Syrian Rebels Use Anti-Tank Missile In An Attack On A Military Helicopter Base (Video)

Hat Tip: Alert 5

Syrian Military Starting To Suffer Heavy Losses

Syrian Rebels Capture 256 Government Soldiers In Idlib -- Epoch Times

Syrian rebel forces on Friday captured nearly 260 government soldiers in the restive northern part of the country after clashes in several towns in the area, said a pro-opposition group.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that rebels captured 256 regime soldiers throughout the week in the towns of Khirbet al-Jouz and Reef Jisr al-Shughour, both in Idlib province—one of the most hard-hit areas during the 19-month-long conflict.

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Update: Rebel fighters 'capture' Syrian soldiers -- Al Jazeera

My Comment: This comes on the heels of yesterday's report that 106 Syrian soldiers were killed in the past two days.

After almost 18 months of fighting, 33,000 have been killed so far, 1,000 in just the past five days. With winter approaching, I expect this death toll to skyrocket from disease and the absence of proper medical facilities.

The Battle For Aleppo Continues

CNN Inside Syria: Snipers, Bombs - And Sometimes Open Bakeries -- CNN

In parts of Aleppo on Monday, snipers fired from roofs of buildings and artillery fire rang out, while other areas of the city are oddly normal.

CNN's Ben Wedeman and crew are some of the few international reporters in Syria, whose government has been restricting access on foreign journalists and refusing many of them entry.

In the besieged Aleppo neighborhood of Salaheddin, Wedeman said drivers had to dodge piles of rubble in the streets. Residents evacuating to safer neighborhoods left their homes with all the belongings they could carry, he said.

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My Comment: Some places in Aleppo are functioning normally .... but you just know that this is not going to last.

Pentagon Chief: US Military Has Contingency For Civilian Safe Havens In Syria

US Military Has Contingency For Civilian Safe Havens If Syria Violence Escalates -- The Guardian

Pentagon remains reluctant to intervene in Syria, but defence secretary tells Congress all military options are under review

US defence secretary Leon Panetta disclosed Thursday the Pentagon has plans in place for establishing humanitarian corridors in Syria, an idea publicly aired by French president Nicholas Sarkozy earlier in the day in Paris.

Panetta, giving evidence to the House armed services committee, said the plan for humanitarian corridors was under review in the Pentagon along with other military options for intervention aimed at helping the Syrian opposition and toppling Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

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My Comment: Who is going to enforce these humanitarian corridors? My betting is that the Pentagon is planning to use US air power coupled with UN forces/observers on the ground to enforce it .... and if not UN forces .... someone else (I will let your imagination run wild on this one). But bottom line .... US forces are now one step closer to becoming militarily involved in the Syrian civil war.

Russia Boycotts 'Friends Of Syria' Meeting In Paris

Brief Russia-West Détente On Syria Conflict Comes To An End -- Christian Science Monitor

Russia rejected an invitation to Paris to discuss next steps for Syria, saying that world leaders seemed more intent on helping the rebels than on brokering peace.

Russia today categorically refused to join about a dozen Western and Arab foreign ministers gathering in Paris to discuss ways to pressure Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to abide by the terms of the United Nations peace plan, alleging that the meeting's intent was "counterproductive."

Moscow's self-exclusion from the latest "Friends of Syria" conference – which will include top policymakers from the US, Germany, France, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other countries – suggests that the recent reconciliation between Russia and the West over how to approach the Syrian crisis may be short-lived.

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More News On Russia Boycotting The 'Friends Of Syria' Meeting In Paris

Russia says Friends of Syria meeting is destructive -- Reuters
Russia says Paris meeting hurts Syria peace talks -- NOW Lebanon
Russia: No progress in Syria -- UPI
Russian FM says only UN can evaluate success of Annan’s cease-fire plan for Syria -- Washington Post/AP
Russia accuses 'external forces' of undermining Kofi Annan's Syria plan -- The Guardian
Foreign ministers to discuss Syria in Paris; Russia boycotts ‘one-sided’ meet -- Al Arabiya
France slams 'isolated' Russia over Syria talks snub -- Expatica
Different approaches, same goal? UN vs. Friends of Syria -- RT

Defectors From The Syrian Military Unite Under The 'Free Syrian Army'

Military Defectors Unite Under Free Syrian Army -- CNN

(CNN) -- A top defector from the Syrian military said Saturday that armed rebel groups have aligned under the leadership of the Free Syrian Army.

Uniting all efforts will bolster the anti-regime movement and safeguard the nation, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Sheikh said in a video posted on YouTube.

