Human Rights Watch has said that the Saudi-led coalition is using cluster bombs in its aerial intervention in Yemen's civil war.

HRW said the cluster munitions were dropped on Yemen's capital Sana'a, controlled by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, on Wednesday. While saying that it was unclear if civilians had been killed or wounded, the organization asserted that "the deliberate or reckless use of cluster munitions in populated areas amounts to a war crime".

Residents of two Sana'a neighborhoods described the attacks between 5:30 and 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Houses, a school, and vehicles were covered in pockmarks characteristic of the damage from cluster bombs. The nearest military installations were 600 to 800 meters away.

Human Rights Watch said photographs "showed unmistakable remnants of cluster munitions, including unexploded sub-munitions, spherical fragmentation liners from sub-munitions that broke apart on impact, and parts of the bomb that carried the payload". It identified the weapons as US-made BLU-63 anti-personnel/anti-materiel sub-munitions and components of a CBU-58 cluster bomb.

Each air-dropped CBU-58 cluster bomb contains 650 submunitions. The US transferred 1,000 of the bombs to Saudi Arabia sometime between 1970 and 1995.

HRW has documented the use by coalition forces of three types of cluster munitions in Yemen, while Amnesty International documented a fourth type.

Saudi Arabia and allies launched the aerial intervention in March 2015, trying to halt the advance of the Ansar Allah movement that had forced the Government to leave Sana'a for the port city of Aden to the south.

Earlier this week, the UN almost 2,800 civilians have been killed in Yemen since March, with another 5,300 injured.

PHOTO: Police training center in Zliten, bombed on Thursday by the Islamic State

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide truck bombing on a police training centre in Libya that killed at least 60 people and wounded more than 200.

The bomb, the deadliest since the fall of the Qaddafi regime in October 2011, was detonated at the police training center in the coastal town of Zliten as hundreds of recruits gathered for a morning meeting.

"This operation is one in a series of the battle of Abu al-Mughira al-Qahtani, which will not stop until we liberate all Libya," the Islamic State's Tripoli group said in a statement.

ISIS launched the "al-Qahtani battle" earlier in the week, attacking the Mediterranean oil ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf in northern Libya. The assaults killed at least nine guards and a civilian and set oil tanks on fire.

The Islamic State has expanded its presence in Libya this year amid fighting between rival militias and rival governments in the north African country. They now control the city of Sirte, to the west of the oil ports.

Libya's Prime Minister-designate under a UN-backed plan, Fayez Seraj, said on Friday that a new government would be named by a January 17 deadline.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said after a meeting with Seraj that the ISIS attacks "remind us that the security situation in Libya needs to be tackled immediately and with unity".

Government forces move through Qusayr, captured by the Syrian military last Wednesday

Syria Feature: Jabhat al-Nusra, Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Iraq
Middle East Today: Libya --- At Least 25 Killed in Clashes Between Protesters and Government-Backed Militia
Saturday's Syria Today: UN Appeal on "Record" Aid for Syrians --- Significant Step or Meaningless Gesture?<

Photo: Pro-Hezbollah Demonstrators Attack Bus In Beirut

Following our earlier report about clashes on Sunday near the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan, southern Beirut over the roles of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria image from an incident, the image below show pro-Hezbollah demonstrators attacking a bus carrying anti-Hezbollah demonstrators in front of the embassy.

#Hezbollah supporters attack a bus carrying anti-Hezbollah protesters in front of the Iranian embassy in #Beirut twitter.com/WaelYaman/stat…

— Wael Yaman (@WaelYaman) June 9, 2013

Insurgents Kill Iraqi Border Guard

Iraqi officials say that Syrian insurgents on Sunday opened fire on two Iraqi border posts, killing one guard and wounding two others.

Colonel Nayif Zaili said Syrian rebels fired on two posts which lay two kilometres from the Al-Waleed border crossing.

The Syrian side of the crossing remains under the control of the regime, despite attempts by insurgents to seize it for several months.

State TV: Documents Show Qatar Asked Insurgents to Defend Qusayr to Protect Israel

1 Dead Amid Anti-Hezbollah Protests in Beirut

An unarmed Lebanese man has been killed after groups clashed in southern Beirut following a protest over the roles of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria.

The incident happened at about lunchtime near the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan, where demonstrators had gathered to challenge the Iranian and Hezbollah support of the Assad regime.

Five others are said to have been injured in the shooting. It was not clear who started the gunfire; however, a journalist for Beirut's Daily Star on the scene reported "men in black shirts with yellow ribbons around their arms" --- indicating they were from Hezbollah shoving protesters away from the site as they exited buses. The protesters had little time to raise their banners before they were beaten up with sticks.

The men in black shirts then opened fire in the air to disperse the demonstrators.

Al Jazeera reported that the protesters against Iran and Hezbollah belong to the party of Ahmad Asaad's party, a Shia politician who is anti-Hezbollah and belongs to the March 14 Movement.

The Lebanese army is now reported to be in control of the area around the embassy, with barricades set up on the road.

Casualties

Casualties

The Violations Documentation Center reports that 63,071 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 98 from Saturday. Of the deaths, 48,690 were civilians, a rise of 60 from yesterday.

Aid to Civilians Amid Kurdish-Insurgent Tension in North

Claimed photograph of aid to residents in Efrin, where Kurdish militia and insurgents, including of the Free Syrian Army, have been clashing for weeks:

]]>http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/rss-comments-entry-33867099.xmlAfricaAli Abdullah SalehAli al-SheikhiEA GlobalEA LiveEA Middle East and TurkeyInternational Monetary FundLibyaLibya Shield BrigadeMiddle East and IranRecep Tayyip ErdoganTunisiaTurkeyYemenScott LucasSun, 09 Jun 2013 07:02:00 +0000http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/6/9/middle-east-today-libya-at-least-25-killed-in-clashes-betwee.html497390:5781342:33867260See also Syria Today: Opposition Repeats --- No Participation in International "Peace" Conference
Saturday's Syria Today: UN Appeal on "Record" Aid for Syrians --- Significant Step or Meaningless Gesture?

Turkey: Massive Istanbul Anti-Government Rally as PM Erdogan Addresses Supporters in Ankara

A visual story of the competing rallies for and against the Erdogan Government --- first, Sunday's large gathering in Istanbul's Taksim Square, where mass protests began nine days ago:

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told supporters in Ankara tonight, "How can you attack my police?...We are going to show patience, but patience has a limit as well":

Yemen: 1 Dead in Fighting

One protester has been killed and 10 people injured, including four guards, in clashes with Houthi demonstrators who were demanding the release of political detainees.

