LATEST: Clashes Between Insurgents and Hezbollah Escalate on Lebanese Border
MONDAY FEATURE
Middle East Video Analysis: How to Make Moderate Protest Disappear — Shout “Sectarian”
The Syrian military is trying once again to enter Mleha, the “gateway” town to insurgent-held areas of East Ghouta near Damascus.
The Local Coordination Committees reported “fierce clashes” at “all of the city’s fronts” and surface-to-surface missiles fired on the center.
The regime has been trying for months to take over Mleha. In May, Syrian forces briefly reached the center before being repelled and ambushed.
Claimed footage of Syrian troops relaxing in or near Mleha:
A “senior military official” told the Chinese outlet last week that troops had occupied the town center, surrounding about 400 insurgents of the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra. The claim soon evaporated.
State news agency SANA says this morning, “Army units clashed with terrorist groups near the eastern and northern outskirts of al-Mleiha town, eliminating and injuring many terrorists and destroying their weapons and ammo.”
Clashes Between Insurgents and Hezbollah Escalate on Lebanese Border
Fighting between insurgents and the Lebanese organization Hezbollah, an ally of the Assad regime, has escalated in the Qalamoun region on the Lebanese border.
An insurgent claimed eight Hezbollah fighters had been killed, “The battle was very fierce, and at very close quarters.” Lebanese television reported Syrian air raids and clashes with heavy- and medium-caliber weapons, with the sounds of explosions heard in the Lebanese border town of Arsal.
While a regime offensive between November and May claimed cities and towns throughout the Qalamoun region, insurgents maintained positions in the countryside.
UN Security Council Votes for Cross-Border Aid
The United Nations Security Council, after months of negotiation, voted unanimously on Monday to mandate cross-border aid to Syrians in insurgent-held areas.
The Syrian regime had criticized the resolution as an infringement on its sovereignty, and its ally Russia had held out against adoption because of concerns that it could be enforced under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in the event of regime non-compliance.
The amended resolution does not mention Chapter 7, which allows for non-military measures such as sanctions or military operations.
Instead, the Council stressed that the member states are “obligated under Article 25 of the UN Charter to accept and carry out the Council’s decisions”.
The resolution also dropped the wording that aid could be delivered without permission from Damascus.
Under the resolution, UN agencies and other aid groups can use four international routes: two on the border with Turkey, one with Iraq, and one with Jordan. Syrian authorities will be notified of the nature of the cargoes, but they will not have control of the deliveries.
A UN monitoring mechanism will be established to ensure weapons are not smuggled in the convoys.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition welcomed the resolution as “a strong signal to the Syrian regime that its calculated policy of siege warfare will no longer be tolerated”. The Coalition said that it and the Free Syrian Army “stand ready to facilitate safe, direct access in the liberated areas under our control”, and it called for Chapter 7 enforcement if the regime blocked assistance.
The Syrian military has maintained sieges of up to two years on areas controlled by the insurgency, using the tactic to force cease-fires and evacuation of fighters from cities, towns, and villages.
Insurgents have also restricted food and supplies to some regime-held areas, notably in Aleppo Province.
Deputy Foreign Minister: West Should Ally With Assad Against Islamic State
Extending the regime’s PR campaign for international acceptance, Deputy Foreign Minister Feisal Mikdad said the West should ally with President Assad against the Islamic State.
“The only way to resolve the situation is to work with President Assad,” Mikdad told The Guardian of London. He continued:
Deep in their hearts they know that what they did is a grave crime against the people of Syria. Thinking that the regime would fall in a few weeks has led to the flourishing of terrorism inside Syria and threatening the security of European countries themselves. They have started to understand that what is happening in Syria is not a revolution but a threat to Europe.
Many countries are approaching us to establish cooperation on security matters. We told all of them that security matters could not be separated from political cooperation.
The Deputy Foreign Minister denied that the Assad regime is working with the Islamic State, although he welcomed the Iraqi-led group’s fight with Syrian insurgents:
I know the rumours. But to those who claim that Syria is not doing its best to combat this group, I answer that if these extremists –– Jabhat al-Nusra, the Free (Syrian) Army and the Islamic State –– are killing themselves and fighting for more influence and expansion, do you think we are sad?
But the Syrian army has its priorities and we shall decide what to do next.
Despite the supposed change of heart from European countries, Mikdad accused them of fabricating charges that the regime is guilty of war crimes: “This is politicization and a continuation of (their) onslaught.”
Document — Jabhat al-Nusra Issues Clarification on “Islamic Emirate”
An English-language translation has been posted of the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra’s “clarification” of its announcement of an Islamic Emirate.
In a claimed audio recording, circulated last Friday on social media, Jabhat al-Nusra leader Abu Mohammad al-Joulani said an Emirate was being established, with sharia courts operating within a week.
In the clarification, the Islamist faction said it will set up the courts, security offices, and general services “within the next ten days”. However, it said it was not announcing an Emirate until it had the agreement of fighters and Islamic scholars.
See also Syria Daily, July 13: Jabhat al-Nusra Denies It Declared “Islamic Emirate”
In a reference to its rival the Islamic State, which announced a Caliphate two weeks ago, Jabhat al-Nusra said that it “will not hesitate to deal with the corrupt groups in the liberated areas”. It added that it is “determined to unify ranks to face the dangers which threaten the Jihadi front, be they “from the Nusayri (Assad) Regime or from the group of Khawarij Islamic State) and ghulaat (extremists)”.
76 Killed on Sunday
The Local Coordination report that 76 people were killed across Syria on Sunday.
Civilian deaths have dropped recently — the daily toll is only the second above 50 in the past two weeks.
Of the deaths, 36 were in Aleppo Province and 19 in Damascus and its suburbs.
Airstrikes were reported in several areas in and near Aleppo, including the town of Tel Rifaat.