The move addressed a key concern for observers of the Syrian crisis both inside and outside the country -- that armed rebel groups were disjointed and divided.

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More News On the 'Free Syrian Army'

Syrian rebel groups create formal alliance, but still depend on homemade weapons -- MSNBC
Syria’s armed opposition chiefs form military council to unite ranks -- Al Arabiya
Free Syria Army -- Bloomberg
Rebel chiefs form military council to unify ranks -- Gulf Times/AFP

My Comment: The rebels should have done this months ago.

A Syrian Invasion Would Involve 300,000 Soldiers And Cost $300 Billion A Year

Syria Invasion Could Cost $300 Billion Per Year -- USA Today

A U.S.-led military operation to topple Syrian President Bashir al-Assad's regime could cost up to $300 billion a year and require 300,000 troops.

That's the estimate of the Brookings Institution, which issued a report Monday as Syrian opposition groups continue to plead for Western and regional help as Assad's forces pound rebel fighters and civilians mercilessly. The Obama administration has, for now, ruled out using American military power to oust Assad.

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Update: Think tank: US intervention in Syria could require 300K troops, cost $300 billion -- The Hill

My Comment: Fortunately .... invading Syria has zero support in Washington .... and even less in the American public.

Civil War In Syria -- News Updates March 19, 2012

Fierce Fighting In Damascus Signals Rebels Remain Unbowed -- Christian Science Monitor

Today's fighting in Damascus and three weekend car bombings suggest a protracted fight between rebels and the Syrian Army, despite recent tactical gains by the regime.

Fierce fighting in the Syrian capital of Damascus today as well as three weekend car bombings and the spread of anti-regime demonstrations in the north signal that that the year-old rebellion will persist despite recent tactical gains by the Syrian military.

Early today, heavy clashes were reported to have broken out in the affluent Mezze neighborhood in west Damascus between members of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) and security forces. Syrian TV said four people died, including three “terrorists” and a member of the security forces. Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 soldiers or security personnel were killed. Another unverified report said as many as 80 people died in the pre-dawn clashes.

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More News On Syria's Civil War

Syria: Overview -- Yahoo News
Syria Live Blog -- Al Jazeera
Syria: 'heavy fighting' in Damascus - Monday 19 March 2012 -- The Guardian

Intense Fighting Rocks Syrian Capital -- Voice of America
Syria: heavy firefight breaks out in Damascus -- The Telegraph
Fighting Flares in Elite Area of Syrian Capital, Activists Say -- New York Times
Syrian forces fight with rebels in rare Damascus clashes -- FOX News/AP
In Syria, clashes reported in affluent Damascus district -- L.A. Times
Syrian troops fight rebels in rare clashes in regime stronghold of Damascus -- Washington Post/AP
Syrian rebels move in on key Damascus neighborhood -- CNN
Rare gunbattle erupts in Damascus, signaling rebel presence -- Washington Post
Upscale neighborhood becomes Syria battleground -- MSNBC
'Heavy fighting' shakes Syrian capital -- Al Jazeera
Syria car bomb kills 2, injures 30 in Aleppo -- L.A. Times
Explosion Hits Aleppo; Syrian Crackdown Continues -- Voice of America
An Iraq-style civil war seems to be taking off in Syria -- Haaretz
Syria accuses Arab states of role in new bomb attacks -- Sydney Morning Herald
Western powers draft new U.N. council statement on Syria -- Reuters

Syria: dramatic increase reported in foreign arms supplies to Assad regime between 2007-2011 -- The Telegraph
Syria arms imports surge, most provided by Russia -- Reuters
Syria stocking up on Russian weapons, report says -- CBC/AP
Report, Visit Push Syria's Russia Connections to Fore -- The Moscow Times
Russian navy's oil tanker makes stop in Syrian port -- FOX News/AP
Black market for weapons nearly depleted, smugglers to Syria say -- Toronto Star/L.A. Times

Russia Seeks Red Cross Cooperation on Syria -- RIA Novosti
Red Cross Chief Urges Syria Aid Access at Talks in Moscow -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Russia 'positive' on Syria daily aid truce: ICRC -- Reuters

Violence in Syria: Whodunnit? -- Economist
Syria's conflict has significance far beyond its borders -- Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times
Why Syria Won't Get the Libya Treatment from the West -- Vivienne Walt, Time
It’s right to intervene in Syria, but we shouldn’t do it -- Kelly McParland, National Post
Syrian Regime Resembles Mafia Cartel -- Spiegel Online

UN: 8,000 Have Died In Syria's Revolution (So Far)

UN: Syrian Uprising Death Toll Passes 8,000 -- CBS News

(CBS/AP) UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says well over 8,000 people have died in Syria over the past year due to the government's violent repression of the uprising against President Bashar Assad.

