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Obstacles to the Rebel Conquest of Damascus

(NOW Lebanon) Michael Weiss - Syrian rebels face two major obstacles in any concerted foray into central Damascus. First, there is a greater concentration of loyalist hardcore regime forces there than anywhere else in Syria. This is to say nothing of the capital's buildup of the Popular Committees and Jaysh al-Sha'bi militias which stand to take the place of the Syrian army in a coming sectarian free-for-all. The second problem is topographical. All of the major regime installations are in elevated positions, meaning that, as rebels advance, a steady barrage of rockets and artillery can rain down on them. Analysts say there is simply no way that the rebels can penetrate the Rif Dimashq military installations given their current capability, even with Croatian rocket launchers and recoilless guns.
2013-04-17 00:00:00
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