MASADA: Will The Battle For Aleppo Decide The Fate Of Assad ?

Share/Save/Bookmark

MASADA: Will The Battle For Aleppo Decide The Fate Of Assad ?
by Darius Kadivar
27-Jul-2012
 

While the deemed « civilized » world will be treated at the Olympic Games with it’s share of « bread and circus », I cannot help but think of another far more dramatic spectacle in the making. The Syrian rebels under siege in the city of Aleppo known for it’s ancient archeological sites already heavily bombarded by the troops of Syrian President Assad are about to face their most Deadly challenge yet. (Source: persianrealm.com)

As  the siege of Aleppo continues, already dubbed by both sides as « the mother of all battles », I am sadly reminded of all the tragic and desperate acts of resistance against all odds and one in particular that of Masada (72 B.C.) in a region which has witnessed so many others in it’s long history.

Although the brave Syrian rebels are far from suicidal, their desperate situation as a poorly equipped rebellious lot facing a brutally professional killing machine led by Bachar Assad’s henchmen (including his own brother) will definitively be remembered as a tragic bloody milestone in this already year long confict.

As BBC War Correspondent Ian Pannel describes it : « It is almost inconceivable that President Assad could allow his government to lose control of the city, so it is reasonable to expect that they are going to throw everything they possibly can at the city.

And that is what they are preparing for here. One of the neighbourhoods is appealing for more blood supplies. We are hearing reports of hundreds, possibly thousands of families leaving some districts. Everybody is bracing themselves for an intensive campaign.

The way it has worked in other cities is that there is an intensive bombardment by artillery and mortars, and then when it starts to go calm, tanks begin to roll in. This is a very congested heavily populated area, so it will be bloody. » (Seerelated News).

 

 

Battle for Aleppo 'crucial' for Syria's future (Daily Telegraph, Jul 23, 2012):


Speaking from a village on the outskirts of Aleppo in Syria, the Telegraph's 
Foreign Affairs Correspondent says that the rebels "think they have 
nothing to lose" in the battle for the city.

Crac des Chevaliers holds out against Assad troops (AFP, Jul 4, 2012):

The Crac des Chevaliers, Syria's best preserved castle from the Crusades of the Middle Ages, is once again providing shelter for armed forces. The Free Syria Army have been holed up in and around the hilltop the fortress for over a year as they resist the advance of forces loyal the President Assad. An exclusive AFPTV report.

(NOTE : To Watch Double Click Here)  

 

************************

************************

MASADA’s DO OR DIE :


The Mother of All Battles ?


***********************

***********************

The siege of Masada was among the final accords of the First Jewish-Roman War. The long siege by the troops of theRoman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels and resident Jewish families of the Masada fortress. The siege has become a controversial event in Jewish history, marking radicalism on the one hand and heroic struggle on the other. (More Here)

The Siege of Massada:

 

Documentary revists the myth of Massada in the light of new archeological discoveries

 

Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss star in the Emmy Award-winning mini-series about the Romans' siege of the Jewish fortress at Masada. 

In first century A.D., Flavius Silva (Peter O'Toole), commander in Roman Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of Masada. There, the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion and ingenuity of Eleazar Ben Yair (Peter Strauss) and his people. 

Based on the novel "The Antagonists" by Ernest K. Gann, this 4-part mini-series was shot on location in Israel.

 

Retribution :

 

Masada "The Leaders Meet" :


Generals Meet before Assault :

 

Recommended Readings:

Conflict threatens Syria's archaeological heritage (France 24)

With its ancient fortresses, castles, mosques and markets, Syria bears the imprint of millennia of Middle Eastern history. But the current uprising is threatening some of the world’s most valuable heritage sites.

 

Profile of the City of Aleppo (bbc)

The Old Quarter of Aleppo is listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site. Its population of two million is made up mainly of Sunni Muslims, most of whom are Arabs but some of whom are Kurds. It also has the largest population of Christians in the country, and along with a mix of other religious and ethnic communities, the city's demographics largely mirror those of the country as a whole.

As one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world - along with the capital, Damascus - and coloured with the stories of the many ancient travellers and merchants who passed through on their journeys along the famous Silk Road, Aleppo's beauty is hard to compare.

The medieval citadel and covered souk are two of its famous landmarks - both listed by Unesco as world heritage sites, which said it mirrored the rich and diverse cultures of its successive occupants.

Related Photo Essay:

 

In pictures : the Battle of Aleppo (bbc)

 

Related Blogs:

NIGHT OF THE GENERALS : Paul Conroy describes "pure, systematic slaughter of civilians"


MORAL DILEMMA? Obama & Cameron suggest “peaceful” transition in Syria instead of revolution

WANTED: Did Nazi Criminal Alois Brunner train Syria’s Security Forces ?


Other related blogs :

NO SCHINDLER: Shimon Peres say’s ‘Israel will stop’ Syrian refugees at border

SCHINDLER's LIST : In Tribute to the Abandoned Children of Syria

Syrian Protestors Burn IRI Flag

NIAC Ambassador Majid Rafizadeh: Appeasement with Iran But Sanctions & intervention on Syria?

