http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Strategic Wed, 22 May 2013 05:08:39 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Strategic Tue, 21 May 2013 22:33:48 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ba1_1369173177 CC-1000 I found this article very interesting and just wanted to share. It help me a little bit to understand why some big powers would go so far and openly (almost) support terrorism to achieve their geopolitical goals. Text was Google-translated Al-Quseir lies on the road between Damascus and the Mediterranean coast. For the rebels control over al-Quseir is necessary because it serves as a link to the mountainous terrain in the north of Lebanon, where mercenaries are being moved deep into Syria. Elimination of this base will allow the government army commanders to consider the problem for the release of militants from the northwestern province of Idlib and Aleppo. The Israeli press reported that the attention of all the regional intelligence focused on the area between Baalbek and the Syrian border. This is the "heart and lungs war machine Lebanese Shiite organization," "Hezbollah". Worries Israelis are not just noticeable - it is accented! What does this mean? Syrian resource "Al-Haqiqa>> story on the value of the fight for al-Quseir, which brings on the side of the Syrian army and soldiers of "Hezbollah". Al-Haqiqa>> based on the information the British diplomat who until recently worked in Damascus until the closure of its embassy there. Al-Quseir is a unique case - the head of "Hezbollah", Sheikh Nasrallah, openly acknowledged the participation of its people in this battle for the Syrian city. According to him, it is about "limited" involvement in order to protect residents in the vicinity of minorities, especially Shiites, whose land and property in the last few months have been confiscated by Sunni Islamist insurgents "Dzhabhat en-Nusra" and "al-Faruq Brigades." But is this the real reason for intervention, "Hezbollah"? And he said the following: "Here, on this small area concentrated all the regional and international dimensions of the Syrian conflict. On the surface, "Hezbollah" is trying to protect the Shiites. But in reality, there is a real World War IIL, there face to face great powers - not metaphorically, but really. Sometimes their representatives are invisible, like ghosts, influencing events through satellites and drones, but sometimes they suddenly make themselves known. For example, in the course of the battle for Baba Amr (village near the city of Homs - SF) stepped in Russian, giving the regime satellite imagery areas. At the same time, dozens of technical intelligence agents of the French and British special forces led by rebel forces in Homs - the same Baba Amr. It is through this region in the first year of the war in Syria, especially in the central region, and 60% of thrown weapons and fighters for the insurgency from abroad. According to the assessment of Israeli and Western intelligence, this region - the most dangerous and most strategically important in the Middle East - in a confrontation axis of Iran-Syria-Israel axis against Saudi Arabia. At the disposal of Israel and the U.S. were some of the reports. They estimate that up to 80% of heavy weapons passed the Syrians "Hezbollah", in particular, rockets, walked along the corridor. "In other words - this area is a very sensitive point, which allows control of their transfer along this corridor anything - from fighters to missiles. Therefore, according to the British diplomat, the attention of all the regional intelligence focused on the region between the Lebanese and Syrian border Baalbek. It was here that are warehouses and bases "Hezbollah". Now all is clear, writes the "Al-Haqiqa>>, that the Sunni insurgents and the southern border with Syria, Jordan, and on the demarcation of the ceasefire line work closely with Israeli intelligence . What for? She conducts them in terms of grazing with the Shia "Hezbollah." This is evidenced by the statement of one of the commanders of "Free Syrian Army" Khalid al-Habous. When he was last year proclaimed the "Battle of Liberation", the aim of which was to prevent the supply of arms Syria, "Hezbollah". And that's why now "Hezbollah" without any hesitation was ready to take part in cleaning it from hostile armed groups and the province itself and Homs, in particular, the areas adjacent to the Lebanese border. But it is - "atruth" by a British citizen. On the other hand, it looks different: it is about al-Quseir, as a strategic point linking the Syrian authorities with their union, "Hezbollah". Control, which at one time set militants jihadists in the region, meant separation from Damascus, the Lebanese territory in the area of http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ba1_1369173177 CC-1000 Why Al Quseir, Hezbollah And Whats Really Behind It Al Quseir, Syria Tue, 21 May 2013 21:45:00 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1cf_1369186287 Al Hollandi The Shibeebeh base ,also known as the Youth Camp - on the strategic Lattakia to Aleppo highway is burning after a day of continuous shelling. The base is now under the FSA control and is being combed and searched. They are hunting down the tanks that are trying to escape. 