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