IN DENIAL: Barbara Walters' Interview with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad

Share/Save/Bookmark

more from Darius Kadivar
 
Darius Kadivar

Rebels 'attack key Syria airbase'

by Darius Kadivar on

Rebels 'attack key Syria airbase' (bbc)

Rebels in Syria say they have launched a major offensive to capture the key airbase of Taftanaz in the north of the country.


Darius Kadivar

Libya gunmen end parliament siege

by Darius Kadivar on

Libya gunmen end parliament siege (bbc)

 

Gunmen have ended their siege of Libya's parliament, having been given the chance to meet the prime minister to air their grievances.

 

 


Darius Kadivar

Activists: Assad using 'vacuum bombs' say's Opposition

by Darius Kadivar on

Activists: Assad using 'vacuum bombs' (cnn)

 

(CNN) -- An array of explosives, from shells to barrel bombs, fell on Syrian cities in another day of bloodshed Thursday, according to activists fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

The Local Coordination Committees accused the government of using "vacuum bombs." 

 

 

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Death toll rises to 37, opposition activists say, after days of grim tolls
  • NEW: State media: Government forces killed "terrorists" in Deir Ezzor and outside Damascus
  • The opposition says the government is using vacuum and cluster bombs
  • Shells and bombs are thundering in and around Damascus, the opposition says

 


Darius Kadivar

Syria rebels 'take key Damascus-Aleppo checkpoints'

by Darius Kadivar on

Syria rebels 'take checkpoints' (bbc)

 

Rebel attacks on army checkpoints on the main road between Syria's biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, have left 28 government troops dead, reports say.

Five opposition fighters were also killed in the attacks, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group.

 

 

 


Darius Kadivar

US warning over Syrian extremism

by Darius Kadivar on

US warning over Syrian extremism (bbc)

 

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has urged Syria's opposition to resist efforts by extremist groups to "hijack the revolution".

Speaking on a trip to Croatia, she said the rebel leadership needed to be more inclusive of those fighting in Syria.

The Turkey-based Syrian National Council (SNC) has been powerless to stop the escalating violence.

Mrs Clinton also revealed the Obama administration has suggested who should feature in the rebel leadership.

 


Darius Kadivar

Is Iran behind Syria drone attacks?

by Darius Kadivar on

Is Iran behind Syria drone attacks? (cnn, video)

 

Tehran is supplying the Assad regime with drones, say opposition activists. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports from Beirut. 


Darius Kadivar

Syria warplanes bomb rebel areas

by Darius Kadivar on

Syria warplanes bomb rebel areas (bbc)

 

Warplanes are bombarding opposition strongholds around Damascus and in the north, activists say, as government forces seek to reverse rebel gains.


Darius Kadivar

Qatar accuses Syria of genocide

by Darius Kadivar on

Qatar accuses Syria of genocide (cnn)

 

Syria's government is waging "a war of extermination" against its own people, the emir of Qatar said, according to state media, hours after a failed four-day cease-fire left hundreds of Syrians dead 


Darius Kadivar

Syrian air force general 'killed by rebels'

by Darius Kadivar on

Syrian general 'killed by rebels' (bbc)

 

A senior Syrian air force general has been shot dead by rebels in a suburb of the capital Damascus, state television reports.


Darius Kadivar

Deadly car bombing rocks Damascus

by Darius Kadivar on

Deadly car bombing rocks Damascus (bbc)

 

 

At least 10 people have been killed in a car bombing in the Syrian capital Damascus, state media report, on the fourth day of a supposed ceasefire.


Darius Kadivar

'Truce' hit by more Syria clashes

by Darius Kadivar on

'Truce' hit by more Syria clashes (bbc)

 

The Syrian government has heavily shelled several areas of the country, say activists, despite a UN-backed ceasefire for the festival of Eid al-Adha.


Darius Kadivar

Bloodshed in Syria despite truce

by Darius Kadivar on

Bloodshed in Syria despite truce (bbc, video)

 

A temporary truce agreed by Government forces in Syria and rebels to mark a Muslim religious holiday has already been broken.

There have been two car bombs and sporadic fighting across the country. Opposition sources have reported at least 70 deaths.

The BBC's World Affairs Correspondent Paul Wood reports. 


Darius Kadivar

Car bomb shatters Syrian truce

by Darius Kadivar on

Car bomb shatters Syrian truce (bbc)

 

A car bombing hits the Syrian capital Damascus, with reports of many casualties, shattering a ceasefire that came into force hours earlier.


Darius Kadivar

Fighting mars Syrian ceasefire

by Darius Kadivar on

Fighting mars Syrian ceasefire (bbc)

A four-day ceasefire to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha comes into effect in Syria, but there are reports of fighting in several areas.


Darius Kadivar

LEAP OF FAITH: Bosnian Muslim walks to Mecca via Syria

by Darius Kadivar on

Bosnian walks to Mecca via Syria (bbc)

 

A Bosnian Muslim man walks thousands of kilometres to reach Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage and thanks God for his safe passage through war-torn Syria.