An official said the Houthis, who have been demanding autonomy in the north of the country, fired at guards while trying to storm intelligence headquarters in Sanaa on Sunday. He claimed some protesters were arrested for smuggling weapons and drugs.

Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh demonstrated in Sanaa against the release of 17 men who were detained in connection with a June 2011 explosion that injured Saleh in his palace mosque.

Saleh stepped down in early 2012 as a transitional Government was put in place.

Tunisia: IMF Approves Major Loan

The International Monetary Fund has approved a two-year, $1.74 billion loan for Tunisia, giving Tunis access to foreign currency urgently needed to help balance its budget.

The Tunisian Government has devoted 1/3 of its 2013 budget to infrastructure projects, which it says will create short-term job opportunities for youth as well as helping private businesses.

However, Tunisia is running a 6% budget deficit this year, and political tensions over a draft Constitution have prevented Parliament from debating legislation allowing the government to apply for Islamic finance instruments.

The IMF has set conditions on the loan, including restructuring of Tunisia’s banking sector. Analysts believe that non-performing loans on the books at state-owned banks amount to billions of dollars.

Turkey: Protests Continue, But PM Erdogan Defiant Over "Handful of Looters"

Moving through the country to gather support against nation-wide protests, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to concede any ground. He told supporters who had greeted him at Adana airport:

We won't do what a handful of looters have done. They burn and destroy. ... They destroy the shops of civilians. They destroy the cars of civilians. They are low enough to insult the prime minister of this country.

He urged his supporters to avoid violence themselves and predicted that he would defeat his opponents during local elections in March: "As long as you walk with us, the Justice and Development Party administration will stand strong. As long as there is life in my body, your prime minister and your party chairman, God willing, will not be deterred by anything."

He then traveled to the city of Mersin to make a similar speech and to open new sports facilities.

Later Sunday, Erdogan will speak to his supporters in the capital Ankara.

On the 10th day of mass protests against the Government, demonstrators near Istanbul's Taksim Square yell to Erdogan, "Tayyip, Resign!"

Libya: Deadly Clashes in Benghazi

At least 25 people have been killed in Benghazi in eastern Libya in clashes during Saturday's protests outside the headquarters of the Libya Shield Brigade, which is working with the Ministry of Defence.

Dozens more were wounded, according to medical officials.

Demonstrators had gathered outside the headquarters of the Brigade demanding the disbanding of militias, including those which fought during the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. They specifically called for the Brigade t leave its premises.

One witness said he had seen around 200 protesters. While most of them were unarmed, a few had AK-47 rifles, although he said he did not see them used.

A spokesman for the Libyan's Army Chief of Staff, Ali al-Sheikhi, described the Libya Shield Brigade as "a reserve force under the Libyan army." He said an attack on the brigade "is considered an attack against a legal entity".

Activists with Jabhat al-Nusra Flag

The clash arose in April when the head of the ISI, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, tried to claim oversight of Jabhat al-Nusra in a message. A senior JAN commander, Abu Muhammad al-Joulani, responded by asserting the insurgents' autonomy in Syria.

Media coverage incorrectly claimed that the ISI and JAN had "merged", as well as emphasising al-Joulani's reference to al-Zawahari as a "pledge of allegiance".

Instead, the challenge for Jabhat al-Nusra was that --- even as it tried to maintain indpendence from the Iraqi faction --- its fighters might join ISI. Atassi claims that al-Baghdadi went as far as to travel to the suburbs of Aleppo to open offices. Local conflicts in Syria's largest city followed, according to JAN sources, with fighters who joined ISI refusing to give flour to the committee distributing the supplies to residents.

Amid the conflict, Jabhat al-Nusra’s official publication, al-Manara al-Baydaa (the White Minaret), suspended publication after it posted al-Jowlani's objection to the ISI's statement.

So, according to Atassi, al-Joulani sent a letter to Zawahiri to arbitrate between the two groups.

Atassi continues, from JAN sources, that Zawahiri sent letters to al-Joulani and al-Baghdadi last week, ruling in favour of Jabhat al-Nusra and appointing a commander named Abu Khaled al-Soury as a personal emissary "to oversee the implementation of the accord".

Rally in Istanbul's Taksim Square today

Libya: 11 Killed in Benghazi Clashes

At least 11 people were killed and 35 wounded in clashes on Saturday between protesters and a Libyan militia, operating with Ministry of Defence approval, in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Residents said dozens of protesters rallied outside the headquarters of the Government-backed Libya Shield brigade, demanding the disbanding of militias who have yet to disarm fter the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in October.

The Libya Shield brigade is made up of former insurgent who say they are aligned with the Ministry of Defence. A Government spokesman said special forces from the Libyan military had arrived at the scene.

Yemen: National Dialogue Resumes

Yemen has begun the second round of its national dialogue, aiming to draft a new Constitution and prepare for elections in 2014.

The talks are part of a United Nations-brokered deal that removed Ali Abdullah Saleh after 33 years in power, with President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi leading a transition.

Hadi said the dialogue had taken steps towards "drawing the outlines of a new Yemen where justice, equality and freedom prevail. Yemen can no longer withstand more crises and there are many challenges."

Istanbul Mayor Calls For Concessions on Gezi Park

Taking a sharply different line from the defiance of Prime Minister Erdogan, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş has said no shopping malls or residences will be built on the site of Gezi Park.

Turkey's mass protests were sparked last week by Government plans to build a replica Ottoman-era military barracks. Topbas said the barracks will still be built, but is likely to be a city museum or an exposition centre.

Topbaş said most of the trees of the park could be incorporated into the project, adding that out of the 563 trees in the park, 72 were fit to be moved and another 26 could also be planted again but with some risks.

Ruling AKP: No Early Parliamentary Elections

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has dismissed talk of an early election amid continuing protests against the Erdogan Government.

After a four-hour meeting of the AKP Executive Council, attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior officials, a spokesman said the Parliamentary vote will be held in 2015 as scheduled: "There is political stability. Fortunately, there is no reason to require an early election."

The spokesman said the Government was ready and open to listen to “reasonable” demands, but would not accept the call of protesters for top security personnel --- including the Minister of Interior minister, Istanbul’s Governor, and top police officers -- to be relieved of duty: “Our Prime Minister will not [dismiss] anyone whom he believes is not responsible." The Taksim Solidarity Platform has demanded that the interior minister, Istanbul’s governor and police who have brutalized protesters should be investigated and stripped of their duty.

Meanwhile, the AKP has decided to hold “unity and solidarity” rallies on 15 June in Ankara and the next day in Istanbul.

