Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

[angelburst29]

Washington is preparing to mount a campaign to transfer control of Syrian territory currently held by ISIS to rebels who operate under US influence, forming a rebel redoubt from which US proxies can continue to wage war on Damascus, and establishing the foundation of a US puppet state in Syria.

The Pentagon’s Plan to Convert the Islamic State Caliphate into a US-Backed Syrian Rebel Puppet Regime
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-pentagons-plan-to-convert-the-islamic-state-caliphate-into-a-us-backed-syrian-rebel-puppet-regime/5523653

A key to US strategy is the artificial division of the conflict into a part to be resolved by military means, involving ISIS, and a part to be resolved through a political settlement, involving all other rebel formations. Nusra Front, the exception, is to be ignored, and rebranded. As Al-Qaeda’s Syria franchise, it can hardly be embraced openly by the United States, though there is evidence of its being equipped covertly by the CIA.

The designation of non-ISIS rebels as parties to a political settlement follows the shibboleth that the conflict, apart from ISIS’s role in it, cannot be resolved militarily. This may be true, but only because the non-ISIS rebels have been trained and armed by Western states and their regional allies and therefore have a military significance they would not otherwise possess. Damascus’s early efforts to arrive at a political settlement by lifting restrictions on political liberties and amending the constitution went nowhere. This is because the goal of the armed opposition is the replacement of a secular non-sectarian state with one based on a conservative Sunni interpretation of the Qur’an, and because the military backing of powerful Western and regional states offers no incentive for militant Islamists to compromise. At the same time, the reality that the Ba’athist government in Damascus hangs on despite the powerful international forces arrayed against it, speaks volumes about the strong public support it commands. Its political survival, in the fifth year of an open multi-national war against it, and more than a decade after Washington launched a covert program of regime change aimed at purging Ba’athist ideology from the Syrian state [1], would not be possible in the face of widespread opposition from the Syrian public.

The objective of sharply distinguishing between ISIS and other rebel organizations is to legitimize a US-led campaign against the former, and to undermine the legitimacy of the Syrian-Iranian-Russian-Hezbollah effort to defend the Syrian state and its loyalists against all other rebel forces, namely, those backed by the US and its allies. We are to believe that it is perfectly reasonable for the US to wage war on the sectarian, terrorist, ISIS, but that Damascus must negotiate a peace with ISIS’s sectarian, terrorist, ideological cousins.
(Article continues.)

NATO's new chief military commander in Europe, Curtis Scaparrotti, is calling for a permanent stationing of a third battalion in Europe, a move that will ratchet up tensions with Russia, Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University in Paris, told RT.

'NATO permanent bases in Eastern Europe would wreck 1997 Founding Act with Russia'
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/341978-general-scaparrotti-nato-statment/

US General Scaparrotti believes the West faces an “aggressive Russia,” and is urging the bloc's forces to be ready to fight. Moreover, NATO is reportedly preparing to send 4,000 troops to Poland and the Baltic States as Moscow warns it will be forced to respond to the provocation. (Article continues.)

As part of its ongoing defense buildup, Poland has placed an order for nearly 100 new military vehicles.

To Combat Russian 'Aggression,' Poland Orders New Artillery Vehicles
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160505/1039154062/poland-artillery-vehichle-order.html

Last month, Polish President Andrzej Duda stressed the importance of the country’s military might, in light of Russian "aggression."

"And all of you in this room can be absolutely sure that today Poland is ruled by people for whom building a strong state and the security of the state, and therefore a state which has a strong and efficient army, is an absolute priority," Duda said, according to Polskie Radio.

In that effort, Poland’s Ministry of Defense has signed a contract worth over $252 million with a consortium led by local manufacturer Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. (HSW) and state-run defense company Rosomak S.A.

The deal includes delivery of 64 self-propelled 120mm RAK (Cancer) mortar vehicles, as well as 32 additional artillery command vehicles. Delivery of the vehicles is to be completed by 2019.

On Wednesday, Polish Defense Ministry spokesman Bartlomiej Misiewicz said that the military also plans to acquire 24 Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters as part of a $1.4 billion deal.

In total, Poland plans to spend roughly $62 billion modernizing its military, twice the budget proposed by the previous government.

"The Polish army will be bigger; we envision a substantial increase in the size of the army, by at least 50 percent, in the coming years, including the creation of three brigades for the territorial defense of the country on the eastern flank," Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said.

The buildup has been blatantly described as a way to deter what is claimed to be an ever-more aggressive Russia.

"They say openly that Polish is only the territory on which the military alliance operates, and Poland has no levers of pressure on it…The term 'flank' indirectly recognizes the fact that Poland is only an object of NATO’s gamesmanship, and of the US military industry, which needs a market."

Poland will host a NATO summit in July as part of an effort to encourage alliance partners to increase exercises and expenditures in Central and Eastern Europe.

 

[sitting]

That Napoleon was also a military genius stood out along with his efforts to bring peace and harmony to France along w/ religious freedom & tolerance.

There are serious claims that he was a convert to Islam. And took on the name Ali Bonaparte.

And he absolutely understood the nature -- and threat -- of the money changers. And of usury.

He was also a keen student and devotee of Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

FWIW.

 

[angelburst29]

Syria said that violations of the truce in Aleppo and attacking safe residential neighborhoods in the cities of Aleppo and al-Mukharam in Homs province prove once again that the regimes of Riyadh, Ankara and Doha which stand behind terrorist organizations in Syria keep defying the UN Security Council resolutions.

Foreign Ministry: Regimes of Riyadh, Ankara and Doha defy international legitimacy
http://sana.sy/en/?p=76542

Addressing two identical letters to UN Secretary-General and head of the UN Security Council of which SANA received a copy, Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said: “Armed terrorist groups breached a truce in Aleppo that culminated tough efforts to which the Syrian Arab Army has fully committed since Thursday morning May 5 2016 as agreed.”

The ministry explained that a few hours after the truce took effect, the armed terrorist groups shelled the safe residential neighborhoods in Aleppo city including al-Khalediya, al-Zahraa, al-Suleimaniyeh, Sallahu-Eddin , al-Azeeziya and al-Midan with heavy barrage of rocket shells, explosive gas cylinders (Hell cannon) and mortar shells, adding that these terrorist attacks on the residential neighborhoods and Dar al-Farah school resulted in killing three civilians, injuring others and causing massive devastation to private and public properties.

[...] “On Thursday morning, May 5 2016, ISIS terrorist organization detonated a car and motorcycle bombs in the main square of al-Mukaram al-Fouqani city in Homs province, killing 12 civilians and injuring 40 others including children, women and elders,” added the ministry.

International coalitions formed with stated anti-terrorist goals are not pulling their weight in the effort to defeat Daesh terrorists in Syria, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Sputnik.

Anti-Terror Coalitions ‘Do Nothing’ to Defeat Daesh – Iran Foreign Ministry
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039122518/iran-daesh-fight.html

A US-led coalition of over 60 countries has been bombing Daesh positions without Damascus' or UN approval since August 2014.

Most recently, a group of 34 Muslim nations from the Middle East, Africa and Asia announced the creation of a new anti-Daesh coalition last December in a bid to tackle Islamic extremism. The force is led by Saudi Arabia.

"Iran, Syria [government], the Syrian army and Hezbollah are helping in the fight against terrorism in Syria, while other coalitions that were formed to combat terrorism and Daesh are doing nothing," Abdollahian said.

A new missile site operated by NATO has been launched in Romania, bringing the Western military alliance’s European missile system online.

NATO’s European missile system goes online
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/06/464209/NATO-missile-system-Romania/

The missile system became operational on Thursday, a day before another NATO member, Poland, broke ground on an additional NATO base in the country, which is anticipated to hold significant missile assets.

NATO is planned to hold major military drills in Poland and the Baltics later this year with a significant participation of US troops.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier this week that the alliance would deploy “battalion-sized” multinational units throughout member states in NATO’s eastern flank in preparation for the drills.

The US and its allies have repeatedly claimed that the increasing military presence of NATO in Eastern Europe has nothing to do with Russia. A former US official, however, has described the military buildup as a signal to Moscow.

“There will be a quite robust display of military power in Europe and allied resolve, and hopefully Moscow will see it for what it is, an alliance improving its capabilities,” said Derek Chollet, a former US defense official.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to the beefing up of the alliance’s forces in Europe, saying that while “a resurgent Russia is not a threat to anyone,” the country “certainly cannot ignore any actions that may pose a direct or potential threat to its national interests and, traditionally, the Russian side will defend its interests if need be.”

