Syria: It Is Getting Urgent For Assad To Act

May 26, 2012

Some 90 people, 30+ of them children died yesterday night near Houla in the Homs countryside in Syria.

The rebels claim that government forces shelled the area ellegedly in revenge for the killing of some government soldiers. The Syrian government’s news agency Sana claims (graphic pictures) that these were two attacks by “Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups”. It also reports that 27 army and law enforcement members were buried today.

The UN monitors found debris of tank and artillery ammunition in Houla that would be consistent with the use of government weapons.

Yesterday’s status report (pdf) by the Annan mission speaks of continued violence by rebel groups, government forces and by established terrorist groups. It notes attacks by opposition forces on UN monitors.

The so called Free Syrian Army announced that it would now abandon the Annan peace plan to which it had never agreed to anyway. Some of it groups immediately launched new attacks (I am not sure though that this video shows a real fight) on government forces.

What to make of this? Was this a revenge act by some Syrian army unit. Was an army unit lured into firing into civilian areas by rebel attacks? Did terrorist groups used captured ammunition as IED against these civilians in preparations of the next, certainly already planned, political moves against Syria?

We may never know the answers to these questions.

Whatever. The armed opposition, sponsored and urged on by the “west” and the Gulf dictatorships, will now likely no longer adhere to even a minimal form of the Annan plan. Three days ago I wrote it is Time for Assad to prepare to attack. Those preparations should end soon. The right time for a full onslaught on the armed opposition may come the very next days.

Waiting too long with a decisive move will only let the problem of amred rebels fester and would, in the end, likely cost much more blood on all sides of the conflict.

Posted by b on May 26, 2012 at 18:20 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Well, the West has said that if there is evidence of “bad” actions by the “regime,” then it will be forced to take stronger actions against the Assad “regime.”
Which could have been an invitation for “activist” groups to create a situation which would result in large numbers of civilian deaths — or do the killing themselves. There surely must be plenty of “debris” from previous government assaults on “activist” areas to provide large amounts of evidence the Syrian forces did this. However, in this BBC report, the government said the deaths were the work of terrorist groups.
The UN observers were reporting violence from both sides, and that could not be allowed to become the “narrative.”
It almost doesn’t matter, since this event will be the reason for greater support and more weapons to the “activists” and probably for greater Western use of force….
This is very bad news for Syrians. Bad news for the entire region. And bad new for the world.

Posted by: jawbone | May 26 2012 19:17 utc | 1

The BBC article opens with these paragraphs:

UN mission head Maj-Gen Robert Mood told the BBC the killing in Houla was “indiscriminate and unforgivable”.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he would seek a strong global response to the “appalling crime”. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said it was a “flagrant violation of international law”.
Syria’s government has blamed the deaths on “armed terrorist gangs”.

The last sentence is the only quote from the Syrian government; otherwise the info and reactions come from Western government officials, UN, or Syrian activists. Activists put the UN observers in a bad light, saying they asked for them to come to the area but they did not.
The BBC included this analysis from its correspondent:

Horrific video footage has emerged from Houla of dozens of dead children, covered in blood, their arms and legs strewn over one another. It is unverified, but our correspondent says such images would be difficult to fake.

Posted by: jawbone | May 26 2012 19:24 utc | 2

A thought just went through my head: what if Israel would pledge assistance to Assad? and then deliver on what ever Assad asks for? the idea is that it would: increase security in the area (in both their interests), solve a long-lasting dispute between two countries, stop the US and Iran from interfering in any future diplomatic problems (AIPAC would silence the US and Assad will stop Iran…).
Also Israel is possibly the best at “silencing” “terrorists” (especially as it probably has quite a sway over some of the groups…)

Posted by: simon | May 26 2012 19:39 utc | 3

Disturbing development. This article is worth a close read, including the linked pieces. The fact that ‘the west’ still hasn’t asassinated Assad means their original plan failed. Ousting Assad involves not allowing him to face the called for war-crimes trial, where the wests true involvement would stand at risk of exposure. The situation now is very much about containing a runaway development, for both, or all, parties involved. As for the “massacre”, it may very well be staged by some rebel element, foreign or domestic.

Posted by: Alexander | May 26 2012 21:11 utc | 4

Looking at the “status report” we see, once again, that the UN is simply repeating the claims of rebels without bothering to verify them. On the other hand, actual evidence of violations by the rebels and terrorists groups is presented, but the report tries to minimize this by invariably repeating rebel claims right after it reports violations by the rebels, and by constantly downplaying the violations by the rebels.

Posted by: Jim Steel | May 27 2012 0:22 utc | 5

On one of the US national evening newscasts, ABC, or one of the other two, heh…, the Houla story did include the Syrian government’s statement that it looked like terrorst gangs did this killing.
The news reader added words to the effect that the government did not supply any evidence to support its contention.
Of course, how often has the MCM (Mainstream Corporate Media) ever added such wording when giving the Syrian “activists'” accounts of incidents?

Posted by: jawbone | May 27 2012 0:22 utc | 6

its called a FALSE FLAG attack.
‘The UN monitors found debris of tank and artillery ammunition in Houla that would be consistent with the use of government weapons.’
1. since when are these guys independent?
2. such ‘evidence’ can be planted
3. what was the political orientation of the dead people?
sorry but this is clearly the work of the terrorists

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 1:49 utc | 7

the SANA link shows bodies indoors..clearly not the work of tank ammunition.
notice the ‘rebels'(ala terroristS) use the MSM as their conduit…
FYI
Sharmine Narwani @snarwani
Funny how “progressives” are marginalized in the MSM until they start badmouthing #Syria. Suddenly it’s “come over for a beer-n-barbeque.”

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 1:59 utc | 8

Your rebels use the Guardian as their platform….
here is a letter i sent to the Guardian recently:
Hello Guardian
Re your article on the bomb blast in Damascus
‘Military defectors in northern Syria have denounced claims that al-Qaida was behind a series of deadly bombings in Damascus, contradicting the UN secretary general’s assessment that the terror group is taking a lead in the insurgency.’
‘Nine defectors, some of them officers who had fled recently, relayed first-hand accounts of plots they had witnessed being planned or executed that were later blamed on “armed gangs” or al-Qaida.’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/18/syrian-military-defectors-damascus-blasts
FSA In damage control after evidence of alqaeda surfaces
Allow me to espress my utter disgust with your jettisoning all media standards of evidence and using The Guardian as a platform for terroists who feel free to lie using you as a front.
This piece of fiction dressed up as investigative journalism, has got to be the biggest load of bollocks ive seen you present in some time. The syrian army now uses car bombs in secret and blames alqaeda? So we are supposed to trust the word of a journalist who worked for the Murdoch press, and unknown and unnamed terrorists, who claim to have worked for the syrian army. No way to verify their claims: just trust us!…All they do is just inject their lies into the media, which uses its reputation to persuade the readers its true.
What seems to have happened is that the UN claims of alqaeda have aroused fear among the militants, who now have need for damage control by smearing the syrian army…No proof the claims are true.NADA.
Alqaeda are wahabbi sunni: the militants are salafis sunni…Alqaedas presence and actions are totally plausible. Your defectors claims are not.
These attacks are NOT beyond their abilities, esp as the informants claim to be from the army! as weve seen many more like this.
SHAME on The Guardian for acting as a platorm for terrorists in their war on syria. Who are you Guarding?
Regards with disgust
Brian

