Monday 25 June 2012

June 26, 2012 by sks
Filed under News, Syrian Revolution

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Homs province: The Khaldiya neighbourhood is still being bombarded by regime forces, who have been trying to regain control of the neighbourhood. Khaldiya residents are living in a increasingly severe humanitarian situation, due to the siege, nourishment and basic human need are scarce, and dozens of wounded have been unable to receive the needed medical assistance. Several other neighbourhoods in the city are suffering under similar circumstances. The rebellious city of Rastan, in Reef Homs, is being bombarded by regime forces.

More than 100 Syrians killed on Monday

The final number of Syrian civilian deaths documented by the SOHR in Syria for Monday (25/6/2012), is 65

-In Homs province 7 were killed. In the city of Homs, 1 was a woman from the Karm al-shami neighbourhood, who was killed by a sniper. A man was killed by a sniper in the Qarabees neighbourhood. 3 civilians were killed by the bombardment of Khaldiya and Jourat al-Shayyah. In the city of al-Qusayr, Reef Homs, 1 woman was killed by the bombardment.

- In Deir Izzor province 16 were killed. The body of a civilian was found in the town of Shannan, months after his disappearance. 14 civilians, including a young girl, were killed by the bombardment and gunfire in Deir Izzor; a rebel fighter was also killed by the clashes in the city.

-In Reef Dimashq 9 civilians were killed. A man and a young girl were killed by regime gunfire in the town of Medeira. 7 civilians were killed by the intense bombardment and gunfire in Douma, regime forces are trying to take over the area.

-In Aleppo province 3 civilians were killed. The body of a civilian was found in the village of Belleiramoun, he was slaughtered. a rebel fighter was killed during clashes in al-Atarib. A civilian was killed by wounds received during the bombardment of the hour village.

-In Hama province 2 civilians were killed by pro-regime gunfire in the town of Helfaya.

-In Dera’a 18 civilians were killed. A woman’s body, from the town of Mehejja, was found in Dera’a, she was apparently killed by a sniper. A civilian was killed by the bombardment of Busra al-sham. 2 civilians were killed by the bombardment of the Tariq al-sad neighbourhood of Dera’a. 10 civilians, including 2 women, 3 Palestinians and a nurse, were killed by the violent bombardment on the refugee camp in Dera’a. A family of 4 were executed, some were shot, others slaughtered with knives, when they fled from the town of Kafar Shams, which suffered intense bombardment by regime forces.

-In Idlib province 9 civilians were killed.1 rebel fighter was killed by clashes, and 3 civilians by the bombardment of the town of Kafarnabal. 3 were killed in Ma’arat al-Nu’man, 1 was a rebel fighter that was killed when his car was hit by a shell. A civilian from al-Habeet was killed by a regime sniper. 1 killed by the bombardment of Ariha.

-In Latakia province 1 civilian was killed by the bombardment of Jabal al-Akrad, Reef Latakia

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The body of a defected soldier was found months after his disappearance in Deir Izzor. 3 defected soldiers were killed during clashes in Dera’a, Deir Izzor and Reef Aleppo.

At least 31 members of the Syrian armed forces were killed today by: an IED attack on an military vehicles near Saraqib, Reef Idlib; an IED attack on a military truck near Busra al-Sham, Reef Dera’a; and during clashes in the provinces of Aleppo, Homs, Deir Izzor, Hama and Dera’a.

UN News: 24 June 2012 –

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his deep concern about the shooting down of a Turkish military jet shot over Syria – and particularly about the potential serious implications of the incident for the region – in a telephone call on Saturday with Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu.“He [Secretary-General Ban] commended Turkey for the restraint shown in its initial reaction and appreciated Turkey and Syria for conducting a joint search operation,” according to Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, who added that Mr. Ban urged both countries to continue to address the situation diplomatically.Mr. Ban’s spokesperson added that the Secretary-General also said that his thoughts were with the families of the missing pilots, and the United Nations was prepared to provide any support which would be helpful in these “difficult circumstances.”

According to media reports, the Turkish military jet was shot down, apparently by a surface-to-air missile, over the Syrian coastline on Friday, raising concerns over regional tensions related to the situation in Syria.

