LATEST: Obama To Lawmakers: Criticism of My Refusal to Arm Insurgents is “Horseshit”

State news media continues to dismiss insurgent offensives throughout Syria, including the advance in Idlib Province in the northwest, the pressure on the Hama Military Airport and Damascus International Airport, and the breaking of a months-long regime siege near Damascus.

State news agency SANA headlines this morning, “Counter-Terrorism Military Operations Continue Across the Country“, without any reference to the insurgent attacks. Instead, the article is populated with vague claims that the military “killed and injured a number of terrorists” in different provinces.

Meanwhile, the insurgency is claiming recent successes through the release of a series of videos after the lifting of a self-imposed blackout on operations.

In the past month, opposition fighters have stepped up their attacks in Idlib Province in northwest Syria, trying to isolate the regime’s two remaining military bases. They have advanced within a few kilometers of Hama Military Airport and Hama city, and they have launched attacks to cut highways seize territory near Damascus International Airport.

The celebration of the insurgency’s breaking of the long-standing siege of Mleiha, the “gateway” town for the East Ghouta area near Damascus — Zahran Alloush, the Islamic Front’s military commander, is shown addressing troops:

Footage from last Friday of insurgents moving and attacking in the area near Damascus International Airport:

Fighting near mills and a military academy, west of the Airport:

Interestingly, the most prominent rebuttal of the insurgents’ claims comes not from the Assad regime but from Iran’s Fars News, linked to its Revolutionary Guards:

A group of…militants…launched a massive attack to take control of the Damascus International Airport, but were pushed back by the Syrian troops before they could open their way to the airport.

According to early FNA dispatches, the Syrian army has killed, at least, 20 terrorists and injured tens of others in fierce clashes with the militants near the airport.

A Syrian military source told FNA that the militant groups withdrew to Deir Al-Assafir in Damascus countryside after they were driven out from the airport by the army.

Obama To Lawmakers: Criticism of My Refusal to Arm Insurgents is “Horseshit”

Two members of Congress have spoken of a heated exchange between President Obama and legislators about the Administration’s Syria policy.

On July 31, Obama invited more than a dozen leaders from both parties in Congress to discuss foreign policy.

The two sources said Obama was “visibly agitated” about a question challenging his approach to issues such as the jihadist Islamic State, Syria, Russia, and Ukraine.

Talking specifically about Syria, Obama said the idea that insurgents could have been armed earlier is “horseshit”.

Video: Jabhat al-Nusra — Lebanon’s Army Bombarded Refugee Camps Near Arsal

The Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra has posted a 13-minute video claiming that the Lebanese Army carried out a deadly bombardment of Syrian regime camps near the border town of Arsal:

Earlier this month, the Lebanese military confronted fighters — probably from the Islamic State — in Arsal after the gunmen had attacked a military checkpoint and raided a police station.

The Lebanese army used artillery in the battles, and opposition sources says dozens of refugees were killed, both from the shells and from subsequent fires in the crowded camps.

Syria Daily, August 5: Fears that Dozens of Refugees Killed after Lebanon Army’s Bombardment

Lebanese authorities, who said at least 50 gunmen were killed in Arsal, belatedly said there were some casualties in one of the smaller camps