Today’s death toll: 44, mostly in the town of Hiffeh and surrounding villages in Lattakia Province.

Air strikes were reported against different communities in Daraa, Jabal Al-Zawiyeh (Idlib Province) and Hiffeh.

The poundings of the towns of Eizaz, Manag, Hayan, Al-Abizmo and Deir Jamal in Aleppo Province continued.

The town of Talbisseh, Homs Province, came under heavy pounding driving most of the local population into the surrounding fields.

Activists in a number of communities in Idlib and Daraa provinces report that choppers sprayed a gas over their communities that left many people suffering from poison-like symptoms, including fainting and vomiting.

Those facing Assad’s guns are not asking us to put boots on the ground. What they do want are the means to defend themselves, secure communications technology, and a limited number of other assets that will give them a fighting chance — though no guarantees. Providing such assistance will give us a fighting chance to influence the opposition now and the post-Assad environment later — though no guarantees.

While it’s hard to say whether the Syrian regime is preparing a fallback plan of an Alawite mini-state, it’s clear that Assad is pursuing a policy of Alawite inner consolidation. The Assad regime’s Alawite-dominated forces are already little more than a sectarian militia. By arming Alawite villages and using them as launching pads for attacks against Sunnis, as he did in Houla and al-Qubayr (and possibly Haffeh), Assad is hardening the sectarian boundaries and implicating the entire Alawite community in the murder of Sunnis, further bonding its fate to his. If the Sunnis retaliate, as he surely must have counted they would, all the better.

“We cannot allow mass killing to become part of everyday reality in Syria,” Annan said. “The crisis is escalating. The violence is getting worse. The abuses are continuing. The country is becoming more polarized and more radicalized. And Syria’s immediate neighbors are increasingly worried about the threat of spillover.” Annan said that unless the fighting is halted, “all Syrians will lose.”

The United States, the United Kingdom, and France, which have favored Assad’s ouster, and Russia and China, which have not, would finally be on the same page on Syria at the head of a “contact group” of these world powers and regional countries. But Russia’s willingness to go along with Mr. Annan’s plan, analysts say, depends on whether or not it believes that its interests in Syria, its last toehold in the Middle East, can be preserved despite Assad’s departure.

Annan stressed that “individual actions or interventions will not resolve the crisis” — an apparent reference to opposition fighters and the countries providing them with arms and financial support. “If we genuinely unite behind one process, and act and speak with one voice, I believe it is still possible to avert the worst and enable Syria to emerge from this crisis,” he said.

We have not been able to document the immediate aftermath of the massacres in Houla andMaarzaf (Qubeir Farms) to show you the celebrations of pro-Assad Alawite militias due to lack of access, but, thanks to this leaked video that shows pro-Assad Alawite militias celebrating a a recent massacre they perpetrated at the village of Hammameh at Idlib province, we can show how they celebrated their feat there, and you can deduce the resthttp://youtu.be/mS_vjw1jo9c

Activists report the use of poison gas sprayed from low flying planes in a number of provinces, including Daraa, Hama and Idlib: A victim from Daraahttp://youtu.be/nqwuveqgvjE

In Lattakia City, Sunni neighborhoods don’t sleep. They come under fire from Alawite militias, Sunni inhabitants seek refuge in prayers and show their defiance by reiterating cries of Allahu Akbar from their balconies http://youtu.be/bMF0aTjqimw ,http://youtu.be/c5HHS1HZkT0 , http://youtu.be/ydxmi-lHQpU But the city’s air is thick with sectarian tensions, as all seem to wait and dread the coming of the Moment.

In the town of Hiffeh, the pounding impacts the village of Dfeelhttp://youtu.be/niSRtHIQj90 , http://youtu.be/Axan4pgBimU Hiffeh: the pounding continues http://youtu.be/b2R2Z1oO0E4 Three martyrs http://youtu.be/9Y1O2EGxIq0Another http://youtu.be/IxzYcFUBzVw

The pounding of Qoussour Neighborhood, Homs City, continueshttp://youtu.be/rQPnhJbxUHA , http://youtu.be/OUwVcRF2YYA Hamidiyehhttp://youtu.be/L4RAnDH-6F4 Qarabees http://youtu.be/yMnfPhzIIjg An overview of the pounding http://youtu.be/TQs9ALEoB6k , http://youtu.be/TQs9ALEoB6k

