Latest Here is our summary of events in Syria on Thursday, Middle East

Latest

Here is our summary of events in Syria on Thursday,  Middle East 

• Iran was on Thursday night moving up its ground forces in Syria in preparation for an attack to reclaim rebel-held territory under the cover of Russian air strikes, according to sources close to Damascus. Hizbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia which has come to the Assad regime’s rescue in battle-fronts across the country in the past two years, is being prepared to capitalise on the strikes, a Syrian figure close to the regime told The Telegraph

• Sources in Lebanon told Reuters that Iran, which is the main sponsor and tactical adviser to Hizbollah, was sending in hundreds of its own troops to reinforce them. Iran made no comment on the claims but Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, said the move would be an "apt and powerful illustration" that Russia's military actions had worsened the conflict.

• A Hizbollah-backed advance would fit the pattern of Russian air-strikes, which have predominantly targeted those rebels not aligned to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant who currently present the gravest threat on the ground to core regime territory.
• The long-term aim would be to defeat or demoralise the non-Isil opposition, so that Isil became the regime’s only enemy. That would force the West to back President Bashar al-Assad against it. “They want to clean the country of non-Isil rebels, and then the US will work with them as Isil will be the only enemy," the Damascus source said.
Smoke rises after airstrikes by military jets in Talbiseh, Homs province  Photo: AP
• The Russians continued their aerial bombardment on Thursday. Targets included Jisr al-Shughour and Jabal al-Zawiya, areas under the control of Jaish al-Fatah, the Army of Conquest, an alliance of Islamist groups which have won significant victories against the regime this year. They also included Isil targets in Raqqa and Deir Ezzour provinces, including a Syrian Air Force base which fell to Isil earlier this year after a long siege.
• The Kremlin admitted on Thursday that targets included non-Isil targets - something it had previously denied - and that its aim was to shore the regime “in its weak spots”. The White House last night said the failure to discriminate between Isil and other rebel groups was a “grave miscalculation”.

• Among the dead from Wednesday’s strikes was said to be a prominent rebel leader in north Homs province, Captain Iyad al-Deek, a former regime officer who defected early in the uprising.
• The rebels have promised to take the fight to the Russians, some in blood-curdling comments online. “Is it not time for the knight to mount his steed? Is it not time to cut off the heads? What are we waiting for? What remains?” said one man, Mohammad al-Maghaweer, who claimed to be a front-line fighter with Jaish al-Fatah.

• The rebels also claimed there were a number of civilians among the dead. "The mosque was virtually destroyed, and there was a body under the ruins, and there were eight wounded, among them a child,” said Tareq Abdul-Haq, a media activist who visited Jisr al-Shughour after the Russian bombing. He said a “poor, civilian” neighbourhood had been hit.
• Russia is preparing both a United Nations resolution purporting to cover both its bombing campaign and that of the US-led anti-Isil coalition under one formulation, and a new round of peace talks.

Russia joins war in Syria: Five key points

Russian warplanes have carried out their first air strikes on opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, adding a new dimension to the country's four-year civil war. What is going on?

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Russia says it is targeting Islamic State and 'other terrorists'

Image copyright Reuters

On 30 September, Russia's parliament approved a request by President Vladimir Putin to launch air strikes in Syria. Within hours, the country's first intervention in the Middle East in decades began.
Mr Putin said Russia was acting "preventatively, to fight and destroy militants and terrorists on the territories that they already occupy, not wait for them to come to our house".
The Russian defence ministry initially said the first wave of strikes targeted only the jihadist group, Islamic State (IS), which controls large parts of Syria and is fighting both government and rebel forces.
The following day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov clarified that the air campaign was targeting "all terrorists" in Syria, and not just IS. His ministry said a report by the Syrian Civil Defence rescue organisation of 33 civilian deaths on the first day of the air strikes was "false".
But the US and its allies noted that the strikes took place where IS had little or no presence. They instead appeared to be aimed at rebels backed by Gulf Arab and Western states who are advancing on Latakia province - the coastal heartland of Mr Assad's Alawite sect. At least one group that has been armed and trained by the CIA was hit, US officials said.

