At least 10 people were killed on Friday in an explosion after alleged smugglers set a fuel depot on fire in response to a police crackdown, a local official said.

The suspects set ablaze an illegal fuel depot located in the basement of a three-story building in a small village near Turkey’s border with Syria, triggering a strong explosion that also wounded nine people.

Among the wounded were three suspected smugglers as well as several security officers, Anatolia news agency reported.

The suspects were trying to elude a crackdown by security forces who raided their shelter after a tip-off, Hatay city governor Celalettin Lekesiz was quoted as saying by Anatolia.

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, security along the lengthy border has weakened, with border towns becoming a hub for fuel smugglers, who can sell Syrian oil at a much higher price inside Turkey.

The explosion came days after twin car bombs rocked a border town in the same region on Saturday, killing 51 people. Official reports did not establish a connection between the incidents.

Those bombings were the deadliest case of what observers see as an increasing regionalization of the Syrian conflict that started in March 2011 and has taken 94,000 lives according to rights groups.

Ankara has sided with the rebels fighting to topple the Damascus regime and shelters around 400,000 refugees as well as army defectors along its frontier.

AFP - 05/17/2013

06/12/12

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that “the food security situation for many Syrians is rapidly deteriorating with the intensification of the conflict and its expansion to more areas”. Due to a shortage of fuel, government attacks on bakeries, and higher numbers of internally displaced Syrians, bread shortages in Syria are becoming increasingly common, and queues longer. In Aleppo for example, the price of bread is 40-50% higher than other Syrian governorates, with people dependent on private bakeries. With the situation intensifying in and around Damascus, the WFP has said deliveries of food aid have become more difficult:

“Road access to and from Damascus has become more dangerous, making it difficult to dispatch food from WFP warehouses to some parts of the country — particularly to the north. In the past few weeks, the UN food agency has seen increasing incidence of indiscriminate attacks on its trucks in different parts of the country.”

CNN’s Arwa Damon is on the ground in Aleppo, and she has seen this situation get dramatically worse in just the last week alone:

ppl say unprecedented level of begging in streets of #aleppo…we see it everyday…all over…little children…old women…people r hungry

— Arwa Damon (@arwaCNN) December 6, 2012

On sun fuel cost 85 syrian pounds…on tues it went up to 125…today 150…& we’re hearing that tomorrow its going up to 200 #aleppo #syria

— Arwa Damon (@arwaCNN) December 6, 2012

May 18 (Reuters) - Venezuela has sent a third shipment of diesel to Syria, the energy minister said on Friday, underscoring President Hugo Chavez’s support of the Middle East country despite its intensified crackdown on protesters.

Earlier this year, Venezuela’s government said it had sent at least two shipments of fuel to Syria, potentially undermining Western sanctions as a rare supplier to the increasingly isolated regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

A lawmaker from Chavez’s socialist party said in March that another shipment was being prepared and Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez confirmed that it had been sent.

“We’ve provided some supplies to Syria. We’re willing to help,” Ramirez told reporters. “We’ve sent three shipments (and) they haven’t needed any more than that.”

The fuel is crucial to Syria’s embattled al-Assad as former trading partners have dropped out for fear of violating international sanctions.

Chavez, who has made only fleeting appearances in recent months as he battles cancer, has been a vociferous supporter of Syria as part of a self-styled international “anti-imperialist” alliance.

An anti-government revolt that began as a peaceful protest movement has become increasingly militarized as rebels fight back against Assad’s violent crackdown. The United Nations has estimated that at least 9,000 people have been killed.

Ramirez added that Venezuela, South America’s No. 1 oil exporter, would insist that fellow members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) keep within agreed production quotas.

The next OPEC meeting is due to be held in Vienna on June 14, where it is likely to focus on quotas and production. At a meeting in December last year, the organization’s production target was set at 30 million barrels per day.

Venezuela, along with Iran and Algeria, has opposed raising output in the past, preferring instead to keep prices high.

Monday, April 16,2012

The revolution in Syria is now in its second year and questions are being raised about the likelihood of its success. Syrian activists attest that the persistence of the revolution against all odds is proof that it cannot be defeated. Their detractors argue Assad’s continued grasp on the country supports their argument that he is too strong to be removed. The international community is similarly divided with most Arab and Western countries saying Assad’s fall is only a matter of time. Meanwhile Russia, China and their allies insist Assad is here to stay.

The Syrian revolution has evolved over the past year from a singular protest in Damascus’ traditional Hamidiyye Market spreading to cover almost every square mile of Syria’s land. The rising number of defectors has also led to the creation of the Free Syrian Army whose self-proclaimed priority is to protect protesters from the regime’s violent oppression.

False Measures

The increase in defections is helping the FSA become an independent actor in the Syrian opposition. The media’s thirst for blood also helps the FSA grab more of the Syria headlines than the peaceful protests ever did. As a result many observers have taken to measuring the success of the revolution in terms of ground held by the FSA, or lost to Assad. This overshadows many of the accomplishments of the revolution.

What’s happening in Syria is a popular revolt and by no means a military conflict. The Syrian people are protesting because they desire to practice their right to self-determination. The Assad regime had imposed on its subjects a seemingly convenient formula, which can easily be summarized by “do whatever you want, just don’t threaten the regime.” Any dissenters were promptly silenced in a mysterious yet public manner that spelled out the consequences for speaking up. This culture of fear ruled Syria for five decades.