A chopper takes part in the pounding of Talbisseh, Homs Provincehttp://youtu.be/0Cklahlo4u4 , http://youtu.be/NZZXfCJ3QLs And tankshttp://youtu.be/CYxs0XUV6Wk And Heavy artillery http://youtu.be/GCajGMSHLRc ,http://youtu.be/Hhief3ucCDU Pulling the injured and dead from the streetshttp://youtu.be/K7SKgsY1SbA A little martyred girl http://youtu.be/jyPOMWBzV_YDodging mortar rounds http://youtu.be/JA8ci_cFIw4 , http://youtu.be/yTChlDsdLDk ,http://youtu.be/geXm1XomGws

The town of Tal Kalakh, Homs Province, comes under heavy nighttime poundinghttp://youtu.be/A5_F6-4Y37U

The pounding of the town of Rastan continues at night http://youtu.be/D_YmKTtYJOQ

The town of Taybat Al-Imam, Hama Province comes under heavy nighttime poundinghttp://youtu.be/WZSfv7AJTyw

The pounding of the town of Kafar Zeiteh continues http://youtu.be/H0fjnrMOg_A

The town of Hammeh, Damascus, comes under heavy nighttime poundinghttp://youtu.be/8x4TWgX4pY8 To the east, the neighborhood of Jobar comes under pounding as well http://youtu.be/Ye9b_M-YvPg

The town of Douma comes under heavy pounding http://youtu.be/WY1u_hH2U3wTreating the injured http://youtu.be/nbiiEIIPa1E

In Midan, protesters come under fire http://youtu.be/R9uL1-pd0Fw

The village of Al-Abizmo comes under heavy pounding http://youtu.be/Lp19ElamYD0

The town of Um Al-Mayadin comes under heavy gunfire http://youtu.be/RwqyP2XA_Pc ,http://youtu.be/87fuY7XcsQs

The town of Tafas comes under pounding http://youtu.be/T4leqqUOGPk ,http://youtu.be/DGVqLIN3WsE

The town of Nasseeb comes under heavy pounding http://youtu.be/LwtyELuiib0 ,http://youtu.be/nOMzp_is8Tc , http://youtu.be/GA_THQ_mrzs

UN monitors pay a visit to the town of Tayaneh http://youtu.be/YyUm_nNRn90

Today’s death toll: 140. The Breakdown: 92 in Marzaf (Hama), 15 in Hiffeh (Lattakia), 11 in Idlib, 12 in Homs, 5 in Deir Ezzor, 2 in Damascus and 1 in Daraa.

New Massacres have been reported in Kafar Zeiteh and Marzaf towns in Hama Province. final tallies are still being compiled.

In Damascus, clashes between pro-Assad militias and local resistance were reported in Kafar Batna, Saqba and neighboring communities.

In Lattakia, pro-Assad militias continue their siege and pounding of the town of Hiffeh, but their attempts at taking the small town continue to be repelled by local resistance.

In Aleppo, the pounding of the town of Hayan by pro-regime militias and regulars continues.

After pro-Assad militias and regulars managed to drive out the members of the local resistance from the town of Kafar Zeiteh, following days of continuous bombardments using tanks, heavy artillery and choppers, they stormed on June 5 and perpetrated another massacre. Locals returned to find burnout homes, shops and cadavers. Over 150 are said to be missing. Burnt out bodies http://youtu.be/LF6eTRP-2t4 http://youtu.be/cwaztAW8sSM ,http://youtu.be/Al7-VF3bEKk Burnt out homes and shops http://youtu.be/U-77VwwHsmI Earlier in the day, the town was pounded one more time after the militias lefthttp://youtu.be/sWc8P8_t8J0 Militias then set the crops on fire http://youtu.be/zQZbgfUmxOQ , http://youtu.be/n-G5njKB5m4

But the pro-Assad militias were not done. They simply moved to the nearby village of Marzaf where they perpetrated a similar massacre in Qubeir Farm http://youtu.be/0y77I_lTfwc , http://youtu.be/3dHhhLu2qmE

Now pro-Assad militias are reportedly targeting the towns of Hilfaya and Taybat Al-Imam and nearby communities. Taybat Al-Imam: the pounding begins at night http://youtu.be/y_-hCfgmfes

All killings are now sectarian I character. The killers are Alawites. The victims Sunnis.

