Minibus Blast Kills 21 in the South. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a minibus blast killed 21 people, including children, in the southern town of Noa.
“Opposition activists told the Observatory the minibus drove over a mine planted by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. There was no immediate comment from the government,” Reuters said. “The explosion was reported in rebel-held territory in Syria’s Deraa province but there are also army troops in the nearby base of Tel al-Jumaa, which is besieged.”
Syrians Told to Eat Cats, Dogs to Stave Off Starvation. The Australian Broadcasting Company reports that Muslim clerics in Syria have issued a fatwa permitting people to eat cats, dogs and donkeys during the Muslim Eid holiday, as graphic new footage shows the effects of malnutrition on starving children caught up in the country’s civil war.
“The clerics say it is a cry for help to the whole world, adding that if the situation continues to deteriorate, the living could have to eat the dead,” according to the report. What food there is has doubled in price, according to this report from Save the Children on Hunger in a War Zone.
We’ve reported that Syrians are eating leaves off trees and food powder that tastes like chicken. Vice ran graphic, poignant images of Syrian kids suffering from malnutrition. A report in TIME Magazine described hunger as a weapon in Assad’s arsenal, with food stocks effectively blocked from reaching rebel-held areas.
Asma al-Assad Pledges to Stand by Bashar. Amid reports she had fled Syria, footage on Syrian state television showed First Lady Asma al-Assad “standing by” her husband.
“I am here, my husband and my children are here in Syria. It’s obvious that I’d be here with them,” she said, as cited by AFP.
“How can I teach my children to love Syria if they don’t live here?” she added. “I was here yesterday, I’m here today and I will be here tomorrow.”
Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team:
Huffington Post: Clerics in Syria Issue Fatwa Allowing Citizen to Eat Dogs, Cats to Prevent Starvation
VICE: Trapped in Town Under Siege, Syrian Children Are Eating Leaves to Survive
LA Times: Push to Eliminate Chemical Weapons May Extend Assad’s Rule
Bloomberg: Families Fleeing Syria Raise Tensions in Oil Region
Asharq Alawsa: FSA Chief on ISIS, Geneva and Syria’s Civil War
Al Arabiya: Destroying Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Who wins, Who Loses?
Al Monitor: Pressure Mounts on Turkey Over Radical Groups in Syria
The Atlantic: Staying Out of Syria Didn’t Hurt Obama’s Presidency After All