The Wounded from Qusayr

Al Jazeera English reports from Arsal in Lebanon, where some of those wounded during the three-week battle for Qusayr have been taken:

Hezbollah Denies Its Fighters Captured In Damascus Province

Hezbollah's media relations office issued a statement Saturday denying a report that insurgents had captured several of its fighters in Damascus province.

"Hezbollah categorically denies these baseless reports," the statement reads.

The response comes after Local Coordination Committees announced on Friday that the Free Syrian Army had succeeded in capturing several Hezbollah and the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade fighters in Damascus province after seizing "several posts west of Muadhamiyat as-Sham".

The Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade --- which first appeared around 14 months ago --- has said via social media that its aim is to defend the Shia Zaynab Shrine in southern Damascus. The Guardian's Martin Chulov profiled the group in a story earlier this week, noting that:

Interviews with serving and former members of Abu Fadl al-Abbas suggest that upwards of 10,000 volunteers – all of them Shia Muslims, and many from outside Syria – have joined their ranks in the past year alone. The group's raison d'etre is to be custodian of Shia holy sites, especially Sayyida Zeinab, a golden-domed Damascus landmark, but its role has taken it to most corners of Syria's war. It is now a direct battlefield rival, both in numbers and power, for Jabhat al-Nusra, the jihadist group that takes a prominent role among opposition fighting groups.

Demonstration In Aleppo

The video below shows a crowd of what appeared to be mostly boys and young men marching an unspecified neighborhood of Aleppo, many waving Islamic State of Iraq flags. Halab News Network, which posted the video, said that the marchers demanded the creation of an Islamic state in Syria.

Car Bomb In Homs

Eight people have been killed, including three women and a teenager, in a car bomb attack on a Shia neighborhood of Homs, Syrian state TV has reported.

State-run al-Ikhbariya TV said the car was booby-trapped.

Video: Scud Attack On Kfar Hamra And Ma'ara, Aleppo

The video shown below shows what activists said was a double Scud missile strike on Kfar Hamra, a village just outside Aleppo. Another strike took place in Ma'ara, west of Aleppo and roughly halfway between that city and the Turkish border, again according to activists.

Map showing the location of Kfar Hamra:

LBCI in al-Bweida al-Sharqiya, al-Qusayr

Lebanese broadcaster LBCI sent a team of reporters and a camera crew to the village of al-Bweida al-Sharqiya on the northern outskirts of al-Qusayr. LBCI said that their team was able to enter the village after insurgent fighters left.

LBCI reporters said that the village was empty and that there were scenes of destruction.

The Syrian Army showed the reporter around an elementary school in al-Bweida and a soldier explained that it had been used by insurgents as a makeshift hospital. Empty metal-framed beds still remain in several of the schoolrooms --- the floors of which are covered in blood. Dressings and other medical supplies are stored on shelves in some of the rooms. Wounded insurgents from al-Qusayr were evacuated to the village after regime forces captured it.

LBCI also sent a crew into al-Qusayr on Friday, and were told by Syrian government officials that there were plans to clear the city --- all but destroyed after three weeks of heavy fighting --- so that residents could return to their homes.

State Media: Regime Forces Take Village Near Qusayr

State news agency SANA claims that regime forces "restored security and stability to al-Buweida al-Sharqiya" village, near Qusayr --- the strategic town re-claimed by the Syrian military this week --- and the Lebanese border.

An "official source" said the village was occupied after "eliminating the last gatherings of terrorists there".

Civilians and wounded fleeing the fighting in Qusayr had gone to al-Buweida.

Propaganda of the Day

State news agency SANA headlines that Syria's envoy to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Fayssal al-Hamwi, has affirmed the regime's commitment to cooperation with the UN "in addressing humanitarian needs".

During a session on Friday over the UN's plan to meet humanitarian needs, al-Hamwi said Damascus had a plan "which includes around 100 projects covering various vital sectors".

The UN has been appealing to the regime for months to allow access to civilians in areas affected by the conflict, claiming more than 4 million people have been displaced inside the country. Last week, Damascus turned down an appeal by the Red Cross to reach those trapped in the besieged town of Qusayr.

However, Al-Hamwi "pointed out the great burden Syria is shouldering in terms of meeting needs and tackling challenges caused by targeting infrastructure".

Kurds v. Insurgents in the North

Claimed footage of Kurdish fighters retaking villages near Efrin from insurgents --- local militia have been fighting elements of the insurgency, including the Free Syrian Army, for weeks:

UN to Russia on Offer of Peacekeeping Troops: Thanks, But No Thanks

The United Nations said on Friday that it cannot accept Russia's offer to replace peacekeepers from Austria in the Golan Heights, because an agreement between Israel and Syria bars permanent members of the Security Council from the UN mission.

The UN expressed appreciation for Moscow's statement, made on Friday by President Vladimir Putin after Austria said it would recall its 380 troops from the 1000-strong monitoring force in the demilitarised zone between Syria and Israel-occupied territory.

The UN is asking others in the force, notably the Philippines and India, to increase their troop contributions and is looking at the possibility of new countries sending troops, while asking the Austrians to slow down their departure.

Casualties

The Violations Documentation Center reports that 62,973 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 124 from Friday. Of the deaths, 48,630 were civilians, a rise of 65 from yesterday.

Supporters of Prime Minister Erdogan at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport last night (Photo: Reuters)

Turkey: New Speech by PM Erdogan Blasts Protesters and Social Media

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used a speech this afternoon to continue his challenge to protesters. He has also attacked social media, saying they carried out a "disastrous lie campaign with respect to" the demonstrations.

Erdogan has also asked, "Where was the outrage over [police use of tear gas?" in other cases like Occupy Wall Street --- where he said 17 people had been killed --- Greece, and London.

Returning to the catalyst for the protests --- the Government's re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park --- Erdogan said his Government has no problem with environmentalists and offered his co-operation.

Turkey: PM Erdogan Criticises Financial Sector Over Stock Market Fall

Prime Minister Erdogan has challenged financial institutions over a 12% fall in the stock market, the largest weekly drop since November 2008: "The interest rate lobby thinks they can threaten us by entering into speculations in the stock exchange. They should know we will not let them abuse the nation's wealth."

Egypt: Blogger on Hunger Strike

Ahmed Douma, a prominent blogger and activist, has gone on hunger strike to protest his recent sentencing to six months in jail and to raise awareness of a widening crackdown of dissent by the government.

Douma was sentenced for calling President Morsi a “murderer” and “criminal” on television. His lawyer, Ali Soliman, said “An example is being made of Douma” by the government.

Malek Adly of the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information commented that "Douma is an important revolutionary figure. By targeting him, the prosecutor-general is carrying out the orders of the government, which is trying to silence the opposition."

