Persian Realm
به زبان فارسی
PICTORY
LATEST MUSIC
SEARCH
MASADA: Will The Battle For Aleppo Decide The Fate Of Assad ?
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
| Recently by Darius Kadivar | Comments | Date |
|---|---|---|
| TOMBSTONE: Bidding Goodbye to Iranian.com (ers) | 4 | Dec 05, 2012 |
| ROYAL PREGNANCY: Prince William, Duchess of Cambridge Announce Pregnancy | 3 | Dec 04, 2012 |
| DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Golshifteh Farahani & Sienna Miller in Road Movie ‘Just Like a Woman » | - | Dec 03, 2012 |
RECENT COMMENTS
IRANIANS OF THE DAY
| Person | About | Day |
|---|---|---|
| نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
| Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
| Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
| احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
| گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
| Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
| محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
| Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |
Assad: 'Door to dialogue is open'
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 22, 2012 02:47 AM PDTAssad: 'Door to dialogue is open' (cnn)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad slammed the rebels battling his government forces but said dialogue was the only way to solve the crisis, in a magazine interview published Friday.
Syrian air strikes hit petrol station, killing dozens
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:28 PM PDTSyrian air strikes hit petrol station, killing dozens (France 24)
An explosion at a petrol station following an air strike by regime forces killed at least 30 people in northern Syria on Thursday. Earlier in the day, a Syrian military helicopter crashed near Damascus after clipping the tail of a passenger plane.Libyan fighter in Syria: "I'm freedom fighter, not Islamist"
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 20, 2012 08:45 AM PDTLibyan: I'm freedom fighter, not Islamist (cnn, video)
Feras, a Libyan fighting for Syrian rebels, symbolizes the fears of both sides in the conflict and the wider world. But Feras tells CNN he is a freedom fighter not an Islamist: this for him is a fight to help another people.
Helicopter crashes near Damascus
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 20, 2012 01:39 AM PDTHelicopter crashes near Damascus (bbc)
A helicopter crashes near the Syrian capital, Damascus, state TV says, amid continuing fighting and steps to increase pressure on President Assad.
Heavy fighting in Damascus suburb and Aleppo
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 19, 2012 02:21 AM PDTHeavy fighting in Damascus suburb (bbc)
Heavy fighting hits Syria's capital Damascus, as Amnesty International says government forces are "indiscriminately" bombing civilians.
DEAD OR ALIVE: Syria Rebels offer $25M Assad bounty
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Sep 18, 2012 05:27 AM PDTSyria: Rebels offer $25M Assad bounty (cnn)
Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- The rebel Free Syrian Army has announced a $25 million reward for the capture of President Bashar al-Assad "dead or alive," the Turkish Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
U.N.: Growing jihadi presence in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Sep 18, 2012 01:25 AM PDTU.N.: Growing jihadi presence in Syria (cnn)
Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- The growing presence of Islamic fundamentalist fighters is among the "most alarming" trends in Syria's civil war, a United Nations investigator said Monday.
"Some of them can be classified as jihadis," said Paulo Pinheiro, who chairs an independent international committee charged with investigating the situation in Syria. "Sometimes they fight together with some armed groups of the opposition. Other times they go by themselves. They have their own agenda."
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Syria crisis: Aleppo's deadly aerial warfare
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Sep 17, 2012 04:24 PM PDTBombed from above (bbc)
BBC's Paul Wood witnesses Syrian assault on Aleppo
The Syrian air force jet roared over, making people crane their necks and flinch at the same time.
A small dot - a bomb - detached from the plane as it disappeared over the buildings on the horizon.
We counted to five before it hit, a deafening explosion that rattled the windows. A large black cloud billowed up, blotting out the sky at the end of the road.
It was noisy chaos when we got there.Syrian civil war closes in on Damascus
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Sep 17, 2012 09:58 AM PDTSyrian civil war closes in on Damascus (cnn, video)
Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- After 18 months of violent unrest, clouds of black smoke suggest conflict is closing in on Syria's capital.
