#Syrian air defense downing an #Israeli drone over #Syria tonight.
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How A Dubious BBC Report Gave Israel The “Green Light” For Last Night’s Attack On Syria
How A Dubious BBC Report Gave Israel The “Green Light” For Last Night’s Attack On Syria
Syrian state television has confirmed that Israel attacked a military base outside of Damascus overnight on Friday, which Israeli media reports involved both surface-to-surface missiles and airstrikes, while Syria says its air defense systems were engaged and intercepted two missiles. Like other recent strikes inside Syria, the Israeli jets reportedly fired from over Lebanese airspace, in order to avoid both Syrian anti-aircraft missile systems and provoking a Russian response. Though the extent of the damage or casualties is not yet known, Syrian media has confirmed material damage to the base, and other reports indicate mass power outages in some of parts of Damascus occurred immediately after the attack, which SANA says happened at 12:30am local time.
It appears the base is likely the same one featured in a November BBC report which showed satellite images detailing the purported construction and renovation of an “Iranian military base” near El-Kiswah, which lies 14 km (8 miles) south of Damascus. As we’ve noted before, the BBC report was dubiously sourced to “a Western intelligence source” and the story was quickly utilized by Israeli leaders to ratchet up rhetoric in preparing its case before the international community for further attacks on the supposed Iranian targets. Israel has long justified its attacks inside Syria by claiming to be acting against Hezbollah and Iranian facilities and arms depots.
Image source: SANA
#Syria Another Video allegedly showing Syrian Anti Air Defense intercepting one of the Israeli Missiles launched towards the countryside of Damascus pic.twitter.com/xIeS4MTjJI
— Ivan Sidorenko (@IvanSidorenko1) December 1, 2017
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In Shocking, Viral Interview, Qatar Confesses Secrets Behind Syrian War
In Shocking, Viral Interview, Qatar Confesses Secrets Behind Syrian War
A television interview of a top Qatari official confessing the truth behind the origins of the war in Syria is going viral across Arabic social media during the same week a leaked top secret NSA document was published which confirms that the armed opposition in Syria was under the direct command of foreign governments from the early years of the conflict.
And according to a well-known Syria analyst and economic adviser with close contacts in the Syrian government, the explosive interview constitutes a high level “public admission to collusion and coordination between four countries to destabilize an independent state, [including] possible support for Nusra/al-Qaeda.” Importantly, “this admission will help build case for what Damascus sees as an attack on its security & sovereignty. It will form basis for compensation claims.”
A 2013 London press conference: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. A 2014 Hillary Clinton email confirmed Qatar as a state-sponsor of ISIS during that same time period.
As the war in Syria continues slowly winding down, it seems new source material comes out on an almost a weekly basis in the form of testimonials of top officials involved in destabilizing Syria, and even occasional leaked emails and documents which further detail covert regime change operations against the Assad government. Though much of this content serves to confirm what has already long been known by those who have never accepted the simplistic propaganda which has dominated mainstream media, details continue to fall in place, providing future historians with a clearer picture of the true nature of the war.
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NSA Document Says Saudi Prince Directly Ordered Coordinated Attack by Syrian Rebels on Damascus
A LOOSELY KNIT collection of Syrian rebel fighters set up positions on March 18, 2013, and fired several barrages of rockets at targets in the heart of Damascus, Bashar al-Assad’s capital. The attack was a brazen show of force by rebels under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, targeting the presidential palace, Damascus International Airport, and a government security compound. It sent a chilling message to the regime about its increasingly shaky hold on the country, two years after an uprising against its rule began.
Behind the attacks, the influence of a foreign power loomed. According to a top-secret National Security Agency document provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, the March 2013 rocket attacks were directly ordered by a member of the Saudi royal family, Prince Salman bin Sultan, to help mark the second anniversary of the Syrian revolution. Salman had provided 120 tons of explosives and other weaponry to opposition forces, giving them instructions to “light up Damascus” and “flatten” the airport, the document, produced by U.S. government surveillance on Syrian opposition factions, shows.
The Saudis were long bent on unseating Assad. Salman was one of the key Saudi officials responsible for prosecuting the war in Syria, serving as a high-ranking intelligence official before being promoted to deputy minister of defense later in 2013.
