Assad and Syria’s Latest Massacre
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (Source: Agência Brasil, Wikipedia)
بشار الأسد
Syria made the news for another massacre:
Washington Post – 27 May 2012UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council on Sunday blamed the Syrian government for attacking residential areas of the town of Houla with artillery and tank shelling and also condemned the close-range killings of civilians there – but avoided saying who was responsible for the massacre of more than 100 men, women and children.The council said in a press statement after an emergency meeting that the “outrageous use of force” against civilians violated international law and Syrian government commitments under previous U.N. resolutions to stop all violence, including the use of heavy weapons in populated areas. It said “those responsible for acts of violence must be held accountable.”
Russia must act now to halt Assad’s slaughter May 27, 2012
That something utterly appalling happened outside the Syrian city of Houla on Friday is beyond doubt. As the sickening pictures of murdered children showed – pictures rightly reprinted by several British newspapers, including our sister paper The Independent on Sunday – many victims were children, at least some of whom had had their throats cut. Even as the Syrian authorities denied responsibility, blaming Islamists and terrorists, they conceded that at least 90 people had been killed. Of these more than 30 were children, slaughtered, as the pictures attest, in cold blood. Opposition activists accused pro-regime gunmen of the massacre.
The killings near Houla constitute the worst single incident in 14 months of often violent unrest in Syria. And while the full truth of it has yet to be told, the murderous spree seems to have followed the regime’s use of heavy weapons against protesters in the town, which is close to the heart of anti-regime resistance in Homs. Any such action by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad would have been in flagrant violation of the six-week-old ceasefire brokered by the UN and the Arab League…
By fortunate chance, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, is visiting Russia today and Syria is to be added to the long list of bilateral issues on his agenda. Russia holds the key to tougher international action on Syria. After notoriously rejecting an earlier resolution, it voted for Kofi Annan’s mission, and it has at times seemed ready to countenance a Syria without Assad.
Time again for Obama to lead from behindMay 27, 2012
Today, Sunday morning newspapers around the world screamed with headlines announcing yet another tragedy out of Syria. Journalists inside the war-torn country report that forces aligned with Bashar al-Assad massacred at least 90 Syrians with indiscriminate mortar attacks on civilian targets; more than 30 children were among the dead.
The massacre in Houla is another example of how deadly Kofi Annan’s Syrian cease-fire has been for civilians who still believe the international community will actually do something to prevent further slaughter. After yesterday’s attacks, Syrians have reason to become increasingly bitter at the United States for sitting back over the past year and doing very little while Assad murdered 10,000 of his own citizens.
Obama renews push for Assad’s exit with Russian support The Hill (blog)
May 27, 2012
President Obama is considering a new plan to push embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, as violence in the country escalates.
The proposed agreement would force Assad to relinquish power but leave in place elements of his regime, similar to an arrangement which lead to Yemen’s transition from the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh last year, reported The New York Times on Sunday…
Reports said Obama brought up the proposal with Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev at last week’s G8 meetings at Camp David.
The Russian government is believed to be open to the proposal which could allow for Assad’s peaceful exit, preserve stability in the country during the transition, and allow Russia to maintain close-ties with its Middle East ally.
Obama is expected to discuss the plan further with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month, the Times reports.
Many are angry with Syria’s President Assad for not complying with various “cease-fires” he had agreed to support.
For some time, I have warned that Russia may turn against Syria’s Assad (see Russia disappointed, ‘We never supported Assad’s regime’). Quelling dissent has not yet worked completely for President Assad, and the current massacre may be a problem for him.
While Russia, along with China, want to keep supporting Syria (and Iran), neither are so committed to Syria that they will not change their positions (how far Russia would really go in assisting Iran is also likely limited).
The Bible shows that Syria’s capital city Damascus (Isaiah 7:8) will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1). Whether this will happen because of internal civil war or an attack involving Israel remains to be seen. Syria’s Assad remains a close ally to Iran and Iran keeps taking steps, including one today claiming that it will continue to enrich uranium despite international concerns (see Iran: No reason to halt 20 percent enrichment) that may provoke a regional (with Israel) or larger war (the USA itself could sustain damage). But whether it is involved in a war involving Israel or not, eventually, Damascus has to be destroyed, and probably relatively soon.
Russia (along with China) will try to do what is in its best interest. Syria is simply not important enough for Russia to back Assad under all scenarios. Russia may have supported earlier international statements against Syria if it had not felt so betrayed by what it thought it backed related to Libya last year and what the West ended up doing there. But just because Russia is not publicly encouraging the West to overthrow Syria militarily does not mean it simply will not support Syria against all odds.
If enough details of the massacre come out clearly tying it to President Assad’s regime, he may have found that he pushed Russia past what it can tolerate internationally. Syria will change, now or later.
Much is going on in the Middle East. The King of the South will rise up (Daniel 11:40) and Syria (directly or indirectly) is likely to play a role in that occurrence. As well as end up being a supporter of that king–thus the situation in Syria must change.
As Jesus said in Mark 13:37, we all should watch.
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What does Islam teach about the Imam Mahdi?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Is he the Imam Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
2012 – Ten Fulfilled Barack Obama Prophecies Barack Obama has already helped fulfill 10 predictions in 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Here is a YouTube video on ten.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing. Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach?
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