Turkish officials maintain a striking degree of control over Syrian opposition forces inside Turkey… the Muslim Brotherhood is pervasive not only within the Syrian National Council (SNC), but among many opposition groups… there is a striking cynicism and anger among fighters within Syria toward the outside world for not providing enough practical support.

Alawistan Bashar al-Assad may be gearing up to create an Alawite statelet along Syria’s coastal mountains. And he has the means to do it.

Kurdish flag-waving unnoticed in Syria Whatever has happened on the ground, which restricted media access to Syria makes very difficult to confirm, the recent assertion of Kurdish authority in northern Syria has led to speculation about Kurdish demands in a post-Assad era.

 

Assad’s Theater of the Absurd

An example of the kind of propaganda espoused by Assad’s official media organs:

This footage was originally broadcast on the official Souriyya Ikhbariyyah TV network and uploaded by supporters of Bashar al-Assad on July 23, 2012. It depicts a news report claiming that American corporations funded by Qatar and Saudi Arabia are constructing life-size replicas of major Damascus neighborhoods in Hollywood to stage the fall of the capital. It also claims that senior level defections are being staged “and will be played by famous actors.” http://youtu.be/GjW5jlSqsRU

The inspiration for this storyline came out of a joke on Facebook, a joke that was actually mocking the Syrian regime’s propaganda. Regime supporters, it seems, did not get the joke and ended up believing and adopting the story!

Another story in this vein concerns the arrival in Doha of an Assad look-alike who is meant to play him delivering a concession speech. The included picture can be downloaded and amplified for the English version.

Some of the news anchors in Assad’s propaganda machine, however, could not stomach having to peddle these lies. Here is Oula Abbas, an anchorwoman at Ikhbariyyah, announcing her defection and accusing the regime of stoking sectarian sentiments http://youtu.be/J0UzfzK0fAI

Meanwhile, there were more political defections, including the Syrian Ambassador in Belarus, Taha Farouqhttp://youtu.be/ETMm_DOgzkI and an MP representing Aleppo, Ikhlas Badawi.

 

Now it’s Official

After so many months of lies on part of Assad’s propagandists speculations on part of international experts, and dithering on part of international leaders, the incitements and the neglect combined to create a vacuum in areas around Syria that was finally filled by the wrong elements that we were all fearing and warning against. Al-Qaeda is here. But guess who is trying to contain them: the FSA.

Here is Colonel Afif Solaiman, head of the Military Council of Idlib, explains how they freed two western journalists kidnapped by AQ and held for ransom http://youtu.be/lzknOugbvSo

The FSA is unlikely to try to fight against the emerging AQ network at this stage, since both have a common enemy they are fighting against: the Assads. But eventually, the two sides will have to battle out. This is another reason why the FSA should be supported.

 

Video Highlights

In Mayadeen, Deir Ezzor Province, the indiscriminate pounding http://youtu.be/EQr-NDqZG7Q claimed many lives and left many injured http://youtu.be/I6dmizQTxoo , http://youtu.be/g1xVkjylPo8 But local FSA unit still fought back and destroyed an invading tank http://youtu.be/pPLLTKAvPfU

In Aleppo City, the pounding by helicopter gunships http://youtu.be/RlgWVZEqLmQ of Firdos Neighborhood leaves many dead http://youtu.be/2OjXHu5aXxs But members of Al-Tawhid Brigade managed to capture the local police station arresting over 100 pro-Assad militias http://youtu.be/IGgNcM68aGM

In Daraa City, the indiscriminate pounding http://youtu.be/tkHwBH2SEIM , http://youtu.be/4wPD5TmvEbk of theMokhayam District left many dead http://youtu.be/fNdzjVDofYU , http://youtu.be/dWGgWQivM1M The Mokhayam’s population is a mix of Palestinians and Syrians.

