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

UNGA Resolution A/RES/66/253 green for- maroon against. gray abstain
Ban-ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, said that crimes against humanity had been carried out by government forces, saying "We
see neighbourhoods shelled indiscriminately, hospitals used as torture centres, children as young as 10 years old killed and abused.
We see almost a certain crimes against humanity," Ban said during a visit to Austria. [221] The Local Coordination Committees in Syria
said the number of those killed by security forces on 16 February reached 70 thus far, including 36 unidentified bodies, 13 soldiers, 3
woman and 2 pre-term infants. 38 were killed in Idlib, 12 in Hama, 5 in Homs, 6 in Damascus Suburbs “Zabadany,Madaya”, 7 in
Daraa, and 1 in Deir Ezzor and 1 in Raqqah. [222] The United Nations General Assembly approved a non binding resolution with 137
YES votes, 12 NO votes and 17 absenations. The resolution called for the resignation of Bashar al Assad and a halt to the violence in
the country. [223]
17 February - Friday of Popular Resistance The number of those killed by security forces on 17 February has risen to 39, including
12 defected soldiers executed on the site in Jassem. 15 civilians were killed in Daraa (Jassem, Hara), 4 in Homs, 5 in Mezze
(Damascus), 3 in Deir Ezzor, 3 in Aleppo, 3 in Hama,, and 3 in Damascus Suburbs (Yabrood, Douma). [224] By the end of the day, the
death toll had risen to 56 killed. [225] Mass protests occurred across Syria, primarily in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, and Idlib. [225]
The Syrian opposition warned that the Syrian army was preparing for a massive assault on Bab Amr, Homs, and that the Syrian army
was prepared to "annihilate everyone". [225] US defence officials told a US network that "a good number" of unmanned US military and
intelligence drones are operating in the skies over Syria to monitor Assad's government forces attacks against civilians and armed
opposition. "The officials said this surveillance is not in preparation for US military intervention," NBC News reported. [226] Reuters
news agency has reported that two Iranian naval ships have sailed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, in a move
likely to be keenly watching by Israel. "Two Iranian ships crossed through the Suez Canal following permission from the Egyptian
armed forces," a source in the canal authority said. The destroyer and a supply ship could be on their way to the Syrian coast, the
source added. Iran and Syria agreed to cooperate on naval training a year ago, and Tehran has no naval agreement with any other
country in the region. [227] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that the UN General Assembly has shown an
"overwhelming international consensus" to demand the Syrian regime end its bloody crackdown. The vote "demonstrated an
overwhelming international consensus that the bloody assaults must end," Clinton said at a press conference with EU Foreign Policy
Chief Cathy Ashton. "In the face of this global condemnation the regime in Damascus, however, appears to be escalating its assaults
on civilians, and those who are suffering cannot get access to the humanitarian assistance they need and deserve," she said. "So we
will keep working to pressure and isolate the regime, to support the opposition and to provide relief to the people of Syria." [228]
18 February 21 People were killed across Syria by gunfire from security forces. 15,000 Anti-govemrent protesters assembled in
Mezzeh, Damascus 2 kilometres southwest from Ummayad square, Damascus. The protest was significant as it was the largest single
anti-Assad protest in central Damascus to date. Security forces fired on the protest in Mezzeh, killing at least one person. [229]
19 February Iranian state media reported that Iranian warships have crossed the Suez Canal and docked in Syria's port city of
Tartous. [230] Egypt calls home envoy from Syria. [231] Gunmen in Syria staged a guerrilla-style ambush that killed a senior state
prosecutor and a judge Sunday in an attack that suggested armed factions are growing bolder and more coordinated in their uprising
against Assad's regime. 23 people were killed by security forces in Idlib and Homs, and 11 were killed in the town of Atareb in the
Aleppo province when the Syrian army stormed the town. Communications and water were shut off in Atareb. [232]
20 February Local Coordination Committees in Syria said the number of killed by security forces on Monday has risen to 18
martyrs. 13 were killed in Homs, 2 in Hama, and 1 in each of Hassakeh, Idlib, and Douma in Damascus Suburbs. [233] 30 soldiers, as
well as an officer and a tank defected to the Free Syrian Army in the town of al-Qusayr. [234]
21 February There were reports that many people had been killed in renewed heavy shelling of the Baba Amr neighbourhood of
Homs following a buildup of forces the day before. Syrian tanks and troop have massed outside Homs for a possible ground assault,
which Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, warned would lead to a huge loss of life
just as the Red Cross was attempting to broker a cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid in. [235][236] Two Iranian naval ships returned from
Syria through the Suez Canal on Tuesday. [237] Iran says the real reason behind sending warships is that they will train the Syrian
navy. [238] By the end of the day, the number of those killed by security forces on Tuesday has reached 106, including 10 children, 3
women, 3 defected recruits: 45 were killed by artillery shelling in Homs, 55 in Idlib, two in Douma and Mesraba in Damascus
Suburbs, 2 in Deir Ezzor, and one in Aleppo. [239]
22 February Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin along with photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in Homs by the Syrian army's
artillery bombardment on the Bab Amr neighborhood. [240] At least 92 people have been killed across Syria after security force shelling
intensified in the rebel-held Baba Amro district in the city of Homs, the Syrian General Revolutionary Council said. [241]
23 February 88 people have been killed by Syrian army across Syria on Thursday, primarily in the cities of Homs, Idlib, and
Hama. [242] By the end of the day the LCC reported that 101 civilians were killed by Syrian army forces throughout Syria, with 47
killed in Idlib alone. [243] Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan appointed joint UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria. [244]
24 February - Friday of Rising up for Bab Amr The Friends of Syria meeting took place in Tunis, where 70 Western and Arab
Nations gathered to discuss and act on the ongoing events in Syria. The Friends of Syria meeting announced the recognition of the
SNC as the "legitimate representative of the Syrian people", a step below recognition as the sole legitimate government, and requested
that any other opposition groups in Syria rally behind the SNC. The meeting also called for the UN and Arab league to establish a