Syria: Military operation in Tremseh not a massacre

This image from amateur video purports to show a funeral for victims killed by violence that, according to anti-regime activists, was carried out by government forces in Tremseh, Syria, about nine miles northwest of Hama. / AP Photo/Hama Revolution 2011 via AP video

Last Updated 8:28 a.m. ET

(CBS/AP) The International Committee of the Red Cross said it now considers the conflict in Syria a civil war, meaning international humanitarian law applies throughout the country.

Also known as the rules of war, international humanitarian law grants parties to a conflict the right to use appropriate force to achieve their aims, and the Geneva-based group's assessment is an important reference for those parties to determine how much and what type of force they can use. The assessment also can form the basis for war crimes prosecutions, especially if civilians are attacked or detained enemies are abused or killed.

"We are now talking about a non-international armed conflict in the country," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said.

Previously, the ICRC had restricted its assessment of the scope of the conflict to the hotspots of Idlib, Homs and Hama, but Hassan said the organization had determined the violence has spread beyond those areas.

"Hostilities have spread to other areas of the country," Hassan told The Associated Press. "International humanitarian law applies to all areas where hostilities are taking place."

U.N. observers find signs of Syria massacre
Suicide bomber kills 4 in Syrian town
U.N. observers verify air assault on Syrian town

On Sunday Syria denied claims by U.N. observers that government forces used heavy weapons during a military operation in Tremseh.

Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the violence Thursday was not a massacre, but a military operation targeting armed fighters who had taken control of the village.

"What happened wasn't an attack on civilians," Makdissi told reporters in Damascus. "What has been said about the use of heavy weapons is baseless."

But the United Nations has already implicated President Bashar Assad's forces in the assault. The head of the U.N. observer mission said Friday that monitors stationed near Tremseh saw the army using heavy weaponry and attack helicopters.

On Saturday, U.N. observers investigating the killings found pools of blood in homes and spent bullets, mortars and artillery shells, adding details to the emerging picture of what anti-regime activists have called one of the deadliest events of Syria's uprising. The observers were expected to return to Tremseh on Sunday.

Dozens of people have already been buried in a mass grave, and activists are still struggling to determine the total number of people killed in what they say was a bombardment by government tanks and helicopters on Thursday.

Some of the emerging details suggested that, rather than the outright shelling of civilians that the opposition has depicted, the violence in Tremseh may have been a lopsided fight between the army pursuing the opposition and activists and locals trying to defend the village. Nearly all of the dead are men, including dozens of armed rebels. The U.N. observers said the assault appeared to target specific homes of army defectors or opposition figures.

• no previous page
• next

1/2

[TheKritik]

Why should they say otherwise when even the U.N observers said,it was a millitary op against terrorists and defectors?

[waterdoc123]

Lets all vote GOP in November, and get the US economy back into the black by war.

Of course not on the book's just like Bush.

[GeorgeKafantaris]

Russia and China have their own interests alright: Preserving the status quo at home.
If they allow regime change in Syria, they also invite regime change on their doorstep. Why would they do that?
Better yet, why are the rest of us expecting them to do so?
Forget about it.
Russia and China will not lift a finger in Syria. And we are not going to wait for them anymore.
Instead, we will put together our own coalition and take care of necessary business -- just like we had done in Libya.
This time around, Russia and China had their chance to be part of the solution. They have sat it out -- less they also rattle their own house of cards.
Fine.
But their inaction has also committed them to getting out of the way. They can do so and still save face.
Either way, we should move forward.

[dmnnumberone]

you are mistaken on some counts.

The land of Israel is populated by the Jews, followers of Judeaism.
Yet they are sorrounded by Muslims.
The Palestinians are followers of Islam and suffering from oppression of religion.
The Muslims are divided into two sects.
The Sunni and the shiites.
The Shiites believe in Muslim saints.
The Sunni's do not.

They all respect Jesus but find it hard to trust in religions written by the apostles.

Ultimately there is only one God and the polytheistic religions have been warshipping the opposing team in 'Solomon's Game.' (Ecclesiastes Ch. 2).