Douma’s case, and that of 11 other political activists, come a few weeks before a planned demonstration on 30 June to mark the end of Morsi’s first year in office. The organisers of the Tamarod (‘rebel’) protest claim to have gathered seven million signatures so far for a petition calling for Morsi’s removal and snap presidential elections.

Turkey: President Gül “I will not allow witch hunt”

President Abdullah Gül has told the head of the Turkish Bar Association, Metin Feyzioğlu, that citizens cannot be permitted to conduct a “witch hunt” over Twitter.

Gül said “In this process, everyone needs to act responsibly and restrained. I will not allow a witch hunt over Twitter. I will be following the judicial and executive investigation.”

Feyzioğlu showed the President images of police brutality and stated that “We emphasized the Twitter issue because we found it scary that the communication tool of 21st-century youth would be defined as a menace.” Prime Minister Erdoğan described Twitter as a “menace” on Sunday in response to its use by activists protesting against his government.

Bahrain: Crown Prince Meets High-Level Obama Administration Officials

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman, favoured by Washington as a "moderate" who will promote "reform", has been making the rounds of Administration officials this week. An official photograph from his discussion with Vice President Joe Biden:

The visit by the Crown Prince, who has recently been named Deputy Prime Minister, comes amid concern that the "National Dialogue" between the regime, opposition, and other parties has made little progress since it began in February. The regime is also facing continued criticism that it has not implemented reforms --- for justice, political representation, freedom of detainees, and investigation of abuses by security forces --- since it suppressed mass protests in March 2011.

Yesterday, the US Administration fed these lines to the media:

Obama dropped by Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken's meeting with the prince, and stressed the importance of the US partnership in Bahrain and Washington's support for its stability and security....

"The president emphasized US support for Bahrain's stability and security," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.

Obama also stressed that "meaningful reform, dialogue and respect for universal human rights is the best path to achieving the peace and security that all Bahraini citizens deserve," she said.

Turkey: Defiant PM Erdogan Returns from North African Trip

Maintaining his defiance of the protests that have challenged his Government, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned to Istanbul last night after a four-day tour of North Africa.

"I call for an immediate end to the demonstrations, which have turned into unlawfulness and vandalism," Erdogan said.

Hundreds of supporters of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), gathered at Atatürk Airport to welcome Erdogan, waving Turkish flags and chanting for the Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had called on people to stay home: "Our prime minister does not need such a show of strength." However, Erdogan appeared happy with a high-profile event: Flanked by his wife and prominent government ministers, he praised the supporters:

You have remained calm, mature and showed common sense. We're all going to go home from here ... You're not the type of people to bang pots and pans on the streets.

Earlier on Thursday, in Tunisia, Erdogan "expressed...sorrow for the excessive use of force” against demonstrations but refused to give way on the re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park, the initial catalyst for the protests: “Our Taksim [Square] project is a plant that unites history and nature. And this project will produce a very beautiful environment in Istanbul."

Protesters object to the conversion of the green space into residences and a replica Ottoman-era military barracks, housing a shopping mall. Last Friday, police tried to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons, setting off protests across the country and violence that has killed three people, injured almost 2000, and led to the detention of more than 1000.

Protest Message of the Day

From Kafranbel in Idlib Province:

Syrian Council Statement

The opposition Syrian Coalition has released a statement criticising Russia’s “contradictory statements...that cast doubt on the Syrian Coalition's position toward the Geneva II Conference.”

The statement also reiterates the Syrian Coalition’s demand that Assad must step down as a part of preconditions for talks, in order to facilitate “the fundamental aim of the Geneva agreement, which is to create a democratic transition and put an end to Assad’s dictatorship.”

High-Tech Methods to Prevent Arms Going to Wrong People?

The French government is apparently looking into a variety of high-tech methods that would prevent arms provided by the West to Syrian rebels from being used by the ‘wrong’ groups.

Experts and officials say that nothing would be 100 per cent fail-safe, but techniques such as tracking the movement of anti-aircraft missiles or being able to disable them from a distance are being investigated.

Western countries, such as France, Britain and the United States, fear that if they provide arms to the rebels in a bid to assist them in overthrowing the Assad regime, these arms might end up in the hands of groups who hold anti-Western views. Both France and Britain have been pushing for a stronger response to the crisis, recently ending the EU arms embargo and accusing Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons.

Lebanon: Future Bloc, March 14 Slam Hezbollah Over Qusayr

Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Bloc MP Khaled al-Daher slammed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday for his group's involvement in fighting in the Syrian town of Qusayr.

Al-Daher accused Nasrallah of "leading an Iranian armed faction on Lebanese territory".

Aligned with Lebanon's Sunnis, the Future Bloc is the largest member of Lebanon's March 14 Alliance and is opposed to Shia Hezbollah, which it has said "has all the characteristics of a terrorist group".

The views of Lebanon's Sunni politicians have been picked up particularly in the Kuwaiti press. In an interview with Kuwait's al-Anbaa newspaper, al-Daher said that Hezbollah and Assad's victory in Qusayr did not mean that the insurgency was finished, and added that "those who are laughing and handing out sweets in Beirut's southern suburbs [a Hezbollah stronghold] will weep tears of bitterness and sorrow for the fall of Assad and his malignant Safavid [system] of Velayat Faqih'"

Meanwhile, the general secretary of March 14 Fares Soueid, told Kuwait's al-Seyassah daily on Friday that Hezbollah had succeeded in tying Lebanon's future to that of Syria, and said the Lebanese Shia group wanted to create a Shiite corridor along Lebanon's eastern borders with Syria, placing the country on a "dangerous path".

France Calls for Release of 2 Journalists

French President, Francois Hollande, has called for the immediate release of two French journalists who went missing in the last 24 hours.

Reporter Didier Francois and photographer Edouard Elias were travelling to the northern city of Aleppo, according to their employer, the radio station Europe 1.

Meanwhile, Austria has announced that it will withdraw its soldiers, who make up one third of the UN peacekeeping force there, from the Golan Heights as fighting has spilled over from the Syrian conflict into the area. Austria said that the threat to its people had "reached an unacceptable level.”

Qusayr: “A city that’s died”

The BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, reports that the city of Qusayr, devastated by the war and recently taken over by government forces, now has a population of only 500, where just 18 months ago it was 30,000.

She observes that “We still don't know how many were killed in the last three weeks of fighting. But what we have seen is a city that's died.”

A single local family told Doucet that they were now leaving their home, never to return. One soldier, however, insists that "People will return. They will come back to a city that will be even better, and their lives will be even better than before."

