This news from Syria seems to mark some sort of turning point for the Assad regime.
Not only did the Arab League vote to suspend Syria for failing to abide by its pledge to end its crackdown on protests, but pro-Assad mobs in Damascus attacked the embassies of several Arab countries as well as the embassy of Turkey.
The protesters chanted anti-Turkey slogans, hurled rocks and tried to force their way into the compound, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolian news agency reported. Also attacked were Turkish missions in the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Latakia.
The attacks prompted Ankara to evacuate the families of embassy personnel in Damascus, Turkish media reported.
Turkey, which has a border of more than 500 miles with Syria, is not an Arabic nation, but supports protesters in Syria who call for Assad’s ouster. Turkey also has provided refuge for Syrian dissidents, including army defectors operating along the border.
Turkish prime minister Erdogan may still be angry at Israel over the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid and other issues, but you can bet that’s nothing compared to his rage at Assad now.
Meanwhile EA WorldView reports:
An aid convoy, organised by residents of Idlib in northwest Syria, sets off for the city of Homs, under sustained military shelling over the last two weeks:
I suspect the need for food and medical supplies in Homs is at least as great as it was last year in Gaza, when a Viva Palestina convoy passed through Syria— probably much greater. I only hope the Syrian authorities are as accommodating toward the convoy to Homs as they were toward the convoy to Gaza.
