Up to 95 Percent of Syria Cut Off From Internet Thursday

TIME.com reports that Syria was largely cut off from the internet Thursday, one of the largest web cuts in the country since the start of the conflict.

“Multiple monitoring groups reported Thursday that Syria was cut off from the Internet, marking the second time in a month that the war-torn country has gone dark,” the site says. “The Internet monitor Renesys said 95% of Syria’s networks went down beginning at 8:26 ET. Google also shows traffic from the country dropping around that time and picking up only around 3:30 p.m.”

There are regular internet cuts across Syria, impacting most cities and provinces.

Syria Closes Lebanon Border Amid Clashes

Amid heavy clashes, Al Jazeera reports that Syrian troops have closed the Bqaiaa border crossing into Lebanon. The crossing is located in the Wadi Khaled region, where Thursday’s fighting was “so intense that stray bullets and rockets landed in Lebanon.”

“Syrian troops had ambushed the rebels as they tried to flee the besieged area,” the network reports. “Lebanese medical sources said 41 wounded Syrian rebels had crossed a river into Lebanon as they attempted to flee the fighting. Another eight rebels had either been carried in dead or succumbed to their wounds after escaping Syria.”

More than 1 million Syrians have crossed over the border into Lebanon thus far, with more expected as fighting continues in the southern provinces.

Former U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford Sees Assad as Staying in Power

The New York Times reports that former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said Assad was likely to stay in power for the “medium term” and that extremist rebel groups would still be fighting each other a year from now.

“It is hard to imagine that Assad is going in the short term, and even in the medium term, to lose control of the area between Aleppo south to Damascus and then over to the coast,” he said. “He will control that area — geographically it is maybe a fourth of the country. But the other three-quarters will be under the control of different armed elements or contested among different armed elements.”

The paper notes that Ford’s assessment was “starkly different from one the Obama administration presented as recently as last year, when it insisted that Mr. Assad’s days were numbered and that he was losing a battle of attrition with the moderate opposition.”

Syrian Troops Capture Famed Crusader Castle

Assad forces have captured Krak des Chevaliers, the famed 12th-century crusader castle and UNESCO world heritage site, from rebel hands. It’s the most high-profile capture of an archaeological site since the start of the conflict, worrying those whose job it is to protect Syria’s ancient sites.

“The military’s push into the Crac des Chevaliers marked the latest in a string of battlefield gains for President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. Government troops have seized at least four towns and villages in the past two weeks near the border with Lebanon as the army tries to sever opposition supply lines across the rugged, mountainous frontier,” reports the AP.

“The Crac des Chevaliers is considered one of the world’s best-preserved castles from the era of the Crusades. But, like nearly all of Syria’s rich archaeological and cultural heritage sites, the current conflict has taken a terrible toll on the citadel. Over the past 18 months, amateur videos posted online have shown shelling and air strikes hitting the thick stone ramparts.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team

Reuters: Three Dead in North Lebanon in Spillover From Syria War

Al Jazeera: Israel Warns Assad After Golan Heights Blast

Economist: Syria’s Civil War

Foreign Policy: Throwing Windmills at the Wyndham