9 tanks were destroyed. The base is very close to the Qarmeed (Brick Factory) base. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1cf_1369186287 Al Hollandi Shibeebeh base captured and burning FSA, SAA, Shibeebeh, Idlib, war Tue, 21 May 2013 21:12:57 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a7c_1369184263 BekasKhan By Michael Hirsh National JournalKABUL, Afghanistan - None of President Hamid Karzai's top advisers knew that he had been receiving tens of millions of dollars in secret cash from the CIA, Afghanistan's senior anticorruption official said, and he added that he did not believe the Afghan leader's claim that he had been giving the agency regular receipts for the money. Mohammad Yasin Osmani, the head of the Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, said in an interview last week that he and 39 other advisers who audit expenditures throughout the government "were not aware" of the decade-old payouts, which Karzai acknowledged at a news conference in Kabul on May 4. But Osmani, like other Afghan government officials, was reluctant to criticize Karzai or accuse him of personal corruption, highlighting a growing friction between Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force led by the United States over an issue that threatens to upend the rebuilding effort here, and possibly U.S. plans for a post-2014 "strategic partnership" with Afghanistan. Many Afghan officials and politicians contend that their nation's reputation for rampant corruption is exaggerated-according to Transparency International, a monitoring group, Afghanistan is the most corrupt nation on earth, along with Myanmar, North Korea, and Somalia. They say that more to blame are poor procedures by ISAF and Washington that hand aid money directly over to graft-plagued contractors and subcontractors. Ashraf Ghani, a former finance minister who is currently the chairman of the Afghan Transition Coordination Commission, said the Karzai cash controversy is viewed in Washington as simply more evidence of Afghanistan's corrupt ways. But he asked: "What does it say about the way the American government conducts itself?" It is, perhaps, a fair point, especially coming after a decade in which the $60 billion American rebuilding effort in Iraq was deemed hopelessly corrupt-in part because, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen concluded in his final report in March, in many cases U.S. officials did not consult with Iraqis closely or deeply enough to determine what reconstruction projects were really needed. Now the Afghans are saying the same thing. Even as the security transition to the Afghan National Security Forces is said to be going more smoothly, civilian transition from U.S. to Afghan oversight is a disaster, Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal said in an interview. "The transition has not happened," he said, although as the ISAF-formed "provincial reconstruction teams" are being dismantled. U.S. aid rules have themselves become a source of corruption, Osmani says. Too many private contractors skim off the top as they subcontract a job out, a practice that the Afghan government itself would not permit, he says. Beyond that, "nobody has the right to monitor international community projects," and yet international auditors are often too leery of going to insecure areas. So little monitoring occurs. And in some cases U.S.-built projects appear to be following the pattern in Iraq. Osmani cited a case in which the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, John Sopko, criticized a $73 million contract given by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to DynCorp International for a shoddily built Afghan National Army base in Kunduz Province. "They didn't allow the government to go out and supervise the project!" Osmani said. The finger-pointing on both sides suggests a long-married couple-10 years of geopolitical marriage in this case-who are fed up with each other but can't bear the idea of divorce. And the mood is getting testier. In a recent report, Sopko accused the Afghan government of "targeting American contractors with unjust taxes and intimidation." Zakhilwal says the allegations are false. Even in the case of Afghanistan's biggest economic weakness, the heroin trade, Afghan officials say the corruption is far greater outside Afghanistan than inside. "From 2002 to 2009, $420 billion to $460 billion was made