 

[sToRmR1dR]

UN Human Rights Adviser: US, Allies Exaggerate Power of Syrian Opposition

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039160917/usa-exagerates-opposition-power.html

Veteran UN human rights adviser James Paul claims that the US government and its allies have exaggerated the military power of the tiny Syrian opposition to hide the dominant role of Islamic fundamentalists.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US government and its allies have exaggerated the military power of the tiny Syrian opposition to hide the dominant role of Islamic fundamentalists, veteran UN human rights adviser James Paul told Sputnik.

"The so-called ‘moderate opposition’ groups, including the Free Syrian Army, are extremely weak militarily and not very numerous, though Western governments and press reports often suggest they are an important force," Paul observed.

The US government attempted to include al-Nusra Front in the new ceasefire agreement in Aleppo, but the Russian government insisted on excluding the Islamist movement as unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Sputnik in an exclusive interview published earlier on Wednesday.

The overwhelming balance of forces on the opposition side is dominated by Islamic fundamentalist groups, Paul explained.

"The most important are Daesh [Islamic State] and the Nusra Front, a branch of al-Qaeda. Additionally, there are smaller jihadi groups that are powerful in certain regions such as Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham," he noted.

The Islamist groups are supposed to be excluded from the cease-fire, which means that Syrian government forces and their allies can continue to engage militarily with them, Paul pointed out.

"The problem… is that in some areas, particularly in Aleppo, the ‘moderate opposition’ has a small role intermixed with the Islamists, particularly with the Nusra Front. Shelling and air strikes on the Nusra Front can hit the moderates, leading to complaints that the cease-fire has been broken," he noted.

Paul agreed with Lavrov that the United States complains loudly about these attacks, while saying nothing about the Islamic forces, Paul also said.

"Washington has been providing military assistance not only to the ‘moderates’ but also to the Islamists, both directly and indirectly through its regional allies, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular… supporting Islamist forces, seen as the only viable military force to overthrow… the Assad regime," he maintained.

Russia has tried to curb foreign support to the Islamist groups through direct talks with the United States and through initiatives with the United Nations. However, the US government uses vague language when discussing the conflict to avoid admitting it is giving support to Islamists, Paul maintained.

Paul also agreed with Lavrov that the Obama administration was trying to obscure its practical support for al-Nusra Front in the Aleppo fighting.

"Every analyst with knowledge of the Middle East knows very well that the United States has been supporting Islamist groups for decades, in spite of the terrible blowback that has resulted, like the US support for the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan, beginning in 1979," he added.

Refugee camp bombed near Aleppo: Multiple casualties reported, blame game begins

https://www.rt.com/news/342016-aleppo-refugee-camp-attack/

The UN has condemned the bombing of a Syrian refugee camp in Sarmada, a city 30 kilometers from Aleppo, in which dozens of civilians, including women and children, were allegedly killed or injured. A video has emerged showing the aftermath of attack.

Sarmada is located in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province close to the Turkish border and is said to be controlled by rebel factions fighting the government of President Bashar Assad. The makeshift camp that was targeted is said to have been accommodating up to 2,000 people that had fled the war-torn areas seeking safety.

While no party has claimed responsibility for what the reports have called an airstrike, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a press briefing that US-led coalition warplanes were not on a mission in the stricken area, while stressing that “there is no justifiable excuse for carrying out an air strike against innocent civilians who have already once fled their homes to escape violence.”

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien condemned the attack in a statement, while calling for an “immediate, impartial and independent investigation into this deadly incident.” According to the reports cited by O’Brien, at least 30 people fell victim to the air strikes that devastated two settlements, while over 80 people were injured. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had reported those numbers earlier.

If the deliberate nature of the attack is proven, the incident will “amount to a war crime,” the UN official added.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner refused to immediately lay the blame for the attack on any party, including the Syrian armed forces, citing a lack of details concerning the incident. “We [U.S] don’t have eyes on the ground,” he stressed.

“We’ve seen early claims that this was a regime strike, but we just want to be absolutely sure before we level blame at somebody,” he told journalists at a press briefing on Thursday.

A video allegedly depicting the deserted Kamounia camp after the airstrike was posted on YouTube by the Syria Civil Defense group, which describes itself as a non-political humanitarian organization. The footage shows firefighters attempting to stifle a blaze amid debris remaining from the camp, while sheet-covered bodies were being carried to an ambulance.

According to the group’s estimates, more than 30 people lost their lives in the bombing.

While there is no conclusive information on the perpetrator of the attack, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond immediately rushed to blame the bombing on the Syrian government.

“The Assad regime’s contempt for efforts to restore the cessation of hostilities in Syria is clear for all to see,” he said in a statement, while describing the reports pertaining to the attack as “horrifying.”

The attack comes just a day after at least 12 people were killed and 45 injured in suicide blasts in the Syrian city of Homs.

Moscow and Washington confirmed on Wednesday that they had brokered a 48-hour ceasefire in Aleppo, which has been the scene of heavy fighting recently. The deal came into force on May 3 and should have been observed until 12 am on May 6.

US irked by Assad’s call for Aleppo victory

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/06/464190/Syria-call-Aleppo-victory/

The United States has vented anger over the Syrian leader’s emphasis on victory against militants in the city of Aleppo and countrywide, urging Russia to curb Damascus.

On Thursday, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner demonstrated Washington’s ire over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's recent statement, saying, "Again, this is someone who carried out airstrikes on a hospital last week, a pediatric hospital and has carried out unspeakable brutalities against the Syrian people. We call on Russia to urgently address this totally unacceptable statement and, you know, this is clearly an effort by Assad to push his agenda. But it's incumbent on Russia to exert influence on that regime, or on the regime, rather, to maintain the cessation of hostilities."

Toner was reiterating US accusations that the Syrian government carried out last week’s deadly attack on the al-Quds hospital in Aleppo’s neighborhood of Sukkari, where dozens were killed.

Russia and Syria rejected allegations that their warplanes had targeted the hospital in the northwestern Syrian city, with Moscow suggesting that the US-led coalition was instead responsible for the incident.

Washington’s latest show of outrage comes after Assad said on Thursday that his country will accept nothing less than “final victory” over foreign-backed militants and terrorists in Syria.

In a telegram sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the Syrian army would not accept anything less than “attaining final victory” and “crushing the aggression” in its fight against militants in the city of Aleppo and elsewhere in the country.

Aleppo has been the scene of a “regime of calm” brokered by Russia and the United States since early on Thursday. It has been divided between government forces in the west and militants in the east since 2012, a year after the conflict broke out in Syria.

The 48-hour ceasefire took hold in the city on Thursday, with residents returning to the streets as fighting subsided.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The United Nations special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country's pre-war population of about 23 million.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Refugee camp bombed near Aleppo: Multiple casualties reported, blame game begins

https://www.rt.com/news/342016-aleppo-refugee-camp-attack/

Al-Nusra Front May Be Behind Attack on Refugee Camp in Idlib - Russian MoD

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039187995/nusra-idlib-attack.html

Al-Nusra Front terrorists may have been behind an attack on a refugee camp in Syria's Idlib, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The refugee camp could have been shelled from multiple rocket launchers used by al-Nusra Front terrorists in the region, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Friday.

"Judging by the nature of destruction seen on photos and videos, the [refugee camp in Idlib] could have been either intentionally or by mistake struck from multiple rocket launchers, which are now often used by al-Nusra Front terrorists in the area," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

According to Konashenkov, photos of the site on social networks show that "there are no shell craters from aircraft ammunition and other traces of airstrikes."

He also said that no flights were carried out by aircraft, Russian or other, over Sarmada in Syria’s province of Idlib near the border with Turkey where the refugee camp had been struck.

"We have carefully analyzed the information from the flight control area in that region on May 4 and May 5, 2016. There were no flights by Russian or any other aircraft over Sarmada."

On Thursday, a refugee camp in Syria's Idlib near Turkey's border was reportedly hit by an airstrike, leaving at least 28 people, including women and children dead.

The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said that Western media cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in the UK, however, there was no information on the attack on a refugee camp in Idlib on the SOHR's site. A statement about the strike on the camp was posted only on the SOHR's Facebook account without mentioning the date of the attack.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest also said on Thursday at a briefing that no US or coalition aircraft were operating in the area at the time of the airstrike.

