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| Syria: UN offers help as Homs assault continues - live updates | Syria: UN offers help as Homs assault continues - live updates |
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| 11.11am: AP has more on the expulsion of those Syrian diplomats from Germany. | |
| Germany says it is expelling four Syrian diplomats following the arrest earlier this week of two men accused of spying on Syrian opposition groups in Germany. | |
| Foreign minister Guido Westerwelle (pictured) said in a statement Thursday that he ordered the expulsions of the four Syrian Embassy employees, and that the ambassador had been informed. | |
| He did not give details on the diplomats. | |
| German federal prosecutors said Tuesday they had arrested a Syrian and a German-Lebanese dual national on suspicions that they spied on Syrian opposition supporters in Germany over several years. | |
| Syria's ambassador to Germany was summoned to the Foreign Ministry the same day and told that Berlin cannot tolerate such activities. | |
| 10.59am: The leader of the Free Syrian Army, Colonel Riad al-Asaad [pictures], appears to be trying to mend his differences with the opposition Syrian National Council [SNC] after accusing it of treachery in a BBC interview, the FT reports. | |
| But Roula Khalaf says that a new joint statement by Asaad and the SNC pledging to overcome disagreements does little to defuse the perception of disarray within the opposition. | |
| The dispute has turned the spotlight again on the dilemma of the Syrian opposition, which western and Arab governments are calling upon to show greater unity. | |
| The formation of the Syrian National Council last year was seen as a significant step, and was hailed by activists on the ground. But the group has yet to win official recognition by foreign powers. | |
| Attempts by the Arab League to bring together the SNC and a rival group known as the Syrian National Co-ordination Committee have failed. The Syrian National Co-ordination Committee is opposed to the militarisation of the uprising and to providing backing for the FSA. | |
| 10.53am: Omar, who we just spoke to, sent a link to this clip purporting to show Baba Amr coming under attack today. | |
| Once again the footage cannot be independently verified. | |
| 10.44am: Multi-rocket launchers attack Baba Amr every three minutes, an activist, who claimed to be in the area, told the Guardian. | |
| Speaking via Skype the man who gave his name as Omar said: | |
| Hundreds of houses have been destroyed. The casualty numbers are rising too high. We don't have exact numbers of lives lost today, but there are huge numbers. | |
| Every two or three minutes a new missile hits down on another house ... There are many tanks in the neighbourhood. It is kind of a collective punishment on the people of Baba Amr, because this neighbourhood is a stronghold of the revolution. | |
| Multi-rocket launchers fire every 3 minutes in Baba Amr as helicopters are seen over head, an activist in Homs claims #Syria (mp3) Omar said he saw helicopters over the area this morning. He believed the helicopters fired at Baba Amr, but he didn't see them shoot. | |
| Today in early in the morning I started to see the first [use of the] airforce in Baba Amr. We saw some helicopters from very far [away]. We had five missiles probably from those helicopters. Six people died straight away. | |
| Asked about the number of injured, he said: | |
| Trust me there are hundreds of them. We used to have a field hospital, it has been hit by a missile as well. Now we treat people in normal houses. There is a great shortage of medication, food, bread, baby food, milk, all this kind of stuff. | |
| I believe Assad's army is committing genocide against humanity in Baba Amr, and the world is just watching and having a good time. | |
| Commenting on the armed resistance Omar said: | |
| Assad's army has not yet sent troops in on the ground. That's why there have been no clashes between the Syrian Free Army [FSA] and Assad's army. The FSA just has light machine guns. They have RPGs for the tanks but so far they [the regular army] are firing from a long distance using multi rocket launchers. They [the FSA] don't have weapons against those rockets. | |
| Asked what he would like the international community to do, Omar said: | |
| Would the international community like to see another Kosovo in 2012. They intervened in Libya in 11 days. Now we have been on the streets for 11 months. | |
| What are they waiting for? We are dying here. We have children here dying because there is no baby milk. Assad's regime should be taken to the international criminal court. | |
| 10.39am: There are breaking reports that Germany is expelling four Syrian diplomats. | 10.39am: There are breaking reports that Germany is expelling four Syrian diplomats. |
