Tag Archive for Syrian unrest

| October 3, 2012
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Commanding Hezbollah operative in Syria killed

Lebanese media say Hezbollah’s Ali Hussein Nassif, head of the Shiite militia’s operations in Syria, was killed there, near Homs

By Elior Levy

 

Lebanese media reported Tuesday that Ali Hussein Nassif, Hezbollah‘s commander in Syria, was killed in a military operation.

חיזבאללה לא מסרה פרטים על נסיבות המוות. הלוויית אבו עבאס

Nassif’s funeral

No details were given as to the nature of the operation. He was reportedly killed on Sunday, along with several other Hezbollah operatives.

A Hezbollah statement to the local media said only that Nassif was killed during “operational activity.”

Nassif was in charge of all Hezbollah operations in Syria, and served as the liaison between the Shiite group and Bashar Assad‘s forces. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| September 26, 2012
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Syrian mortar shells fall in Golan Heights

Israel complains to UN after mortar shells hit Golan; IDF spokesman says incident “part of internal Syrian conflict.”

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

Several mortar shells fired from Syrian territory fell inside the Golan Heights on Tuesday, marking the first time the ongoing violence in Syria has spilled inside Israel’s borders.

UN post on Israel-Syria border - Photo: YAAKOV KATZ

UN post on Israel-Syria border – Photo: Yaakov Katz

There were no reports of injuries or damage as a result of the incident.

Israel has filed a complaint with the United Nations forces operating in the area, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF.)

The mortar shells were “aimed at villages inside Syria and are part of the internal, ongoing conflict in Syria,” said the IDF Spokesman’s Office following the incident.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| August 27, 2012
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Watch Israelis infiltrate Syria without gov’t approval to provide clandestine aid

Israeli activists are in violation of Israeli law that bans citizens from visiting countries that are at war with Israel. Their work is also forbidden by Syria, which means  these activists are risking their lives, because capture by the Syrian authorities would mean certain death.

By Elizabeth Blade

The recent announcement of Israel’s President Shimon Peres that the state will respond “with force” to any violent attempts by Syrians to cross the border deepened divisions on the issue of the influx of refugees escaping their war-torn country. But some Israelis have determined to help no matter the cost.

Exclusive: Israelis infiltrate Syria to provide clandestine aid

Israelis infiltrate Syria to provide clandestine aid

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Syria’s neighboring states are currently hosting some 120,000 people, with the number expected to reach 185,000 by December 2012. Continue Reading »

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| August 16, 2012
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Arab Gulf States warns its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately

Sectarian violence spreading from Syria as the kidnapping of more than 20 in Hezbollah-controlled Shi’ite areas of Lebanon

By REUTERS

 

BEIRUT – Lebanese Shi’ite gunmen kidnapped more than 20 people on Wednesday in retaliation for the capture of one of their kinsmen in Syria, prompting Sunni Gulf states to warn their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.

A Turk, a Saudi and several Syrians were among those abducted in an area of Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah Shi’ite militants, raising the risk that the sectarian violence driving the conflict in Syria will spread to its neighbor, which fought its own civil war on sectarian lines for 15 years.

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| August 8, 2012
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Knesset Member Kara: Israel is helping Syrian refugees in ‘hidden ways’

“I spoke to Syrian ministers disillusioned by Assad’s regime,” says MK Kara; Foreign Ministry & diplomatic officials deny sending any aid.

By LAHAV HARKOV, HERB KEINON

 

Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) said he is facilitating aid to Syrian refugees and has been in contact with Syrian government officials considering defection.

A number of diplomatic officials in Jerusalem, however, said they were unaware of humanitarian aid from Israel being sent to Syrian refugees.

Deputy Minister of the Negev and Galilee Ayoub Kar

Ayoub Kara, Deputy Minister of the Negev and Galilee

Earlier this year Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman turned to the International Committee of the Red Cross with an offer of humanitarian aid for the Syrians. Continue Reading »

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| August 8, 2012
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Druze students returning from Syria say the ‘media is exaggerating’

Dozens of Golan residents return home from studies in Damascus; some say ‘we were in constant danger’ while others say ‘not as bad as depicted by the press’  

By Hassan Shaalan

Hundreds of Druze from the village of Bukata in the Golan Heights welcomed back 80 students who returned from Syria Tuesday through the Quneitra Crossing.

Protest in Syria – Reuters

Gadir Zuha, a med student, said she was very glad to return to Israel in good health. “It is true that while in Syria we were frightened and sometimes had to remain indoors, but we looked out for one another. Continue Reading »

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| August 4, 2012
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IDF Stops Syrian Infiltration on Northern Border

IDF soldiers intercept a Syrian man while infiltrating the Golan. Commanders believe infiltrator was planning attack.

By Maayana Miskin

 

A Syrian man attempted to infiltrate northern Israel on Saturday. The man disguised himself as a shepherd in order to get close to the border fence, then attempted to cut through the fence.

Soldiers spotted the man and fired warning shots. When the man did not respond, they fired at his legs.

The would-be infiltrator was hit. He was taken for medical care in Syria, and his condition is not clear.

IDF commanders believe the man planned to either carry out a terrorist attack or gather information in preparation for an attack. Continue Reading »

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| August 4, 2012
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Syrian Rebels report: Iranian snipers in Syria aiding Assad

Syrian rebel leader: Over 3,000 Iranian snipers have arrived in Damascus to join Assad’s regime, & claims army can no longer trust local troops.