Doucet also notes the prevalence of Hezbollah fighters, who supported the Assad regime’s assaults on the rebels based within the city. When asked about his views on Hezbollah’s presence in the conflict, one soldier demanded "Why shouldn't they fight with us? The other side is sending in fighters from Libya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Afghanistan. Half the world is fighting in Syria."

A First-Hand View from Aleppo

James Harkin of The Nation, visiting the family of slain fighter Ayman Kareem, reports alongside insurgents in Aleppo:

Very little can prepare you for the epic scale of destruction in Salaheddine. In the worst-affected streets, barely a house has been left untouched; a weightless, otherworldly quiet obscures the fact that many poor Aleppans are still living here among the ruins.

When the car can take us no farther, we get out and stumble through the wreckage. Just behind the pockmarked dome of the area’s main mosque, Molham shows me a grassy yard where the rebels bury their dead in shallow graves; the fighting here is so intense that they have no time to bury them properly. As the streets narrow, drapes hang on the upper floors to block the view of snipers. It’s only when we arrive that I realize they’ve taken me to where Ayham was killed last August.

Molham, standing in the exact spot where it happened, points out the remains of a makeshift clinic where rebel-friendly doctors had been working when regime forces stormed the area. As we stand there, another group of rebels is preparing to go into battle: a white van packed with men wearing black Islamist bandannas fires itself up with cries of “Allahu Akbar!” before speeding off toward government lines.

Casualties

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria claim that 73 people were killed on Thursday, including 18 in Damascus and its suburbs, 16 in Deir Ez Zor Province, and 12 in Homs Province.

The Violations Documentation Center reports that 62,849 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 75 from Thursday. Of the deaths, 48,565 were civilians, a rise of 39 from yesterday.

Qusayr After the Battle

UN Peacekeepers Injured in Shelling in Golan Heights

Two United Nations peacekeepers suffered injuries in shelling on Thursday in the Golan Heights demilitarised zone between Israel and Syria, according to UN peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer.

The Philippine government said earlier that one of its troops in the UN Disengagement Observer Force had been wounded by shrapnel.

Dwyer was not able to say whether the shelling was linked to fighting between regime forces and insurgents over the Quneitra border crossing this morning.

Austria, which contributes 380 of the 900 peacekeepers in the Golan force, has said that it will withdraw its troops.

"We no longer have freedom of movement," Chancellor Werner Faymann and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger wrote in a joint statement. "The uncontrolled and imminent danger to Austrian soldiers has reached an unacceptable level."

Zawahiri Calls To Prevent "Pro-US Regime" In Syria

An audio recording purportedly from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, calls on jihadi groups in Syria to prevent the establishment of a pro-US regime in the country.

In the message, published on the internet on Thursday, urges the "Lions of Islam in ash-Sham [the Levant] to gather and unite" above sectarian issues, saying that "America and its agents" want you to shed your blood… to bring down the criminal Baathist regime and then to set up a regime loyal to them that will guarantee Israel's security".

The message goes on to say that jihad in Syria aims to establish an Islamic caliphate in the country, and then condemns Iran for desiring "Safavid expansion". The Mujahadeen of as-Sham have "exposed the ugly face of Iran…and its heinous crimes", al-Zawahiri says.

Syrian Military Regains Crossing on Border With Golan Heights

The Israeli Defense Forces has said that the Syrian military has regained control of the Quneitra crossing on the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The crossing was briefly seized by insurgents during an offensive early this morning.

Palestinians From Syria Reject Food Aid From Hezbollah

Palestinian refugees from Syria on Wednesday burned around 1,500 food aid packages donated by Hezbollah, Lebanon's Daily Star reports.

The incident was the second in a week.

The Star spoke to the head of the Saadnayel Youth League, Omar Halabi, who said that when refugees and local residents in the Bekaa saw that the food aid had come from Hezbollah, "the same party which is killing their people in Qusayr and other places", they burned the boxes.

The food aid was delivered to the offices of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group affiliated with the Syrian government, according to The Star.

Rights Group Slams Attacks On Schools

Human rights NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) sharply criticized on Thursday what it said were deliberate military attacks by the Syrian government on schools.

In a 33-page report, HRW said that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's government have interrogated and beaten schoolchildren for alleged anti-government activities, and have used schools as military bases, barracks, detention centers and sniper posts.

Activists Post Pictures of "Qusayr Martyrs"

A pro-insurgency Facebook page set up to monitor the situation in al-Qusayr has posted photographs of Free Syrian Army fighters killed in the battles before the city was captured by regime forces on Wednesday.

Among the images posted is the above photograph of a man named as Alaa Jalal Al-Zohaily, who according to the description was injured several times during the fighting and was finally killed on Wednesday.

Insurgents Take Border Crossing in Golan Heights

The Israel Defense Force have confirmed that Syrian insurgents have seized the Quneitra crossing on the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Discussions Over International "Peace" Conference Drag On

A meeting between US, Russian, and United Nations officials in Moscow on Wednesday offered little hope for a proposed international conference to resolve the Syrian conflict.

The conference had been proposed for Geneva in June; however, it has been blocked by division between the regime and opposition over the pre-condition that President Assad step aside during a transition.

After Wednesday's meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov re-confirmed that stalemate, saying that the conference will not be held before July, with another "consultative" meeting later this month.

Gatilov also indicated that the US and Russia continue to disagree over the involvement of Iran in the conference: "The issue of the participants...remains the most intricate sticking point."

Casualties

The Local Coordination Committees claim 73 people were killed on Wednesday, including 18 in Damascus and its suburbs, 16 in Deir Ez Zor Province, and 12 in Homs Province.

The Violations Documentation Center reports that 62,774 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 62 from Wednesday. Of the deaths, 48,526 were civilians, a rise of 28 from yesterday.

Footage from Al-Mayadeen TV of the regime capture of Qusayr

On Wednesday, after weeks of siege and attacks, regime forces took Qusayr, the town near the Lebanese border and 18 miles from Homs.

The event inevitably dominated headines, but what does it mean?

Sharper observers noted that the Syrian military's success did not herald a turning point in the 27-month conflict, at least in the sense of an inevitable regime victory.

Instead, the capture of Qusayr was important for defence. President Assad's forces are establishing a buffer zone in the south protecting Homs, Syria's third-largest city, and its connection to the capital Damascus. They have also made the supply of insurgents, including military equipment from foreign sources, more difficult --- but far from impossible.

None of this touches the control of territory across much of northern and eastern Syria by insurgents. Nor does it resolve the situation in Aleppo, the country's largest city, divided for 10 months. It does not even offer much for the continuing deadlock around the capital, with insurgents still holding suburbs.