The U.N. chief raised the death toll from 7,500 in a statement Thursday marking the first anniversary of the uprising.

Ban said the "brutal repression" by Syrian authorities is continuing unabated and called the status quo "indefensible."

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My Comment: Some are contending that the figure is actually higher.

Civil War In Syria -- News Updates March 12, 2012

Massacre Of The Innocents: Bodies Of Up To 57 Women And Children Discovered In Syria -- Daily Mail

* Many had been tortured, some of the women raped
* Several had broken necks or limbs and many had been set ablaze

At least 47 women and children, including two three year-olds, have been executed by militia loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and the death toll is expected to rise, activists claimed last night.

Opposition officials described the murders as a 'massacre' with the bodies of 26 children and 21 women found so far.

Some of the victims are said to have been beaten and tortured before being lined-up and shot through the heart or head, others were stabbed in the back or had their throat slit in the Karm el-Zeytoun district of the embattled city of Homs.

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More News On Syria's Civil War

Syria: Overview -- Yahoo News
Syria Live Blog -- Al Jazeera
Syria: new 'massacre' in Homs as diplomacy stalls - Monday 12 March 2012 -- The Guardian

'Massacre' in Homs as Syria attacks intensify -- Al Jazeera
Syrian forces accused of killing 45 women and children -- The Telegraph
Activists: More than 50 massacred in Syria -- CBS/AP
45 women, children killed in Homs massacre, Syrian opposition says -- CNN
Syria: Massacre In Homs Leaves Dozens More Dead -- L.A. Times
47 bodies found after 'massacre' in Homs: Syria opposition -- Times of India/AFP
Syria challenges Homs video -- UPI
Syrian ground forces storm rebel stronghold of Idlib -- Yahoo News/AFP

Syria mines Turkish border -- Boston.com/McClatchy news
Turkey: Syrian Strife Could Have Unsettling Impact on Southern Province -- Eurasianet.org

Syrian opposition calls for Arab, Western intervention -- Reuters
Syrian opposition: International military intervention ‘urgent’ following Homs killings -- Washington Post
Syrian 'massacre' spurs call to action -- News.com.au

Annan: Killings of civilians must stop in Syria -- AP
Annan to meet Syrian opposition in Ankara: spokesman -- Reuters
Al-Assad, Annan talk candidly in Damascus amid fresh violence -- CNN
UN's Annan Leaves Syria Empty-Handed -- Voice of America
Peace envoy to Syria is optimistic despite failed talks -- L.A. Times

US and UN demand end to Syria bloodshed -- Al Jazeera
Russia and China block British attempts at UN to end Syria bloodshed -- The Telegraph
US and Russia clash over Syria at UN -- AP

Syrian refugees and rebels: pictures by Telegraph photographer David Rose -- The Telegraph
Camp of Free Syrian Army (Photo Gallery) -- World Bulletin
Despite the horrors of Homs, Syria's rebel leaders are bullish as Assad's regime 'rots from the inside' -- Michael Weiss, The Telegraph
Military intervention could improve situation in Syria, or make it much worse -- Peter Goodspeed, National Post
Politicizing Intelligence on Syria -- Elliot Abrams, Weekly Standard

U.S. Officials Debate On Intervening In Syria's Civil War

US Military Intervention in Syria Debated on Capitol Hill -- Voice of America

U.S. defense officials are resisting calls from some lawmakers for American military intervention in Syria to end bloodletting and hasten the departure of President Bashar al-Assad.

Echoing President Barack Obama a day earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta argued against a rush to launch military strikes against Syrian government forces. Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Syria’s bloody suppression of its people must and will end, but added the following: “Unfortunately, this terrible situation has no simple answers," he said.