The Syrian Revolution is changing the psyche of most Syrian people, dissenters and supporters alike. In the few cafes that are still open in Aleppo and Damascus customers openly discuss the crisis in Syria, often omitting discreet terms. In March a group of youth, regime opponents and supporters, gathered in Damascus to participate in a convoy delivering aid to Homs in a sign of solidarity with those affected by the regime’s onslaught. The convoy was prevented from leaving Damascus and the youth responded by staging a sit-in. In June of last year Assad hosted a delegation from Jobar, a Damascus neighborhood that was among the first to revolt. One of the participants leaked his notes from the meeting. They revealed that the guests openly talked back to the president. The leak alone is an act of defiance unheard of before in Syria.

“The wall of fear has been broken” may sound to many as a hollow statement however it is the most significant realization of the past year. This small development is changing the very nature of the relationship between the Arab people and their governors.

Shattered Houses, Shattered Economy

Assad’s biggest mistakes are in his attempts to quash the revolution by means of military conquest. He sent troops into residential neighborhoods to occupy them and prevent protests, as a result many have defected. Assad then turned to a more destructive strategy. In an effort to minimize defections and increase destruction through collective punishment, the army has taken to shelling entire neighborhoods with mortars and rockets from a distance, eroding support for defectors holed up in FSA neighborhoods. This has caused enormous amounts of damage to infrastructure, utilities, schools, businesses and left thousands of people homeless and displaced.

The Syrian economy is suffering from enormous damage. Shabbiha, the local thugs, raid and loot any shop that participates in strikes leaving owners without a means for livelihood. Regime opponents who are uncovered are routinely fired, even from private businesses. In cities where major military operations are taking place life is at a complete standstill. To make things worse, the regime has virtually shifted to a war economy. All resources are diverted to the security forces and army. The regime is failing to deliver on basic needs. Food and fuel shortages have caused inflation to skyrocket even in the least affected cities. Even in the capital, Damascus, many residents are without electricity for up to 12 hours a day.

Help from the regime’s allies is failing to sustain the economy. Cash injections from Russia and Iran are doing little to prevent the fall of the Syrian Pound which is almost at half its pre-revolution value. Fuel shipments from Venezuela are delivered to the military, leaving the Syrian population immobilized and in the dark.

The Revolution Matures

Meanwhile the revolution is building its own economy. Local committees, tasked with organizing protests, are growing into revolution councils that manage each city’s internal affairs. Local committees are groups of typically 20 activists each. They were conceived as activist groups responsible for organizing and documenting protests. Their responsibilities are growing to cover services usually handled by the government and NGOs. They enlist citizen journalists to report on the regime’s actions as foreign journalists are barred from the country. They document cases of deaths, disappearances, and torture.

These councils are merging into city-wide “revolution councils” and taking on the additional responsibility of humanitarian relief. Revolution councils survey needs, receive aid and redistribute it. They arrange shelter and aid for the internally displaced. Revolution councils have also taken over local city services such as trash collection. They are replacing all forms of local government to the extent that some regime-controlled local directorates have fallen completely outside its tutelage. On a visit to Binnish, the late Anthony Shadid suggested their council could serve as a model for the future Syria. It already is.

If Assad Wins

Questions arise over what could count as a win for Assad. The regime’s lack of any serious reforms suggests that it hopes to roll back the revolution and all its consequences. In the best case scenario all dissenters would go back to their homes and shut up, surrendering their lives to Assad. But it is significantly more complicated than that, not least because many of these dissenters no longer have homes.

To reverse the clock the regime will have to restore the quality of life of the Syrian people, at least to what it was on March 14, 2011. It will have to rebuild entire neighborhoods, including houses, schools, hospitals, shops, and public services buildings. It will have to repair the economy and find jobs for all unemployed. The sheer level of destruction will make this a monumental task. During its war against its opponents the army destroyed life-sustaining infrastructures such as dams and granaries. It torched thousands of acres of farmland which will need treatment before any new crops can grow again. The regime will have to regain the confidence of the people in its ability to manage the country.

Assad’s allies are arguing for what they see as a more realistic scenario, a negotiated settlement where power is shared between the regime and its opponents. Their hope is that this will vent dissent while allowing the regime to remain in control. The current compromise plan endorsed by Assad’s foreign allies and foes includes withdrawal of all military units, a daily humanitarian ceasefire, release of all detainees, and access for foreign journalists. The regime here hopes to give only enough its allies to alleviate the pressure from others in the international community, without ceding any ground that would tip the balance against in favor of its opponents.

Infinite Loop

Both scenarios are highly unlikely. Dissent in Syria is at an all-time high and still rising. The regime lacks the funds it needs to buy back the people’s trust. It is unlikely that the sanctions imposed on Syria will be lifted soon or soon enough to rectify the situation. The amount of help the regime is receiving from its allies is not clear but it has so far failed to stabilize the economy. Assad will need much more to rebuild what he destroyed and stifle dissent. Iran, the regime’s closest ally, is struggling with its own sanctions. China withdrew several employees due to deteriorating security condition and Russian residents are reporting cases of threats and harassment. Even Assad’s staunchest allies will be wary of investing in a country where their citizens feel unwanted.

The UN-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 12, yet the regime’s military machine continues to grind on in every province in Syria. It continues to demonstrate complete intolerance to any dissent. This fatal equation has locked the country in a war of attrition. The more Assad kills, the more dissent is spread. The wider the dissent, the more Assad kills. For Assad to “win” he will need to adopt policies so repressive they will make life in North Korea feel like a walk in the park.

