The  situation in Syria continues to deteriorate. With the International Red  Cross now in essence declaring Syria in the throes of a civil war, the  rules of war now apply to both sides. This includes possible charges of  war crimes at the conclusion of the war.

The  biggest concern is that the conflict in Syria could pull other nations  in the region into the war which could pit the US and other Western  powers in direct conflict not just with Syrian ally Iran, but  face-to-face with Russia and China.

I  have been the beneficiary of information from within the UN contingency  of the latest battles now erupting throughout the capital city of  Damascus. No longer is the war contained to regions and cities removed  from the seat of power, but now government troops are in direct  confrontation with opposition forces.

The source within the UN contingency provided the following information about the current state of affairs inside the capitol:

Central  Damascus was at the core of heavy fighting and exchange of gunfire  between government troops and opposition forces on Tuesday. A main  thoroughfare within Damascus, Baghdad Street, which is near the center  square, was scene to more gunfire. For a brief time two of the squares  entry points were closed off, but have once again been opened to  traffic.

While  the back-and-forth took place in city central, Army helicopters were  reported to have fired upon civilians in the Qaboon sector in eastern  Damascus. Likewise near city central the Midan sector saw government  troops hitting hard for the 2nd day in a row.

Rebel  forces announced a full-scale assault on Damascus a few hours before  the fighting intensified on Tuesday. In announcing their intentions to  take the capitol, the opposition stated that the offensive was "the  first strategic step towards bringing Syria into a state of complete and  total civil disobedience."

The  usual activity has been restricted to night time incursions and  skirmishes. However, now that the opposition is in full battle mode, war  activity has ratcheted up during the daylight hours as well.

There  is a belief within the UN contingency that unless the Syrian military  is not able to quickly contain the volatile situation the end of the  regime of President Bashar Al-Assad may be near.

While  the IRC has declared Syria in a state of civil war and thus could lead  to human rights charges against both the government and the opposition,  it is unlikely without a change of heart by both Russia and China that  the International Court will ever be involved.

The prognosis is that in the days to come that the Syrian military will be throwing everything it has against the rebels, if it hopes to keep the oppposition from toppling the government.

Other  news sources are also reporting on the uptick in hostilities within  Syria. To read those accounts just follow the links at the end of this  report.

In other news coming from Syria:

Ex-Syrian Ambassador: The  most senior Syrian diplomat to defect and publicly embrace his  country's uprising is calling for a foreign military intervention to  topple President Bashar al-Assad. He also accused the Damascus regime of  collaborating with al Qaeda militants against opponents both in Syria  and in neighboring Iraq.

"I  support military intervention because I know the nature of this regime,"  Nawaf al-Fares told CNN. "This regime will only go by force."

http://cnn.com/2012/07/15/world/meast/syria-defector-interview/

Chemical Weapons Concern: The  Obama administration on Tuesday said it was concerned that Syrian  President Bashar Assad would use his nation's stockpiles of chemical  weapons to put down the 17-month uprising against his government.

“What  we have seen is inhumane brutality from the Assad regime, and that is  something that has aroused the concern — against his own people I should  say – and that has certainly aroused concern not just by the president  and U.S. officials, but by the leaders of countries all over the globe,  including a number of countries in the region,” White House spokesman  Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One, according to a transcript  from CQ.

http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/middle-east-north-africa/238417-white-house-expresses-concern-that-assad-will-use-chemical-weapons-in-syria

What’s  worse than a power-mad dictator with weapons of mass destruction? A  power-mad dictator who may be about to lose them. This is the situation  the world may soon be forced to face in Syria as the Assad regime begins  to crack.  It is a potential nightmare that ultimately might lead to  the use and proliferation of WMDs across the region.

How bad is  it?  Earlier in the year, reports surfaced out of the Pentagon that it  might take up to 75,000 troops to handle Syria’s illicit arsenal.  And  that’s one of the better scenarios.  In the last few days open source  reports indicated that the Assad regime is moving Syria’s chemical  weapons from their storage locations. This has fueled speculation about  possible use against rebel forces and stoked fears of regional  proliferation.

http://wired.com/dangerroom/2012/07/syria/

Syrian Opposition to US President: The  head of a prominent Syrian opposition group says U.S. President Barack  Obama should take greater action on Syria and not be worried about  whether the "right decision" will hurt Obama's re-election campaign.

"We  want for America and the Western countries to carry out their  responsibilities through the (U.N.) Security Council and work to adopt a  resolution under Article 7 to force this regime to stop killing  Syrians," Abdulbaset Sieda, chairman of the Syrian National Council,  said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS.

"With  regard to America, specifically, we would like to say to President  Obama that waiting for election day to make the right decision on Syria  is unacceptable for the Syrians. We cannot understand that a superpower  ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of  an election campaign that a president may win or lose. That's why we are  saying there is work that must take place at the Security Council."

http://cnn.com/2012/07/15/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html

From the Cornfield this is a special edition of the Mideast Watch with Syria at its focus.

To my anonymous source who has provided insight nto the Syrian situation, thank you.

http://csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2012/0716/Syria-war-deepens-Damascus-sees-worst-fighting-yet

http://bostonherald.com/news/international/middle_east/view.bg?articleid=1061145905

http://reuters.com/article/2012/07/15/us-syria-crisis-blast-idUSBRE86E06X20120715

http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-troops-storm-town-amid-calls-un-action-104507895.html