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More News On The Debate In Washington For U.S. Military Intervention In Syria's Civil War

Obama 'asked for military options' in Syria -- Sydney Morning Herald
U.S. Defense Officials Say Obama Reviewing Military Options in Syria -- New York Times
Talk of US military in Syria divides Congress -- CBS
Foreign Relations chairman: US must carefully weigh any military intervention in Syria -- Washington Post/AP
U.S. officials warn against intervention in Syria -- Washington Post
John McCain badgers Pentagon on Syria: 'We're not leading' -- Christian Science Monitor
Talk of US military in Syria divides Congress -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Syria strikes not in offing, Pentagon tells Congress -- MSNBC
Top Pentagon Officials Stress Risks in Syria -- New York Times
Pentagon: Options in Syria are all hard -- CBS
Panetta defends cautious approach toward Syria -- Reuters
Panetta Rules Out Strikes in Syria -- Wall Street Journal
Panetta: Syria Military Intervention For U.S. 'Has No Simple Answers' -- Huffington Post
The Pentagon's (Preliminary, Shaky, and Hypothetical) War Plan for Syria -- The Atlantic

Civil War In Syria -- News Updates March 8, 2012

The YouTube Defector: Syrian Minister Announces He Has Abandoned Brutal Regime Via Social Media Site -- Daily Mail

* Abdo Husameddine is the highest ranking official in Syrian regime to defect since the uprising began
* Activists accuse government of trying to cover up evidence of atrocities in Baba Amr
* Hillary Clinton attacks regime for not letting aid workers into battered district

Syria's deputy oil minister has announced he is defecting from the regime and joining the opposition against President Bashar Assad.

In a video posted on YouTube, a man wearing a suit and tie identifies himself as Abdo Husameddine.

He says he is defecting because of Assad's brutal crackdown that has killed thousands of people in the past year.

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More News On Syria's Civil War

Syria: Overview -- Yahoo News
Syria: deputy oil minister defects - live updates -- The Guardian
Syria Live Blog -- Al Jazeera

Syria deputy oil minister resigns to join opposition -- BBC
Syria's deputy oil minister defects: YouTube video -- Reuters
Syrian Minister Appears to Defect and Join Opposition -- New York Times
Syrian Oil Ministry ‘defector’ appears to be highest-level yet -- Washington Post
Syria's deputy oil minister defects from Assad regime -- The Guardian
Syrian opposition hails high profile defection of deputy oil minister -- The Telegraph
Syria’s deputy oil minister defects online to protest Assad regime -- Globe and Mail/AP

Syrian crackdown ongoing despite high-level defection -- CNN
Eight killed in Syria attacks -- UPI
Syria death toll almost at 8,500: watchdog -- AFP
Syria Video: Inside the Free Syrian Army -- Global Post
Effects of Instability Spill Over to Syria's Neighbors -- New York Times
Assad’s forces gaining ‘momentum’ in Syria, U.S. general warns -- Washington Post
Ill-armed Syrian rebels wage unequal struggle -- Canada.com/Reuters
Syrian conflict set to enter its next phase -- The Hindu
Syria's Assad determined to keep fighting -- Yahoo News/AP

Syria welcomes U.N. humanitarian chief -- UPI
Syrian opposition disappointed from Annan remarks ahead of Damascus visit -- Al Bawaba
Envoy Annan warns against more force in Syria -- Reuters
Turkey opposes military intervention in Syria -- AP
Russia accuses Libya of training Syrian rebels -- Reuters
Russia accuses Libya of harboring Syrian rebels, training them to attack Damascus -- Al-Arabiya
UK: Russia, China paying price over Syria stance -- AP
UK has no plans to support rebels inside Syria, says Hague -- The Guardian
Obama seeks Syria options as oil minister joins rebels -- Sydney Morning Herald

Syria Opposition Struggles to Overcome Rifts -- Voice of America
Syrian women on the frontlines, determined not to be sidelined -- Daily Star
Syria detainee's account offers glimpse of prison system -- L.A. Times
U.N. draws up Syria aid plan to feed 1.5 mln -- Reuters

How Assad wields wealth to keep regime intact -- Greg Miller, Washington Post
Out of Syria's Carnage: A Survivor's Testimony of Bab Amr's Last Stand -- Vivienne Walt, Time
Syrian Freedom Fighters Find They Can't Depend On U.S. -- IBD Editorial
Syria Intervention Is Unlikely Until the Opposition Unifies -- Sara Sorcher, The Atlantic
Obama administration must take lead on Syria -- Washington Post editorial
Syria Would Put Up a Much Tougher Fight Than Libya -- Adam Martin, The Atlantic

French Soldiers Captured In Syria?

Thirteen French Officers 'Captured By Syrian Army' -- The Telegraph

Thirteen French officers have been captured by Syrian forces according to the Lebanon-based Daily Star newspaper, the first mainstream media outlet to report on rumours of Western troops on the ground.

The French foreign ministry dismissed the report, however, telling the Daily Telegraph that not a single French soldier is on Syrian soil.

