Tag: syria

Will the West’s Gamble in Syria and Georgia Succeed?

If you are looking at the war in Ukraine, the attempted Maidan coup in Georgia and the Salafist jihadi offensive in Syria as separate, unconnected events, you are mistaken. The United States, with the collaboration of several NATO countries — the UK in particular — has embarked on a desperate campaign to try to salvage victory from looming defeat.

During the Cold War, the American public was sold a flaming-bag of dog excrement that portrayed the Soviet Union as an implacable foe intent on sowing communist revolutions around the world. Most Americans accepted that narrative and justified wars in Vietnam, Angola and Central America as existential threats that required ever increasing defense budgets.

But then, the Soviet Union imploded in 1991, and the Berlin Wall — an iconic symbol of the Cold War — was dismantled and the raison d’etre of fighting communism vanished. What to do? Follow Abraham Lincoln’s plan for reconciling with the South in the aftermath of the Civil War? Hell no. Russia still had to be treated as an enemy.

The fascism that is at the heart of the American establishment — i.e., a cozy, corrupt relationship were corporations grow wealthy from supplying over-priced military technology by bribing the Congress to pony up billions of dollars — continued to look for enemies abroad and launched meaningless, but profitable, wars of expedition in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Serbia and Syria. None of those ventures succeeded in bringing peace and stability to those nations.

Why fight these wars? To what purpose? The answer is simple: gain control of the vast resources controlled by Russia, China and Iran. During the first quarter of the 21st Century, the US milked the Global War on Terror to justify expanding a security state that resembles the heinous conduct of the Soviet Union in its darkest moments. Yet, while ostensibly focused on fighting Islamic extremism, we have seen the United States knowingly and wittingly arm and train some of the very Islamic radicals we claimed we were fighting.

Which brings us to the re-ignition of the war in Syria. Turkey is a useful and willing pawn in this lethal game. The goal? Create conditions to justify a war with Iran and weaken both Russia and China. Unfortunately, most Americans are still willing to accept the propaganda and will support these efforts until there is an economic or military crisis that inflicts pain and suffering on the US.

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Biden’s Parting Shot at America

The interim between a US presidential election and the swearing in of a new Administration has for most of our history been a non-eventful period where the outgoing Administration winds down operations and the incoming Administration ramps up new personnel before the inauguration.

The 20th Amendment to our Constitution was enacted in 1933 to reduce the “lame duck” period between election and inauguration to January 20th instead of March 4th. Increasing ease in travel and communications made such a long interim unnecessary. However long the transition period, it has been understood that with the new election came a new mandate from the American people and the “lame duck” outgoing administration was meant to quietly quack out its last few days in office without incident.

Then came Biden. In the period since the American people rejected Biden’s neocon interventionists in favor of Donald Trump’s promises to end the wars, the “lame duck” has run roughshod over the will of the American people. Whoever is running Biden – and the answer is unclear – has decided to “Trump proof” foreign policy to bring us to the literal brink of WWIII with Russia. And to top it off, Biden’s people this past week have again unleashed al-Qaeda linked rebels to wreak havoc in Syria!

After solidly opposing the neocon demand that Ukraine be given permission to fire US weapons deep into Russia, President Biden in the waning days of his presidency suddenly reversed course and granted permission. From back in 2022, when Russia first went into Ukraine, Biden had argued against sending offensive weaponry and US troops to fight on Ukraine’s behalf. “Make no mistake,” he said in March of that year, “that’s called World War III.”

Something about losing the popular and electoral vote has led Biden’s people to disregard the threat of WWIII and give the green light for attacks with US missiles deep into Russian territory. Why is this so different than providing tanks or bullets? These missile systems are highly complex and classified and can only be operated by US or NATO personnel. That means that American military officers are shooting American missiles into Russia – something unimaginable even in the depths of the Cold War!

Then, just days ago, we saw the sudden re-emergence of the US former proxies in Syria – extremists whose ties go back to al-Qaeda – sweep halfway through the country in what appears to be a return of Obama’s disastrous “Assad must go” policy. For five years the conflict in Syria had been more or less “frozen,” but Biden’s people have turned it up to a boil.