A Syrian military source told RIA Novosti earlier in the day that the Syrian Army did not strike the refugee camp in the province of Idlib as well.

Syrian Army Command Denies Striking Refugee Camp on Border With Turkey

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039195285/syrian-army-refugee-camp.html

The Syrian military command refuted media claims on Friday that it had targeted a camp for internally displaced Syrians near the Turkish border.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier this week, media reported that a refugee camp in Syria's Idlib had been destroyed by an airstrike, killing 28 people, including children. According to the White House, there were no US-led coalition air force operations in the area at the time of the incident.

On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that al-Nusra Front terrorists may have been behind an attack on a refugee camp in Syria's Idlib.

"News circulated by some media outlets, which are involved in the bloodshed of the Syrian people, that the Syrian Army’s air force targeted a camp for the displaced people in Idleb countryside are completely baseless," the Army Command said in statement, as quoted by SANA.

According to the statement, the Syrian military has information that terrorist groups have recently started to hit civilian targets "deliberately to cause large causalities among civilians and accuse the Syrian Arab Army."

Earlier in the day, a Syrian military source told RIA Novosti that the Syrian army had not carried out an airstrike on the camp.

MORE THAN 60 TERRORISTS DESTROYED IN SYRIA TODAY

http://katehon.com/news/more-60-terrorists-destroyed-syria-today

Militant groups left behind at least 43 dead and many more wounded members and fled the battlefield after their attack on government forces was repelled by the Syrian Army and popular forces in the Southern territories of Aleppo province.

The Syrian Forces fended off the offensives of al-Nusra front and Jund al-Aqsa on the government forces' lines of defense near the strategic town of Khan Touman, which claimed the lives of 43 militants and destroyed their military hardware in large scale.

This Thursday that the Syrian army and popular forces pushed back terrorists in the Western districts of Aleppo city after purging another neighborhood of foreign-backed militants.

The terrorists left behind scores of the dead and wounded members as they fled the scene of battle.

The Syrian forces recaptured several key building blocks in Western Aleppo.

Also on Thursday, Syrian army soldiers ambushed a truck fully laden with explosives and assault rifles on a road in Aleppo province and seized its cargo that was destined for terrorist-held territories.

"The seizure was made along the Khanasser-Aleppo Highway in the Southeastern parts of Aleppo province as the vehicle was carrying the ammunition for the militants, however the Syrian army forces, tipped off by intelligence reports, tracked and stopped it," the military sources said.

The truck's driver was arrested by Syrian soldiers and turned in to the authorities in the city of Aleppo after the operation to seize the consignment went on smoothly without any significant incident.

Abu Aisheh, one of the senior commanders of Jund al-Aqsa operating in the Southern battlefields of Aleppo province, was killed in intense battle with the Syrian government forces' near Khan Touman.

There were no flights over allegedly attacked refugee camp in Syria — Russian military

http://tass.ru/en/world/874319

UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien said an air strike against a refugee camp in Idlib province, northern Syria, left at least 30 people dead and more than 80 injured

HMEIMIM /Syria/, May 6. /TASS/. Neither Russian, nor any other aircraft made any flights in the area of the refugee camp near the Sarmad community in Syria on May 4 and 5, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media.

"We’ve closely studied the objective air space monitoring data for May 4 and 5, 2016. Neither Russian nor any other aircraft were flying over Sarmad," Konashenkov said.

Earlier, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien said an air strike against a refugee camp in Idlib province, northern Syria, left at least 30 people dead and more than 80 injured.

The Syrian army’s command denies its planes might have been responsible. The White House, too, has said that neither US Air Force or international coalition planes might have attacked the camp.

Kremlin: Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria act responsibly to keep truce

http://tass.ru/en/politics/874255

Kremlin spokesman made this commented regarding media reports about a recent airstrike on a refugee camp in the Idlib province in the north of Syria and the possible involvement of Russia in it

SOCHI, May 6. /TASS/. The actions of the Russian Aerospace Force remaining units in Syria take into account the need to preserve the fragile truce in the region, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday.

Thus he commented on media reports about a recent airstrike on a refugee camp in the Idlib province in the north of Syria, the possible involvement of Russia’s Aerospace Forces in the attack, as well as about how this airstrike could affect the ceasefire regime.

"Russia and the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria act with utmost responsibility in Syria in order not to damage the fragile atmosphere of truce. Russia has repeatedly demonstrated this and calls on all other sides to share this responsible and cautious approach," Peskov said.

It was reported previously that at least 30 people were killed and more than 80 injured as a refugee camp in Syria's Idlib province near Turkey’s border was hit by an airstrike on Thursday.

The Russian presidential press secretary declined to answer the question is the Russian Aerospace Forces were involved in that airstrike, readdressing it to the Russian Defense Ministry, "as it has the information about when and where our aircraft perform their tasks within the framework of the ongoing operation."

Asked to clarify if the media reports on the involvement of the Russian forces in such operations could threaten the process of the peace negotiations on Syria, Peskov said that "it’s a matter of facts, if there were no Russian planes and they did not operate there, then it’s another wave of disinformation."

Peskov also said that the issue of maintaining the ceasefire regime in Syria is constantly raised in contacts between Moscow and Damascus. "The Russian side is in permanent contact with the Syrian leadership, and the issue of truce, the preservation of the ceasefire regime is raised all the time in contacts with our Syrian partners," he said, answering a question if Russia planned to use its influence on Syrian President Bashar Assad for promoting truce in the region.

Kremlin urges distinction between anti-terrorism struggle and ceasefire in Syria

The Kremlin is urging a clear distinction between the tasks of struggle against terrorism and the observance of ceasefire in Syria.

"There must be no confusion regarding the task of struggle against terrorism. Nobody has ever said that the war on terror will come to an end," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The offensive operations against terrorists will continue, of course," he said.

However, in his opinion "it is an entirely different matter that ceasefire should be promoted in every possible way and actions that may harm the just-established fragile truce should be avoided."

"We are aware of the main problems - those in Aleppo and in other regions, where terrorist groups and representatives of the so-called moderate opposition are tightly mixed up," Peskov said, adding that such a state of affairs "creates great problems."

Moscow says US unable to force Syria opposition to distance itself from Jabhat al-Nusra

http://tass.ru/en/politics/874269

Russia calls on all the forces that have influence on the armed groups in Syria to use this influence for the good and force their proteges to distance themselves from terrorists

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. Russia calls for struggling against all the extremist armed groups violating the ceasefire regime in Syria, Russia’s Foreign Ministry official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

The problem is that American partners have been unable to force the opposition groups they support to distance themselves from Jabhat al-Nusra, the diplomat said. "The Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists are used by these organizations and their members for new bloody provocations."

"Moscow insists on the need of uncompromising fight against terrorists and those who together with them violate the ceasefire regime, in particular such odious extremist armed groups as Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam," Zakharova told reporters.

Russia calls on all the international regional forces that have influence on the armed groups in Syria to use this influence for the good and force their so-called proteges to distance themselves from the terrorists of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra. "It is necessary to maintain ceasefire in full," she stressed.

Syrian moderate opposition in terrorists’ ranks

According to Zakharova, groups near northeastern Syrian city Aleppo that call themselves moderate opposition are in the ranks of terrorists.

The diplomat told reporters that on May 1 and May 3 terrorists attacked the positions of the Syrian army and militias. "Simultaneously, the terrorists carried out a massive mortar shelling of Aleppo’s residential areas."

The areas of Syria’s Sheikh Maqsood, Maidan and Suria were targeted by Hellfire missile systems. These weapons are indiscriminate and aimed at killing and intimidating civilians, she said.

"These are the methods used by terrorists and those still called moderate opposition who are hiding or are among the ranks of terrorist organizations," Zakharova said.

"Silence regime" to be spread to Aleppo — Russian Foreign Ministry

http://tass.ru/en/politics/874347

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the government troops were not to blame for the recent aggravation of tensions in Aleppo where the situation was really dramatic

MOSCOW, May 6 /TASS/. Russia is exerting every effort to spread the "silence regime", which has proven to be positive in the north of the Syrian province of Latakia and in Eastern Guta in recent days, to Aleppo, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

She called attention to a number of media publications about the situation in Aleppo. "It seems that we are dealing with an engaged approach. Traditional accusations, based on extremely dubious sources, are being launched against the Syrian government for its ‘aggressive’ steps, which are allegedly, I quote, ‘putting the regime of hostilities of the ceasefire regime on the verge of disruption and hindering progress at the inter-Syrian negotiations in Geneva," the Russian diplomat said referring to the media reports.