by international dealers , while $18 billion made by the Afghan mafia," says Ghani, citing a report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. "The illegal economy is totally integrated into globalization: with credit and transport." The question of whether Afghanistan is just too corrupt to save has shaped the entire U.S. approach to post-9/11 Afghanistan, tilting the Obama administration gradually away from "nation-building" and toward a more pared-down counterterrorism strategy. In February 2008, three U.S. senators who are today the Obama administration's key foreign-policy heavyweights-Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel, and John Kerry-had a crucial dinner with Karzai at the Afghan president's palace. After Hagel raised the subject of corruption in Karzai's government, including runaway graft and narcotics connections, Karzai replied, "My dear senator, there is no corruption in my government." Things then got testier. The American visitors insisted they had a list of corrupt officials and that Karzai's brother was at the top of it, but the Afghan leader disingenuously denied it all-until Biden, by the dessert course, threw down his napkin. "This dinner is over," he said, walking out. Hagel and Kerry followed. Biden never really regained his trust in Karzai, and by 2009, after he became Barack Obama's vice president, he turned into the new administration's No. 1 skeptic about nation-building. The doubts about Karzai, culminating in charges of election fraud, also poisoned the Afghan president's relations with the late Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special representative for Afghanistan. Karzai continues to deny charges of personal corruption, including about the CIA money. "This money was not given to warlords," he said at the May 4 news conference in Kabul. "The major part of this money was spent on government employees such as our guards.... It has been paid to individuals, not movements.... We give receipts for all these expenditures to the U.S. government." Even Osmani is skeptical about that last point. Asked whether he believed there were "receipts," he responded, "No." But there are clearly two sides to every corruption story, and the U.S. and Afghan governments need to get their stories straight if the "partnership" is to survive after 2014. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a7c_1369184263 BekasKhan Which Is More Corrupt: Afghanistan or America? Afghanistan Occupation by US NATO Taliban Pakistan terrorist Punjabi ISI Al Qaeda Iran Intel India Haqqani China to Occupy Afghanistan Tue, 21 May 2013 20:15:52 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6de_1369181652 flashpointreport Source: http://syriareport.net/turning-point-battle-for-al-qusayr/ Following the securing of villages surrounding the key city of Al-Qusayr in Homs province, Syrian aircraft dropped flyers over the city on May 10th. The flyers informed civilians in the besieged town of a corridor to the North through which they were urged to evacuate pending an imminent offensive to uproot embedded militants. Observers were expecting a speedy offensive, but due to a lull in civilian evacuation, the assault was postponed on or around May 14th. Recently, reports suggest civilians who later tried to leave, were forced to stay, utilised as a human shield by divided, arguing militant factions. Why is Al-Qusayr important?Al-Qusayr is a small city with a population of between 30,000 and 50,000 about 9 km from the northeastern border of Lebanon. It is also 22 km southwest of Homs. Due to it's proximity to Lebanon, Al-Qusayr is an attractive position for militant groups trafficking arms and personnel. Al-Qusayr is a strategic link between Damascus, the coast, and Homs, Hama and Aleppo to the north. Since March, the Syrian army has been on the offensive, securing key areas in Aleppo, Damascus countryside , Dara'a and Homs. The primary objective of these pinpoint operations is the disruption and eliminating of supply lines from neighbouring countries, a lifeline enabling militant groups to continue their attrition against Syrian army installations such as airbases. In Rif Dimashq (Damascus countryside) specifically, militant organisations intensified attempts to disrupt life in Damascus with regular mortar and rocket attacks, and occasional car bombs. Following a stunning deployment of artillery and airpower on May 19th, Syrian forces and it's allied guerrilla detachments of the National Defence Forces (NDF) and Hezbollah stormed Al-Qusayr. Within the first day, the centre of the city was secured following the witnessing of the church having been destroyed by militants - Al-Qusayr has a significant Christian population. According to our source, the greatest challenge for Syrian troops and it's guerrilla allies, were Chechen militants and entrenched, well