The Battle for Qusayr

The battle for Qusayr is important for both sides. As Anne Barnard, reporting from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley explains,

Lebanon and the region have been electrified by the fierce fighting in Qusayr and the role of Hezbollah. Fighters on both sides said rebels continued to hold the north of the city against Hezbollah, the Syrian Army and pro-government militias. 

An official with the March 14 movement, Hezbollah’s main political rival, said that with Hezbollah’s help Mr. Assad could probably take Qusayr, a crucial area because it lies near the border and links Damascus with the rebel-held north and the government-held coast. But, the official said, it could cost Hezbollah hundreds of fighters.

Barnard's piece, "Hezbollah’s Role in Syria War Shakes the Lebanese," once again spotlights the sectarian destabilization underway in the Middle East. She focuses on what she says are unusually heavy losses for the Party of Allah, comparing its losses in Qusayr to the losses it suffered in the 2006 war with Israel. But the story, while not extremely unbalanced, is nonetheless slanted. Nowhere are rebel casualties discussed. Clearly Barnard has contacts with the Free Syrian Army. Why not get a quote about its losses at Qusayr?

No, it smacks of agitprop. Hezbollah losses seem large compared to the 2006 Israeli war because Israel mostly fought from the air, dropping bombs from above. There was no extended campaign to capture a city with ground troops. Hezbollah was successful in hit-and-run attacks on Israeli tanks, but there was no pitched battle stretching over days in urban rubble.

On its Op-Ed page the New York Times in an unsigned editorial asks the question. "Why Is Russia Still Arming Syria?" For the same reason the United States is still arming Bahrain. 

The Times continues to view the Syrian civil war through the lens of the Arab Spring (this is the agitprop) when all its reporting tells us otherwise, tells us that it is in fact a Great Power conflict, with the West and its rancid cronies in the Gulf monarchies on one side against Syria, Iran, Russia, China and the Party of God on the other.

The editorial does go on to say this week will determine if the U.S.-Russia peace conference actually takes place:

The week ahead is critical. Most of the major countries and groups with an interest in Syria are holding meetings that will determine whether the conference can even take place, much less make any progress. 

Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to explain the plans for the conference on Wednesday in Jordan to the anti-Assad alliance of Western and Arab countries. He will need to do a better job of clarifying the American vision, and organizing the allies, than Washington has done so far. The opposition forces are scheduled to meet in Istanbul on Thursday, followed by an Arab League meeting in Cairo. For the opposition to boycott the conference would hand a significant propaganda victory to Mr. Assad.