PHOTO: President Assad addresses Parliament on Tuesday

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  • Russia-Regime Bomb Another Hospital in Aleppo City

    President Assad has dismissed any possibility of a political resolution for Syria’s five-year conflict, promising more “bloodshed” to “liberate” all of the country.

    In a televised speech to Parliament, Assad used the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra in late March from ISIS to promise victory over all opponents:

    Our war against terrorism continues, not because we like wars, because they imposed war on us. The bloodshed won’t end until terrorism is uprooted no matter where it is and regardless of the masks it wears.

    Our war against terrorism is continuing. As we liberated Tadmur [Palmyra] and before it many areas, we will liberate every inch of Syria from their hands. Our only option is victory, otherwise Syria will not continue.

    The key passage of an often-convoluted address was a wordy but clear rejection of a transitional governing authority, the center of international proposals since 2012. In talks between January and April in Geneva, the regime’s delegation refused to discuss the issue, and in late March Assad explicitly rejected any prospect of accepting a process that might lead to his stepping down from office.

    The President repeated on Tuesday:

    It is no longer secret that the essence of the political process for the regional and international countries supporting terrorism has been, since the beginning and throughout the various initiatives, aimed at undermining the presence of any concept of the homeland through hitting its core, which is the constitution, and through continuous pressure to consider it null and stop it and freeze it under different names and terms, mainly the so-called transitional stage…

    Our answers were decisive and we didn’t allow them to pass any terms.

    Turning the blame on the Syrian opposition, Assad returned to his theme of resisting “terrorists”: “When they failed to achieve what they wanted, their response was an open declaration of supporting terrorism and withdrawing from the cessation of hostilities agreement.”

    Assad linked this both to his ongoing message of foreign enemies backing the terrorism and to Parliamentary elections in April which had supposedly defeated them:

    They believed that the core of their political scheme after their plot of terrorism failed was to hit the constitution, and thus creating chaos….

    The sectarian regime turns the people of a homeland into adversaries, and that’s when the imperialist states put themselves forward as rulers of the groups inside the homeland.

    The President tried to maintain his legitimacy, despite the refusal of significant talks, through the claim that he is upholding Syria’s Constitution. He insisted that the regime’s paper at Geneva — described by diplomats as “vague” and lacking any basis for negotiations, as well as being rejected by the opposition — had shown his intention for a proper settlement.

    They didn’t respond to the paper of principles. Our delegation would ask about other sides’ reactions, and we never got an answer, which shows that those sides are reliant on their masters.

    Assad made little reference to the main barrier to political barriers: the regime’s continued bombing, sieges, and detentions of political prisoners. He said nothing about Russian and regime bombardment that has continued to kill hundreds of civilians despite a supposed “cessation of hostilities” in February, and he asserted that the regime’s approach to “reconciliation” would lift sieges — despite repeated UN statements, echoing the opposition, that humanitarian crises are imminent because of ongoing blockades.

    Russia-Regime Bombing of Another Hospital in Aleppo City

    Russian and regime warplanes have bombed yet another hospital in northwest Syria, this time in an opposition-held area of Aleppo city.

    The airstrikes and at least eight barrel bombs targeted the al-Sha’ar district. The Local Coordination Committee said at least eight people were killed and several wounded.

    Now see Russia-Regime Bomb Another Hospital in Aleppo City

    Videos: Russian Cluster and Incendiary Bombs near Aleppo

    Footage from Tuesday night of Russian cluster-bombing of Anadan, 12 km (7.5 miles) north of Aleppo city:

    With the recent escalation of bombing in and near Aleppo, Russia warplanes have been dropping cluster munitions and incendiary explosives, sometimes incorrectly called “white phosphorus”.

    An incendiary bombing:

    Photo: Aleppo Mosque Damaged in Tuesday Airstrikes

    The damaged Sahib Bin Sinan al-Roumi mosque in Layramoun in western Aleppo city after bombing by Russian and regime warplanes on Tuesday:

    LAYRAMOUN MOSQUE BOMBED

    LAYRAMOUN MOSQUE DAMAGED

    The Russian-regime attacks have escalated in the last 10 days across northwest Syria, killing hundreds of civilians and destroying or damaging hospitals, mosques, and markets.

    Syria Daily, June 6: Latest Russia-Regime Airstrikes Kill Scores in Aleppo and Idlib

    Rebels: We Have Broken ISIS Siege of Mare’ in Northern Aleppo

    Rebels proclaim that they have broken the Islamic State’s 12-day siege of Mare’, the front-line town in northern Aleppo Province.

    Mare’ has been endangered by an ISIS offensive which seized nearby territory and cut links with the opposition-held town of Azaz on the Turkish border. The Islamic State subsequently carried out a series of attacks trying to capture the town, but were repelled by defenders, reportedly suffering heavy casualties.

    Rebel outlets say this morning that control has been restored over the villages of Kaljibrin and Kafr Kalbin, with ISIS withdrawing its fighters. Mines are now being dismantled on the Mare’-Azaz road.

    Further reports point to either an ISIS redeployment or collapse, with rebels taking towns and villages such as Dudiyan, Sawran, Talalin, Yani Yaban, Barisha, and Ghazl.

    Rebels on the move:

    Fighters take a selfie in Kaljibreen:

    REBEL SELFIE KALJIBREEN

    Rebels, who have been accused of losing ground to ISIS because of a lack of coordination, announced on Tuesday that they unified command with the formation of the Mu’tasim Brigade.

    The formation of the Brigade appears to have spurred US supplies, with two airdrops reported so far:

    MU'TASIM BRIGADE