Syria Watch

Attacks on Security Forces Kill 120

Syria’s government said as many as 120 security personnel were killed in an ambush by “terror groups” in the country’s north. Opposition supporters said the people who died were defectors who were shot by loyalists.

The attackers carried out a “massacre” in the town of Jisr al-Shughour, and stole 5 tons of dynamite, Syrian state television said. The government will act with resolve against those responsible, it said.

Opposition activists said there was a mutiny among security services in the town, and that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad executed police officers who had refused to open fire on protesters, according to Agence France-Presse, which didn’t identify the people who provided the information.

Assad’s security forces have killed more than 1,100 people and detained more than 10,000 since protests began in mid-March, according to human-rights groups. Jisr al-Shughour has been among the main flashpoints for demonstrations in recent days. The town is now under siege and as many as 50 protesters have been killed there in the past four days and 100 injured, according to Mahmoud Merhi, the head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights.

Comments:

Civil unrest in Syria seems to be intensifying.

While many Middle Eastern countries have large oil reserves, Syria's reserves are more modest. It produces about 400,000 barrels per day. While this is not a large amount in the global picture, Syria's strategic location and large population make it a major player in the Middle East.

In my view, the outcome of the uprising in Syria may have far reaching effects on the balance of the Arab states. Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen remain the countries to watch in this region as they have the potential to exert strong influence on crude oil prices.