This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/world/middleeast/syria.html
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| In Syrian Victory, Hezbollah Risks Broader Fight | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BEIRUT, Lebanon — In the final days the outgunned Syrian rebels, deprived of reinforcements, ammunition and sleep, were surviving on olives and canned beans. They were hiding in the concrete shells of destroyed houses and underground tunnels near the besieged rebel stronghold of Qusayr, unable to help their trapped colleagues and civilians dying of treatable wounds, as Syrian government forces and their Hezbollah allies from Lebanon assaulted the town by land and air. | BEIRUT, Lebanon — In the final days the outgunned Syrian rebels, deprived of reinforcements, ammunition and sleep, were surviving on olives and canned beans. They were hiding in the concrete shells of destroyed houses and underground tunnels near the besieged rebel stronghold of Qusayr, unable to help their trapped colleagues and civilians dying of treatable wounds, as Syrian government forces and their Hezbollah allies from Lebanon assaulted the town by land and air. |
| By Wednesday morning, it was time to flee for the rebel fighters in Qusayr, who had managed to repel the Syrian Army for months but could not withstand the additional attacks from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim organization whose leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has made common cause with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the two-year-old civil war. | By Wednesday morning, it was time to flee for the rebel fighters in Qusayr, who had managed to repel the Syrian Army for months but could not withstand the additional attacks from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim organization whose leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has made common cause with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the two-year-old civil war. |
| In triumphal tones, the Syrian news media announced that Qusayr had been seized, as rebels said they had withdrawn from most of the city but vowed to fight on. Syrian state media broadcast photographs of soldiers raising flags over wrecked buildings as the rebels fled, and the Syrian military was calling the victory a turning point. | In triumphal tones, the Syrian news media announced that Qusayr had been seized, as rebels said they had withdrawn from most of the city but vowed to fight on. Syrian state media broadcast photographs of soldiers raising flags over wrecked buildings as the rebels fled, and the Syrian military was calling the victory a turning point. |
| But Mr. Assad was victorious not because his military alone had defeated the rebels. Rather, he appeared to owe the victory to Hezbollah, which provided the crucial infantry power in recent weeks. Hezbollah’s role and the vengeful reactions of its critics have further intensified sectarian divisions in Syria and beyond its borders, creating new risks for both Mr. Assad and Mr. Nasrallah even in their moment of victory. | But Mr. Assad was victorious not because his military alone had defeated the rebels. Rather, he appeared to owe the victory to Hezbollah, which provided the crucial infantry power in recent weeks. Hezbollah’s role and the vengeful reactions of its critics have further intensified sectarian divisions in Syria and beyond its borders, creating new risks for both Mr. Assad and Mr. Nasrallah even in their moment of victory. |
| “We will not forget what Hassan Nasrallah did,” said Abu Zaid, 40, a fighter from Qusayr. “We will take revenge from him and his organization even after 100 years.” | “We will not forget what Hassan Nasrallah did,” said Abu Zaid, 40, a fighter from Qusayr. “We will take revenge from him and his organization even after 100 years.” |
| While taking Qusayr could infuse Mr. Assad’s forces with momentum and embolden him to push for more military advances — just as Russia and the United States are pressing the antagonists in the Syrian conflict to negotiate — the intervention by Hezbollah could reverberate for that organization, which historically has been revered in Syria for its opposition to Israel. Now, in the eyes of the Syrian insurgency and its sympathizers, Hezbollah has turned its guns on fellow Muslims and taken on the form of an occupying force. | While taking Qusayr could infuse Mr. Assad’s forces with momentum and embolden him to push for more military advances — just as Russia and the United States are pressing the antagonists in the Syrian conflict to negotiate — the intervention by Hezbollah could reverberate for that organization, which historically has been revered in Syria for its opposition to Israel. Now, in the eyes of the Syrian insurgency and its sympathizers, Hezbollah has turned its guns on fellow Muslims and taken on the form of an occupying force. |
| Before and after the insurgency’s defeat in Qusayr, rebels and civilian opponents of Mr. Assad vented rage not only at him but at his allies — particularly Iran and the well-trained Shiite Muslim fighters of Hezbollah, whom they largely blamed for the casualties they had suffered. | Before and after the insurgency’s defeat in Qusayr, rebels and civilian opponents of Mr. Assad vented rage not only at him but at his allies — particularly Iran and the well-trained Shiite Muslim fighters of Hezbollah, whom they largely blamed for the casualties they had suffered. |
| Many expressed bitterness toward Mr. Nasrallah, who had exhorted his followers to come to Mr. Assad’s aid against what Mr. Nasrallah portrayed as a jihadist-Israeli conspiracy to topple Mr. Assad and subvert Hezbollah’s ability to attack, or defend against, Israel. | Many expressed bitterness toward Mr. Nasrallah, who had exhorted his followers to come to Mr. Assad’s aid against what Mr. Nasrallah portrayed as a jihadist-Israeli conspiracy to topple Mr. Assad and subvert Hezbollah’s ability to attack, or defend against, Israel. |
