#Assad

The Barrel Bomb Plant: Uncovering Assad's Secret Factory

The barrel bomb: a tremendous iron tank filled with explosives and organic fertilizers, and stuffed with sharp metal objects. Its weight ranges between a quarter to half a ton, and is dropped randomly from regime helicopters flying at high altitudes in order to avoid opposition fire. The barrel usually targets opposition-held cities or villages, deliberately causing death and injury among civilians.

Nasrallah’s Commitment to Political Suicide

By Mahmoud Yamak

Western attitudes to Syria: paternalist patronage rules

17-05-2015: A consistent feature of the Western political and media narrative on the Syrian revolution from all sides has been a staggering level of condescension.

Bashar Assad’s perilous dance with Iran

The latest story from Syria this week, published by The Daily Telegraph, was that Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria’s National Security Bureau, had been placed under house arrest for having had contact with Turkish intelligence and Rifaat Assad, the exiled uncle of Bashar Assad. Almost immediately the story was debunked, and Wednesday Mamlouk was shown sitting next to President Bashar Assad in a meeting with Iranian officials.The context of Mamlouk’s reappearance was designed to dispel rumors that he was unhappy with the growing influence of Iran in Syria.

Assad's Qalamoun battle exposes ISIS as regime-run

May 11, 2015

By Mario Abou Zeid, Al Jazeera

The long-planned spring battle of Qalamoun - between Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces on one hand, and Syrian rebels on the other hand - started last weekend. Though the Assad regime and Hezbollah are striving for a victory to regain momentum, it will be a lengthy and costly one that will further degrade their capabilities. Furthermore, it has exposed the reality of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Qalamoun; that it is operated by the Syrian regime's intelligence.

Assad's spy chief Ali Mamlouk arrested over Syria coup plot

May 11, 2015

The Assad regime has placed its intelligence chief under house arrest after suspecting he was plotting a coup, in a sign that battlefield losses are setting off increasing paranoia in Damascus.

Ali Mamlouk, the head of the country's National Security Bureau, and one of the few officials still to have access to President Bashar al-Assad, was accused of holding secret talks with countries backing rebel groups and exiled members of the Syrian regime.

Kurds in Aleppo protest in solidarity with Mahabad against Iran, Assad

May 10, 2015

Afrin‬, ‎Aleppo‬ province, 10-05-2015: Residents of the majority-Kurdish town of Afrin in Aleppo province today staged a protest in solidarity with fellow Kurds in Mahabad in Iran over Iranian security forces' brutal repression of protests in Mahabad and other Kurdish towns and cities in Iran. Protesters in Afrin carried the Free Syrian flag (seen in picture), as well as Kurdish flags, chanting against the Iranian and Assad regimes.

Israel preparing to attack Syria after Assad falls: Israeli analyst

May 10, 2015

10-05-2015: In preparation for the post-Assad scenario in Syria, Israeli sources have confirmed that the Israeli military is set to launch attacks on “jihadist organisations” operating in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.

Military affairs commentator Alon Ben-David confirmed that the Israeli army and air force are currently working on preparations for a strategy to defeat a range of jihadist organisations on the assumption that these organisations will turn their weapons on Israel after the fall of the Assad regime.

Time to reconsider ‘Life after Al Assad’

By Mustapha Karkouti

'Al Assad is Forever' — the English translation of ‘Al Assad Ila Al Abad’, the most favoured slogan of the Syrian regime for almost four decades — is quickly disappearing or being painted over on the walls of various cities and towns, including in the capital Damascus and the regime’s strongholds, the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous.

Piles of Hezbollah mercenaries' bodies returned to Lebanon in pick-up trucks as Qalamoun battle continues

May 10, 2015

Hezbollah's al Manar TV has been tirelessly broadcasting triumphal reports of its 'victories' in the Qalamoun region of Damascus province in coordination with Assad's forces. The Tehran-backed militia's media arm hasn't, however, been reporting the less than dignified return to Lebanon of the heaped bodies of Hezbollah mercenaries, killed there while fighting for Assad and Tehran, in the backs of pick-up trucks, as shown in this photograph taken by activists in the area.

Photo from Ahmed Mansour

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