File talk:Al-Bayda Sheikh Omar 1.png

From A Closer Look On Syria
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Source

I made I Google image search to find the original source of the image. Here is one "activist" page where it appears on May 3rd.

-- Petri Krohn (talk) 22:49, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm checking too, not deeply, but with the Arabic spelling "عمر بياسي" But I didn't find much of use, but some other images, videos, etc. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:39, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
Yes, there is some material on the page I had not seen before, but I did not want to post it on the talk page, as I thought you had seen all this. Here is a photo of the tree burnt men. We should upload it to this site, if it is not here already. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 17:22, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
Little if anything there was new to me, other than Omar seen on May 3. That was new. The charred men image is mentioned and linked, and I'm saving these all on my computer. But I was hesitant to upload it and others for a few minor reasons. Mainly it's not necessary, but still it might help to have and show it here. --Caustic Logic (talk) 02:57, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Claimed Photos

Al-Bayda Biassi Posting Fake.jpg

Hey, check this out:

Coordinating body of the Syrian revolution
Sheikh Omar Biasi killed yesterday in the village of al-Bayda, who Kill Sheikh شبيحة wife the system and we have photos to prove this
This picture shows the person who killed him
This picture shows Sheikh Omar Biasi before killing
This picture shows other.The the Syrian regime on the novel of the killing of Sheikh Omar Biasi

G-translated from this Facebook entry, May 2 10:30 PM my time, so... I think May 3, 9 AM Syria time? And they say "yesterday.' They have photos they never shared, before he was killed, with his killer, after killed. That is some investigative "citizen journalism" that is. Why never share? --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:56, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

The source they cited: May 2, time unclear, likely not much before the other. The picture message (inset) from B-N-N (Baniyas News network?), which they too cite, doesn't seem to be from Facebook. I'm not sure what their platform is and if the original is accessible. No link is given. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:54, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
Al-Bayda Biassi Posting Real.jpg

Okay, it seems no rebels have ever openly claimed to have such photos. And it seems no one has. They claim to be citing a loyalist source making this claim of mass photo evidence. "B-N-N" is cited, and there is a Baniyas News Network B.N.N., sternly loyalist, on Facebook (is the above FB with a different interface than I have, or is it something else I should recognize, like Mungle?) They are interlinked there with a Baniyas Youth Fingerprint, whose logo seems to appear in the corner of the cited screen grab, and the name there looks like about all the same letters in a different font. So I scanned their page, finding only one mention of Biassi anywhere near that time, May 2 (inset). Unless these two groups interact with vastly different info on the two cited platforms, the above grab is fake. On Facebook it seems they're actually saying the same thing B.N.N. said (or is it the other way around?), and nothing else: the sheikh was martyred by infidels, assassinated with his wife and son "by takfirist elements" in front of the mosque, and "the immorality and infidelity pages are fabricating news of his martyrdom." Like, by replacing that very warning with fakery to make it seem loyalists were claiming these incriminating photos? Sure! And rebels probably did have them, and were hinting at it here, in a thrown voice like ghosts. Like Shabiha. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:53, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Sorry, was being dumb.If I could read Arabic it'd be nor problem. But it seems they are citing the same post - the words visually seem to be the same. Somehow this looks different, and is cited for them to rebut. Essentially"Our takfirst friends have photos of the man dead, alive after capture, and pictures of his killer. And these prove Shabiha did it, not takfirists." That is what the coordinating committee, with info from "FSA" front line fighters, is saying. Creepy. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:02, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

It seems to me that the screenshot image on the rebel page is of the post on the loyalist page. Facebook renders the page differently it language setting are Arabic instead of English. I see Arabic text justified to the left when it should go to the right – like in the rebel screengrab. I checked the Arabic text and it seems to be the same in both cases. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 19:25, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Yep, yep, noticed that just as I finished. Nothing like being wrong to spur a comment though. I have to give them a few points for re-posting that right next to their fabrications. --Caustic Logic (talk) 21:44, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Side-notes