trained snipers. Underlining the logistical and strategic importance of the city, insurgents were reported to be well armed and consistently firing hundreds of rounds a minute while deploying mortars and rocket propelled grenades. During the day, 20th May, the Syrian army were reported to have control over 60% of the city. Since then, their advance has been reported as slow, but significant as the role of aircraft and armoured units became more limited, presenting infantry with the objective of fighting in a heavily built-up area. Significantly, the Syrian command left the Northern gateway out of the city wide open. Initially, this was the corridor for civilians who were urged to evacuate in the days and weeks before the assault. Little is known about the motive for such a decision, but it is highly likely that this is in order to draw adversaries into open ground to allow for accurate targeting and eventual defeat of armed militants who will have expended supplies during their encirclement. Indeed, a split between two groups emerged following the near total encirclement of the city - those who wanted to fight to the death and those who wanted to evacuate the city in anticipation of a saturating Syrian army assault on the city. As of today, the situation remains slow but steady. The various army brigades involved in the multi-directional assault on the city are converging in the south of the city, readying for an assault on the west. The battle is not over and what will become of the remaining adversaries in the northern corridor of the city remains to be seen. After the Battle of Al-QusayrA map posted by Syrian Perspective 's source, which sheds light on Syrian army strategy. As noted, Al-Qusayr's surrounding areas were subject to a build-up and eventual encirclement of Syrian troops and allies. Northwest of the city, the villages of Al-Hamidiyah and Al-Haydariya were secured - completing a chain around insurgent positions and entrenchments. It is expected that militant groups will be fully encircled, sieged and eliminated in order to secure Homs governate (province) in it's entirety. The army's strategy of securing important cities, towns and other populated centres while placing less emphasis on isolated rural positions, has paid off. It is possible that the army and it's allies will fully secure the west of the country and move west in an effort to confront Al-Qaeda and other factions which are particularly active in that region. Take note of surrounding positions of Hama city, including Talbiseh and Rastan. From predictions of Syrian army collapse to increasing victories on the groundReports of new counter-insurgency strategies in early 2013 appears to have paid off, with a clear increase in morale for Syrian troops. Reports from Damascus indicate an increasingly confident administration. More recently, Russia's transfer of advanced P-800 Oniks/Yakhonts anti-ship missiles underline Moscow's position on the conflict - one which is against foreign intervention. Yakhonts anti-ship missile with a range of up to 300 km. Syria's possession of upgraded missiles will reportedly thwart plans for a naval blockade and no-fly zone A marked re-calibration in Syrian army methodology can be traced back to the latter weeks of 2012, where reports of "opposition victories" were attributed to the overrunning and capture of insignificant, isolated Syrian army positions and installations. In fact, reports suggest that military strategists have decided against the defence of strategically unimportant outposts, in favour of an operational consolidation of manpower and equipment in order to pursue direct confrontation with militant organisations. Consideration of the Syrian army's historically based Soviet military doctrine from the years of President Hafez al-Assad and the close relationship between the Soviet Union and recently Russia is important. Russian lessons of a costly war in Chechnya and the resulting defeat of Jihadist militants groups are key to gaining more understanding of Syrian rationale in dealing with entrenched and oftentimes elusive militant groups. Additionally, the Soviet era military hardware has had many opportunities to present it's defects as well as advantages. The Syrian Air Force inventory includes aging but reliable Sukhoi combat jets. The Syrian army, ill-prepared for an asymmetrical, foreign equipped and funded militant onslaught, has proved remarkably resilient. Despite crucial military hardware being of age, the reliable nature of vehicles and aircraft coupled with well trained personnel has enabled the Syrian armed forces to turn strategy into success. Indeed, the Western media narrative has performed a stunning u-turn of army having it's days numbered, having it's back broken with defections and close to collapse. Absent from the reporting of Western media outlets, often