The UN estimates that more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria and tens of thousands displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 16 months ago.

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NOW! Lebanon
[local time] 22:09 The Syrian army’s shelling of Daraa killed 15 people and injured several others in a Palestinian refugee camp, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
21:56 Turkey threatened on Monday to cut power supplies to Syria.
21:10 The Syrian army is shelling the towns of Daraya, Al-Kadam and Kafr Soussa in the district of Damascus, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.
20:34 The Syrian army and the rebels have been clashing in Daraya, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
18:45 A Russian ship that tried to deliver repaired attack helicopters to Syria raised Russia’s tricolor flag on Monday as it awaited orders in a naval port to possibly make a second attempt, a report said.
18:16 Syria’s death toll increased to 55 people killed by security forces, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying on Monday.
16:27 Violence killed 13 people across Syria on Monday, as the army pounded towns and cities in an attempt to regain control of territory lost to rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
16:09 Red Cross chief Jakob Kellenberger said on Monday that booby traps and a lack of clear agreement from Syria’s rival sides were preventing aid workers from evacuating the sick and wounded from Homs.
14:54 The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) executive committee has recommended suspending Syria’s membership in the pan-Muslim grouping, it said in a statement on Monday.
13:38 Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jihad al-Makdissi on Monday insisted that a Turkish F-4 Phantom jet its forces shot down on Friday had “violated Syrian sovereignty.”
13:18 A rescue plane sent to find a Turkish fighter jet that had been shot down over the eastern Mediterranean was itself placed in the crosshairs by the Syrian military, a European diplomat told AFP on Monday.
13:06 France called for more sanctions against Syria, AFP reported.
12:58 Syrian troops pounded the central city of Homs on Monday, activists and monitors said, amid warnings from the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) of an impending “massacre” there.
12:56 Syrian security forces killed 22 people on Monday, Al-Jazeera quoted a rights group as saying.
12:14 Several people were killed and others injured in the shelling of Edleb’s Maarat al-Naaman and Aleppo’s Al-Atareb by Syrian security forces, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying on Monday.
12:08 Another general has fled to Turkey from neighboring Syria and joined the swelling ranks of rebel soldiers based close to the border, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.
11:45 China urged calm and restraint on Monday as nations around the globe condemned Syria for shooting down a Turkish fighter jet and NATO prepared an emergency meeting over the incident.
11:37 Al-Jazeera television reported on Monday that six Syrian officers and 33 soldiers defected and arrived in Turkey.
10:36 The European Union is set to slap fresh sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Monday, targeting six entities and clarifying an existing arms embargo, EU diplomatic sources said.
10:20 Explosion rocked Deir az-Zour’s street of Nadi al-Zobat. (S.N.N.)
10:00 An anti-regime protest began in the town of Nasra in Deir az-Zour. People are chanting for the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad and in support of the rebel Free Syrian Army. (S.N.N.)
10:13 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday said Syria’s downing of a Turkish military jet was “unacceptable,” AFP reported.
7:37 Australia Monday announced fresh sanctions against Syria restricting or prohibiting trade across entire sectors as Foreign Minister Bob Carr urged Russia to take a lead role in regime change.

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BBC: The Syrian Days Of Rage – English Evolving tactics of Syrian rebels #Syria #FSA http://bbc.in/Mjr88j

Syrians ‘shot at second plane‘:

Turkey says Syria fired on one of its planes that was taking part in a rescue operation for a warplane shot down by Syrian forces last Friday.

Turkey’s deputy PM said the CASA search and rescue plane, looking for the F-4 Phantom jet, was not brought down.

He vowed Syria would “not go unpunished” but that Turkey had “no intention” of going to war.

Nato will discuss the downing of the jet on Tuesday at a meeting called by Turkey, a member state. [...]