| 10.29am: Syria's top Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, met Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday and thanked Iran for supporting the Syrian regime. According to Amadinejad's website, Hassoun expressed "the appreciation and congratulations of the Syrian nation and president for the stands adopted by the Iranian president, nation and leadership". | 10.29am: Syria's top Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, met Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday and thanked Iran for supporting the Syrian regime. According to Amadinejad's website, Hassoun expressed "the appreciation and congratulations of the Syrian nation and president for the stands adopted by the Iranian president, nation and leadership". |
| Ahmadinejad reportedly told him: "America and its allies are trying to flicker the flames of another war in the region, and meanwhile break the line of Islamic resistance, but we believe relying on unity, trusting in God, and taking advantage of wisdom, we can keep resisting against them effectively." | Ahmadinejad reportedly told him: "America and its allies are trying to flicker the flames of another war in the region, and meanwhile break the line of Islamic resistance, but we believe relying on unity, trusting in God, and taking advantage of wisdom, we can keep resisting against them effectively." |
| 10.08am: Patrick Seale, a prominent Syria-watcher who wrote a biography of President Assad's father, argues in a new article that the rise of an armed opposition "has provided the Syrian regime with the justification it needed to seek to crush it with ever bloodier repression". Writing for Middle East Live he says: | 10.08am: Patrick Seale, a prominent Syria-watcher who wrote a biography of President Assad's father, argues in a new article that the rise of an armed opposition "has provided the Syrian regime with the justification it needed to seek to crush it with ever bloodier repression". Writing for Middle East Live he says: |
| The opposition's mistake has been to resort to arms – to become militarised – largely in the form of the Free Syrian Army, a motley force of defectors from the armed services, as well as free-lance fighters and hard-line Islamists. It has been conducting hit-and-run attacks on regime targets and regime loyalists. The exiled opposition leadership is composed of a number of disparate, often squabbling, groupings – of which the best known is the Syrian National Council. Inside the SNC, the Muslim Brotherhood is the best organised and funded element of the opposition. Outlawed since its terrorist campaign in 1977-1982 to overthrow the regime of Hafiz al-Asad – an attempt crushed in blood at Hama – it is driven by a thirst for revenge. | The opposition's mistake has been to resort to arms – to become militarised – largely in the form of the Free Syrian Army, a motley force of defectors from the armed services, as well as free-lance fighters and hard-line Islamists. It has been conducting hit-and-run attacks on regime targets and regime loyalists. The exiled opposition leadership is composed of a number of disparate, often squabbling, groupings – of which the best known is the Syrian National Council. Inside the SNC, the Muslim Brotherhood is the best organised and funded element of the opposition. Outlawed since its terrorist campaign in 1977-1982 to overthrow the regime of Hafiz al-Asad – an attempt crushed in blood at Hama – it is driven by a thirst for revenge. |
| No regime, whatever its political colouring, can tolerate an armed uprising without responding with full force. | No regime, whatever its political colouring, can tolerate an armed uprising without responding with full force. |
| 9.31am: A Syrian journalist, Mazhar Tayyara, is reportedly among those killed in Homs. | 9.31am: A Syrian journalist, Mazhar Tayyara, is reportedly among those killed in Homs. |
| The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says: | The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says: |
| Tayyara, known as "Omar the Syrian," was reporting from the Homs neighborhood of Al-Khaldiyeh [on Saturday] when government forces shelled the district, the news website Citizenside reported. The journalist began helping people injured from the blasts when "a second volley of shells fell and he was hit," Tayyara's friend told AFP. The journalist sustained multiple severe injuries and died in the hospital within hours, news reports said. | Tayyara, known as "Omar the Syrian," was reporting from the Homs neighborhood of Al-Khaldiyeh [on Saturday] when government forces shelled the district, the news website Citizenside reported. The journalist began helping people injured from the blasts when "a second volley of shells fell and he was hit," Tayyara's friend told AFP. The journalist sustained multiple severe injuries and died in the hospital within hours, news reports said. |
| The CPJ has documented the deaths of three other journalists in Syria during the last four months. In November, cameraman Ferzat Jerban was found in Homs with his eyes gouged out. Basil al-Sayed, a videographer, was shot and killed at a Homs checkpoint in late December, and French journalist Gilles Jacquier was killed in January while covering a pro-regime rally in Homs. | The CPJ has documented the deaths of three other journalists in Syria during the last four months. In November, cameraman Ferzat Jerban was found in Homs with his eyes gouged out. Basil al-Sayed, a videographer, was shot and killed at a Homs checkpoint in late December, and French journalist Gilles Jacquier was killed in January while covering a pro-regime rally in Homs. |
