Syria Prepares For A Final Showdown With Rebels In Their Last Major Stronghold

L.A. Times: The fate of millions in doubt as Syria prepares for final showdown with rebels

No one planned for this verdant region in Syria’s northwest to become the site of the rebels’ last stand.

But with the Syrian government preparing for a multi-front offensive it hopes will provide a path for finally ending a grinding civil war, the fate of Idlib province and its 3 million residents is now the subject of diplomatic jockeying among the world powers that have had a hand in the war.

As government forces overpowered opposition enclaves one by one, they offered defeated rebels and their families a choice: Lay down their arms and accept government rule, or go to Idlib, which borders Turkey.

Many chose Idlib, doubling the size of the province and turning it into a dumping ground for opposition militants.

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More News On Syria Preparing For A Final Showdown With Rebels In Their Last Major Stronghold

Forces gather for Syria’s final showdown, with the fate of millions hanging in the balance -- SCMP/AP
Syrian army preparing phased Idlib assault: source -- Reuters
Russia says militants in Syria's Idlib province need liquidating -- Reuters
Russia masses huge force off Syrian coast for final assault on rebels in Idlib -- The Independent
US, Russia engage in war of words as Syria attack looms -- Al Jazeera
Syria, Turkey, Russia and U.S. to Square Off in Idlib With Millions of Civilians in the Crosshairs -- Haaretz
Russia readies for Idlib campaign with fake news and major naval build-up -- Kack Moore, The National

Report: Syria's Al Qaeda linked al-Nusra Group Is More Dangerous Than The Islamic State

CNN: Report: Syria's al-Nusra 'more dangerous' than ISIS

Washington (CNN)Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, is a greater threat to the United States in the long term than is ISIS, making the United States' current single-minded focus on the latter group misguided, a new report is charging.

Al-Nusra is "much more dangerous to the U.S. than the ISIS model in the long run," according to the authors of a report labeling both groups "existential" threats. The report was released last week by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute.

The report criticizes the administration's ISIS-centric strategy, saying, "Any strategy that leaves Jabhat al-Nusra in place will fail to secure the American homeland."

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WNU Editor: The U.N. sees both groups equally dangerous (see above video) .... Syria talks to seek ceasefire, excluding ISIL and Nusra (Al Jazeera).

Syrian Rebel Group With Advanced U.S. Missiles Calls Israel An Occupier

Screenshot from YouTube user Hazzm Movement

U.S.-Armed Syrian Rebel Group Seeks ‘All Syrian Land Occupied by Israel’ -- Washington Free Beacon

Militant rebel group with advanced U.S. missiles calls Israel occupier

One of the militant Syrian rebel groups provided access to advanced U.S. missiles said that it is seeking “the return of all Syrian land occupied by Israel,” a stance that could potentially complicate U.S. military support to the armed rebel group.

The leader of an official rebel group sanctioned by the Syrian Military Council and in possession of sophisticated U.S. arms expressed his opinion in an interview published over the weekend by the Syrian news organization Tahrir Souri.

Ahmad Al-Sa’oud, who heads the rebel unit Division 13, was asked by the interviewer to explain “your stance, as an armed opposition group, on Israel.”

“We are for the return of all Syrian land occupied by Israel,” Al-Sa’oud responded.

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Previous Post: U.S. Sends Missiles To Syrian Rebels As A 'Test'

My Comment: If true .... this does not look good.

Hezbollah Accused Of Sending Forces Into Syria

Hezbollah Accused Of Fighting For Assad -- Sydney Morning Herald

DAMASCUS: The main opposition bloc in Syria has accused Lebanon's Hezbollah movement of fighting alongside regime forces in Damascus.

Hezbollah fighters crossed into Homs province, in central Syria, on Saturday and attacked three villages in the Qusayr region near the Lebanese border, the rebel Syrian National Council said.

The operation resulted in ''civilian casualties and the exodus of hundreds of people'', the opposition said.

The council said Hezbollah was using heavy weapons ''under the auspices of the Syrian regime army'', and that Beirut was responsible for ending this ''aggression''.

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More News On Accusations And Reports That Hezbollah fighters Are Now Involved In The Syrian Civil War

Syrian opposition accuses Hezbollah of fighting for Assad -- Deutsche Welle
Syria opposition slams Hezbollah 'intervention' -- AFP
Rebels: 1,000 Hezbollah fighters invaded Syria -- YNet News
Hezbollah fighters reported killed in clashes with Syrian rebels -- L.A. Times
Hezbollah fighter, five Syrian rebels killed on border -- Reuters
Syria: Rebels kill 12 Hezbollah operatives in Homs -- YNet News
Hezbollah 'Invades' Syria Sparking Battle with Rebels -- IBTimes
Syrian opposition slams Hezbollah for role in conflict -- Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah condemned for 'attack on Syrian villages'. -- BBC
Gemayel: Hezbollah meddling in other states, harming Lebanon -- Daily Star
Hezbollah should keep out of Syria: Jumblatt -- Daily Star

My Comment: For Hezbollah to send in their own troops tells me that they are fearful that Assad is losing the momentum in this war .... and he is. When we start hearing reports about Iranian Revolutionary Guards involved in the fight .... that is when we will definitely know that the end is near.

United Nations: Syria's Civil War Is Now A Sectarian Conflict

Syrian Violence Becoming 'Overly Sectarian', Report Finds -- Voice of America

The United Nations is highlighting the civilian toll in the nearly two-year conflict in Syria, saying thousands have died in a crisis that has become increasingly sectarian in nature.

U.N. human rights investigators say in a new report Thursday that the fighting "has brought immeasurable destruction and human suffering" to Syrian civilians, and that the humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated since late September.

The report says human rights abuses continue unabated.

It notes dramatic increases in violence in major cities, particularly Damascus and Aleppo, as well as a rise in attacks on cultural sites.

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More News On Syria's Civil War Becoming A Sectarian Conflict

U.N. accuses both sides of atrocities in Syrian civil war as foreign mercenaries fuel sectarian fighting destroying the country -- Daily Mail
Syrian conflict’s sectarian, ethnic dimensions growing, U.N. warns -- Washington Post
Syrian fight now 'overtly sectarian,' U.N. says -- CNN
Syrian war now 'overtly sectarian': UN -- The Australian
UN warns about sectarian fighting in Syria -- Reuters
Syria conflict turns 'overtly sectarian,' U.N. reports -- L.A. Times
Syrian conflict becoming increasingly sectarian – UN -- RT
U.N. warns of foreign influx into sectarian Syria war -- Reuters
UN confirms Hezbollah fighting for Assad in Syria -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters