http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Bashar+Al-Assad Sat, 18 May 2013 20:55:06 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Bashar+Al-Assad Sat, 18 May 2013 16:18:47 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d15_1368907784 John Nada Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaks to Argentinian newspaper Clarin about the ongoing civil war in Syria. The president says the country's crisis has become so deadly because of international interference. Assad says that Barack Obama's reluctance to intervene further is not down to principles but less finance and a lack of opportunity for America to benefit from Syrian peace. When asked if he would stand down in pursuit of peace, he replies that he must face his duty and remain in his elected position. Source: The Guardian (UK) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d15_1368907784 John Nada Syrian President <span class="highlight">Bashar al-Assad</span>'s Interview with Argentinian Newspaper Syria, Bashar al-Assad, FSA, Western, USA, GB, UK, EU, Russia, War Terrorist, nusrah, front, saa, interview, obama, putin, kerry, lavrov, S-300, Yakhont, israel Sat, 18 May 2013 13:57:10 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=330_1368899458 Eretz_Zen2 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaks to Argentinian newspaper Clarin about the ongoing civil war in Syria. The president says the country's crisis has become so deadly because of international interference. Assad says that Barack Obama's reluctance to intervene further is not down to principles but less finance and a lack of opportunity for America to benefit from Syrian peace. When asked if he would stand down in pursuit of peace, he replies that he must face his duty and remain in his elected position. Source: The Guardian (UK) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=330_1368899458 Eretz_Zen2 Syrian President <span class="highlight">Bashar al-Assad</span>'s Interview with Argentinian Newspaper Clarin syria, fsa, free, syrian, army, saa, arab, republic, presidential, interview, president, bashar, bachar, al, assad, wahhabis, qaeda, nusra, front, jabhat, salafis, salafists, argentina Sat, 18 May 2013 15:19:32 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=04b_1368904397 Detroit Iron BEIRUT, Lebanon - President Bashar al-Assad of Syria , in a rare interview with a foreign newspaper, appeared to dismiss the possibility of serious progress arising from peace talks planned for next month, and to back away from earlier statements by Syrian officials that the government was willing to negotiate with its armed opponents."We do not believe that many Western countries really want a solution in Syria," Mr. Assad told Argentina's Clar'in newspaper in an interview published online on Saturday, blaming those countries for supporting "terrorists" fighting his government. "We support and applaud the efforts, but we must be realistic," he said, referring to efforts by the United States and Russia to broker talks in June. "There cannot be a unilateral solution in Syria; two parties are needed at least." Mr. Assad took a hard line throughout the interview, according to a transcript in English provided in advance to The New York Times. He declared that he would run for election as scheduled in 2014 and would accept election monitors only from friendly countries like Russia and China. He also accused Israel of directly aiding rebels by providing intelligence on sites to attack, refused to acknowledge any mistakes in his handling of the two-year-old crisis, and disputed United Nations estimates that more than 80,000 people had died in the conflict. All those contentions are likely to fuel what is already widespread pessimism about the potential talks. It is unclear who will talk to whom, and about what. The opposition in exile remains unable to unify fragmented rebel groups behind its political leadership, even those that nominally fall under the umbrella of the opposition's Free Syrian Army, let alone the growing cadres of extremist Islamist fighters who openly reject the opposition leadership and are a source of increasing concern in the West. Mr. Assad's supporters have long contended that his wide array of foreign foes, including the United States, Israel and Sunni-led Persian Gulf states, benefit less from a resolution than from a prolonged Syrian conflict that weakens Mr. Assad and his allies, Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militant group. That view is increasingly shared by some rebel leaders, increasingly frustrated with the West's unwillingness to give them untrammeled support. In meetings with his supporters ahead of the talks, Mr. Assad has projected confidence, suggesting that the United States would accept his remaining in power if American officials believed that he was militarily strong and could curb jihadists. He told a group of Lebanese politicians visiting Damascus, the capital, this month that his forces were carrying out offensives to retake rebel-held territory in Homs Province and the suburbs of Damascus to increase his leverage at the talks. "The battlefield will decide who is strong when they enter negotiations," he said, according to one of the visitors, Abdelrahim Mourad, a former Parliament member whose party is allied with Hezbollah. "America is pragmatic. If they found out they were defeated and the regime is the winner, the Americans will deal with the facts." Whether that view is realistic or not, Mr. Assad's opponents inside and outside Syria widely doubt that he is willing to make meaningful concessions - doubts he reinforced in the interview, refusing to recognize any element of the armed opposition as representing legitimate Syrian demands or even to talk to the rebels unless they disarm. "We are willing to talk to anyone who wants to talk, without exceptions," he said. "But that does not include terrorists; no state talks to terrorists. When they put down their arms and join the dialogue, then we will have no objections. Believing that a political conference will stop terrorism on the ground is unreal." Mr. Assad appeared to be backing off previous overtures by members of his government. On Feb. 25, Ali Haidar, the minister for national reconciliation, told Syria's Parliament that the government was ready to meet with armed opposition groups. "We, the government, and me, personally, will meet, without exceptions, with Syrian opposition groups inside and outside" the country, he said. "The