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Some Syrians are celebrating; others are fearful

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Media caption Video from opposition activists Syria Rebels Gathering appears to show the aftermath of Russian air strikes in the Syrian town of Talbiseh

Russia has made clear that its intervention was approved by Mr Assad, who sent a letter to Mr Putin requesting military assistance. Mr Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the targets were chosen "in co-ordination" with Syrian forces.
Syrian state media has strongly endorsed the air strikes on 30 September, and there were reports of celebrations by government supporters in Latakia. "They're all terrorists," Saleh al-Tartousi, an import contractor, told the Guardian. "They should not be spared mercy."
But opposition activists and rebel fighters have expressed alarm. "If these raids continue this way, Russia will kill a larger number of civilians that Bashar did in four years," Khoodair Khusheif, an activist in northern Homs province, told the New York Times.

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The US is not pleased - and it believes Russia is 'doomed to fail'

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Image caption US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Russia was "pouring gasoline on a fire"

Russia's president has said he still believes only a political solution can end the conflict in Syria, but some fear its intervention makes the prospect of a negotiated settlement more remote.
"By supporting Assad and seemingly taking on everyone who is fighting Assad, you're taking on the whole rest of the country of Syria," US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said after learning that rebel-held areas had been targeted.
"At least some parts of the anti-Assad opposition belong in the political transition going forward. That's why... the Russian approach is doomed to fail."
He went on to warn that Russia "risks escalating the civil war in Syria - and with it, the very extremism and instability that Moscow claims to be concerned about". "That approach is tantamount… to pouring gasoline on the fire," he added.

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Russia believes only President Assad can stop Islamic State

Image copyright AP

Image caption Russia has blocked several resolutions critical of Bashar al-Assad at the UN

The Russian president is one of Mr Assad's most important international backers.
Ties between their countries go back four decades and the Syrian port of Tartous is the location of the last Russian naval base in the Middle East. Russia has blocked several resolutions critical of Mr Assad at the UN Security Council and supplied weapons to the Syrian military, saying it is violating no international laws.
With Syrian government forces suffering a string of defeats to both rebel forces and IS over the past year, Mr Putin decided to intervene. In early September, Russian warplanes, attack helicopters, tanks, anti-aircraft systems and hundreds of marines arrived at a base in Latakia province.
Russian officials have reportedly said they are not intent on keeping Mr Assad in power, but they see his government as a bulwark against IS, which controls large parts of northern and eastern Syria.
Asked in an interview with CBS if his goal was "trying to save the Assad administration", Mr Putin replied: "You're right."

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Russia's military build-up hints at wider involvement

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Media caption What hardware does Russia have?

Russia's deployment of air-to-air fighter aircraft and air-defence systems in Latakia suggests it may be preparing to do more than just carry out air strikes on IS and protect its base at Tartous.
Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen Philip Breedlove, warned on 28 September that Russia was developing an anti-aircraft "bubble" in the eastern Mediterranean. "These very sophisticated air-defence capabilities are not about [IS]," he said.
"High on Mr Putin's list in Syria is preserving the regime against those that are putting pressure on the regime, and against those that they see who might be supporting those putting pressure on the regime," the general added.
Russia might even attempt to impose a no-fly zone that would prevent air strikes by the US-led coalition against IS, many of whose member states back the rebels. A Russian general asked the US military to avoid Syrian airspace on the first day of its air campaign, but the request was ignored, US officials said.

 

Syria conflict: Russia launches fresh strikes

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Media caption The Russian Defence Ministry released drone footage which it said showed a new round of air strikes

Syria's war

• Russia's intervention lifts Syria crisis to new level
• Syria crisis: Where key countries stand
• Russia joins Syrian war: Key points
• Syria: What can Russia's air force do?

Russia says it has launched air strikes in Syria for a second day, targeting militants from Islamic State (IS).

The defence ministry said its jets had destroyed an IS ammunition depot and control centres.
However, the areas reportedly attacked appeared to be held by groups opposed to IS and the Syrian government.
The US and its allies fear the strikes have mainly targeted non-IS opponents of Russia's ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon and Russian military officials are due to hold talks on avoiding clashes between their forces in Syria.
The latest attacks reportedly hit sites in the north-west held by the Army of Conquest rebel alliance, as well as areas in Homs and Hama provinces.
The strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour was hit, as well as areas in Idlib province and Hama province further south, according to Lebanon's al-Mayadeen TV.
Rebel activists also reported strikes at Ghantu in Homs province, close to some of Wednesday's attacks.
Russia said it had hit 12 IS positions in the past 24 hours, although this cannot be independently verified.