Zakharova added that the government troops were not to blame for the recent aggravation of tensions in Aleppo where the situation was really dramatic. "The main reason are provocations staged by terrorists who are doing their best to disrupt the regime of cessation of military hostilities, which was established in Syria on February 27 following a joint statement by Russia and the United States as of February 22, 2016," Zakharova said.

"Hiding behind the backs of opposition armed groups and forging tactical alliances with them on and off, Jebhat al-Nusra [a terrorist group banned in Russia] is trying to recoup its losses through the inflow of new militants and weapons via the Turkish-Syrian border," the diplomat said.

To confirm her words, Zakharova said that after reinforcements the terrorists attacked the positions of the Syrian army and the militias on May 1 and 3. The militants used self-made missile systems of the Hellfire type to subject some residential areas in Aleppo to massive missile and mortar attacks.

"The aforesaid type of weapon consists of gas cylinders stuffed with small pieces of metal litter and explosives. It has an indiscriminate destructive effect and is designed to exterminate rather than intimidate civilian population," the Russian diplomat stressed.

She added that terrorists used multiple rocket launchers to shell a maternity home in Aleppo where 17 people, including children and pregnant women, died and 68 peaceful civilians were injured. Another six people died and dozens were injured in other Aleppo neighborhoods.

"These methods are being used by terrorists, who until recently have been called ‘moderate opposition’. Its members are either hiding or are present in the ranks of terrorist organizations," Zakharova concluded.

Syrian film director plans to make feature film about Russian officer killed in Syria

http://tass.ru/en/society/874253

Prokhorenko, 25, died while guiding from the ground strikes by Russian planes against the positions of IS militants near Syria’s Palmyra — surrounded by militants, he requested friendly fire

ORENBURG, May 6. /TASS/. Syrian film director George Massouh says he would like to make a film about Russian officer Alexander Prokhorenko, who died the death of a hero in Syria this spring. He declared the intention while talking to the media in Orenburg Region, where the ceremony of remembrance for the officer, posthumously awarded the Hero of Russia title, has come to an end.

"I’ve traveled thousands of kilometers to pay the last respects to the hero. Alexander died while defending the Syrian people and helpless children. His death can help stop war. Possibly, I’ll make a film about him," he said.

The funeral ceremony was held in the village of Gorodki, the Tulgan district of the Orenburg Region. The region’s governor has declared Friday a day of mourning. More than a thousand people gathered for the funeral.

"We are saying the last words of farewell to a true officer. He lived a very short but a very bright life. He had chosen service in an elite army unit of his own accord," the presidential representative in the Volga Federal District, Mikhail Babich, said. "He committed an act of heroism. We will be teaching thousands of our boys to remember he is a worthy example of real manhood."

"I am expressing sincere gratitude to the parents for what their son has accomplished. Please accept my apologies. The land of Orenburg land is proud of Alexander and is mourning for him. He accomplished his duty to the full," said Orenburg Governor Yuri Berg.

Prokhorenko, 25, died while guiding from the ground strikes by Russian planes against the positions of Islamic State militants (IS is outlawed in Russia as a terrorist organization) near Syria’s Palmyra. Surrounded by militants, he requested friendly fire. He was posthumously awarded the Hero of Russia title. The Orenburg authorities have made a decision to name one of the streets in Orenburg in his honor.

Russian security service thwarts terror attack in Krasnoyarsk

http://tass.ru/en/world/874285

The detainees’ identity is kept secret in the interests of the investigation

MOSCOW, May 6 /TASS/. The Russian Federal Security Service has thwarted an attempt to launch a terror attack on public transport in the city of Krasnoyarsk, a source at the public relations center of the Russian Federal Security Service told TASS.

"On May 6, the employees of the Russian Federal Security Service carried out search raids and other operations in Krasnoyarsk to thwart plans for launching a terror attack on public transport during the May holidays," the source said.

"A group of citizens of Central Asian states linked to international terrorist organizations has been detained," the FSB said.

"Means of terrorist activities have been confiscated from them. An investigation is under way. The detainees’ identity is kept secret in the interests of the investigation," the FSB said.

May holiday attack prevented

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on May 4 that a group of citizens of the Central Asian states suspected of planning terror attacks in the Moscow region during the May holidays had been detained in Moscow.

"The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has carried out a series of search raids and other operations in Moscow to detain a group of citizens from the Central Asian states who planned to launch a series of terror attacks in the Moscow region during the May holidays on order from the chieftains of international terrorist organizations operating in Syria and Turkey," the FSB source said adding that huge amounts of arms, explosive devices and other means of terrorist activities had been confiscated from the detainees who gave confessionary evidence.

The Meshchansky district court in Moscow took Sirozhidin Ergashov, Farkhodzhon Muratov and Anvarzhon Toshboltayev suspected of planning terror attacks in Moscow during the recent May holidays into custody at the FSB request on May 5.

"The court has satisfied the request of investigator from the Russian Federal Security Service department for Moscow and decided to take the suspects into custody until July 3," the court’s spokeswoman Yulia Bocharova said.

She clarified that the suspects were the natives of Kyrgyzstan holding Russian passports.

All the detainees are facing charges for the illegal acquisition, handover, sale, storage, transportation and carriage of weapons and its main parts and ammunition. They are also suspected of complicity to preparing terror attacks in Moscow for the May holidays.

Moscow’s Preobrazhenskiy district court arrested Aibek Saidov, 32, for encroaching on the life of a law enforcer. Saidov put up resistance during the detention and was wounded. He is also suspected of preparing a terror attack in Moscow. The Federal Security Service will bring official chargers against Saidov and the other detainees in the next few days.

US Foreign Policy calls Palmyra concert "Putin's propaganda"

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/us-foreign-policy-calls-palmyra-concert.html

May 6, 2016 -
Vasily Ablyazimov, PolitNavigator -
Translated by J. Arnoldski

http://www.politnavigator.net/amerikanskijj-zhurnal-nazval-dirizhjora-gergieva-posle-vystupleniya-v-palmire-provodnikom-propagandy.html

Yesterday, the whole world followed the classical music concert directed by the famous conductor Valeriy Gergiev at the amphitheater in the pearl city of Palmyra recently liberated from ISIS occupation.

The concert of the world-famous conductor was held six months after the liberation of the city…Not too long ago, there were still ISIS Islamists who committed mass executions on the very spot where the concert was held. In one of them, adolescents were forced to participate.

The concert was dedicated to the fallen soldiers of Syrian government forces and the Russian special serviceman, Alexander Prokhorenko, who was killed when he directed an airstrike against himself when surrounded by militants during the liberation of Palmyra.

Following the concert, however, the American journal Foreign Policy, which is close to US conservative circles, called Valery Gergiev “Putin’s conductor of propaganda.”

Israel Conducts Airstrikes in Gaza in Response to Hamas Attacks - IDF

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039192890/israel-hamas-gaza.html

The Israel Defense Forces attacked a Hamas site in Gaza in response to mortar fire, the IDF said.

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) — Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on suspected Hamas targets in Gaza after continued cross-border fire, the Israeli military said Friday.

On Thursday, Israeli forces discovered a secret cross-border tunnel in Gaza leading to Israel. According to the military, over the last three days Hamas has attacked Israeli forces at least 12 times. Israeli forces have in turn responded with tank fire and carried out four airstrikes.

In the summer of 2014, a two-month Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip, dubbed Operation Protective Edge, led to the deaths of an estimated 2,200 Palestinians and 72 Israelis.
Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, after Hamas won control of the exclave following a decisive victory over the Fatah party in the Palestinian legislative election the year before.

Hamas says not seeking war but will fight Israeli incursions

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/hamas-says-not-seeking-war-will-fight-israeli-incursions/

Hamas Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday his Islamist movement is not seeking war with Israel but will not tolerate its troops entering the Palestinian territory.

“We are not calling for a new war, but we will not under any circumstance accept these incursions,” he said in a prayer sermon in the Gaza Strip, where the worst cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war entered a third day.

Haniyeh said that Israeli forces had intruded “150 to 199 metres (yards) on the pretext of searching for tunnels”.

“We sent multiple messages that the resistance will not allow the Israeli occupation army to impose new rules within the borders of the Gaza Strip.”

He said the movement would not accept the “so-called buffer zone,” referring to a 100-metre wide strip along the border but inside Gazan territory where the Israeli army has said it reserves the right to operate.

