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Friday, August 3, 2012

Syria: Aleppo under Siege!

#Syria reports assad has massed upto 20,000 troops on the ground around aleppo with jets and helecopters in support for a mass invasion RT
— riad al asaad (@fsa_hq_syria) August 4, 2012

What some are calling the decisive battle of the Syrian revolution may have already started in Aleppo as I publish this. In recent days, the Assad regime has been building up it forces around Aleppo. They have brought in hundreds of tanks. They have stripped defenses from other sections of the country, and for more than a week now they are pounded the opposition held areas of Aleppo with tank fire, long range artillery, and bombs and rockets from its warplanes.

Salah Eddine is being shelled. This has become the usual news. #Aleppo #Syria
— Nuff Silence (@NuffSilence) August 4, 2012

In the meantime the rebel forces have actually been able to strengthen their hold on Aleppo, dig in for the expected assault, and even expand the portions of the city that are under their control. And while most of those civilians who can flee Aleppo for parts elsewhere have done so, the city may as

The battle for State TV branch in Aleppo was great, but it was in an open area, so helicopters were able to push rebels back. #Aleppo #Syria
— AnonymousSyria (@AnonymousSyria) August 4, 2012

yet have over a million unarmed civilians who are also under the rain of the Assad regimes bombardment and have only the Free Syrian Army to defend them.

I hope to add much more to this diary later today. I have to go to the CA convention of the Peace & Freedom Party this morning. I am a delegate pledged to Barr-Sheehan, so as usual.

Preparing for the assault| 4 August 2012

More, later...

Reuters has one of the few English language reporters still in Aleppo today. Here is his report:

Syrian forces pound rebel frontline in Aleppo
By Hadeel Al Shalchi
ALEPPO, Syria | Sat Aug 4, 2012 3:34pm BST

(Reuters) - A Syrian army helicopter fired machinegun rounds and troops shelled rebel positions in Aleppo on Saturday, a Reuters witness said, as they tried to break through the insurgents' frontline in a battleground district in the country's largest city.

Earlier in the day, Syrian forces clashed with rebels around Aleppo's television and radio station, activists said, and a local rebel commander said his fighters were preparing for a "strong offensive" by government forces on the city.

Syrian troops backed by armour stormed the last opposition bastion in Damascus on Friday in a drive to crush a rebel offensive that coincided with a bomb attack that killed four of President Bashar al-Assad's senior security officials.

The onslaught continued on Saturday as jets bombarded the capital in a bid to snuff out resistance, a resident said.
...
In Aleppo's battleground Salaheddine district, rebels from the Free Syrian Army hid in alleyways, dodging the Syrian army's bullets and tank rounds that struck a building in the district on Saturday.

"There is one helicopter and we're hearing two explosions every minute," a Reuters reporter said.

A Syrian activist told Reuters the rebels had earlier sought to extend their area of control from the Salaheddine district, where the most intense fighting has been focused, northwards to the area around the television and radio station.

SNIPER FIRE

"The Free Syrian Army pushed from Salaheddine to al-Adhamiya where they clashed this morning with Syrian troops. But they had to retreat," the activist who identified himself as Barraa al-Halabi told Reuters.

A 19-year-old fighter called Mu'awiya al-Halabi, who was at the scene, said Syrian snipers surrounded the station and targeted the rebels.

"We were inside it for a few hours after clashes with the Syrian army but the Syrian army sent snipers and surrounded the TV station and as soon as morning came, the army started shooting. One of our fighters was martyred and four were wounded," he said.
...
Syrian television said a large number of terrorists, the term it uses for the rebels, were killed and wounded after they tried to storm the television and radio station in Aleppo.

A Reuters journalist who witnessed the clashes said a helicopter strafed rebel positions with machinegun fire near a police station which anti-Assad fighters took on Friday.

"Wake up, wake up. The army's coming," local rebel commander Abu Ali told fighters sleeping in the Zibdeyyeh police station.

Black smoke rose into the sky from areas of Salaheddine, which is seen as a gateway for the Syrian army into the city of 2.5 million inhabitants. Its fate could determine the outcome of a war that has already claimed some 18,000 lives.

A different local rebel commander in Aleppo said he expected a Syrian army attack on rebels "within days", echoing Herve Ladsous, head of the United Nation's peacekeeping department, who said there had been a "considerable buildup of military means".

"We have information that the Syrian army is planning a strong offensive against Aleppo. We know they are planning to attack the city using tanks and aircraft, shooting at us for three to four days and they plan to take the city," Colonel Abdel-Jabbar al-Oqaidi said in Aleppo.

Faced with the Syrian army's superior firepower, Oqaidi said the rebels were counting on mass defections by government soldiers once the offensive started.

"At the moment the soldiers cannot leave their bases and they are too afraid to defect. Once they are inside our city they will take off their uniforms and join us," he said.

In Damascus, a resident in the Adawi neighbourhood just north of the central Old City district, said reported a loud explosion at 7 am (0400 GMT) and the sound of jets flying overhead.

"The bombardment has been continuous since 7 am (0400 GMT) in Tadamun district. It hasn't stopped for a moment," said the Adawi resident.

Syrian soldiers deployed on the streets, telling people to stay indoors because of clashes in the nearby Basateen area. On Friday they stormed Tadamun, the last rebel stronghold in the city.
More ...

BBC News has this report:

Syrian crisis: Fresh fighting hits Damascus and Aleppo
4 August 2012 Last updated at 09:23 ET

Fresh fighting has been reported around Syria's capital, Damascus, and in the northern city of Aleppo, where rebels are trying to secure their positions.

Most areas of Aleppo where rebels are entrenched have been bombarded by government forces and clashes have been reported in several districts.
...
In Damascus, fighting was reported in the Tadamon district on the southern edge of the city, which was earlier stormed by government forces.

Shooting and explosions were also heard in central parts of the capital, as well as in western areas, in and around Dumar.

Video footage posted by activists showed a military jet flying over what they said was the rebel-held quarter of Salah al-Din in Aleppo followed by a loud explosion.

Activists reported clashes in several areas, including around the officers' club and a security headquarters.

But the regime has yet to unleash a concerted offensive to drive rebels out of Aleppo. UN officials believe the government is building up its forces for just such a campaign to regain control of a city it cannot afford to lose, the BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon reports.

Kim Sengupta of the UK's Independent newspaper told the BBC from Aleppo that there are two front lines in the city, one in Salah al-Din and one near the ancient iron gate.

There have been skirmishes in which rebels have done rather well, he says, seizing three police stations and retaking a fourth on Friday, and rebels are "incrementally" increasing the size of the area they hold.

The rebels have "remarkable" defence capability in Salah al-Din where government tanks had been trying to enter, but as an area full of narrow twisting lanes, it is perfect for guerrilla warfare, he adds.

However, the full thrust of the armour and the artillery from the regime side has not been seen yet, he adds. More...

The Guardian has this report today:

Syrian rebels ignore world's fears in struggle for Aleppo
Battle for Syrian city appears to be nearing decisive phase with reinforcements continuing to bolster Free Syrian Army
Martin Chulov in Aleppo and Ian Black
Friday 3 August 2012 14.26 EDT
Fighting raged across Syria on Friday as Bashar al-Assad's armed forces pounded opposition strongholds after the shock resignation of the UN peace envoy Kofi Annan left the international community scrambling for effective policies.

Rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo came under attack from artillery, helicopters and fighter jets, though an expected government ground offensive did not materialise. The UN had predicted on Thursday that an attack was imminent. Battles erupted near the heart of Aleppo for the first time in the fortnight-long battle. Rebels claimed to control parts of the northeast, east and south of the city, but western Aleppo remained a regime stronghold.

The battle for Syria's second city appears to be nearing a decisive phase with reinforcements continuing to bolster the Free Syrian Army (FSA) ranks. Several hundred fighters arrived from Idlib and Hama and rebel leaders say thousands more are expected before what they claim will be new phase in the fight sometime next week. More...

Al Arabiya News filed this report:

FSA claims control of more than half of Aleppo as battles continue
Sat Aug 04, 2012 15:24 pm (KSA) 12:24 pm (GMT)
The opposition, Free Syrian Army (FSA) claimed control of around 60 percent of the city of Aleppo, Al Arabiya reported on Saturday.