Elsewhere…

The pounding of Hiffeh, Lattakia Province, continues http://youtu.be/OLYpf2psH38 ,http://youtu.be/ItNs4BizH3k , http://youtu.be/k66a6X-OgoY Martyrs: a father and sonhttp://youtu.be/NYj-JI4FI6Y More martyrs http://youtu.be/WElVQf6mJBg ,http://youtu.be/CmDCToeEPi4 , http://youtu.be/c6pI4Skvhdo

Operation Damascus Boiling: in order to show how widespread the disaffection with the regime local residents have become and how shaky the regime’s control over the city has become, activists in Damascus City launched an operation in which they simultaneously interrupted traffic with burning tires in over 30 locations around the city. Overview from Mount Qasayoun http://youtu.be/t_Y76GwbeXk Baramkeh http://youtu.be/5Acwl2j8d7Q , http://youtu.be/NwEhq9IWwCo ,http://youtu.be/jG4bNRTedF0 , http://youtu.be/clBHVXX23H0 Midan http://youtu.be/Jk0J2LfJ1I4 Jazmatiyeh http://youtu.be/S037cvLtO_I Kafar Sousseh http://youtu.be/lT41RVF-6Ac

But the main story on Damascus was all about the clashes that took place in different suburbs and neighborhoods at different times of the day: Gunfire and explosions in Jobar http://youtu.be/VbIBvsJ619s gunfire in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad http://youtu.be/EJPGVUzqqL8 In Qalamoun, members of the local resistance carry out a raid against the headquarters of th Division and liberate some of their colleagueshttp://youtu.be/pVaJ512kHo0

Protesters in Ruknaddine come under fire http://youtu.be/HT-28gXAHuA

Daraa City: the sounds of distant clashes can be heard all through the night http://youtu.be/5_J9fu5oDss

Nighttime protesters in Salaheddine Neighborhood, Aleppo City, come under firehttp://youtu.be/vCJVIpy_jLo

The town of Hayan, Aleppo Province, comes under heavy pounding http://youtu.be/TBK0curxjZU , http://youtu.be/8QwjmGv1iTk ,http://youtu.be/6n8K1x4dMbI

Pro-Assad militias set crops on fire in the town of Mouhassan, Deir Ezzor Province http://youtu.be/NGTUvExR5R8

The pounding of the town of Rastan, Homs Province, resumes at night http://youtu.be/nATEyaCOkNw , http://youtu.be/o00cjrMWLQ4

The old neighborhoods in Homs City were also pounded: Boustan Al-Diwan http://youtu.be/IVvM526cUHs Khaldiyeh http://youtu.be/VI0NvzypqPM Hamdiyeh Buildings fall apart http://youtu.be/IE5ib02Hfw8 http://youtu.be/U5sRT9O4gjk Qoussour http://youtu.be/4kgl5JNBWsA , http://youtu.be/L_5LK4DTXY0 , http://youtu.be/QXPolG02hS0 Wadi Al-Sayih http://youtu.be/7INV7iJDmWc

This leaked video shows pro-Assad militias humiliating a teenagerhttp://youtu.be/YpVPFW0dmng

Today’s death toll: 54. The Breakdown: 15 in the town of Hiffen (Lattakia Province), 13 in Hama, 9 in Homs, 6 in Idlib, 5 in Daraa, 2 in Aleppo, 3 in Damascus, and 1 in Hassakeh.

Battles in the mountainous Hiffeh District in Lattakia Province have intensified today as the local resistance managed to repel an advance by pro-Assad militias. 15 locals were killed, and 5 tanks were destroyed. But the continuous pounding of the towns did force many inhabitants to flee their villages. Naturally, pro-regime websites spread stories of Salafist- take-over of villages where a Salafi Emirate is said to have been declared. This is the usual propaganda that proceeds a mass assault. With this, the ethnic cleansing of the coastal area will now begin at earnest. As western leaders watch on, Abkhazia on the Mediterranean inches closer to reality, with Russian, Chinese and Iranian backing. At night, intensive gunfire was heard in the majority Sunni neighborhood of Sleibeh in Lattakia City:http://youtu.be/jjNiKlHCgYQ.

Turkish officials declare that over 27,000 Syrians have crossed the border into Turkey over the last 5 days alone after loyalist troops set fire to fields and forests in an effort to flush out members of the local resistance.

So-called Jabhat Al-Nusrah today claimed the killing of the 13 locals in Deir Ezzor Province whose bodies were discovered last week. The victims, the announcement claimed, were pro-Assad informants and security agents. But this account contradicts with reports from locals who now say the dead were defectors insisting that the Jabha, which had earlier claimed responsibility for the most recent bombings in Damascus, is nothing but a regime creation.

