Syrian army kills 17 civilians in Daraa

Updated: 18:29, Saturday June 9, 2012

The Syrian army has killed at least 17 civilians, including nine women and three children, in the flashpoint southern town of Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
The killings took place early on Saturday in a residential neighbourhood of the town where the uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March last year, the British-based watchdog said.
Dozens of people were also wounded in the pre-dawn bombardment, some of them seriously.
Mobile communications in the town were cut off on Saturday morning, it added.
On Friday, a total of 68 people were killed nationwide, according to the Observatory's figures. They consisted of 36 civilians, 25 soldiers and seven rebel fighters.
Fighting between government troops and rebels has intensified in recent days, particularly in the capital Damascus, where two army defectors were among the seven rebels killed on Friday.
The deaths in Daraa came amid an international outcry over the killings of civilians on Wednesday in an assault on Al-Kubeir, a Sunni farming enclave of some 150 people in the central province of Hama which is encircled by Alawite villages.
The Observatory said 55 people were killed, among them women and children.
UN truce monitors who visited the village were unable to give a death toll. However, some reports put the number of dead there as high as 78.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council preliminary evidence showed that troops surrounded Al-Kubeir and militia entered the village and killed civilians with 'barbarity'.
The government has denied responsibility and blamed foreign-backed 'terrorists', as it has repeatedly in the past.
More than 13,500 people have been killed since the uprising erupted, according to the Observatory's figures.

UN officials visit Syria's massacre site

Updated: 16:29, Saturday June 9, 2012

UN observers who went to the Syria massacre village of al-Qubair saw blood on the walls and were hit by a 'stench of burnt flesh' but could not confirm how many died, a spokesman says.
While the government has denied responsibility, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the observers saw armoured vehicle tracks around the village and homes that were damaged by rockets, grenades and various weapons.
'Inside some of the houses, blood was visible across the walls and floors. Fire was still burning outside houses and there was a strong stench of burnt flesh,' the spokesman said in a grim account of the visit.
At least 55 people were killed on Wednesday in an assault on al-Qubair in Hama province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
UN officials have made it clear they believe government forces and allies were behind the attack on a mainly Sunni Muslim village surrounded by an Alawite population loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
More than 20 unarmed UN observers were allowed into al-Qubair on Friday after they were shot at and prevented from entering the village on Thursday, Nesirky said in a statement
The village was empty when they went in there and so monitors were unable to talk to any witnesses of the attack, which has led to calls for tougher action against President Bashar al-Assad.
Nesirky said people from a nearby village came 'and spoke of what they had heard and the relatives they had lost.
'Armoured vehicle tracks were visible in the vicinity. Some homes were damaged by rockets from armoured vehicles, grenades and a range of calibre weapons,' Nesirky said.
'The circumstances surrounding this attack are still unclear. The names, details and number of those killed are still not confirmed. The observers are still working to ascertain the facts,' he said.
Nesirky said that Syrian army checkpoints had 'stopped' and 'in some cases turned back' the observers who made 'multiple attempts' to get into Al-Qubeir on Thursday.
'Some of the patrols were being stopped by civilians in the area,' he added.
The monitors were also told by residents that their 'safety was at risk' if they entered the village.

A mysterious light over Middle East reportedly a Russian missile test

‘UFO’ over Middle East reportedly a Russian missile test

9-june-2012

A mysterious light seen over several countries in the Middle East on Thursday night has been confirmed by multiple sources as a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile test. There had been speculation that the strange sight, which was seen over countries in the region including Syria, Israel and Iran, might have been some sort of unidentified aircraft.
The object was first seen when journalist Rob Stevens posted an image to his Twitter account. Stevens wrote, "Just Seen a strange UFO over Fheis. It hovered, and then made a swirl and disappeared."
Ynet News reports that the missile test resulted in hundreds of calls to Israeli police stations. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the missile test originated in the Astrakhan region in central Russia and was spotted in several other countries along the way, including Armenia, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
"It most likely spun out of control and its remnants and the fuel was what people saw," Israeli Astronomical Association Chairman Dr. Yigal Pat-El told Ynet News. "It reached a height of 200-300 kilometers and that's why it was seen from so many locations."
The Jerusalem Post Yaakov Lappin also confirmed the test, tweeting: "Mysterious light explained. Russia announces it carried out successful inter-continental ballistic missile test."

You can view several other videos of the missile sighting taken from Syria and one allegedly shot in Iran.
Video game players may appreciate the observation of one particular YouTube commenter, who said of the video Alan Wake: "IN SPACE!_ Great flashlight."