After still continuing battles with the Syrian regime’s army, FSA was able to control buildings of radio and TV stations in the northern city; however it claimed its later retreat from inside the buildings as “tactical.”

Captain Hussam Abu Mohammed, who participated in the battles around the buildings, said that the army’s retreat from the buildings was “tactical,” after the regime’s army’s shelling the FSA from helicopters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel forces withdrew from the district of Izaa where the state television building is situated.

“Rebel forces planted explosives there, and regime forces shelled the area,” the Britain-based Observatory reported. “The rebels then withdrew from the area.”

According to state news agency SANA, “mercenary terrorist groups attacked civilians and the state TV building (in Aleppo), while the army defended it.”

FSA says it is now in control of the areas surrounding the media buildings.
More...

And always remember the Al Jazeera Live Blog for updates:

Syrian security official says the battle for Aleppo 'has not yet begun'
August 4, 2012 - 15:14

The battle for Aleppo has not yet begun, and shelling by troops is just the start of what is to come, a senior Syrian security official in the region said on Saturday.

"The battle for Aleppo has not yet begun, and what is happening now is just the appetizer," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding: "The main course will come later."

The official said new military reinforcements had arrived, and that there were at least 20,000 troops on the ground.

"The other side are also sending reinforcements," he added, referring to the rebel forces.

- Agence France Presse

From EAWorldView today we have this report on Syria:

Syria Live Coverage: Has the Regime Lost Aleppo?

Saturday, August 4, 2012 at 11:42 | Scott Lucas

1427 GMT: Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross has appealed to "all parties involved in the fighting to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law".
The Red Cross said it has already shared its concerns with the Syrian authorities and some opposition groups, but it was making "an urgent public appeal so that it will reach the warring sides on the ground without delay".
1420 GMT: Syria. The New York Times produces a different image of insurgents in Aleppo:
Just before sunrise, a select group of Syrian rebel fighters steps away from the front lines here for a task their commanders now consider a vital and urgent part of the war effort: baking bread.
The floppy moons that they produce, pita to Americans, usually go quickly to hungry residents and rebels. Bread is a mainstay of the Syrian diet — it accompanies every meal — and in a city paralyzed by two weeks of war, the bakery lines show that basic commerce has become a battleground of its own.
“The regime has tried to deprive our supporters of water and gas, and now they are using bread,” said Basheer al-Hajeh, a member of Al Tawheed Brigade, one of the main rebel militias in Aleppo. But he said the rebels had learned how to fight back against the government’s attempts to keep bread and other resources out of opposition-controlled areas.
“We took control of the wheat warehouses in Aleppo’s suburbs,” he said. “We have many of them, in several areas, and they might keep us supplied for weeks.”
1418 GMT: Egypt. The acting head of the Coptic Christian church has complained about the new Cabinet, saying one seat among 35 members is not enough to reflect a community that is 1/10th of the population.
Bishop Bakhomious, who replaced Pope Shenouda following his death in March, said, "I will not congratulate the new prime minister on the formation of the government because it is unfair....We had expected an increase in the representation of Copts especially after the number of ministries increased to 35 ministry. But the formation ignored all the known rights and concepts of citizenship.It is not right that Copts get treated in this way.
1412 GMT: Syria. Sounds of fighting in the Salaheddin section of Aleppo today:
1352 GMT: Bahrain. Leading activist Zainab AlKhawaja, arrested Thursday night following a solitary protest on a roundabout, has been charged with tearing a portrait of the King belonging to the Ministry of Interior, according to Said Yousif of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR). Zainab will reportedly be held under investigation for 7 days.
Yesterday, BCHR along with the Gulf Center for Human Rights put out an urgent appeal for her release, allegding mistreatment by police during her arrest and interrogation.
1328 GMT: Syria. Mustafa Al Sheikh, the head of the Free Syrian Army's Military Council, visits Anadan in Aleppo Province today:
1320 GMT: Syria. An Iranian diplomat in Damascus has told State TV that 48 Iranian pilgrims have been kidnapped from a bus in the Syrian capital en route to the airport.
Majid Kamjou said, "There are no reports about the fate of the pilgrims. The embassy and Syrian officials are trying to trace the kidnappers."
1122 GMT: Syria. Reuters is reporting, from witnesses, tht regime forces are using artillery shells, tanks, and helicopters to attack insurgents in the Salaheddine district of Aleppo.
"There is one helicopter and we're hearing two explosions every minute," a Reuters reporter said.
1039 GMT: Syria. Activists and insurgents have reported intense fighting this morning near the television and radio station in Aleppo.
"The Free Syria Army pushed from Salaheddine to al-Adhamiya where they clashed this morning with Syrian troops. But they had to retreat," activist Barraa al-Halabi said.
A 19-year-old fighter named Mu'awiya al-Halabi said Syrian snipers surrounded the station and targeted the insurgents: "We were inside it for a few hours after clashes with the Syrian army but the Syrian army sent snipers and surrounded the TV station and as soon as morning came, the army started shooting. One of our fighters was martyred and four were wounded," he said.
State news agency SANA, citing "an official source", said "armed terrorist groups" had been killed in the radio and TV station but denied that the insurgents had taken control of the facility.
1007 GMT: Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Interior has announced a policeman and a protester were killed in overnight clashes in the Eastern Province.
"A security patrol came under heavy gunfire from four armed rioters on motorbikes" in the district of Qatif, ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki said. "Security forces hunted down the armed rioters who were on motorbikes and exchanged fire with them. One of the four caught was wounded and he died while on the way to the hospital."
Witnesses said the attackers were participating in a protest that took place in Qatif late on Friday.
0955 GMT: Syria. The militant group Al-Nusra has claimed the kidnapping and execution of Syrian television presenter Mohammed al-Saeed.
"The heroes of western Ghouta [in Damascus Province] imprisoned the shabih [pro-regime militia] presenter on July 19," Al-Nusra said in a statement, a photograph of Saeed with his back against a wall in an unknown location. "He was then killed after he had been interrogated."
The statement warned, "May this be a lesson to all those who support the regime."
State TV director Maan Saleh said: "We have no material proof of this killing."
0949 GMT: Lebanon and Syria. An-Nahar reports that the Government has decided against deporting Syrians, even if there were judicial cases allowing their expulsion.
According to the daily, the decision was made after consultations between President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Speaker Nabih Berri, and other political parties in the Cabinet.
On Wednesday, Lebanon deported 14 Syrians, drawing criticism from human rights activists.
0937 GMT: Syria. The Associated Press claims "a string of...incidents in recent months that have raised fears among Syrian refugees that Assad’s regime is extending its crackdown across the border into neighboring Jordan". It asserts, Refugees and Jordanian officials believe Syrian regime agents are operating in the kingdom on a campaign to hunt down opponent and intimidate those who have fled."
0930 GMT: Syria. Writing in The New York Times, Kapil Komireddi warns of "civil disintegration and ethnic cleansing":
A churchgoing Syrian told me that he used to see himself primarily as “Syrian” and that religious identity, in political terms, was an idea that never occurred to him — until an opposition gang attacked his family earlier this year in Homs. “It’s a label they pinned on us,” he said. “If their revolution is for everyone, as they keep insisting it is, why are Christians being targeted? It is because what they are waging is not a struggle for freedom, and it’s certainly not for everyone.”
As Saudi Arabian arms and money bolster the opposition, the 80,000 Christians who’ve been “cleansed” from their homes in Hamidiya and Bustan al-Diwan in Homs Province in March by the Free Syrian Army have gradually given up the prospect of ever returning home.
The rebels’ conduct has prompted at least some Sunnis who had supported the rebels and once-wavering Syrians to pledge renewed loyalty to Assad. Many who once regarded the regime as a kleptocracy now view it as the best guarantor of Syria’s endangered pluralism.
A Sunni shopkeeper in the impoverished suburb of Set Zaynab, which was partly destroyed in the clashes last week, no longer supports the rebellion. “I wanted Assad to go because he is corrupt,” he said. “But what happened here, what they did, it scared me. It made me angry. I cannot support the murder of my neighbors in the name of change. You cannot bring democracy by killing innocent people or by burning the shrines of Shiites. Syrians don’t do that. This is the work of the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia,” he added, referring to the ultra conservative Sunni sect.
0710 GMT: Libya. For the first time since the fall of the Qaddafi regime, a car bomb has exploded in the capital Tripoli.
The explosion near the offices of the military police slightly wounded a Tunisian national.
0620 GMT: Syria. Russia has agreed to purchase crude oil from Damascus in exchange for refined oil products, providing Syria with much-needed fuel.
The deal was struck as high-level Syrian officials visited Moscow.
0550 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria claim 137 deaths on Friday at the hands of security forces, with about half of them in the mass killing in Arbaeen in Hama. Twenty-one people died in Damascus and its suburbs and 18 in Aleppo.
The LCCS focus on civilian casualties, so the level of insurgent deaths is unknown. The regime has stopped posting figures about its forces.
0530 GMT: Syria. We begin Saturday with the provocative analysis put forward by James Miller to close last night's Live Coverage:
The Free Syrian Amry has more and more weapons, and has proven it can beat Assad's armour. Those fighters have been hit hard by the helicopters and jet fighters, but have proven that they are strong enough to take those hits. We have now gone many days without a regime victory in the area, and the FSA continues to advance. Perhaps as much of 70% of Aleppo is under some degree of FSA control, while the insurgents are closing in on Assad's military bases south of Salaheddin.
Common knowledge says that the regime will strike soon, but common knowledge said that the regime would retake the city last Saturday. It didn't happen. The FSA won the battles. In fact, there is no available empirical evidence that suggests the Assad regime can win the future battles inside Aleppo.
The regime could make a significant military assault in a bid to take Aleppo back, but it would likely have to be much larger than anything we have seen so far.
Without being alarmist, the most likely scenario may not be a regime assault on the city. Soon, the Free Syrian Army could be poised to take Aleppo --- all of it.
The regime did claim a victory elsewhere on Friday, sending in thousands of troops to clear the last insurgent-held area of Damascus, Tadamon. Outside the biggest cities, however, opposition forces have consolidated their control of territory, especially in the north.
Doing so, they have effectively surrounded Aleppo, as the map at the top of the entry indicates. So the question grows: will the fall of Syria's largest city seal the fate of the Assad regime?

