Opposition Says Hizbullah Prevented Russians from Entering Wadi Barada, Turkey Says Party behind Truce Violations
The Syrian opposition accused Hizbullah on Wednesday of preventing Russian officials from entering the Wadi Barada area near Damascus to assess water infrastructure damaged by clashes.
"A checkpoint belonging to the Hizbullah militia prevented the Russian officers from entering," Ahmed Ramadan of the National Coalition opposition body said in a message to journalists.
The area is the main source of water to the capital.
The government accuses rebels in the area of deliberately targeting water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison the supply to the capital, and then cutting the flow altogether.
Rebels say the infrastructure was damaged in government strikes and deny responsibility for the damage that has left four million people without water since December 22.
Opposition officials and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman reported ongoing talks on a deal to end the fighting and repair the water infrastructure.
"Local officials want... Russian teams to enter to fix the infrastructure" in exchange for a halt to the fighting, Abdel Rahman told AFP.
"But the regime wants control of the spring and the pumps to prevent any blackmail or threats in the future," he added.
"This is their condition for halting military operations."
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday urged the regime and its backers to end their "violations" of the truce, warning they were jeopardizing the planned peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana this month.
"If we do not stop the increasing violations, the Astana process could fail. After the ceasefire, we see violations," Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu news agency in an interview.
"When we look at who commits these violations, it is Hizbullah, in particular Shiite groups and the regime," he added.
He urged Russia and Iran, which both back Assad and are also helping prepare the Astana talks, to pressure Damascus and Hizbullah to stop the fighting.
Despite the call, fighting continued on the ground in Wadi Barada on Wednesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
It reported ongoing clashes as well as government air strikes and artillery fire in the area, but had no immediate details on casualties.
Wadi Barada has been under government siege since 2015, but government forces upped pressure on the region several weeks ago as they tried to secure a "reconciliation deal" with rebels there.
The regime has reached a series of such deals with opposition forces around Damascus in recent months, offering rebels safe passage to other parts of the country in return for surrender.
04 January 2017, 19:39
83
The takfiri opposition claims this.
Yet when i turn over to Russian media outlets, I see no such claims.
Whom should we believe about Russians entering certain areas?
Should we believe the Russians themselves or the Al Qaeda opposition?
06 January 2017, 09:23
10
The Iranians are trying to sabotage the cease fire. The claim that the opposition and Al Qaeda are synonymous is false, vile and shows the utter loss of credibility of the Killer camp
04 January 2017, 19:37
93
due to their frustration, those so-called opposition feels painful due to their continous losses... nobody can buy this accusation, since Damascus is under govt control like Aleppo now.... even if it wasnt, the honorable fighters would never act thisway.
the thief believes that everybody is like him, a thief .
04 January 2017, 19:42
93
The salafis already polluted the water.
They must be destroyed and burned out in order to replenish the Water pumps.
04 January 2017, 21:05
35
the credibility of the shia troll is sky high and there is no need to question the veracity of his sectarian propaganda.
04 January 2017, 19:41
34
I respect Mr. Southern...... because he knows what a thief believes.
04 January 2017, 21:02
36
ميليشيا الحشد: حزب الله في العراق بموافقة الحكومة
وأكدّ نائب قائد الحشد الشعبي أنه قد تلقى التدريب العسكري على يد عماد مغنية ومصطفى بدر الدين، وأنه "كان واحداً من الذين تدربوا على أيديهما" في ثمانينات القرن الماضي، مؤكداً أن "حزب الله" يشارك الآن في العراق "بوضع الخطط والمساعدة في التدريب إلى جانب إيران وبعلم وموافقة الحكومة العراقية الحالية والسابقة".
http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/iraq/2017/01/04/ميليشيا-الحشد-حزب-الله-يقاتل-في-العراق-بموافقة-الحكومة.html
04 January 2017, 21:11
35
not only is hezb of terror in iraq with the approval of the shia iraqi/irani government but also with the approval of abbas ibrahim and his general security that issues the passports for these terrorists.
04 January 2017, 21:19
26
if you read the article ya illiterate you would know arabiya was basing its coverage on the iranian news agency 'fars' but your sectarianism blinds you as usual and your little shia uneducated brain cannot put 2 and 2 together.
04 January 2017, 21:35
17
here you go ya irani, straight from farsnews;)
أكد نائب رئيس هيئة الحشد الشعبي في العراق أبو مهدي المهندس أن العلاقة مع حزب الله متينة وعملياتية بعلم وموافقة الحكومة العراقية، كاشفاً عن الدور الذي لعبه القياديان في المقاومة عماد مغنية ومصطفى بدر الدين في تدريب أولى الخلايا العراقية ضد نظام صدام حسين ومن ثم تنظيم خلايا المقاومة العراقية ضد الاحتلال الأميركي بعد 2003.
وفي مقابلة مع الميادين ضمن حوار الساعة قال المهندس إن علاقته بالشهيدين مغنية وبدر الدين تعود للثمانينيات وإنه كان واحداً من الذين تدربوا على أيديهما واصفاً دورهما بـ"الأساسي والمهم جداً"، مشدداً على أن "دور حزب الله مستمر في العراق من خلال المساعدة في التدريب ووضع الخطط إلى جانب إيران بعلم ومواقفة الحكومة الحالية والسابقة".
http://ar.farsnews.com/middle_east/news/13951015000174
lol
04 January 2017, 21:43
25
so you were not questioning the article and you agree that hezb of terror is operating in iraq but it is just you hate al arabiyah for sectarian reasons, i see.... takiah serial liar.
04 January 2017, 21:45
61
you'd better taking care of your terrorist president who wants to pardon a killer.. all of you are the same rubbish.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/223229-netanyahu-wants-pardon-for-israeli-soldier-in-manslaughter-case
04 January 2017, 21:49
25
lol but your filthy sectarian terrorist leader went further than netanyahu by making 3 wanted criminals saints.
stay on topic ya illiterate.
04 January 2017, 21:51
51
barry,
ofcourse i don't care abou the article, HA is helping in the destruction of your beloved al-qaeda... HA fighters are honorable freedom fighters, U like it or not.
janoubi has just put a nail in his own coffin.
04 January 2017, 22:03
15
southern, it is advisable you go to sleep now. You've taken enough beating for one day:)
04 January 2017, 22:15
51
here we have a jewstin jumps to rescue his boyfriend, you'd better to direct the comment to him, or you are half-asleep, back to bed after the cup of milk.
04 January 2017, 21:09
83
here we have the Salafi / Al Qaeda supporters defending them and spreading their lies, such idiots.
05 January 2017, 09:25
30
HA is A Shia Military And Political Group.
But Not All Shia Agree with their actions.
But It is dangerous to attack each others secterian ideologies its just playing into the Enemies hands.
Stop this Stupid Bickering and Blame game and get back to seeking a long term peaceful way out of this mess.