Assad’s obsession with his military (the security solution) will be his demise. The army is behaving as a foreign occupation force rather than “Guardians of the Homeland” as they are called in Syria’s national anthem. It is being used as a tool to punish the people rather than protect them. Slowly but steadily Assad is losing his grasp over everything in the country. He is neglecting everything other than the military, leaving local governance to activists. Revolution councils are increasingly responsible for managing all aspects of civilian life.

Assad is on a path with only one logical end. His. The army, like civilians, require services to function properly. Soldiers are already being sent on missions without rations. As they become more dependent on the revolution councils they will defect in larger numbers. Assad will lose his only card.

A cargo of diesel, which can be used to fuel army tanks or as heating fuel, was expected to arrive at Syria’s Mediterranean port of Banias this week, according to two traders and shipping data. The cargo could be worth up to $50 million.

Chavez is a vociferous advocate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who face pressure from Western sanctions. Few leaders on the world stage have polarized opinion as sharply as the Venezuelan president.

Chavez, who still defends the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has repeatedly backed Arab leaders who have faced a year-long wave of popular protests, which have already toppled four governments.

Asked on Thursday about the shipments to Syria and whether they could be used for military purposes, Chavez said Venezuela never asked the United States what it did with the fuel that Venezuela sold it, and that no one could dictate to Caracas.

“We are free. We are a free country,” he said, standing with his friend Sean Penn, the U.S. actor, who is visiting Venezuela.

Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA shipped the cargo aboard the Negra Hipolita vessel, according to AIS tracking data on the Reuters Freight Fundamentals Database and trade sources. The same tanker carried the first such shipment in November, the sources said.

PDVSA could not immediately be reached for comment.

“The aggressions against Syria are continuing,” Chavez said in a speech last month. “It’s the same formula they (the West) used against Libya: inject violence, inject terrorism from abroad and later invoke the United Nations to intervene.”

The South American OPEC nation has also tried to aid Iran with fuel supplies amid sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Rights groups say close to 6,000 people have been killed in attacks by Syrian security forces against civilian demonstrators and an increasingly powerful rebel insurgency.

The United States and Europe are pressuring Assad to leave power. Russia and China this month vetoed a United Nations resolution calling on Assad to step aside.

SATELLITE TRACKING

The Venezuelan tanker was last seen off the coast of Cyprus with a destination of Banias and the estimated arrival date of Wednesday, AIS ship tracking on Reuters showed. The satellite tracking has been switched off since Wednesday.

The shipment comes at a critical time for Syria, which has faced worsening energy shortages this winter after Western sanctions all but halted imports, which are needed to meet half the country’s diesel demand.

Diplomats blame the power and fuel shortages on increased demand from the military, while the government says attacks on power stations and refinery pipelines are reducing supply.

The PDVSA shipments appeared to be carried out under a 2010 agreement between the governments of the two nations in which Venezuela provides diesel in exchange for food and commodities such as olive oil.

Syria’s oil minister spoke about the possibility of Venezuelan imports in January, and traders said the Negra Hipolita diesel shipment to Syria was the second delivery in the past three months.

The vessel can carry 47,000 tones, which if fully loaded would be worth around $50 million. It was not clear how much diesel the ship was carrying.

While there is no blanket embargo on supplying fuel to Syria, its state-owned oil firm Sytrol, responsible for organizing fuel imports and exports, was placed on a U.S. blacklist last summer, and the European Union followed suit in December.

It was not clear whether the recent reported fuel transactions were done via Sytrol.

The EU has stopped short of banning product deliveries for humanitarian reasons, but oil traders said most deliveries have stopped anyway as traditional suppliers are increasingly reluctant to do business with Syria.

Normally an exporter of crude oil even in peacetime, Syria has relied on imports for more than half of its annual consumption of 5 million tones of diesel because of a shortage of domestic refining capacity. International sanctions have stopped Syrian oil exports since September last year, drastically stretching government budget revenues.

A growing number of military attacks involving armored vehicles and tanks may be spurring diesel consumption, while a severe winter is driving up heating demand.

“Given the risk that (refining) capacity could be cut due to sabotage, fuel shortages are likely to force the government to rely on costly imports supplied by a shrinking pool of political allies,” risk group Business Monitor International wrote in a recent report.

Due to the sanctions, the Negra Hipolita will not be able to dock at ports in the United States nor in Europe, one of the sources said. In the past the vessel has been primarily used to transport crude between production facilities and refineries within Venezuela.

The United States previously imposed sanctions on PDVSA over sales of gasoline-blending components to Iran in violation of a U.S. ban.

(Additional reporting by Himanshu Ojha in New York, Jonathan Saul in London, and Daniel Wallis in Caracas; Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Dmitry Zhdannikov, James Jukwey and Dale Hudson)

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25 January 2012

Violence in Syria has left hundreds of people dead or wounded, and many more detained. With the situation deteriorating, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement continues to help people in the country.

Nine months after the unrest started, winter has made a bad situation worse. There are fuel shortages, some factories and shops are closing down, and electricity cuts are common. Difficulties in moving around freely and buying food make daily life even harder for many.

Continued support in Syria

Funds from the British Red Cross’ Libya & Region Appeal continue to support people in Syria. Appeal funds have already helped buy eight ambulances, 3,000 food parcels, 200 hygiene kits and 150 pairs of overalls for volunteers. Money raised in the appeal is also being put towards raising awareness in Syria about the Red Cross Movement’s emblem and fundamental principles, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent’s role.

