Syria: Arab League Says Assad Should Go As Fighting Continues

Photograph courtesy of Syria Revolution in Photos

Fighting continues across Syria as the month of Ramadan begins, with heavy clashes in Damascus and Aleppo.

Heavy fighting in #Aleppo City. Seen govt forces shelling neighbourhoods. Reports army reinforcements moving in #Syria

— Ian Pannell (@BBCiPannell) July 23, 2012

A video emerges showing the heavy fighting in Aleppo between government forces and the rebels with AK-47s and RPGs

The result of the heavy shelling over the weekend in the Midan district in Damascus can be seen in the video below

There are reports that a man captured by the Syrian rebels is an eye-witness to the assassination of ex-Lebanese President Rafiq Hariri who was killed when his motorcade was blown up in Beirut in 2005 and the investigation saw little success.

BREAKING: #Syria rebels claim they captured in #Damascus man who blew up Rafiq #Hariri …succeeding in what the #UN has failed for 7 years

— Anna Momigliano (@annamomi) July 23, 2012

The Syrian army has been facing low morale within its ranks after the Assassination of a number of top officials last week and the increased flood of defections. There are unconfirmed reports (Turkish) coming from Free Syrian Army that a number of the detained pro-Assad soldiers that have been caught were in fact Iranian, and possibly members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been central to the change of dynamics to the uprising, and C.J Chivers of the NY Times has written a fascinating piece on this role.

Whilst Assad does have vast supplies of chemical and biological weapons at his disposal, he has yet to use them in the conflict. The government has made a statement in which they say they will not use these weapons in this conflict unless attacked by an external power. However, as the situation becomes more desperate, many fear that they will be put to use soon

A senior Syrian military defector said that the regime might be preparing to use chemical weapons http://t.co/VkVjLNzr #Syria

— NOW Syria (@NOW_Syria) July 22, 2012

Currently the regime has far greater fire-power than the rebels who are mostly armed with AK-47s and home-made bombs. However the regime continues to claim on state-run TV that it is terrorists that are shelling the city, even with that shelling coming from official military barracks.

Let me get the conspiracy correct, terrorists are shelling Damascus from Maher's base and the Presidential guard bases? Makes so much sense.

— (@HamaEcho) July 22, 2012

Little has been seen on President Bashar al-Assad since the “big bomb” last week, with a number of commentators claiming he is currently organising affairs in a coastal town away from the heavy fighting, but Israeli intelligence claims that he is still in Damascus.

Rebels talking to the BBC’s Paul Wood describe an opposition force is divided primarily between the Free Syrian Army and the Islamist Salafists, who are better armed as they are receiving more direcct financial and military aid from outside the country.

Also talking to the BBC, an activist known as Edward Dark explains the situation in Syria at the moment

Thousands of Syrian refugees are trying to flee the fighting, but the borders with some of their neighbours have been closed. The Sinai border with Egypt has reportedly been re-opened on order of the new Egyptian president

Rafah border crossing in #Sinai has reopened today on order from president Morsy. #July23 #Palestine #Egypt

— Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (@Repent11) July 23, 2012

The International Response

After an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Qatar, the foreign ministers called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down from power quickly and called upon the Syrian opposition to form a transitional government. They offered Assad and his family safe passage out of the country if he complied.

The EU are tightening sanctions on the Syrian government, freezing the assets of a further 26 people and three firms close to the regime. EU member states will also be required to investigate planes and ships believed to be carrying “suspicious supplies” to the country.

The US has signed an agreement with Jordan to provide $100 million of aid to help the Syrian refugees fleeing into the country.

ONGOING LIVE COVERAGE:
Al Jazeera | The Guardian | Global Post

Sources:
Local Coordination Committees of Syria
Hama English News
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
Yalla Souriya
Enduring America