Israel launched new air raids in the Gaza Strip early Friday, saying it was a response to Palestinian mortar fire across the border.

Israeli aircraft struck a Hamas facility in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday after cross-border mortar fire, the Israeli army said, as violence continued for a third day.

“In response to the ongoing attacks against Israeli forces, Israel Air Force aircraft targeted a Hamas terror infrastructure,” an army statement said.

Israel PM's Office Shifts Blame From Gaza War Report Author to Rivals

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039208373/pm-war-israel-gaza.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office appeared to shift tactics from blaming the author of a leaked report on the 2014 Israel-Gaza war toward the prime minister’s political rivals, the Israeli press reported Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – State Comptroller Yosef Shapira was this week accused of drafting an "unserious report that reeks of politicking" on Netanyahu’s decision-making during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. The report submitted for high-level officials’ comments reportedly found that Netanyahu, his defense minister and then chief-of-staff withheld significant information on the campaign against Hamas from other members of the Security Cabinet.

"[Draft report findings were] leaked and distorted by interested parties, among them irresponsible politicians who were members of the security cabinet," a source close to Netanyahu was quoted as saying by the Haaretz newspaper.

Those who leaked the report "know the truth but prefer to falsify it in order to make political capital," one of the paper's sources claimed.

The publication, citing sources who have seen the document in question, further contends that Shapira’s "clearly critical" report presented an "overly general" threat of tunnels in the run-up to Protective Edge. The report is said to criticize the lack of preparation and the fact that there was no appropriate plan to deal with the threat of Gaza-to-Israel tunnels in the event of war.

Israeli forces recently discovered a secret cross-border tunnel in Gaza leading to Israel from where Tel Aviv believes Hamas has attacked Israeli troops at least 12 times in the past 72 hours.

Israel has responded to the attacks with tank fire and four airstrikes.

Israel's July 8-August 26, 2014, military operation led to the deaths of an estimated 2,200 Palestinians and 72 Israelis.

 

[angelburst29]

Looks like Russia has "invented - a host of thingamajig’s" in the line of safety and security?

Russian engineers have come up with a unique device to safeguard the country’s top officials from eavesdropping and prevent explosive devices from going off, RIA Novosti reported citing the press service of the thingamajig’s maker – the United Instrument Corporation.

Russia Develops 'Magic Suitcase' That Would Make James Bond Green With Envy
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160506/1039194330/russia-suitcase-jammer.html

According to the developers, the attaché-case-sized device can be used to ensure the safety of top officials and prevent terrorist attacks in crowded places.

The “case” blocks radio signals that could set off remote-controlled bombs, including during mine-defusing operations.

The device is also an ideal means of preventing unauthorized access to confidential information.

“During closed-door meetings the “case” blocks eavesdropping devices effectively preventing any unwanted leaks,” the UIC’s press service said in a statement.

The UIC made no mention about the actual cost of the “magic suitcase.”

Russia's advanced S-500 long-range anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile system will be outfitted with a state-of-the-art radio communications system that will be unparalleled in terms of its quality, communications distance and signal hiding capabilities, developers asserted.

Next-Gen S-500 Systems to Be Fully Protected Against Eavesdropping
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160427/1038688346/russia-s500-missile-defense.html

In other words, no unauthorized persons will be able to listen to S-500 communications or disrupt them. This will be a significant upgrade to the cutting-edge complex in an age when concealment and resistance to jamming are key features for air defense systems.

"The United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC) is working on sixth-generation radio communications systems for military hardware, including surface-to-air missile systems that are already in service or still in development," the company's representative told Gazeta.ru news site, adding that the S-500 is one of those.

The sixth-generation equipment is estimated to be ready in two years.

Previously, signals could be tracked and intercepted because radio stations used predetermined frequencies. The newest radio communications systems are fully protected against eavesdropping. According to the source, they are highly resistant to jamming since they use pseudo random frequency-hopping among other techniques.

The S-500 Prometey, also known as 55R6M Triumfator-M, is a cutting-edge anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile system currently under development in Russia. It is expected to enter service in late 2016 or 2017 and replace the S-300.

The S-500, designed by Almaz Antey, is said to have a range of 600 kilometers (more than 370 miles). The system can simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic and hypersonic missiles traveling at a speed of 5 kilometers per second. The Prometey is capable of engaging targets at an altitude of up to 200 kilometers (more than 120 miles).

The S-500 will be a major upgrade to the state-of-the-art S-400 complex that is already in service.

The US Department of Defense is apparently trying to secure funding for its program aimed at tackling hypersonic missiles by employing one of the oldest tricks in its playbook – referencing the non-existent threat from Russia and China.

Pentagon Uses Russia, China Missile Tests to Boost Spending
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160506/1039197141/pentagon-russia-yu71.html

Vice Adm. James Syring, the director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency (MDA), has recently told the US House Armed Services Committee that the MDA lacks such an initiative.

Syring also said that the MDA needs at least $23 million to develop a "low-power laser" to intercept advanced highly maneuverable, ultra-fast and elusive weapons like the ones that are currently under development in Russia and China. The laser could be tested no sooner than 2021.

US lawmakers now want the MDA "to develop and field a defensive system to defeat boost-glide and maneuvering ballistic missiles." This amendment was added to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 that still needs to pass through the Congress.

The initiative came after Russia and China successfully tested hypersonic glide vehicles in April. Defense analyst Bill Gertz referred to them as "revolutionary."

Russia test launched the Yu-71 hypersonic glider using an RS-18A (NATO codename: SS-19 Stiletto) strategic ballistic missile from a missile deployment area in the Orenburg Region in the country's east. The weapon is said to have a maximum speed of 11,200 kmh (7,000 mph). Unconfirmed reports suggest that it could enter service by 2025.

"Hypersonics is one of the areas where the Chinese and the Russians appear to be ahead of the US," former military intelligence officer Larry Wortzel told the Washington Free Beacon. "This comes at a time when there is little progress on directed energy weapons for the US."

Russia's cutting-edge S-500 missile defense system is said to be capable of intercepting hypersonic missiles among other things.

The United States has made assurances that its new hypersonic missile will only carry conventional warheads. But critics aren’t convinced the Pentagon can resist a nuclear temptation.

Pentagon’s Hypersonic Missile Could Inadvertently Spark Nuclear War
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160416/1038104429/us-hypersonic-missile-nukes.html

In an attempt to keep up with Russia and China, the US is developing its own range of hypersonic aircraft and missiles that can travel at speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 19. The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) has spent over $34 million on multiple hypersonic projects.

Defense officials maintain that the technology is being pursued primarily in the interest of developing a reusable hypersonic jet.

"We see this as being a long-range program," said David Walker, the US Air Force deputy assistant secretary for science, technology and engineering, according to Defense One.

"It’s 2020, for the missile, 2030…until you get into something that’s refurbishable, and probably 2040 until you get into something that’s a totally reusable type of capability."

The technology would also, theoretically, allow the military to stop focusing on stealth technology. Traveling at Mach 19, any craft would simply outrun radar.

"Our ability to operate in a stealthy mode is starting to lose its advantage because of the advanced radars," said Dick Durbin of DARPA, according to Defense One.

"We think that speed is going to give us that extra advantage."

While Pentagon officials insist that nuclear warheads are not a consideration for any hypersonic aircraft, anything traveling at such high speeds inherently threatens to destabilize global security.

If either Russia or China were to spot an incoming hypersonic craft, they would have no choice but to assume the incoming threat carried a nuclear warhead, lest they be caught off-guard.

Beijing is, in fact, already considering this possibility.

"Some analysts in China suspect that the United States is seeking the ability to eliminate Beijing’s nuclear deterrent in a first strike – and if Washington successfully develops hypersonic missiles, Beijing’s confidence in the credibility of its nuclear deterrent would only erode," Tong Zhao of the Carnegie Endowment’s Nuclear Policy Program wrote for the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists in June 2015.

"Already, some in China are discussing whether Beijing should, in the face of new conventional threats to its nuclear arsenal, alter its unconditional no-first-use policy."

If the Pentagon achieves its goal, it could only increase the speed at which the world appears to race toward a nuclear apocalypse.

Smarter smart bombs, mini railguns, and autonomous boats are among technology areas that US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter sees as being vital to US military superiority in the next decade.

Smarter Smart Bombs, Robot Boats: A Pentagon Wish List for Future Wars
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160203/1034122121/pentagon-budget-request-ash-carter.html

In a preview of the Pentagon's 2017 budget request, Carter said military research and development spending would rise to $71.4 billion, up from last year's $71.3 billion request.