president of the country has said that we will try with everyone that is against us politically. And even those who use arms - we must try with them." In continuing reports of violence, opposition activists in Syria said Saturday that government forces had killed and then incinerated at least 17 people in a two-day operation in an upscale neighborhood of northwest Homs, Syria's third-largest city and long a hotbed of the insurgency. Some died when government forces shelled the fields surrounding the neighborhood, Al Waer, starting Friday, and others were stabbed to death, said the Local Coordination Committees, an opposition news network with contacts in Syria. The bodies were later set on fire by soldiers and pro-government militias, the activists said. The activists' accounts could not be independently confirmed, but videos posted on YouTube and Facebook groups controlled by rebels showed charred bodies and shattered limbs, wrapped in red cloths and carpets. "They were found dead and burned," said Abu Rami, an activist from Homs reached through Skype. "We could only recognize nine men, but the rest were like black logs." Other residents said 10 of the dead belonged to two families and included four women and two 11-year-old children. In other developments, the elderly father of Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, was abducted Saturday by a gunman in southern Dara'a Province, close to the Jordanian border, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a network based in Britain with contacts inside Syria. The government later arrested relatives suspected to be involved with the abduction, the observatory said, adding that rebels in the area had denied any responsibility. Mr. Mekdad's office confirmed the abduction, and residents in a neighboring village said that around 30 men, some carrying weapons, raided the family home and took the 80-year-old father, who was described by residents as "not an outspoken regime supporter and not a troublemaker." A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army described the abduction as "unconvincing and strange," given that the father did not share his son's views and was seen as having good relations with the rebels around him. The Mekdad clan numbers in the thousands in Dara'a, where the uprising began, and includes government supporters and opponents. In the Clar'in interview, Mr. Assad also elaborated on his government's contention that the opposition was aligned with Syria's longtime foe, Israel, which has bombed Syrian territory three times this year in attacks believed to have targeted weapons being delivered to Hezbollah. "Israel is directly supporting the terrorist groups in two ways," he said. "Firstly it gives them logistical support" - a possible reference to medical aid Israel has given to Syrians wounded near the Syria-Israel border - "and it also tells them what sites to attack and how to attack them." Mr. Assad said that rebels had attacked a radar station instrumental to Syria's antiaircraft defenses against Israel, giving no further details. Mr. Assad said international monitoring of the 2014 elections would violate Syria's sovereignty. "We do not trust the West for this task," he said, proposing observers from "friendly countries such as Russia or China." "China?" the interviewer asked, presumably perplexed because China is not known for holding free elections. Mr. Assad was silent. The reporter then asked if Mr. Assad had any "self-criticisms." He replied: "It's illogical to carry out self-criticism before the events have been completed. If you go to watch a film you don't criticize it until it ends." He dismissed rebels' accusations that his forces had used chemical weapons, noting that such weapons "would mean killing thousands or tens of thousands of people in a matter of minutes. Who could hide something like that?" He disputed international estimates of the toll in the war, saying that it was unclear how many of the dead were Syrians and that "the terrorists often kill and bury their victims in mass graves" - an allegation that his opponents have leveled at his forces. Though foreign jihadists take part in the Syrian conflict, the vast majority of fighters are Syrians. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/world/middleeast/syria-developments.html?pagewanted=2&amp;_r=1&amp;hp http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=04b_1368904397 Detroit Iron Syria's Assad, in an Interview, Suggests Peace Talks Are Unlikely to Succeed President Bashar al-Assad of Syria Sat, 18 May 2013 02:17:40 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=26e_1368857498 Concerned about the Syria http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=26e_1368857498 Concerned about the Syria The youngest child soldiers in the military airport of Deir ez-Zor Syria, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, FSA, Bashar, al-Assad, SAA Sat, 18 May 2013 01:21:36 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=160_1368853333 Concerned about the Syria 2013.5.18renew http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=160_1368853333 Concerned about the Syria SAA:Darayya,Fire support for advancing troops Syria, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, FSA, Bashar, al-Assad, SAA Sat, 18 May 2013 00:48:30 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1cc_1368852347 Concerned about the Syria Syria Tube ,2013.5.18renew http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1cc_1368852347 Concerned about the Syria FSA,accidental injury their own people Syria, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, FSA, Bashar, al-Assad, SAA Sat, 18 May 2013 00:16:20 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=90b_1368849834 a316184832 2013.5.18renew http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=90b_1368849834 a316184832 Syrian warplanes bombed hideouts of mercenaries Syria, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, FSA, Bashar, al-Assad, SAA Fri, 17 May 2013 23:34:30 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=680_1368847426 a316184832 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=680_1368847426 a316184832 Beautiful, Syria,Country of of Shame,Allaah bless Syria Syria, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, FSA, Bashar, al-Assad, SAA Sat, 18 May 2013 13:30:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3fd_1368898130 Eretz_Zen2 Russian President Vladimir Putin has been facing international pressure