UPDATES

Is the violence in Syria finally ending?

Aug 18, 2011 | Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz

Is the violence in Syria finally ending?
news_item/r-SYRIA-DOZENS-DETAINED-large570.jpg

According to a breaking news report by Reuters, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has informed the UN Secretary-General that police and military operations have stopped in Syria, implying that the violence that has been rocking the country may be over.

In a phone call with Assad on Wednesday, Ban “expressed alarm at the latest reports of continued widespread violations of human rights and excessive use of force by Syrian security forces against civilians across Syria, including in the Al Ramel district of Lattakia, home to several thousands of Palestinian refugees,” the United Nations said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General emphasized that all military operations and mass arrests must cease immediately. President Assad said that the military and police operations had stopped,” the statement added.

 As noted yesterday by journalist Michael Totten, there has been speculation that Assad was deliberately emptying Latakia of Palestinians and Sunni Muslims in order to create an “escape hatch” for his minority Alawite sect. Therefore, Assad may be calling a halt to the activities of his authorities in order to make a final stand in Latakia.

This theory is further supported by the fact that Assad’s anouncement comes just after Syrian forces herded thousands of people into a large stadium overnight, allegedly to prevent any protestors from escaping.

Syrian troops raided houses in a Sunni district of the besieged port of Latakia on Wednesday, residents said, arresting hundreds of people and taking them to a stadium after a four-day tank assault to crush protests against President Bashar Assad.

Assad forces attacked al-Raml al-Filistini (Palestinian sand), named after a refugee camp built in the 1950s, at the weekend, as part of a campaign to crush a five-month uprising, which has intensified against major urban centers of protest since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Aug. 1.

An end to the terrible violence engulfing the country would be very welcome, however it is not clear whether this is merely a diversionary tactic to ease international pressure a little.

Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz

*UPDATE*

Most news services are now verifying the UN announcement, however there is still no proof that operations have indeed stopped. One CNN report (below) notes that the Syrian state media is certainly attempting to convey the impression that everything has returned to normal.

That said, a number of people claiming to be in Syria have used the social media sphere to deny the reports and claim that Assad has been lying. Take, for example, the below Tweets.

Tags:

RELATED ARTICLES


Screenshot from a video showing radical Israeli rioters torching Palestinian homes in the West Bank town of Huwara (Image: Twitter)

West Bank unrest escalates following violent riots by Jewish protesters in Huwara

Mar 1, 2023 | Update
The Iranian regime has been releasing some of the thousands of political prisoners arrested during the recent anti-regime protests. But the world should recognise that this is not a genuine change of heart, but a ruse, according to the author. (Image: Shutterstock, Novikov Aleksey)

Lessons from the Iranian protests

Feb 20, 2023 | Update
“Juniper Oak” logo. Credit: Israel Defense Forces

“Juniper Oak”: A Message to Iran?

Feb 10, 2023 | Update
The aftermath of the fatal terror attack in Jerusalem (Image: Twitter)

Heinous terror in Jerusalem

Feb 3, 2023 | Update
Israel's Supreme Court sitting earlier this month. Plans for judicial reforms that would limit the power of the Court have stirred intense debate in Israel. (Image: Eddie Gerald / Alamy Stock Photo)

Israel debates proposed judicial reforms

Jan 24, 2023 | Update
Image: Shutterstock

Evolving debates about Iran policy

Jan 17, 2023 | Update

SIGN UP FOR AIJAC EMAILS

RECENT POSTS

The dancers who celebrated israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948 were in effect celebrating a major turning point in the long history of the Jewish people (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Dancing through History – a love story

Karam Taher as the title character in Farha (Screenshot)

Cinefile: Art or Propaganda?

1948 05 14 D410 054

Israel’s first 75 years: 15 Memorable Moments

Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters display their intentions towards Israel at a rally in Gaza City, October 2022 (Image: Anas Mohammed/Shutterstock)

Iranian proxies threaten during Ramadan

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a graduation ceremony of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Teheran, Iran (Image: Salampix/ABACA Press/TNS/Alamy Live News)

Australia should harden its response to Iran’s hostility

The dancers who celebrated israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948 were in effect celebrating a major turning point in the long history of the Jewish people (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Dancing through History – a love story

Karam Taher as the title character in Farha (Screenshot)

Cinefile: Art or Propaganda?

1948 05 14 D410 054

Israel’s first 75 years: 15 Memorable Moments

Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters display their intentions towards Israel at a rally in Gaza City, October 2022 (Image: Anas Mohammed/Shutterstock)

Iranian proxies threaten during Ramadan

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a graduation ceremony of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Teheran, Iran (Image: Salampix/ABACA Press/TNS/Alamy Live News)

Australia should harden its response to Iran’s hostility

SORT BY TOPICS