Meanwhile, the war continues to rage in the countryside of Aleppo and Hama, with the continuing pounding affecting the towns of Eizaz and Hayan and reaching the outskirts of Aleppo City itself. In the town of Kafar Zeiteh, Hama Province, members of the local resistance was forced to evacuate after days of fighting.

Battles in Daraa City left Colonel Mohammad Aslan, one of the architects of the local crackdown dead.

KAFER ZAITA, SYRIA — For four days, Syrian army units and armed rebels of the Free Syrian Army fought for control of this town in a battle that demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. In the end, the rebels abandoned their positions, but only after fighting off multiple assaults by the army… (More)

Joshua says: “Let’s be clear: Washington is pursuing regime change by civil war in Syria. The United States, Europe, and the Gulf states want regime change, so they are starving the regime in Damascus and feeding the opposition. They have sanctioned Syria to a fare-thee-well and are busy shoveling money and helping arms supplied by the Gulf get to the rebels. This will change the balance of power in favor of the revolution. It is also the most the United States can and should do.”

Let’s be clear indeed: everything that Joshua said above is false. At this stage the best thing that can be said about U.S. policy towards Syria is that they are pursuing regime change in rhetoric. So far, the opposition is ill-fed if not severely malnourished, while the regime can still count on the support of its allies to meet its basic crackdown needs, then some. U.S. and allies have come to us bearing the good intentions outlined above by Joshua, but so far, their support remains conceptual.

So, if we have asymmetrical civil war conditions currently prevailing in Syria, we have the Assads and their allies to thank for this (and it’s indeed noteworthy that the role of Assad’s allies has been completely ignored in Joshua’s analysis). The U.S. can be blamed only for its absence and for allowing the situation to devolve to this point. The kind of U.S. intervention that we seek is meant exactly to stop this civil war, asymmetric as it is, and ensure that some of our basic expectations are still met. There is no “democratization Kool-aid” to be drunk in this conflict, as Joshua implied, but there a milkshake at end of the road, and there will be blood on the way to it. Democratization is never easy, and, in a region like ours, it cannot be a purely internal affair as so many are advocating. There are too many players involved, domestic, global and regional, and too many intersecting and clashing interests to allow for this.

The situation needs to be judged on its merits. Not on what happened before or what sort of mistakes could be made in the future. Inaction might indeed save the U.S. and its allies from having to deal with a logistical nightmare and can help them avoid some blame for the unavoidable mistakes that come with intervention, but this inaction might just amount to an all-out betrayal of the values that America stands for, while jeopardizing certain of her interests.

If inaction is the lesson that some are drawing from the experiences of Iraq and Libya, Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda have more compelling lessons to teach in this regard.

It’s also interesting to see how analysts like Joshua who have advocated and helped chart yesterday’s wrong policies toward Assad, namely: engagement, are now advocating inaction, something that still benefits Assad. After all, inaction gives him the needed time to lay the necessary foundations for his Abkhazia on the Mediterranean.

No, this is not a personal swipe against Joshua. After all, he is not the only analyst that fits in this category. Almost all engagement-advocates of the days of yore are now inaction advocates. But Advocating inaction after advocating the wrong policy is a way for shirking responsibility for doing the right thing, just to avoid dealing with the headaches and the mess that come with it.

By the way: yes, a policy that calls for arming rebels and watching from the sidelines, while providing occasional advice, is inaction. Stopping a civil war and keeping a country, or most of it, together, requires far greater involvement than allowing arms to flow in. There is a need for some micro-level involvement while managing this situation.

The Battle for Hiffeh, Lattakia Province: members of the local resistance confiscate a tankhttp://youtu.be/mEZHdt0KcZk

Father Paolo visits the activists in Homs http://youtu.be/mbwDARff8Ok Including Dr. Mohammad Al-Mohammad, the former field doctor of Baba Amr neighborhoodhttp://youtu.be/d3_W33xcur8

In Aleppo City, nighttime protesters in Salaheddine Neighborhoodhttp://youtu.be/4GQLSlRU78c  come under fire http://youtu.be/MJG-HkbvEUMExplosions heard at the outskirts of the city http://youtu.be/UakcBKRsl3k

The town of Hayan, Aleepo province, is pounded http://youtu.be/TcHs1pvqdnYBayanoun as well http://youtu.be/VEX6XWu5qzo Choppers take part in bombing of the town of Eizaz http://youtu.be/pfBLn5UtYQM

