Posted on 08/06/2012 8:02:02 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops are currently pounding Aleppo after Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces launched an offensive attack. Days earlier, regime forces were cracking down on a FSA guerilla attack in the heart of the capital, Damascus. In Homs, clashes between both forces are ongoing. Yet there is still no sign that Assad is even considering stepping down.
It has become clear that there's no going back for the Syrian people, as they are now convinced that Assad had no intention of reform. Consequently, the rebellion is spreading, defections within the regime's army are increasing and opposition forces have become much stronger. The situation seems to be at a point where the regime and the opposition forces are competing for control over different Syrian regions.
Chances are that the opposition forces are seeking to take control of northern Syria, an area that spreads from Deir az-Zour, to Aleppo province and city, all the way to Edleb. This is a strategic area at the Syrian-Turkish border, which allows the FSA and its supporters to secure food supplies, arms, and various other resources.
As for the regime forces, judging from their recent activity near Lebanon's northern border, it might be possible that they are seeking to control the region located between the border and Lattakia. Many refugees who have fled to Lebanon claim that acts of ethnic cleansing are happening in that region: Allawites are being armed and Sunnis are being driven out.
(Excerpt) Read more at nowlebanon.com ...
Will Syria be the next Lebanon?
by Fareed Zakaria, CNN
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/03/will-syria-be-the-next-lebanon/
Will Syria Become Lebanon?
Rajan Menon
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rajan-menon/will-syria-become-lebanon_b_1725192.html
Syrian rebel: Uprising hijacked by extremists
by Holly Williams
Monday, August 06, 2012
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57487842/syrian-rebel-uprising-hijacked-by-extremists/
Mark
Not after early next year, he won’t. :’)
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