Syrian Army Defectors Attack Military; Arab League Enforces Suspension

Syrian activists stated that army defectors attacked a string of military bases around the suburbs of Damascus. Parts of the notorious Air Force Intelligence building in Harasta is reported to have been destroyed, as the attacks would be the boldest attacks carried out by the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The army defectors also attacked army checkpoints in the Damascus suburbs of Douma, Qaboun and Arabeen and Saqba., in which eight Syrian soldiers were killed.

The attacks come as foreign ministers from the Arab League are expected to formalize their suspension of Syria today in a meeting in Rabat, as the suspension goes into effect today. ”As of November 16 we will apply the suspension of Syria’s participation in the Arab League,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri said, as U.S. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner expressed on Tuesday that “we look for the Arab League tomorrow to again send a forceful message to Asad that he needs to allow for a democratic transition to take place and to allow – and to end the violence against his people.” Even Turkey, which once had close ties to Syria, has denounced the bloodshed in Syria as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu noted, “We denounce the mass murder of the Syrian people… It is all of our responsibility to end the bloodshed in Syria.” However, the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Tuesday said Syria was not going to attend the meeting in Rabat on Wednesday.

Outside the Arab League suspension, more pressure has mounted on Syria as Bahrain called for the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador and the French ambassador to Syria has been recalled.  Yet, the Syrian government released 1,800 prisoners, a move seen as President Bashar al-Assad “scrambling” to avoid sanctions and suspension. Rights activists have confirmed that the freed prisoners included Kamal Labwani, “a prominent lawyer halfway through a 15-year sentence for having insulted Mr. Assad.”