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 2:00 utc | 9

Ex-Blackwater helps regime change in syria
A US government-contracted private security firm is helping the Syrian opposition to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime, leaked Stratfor emails indicate. The same firm earlier operated extensively in Libya.
The private military company SCG International had been contracted to engage the Turkey-based Syrian opposition, according to correspondence released by WikiLeaks.
Their assignment was called a “fact finding mission”, but “the true mission is how they can help in regime change,”an email addressed to Stratfor VP for counter-terrorism Fred Burton says.
http://www.rt.com/news/stratfor-syria-regime-change-063

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 2:17 utc | 10

Syria: Opposition uses Facebook to enforce the killing of civilians
BY VIKTOR REZNOV – MAY 26, 2012 – POSTED IN: SIDEVIEWS
As many Americans already know, it’s not uncommon for Facebook to ban certain groups and erase postings on its social network. Reports of Ron Paul supporters and sovereign citizen groups suffering this treatment have unfortunately become a normal occurrence on Facebook, as their big brother behind-the-scenes moderators work overtime in the US to steer political reality into an ever-narrower band of awareness.
A very real and disturbing new trend has taken off in conflict-ridden Syria, where rogue opposition groups, many of whom are already associated with the al-Qaida terrorist brand, are using Facebook to post the names, phone numbers and residential addresses of pro-Assad government supporters. At the end of these posts, the terrorists then leave a note of encouragement for other opposition members to “go and kill them”.
etc
http://www.syrianews.cc/syria-armed-facebook-targeted-killings-679.html

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 2:32 utc | 11

United Nation ignored atrocities committed by Syrian armed gangs for too long
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opsnHN4S34Y&feature=share

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 2:40 utc | 12

Al-Qaida Now Deploying “Facebook Terrorism” in Syria.
…
A very real and disturbing new trend has taken off in conflict-ridden Syria, where rogue opposition groups, many of whom are already associated with the al-Qaida terrorist brand, are using Facebook to post the names, phone numbers and residential addresses of pro-Assad government supporters. At the end of these posts, the terrorists then leave a note of encouragement for other opposition members to “go and kill them”.
http://www.syrianews.cc/syria-armed-facebook-targeted-killings-679.html
of course this is criminal.
recalls the war on gadafi supporters in libya

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 2:43 utc | 13

Regarding the massacre in Houla, UN mission head Major-General Robert Mood said: “My patrols went into the village. I can verify that they counted 32 children under 10 years old killed. In addition there were more than 60 adults dead.” He said the killing in Houla was “indiscriminate and unforgivable.” But General Mood would not explain how the villagers died.
Horrific pictures posted on YouTube appear to show that they were shot or knifed to death, some having their throats cut.
On the basis of loads of experience of allegations of atrocities by Syria’s security forces this past year, I am sure that the generality of people in Syria won’t believe the allegation that the crime in Houla was committed by the security forces. (That’s one of the reasons why the government stands strong today). But meanwhile the allegation against the security forces will get lots of credence and airtime in the foreign media. The framework and basic assumptions among the foreigners is a lot different from that of the Syrians themselves.
The Syrians know their government and their security forces much better than the foreigners do.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 5:16 utc | 14

‘Horrific pictures posted on YouTube appear to show that they were shot or knifed to death, some having their throats cut.’
this is clearly the work of jihadi terrorists
which make this claim odd:
‘The UN monitors found debris of tank and artillery ammunition in Houla that would be consistent with the use of government weapons’
so did the perpetrators after using this tank ammunition then go and cut throats?
its this sort of inconsistency that tells who done it.

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 6:17 utc | 15

Over 90 killed in Syria massacre, activists say
Tags: COVER-UP/DECEPTIONS/PROPAGANDA SYRIA
A Syrian artillery barrage killed more than 90 people, including dozens of children, in the worst violence since the start of a U.N. peace plan to staunch the flow of blood from Syria’s uprising, activists said on Saturday.
Whatreallyhappened.com comment:
Common sense, people. Why would Assad, who wants to avoid a war, do something so obvious and heavy-handed as to provide the aggressors with the very excuse they need to invade? This is a staged incident by the US mercenaries to sell yet another invasion on the path to total global war.

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 6:42 utc | 16

you got what you asked for, b.

Posted by: omen | May 27 2012 6:46 utc | 17

During the last few months in Homs province a number of whole families have been slaughtered, where the killed families were government supporters and the killers were local rebels, and local personal vendettas are thought to have been part of the context.
Dated 20 Mar 2012. 13 men, women and children killed in cold blood in Hasiba village near Quseir in Homs province. The killed were all civilians who were members of a family named the Al-Amory family, and who were supporters of the government. A lot of armed rebels are present in the Al-Quseir area. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI_tsqMO1kQ
Dated 8 Feb 2012. Massacre of 8 men from the same family in Jabornin village in Homs province. The assailants were armed with automatic rifles, they surrounded the house, took out the men and executed them on the spot, leaving the women and children unharmed. The murdered men were supporters of the government. The family had been threatened beforehand to pay money to support the revolution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=E8Fg170tnjY#t=165s
13 Mar 2012. Massacre of 45 men, women and children in Karm al-Zaytoun neighborhood and some other neighborhoods of Homs City all on 11 or 12 March 2012: http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2012/03/13/405542.htm , http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2012/03/14/406248.htm . Some footage of the massacred bodies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uBr955R-uiE#t=160s , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txuxH6i80Is .
The massacre in Houla in Homs province is the biggest in scale this year to my knowledge, as over 90 were killed. During the next few days we’ll likely be finding out exactly who the victims were. I won’t be surprised if their surviving relatives and friends will be on Syrian State TV saying that the massacred families were government supporters, as happend in the other massacres noted above. A possible motive for massacering them would be to put fear into others in the Houla area, which would drive out many of the remaining government supporters from the Houla area and leave the ground more solidly under the control of the rebels.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 6:51 utc | 18

bbc

Our correspondent says local people are angry that UN observers failed to intervene to stop the killing.
Abu Emad, speaking from Houla, said their appeals to the monitors failed to produce action.
“We told them at night, we called seven of them. We told them the massacre is being committed right now at Houla by the mercenaries of this regime and they just refused to come and stop the massacre.”

why would monitors stay away? why would assad agree to inspectors and carry out such a flagrant massacre?
way too may innocents killed. all those children rest in peace ..very very sad

Posted by: annie | May 27 2012 7:23 utc | 19

‘b’ says:

The right time for a full onslaught on the armed opposition may come the very next days. Waiting too long with a decisive move will only let the problem of armed rebels fester and would, in the end, likely cost much more blood on all sides of the conflict.