(prone to movement - or just copying unless space becomes an issue here stop typing). --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:40, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Side-notes: A May 4 posting, SyrianArmyFree.com forum. Text translated: "the martyr Sheikh Omar Biasi Mokhtar Al Beida / killed because named Omar or is it the filter to family Biassi?!" Responses: "Where Sefer these criminals with all this blood from God?" - "I am God and him Raaaaaaaajon God bless Yashik And Hvek in your family God avenged his God avenged him O avenged him." Now that is some fucking research, and with it the thread on the murder of a pro-government imam was considered resolved. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:39, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

I tried to get a better translation for the comment, but Google is unable to translate this word: "البياسي". Google search on the word or name brings some interesting leads. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 04:29, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
That word, mate, is al-Biassi. The al is improper, I guess, and some spellings don't render. Sorry didn't look earlier. I can recognize it on sight now. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:58, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Sheikh Omar and Biassi Politics

  • April 2011 (forthcoming)

See our spot for exploring the semi-famous disturbances from the dawn of the syrian chaos. On about April 12 authorities arrested dozens of young men herded into al-Bayda's main square. These were laid face-down and at least slightly abused on a now-infamous video, with soldiers standing on captives backs and even bouncing on them for fun. Two links from mid-April 2011, same or similar content, with the name Biassi. April14: http://www.syriakurds.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23717 April 12? http://www.odabasham.net/show.php?sid=44687: "Arrests made against dozens of Syrian citizens, and knew them: Said Osman - Abdul Razzaq al-Zeer (60 years) - Ahmed Zaator - Mohamed Adnan Biasi ..." It goes on and on, dozens of names, most of them familiar - Many Biassis are included, but not sheikh Omar that I see - there's one Mohammad Omar Biasi (a son?), and also the ill-fated Mohammed Mustafa Biasi. What the hell is going on here? Another page lists people arrested by "the regime" including many of these, with 16 Biassis listed. None of these early sources seem to mention sheikh Omar. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:18, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

The date of the mass arrest is April 12, but there were also, per the second link, many arrests on April 11 and a few in the preceding days. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:28, 1 August 2013 (UTC)
If I counted right, the "dozens of Syrian citizens" arrested, tally up to exactly 100 names. Following them "It is noted that, in the afternoon 1342011 Syrian authorities to release the majority of Syrian citizens who were arrested during the events of the city of Banias." It would be too tedious for the moment to compare lists and see who among these was also listed as killed two years later in those horrible days - or was co-named with someone who was. But as for family names seen in both lists, some possibly just coincidence, and perhaps some matches missed: Biasi (heavily represented in both lists), Hamouda, Hussein, Kaddour/Qadour/"pots", Khaddam, Lolo/Lulu, al-Masri/ال المصري, Nmorh/Nmoura/نمورة, Othman/Osman, al-Shoghri/الشغري, Sweida, Taha (heavily represented in both lists), Yasin, al-Zeer (a 60-year-old arrested, a 16-year-old executed in Baniyas), "Zionist"/ال صهيوني. At least fifteen name matches. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:28, 1 August 2013 (UTC) and --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:06, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
  • May 20-22, 2011: Ahmad Biassi dead, not
Al Bayda Ahmed Biassi 2.png

One young man given as Ahmad Biassi was reportedly arrested in this raid, and also shown on another video of this time holding his ID card and perhaps announcing his defection or beliefs. The young protester Ahmad was apparently reported dead, tortured to death in a government prison, about a month later. I only located one source so far, from May 20, mentioning (G-trans): "News that Ahmad Biasi died under torture in the State Security Kafr Sousse." Cited, Cham ( شام ) and Ugarit, "quoting BBC." Others say al-Arabiya and/or Al-Jazeera also reported the story. I'll take their word and move on. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:34, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

May 21 at the latest, he was on Syrian TV (SANA I think) denying the claim. There are a number of postings of this video and reports built around it. Most are dated May 22 and easy to find. one is posted May 21, with a later copy uploaded April 26, 2013, about a week before the massacre of his kin in al-Bayda: 2:25 Bayyasi did not die. This article has text of the content: Dead "Ahmed Biash" speak on Syrian TV

