July 31 (Bloomberg) - Syrian soldiers stormed Hama and other cities that have been hotbeds of unrest, leaving at least 100 dead, as President Bashar al - Assad tried to regain control on the eve of Ramadan and an intensification of the protest.
Tanks shelled Hama fire of Cannon and at least 100 dead and dozens injured, Mahmoud Merhi, head of the Damascus Arab Organization for human rights, they said. Three people were killed near the city of Daraa, and there were reports of casualties in Bukamal and Deir to the Zour, said Merhi.El regime is "very concerned that as soon as Ramadan begins there daily, nightly protests against him and this is an attempt to give a decisive demonstration of force, hard-line" Chris Phillips, a London analyst Economist Intelligence Unitsaid in a telephone interview. "Given what has happened in the last five months it is very unlikely that this works."Activists, analysts, and Syrian refugees have said they expect the lifting intensify during the holiday, which begins tomorrow. More than 1950 demonstrators have died since the protests began in March, according to Merhi and Ammar Qurabi of the national organization for human rights in Syria. The unrest poses the greatest challenge to the Government of Assad as inherited power from his father, Hafez al - Assad, 11 years ago.Black SmokeHama was the site of an uprising in 1982 which crushed the father of the current President, leaving about 10,000 people dead, according to human rights widespread Watch.Footage for Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera today showed columns of black smoke billowing from Hama. They could hear the sounds of gunshots and people screaming. Syria State television aired a sports program.Demonstrators, inspired by the overthrow of leaders in Tunisia and Egypt at the beginning of this year, demanding democracy and increase civil rights in the country, which has been ruled by the family of Assad for four decades. Syria has been a key opponent of United States and the Israeli policy in the middle and a corridor of power in the neighbouring Lebanon.Assad has blamed the protests on plots inspired abroad, to recognize that some demonstrators have legitimate demands and promising political changes.Last week, the Government passed laws that allow new political parties that exist along with the Baath Party of Assad, who has been in power since 1963, and the establishment of a Commission to regulate elections. Movements and steps towards change managed to appease protesters.Miles ArrestedThe Syrian army Hama siege for a month, has been also launched an offensive on Al - Muadamiya, a suburb of Damascus, said Merhi. More than 2,000 people have been arrested last week by the authorities, said.In Syria, as in other countries of Islamic majority, family and community groups will usually break the daily Ramadan fast after sunset, and people attend the mosque more frequently than in other months. The mosques have been Rally points for the Syrian protesters and greater assistance can help organizers to get more people on the streets, said Phillips.Hama was the site of an uprising in 1982 which crushed the father of Assad, leaving about 10,000 people dead, according to Human Rights Watch.-With the assistance of Alaa Shahine and Zahra Hankir in Dubai. Editors: Louis Meixler, Dick Schumacher
To contact the reporter on this story: Massoud a. Derhally in Beirut, Lebanon, mderhally@bloomberg.net; NaYLa Razzouk in Amman in nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Louis Meixler in lmeixler@bloomberg.net
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