Why has the Biden Administration suddenly given a green light to these terrorists and how deeply is the CIA involved in stirring up new trouble in Syria? Make no mistake: these US-backed “rebels” would never have made their move without the approval of the Biden Administration.

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Iraqi Shia Militias Enter Fight In Syria

Reports from the Middle East confirm Iranian proxy-army militias have entered the conflict from Iraq.

Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun have arrived in Syria overnight.

These groups seek to establish a pro-Iranian regime in Iraq, and fought against coalition forces during the Iraq War. They are responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers.

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Israel-Backed Al Qaeda Terrorists Storm Aleppo

The Syrian Army is pressing ahead with its operations to confront and expel foreign-backed terrorists from the country’s north and northwestern provinces. Reports on the ground say that the Syrian military backed by the Russian Air Force struck the terror groups in villages of Hazarin and Al-Raqeya in the southern countryside of the province of Idlib. Airstrikes also targeted positions of Al-Nusra Front Terror Group around Khan Sheikhoun south of Idlib and Morek in the northern countryside of Hama. The Syrian military says it has reinforced its defense lines with various means of fire, personnel and equipment in areas where clashes are underway with the terrorists. The army also says it’s managed to secure a number of areas including Ma’ardis. According to the Syrian media, nearly terrorists have been killed in three days of fighting. Clashes between the army and the terrorists erupted after attack theory groups, including al-Nusra Front, launched a surprise attack on northern and northwestern parts of Syria on Wednesday.

And reactions and condemnations continue pouring in over the resurgence of foreign-backed terrorism in Syria. The Arab League has issued a statement stressing the need to respect the sovereignty and preserve the territorial integrity of Syria. League Secretary General Ahmed Abu Ghait expressed concerns over the continuous developments that Syria is witnessing and their impacts on civilians. In a phone call, the UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the country stands with Syria and supports it in combating terrorism and unifying its territory. The Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudanian and Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein expressed their country’s support, saying that Syria’s security and stability are linked to Iraq’s national security. In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yivan Gil expressed country solidarity with the Syrian people and government, calling on the international community to condemn terrorist attacks in Syria.

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Syrian Opposition Moves On Aleppo, Kills Russian SF Team-Assad Declares ‘New Zionist Plot’

Reports are emanating from the Middle East of new clashes involving the Assad regime, as ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon rage.

Rebel forces against the Assad regime, long accused of being associated with terrorists, have gained ground in a bid to rush towards Aleppo, capturing the strategic town of Saraqeb, southeast of Idlib, between Aleppo and Homs.

The anti Assad rebels in northern Syria, probably emboldened by Hezbollah’s defeat, began a couple of days ago go a massive offense in and took over 15 villages as they approach Aleppo. Along the way they killed a Russian special forces team and a couple of Syrian army generals, reported journalists in the area.

In yellow: the area that the rebels in Syria occupied today, with dozens of settlements and at least one large military base of the Assad army. From published photos, several Russian soldiers were killed in the fighting

Meanwhile, media known to be sympathetic with the Assad regime allude to a “new Zionist plot”:

Hours after Netanyahu’s speech last night in which he threatened President Assad that he was “playing with fire”, the ground attack of the rebels in western Aleppo was launched.

Reports are a Russian special forces team was killed.

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Russia boosts presence near Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to help Syria ‘prevent escalations’

Moscow has reinforced posts located in the countryside of Daraa and Quneitra governorates near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where Tel Aviv has revived efforts to build a ‘separation wall’  along the disengagement zone similar to those erected along the borders with Lebanon, Egypt, Gaza, and throughout the West Bank.

Last week, the UN accused Israel of violating a 50-year-old ceasefire agreement with Syria by starting construction work on the wall. Satellite imagery published by AP confirmed extensive construction and road paving extending for 7.5 kilometers along the Alpha Line, with armored vehicles and tanks providing security. 

Israeli Knesset member and former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman warned last month: “If Syria continues to be used as a logistical base for our enemies, we will simply seize the Syrian part of Mount Hermon and will not relinquish it until further notice.”

The Israeli violations in occupied Syrian land come as the Russian and Syrian armies recently increased joint operations across the country, targeting western-backed extremist groups.