quoting alleged experts, is accurate reports of the Syrian army's doctrinal order of battle - living up to the reputation of one of the best trained and equipped army's in the region. Worth considering also, is the army's breaking of two much reported sieges of Wadi al-Deif and Hamidiya outside Maarat al-Numan in mid-April. Airdrops to the installations were naturally discontinued, allowing greater employment of airpower to other important flashpoints. President Hafez al-Assad's emphasis on the maintenance of a well disciplined and competent military have survived. Calibrated with Russian lessons of the Chechnya conflict and Hezbollah's combat experience, effectiveness and asymmetrical tactics, the Syrian army is living up to it's reputation as a logistically and cohesive force. Source: http://syriareport.net/turning-point-battle-for-al-qusayr/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6de_1369181652 flashpointreport Turning Point: Battle for Al-Qusayr al qusayr Tue, 21 May 2013 16:18:27 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9fc_1369167223 Setright May 21, 2013 01:11 AM By Lauren Williams Supporters of Hezbollah and relatives of Hasan Faisal Sheker, an 18-year-old Hezbollah member, carry the coffin during his funeral in Nabi Sheet near Baalbeck May 20, 2013 BEIRUT: The defected Syrian General and head of the opposition Supreme Military Council has issued a stern warning to the Lebanese government to stop Hezbollah forces from entering Syria or risk bringing the Syrian war to its doorstep. In a broad-ranging interview via telephone from Jordan, where he is holding talks ahead of Thursday's "Friends of Syria" meeting, Gen. Salim Idriss lashed out at Hezbollah as religious extremists, while also claiming President Bashar Assad's government had lied about gains in the strategic city of Qusair over the weekend. "The devil's party is attacking Syrian territory, slaughtering the Syrian people to help the criminal Bashar's forces," he said, referring to Hezbollah. "They lied, they were not able to enter Qusair and the number of theirs killed was in the dozens," he said of fierce battles Sunday in the city, 40 km from the Lebanese border. "Their dead are lying on the streets." Idriss said the Free Syrian Army was well armed and being reinforced, determined to defend the city. "We respect Lebanon's sovereignty and we don't want to bring the battle to Lebanon, but our patience is running out," he said. "We want the Lebanese president to guarantee that Hezbollah will not enter our territory." It is unclear if Idriss' warning implies a further escalation or simply a continuation of the repeated shelling of Hermel and other Bekaa Valley areas by rebel groups over the past month. "These are religious extremists with no respect for the integrity of Lebanon, who have built a state under the state," he said of the party. The general, touted by the U.S. as the best chance for unifying disparate opposition groups on the ground, also said the role of the extremist Nusra Front, labeled a terrorist organization for their links with Al-Qaeda, was exaggerated. "There are no more than 5,000 fighters with Nusra,' Idriss said, "But there is an obsession in the Western media and a sophisticated propaganda campaign that overstates their role." He said the military council did not work with Nusra, adding that efforts to unite rebel brigades under the council's umbrella had made headway, with "around 90 percent" of rebel forces now under its command." The military council is appealing to the U.S. and other Arab backers of the opposition for more and heavier weapons to topple Assad. Concerns about the growing influence of extremists and a string of videos showing rebel human rights abuses have prompted concern among U.S. lawmakers that weapons could fall into the wrong hands. "We condemn their practices which are against our law and our traditions. We are exerting efforts to educate the FSA on lawful practices and telling them not to put anyone on trial until the regime has fallen," he said. He said there was evidence Nusra was infiltrated by the regime to legitimize fears of a Sunni extremist takeover, but admitted their methods, which have included extrajudicial killings, torture and suicide attacks, had tarnished the reputation of the opposition. "There are suspicions that they are not working with the revolution, but are serving the regime interests." Idriss appealed for all foreign fighters in Syria to leave, and pointed to the role of Hezbollah as "religious extremists' and a "foreign militia" to counter the regime's claims that the uprising was backed by foreign extremists. "What is more dangerous: Hezbollah or Nusra?" he asked. Idriss was doubtful the peace conference proposed by the U.S. and Russia: "The only discussion point is when and how Assad will leave and when the commanders of the criminal armed forces will be brought to trial." Referring to an interview Assad gave with an Argentinian newspaper this week in which he said he would "not stand down," Idriss said a political solution appeared unlikely. "The majority of Syrians don't want violence, but they don't want Assad. Unfortunately it seems the only way to unseat him is militarily." "The fighters on the ground, the martyrs, who have spilled their blood, are ready to fight for another 100 years." