SYRIA – LET US NOT AVERT OUR EYES – AT 11:26 A.M. ET:  Apprehension is growing in Syria that a huge battle is about to take place, one that could be a major bloodbath.  In the meantime, Syria is consulting with its sponsor, Iran, which has not modified its behavior one iota since heavy sanctions were placed on it.  All these things are coming to a head.  Obama wants to delay the climax until after the election.  That might not be possible: 

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem arrived in Tehran on Sunday morning for talks with top Iranian officials to discuss developments in Syria, the Iranian Fars news agency reported.

According to Fars, Muallem is set to meet with Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili, who also serves as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.

Meanwhile, Syrian forces on Sunday intensified air and ground attacks on rebel-held areas in Aleppo, opposition activists said, amid growing fears of mass killings in the northern city of more than 2 million people.

Helicopter gunships fired on the district of Salah ad-Din in south-eastern Aleppo, one of several neighborhoods being held by rebels, said activists.

The attacks are part of a massive offensive, which regime forces started Saturday to regain control of Aleppo, the country's commercial hub.

"Fierce clashes are taking places in the districts of Bab al-Hadid, al-Zahara and al-Arqub (in northern Aleppo)," said the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Of the 160 people killed across the country on Saturday, the London-based organization reported at least 31 deaths in Aleppo.

COMMENT:  Iran continues to make it clear that it backs Assad.  Our policy, by contrast, is confused.  We oppose Assad but don't quite know whether to back the opposition, which may be infiltrated by Al Qaeda.  If Assad wins, and he might just, Iran will be mightily strengthened, and even less inclined to be reasonable on its nuclear program.

None of this seems to bother the American left, which doesn't even discuss human rights any longer.  And discussion of the Iranian nuclear threat has been placed on the back burner, the better not to divert attention from the Obama campaign.

The question is how much of a price our next generation will pay.

July 29, 2012