Syrian television broadcast on Saturday night to meet with "Ahmed Biash" refuted what it aired and claimed some satellite channels inflammatory that he had died after being arrested by Syrian security forces. And said, "Biash": "I was surprised by what I saw on TV where Al-Arabiya aired on شريطها news story that, the death of the young man Ahmed Biash who is I, under torture in one of the jails or prisons." And stressed, "Biash" he practiced his natural life and that one did not arrest him. The Al Jazeera aired a report which sang, and organized a poem on how to kill him by breaking the neck under Shoes intelligence in the Investigation Branch 285. Al Jazeera said that kill Biash, was under the direct supervision of the senior leaders of the Syrian intelligence, knowing that "Biash" originally was not arrested.--Caustic Logic (talk) 09:34, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

A June 2 editorial lamented the episode, media confusion caused by false reports, and suggests someone had tried to say the Bayda square abuse video was from Iraq, and were shown wrong (along with those claiming the Syrian kid was dead). This spoke of (translated) "the example illustrated Beida, after being assured ... that these pictures came from Iraq, and its heroes are the peshmerga, surprised the visual Syrian world conducted an interview with a witness those illustrated a young man, Ahmed al-Biassi. Pressure that practiced by external media and human rights organizations around the story of the arrest of the young man, put the Syrian media in the case of confusion ... (the interview) confirmed the opinion of the local public before the world the comic fact that it actually took place in the city of Bayda..." --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:34, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

One more level of confusion was added in that a few sources (including us, ACLOS) latched onto a post-Bayda massacre error that the martyred sheikh Omar was the one who had been reported dead and denied the claim on TV. This younger relative did exactly that, so presumably, that's what was referred to. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:34, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Abdul Qader Al Zeer tells on his former collaborators, headed by "Lance" al-Shoghry and one "Abu Ali Biassi." and a home of a "Sheikh Lance Aarot" - explosives were brought, rifles and pistols, from Lebanon. He was paid as a driver. "our warehouse was down Rahman Mosque." Launched an "emirate" with "Lance Aarot led as head of the emirate to be the Minister of the Interior lance الشغري and Defense Minister Abu Ali Biasi." Zeer and several others of familiar families drove explosives to the refinery and the thermal station, deployedto be blown upon the orders of the ministers. He got paid. End of excerpt. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:27, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

- 12:00 - stamens battalions burned car Sheikh Omar Biasi, and continue to spread the heavy elements with stamens militias continued a campaign of raids and arrests - 21:00 - Banias | | arrested the stamens Mr. battalions of Mustafa Biassi and Abdel Sweida and Mohamed Biasi, and Omar Sakr, coincided with the arrest of Juma Mohammed Saqr and Ahmed Ali Nmorh (Sweide "Sweden" is another massacre name) --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:27, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

  • 2012

For a whole year and then some, little comes up. I noticed two things so far, neither in the Baniyas area. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:52, 24 July 2013 (UTC) - There was a Biassi (not one I've seen named yet) arrested on the Lebanon border in I think May. Didn't save that link. And then an Ahmad Bayasi of Banyas, likely the same one seen in the Bayda square in April, died by shooting on September 18, 2012, as an FSA "non-civilian," fighting in Aleppo's Amirya area, according to the SCDV database.

  • April 3, 2013, a month before he was killed, one Omar Biassi himself spoke on an online forum about how to handle the crisis, with dialog. (sounds like about what he says in the video, but I didn't have a date for that). Another commentor here agrees with him. Translation later. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:45, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

We can't be certain this is or sheikh Omar, but I suspect so. Much of his comment comes through as gibberish in Google translate, read too literally, or referring to obscure things. I doubt I'd be able to untangle much of it with any ease. Some comprehensible parts are below, refined a bit, best not read into too much, considering that and unknown context. But it sounds not as much like the soft pro-dialog message from that religions conference on video as I first thought:

Think about how us save country ... weep over the country ... The state's uncle (Assad?) held traitorsaccountable .. And uncle grow in traitors uncle increase blood bleeding from the people and the country because of them ... Is necessary to kill all of the "suspect" بخيانته ? ... Officer or military or political or scavenger or a businessman ... All the world community we have two years and as much as we (can bear?) ... The only solution ... Kill them. ... Syria ... victorious, God willing.
A Search suggests بخيانته has a double-usage as political betrayal/treason (as used recently in Egypt re: Morsi), or marital infidelity (as with this forum question). --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:34, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

In contrast, the agreeing comment translates much more coherently, so it must be included:

