Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare

omb attack on 6 January 2012 in the central Damascus neighbourhood of al-Midan killed 26 people, most of whom were
civilians, [318] as well as for truck bombs that killed 55 people and injured 370. Jihadist leaders and intelligence sources said foreign
fighters had begun to enter Syria only in February 2012. [319] In May 2012, Syria's U.N. envoy Bashar Ja'afari declared that dozens of
foreign fighters from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Britain, France elsewhere had been captured or killed, and urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar and
Turkey to stop "their sponsorship of the armed rebellion". [320][321] Jihadist leaders and intelligence sources said foreign fighters had
begun to enter Syria only in February 2012. [319] In June, it was reported that hundreds of foreign fighters, many linked to al-Qaeda,
had gone to Syria to fight against Assad. [322] In July, Iraq's foreign minister again warned that members of al-Qaeda in Iraq were
seeking refuge in Syria and moving there to fight. [300] When asked if the United States would arm the opposition, Hillary Clinton
expressed fears that such weapons could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda or Hamas. [323] A crucial line of support began in spring 2012
as Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced they would begin arming and bankrolling the opposition. [324][325][326] Paul Salem, director of the
Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, and Emile Hokayem of the International Institute of Strategic Studies argued such support
would be unlikely to immediately make a decisive impact. [326][327] A ship carrying weapons from Libya believed destined for Syria's
rebels has also been intercepted. [328] According to SNC e-mails leaked to Al Akhbar, Saudi support came with undesirable conditions
attached, and played a negative, divisive role in Homs. [329]
Support for the Syrian government
Russia Main article: Russia's role in the Syrian civil war See also: Russian naval base in Tartus Russia has provided arms, including
refurbished helicopter gunships, and diplomatic support to the Syrian government. In January 2012, Human Rights Watch criticised
Russia for "repeating the mistakes of Western governments" in its "misguided" support of Assad. [330] Amnesty International, noting
the Syrian government's headlong deployment of military helicopters, criticised Russia of "a wanton disregard for humanity." [331]
Human Rights Watch warned Russia's state-owned arms-trading company Rosoboronexport in a letter that, under international law,
"providing weapons to Syria while crimes against humanity are being committed may translate into assisting in the commission of
those crimes", and called on governments and companies around the world to stop signing new contracts and consider suspending
current dealings with the Russian company. [332] Not long after, however, the US bought Mi-17 helicopters from Rosoboronexport
worth hundreds of millions of dollars. [333] One of Russia's interests is access to the port of Tartus, home to its only remaining military
base outside the former USSR and thus a key source of its influence in the eastern Mediterranean. [334] The Centre for Analysis of
Strategies and Technologies, a leading Russian think tank, played down Tartus and other allegedly important national interests,
though, arguing instead that Russian support was "irrational". [335] In July 2012, however, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy director of
Russia's Federal Service for Military Technical Co-operation, announced a halt to any new weapons transfers. [336] A joint group of 10
Russian warships and an equal number of escort vessels led by an anti-submarine destroyer and including landing ships with marines
on board, entered the Meditarranean early this week. The task force has been deployed at the time of escalating fighting in Syria with
the United States avowing to “intensify” its efforts “outside the Security Council.” The British, French and U.S. navies are planning a
larger deployment of warships in Eastern Mediterranean in autumn for naval exercises. [337]
Iran Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was vocally in favor of the Syrian government. [338] The Guardian reported that the Iranian
government is assisting the Syrian government with riot control equipment and intelligence monitoring techniques. [339] The Economist
said that Iran had, by February 2012, sent the Syrian government $9 billion to help it withstand Western sanctions. [340] It has also
shipped fuel to the country and sent two warships to a Syrian port in a display of power and support. [341] U.S. President Barack Obama
and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice accused Iran of secretly aiding Assad in his efforts to quell the protests, [342]
and there have been reports of Syrian protesters hearing security-force members speaking Persian. [343] The city of Zabadani is vitally
important to Assad and to Iran because, at least as late as June 2011, the city served as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps's
logistical hub for supplying Hezballah. [249] According to a U.N. panel in May 2012, Iran supplied the Syrian government with arms
during the previous year despite a ban on weapons exports by the Islamic Republic. Turkish authorities captured crates and a truck in
February 2012, including assault rifles, machine guns, explosives, detonators, 60mm and 120mm mortar shells as well as other items
on its border. It was believed these were destined for the Syrian government. The confidential report leaked just hours after an article
appeared in the Washington Post revealing how Syrian opposition fighters started to receive more, and better, weapons in an effort
paid for by Gulf Arab states and co-ordinated partly by the US. [4] The report investigated three large illegal shipments of Iranian
weapons over the past year and stated "Iran has continued to defy the international community through illegal arms shipments. Two of
these cases involved (Syria), as were the majority of cases inspected by the Panel during its previous mandate, underscoring that Syria
continues to be the central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers." [344] In March 2012, anonymous U.S. intelligence officials claimed a
spike in Iranian-supplied arms and other aid for the Syrian government. Iranian security officials also allegedly traveled to Damascus
to help deliver this assistance. A second senior U.S. official said members of Iran's main intelligence service, the Ministry of
Intelligence and Security, are assisting Syrian counterparts in charge of the crackdown. [345] More anonymous sources were cited by
the UN in May 2012, as it claimed arms were moving both ways between Lebanon and Syria, and alleged weapons brought in from
Lebanon were being used to arm the opposition. [346] The alleged spike in Iranian arms was likely a response to a looming influx of
weapons and ammunition to the rebels from Gulf states that had been reported shortly before. [298] According to US journalist Geneive
Abdo, the Iranian government provided the Syrian government with technology to monitor e-mail, cell phones and social media. Iran
developed these capabilities in the wake of the 2009 protests and spent millions of dollars establishing a "cyber army" to track down
dissidents online. Iran's monitoring technology is believed to be among the most sophisticated in the world, perhaps only second to
China. [338] On 24 July 2012, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp commander Massoud Jazayeri said Iranians will not allow enemy
plans to change Syria's political system to succeed. [347]
China China has provided diplomatic support and possibly facilitated material support for Assad's government. This has included
vetoing a UN Security Council resolution in tandem with Russia; Jerusalem Post correspondent Oren Kessler reported that Beijing's
veto was enacted in the interests of preserving its ties with Russia. [348] China was named in a May 2012 Security Council report as a
transit hub for illegal arms shipments from North Korea, with UN investigators investigating reports of such shipments to the Syrian
government. [349]
Other countries According to a top official of the Iranian revolutionary guard corps, Hezbollah operatives took part in fighting on the
ground against the opposition in Damascus and in the Battle of Zabadani. [1] In February 2012, it was reported that Hugo Chavez'
government in Venezuela had been shipping tens of millions of dollars of diesel to Syria, which can be used to fuel army tanks. [350]
The following month, as it prepared a third shipment, Venezuela confirmed that it would continue sending diesel to the country. [351]