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Highest-level defections yet: Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab defected to the opposition and fled with his family to Jordan on Wednesday. The move marked the highest-level defection from Assad’s government since the start of the uprising. More senior officials followed suit this week, including the police chief of Raqa city Jumah Anzi, a second parliamentarian Ali al-Besh, Major General Mohammad al-Haj and deputy police chief of Homs Ibrahim Jabawi along with additional officers and soldiers. FSA officials said more government and military leaders are expected to defect in the coming week, following the morale boost provided by the prime minister’s defection.
Humanitarian crisis emerging in Aleppo: The escalating violence in Aleppo left more than 300 people dead and hundreds others wounded this week. Those who have not fled face an imminent humanitarian crisis. Authorities continue to assault rebel strongholds, and on Tuesday began blocking all food and medical supplies and cutting off electricity and communications, prompting a mass exodus either to Turkey or to other neighbourhoods where the humanitarian conditions might be slightly better. The regime’s decisive battle is on-going, thus the crisis is expected to worsen, living conditions to degrade and casualties to rise.
Uprising Developments
Rebel fighters increase attacks on regime forces: Rebel fighters killed more than 350 army soldiers during clashes with regime forces throughout the country. They also launched attacks on several security stations in the provinces of Aleppo and Deir Azzour, shot down two MIG fighter jets and one helicopter gunship, destroyed more than 13 military tanks, seized power of several neighbourhoods in Aleppo and many towns in the Idlib. They captured the Military Security headquarters in the town of Mayadin in the province of Deir Azzour, arrested scores of soldiers—including military officers—in addition to capturing arms containers and overcoming the ammunition shortage that hindered operations the previous few days and forced rebels to partially retreat from their stronghold in the neighbourhood of Saladin. Mass protests broke out on Friday calling for international arms assistance, and it was reported that rebel fighters obtained advanced weaponry—such as the powerful, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles—and are therefore expected to carry out more organised and effective operations to repel the regime’s escalating airstrikes.
Regime air assaults decimating major cities: During an official visit to Syria by the Iranian National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, Assad vowed to purge his country of what he called “terrorists.” His MIG fighter jets, helicopter gunships, military tanks and artillery continued pounding the cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, Deir Azzour and Daraa. The regime is also carrying out summary executions in the cities of Aleppo, Damascus, Hama and Daraa. Assad’s promise indicates that the use of heavy weaponry will continue throughout the country in a bid to wipe out the rebellion, further damaging cities’ infrastructure and gradually levelling some neighbourhoods to the ground. The operations mean that more cities will soon resemble Homs, where 70 percent of the city has been destroyed.
Economy
UN affiliate forecasts GDP contraction: The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), a UN-affiliated body, expects Syria’s GDP to contract by 5.5 percent this year. ESCWA’s data on the Syrian economy are slightly more optimistic than those of the World Bank, which estimated that Syria’s GDP contracted by 3.1 percent in 2011 and that it would fall further by some 6.4 percent this year. The survey also said that Syria’s oil production should fall to an average daily output of 220,000 barrels by the end of 2012 from 370,000 barrels per day last year. Sanctions imposed last year on Syria's oil sector by the EU—the country's main importer—have caused almost all exports of crude to stall.
U.S. targets Hezbollah and the Syrian state oil company for supporting Assad: The United States plans to enact new sanctions against the Syrian regime and its supporters, including Lebanon's Hezbollah militants and the Syrian state oil company. The move is part of U.S. efforts to tighten the grip on Syria’s and Hezbollah’s revenues, in order to cut off funding for military operations against the Syrian opposition.
International Reactions
International leaders begin formalising plans for Assad’s fall: Turkey and the United States have agreed to accelerate preparations for aiding the opposition in hastening the regime’s collapse and planning for Syria’s post-Assad future. The countries created a team to manage assistance to the opposition, consider the creation of buffer and no-fly zones, provide help to fleeing refugees and plan for worst-case scenarios including a chemical weapons attack. Tangible international support could embolden rebel fighters and help them advance militarily, especially along the Turkish border.
Britain pledges USD 23.5 million to aid refugees: Great Britain announced it would provide an extra USD 7.8 million worth of aid to Syria's opposition, supplying items including communications equipment, body armour and medical supplies to the Syrian opposition, following the USD 15.7 million in aid it announced on Tuesday. The funds will go to three humanitarian bodies providing assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. The UN said that only 40 percent of the USD 200 million required for relief operations has so far been provided.
Syrian Press Focus
Situation in Syria is ‘improving’: The Syrian media covered a statement made by the Iranian Head of National Security Aladin Brojardi that says the situation in Syria has improved over the last few months. The Iranian official did not recognise the humanitarian crisis emerging in Aleppo nor did he acknowledge the one million displaced citizens or the more than 200,000 refugees in neighbouring countries who are affected by the escalating violence throughout the country.
Assad appoints al-Halqi as new prime minister: The Syrian media said that Assad has appointed Minister of Health Dr. Wael Nader Al-Halqi as the new prime minister, without discussing the reasons behind his appointment.
