National Coalition: Attacks on Churches Aimed at Covering up Assad’s Massacres
The Syrian Coalition confirmed the presence of an “organic relationship between the State of …Iraq an Sham (ISIS), and the regime of Bashar al-Assad,” saying that there is Read more…
Regime Arrests over 100 children from Moadamiya after being evacuated The Red Cross evacuated 500 people from Moadamiya to save them of the siege and constant bombardment that has been targeting the district since the beginning of the Syrian revolution. Informed sources reported the arrest of more than 100 children in order to subject them to torture in hopes of obtaining information about the Free Syrian Army locations. In a statement released by the Media Office of the Coalition, Hisham Marwa, a member of the Syrian Coalition’s legal committee, described the evacuation of some of the people in Moadamiya by humanitarian organizations in coordination with the Assad regime “as a systematic displacement .” Marwa also pointed out that “the evacuation was done legally and looks merciful at its face value; however, it was a deviated task that became derailed from its humanitarian and social and even legal track.” Marwa added that “the demands of the Syrian Coalition is not confined to the evacuation of residents from towns and cities and homes in which they live,” stressing that “the Coalition called for mandatory lifting of the siege under the authority of international law and the opening of humanitarian corridors so that parents can be provided with, and have access to, food for themselves and the children trapped by the Assad regime.” He added that “people who are evacuated by the humanitarian organizations from the besieged cities are placed inside the detention centers and camps which are largely controlled by Assad’s security forces, the very thing which hinders the humanitarian mission entrusted to these organizations.” The Syrian Coalition added that “the regime has detained and tortured some of the children in the hope of receiving information about the Free Syrian Army’s moves within the area.” The Syrian Coalition implored the international community ” to shoulder its responsibility and force the regime of Assad to stop the campaign of systematic starvation and massacres practiced against civilians inside Moadamiya, in addition to the opening of humanitarian corridors so that international organizations can give humanitarian aid to the trapped people. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
Death Toll: 32 today, 76 yesterday The Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 76 martyrs yesterday, while 32 people died until six in the evening today, including three women, a child, and two martyrs under torture. 13 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its countryside, and five in each of Dara’a and Hama, 3 in each of Idlib and Deir Ezzor, and 2 in Aleppo, one martyr in Homs. (Source: Local Coordination Committees)
FSA targets regime sites in Eastern Ghouta The Free Syrian Army targeted regime forces in the 137 Regiment in Eastern Ghouta, killing a number of Assad troops and destroying a number of vehicles. On the other hand, regime forces shelled with heavy artillery the outskirts of Zakiya in rural Damascus, injuring a number of people and destroying a number of houses. Elsewhere, several mortar shells fell on Tahrir Square, al Amarah and al Joura neighborhoods in the district of Bab Touma in the heart of the capital of Damascus with no reports of casualties. All of this coincided with artillery shelling on the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp. In a related context, the Red Crescent Organization evacuated around 500 people today from al Moadamiya city who were later taken to the countryside of Damascus. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
Clashes in Nawa in Dara’a and artillery shelling targets Dael and Ilma The Free Syrian Army clashed with the regime’s forces east of the city of Nawa in Daraa. It also targeted the Harfouch checkpoint with heavy machine guns. Meanwhile, regime forces shelled the town of Dael and Ilma with heavy artillery, wounding a number of civilians and causing the destruction of a number of buildings. This regime forces also targeted al Gharriya al Gharbiya with rocket launchers causing number of wounded and the destruction of a number of houses (Source: Coalition Coordination Committees)
Artillery shelling on the village of al Zara in Homs and more arrests in al Waer and Deir Ba’lbeh Regime forces relentlessly shelled the village of Zara in rural Homs with heavy artillery, which led to wounding a number of people, some of them in serious condition. The Assad’s forces also targeted al Hula and al Rastan with rocket launchers and heavy artillery and the town of Krak des Chevaliers. In the meantime, security forces launched a campaign of arbitrary arrests of civilians in each of the neighborhoods of Deir Ba’lbeh and al Waer in Homs. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
Air raids on al Latamna in rural Hama, FSA captures al Jalama checkpoint. Assad’s warplanes launched air raids on al Latamna town in rural Hama, which led to the death of three people and caused a number of injuries. The regime also dropped explosive containers on the town of Kafr Zeta with no reports of casualties. Meanwhile, regime forces shelled with heavy artillery the town of Taibet al Imam that led to the fall of a number of wounded and the destruction of a number of houses. Elsewhere, the Free Syrian Army took control of al Jalama checkpoint, seizing a BMP vehicle and killing a number of regime soldiers. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
