Day 499: Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Syrian Ambassador to UAE and Charge d'Affaire in Cyprus defect
Top Stories:
Syria’s ambassador to the UAE Abdelatif al-Dabbagh defected to the opposition today, joining his wife, the charge d’affaires to Cyprus, who defected yesterday.
Rebels captured gasmasks after raiding a military checkpoint in the city of Aleppo.
Economic isolation is squeezing the regime’s ability to prop up the public sector, with the Syrian prime minister stating that there will be no salary increase this year for government workers, while Turkey closed its border to commercial traffic.
Summary of Events
Syria’s ambassador to the UAE Abdelatif al-Dabbagh has defected from the regime to Qatar where he joined his wife, Lamya al-Hariri, who defected yesterday from her diplomatic post in Cyprus. Dabagh is the third ambassador to do so after his wife and Syria’s ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares.
The rebels captured gasmasks after raiding a military checkpoint in the city of Aleppo, indicating that the regime has safeguards to protect its soldiers if it deploys chemical weapons.
The Syrian prime minister Riad Hejab stated that there will be no salary increase in the public sector this year, due to the sinking revenue of the regime. Turkey has closed its border with Syria to commercial traffic, due to worsening security conditions. Travelling in Syria had become increasingly dangerous for truck drivers involved in trade between the two countries.
The regime continued deploying fighter jets and heavy weaponry in the city of Aleppo, where clashes between the rebels and regime forces continued for the fifth consecutive day. MIG-23 fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombarded the neighbourhoods of Saladin, Sukari, Sakhour, al-Bab Road, Marjeh and Qurtaji and its provincial towns of al-Bab, Ezaz, Tal Refaat and Jebrin.
The regime’s military offensive continued in Damascus as it shelled the neighbourhoods of Qadam, Esaly and Jouret Shrebati. It also carried out a sweep of the neighbourhood of Jobar and Qabun, where more than 150 civilians were arrested while taking refuge in one of the shelters. Meanwhile, scores of corpses were discovered in the neighbourhood of Tishreen. Some of them were slaughtered with knives; others bore torture and burn marks.
Regime forces killed more than 150 people today. Twenty-one died in the province of Aleppo. Ten more died in the Hama suburbs of Karnaz, Madiq Fortress and Ma’ardes. Twelve were killed in Homs as a result of heavy shelling that targeted the neighbourhoods of Qarabis, Baba Amr and its provincial towns of Talkalakh, Talbiseh, Rastan and the villages of Qasir, Dabaa and Ghanto. Ten died in the province of Idlib due to heavy shelling that targeted the town of Kafrouma and the village of Urm Ajouz. Fourteen were killed in the city of Deir ez-Zor. Six died in the province of Damascus and six more were killed as a result of the shelling that targeted its provincial towns of Kesweh, Damir, Keisa and Sbaina. Six were killed in the Palestinian refugee neighbourhood of in the city of Daraa and its provincial towns of Herak, Mzereib, Ghariya Sharqiya and the village of Shajara. Ten more died in village of Kharab Bajar in the province of Hasaka. At least 48 army soldiers were killed during clashes with rebels throughout the country.
Regime forces continued its military attacks in the Damascus suburbs of Qudsaya, Kaferbatna, Zabadani and Mesraba, in the Daraa suburbs of Sheikh Maskeen, Mata’ya, Soura and Lajat district and in the villages located in the Akrad Mountain district. Regime forces also carried out many arrests in the neighbourhood of Janoub Malaab in Hama city as well as the Tartus suburb of Bayda.
Revolution Statistics
Syrians killed: 21,349
Children killed: 1,671
Females killed: 1,604
Soldiers killed: 1,745
Protestors killed under torture: 778
Missing: +65,000
Protestors currently incarcerated: +216,000
Syrian refugees since March: +119,751
Refugees in Turkey: +43,387
Refugees in Lebanon: +31,004
Refugees in Jordan: +36,323
Refugees in Iraq: +8,445
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