Highest-level defections yet: Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab defected to the opposition and fled with his family to Jordan on Wednesday. The move marked the highest-level defection from Assad’s government since the start of the uprising. More senior officials followed suit this week, including the police chief of Raqa city Jumah Anzi, a second parliamentarian Ali al-Besh, Major General Mohammad al-Haj and deputy police chief of Homs Ibrahim Jabawi along with additional officers and soldiers. FSA officials said more government and military leaders are expected to defect in the coming week, following the morale boost provided by the prime minister’s defection.
Humanitarian crisis emerging in Aleppo: The escalating violence in Aleppo left more than 300 people dead and hundreds others wounded this week. Those who have not fled face an imminent humanitarian crisis. Authorities continue to assault rebel strongholds, and on Tuesday began blocking all food and medical supplies and cutting off electricity and communications, prompting a mass exodus either to Turkey or to other neighbourhoods where the humanitarian conditions might be slightly better. The regime’s decisive battle is on-going, thus the crisis is expected to worsen, living conditions to degrade and casualties to rise.
Uprising Developments
Rebel fighters increase attacks on regime forces: Rebel fighters killed more than 350 army soldiers during clashes with regime forces throughout the country. They also launched attacks on several security stations in the provinces of Aleppo and Deir Azzour, shot down two MIG fighter jets and one helicopter gunship, destroyed more than 13 military tanks, seized power of several neighbourhoods in Aleppo and many towns in the Idlib. They captured the Military Security headquarters in the town of Mayadin in the province of Deir Azzour, arrested scores of soldiers—including military officers—in addition to capturing arms containers and overcoming the ammunition shortage that hindered operations the previous few days and forced rebels to partially retreat from their stronghold in the neighbourhood of Saladin. Mass protests broke out on Friday calling for international arms assistance, and it was reported that rebel fighters obtained advanced weaponry—such as the powerful, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles—and are therefore expected to carry out more organised and effective operations to repel the regime’s escalating airstrikes.
Regime air assaults decimating major cities: During an official visit to Syria by the Iranian National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, Assad vowed to purge his country of what he called “terrorists.” His MIG fighter jets, helicopter gunships, military tanks and artillery continued pounding the cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, Deir Azzour and Daraa. The regime is also carrying out summary executions in the cities of Aleppo, Damascus, Hama and Daraa. Assad’s promise indicates that the use of heavy weaponry will continue throughout the country in a bid to wipe out the rebellion, further damaging cities’ infrastructure and gradually levelling some neighbourhoods to the ground. The operations mean that more cities will soon resemble Homs, where 70 percent of the city has been destroyed.
Economy
UN affiliate forecasts GDP contraction: The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), a UN-affiliated body, expects Syria’s GDP to contract by 5.5 percent this year. ESCWA’s data on the Syrian economy are slightly more optimistic than those of the World Bank, which estimated that Syria’s GDP contracted by 3.1 percent in 2011 and that it would fall further by some 6.4 percent this year. The survey also said that Syria’s oil production should fall to an average daily output of 220,000 barrels by the end of 2012 from 370,000 barrels per day last year. Sanctions imposed last year on Syria's oil sector by the EU—the country's main importer—have caused almost all exports of crude to stall.
U.S. targets Hezbollah and the Syrian state oil company for supporting Assad: The United States plans to enact new sanctions against the Syrian regime and its supporters, including Lebanon's Hezbollah militants and the Syrian state oil company. The move is part of U.S. efforts to tighten the grip on Syria’s and Hezbollah’s revenues, in order to cut off funding for military operations against the Syrian opposition.
International Reactions
International leaders begin formalising plans for Assad’s fall: Turkey and the United States have agreed to accelerate preparations for aiding the opposition in hastening the regime’s collapse and planning for Syria’s post-Assad future. The countries created a team to manage assistance to the opposition, consider the creation of buffer and no-fly zones, provide help to fleeing refugees and plan for worst-case scenarios including a chemical weapons attack. Tangible international support could embolden rebel fighters and help them advance militarily, especially along the Turkish border.
Britain pledges USD 23.5 million to aid refugees: Great Britain announced it would provide an extra USD 7.8 million worth of aid to Syria's opposition, supplying items including communications equipment, body armour and medical supplies to the Syrian opposition, following the USD 15.7 million in aid it announced on Tuesday. The funds will go to three humanitarian bodies providing assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. The UN said that only 40 percent of the USD 200 million required for relief operations has so far been provided.
Syrian Press Focus
Situation in Syria is ‘improving’: The Syrian media covered a statement made by the Iranian Head of National Security Aladin Brojardi that says the situation in Syria has improved over the last few months. The Iranian official did not recognise the humanitarian crisis emerging in Aleppo nor did he acknowledge the one million displaced citizens or the more than 200,000 refugees in neighbouring countries who are affected by the escalating violence throughout the country.
Assad appoints al-Halqi as new prime minister: The Syrian media said that Assad has appointed Minister of Health Dr. Wael Nader Al-Halqi as the new prime minister, without discussing the reasons behind his appointment.