The following is a list of areas (as compiled by Defense One) where Carter said the Defense Department was already seeing "returns" on R&D spending through the Strategic Capabilities Office.

Sending Swarmboats to Watch Manmade Islands Carter highlighted "swarming, autonomous vehicles in all sorts of ways, and in multiple domains."

"And for the water, they've developed self-driving boats, which can network together to do all sorts of missions, from fleet defense to close-in surveillance – including around an island, real or artificial, without putting our sailors at risk," Carter said.

China has been constructing artificial islands in disputed South China Sea waters. Washington suspects the islands will be used as military outposts, while Beijing claims they will serve primarily humanitarian purposes.

Smaller Railguns The high cost of larger and faster guns is driving the military toward cheaper alternatives, including direct energy and electromagnetic railguns that hurl shells at hypersonic speeds. The Navy is planning an at-sea demonstration of a railgun that can fire 44-pound shells.

Carter wants to shrink railguns until they can fit into "the five-inch guns at the front of every Navy destroyer, and also the hundreds of Army Paladin self-propelled howitzers. This way, instead of spending more money on more expensive interceptors, we can turn past offense into future defense – defeating incoming missile raids at much lower cost per round, and thereby imposing higher costs on the attacker," he said.

Smarter Smart Bombs Carter highlighted advanced navigation projects that would use "the same kinds of micro-cameras and sensors that are littered throughout our smartphones today, and putting them on our Small Diameter Bombs to augment their targeting capabilities. This will eventually be a modular kit that will work with many other payloads – enabling off-network targeting through commercial components that are small enough to hold in your hand."

Arsenal Planes Carter said the Pentagon is also working to turn "one of our oldest aircraft platforms" – reportedly the B-52 bomber – into "a flying launch pad for all sorts of different conventional payloads."

Ashton Carter said that US Department of Defense will spend 50 percent more in fiscal year 2017 on its fight against the Daesh.

Pentagon to Request $7.5Bln on Anti-Daesh Fight - Carter
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160202/1034100498/pentagon-anti-daesh-fight.html

The US Department of Defense (DOD) will spend 50 percent more in fiscal year 2017 on its fight against the Daesh, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said on Tuesday.

"Because we are accelerating the [anti-Daesh] campaign, DOD is backing that up and we need to back it up in our budget with a total of $7.5 billion in 2017, fifty percent more than in 2016," Carter said at the Economic Club in Washington, DC. "This will be critical as our updated coalition military campaign plan kicks in."

On Monday, commander of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, noted that there is a "good potential" for the need of additional capabilities in the fight against IS militants currently controlling parts of Syria and Iraq, where the the extremists have declared a caliphate on the territories under their control.

A US-led coalition of some 65 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria since September 2014, but without the approval of the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.

(Note) Maybe, if the Pentagon could invest in some "thingamajig’s" that actually work - it might save the TAXpayer's a couple of Billion?

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Moscow Seeks Guarantees US Missiles in Asia Not to Target Russia - Lavrov

http://sputniknews.com/military/20160506/1039211039/russia-us-missiles-asia.html

Moscow seeks legally binding guarantees that the United States' plans to deploy missile defense technologies in Eastern Asia are not directed against Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

BOCHAROV RUCHEI (Sputnik) — The United States has been in dialogue with South Korea over the proposed deployment of the THAAD system over the past year. THAAD is capable of shooting down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

"As with the European segment of the US missile defense, we are told that it is not directed against us, but we have a somewhat different assessment. And if all of this is not directed against Russia, legally binding guarantees are required," Lavrov told reporters.

Moscow and Beijing consider the US deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea to be a threat to Russia's and China's security.

South Korea and the United States started discussing the deployment of THAAD systems earlier in March, in response to a successful North Korean hydrogen bomb test and launch of a satellite into orbit on board a long-range rocket.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday have dismissed North Korea’s claims for a nuclear power status, Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"They confirmed the official stance of Russia and Japan that all existing deals on removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula must be fulfilled. They agreed that both countries would refute Pyongyang’s nuclear status ambitions," Lavrov told reporters.

The United States has been in dialogue with South Korea over the proposed deployment of the THAAD system over the past year. THAAD is capable of shooting down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

In July 2015, North Korea said it might boost its nuclear deterrent should the United States deploy a mobile missile defense system in South Korea.

US, Russia in Direct ‘Around the Clock’ Communication on Aleppo Truce - DoS

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039213119/us-russia-aleppo-ceasefire.html

The United States and Russia are currently in direct contact around the clock on the situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a press briefing on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The partial ceasefire in Syria that was brokered by Russia and the United States in February was extended on Wednesday to the embattled northern city of Aleppo, where both government and militant forces have been shelling each other's positions.

“The US side and the Russian side are in direct communication around the clock now about the situation, particularly in Aleppo,” Kirby said. “And the purpose of that around the clock communication is to do exactly that, to make sure that violations don’t occur.”

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, most parts of the Aleppo region are controlled by Syrian troops, but the situation remains difficult.

 

[angelburst29]

Despite claims that ISIS has been losing ground across the board in both Iraq and Syria, the group has made a major gain today, capturing the Shaer gas field today, just northwest of the city of Tadmur. It is one of Syria’s largest gas fields.

U.S Backed Terrorist Organization ISIS Captures Major Key Gas Field In Syria
http://novorossia.today/117728-2/

ISIS had briefly controlled the field in 2014, but lost it to government forces not long after. It’s been government-held since, though ISIS has intermittently contested the field, attacking security forces throughout that period. Over the last three days, however, their offensive was much bigger and more aggressive than previous ones, with reports from an ISIS-linked news agency that at least 30 Syrian soldiers were killed in the fighting, and their weapons secured by ISIS attackers. A country that before the war was heavily economically dependent on oil and natural gas, Syria has struggled, as materially all of the energy resources in the country are in the nation’s east, outside of government control. The Shaer field was the major government-held energy resource in the past two years.

The Pentagon has begun the process today of loading tanks onto ferries in Varna, Bulgaria, to make their way across the Black Sea to Batumi, in the Republic of Georgia, where they will be used in upcoming military exercises, which will involve some 650 US troops and 150 British troops.

Pentagon To Send In Tanks And Troops To The Republic Of Georgia, Military Exercises Or Military Buildup
http://novorossia.today/pentagon-send-tanks-troops-republic-georgia-military-exercises-military-buildup/

This is the second year of the exercise, which appears to be meant to be an annual event, and the first time US combat tanks will be involved. Last year, the US sent Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Georgia for the operation.

The Georgian Defense Ministry announced the deployment would happen back in January, saying at the time that the presence of the tanks would underscore US support for the Georgian Republic against Russia.

Georgia fought a brief, unsuccessful war against Russia in 2008, when they attacked the Russian-allied breakaway Republic of South Ossetia. Russian forces were hit during the Georgian attack, and Russian retaliation destroyed a large chunk of the Georgian military, and led Russia to formally recognize both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent nations.

Though the US has vowed to prevent the international community from ever formally recognizing either state as independent, their de facto autonomy likely ended Georgia’s ambitions to join NATO, as the alliance certainly will not accept a nation with outstanding territorial disputes, given their accession would likely mean an immediate call to war.

The results of the “Barometer of Public Opinion” survey show that Moldovans respect Russian president more than their own.

Moldovans Want Putin As Their Man, As Leader For Their Nation
http://novorossia.today/117758-2/

The results of the “Barometer of Public Opinion” survey show that Moldovans respect Russian president more than their own. Approximately 62% of the respondents give the greatest faith to the Russian leader. The second place in the ranking with a score of 33.5% takes the head of the Romania Klaus Iohannis. Top three closed by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, gaining 29.5%. Barack Obama lags behind her by 4.3%.

Next on the list goes the President of France Francois Hollande (19.2%), followed by the British Prime Minister David Cameron (18.2%). As for the head of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, he is respected by 10.7% of Moldova citizens.

The interesting fact is that the president Nicolae Timofti has less than 5% of trust, the chairman of Parliament Andrian Candu – no more than 10%, and the prime minister Paul Philip – about 15%. The poll “Public Opinion Barometer” was held from April 16 to 23, 2016. It was attended by 1143 citizens of Moldova over 18 years old living in 86 settlements of the republic.

A camp for the displaced in Idleb countryside indicates that the camp has been shelled with rocket launchers.