But the defence ministry was less categorical, saying it neither confirmed nor denied the claim.

A photographer who recently escaped from the besieged Syrian city of Homs also dismissed suggestions French soldiers had intervened to secure his evacuation and that of three other Western reporters.

The report came on Monday as the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent reached two neighbourhoods of Homs where they were distributing food and blankets to civilians, including families who had fled the battered district of Baba Amr.

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My Comment: Are their western intelligence officers and spies in Syria .... I do not know about Syria but I do know that during the Libyan revolution, Western forces were present on the ground even though there were denials at the time about their presence on the ground.

A War Reporter’s Last Days

The armed opposition in Syria is led by the underequipped Free Syrian Army. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Bearing Witness In Syria: A War Reporter’s Last Days -- New York Times

It was damp and cold as Anthony Shadid and I crossed in darkness over the barbed-wire fence that separated Turkey from Syria last month. We were also crossing from peace into war, into the bloodiest conflict of the Arab Spring, exploding just up the rocky and sparsely wooded mountain we had to climb once inside.

The smugglers waiting for us had horses, though we learned they were not for us. They were to carry ammunition and supplies to the Free Syrian Army. That is the armed opposition group, made up largely of defectors from President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal army, we had come to interview, photograph and try to understand.

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My Comment: Another sobering assessment of what is happening on the ground in Syria. In short .... we are now entering a stalemate and a slow war of attrition.

Civil war In Syria -- News Updates February 25, 2012

No To Arms For Syrian Opposition -- Sydney Morning Herald

INTERNATIONAL leaders have agreed on a plan to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop his bloody crackdown on opponents and drive him from power, but stopped well short of approving military aid to the opposition.

The ''Friends of Syria'' gathering in Tunis agreed to tighten sanctions against Dr Assad and his government and called on the United Nations to ready a peacekeeping force for deployment, along with massive international reconstruction assistance, once the violence ceases and, presumably, Dr Assad has stepped down.

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More News On Syria's Civil War

Syria: Overview -- Yahoo News
Syria Live Blog -- Al Jazeera
Coverage Of Syria -- The Guardian

Syrian forces pound opposition centers amid calls for cease-fire -- CNN
Syrians trapped in Homs say world is failing them -- Reuters
Syrian activists: The world has abandoned us -- MSNBC
Syrian security forces kill 16 civilians: NGO -- Khaleej Times/AFP

Red Cross in talks over medical evacuations from Homs -- Euronews
Evacuations in Syria as Diplomatic Pressure Mounts -- New York Times/Reuters
Red Cross evacuates wounded from Homs -- Al Jazeera
Red Cross makes new rescue bid in Syria's Homs -- AFP

Syrian rebels desperate for weapons -- CBS
‘Friends’ United Against Assad, Divided Over Arming Rebels -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Saudi Arabia backs arming Syrian opposition -- The Guardian
Saudi official backs arms for Syrian rebels -- Boston.com/AP
'Friends of Syria' Condemn Assad but See More Killing -- New York Times
In Break, Hamas Supports Syrian Opposition -- New York Times
China: US, Europe have hegemonistic goals in Syria -- SFGate/AP

Why the world isn't intervening in Syria -- Kyle Almond, CNN
Intervention In Syria is a Moral and Human Imperative -- Kanan Makiya, The New Republic
Syria’s Horrors -- New York Times editorial

Is Iran About To Directly Get Involved In Syria's Civil War?

Iran And Syria: A Show Of Strength And Unity -- Al Jazeera

Is the arrival of Iranian warships in Syria a symbolic move or is the uprising there no longer a solely Syrian affair?

Tehran says that two of its navy ships have docked in western Syria to train the Syrian navy under an agreement signed last year. It is only the second time that they have done so since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Iran's state media said the ships docked in the port of Tartus on Saturday, after entering the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal.

It also said that Tehran and Damascus had agreed on the mission last year when Iranian vessels docked in Syria the first time - a mission that Israel condemned as a "provocation".

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More News On Syrian - Iranian Cooperation

Conflicting reports on the mission of Iranian warships in Syria -- Al Bawaba
Iran navy ships dock in Syria, train sailors -- Ahram Online/AFP
Iranian Warships Dock At Syria Port -- Radio Free Europe
Iranian naval ships dock in Syria -- The Telegraph
Iranian warships dock at Syrian port after crossing Suez Canal -- Haaretz
Iranian navy ships dock at Syrian port - Iranian media -- Reuters

My Comment: Israeli media is speculating on what is the purpose of this Iranian naval presence in Syria.