Clashes around al Safeerah, Death of 20 members of the regular forces Violent clashes took place between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces in the town of alSafeera in rural Aleppo which led to the deaths of 20 people from Assad’s troops and wounding others as an attempt by the regime forces to control it. In the meantime, artillery forces targeted neighborhoods of Old Aleppo, Bab Quinnisreen, al Saffahia, and Jello which led to the fall of a number of wounded who were taken to nearby medical points. (Source: National Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
French MPs: Iran’s presence in Geneva 2 is useless French MPs questioned the usefulness of engaging Iran in “Geneva 2″. The French MPs also denounced “Iran’s involvement in the Syrian conflict” considering Tehran “a partner in the brutal crimes committed by the regime of Bashar al Assad against the Syrian people.” The MPs added that “Iran’s regional policy has not seen any change since the arrival of leader Hassan Rohani to the presidency of the country back on June 14. It appears that ‘the mullahs’ regime is still seeking to expand their control in the area and to export a model of totalitarian rule to the countries in the region.” Jean-Pierre Michel, a member of the French Senate stressed that “the Iranian regime must be held accountable for their participation in the suppression of Syria’s revolutionaries and the defenseless civilians.” He added that France and other Western nations “have evidence that proves that Iran’s role in Syria is not limited to political and economic support to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, but also includes sending equipment and fighters to the battle’s frontlines.” (Source: Al Jazeera)
U.S. embassy in Beirut: Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria’s war exacerbate sectarian tensions. The American embassy in Beirut warned that the involvement of Lebanese parties in the Syrian conflict, notably Hezbollah, would exacerbate the sectarian tensions and threaten the security in Lebanon. In a statement issued today, the U.S. embassy expressed the U.S. administration’s deep concern about the deterioration of the situation in Lebanon, including in Tripoli, calling for all parties to exercise self-restraint. The statement pointed out that the violence in the city of Tripoli shows the need to protect Lebanon from the repercussions of the conflict in Syria. Hezbollah militia is the main supporter of the Assad regime while committing several massacres in the towns and villages that witnessed mass demonstrations calling for the overthrow of his regime. Hezbollah has deployed most of its militia in the cities of Qusayr and Eastern Ghouta in an effort to suppress the Syrian revolution. (Source: Al-Yaoum al Sabe’)
Robert Ford meets with Qadri Jamil and some of Assad’s cronies According to the U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, Ambassador Robert Ford met with Deputy Prime Minister of the Assad regime, Qadri Jamil, in Geneva last Saturday. Jamil was sacked by Bashar al-Assad last week on the pretext of absence from his work as reported by official sources of the regime. Bashar al-Assad rejected any dialogue with the Syrian rebels, whom he accused of conspiring with regional and international countries noting, “that he would only talk to a licensed and patriotic opposition.” The spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, Louay Safi, in an earlier statement from the Media Office of the Coalition said “Bashar al-Assad wants a false opposition made under his eye like Deputy Foreign Minister Qadri Jamil and others from the regime fabricated opposition.” The spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department said that the United States conducted interviews with many Syrians from different political trends, in addition to regular meetings with Syrians linked to the Assad regime. She added that Ambassador Ford “during talks with them stressed the need to work for a political solution in Syria, and that the inner circle of Assad has lost legitimacy and must leave and that there is no military solution to any party in Syria at all.” (Source: Syrian Coalition + CNN Arabic)
UNRWA: Palestinian refugees in Syria face a worse fate The United Nations agency for Relief and Works for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in Amman today that they expected “a fate even more painful ” for Palestinian refugees in Syria , and revealed reports of the presence of hundreds of Palestinian refugees fleeing from Syria now on the Syrian side of the border with Jordan. “Vice-President of the Executive Office to the staff at the agency, Lisa Gilliam, said that the Palestinian refugees are “already lost and will be lost more and there is no hope for these refugees with the continuation of the conflict in this country.” She also revealed that the UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Filipo Grande, finally appealed to the Jordanian authorities to address “treatment of Palestinian refugees, similar to the treatment received by Syrian counterpart in Jordan, “adding that Grande “entered into a serious dialogue with the Jordanian government about the Palestinian refugees fleeing from Syria.” She pointed out that the main problem “is the prevention of the entry of these refugees to the territory of Jordan, “and said that “the Jordanian government did not promise so much” and wished the Jordanian authorities “to consider this matter. ” (Source: Al Haiyat + UPI)