Oppressed and anger Halim, Syriana Damascene
I agree with Omar Biasi فالداخل that the commentator is burning, and this in itself is a victory for the enemies of understanding and that Syria has not been defeated militarily, but they ... poison ... kill her from the inside .. Syrian officials have proved their failure time and again and still hear the terms crisis, dealers, terrorists and bandits ... 24 months after the kidnapping and intimidation law was passed and the terrorists have not seen any trial or punishment for them, despite the issuance of the Terrorism Act and the official media and deal with the crisis, as if in the Maldives and not in Syria. Slow and worn out and ineffective. Have revived heated announced the Emergency Law ... And now is a great opportunity to put all the corrupt and traitors in prisons or graves. Syrian foreign policy is impeccable but the Syrian المعتر citizen does not care about Putin nor Obama nor forbid (Ghassan) Hito. Top interests to the citizen to is bread that has been stolen and his son, who was kidnapped and his daughter that HTC (FSA?) displayed (exposed in?) his house, which was destroyed, and pray to his Lord day and night (to destroy those responsible)--Caustic Logic (talk) 10:34, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
  • May 1: A Mustafa Biassi arrested, reportedly by government forces. See below.
Bridge orchards on Banias Highway - Tartous, amid talk about the killing of Sheikh Omar Biasi, his son and his wife, following the spread of news about his mediation in negotiations between the parties. As usual when you get the assassination of figures calling for national unity and the renunciation of violence, the exchange regime and the opposition accusations over his death. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:45, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
National forces in Banias wed martyr (figure of speech) in front of Beida Mosque, Sheikh Omar Biasi, who died at the hands of gangs of disbelief in the village of al-Bayda, assassinated with his son and his wife. He had been previously subjected to assassination attempts and multiple threats. We note only that the immorality and infidelity pages are fabricating news of his martyrdom. Here we emphasize that the process of assassination was by takfirist elements." --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:29, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
Among the dead were Baathists partisans (who told them we Baathists like you, but they replied all of you are dogs and agents Israel and America, against the president and against the project of resistance and opposition) including the imam of the mosque of Sheikh Omar Biasi. That Baathis appeared on the channel world (? or "minimum channel," "channel floor," قناة الدنيا ), and pointed to the Mujahideen calling them armed terrorist gangs. After (how long after?) the end of the interview (who?) dragged him to the arena (Which arena? Straight from the TV station?) and slaughtered him with his wife and four children. It is clear and evident to the Baathists among the Sunnis that they are being targeted with death too, will intercede for them joining the party (?) and would stand with tyrants. Then they demolished the mosque of the village, and set fire to it, then herded dozens to detention, and claimed that those killed were by armed gangs of terrorists.
Enables the Champions Syrian Arab Army Tartous to capture the two tails terrorists mercenaries at the top of the spring and Beida in Banias were trying to escape when the Burj boy near the international road west of Castle observatory and it Bazzi Women where she was بإنتظارهما motorcycle invited Hamid al-Biasi and terrorists carrying Tunisian nationality: Zaid Abdul Wahid al-Rubaie, Mahmoud bin Suhaib rest
  • July 20-22: The intermarried Fattouh family suffers some 13 further deaths, as reported, when someone massacred them at home following a deadly fight between security forces and armed terrorists. Arrests in al-Bayda follow. B.N.N. Facebook, July 24 speaks of "the arrest of 25 terrorists," including "(Bilal Obaid) Metzam of the so-called battalion dawn of Islam And terrorist (Mohamed Salah Aarot), who works as a media coordinator for the terrorist group. After the raid on the terrorist den found space on the Analog Devices, maps, documents and personal identities and forged passports." videos included and odd details on a burning in a house on July 20. Hmmm... --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:09, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
  • July 27: A Mohammed Mustafa Biassi, in custody, is said to have confessed to terrorist activities. (see below)

