Syria in 2017 (January-April)

[OUTLAW 09]

NE #Damascus: #FSA using BM-21 Grad and #TOW (2nd strike in 2 days) in its offensive vs #ISIS in E. #Qalamoun desert.

Rebels are shelling #Fuah & #Kefraya after Hezbollah/Regime targeted depots housing Red Crescent aid who reached Madaya 4 days ago.

E. #Damascus: Regime seized over parts of Hafez street on #Qabun front and this building belonging to #FSA 1st Brigade (#Damascus prov.).

Regime offensives on E. #Damascus and E. #Ghouta fronts visibly increasing: Rebels declare 6 tanks damaged/taken out since morning.

Meanwhile Ahrar Al-Sham declares Regime attack on #Barzeh orchads foiled. One T-72 destroyed and 8 fighters killed. E. #Damascus

E. #Damascus: Jaish Al-Islam trying to repel Regime attack on #Qabun orchads.

Reports Tell Ashtara in NW #Daraa countryside is back under Rebel control.

E. #Qalamoun: battle launched by #FSA to expel #ISIS from Afai & Batra Mounts. #TOW strike spotted. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=33...18869&z=11&m#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebel car bombs, #Assad air strikes on the front east of #Damascus.
Rebels in desperate counteroffensive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sd_d2lm_pk#

This particular US so called ME analyst has been largely wrong in a number of his articles...this one supports the Trump take over of Raqqa not the Turkish plan....

Why the U.S. Should Team Up w Kurds & Not Turkey to Take Raqqa and Destroy the Islamic State http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/u-s...lamic-state/#…
via @joshua_landis

Following is a critique by Charles Lister...

Has #Turkey talked about going to “eastern Syria” proper, i.e. Deir ez Zour? No.
- Nobody talks of partition
- 3 is v simplistic

Para 2:

- Hang on a minute, if #Assad has already achieved this ‘cutting into two,’ then why does #Turkey need to achieve it a second time?

Para 3:

- “No Kurdish allies to attack #Raqqa” ? In the immediate term, it’d divert yes, but never at all?
- #YPG ≠ all of #Syria's Kurds

Para 4:

- Sorry, #YPG has no territorial interests around #Raqqa? Really?
- I suspect YPG is looking at more than just good U.S relations

By The Way...this was the Landis response to Lister's para 4 question...he actually confirmed what Lister was asking...
Joshua Landis‏
Verified account
#@joshua_landis 5h
5 hours ago
Joshua Landis Retweeted Charles Lister
Do you believe that the Kurds will take Raqqa for Rojava whether US urges them to or not?

Para 5:

- Ahrar is no way near ES's “dominant” force
- Ahrar lost 8-10% of its men to #HTS, not 50%
- #Turkey wld not allow AQ to its areas

Para 5:

- #Turkey sees AQ/#HTS as a hostile adversary & vice-versa.
- 2013 was 4yrs ago, how about using current dynamics to assess today?

Para 6:

- #Aleppo-based groups (who dominate ES) have many former #Raqqa-based fighters
- #Turkey has been training Raqqan tribes & groups

Para 6:

- I’m pretty confident that most Raqqans would rather Sunni Arabs than the Marxist-Leninist #YPG & some pro-#Assad Sunni militias.

Para 6:

- Handing #Raqqa to #SDF, knowing they’re likely to eventually hand it to #Assad & #Russia will *definitely* invite AQ recruitment!

Para 7:

- Actually, the main reason is that #Turkey has no workable plan that can be implemented *now.* The #Trump admin wants acceleration

Para 8:

- Turkish plan => escalation, yes, but is #Raqqa & the Euphrates a “#Iran-#Russia-#Assad-#Iraq” sphere of influence right now? No.

Para 9:

- Handing Euphrates area to “Kurds & #Assad” = fastest way to bring stability.” - You surely cannot honestly believe that, really?

Para 10:

- Restraining #Iraq’s Kurds from aggression is *extremely* different to restraining a group (#YPG) inherently hostile to #Turkey.

[OUTLAW 09]

Israel threatens to 'destroy' Syrian air defence systems

If fired on again by AD systems they will strike back on the system and or systems that fired on them...

[OUTLAW 09]

Damascus: Hysterical #Assad regime shelling has killed 11+ civilians and wounded around 50 more in Eastern #Ghouta today.

[OUTLAW 09]

Damascus: A fire reported near #Damascus Parliament.

Damascus: Photos show the #HTS double #SVBIED attack against the #Assad regime in #Jobar District today.

Assad army tried to storm Jobar several times in past weeks, this will further improve Jobar chances from another forced displacement deal.

[OUTLAW 09]

Hama: #ISIS has destroyed/damaged a second T-72 northeast of #Salamiyah. #Assad regime is in trouble there.

[OUTLAW 09]

Hama: #ISIS has destroyed/damaged the third (!) #Assad T-72 tank northeast of #Salamiyah. 4 #ATGM strikes in northeastern #Hama today.

Hama: #ISIS established fire control about the supply road towards #Aleppo. #ISIS has sent ATGM units to Eastern #Hama.

Damascus: Large explosion reported near TV building in Umayyad Square in #Damascus.