| 9.20am: More video from Baba Amr shows the already bomb-torn neighbourhood being pounded by shell after shell on Wednesday. | 9.20am: More video from Baba Amr shows the already bomb-torn neighbourhood being pounded by shell after shell on Wednesday. |
| The video cannot be independently verified but it what it shows would be impossible to fake. | The video cannot be independently verified but it what it shows would be impossible to fake. |
| Activist Omar Shakir, who claims to be in Homs, tweeted this image: | Activist Omar Shakir, who claims to be in Homs, tweeted this image: |
| #Syria #Homs #UN #Assadcrimes #Babaamr where are the #UN twitter.com/OmarShakir91/s… | #Syria #Homs #UN #Assadcrimes #Babaamr where are the #UN twitter.com/OmarShakir91/s… |
| — Omar shakir (@OmarShakir91) February 9, 2012 | — Omar shakir (@OmarShakir91) February 9, 2012 |
| Syrian-American Dima Moussa, spokesperson Revolutionary Council of Homs, has a new unverified update on today's death toll. | Syrian-American Dima Moussa, spokesperson Revolutionary Council of Homs, has a new unverified update on today's death toll. |
| We have at least 31 confirmed martyrs in #Homs today, most of them from #BabaAmr. It's not even noon yet. #Syria | We have at least 31 confirmed martyrs in #Homs today, most of them from #BabaAmr. It's not even noon yet. #Syria |
| — Dima Moussa (@dimam78) February 9, 2012 | — Dima Moussa (@dimam78) February 9, 2012 |
| 9.06am: China's foreign ministry has said a Syrian opposition delegation visited the country this week and met a deputy foreign minister, Zhai Jun, Reuters reports. | 9.06am: China's foreign ministry has said a Syrian opposition delegation visited the country this week and met a deputy foreign minister, Zhai Jun, Reuters reports. |
| It was the first contact reported by China in the wake of escalating violence in Syria and Beijing's veto in the UN of a draft resolution on the country. | It was the first contact reported by China in the wake of escalating violence in Syria and Beijing's veto in the UN of a draft resolution on the country. |
| China's communist rulers have always resented the advent of 'humanitarian intervention', writes Steve Tsang director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham. | China's communist rulers have always resented the advent of 'humanitarian intervention', writes Steve Tsang director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham. |
| After all, if the western powers can impose regime change on authoritarian states on humanitarian grounds, why would this stop at China's borders? But, until now, there was little that China's leaders could do about it. Now, with the costs of the West's misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan (and, to a lesser extent, in Libya) compounded by its major economies' weakness, China's leaders appear to see an opportunity to push back. | After all, if the western powers can impose regime change on authoritarian states on humanitarian grounds, why would this stop at China's borders? But, until now, there was little that China's leaders could do about it. Now, with the costs of the West's misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan (and, to a lesser extent, in Libya) compounded by its major economies' weakness, China's leaders appear to see an opportunity to push back. |
| With Russia on its side, the Chinese government can take a stand without appearing isolated. And, while a long-term strategic alliance between Russia and China may not be in the offing, tactical cooperation to stop the West from imposing its values on the global community is likely to persist, so long as Vladimir Putin retains power in Russia. | With Russia on its side, the Chinese government can take a stand without appearing isolated. And, while a long-term strategic alliance between Russia and China may not be in the offing, tactical cooperation to stop the West from imposing its values on the global community is likely to persist, so long as Vladimir Putin retains power in Russia. |
| A rising great power like China taking on a proactive global role is, in principle, a positive development. But the world will not be a better place if China's newfound assertiveness is focused – or, just as importantly, is perceived to be focused – almost exclusively on helping autocrats to stay in power through brutal repression of their citizens. | A rising great power like China taking on a proactive global role is, in principle, a positive development. But the world will not be a better place if China's newfound assertiveness is focused – or, just as importantly, is perceived to be focused – almost exclusively on helping autocrats to stay in power through brutal repression of their citizens. |