So rather than portending "victory", the development reinforces stalemate.

That stalemate was re-confirmed on the political level on Wednesday, when the US, Russia, and the United Nations went through the motions of talking about the proposed international "peace" conference.

That conference --- flagged initially for June in Geneva --- is not going to happen this month. Nor is likely to happen in any month this summar, as yesterday's meeting offered no prospect of bringing both the Syrian regime and the opposition to the same negotiating table. The insurgents continue to insist on Assad's step-aside from power during a transition; Damascus refuses. That is pretty much that.

Instead, the question beyond Qusayr is over the political and military steps taken by foreign powers away from a supposed conference: will the US, Britain, France, Turkey, and Arab States now ramp up intervention --- with supplies of weapons and even a protected zone in the north?

The steps are definitely under consideration. That is why, even as Qusayr was falling, Britain and France was loudly reviving the chemical weapons issue, saying they would take confirmed evidence of regime use of sarin nerve agent to the United Nations.

Washington, publicly and privately, is still cautious: the White House refused to endorse the London-Paris initiative, both on Tuesday and Wednesday. However --- as some within the Obama Administration were eager to leak last week --- the measures are under consideration, with plans being drafted.

Qusayr did not resolve the Syrian conflict. It only highlighted that resolution is distant.

The regime is unlikely to alter this with victory in one town, achieved only with substantial help from Hezbollah. Whether the insurgency and the "West" can do so is the more intriguing scenario.

Tear Gas in Ankara on Wednesday (Photo: AFP)

PM Erdogan Stands Firm Over Gezi Park

Defying protesters, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stood firm on the re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park --- he said the construction of a replica Ottoman-era military barracks, housing a shopping mall, will go ahead.

Erdogan spoke from Tunisia during his tour of North African countries.

Talks Between Deputy PM and Protesters Fail to Bring Advance

With Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on tour in North Africa on Wednesday, the political spotlight turned to his deputy, Bülent Arınç, as he met with representatives of the protesters in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

Arınç met members of the Taksim Platform, who started the current wave of demonstrations with a challenge to the Government's plans to re-develop Gezi Park in Istanbul. The police attempt to quell the protests last Friday, with tear gas and water cannons, only succeeded in spreading them across the country. Three people have been killed and almost 2000 wounded in clashes.

Wednesday's discussion between Arınç and the Taksim Platform offered little resolution. The protesters set out their demands:

No construction in Gezi Park;
No demolition of the Atatürk Culture Center;
Investigation of police actions, with those who committed or authorised violence --- including the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara, and Hatay Province --- to be dismissed;
Ban on the use of tear gas and pepper spray;
Freeing of all protesters from detention;
No restrictions on freedom of assembly in public spaces, including Taksim Square and Ankara's Kızılay Square.

According to participants in the meeting, Arınç said the initial protests were "righteous"; however, he did not offer an apology for police action and called for an end to the demonstrations.

In response to the protesters' demand for "binding promises", the Deputy Prime Minister said only that the Government would discuss the matters.

Update: Turkish Protesters Detained For Tweeting Are Released

An update on our earlier post regarding the Turkish protesters arrested on suspicion of using social media to incite people to join the ongoing demonstrations --- Al Jazeera reports that the Turkish authorities have now released those arrested.

The Guardian reported that 25 people were originally detained on suspicion of spreading misinformation. According to Al Jazeera on Thursday, the police have released 34 people.

Tunisia: Bomb Kills 2 Soldiers  

A roadside bomb targeting a Tunisian army vehicle has killed two soldiers and wounded two others in Mount Chaambi, near the border with Algeria.

Since the end of April, about 20 soldiers and members of the security forces have been wounded by mine explosions blamed on insurgents.

The Ministry of Interior said last week that members of the Salafist group Ansar al-Sharia are among the insurgents tracked by the military in the western region.

Ansar al-Sharia has denied any link to the groups being sought.

Egypt: Court Gives Details of Sentences on 43 Staff of NGOs

The Cairo Criminal Court has released details of its sentencing of 43 staff of non-governmental organisations, on charges of illegally operating in Egypt and receiving foreign funding without permission. The court on Tuesday sentenced 27 defendants tried in absentia, including 15 US citizens, to five-year jail sentences. Eleven defendants received one-year suspended sentences, and five --- three Egyptians, a German, and an American --- received two-year sentences.

The ruling criticized foreign funding as a new form of "control, predominance and soft imperialism practiced by donors to destabilize, weaken, and dismantle beneficiary countries".

It specifically said the US or any pro-Zionist country works against democracy in Egypt:

"History shows that such countries hold the entrenched belief that their interests are best served by totalitarian dictatorships and harmed by genuine democracies....(The aim is to) undermine Egypt's national security and lay out a sectarian, political map that serves US and Israeli interests."

The court continued, "The US --- fearing democracy ushered in by Egypt's popular revolt --- has used funding to take the revolution off its path."

Turkey: 25 Arrested Over Social Media Use

Police in the Turkish city of Izmir have arrested 25 people on suspicion of using Twitter and other social media to incite anti-government sentiment, The Guardian reports.

A police spokesman told Turkey's state news agency that the suspects had been arrested for "spreading untrue information" and for inciting people to join in the protests.

Turkey: 25 Arrested Over Social Media Use

While relative calm continued in Istanbul's Taksim Square on Wednesday, police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters in centre of Ankara in the afternoon.

Many in Kizlilay Square were members of unions who have called for a strike in solidarity with the demonstrations.

Claimed footage, from "Daraa City" activists, of insurgents evacuating women and children from Qusayr

See also Middle East Today: Turkey --- Deputy PM Apologises for "Excessive Violence"...But Will PM Erdogan?
Tuesday's Syria Today: More Than 100 Claimed Deaths on a "Quiet" Monday

Qusayr Clock Tower --- Still Standing After Battle

The BBC's Lyse Doucet tweeted this image of the Qusayr clock tower today.

#qusayr clock tower - still standing, but only just. #syria twitter.com/bbclysedoucet/…

— lyse doucet (@bbclysedoucet) June 5, 2013

Reports Of Breadlines In Largely Kurdish Town Of Efrin Near Aleppo

A Kurdish activist group claims that Kurds in Efrin near Aleppo in northern Syria are suffering because of an ongoing siege by the Free Syrian Army.

Activists on Wednesday tweeted images purportedly of breadlines in the town.

Huge bread crisis in Efrin near Aleppo with huge lines on the only remaining bakery in the town. twitter.com/omarsyria/stat…

— Omar (@omarsyria) June 5, 2013

There were sustained reports last month of clashes between the FSA and local Kurdish militia.

