BICOM

Military Intelligence Chief, Major General Aviv Kochavi said yesterday that Iran and Hezbollah were actively helping the Syrian regime crush the anti-government protesters. Kochavi said that Iran and Hezbollah have been transferring information and offering technical assistance and equipment to Syria in order to disperse the crowds. “The great motivation Iran and Hezbollah have to assist [Syria] comes from their deep worry regarding the implications these events might have, particularly losing control of their cooperation with the Syrians and having such events slide onto their own territories,” Kochavi said. He noted that Iran was using the Middle East instability to push into and become more influential in countries in the region such as Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, Gaza and others.

Kochavi also noted that the Syrian regime is trying to implement reforms, but that these do not seem to affect the protesters. “Assad understands that the solution cannot be only through military means, which is why he has turned to implement reforms. It is impossible to dismiss the reforms […] that include pay increases, subsidies, and new employment opportunities. Yet these actions are not able to quell the protests,” Kochavi said. He also added that there are no signs of instability in the military yet and the defections were limited to 20-30 officers. Kochavi assessed that at the end of this cycle of violence Assad will be weakened even if he survives, and this will, in turn, weaken the radical axis.

In recent developments, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad shot dead 14 people yesterday in the city of Hama. In response, France called on the United Nations to stand up against the “ferocious armed repression” displayed by the Syrian regime. Meanwhile, Amnesty International released a report yesterday outlining what it considers the “crimes against humanity” committed by the Assad regime in Syria. The report focuses on events that occurred in Tell Kalakh when the mass protests began in March 2011. It also called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, impose a complete arms embargo on Syria and implement an asset freeze against Bashar Assad and “others who may be involved in ordering or perpetrating serious human rights abuses”.