The NSA document provides a glimpse into how the war had evolved from its early stages of popular uprisings and repression. By the time of the March 2013 attack, arguably the most salient dynamic in the conflict was the foreign powers on both sides fueling what appeared to be a bloody, entrenched stalemate. The document points to how deeply these foreign powers would become involved in parts of the armed uprising, even choosing specific operations for their local allies to carry out.
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Israel Strikes Damascus After Syrian Missile Defense Fires On Aircraft
Israel Strikes Damascus After Syrian Missile Defense Fires On Aircraft
For the third time in as many weeks Israel has reportedly bombed positions inside Syria. Syrian state media along with multiple regional outlets showed fires burning at a facility near the Damascus international airport in the early hours of Friday. Israeli newspaper Haaretzreports that like with previous attacks, Israel jets fired from over Lebanese airspace. But it appears the latest exchange was part of a tit-for-tat exchange of fire between Syria and Israel in a situation that continues to dangerously escalate.
Multiple reports are circulating that the Israeli attack was initiated after Syria’s aerial defense missile system engaged and fired on an Israeli aircraft in the area. Video of what purports to show Syrian missiles firing on the aircraft circulated widely in Syrian social media and was picked up by Lebanese and Israeli news outlets. Early reports indicate that an Israeli drone was likely the target.
It appears that Israel’s attack came in response to Syria’s engaging the unidentified aircraft – though it’s unclear if the target was hit. This latest incident is unique for the fact that Syria quickly publicized that its missile defense system engaged the Israeli target.
The Facebook page of a prominent Syrian pro-government militia reported in the early morning hours that, “an area near the Damascus international airport was attacked by a hostile missile.” Israeli newspapers are claiming the site to be an ammunition storage depot.
Early Friday morning images of the aftermath of the Israeli strike circulated in regional media. Image source: Jerusalem Post via Syrian social media.
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After the ISIS War, a US-Russia Collision?
After the ISIS War, a US-Russia Collision?
Sunday, a Navy F-18 Hornet shot down a Syrian air force jet, an act of war against a nation with which Congress has never declared or authorized a war.
Washington says the Syrian plane was bombing U.S.-backed rebels. Damascus says its plane was attacking ISIS.
Vladimir Putin’s defense ministry was direct and blunt:
“Repeated combat actions by U.S. aviation under the cover of counterterrorism against lawful armed forces of a country that is a member of the U.N. are a massive violation of international law and de facto a military aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic.”
An ABC report appears to back up Moscow’s claims:
“Over the last four weeks, the U.S. has conducted three air strikes on pro-regime forces backed by Iran that have moved into a deconfliction zone around the town of Tanf in southwestern Syria, where there is a coalition training base for local forces fighting ISIS.”
Russia has now declared an end to cooperation to prevent air clashes over Syria and asserted an intent to track and target aerial intruders in its area of operations west of the Euphrates.
Such targets would be U.S. planes and surveillance drones.
If Moscow is not bluffing, we could be headed for U.S.-Russian collision in Syria.
Sunday’s shoot-down of a hostile aircraft was the first by U.S. planes in this conflict. It follows President Trump’s launch of scores of cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield in April. The U.S. said the airfield was the base of Syrian planes that used chemical weapons on civilians.
We are getting ever deeper into this six-year sectarian and civil war. And what we may be witnessing now are the opening shots of its next phase — the battle for control of the territory and population liberated by the fall of Raqqa and the death of the ISIS “caliphate.”
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Israeli Jets Bomb Damascus Military Airport; Syria Vows It Will Respond To “Flagrant Attack”
Israeli Jets Bomb Damascus Military Airport; Syria Vows It Will Respond To “Flagrant Attack”
Just as the Syrian proxy war showed some hopeful signs of finally dying down, the Syrian army command said on Friday that Israeli jets have bombed the Mezzeh military airport west of Damascus, accusing Tel Aviv of supporting terrorism, and warned Tel Aviv of repercussions of what it called a “flagrant” attack. Syrian state TV quoted the army as saying several rockets were fired from an area near Lake Tiberias in northern Israel just after midnight which landed in the compound of the airport, a major facility for elite Republican Guards and special forces. The airport was rocked by multiple explosions, some of which were captured by social media.
Video shows large flames after military airport near Damascus bombed at least 8 times by suspected Israeli jets tonight.
Damascus confirms its army targeted by Turkish shelling, complains to UN
Damascus confirms its army targeted by Turkish shelling, complains to UN
The Syrian government has confirmed that its army positions were targeted by Turkish shelling on Saturday, which also hit the positions of the Syrian Kurdish militias in the northern Aleppo province. Turkish shelling reportedly continued Sunday.