Days of the Crisis

"Three days ago (April 31?), the oldest gunmen targeting an army checkpoint in the area, prompting the army and security services to do on the first Wednesday (May 1) and on Thursday a (May 2) campaign combing raids inside the village, "Beida" ...
... invasion of Banias and white and began boots artillery from land and sea bombardment since the morning of Wednesday, 21.06.1434 and 01.05.2013 and income shabeeha screaming oh revenge Hussein ... Having killed the men and young boys, entered into people's homes, killing harem and children," killing 4-500.
...
on the second day (May 2?) entered the village of orchards (Basateen, just north of Bayda) and demolished Msadjadaha, and killed some people and arrested dozens, then beat artillery neighborhood of Ras spring in Banias, Fahadmoa three groves, then entered the neighborhood, and slaughtered with knives and machetes nearly 255 breath to see shoutingYa Hussein, Ya Hussein, ...
On the morning of the following day Friday 03/05/2013 Began a sweep of the Lot region Beida agricultural and arrow and Sea region, where the survivors of the massacre Beid'a had fled.

Mustafa Biassi Kidnapped May 1?

And this (straight google translate, sorry), further challenging our narrow old timeline - by the evening of May 1 sheikh Omar was detained by a patrol and in danger:

Mr. Mustafa Ali's arrest Biasi by a patrol had been present on the bridge groves Islam at the age of nearly 50 years We ask God vulva him and all detainees Facebook, May 1, 7:46 PM local, I think. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:02, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
Add ten hours, making that 6:46 PM local time. This source and this on Facebook pass on about the same details: "barrier bridge groves Islam checkpoint with a car belonging to the security forces and lose arrest Mustafa Biasi." The Facebook one adds reports of audible gunfire "from villages pro because of the advent of dead at the hands of the army free (FSA, usually)." The latter is from a few minutes after the above one, but the details differ enough there must be an earlier source for both.
Not him, but his son, I guess. Aged "near 50" to Omar's 63 - at 18 he could have a first son then 45. Taken by regime forces, entangling the imam in securing releases and getting killed instead, by evening May 1, EVEN BEFORE that Shabiha raid early on May 2. Wow. Not likely made up. Too sure to be a guess, and too accurate. Apparently Mustafa Ali Biassi did not survive his captivity, and rebels were able to document what seem like him (middle name Ali not specified) as one of the martyrs. Alongside him, "regime forces" killed his wife (some of her relatives too it seems) and I guess their daughter Obaid, and her unnamed daughter, age 3. The big Arab Worlds victim list:
  • 103 - Mustafa Biasi and his wife ( مصطفى بياسي و زوجته )
  • 104 - Amina Hamouda (wife of Mustafa Biasi) ( امينة حمودة ( زوجة مصطفى بياسي ) )
  • 105 - Obaid Mustafa Biasi, daughter ( عبيد مصطفى بياسي وابنته )
  • 106 - Daughter of Obaid Mustafa Biasi ( ابنة عبيد مصطفى بياسي 3 شهور )
--Caustic Logic (talk) 14:40, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
Or is it rather the SCDV's Moustafa Ahmad Ibrahim Bayyasi or Mohmammad Mousatafa Ali Bayyasi? On the big list, we have 27- Mohammed Mustafa Ali Biasi, 28- Aisha Qaddour (wife, with relatives, see below), 29 - Ali Mustafa Ali Biasi, 30 - Mohammed Mustafa Ali Biasi (babies both), 31 - (blank) 32 - Ibna Mustafa Ali Biasi (girl, age not given) . Not as likely. At "near 50" he's likely too old to be having babies, though his wife's unknown age is more relevant, and the older child(ren)'s age is unknown. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:19, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
Eldest son is just possible, but he's not listed that way anywhere. Might be a brother, or other. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:40, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
If a son, his middle name would be Omar, as the list seems to work otherwise. This must be a brother or other relative. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:17, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
This Facebook page, and the associated YouTube channel may be an early, if not the original source of the massacre videos. If so, it is interesting how the Baniyas and al-Baida videos appear on the same channel. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 00:02, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
Banias News Portal is one of the Facebook pages that also seems extra well-informed. Saving as I go in case they start deleting evidence. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:19, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
I have now cleaned up and reordered my al Baida YouTube playlist by upload date. It is interesting how they had a "full analysis of the massacre" online already on May 2nd! -- Petri Krohn (talk) 00:28, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
Excellent, will have a look. It occurred to me the times all need more careful consideration, especially if possible times as well as dates. I'm not as quick with that as you, by the way, and probably won't be trying it soon, but if you have some time, all those cited so far under events timeline would be important to get more precise with. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:19, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

