Syrian Weekly Brief - 9 July‏


kl:22,00 17|07|2012 Swtalkurd

Top Stories

Regime intensifies massacres: Regime forces committed one of the deadliest massacres since the start of the uprising. More than 250 people in the besieged village of Tremseh in the suburb of Hama were massacred. The village was first shelled from a far distance for several hours amid an electricity and communication blackout. Security forces then invaded the town and began killing people randomly including women and children. Massacres are on the rise with international silence taken as a green light by the regime.



Ranks of political defections on the rise: Syria’s ambassadors to Belarus and Iraq confirmed their defection to the opposition, making it the highest political defection documented so far.



Uprising Developments

Independence and authority of regime militias on the rise: Damascus has witnessed a new escalation of its kind when pro-Assad Alawite militias in the neighbourhood of Ush al-Warwar kidnapped more than 10 buses carrying dozens of passengers and then released them after they were beaten up and humiliated for being from revolting areas.



Military defections on the rise: This week witnessed a rise in military defections that included more than 50 soldiers who defected from the 119th brigade in the province of Deir Azzour and 25 others in the province of Daraa, First Lieutenant Mohammad Fa’our in the city of Rastan along with more than 40 armed soldiers with four military tanks, and the commander of the political security branch in Damascus.



Economy

Civil resistance baring results: The regime sustained daily losses of more than US $80m as a result of the general strike that took place in the largest commercial centres of Damascus and Aleppo for two days. This demonstrates the power of merchant guilds in the country.



International Reactions

Russia iterates support to the regime: Russia announced it will veto any chapter 7 referral in the Syria-related UNSC vote. Russia fears loss of strategic interests in the Middle East after the ouster of Assad.



Syrian Press Focus

Russia renews support to Assad: Syrian media covered Russia’s announcement of intending to veto any UNSC intervention in Syria, in addition to Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov’s Syria statements that included his affirmation of the Syrian people’s support to Assad.



Human rights violations in Saudi Arabia: Syrian media covered human rights violations in Saudi Arabia to show the double standards the west uses with Arab countries.



 
 
 
 
 

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