Israel Matzav

New Syrian campaign: 'Over our dead bodies'

Supporters of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria are reported to be carrying out a campaign called 'Over our dead bodies.'

Let's go to the videotape.



I'm willing to bet that this campaign is orchestrated (and not spontaneous as suggested by the video above) and that many of those camping out are actually prisoners and dissidents who are being forced to be there.

On Monday, those Assad loyalists began erecting tents on Mount Qassioun, which overlooks Damascus and is used by the regime to pound rebel areas with heavy artillery and rocket launchers.

A few dozen people brandished Syrian flags and placards with messages including "Hands off Syria" and "Iraq lies not again" in front of local and international television cameras.

"We are not scared and we promise them that we will retaliate," said 20-year-old university student Ali Habib. "We will abandon our universities and head to war and confrontation."

The organizer, Ogarit Dandash, a Lebanese reporter with the pro-Syrian regime channel Al-Mayadeen, said hundreds of people from across Syria and neighboring Lebanon were joining the campaign and that it would be expanded in coming days to other locations that they believed were likely to be targeted by U.S. strikes.

"I have been in Syria for two years covering the dirty war and saw lots of soldiers killed in a very cruel way; he must think about what he's doing in the Middle East," said Ms. Dandash referring to Mr. Obama.

In the Arab world, they are experts at using vulnerable people as human shields (See Iraq, Hezbullah in Lebanon and the 'Palestinians').

 I find it amazing that the Journal didn't even raise the possibility.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, human shields, Syria

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:23 PM