Syria Today: An Insurgent Victory in Idlib Province?
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 6:15 | Scott Lucas in EA Live, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Insurgents moving across the regime base in Idlib Province
Attention has been focused this week on the battle for Qusayr, near the Lebanese border, with a possible regime takeover of the town; however, on Wednesday opposition activists and fighters claimed a notable victory in northwest Syria with the capture of a regime base at a a "youth camp".
A series of videos showed insurgents moving across a large complex, with tanks burning amidst the rides at the fun fair.
Other video showed weapons --- including DIY cannons --- used in the assault.
The Islamist faction Ahrar al-Sham, posting on its Twitter page, was among the opposition factions claiming victory.
It is unclear how many regime troops or militia are in the complex.
Spillover From Syria: Clashes Continue in Tripoli
This week's fighting in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, between supporters and opponents of the Assad regime, has continued with the deaths of at least six people overnight. Forty more were wounded.
At least 17 people have died since Sunday in the fighting, notably between residents of the mainly-Sunni district of Bab el-Tebbaneh and those from the neighbouring mainly-Alawite area of Jabal Mohsen.
Shelling and clashes have spread to other areas of the city, with two soldiers among the dead and more than 150 people injured.
Wishful Thinking Of The Day : Assad Government "Restoring Radiance To Syria's National Industry"
Amid reports of fierce fighting including in Idlib Province, Syria's state news agency SANA reports on a ministerial meeting in which the possibility of creating new industrial cities to boost the textile, pharmaceutical, cement and other sectors was discussed.
This move, SANA said, would counter attempts by "armed terrorist groups" led by Israel, the Erdogan government in Turkey and "some Western and Arab countries" to destroy Syrian industry; however the report did not suggest in which provinces these cities may be built.
Friends of Syria Call For Withdrawal of Iranian and Hezbollah Militaries
The Friends of Syria group, meeting in Jordan, has "called for the immediate withdrawal of Hezbollah, fighters from Iran, and other regime allied foreign fighters from Syrian territory".
The coalition of Turkey, the US, and European and Arab countries said it will "further increase" support for the opposition and "take all other steps as necessary" until an international conference produces a transitional government.
The meeting warned of "severe consequences" if use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces is confirmed and claimed regime troops had "committed ethnic cleansing" on2 May near the coastal city of Baniyas, killed at least 100 people.
"The ministers expressed their strong concern over the increasing presence and growing radicalism on both sides of the conflict and terrorist elements in Syria that deepens the concerns for the future of Syria," a statement said.
The rally in insurgent-held Raqqa, the largest city held by the opposition, last night:
Refugees: 2/3 of Palestinians in Syria Displaced
The conflict in Syria has displaced more than two-thirds of Palestinian refugees, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees.
"We have registered approximately 530,000 Palestinian refugees. We believe that almost all of them, certainly maybe 70-80%, are displaced from their normal homes," UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi told during a visit to Syria.
Between 12 and 15% of the Palestinian refugee population has fled the country altogether, Grandi added.
Grandi put out a message to both the regime and insurgency: "I really want to appeal to the parties to this conflict, to the government, to the armed opposition groups, to respect the sanctity and the neutrality of the Palestinian refugee camps and not to involve the Palestinians in fighting.""
The Violations Documentation Center reports that 61,269 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011, an increase of 111 from Wednesday. Of the deaths, 47,761 were civilians, a rise of 58 from yesterday.
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