America against opposition attempts to take Syria's UN seat

CIA has been training Syrian rebels in Jordan, British newspaper The Guardian has claimed The Syrian opposition's move to take Syria's United Nations (UN) seat has been opposed by United States, Russia and China. Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has disclosed that the organisation's team of experts to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria is currently stationed in Cyprus, waiting for approval from the Syrian regime.
On the ground, two Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the latest bout of violence, and British newspaper The Guardian has claimed that America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been training a small number of Syrian rebels in Jordan to tackle the threat from jihadists to the Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.
On the diplomatic front, the US Secretary of State John Kerry, before leaving Israel for London, said he would hold talks with the representatives of the Syrian opposition in the English capital.
"I will be meeting with the Syrian opposition in London," he told reporters at the Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, after three days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
However, he confirmed that Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib is not expected to attend the meeting, which is being hosted by British Foreign Secretary William Hague. "We're working on a list of attendees," he added.
The Syrian government has announced its rejection of UN proposals to widen their investigation into the use of chemical weapons in the country. An official statement released on Monday said: "Ban Ki-moon suggested a supplementary mission be deployed throughout Syrian territory, which is contrary to the demand Syria made to the United Nations."
Earlier, Ban told reporters: "It is a matter of principle that when there is an allegation, whether it is one or two or multiple allegations, all these allegations need to be investigated. Only then will we be sure that there was or there were uses of chemical weapons. Without that nobody can be sure."
Ban said that the UN team of experts is currently in Cyprus, where it is receiving technical and logistical support from the UN peacekeeping force. He explained that the delegates are waiting for the green light from the Syrian government, and he urged the authorities to show flexibility and a sense of urgency and allow them to enter the country.
In a separate diplomatic development, American sources claimed that the United States does not want the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) to be granted Syria's seat at the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said that Monday's deadly bombing in Damascus showed that the Syrian government forces are frustrating the rebels, especially on the outskirts of the capital. At least 15 people had been killed and 53 wounded when a car bomb exploded in the centre of Damascus.
Al-Halqi explained that the Syrian's army's resolve is stronger than ever and that the soldiers are "determined to push forward and crush the rebels."
In the meantime, hundreds of Syrians activists, intellectuals and celebrities have joined the smaller Syrian revolutionary groups in signing a statement demanding the expansion of the opposition coalition, to include other civil forces and rebels. The statement coincides with the Syrian opposition's provisional prime minister, Ghassan Hitto's attempts to formulate his new cabinet.
Elsewhere, sources close to the Lebanese political party, Hezbollah, have confirmed that two its members were killed near the Syrian border with Lebanon on Monday. The sources added that the two men were fighting alongside Syrian government forces.
Director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Rami Abdel Rahman said that the reports were not surprising. "It is no longer a secret that Hezbollah fighters are leading the battle against the Syrian opposition fighters in the countryside in Homs, Sayeda Zeinab and outskirts of Damascus," he argued.
In the latest wave of violence across Syria, the rebel Qaqaa Brigade commander, Ali Matar was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on the outskirts of the Deir ez-Zor governorate.
In Damascus, clashes between the regime forces and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters continued long into the night with the death toll yet to be confirmed.
In the Homs governorate, several properties were damaged and a man was killed when Syrian government troops bombed the town of Rastan.
In Daraa, regime forces mounted a fierce offensive against towns and cities on Tuesday, as reports emerged that a prisoner from the Lebanese city of Sidon had been tortured to death in a regime-run prison.