Syria: Homs Under Massive Attack As Shiite Fighters Help Assad Regime
The Syrian army resumed Tuesday its attack on the rebel city of Homs. “The bombing of Homs which began at dawn is the most violent in the past five days. On average, two rockets fall every minute,” stated Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.
According to the organization, new clashes between the forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and the rebels killed 29 people Monday, including 18 civilians.
Ignoring the calls for calm, the Syrian regime has continued the shelling of Homs, now suffering a humanitarian crisis. The Red Crescent complained about a shortage of bread in the “capital of revolution.”
Since Feb. 4, at least 300 people were killed, according to a UN count.
Elsewhere, Al Jazeera TV reported the Syrian regime’s forces resumed on Tuesday the offensive against the city of Boukamal, near the border with Iraq, as well as towns inn the southern province of Deraa. Columns of tanks and armored vehicles raided the towns and made several arrests.
Meanwhile, media sources claim that Iranian fighters from the Revolutionary Guards and Iraqis from the Shiite Al-Mahdi Army of Moqtada Sadr have been sent to help the Syrian regime. Iran has also dispatched pilots to Syria , especially since Bashar al-Assad feared the defection of his pilots.
Iranian and Iraqi militiamen are primarily deployed in the region of Souwaida (Jebel Al-Arab) which is known for its Druze majority. Lebanese sources fear that this is a warning to the Lebanese Druze and their leader Walid Jumblatt, who continue to denounce the Syrian regime.