The Jib Neighborhood in Hama City comes under heavy nighttime poundinghttp://youtu.be/u2fbYSsV_hc

After retaking the town of Kafar Zeiteh, Hama Province, pro-Assad militias venture into town o their motorcycles for a brief victory parade http://youtu.be/p2Pk2fmJJqE

The city of Ma’arrat Al-Nouman, Idlib Province comes under heavy poundinghttp://youtu.be/fVx5Qo2_4dA

Clashes come within meters of the Syria-Turkish borders: Kilishttp://youtu.be/ZC6geke9MfU

UN Monitors pay a visit to the town of Qouriyeh, Deir Ezzor Provincehttp://youtu.be/uCf2uvDHcNI

The pounding of Homs City continues: Qoussour http://youtu.be/74r46Blr18c ,http://youtu.be/_krfG6q5rGw

In Damascus, tanks storm through the town of Saqba http://youtu.be/zsXaw89xOWU

Daraa City received its fair share of pounding today as well http://youtu.be/F1kDzWAv-jsespecially the area of the Palestinians camps http://youtu.be/F1kDzWAv-js Attempt by loyalist troops to storm the camps at night was repelled by members of the local resistancehttp://youtu.be/7Qozj5gllx0 , http://youtu.be/9Yj3D45VzI4

Today’s death toll: 33. The Breakdown: 23 in Damascus (Douma, Daraya, Artouz, Saqba, Assal Al-Ward, Qudsaya, Damascus City), 7 in Homs (including 3 in Qusayr), 3 in Hama, 3 in Aleppo, 1 Daraa (a child).

In the Damascene suburb of Douma, the known activist Adnan Wahbi, a co-founder of the National Coordination Body, was assassinated in his home by unknown assailants. Colleagues blame pro-Assad death squads. This Mr. Wahbi’s bodyhttp://youtu.be/Pacf5IKlxdw

In the Hiffeh District, Lattakia Province, local activists report that inhabitants of a number of Sunni villages have been forced to evacuate after days of pounding and raid by local pro-Assad militias.

Many of Houla’s inhabitants, Homs Province, have been forced to flee into neighboring communities where their living conditions are dismal: the children in this video are not dead, for now, they’re just sleeping. International dithering might yet seal their fatehttp://youtu.be/AGaYrIn5P3I Meanwhile, the pounding of the town continued, even as Bashar Al-Assad delivered his speech and blamed the massacre of Houla on monstershttp://youtu.be/JphA0S_Fg9w A new report by Syrian TV clams that 800 heavily armed men came into this town besieged by the regular loyalist troops and conducted the massacre, then left. There is no explanation of why the current pounding is taking place.

In the town of Douma, Damascus Suburbs, clashes left over 10 locals dead: the poundinghttp://youtu.be/q8dVhBYQBSk The martyrs http://youtu.be/t0dm7lspNu4 ,http://youtu.be/DfGoXRPnE3E , http://youtu.be/b-r_jgmIcZo , http://youtu.be/FCAqP-2VICE , http://youtu.be/-xuxjzUF4L8 (Graphic) http://youtu.be/6CGaqaIJ-6w The body of activist Adnan Wahbi http://youtu.be/Pacf5IKlxdw

The town of Saqba, Damascus Suburbs, comes under fire http://youtu.be/aUJaDRSsdnw ,http://youtu.be/2IEagS9FueM Chopper surveying the scene http://youtu.be/71tXwQjKuEI

Fields around the village of Al-Rami, Idlib Province, catch fire after intense poundinghttp://youtu.be/i1Dz1BtEEEc A number of locals were killed and immediately buriedhttp://youtu.be/ZnuOFsPjoNI

The pounding of Ariha, Idlib Province, continues http://youtu.be/XgcaIRxMZz0 ,http://youtu.be/YJ9tTXv6joI

The town of Mourik, Hama Province, comes under heavy poundinghttp://youtu.be/qpJkgtBnte4

In Aleppo Province, loyalist troops move into the town of Hayanhttp://youtu.be/V5bbBx7tWPI the pounding sets many installations on firehttp://youtu.be/LMS1oE8fQqE

The pounding of Old Homs continues http://youtu.be/xk0YLIRBbdI ,http://youtu.be/3AUFzqi46O0

The town of Ghabaghib, Daraa Province, comes under heavy poundinghttp://youtu.be/8rBfSBXZNMg