not to let a deal between Russia and Syria go through, one that involves sending advanced S-300 cruise missile systems to Syria. However, Russian President decided to move forward with the deal, a move that illustrates the depth of the Russian government's support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, American officials said Thursday. Russia has previously provided a version of the missiles, called Yakhonts, to Syria. But those delivered recently are outfitted with an advanced radar that makes them more effective. Source: MSNBC, NY Times http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3fd_1368898130 Eretz_Zen2 Russia Providing Syria with Advanced Cruise Missiles, a Big Middle Finger to the United States syria, fsa, saa, rebels, missiles, cruise, syrian, army, arab, free, terrorists, nato, turkey, qatar, israel, saudi, arabia, jihadis, jihadists, islamists, militants Sat, 18 May 2013 16:08:00 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c0d_1368907410 TheAnswer SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013 - Dozens of people were being treated for respiratory difficulties following the attack, according to reports carried by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel. Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons-laced mortars in a Damascus neighborhood Saturday, injuring dozens, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed. The channel also reiterated reports by the BBC Thursday that chemical weapons were used in Saraqib in Idlib province on April 29. Two helicopters dropped devices on the town, which is located southwest of Aleppo, as it came under bombardment from regime forces, the report said. Adding new details to the reports of that Saraqib attack, doctors at a local hospital said that they treated eight people who had breathing problems or constricted pupils. One woman, Maryam Khatib, died of her injuries, while her son Mohammed was injured when he rushed to attend to her. A doctor who treated Khatib said her symptoms were similar to poisoning caused by organophosphates, ingredients used in nerve gases and insecticides. Her son told the BBC's Ian Pannell that there was a "horrible, suffocating smell" and that he lost his eyesight for three or four days. The following edited video purports to show the aftermath of the mortar attack in the city. Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition claimed it killed four Iranian men in an attack on their convoy on Friday, as well as seven Hezbollah gunmen who had joined Assad forces in the city of al-Qusayr in Homs province. Eighteen Hezbollah men were killed in that city last month. On Wednesday, UK Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman stated that chemical weapons had been used in at least two attacks in Syria. The US government has intimated that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime against its own people would potentially constitute the crossing of a "red line" for possible military intervention. Still, US President Barack Obama claimed two weeks ago that the intelligence about the use of chemical weapons in Syria was insufficient. The Syrian government and opposition forces have both blamed each other for an attack in Aleppo in March and another in Homs in December 2012 in which chemical weapons were allegedly used. Earlier in May the UN panel looking into war crimes in Syria backed down from a claim it had made that rebel forces used chemical weapons. Syria has asked the UN to investigate only the Aleppo attack, whereas UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon insists on investigating both incidents, creating a sticking point that has so far prevented an inquiry from proceeding. The UN estimates that the two-year Syrian war has claimed over 80,000 lives, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights putting that figure at 94,000. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c0d_1368907410 TheAnswer Dozens hurt in chemical weapons attack in Damascus Syria, Chemical Weapons, Human Rights Violation, Civil War, Sat, 18 May 2013 04:03:57 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4eb_1368864097 someone2 The shocking video of a Syrian rebel eating the lung of a pro-Assad fighter spread like wildfire across the Internet earlier this week. The rebel, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, has filmed a YouTube video explaining his actions. "I am willing to face trial for my actions if Bashar and his shabeeha stand trial for their atrocities," he says. "My message to the world is if the bloodshed in Syria doesn't stop, all of Syria will become like Abu Sakkar." The Syrian rebel, whose real name is Khalid al-Hamad, goes on to explain that he did what he did because of atrocities committed by pro-Assad fighters. He said that evidence taken from their cell phones showed how they raped women, killed children, and tortured men. In an article published this week by TIME magazine, the rebel fighter explained that he had a sectarian hatred of Alawites, and that he had made another video where he cuts up a pro-Assad fighter's body with a saw. Abu Sakkar's actions not only created controversy among observers of the conflict, but also prompted the Syrian rebel leadership to take action. The Free Syrian Army's Military Council released a statement condemning Abu Sakkar's "monstrous act," and instructed field commanders to being an investigation "in which the perpetrator will be brought to justice." So far, however, Abu Sakkar appears to still be on the battlefield. At the end of the video, the cameraman asks him whether he will continue fighting after this controversy. "Victory or martyrdom, I will fight to the death," he replies, then walks off down the road. Source: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/05/17/syria_s_lung_eating_rebel_explains_himself Original video (18+) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0c9_1368347673 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4eb_1368864097 someone2 Syria's lung-eating rebel explains himself sick, fsa, lung, eating, monster Thu, 16 May 2013 01:20:01 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dc1_1368679883 flashpointreport Source: http://facebook.com/syriareport Bashar al-Assad and his wife visit family of victim without bodyguards. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dc1_1368679883 flashpointreport President Al-Assad and his wife Asma Visit Without Bodyguards bashar al assad, asma al assad