| 8.57am: "We don't want monitors again, we want the UN to interfere with the army," British-Syrian activist Danny Abdul Dayem says in his latest video appeal from Homs. | 8.57am: "We don't want monitors again, we want the UN to interfere with the army," British-Syrian activist Danny Abdul Dayem says in his latest video appeal from Homs. |
| He was speaking as he toured the wreckage of house in the Baba Amr district of Homs where he claimed four civilians had been killed. | He was speaking as he toured the wreckage of house in the Baba Amr district of Homs where he claimed four civilians had been killed. |
| 8.36am: (all times GMT) Welcome to Middle East Live. Syria remains the focus. The UN has offered to join the Arab League monitoring mission amid the continuing crackdown on opposition strongholds by president Bashar al-Assad's forces. | 8.36am: (all times GMT) Welcome to Middle East Live. Syria remains the focus. The UN has offered to join the Arab League monitoring mission amid the continuing crackdown on opposition strongholds by president Bashar al-Assad's forces. |
| Here's a roundup of the latest developments: | Here's a roundup of the latest developments: |
| • Activists say Syrian forces have renewed their assault on Homs in the heaviest bombardment the city has seen, AP reports. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 12 people were killed Thursday morning but an exact death toll couldn't immediately be determined because of the chaos in the city. | • Activists say Syrian forces have renewed their assault on Homs in the heaviest bombardment the city has seen, AP reports. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 12 people were killed Thursday morning but an exact death toll couldn't immediately be determined because of the chaos in the city. |
| • The United Nations and the Arab League have proposed sending a joint observer mission to try to end the crisis in Syria, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has announced. | • The United Nations and the Arab League have proposed sending a joint observer mission to try to end the crisis in Syria, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has announced. |
| Ban also suggested that Russia and China's veto of the draft resolution on Syria has been "disastrous for the people of Syria". He said the failure to agree on collective action "has encouraged the Syrian Government to step up its war on its own people". | Ban also suggested that Russia and China's veto of the draft resolution on Syria has been "disastrous for the people of Syria". He said the failure to agree on collective action "has encouraged the Syrian Government to step up its war on its own people". |
| • Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the international community needed to provide something more forceful than an observer mission. Speaking to Reuters before flying to Washington for talks on Syria, he said: "It is not enough being an observer. It is time now to send a strong message to the Syrian people that we are with them." | • Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the international community needed to provide something more forceful than an observer mission. Speaking to Reuters before flying to Washington for talks on Syria, he said: "It is not enough being an observer. It is time now to send a strong message to the Syrian people that we are with them." |
| • The west and the Arab world are scrambling to find a new diplomatic strategy without Russian and Chinese help. A "friends of Syria" conference is expected to be called in the next few days to agree joint measures, including new sanctions, anti-Assad resolutions at the UN general assembly, and diplomatic support for the opposition Syrian National Council with the aim of molding it into a credible alternative to the Assad regime. The next steps will be decided at meetings of the Gulf Co-operation Council on Saturday and the Arab League on Sunday. | • The west and the Arab world are scrambling to find a new diplomatic strategy without Russian and Chinese help. A "friends of Syria" conference is expected to be called in the next few days to agree joint measures, including new sanctions, anti-Assad resolutions at the UN general assembly, and diplomatic support for the opposition Syrian National Council with the aim of molding it into a credible alternative to the Assad regime. The next steps will be decided at meetings of the Gulf Co-operation Council on Saturday and the Arab League on Sunday. |
| • The Pentagon is drawing up contingency plans for intervention in Syria that include military action. The defence department has for several weeks been planning a range of US actions, from dealing with a flood of refugees and the provision of medical relief to a direct military assault on Syria. Included in the planning is intervention coordinated with allies such as Turkey and other countries in Nato. Administration officials said the "internal review" was at the initiative of the Pentagon, not the White House, in order to be able to present options to President Obama if he were to call for them. | • The Pentagon is drawing up contingency plans for intervention in Syria that include military action. The defence department has for several weeks been planning a range of US actions, from dealing with a flood of refugees and the provision of medical relief to a direct military assault on Syria. Included in the planning is intervention coordinated with allies such as Turkey and other countries in Nato. Administration officials said the "internal review" was at the initiative of the Pentagon, not the White House, in order to be able to present options to President Obama if he were to call for them. |
