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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Rebels threaten Damascus water over Zabadani assault |
| 2015-07-09 |
| [EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Syrian rebels in control of the spring that provides most of Damascus's drinking water have threatened to shut off pipelines to the capital if the regime and Hezbollah continue their offensive in Zabadani. Pro-regime daily Al-Akhbar highlighted the danger on Tuesday, writing that "feelings of concern have dominated the Damascene street" following the threat by rebels in control of the Ayn al-Fijeh spring in Wadi Barada northwest of Damascus. "The threat by Wadi Barada's On Sunday, the Wadi Barada Shura Council announced in a statement that water piped from the Fijeh spring to Damascus will be cut off in an attempt to make regime forces stop their advance. "Religion commands us to come to the aid of our brothers, and therefore, we the mujahedeen of Wadi Barada announce that we shall stand in one trench with our brothers in the proud town of Zabadani," the statement read. "We will not spare any of our numbers or equipment to achieve this end." "With the help of God almighty, after a meeting of the Wadi Barada Shura Council, it was agreed that the water [supply to] Damascus should be completely cut off until the shelling of our people in Zabadani stops." The Wadi Barada Shura Council statement came the same day as Hezbollah and the Syrian Army's Fourth Mechanized Division stormed into the west and southeast of Zabadani following days of intense barrel bombings and missile strikes on the rebel-held town northwest of Damascus. The regime offensive as of Tuesday has failed to seize the town in its entirety, with rebels putting up a fierce resistance and retaking some areas while inflicting casualties on Hezbollah and the regime troops. Syrian rebels first seized Wadi Barada and the town of Ayn al-Fijeh in February 2012, after which they negotiated a cautious truce with the Syrian regime to retain control over the area in exchange for not cutting off the water supply or destroying the spring while regime technicians were allowed to continue working. However, a woman is only as old as she admits... the tenuous agreement has frayed a number of times, with rebels cutting off water at least three times to pressure the regime to stop shelling Wadi Barada, release detainees or open access to aid, including in November 2014 when drinking water to Damascus was turned off for four days. |
| Posted by:Fred |