In Damascus, the pounding by helicopter gunships of other restive suburbs and neighborhoods continues:Moadamiyah http://youtu.be/ZyD5MlkEUnE

In Homs Province, Old Homs, Rastan, Talbisseh and Houla continue to be pounded: Houlahttp://youtu.be/yFGHktDjgiE Rastan http://youtu.be/mcd7fEy8CZU Talbisseh http://youtu.be/1sLhwTCi64Q Old Homs (Baba Amr) http://youtu.be/kkmlnRcsRyc

While the pounding of cities and towns continued unrelenting, Friday witnessed as well the usual protest rallies still calling for toppling the regime, and the birth of a new democratic Syria.

Kafrenbel, Idlib: http://youtu.be/5Zcy9UZ7-vs Binnish, Idlib http://youtu.be/e1tg3iOrlC4

Shaar Neighborhood, Aleppo City: protesters chanted for Al-Tawhid Brigade which is now in controlhttp://youtu.be/Rc8ZtUSFvZo

Kafarzeiteh, Hama: http://youtu.be/EAHFeeWMYsg Khattab http://youtu.be/s-vNta9iGVk

Janoub Al-Malaab, Homs City: http://youtu.be/6cqiQVQXJOw

Douma, Damascus: http://youtu.be/kTOV_PBWxJ8 Qarrah http://youtu.be/mcDnvEI-kSI

Abtaa, Daraa Province: People chant “the Syrian people are one: Muslims and Christians”http://youtu.be/THh4ZrX6SiM


Syrian Revolution Digest – Thursday 26 June 2012

THE COMMENTARY IN THIS PIECE DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF IMPUNITY WATCH.  

*WARNING VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES*

Solution Or Collusion?

A “solution” that keeps Assad in play and the Revolutionaries at bay when it comes to managing the transitional period is not a solution. It’s a collusion. The Revolutionaries get it, and will oppose it.

Thursday July 26, 2012

Today’s Death toll: 200. The Breakdown: 48 in Aleppo, 46 in Damascus and suburbs, 30 in Daraa (including 22 in Wadi Al-Ajami), 27 in Idlib, 21 in Homs, 14 in Deir Ezzor, 6 in Hama, 4 in Raqqah, 2 in Lattakia, 1 in Hassakeh and 1 in Qunaitra.

Cities & Towns Under Shelling: Harasta, Arbeen, Moadamiah, Harran Al-Awameed, Zabadani, Madaya, Eltal, Dmeir, Hameh, Yelda, Rankous, Qarrah(Damascus Suburbs), Sit Zeinab, Al-Qadam, Modan, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Yarmouk, Kafar Sousseh, Mazzeh, Qaboun, Barzeh (Damascus City), Daraa City, Khirbet Al-Ghazaleh, Tafas, Bostra Al-Sham, Na’eemah, Mseifrah, Jimreen, Hraak (Daraa), Rastan, Talbisseh, Houla, Tal Kalakh, Al-Qusayr, Al-Hosn, Al-Ghanto, Al-Bouaydah, Old Homs (Homs Province), Hreitan, Elbab, Eizaz, Marei, Bayanoun (Aleppo Province), Haffeh, Jabal Al-Akrad (Lattakia), Deir Ezzor City, Mouhassan, Albou Kamal (Deir Ezzor Province), Kafar Zeiteh, Hawash, Shahshabo, Hama City (Hama Province), Jabal Al-Zawiyeh, Ma’rrat Al-Nouman, Saraqib, Maar Shoureen, Ariha, Kafroumah, Al-Rami, Khan Shaikhoon (Idlib).

News

Op-Eds & Special Reports

Russia and Syria’s Assad: The End of the Affair? It has become clear to many officials in Moscow that the Assad regime cannot restore the pre-rebellion status quo in Syria, forcing them to consider backing away from a longtime client.

Al Qaeda’s War for Syria Now is the time to begin moving against the terror group’s Syrian assets.

Insight: Cautious on Syria, Obama moves to help rebels One of the most telling signs that the administration sees few good options in Syria is the apparent lack of major policy disagreement among Obama’s advisers. “There was more on Egypt and Libya,” a senior administration official said.

As Syrian Troops Pour Into Aleppo, Rebels Warn of Drawn-Out War The Syrian Army is trying to prevent the country’s commercial capital from becoming a base for a rebel offensive against Damascus. Damien McElroy, Adrian Blomfield, and Magdy Samaan report.