Opposition National Coalition Warns of Regime Reprisals After Loss of Qusayr, Calls for Action Over Chemical Weapons

The opposition Syrian National Coalition has issued a statement on the loss of Qusayr despite "heroic battles...fought by the Free Syrian Army to defend civilians".

The Coalition warned, "Grisly massacres will occur with reprisals against innocent civilians if the international community stands idle and watches," while "hold[ing] the Assad regime to its commitment to allow humanitarian access to provide urgent relief to the citizens of Qusayr".

The Coalition is also promoting the finding of France that the Syrian regime has used sarin nerve agent to call for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council:

[We ask] for practical action on the ground, as condemnatory statements are not enough to change a tragic situation and to save lives. The circumstances in Syria demand international action to cripple the regime's capability of murdering civilians and to provide the Free Syrian Army with quality weapons to enable them to protect civilians and put an end to the Assad regime.

Demo in Insurgent-Held Raqqa Over Qusayr

A march today in Raqqa, held by insurgents with Islamists prominent among them, in solidarity with the residents of Qusayr and condemning the opposition Syrian National Coalition for the loss of the town:

Insurgent Withdrawal from Qusayr

Reuters, citing an "opposition group" from Qusayr, said more than 500 insurgents died in the three weeks of the regime assault, with a further 1,000 wounded, leaving just 400 outgunned men struggling to hold onto the town.

Survivors decided to escape in the night through a corridor that regime attackers said they had deliberately left open to encourage flight.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said, “The Al-Qusayr accomplishment is a severe blow to the project of the American-Israeli-Takfiri [infidel] trio and a glowing point for the project of the resistance in Syria.

Qassem continued, “Today, it has been proven that betting on the fall of the resisting Syrian [regime] is an illusion....Building political stances on the accomplishments of the American-Israeli project is unsuccessful.”

No Progress Towards International "Peace" Conference

Wednesday's meeting between US, Russian, and United Nations officials has made little progress towards the staging of a proposed international "peace" conference. Moscow has cast blame on the insurgency, which has demanded that President Assad step aside during a transitional government:

The most difficult question is the circle of participants in the conference. The whole issue is that the Syrian opposition, unlike the government, has not made a fundamental decision about its participation in this conference.

No Aid for Civilians In Qusayr Yet

A spokesman for the Red Cross has said it has not been granted access to the residents of Qusayr, the besieged town which fell to regime forces today:

We've seen the reports that some parts of the town have been deserted but we're not in a position to verify that. Nor can we give any concrete info on numbers killed, wounded, or remaining in Qusair. We're still in dialogue with the Syrian authorities on reaching Qusair, particularly with a view to getting in medical supplies.

The Withdrawal from Qusayr

Alaa al-Basha, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, has said that insurgents withdrew from Qusayr “due to a lack of ammunitions and weapons".

Al-Basha also said that the withdrawal sought to protect civilians: “We have called on all humanitarian councils and on the Red Crescent to open a safe road to transfer the injured."

The insurgent Liwa Rijal Allah posts video claiming to be of its tanks firing into Qusair today:

The Injured in Qusayr

Hadi al-Abdallah, a spokesman for the insurgents in Qusayr, takes viewers on a tour of a makeshift hospital in the town with some of the hundreds injured during the regime's three-week siege.

The video was uploaded today, but it is unclear when it was filmed.

Opposition National Coalition Pledges Co-operation Over Human Rights

Responding to recent reports on human rights violations from the United Nations, the opposition Syrian National Coalition has met member states of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The Coalition reiterated its wish for the UN Commission of Inquiry, which issued its findings on Tuesday, to be able to enter "liberated areas of Syria". It expressed an "unshaken commitment to ending impunity and holding any violators of human rights and International Humanitarian Law accountable".

The UN Commission report (see separate EA entry) found violations on both sides, but said that most --- in some cases amounting to "war crimes" --- were the responsibility of regime forces.

The Coalition called for reference of the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court.

Concern over Detained Lawyer

Nineteen human rights organisations have issued a statement of concern about Syrian lawyer Khalil Matouq, who has defended hundreds of political prisoners, journalists, and prisoners of conscience.

Matouq was seized on 2 October 2012. Just before his detention, he was one of the defence lawyers for imprisoned staff of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression.

The signatories claim that Matouq has been denied access to his family and lawyers and that Syrian authorities refuse to disclose his whereabouts. They express concern that his health is deteriorating.

Insurgent Withdrawal from Qusayr

A statement by the Syrian Revolution General Commission, on the Facebook page of "Al-Qusair Revolution", summarises the insurgent withdrawal from Qusayr this morning.

The statement says opposition fighters withstood a 30-day blockade by the forces of the "devil Assad", with hundreds of martyrs and thousands of wunded.

In the face of the horrific bombardment and lack of basic necessities for civilians, with "blatant interference from Hezbolah and Iran", the regime "refused to allow humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians". Insurgents "fought until the last moment alongside women and children against thousands of Lebanese mercenaries".

The statement concludes, "We lost this round but the war continues."

The Battle for Qusayr

Al-Mayadeen TV and Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV are providing live images of Qusayr, claiming its "liberation" by the regime. The footage includes Syrian forces carrying flags and houses which supposedly have been booby-trapped with explosives by insurgents.

Syrian news agency SANA Arabic is citing an "official source":

Our brave forces have restored security to the entire city of al-Qusair, after killing a large number of terrorists and destroying their hideouts, including weapons and ammunition, in tunnels and barricades.

The Syrian army also dismantled improvised explosives planted in the homes of residents and in roads to impede army progress.

A Hezbollah fighter told Reuters, "We did a sudden surprise attack in the early hours and entered the town. They escaped."

However, a freelance journalist reports that fighting is continuing in parts of the city:

The fighting in #Qusair now is in fields around the city&in tunnels under the northern quarter

— Alaa Ebrahim (@Alaa_Ebrahim_tv) June 5, 2013

First-Hand: The Iraqis Going to Syria to "Defend Shia Shrines"

The Guardian profiles one of the Iraqi Shia, student Ammar Sadiq, going to Syria to support regime forces:

"It was like a thunderbolt hit me," said Sadiq. "My friend was telling me that wahhabis from Saudi and Afghanis were trying to destroy the [Shia] shrine of Sayyida Zeinab. I did not wait even to tell my parents. All I was thinking of is to go to Syria and protect the shrine, though I have not used a weapon in my life."

Reporters Mona Mahmood and Martin Chulov claim the force Abu Fadl al-Abbas, which Sadiq was trying to join, "over the past 14 months has emerged as one of the most powerful in Syria". They say it has up to 10,000 members, many of them from outside the country, have joined in the last year.