| Syrian Sunnis who live in the Qusayr area, near the border with Lebanon, said they felt betrayed by Hezbollah, which they had once exalted because it had helped end Israel’s long occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. | Syrian Sunnis who live in the Qusayr area, near the border with Lebanon, said they felt betrayed by Hezbollah, which they had once exalted because it had helped end Israel’s long occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. |
| Families in Qusayr and surrounding villages say they remember sheltering many Lebanese refugees during Hezbollah’s war with Israel in 2006. Abu Mahmoud, a Syrian insurgent smuggler who said he once helped supply weapons to Hezbollah, said he was now using the same routes to furnish weapons to the insurgents fighting Hezbollah. | Families in Qusayr and surrounding villages say they remember sheltering many Lebanese refugees during Hezbollah’s war with Israel in 2006. Abu Mahmoud, a Syrian insurgent smuggler who said he once helped supply weapons to Hezbollah, said he was now using the same routes to furnish weapons to the insurgents fighting Hezbollah. |
| One activist, Mohammed al-Qusairi, said Hezbollah was “placing a burden on the shoulders of generations” of Shiites, like the one borne by Germans after their leaders “committed massacres against the Jews.” | One activist, Mohammed al-Qusairi, said Hezbollah was “placing a burden on the shoulders of generations” of Shiites, like the one borne by Germans after their leaders “committed massacres against the Jews.” |
| The insurgency’s defeat in Qusayr added to an array of Syria developments on Wednesday that suggested the conflict, which has left more than 80,000 people dead, would worsen and widen as it spreads into its third year. | The insurgency’s defeat in Qusayr added to an array of Syria developments on Wednesday that suggested the conflict, which has left more than 80,000 people dead, would worsen and widen as it spreads into its third year. |
| A meeting convened by American, Russian and United Nations officials in Geneva aimed at finding a way to hold peace talks was adjourned in failure, with no agreement on even who among the Syrian antagonists would attend. Lakhdar Brahimi, the special Syria envoy of the United Nations, said that the officials would hold another meeting June 25 and that “evidently, there is still a lot of work to do.” | A meeting convened by American, Russian and United Nations officials in Geneva aimed at finding a way to hold peace talks was adjourned in failure, with no agreement on even who among the Syrian antagonists would attend. Lakhdar Brahimi, the special Syria envoy of the United Nations, said that the officials would hold another meeting June 25 and that “evidently, there is still a lot of work to do.” |
| Worries about the use of sarin nerve gas in the conflict intensified, as Britain joined France in asserting that the evidence of such use by the government was more persuasive. The statements confronted American officials with the possibility that Mr. Assad had crossed what President Obama has called a “red line” that could prompt a more assertive American intervention. | Worries about the use of sarin nerve gas in the conflict intensified, as Britain joined France in asserting that the evidence of such use by the government was more persuasive. The statements confronted American officials with the possibility that Mr. Assad had crossed what President Obama has called a “red line” that could prompt a more assertive American intervention. |
| In another reflection of concern about a spillover in the war, Jordanian officials said that they had asked the United States for Patriot antimissile batteries and fighter jets to boost their defense abilities in the event of an attack from its northern neighbor. A Pentagon spokesman, Army Col. Steve Warren, confirmed the request and said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel “will favorably consider it.” | In another reflection of concern about a spillover in the war, Jordanian officials said that they had asked the United States for Patriot antimissile batteries and fighter jets to boost their defense abilities in the event of an attack from its northern neighbor. A Pentagon spokesman, Army Col. Steve Warren, confirmed the request and said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel “will favorably consider it.” |
| Further underscoring the volatility of the conflict, rebels and antigovernment activists in the Qusayr area said their fighters would battle on in surrounding villages and in the northern part of the town, where they are most deeply entrenched. Syria state news media reported that the fight was not completely over, saying the military was still sweeping northern Qusayr for militants. | Further underscoring the volatility of the conflict, rebels and antigovernment activists in the Qusayr area said their fighters would battle on in surrounding villages and in the northern part of the town, where they are most deeply entrenched. Syria state news media reported that the fight was not completely over, saying the military was still sweeping northern Qusayr for militants. |
| During a recent visit by a reporter, before Qusayr fell, the rebels proudly described the preparations that had allowed their outnumbered force to hold off the assault for longer than expected: tunnels that enabled them to slip in and out of the town; underground command rooms stocked with food, water and drugs; booby traps and mines; even cameras that monitored their attackers. | During a recent visit by a reporter, before Qusayr fell, the rebels proudly described the preparations that had allowed their outnumbered force to hold off the assault for longer than expected: tunnels that enabled them to slip in and out of the town; underground command rooms stocked with food, water and drugs; booby traps and mines; even cameras that monitored their attackers. |
