Syrian warplanes pounded the embattled town of al-Qusayr yesterday as a regime offensive backed by fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah to retake the town from rebels entered its third week.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a fierce overnight onslaught both on the strategic town near the border with Lebanon and slightly farther north in Dabaa.
Dabaa, the site of a disused military airbase that had been seized by rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, is still partly under insurgent control.
The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a wide network of activists, medics and others on the ground for its information, said there were numerous dead on both sides, but gave no breakdown of the casualties.
The watchdog also reported air strikes on the al-Hajar al-Aswad district of southern Damascus, where pillars of thick dark smoke barreled into the sky.
It said clashes between soldiers and rebels were ongoing in the Abasiyeen area outside the capital’s Jubar neighborhood, but again was.unable to give a casualty figure.
Meanwhile, following Turkey’s support for the uprising against the Syrian regime, Damascus is getting its own back, giving top media billing and devoting government commentary to the protests taking place in Turkey.
With more than a little schadenfreude, Syrian ministers have accused Turkey’s government of “terrorizing” its people, and described the days of protests in Istanbul and other Turkish cities as a “real Spring.”
On Sunday, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised citizens to avoid traveling to Turkey because of a “deterioration in the security situation.”
The demonstrations in Turkey have been breathlessly covered by Syrian state television, which has run breaking news alerts saying protesters are calling for the resignation of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“You have to resign if you really respect democracy. This movement in Turkey is a real Spring,” said one Syrian analyst interviewed on the state Ikhbariya channel. “Syria stands with the Turkish people.”
On Saturday, Syrian Minister of Information Omran al-Zohbi also suggested Erdogan should step down.
“The demands of the Turkish people do not justify this violence and if Erdogan is incapable of using non-violent methods, then he should quit,” state television cited Zohbi as saying.
“The fact that he suppresses peaceful demonstrations proves that Erdogan is disconnected from reality,” Zohbi said. “The Turkish people do not deserve such savagery.”
The following day, Zohbi told reporters in Damascus that Turkey should “release all prisoners of conscience in Turkey,” adding that there was “no justification for the arrest of this huge number of peaceful demonstrators.”
“Erdogan should respect the will of his people and leave to Doha,” he added.
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