By Roi Kais

 

Over the past few weeks more than 3,000 Iranian snipers have arrived in Damascus to aid the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Al-Arabiya reported, citing a leader of one of the rebel groups operating in the civil war-torn country.

The head of the Joint Military Council, one of the groups fighting to maintain control of the city of Aleppo, told the Dubai-based television network that the Syrian army no longer trusts its local troops, who are now considered potential defectors. Continue Reading »

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| August 4, 2012
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21 dead in Damascus’ Palestinian refugee camp after being hit by mortar shells

Unclear if Palestinians were fired on by Assad’s forces or opposition, says Syrian activists.

 

 

Mortar shells rained down on a crowded marketplace in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital, killing 21 people as regime forces and rebels clashed on the southern outskirts of Damascus, activists said Friday.

Shelling in Homs, Syria.

Shelling in Homs, Syria. – Photo by AP

The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights, which reported the deaths, said the shells hit Yarmouk camp Thursday as shoppers were buying food for the evening meal. The activists would not speculate on who was firing.

“We don’t know where the mortars came from, whether they were from the Syrian regime or not the Syrian regime,” said Rami Abdul Rahman, director of the Observatory. Continue Reading »

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| August 4, 2012
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Prosor Impugns Syria’s Veracity in Fiery UN Speech

Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the UN,  fiercely attacks Syria and its ambassador’s truthfulness in a speech to the General Assembly.

By Elad Benari, Canada

 

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, fiercely attacked Syria and the Syrian ambassador to the UN during a speech to the General Assembly on Friday.

Prosor accused Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ambassador of spreading lies and hiding the reality that takes place in Syria.

Referring to the issue of the chemical weapons being held by the Syrian regime, Prosor said, “A leader who brutally slaughters children today will not hesitate to use chemical weapons against them tomorrow.” Continue Reading »

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| August 2, 2012
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Is Nasrallah Being Recalled to Iran?

Report in A Siasa, a Kuwaiti newspaper: Iran has ordered Hizbullah head to leave Lebanon if Assad falls.

By Gil Ronen

 

Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has instructed the head of Iranian proxy Hizbullah to leave Lebanon and move to Iran if Syria’s Bashar Assad falls from power, a Kuwaiti newspaper reports.

The paper, A Siasa, explains that the Iranian leadership has been weighing two possible courses of action, in case Iran’s protégé and partner Assad is toppled.

The first option includes supplying Hizbullah with state-of-the-art heavy weapons and enlarging the number of Iranian soldiers in Lebanon. Continue Reading »

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| July 30, 2012
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Syria’s Foreign Minister Blames Israel for Their Unrest

Syria’s Foreign Minister & his Iranian counterpart blame Israel of plotting to bring down Syrian President Assad.

By Elad Benari

 

Syria’s Foreign Minister on Sunday accused Israel of being behind the ongoing unrest in his country.

A building burns after shelling at Aleppo

A building burns after shelling at Aleppo – Reuters

During a visit to Tehran, Walid al-Moualem and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, accused Israel of plotting to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The Israeli position towards the crisis in Syria proves that a plot was hatched against the regime in Damascus,” Salehi said, accusing Arab states for adopting what he called “Israel’s position” and following it. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| July 27, 2012
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Massive US bunker-buster finally available

With possible intervention in Syria, Iran strike, 30,000-pound bomb capable of penetrating underground instillation is ready.

 

In face of possible military intervention in Syria and a strike against Iran, the United States has announced that its largest bunker-buster missile capable of penetrating underground facilities is operational and ready for use if needed.

(illustrative)

Drone – Photo: REUTERS

Called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the 30,000-pound bomb which contains over 5,000 pounds of explosives was originally designed to take out hardened fortifications in Iran and North Korea. The announcement that it is operational comes at a time that the western world is increasingly concerned over the potential proliferation of Syria’s chemical weapons to Hezbollah.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| July 25, 2012
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FM Liberman addresses Hezbollah as a terror group, relations with Turkey, & Syria’s biological weapons

Liberman cites adding Hezbollah to EU terrorist blacklist is a process that will take time.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

 

There is significant support for Israel’s call to add Hezbollah to the EU’s terrorist blacklist, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman told Israel Radio from Brussels, in an interview aired Wednesday morning.

Avigdor Lieberman

FM Avigdor Lieberman – Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

Liberman met Tuesday with his EU colleagues as part of the annual EU-Israel Association Council meeting, where he called on the body to put the Lebanese organization on its terrorist list.

He said that discussion of his request, which seemed to be initially dismissed by EU officials, had been misrepresented, and that no one had expected it to be immediately accepted without debate.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| July 24, 2012
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Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman: WMD transfer to Hezbollah is a ‘justification for war’

FM Liberman meets with European officials in Brussels, pushes for international involvement in safeguarding Syria’s WMD; EU: No consensus yet on adding Hezbollah to terror list.

The transfer of chemical weapons from Syria to Hezbollah is a clear casus belli, and Israel will act “decisively and without hesitation or restraint,”  Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the EU-Israel Association Council meeting in Brussels, Liberman said this would be “a completely different ballgame, and we hope for the understanding and cooperation of the international community.”

Liberman with Markoulis at meeting in Brussels - Photo: Screenshot

Liberman with Markoulis at meeting in Brussels – Photo: Screenshot

Liberman said the international community should get involved to prevent the possibility of using biological and chemical weapons.

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