From a NY Times story on the matter:
According to an internal memorandum circulating inside the government on Thursday, the “intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year.” President Obama said in April that the United States had physiological evidence that the nerve gas sarin had been used in Syria, but lacked proof of who used it and under what circumstances. He now believes that the proof is definitive, according to American officials.
This represents a quote-unquote “red line” situation for the U.S. (as in, Syria’s crossed a line), which means that we could see military action as a result.
We will bear all responsibilities. I have always promised you victory, and I promise victory again.Hasan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah • From a televised speech on the raging civil war in Syria, neighbor to Lebanon, Hezbollah’s country of origin. Nasrallah’s remarks today were the most overt yet in acknowledging Hezbollah fighters have been entering Syria on the side of Bashar al-Assad and his government. This reality was in play even as he spoke, with Hezbollah fighters aiding Assad’s forces in driving rebel forces out of Quasir, a strategically-relevant town which sits near the Syria-Lebanese border. source
The New York Times has some further reporting on the terrible massacre that took place in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the full extent of which is still unclear, as slain bodies have been found along a river in the Bustan al-Kaser neighborhood. Be fore warned, the article features a photo showing some of these bodies, which is upsetting, needless to say.
We are fighting an external aggression that is more dangerous than any others, because they use us to kill each other. It is a war between the nation and its enemies, between the people and the murderous criminals.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad • Suggesting to the country’s people, during a major speech, that people still loyal to his regime continue to fight against the extremist forces he claims are disrupting the country. Meanwhile, he pitched an idea for settling the civil war, but said he would only work with parties ”who have not betrayed Syria.” The approach, which includes a new constitution and a reconciliation conference, was dismissed by Syrian opposition figures, who will settle for nothing less than Assad’s departure. Syria’s neighbors (see: Turkey) and Western officials also criticized the proposal.
More than 60,000 people have died in the Syrian uprising and civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dramatically raising the death toll in a struggle that shows no sign of ending.
Dozens were killed in a Damascus suburb when a government air strike turned a petrol station into an inferno, incinerating drivers who had rushed there for a rare chance to fill their tanks, activists said.
“I counted at least 30 bodies. They were either burnt or dismembered,” said Abu Saeed, an activist who arrived at the area an hour after the raid occurred at 1:00 PM (1100 GMT) in Muleiha, a suburb on the eastern edge of the capital.
U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said in Geneva that researchers cross-referencing seven sources over five months of analysis had listed 59,648 people killed in Syria between March 15, 2011 and November 30, 2012.
“The number of casualties is much higher than we expected and is truly shocking,” she said. “Given that there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013.”
That’s 60,000 people killed since March 15th, 2011. A truly horrific figure, and one which U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights Navi Pillay admitted “shames us all.”
![thepoliticalnotebook:
Maj. Gen. Abdelaziz Jassim Al-Shalal, the Syrian military police chief, has defected to the rebels/opposition forces. In a video statement, he said:
“The army has destroyed cities and villages and has committed massacres against an unarmed population that took to the streets to demand freedom. Long live free Syria.”
Photo: screenshot from his video statement from an undisclosed location.
[The Guardian]
Another day, another sign the Assad regime is fading.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/d9e116b36e741ae396761c8cdceabc77/tumblr_mfnd1h0muR1qchhhqo1_500.jpg)
Maj. Gen. Abdelaziz Jassim Al-Shalal, the Syrian military police chief, has defected to the rebels/opposition forces. In a video statement, he said:
“The army has destroyed cities and villages and has committed massacres against an unarmed population that took to the streets to demand freedom. Long live free Syria.”
Photo: screenshot from his video statement from an undisclosed location.
Another day, another sign the Assad regime is fading.
Obviously, with [this] recognition comes responsibilities. To make sure that they organise themselves effectively, that they are representative of all the parties, [and] that they commit themselves to a political transition that respects women’s rights and minority rights.President Obama • Announcing, in a critical geopolitical development today, that the U.S. now recognizes the Syrian rebellion as the “legitimate representative” of the people. This is a move that’s been speculated about for a long while — it also brings into focus an announcement earlier today that a part of the rebellion’s coalition, Jabhat al-Nusra, had been designated a terrorist group by the administration. Obviously, such a designation had to be made in advance of granting this recognition to the greater body of the opposition. source
NBC News is reporting that the Syrian military has loaded precursor chemicals for the deadly nerve agent sarin into aerial bombs, and is now awaiting instructions from President Bashar al-Assad. Sources say that the bombs, if deployed, would be used against anti-Assad forces in the country, but added they haven’t yet been loaded onto planes. Meanwhile, a US official confirms that several countries have given Assad “informal” offers of asylum (h/t TPM)
And today, I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there where be consequences, and you will be held accountable.President Obama • Speaking forcefully to the Assad government of Syria last night, at the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction symposium (he also lauded outgoing GOP Senator Richard Lugar, with whom he’s worked extensively on nuclear disarmament). The possibility of Syria mobilizing a chemical weapons attack on its people has been a worrisome one for human rights organizations worldwide, further stoked by a recent internet blackout that left Syria functionally opaque for two days. This is one of the most aggressive statements Obama has made on the conflict in Syria — as foreign-policy types like to say, he’s drawn a red line, which may be instructive of the level of involvement he’s comfortable with. source
I can’t add much to what’s already been (and will be) ...
One of the perks of being an early employee...
Over the last 90 days, the Digg...
#FMMDI (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Thanks. I guess my thoughts are as follows:
1. I think...
Two Months Ago I set out to interview the principal cast...
They started three hours ago. The bulldozers are bringing down shops and houses. The inhabitants are in the streets.A woman who lives in Damascus • Describing the scene from outside of her high-rise building, in which bulldozers owned by the Syrian army have reportedly started razing buildings in the Tawahin district, an area described by activists as being hostile to Assad. The activists describe the action as collective punishment. The reports by local residents and activists could not be independently verified by reporters, but nonetheless, if that’s actually the case, that’s a whole different kind of messed-up.
We are fighting a regional and global war, so time is needed to win it. We are moving forward. The situation is practically better but it has not been decided yet. That takes time.Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad • Speaking on private television station Dunya Wednesday regarding the nature of the conflict in Syria — and alluding in the process to the struggles the Syrian army faces in trying to win against rebel cells. Assad also called defections a “self-cleansing” process, saying that. “Whoever flees is either weak or bad. A patriotic or a good person does not flee.”
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