But the Syrian foreign ministry is repeatedly saying: “We have a negotiating team in the foreign ministry, who negotiated with the UN mission, and we reached an agreement and signed it.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfUjMRuajGw . Syria can be expected to keep to the agreement until it expires in mid-July.
“The Syrian government on Friday 20 Apr 2012 informed Annan that it carried out the second article of Annan’s [six-point] plan completely, saying that police and law-enforcement forces will be charged with keeping peace and order and will show the utmost self-restraint while remaining ready to confront armed terrorist groups should they continue to breach the cessation of violence, while the Syrian Arab Army will remain prepared to defend Syria from any attack upon strategic sites.” http://sana.sy/eng/22/2012/04/22/414024.htm
On 20 Apr 2012 the Syrian government announced that as part of its obligations under the agreement: “The task of maintaining security and law and order will be carried out by the police and the forces of law and order, which will exercise self-restraint” while “the Army and Armed Forces stand ready to defend the national territory and borders against any attack from any quarter and to protect strategic sites and centers…. The withdrawal of massed troops and heavy weapons from around population centres is now complete and military operations have ceased. Orders been issued that troops are not to be moved to population centers.” http://un-report.blogspot.com/2012/04/annan-to-ask-assad-to-appoint-empowered.html
In case you didn’t know, policemen in Syria are unarmed, in general.
‘b’ may say that entering into the agreement was the wrong thing to do and it will likely end up costing more Syrian blood on all sides. Despite the merits of that argument before the agreement was signed, the Syrian government decided that signing up to the agreement was the best option, and the government can’t change its mind about it now.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 7:24 utc | 20

an early eg of False flag..later to be a mainstay of israel
this is the infamous incident used to start WW2:
The Gleiwitz incident was a staged attack by Nazi forces posing as Poles on 31 August 1939, against the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz inGleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany (since 1945: Gliwice, Poland) on the eve of World War II in Europe.
This provocation was the best-known of several actions in Operation Himmler, a series of unconventional operations undertaken by the SS in order to serve specific propaganda goals of Nazi Germany at the outbreak of the war. It was intended to create the appearance of Polish aggression against Germany in order to justify the subsequent invasion of Poland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleiwitz_incident

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 8:01 utc | 21

annie @19
this is the same BBC(state broadcaster) that beat the drums of war for libya and now syria…crocodile tears

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 8:05 utc | 22

B
You are right of course, but it is most likely that the Syrian Governments opponents (internal and external) are trying to get Syria to go for broke… when the fighting escalates the opportunity for disinformation grows, especially when events are fast moving. No one is going to stop to look very closely at each and every atrocity – the MSM will just blame everything on the government as they have always been doing.
I noticed that you picked up on the point made by Gen Mood that they found evidence of tank artillery being used. The point here is that the Syrians are not denying that fighting took place – they are saying very clearly that their was a battle. The question here is, how did the victims met their end?
There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that an atrocity took place – and it is not just a claim by the Syrian Observatory which was previously claiming a daily count of 100 just before the cease fire on April 12.
This tells us two things, first thing is that most likely all the death tolls from prior to the ceasefire were highly exaggerated and this is one the first times we have picture of this many bodies. Second, the disinformation is now switched into high gear for demands for action from Hillary and her Nato stooges, calls from the dimunitive arab league for an emergency meeting
I think the statement by the spokesman for the British Foreign office speaks volumes:
“There are credible and horrific reports that a large number of civilians have been massacred at the hands of Syrian forces in the town of Houla, including children. Our urgent priority is to establish a full account of this appalling crime and to move swiftly to ensure that those responsible are identified and held to account. We are consulting urgently with our allies on a strong international response, including at the UN Security Council, the EU and UN Human Rights bodies. We will be calling for an urgent session of the UN Security Council in the coming days. The Assad regime must ensure full and immediate access to Houla and other conflict areas in Syria for the UN monitoring team, and cease all military operations in full compliance with Joint Special Envoy’s Kofi Annan’s six-point plan.”
Clearly, the british government is concerned that the results of an investigation could prove embarrassing and is clearly hedging by not clearly blaming the Syrian Government.
I think the Jihadi’s and their sponsors are getting desperate for the regime to crack – for a major break to happen, whole divisions to declare defection or high power political defections even. I suspect that the assassination attempts on mid-level officers were counter-productive and hence the attempt to kill top regime officials to create the needed uncertainty.
Side bar – the alleged assassination attempt on the top regime officials reveals the involvement of foreign intelligence, there is no way Mr/Mrs Jihadi have the connections to get to the body guard or chef or anybody close to the top regime officials. I also suspect that the people working for the culprits were probably the same people who could have allowed the killing of Imad Mughniyeh and that would point to regime insiders who are in it for the money, someone high enough to get information, but not high enough to draw suspicions – he/she has probably seen how the top ranks live and wanting a piece of the pie after many years of “loyal service.”
Sorry for the long post…

Posted by: Osama | May 27 2012 8:24 utc | 23

brian @ 11
Good point well made. It does look more like FB-executions of pro-gov families more than victims of gov shelling.
Parviziyi @ 20
Also good point well made, You’re right that they agreed to the 6.-plan and, are going to honor that, in exchange for not getting a foreign intervention. That was the UN-deal.

Posted by: Alexander | May 27 2012 8:29 utc | 24

Although, the government will have to step up their normal police-buisness, to control the criminals and terrorists.

Posted by: Alexander | May 27 2012 8:30 utc | 25

The scumbag is back at it again; it wasn’t enough that he convened a meeting of Islamists and Zionists in Paris last July to talk about overthrowing the Syrian regime, a couple of days ago he was at the Cannes Film Festival pushing his film on Libya and again preaching against the Syrian regime. He had a couple of Syrian rebels in full battle dress on stage with him.
The Independent wrote about it:
>>> Bernard-Henri Lévy is calling for France and the West to intervene in Syria as his new documentary The Oath of Tobruk debuts at the Cannes Film Festival tonight.
“I made this film for Syria,” he told The Independent in an exclusive interview. “It is time for us to intervene. One of the targets of movie is to show what can be done in Syria. I know that it is possible to do, it is feasible and it is doable and it’s a shame that it is not done and this is why the movie is done, to show what can be done.“
According to Lévy the film shows why intervention worked in Libya and not Iraq and how the conditions are present in Syria. “In Iraq we had no international mandate, there was no demand on the ground of the people, there was no representative leader for the forces against Saddam Hussein, in Iraq it was Western versus Arab country in Libya there was a real coalition with Arab countries involved in coalition with Emirati and Qatar forces. Intervention is justified if you have these conditions.”
The documentary is a personal perspective of the uprising in Libya. It explains how he travelled to Libya as a journalist, meeting and getting involved with the rebels fighting against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, later making the telephone call to French president Nicolas Sarkozy asking him to take action. The film features interviews with Sarkozy, David Cameron and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Former French President Sarkozy went on TV in March last year to explain how it was a call from Lévy that set in motion his meeting with the rebels that kick-started French and British involvement in the war.>>>
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/french-philosopher-bernardhenri-lvy-calls-for-west-to-intervene-in-syria-7788822.html

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 8:42 utc | 26

@ Parviziyi
What is your understanding of the situation regarding those arrested / detained by govt. forces? My reading of the UN report is that Assad is cracking down on both violent and non-violent opposition, shooting at those who shoot and arresting / detaining those (large numbers of those) who demonstrate against the govt.
Is that a correct reading, do you think?
If it is, I don’t understand how it helps the govt. to attack (in different ways) both groups simultaneously.

