What you missed this week in Syria http://huff.to/NIQ8ED
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In this Sunday, July 8, 2012, photo released by Syria's official news agency SANA, Syrian troops participate in a live fire exercise in an undisclosed location in Syria. (AP Photo/SANA)
Each week, HuffPost World will provide the top stories out of Syria and a recap of events in the country's uprising, as President Bashar Assad’s regime continues its bloody crackdown.
July 7 - July 13 In Review
- More than 200 people were killed in an alleged massacre near the city of Hama, activists say.
- U.S. officials told The Washington Post that Syria has started to move part of its chemical weapons stockpile out of storage. Syria's government denied the accusations.
- More than 17,000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict in March 2011, opposition groups estimate.
- Syria's ambassador to Iraq Nawaf al-Fares defected and called upon the Syrian army to turn against the regime of president Bashar Assad.
- International envoy Kofi Annan met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus. According to Annan, Assad agreed to a new plan to end the violence in the country.
- A Russian official said Moscow would not sign new arms deals with Syria, but would honor previously agreed-upon contracts.
- Kofi Annan reiterated that Iran should be part of talks to discuss a solution for the crisis. Western powers continue to oppose Iran's participation in negotiations.
- Members of the Syrian opposition visited Moscow in an effort to convince the Kremlin to accept Assad's ouster as part of a new peace plan.
- Three people were killed in northern Lebanon when Syrian shells hit their village.
Media Not To Miss
Human Rights Watch -- 'Evidence Of Cluster Munition Use By Syrian Forces'
Videos posted online by a Syrian activists purport to show remnants of cluster munition, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The footage reportedly was shot in Jabal Shahshabu near the city of Hama. Opposition forces claim the area is a rebel stronghold and has been shelled by the Syrian army for weeks.
Read Human Rights Watch's report here.
Al Jazeera -- 'Al Qusayr: FSA's Biggest Victory In Months'
Al Jazeera correspondent James Bays reports from Al-Qusayr in Syria's Homs province, where opposition fighters recaptured large parts of the town from the Syrian army. Most of the town's residents have fled and supplies are scarce for those who remain.
Read more from Al Jazeera here.
GlobalPost -- 'Syria: A Revolution Divided'
Tracy Shelton reports on growing sectarian and religious radicalism among Syria's opposition fighters.
Like thousands of his fellow students, Diojen joined the revolution to bring freedom, democracy and dignity to the Syrian people. But more and more these days, he said, he is being asked to bring Islam too.Diojen said he has become disillusioned by the changing course of the revolution, which he says is being co-opted by religious and sectarian extremists within the Free Syrian Army.
Read more from GlobalPost here.
The Daily Beast -- 'Champagne Flows While Syria Burns'
Despite several massacres, continued shelling, and more than 17,000 deaths since March 2011, some in Syria's elite keep up the party.
By the pool, glistening, oiled, and muscular bodies gyrated to a juiced-up version of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Atop huge speakers, a Russian dancer swayed suggestively in front of the young, beautiful Syrian set drinking imported Lebanese beer with salt and lemon. Behind them, columns of smoke were rising—signs of car bombs and explosions, of an encroaching war.