6:13 PM PT: 4 Peace & Freedom CA Convention 3 August 2012

Back from the Peace & Freedom Party California State Convention. We just nominated Roseanne Barr and Cindy Sheehan as our presidential and veep candidates. Roseanne had this great line in her speech that I wanted to tweet but my phone had died trying to follow the tweets out of Aleppo. Part of it was "the economy's not broken, its fixed!" but there was another part to. It will come to me, if not there's lots of video. Anyhow, I'm back on the Syria beat.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

UN votes to condemn Assad Regime as Reuters posts false story on #Syria

was "BREAKING: Syria: FSA suffers defeat in Aleppo as UN votes to condemn Assad Regime"

BREAKING 12:33pm pst - The Reuters story that I suspected was a phony turns out to be exactly that.
Reuters was hacked!!!!!
This just in NY Magazine:

Reuters Hacked, Phony Stories Posted on Syrian Conflict
By Adam Pasick
Today at 2:10 PM

Reuters' website got hacked. Attackers published two phony blog posts that claimed to report on major defeats and setbacks for the rebel Free Syrian Army that is fighting a bloody conflict with the Syrian government.

Several Twitter users and the blog Moon of Alabama noticed at about 10:40 ET that Reuters.com was featuring two blog posts, one stating that "Syrian rebels fighting the forces of Assad have fallen in key districts of their stronghold Salah Al Deen in Aleppo," and a separate interview with the Free Syrian Army's Riad Al-Asaad saying rebels would "withdraw from all Syrian cities due to the huge losses caused upon the soldiers, as well, the betrayals made by rebels, due to in-fighting amongst them, for money and positions."

Reuters blogs, a subset of the company's website that includes writers like Felix Salmon, were taken offline shortly after noon when the company discovered the problem, and remain inaccessible as of 2 p.m. Reuters said in a series of tweets shortly after 1 p.m.:

Reuters.com was a target of a hack on Friday. Our blogging platform was compromised and fabricated blog posts were falsely attributed to several Reuters journalists. We are working to address the problem.

A false blog posting, purporting to carry an interview with the head of the Free Syrian Army Riad al-Asaad was illegally posted on a Reuters journalist's blog page on Reuters.com on Friday. Reuters did not carry out such an interview and the posting has been deleted.

Did I call that one right or what? Clearly the Assad propaganda mill knows no limits and has no integrity. Welcome to journalism in the age of Cyberspace.

The United Nations General Assembly has just voted overwhelmingly to condemn the Syrian government and demanded a political transition in Syria. The 193 member General Assembly approved a resolution sponsored by Saudi Arabia with 133 voles in favor, 12 against and 31 abstentions.
Follow clayclai on Twitter

Riad Al Asaad, the top leader of the Free Syrian Army allegedly told Reuters blogger Jeffrey Goldfarb by phone that the Syrian Arab Army of Bashar al Assad has killed 1000 soldiers of the FSA and captured another 1500 in Aleppo. Raid al Assad said the FSA was making what he called a tactical withdrawal from

RT @edwardedark: friend saw hundreds of troops from the republican guards arrive at #Aleppo airport yesterday. confirmed #Syria
— Scott Peterson (@peterson__scott) August 3, 2012

Aleppo province and would be withdrawing from all Syrian cities due to the heavy losses they were incurring. [I now have reason to question this report - see below.]

While the opposition had been able to expand their hold on Aleppo in the past week from about 40% of the city to about 60%, it has become clear in the past few days that the Assad regime was gearing up for a massive new attempt to retake the city. Yesterday Reuters reported:

Update at 12:46pm pst - This news item, which I did not suspect, also turns out to be a phony story planted by the hacker.

Rebel resistance collapses in key suburbs
By Frederick Kempe

The Syrian rebels fighting the forces of Assad have fallen in key districts of their stronghold Salah Al Deen in Aleppo. This comes hours after the army has announced that it has destroyed the communication network provided by Turkey. Earlier the rebel forces have complained that they are running low on ammunition as the city has been completely surrounded by government forces, coupled with lack of communications, has left the rebels in disarray. Several trucks with mounted heavy machine guns have been destroyed, leading to the deaths of 20 rebels.

According to footage on the ground, the rebel forces in Aleppo have failed to take Aleppo Citadel, contrary to earlier reported news. A journalist on the ground, Hussein Murtada, has reported that an attempt to damage the ancient Citadel’s walls by rebel missiles was repelled by security forces, resulting in the death of General Mustafa Al Sheikh and Abdul Jabar Aqede, field Marshals of the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo.

Columns of Syrian tanks were seen entering the city earlier in the day, suggesting that the army was ready to route out all resistance in the western districts which have presence of rebel forces who have evicted residents from the area.

The Israeli news source Haaretz also noted the build up, as well as Assad's latest massacre in Hama:

Syria amasses troops in Aleppo
Assad’s forces prepare for onslaught in Aleppo; earlier, opposition reported 62 dead in massacre in Hama.
By DPA | Aug.03, 2012 | 4:49 PM

Syria on Friday amassed troops in the northern city of Aleppo in preparation for an onslaught on rebel-held areas and the opposition reported a massacre in the central city of Hama.

Opposition activists said more than 62 people, including women and children, were killed in a massacre committed by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad in Hama. The claim by the Local Coordination Committees could not be independently verified.

In Aleppo, Syria's main commercial center, the Syrian army sent more troops and tanks to break a stalemate in fighting with rebels holding out for six days in opposition areas mainly in the east and southwest of the city near the border with Turkey.

"Dozens of trucks loaded with troops and backed by more than 100 tanks are being positioned around Aleppo," Abu Omar al-Halabi, a commander in the rebel Free Syrian Army, told dpa by phone. ...More

Video: The funeral of Hameed Ali Al-Nayef turns into a demonstration in #Ebeen town of #Aleppo outskirts on... fb.me/1zgh4lWFE
— Documents.sy (@documentssy) August 3, 2012

As these developments take place the Christian Science Monitor reports many opposition fighters and ordinary Syrians alike are developing a new anti-Americanism because they have concluded that the United States, with its pro-Israeli interests and CIA anti-terrorism relationships, wants to see Assad hang on to power:

Syria's rebels have a new villain: the United States
The US has stepped up its rhetoric against President Assad and is providing covert support to rebels. But for many fighting the Assad regime, it is not enough.
By Scott Peterson, Staff writer / August 2, 2012

For those challenging the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the list of villains has always included the regime's closest allies: Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.

