Syrian Army Steps Up Damascus Operations
AFP reports the Syrian army “pounded” the besieged opposition-controlled area of Mleiha in eastern Damascus today, in a bid to take control of the village.
“Fierce fighting raged on the outskirts of Mleiha as rebels tried to defend the town, a day after 22 opposition fighters were killed in the army’s bombardment,” the wire says, quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Government war planes “carried out four air strikes against Mleiha, which like much of the eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus has been under army siege for nearly six months.
“Mleiha is strategically located near regime-held Jaramana, which frequently comes under rebel shelling. State news agency SANA said Thursday that six children were killed in shelling on the Dikhaniyeh neighborhood there.”
U.N. Says Syria’s Economy Will Take at Least 30 Years to Recover
A new U.N. report says it will take decades to rebuild the Syrian economy – even if the conflict were to end today.
“How is it possible to assess the value of lives lost, of broken health, of destroyed and dislocated families? Assessing the economic impact, however, is an easier undertaking, ” reports Aryn Baker of TIME. “It is quantified in lost productivity, declining GDP, and, in the case of Syria, a bitter prognosis about the amount of time it will take to recover from a three-year war that has already claimed 150,000 lives.
A recent report from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency estimates that it will take decades for Syria to recoup the cost of war.
“’Even if the conflict ceased now and GDP grew at an average rate of five per cent each year, it is estimated that it would take the Syrian economy 30 years to return to the economic level of 2010,’ says the report, calling the situation an ‘economic catastrophe.’ The survey, conducted by UNRWA’s microfinance department, focused mostly on the impact the war has had on the organization’s 8,000 client borrowers in Syria, so it tends to skew towards the lower rungs of the country’s economic spectrum.”
Rebel Assault on Kessab Revives Dark Memory for Armenians
The Los Angeles Times reports on global implications of the rebel assault on the Armenian town of Kessab, in coastal Latakia province, which it says have revived memories amongst Armenians of Ottoman-era genocide.
“It’s unclear how many civilian casualties occurred in the previously tranquil home to about 2,500 Armenian Christians. But the incident, which has also heightened tension between Turkey and Syria, provides a sharp new focus for the propaganda wars between the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the disparate rebel forces that have been trying to topple him for three years,” report Patrick McDonnell and Nabih Bulos.
“It has also triggered a raging battle on social media, with pro-opposition activists on the defensive against what they call an Internet disinformation campaign by supporters of the Assad government. Syrian officials, meanwhile, have accused Turkey of backing an al-Qaida-led offensive from its territory with tanks and aircraft.”
Syrian Refugee Children Find New Danger on Lebanon’s Streets
The Washington Post reports on Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, many of whom have been forced into menial labor, often as roadside sellers.
“It was 10 p.m. on a chilly recent Wednesday, and the bars of Beirut were just getting into full swing. So was 10-year-old Mohammed Huzaifa’s working day.Clutching a vase of red roses, he scoured the outdoor tables for a softhearted target. Spotting two women deep in conversation, the round-faced boy sidled up and broke into a wide smile, but was motioned away with a sharp shake of the head.
“Mohammed, shivering in an orange T-shirt, repeated the steps with other potential customers until he had sold all 10 of his flowers. A beating from his mother awaits him if he doesn’t sell out, he says, so he often roams the streets until 3 a.m.
The United Nations announced that Lebanon registered its millionth Syrian refugee on Thursday, making the tiny country – which had a population of just over 4 million before the Syrian war – home to the highest concentration of refugees in the world.”
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