Civil War In Syria News Updates -- July 13, 2015

Elliott Abrams, Newsweek: Assad’s War for Survival in Syria Is Now Iran’s War

The war in Syria is becoming increasingly an Iranian war rather than a civil war. Consider this new report by Now Lebanon, entitled “Syria Alawites reportedly clash with regime, Iran troops.”

Two facts are striking. First, the Alawite regime of Bashar al-Assad is having enormous trouble recruiting Alawite youths to join the military. It has long been said that the Alawite community is his base and will fight for him, if only out of fear that if the regime falls they will pay the price when Sunnis attack Alawites. But more and more Alawites, it seems, do not wish to risk their lives for Assad.

This should not be quite so surprising, because only the Alawite upper classes benefitted financially from the regime (and some became millionaires and even billionaires,) while many Alawites remained in poverty.

WNU Editor: The above video is a BBC documentary on Syria.

Civil War In Syria News Updates -- July 13, 2015

'Barrel bombs' kill dozens in Syria's Aleppo -- Al Jazeera
Barrel bombs in Syria’s Aleppo province kill 35: NGO -- Al Bawaba
13 dead in Syria air raids on ISIS-held town -- Daily Star/AFP
US airstrikes kill Nusra Front commanders in Syria -- Al Bawaba
Syrian forces kill 63 Takfiri terrorists in Idlib -- Press TV
Thirty Daesh militants killed in clashes in Palmyra -- Al Bawaba
Assad’s Syrian Army claims it is closing in on ISIL-held Palmyra -- Euronews
Inside Syria: Militia aids Syrian army near Jordanian border -- CBS
Insight - After gains, Syria rebels face tough fight for Deraa, Aleppo -- Reuters
Report: ‘Vetted Moderate’ Free Syrian Army Fighting Alongside Al-Qaeda, Islamic State Against Assad Regime -- PJ Media
Smugglers dodge Turkish army on border with Islamic State-held Syria -- Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah says Assad regains momentum after setbacks -- Reuters
ISIS' chief singer and songwriter killed in Syria, activists say -- CBS
In Syrian ISIS Fight, Caution to the Extreme -- US News and World Report
After Backing Regime, Syrian Minorities Face Peril -- WSJ
Druze Face Hard Choices Picking Sides in Battle for Southern Syria -- WPR
Syria civil war: Bomb damages Aleppo's ancient citadel -- BBC
Blast damages citadel wall in Syria's UNESCO-listed Aleppo -- AFP
An explosion that damaged Aleppo’s citadel has both sides playing the blame game -- Al Bawaba
Syria's children at risk from water scarcity and illness amid ongoing conflict – UNICEF -- UN News Centre