Syria Today: An Opposition in Disarray?

Opposition Spokesman Louay al-Safi (Akin Celiktas/Reuters)Iranian Lines of Credit to Damascus

The Syrian Central Bank has said that Iran has opened two lines of credit totaling $4 billion to Damascus and plans on opening up a third.

"Iran continues to support Syria, by opening one line of credit worth a billion dollars to finance the import of different items and another line of credit worth three billion dollars to finance the purchase of petrol and associated products," Central Bank Governor Adib Mayale said.

Mayale said Iran was considering an additional loan of $3 billion to bolster the Syrian economy amid war and international sanctions.

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Syria Live: A Car Bomb in Damascus

State TV footage of the aftermath of Monday's car bomb in central Damascus

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2142 GMT: Cyber-Attacks. The website of State news agency SANA has apparently been hacked tonight, with the entire service replaced by a generic "Site Under Construction" page.

1616 GMT: Massacre in Homs. In the last week of March we posted evidence of a massacre in Abil, outside of Homs (map). Between 13 and 18 burnt bodies were found in the town, and eyewitnesses said that "shabiha," pro-regime militia, were the culprits.

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Syria Live Coverage: Who Represents the Opposition?

1840 GMT: Rebel Victories Outside Damascus. In Otaybah (map), site of last week's reported chemical attack, the rebels have been killing Assad tanks and beating back his attacks for days. Today, they destroyed more tanks and armored vehicles

What's interesting - the fighter in the video is holding an M 79 Osa, one of the Croatian weapons that is part of the shipment from the international effort to arm the Syrian rebels:

#Syria #Damascus Rebels destroyed several tanks in #Otaybahhere BMP youtube.com/watch?v=S6vYbp…wikimapia.org/#lat=33.486847…

— Mark (@markito0171) March 25, 2013

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Syria Analysis: An Opposition in Disarray

Moaz al-KhatibThe reasons for the in-fighting and divisions may be unclear --- the supposed explanations are more extensions-by-rumour of the in-fighting, rather than measured analysis --- but the effect is more than evident.

Even as key players in the international community have been moving aggressively, albeit behind the scenes, to consolidate support for a political and military challenge to the Assad regime, the stark question --- which was always there, but which elevated itself on Sunday --- remains:

Who represents that opposition?

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Syria Live Coverage: Regime Rejects UN Human Rights Enquiry

Claimed footage of "liberation" of Saham near Golan Heights by insurgents on Saturday

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Saturday's Syria Live Coverage: Fighting in Aleppo and near Damascus

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1749 GMT: Opposition Leader Resigns. The Syrian National Coalition has refused the resignation of its head, Moaz al-Khatib, asking him to go back to his work.

1719 GMT: Attacks in Damascus. Journalist Alex Thomson reports that insurgents have hit State television in the capital:

Two mortars have hit STV building and carpark. Some damage and vehicles destroyed.

— alex thomson (@alextomo) March 24, 2013

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Syria Live Coverage: Opposition Coalition Names Ghassan Hitto as Prime Minister

2050 GMT: Rebels Advance in Southeast Damascus. Not far from the site of the other reported chemical weapons attack in Otaybah, the rebels are engaged in an assault on the Conference Hall and Palace near the Damascus International Airport (map). This video reportedly shows smoke rising from the Palace as the result of rebel attacks. Other videos show the rebels launching weapons at the target:

This weekend, rebels pushed closer and closer to the airport. Meanwhile, rebels appear to be advancing deeper into the Jobar and Al Maamouniyeh districts of east-central Damascus (map). In the west, the rebels have continued to rebuff the regime's attacks against Darayya, and are edging towards key bases further to the southwest. Remarkably, the regime has not yet pushed this most recent wave of rebel advances back.

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