In total, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have distributed:

• 14,000 food parcels, enough to feed 85,000 people for one month
• 30,000 school kits, each of which contains a school bag and a complete set of stationery, to children from poor households in affected areas
• enough hygiene kits to help 8,400 people
• 3,000 blankets

The ICRC is supporting healthcare in the country. It has donated wound-dressing materials, triage kits, stretchers, wheelchairs and trolleys for the treatment of patients with violence-related injuries to private and government hospitals, and to Syrian Arab Red Crescent headquarters for the use of first-aid volunteers.

An advanced first aid seminar, organised by the ICRC, has given new skills to more than 60 doctors who volunteered to help the Syrian Arab Red Crescent treat injured people.

Donate to the Libya & Region Appeal

(CNN) — Syrian troops shelled restive neighborhoods Saturday during a massive push in the city of Homs, activists said.

An onslaught occurred in the flashpoint neighborhood of Bab Amr, said activists Abu Omar, based in the western city, and Alexander Page, speaking to CNN from Cairo, where he is in touch with people in Homs. Omar and Page said thousands of troops entered Homs.

“They are surrounding the area from everywhere,” Omar said. As CNN spoke to him by phone, heavy gunfire could be heard in the background.

The operation occurred as the Arab League prepared to start its monitoring mission next week, part of an initiative to end the violence in Syria.

Another activist in Homs, Abu Salim, said at least 4,000 security personnel were surrounding Bab Amr and the number was increasing. The troops dug trenches around parts of the neighborhood.

He said the neighborhood’s population before the security forces arrived was at least 50,000. Now, many people have fled, fearing death and escaping the harsh humanitarian conditions.

“Much of the shelling in the city is coming from the local headquarters of military intelligence in the city. They shell different neighborhoods from there,” Salim said. “Tanks are present in some neighborhoods and they directly shoot at homes.”

Salim said people are targeted if they walk the streets, there are shortages of fuel, heating oil and baby formula, and “the humanitarian situation is really difficult.”

“The sounds of explosions are almost continuous and rarely stop even through the night,” he said.

Salim said makeshift medical clinics are trying to make do.

“We lack any sophisticated medical tool or equipment. … We only use first aid kits and tools to deal with bullet wounds. Most of the wounded end up dying. … We do not have enough doctors or nurses to help the injured,” he said.

Omar said he saw more than 40 injured people at a field hospital. Asked why he thinks security forces are targeting Bab Amr, he said the neighborhood is staunchly against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is “making a lot of problems for the regime.”

He asked the international community for its support.

“We want your help. … We just need a no-fly zone, and more pressure on al-Assad’s regime,” Omar said.

At least five neighborhoods in Homs have been attacked, Salim said.

Security forces also shelled the neighborhoods of Bayada, Khaldiyeh, and Karm Al-Zaitoun, and warplanes flew over the area, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria (LCC), an opposition activist network.

The LCC said 38 people were killed across the country Saturday, including 25 in Homs.

It also said security forces assassinated Ghazi Mohammad Khaled Zoaib, former secretary general of the Homs’ division of the Baath Party, and his wife, Rajaa Mohammad Khaled Bakkar. That incident occurred during a raid on their house in Bab Amr.

“The martyr had been threatened before by the regime as a result of his support of the revolutions since its beginning,” the LCC said.

It said two army defectors were also killed. A massive demonstration was taking place in the neighborhood of Malaab, a protest in solidarity with the people of Bab Amr.

CNN cannot independently verify reports of deaths and injuries in Syria. The Syrian government has restricted access to international journalists.

The attacks in Homs came a day after dual bombings struck the country’s capital, Damascus. Al-Assad’s government blamed terrorists inside and outside of Syria, but the opposition called the attacks the work of the regime.

Syria has entered its bloodiest period in a months-long uprising, raising questions about whether observers from the Arab League will be able to stem the growing violence.

The United States, which has called for al-Assad to step aside and has initiated sanctions against the regime, deplored the bombings, said there “is no justification for terrorism of any kind” and expressed hope that the strike doesn’t undermine the Arab League efforts.

“It is crucial that (the) attack not impede the critical work of the Arab League monitoring mission to document and deter human rights abuses with the goal of protecting civilians,” State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Friday.

“We hope that this mission will proceed unfettered in an atmosphere of non-violence. The burden is on the regime to cooperate fully and quickly with the monitoring mission.”

More than 5,000 people have died since al-Assad began a brutal crackdown in mid-March on anti-government protesters calling for his ouster, the United Nations said earlier this month.

Many more deaths have since been reported. AVAAZ, a New York-based political activist group, and the LCC said more than 6,000 people have been killed.

The Syrian government has said 2,000 of its soldiers and security forces have been killed in the uprising, which it blames on “armed gangs.”

A surge of violence this week claimed almost 300 lives, according to the opposition Syrian National Council.

Funerals occurred Saturday for 44 people killed in the two suicide car bombings at the offices of two security branches in Damascus, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement released to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency. At least 166 were wounded in the attack, the ministry said.

The violent crackdown by al-Assad’s security forces against the opposition has garnered worldwide condemnation from the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey in addition to the United States.

CNN’s Samira Said, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.

By Syrian Revolution General Commission
Media Section

The Strike of Dignity will begin on 11 Dec 2011. The towns of Horan, i.e., Dar’aa province, remain under siege by the security forces and regime sponsored gangs. There is a fuel crisis, as well as a food and milk crisis, across the towns and villages of Dar’aa. Notable are the actions of the regime in Da’el, as well as the operations carried out by the Free Syrian Army in Da’el. Details can be found below.