Russian Defense Ministry: Camp for displaced in Idleb targeted by rocket launchers used by al- Nusra
http://sana.sy/en/?p=76603

In a press conference, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that photos published on social media sites show that “there are no shell craters from aircraft ammunition and other traces of airstrikes.”

“Judging by the nature of destruction seen on photos and videos, the camp in Idleb could have been either intentionally or by mistake struck from multiple rocket launchers, which are now often used by al-Nusra Front terrorists in the area,” Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

He pointed out that no flights were carried out by aircrafts, Russian or other, over the camp.

“We have carefully analyzed the information from the flight control area in that region on May 4 and May 5 2016. There were no flights by Russian or any other aircraft over the area,” he added.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on Friday for heeding the demands of the legitimate government in Syria regarding closing the Turkish border and preventing the flow of terrorists into Syria.

Zakharova calls for heeding Syrian government’s demands
http://sana.sy/en/?p=76570

In an interview with SANA reporter in Moscow, Zakharova said that there are steps and efforts taken to launch the peace process and to eliminate terrorists. But on the other hand, she added, this route via the Turkish border is a constant reminder that it is impossible to progress in the peaceful efforts as long as it exists.

Zakharova affirmed that there is a fierce media campaign currently waged by the West in order to retain its positions and support those forces it funded which are not interested in the political process which, if sabotaged now, will have dire consequences.

Asked about the role of Turkish, Saudi and Qatari regimes in what is happening in Syria, Zakharova said that regional players are deeply involved and their role is by no means positive, accusing Turkey of dealing debilitating blows to the peace and counterterrorism efforts in Syria.

Earlier, Zakharova affirmed during a press statement that the United States has been so far unable to force the so-called “moderate opposition” which it supports in Syria to distance itself from Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization.

“Moscow insists on the need of uncompromising fight against terrorists and those who together with them violate the ceasefire regime, in particular such odious extremist armed groups as Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam,” Zakharova told reporters.

The US ambassador to Russia laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.

Wreath at Unknown Soldier Tomb in Moscow Ahead of V-Day
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160506/1039202586/tomb-wreath-us-ambassador.html

US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on Friday to commemorate the sacrifices of the USSR army in World War II ahead of the Victory Day.

On May 9, Russia will commemorate the 71th anniversary of victory over the Nazi Germany in World War II and honor the memory of those who fought against fascism in celebrations across the whole country.

 

[angelburst29]

An American political analyst says time is on the side of the Syrian-Russian alliance and the United States is in no position to impose a solution to the years-long foreign-sponsored war in Syria.

US in no position to impose a solution to Syrian war: Pundit
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/06/464319/US-Assad-government-/

Dennis Etler, a professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made these remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday while commenting on US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

On Thursday, Kerry warned the Syrian president of the consequences of a new US approach if he does not accept a political transition in the next few months. The target date for the transition is 1st of August,” Kerry told reporters at the State Department. “So we're now coming up to May. So either something happens in these next few months, or they are asking for a very different track.”

Professor Etler said that “Kerry's days are numbered. With the Obama administration quickly coming to a close both Kerry and Obama are lame-ducks whose pronouncements have increasingly less relevance as time goes on.”

“Kerry's statements that Assad must concede power and accept ‘The target date for the transition is 1st of August,’ or face untold consequences can only be seen as a desperate bluff, and a not very good one at that, as his cards can be seen by one and all,” he added.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is free to warn of “different track” and play for time, but there will be no regime change in Syria by August 1.

Regime Change in Syria by August 1? Keep Dreaming
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950217000687

When the US and Russia agreed to negotiate a peace process in Syria, the goal was not to have a transitional government in place by August 1. It wasn’t about President Bashar al-Assad surrendering power by then either. This was never explicitly mentioned in the deal, or in the UN Security Council endorsement of the deal.

As maintained by Moscow, the plan all along was to get a unity government in place to defeat terrorism and prepare for free elections - in which Syrian voters will decide who will be in power.

Now American media outlets would like us to believe otherwise, but it’s not. After five years, the regime changers are still stuck in Syria. The ongoing attempts to play for time in peace talks are also motivated primarily by their interests and not the interests of the Syrian people. In all this, the war on Syria is also a “resource war” sold to the international community under false democratic pretenses.

This is not something new though. The US officials are motivated by some incentive other than fighting terror and spreading democracy. They would not be spending billions of dollars to build military bases in Syria and escalate the war unless they perceived that the expense was somehow justified - since August 2014, more than $11 million a day in military operations.

A basic understanding of history and economics demonstrates that the new escalation and drawn-out occupation of Syria has much more to do with the US securing permanent access to the region’s natural resources. It is designed to protect the petrodollar system. Protecting the current “dollars for oil” arrangement requires the US to control and regulate the region’s flow of natural gas resources to Europe as well.

To this end, Europe absolutely also needs the Qatar gas pipeline through Saudi Arabia and Syria to gain energy independence from Russia. That also happens to be a major US goal as it ratchets up its role there. And that also portends perennial trouble for the Syria peace process.

That explains why the US still insists on selecting and sending various terrorist groups to the peace talks; it is no longer eager to assume responsibility for the political process – three unsuccessful rounds so far. Instead, the US has intensified the strategy of upping its military footprint there, will full backing from regional vassals. These puppet regimes actively do the bidding of Western interests and are compensated in exchange for creating failed states and eliminating rivals. As appalling as it may be, this is what it is, even as they vie for different political outcomes.

But this has all changed in recent months. The war on Syria is a war they can’t win. The counter-terror Alliance of Iran, Syria, Russia and Hezbollah is advancing on all fronts, and for the first time, ISIL no longer seems invincible. On the other hand, the Alliance doesn’t want what Washington does offer in the peace process: Endless war, colonial carve-ups, undoing old borders, and regional provisions for military and energy domination.

For sure, the Alliance members have every intention to rally public will in the current environment as well: these are the Syrian people who should decide their fate, not the War Party, and certainly not its expendable partners in crime.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the provocation aims at "deliberate destabilization of the military-political situation in South Caucasus"

Moscow regards preparations for US-Georgian drills as provocation
http://tass.ru/en/politics/874446

Moscow regards preparations for the US-Georgian military exercises (Noble Partner 2016) as a provocation aimed at deliberate destabilization of the military-political situation in South Caucasus, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

"We consider this sustainable ’reclamation’ of the Georgian territory by the NATO military as a provocative step aimed at deliberate destabilization of the military-political situation in South Caucasus. Washington and its allies that are openly appeasing Tbilisi’s revanchist aspirations also contribute to that to a considerable degree," the ministry said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the Noble Partner 2016 maneuvers had several objectives, including to prepare the Georgian army for participation in the NATO Response Force (NRF) and strengthen the Georgian potential of territorial self-defense.

The troops will focus on honing their skills in using small arms and modern combat equipment - the T-72BM tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, Gvozdika self-propelled artillery weapons.

More than 2000 Russian troops to conduct maneuvers in South Ossetia mountains
http://tass.ru/en/defense/870606

According to the press service, about 500 units of armaments and military equipment will be involved in the drills.

"During the range exercise the troops will focus on honing their skills in using small arms and modern combat equipment - the T-72BM tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, Gvozdika self-propelled artillery weapons," says the report received by TASS.

Moscow recognized as independent two Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which resulted in the cutoff of Russia-Georgia diplomatic ties. The recognition followed Georgia's attack on South Ossetia that entailed Russia's peacemaking operation in August 2008.

Issues of changing a certain article of the South Ossetian constitution will be put to referendum, which will make it possible in the future to ask the Russian leadership to incorporate the republic.

President: South Ossetia plans to hold referendum on becoming part of Russia before August
http://tass.ru/en/world/868630

South Ossetia plans to hold a referendum on whether to become part of the Russian Federation before August, the republic’s president, Leonid Tibilov, told TASS in an interview.

"We are already discussing the dates," Tibilov said. "A specific date can’t be named yet, but it will take place in the near future, we plan before August."

He explained that issues of changing a certain article of the South Ossetian constitution will be put to referendum, which will make it possible in the future to ask the Russian leadership to incorporate the republic.

"Currently, proceeding from the situation in the world, we would not like to put at serious political risks our strategic partner in the person of Russia," Tibilov said.

"So we reached the conclusion that we need to introduce changes to the current Constituion, its 10th article, which would enable the president to ask, with the approval of the republic’s parliament, the top leadership of Russia to consider the possibility of making part of the country," he said.