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9fc_1369167223 Setright Syria's Idriss warns Lebanon to restrain Hezbollah WORLD NEWS, MIDDLE EAST, SYRIA Tue, 21 May 2013 13:32:50 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6b6_1369157489 cathy winslow The rise of sectarian violence and recent Israeli bombing indicate that the true aim of the Syrian civil war is to weaken Iran's position in the region, Middle East expert Tariq Ali said in an interview with RT. Hezbollah militants are fighting beside Syrian governmental troops to retake the strategic town of Qusair from the rebels. It's considered a key weapons smuggling route for opposition forces near the Lebanese border. The battle for the city in the contested Homs Province is viewed by both sides as a turning point which could prove crucial in deciding the conflict. Tariq Ali believes Hezbollah has joined the fight in order to protect the weapons smuggling routes of their own, those coming from neighboring Iran. As for the Syrian people, Ali says the majority just wants the war in the country to end, no matter which side gets the upper hand. http://rt.com/op-edge/syria-israel-iran-ali-527/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6b6_1369157489 cathy winslow 'Syrian conflict is a war targeting Iran' Iran,Syria,War,Israel,USA Tue, 21 May 2013 10:09:10 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=76e_1369144636 moosh Al Arabiya The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) held Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah personally responsible for the situation in the Syrian border town of Qusayr, as sectarian tension was on the rise in neighboring Lebanon. "We announced that Hassan Nasrallah will be held personally responsible for the current situation because he in person is meeting with all of before they head to Qusayr," FSA spokesperson Louay Almokdad told Al Arabiya English. "We are today calling Nasrallah a killer of the Syrian people." Clashes between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - along with Lebanese ally Hezbollah - and the rebels raged into a second day Monday in the strategic town of Qusayr, which is between Damascus and the coast. "It has reached the audacity and extent of criminal behavior that Nasrallah met with 1,200 of his fighters in the southern suburbs before they headed to ," the FSA spokesperson said, adding the Hezbollah chief has distributed "tokens of motivation on which Shiite slogans - Yatharat al-Hussein - were written to each of his fighters." "We are certain these are fighters of Hassan Nasrallah. They are no longer Hezbollah, they are fighters of Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Khamanei." However, the FSA spokesperson also said that, along with Hezbollah, were fighters from other Lebanese groups, including the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and the Baath Party. The Syrian rebels have repeatedly warned that they will hit Hezbollah targets on Lebanese territory if the latter does not withdraw from Syria and have called on the Lebanese government to put a stop to Hezbollah intervention. The Lebanese government: a state of paralysisHowever, according to Imad Salamey - a professor of International Affairs at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, the Lebanese government cannot do anything to stop the powerful Party of God. "The Lebanese government has been and continues to be in a state of paralysis, which mostly works in Hezbollah's interest," Salamey told Al Arabiya English on Monday. "The government cannot stop Hezbollah, and the army stopping Hezbollah from intervening in Syria will definitely not be the case." "Hezbollah is being dragged further into the Syrian conflict, and it is not going to end in Qusayr," he said, adding that the movement "was dragging Lebanon into a civil war." " involvement in the Syrian issue, no matter what the pretext, will only drag Lebanon into the conflict because the Lebanese are divided ." At least three people were killed and 40 injured in two days of fighting in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, where an Alawite minority lives. Lebanese Sunnis mostly sympathize with the revolt against the government of Bashar al-Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Source - http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/20/Nasrallah-killer-of-Syrian-people-as-tensions-in-Lebanon-rise.