After Assad: What’s Next for the Future of Syria? If Syria is allowed to fracture, each ethnic group hunkering down, says Ammar Abdulhamid, an exiled Syria opposition leader in Washington, “it won’t be easy to put humpty dumpty back together again. It would take decades of instability and violence to sort itself out. And that is what we’re most worried about.”

Video Highlights

The following video purport to show clashes between the Syrian and Jordanian armies near Tal Shihab http://youtu.be/HueiEPXCEJ0 The clashes came at the heel of a cross-border shooting by the Syrian army that left a 3-yerl0ld Syrian refugee boy dead. The clashes were confirmed by Al-Jazeerah, but the Jordanian government refuted the report saying the Syrian army fired at refugees who were crossing into Jordan, but no clashes took place.

The pounding of Kafroumah, Idlib province, leaves several dead and wounded, including many children http://youtu.be/r3T4xKxSWoY Trying to rescue the wounded http://youtu.be/ECwHyOv2Geo , http://youtu.be/GXfI9dXFdXA Funeral for four of the dead http://youtu.be/zeiF2vZTsk4

The call for general mobilization made by the Commander of the Military Council of Aleppo, affiliated with FSA, with English subtitleshttp://youtu.be/nZmg0e4kaCo

A video surfaces of Assad celebrating the birthday of his wife’s brother back in August 2011 when his troops were busy committing massacreshttp://youtu.be/lhbYI9WO0zY

Mhardeh, Hama Province: the judge appointed for investigating the Massacre of Qoubair defects and accuses the regime of the massacrehttp://youtu.be/4UcTPQfdMlc

People in the Damascene suburb of Yelda rush to pull bodies from underneath the rubble after the suburb was shelled by helicopter gunshipshttp://youtu.be/CvfhLHljy7Q The dead and wounded include many childrenhttp://youtu.be/NbkaTPcPdRA , http://youtu.be/kX0tEvJi1Bg

The pounding of the town of Dmeir to the North leaves many buildings and shops on fire http://youtu.be/AqhtDOnXJrs

The suburb of Daraya was also heavily pounded by helicoptershttp://youtu.be/dIsaqojh6cM , http://youtu.be/dIsaqojh6cM

In Damascus City, the regime bulldozed parts of Qaboun Neighborhood as a form of collective punishment destroying many homes and shops in the processhttp://youtu.be/AKZFVOm80bo , http://youtu.be/iK5Q3WDrrU0

MIGs still taking part in the pounding in Aleppo Province. This video is from the town of Manbej http://youtu.be/gDzdtaskTh0

A little boy takes his last breaths in Albou Kamal, Deir Ezzor Provincehttp://youtu.be/1mrgx9Sru0Q

In Aleppo City, preparing for battle is not just about establishment checkpoints and barricades, in Sakhour, it’s about collecting garbage and cleaning the neighborhoods: and the fighters are doing the job http://youtu.be/1u9wLwhkdxc ,http://youtu.be/9u1-CbG2mJI

The pounding of Deir Ezor City continues http://youtu.be/k0jLXiJSMVc

SNHR and DCHRS: Female Detainees Without Rights in Syrian Prisons

Bring This Mother Back to her Children:

On 19 May 2011, civilian and military clad personnel from a Syrian Air Force patrol stormed Anna’noo’ Photography Center, located on Ibn Seena Road in the city of Jableh in Lattakia Province.  Four medium-sized men from the patrol dragged away Mrs. Majida Mahmoud who had been working at the center for two years.  She was thrown into their vehicle and taken to an undisclosed location.  There were no female officers accompanying the patrol.  This was the last anybody saw Mrs. Mahmoud before her disappearance, as reported by eyewitness, Mr. (Q. N.).

Majida Adnan Mahmoud was born in the city of Jableh on 14 November 1977.  She resided in Al-Fayd neighborhood and has two children from a previous marriage, the children (Ali ,a 12 year old boy and Nour, a 10 year old girl) currently live with her mother, Safa.

