ansamed.info

BEIRUT - On the eve of the 25th Friday of anti-regime protests in Syria, the Syrian army is continuing its operations in the Deir Az-Zor region along the border with Iraq, according to the Local Coordinating Committees and eyewitnesses.

The sources note that over the night and just before dawn tanks and armoured vehicles penetrated into Shuhayl, a town south-east of Deir Az-Zor, shooting large-calibre shells at the houses. Over the past few days similar operations have been conducted in the nearby Mayadin, another centre of protest in the eastern region, rich in oil fields and dominated by Sunni tribal clans armed for decades by the regime in a bid to repress Kurdish movements. Deir Az-Zor and the towns nearby such as Shuhayl and Mayadin have been highly active over the past few months in supporting the anti-regime movement. (ANSAmed).

Iran has suggested that Assad be more receptive to reform. Libya’s revolution is nearing an end to the military phase. All eyes will now turn to Syria, and it will be interesting to see what steps the free world will be willing to take to start the (inevitable) moves toward reforms or even regime change. Iran, Hizb’ullah and the strength of the Syrian military make this a more difficult proposition than anything faced to date.