It seems despite all the possible massacre matches, perhaps the arrested Mustafa was from the opposite clique of the Biassi family and was taken by the authorities, and was not killed. (possibly, but not based on the evidence I was citing, moved below) --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:45, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

Mohammed Mustafa Biassi

Scanning the Facebook page شبكة أخبار بانياس | B-N-N, I found this from July 27 (rough Google translate): Confessions of a serious (Mohammed Mustafa Biassi) A al-Beida soon terrorists on Sama TV ali alkanj For whatever reason, there's an attached picture of a house that had been burned inside, still smoldering, on a Bayda-looking slope. From the date, this might be the recently torched Fattouh home. That's not explained. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:54, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

Apparently while I was typing, the video of that was finally posted, I believe. here, for example. Direct Youtube link: title trans: Terrorist Mohammed Mustafa Biasi admits: استهدفنا of the army and killed civilians. For content translation we will have to rely on others... --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:14, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
I have asked around a bit for translation of this video. Also, no one needs to correct me about how that this might be the same guy arrested May 1. That was 50-year-old Mustafa Ali, while this is young Mohammed Mustafa. A possible father-son-team or, quite likely, of less direct relation. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:54, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
Al-Bayda MM Biassi July.png

I received a rough translation from a friend and tweaked it a bit for grammar and my own spelling. Not guaranteed exact words spoken, but should be close. It's short. The last part is interesting.:

"My name is Mohammed Mustafa al-Biassi, date of birth 23 January 1994. Place of birth is Latakia. I live in Al-Bayda.
On the 20th of July 2013 we had a meeting at the house of Ibraheem al-Shoghri, second floor. The meeting's aim was to meet other leaders and to plan for Revenge operations against the Police and the Army in Baniyas.
(note: For what it's worth, Ibrahim al Shoghri is exactly the name attributed to the elderly disabled man said to be one of three charred victims of the al-Bayda massacre) --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:45, 6 August 2013 (UTC)
In Banias there are many Brigades. For example, the Farouq, Baniyas martyrs, Al-Fajr Al-Haq.
During the fight we started to throw bombs. Then Abu Musa took a bomb and wanted to throw it towards the soldiers, but Abu Elias stopped him, saying this is a poisonous bomb and it would kill us all. The bomb was white, with strange writing on it - funny letters, neither Arabic nor English (Roman), mostly Hebrew. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:45, 6 August 2013 (UTC)
This sounds most like the white plastic grenades that Jabhat al-Nusra has been spotted with, containing some kind of poison gas. But those seem to have no lettering. He's apparently no language expert. If it was Hebrew, he'd say that, not "strange" and "funny." "Mostly Hebrew" is probably about what he said, but "most like" is probably more accurate. If he's being truthful, it's unlikely to be Cyrilic. Possibly Sanskrit? Does anyone use that on weapons? (similar grenades are made in India) Otherwise, Hebrew is one of only a few languages that looks "most like" Hebrew. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:45, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

Incidentally, I was confused by this channel Sama. It's not SANA, but ... It had reporters and coverage of the al-Bayda massacre at least. Wikipedia says it was created just under a year ago, September 2012, and is a sister channel of Addounia. Note theirs is the other microphone present in the still above. They could have just used one and shared the recording, but that wouldn't look as lively and sisterly I guess. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:50, 6 August 2013 (UTC)

Call to Arms

Along the way on the one Facebook page, I saw this and wanted to save it. Quickly marshalled propaganda urging jihad on the coast, poster early on May 3

Coordinating body of the Syrian revolution: Aliki wrote O Iyanjas, at the beginning of the revolution more than two years ago to be a fuel to ignite this revolution. Do you also wrote on you to be a fuel you that ignite front coast? God Derek O proud For the walls of heroes defeat the hordes of tyrants.

Pictured: jihasists across the road, above, as if continuous, an old WWII-era photo of the crusader castle at Maqrab, in the middle of the SW Baniyas hinterland. Across the middle, Arabic text. At the top corners, Jabhat al-Nusra/Al-Qaeda in Syria flag. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:54, 23 July 2013 (UTC)