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1st-Hand: “We Left for This?” — The Plight of Refugees in Lebanon


President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed Russia’s support for President Assad.

Speaking at an annual economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin explained, “Our fear is that Syria could plunge into the same situation as Libya and Iraq. We don’t want that … in Syria.”

The President said Russia would not call on Assad to step down, as this was a decision up to the Syrian people. He added that Russia would urge Assad to work with a “healthy” opposition on reforms:

We are ready to work with the president to ensure a path towards political transition so as to … move away from an armed confrontation. But that should not be done with the use of force from the outside.

Russia and Iran have been the primary political, economic, and military backers of the Assad regime since the Syrian uprising began in 2011.

(Featured Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko)


Kafranbel Protest Expresses Solidarity with Charleston in US After Shootings

The weekly protest in Kafranbel in northwest Syria is marked by an expression of solidarity with people in Charleston, South Carolina, where nine people were killed in an African American church this week by a white supremacist:


Syrian Network for Human Rights: 49 of 56 “Sectarian” Massacres Since 2011 Carried Out by Assad Forces

The pro-opposition Syrian Network for Human Rights has released a detailed report documenting 56 “sectarian” mass killings since 2011, 49 of them carried out by regime forces.

The SNHR said 3004 civilians — including 471 women and 526 childen — were slain, as well as 70 fighters.

Four mass killings were linked to rebels and the Islamic State, with 178 victims. Three were carried out by the Islamic State alone, leaving 58 dead.

Three other mass killings, considered non-sectarian by the SNHR, were tied to Kurdish forces, with 91 slain.