But as the death toll rises and Syria marks 17 months and counting of revolt, many in the embattled city of Aleppo say they have added another, perhaps surprising, villain: the United States.

The US is an arch-foe of the Syrian regime. US officials have stated plainly and repeatedly that Assad "must" go. And President Barack Obama earlier this year signed a secret order authorizing clandestine aid to rebel forces, it was reported today.

But in the rebel-held enclave of Salaheddin, guerrilla gunmen and ordinary Syrians alike wonder why the US has not acted to stop the killing by at least ending the Syrian Army's artillery bombardment and imposing a no-fly zone on the helicopters and planes that menace them from the skies.

"We all believe the US and all Western countries want Assad to stay in power," says the coordinator for the Revolutionary Council in Aleppo, who gave his name as Abu Thaier.

"I believe that Syrian intelligence up to this moment is cooperating with the CIA," the wizened revolutionary told the Monitor. "The Westerners are afraid of the destiny of Israel; this is what stops them. Assad takes advantage of that, and says, 'These terrorists [rebels] will go to Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan and we must crush them.'... Western countries gave up on the Syrian people because they believe most demonstrators are Islamists," he says. More...

This popular view of the situation and just which side Israel is on runs complete counter to what FSA leader Riad al-Assad is suppose to have told Reuters blogger Jeffrey Goldfarb. He made some very explosive charges:

In his first “unusual” statement, Riad Al-Asaad said that the Syrian Free Army will withdraw from all Syrian cities due to the huge losses caused upon the soldiers, as well, the betrayals made by rebels, due to in-fighting amongst them, for money and positions. They are expected to re-coordinate in Turkish territory where they have set up secret bases under the close supervision with the Turkish government and the Israeli intelligence service.

Riad Al-Asaad accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of betraying him, dealing secretly with the Syrian regime.

He revealed that Riyadh and Doha has made a secret deal with Damascus to eliminate the Syrian Free Army for investments and privileges in Syria post conflict. Information about all the leaders of the FSA has been passed on according to Riad Al-Assad, who previous promised to pray in Umayyad mosque on the 15th of Ramadan, or August 3rd in the Georgian Calendar.

These rapid developments have all occurred 24 hours and are related to the resignation of UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, who has been accused of participating in a “plot already set against the FSA”, Al-Asaad concluded to Reuters via private channels.

Okay, frankly I am starting to get suspicious of these revelations via Jeffrey Goldfarb, the more I look into them even though I have found Reuters to be a very reliable source. First Jeffrey Goldfarb's blog comes with this disclaimer "The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own." Second, this is how they describe him "Jeffrey Goldfarb writes about investment banking and the financial sector. Jeff joined from Reuters in London, where he oversaw European corporate finance coverage. Before that, he led Reuters' reportage on the European media sector, and previously wrote about M&A in New York." His column yesterday in Reuters was about Manchester United and its investors, and today he snags a very provocative breaking news interview with the commander of the FSA. There's something wrong with this picture.

The withdrawal from all of Aleppo province seems extreme. I have expected a withdrawal from Aleppo city as soon as too much of Assad's fire power were brought to bear, but they have had a very firm control in the countryside up to the Turkish border and it would make no sense to give that up unless they were giving up entirely. Also there is this revelation that they are receiving help from Israeli intelligence. Even if it is true, I can hardly see the FSA leadership volunteering that information in an interview as it plays right into the Assad regimes latest propaganda that it is really Israel that is ramrodding the Islamic extremist armed terrorist gangs and would be a scandal for the FSA among the Syrian people.

#BREAKING: Amro bin al-A’ass & Muthanna Ibn al-Haritha brigades encircles Menagh Military Airport in #Aleppo. Heavy clashes reported #Syria
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) August 3, 2012

Not over yet in Aleppo!

In any case, it is clear that the battle for Aleppo is far from over based on the tweets I am seeing at this hour, and Al Jazeera English is standing by their view that the opposition is winning the battle of Aleppo in their latest posting:

Syria rebels 'strengthen hold' on Aleppo
Free Syrian Army claims control of roughly half of country's largest city amid fears of major battle with regime forces.
Last Modified: 03 Aug 2012 14:19

Rebels say they have taken control of more than "50 per cent" of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and commercial hub where opposition strongholds have been under attack for more than 10 days.

Despite Free Syrian Army (FSA) claims of a strengthening hold on the city, government forces continued on Friday to shell rebel-held areas and bomb them with advanced fighter jets, destroying many residential buildings.

The FSA claims to have consolidated most of its control in the city's east, while also maintaining a grip on central neighbourhoods including Salaheddin and Bab al-Hadid.

When a government security source was questioned about the lack of a ground offensive by the army in Aleppo, he said: "The regime is testing the rebels' defences in order to uncover their hiding places before annihilating them in a major surgical operation."

Meanwhile, a top UN official said on Thursday that the "main battle" for Aleppo is about to start.

Herve Ladsous, UN peacekeeping chief, said after briefing the UN Security Council on the Syrian conflict that UN observers had not yet seen opposition rebels using the tanks and other heavy weapons that they now have.

"The spiral of violence is still increasing," Ladsous told reporters.

"The focus two weeks ago was on Damascus. The focus is now on Aleppo where there has been a considerable build-up of military means and where we have reason to believe that the main battle is about to start," he added. More...

This morning we also have this report from LBC International of new fighting in Damascus:

Syrian troops stormed Damascus's southern district of Tadamon with dozens of tanks, armored vehicles and soldiers, on Friday, in an attempt to win back control of the last rebel stronghold in the capital, a witness and activists said.

Activists said most of the district was under the control of government forces by early evening.

Earlier on Friday, mortars 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.

The Britain-based Syrian 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.

The state news agency blamed the bombardment on "terrorist mercenaries" a term the government uses for rebel fighters and said they had been chased away by security forces.

Meanwhile, tens of civilians were killed alongside Syrian opposition fighters in the Arbeen neighborhood, Hama in a military operation of a clandestine nature.

On another note, clashes erupted in the Tadamon neighborhood in Damascus while Aleppo’s Salaheddine neighborhood was subject to shelling. More...

"We hope the international community will find a way to end the violence & destruction suffered by the people of #Syria." Desmond Tutu
— The Elders (@TheElders) August 3, 2012

Meanwhile, far from the battlefield, all is confusion at the United Nations as they begin the search for Kofi Annan's replacement and prepare to vote on a new Syria resolution this morning. All this week, Saudi Arabia has been circulation a new General Assembly resolution on Syria. Even though a GA resolution is only advisory and does not carry the weight of the Security Council, some countries objected to the call for Bashar Assad to step down and for sanctions. To secure their votes, Saudi Arabia took those provisions out of the draft resolution which is to be voted upon today. Then late last night, according to Inner City Press, the UN Journal posted a version of the draft resolution that included sanctions and the call for Assad to step down. This version was also emailed out at 8am est by the UN's Department of Public Information, which was relayed to the world by the French Mission. Then, at 9:40am est, less than two hours before the 11am est scheduled vote, the UN sends out this email:

From: Nihal Saad [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 3, 2012 at 9:40 AM|
Subject: Press request regard UN Journal link to Syria resolution with sanctions & "Assad-step-down"
To: matthew.lee [at] innercitypress.com

Dear Matthew, Obviously it is the wrong version of the draft resolution. The Documentation Control Unit acknowledged their mistake. The right version of the text will be distributed at the GA Hall.

This hardly seems to fix the problem because member states generally make their final decisions based on what is published by the UN the night before, not what is distributed at the assembly.

As usual, more later...

