85 Killed by Assad’s Forces in Damascus Suburb; Opposition Warns Hezbollah to Keep Off

According to activists on Sunday, Syrian military and militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad murdered 85 people during an assault on a Damascus suburb after days of fighting.

A member of the Revolution Leadership Council opposition group, Jamal al-Golani, stated that the victims included women and children, and documenting the actual number of bodies was difficult due to the military presence in the area. He added that the number of bodies may be higher than 250.

Another activist in Jdeidet Artouz district just adjacent to the area, Abu Ahmad al-Rabi stated that they documented 85 as the number of people executed in makeshift clinics where they were lying wounded, along with 28 others after Assad’s forces entered Jdeidet al-Fadel. He also expressed his fears that the massacre may have left a lot more victims than was accounted for.

The Syrian opposition called on Hezbollah to withdraw its army as activists have claimed Lebanese Shiite militant group have been aiding Assad’s forces in exchanging gunfire with rebels for control of a set of villages near the border between Syria and Lebanon.

In a statement posted on the Syrian National Coalition’s facebook page, they warned Hezbollah that its involvement in the civil war could lead to greater risks in the area, and urged Lebanese government to take measures in stopping them and control the area to prevent further risks to civilians living in the area.

Although, Hezbollah accepted assisting the Popular Committees, it has denied its involvement in the ongoing civil war.

  

While the government has denied it is faced with a widespread uprising, it has equally described the revolt as an act of ‘terrorists, a plot to topple it with a foreign backing.

The US has been very clear about its opinion on Assad to leave power, but have not been involved in backing the rebellion until recently. The Obama administration decided to increase its non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition by $123 million in supplies. This brings the total to $250 million since the fighting began more than 2 years ago.

The 2-year-old conflict has affected neighboring states, with the violence forcing millions of Syrians at home to seek refuge abroad. Most of the affected governments are already cash-strapped and are trying to deal with the large flow of refugees into their countries.