Posted by: ahji | May 27 2012 8:53 utc | 27

Damascus (Agenzia Fides) – Instability, insecurity, violence, massacres: the scenario in Syria today is bleak. According to the “Syrian National Council”, which leads the opposition in Houla, in the province of Homs, 88 people, including civilians and children, were killed by the bombing of the regular army. Fides sources report a different version: the regular army hit Houla, where many Salafist militants and terrorists have found refuge, using civilians as human shields.
etc
http://www.news.va/en/news/asiasyria-instability-and-violence-appeal-of-the-a

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 9:23 utc | 28

Do these victims have names, I find it strange that the Syrian Observatory, which can provide the names of hundreds of people from various parts of Syrian, can’t get the names of these poor people.
I am afraid that the high pitched wailing from the MSM is an attempt to drown out a proper investigation, because many suspect the FSA’s hand in this crime.
The Disinformation is already in high gear with calls for action… where are the incubators? that’s the only missing piece…
General Mood’s statements say alot, I found this on Aljazeers live blog:
“Robert Mood, the head of the UN observer mission in Syria, spoke to Al Jazeera after monitors visited Houla. He says the team counted 85 corpses, including 34 of children under the age of 10 and seven women.
“This is a tragedy by any measure which leaves my thoughts … with the families of the victims and the injured,” he said.
“Those who use violence for their own agenda will only create more instability, more unpredictability, and may lead this country one step closer to civil war.
“We have observed that the impact in the area were from a range of weapons: small arms, rifles, machine guns, artillery shells, tank shells. The impact happened in a residential area but the circumstances that led to the tragic deaths are still unclear.
“Whoever started, whoever responded and whoever supported this deplorable act of violence should be held responsible.
“The death of 34 children is an attack on the future of the Syrian people.”
I believe the two statements in bold reveal alot about what Gen. Mood is really thinking. But I have no doubt that these are not the quotes that will be widely reported in the MSM. Gen. Mood is unclear, strangely all the video’s I have seen from the activist side don’t give eye witness accounts only outraged rent-a-mob’s. It’s not even clear who is in control on the ground!

Posted by: Osama | May 27 2012 9:46 utc | 29

@ Alexander #24: Syria was NOT in danger of a foreign conquest when the Syrian government agreed to the Annan plan in mid-April. I say the following statement by you is simply a falsehood: “they agreed to the 6.-plan and are going to honor that in exchange for not getting a foreign intervention. That was the UN-deal.”
In my opinions: (1) The Russians strongly encouraged the government to do the deal as a pathway towards bringing Syria back in from the cold in the international community. (2) It would be very counterproductive for the government to dishonour the deal now and the government knows this. (3) The government’s deliberate agreement to curtail its ability to put down the armed rebellion is going to cost more Syrian blood on both sides than if the government had acted forcefully sooner against the rebels. (4) The foreigners who wanted the government to agree to curtail its actions against the rebellion are badly misguided and bigoted. (5) The government is strong enough in Syria both politically and militarily that it can put down the rebellion at a later date. (6) The rebellion must be put down militarily; a negotiated settlement as contemplated in the Annan plan is a pipedream.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 10:02 utc | 30

@ ahji #27: I take it you are referring to Ban Ki-moon’s letter linked to by ‘b’, above. It says that the UN has received a number of reports that many non-violent dissidents have been arrested and detained recently. I’ve two comments: (1) If those reports were true, it would be contrary to stated government policy. (2) There is no evidence that they are true except for the mere testimonies of flakey dissident liars whose aim is to defame the government among foreigners. The reports should be presumed to be falsehoods.
Ban Ki-moon’s letter also says that the government hasn’t been fully cooperative and transparent is allowing access to the detention facilities in order to find out if these reports of detentions of non-violent dissidents are true or false. I hope the government will find a way to give the UN observers full access to all detention facilities so that the UN observers can independently observe and investigate if there is any truth to these reports from the flakey dissident liars.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 10:06 utc | 31

@ ahji #27: Note what commenter “Jim Steele” says above at #5: “Looking at the “status report” we see, once again, that the UN is simply repeating the claims of rebels without bothering to verify them.” The status report does indicate that the UN does want to verify them. Once again, until they’ve been verified, you should presume they’re false.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 10:19 utc | 32

Osama on #29: The massacre doesn’t look like the work of the FSA. Unknown to many is that the opposition in Syria is made up of 5 or 6 different groups with contradicting ideologies and agendas except for the one that wants to oust the current regime. The latest massacre as well as the 2 in Damascus that killed 55 and injured 500 are the work of fanatically religion-driven groups within the opposition. There’s a lot of Hama-paybacking going on now that is rooted in 1982.

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 10:42 utc | 33

I am not surprised this took place. Seems like every time one of those “friends of Syria” meetings or Arab League meeting is planned, the rebels are told to increase their activities and make sure it is bloody so it hits hard in the media.
Thanx to western meddling and saudi and qatari stooges for the west the syrians are paying a price they never thought they would.
All this has one objective. The saudia and qataris are vying for influence of the arab world and want to control how Syria behaves. I expect the Russians who are not good at this game will be plotting with the americans to do a yemen style transition where the russians get to keep their client state but under a different leadership. Until this takes place, more syrians will pay the price. This is going to be a long hot summer.

Posted by: ana souri | May 27 2012 11:06 utc | 34

ana souri, for how long did Syria play the role with the US that the Saudis and Qatari are now playing, and why was there never an objection to it at that time? Remember reading about Syria and Egypt having joined Bush Sr’s gang bang of sister Arab country Iraq in 1989? What’s the difference between Saudi-Qatar of today Syria-US of back then?

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 11:24 utc | 35

The Syrian government has formed a committee to investigate the Houla massacre. The committee is required to finish and report in three days. The government denies that security forces were responsible for the atrocity. The government also denies that tanks or artillery entered Houla town. The government adds that law-enforcement members never left their positions. http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2012/05/27/421700.htm
We’ll find out who the victims were, but I won’t be surprised if the investigating committee is unable to determine who the murderers were.

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 11:56 utc | 36

www on #33
I understand that there are many disparate groups involved, some are local groups focusing purely on their home areas and some groups are working directly with foreign assistance and support (read Turk/Nato) and then the bearded wing nuts recruited by the GCC and sent to die in Syria (just as they were sent to Afghanistan, to Bosnia, to Chechenya, to Somalia, to Afghanistan again etc etc).
However, regardless of where they come from they are all operating under the umbrella of the FSA, even though the FSA clearly is not in control – which explains many of the reports of infighting in several regions.
In all cases, whomever committed this crime in Alhoula, the MSM will try to quickly stick the blame to the Government side and the best thing the Syrian Government can do right now is allow the UN to investigate and note down the evidence of where Syrian forces were positioned, and what the ballistics show (I recall during the Bosnian conflict they were doing these type of investigations regularly to show which side fired the shell that killed many during the all too regular shelling of market places in Sarajevo).
I also find it hard to believe that their are no eye witness accounts – surely the UN did not drive out to Alhoula just to count the bodies…

Posted by: Osama | May 27 2012 12:09 utc | 37

This afternoon Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Miqdisi held a press conference on the Houla massacre. PressTV covered the press conference live with translation to English in Real Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVx9m9SJIy0
Not totally off-topic: It started with a Lie – Nato Aggression against Serbia in 1999. Excellent documentary in German language with English subtitles. At Youtube in Five Parts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4kz8CSYmA&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLF7ED1D1494B8D554

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 12:27 utc | 38

Are there any Salafists or Brotherhood people among the victims?