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Analysis by Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent

The Syrian government's army may not be what it was, but in local terms it is still a force to be reckoned with.
Bolstered with new Russian equipment and now backed by Russian air power, it could hold its own against most of the opposition forces.
Russia does not have the elaborate intelligence gathering panoply of the US. But much of its targeting will be based upon tactical intelligence obtained from Syrian units on the ground.
This then is the key to Russia's strategy. It is to consolidate the Assad regime, to relieve the pressure points and to ensure that its ally remains a factor in any future diplomatic settlement.
To this end - and there are strong indications of this even from Russia's initial air strikes - Moscow will hit any opponents of the Syrian regime where necessary.
What can Russia's air force do?

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Two of Thursday's sorties were against a rebel group trained by the CIA, its commander said.
Hassan Haj Ali, of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal group, told Reuters news agency that about 20 missiles had hit their training camp in Idlib province.
He said the Russian jets were identified by former Syrian air force pilots who are now members of his group.
The Army of Conquest (Jaysh al-Fatah) alliance had made advances in the north-west in recent months, taking Idlib and Jisr al-Shughour from pro-government forces.
The alliance includes the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, and the hard-line Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, as well as several more moderate Islamist groups.
All are opposed to IS and have fought bloody battles with the jihadist group.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says that President Assad, together with his allies Iran and Russia, appeared to be trying to squeeze out other rebel groups so that the only alternative to the Syrian regime would be IS.
More than 50 planes and helicopters are involved in the Russian military operation in Syria, Russia's defence ministry said.
Opposition groups said Wednesday's attacks had killed more than 30 civilians. However, President Putin denied the claims, telling Russian television that the first reports of civilian casualties came "even before our jets took off".
The US, which is targeting IS with air strikes in both Syria and Iraq, says it was informed about Russia's air strikes only an hour before they began on Wednesday.
The French defence minister said the strikes had not targeted IS, while US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Russia's approach was "tantamount to pouring gasoline on the fire".

Image copyright AP

Image caption Russian air strikes on Wednesday hit areas north of Homs, including Talbiseh

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Media caption What hardware does Russia have?

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Syria's civil war

Image copyright AFP

What's the human cost?
More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a million injured in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war.
And the survivors?
More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes, four million of them abroad, as forces loyal to President Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from IS and other groups. Growing numbers of refugees are going to Europe.
How has the world reacted?
Regional and world powers have also been drawn into the conflict. Iran and Russia, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, are propping up the Alawite-led government. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are backing the Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France.

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Are you in the area? Have you been affected by this story? Let us know about your experiences.

New Website Makes Medications Less Confusing

Health care decisions can be extremely difficult. They can also be very confusing.
I’ve experienced some of these decisions first-hand. When I was younger, I suffered from cystic acne, a condition which failed to significantly respond to many of the typical forms of treatment.
Eventually I ended up on an intense drug called Accutane that almost completely solved the problem. The side effects took a toll on my body; my skin and lips were constantly dry, and I had to avoid long sun exposure because of increased photosensitivity, but in the end the long-term benefits seemed to outweigh the costs.
Accutane has since been recalled by the manufacturer due to many lawsuits over much worse side effects. Some of these side effects had been made clear to me, such as the possibility of birth defects in pregnant women and an increased risk of suicidal behavior. There were other side effects of which I was completely unaware, including gastrointestinal issues ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to Crohn’s disease.
Even if I had been aware of all of the potential side effects, I probably wouldn’t have changed my mind about taking the drug. All drugs have seemingly endless lists of possible side effects, and if this deters someone, they’re unlikely to take any drug.
But just this month, a new site has been launched that aims to make communicating health care information much simpler. The site is called Informulary, and their flagship initiative is a project called DrugFactBox. In partnership with Consumer Reports, the project provides clear and simple information about medications so patients can make informed decisions.
It’s probably best if people can have these conversations with their doctors. But not everyone has a good doctor they feel comfortable having a discussion about all the necessary considerations that go into medical decisions. Some doctors lack all information or time that would be required to have such in-depth discussion. I for one was certainly rushed through the appointment in which I received my prescription for Accutane.
Had all the relevant information been available to me, I might have chosen not to take the drug after all. Surely many more people are on drugs that they wouldn’t be taking if they were full informed; perhaps many others would choose to take a beneficial treatment if its potential upsides and downsides were clearly and concisely explained. Hopefully the DrugFactBox project can help bring more clarity to these kinds of decisions.
But Informulary is doing more than just providing relevant information in an accessible format. It’s also highlighting a significant deficiency in our health care system, which in many ways has failed to emphasize the importance of basic communication.
Sometimes these failures can be deadly. For example, we know well that some medications can be deadly when mixed with street drugs or alcohol. Though perhaps some of these deaths could be linked to a lack of self-control rather than a lack of information, some experts believe that there is a fundamental lack of understanding about the dangers that can result from these fatal combinations.
Other dangers abound from confusions simply about similar-sounding drug names. And it is well known that people with limited English-language skills are often underserved by our health system.
And confusion can exist even around Tylenol, perhaps the most ubiquitous, familiar and innocent-seeming drug in the United States. For years, the Infant version of Tylenol was given in a higher concentration than the Child version, a choice which was counterintuitive, and thus unrecognized, by many patients as well as doctors. Because it was so confusing, manufacturers have since stopped this practice.
But since Tylenol can become toxic quickly, the confusion around child dosing was deadly. At least three deaths were found to related to mixups between the infant and child doses.
Medications are powerful and can do a lot of good by relieving suffering and disease. Informulary hopes to facilitate their use by the public by providing the necessary information in a useful way. But errors from failures of communication abound in the medical industry, and reducing these missteps ought to be a top priority.

