Syria closes its land borders with Jordan -officials

[Bosonic]

Source: Reuters

AMMAN, April 25 (Reuters) - Syria closed all its land border crossings with neighbouring Jordan on Monday, officials said, following the deployment of Syrian army tanks in the southern border city of Deraa to crush a pro-democracy uprising.

Read more: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/syria-closes-its-land-borders-with-jordan--officials

[pampango]

1. Aljazeera: Syrian troops sweep into Deraa and Douma

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/04/20114255333825461.html

Hundreds of Syrian troops backed by armour early on Monday have moved into the flashpoint southern Syrian town of Deraa where heavy shooting was heard, according to witnesses on the scene.

"Hundreds of security service men entered the town, accompanied by tanks and armoured vehicles," Abdullah Al-Harriri, an activist, told the AFP news agency in Nicosia by telephone. "The men are firing in all directions and advancing behind the armour which is protecting them," he added. "Electricity is cut off and telephone communications are virtually impossible."

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus, said that the events on Monday marked a change in methods by security forces. Up until now, she said, security forces have cracked down in reaction to protests. But the flood of troops into Douma and Deraa came in the absence of any demonstrations. "Today, we're seeing a different tactic with security forces sweeping the towns," she said, noting reports of house-to-house searches, arrests and random shooting coming from both towns.

Communications were cut off and, for the first time, the military has become directly involved in quelling the uprising, much to the disappointment of opposition activists. "They were hoping the army would not get involved," Amin reported. "They feel this is only the beginning of a very serious crackdown."

[Baclava]

2. Sending in the tanks? Another Tiananmen Square - and nobody cares?

Syria knows we'd never lift a finger against them with Iran at their side.

We like nice clean little wars with 'no-fly' zones, like in Libya.