The Syrian regime has forbidden any communication with the Mrs. Mahmoud.  She was kidnapped more than a month ago, and even the appointment of a lawyer, to handle her case and ensure her rights are maintained, has been denied to her.  Further, the regime has also not stated the nature of Mrs. Mahmoud’s charge that lead to her detention.

Nonetheless, female ex-detainees have stated that they bumped into Mrs. Mahmoud in holding cells or interrogation halls and have confirmed she had was arrested for communicating with her relative, Abdulhadi Mahmoud.  He is one of the most wanted men in Jableh city for charges of igniting the revolution and being one of its central leaders and activists.  Additionally, earlier this year the Syrian Aerial Intelligence arrested and detained her brother, Adnan Mahmoud for two months.  Upon his release he exhibited signs of severe and prolonged torture.

Mariam, Majida Mahmoud’s nickname, was transferred to Lattakia after her forced disappearance and later to the capital Damascus, according to the account of eyewitness (S. S.) who met her at the capital prison.  No one in Mariam’s family has been allowed to see her at this point.

Damascus Center for Human Rights and the Syrian Network for Human Rights call on international bodies and organizations to mobilize and press the Syrian regime for the protection of Mrs. Majida and the ensuring of her safe return to her children.  DCHR and SNHR call on these organizations to press for the human rights’ organizations getting access to Mrs. Majida so she can be represented and so the realities of female detainees across Syrian prisons in the Arab world be highlighted for all the world to see.

Syrian Revolution Digest – Tuesday 24 July 2012

THE COMMENTARY IN THIS PIECE DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF IMPUNITY WATCH.  

*WARNING VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES*

A New Middle Eastern WMD Saga!

Damascus City is officially the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. An assault on Damascus is an assault on history. Indeed, it’s part of our collective memory and consciousness that is being pounded to the ground as we watch and throw our hands in the air.

Monday July 23, 2012

Today’s Death toll: 175. The Breakdown: 90 in Damascus and Suburbs, 25 in Daraa, 15 in Aleppo, 15 in Idlib, 10 in Deir Ezzor, 9 in Homs, 7 in Hama, 3 in Lattakia, and 1 in Raqqah.

Cities & Towns Under Shelling: Harasta, Arbeen, Moadamiyah, Haran Al-Awameed, Zabadani, Madaya, Eltal, Dmeir, Hameh, Yelda, Rankous, Qarrah (Damascus Suburbs), Sit Zeinab, Al-Qadam, Modan, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Yarmouk, Kafar Sousseh, Mazzeh, Qaboun, Barzeh (Damascus City), Daraa City, Khirbet Al-Ghazaleh, Tafas, Bostra Al-Sham, Na’eemah, Mseifrah, Jimreen, Hraak (Daraa), Rastan, Talbisseh, Houla, Tal Kalakh, Al-Qusayr, Al-Hosn, Al-Ghanto, Al-Bouaydah, Old Homs (Homs Province), Hreitan, Elbab, Eizaz, Marei, Bayanoun (Aleppo Province), Haffeh, Jabal Al-Akrad (Lattakia), Deir Ezzor City, Mouhassan, Albou Kamal (Deir Ezzor Province), Kafar Zeiteh, Hawash, Shahshabo, Hama City (Hama Province), Jabal Al-Zawiyeh, Maar’at Al-Nouman, Saraqib, Maar Shoureen (Idlib)

News

Senior Israeli official: Syria regime ‘acting responsibly’ about chemical weapons Assad has been moving some of the chemical stockpiles to bases remote from the fighting or having greater security, the source added.

Mortar shell from Syria lands near Israeli border In second incident this week, a mortar shell lands close to border in northern Golan Heights; IDF: It is the result of fighting between Syrian army and rebels.

Op-Eds & Special Reports

Will Syria use chemical weapons against foreigners? The past week of fighting in Syria has escalated international pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian officials now say they won’t use their biological and chemical weapons ‘unless Syria faces external aggression.’

As Syria Teeters, So Do Decades-Old Assumptions About the Middle EastThe conflict is testing the brittle bonds of a national identity in states carved out of old Ottoman provinces at the end of World War I.

