Syria troops 'preparing for Aleppo assault'

[cqo_000]

Source: BBC

Syrian government forces are reported to be preparing for a major offensive on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo and its surroundings.

An article in the pro-government Syrian newspaper, al-Watan, said earlier that the army was now "deploying heavily in the countryside near Aleppo in preparation for a battle that will be fought inside the city and on its outskirts".

"Besieged areas will be freed in the first stages and troops which have been on the defensive will go on the offensive."

A State Department spokeswoman said on Monday that the US would "continue to look for ways to help the opposition and increase aid... The president has talked about how boots on the ground is not an option - so all options short of that".

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22840728

[David__77]

1. Doubtful of all of this...

I suppose it would make sense. The insurgents have gotten very safe feeling since the government has made no effort to retake control of various parts of Aleppo. But more so that trying to enter those districts, I'd think it would make sense to cordon them off completely, allow civilians out but allow no one back in. The problem is that the government doesn't have the manpower for this. It's a delicate thing because the insurgents are quite deliberately mixed in with the civilian population, using them as human shields as good insurgents always do.

Everything also depends on the political support held by each side. I think neither is terribly popular. The better parts of Aleppo are government-held, and most of the slums are insurgent-held, as seen in a number of other cities. Not sure how that figures into things, except that perhaps the government is willing to let those areas go more readily.

I think the "FSA" is a non-entity. Despite the wishes of some in the West, you really have a collection of Islamists on the ground, firmly sectarian, staunchly committed to wiping out Israel and everything that stands in the way of a new Caliphate (including 15 year old boys that make an off-hand comment about the Muslim prophet).

Assad is no good, but maybe the Syrian army is better. Sometime in March, after the feckless government left open the path to insurgent victories in Daraa, the army seems to have stepped in and assumed control of strategy. I think Robert Fisk was on to something: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/they-may-be-fighting-for-syria-not-assad-they-may-also-be-winning-robert-fisk-reports-from-inside-syria-8590636.html

[cqo_000]

2. France says Syrian army must be stopped before Aleppo

PARIS — France on Wednesday urged the international community to stop the progression of Syrian troops, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Iran, towards the strategic northern town of Aleppo.

After winning a strategic victory by retaking Qusayr, an important town near the border with Lebanon, Syrian troops are now focusing their attention on Aleppo as they continue to gain ground against the rebels.

"We must stop this progression before Aleppo. It is the next target of Hezbollah and of the Iranians," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on France 2 television.

"We need to re-balance things because over the past few weeks the troops of Bashar al-Assad (Syrian leader) and especially Hezbollah and the Iranians, along with Russian arms, have gained considerable ground."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ic_0mznSkJRwsBlJJOHjlwUpX0xw?docId=CNG.95af55afb63df62da5126ede031b2c15.181

[jessie04]

3. Where do you think those 20,000 Hamas freedom-fighters are?

Nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. What are you talking about?

A. Hamas is Sunni, has supported the rebels in Syria, and is now on the outs with Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran.
B. Hamas has only a few hundred fighters, in Gaza, with a few thousand in supporting roles.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Go ahead, France. Good luck with that.

[cqo_000]

6. Heavy clashes between Syrian army, rebels in Aleppo

Source: The Associated Press

Syrian troops and rebels fought the heaviest battles in months Friday Aleppo, Syria's largest city, a day after U.S. officials said Washington has authorized sending weapons to opposition fighters for the first time.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes concentrated in the eastern rebel-held neighborhood of Sakhour, calling the fighting "the most violent in months." It said troops attacked the neighborhood from two directions but failed to advance, suffering casualties.

Rami Abdul-Rahman who heads the Observatory says troops were trying to capture a major intersection in Sakhour that links several major roads in Aleppo including one leading to the city's airport and another to the north.

The fight for Aleppo, a city of 3 million that was once a bastion of support for Assad, is critical for both the regime and the opposition. Its fall would give the opposition a major strategic victory with a stronghold in the north near the Turkish border. A rebel defeat would buy Assad more time, at the very least. It could also turn the tide of the civil war against the rebels.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/heavy-clashes-between-syrian-army-rebels-in-aleppo-1.529839