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 12:35 utc | 39

A good guess would be no, all government supporters. But time will tell.

Posted by: Alexander | May 27 2012 12:44 utc | 40

Houla:
just ask the survivors or locals what the families orientation was: pro or anti assad

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 12:52 utc | 41

There are pro and anti-Assad families all over Syria. It’s obvious. Like Alexander, I’m guessing there aren’t any among the Salafi or Brotherhood victims and that the FSA although reputed to have faked many incidents, they aren’t likely to commmit such acts.

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 13:07 utc | 42

but were the victims PRO of ANTI assad?

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 13:22 utc | 43

Osama #37, they are actually in conflict with each other as much as they are against the Assad regime. Yesterday on TV, 2 opposition chiefs called in and contradicted each other on the issue of the abducted Lebanese pilgrims that ares till being held in Syria or Turkey:
1st caller: Cheikh Ibrahim Zoabi, a Salafi of a Syrian freedom party in the anti-government coalition claimed that his group has nothing to do with the abduction although it’s close to the abductors. The cheikh said that the pilgrims had already been moved to Turkey when they heard Sayyid Nasrallah’s May 25th address, thanking Bashar Assad for his help in getting the pilgrims released. Apparently this irked the abductors so much that they yanked back the pilgrims to Syria and are still holding on to them because of the thanks addressed to the wrong party. (The Cheikh is evidently not a fan of the Sayyid.)
2nd caller: Riad al-Assaad, the Commander of the FSA. He said he had just heard Cheikh Ibrahim Zoabi’s declaration and it was all false. The pilgrims never left Syria for Turkey because the Aleppo area has been under heavy bombardment by the Syrian army for 30 hours and that the pilgrims are all in good health and in a safe place and as soon as the shelling stops, they will be moved to Turkey for their return to Lebanon. Al-Assaad said the abductors were not asking for anything in return for the release of the pilgrims. (Although he has been denying his FSA had nothing to do with the abduction, he appeared to be in control of the pilgrim’s’ issue)
As you can see, there’s isn’t much of an umbrella there. BTW, a week ago, A Lebanese Salafi cheikh of the same group as Cheikh Zoabi mentioned above, was killed at a Lebanese army checkpoint in a shootout when he refused to stop. It was after this incident that the Lebanese pilgrims were abducted and the massacre happened in Houla and riots erupted in Lebanese cities.
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=401735

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 13:47 utc | 44

Appears your beloved dictator < a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/28/world/middleeast/syria-denies-responsibility-in-brutal-attack.html">“acted.”
But, I’m sure you can gather all the available means of persuasion available to you on the Internets to expose this atrocity for the Grand Hoax that it must be.

Posted by: slothrop | May 27 2012 14:21 utc | 45

Appears your beloved dictator “acted.”
But, I’m sure you can gather all the available means of persuasion available to you on the Internets to expose this atrocity for the Grand Hoax that it must be.

Posted by: slothrop | May 27 2012 14:22 utc | 46

slops see Parviziyi above….the attack is like the attacks on other syrians…hence by the terrorists of the FSA

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 14:23 utc | 47

It’s all alCIAda all the time.
Please America,turn out this wacko miseducated Zionist traitor administration from power.
Of course Romney is an idiot also,but to reelect these monsters would be catastrophic,and would send a message of our complete subjugation to said monsters.
And of course the Israelis write the roadmap to hell,and our dweebs follow like gerbils hooked on poison seeds.

Posted by: dahoit | May 27 2012 14:33 utc | 48

A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
http://www.israeleconomy.org/strat1.htm
Coping with Crumbling States: A Western and Israeli Balance of Power Strategy for the Levant
http://www.israeleconomy.org/strat2.htm

Posted by: m_s | May 27 2012 14:34 utc | 49

Germany’s foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said in a press statement on Saturday 26 May regarding the Houla massacre: “I am shocked and horrified by the news that dozens of civilians, including many children, were killed in attacks by the security forces of the Assad regime. It is appalling that the Syrian regime does not put an end to the brutal violence against its own people.” http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/41480-germany-appalled-by-syria-killings
As to how he can be so stupid as to believe that this massacre was done by the security forces, I don’t know. I suspect that he is not quite that stupid. But I could be wrong.
“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 14:36 utc | 50

The many people killed Friday and Saturday, including many children, were in Taldo, a Sunni village near Alawite communities. Is it not at least as likely an effort by regime forces to create a buffer zone for its supporters as a “false flag” operation by opposition forces?

Posted by: Nell | May 27 2012 14:50 utc | 51

I suspect that some of these socalled politicians actually are that stupid, including Hillary Clinton. It’s hard to believe it’s not all an elaborate conspiracy, but the possibility of it actually being due to a majority of stupidity becomes more persuasive each day.

Posted by: Alexander | May 27 2012 14:54 utc | 52

Burhan Ghalioun in a TV press conference in Istanbul today called on the UN to send in the troops under Chapter 7. He said the various massacres committed by the Assad regime are reason enough for the UN to act now. I guess this was to be expected after the massacre and probably the reason behind it. This should kick off another major debate at the UN this week.
Asked about the Lebanese pilgrims, Ghalioun said he’s looking into it. The rebel forces are saying that there are 4 Hezbollah militants among the pilgrims and the reason of their abduction.

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 15:08 utc | 53

No, they are not stupid, Alexander, simply wicked.

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 15:15 utc | 54

Too late.

Posted by: ThePaper | May 27 2012 15:48 utc | 55

dahoit @ 48 —

It’s all alCIAda all the time.

Wicked funny. Very sad, but, still, wicked funny word play.

Posted by: jawbone | May 27 2012 15:52 utc | 56

My guess would be that the bodies would have been collected over some days and brought together for the UN-press date. Who would know how these people were killed?
I can see no successful strategy for the syrian government to stop this shit. Terrorist can always move back to quite every neighboring country after carrying out an attack.
Assuming their only goal is to produce as much hatred as can possibly be generated, they haven’t that much to fear. Residing in Turkey, Jordan Iraq or Lebanon, there’s a lot of money to be made and even NATO assistance. Get in a band of 2 or three and let them carry out a carbomb attack as seen in Damascus or get some more across the border and try to have some streets occupied.
Western media will cover everything, in fact, the more appaling it is the better, as everything will be associated to “Assad”.
The only goal: Make Syrias population terror-weary. As long as they’ve got their save haven in the surrounding countries, this can go on forever. The syrian forces cannot dare to carry out operations across a country border.
I can’t see an end to this, does anyone?

