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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| 10,000 soldiers desert Syrian military |
| 2011-12-22 |
| According to Western intelligence agencies, even though the top brass is still loyal to President Bashar Assad, lower-level officers are deserting in large numbers, and in some cases, whole units have deserted en masse. The army is considered the main factor safeguarding Assad's regime, after mass protests began in the south in March and spread throughout the country, inspired by the demonstrations elsewhere in the Arab world. On Tuesday, at least 73 people were killed in Syria in clashes between the army and opposition, most of them in Homs in the west and Idlib in the northwest. The 73 dead added to the 100 who were killed on Monday, among them 14 soldiers ambushed by opposition forces, human rights groups said. The groups added that Assad's forces were transferring wounded opposition activists from hospitals to army bases to prevent them from testifying to Arab League observers expected to arrive under a deal struck on Monday. A new law imposes the death penalty on anyone "smuggling arms to be used in terrorist activity." More than 5,000 people have been killed in the unrest in Syria, most of them anti-Assad activists; in recent days dozens have been killed every day, on average. Still, the army has suffered many losses, mainly from ambushes by opposition forces and ex-soldiers. In some remote districts the opposition groups are getting stronger and the army is having problems operating. The opposition is still weak in the two large cities, Damascus in the south and Aleppo in the north. The Syrian Republican Guard, concentrated mostly in Damascus, is well armed and considered loyal to Assad, making it more difficult to organize demonstrations in the capital. Still, even in Damascus, rockets have been launched at army vehicles. One of the main worries in the West is the fate of the army's rocket and missiles caches, as well as its chemical weapons. According to several media reports, Hezbollah has transferred several long-range missiles from Syria to Lebanon. At this stage there is no proof that Hezbollah has transferred chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are not easy to maintain and handle, and as far as is known, Hezbollah does not have such expertise. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 The Russians shed a tear every time a despot loses it. They actually had the nerve yesterday of demanding an investigation of NATO collateral damage in the process of deposing Qaddafi. However, that being said, the rebels could really set the Russians to thinking if they made them a deal by which they could keep their Syrian port later, if they stopped supporting pencil neck now. But if they keep backing the loser, they can bid farewell to the Med for the foreseeable future. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-12-22 12:25 |
| #2 At first blush, this sounds like a good thing. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-12-22 09:55 |
| #1 So-o-o it not about NORTH KOREA??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-12-22 01:20 |