Tally of Dec 6 protests calling for the fall of the regime, a Buffer Zone, and freedom:
• Three protests in Dar’aa, one of them in support of the Strike of Dignity
• Two protests in Almaseefra, one of them a student protest
• Two protests in Inkhil, one of them a women and children’s protest
• One protest in Ibti’
• One very large protest in Da’el, despite very heavy presence of security forces terrorizing the residents of the town
• One protest in Naa’hta
• One student protest in Bosr Al’Hareer
• Two protests in Al’Haarra, one of them a student protest
• Two protests in Umm Walad, one of them a student protest
• Two protests in Khirbet Ghazala, one of them a student protest
• One large protest in Almazeereeb
• One protest in Seeda
• One protest in Alyaduda specifically in support of the Strike of Dignity
• One protest in Aljiza
• One protest in Bosra Asham also in support of the Strike of Dignity
• One protest in Asanmeen
• One large protest in Tafs despite heavy gunfire
• One protest in Mlee’het Al’atash

Arrests and Violence by the Security Forces and Shabiha (Regime-Sponsored Gangs):
• In Dar’aa, a young man by the name of Mansoor Qasem AlMuhaameed was arrested at a Customs Checkpoint as he was driving on the road to Jordan. He was arrested to put pressure on his brother, Nabeel Qasem AlMuhaameed, to hand himself in to the security forces and Shabiha (regime-sponsored gangs). This is in addition to the arrest of the boy Ahmad Nabeel AlMuhaameed five days ago, also to put pressure on Mr. Nabeel to turn himself in.
• In one of the student protests which occurred in Dar’aa yesterday, the student Yusuf Musalma, who is in the sixth grade, was arrested and beat savagely by the security forces, then taken to the jail and beat more, then released in the evening.
• Heavy gunfire was heard from the west side of Dar’aa.
• A general strike was carried out in the town of Almaseefra in honor of the martyr Isma’eel Alumari, Abu Kanan, who died under torture and leaves behind four children. The residents of the town carried out this strike despite the presence of security forces and checkpoints in the town.
• The security forces stormed the farms surrounding Jassem in search for activists and revolutionaries.
• The young man Riyadh Waheed Jabr Adaneefat was arrested in Jassem last night for the fourth time.
• The town of Inkhil continues to experience raids which started three days ago, with security forces raiding countless homes in the search for activists. Last night the pharmacy of Leena Anayef was raided, and her husband was arrested in a savage manner as his children were watching. Three other young men were arrested, but their names have not been verified.
• Also in Inkhil, the security forces’ checkpoints continue to be places where residents are searched and assaulted, such as two brothers Ahmad and Muhammad Abdul Hameed Alwadee, who were arrested and beat savagely at a checkpoint.
• Two more arrests in Inkhil occurred on Dec 6:
o Bassam Ahmad Almatar (who was kidnapped in front of his house)
o Ibn I’hsan Al’eed (arrested from university)
• Security forces raided the village of Ibti’ this morning, coupled with gunfire which filled the air. As is usual during these raids, motorcycles were burned and homes were raided in the southern side of the town.
• The following young men were arrested in Ibti’:
o Khaled Alqutaifani (the residents of the town tried to free him from the security forces with no avail)
o Muhammad Malek Anaseeraat (second year medical student who was rearrested after having to go to the hospital from injuries resulting from a beating by the security forces at the university)
• The children of Da’el woke up to the sounds of gunfire, tanks and armored vehicles filled with security forces and Shabiha (regime sponsored gangs) entering the town in the early morning. The regime’s forces burned many cars of the residents, and broke into many of the shops.
• Military planes which broke the sound barrier could be seen flying over Da’el today to terrorize the residents.
• The town of Da’el remains severely besieged and surrounded, with a fuel, gas and wood shortage. No one is allowed to exit or enter, and there is no milk for children or other nutritional necessities.
• The following were arrested in Da’el today:
o Muhammad Abdul Rahman Shetwee Aljamoos
o ‘Ahed Abdul Rahma Shetwee Aljamoos (student in the Business College in Dar’aa)
o Ra’ed Ibrahim Aljamoos
o Ayham Khaled Risq Aljamoos
o Muhammad Khaled Riqq Aljamoos
o Yaser Muhammad Deif Allah Aljamoos
o Muhammd Yasser Muhammad Deif Allah Aljamoos
o Mu’ath Ahmad Al’hajee Al’asmee
o Muhammad Qaseem ‘Aweer
o Muhammad Abdul Azees Aweer
• The security forces and Shabiha (regime sponsored gangs) hijacked the owners of agricultural tractors in the town of Nimr and forced them to move large rocks to fortify the checkpoint and build a stronger wall around it.
• The young man Fares Manookh Aljarrad (medical student) was arrested in the town of Al’harra from his dorm at 11 PM last night.
• The security forces killed a police officer by the name of Muhammad Ghazi Alkhidrawi from Sheikh Miskeen who refused to shoot at the residents of Da’el.
• Heavy gunfire reported at the Sheikh Miskeen Roundabout.
• Heavy dispersion of the security forces and Mukhabarat (Intelligence Agency) on the road from Dar’aa to Khirbit Ghazala.
• Tanks in ‘Atman were facing Da’el today, and firing at school-age students.

