West warns Syria against storming rebel city

Yahoo/Reuters ^

[nuconvert]

BEIRUT (Reuters) - France called on world powers to "save the Syrian people" on Saturday as it joined the United States and Britain in raising an alarm that President Bashar al-Assad's forces may be about to storm the rebel stronghold of Homs.

-excerpt-

"There is no policy of crackdown," Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdesi told Reuters in an e-mail. "The Syrian forces are there to protect civilians and maintain law and order that is breached by those who are carrying arms against the State."

[nuconvert]

Another warning......or else what?

[nuconvert]

There’s no ‘policy’ of crackdown - ha - orders, yes; policy, no.

[RetiredArmy]

Sure France wants the USA to do all the work. They would just be defeated by the Syrian army and have to raise yet ANOTHER white flag of surrender.

[trebb]

Seems to be a U.N. mentality - tell another nation to stop defending itself and they should do it. Just setting us up for when America relinquishes the dregs of its sovereignty.

[lowbridge]

Another warning......or else what?

Or they'll spell their next warning IN CAPS.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

The French/British forces only need to defeat half of the Syrian Army—they would have the rebels on their side—and maybe the Turks. A no-fly zone could be imposed and the NATO forces could start to dismantle the Syrian Neo-Nazi Party in power. With a little luck they might get Russian support! I don’t think Obama will help in this fight.

[Mariner]

Syria crossing the Rubicon?

[jhpigott]

Yea, it looks like Assad may be getting ready to. With the US, UK and France all demanding Assad to back his forces off of Homs it sure looks like they have intel he has amassed a sizeable force to storm the city with. Must be pretty significant becuase its not like Assad hasn’t kept a sizeable military prescence in and around Homs during the first 9 months of these protests.

[Mariner]

Homs is the Gateway to the Mediterranean for Damascus/Syria...and has been a city gateway to the med since the time of the Hittites and their wars with the Pharaohs.

It is a core strategic interest for the Syrian Regime. If they lose it they may as well abandon Damascus.

If they believe they will lose it to the rebels they will take all actions in their capability to subject it.

This is likely to be shocking and ugly.

I don't believe the US will act, Europe can't. Israel does not have a dog in the fight.

ONLY Turkey has the means and the interest due to their Army being within range.

Is Turkey willing to send two mechanized divisions south and east to cut off Homs and Aleppo from Damascus...also Tartus, the Russian Naval port?

I'm pretty sure the Russians would not like this, but would they intervene?

[SunkenCiv]

"There is no policy of crackdown," Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdesi told Reuters in an e-mail. "The Syrian forces are there to protect civilians and maintain law and order that is breached by those who are carrying arms against the State."

Jihad Makdesi will be swinging by his neck before the end of February. That's the square I got in the pool anyway.

Thanks nuconvert.

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