Posted by: peter radiator | May 27 2012 16:22 utc | 57

Assad has lost control of the country. Quite some time ago, many months. (1)
It is too late for a show of strength. Even if he and the State apparatus had the courage and / or means. Maybe they do, I don’t know. But it is too late.
What or who will one day replace him, I know not.
1. The Instituted or Imposed State looses its legitimacy when some threshold of unrest, disruption, killings, massacres is breached, no matter who is responsible for them.

Posted by: Noirette | May 27 2012 16:37 utc | 58

Noirette@58
Yes, exactly. Assad is toast. It’s just a matter of time. When the Russians bail it’s game over. The Saudi wahabbis must be very happy. Their stock is gaining in Egypt and now Syria. Next must be Lebanon to pressure Hezbollah and finally weaken the Iranian influence in the Levant.

Posted by: ab initio | May 27 2012 17:01 utc | 59

Some journalist just twittered: “UN dep Head of Mission says civilian militias massacred people btw 15h Fri and 2h Sat in Houla”
Which doesn’t give us which side the civilian militia are on but so far we have not seen ANY civilian militia on the government side.

Posted by: b | May 27 2012 17:07 utc | 60

Burhan Ghalioun gave the required signal in Istanbul a few hours ago and it has just been announced that the Security Council will meet in an emergency session to discuss Syria in one hour. Looks like the final countdown has started.

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 17:11 utc | 61

If it was Robert Mood characterizing it as “a civilian militia”, he’s definitely not talking about a government-afiliated gang.

Posted by: Alexander | May 27 2012 18:14 utc | 62

Noirette@58
You are completely wrong. “Assad” has not “lost control” of the country, or any significant part of it. The government of Syria still functions fully, delivers services, etc in the vast majority of the country. Rebels have been expelled from all major cities and limited to isolated areas of the countryside. If you actually talk to ordinary Syrians or read accounts by ordinary Syrians online you will discover that life in most areas continues normally with minimal disruptions.
Note this quote from an article by an Indian journalist who just visited Syria:
“When I arrived in Damascus, it was not just peaceful, it was buzzing. The roads were jammed with traffic, the coffee houses and restaurants were packed, the souks were bustling, and families could be seen picnicking all over the city in their peculiarly Syrian fashion, right on the roadside with their barbecue sets as though they are just too lazy to bother driving the short distance to a nice park. The only difference from earlier times was the absence of tourists.”
Source: http://tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Ne190512What.asp

Posted by: Jim Steel | May 27 2012 19:06 utc | 63

BBC does it AGAIN

Posted by: hans | May 27 2012 19:14 utc | 64

Since we’re into creepy stories of the BBC kind, here’s one in the Guardian about Bernard-Henri Lévy’s presence at Cannes last week to push his documentary on how he won the war in Libya and would want to do it again in Syria. He came with 10 bodyguards and 2 masked terrorists from Syria for the occasion:
>>> The film begins with Lévy crossing the border from Egypt to Libya in March 2011, and attending a meeting of the young National Transitional Council, led by the former minister of justice Mustafa Abdul Jalil.
Fortuitously, he was accompanied by a photographer, Marc Roussel, who switched his camera to video mode. The footage of the meeting shows the philosopher, calling, with the full force of his considerable personality, for five minutes to speak. Then Lévy tells the Libyans that what they need is three things: a no-fly zone, the main airports bombed and Gaddafi’s compound targeted. And, he says, he can phone Sarkozy and demand them.
The next scene shows Lévy on his satellite phone to the Elysée palace. The president duly agreed to meet, and formally recognise, the NTC.
…For all his confidence, Lévy said that he “had, and still had, doubts about what can come after”. He said: “Democracy means good and bad. Progressives, liberals and Muslim brothers. I am not naive enough to ignore that.”
But, he added: “I had no doubts on two points. One, there would have been a bloodbath if we had not acted, and two, we could intervene. As Cameron said, it was doable.”
Cameron, whom he met in Benghazi and Tripoli on a “triumphal trip”, impressed him with his “charisma, energy and real good faith”. Lévy said that for Cameron, Sarkozy and Clinton, Bosnia was the watchword, the password”. “The three of them said to me the same word: Bosnia, Srebenica, never more.”>>>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/25/levy-libya-film-screening-cannes-festival

Posted by: www | May 27 2012 20:06 utc | 65

@ Parviziyi
Is it contested that the Syrian govt is detaining thousands of non-violent protestors? A quick google brings up e.g. this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/syria-prisons_n_1535107.html
@ b
The UN report you link to above has this:
“. . .and reports of hundreds of persons detained during this operation which was carried out jointly by Government forces and supportive armed militias.”

Posted by: ahji | May 27 2012 21:08 utc | 66

@ahji – what’s the link to the UN report?

Posted by: claudio | May 27 2012 22:11 utc | 67

Huffington Post is also the home of creepy Bernard Henri Levy

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 22:15 utc | 68

Assad steps up the attack. Iran announces it will continue 20% enrichment. The timing of these move points to one thing: North Korea is about to explode a nuclear weapon.

Posted by: Bill | May 27 2012 22:20 utc | 69

Syrian ambassador live on RT graciously aswering the most inane questions; “Well who DID commit this massacre, if not government forces?”
http://rt.com/on-air/un-syria-houla-live/

Posted by: L Bean | May 27 2012 22:24 utc | 70

If you ever wonder who the murderous insurgents in syria were and whether they can do the things we see happen there, look to Tunisia
26 May 2012 Last updated at 22:06 GMT
Tunisia Salafists clash with police in Jendouba
Hundreds of Salafists have clashed with security forces and attacked a police station in a Tunisian town.
The clashes, in Jendouba, were sparked when the ultra-conservative Muslims began protesting against the arrest of four fellow Muslims.
The number of those who took part, some armed with clubs and Molotov cocktails, swelled to 500 during the day.
After setting fire to the security headquarters, the group attacked bars and stores selling alcohol.
The group were angered by the arrest of fellow Muslims in connection with previous attacks on alcohol sellers.
“This morning, four men were arrested in connection with attacks on alcohol vendors in recent days,” Interior Ministry official Lutfi al-Haydari told Reuters.
One eyewitness in the town said some of the rioters were armed with petrol bombs.
“Masked Salafis armed with swords, petrol bombs and rocks attacked shops in the town and destroyed the goods inside and then set fire to the police station,” the witness, who declined to give her name, told the news agency.
“The whole town is in a state of alarm and fear because of these clashes.”
The country’s official TAP news agency said police had fired tear gas to disperse the protesters who eventually took refuge in a mosque.
Since the fall in January 2011 of Tunisia’s autocratic leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, there has been a resurgence of hardline Islamists in the country.
Some of the Salafists’ most radical branches have been holding demonstrations to demand an introduction of Sharia law in Tunisia.
The violence came a week after Salafis attacked bars and other places selling alcohol in Sidi Bouzid, the central western town where the Tunisian revolution began, inspiring a wave of pro-democracy movements across North African and the Middle East.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18222810

Posted by: brian | May 27 2012 22:30 utc | 71

Sorry everyone, the above link’s broadcast ended shortly after my post.

