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In Major Escalation, Israel Unleashes Airstrikes, Shelling On Syria In Retaliation For Alleged Iran Attack

Summary:

The situation is fluid to say the least, but as far as we can tell this is what has happened tonight so far:

1. Sirens go off in Golan Heights

2. Loud explosions heard

Then blame-game begins…

3. AP: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday that Israel has attacked targets of the Syrian military on the outskirts of Quneitra.

4. AP: Activists reported rocket fire from Israel into southern Syrian just before midnight Wednesday.

5. AP: The Israeli army says it is investigating and has no further details.

6. IDF report that Iranian Quds force fired 20 rockets towards forward IDF positions on Golan Heights.

7. According to al-Mayadeen (pro-gov) 10 positions of the Israeli Army were shelled with rockets, and several vehicles were targeted with guided missiles.

8. The IDF views this event with great severity and remains prepared for a wide variety of scenarios.

9. Exchanges continue…

So it is unclear who started the ‘fight’ but for now rocket exchanges continue.

*  *  *
Update III: AP reports the two sides’ versions of events…

Israel:

Iranian forces based in Syria fired 20 rockets at Israeli front-line military positions in the Golan Heights early Thursday, the Israeli military said, triggering an Israeli reprisal and further escalating heightened tensions between the two bitter enemies in neighboring Syria.

The Israeli military said its Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted some of the incoming projectiles, while others caused only minimal damage. There were no Israeli casualties.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said Iran’s Al Quds force had fired the rockets at several Israeli bases, though he would not say how Israel had determined the Iranian involvement. The incoming attack set off air raid sirens in the Israeli-controlled Golan.

Israel “views this Iranian attack very severely,” Conricus told reporters. He said Israel had responded, but did not provide details.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

NATO Looks To Station Thousands Of Troops On Border With Russia

NATO Looks To Station Thousands Of Troops On Border With Russia

Russia’s dramatic intervention in Syria has served to push the conflict in Ukraine (a country that is now partially governedby Star Wars characters) to the back of the world’s collective mind. After all, separatists exchanging fire with government forces and/or far-right “volunteer” battalions every couple of days against a dreary backdrop of rundown Eastern European towns isn’t nearly as exciting as Sukhois dropping bombs on sword-waving desert bandits and so, Ukraine’s crisis has gradually receded into the background.

That said, it’s important to remember that one of the principal reasons for deteriorating relations between Moscow and the West is the conflict in Ukraine. 

Indeed, Russian “aggression” in the region has triggered a series of snap drills on NATO’s part, the most amusing of which involved a set of war games centered around the capture of a fictional Ukrainian separatist leader called “Birdman” who lived in a shack in the forest. But all humor aside, NATO has also moved to beef up its capabilities near Russia’s border, as the US prepares to place heavy weapons in Poland and the Pentagon runs simulations to determine who would win a Balkan battle.

Now, with tensions running higher than ever thanks to the escalating situation in the Mid-East, NATO is set to bolster its Eastern flank to guard against what the West imagines is an imminent Russian invasion. Here’s WSJ with more:

NATO countries are discussing increasing the number of troops stationed in members bordering Russia and putting them under formal alliance command, part of a new effort to deter aggression from Moscow, according to diplomats and military officers.

Under one plan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would have a battalion in Poland and each of the three Baltic states—roughly 800 to 1,000 soldiers in each unit. A more modest version would have a single NATO battalion in the area.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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