Syria’s government has condemned Turkey for shelling Syrian territory, describing the act as direct support for “terrorist” groups, Syrian state media reported on Sunday, citing the letter to the United Nations.
Damascus sent the letter after Turkey shelled areas recently captured by a Kurdish-backed alliance north of Aleppo on Saturday. It demanded that the UN Security council “take responsibility for international peace and security by putting an end to the crimes committed by the Turkish regime.”
“On February 13, 2016, since the afternoon hours, Turkey’s heavy artillery, located on Turkish territory, artillery shelled Syrian territory, targeting Syrian Kurdish positions and the positions of the Syrian Arab Army,” SANA news agency reported after obtaining the letter.
“In addition, Turkish artillery bombarded the towns of Maraanaz, al-Malikiyah, Minagh, Ain Dakna and Bazi Bagh, which are home to the civilian population,” the complaint addressed to UN Secretary General and Un Security Council said.
The letter added that 12 trucks mounted with heavy machine-guns and carrying around a hundred fighters entered Syrian territory from Turkey through the Bab al-Salam checkpoint on Saturday.
“Some of the militants were Turkish Army servicemen and the rest – Turkish mercenaries,” it said.
The Turkish military carried out the artillery strikes in response to the military offensive being conducted by the Syrian Arab Army in the northern part of Aleppo province, the Syrian government stressed.
The shelling is “an attempt to increase the morale of armed terrorist groupings, who are being defeated,” the appeal to the UN added.
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Road To World War III: Turkish Army Enters Syria After Second Day Of Shelling As Saudi Warplanes Arrive
Road To World War III: Turkish Army Enters Syria After Second Day Of Shelling As Saudi Warplanes Arrive
Update: Reports indicate the Turkish army has crossed the border into Syria.
Дамаск заявил овхождении турецких военных в Сирию http://tvrain.ru/news/damask-403651/ …
Дамаск заявил о вхождении турецких военных в Сирию
12 пикапов, оборудованных пулеметами, пересекли сирийско-турецкую границу и оказались на территории Сирии. Об этом в воскресенье, 14 февраля, сообщает сирийское агентство SANA со ссылкой на сирийское…
tvrain.ru
“The Syrian government says Turkish forces were believed to be among 100 gunmen it said entered Syria on Saturday accompanied by 12 pick-up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, in an ongoing supply operation to insurgents fighting Damascus,” Reuters reports. “The operation of supplying ammunition and weapons is continuing via the Bab al-Salama crossing to the Syrian area of Azaz,” the Assad government says.
Meanwhile, since all that would take to unleash a full-blown war is for some Russian to be unexpectedly blown up, events like this do not inspire much confidence in the Syrian “ceasefire”:
Turkey, Saudi Arabia Mull Syria Ground Invasion As Russia, Hezbollah Decimate Rebels
Turkey, Saudi Arabia Mull Syria Ground Invasion As Russia, Hezbollah Decimate Rebels
“What’s going on in Syria can only go on for so long. At some point it has to change,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on a plane back to Turkey from Latin America over the weekend.
As we’ve documented extensively over the past several days, Ankara, Riyadh, and Doha have their backs against the wall when it comes to the effort to oust Bashar al-Assad and perpetuate Sunni hegemony in the Arabian Peninsula.
Hezbollah has surrounded Aleppo and their advance is backed by what’s been described as an unrelenting Russian air campaign. The rebels’ supply lines to Turkey have been cut and without a direct intervention by either the US or the Gulf states, the battle for Syria will have been lost for the opposition which pulled out of peace talks in Geneva citing the ongoing aerial bombardment by Moscow.
Now, with time running out, both Saudi Arabia and Turkey are weighing ground invasions.
“You don’t talk about these things. When necessary, you do what’s needed,” Erdogan said, when asked if Ankara was considering sending troops into Syria. “Right now our security forces are prepared for all possibilities,” he added.
For Erdogan, there’s only one acceptable outcome: Sunni militants oust Assad and take control of Damascus. Assad’s ouster is the desired outcome for the Saudis as well, but Erdogan has a secondary agenda in Syria: preventing the conflict from strengthening the Kurds. That means he’s against any support for the YPG – even if such support would help facilitate regime change.
Over the weekend Erdogan blasted both Russia and the US.