Analysis: The myth of Palestinian neutrality in Syria It is both painfully ironic and incredibly moving that Yarmouk, built to host ethnically cleansed Palestinians, has now turned into a safe haven for Syrians fleeing the shelling on Tadamon and Midan; that UNRWA schools became shelters in the last few days; and that Palestinian residents of the camp have donated mattresses, meals and medicine for their wounded Syrian neighbors. These acts of solidarity have been beacons of inspiration amid the endless cycle of violence and grief that has descended upon Syria.

Analysis: Syrian Civil War Enters New Phase The rebels are winning. But the latest events do not yet herald the beginning of the regime’s last stand. That moment has not yet arrived. When it does, it may well not take place in Damascus.

In Syria conflict, U.S. struggles to fill intelligence gaps With no CIA operatives on the ground in Syria and only a handful stationed at key border posts, the agency has been heavily dependent on its counterparts in Jordan and Turkey and on other regional allies.

Is Syria’s Bashar Assad Going the Way of Muammar Gaddafi? As his regime slowly crumbles and options for exile and reconciliation narrow, Syria’s embattled President Bashar Assad looks likely to cling grimly on to power, no matter the consequences.

The Saga

Not too long ago, the Wall Street Journal published a report including leaks from the American officials to the effect that Assad has moved part of his WMD stockpiles from Damascus in the direction of Homs. Today, we got confirmation from the regime itself that the regime does indeed have WMD stockpiles and that it would them in case it is attacked by a foreign power. Considering the fact that the rebels are considered to be foreign agents working for external powers, the assertion made that WMDs will not be used against the people rang hollow.

But the whole situation becomes even more Kafkaesque when we take in consideration that Iraq was invaded for suspicion of having WMDs, and here we have a neighboring regime openly boasting of its WMD capacity and threatening to use it. Yet all that President would say about this is that “the world is watching!” But that’s exactly what the world has been doing since the beginning of the revolution, and what difference did that make so far? How exactly did that impact the behavior of Assad ad his militias? If the world is not planning to act, who gives the damn that it’s watching. After all, we are not putting on a show for its amusement.

But the plot thickened even more today.

According to Israeli officials, Assad has moved stockpiles of WMDs to more “secure areas” for safekeeping. The only secure areas today are located along the coast and in the coastal mountains where WMDs’ presence could also serve to secure the enclave for Assad when push comes to shove.

There were reports circulated by Kurdish activists not too long ago through Facebook claiming that Assad moved some of his stockpiles as well to the Kurdish-majority town of Qamishly in the northeast. The town has recently fallen under the control of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian branch of the PKK. If these reports were true, then Turkey’s worst enemies might be about to get their hands on stockpiles of chemical weapons. Personally, however, I seriously doubt that these reports are true. It does not make sense for Assad to move any WMDs to a region where his control has become tenuous from day one in the revolution. The logical place for WMDs at this stage is the coast and the surrounding mountains.

But the move by Bashar Al-Assad may not have come soon enough, if we are to believe these sensational claims made by Captain Maher Al-Nouaimai, the official spokesman of the Free Syrian Army. For in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan, Al-Nouaimi says that the Damascus rebels have recently captured missiles from a base on Mount Qasayoun that are actually loaded with WMDs. He also said that the rebels now have 15 helicopter gunships under their disposal after their original pilots defected and joined the rebels.

It’s difficult to dismiss these reports offhand, since they are made by the official spokesman for the FSA, but it’s reasonable to demand and expect proof, perhaps in the form of a video.

Meanwhile, irrespective of whether these reports are true or false, the regime can now use WMDs and blame it on the rebels.

Video Highlights

A massacre in the Damascene suburb of Daraya resulting from the continued shelling http://youtu.be/sxKrqpnG2tw In nearby Moadamiyah, local activists found dead bodies that seem to have been intentionally set on fire http://youtu.be/-Hh3X_nIVm8 In Al-Hameh, people prepare the victims of another massacre for burial http://youtu.be/sYU4WjOpSVo Another massacre takes place in Dmeirhttp://youtu.be/gG1sDh068O4 In Kafar Sousseh, another massacre (July 22)http://youtu.be/2FCM9khKCdk