Be a Voice for Animals on World Day for Farmed Animals

Approximately 65 billion animals are killed each year to produce meat, eggs and dairy, according to Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), a national nonprofit organization working to end the use of animals for food through public education and grassroots activism. 
It’s hard to wrap one’s mind around that astronomical number, isn’t it? FARM explains:

Most of these animals are raised on factory farms, where they are confined, mutilated and raised to grow so large, so quickly, that many of them literally suffer to death. Even animals raised on small family farms endure many of these abuses. Regardless of how they were raised, all animals raised for food face a gruesome slaughter.

With a desire to expose “the needless suffering and death of sentient animals raised and killed for food”, in 1983 FARM founded World Day for Farmed Animals (WDFA), a worldwide day of action that takes place every October 2.
On October 2 those interested in participating in World Day for Farmed Animals can pledge to #FastAgainstSlaughter, joining thousands around the world in a day-long fast in solidarity with farmed animals.
Alex Hershaft, the founder of FARM, has taken part in his own Fast Against Slaughter for over 30 years to show his solidarity with farmed animals who are routinely starved for several hours as they are transported to slaughter. He decided to call on the public to join him in his 32nd fast; there was an overwhelming response, and so it continues.
But fasting isn’t the only way to take part in World Day for Farmed Animals. There are plenty of other events. Participants can plan and/or attend a demonstration, watch and share the hard-hitting video about animal agriculture called 10 Billion Lives, and distribute literature.
Last year on the 32nd annual World Day for Farmed Animals, over 12,000 people in 95 different countries on six continents participated in the Fast Against Slaughter. There were also candlelight vigils, marches, cage-ins, information tables, exhibits, video screenings, and more.
Activists in the UK protested outside a McDonald’s restaurant, groups in Russia organized leafleting and outreach events, and activists demonstrated at slaughterhouses in 14 cities in the United States and 4 in Canada, including a moving protest at Farmer John led by animal rights activist Ellen Ericksen and FARM.
(For those unfamiliar, Farmer John is what some refer to as a pork packing facility located just south of L.A., but more to the point, it’s a slaughterhouse with a seriously creepy mural painted on it.)
At the Farmer John demonstration last year, Ericksen shared with the crowd that 8,100 pigs brutally lose their lives there five days a week, trucked in during the dark of night. If accurate, that adds up to 40,500 slaughtered pigs per week, a horrendously staggering number.
Leading up to the Farmer John demonstration, there was this action:

Four activists drove out to a farm in Utah to follow and document the 500-mile journey undertaken by pigs in transport to the notorious Los Angeles slaughterhouse Farmer John. They were arrested and charged under Utah’s “ag-gag” legislation for taking photographs from the street, only the second time an ag-gag law has been enforced in the US. Activists met the trucks from Utah at Farmer John at an early morning demonstration.

