Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Iran has recruited thousands of Hizbullah troops to defend the headquarters of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Arab diplomatic sources said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has deployed thousands of Hizbullah fighters to battle Sunni rebels in Damascus. The sources said Hizbullah units were working with IRGC […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Sunni rebels have claimed the downing of another Syrian Army helicopter. The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the helicopter was struck by rebel fire during operations over Damascus on Aug. 27. The aircraft appeared to be a Russian-origin Mi-24 attack helicopter. “The crash took place during fighting in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Brian M. Downing, FreePressers.com Recent fighting in Damascus and Aleppo has differed markedly from that of only a couple of months ago when the regular army swiftly defeated rebel enclaves in Homs, Idlib, and Deraa. Fighting in Damascus has persisted for several weeks now and while it trails off at times, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The brother of President Bashar Assad, the architect of the regime’s drive to destroy the Sunni revolt, is said to have been severely injured in the bombing of Syrian intelligence headquarters in July. Arab sources said Maher Assad, commander of the Syrian Army’s 4th Division, was badly injured in the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Sunni rebels have assumed control over parts of Syria’s border with Turkey. Opposition sources said Sunni rebels have captured Syrian facilities along the 900-kilometer border with Turkey. They said at least two border crossings were in the hands of Sunni fighters linked to the Turkish-based Free Syrian Army. “This has […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Syria has been using senior officers from Iran and Russia to help quell the Sunni revolt against President Bashar Assad. The Syrian opposition has identified senior Iranian and Russian officers assigned to help the Assad regime. The Free Syrian Army said Iran and Russia were helping the Syrian Army and […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Iran was said to have poured thousands of elite troops into Syria. The Syrian opposition said thousands of members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have arrived in Syria. Opposition sources said the Iranian troops came from special operations units, with many of them skilled in sniper and explosives. “They […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — For the first time, the United States has allowed the purchase of weapons for Sunni rebels in Syria. The Treasury Department has issued a license for a non-profit group to collect money for military equipment for the Sunni revolt against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Officials said the waiver reflected a […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has begun supplying surface-to-air missiles to Sunni rebels in Syria. Diplomatic sources said Sunni rebels have received their first Russian-origin SAM systems to stop Syrian Air Force strikes in the north. They identified the systems were man-portable, shoulder-fired SA-7s that stemmed from Libya. “The weapons were financed by Qatar […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Sunni rebels are said to have advanced amid the Syrian Army assault on the nation’s largest city. The opposition has reported heavy street fighting amid a Syrian Army invasion of Aleppo. Rebels are said to have blocked infantry and armored units loyal to President Bashar Assad as fighter-jets and attack […]