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MASADA: Will The Battle For Aleppo Decide The Fate Of Assad ?
27-Jul-2012
While the deemed « civilized » world will be treated at the Olympic Games with it’s share of « bread and circus », I cannot help but think of another far more dramatic spectacle in the making. The Syrian rebels under siege in the city of Aleppo known for it’s ancient archeological sites already heavily bombarded by the troops of Syrian President Assad are about to face their most Deadly challenge yet. (Source: persianrealm.com)
As the siege of Aleppo continues, already dubbed by both sides as « the mother of all battles », I am sadly reminded of all the tragic and desperate acts of resistance against all odds and one in particular that of Masada (72 B.C.) in a region which has witnessed so many others in it’s long history.
Although the brave Syrian rebels are far from suicidal, their desperate situation as a poorly equipped rebellious lot facing a brutally professional killing machine led by Bachar Assad’s henchmen (including his own brother) will definitively be remembered as a tragic bloody milestone in this already year long confict.
As BBC War Correspondent Ian Pannel describes it : « It is almost inconceivable that President Assad could allow his government to lose control of the city, so it is reasonable to expect that they are going to throw everything they possibly can at the city.
And that is what they are preparing for here. One of the neighbourhoods is appealing for more blood supplies. We are hearing reports of hundreds, possibly thousands of families leaving some districts. Everybody is bracing themselves for an intensive campaign.
The way it has worked in other cities is that there is an intensive bombardment by artillery and mortars, and then when it starts to go calm, tanks begin to roll in. This is a very congested heavily populated area, so it will be bloody. » (Seerelated News).
Battle for Aleppo 'crucial' for Syria's future (Daily Telegraph, Jul 23, 2012):
Speaking from a village on the outskirts of Aleppo in Syria, the Telegraph's
Foreign Affairs Correspondent says that the rebels "think they have
nothing to lose" in the battle for the city.
Crac des Chevaliers holds out against Assad troops (AFP, Jul 4, 2012):
The Crac des Chevaliers, Syria's best preserved castle from the Crusades of the Middle Ages, is once again providing shelter for armed forces. The Free Syria Army have been holed up in and around the hilltop the fortress for over a year as they resist the advance of forces loyal the President Assad. An exclusive AFPTV report.
(NOTE : To Watch Double Click Here)
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MASADA’s DO OR DIE :
The Mother of All Battles ?
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The siege of Masada was among the final accords of the First Jewish-Roman War. The long siege by the troops of theRoman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels and resident Jewish families of the Masada fortress. The siege has become a controversial event in Jewish history, marking radicalism on the one hand and heroic struggle on the other. (More Here) The Siege of Massada:
Documentary revists the myth of Massada in the light of new archeological discoveries
Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss star in the Emmy Award-winning mini-series about the Romans' siege of the Jewish fortress at Masada. In first century A.D., Flavius Silva (Peter O'Toole), commander in Roman Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of Masada. There, the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion and ingenuity of Eleazar Ben Yair (Peter Strauss) and his people. Based on the novel "The Antagonists" by Ernest K. Gann, this 4-part mini-series was shot on location in Israel.
Retribution :
Masada "The Leaders Meet" :
Generals Meet before Assault :
Recommended Readings:
Conflict threatens Syria's archaeological heritage (France 24) With its ancient fortresses, castles, mosques and markets, Syria bears the imprint of millennia of Middle Eastern history. But the current uprising is threatening some of the world’s most valuable heritage sites.
Profile of the City of Aleppo (bbc)
The Old Quarter of Aleppo is listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site. Its population of two million is made up mainly of Sunni Muslims, most of whom are Arabs but some of whom are Kurds. It also has the largest population of Christians in the country, and along with a mix of other religious and ethnic communities, the city's demographics largely mirror those of the country as a whole.As one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world - along with the capital, Damascus - and coloured with the stories of the many ancient travellers and merchants who passed through on their journeys along the famous Silk Road, Aleppo's beauty is hard to compare.
The medieval citadel and covered souk are two of its famous landmarks - both listed by Unesco as world heritage sites, which said it mirrored the rich and diverse cultures of its successive occupants.
Related Photo Essay:
In pictures : the Battle of Aleppo (bbc)
Related Blogs:
NIGHT OF THE GENERALS : Paul Conroy describes "pure, systematic slaughter of civilians"
MORAL DILEMMA? Obama & Cameron suggest “peaceful” transition in Syria instead of revolution
WANTED: Did Nazi Criminal Alois Brunner train Syria’s Security Forces ?
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Syrian Protestors Burn IRI Flag
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Will latest killings in Darayya drive more Syrians to arms
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:23 AM PDTDarayya's horrors (bbc)
Will the latest killings drive more Syrians to arms?