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REUTERS: Turkey turns to NATO after Syria downs jet

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GUARDIAN: EU condemns Syria for downing Turkish jet but will not intervene

25 Jun 2012: European ministers say they will continue to look for political solutions instead of taking military action

Syria general and two colonels ‘defect to Turkey’

Refugees in Hatay province after their arrival from Syria on 25 June

The latest arrivals were said to have crossed near Reyhanli town and were taken to refugee camps

Continue reading the main story

Syria Conflict

Several high-ranking Syrian military figures have defected to Turkey, reports in Turkish media say.

A general, two colonels, two majors and about 30 other soldiers are said to have crossed into Hatay province on Sunday night.

They were part of a group of some 200 people who crossed the border overnight into Monday, Anatolia news agency says.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated over the shooting down by Syria of a Turkish F-4 jet on Friday.

WreckageThe two pilots were reported missing after their plane went down in the Mediterranean off the Syrian coast.

Syria has insisted the plane was engaged while in its airspace while Turkey insists it was in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria, when it went down.

In a news conference broadcast by Syrian state TV on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said wreckage from the plane proved it had been shot down within Syrian waters.

Turkish coastguard boats off the Turkish province of Hatay (25 June 2012)

Turkish coastguard boats continued to search for the missing pilots on Monday

“The Syrian defence forces used an anti-aircraft gun with the longest range of 1.2km. We can confirm the damage was caused by anti-aircraft fire. We didn’t use radar for this action.”

Syria was committed to good neighbourly relations with Turkey, Mr Makdissi said, adding that if Turkey responded positively, Syria would act accordingly.

The EU, which has urged Turkey to adopt a “restrained response”, is to extend its sanctions on Damascus in order to increase pressure on Bashar al-Assad’s government.

As the search in the Mediterranean continues for the F-4′s two pilots, Turkish media report that their boots have been found, but not their parachutes.

Security

Ian Pannellreports from northern Syria on the tactics of rebel groups

Rebel strategy evolves

The Turkish cabinet discussed the crisis on Monday, a day before Nato ambassadors in Brussels were due to consider their response.

Ankara has invoked Article 4 of Nato’s charter, under which consultations can be requested when an ally feels its security is threatened.

More than 33,000 people have fled into Turkey since Syria’s violence began in March 2011.

The latest arrivals came over the border crossing near the town of Reyhanli.

They came with their families and were taken to Apaydin camp a few miles inside the border, Anatolia reports.

The BBC’s Jonathan Head in Istanbul says this is one of the biggest single groups of soldiers to defect to Turkey.

There has been a steady trickle of defections from the Syrian armed forces over the past year, most of them to opposition forces fighting inside the country.

So far there is no evidence that they have had a significant impact on the Syrian military’s ability to fight, our correspondent says.

Turkey has openly supported the opposition Free Syrian Army which is largely made up of defectors.

The Turkish authorities say that 12 Syrian generals have already defected. Last week a Syrian air force pilot was granted political asylum after flying his plane to Jordan.

‘Professional exchange’A senior UN human rights investigator is reported to have been allowed into Syria for the first time since the UN Human Rights Council set up a commission of inquiry into the escalation of violence.

Paulo Pinheiro is due to present his commission’s latest findings in Geneva on Wednesday. He is seeking to convince senior officials in Damascus to allow an investigation into a number of atrocities that have taken place.

The head of the UN observer mission has also had talks with Syrian government figures, nine days after his 300-strong team suspended its patrols in Syria because of the scale of the violence.

“We had a very professional exchange on that and we’ll see in the coming days what will happen next,” Maj Gen Robert Mood said.

Alleged flightpath of downed Turkish F-4 Phantom

Map showing Syrian account of downed Turkish jet's movements

1. F-4 Phantom takes off from Erhac airbase, Turkey, at approximately 10:28 local time (07:28 GMT), on 22 June

2. Syria says the jet enters its airspace at 11:40 (08:40 GMT)

3. Turkish military loses contact with the plane at 11:58 (08:58 GMT), while it is over Hatay province

4. Syria says its air defences engaged aircraft about 1km (0.5 nautical miles) from the coast and that it crashed into the sea 10km (5 nautical miles) west of Om al-Tuyour. Turkey says the plane was 24km (13 nautical miles) from Syria, which under international law is considered international airspace

Syria Conflict