Today from EAWorldView we have this report on Syria:

Syria Live Coverage: Annan Quits, The Mass Killings Do Not
Friday, August 3, 2012 at 12:51 | James Miller

Claimed footage of the aftermath of regime attacks on the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, which killed at least 20 people on Thursday (Warning: Graphic)

1620 GMT: Syria. BBC reporter Ian Pannell is holding a question and answer session on Twitter. So far, here is his most interesting response:
Lots of concern AQ in #Syria. In 5 trips into the country, having seen 1000s of #FSA, I met no AQ, but small numbers likely there
— ianpannell (@BBCiPannell) August 3, 2012

Many reports of foreign jihadis inside #Syria, but seen no evidence on ground. They prob do exist, but likely only small number of them
— ianpannell (@BBCiPannell) August 3, 2012

Want to get involved? The BBC has directions here:
1544 GMT: Syria. On Tuesday we posted a report on the capture of leading members of the al-Berri clan, and the execution of their leader, Zaino Berri. Now, we have an ugly video - the "trial" of Zaino Berri. We'll see if we can find a translation at some point.
1530 GMT: Syria/Jordan/Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are sending a convoy of 43 trucks to Jordan to help with Syrian refugees. According to the Saudi officials, the supplies on the trucks are food and medical supplies.
Just a week and a half ago the Saudis announced the creation of a campaign to supply the refugees fleeing Syria, and already the campaign appears to be taking off.
The campaign raised nearly $125 million for the people of Syria. In addition, large quantities of in-kind donations, including foodstuffs, medicines, medical appliances, clothes, tents and blankets have been collected.
1412 GMT: Syria. 90 people have already been killed by Assad forces today, according to the Local Coordinating Committees:
66 martyrs in Hama most of them were killed in the Arbaeen Neighborhood massacre, 10 martyrs in Idlib, 9 martyrs in Damascus and its suburbs, 3 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 1 martyrs in Homs and 1 martyr in Daraa.
Hama is, obviously, the key location so far, but things are escalating quickly and dramatically in Damascus. Tadamon has been heavily shelled, and the shelling has reportedly escalated since the last report we posted (map). The Jobar district (map) has also been shelled, and the LCC reports "wareplanes" being used, though these are likely rockets fired from a helicopter (this is a linguistic quirk). The really interesting reports, however, are just breaking and are still unconfirmed, accompanied by few details. Several videos were posted in the last few minutes showing smoke rising from Kafer Souseh (map), reportedly the result of the regime's "bombing," though that is not a particularly specific phrase.
1330 GMT: Syria.The Guardian has interviewed a fighter with the Free Syrian Army stationed in Hama. He describes the fighting that has been ongoing for the last two days:
Many soldiers who were guarding checkpoints in Arbaeen, Barazil and Friyia districts defected yesterday. These soldiers had no place to hide after their defection but went to the people living in these neighbourhoods to give them a shelter.

People are in full support of these soldiers and they can't deny them access, so the Syrian army besieged Arbaeen and started to shoot against people. It was like a punishment for people hosting these defected soldiers and FSA men.
The Syrian army used tanks and mortars to attack the neighbourhood and snipers were deployed to control movement on the main streets. They want streets to be empty.
Then they launched a raid on Barazil district and they took most of the men there, suspecting them of being members of FSA. They just knock at the door and as soon as a man shows up they snatch him.
So far, we have 62 martyrs, 45 of them are from Arbaeen...
Arbaeen is in the northernmost tip of Hama city (map), and has long been a hotspot for clashes between the FSA and the regime, and long before that mass protests. Areas north of Hama are contested, and battles and clashes are often reported in the suburbs between Hama and Idlid. Though the regime "controls" Hama, in the sense that the Free Syrian Army is kept in check, popular support in most areas of the city is strongly with the opposition, and the Free Syrian Army appears to be growing increasingly brazen in their resistance in the city and its suburbs.
But the report of mass defection is interesting. Because of the show of force, large-scale defection has not been as frequent in Hama province as it has in Idlib province - yet another trend to watch in the coming days.
James Miller takes over today's coverage. Thanks to Scott Lucas and team for taking us to the afternoon.
1219 GMT: Syria. Today's demonstration in Kafarsita in Hama Province:
Maree in Aleppo Province:
1203 GMT: Syria. Shells have been falling fairly regularly in the al Tadamon district of Damascus (map). Various Twitter reports describe the shelling as extremely heavy, and the Local Coordinating Committees report that at least 6 have been killed and 40 injured so far today, all from falling shells and mortars.
The Tadamon district is between the capital and the Yarmouk Palestinian camps that were so heavily shelled yesterday. It's also worth noting that while the more prestigious Midan district is basically under the control of regime forces, the Free Syrian Army has not been dislodged completely from these neighborhoods, and on several occasions raids into the Tadamon/Yarmouk areas have met fairly significant resistance from the FSA.
After yesterday's strikingly high death toll in and around the capital, things don't look significantly better for the residents of Damascus and its suburbs today.
1152 GMT: Syria. The Free Syrian Army has condemned Tuesday's executions of members of the pro-Assad Berri clan in Aleppo.
"We strongly condemn this kind of irresponsible behavior and call on all revolutionary forces and the fighters on the ground to condemn such acts," the FSA's joint command said in a joint statement. It insisted the killings were "unacceptable, isolated and illegal":
These reprehensible acts do not conform with the ethics of the FSA or the Syrian revolution. We respect international laws and conventions, notably the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners.
Earlier in the week, the head of the FSA's military council and a spokesman for the Unification Brigade in Aleppo had justified the executions, saying the Berri clan had broken a truce and killed insurgents.
1138 GMT: Syria. Local activist Mahmoud Nasar has spoken to The Guardian about the regime shelling of the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, killing at least 20 people:
This is the worst accident I’ve seen since the start of this revolution. It was a bloody day. There was blood in the street mixing with the water. Women and children were running on the street afraid.
Nasar denied that the Free Syrian Army had attacked the camp, which hosts Palestinian refugees, or that insurgents were in the area.
listen to ‘Activist in Yarmouk, Damascus describes scene after blasts kill at least 20 people #Syria’ on Audioboo
1102 GMT: Syria. Austin Tice of McClatchy posts interviews with insurgents who attacked Damascus last month:
Rebel fighters who planned and participated in intense fighting in the Syrian capital two weeks ago say they never intended to capture and hold portions of the city. They view the skirmishing, widely seen as a victory for the government, as just the opposite.
“It was an excellent victory,” said Abu Abdullah, a commander in the unit that exercises rebel tactical control over the western half of Damascus. “We accomplished our objectives, gained experience, and had very low casualties. The Free Army is stronger as a result, and the regime is weaker.”
1048 GMT: Syria. A Turkish official said about 1,000 Syrians, including a defecting brigadier general, have fled to Turkey in the past 24 hours.
The official said there are now 45,500 Syrian refugees in Turkey.
1018 GMT: Syria. Kim Sengupta of The Independent writes from Aleppo about regime supporters fearing reprisals by insurgents:
Sitting in a room in his flat darkened by drawn curtains, Abdul Fawaz al-Jais flinched every time he heard shots. He almost jumped when there was loud and prolonged shouting outside. At the sound of a helicopter, however, he raised his head with a look of almost relief.
The reaction was hardly the normal one in "Free Aleppo", where residents have been subjected to attacks from the air from the Syrian regime while at the same time facing regular salvoes of tank and artillery fire on the ground./p>
But Mr al-Jais, unlike his neighbours, was not looking forward to the triumph of the revolution; 20 hours earlier his brother, Ahmed, and cousin, Jassem, had been dragged away and executed by the revolutionaries.
The family are part of the Al-Barre tribe whose militia had entered the fray pledging their loyalty to President Bashar al-Assad. Their first act was an attack on opposition positions near the airport in which 15 revolutionaries were killed, some, it is claimed, shot with their hands tied behind their backs.
The reaction was an assault in the Sher Osman neighbourhood where part of the clan are based, with about a dozen killed and 20 arrested.
1000 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees claim the deaths of 67 people at the hands of security forces so far today, including 62 in the early-morning mass killing in the Arabeen neighbourhood in Hama.
0850 GMT: Syria. Scott Peterson, back from Aleppo, reports on the insurgents who --- despite the evidence of US covert efforts to aid their fight --- see Washington as a backer of the regime:
"We all believe the US and all Western countries want Assad to stay in power," says the coordinator for the Revolutionary Council in Aleppo, who gave his name as Abu Thaier.
"I believe that Syrian intelligence up to this moment is cooperating with the CIA," the wizened revolutionary told the Monitor. "The Westerners are afraid of the destiny of Israel; this is what stops them. Assad takes advantage of that, and says, 'These terrorists [rebels] will go to Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan and we must crush them.'... Western countries gave up on the Syrian people because they believe most demonstrators are Islamists," he says.
0659 GMT: Syria. Rania Abouzeid, who has been posting a series of hard-hitting articles from insurgent-held Saraqeb in Idlib Province, opens her latest piece, "The Cadence of War":
The three little girls crouched in their starting positions, each placing one leg in front of the other, ready to pounce on the count of three: “One, two, three!” their aunt said as the sisters, all under 10, raced some 20 meters to the top of their narrow lane, giggling, before turning around and sprinting back toward their aunt, seated outside their front door. It was a stiflingly warm night, near pitch black. The electricity was out and the family had moved outside, the pleasant breeze providing a little respite from the heat.
Two nights earlier, another family — the Breks — had done the same thing. They lived in another neighborhood in this town of some 40,000 in central Idlib province. The young children were playing outside. Their mother Sakina had just finished boiling tea and was bringing it outside when the rocket landed in their street. She was killed along with three other women from their family. Her young son, no more than eight or nine, was already dead when he reached the Hassan Hospital. His bright red t-shirt was stained a deeper shade by his blood. His baby sister Suheila, dressed in a blue t-shirt and white shorts, her pudgy toddler legs covered in patches of blood, no longer had a face. Her head was an indiscernible mashed up pink blob of flesh and blood.
The Brek family tragedy wasn’t lost on the aunt as she watched her young nieces playing, but faith and fatalism were like soothing balms. “They were sitting here just like us,” she said. “It’s frightening what we have gotten used to. Death will find us if it wants to, if God wills it, but we are changing, becoming harder as human beings.”
0631 GMT: Syria and Turkey. On Thursday, we featured Ali Yenidunya's analysis, "Ankara Looks to Iraq's Barzani Amid the "Kurdish Spring". The Kurdish site Rudaw follows up with news backing Yenidunya's assessment, "Turkey will have 'no red lines' about a settlement, provided the plans dealt with the position of the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD), the Syrian branch of the outlawed Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)":
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Kurdish president Massoud Barzani during a meeting yesterday evening that his government does not oppose Kurdish unity and rights in Syria but warned about the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria....
Davutoglu who met with Barzani in Kurdistan’s capital city, Erbil, said the Democratic Union Party [PYD], a Syrian Kurdish party, is exploiting the weakening and expected collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for its goals.
Iraq's central government was not impressed. The Foreign Ministry said Davutoglu's visit to Kirkuk was "not appropriate" and an "interference in the internal affairs of Iraq", warning Turkey would "bear the consequences".
0515 GMT: Syria. The headlines in the world's press this morning will be of the resignation of United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan after six months of efforts for a political resolution. Annan's mandate was not due to expire until 31 August but he said that he was leaving now amid difficulties such as "finger-pointing and name-calling" in the UN Security Council.
Our argument, however --- put forward in an audio feature to be posted this morning --- is that Annan's decision is no more than a sideshow. His high-profile six-point plan for a transition and end to violence, set out in April, never had a hope of succeeding. The UN quarrelling was only a secondary reason; instead, the initial barrier --- never lowered --- was the refusal of the Assad regime to pull back forces and cease attacks in Syrian cities.
Meanwhile, Thursday's real headline story was the continuing mass killings. The day started with news of two assaults in Damascus suburbs, Jdeidat Artouz and Yalda, which activists said killed at least 85 people; it ended with claims of more than 50 deaths in the Arbaeen neighbourhood of Hama. The Local Coordination Committees asserted, "Rocket launchers were erected near the roundabout, snipers were deployed atop the surrounding buildings, and...the international road Aleppo-Hama [was] sealed off by tanks."
And medical sources say at least 20 people were killed and 65 wounded on Thursday when Syrian security forces fired three mortar rounds at the Yarmouk camp, home to Palestinian refugees, in Damascus.
Witnesses said the mortars hit a busy street as people were preparing an Iftar meal to break the Ramadan fast.
"I saw it all, I was going to my house when the first round hit the street, people ran to check the damage when the second one hit the same area," a resident said. "Many people were killed immediately."
Yarmouk camp is home to more than 100,000 people.