Posted by: L Bean | May 27 2012 22:30 utc | 72

@ claudio: The sentence quoted by ahji from Ban Ki-moon’s report is on the page numbered -5- in the report. The link to the report was given by ‘b’ at the top of the post.
@ ahji: I repeat, the UN report says the observers are investigating or would like to begin to investigate allegations received from dissidents. It has not verified the allegations.
On the question of the existence of pro-goverment armed militias of civilians, here for instance are four videos showing pro-government civilian militias armed with cudgels who are assisting the regular police in dispersing an illegal (unlicensed) anti-government street demonstration. All four videos were recorded in Aleppo City on Friday 11 Nov 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHuG2Giuc8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75AMTCZgE3o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8dYdXyC-qE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_3frKCVIB8
(If you watch the videos and afterwards feel in need of assistance in interpretation, I posted comments about them at http://qifanabki.com/2012/02/24/selling-foreign-intervention-in-syria/#comment-32729 ).
I have never seen a pro-government militia armed with deadly weapons.
If the Houla massacre were committed by a pro-government militia it would be just as equally criminal under Syrian law as a massacre by an anti-government militia. But anyway, in Maqdisi’s press conference today, the Syrian government said it has enough information to know that the massacre was done by anti-government militia as part of a plan that also involved attacking the security forces stations:

”It has been confirmed that hundreds of gunmen gathered at 2:00 o’clock on Friday afternoon , using Pick-up cars loaded with up-to-date and heavy weapons, like mortars, machineguns and anti-tank missiles, which are newly used in the confrontation with the state forces.”
”The gunmen headed to al-Houla area which is guarded by the government forces at five points where law-enforcement members and security are positioned, which lie outside the places where the massacres happened. The attack lasted from 2:00 pm o’clock until 11:00 pm. 3 law-enforcement members were martyred and 16 injured, some critically, and there were charred bodies.” http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2012/05/27/421700.htm

Posted by: Parviziyi | May 27 2012 22:41 utc | 73

MSNBC blurb between regularly scheduled segments of “Caught on Camera”::
“The United Nations Security Council has issued a statement strongly condemning a Syrian Government attack which claimed the lives of 110 civilains, including 49 children…”

Posted by: L Bean | May 27 2012 23:45 utc | 74

UNSC press statement is here
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sc10658.doc.htm
There is also a news release from the UN press center here:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42095&Cr=syria&Cr1=
Which include this gem:

The killings have also sparked outrage from the President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who said in a statement that these “shocking” killings in a populated neighborhood are a flagrant violation of international law and the commitments made by the Syrian Government, and from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

So just who is this President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser? Why he is a Qatari diplomat and the current permanent representative of Qatar to the United Nations!
Not exactly an honest broker given the views expressed by his despotic boss.

Posted by: blowback | May 28 2012 0:56 utc | 75

The creepy Guardian “newspaper” is part of the plot, as it was in Libya. Not for nothing do some people think it is M16 controlled. In fact it is the one pseudo liberal intellectual place you would want to control in the world of the Democracy Hoax. Put out fake stories and the idiots gulp it down.

Posted by: felix | May 28 2012 1:41 utc | 76

Land Destroyer @LandDestroyer 4h
@nit2am in fact, NATO just murdered family of 8 (6 kids) in Afghanistan – not a peep. cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-5… #Houla #HoulaMassacre #Hypocrisy
Retweeted by SydWalker

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 2:36 utc | 77

FYI!
http://sydwalker.info/blog/2012/05/27/houla-horror-truth-is-elusive-lies-are-easier-to-spot/
BBC (UK State media) deceitfully posts images from Iraq in syria massacre
http://counterpsyops.com/2012/05/27/bbc-deceitfully-posts-images-from-iraq-in-syria-massacre-report/#more-5956
this tells us trhis was not done by the syrian govt

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 2:42 utc | 78

BBC News uses ‘Iraq photo to illustrate Syrian massacre’
May 27, 2012 by Kristen
Filed under Media
Leave a Comment
Photographer Marco di Lauro said he nearly “fell off his chair” when he saw the image being used, and said he was “astonished” at the failure of the corporation to check their sources.
The picture, which was actually taken on March 27, 2003, shows a young Iraqi child jumping over dozens of white body bags containing skeletons found in a desert south of Baghdad.
It was posted on the BBC news website today under the heading “Syria massacre in Houla condemned as outrage grows”.
The caption states the photograph was provided by an activist and cannot be independently verified, but says it is “believed to show the bodies of children in Houla awaiting burial”.
A BBC spokesman said the image has now been taken down
http://deadlinelive.info/2012/05/27/bbc-news-uses-iraq-photo-to-illustrate-syrian-massacre/
WebsterGTarpley @WebsterGTarpley 3h
#NATO’s staged #HoulaMassacre timed to coincide with #Jordan #US #EagerLion2012 largest war drill of decade in ME- this drill could go live!

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 3:03 utc | 79

The Houla was likely a staged massacre…with foreign powers being the handlers, and islamic terrorists the enforcers

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 3:06 utc | 80

Land Destroyer @LandDestroyer 4h
tell me, does ANY of this sound familiar? ushmm.org/wlc/article.ph… beware of NATO propaganda #Houla #Shyria #HoulaMassacre vs Poland 1932!!!
Land Destroyer @LandDestroyer 15h
no one questions why entire West, 1000s of journalists 100s of orgs, cite only 1 London man for #Syria info? youtube.com/watch?v=k81EXF… #Houla
Land Destroyer @LandDestroyer 15h
US UK NATO feigned outrage over #Syria #HoulaMassacre rings hollow as they butcher families in #Afghanistan #Pakistan news.google.com/news/url?ct2=u…

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 3:15 utc | 81

WebsterGTarpley @WebsterGTarpley 24h
Beware new #NATO push for attack on #Syria based on fake #Houla massacre- #Saudi-backed death squads collected cadavers in Karam Zeytun
this needs further investigation….

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 3:17 utc | 82

brian,
i was introduced to the fukus web of deceit by stephen gowans n antiwar.com
during the run up to the attack on ex yugo
everday there was expose’ of yet another lie churned out of the fukus bs mill
i was telling myself, now that fukus game is up, they cant possibly carry on with their attack, can they ?
i was wrong, the 78 days saturation bombing of ex yugo went on like clock work……………, that was just the beginning !
iraq, afghan, libya, syria…….
would the lies ever stop ?
does it matter if their lies are exposed ?
http://tinyurl.com/y4868hj
sounds like only yesterday

Posted by: denk | May 28 2012 3:42 utc | 83

claudio, @ahji – what’s the link to the UN report?
it is embedded in b’s main post under”The UN monitors found debris of tank and artillery ammunition in Houla”
however, this was prior to numerous updates.

Posted by: annie | May 28 2012 3:50 utc | 84

the person who found out about the BBC photo deception, Hey_Joud…ahas his twitter account now : not found!
http://mobile.twitter.com/hey_joud
Not Found
Sorry, that page doesn’t exist
Back to home
Enter a topic, @name, or fullname
=======================
unless this is an old account

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 3:55 utc | 85

More on how BHL got the NATO war started on Libya. It gives an insight on what is being attempted on Syria by the same man (and friends), from Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-new-film-looks-back-at-bernard-henri-levy-s-role-in-the-war-in-libya-a-825524.html
For those that never have enough of the destructive clown and his Zionist-driven agenda:
http://libyaagainstsuperpowermedia.com/2012/05/27/why-does-everybody-believes-henry-levy-if-you-check-his-resume-wherever-he-has-set-his-foot-he-has-steered-a-war/

Posted by: www | May 28 2012 4:12 utc | 86

Yeah, I too thought the lies would stop by the events in the last weeks, but seeing the latest development, the propaganda campaign keeps on churning away, doesn’t it? Those voices pointing out the truth seem to be drowning.

