Early Monday Aug. 1, undeterred by international condemnation, President Bashar Assad broadened his bloody tank assault to all of northern Syria – a 20,000 square kilometer area almost the size of Israel. He is now waging war on the 3.5 million inhabitants of Hama, Deir al-Zour, Homs, Idlib, Ar-Raqqah and Abu Kemal, after inflicting a one-day death toll Sunday of 150 – 120 in Hama, 30 in Deir el-Zur and more than 1,000 injured. A team of Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) officers has just finished setting up Hamas' first commando unit especially trained to combat any Israel military force entering the Gaza Strip, DEBKAfile's military sources report. The new "Al Qods Brigades" unit of 400 men is to be the first of three. The urban guerrilla tactics imparted to Hamas drew heavily on the experience Al Qods is gaining in Syria, where its experts help President Bashar Assad crack down on protest.
Syrian armored forces are running into heavy resistance, increasing desertions.
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
Monday, 1 August 2011
DEBKAfile Special Report August 1, 2011, 8:41 AM (GMT+02:00)
Bashad Assad blasts dissident city of Hama
Iranian Revolutionary Guards train new Hamas commando brigade in Gaza
July 31, 2011, 9:04 AM (GMT+02:00)
Hamas' first commando unit set up by Iran
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