4:08 PM PT: Corpses in Deir Ez zor are unable to be removed because of Assad regime snipers | 3 August 2012

with English subtitles

Deir Ezzor :: Mohamad Amin Hasan Shlash was martyred by regime sniper's bullets.#Syria NewsSyRev
— ???? (@Tha3r) August 3, 2012

Damascus neighborhood Jobar after two bombs from a plane | 3 August 2012

FSA captures brigadier general Husam Haidar, head of Political Security Branch | 3 August 2012

The Telegraph has this article on the Palestinian camp:

Syria: carnage as mortar shells hit Palestinian camp in Damascus

1:23PM BST 03 Aug 2012

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that mortar shells hit the camp on the southern outskirts of Damascus on Friday as President Bashar al-Assad's regime attempts to crush an uprising that erupted almost 17 months ago.
At least 20 people were reported killed after mortars hit a busy street as people were preparing a Ramadan meal at the Palestinian Yarmouk camp in Damascus.
Yarmouk camp is the largest Palestinian refugee community and is home to more than 100,000 people. It is not clear what prompted the shelling.
Rami Abdel Rahman, the Observatory's director, said the shelling occurred as fighting flared between government troops and rebel fighters in the nearby neighbourhood of Tadamun.

THE MOST IMPORTANT VIDEO TO SHAREVictory is soon!!!!! ISA#SYRIAyoutube.com/watch?v=pyDlNY… fb.me/1OqYrMhCw
— Victory is Near (@IbnOmar2005) August 3, 2012

5:08 PM PT: Chirldren lead the protest in Aleppo | 4 August 2012

10:05 PM PT: The NY Times has weigh in with its report on the Reuters hack:

Reading the Fake Reuters Reports on Syria

By ROBERT MACKEY

August 3, 2012, 8:19 pm

As my colleague Christine Haughney reports on Media Decoder, Reuters temporarily suspended the operation of its blogging platform on Friday after the news agency said its Web site was hacked and false reports of setbacks for Syrian rebels were posted online.
In a statement, Reuters said, “Our blogging platform was compromised and fabricated blog posts were falsely attributed to several Reuters journalists.” The company said it had no idea who was behind the hacking, but archived copies of two items posted on the news site suggest that they were not written by native English speakers.
One of the fake reports, posted on a blog written by Jeffrey Goldfarb, a commentator on investment banking, appeared under the headline “Riad Al-Asaad: Syrian Free Army Pulls Back Tactically From Aleppo.” According to a copy of the post found in Google’s cache by The Atlantic Wire, the report claimed that the commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army had “confirmed on a phone call to Reuters that the regular army killed 1000 soldiers of Free Syrian Army and arrest around 1500.”

...

Mr. Kempe’s impostor also embedded a YouTube video said to show Syrian government tanks on the move, set to martial music, and made note of a report from a “journalist on the ground, Hussein Mortada.” Mr. Mortada, who is not usually cited by Western news organizations as a credible source of information, is a Lebanese supporter of the Syrian government who runs the Damascus bureau of Iran’s state television channels. He was in the news in April, when a trove of hacked e-mails obtained by The Guardian included what appeared to be a message from Mr. Mortada to a Syrian government media adviser, suggesting a change in strategy. More...

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Kofi Annan resigns as envoy to Syria

1:03 PM PT: Protest in Douma being LiveStreamed Now!

Kofi Annan is getting himself out of the Syrian peace making game now that he has not seen or heard from Bashar Assad in two weeks and his six point peace plans lays in taters on the floor. Those familiar with this series, especially Does Syria's Assad have something on Kofi Annan?, know that I have little regards for his efforts with regards to massacres in Syria or in the past. Now from CBS News we have this late bulletin:

Kofi Annan resigning as U.N. envoy to Syria
11:48 a.m. ET

(CBS News) Kofi Annan abruptly announced his resignation as the Arab League and United Nations envoy for the conflict in Syria, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement Thursday.

Annan's resignation takes effect Aug. 31, Ban said.

"Tragically, the spiral of violence in Syria is continuing. The hand extended to turn away from violence in favour of dialogue and diplomacy - as spelled out in (Annan's) Six-Point Plan - has not been not taken, even though it still remains the best hope for the people of Syria. Both the Government and the opposition forces continue to demonstrate their determination to rely on ever-increasing violence," Ban said.