Posted by: Alexander | May 28 2012 4:30 utc | 87

OK, I understand that the UN has confirmed that artillery fragments have been found.
Yeah, and I understand that the UN has confirmed that a lot of people are dead.
But what I find odd is that the UN seems to be reticent about confirming the most obvious causal link i.e. that the bodies that they examined showed all the signs of being killed by artillery fire.
Just out of curiousity: the UN observers *did* get to examine the bodies, didn’t they?

Posted by: Johnboy | May 28 2012 4:32 utc | 88

Annie #84, re the UN, aren’t you enjoying watching the US being stonewalled by Russia’s veto for a change? It should get the Americans to feel what others go through everytime it swings a veto in favour of Israel in the Security Council. The fun part is seeing Rice squirm and frown and seemingly using foul language under her breath.

Posted by: www | May 28 2012 4:50 utc | 89

Many had been shot, stabbed, and otherwise killed, but haven’t heard of anyone found with grenade-schrapmetal (shrapnel).

Posted by: Alexander | May 28 2012 4:52 utc | 90

The fact that peoples accounts disappear, those who are on the other side of the propaganda, is scary.

Posted by: Alexander | May 28 2012 5:12 utc | 91

I’m pessimistically but realistically waiting for Putin to sell off Assad as he did with Gaddafi; I’m afraid the UNSC’s press statement is a step in this direction;
probably behind b’s suggestion that Assad should “act now” is the same feeling

Posted by: claudio | May 28 2012 7:03 utc | 92

BBC News uses ‘Iraq photo to illustrate Syrian massacre’
May 27, 2012 by Kristen
Filed under Media
Leave a Comment
Photographer Marco di Lauro said he nearly “fell off his chair” when he saw the image being used, and said he was “astonished” at the failure of the corporation to check their sources.
The picture, which was actually taken on March 27, 2003, shows a young Iraqi child jumping over dozens of white body bags containing skeletons found in a desert south of Baghdad.
It was posted on the BBC news website today under the heading “Syria massacre in Houla condemned as outrage grows”.
The caption states the photograph was provided by an activist and cannot be independently verified, but says it is “believed to show the bodies of children in Houla awaiting burial”.
A BBC spokesman said the image has now been taken down
http://deadlinelive.info/2012/05/27/bbc-news-uses-iraq-photo-to-illustrate-syrian-massacre/
BBC was not prepared to let go a photo they claim was unverified…why post at all? Who are these ‘activists’? SOHR

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 7:40 utc | 93

Makdissi: Syria Categorically Denies Responsibility of the Syrian Forces for al-Houla Massacre
Makdissi stressed that no tanks or artillery entered al-Houla town, adding that hundreds of gunmen, armed with various kinds of heavy weapons, attacked al-Houla area in Homs countryside after they assembled in various areas in a deliberate and planned manner, indicating that “The law-enforcement members never left their positions and were in a state of self-defense.”
Makdissi said that Syria also condemns the ”tsunami” of lies against the Syrian government in the past couple of days and the ease in leveling accusations against the Syrian government by some foreign ministers and media.
”We’ve talked to the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the authorities concerned to put us in the picture of what happened in Houla,” said Makdissi.
Makdissi added ”It has been confirmed that hundreds of gunmen gathered at 2:00 o’clock on Friday afternoon , using Pick-up cars loaded with up-to-date and heavy weapons, like mortars, machineguns and anti-tank missiles, which are newly used in the confrontation with the state forces.”
”The gunmen headed to al-Houla area which is guarded by the government forces at five points where law-enforcement members and security are positioned, which lie outside the places where the massacres happened. The attack lasted from 2:00 pm o’clock until 11:00 pm. 3 law-enforcement members were martyred and 16 injured, some critically, and there were charred bodies.”
etc
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2012/05/27/421700.htm

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 7:44 utc | 94

The worst outcome for Assad is for him to act now. This is what the US is waiting for to bypass the UN and go ahead with NATO. Was UN approval needed to attack Libya or Iraq? B isn’t thinking through to what his suggestion could lead. Acting now would turn Syria into another Libya.

Posted by: www | May 28 2012 8:04 utc | 95

Posted by: Johnboy | May 28 2012 8:54 utc | 96

So, just to make sure I have this right: the UN observers have **not** confirmed that the bodies showed signs of shrapnel-wounds, or are otherwise consistent with having been killed by artillery fire? Correct?
Have they examined the bodies, or are they simply repeating what was told to them by the rebels who handed over those photos?
Posted by: Johnboy | May 28, 2012 4:54:20 AM | 96
the UN the media the (in)human rights organisations western govts all mass together to overthrow another state and turn it over to war lords..then as with Libya the will turn their backs.meanwhile the gullible public conditioned and educated to believe authority believe what they are told by authority…but the authority ignores us the masses…

Posted by: brian | May 28 2012 10:28 utc | 97

www #89, i’d like to strangle the US at the UN.
brian, thanks for sydwalker’s link.

Posted by: annie | May 28 2012 11:40 utc | 98

“It is getting urgent for Assad to act”
The title seems to suggest that Assad has not been acting all along.
I realize this is not the intent, but, it seems to be implied.
I read the link back to the suggestion on what remedy should be taken?
You put thought into it for sure, but, the logistics of moving all those people to safer areas while under attack???
Seems impossible.
If Assad launched a full out attack on rebels- as pointed out by www, this will result in a NATO strike. For humanitarian purposes of course, because this will be promoted as a ‘full scale slaughter’
At this point in time, it is doubtful the NATO goons will go back to the UN.
In the piece I put up yesterday- the indication was once the Annan plan was declared a failure(foregone conclusion) there will be no political solution.
http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.ca/2012/05/massacre-in-syria-false-flag-to-acheive.html
It would seem from the latest reading that Russia is not going to go along with this a UN resolution China likely won’t either
We are looking at a NATO go it alone, thinking of Yugoslavia…
Lavrov had this to say today
“All the external players need to be playing the same game: the game directed at implementing the Annan plan, and not the game of the regime change,” he said”
I don’t know what the outcome will be or the solution will be
What I am afraid of is this will come to civil war on one level and the US and Russia fighting it out ala Afghanistan long ago.
Unless China sends troops?
I don’t know?

Posted by: Penny | May 28 2012 12:18 utc | 99

BBC: UN observers have seen “some of the bodies”. For all we know they might just have seen “bodies” wrapped in shrouds and counted them.
A few moments ago… “enough evidence now to indict Assad” It just won’t go away will it. Oh, Navi Pillai was saying just the same thing back in March! Or do we need a few more of these false flags first?

Posted by: felix | May 28 2012 12:25 utc | 100

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