Activities of the Free Syrian Army:
• A large explosion destroyed the security checkpoint on the road between Khirbet Ghazala and Dar’aa. The Free Syrian Army is claiming responsibility for this attack.
• An amazing thing occurred in Da’el today when the security forces and Shabiha (regime sponsored gangs) entered the town and began terrorizing the residents: the Free Syrian Army pointed their weapons toward the security forces and were able to shoot at them, killing more than 8 of them and wounding around 25. One of the dead security forces was a First Lieutenant by the name of Ali , and the Free Syrian Army lost around 7 martyrs.

Videos of Today’s Events:
• Dar’aa
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_khuEibQxKo
• AlMaseefra
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-jCy6sPes&feature=youtu.be
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr2dvjy_x8k
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWbSraDDG90
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-jCy6sPes&feature=youtu.be
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tonKYlXwFSw
• Inkhil
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Nf2UP9ctU
o https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=149347828504618
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0kSR2zCyd8&feature=youtu.be
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KOv6bm853A&feature=youtu.be
• Ibti’:
o http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmt0sc_yyyy-yyyy-yyyyyy-yyyyyy-yy-6-12-2011_news
• Da’el:
o http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmt07h_yyyy-yyyy-yyyyyy-yyy-yyyyyy-yyyyyy-6-12-2011_news
• Al-‘Harrak:
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KpsgYaTXCQ
• Na’hta
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_koy2k7IjI&feature=youtu.be
• Bosr Al’Hareer:
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvO8Fn7fZcE
• Al’Harra:
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI180HBthVk
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8OkZiq1PnE
• Umm Walad:
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSvC8g4DRNg
• Khirbet Ghazala:
o http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmt07l_yyyy-yyyy-yyyyy-yyyyyy-yyyyyy-yyyyy-6-12-2011-y1_news
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8wKsKzqiuE
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdgviuO6ePU
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQA2fhCMYfY
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-9ss6iFodg
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovTgie9gns
• Sa’hm Aljolan
o https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=149354041837330
• ‘Atman
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU3bVVs1eNs
• Bosra Asham:
o https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=286819158022354
• Tafs:
o https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=103204916464776
• Mlee’ha Al’atsh:
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iooxiw0mg88

By Local Coordinating Committee of Horan
Media Section
==========================

SNN | #Syria | Idlib | Jabal Al-Zawiya: A humanitarian Appeal from the People | Syria

The Syrian Revolution _ Jabal Al Zawiyah Jabal Al Zawiyah is a mountain range that includes around 40 villages between the valleys and mountains. In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most gracious: We the people of Jabal Al Zawiyah, Idlib province, appeal to every person with a conscience. It is hard for us to bare the pain and suffering that we are going through since 7 months ago, through the army forces, gangs of thugs, and militias and mercenaries of Nasrallah and Iran and more recently the Iraqi brigade of Bader and Al Sadder Troops. Now we are in winter and with the geographical nature of Jabal Al Zawiyah the seriousness of the injustice, oppression, and the invasion of our houses and properties has became harsher. Even cows and sheep were a victim to this tyrant. Along with these situations, cold is an added factor to our suffering. Now desiel fuel is out of reach completely although each military tank contains 3000 liters of diesel oil, which is the equivalent of the consumption of diesel oil from 6 families in the whole winter season. And if we look around the massacres in the country we can surely estimate how much the fuel oil is being monopolized for the sake of killing. We can’t also disregard the fact that food supply is almost cut-off and also monopolized by the regime’s thugs and supporting merchants. We have been suffering for months and in the most powerful and extreme conditions from violation, arrests, killing, and the disruption of communications and electicity in all forms. The people who are left in the villages either packed their things and left or wandered between the mountains. People who haven’t been killed and murdered yet are detained by the intellegence system, and when the prison buildings get overloaded, the detainees are taken to the branches of security forces in Aleppo and Damascus, specifically to the branch 271 that is being run by the criminal Ali Mamlouk, where the branch in Kafarnabel and surrounding towns were filled in extreme situations of torture and the inhuman conduct. The hospitals are not equipped - instead they are being used as military barracks. There is no treatment for the citizens and no one dares to go because maybe they wont come back. As it is, dozens of crimes took place in hospitals where wounded people were arrested and their bodies weren’t handed to their parents unless they sign on a paper that their children died because of terrorist attacks. And this situation is known to people around the world and if a wounded person miraculously is taken into a hospita,l then he’s kicked out immediately ignoring their excruciating pain and suffering. While we live under these circumstances, we call on all parties concerned with human rights to consider the region of Jabal Al Zawiyah as a disaster area including the villages that are spread around the harsh terrain. Under the flight of air forces and under heavy gunshots, even if it’s somehow calm during the day,the firing starts at sunset until early morning with all kinds of weapons. We mean the heavy weapons that this regime uses, even animals, and birds aren’t excluded from the shooting. The Syrian army troops, thugs, and mercenaries from Iran and Nasrallah, are destroying our villages and our property in an immoral and inhuman way. If some of the honorable soldiers defected because of the horrible crimes the regime is demanding them to commit, then they will be chased by air forces and by all means even by firing missiles randomly on every moving object they see in front of them - without differentiating between women, young men, elderly, and children. For how long are people going to cry out for help to every conscience and relief committee? For how long we are going to bleed and everyone in the world is watching? For how long we are going to sleep with open wounds? We are speaking to the whole world and we know that the Arab conscience isn’t going to respond, not even their feelings will respond to our pain. We are speaking to everyone, every race, every religion. We are speaking to humanity with its human conscience. If the human conscience is dead, then the whole world is going to die with every person in it. We speak to the human being who is HUMAN and doesn’t belong to this race or that religion. We SCREAM in the face of tyrants and we will continue to. This is our choice, the choice of freedom, free people, free will and dignity. God willing we are going to stay the course, whatever the situations are, this is the road chosen by the great Syian people and will never lose our direction, no matter how harsh the situation. We are a people who said rightfully what they want. Oh free world, we are talking to you, listen to our human cry. Stand with the righteous. We the people of Jabal AL Zawiyah in Idlib province, and Idlib Countryside, announce that our country is afflicted and in distress. We have one question; can your conscience tolerate the killing? 22nd November 2011 

Bashar and his buddies, enemies of humanity…six children, a mentally disabled person, a woman, and old men
5 kids today were playing near their homes in al-Holeh, were shot at and 4 of them were killed, and the fifth was injured. The kids were 10, 11, 13, and 15 years old. They were playing in an area near their school, which they were not attending because it’s been taken over. Those kids only saw the beginning of their lives, were not in a demonstration, and did not throw a rock at the regime. In al-Khaldiyeh, a mentally disabled person gets shot and killed, and a woman gets critically injured after snipers targeted scything, even cats. A medic who tried to help the woman in al-Khaldiyeh was arrested, and others were injured for no other reason except being in the street. Nothing was spared from bullets today, walls of homes and stores, cars, and streets. Not to mention the illnesses, which have started striking children, in their behavior and in their growth because of the food shortage.

Here are videos of the children and other fallen heroes today:
1- Mahmoud al-Masri, 47 | al-Khaldiyeh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjV53lw5LNQ
2- Abdelkader Maher Raslan, 10 | al-Holeh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGaF5MqSnTo
3- Shehadeh Ayman Al-Kassem, 15 | al-Holeh
4- Imad Amid Ismael, 12 | al-Holeh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwTTYraTwhw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmMrB9hTlv0
5- Moussa al-Framli, 11 | al-Holeh
6- Munir Habbous, 25, mentally disabled | al-Khaldiyeh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5BLCtpQkhk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlrpAM1kQSw
7- Issa Shahoud al-Khalil, 27 | Talbiseh
8- Muhammad Mahdi al-Khalif | Deir Balba
9- Nasser Kassem | Karm al-Zeitoun
10- Bilal al-Manshaf, 5 | Baba Amr

Siege is for the people and residents, not the demonstrators, and homes are for the people and not the demonstrators
Today, al-Bayada and al-Khaldiyeh were surrounded and snipers fired, while armored vehicles, cars, and soldiers entered the neighborhood. Assad forces arrested the family of one of the fallen heroes along with others and terrorized people. In al-Qusayr, security forces kicked people out of their homes that were around the National hospital that has been taken over by the Assad forces. Homes yesterday and today were broken and had glass shatter because of the sound of bullets and from being fired at. Khalid bin al-Waleed university has become a shelter for security and Shabiha who have become barbaric in their behavior, and their bothering girls at the university during the day, firing at people in the afternoon, and robbing people’s homes at night. Security checkpoints continue to rob anything that comes within their reach while they are “inspecting” cars and people. Heavy security presence continues in Homs until the late evening hours, with reinforcements from nearby military areas arriving to the city without anything in their way. Medical supplies are in extreme shortage from stores today, and some types of foods are also becoming scarce. Power is out in most areas, as are most types of fuel.

Video of a home in al-Khaldiyeh after security bombed it, with 4 kids in it, who were injured
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S84h4TZhBoo

Signs of bombing on a home in Bab al-Sbaa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP5Hyi97o98
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqZJPjaleFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwS4pO6a_M4

Tanks in al-Holeh firing at kids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNh55aYDqhU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DxqfZwDUsY

Video from al-Qusoor, firing at homes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91X6uyCNVk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9GoZCUnYg

Anger ignites the heads of men and makes the blood of the young men boil in all of Homs
Today, the resident of al-Qusayr had a funerals for several of their sons the past few days, people were kicked out of their homes near the hospital, and stores were broken and their contents stolen. Residents of al-Holeh lost many, from old men, to women, to young kids, and more than 100 young men were arrested, even women could not escape arrest. After all of this of tightening the ropes around people’s livelihood, arresting, and killing, the people of Homs show today signs of an eruption that will wash away Assad and everyone who is with him.

Today’s demonstrations
Demonstrations went out today in most neighborhoods and towns around Homs, and here are some examples:

al-Khaldiyeh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sP3vURUXiE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_miM0S3l3E

al-Qaryatain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWyb_dNoY2s

al-Qusoor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IUh2P3qHtA

Summary of the summary
- 5 children are among those killed today and a mentally disabled man
- Injuries in al-Bayada, al-Khadiyeh, Bab al-Sbaa, al-Qusoor and other areas, people whose only fault was they were walking in the street, among them a woman
- Invasion of al-Khalidyeh, and arresting the family of a fallen hero, along with other people
- Evicting people from homes around the National hospital in al-Qusayr by Assad forces, so they can hide their crimes and bodies
- Security forces storm al-Holeh, among those killed are children
- Continued movement of army and security in the city, and an increase in snipers, tanks, and checkpoints

Revolution time story from Homs:
In a home in Homs, a family was sitting in the livingroom. The mother said to her son “honey, close the window.” So he got up and closed the window, and sat down on the couch across from her in an odd manner. She said to him “what’s wrong with you?” His brother said “mother, there is blood on the curtains.” The mother got up and touched her son’s head, and his brain oozed onto her hand. He had just been shot by a sniper from the Baba Amr checkpoint, because he stood by the window. He was only 13.