“What are you doing in Syria? You’re essentially an occupier,” he said, in a message to Vladimir Putin. “How can we trust you?
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‘We can’t close, people need bread’: Syrians tell RT how they cope with Damascus blackouts
‘We can’t close, people need bread’: Syrians tell RT how they cope with Damascus blackouts
In the grip of war, Syrians have been coming up with ways to power the country. Damascus has been rationing electricity, while residents must resort to additional tricks to make it last, as RT’s Murad Gazdiev found out.
Without items such as truck battery packs and other tricks, people would have to choose between lighting the Christmas tree, watching television and heating a meal.
Generators also prove a lifesaver during lengthy blackouts, when an entire part of the Syrian capital has to go without electricity as they wait their turn. “We get power for two hours, then it’s cut for four,”Eva, a Damascus resident, told RT.
“We heard the rebels blew up gas and oil pipelines to power plants, which explains the electricity shortage,” she added.
Although the cuts are scheduled, there is no guarantee things will work like clockwork.
The loud roar of generators can be heard practically all over Damascus, as businesses continue working so life can go on as normal. But not everyone has access to a costly generator, which requires fuel, oil and other items.
However, as business owner Ibrahim says, “We can’t close. We have to feed the people, to make bread and other things. You have to continue to work, you can’t stop!”
Syria has been torn apart by the violent conflict for almost five years, with more than 250,000 people killed, according to UN estimates. The humanitarian crisis has internally displaced more than 6.5 million Syrians and forced 4.3 million to flee the country. They have sought refuge in neighboring countries and Europe.
Iran Sends “Thousands” Of Troops To Syria For Russian-Backed Assault On Key City
Iran Sends “Thousands” Of Troops To Syria For Russian-Backed Assault On Key City
As those who follow Mid-East affairs are acutely aware, the regime in Syria has enjoyed both military and financial support from Iran for the duration of the country’s civil war.
Syria cannot fall to the West if Tehran intends to preserve the regional balance of power and an Iran-friendly Damascus ensures the supply lines remain open between the IRGC and Hezbollah. Lose Syria, and suddenly, the Mid-East tide turns in favor of the Saudis and Qatar and that, clearly, is an unacceptable outcome.
That said, Iran’s role on the ground in Syria has taken some off guard of late. Perhaps it’s the fact that Tehran’s participation on the ground has become more overt even as one would imagine that Iran would be keen to not antagonize the West on the heels of the nuclear deal which has the potential to facilitate the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. The key seems to be Russia’s involvement, which effectively gives Iran’s Syrian ground operations the superpower stamp of approval.
The strategy, as we’ve noted on several occasions of late, is that Russia clears the way with aggressive aerial bombardments and then Iran, operating through either Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and/or the IRGC sweeps in on the ground and takes care of whatever anti-regime forces may be left in the wake of the Russian airstrikes.
This has worked well thus far and now apparently, Iran has sent “thousands” of troops to Syria in preparation for an assault on Aleppo. Here’s Reuters:
A delegation of Iranian lawmakers arrived in Damascus on Wednesday in the build-up to a joint operation against insurgents in northwest Syria, and said U.S.-led efforts to fight rebels had failed.
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Several shells explode outside Russian embassy in Damascus during pro-Russia rally
Several shells explode outside Russian embassy in Damascus during pro-Russia rally
Several shells have exploded outside the Russian embassy in Damascus during a pro-Russia rally. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the shelling of the embassy is an act of terror.
It was intended to scare supporters of the fight against terrorists, Lavrov added.
Local journalist Alaa Ebrahim, reporting from the scene in Damascus, told RT hundreds of people gathered in front of the embassy on Tuesday, thanking the Russian Air Force for its support of the Syrian Army in its battle against terrorism across the country. According to Ibrahim, about half an hour after the rally started, one of the shells fell about 200 meters from the location of the peaceful demonstration. Luckily, no one was injured.
Alaa Ibrahim said that the participants of the rally, members of the students’ union as well as political parties’ representatives, had been waving Russian flags and were carrying banners saying “We Support Unity between Russia and Syria.” Some chanted slogans in support of the strikes launched by the Russian air force, others held up photographs of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The first shell fell at around 10am, some 200 meters from the participants. Police immediately told people to disperse. About 6 minutes later, the other shell hit. Police again tried to force people to disperse for fear those may turn to be just initial shots, and if the new shells are be launched, all of these people would die. People dispersed by about 11am. Most began to disperse immediately after the first shell exploded,” Ibrahim said.