| • Residents in Homs said on Wednesday that the noose was tightening around their besieged city, with the Syrian army carrying out a ferocious bombardment against the helpless civilians trapped inside. At least 27 people were killed on Wednesday, with about 200 injured, 50 seriously, activists said, after unrelenting artillery attacks. Activist Waleed Farah told the Guardian, "It isn't war between two armies. It's between the army and civilians. You hear the rockets and explosions. You feel you are at the front. The situation for civilians is pitiful." | • Residents in Homs said on Wednesday that the noose was tightening around their besieged city, with the Syrian army carrying out a ferocious bombardment against the helpless civilians trapped inside. At least 27 people were killed on Wednesday, with about 200 injured, 50 seriously, activists said, after unrelenting artillery attacks. Activist Waleed Farah told the Guardian, "It isn't war between two armies. It's between the army and civilians. You hear the rockets and explosions. You feel you are at the front. The situation for civilians is pitiful." |
| • The foreign power most actively involved inside Syria is Iran, says Simon Tisdall. | • The foreign power most actively involved inside Syria is Iran, says Simon Tisdall. |
| The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Syrian sources saying Suleimani was, in effect, acting as chief regime adviser and strategist ... | The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Syrian sources saying Suleimani was, in effect, acting as chief regime adviser and strategist ... |
| Iranian Revolutionary Guards are said to be present in Syria in numbers ranging into the hundreds, though exact figures cannot be confirmed. They act as trainers, advisers and intelligence-gatherers to regime forces, in much the same way as Iranian agents assisted extremist Shia and Sunni groups fighting US forces during the occupation of Iraq ... | Iranian Revolutionary Guards are said to be present in Syria in numbers ranging into the hundreds, though exact figures cannot be confirmed. They act as trainers, advisers and intelligence-gatherers to regime forces, in much the same way as Iranian agents assisted extremist Shia and Sunni groups fighting US forces during the occupation of Iraq ... |
| For Assad, Iran is a source of protection, security and funds. | For Assad, Iran is a source of protection, security and funds. |
| • The Free Syrian Army should end their suicidal resistance and broker for peace, argues former UN diplomat Daniel Serwer in the Atlantic. | • The Free Syrian Army should end their suicidal resistance and broker for peace, argues former UN diplomat Daniel Serwer in the Atlantic. |
| The Free Syria Army, an informal collection of anti-regime insurgents, is nowhere near able to protect the population. Their activities provoke the government and its unfree Army to even worse violence. It would be far better if defected soldiers worked for strictly defensive purposes, accompanying street demonstrators and rooting outagents provocateurs rather than suicidally contesting forces that are clearly stronger and better armed. A few automatic weapon rounds fired in the general direction of the artillery regiments bombarding Homs are going to help the artillery with targeting and do little else ... | The Free Syria Army, an informal collection of anti-regime insurgents, is nowhere near able to protect the population. Their activities provoke the government and its unfree Army to even worse violence. It would be far better if defected soldiers worked for strictly defensive purposes, accompanying street demonstrators and rooting outagents provocateurs rather than suicidally contesting forces that are clearly stronger and better armed. A few automatic weapon rounds fired in the general direction of the artillery regiments bombarding Homs are going to help the artillery with targeting and do little else ... |
| The opposition should ask for a ceasefire and the return of the Arab League observers, who clearly had a moderating influence on the activities of the regime. And, this time around, they should be beefed up with UN human rights observers. If the violence continues to spiral, the regime is going to win. | The opposition should ask for a ceasefire and the return of the Arab League observers, who clearly had a moderating influence on the activities of the regime. And, this time around, they should be beefed up with UN human rights observers. If the violence continues to spiral, the regime is going to win. |