| “We got this experience from Hezbollah’s tactics against the Israelis,” said Abu Ali, a fighter in Hamediyeh who, like most people interviewed, gave only a nom de guerre for safety. “Today we are using the same tactics against Hezbollah.” | “We got this experience from Hezbollah’s tactics against the Israelis,” said Abu Ali, a fighter in Hamediyeh who, like most people interviewed, gave only a nom de guerre for safety. “Today we are using the same tactics against Hezbollah.” |
| Taking a break from leading a band of rebels in the village, he added: “They attack us in our villages and homes, we don’t attack them in their houses. So they will see something they will never forget.” | Taking a break from leading a band of rebels in the village, he added: “They attack us in our villages and homes, we don’t attack them in their houses. So they will see something they will never forget.” |
| Even with their bravado, fighters around Qusayr said they felt alone, exhausted and abandoned in the face of a more powerful opponent. Strikingly, some seemed to borrow from Hezbollah ’s history: a sense of dispossession and grievance that they said would be felt for generations. | Even with their bravado, fighters around Qusayr said they felt alone, exhausted and abandoned in the face of a more powerful opponent. Strikingly, some seemed to borrow from Hezbollah ’s history: a sense of dispossession and grievance that they said would be felt for generations. |
| That feeling is familiar to Shiites, who still mourn the defeat and death of the revered Imam Hussein in a seventh-century battle against what they viewed as the oppressive faction that would become known as Sunnis. In Qusayr, as the rebels saw it, Shiites were the oppressors. | That feeling is familiar to Shiites, who still mourn the defeat and death of the revered Imam Hussein in a seventh-century battle against what they viewed as the oppressive faction that would become known as Sunnis. In Qusayr, as the rebels saw it, Shiites were the oppressors. |
| “The Shiites shout at us that we are the killers of Hussein,” Abu Zeid said. “We will call them the killers of women and children.” | “The Shiites shout at us that we are the killers of Hussein,” Abu Zeid said. “We will call them the killers of women and children.” |
| Underscoring the challenge of ever stitching Syria back together, Sunni activists and rebels said other sects, too, were arrayed against them: Alawites, the sect of Syria’s president, Mr. Assad, whom they accuse of attacking Sunni civilians; and other minorities, including Christians, who they say have remained silent on the excesses of the government’s crackdown. | Underscoring the challenge of ever stitching Syria back together, Sunni activists and rebels said other sects, too, were arrayed against them: Alawites, the sect of Syria’s president, Mr. Assad, whom they accuse of attacking Sunni civilians; and other minorities, including Christians, who they say have remained silent on the excesses of the government’s crackdown. |
| The bigger picture is more complicated. Though it is difficult to gauge events in an area where access has been limited by fighting and government restrictions, sectarian fighting, with attacks by both sides, seemed to begin more than a year ago. Shiite and Christian civilians who, like many Sunnis, have fled to Lebanon, say they too have been attacked and driven from their villages, by Sunnis. | The bigger picture is more complicated. Though it is difficult to gauge events in an area where access has been limited by fighting and government restrictions, sectarian fighting, with attacks by both sides, seemed to begin more than a year ago. Shiite and Christian civilians who, like many Sunnis, have fled to Lebanon, say they too have been attacked and driven from their villages, by Sunnis. |
| The situation inside Qusayr had grown especially desperate in the past few days as the government refused to admit Red Crescent workers until military operations ended. | The situation inside Qusayr had grown especially desperate in the past few days as the government refused to admit Red Crescent workers until military operations ended. |
| When his makeshift hospital was bombed, Dr. Qassem al-Zein said, he moved his patients to houses and basements, without oxygen, anesthetics, antibiotics or oxygen. There was little to offer more than 1,300 wounded people but the blood that others donated as often as possible, said an activist, Ammar. “Those who are wounded,” he said, “can certainly expect to become martyrs.” | When his makeshift hospital was bombed, Dr. Qassem al-Zein said, he moved his patients to houses and basements, without oxygen, anesthetics, antibiotics or oxygen. There was little to offer more than 1,300 wounded people but the blood that others donated as often as possible, said an activist, Ammar. “Those who are wounded,” he said, “can certainly expect to become martyrs.” |
| Rebels said they had managed to evacuate some of the wounded, although there were fears of reprisals against those who remained. “Yes my brothers, it is one round that we lost,” the Qusayr Coordinating Committee, an antigovernment group inside the town, said in a posting on its Facebook page on Wednesday. “But war is a drawn out competition.” | Rebels said they had managed to evacuate some of the wounded, although there were fears of reprisals against those who remained. “Yes my brothers, it is one round that we lost,” the Qusayr Coordinating Committee, an antigovernment group inside the town, said in a posting on its Facebook page on Wednesday. “But war is a drawn out competition.” |
Reporting was contributed by Hwaida Saad and Hania Mourtada from Beirut, Nick Cumming-Bruce from Geneva, an employee of The New York Times from Daba’a, Syria, Alan Cowell from London, Steven Erlanger from Paris, Thom Shanker from Washington, and Rick Gladstone from New York. | Reporting was contributed by Hwaida Saad and Hania Mourtada from Beirut, Nick Cumming-Bruce from Geneva, an employee of The New York Times from Daba’a, Syria, Alan Cowell from London, Steven Erlanger from Paris, Thom Shanker from Washington, and Rick Gladstone from New York. |