The resignation is a direct consequence of the escalation of the fighting in Syria and the failure of diplomacy in the region, CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk reports. The repeated failures of the United Nations Security Council to take any meaningful action on Syria appear to be a major reason for Anna's decision.

"The persistent divisions within the Security Council have themselves become an obstacle to diplomacy, making the work of any mediator vastly more difficult," Ban said.

The impact of the Annan resignation is the recognition that diplomacy has failed in Syria. On a personal front, Annan clearly was not going down with the ship - i.e. the failure of his 6-point peace plan - and his resignation was an affirmation of what most diplomats knew, and that is, both the government and the opposition are in a fight to the finish.

Here is a link to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's full statement: New York, 2 August 2012 - Statement by the Secretary-General on the Joint Special Envoy for Syria

The Associated Press is raising some of the same questions I raised yesterday about the whereabouts of Bashar al-Assad:

Where's Assad? Mystery deepens about Syrian leader
Associated PressBy ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and PAUL SCHEMM

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad urged his military Wednesday to boost its fight against rebels, but his written call to arms only deepened a mystery over his whereabouts two weeks after a bomb penetrated his inner circle.

Assad has not spoken publicly since the July 18 bombing killed four of his top security officials — including his brother-in-law — during a rebel assault on the capital, Damascus. The president's low profile has raised questions about whether he fears for his personal safety as the civil war escalates dramatically. More..

From Kofi Annan we have this statement in the Financial Times. I have included the complete statement here in possible violation of copyright because I feel it was wrong of Kofi Annan to release such an important statement through a subscription service:

My departing advice on how to save Syria
August 2, 2012 4:52 pm
By Kofi Annan

Aleppo is under siege and the prospect of the loss of thousands more civilian lives in Syria is very high. The UN has condemned the further descent to civil war but the fighting goes on with no sign of relief for Syrians. Jihadist elements have been drawn into the conflict. There is also high concern for the security of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons. The international community has seemed strikingly powerless in its attempts to influence the brutal course of events – but this is by no means inevitable.

While the Security Council is trapped in stalemate, so too is Syria. The government has attempted to suppress, through extreme violence, a popular and widespread movement that, after 40 years of dictatorship, has decided it can no longer be intimidated. The result has been an increasing loss of control on the ground, and the opposition has turned to its own military campaign to fight back. Yet, it remains unclear how the government can be brought down through force alone.

However there is also a political impasse. A mass movement, born in the demand for civil and political rights and the empowerment of voices for change, emerged in Syria after March 2011. But, for all the extraordinary courage that it took for the protesters to march each day in the face of escalating violence by the government, this did not become a movement that bridged Syria’s communal divisions. Opportunities to overcome this were then lost in increasing violence.

Military means alone will not end the crisis. Similarly, a political agenda that is neither inclusive nor comprehensive will fail. The distribution of force and the divisions in Syrian society are such that only a serious negotiated political transition can hope to end the repressive rule of the past and avoid a future descent into a vengeful sectarian war.

For a challenge as great as this, only a united international community can compel both sides to engage in a peaceful political transition. But a political process is difficult, if not impossible, while all sides – within and without Syria – see opportunity to advance their narrow agendas by military means. International division means support for proxy agendas and the fueling of violent competition on the ground.

This is why I have consistently sought to help the international community to work together to end this destructive dynamic and to focus the minds of the parties on the ground into engaging in a political process. Early in my mandate we won international backing for this, with Security Council resolutions, which authorised UN military observers to deploy in Syria. After a ceasefire on April 12, contrary to some claims, the government’s shelling of civilian communities stopped, demonstrating the impact this unity could have.

Sustained international support did not follow, however. The ceasefire quickly unravelled and the government, realising there would be no consequences if it returned to an overt military campaign, reverted to using heavy weapons on towns. In response I sought to re-energise the drive for unity in June by creating the international Action Group for Syria, establishing a framework for a transition to support Syrians’ efforts to move to a transitional governing body with full executive powers. Transition means a managed but full change of government – a change in who leads Syria and how. We left the meeting believing a Security Council resolution endorsing the group’s decision was assured – as the first in a series of measures that would signal a turning point. But since then, there has been no follow-through. Instead, there has been finger-pointing and name-calling in the Security Council.

There are clear common interests among the regional and international powers in a managed political transition. A conflagration threatens an explosion in the region that could affect the rest of the world. But it takes leadership to compromise to overcome the destructive lure of national rivalries. Joint action requires bilateral and collective efforts by all countries with influence over the actors on the ground in Syria, to press upon the parties that a political solution is essential.

For Russia, China and Iran this means they must take concerted efforts to persuade Syria’s leadership to change course and embrace a political transition, realising the current government has lost all legitimacy. A first move by the government is vital, as its intransigence and refusal to implement the six-point peace plan has been the greatest obstacle to any peaceful political process, ensuring the distrust of the opposition in proposals for a negotiated transition.

For the US, UK, France, Turkey Saudi Arabia and Qatar this means pressing the opposition to embrace a fully inclusive political process – that will include communities and institutions currently associated with the government. This also means recognizing that the future of Syria rises and falls on more than the fate of just one man.

It is clear that President Bashar al-Assad must leave office. The greater focus, however, must be on measures and structures to secure a peaceful long-term transition to avoid a chaotic collapse. This is the most serious issue. The international community must shoulder its share of responsibility.

None of this is possible, however, without genuine compromise on all sides. The stalemate means that everyone must shift: the government, opposition, international as well as regional powers. In this way, the international community can unlock an essential condition for a political process – a united international community, effectively and actively supportive of a peaceful transition to legitimate government.

Syria can still be saved from the worst calamity. But this requires courage and leadership, most of all from the permanent members of the Security Council, including from Presidents Putin and Obama. Is ours an international community that will act in defence of the most vulnerable of our world, and make the necessary sacrifices to help? The coming weeks in Syria will tell.

The writer, a former UN secretary-general and a Nobel Peace Laureate, was the joint special envoy of the UN and League of Arab States for Syria. He resigned on Thursday.

EAWorldView has this report on Syria today:

Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Is Aleppo Out of Control?
Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 10:12 | James Miller

1555 GMT: Syria. Kofi Annan has resigned and Aleppo is still in the headlines, but the most significant news today appears to be what's happening inside Damascus. Widespread violence is rocking parts of the capital, and activists are now reporting that snipers are claiming many lives.
Southern districts of Damascus, like Yalda, Tadamon, Daf shouk, and the areas around the Palestinian refugee camps in Yarmouk (map), have been ravaged by sniper fire. Many have died in the area, according to the Local Coordinating Committees.
Southwest of Darayya, which is southwest of the capital, clashes continue at this hour in Jdaidat Artouz (map), area of a reported "massacre," (see earlier updates), as the Free Syrian Army and the regime military are now battling for control of access to the south of the capital.
These developments could be significant. While the Free Syrian Army has yet to establish a strong foothold inside Damascus, the FSA still has many members in the suburbs. If the FSA can obtain a military foothold in Jdaidet Artouz or Darayya, it will have the ability to launch attacks on the military bases just south of the capital, the real heart of Assad's military stranglehold on Damascus. So far, it's very hard to tell if these developments are militarily significant, so we'll have to monitor closely any developments in this area.
1540 GMT: Syria. The buzz on Twitter is all about the Kofi Annan resignation, but this just about wraps up our take on it:
What is strange about Annan's resignation is not that he is going but that the UN is going to appoint a successor. #Syria
— Robert Danin (@robertdanin) August 2, 2012

1504 GMT: Syria. The UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, has quit his post, and after August 31st will no longer be the envoy to Syria. A statement from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced the resignation and thanked Annan for his service, but did not give more details as to the reason for the sudden resignation:
My consultations with the League of Arab States Secretary-General are under way with a view to the prompt appointment of a successor who can carry on this crucial peacemaking effort. I remain convinced that yet more bloodshed is not the answer; each day of it will only make the solution more difficult while bringing deeper suffering to the country and greater peril to the region.