An embassy employee told RIA Novosti news agency that there were no injured among the staff.
“Two shells landed on the territory of the embassy this morning,” First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Damascus Eldar Kurbanov confirmed in an interview with TASS, adding that there have been no casualty reports.
Saudis Mull Launch Of Regional War As Russia Pounds Targets In Syria For Fourth Day
Saudis Mull Launch Of Regional War As Russia Pounds Targets In Syria For Fourth Day
While the US has certainly made some epic strategic blunders in Syria that raise serious questions about just how “intelligent” US intelligence actually is, there’s little doubt that if one were to look behind all of the media parroting, the Pentagon and Langley understand all too well what’s going on in the Middle East.
That is, the significance of the Russia-Iran “nexus” in Syria isn’t lost on anyone in the US military and you can bet there have been quite a few high level discussions over the past 72 hours about the best way to counter Moscow and Tehran’s powerplay before it spills over into Iraq and ends up degrading Washington’s influence in Baghdad.
As we put it on Friday, “if Russia ends up bolstering Iran’s position in Syria (by expanding Hezbollah’s influence and capabilities) and if the Russian air force effectively takes control of Iraq thus allowing Iran to exert a greater influence over the government in Baghdad, the fragile balance of power that has existed in the region will be turned on its head and in the event this plays out, one should not expect Washington, Riyadh, Jerusalem, and London to simply go gentle into that good night.”
Sure enough, some experts now predict Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey will move to counter Russia militarily if Moscow continues to rack up gains for Assad. Here’s The Guardian with more:
Regional powers have quietly, but effectively, channelled funds, weapons and other support to rebel groups making the biggest inroads against the forces from Damascus. In doing so, they are investing heavily in a conflict which they see as part of a wider regional struggle for influence with bitter rival Iran.
In a week when Russia made dozens of bombing raids, those countries have made it clear that they remain at least as committed to removing Assad as Moscow is to preserving him.
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Russian Military Forces Arrive In Syria, Set Forward Operating Base Near Damascus
Russian Military Forces Arrive In Syria, Set Forward Operating Base Near Damascus
While military direct intervention by US, Turkish, and Gulf forces over Syrian soil escalates with every passing day, even as Islamic State forces capture increasingly more sovereign territory, in the central part of the country, the Nusra Front dominant in the northwestern region province of Idlib and the official “rebel” forces in close proximity to Damascus, the biggest question on everyone’s lips has been one: would Putin abandon his protege, Syria’s president Assad, to western “liberators” in the process ceding control over Syrian territory which for years had been a Russian national interest as it prevented the passage of regional pipelines from Qatar and Saudi Arabia into Europe, in the process eliminating Gazprom’s – and Russia’s – influence over the continent.
As recently as a month ago, the surprising answer appeared to be an unexpected “yes”, as we described in detail in “The End Draws Near For Syria’s Assad As Putin’s Patience “Wears Thin.” Which would make no sense: why would Putin abdicate a carefully cultivated relationship, one which served both sides (Russia exported weapons, provides military support, and in exchange got a right of first and only refusal on any traversing pipelines through Syria) for years, just to take a gamble on an unknown future when the only aggressor was a jihadist spinoff which had been created as byproduct of US intervention in the region with the specific intention of achieving precisely this outcome: overthrowing Assad (see “Secret Pentagon Report Reveals US “Created” ISIS As A “Tool” To Overthrow Syria’s President Assad“).
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‘Saudi policy of downplaying oil prices to backfire on them’ — RT Op-Edge
‘Saudi policy of downplaying oil prices to backfire on them’ — RT Op-Edge.
Saudi Arabia wants to use lower oil prices to pressure Russia to change its stance on Syria, to antagonize Iran, and to force US shale gas out of the market, roving correspondent for the Asia Times Pepe Escobar told RT.
RT: Russia’s economy is surely being hit by the falling oil prices. But what about other oil producers like the OPEC states?
Pepe Escobar: A lot of people are being hurt. There are more or less 20 nations that need oil at least for 50 percent of their budget. Among these nations we’ll find especially a mix of African countries and Persian Gulf countries, that includes Saudi Arabia and Iraq as well, Venezuela and Ecuador. So it’s very complicated, it’s not only to hurt Russia…
RT: Saudi Arabia is one of the OPEC members and it is supposed to collaborate its oil price policy with other members. Why it is acting like this?
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