We talk a lot about farmed animal welfare here at Care2—of the horrible journey they’re forced to endure from farm to slaughterhouse (1 percent are expected to die en route), the inhumane living and deplorable factory farm conditions, and what a slaughterhouse is really like behind the scenes.
On October 2, people will join together to be a voice for farmed animals. It’s one day of the year when those around the world who care unite to expose the unnecessary suffering of animals who are often tortured, and in the end, slaughtered. That is, if they make it to the slaughterhouse.
Get Involved in World Day for Farmed Animals
It goes without saying, the actions of thousands of people one day a year isn’t likely to end farmed animal suffering around the world, but it’s a start, and it’s something. So will you be a voice for animals on World Day for Farmed Animals?
Visit www.dayforanimals.org to get involved.

Denying Gay Marriage Licenses Is a Human Right According to the Pope

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Pope Francis has added to his list of pronouncements against same-sex marriage this week by telling reporters that conscientious objectors to gay marriage should not face repercussions for their refusal to follow the law because to do so takes away their “human right” to object.
In a conversation with reporters on Monday while on board the papal plane after his historic visit to the United States and Cuba, Pope Francis was asked whether he supported individuals, including people acting in a governmental capacity, who refuse to follow the law on issues where they have a moral objection. Issuing same-sex marriage licenses was reportedly specifically mentioned in that question, suggesting the reporter was referring to Rowan county clerk Kim Davis who was sent to prison for a short time for being in contempt of court after refusing to comply with a judge’s order that she must issue licenses to same-sex couples.
The Pope is quoted as replying: “I can’t have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection … but yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right.”
He went on: ”Conscientious objection must enter into every juridical structure because it is a right, a human right. Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying, ‘this right that has merit, this one does not.’”
When asked to clarify whether this applies to a person acting in a government role, the Pope reportedly said:  ”It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.”
It should be stressed that this was a translation provided by a person that was on board the plane relaying the message to reporters and is not considered an “official” translation in the same way that a speech or written comments issued by the Vatican might be considered official. However, the Vatican has not moved to issue a retraction or clarification of these widely reported remarks and therefore they are being taken as an accurate representation of the Pope’s stance. They also fall in line with his prior statements surrounding this issue.
As such, the Pope’s comments will likely embolden Kim Davis’ supporters. Davis has become a martyr for the Christian right-wing who say she is an example of how Christian freedoms–because they never seem to mention religious freedom for Buddhists or Muslims–are being taken away. She has even been given awards by far right hate groups, with the Family Research Council giving her its “Cost of Discipleship Award,” and has been touted as an example of Republican strength of character after switching her allegiance from the Democrats to the Republicans.
For her part, Davis continues her crusade to prevent same-sex couples being able to obtain marriage licenses. The terms of her release from prison are that she is not allowed to prevent same-sex couples from getting such licenses at her office, however she appears to have done everything but directly prevent that; she is still refusing to issue those licenses with her signature, altering them so their validity became a question for legal groups to determine, and she is also taking steps to further fight in court to be allowed to deny same-sex couples those licenses.
The Pope’s words will likely serve to embolden her cause. However, they shouldn’t.
What the Pope may have failed to properly grasp, or may even have ignored in this case, is that Davis’ religious right to object extends only so far. She should never be compelled to do something against her moral conscience with no alternative open to her. That of course would be wrong. However, she does have an option, she just doesn’t like it: she may resign from her position as an elected government official.
Furthermore, there is a question as to why she is forcing her religious beliefs to come into play here at all. As an official in a government capacity she must carry out her duty. Part of that is to give out marriage licenses. Never before has Davis made her religion an issue despite the fact that she has probably served hundreds of straight couples, some of whom likely had sex outside of marriage, would go on to get divorced, would have affairs or may have been committing any number of so-called sins. Yet she has chosen to make a value judgement about whom she will and wont serve based on their sexual orientation. Through this, she has gone to pains to make her religion an issue when before she hadn’t bothered to introduce it as such.
The Pope isn’t therefore defending Davis’ human right to conscientious objection; whether meaning to or not he appears to be advocating for a special right for the religious to simply ignore secular law and apply their cherry-picked religious morality as and when they choose, and at the cost of other people’s civil rights. That’s precisely the kind of act that the United States system of separation of powers and deliberate separation of church and state is supposed to guard against.
Meanwhile, same-sex couples in Kentucky are now demanding that Davis’ office be made to issue standard licenses and not the amended ones her staff have been using. As Davis will no doubt refuse to put her signature on those licenses, this will likely return to court in the coming few weeks.

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