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Syria rebels build momentum with tactical successes
BBC ^ | 27 November 2012 Last updated at 07:44 ET

Posted on 12/01/2012 11:04:29 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

A rebel fighter looks at smoke billowing from a burning bus in Aleppo (28 October 2012)

Opposition supporters hope rebel-held areas will become fully "liberated"

Over the past month, rebel forces in Syria have enjoyed tactical successes which analysts say demonstrate their growing ability to challenge the government's military dominance.

The rebels have displayed military strength and organisation in capturing several major military bases, seizing weaponry, disrupting supply lines, and forcing the military to pull back.

Capturing military bases

It is unclear how many government bases the rebels have overrun since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, mostly because they have rarely attempted to hold them because of the risk of retaliatory air strikes or ground assaults.

Analysts have in the past summed up the rebel strategy as "hit and run".

Photograph published by opposition activists purportedly showing heavy weapons captured at 46th Regiment base near Aleppo (25 November 2012)

The base of the army's 46th Regiment at Atareb was a pillar of the government's garrison in Aleppo

However, rebel fighters now appear to be seeking to occupy or prevent the government regaining key army and air force bases which they have captured following co-ordinated offensives, some lasting several weeks.

Such a move will help solidify rebel control over Syria's border regions, analysts say, by making it harder for government forces to deploy warplanes and heavy armour. Many opposition supporters hope that with international help such areas will become fully "liberated" and that government forces will no longer be able to operate in the north.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: benghazi; gaza; hezballah; iran; israel; lebanon; libya; nato; russia; syria; syriarebels; turkey; waronterror
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Map of Syria, showing airbases


1 posted on 12/01/2012 11:04:40 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Marine_Uncle; TigersEye; onyx; NormsRevenge; drewh; moovova; DoughtyOne; SunkenCiv; blam; ...
This thread has info from Debka:

US-Led NATO Intervention Begins In Syria War: Patriots In Turkey

2 posted on 12/01/2012 11:10:50 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: All; nuconvert; robowombat; bryan999; Tailgunner Joe
Several other threads turned up in FR Search:

Russia warns West, Arabs against arming Syria rebels

Yahoo/REuters ^
Posted on Thu 05 Apr 2012 05:30:32 PDT by nuconvert

How US Ambassador Chris Stevens May Have Been Linked To Jihadist Rebels In Syria

IBD ^ | Oct. 19, 2012, 8:45 AM | Michael Kelley
Posted on Thu 25 Oct 2012 21:09:25 PDT by robowombat

Russia: Syria rebels have US-made weapons

BBC ^
Posted on Thu 25 Oct 2012 04:42:18 PDT by bryan999

Russia must help Syria if US supports rebels - Zhirinovsky

rt.com ^ | August 8, 2012
Posted on Wed 08 Aug 2012 19:07:05 PDT by Tailgunner Joe

3 posted on 12/01/2012 11:23:02 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Yehuda; SJackson

fyi


4 posted on 12/01/2012 11:33:18 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: bert; thouworm

fyi


5 posted on 12/01/2012 11:39:42 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
The rebels have displayed military strength and organisation in capturing several major military bases, seizing weaponry, disrupting supply lines, and forcing the military to pull back.

I suspect that they're getting quite a bit of help from the US with intelligence and weaponry.

I wonder what would happen if armed rebels tried to take over the US government by force. Would the world condemn the Obama administration for using lethal force to repel the attacks?

6 posted on 12/01/2012 11:39:52 AM PST by Cementjungle
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To: All
Benghazi. A view from Turkey (the Iskanderun port & Ali Sait Akin)

AND:

The red flags in Obama’s foreign policy

7 posted on 12/01/2012 11:42:00 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Thanks Ernest.


8 posted on 12/01/2012 11:43:55 AM PST by Marine_Uncle (I'm going John Galt.... But. Honor must be earned.)
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To: Cementjungle
Regarding your first statement....see link at post #2,...

Stuff is happening....

9 posted on 12/01/2012 11:45:46 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Thank Obama for arming them.