[dmnnumberone]

I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news Mr. Assad. The people want new leadership. My efforts to try to encourage communication between yourselves and the people have failed. Otherwise you'd have taken my advice. I understand if history shows that people are interfering. I want to save as many innocent lives as possible. War is an injustice that needs to be abolished through unceasing negotiation.

[honest_pols]

BARBARISM AND SYRIAN LEADERSHIP'S MENTALITY

Barbarism, sadism and cruelty, IS part of the Syrian psyche - especially as related to the mindset of that country's leadership.
Historically, said barbarism, sadism and cruelty, goes way back for some Three Thousand Years.

(See below)

Assyrian New Empire - 911-609 BC

"[Because of what has been called "the barbarous and unspeakable cruelty of the Assyrians," the names of such Assyrian kings as Ashurnasirpal (883-859 BC), Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC), Sennacherib (704-681 BC), and Ashurbanipal (669-626 BC) continue to evoke images of powerful, militarily brilliant, but brutally savage conquerors.]"

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/history-assyria-2.htm

[Lerianis6]

Actually, sweetbobby, the killing of civilians is done on BOTH sides..... however, most of the deaths caused by the Syrian military forces are because the rebels are hiding like cowards in civilian areas.

[LCCLYDE]

Tired of the B.S. go in and take ASSAD OUT and be done with it.And Russia needs to pull their head out.Assad is going to go and the people who replace him will remember how the Russian leadership let the murder go on without lifting a finger to help.Same for China.Best get on board the train of change is fixing to roll.

[Lerianis6]

Not going to happen, he is the legitimately elected leader of Syria. To take him out would open up President Obama and numerous other leaders all over the world to being 'taken out'.

[mrjustice1]

Lerianis6:

Are you joking?
The Assad family comes from a lineage of butchers.
During his reign in power, Father Hafez murdered and tortured approx 150,000 who disagreed with him.

Go back and learn more about the Assads before you disseminate more falsities.

[speakthetrut]

ICRC said it now considers Syrian conflict a civil war, and that means "international humanitarian law applies throughout the country.

According to ICRC, "international humanitarian law grants parties to a conflict the right to use appropriate force to achieve their aims".

What kind of humanitarian law is that? It seems more like barbaric law if it allows both sides to use whatever means necessary to achieve its goals.

Of course we all know what it means. This dream that ICRC just hadis to grant US, Israel, Saudi, and Quatar the green light to invade Syria. Because of their disgusting and inhumane announcement, I have decided to never ever give another penny to Red Cross, and never donate another drop of blood to Red Cross blood drive.

[LCCLYDE]

Ain't you glad you can sit where your safe and be able to make this statement.If you were in Syria chances are you may find your self not being able to GIVE it because it would be flowing out of you.I pray for people like you to find wisdom.

[dustin93sc]

Assad routinely orders executions of thousands of innocent Syrian Men, Women, and Children. He desperately murders civilians to discourage this popular revolution. The United Nations should demand his capture and then put to death as a deranged, wild animal.

[Lerianis6]

Not going to happen and I notice that you don't give any evidence of that.
The fact is that this is a civil war and in a civil war, people get killed, including children and women.

[speakthetrut]

Polular revolution? What is popular about it? This uprising is fueled by the west. It is funded by the west. It was and is armed by the west. It is continuing to quelch Israel's thirst for blood.

By the way...

Did you know that the region known as Israel was fully populated by Muslinms?

Did you know that the crusaders marched to Israel and killed every child, women, and men that lived in Israel?

Did you know blood was flowing in streets as if there was a rain of blood?

Did you know that the crusaders then picked up and left Israel because they didn't want to stay there any more, levaing israel completely devoid of human inhabitants?

I'm Christian, and these historic facts saddens me.

Now you might say, that happened centuries ago, and we shouldn't dwell on it, and I agree. However, these days we slaughter people for oil and corporate control over all countries. We are killing them slowly with economic pressure and pidgeon holing entire civilization with our greed.