Tragically, the spiral of violence in Syria is continuing. The hand extended to turn away from violence in favour of dialogue and diplomacy - as spelled out in the Six-Point Plan - has not been not taken, even though it still remains the best hope for the people of Syria. Both the Government and the opposition forces continue to demonstrate their determination to rely on ever-increasing violence. In addition, the persistent divisions within the Security Council have themselves become an obstacle to diplomacy, making the work of any mediator vastly more difficult.
The UN remains committed to pursue through diplomacy an end to the violence and a Syrian-led solution that meets the legitimate democratic aspirations of its people. This can only succeed – indeed any peacemaking effort can only prosper – when the parties to the violence make a firm commitment to dialogue, and when the international community is strongly united in support.

James Miller, back from vacation, takes over today's live coverage. A major thank you to Scott Lucas for getting us to the afternoon, and for, with the help of EA's other writers, writing the Syria coverage while I was gone.
1257 GMT: Syria. State news agency SANA is still not referring to events in Aleppo, although it is promoting "Heavy Losses Inflicted upon Terrorists" in Aleppo Province, with operations in al-Atareb and al-Hajeb killing "terrorists of foreign nationalities".
1124 GMT: Syria. Al Arabiya tells the story of the summary execution of a regime sniper by insurgents near Izaz on the Turkish border.
1050 GMT: Syria. Reuters notes in an overview of four State-owned banks and 14 privately owned institutions, "There is little corporate lending or trade finance, but deposits and withdrawals continue....[They have] largely been cut off from the global financial system by international sanctions against Assad's regime."
1010 GMT: Syria. United Nations agencies, after consultations with the regime, report that up to 3 million people are in need of food, crop and livestock assistance over the coming year. Of that number, "around 1.5 million people need urgent and immediate food assistance over the next 3 to 6 months".
1000 GMT: Syria. Reports since yesterday have indicated that communications in Aleppo have been cut. French consultant Jean Pierre Duthion reports:
I just tried: mobiles and landlines in #Aleppo I've in my phonebook are inaccessible. No network at all. #Syria
— Jean Pierre Duthion (@halona) August 2, 2012
Fadi Salem, who was recently in the city:
Internet and mobile connections cut off in most areas in Aleppo. Landlines still working as well as mobiles in few areas #Aleppo #Syria
— Fadi Salem (@FadiSalem) August 2, 2012
Activist Rami Jarrah:
A full internet services blackout on #Aleppo today as #Syria'n forces are deployed to the city to what could be another massacre
— Alexander Page (@AlexanderPageSY) August 2, 2012
Iran's Press TV, which supports the Syrian regime's line, frames the story this way: "Syrian Army Destroys Insurgents' Telecom Systems".
0955 GMT: Syria. Two Turkish journalists, abducted on Wednesday by members of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), have been released.
Cihat Arpac?k of Milli Gazete and Kemal Gümü? of Star were covering clashes in and near Aleppo when they were held.
0930 GMT: Syria. Claimed footage of Free Syrian Army fighters inspecting a captured tank in Abu Kamal in the east:
0912 GMT: UAE. Human Rights Watch has called on US and British officials to press the United Arab Emirates to release 50 dissidents detained since March.
Since 16 July, when it declared a plot to undermine the State, the regime has seized 36 Emirati civil society and human rights activists, including two prominent human rights lawyers.
The whereabouts of 38 of the detained men remain unknown.
0828 GMT: Syria. US outlets are claiming that President Obama has signed a secret finding which confirms covert support to insurgents.
A US Government source acknowledged that, under provisions of the finding, Washington was collaborating with Turkish, European, and Arab States in a secret command center inside Turkey on the Syrian border.
The covert US aid of the insurgency, including finance, logistics, and supervision of supplies of weapons, has gradually been revealed this spring.
0818 GMT: Syria. Insurgents have bombarded the Menagh air base that was being used by regime helicopter gunships and other warplanes to attack Aleppo.
An AFP reporter who heard and saw the bombardment, 30 kilometres (about 19 miles) northwest of Syria's largest city (see map).
0813 GMT: Egypt. The Salafist Nour Party has refused any role in the new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, claiming the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) had "failed to fulfil its promises" to the ultra-conservative party.
Leading member Ahmed Khalil said Nour had rejected a proposal by Qandil to appoint Khaled Alim Eddin as Minister of Environment.
The Salafists finished second to the FJP in Parliamentary voting this winter, taking more than 20% of ballots.
On Tuesday, Qandil met with President Mohamed Morsi to review the final list of new Cabinet appointees. They are expected to be sworn into their offices before Morsi on Thursday.
0705 GMT: Syria. Lebanon deported 14 Syrians on Wednesday.
Lebanese authorities said the reasons for the expulsions were not political, but a Human Rights Watch representative in Beirut said, "Fourteen men were deported to Syria today, despite the fact that four of them had asked not to be deported for fear of persecution if handed over to the Syrian authorities."
0655 GMT: Syria. Reuters has detail on one of Wednesday's claimed mass killings (see 0515 and 0625 GMT):
"The tanks and troops left around 4 p.m. When the streets were clear we found the bodies of at least 35 men," a resident, who gave his name as Fares, said by phone from Jdeidet Artouz, southwest of Damascus.
"Almost all of them were executed with bullets to their face, head and neck in homes, gardens and basements," he added....
Syrian state television said "dozens of terrorists and mercenaries surrendered or were killed" when the army raided Jdeidet Artouz and its surrounding farmlands.
"We launched a raid on a farm and we were surprised by the number of armed men who clashed with us --- from up on the roof and from down here," an army officer said from the area, adding his troops had seized bombs, mines, guns and uniforms.
Fares, who did not give his last name for fear of retribution, said soldiers from the Fourth Division, a praetorian guard unit under the command of Assad's brother Maher, came into his house.
"They examined my ID and let me go. They seem to have been looking for activists or young men with a certain profile to execute," he said.
He said the bodies were collected at the Omar bin al-Khattab mosque and buried in a mass grave dug by a bulldozer volunteered by the owner of nearby farmland.
"There are more bodies in al-Sahl area but we could not reach them because there is an army roadblock there," he said.
Another resident of the suburb said the total number of dead was at least 50.

0640 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees have put out a statement declaring, "As more and more areas slip out of the regime’s control in Syria, and as the regime nears its collapse, the need for a national transitional government has become paramount."

At the same time, the Committees criticised "hasty attempts by certain individuals and committees to form this much-needed government....On occasion...these hasty attempts have crossed the line over the values of our great revolution and have insulted the martyrs and sacrifices the Syrian people have made over the last year and a half, in addition to the sacrifices made over the past decades of dictatorship."

0625 GMT: Syria. There is nothing in State news agency SANA this morning about developments in Aleppo.

The site does refer to the Damascus suburbs Jdaidat Artouz and Yalda, both claimed as sites of "massacres" by the Local Coordination Committees on Wednesday (see 0515 GMT):

An Army unit today stormed dens used by armed terrorist groups in Yalda and Babila, Damascus countryside, clashing with their members, killing a number of terrorists and arresting others.
In Jdaidat Artouz, Damascus countryside, a unit from the Syrian Army pursued vanquished armed groups, clashing with them and killing, injuring a number of them.
Scores of the terrorists have surrendered and handed their weapons to the authorities.

0515 GMT: Syria. Almost since the start of the fighting in Aleppo last week, both the regime and the insurgents have claimed control. Yesterday, the head of the Free Syrian Army's Military Council and the spokesman for the insurgents in Aleppo each said that their fighters had taken most of the neighbourhoods, occupying 70% of the territory of Syria's largest city.

However, the real question may be whether anyone has "control". Beyond Wednesday's headlines about the execution of members of a prominent pro-Assad clan by insurgents was the recognition that the Free Syrian Army --- far from being vanquished --- could not only hold out against regime attacks but take the offensive in the battle. At the same time, those killings --- accompanied by the blunt statement of the head of the insurgent Military Council that there will be many more --- pointed to a phase in which there will be no semblance of order.

Beyond Aleppo, the opposition brought news of "massacres" near Damascus. Of the 180 deaths claimed by the Local Coordination Committees on Wednesday, 104 were in and around the capital, including mass killing of 50 in Jdeidet Artouz and 27 in Yalda.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed the death of 74 civilians, 43 soldiers and 18 insurgents on Wednesday. The regime does not post news of casualties in its forces.