Britain and France Claim Regime Forces Used Sarin

The British and French Governments have shown an UN investigations medical samples, smuggled out of Syria, which they claim have tested positive for the nerve agent sarin.

The British Foreign Office asserted that body fluids collected from victims of one or more attacks, tested in the Ministry of Defence's Porton Down facility, contained a chemical fingerprint of sarin.

Earlier, French Foreign Minister said he had passed similar evidence to the head of the UN inquiry into chemical weapon use in Syria.

Last month Le Monde, in a special investigation based on a two-month stay by its journalists alongside insurgents in Jobar in Damascus, brought back samples of urine for testing. Other samples included blood taken after a regime aerial attack in Saraqeb, south of Homs, on 29 April.

The US Government was more cautious last night, with a White House spokesman saying tha Washington had not yet reached a conclusion over the claims.

Insurgent Commander: We Will Fight Hezbollah Inside Lebanon

General Salem Idriss, head of the Free Syrian Army, has repeated that his forces will fight Hezbollah inside Lebanon, if the Lebanese organisation continues to attack Qusayr and other insurgent-held territory in Syria.

Idriss, who initially made the comment last week, told the BBC, "Hezbollah fighters are invading Syrian territory. And when they continue to do that and the Lebanese authorities don't take any action to stop them coming to Syria, I think we are allowed to fight Hezbollah fighters inside [Lebanese] territory."

Casualties

The Local Coordination Committees claims that 95 people were killed on Tuesday, including 23 in Damascus and its suburbs, 18 in Daraa Province, and 16 in Aleppo Province.

The Violations Documentation Center reports that 62,712 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 74 from Tuesday. Of the deaths, 48,498 were civilians, a rise of 39 from yesterday.

Regime Claims Capture of Qusayr

State TV is claiming this morning that regime forces have captured Qusayr, near the Lebanese border and 18 miles from Syria's third-largest city of Homs, after a siege of almost three weeks.

"Our heroic armed forces have returned security and stability to all of the town of Qusayr," a statement declared.

State news agency SANA posts this morning, "Units of the armed forces ambushed an armed terrorist group fled from al-Qseir into Homs-Damascus Highway....The armed forces killed, in an ambush, in Shamsin area a number of terrorists, injured others, and seized an RPG launcher."

A "source" claimed other successful attacks on the "terrorists".

The regime has asserted on previous occasions during the assault that it has taken up to 80% of Qusayr.

Within the space of a few days, tens of thousands of protestors have been on streets of Turkey's major cities, clashing with police forces, who have been accused of using excessive force against them.

According to the Turkish Medical Association, two people have died in the clashes so far. Almost 2000 have been wounded, two critically and five being treated in intensive care.

After the environmental initiative that sparked the conflict, protesters have agreed on a gentlemen’s agreement that forbids one party hijacking the demonstrations and turning it into their own private rally. Though protestors are predominantly secular nationalists, varying leftist and anarchist groups are also on the ground fighting side by side.

So far, therefore, the wave of protests have reflected a wider people’s initiative. People go to work in the morning and after dinner they go out and demonstrate. The protests have shown that young people are tired of politics and don't want any more government restrictions.

By the same token, however, this situation makes further demonstrations difficult to organise and direct into a political agenda. Beyond what we see on streets, Turkish protesters need a solid strategy to carry this initial surge of popular anger to wider victory. Without leaders or clear demands, there is no future for this movement.

So what does Turkey need? First and foremost, the declaration of a general strike. This is not because a strike will shake the government’s authority, but because people will no longer need to go to work and abandon in the morning what they gained the night before.

Protestors need to occupy areas and free them from tear gas and tyranny. Such symbolic places would create conditions for accelerating the momentum of protests across the country. Just as Taksim Square is the birthplace of the protests, every liberated center in every town would bee an attachment to that heart of Turkey's nascent revolution. Moreover, this will heighten the sense that the Government is losing public space.

People can build up communities inside liberated areas, speaking and addressing issues freely, holding democratic votes on general issues, and maintaining this civilian enthusiasm through cooperation and productivity.

What matters most at this stage --– until the protest movement is politically mature enough to have its own identity --– is to continue and nurture the soul of this civil activism, while increasing the tension with the authorities. The more provocative the people's initiative becomes, the greater the police response –-- which, at the end of the day, will consolidate the idea that every gain must be preserved at all cost.

This will break the political limits imposed on the movement and the official context that restricts the protests to some specific notions, such as the "trees of the Gezi Park" and "‘the construction of a mosque in Taksim", reducing the demonstrators to "the marginals".

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologised on Tuesday for "excessive violence" against protesters rallying in Istanbul and across Turkey since last Friday.

Turkey: 3rd Protester Dies

Ethem Sarısülük, who was wounded in the head during police attacks on protesters in Taksim Square, has died of his injuries.

Turkey: Protesters Present Demands to Government

Protesters of the "Taksim Platform", who began the current wave of demonstrations with a challenge to the re-development of Istanbul's Gezi Park, have put their demands in a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç.

The group called for a protection of green space such as Gezi Park, a halt to the demolition of the Ataturk Cultural Centre, and an end to police violence and an end to the use of tear gas and pepper spray, with investigation of security forces and a removal of those responsible for attacks.

The Taksim Platform also insisted on freedom for all those detained during the protests.

Yemen: Military Offensive Against Insurgents

Yemeni forces have begun an "all-out offensive" against insurgents who recently seized villages in the southeastern province of Hadramawt, according to officials and witnesses.

Troops backed by tanks and helicopters launched a dawn operation in Ghayl Bawazir, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) east of the port city of Mukalla, a security official said. Witnesses said they saw military convoys heading in the direction of the area.

Seven wounded soldiers were evacuated to a hospital in Mukalla, a medical source said.

Insurgents have been regrouping since June 2012 in areas of Hadramawt after being driven out of the southern province of Abyan, where they ruled major towns for about a year.

Egypt: Human Rights Watch Criticises Prison Sentences on NGO Personnel

Human Rights Watch has criticised Tuesday's imposition of prison sentences on 43 staff of non-governmental organisations.

HRW said the verdicts, stemming from raids on NGO offices in 2011, violates the right to freedom of association and "are based on a repressive law governing organizations as well as penal code provisions that are not compatible with respect for fundamental rights".

The 43 staff, including 16 Americans, were convicted of operating unlawfully in Egypt and receiving foreign funding without permission.

Five workers --- three Egyptians, an American, and a German were given two years in prison. Eleven received one-year suspended sentences, and 27 were tried in absentia and sentenced to five years.