UN imagery of Syria's eastern Ghouta shows widespread damage
REUTERS |
Published — Thursday 1 March 2018
AddThis Sharing Buttons
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to Google+Share to WhatsAppShare to RedditShare to Email
UN map of rapidly assessed damage occurring between Dec. 3, 2017 and Feb. 23, 2018 in eastern Ghouta. (UNOSAT)
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1257106/middle-east
GENEVA: An analysis of images by the United Nations satellite agency released on Thursday showed widespread new damage in a 62.5 square km area of Syria's besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta since Dec. 3.
The analysis found that 29 percent of grid squares showed major new damage, with buildings completely destroyed or severely damaged, and 24 percent showed minor new damage, with visible impact craters, debris or moderately damaged structures.
***********
A picture shows members of the Syrian government forces and Russian military police standing at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Damascus, with a poster depicting President Bashar Assad seen in the background. (AFP)
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1256986/middle-east
Iran has strengthened its hand in Syria through proxy militias, which could cause further chaos and be difficult to dislodge when the war ends.
In a panel discussion on Regime Area Dynamics on Thursday, Sinan Hatahet, senior associate fellow at Al Sharq Forum & Omran for Strategic Studies, said there would be ‘“new dynamics kicking in’’ when the fighting comes to an end with “a myriad of small conflicts that will emerge throughout the country.’’
The discussion, which took place during a conference on Demystifying the Syrian Conflict at Chatham House on Thursday, highlighted the influence militias have on the ground in Syria, where the situation is “hugely complex’’ Hatahet said.
Assad’s attempts to plug major gaps in the military manpower of the Syrian army by recruiting Iranian and Russian-sponsored fighters has led to a huge surplus of foreign fighters on the ground and Hatahet said there is “huge doubt” over the government’s capacity to control these groups down the line.
Wael Sawah, Editor-in-chief of The Syrian Observer, an independent news website, said the “Syrian regime is in a state of self-defence’’ as it tries to play off competing Russian and Iranian interests
Chairing the discussion, Lina Sinjab, Middle East correspondent for the BBC, highlighted the ‘’impression among many that the Iranians are trying to change the demography in Syria.’’
Iran is consolidating its position in the suburbs surrounding Damascus, “to create a belt around the area so they can control it better, Hatahet said.
***
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1256786/middle-east
The Russian military is accusing Syria’s rebels of shelling a humanitarian corridor that Moscow set up with the Syrian government, offering residents of Damascus’ besieged eastern suburbs a way out of the embattled enclave.
Maj. Gen. Vladimir Zolotukhin told Russia news agencies on Thursday that the militants who control the suburbs — an area known as eastern Ghouta — are shelling the route, manned by Syrian and Russian forces, and preventing evacuations.
Syrian state news agency SANA said on Wednesday that some shells had landed near the corridor but reported no injuries.
The accusations come on the third and possibly last day of a Russia-ordered “humanitarian pause” in the fighting in the area, known as eastern Ghouta, but no civilians have used the lull to leave the rebel-held suburbs.
***********
Satellite images showing a new Iranian base near Damascus, Syria (Fox News)
Satellite images showing a new Iranian base near Damascus, Syria (Fox News)
Satellite images showing a new Iranian base near Damascus, Syria (Fox News)
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1256616/middle-east#photo/2
Iran has built a new military base near Damascus operated by the terrorist brigade, according to the US Fox News network.
The network said satellite surveillance images show a new base eight miles northwest of Damascus that experts believe could be a storage facility for short and medium-range missiles. The Iranian-made missiles “could reach most parts of Saudi Arabia,” the broadcaster said.
Press reports earlier this year revealed that Iran had set up 10 military bases on Syrian territory, mainly for training pro-regime Syrian militias. Two of the bases were set close to the Syrian-Israeli border. Sources said that Iranian revolutionary guards trained more than 20,000 militants from various countries at the two sites.