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=76e_1369144636 moosh Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into another civil war because of Qusayr - Poll Hezbollah, Syria Tue, 21 May 2013 10:02:04 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cc6_1369144617 KingSize0 Hezbollah are no longer able to hide their losses in Syria. At least 28 Hezbollah members reportedly killed while backing Syrian military attack on strategic town near Lebanon. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cc6_1369144617 KingSize0 Syrian Rebels Send Hezbollah Militants Back in Coffins hezbollah,syria,party,god,lebanon,lebanese,militants,shia,shiite,syrian,bashar,al-assad,iran Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:31 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7cd_1369071364 Eretz_Zen2 This report from RT Arabic sheds a light on the areas of Qusayr that have become under the control of the Syrian Army, whose high morale is allowing it to advance and soon gain full control of the city, whose only non-liberated part remains pockets in the northern districts. Al-Qaeda's Jabhat al-Nusra has used civilians that it imprisoned in the city as human shields, not allowing them to leave despite flyers that were dropped by the Syrian Army asking all civilians to evacuate the terrorist-held city. Source: Russia Today (RT) Arabic http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7cd_1369071364 Eretz_Zen2 <span class="highlight">Strategic</span> Qusayr Has Fallen to Syrian Army, Jabhat al-Nusra Used Civilians as Human Shields syria, fsa, free, syrian, terrorists, saa, arab, army, qusayr, qseir, nusra, front, jabhat, al, qaeda, military, militants, jihadis, jihadists, salafis, salafists Mon, 20 May 2013 19:13:20 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2ae_1369091303 Arif Hussain From: fb.com/syriareport Al-Qusayr is a strategic region and for its mountainous terrain, it overlooks other surrounding regions, covering all connecting roads. As said before, Al-Qusayr was providing the route for arms and forces entry to Syria, and functioned as headquarters for terrorists to manage the affairs from and sent troops to different regions. Having putting full siege on Al-Qusayr, Syrian army managed a great victory by overtaking large part of the city. Currently, whole south, west and east of Al-Qusayr are controlled by Syrian army, with northern part being only in terrorists' control. During overtake, hundreds of terrorists were captured, destroying their spirit, and inflicting heavy costs to opposition forces. The following is a glance at recent victories by Syrian army in Al-Qusayr . Syrian army has taken control of some government centers including culture center, church, and Municipality square in Al-Qusayr. . Syrian army has taken full control of Jusiya in Reef Qusayr in Homs province in vicinity of Lebanese borders, and cleared almost all regions from terrorists. . With Syrian army seizing most villages in Reef Qusayr in central Syria, some terrorist groups entertained the idea of talking to Syrian government and giving up the arms and surrender. . Syrian state news agency announced several operations by Syrian army in Homs, reporting that the army has destroyed communication roads and tunnels of terrorists in Al-Qusayr. . Chaharda, Tall Hanash, and Ras al-Maa were strategic points in providing arms and logistics by Lebanese groups to Syria. Farouq Brigades were entrenched in Jusiya and according to graffiti by terrorists, Ahmed Seif al-Din was Farouq Brigades commander. They had the religion under their control since a year, converting the school to their headquarters. . During Syrian army extensive operation in southern part of Reef Al-Qusayr in Homs province in central Syria, large amounts of weapons of Israeli made were discovered by Syria army and seized. . Syrian army restores peace and security in cultural centers, church, Municipality square, and al-Qayta neighborhood in Al-Qusayr in Homs province. . Khabar Press news website reported Israeli Special Forces have entered Al-Qusayr to help Al-Nusra Front. Intelligence agents entered Syria from Lebanon to prevent Syrian army progress towards Al-Qusayr. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2ae_1369091303 Arif Hussain Exclusive Images From Al Aqusayr Al Qusayr,Syria, SAA, FSA, Hezbollah Mon, 20 May 2013 17:49:46 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3b8_1369086337 volker_muller55 Syrian government forces, backed by the armed group Hezbollah, say they now control large parts of the western city of al Qusayr. Rebels deny this and say they are still in full control of this strategic city near Lebanese border. Syrian activists say at least 28 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the fighting. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin files this report from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3b8_1369086337 volker_muller55 Hezbollah suffers heavy losses in Syria battle Syria, Hezbollah, SAA, civil war, Lebanon Mon, 20 May 2013 15:57:41 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5e1_1369079699 GLEISE581 Hezbollah fighters killed in battle for Syria's Qusayr(AFP) - 13 minutes ago DAMASCUS - A Syrian government assault on the rebel bastion of Qusayr raged into a second day Monday, with at least 28 members of Lebanon's Shiite group Hezbollah reported killed as they fought alongside the army. US President Barack Obama expressed concern about Hezbollah's role in Syria, in a telephone call with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, the White House said. Official Syrian media said the army was consolidating its grip on Qusayr, a strategic prize in the two-year conflict. The battle for Qusayr began on Sunday, when regime forces backed by Hezbollah stormed the western town, casting a shadow over US-Russian efforts to organise a peace conference on Syria. By Monday, the fighting was focused on the east of the town, while thousands of civilians were trapped inside, activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting had left at least 56 rebels dead, six of them on Monday, and four civilians including a woman. It also said that "28 members of Hezbollah's elite forces were killed and more than 70 others wounded in clashes in the town of Qusayr yesterday," Sunday. A source close to Hezbollah told AFP at least 20 members had been killed in Syria fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. A White House statement said Obama "stressed his concern about Hezbollah's active and growing role in Syria, fighting on behalf of the Assad regime, which is counter to the Lebanese government's policies". Syria's official SANA news agency reported that Syrian troops "are restoring order and security to the eastern part of Qusayr, eliminating terrorists (the regime term for rebels), destroying their dens and defusing bombs near the centre of the town". An activist on the ground reported intense battles in eastern Qusayr but denied the army had advanced as far as it claimed. "The army has failed to secure any definitive advance so far. The battles are focused on the east now, where the regime still had a foothold. Now Hezbollah and regime forces are using that foothold to try and break in," Hadi al-Abdallah told AFP via the Internet. He said at least 25,000 civilians were trapped. "They have no way of getting out. Trying to get out of Qusayr is a suicide operation," said Abdallah. He called the latest assault one of the fiercest since the uprising against the Assad's regime erupted in March 2011. Qusayr is strategic because it sits between Damascus and the coast and is near the Lebanese border. Violence has frequently spilled over from Syria into Lebanon, where the population is divided over the conflict. On Monday, a Lebanese soldier was killed in the northern city of Tripoli, as the army tried to quell sectarian clashes between Sunnis who support the Syrian revolt and Alawites who back Assad. In Doha, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, lashed out against the international community. "It is no longer acceptable that influential states in the international community do not act to end the horrific tragedy and escalating humanitarian catastrophe," Sheikh Hamad said. He lamented the "failure of all international and Arab initiatives to get the Syrian regime to listen to the sound of reason". Syria's umbrella opposition National Coalition, warning that "a civilian massacre will soon take place", urged the Arab League to convene an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers and take measures "to protect Qusayr". The French foreign ministry urged "all the players in a position to avoid a new massacre of the Syrian civilian population to mobilise without delay". British Foreign Secretary William Hague said London remains committed to amending the EU arms embargo on Syria, but stressed it had taken no decisions to arm the rebels. Foreign ministers of the so-called Friends of Syria group of nations are due to meet on Wednesday in Jordan, ahead of a planned Syria peace conference which Washington and Russia are hoping to organise. On the humanitarian front, aid organisation Oxfam warned that as the hot Middle East summer approaches health risks could increase for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. The UN says that more than 1.5 million Syrians have fled the conflict and estimates that more than 70,000 people have been killed since March 2011. The Observatory has a higher toll of around 94,000 killed. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5e1_1369079699 GLEISE581 THINGS NOT GOING WELL FOR IRANIAN HEZBOLLAH syria iran