Important points from today:
- Children are partaking in the Revolution and are part of the sacrifice and pain of it. It has affected them in so many ways.
- Snipers and their danger on the people. They are spread all over, and the number of victims by snipers is on the rise

From: E.N.N https://www.facebook.com/Edlib.News.Network

For the 5th consecutive day, a complete blackout of all communication means; including landlines, wireless, and internet, from the entire province of Idlib, the news that successfully leak to us might be but a fraction of what is being committed by the regime, we warn that the regime is committing massacres and military campaigns in various regions of Idlib; while taking advantage of the lack of media coverage. And we call upon the world to look at our situation; winter season is chilling and there is a real crisis in all kinds of fuel as well as electricity.


Kafr Takharim town:

• Martyr Rudwan Al-Khadr joined yesterday’s martyrs, his body was found today, he was one of the 15 missing people. Which makes the known number –till now- of martyrs of Kafr Takharim [on yesterday] rise to 10.

• The army elements came back with 11 tanks, and they are stationed at, and have set up checkpoints-barricades, in the following areas:
1. The barricade-checkpoint at the cemetery to the north of the town.
2. The barricade-checkpoint downtown at Al-Hurriya (freedom) square – at the police station.
3. The barricade-checkpoint at the Gas station in the southern tip of the road to Idlib, at the edge of the town.

• The 3 detained women were released.

• The detainees who we know of:
Khalid Saeed
Rashid Al-Debl
Shady Hejju
Atta Al-Sourani
Hamid Kayyali
Nasser Al-Sarma
Omar Haji Asad
Isam Al-Surani
Dr. Badr al-Din Al-Sarma
Dr. Badr al-Din Jebs
Dr. Yusuf Kenjo
Omar Abdul-Ghafour
Nasser Abdul-Ghafour
Ala Haji Asad
Firas Haj Asad
Hisham Haj Asad
Qais Al-Afandi
Bassam Al-Aqel
Musab Ibrahim Muharram
Mohammed Mustafa Jebs

Taftanaz town:

• The following services and items were cut off for 3 days: electricity, fuel, landlines and wireless communications.
• Then, after those 3 days, regime forces stormed the town by around a 100 military vehicles accompanied by security buses.
• They stayed in the eastern area of the town and imposed a siege on the entire town by surrounding it from all sides, along with snipers on the rooftops.
• The invasion was accompanied by intensive firing from machine guns and heavy weapons, the shells of these weapons fell on many homes causing great damage. The minaret of the Grand Mosque was attacked and live bullets were fired directly at it.
• Water tanks were a direct target for regime forces fire.
• 2 martyrs fell as a result of this attack: martyr Hussein Jamal Shaban and martyr Maher Muhammad Rahhal.
• In addition to dozens of injuries, including wounding women and 2 female children, the victims were transported to the nearby town of Binnish, and in there the funeral procession were held for the 2 martyrs, whom afterward were buried in the cemetery of Taftanaz town.
• Khaled Abdul-Aziz Tahhan and Abdul-Hamid Hasan Tahhan were arrested.
• After sunset, the army withdrew and got stationed at the military airport of Taftanaz, following the defection of a large number of army elements who did not allow security forces in.
• The free women of Taftanaz sent a message to the world saying: God is with us, we are not afraid, we are certain of victory; and though we are living in a desert with no water, electricity, nor communication, but we have dignity and dignity is our bread.

Documentation Videos on Taftanaz:
Regime forces storming Tantanaz town:
P1 http://youtu.be/B7locrN98Kc
P2 http://youtu.be/aZgIp-KBluQ
P3 Shabiha (regime-sponsored gangs) elements during the invasion http://youtu.be/WXWePzlbIVs
P4 Security and Shabiha concentration at road-junctions http://youtu.be/iw1SegCCfQg
P5 Snipers on the roofs of high buildings http://youtu.be/CXDh1qbYg4Q
P6 The army entering Taftanaz http://youtu.be/3FgdYbnYVms
P7 Firing at the Grand Mosque http://youtu.be/eiPMWROEmy0
P8 Firing at the Grand Mosque http://youtu.be/KD—5Ed0wVA

Taftanaz – Martyr, Hussein Shaban http://youtu.be/7gjyumxw960
Taftanaz’s Martyrs, Maher Rahhal and Hussein Shaban http://youtu.be/C73YUPiMwGg

Taftanaz’s martyrs funeral procession which was held in Binnish town due to the siege imposed on Taftanaz
P1 http://youtu.be/GEFnyj9WlTo
P2 http://youtu.be/d83zSatzSVg
P3 http://youtu.be/CGo0OixUUmQ

General Strike in Binnish town in solidarity with the people of Taftanaz
P1 http://youtu.be/Qrekp7cifEs
P2 http://youtu.be/HJyFTKESoXw

Jesr Al-Shoghour:
• The army’s 4th division (555) is now deployed heavily in the city, with them, there are BTRs painted blue, which are spread all over Jesr Al-Shoghour, as part of deploying additional forces in the regions close by the borders.

• Security forces killed Mehrez Najari after his mission was done, so he won’t reveal what he knew; note that he had helped security a lot when they entered Jesr Al-Shogour.

The border regions:
Continuation of moving military reinforcement to the north, close by the border regions, the reinforcements with rockets and anti-aircraft equipments are passing through Sahl Al-Ghab in the direction of Jesr Al-Shoghour in anticipation of the enforcement of a Buffer-Zone.