On the streets of Damascus, no one flinches when artillery shells explode just a few miles away. Residents who support neither the government nor the opposition say the situation is out of their control.
Perilous history: 800 years of failed Syrian interventions
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 15, 2012 04:04 AM PDTPerilous history (bbc)
800 years of failed Syrian interventions
As international diplomats continue efforts to try to end the continuing violence in Syria which has led to an estimated 27,000 deaths, they would do well to consider the lessons from the extraordinary length of time that Syria's strategic position has been provoking foreign interest - and foreign intervention.
Syria conflict: Aleppo car bomb 'kills 17'
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Sep 09, 2012 03:42 PM PDTExplosion in Aleppo 'kills 17' (bbc)
A car bomb in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, has killed 17 people and wounded 40, according to the Syrian state news agency Sana.
Footage on state TV showed damaged buildings and rescue workers pulling survivors from the rubble.
The blast was caused by a booby-trapped car, Sana reported.
Fighting in Aleppo has intensified since Syrian government forces launched an offensive in July against rebels seeking to make the city their base.
No group has said it carried out the attack.
Sana blamed "terrorists", the term the Syrian government uses for rebels.
Separately, the new UN-Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, has arrived in Cairo, where he will hold talks on Syria with the Arab League on Monday.Iraq denies role in delivering Iranian arms in Syrian conflict
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Sep 07, 2012 07:02 AM PDTIraq denies role in Syrian conflict (cnn)
(CNN) -- Three U.S. lawmakers traveled to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi leaders over the worsening crisis in Syria amid reports that Iraq is allowing Iran to use its airspace to deliver weapons to embattled President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
TORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bomb blast 'hits Damascus mosque'
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Sep 07, 2012 05:40 AM PDTBomb blast 'hits Damascus mosque' (bbc)
A motorcycle bomb has exploded outside a mosque in the north of Syria's capital, Damascus, killing at least five people, state media report.
Syrian army 'storms border town'
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:38 PM PDTSyrian army 'storms border town' (bbc)
Syrian soldiers have stormed Tal Shehab, a town on the Jordanian border which has been a crossing point for refugees, according to activists.
'External Syrian opposition wants military intervention
by Frashogar on Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:30 AM PDT//rt.com/news/syria-internal-opposition-intervention-174/
Rebels battle for every inch in Aleppo, Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:25 AM PDTRebels battle for every inch in Aleppo, Syria (cnn,VIDEO)
Nick Paton Walsh on Syrian rebels struggling to gain 100 feet of ground in Aleppo. Camera: Ricardo Garcia Vilanova.
Turkey PM to Amanpour: 'Assad is political dead man'
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:19 AM PDTTurkey PM: Assad is political dead man (cnn, video)
Christiane Amanpour's interview with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday at 2100 CET, 2300 CET, 1700 HKT and 2200 HKT on CNN International's "Amanpour" program or here at Amanpour.com
(CNN) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States is "lacking of initiative" on Syria and suggested that could be because of the upcoming U.S. election.
During a wide-ranging interview in Istanbul with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Erdogan discussed the 18-month crisis in Syria and touched on a number of other topics, including Iran's suspected nuclear program.
Syrian regime tells refugees they have nothing to fear
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Sep 03, 2012 10:29 AM PDTSyrian regime tells refugees they have nothing to fear (cnn)
The Syrian government urges citizens who have fled the violence that continues to rage in the country to come home "immediately," saying they have no reason to fear.
1,600 dead in 7 days of Syria bloodshed
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Sep 03, 2012 06:11 AM PDT1,600 dead in 7 days of Syria bloodshed (cnn)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
'Deadly strike' in Syria's Aleppo
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Sep 03, 2012 04:21 AM PDT'Deadly strike' in Syria's Aleppo (bbc)
Activists report a deadly air strike in Aleppo province, as the new UN envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, tells the BBC his task is "nearly impossible".