“Russian forces are conducting aerial and ground monitoring to enhance security, support displaced residents’ return, and maintain stability,” Al-Akhbar reports, adding that the region “previously housed Israeli-backed militants” before a Russia-brokered disengagement deal returned control to the government in Damascus.

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The long road to Beirut now Israel has bombed Syrian borders

On Thursday 7th of November I set off for Beirut. I could no longer use the direct road through the Masnaa border with Lebanon. Israel has now bombed the road at least twice reducing the stretch between the Syrian and Lebanese border to rubble. The US influence (on behalf of Israel) in Lebanon has prohibited any attempts by the Lebanese or Syrian side to repair the road. Israel has threatened to bomb it again if either side tries to restore operations.

The blue dotted line is the usual route which is fast and efficient. The purple dotted line is the route now needed to reach Beirut from Damascus. Israel has also bombed several points and bridges on the Homs western route so it is necessary to head for Tartous further north on the coast and then turn south to reach the border.

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Hezbollah’s Exploding Pagers Could Be As Monumental A Cyber-Espionage Operation As Stuxnet

In an extraordinary development in the Middle East conflict, thousands of Hezbollah members have been injured and at least three people were killed after pagers that the militants used exploded simultaneously today. While exactly how this occurred remains unclear, it could very well be a monumental cyber attack that could have widespread implications far beyond the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Regardless, it should be a wake-up call.

While no one has so far taken responsibility, Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack. A source from the group said that they expect the attack may have been launched in response to an alleged assassination attempt by the Lebanese militant group on a former senior Israeli security official. The existence of that plot was only revealed today by Israel’s Shin Bet security agency.

At this stage, the total number of individuals killed or injured by the pager blasts is unclear. Hezbollah has confirmed the deaths of at least three people, including two of its fighters. 

At the time of writing, at least nine people have died and approximately 2,800 have been wounded, according to Lebanon’s Minister of Health Firas Abiad. Of the injured, 170 at least are also said to be in critical condition.

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Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria. At least 9 dead, hundreds injured

Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people – including an 8-year-old girl — and wounding several thousand, officials said. They blamed Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.

Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. The mysterious incident came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza.

The pagers that exploded had been newly acquired by Hezbollah after the group’s leader ordered members to stop using cell phones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand the group had not used before.

At about 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, pagers started heating up and then exploding in the pockets and hands of those carrying them — particularly in a southern Beirut suburb and the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong presence, and in Damascus, where several Hezbollah members were wounded, Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official said. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.

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Arab tribes seize control of US-occupied Syrian towns in large-scale assault

A coalition of Syrian Arab tribes seized several towns from US-backed Kurdish forces in the countryside of eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor governorate on 7 August. 

Tribesmen launched the “largest” attack on Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sites since the start of the Arab tribal rebellion against the US-backed militia last year, Sputnikreported, adding that the attack took place “under the cover of artillery and mortar shells.” 

“Violent clashes have been ongoing since the early morning hours between the forces of the SDF-linked Deir Ezzor and Hajin Military Councils on the one hand, and the attacking groups of the ‘Army of Tribes’ coalition on the other, in the vicinity of the towns of Abu Hamam, Dhiban, Al-Lattwa, Al-Kashkiya, and Gharanij,” the news outlet’s correspondent said.

The clashes were concentrated in the towns of Al-Sabha and Al-Tayana, east of Deir Ezzor, the correspondent added. 

The Arab tribes used RPGs and machine guns against the SDF during the onset of the attack, according to Al Mayadeen.

“SDF militants imposed a complete curfew in the towns under their control in the Deir Ezzor countryside, after the arrival of large military reinforcements from Hasakah and Raqqa, coinciding with a wide search operation in the villages surrounding the areas of clashes,” the Sputnik correspondent went on to say.

Residents told Sputnik that many people were displaced as a result and that three civilians were killed while seven others were injured due to the fighting. Local sources also told the outlet that at least 10 SDF militants were taken captive by tribal fighters, who also seized large amounts of light and heavy weapons. 

The SDF and the tribal coalition also took some casualties. 

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