Darius Kadivar

'It means nothing' Syrian rebels dismiss government's ceasefire

by Darius Kadivar on

'It means nothing' (bbc)

 

Syrian rebels dismiss government's ceasefire pledge


Darius Kadivar

Syrian truce for Muslim festival

by Darius Kadivar on

Syrian truce for Muslim festival (bbc)

 

A four-day ceasefire to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha comes into effect in Syria, but the army warns it will retaliate against rebel attacks


Darius Kadivar

Syria crisis: Discord grows between Islamist and secular rebels

by Darius Kadivar on

  • Secularism and Islamism compete  (bbc)

     

  •  

  • Um Ahmad was the first woman to join the protests in Douma, a town on the eastern outskirts of Damascus.

    She is 22 years old and Um Ahmad is not her real name, but nobody likes to give their real name in Syria these days.

    Wearing a veil under her pink coat, she lights a cigarette and recalls the first days of the movement.

    "I used to go door-to-door knocking on women's houses to encourage them to take to the street," she said.

    Though Um Ahmad presents herself as a member of the conservative Islamist Salafi movement, she and her fellow protesters were not calling for a state ruled by Sharia law.

    "We were going out for our call for freedom, democracy and a civil state," she explained.


  • Darius Kadivar

    Syrian rebels 'advance in Aleppo'

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Syrian rebels 'advance in Aleppo' (bbc)

     

     

    Syrian rebels make advances in central Aleppo, activists say, as the government weighs a proposal for a ceasefire proposed for Friday.


    Darius Kadivar

    Funeral blast: Children's bodies 'burnt'

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Funeral blast: Children's bodies 'burnt' (cnn) October 24, 2012 -- Updated 0905 GMT (1705 HKT) It's a horror show that has played out across Syria for 19 months. Those grieving the dead are themselves targeted by gunfire or deadly blasts.


    Darius Kadivar

    Doubts loom over Syria cease-fire plan

    by Darius Kadivar on


    Darius Kadivar

    Syria 'to give truce decision'

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Syria 'to give truce decision' (bbc)

     

    Syria's government is expected to announce its decision on a ceasefire proposed for this weekend's Eid al-Adha holiday by UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.


    Darius Kadivar

    Jon Leyne's take on the "cease fire"

    by Darius Kadivar on



    Lakhdar Brahimi's surprise announcement of a Syria ceasefire raises as many questions as it answers.

    As he made clear, while he believes the Syrian government has agreed to the ceasefire, only some of the rebel groups are on board. There are so many different rebel groups it may be impossible to win unanimous agreement from them. It could also be true that the Syrian government actually has more interest in a ceasefire, while it remains in power.

    There is also the question of when the ceasefire would come into force - some Arab countries begin the Eid al-Adha holiday on Thursday, others, including Syria, mark it from Friday - and how long it would last. Nevertheless this does seem to be a rare glimmer of good news in a conflict which has been getting more intense by the day.


    Darius Kadivar

    Assad 'agrees to Eid ceasefire' with Jimmy Carter's benediciton

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Watch Jimmy in the Video ...

    Syrian government 'agrees to Eid al-Adha ceasefire' (bbc)

    The UN's envoy to Syria says President Bashar al-Assad's government has agreed to abide by a ceasefire during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.


    Darius Kadivar

    The home front: Life and death in a rebel-controlled Syrian town

    by Darius Kadivar on

    The home front (bbc)

    Life and death in a rebel-controlled Syrian town


    Darius Kadivar

    Syria 'agrees to Eid ceasefire'

    by Darius Kadivar on

     

    Syria 'agrees to Eid ceasefire' (bbc)

     

    The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria says the Syrian government has agreed to abide by a ceasefire during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha




    Darius Kadivar

    Killed seeking bread: Nightmare reality for Syria's hungry

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Dozens killed in Syrian bakery attack (cnn)

     

    The latest horrifying video from Syria shows yet another attack on a bakery where innocent people were just trying to buy bread.  

     


    Darius Kadivar

    Dozens killed in Syrian bakery attack

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Dozens killed in Syrian bakery attack (cnn)

     

    The latest horrifying video from Syria shows yet another attack on a bakery where innocent people were just trying to buy bread. 


    Darius Kadivar

    The battle for control of Syria's media

    by Darius Kadivar on

    The battle for control of Syria's media (bbc, video)

     

    Reporting from inside Syria is becoming increasingly difficult for foreign journalists.

    But all forms of media - particularly Syrian state TV - are strictly controlled to serve the interests of the regime, and Syria currently ranks 176th out of 179 countries in the International Press Freedom Index.

    BBC Monitoring's Mike Linstead explains how social media sites are becoming the new battleground for control of news and information as pro-government and anti-government activists use the internet to get their side of the conflict across. 


    Darius Kadivar

    Syria car bomb 'target police

    by Darius Kadivar on

    Syria car bomb 'target police' (bbc, video)

     

    International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has met Syria's embattled president Bashar al-Assad.

    Mr Brahimi, who represents the UN and the Arab League, is in Damascus to press both the government and the rebels to observe a truce over the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

    Meanwhile Syrian state media report that several people were killed in an explosion in a Christian area of Damascus on Sunday.

    James Reynolds reports from Turkey Syria border.