10 posted on 12/01/2012 11:52:34 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Why is the government more concerned about protecting a microbe on Mars than an unborn baby here?)
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To: Blood of Tyrants; Marine_Uncle; tsowellfan; TigersEye
Diiging up some fairly recent threads:

Iran pours more troops into Syria, ready to target Israel from Syria and Lebanon

debka.com ^
Posted on Thu 20 Sep 2012 05:27:07 PDT by tsowellfan

11 posted on 12/01/2012 12:20:34 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: SJackson

fyi


12 posted on 12/01/2012 12:26:02 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Cementjungle; SJackson; nuconvert; TigersEye; Marine_Uncle; Grampa Dave; onyx; Nachum; SunkenCiv; ..
From FR.. 2011:

The Hidden Hand (Very good piece on Iran's support of alQaeda)

Weekly Standard ^ | Aug 15, 2011 | STEPHEN F. HAYES & THOMAS JOSCELYN
Posted on Fri 19 Aug 2011 18:43:59 PDT by nuconvert

13 posted on 12/01/2012 12:35:33 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ((The Global Warming Hoax was a Criminal Act....where is Al Gore?))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; ...

Thanks Ernest.
14 posted on 12/01/2012 1:02:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Cementjungle

Good questions CJ. It is the right of any govt to put down an armed rebellion, however, this has been set aside in the case of Libya and Syria. Next, it could be your country, or mine (Australia).

Ultimately, we will regret backing the Syrian rebels. The law of unintended consequences will take effect.


15 posted on 12/01/2012 2:57:14 PM PST by BlackVeil
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Looks like the proverbial bag of brown stuff just might be thrown into the fan soon. I have a nephew working in Amman Jordan. Couldn’t find meaningful work in the USA, with a few degrees under his belt. I cannot help but wonder how Jordan will make out in all this if things become really nasty.


16 posted on 12/01/2012 3:58:51 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (I'm going John Galt.... But. Honor must be earned.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
From your reference to the Hayes/JOSCELYN Article from last year.
I remember reading that one. What has keep me off a bit over time has been where Iran supports the over throw of the Syrian government, yet, Russia wants Assad to stay in power, and use them for it's own purposes, and obviously have a warm water port to send it's warships to counter potential Israeli actions in the Med..
Strange scenarios constantly are cropping up in that part of the world. Just thinking out loud. No response required.
17 posted on 12/01/2012 4:53:58 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (I'm going John Galt.... But. Honor must be earned.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; Marine_Uncle

Neither Russia nor Syria, not even Iran right now are interested in any action against Israel. Their main objective is to keep regime, and this regime is about a single non-islamist, Judeo-Christian-friendly in a region. Israel itself is interested to keep Syria regime as well.

Any crap in media about threats from Syria to Israel is simply a disinformation to make public think how bad Syrian regime is and to support action against Assad.

I find an idea of intervention on side of radicals as absolute awful - Lybia, Egypt are perfect examples.

Someone in Odumbo administration builds a new adversary in a Middle East in form of huge radical Islamist Caliphate of Middle East and North Africa. These idiots must me nostalgic about a Cold War or something. The problem is islamists won’t be any thankful for such a support as they proved earlier.

And their superstate will have enough economic power to get both bomb and delivery systems. Unlike commies were, mullahs are insane enough to use it. They’ll do it right next after killing every Christian they can and destroying Israel.


18 posted on 12/01/2012 5:59:55 PM PST by cunning_fish
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To: cunning_fish
"Neither Russia nor Syria, not even Iran right now are interested in any action against Israel."
I not imply in my comments that Russia or Syria where going to go after Israel. I mentioned Russia's desire to have the warm water port available in the Med for their military and other uses, interfaces with Syria. Perhaps I should not even had brought up Israel in the context I presented. But it has to be considered in the equation.
Otherwise I have no problem with what you wrote. I have written similar in the past. Assad's Allawi have not been any harder on the Christians and Jews in most of Syria, then Sunni and Shiite.
Their police state has been pretty much balanced over the years to keep things in stasis. Much as had been the case with the mad dog's regime. The clowns in the White Hut are royally screwing up everything previous administrations had put in place for so many years.
It has to be deliberate. There are to many long term people in the DOS for one, who know well the balancing acts regarding the Mid East and the relationships between US and Russia, France, Britain, etc., and the many dictators that keep the goons under check for the most part.
Now the Pandora box has been opened.
19 posted on 12/01/2012 6:27:24 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (I'm going John Galt.... But. Honor must be earned.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Syria rebels = NATO backed Islamist who took over all the rest of the Middle East.


20 posted on 12/01/2012 6:33:16 PM PST by bmwcyle (Women reelected Obama)
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