Fighting rages at Syria air bases
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 01, 2012 09:06 AM PDTFighting rages at Syria air bases (bbc)
Fighting breaks out at several air bases in Syria, as new peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi formally takes up his post.
Syria: Violent clashes in Aleppo, Homs
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 01, 2012 06:27 AM PDTSyria: Violent clashes in Aleppo, Homs (cnn)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Damascus Alawites standing firm behind beleaguered leader
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 01, 2012 03:55 AM PDTBacking Assad (bbc)
Damascus Alawites standing firm behind beleaguered leader
As the conflict in his country rages on, a Syrian journalist visits Alawite neighbourhoods in Damascus, where beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad has many supporters - and perceptions of a foreign plot are rife.
In spite of its reputation as a safe and well-guarded area, it was difficult to get a taxi to take me from Umayyad Square in central Damascus to the neighbourhood of al-Mazzeh 86 in the east. Most of the drivers were scared.
"These are Alawite areas and we would either be kidnapped or killed," one of the drivers said.Syria 'repels air base attack'
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:22 AM PDTSyria 'repels air base attack' (bbc)
The Syrian government says it has repelled a major rebel attack on an air base near the northern city of Aleppo, as fighting continues elsewhere.
Viewpoint: Syria's tug-of-war
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 30, 2012 08:22 AM PDTBy Fawaz A Gerges
Middle East analystAs violence spreads to almost every corner of Syria, there is no longer any doubt that the country is engulfed in all-out war.
In August alone, more than 3,000 Syrians were reported killed.
The death toll from the massacre in Darayya - more than 400 dead over two days according to some reports - is not only a reflection of the increasing number of Syrians being killed on a daily basis, but also a sign of the heightened brutality and meteoric escalation of the raging civil war.
Another indicator that the Syrian conflict has spiralled out of control is the flood of Syrian refugees inside and outside the country.
Syria rebels 'shoot down fighter jet'
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 30, 2012 08:19 AM PDTSyria rebels 'down fighter jet' (bbc)
Syrian rebels shoot down a government fighter jet in the north-western province of Idlib, unconfirmed reports say.
Syrian rivals dig in for long drawn-out battle
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:17 AM PDTNo end in sight (bbc)
Syrian rivals dig in for long drawn-out battle
The opposition Free Syrian Army is operationally and ideologically fragmentedThere are several reasons. Most importantly, the durability of the Assad rule has depended not only on coercion and domination but also on political hegemony, co-option and the balancing of various interest and communal groups.
Both the father and the son cultivated relations with Sunni, Christian, and Druze businessmen and promoted financial and business networks, especially in Damascus and Aleppo, Syria's centres of political and economic life and home to more than one-third of the country's 23 million people.
The Assad regime is resilient because of the loyalty it has cultivated among its upper echelon over the past 40 years.
Continue reading the main storyAssad say's 'needs time to win battle' on pro government TV
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Aug 29, 2012 04:17 AM PDTAssad 'needs time to win battle' (bbc)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the military needs more time to "win the battle" against rebel forces, as fighting rages across the country.
Syria Crisis: Deadly car bomb at Pro Assad funeral
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:22 AM PDTDeadly car bomb at Syria funeral (bbc)
Twelve people are killed by a car bomb at a funeral in the Jaramana suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, state TV says.
Clinton/FSA Planning Another Massacre in Syria
by Frashogar on Tue Aug 28, 2012 02:19 AM PDT//friendsofsyria.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/clintons-fsa-planning-another-massacre-breaking-news/
Mr Kadivar, Aleppo has fallen to the Syrian government and the Western backed al-Qaeda Salafi Islamist terrorists who infested it are on the back foot. President Bashar al-Assad is still in control and the Saudi/Qatari/NATO plan of regime change is yet to be fulfilled. As such you may wish to change the title of your blog or start a new one with a new title.