The pounding of Zabadani continues by night http://youtu.be/LYdfg3SLyjo and during the day http://youtu.be/kvfX9vTcgYk , http://youtu.be/w4JxRfcpxUI

Local activists take control of the political security apparatus in the Damascene suburb of Harasta http://youtu.be/e_9oGjMIDWE

The nearby suburb of Saqba is being patrolled by pro-Assad militias in their tankshttp://youtu.be/QlWTWcRslW8 , http://youtu.be/2wW0XQVNuPI

In Damascus City, the pounding of the old Cactus Groves in Mazzeh Bassateencontinues http://youtu.be/SrtrRa5sN7U The nearby neighborhood of Ikhlas was completely destroyed, the building under construction we can see behind it is the new Iranian Embassy  http://youtu.be/NokdFN3fWAU ,http://youtu.be/0VTxvkUoK_w , http://youtu.be/YfWQ-RTvsoU

The pounding of Al-Qadam Neighborhood continues http://youtu.be/KSlUzoqnaeIScenes of havoc and destruction from Qaboun http://youtu.be/IjlIHl__1VQ

Tanks and buses belonging to pro-Assad militias patrol the neighborhood ofNaher Eisheh in Damascus City http://youtu.be/apyDUARFtTU ,http://youtu.be/NB_iDJerYC4 The neighborhood was pounded by helicopter gunships a day earlier http://youtu.be/hE1dxML_-D8

An internal interview with Abou Joum’ah, the leader of Al-Tawhid Brigade in Aleppo Province, whose members are taking part in the battles of Aleppo city as well. The interview took place on July 18. http://youtu.be/8kPf37O1MnQ Abou Joum’ah vows to close down the embassies of Iran, Russia and China and to sever all relations with these countries once Syria is liberated. Other leaders pledge to liberate Aleppo.

In Aleppo City, pro-Assad militias are busy targeting and killing activists. This is one from the neighborhood of Marjeh http://youtu.be/ormPw7P1fgw Elsewhere in Aleppo City, a video leaked by activists from inside the central prison shows imprisoned activists receiving treatment for wounds received during clashes with prison authorities http://youtu.be/Ccx_lJ-gQVk Eight activists were reported dead.

In Sakhour Neighborhood, clashes between FSA units and pro-Assad militias left two tanks destroyed http://youtu.be/Ig0XI43quZ4 ,http://youtu.be/2wW0XQVNuPI One tank was confiscatedhttp://youtu.be/T7TB9TM6xGE In Hanano, clashes http://youtu.be/FSalyGIq-sA ,http://youtu.be/537fYojHnVg left one tank destroyedhttp://youtu.be/DqbOJtkM8oQ , http://youtu.be/Wb7uMdHFfAI Residents stream out of the neighborhood http://youtu.be/aoikwVgvKhE

In Salaheddine Neighborhood, local activists clean their streets to make up for the interruption of services http://youtu.be/ndHZ5Y6kCuA Elsewhere in the neighborhood, pro-Assad militias engage in random shooting to terrorize the residents http://youtu.be/lGFLdikTR5o

In Jabal Al-Akrad, Lattakia, fires from the pounding carried out by pro-Assad militias keep burning http://youtu.be/1vAWUAh9KaA

In Homs Province, the pounding of Talbisseh continueshttp://youtu.be/K7ybLBnn7RI So does the pounding of Rastanhttp://youtu.be/OM8NQ7OPGks The pounding of Old Homs as wellhttp://youtu.be/MbM-zn0nY4c , http://youtu.be/mDPnonnTFYI ,http://youtu.be/WXTEH91s4zg

The pounding of Hawash, Sahel Al-Ghab, Hama Province, continueshttp://youtu.be/4RCFcg0DyDg , http://youtu.be/IsIYPOXU9hY

Daraa City, among other towns in Daraa Province, continue to be poundedhttp://youtu.be/YeBvSkuxf8Y , http://youtu.be/3ZPZs6AcrEk Homes catch firehttp://youtu.be/IfsKAc6GPXw Nearby Al-Hraak was pounded as wellhttp://youtu.be/-Eeovd1FSqs , http://youtu.be/hmDufsKHwuE