Following reports by opposition activists that more than 300 people, many of them civilians, had been killed in Darayya, near Damascus, a journalist in the capital writes about the suburb's history of protest and the reaction among Syrians.
Many Syrians have been shocked by a report from Darayya broadcast recently by the pro-government TV station, al-Dunya.Photos: Chaos and burning in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:56 PM PDTPhotos: Chaos and burning in Syria (cnn)
Or in other words...
by Frashogar on Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:30 PM PDTFrance tells foreign rent-a-terrorists who fly the flag of Syria when it
was under French Mandate and receive direct sponsorship from NATO, to
form a puppet government, pledging to recognize it, despite the lack of
recognition it will receive from the people of Syria themselves.
Opposition 'should form government' say's French President
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:17 PM PDTOpposition 'should form government' (bbc, VIDEO)
French President Francois Hollande has urged Syrian opposition groups to form a provisional government.
He told a meeting of French ambassadors that such a government would be recognised by France "as soon as it is formed".
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Syria helicopter down in Damascus
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Aug 27, 2012 02:03 AM PDTSyria helicopter down in Damascus (bbc, video)
A Syrian helicopter comes down in the capital Damascus, state television reports, with rebels claiming they shot it down.
'Scores of bodies' found in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Aug 26, 2012 01:33 AM PDT'Scores of bodies' found in Syria (bbc)
Opposition activists say they found scores of bodies in a town near the Syrian capital and that government forces have carried out a "massacre" there.
200 killed in Syria; violence in Damascus
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:07 PM PDT200 killed in Syria; violence in Damascus (cnn)
CNN) -- At least 200 people died in Syria on Thursday on another deadly day in a crisis that started 18 months ago. Here's a look at key developments:
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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There are reports of fresh fighting in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo, where rights group Amnesty International says civilians have been subjected to "horrific violence".
Regime 'rejects talk of Al-Assad resignation'
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Russia warns against Syria action
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Damascus resident describes effect of fighting in Syrian capital
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As the conflict in Syria grinds on, residents of Damascus have been experiencing violence in and around the capital for the past few months. Here, one of them, "Sara", describes how the city has slowly changed since the fighting erupted early last year.
Japan journalist killed in Aleppo
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A Japanese journalist, Mika Yamamoto, has been killed reporting on fighting in Aleppo, Syria, Japan's foreign ministry confirms.
Syria: Mapping the insurgency
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits a mosque to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday - his first public appearance since a bomb killed top officials.
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IR's atrocities in Syria
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Syrian regime attacks hospital
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Added On August 16, 2012
CNN's Ben Wedeman was in Aleppo as the Syrian regime attacks a rebel-controlled hospital from the air.
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The fate of this area has implications beyond Syria. Iraq, Iran and Turkey have their own Kurdish populations. With a combined total of about 30 million, they are the world's largest stateless people.
Our Correspondent Orla Guerin has spent 5 days under cover in Syria's Kurdish region and sent this report.
UN envoy: Syria 'getting worse'
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Kurds' ambitions add explosive element to Syria equation
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Large blast hits Syrian capital Damascus
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China hosts aide to Syria's Assad
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:14 AM PDTChina hosts aide to Syria's Assad (bbc)
A senior aide to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has flown to China for talks, officials say, amid continuing violence in Damascus and Aleppo.
The ministry said it was part of its effort to implement the UN's six-point peace plan. China has twice vetoed UN resolutions against the Assad regime.Snipers, massacre reported in Syria
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Aleppo, Syria (CNN) -- Syrian rebels said Monday they shot down a military jet, an assertion denied by the government, which blamed the crash on a "technical failure."
Video posted by the rebel forces shows a jet framed in a cloudless sky being shot at, catching fire and falling out of frame.
"A MiG warplane shot down in Mouhassen!" says an excited man off-camera, citing a location in Deir Ezzor northeast of the capital city of Damascus. "God is great!"
Refugees flooding from Syria
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Ivan Watson reports on Friday's violence in Syria, plus a UK pledge for aid and new U.S. imposed sanctions.
Syria conflict: BBC's Paul Wood meets teens turned rebels
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:35 AM PDTTeens turned fighters (bbc, video)
The BBC's Paul Wood and cameraman Fred Scott have been with rebel forces on the outskirts of Damascus where reporting is severely restricted.
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This is their exclusive report for the BBC.
Syria rebels 'shoot down' plane
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:26 AM PDTSyria rebels 'shoot down' plane (bbc)
Syrian rebels produce footage of a man they claim is the captured pilot of a fighter jet that went down in the east of the country.