Khaleej Times
The civil strife in Syria is now entering a decisive phase.
Syrian forces who, in the initial days of fighting had lost key towns to the rebels, are now on a winning spree. The retaking of the strategic district of Khalidiya is a case in point. Pitched battles in Homs had enabled the rebels to occupy the town and make advances against forces loyal to President Bashar Al Assad. But the rebels hold on not only Homs but Deraa and Qusayr proved to be short lived - and now these areas are falling like a house of cards. Apart from the Lebanese bordering town of Qusayr, which was won back by Damascus with the help of Hezbollah, the security forces have flushed out the rebels, as they couldn't stand for long owing to lack of supply lines.
Military analysts now say that while the rebels are running out of arms and ammunition, and to a great extent are encircled by the Syrian troops, the uprising in the Arab country is heading towards its logical end. An arms embargo against the rebels that is holding not only from the European Union but also the United States has made the crisis in Syria almost one-sided - and the opposition with the passage of time is on the receiving end. The point, however, is that with the beating back of rebels, it is widely feared that Syrian forces might indulge in genocide, and it could largely go unreported as it has happened in other flashpoints such as Cambodia and Vietnam.
The fact that the regime's forces are gradually picking all of its fallen forts signals a new passion to lead from the front. This will come as a blessing in disguise for the internationally condemned regime of Assad, and result in more muscle flexing on the diplomatic stage. This is the time for interlocutors to prevail over Assad and convince him of the need for a dialogue over the future of the war-ravaged country.
Syrian forces who, in the initial days of fighting had lost key towns to the rebels, are now on a winning spree. The retaking of the strategic district of Khalidiya is a case in point. Pitched battles in Homs had enabled the rebels to occupy the town and make advances against forces loyal to President Bashar Al Assad. But the rebels hold on not only Homs but Deraa and Qusayr proved to be short lived - and now these areas are falling like a house of cards. Apart from the Lebanese bordering town of Qusayr, which was won back by Damascus with the help of Hezbollah, the security forces have flushed out the rebels, as they couldn't stand for long owing to lack of supply lines.
Military analysts now say that while the rebels are running out of arms and ammunition, and to a great extent are encircled by the Syrian troops, the uprising in the Arab country is heading towards its logical end. An arms embargo against the rebels that is holding not only from the European Union but also the United States has made the crisis in Syria almost one-sided - and the opposition with the passage of time is on the receiving end. The point, however, is that with the beating back of rebels, it is widely feared that Syrian forces might indulge in genocide, and it could largely go unreported as it has happened in other flashpoints such as Cambodia and Vietnam.
The fact that the regime's forces are gradually picking all of its fallen forts signals a new passion to lead from the front. This will come as a blessing in disguise for the internationally condemned regime of Assad, and result in more muscle flexing on the diplomatic stage. This is the time for interlocutors to prevail over Assad and convince him of the need for a dialogue over the future of the war-ravaged country.