Article 10 of South Ossetia’s constitution says that the republic is entitled to enter into alliance with other states and hand the alliance’s bodies part of its powers.

"We plan to hold a referendum on supplementing that article with paragraphs stating that the Republic of South Ossetia is entitled to hand part of its powers to the Russian Federation," Tibilov said. "And then what I have already outlined - to give the president the opportunity to ask the Russian leadership to incorporate our republic.. as a new constituent member of Russia."

 

[angelburst29]

Under the auspices of President Bashar al-Assad and as a tribute to martyrs, a cultural event titled “Gate of the Sun” was held on Friday evening at the Palmyra Amphitheatre, with the participation of the Syrian National Symphony, the National Ensemble for Arabic Music, Mari Orchestra, and al-Farah Choir.

Gate of the Sun event held at Palmyra Amphitheatre
http://sana.sy/en/?p=76623

The event was attended by families of martyrs from Palmyra and other areas in Syria, Presidency Affairs Minister Mansour Azzam, Tourism Minister Bishr Yazigi, Culture Minister Issam Khalil, representatives of official, popular, cultural, artistic, and media activities, and volunteer teams who gathered at the ancient amphitheatre which seats more than 1,500 people.

The Mary Orchestra, conducted by Raad Khalaf, performed four pieces titled Palmyra, Phoenicia, Mari, and Ugarit, while al-Farah Choir, conducted by Habin Sleiman and Raja’a al-Amir al-Shalabi presented a number of songs and medleys including a song titled “Palmyra Triumphs.”

Afterwards, the National Ensemble for Arabic Music, conducted by Adnan Fat’hallah, performed pieces including one titled “Palmyra, Gate of the Sun,” while the Syrian National Symphony and the chamber choir of the Higher Institute for Music, conducted by Misak Bagboderian, performed the Triumphal March from the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi and two other pieces, and the event was then concluded by the Syrian National Anthem.

Earlier on Thursday, the Symphony Orchestra of St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater from Russia performed at the Palmyra Amphitheatre to mark both Martyrs’ Day in Syria and Victory Day in Russia.

Palmyra witnesses cultural events on occasions of Martyrs’ day in Syria and victory day in Russia (Photos)
http://sana.sy/en/?p=76589

U.S. weapons with Israeli ammunition were used by Islamic State group when taking over Palmyra. The extremists also had U.S. military rations.

How the US Backed the ISIS Takeover and Destruction of Palmyra
https://syria360.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/how-the-us-backed-the-isis-takeover-and-destruction-of-palmyra/

As explosions from detonated mines continued in the background a Syrian general confirmed in some detail an ugly truth: Washington and its close allies Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel backed the Islamic State group, or ISIS, takeover and destruction of Palmyra.

Most of the weapons ISIS used were from the U.S., with some ammunition from Israel. ISIS had U.S. Hummers, spinning explosive projectiles and military rations from the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

That should not have been a surprise. U.S. officials admitted in 2014 that their allies Turkey, the Saudis and Qatar were backing every single armed group in Syria, in an attempt to overthrow the Syrian Government led by President Bashar Assad.

Our group of 30 journalists visited liberated Palmyra on April 14, 18 days after the Syrian Army freed the historic city from a 10-month reign of terror. Syrian bulldozers were cleaning up debris while Russian sappers continued exploding mines. Three thousand had been cleared and another 30 exploded in the two hours we were there.

We saw the damaged buildings, bomb and mine craters along the roads, and the bizarre steel and wire structure where “infidels” and pro-government people were publicly crucified and beheaded, their bodies drained of blood into what had been a pleasant fountain next to the entrance to the historic sites. We saw the extensive vandalism to the museum, with all human or animal statues beheaded or damaged.

More than 1,600 ISIS terrorists – many from Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and other countries, as well as some Syrians — had converged on Palmyra in May 2015, just as Jabhat al Nusra (al-Qaida in Syria) led an invasion of NATO-backed Islamists from Turkey into Northern Syria. The ISIS groups invading Palmyra came from the east: from Raqqa, Deir eZorr and Abu Kamal, but also a group from the west.

The U.S., which since 2014 claimed to be conducting a war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and which had air power and sophisticated surveillance of the region, did nothing to stop the huge ISIS advance on Palmyra.

Again, this should have been unsurprising. Eight months earlier General Martin Dempsey, head of the U.S. military, admitted that his “major Arab allies” were funding ISIS. In response, Senator Lindsay Graham, chair of the U.S. Armed Forces Committee, defended the sponsors of ISIS, saying “they fund them because the Free Syrian Army couldn’t fight Assad, they were trying to beat Assad.”

The following month, in October 2014, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden explained that Turkey, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia “were so determined to take down Assad … they poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad … [including] Nusra Front and al-Qaida and … this outfit called ISIL.” Biden pretended that Washington was not responsible for the terrorism of his subordinate allies.

U.S. support for terrorist groups forming an “Islamic State” was not an afterthought. It was they key idea from the beginning.

In August 2012, before ISIS came across to Syria from Iraq, U.S. intelligence (DIA) reported that “The Salafist, the Muslim Brotherhood and AQI [al-Qaida in Iraq, later ISI and then ISIS] are the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria … there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality [an “Islamic State”] in eastern Syria … and this is exactly what the supporting powers [the U.S., other western countries, the Gulf monarchies and Turkey] to the [Syrian] opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime.”

More than 200 Syrian soldiers died defending Palmyra in May 2015, and another 150 died retaking that historic and strategic city, in March 2016. They lost their lives defending their country.

The water supply in Palmyra was destroyed, historic sites and treasures damaged, and soldiers and many other innocents were slaughtered, all by U.S.-backed terrorists.

Whatever else people may or may not understand about the Syrian conflict, they should be clear that the U.S. “war on terrorism” in Syria and Iraq is a fraud. Directly or indirectly, Washington remains the key supporter of ISIS, Nusra Front and the rest.

Authorities in Sweida confiscated a car loaded with tens of anti-tanks in the western countryside of Sweida that was bound for terrorist organizations in the eastern Badiya (Desert).

Car loaded with mines confiscated by authorities in Sweida
http://sana.sy/en/?p=76489

A source at Sweida Governorate told SANA reporter that the authorities ambushed a Pick-up car loaded with tens of anti-tank mines in the western countryside of Sweida that was bound for terrorist organizations in the eastern Badiya.

An army unit seized a car loaded with 40,000 machinegun bullets and 32 RPG shells on Athrya-Khanaser road that was bound for terrorist organizations.

A military source told SANA that an army unit seized a car on Athrya-Khanaser road, including 14,000 sniper bullets, 14,000 PKC bullets, 12,000 DShK bullets and 32 RPG shells.

On April 28th, an army unit seized a truck loaded with 3.5 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive substance, on Athrya-Khanaser road on the administrative border between Aleppo and Hama provinces.

The Army and Armed Forces units are working on securing the road of Athrya-Khanaser due to its importance as the only supply route of Aleppo city and because it links Aleppo to other provinces.

 

[angelburst29]

The British government is waging an information war in Syria by funding media operations for some of the so called moderate rebel fighting groups.

UK Govt Wage Information Warfare In Support Of Moderate Syrian Rebels
http://investmentwatchblog.com/uk-govt-wage-information-warfare-in-support-of-moderate-syrian-rebels/

The campaign is aimed at boosting the reputation of what the UK government calls the “moderate armed opposition”, those fighting the legitimate Syrian government.

Thousands of those moderate terrorists crossed the border into Syria this week.

Moon Of Alabama reports:

The U.S. government, via its CIA, has financed the “moderate” anti-Syrian mercenaries fighting against the legitimate Syrian government with at least $1 billion a year.

The Wahhabi dictatorships in the Middle East have added their own billions to finance al-Qaeda’s efforts against the Syrian people. The U.S. continues to purchase and transport thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition to feed the war against the Syrian people.It also pays the various fighters and opposition groups.

The U.S. efforts for regime change in Syria have been running since at least 2006 when the U.S. governmentstarted to finance anti-Syrian exile TV stations and held intensive planning talks with various anti-Syrian Islamist elements.

Together with the British government it also runs the current pro-mercenary public relation show to influence the “western” public to support its imperial meddling in Syria.

The Guardian now unveils one of the British government efforts to effectively run the complete “Free Syrian Army” media show:

The British government is waging information warfare in Syria by funding media operations for some rebel fighting groups, …
…
Contractors hired by the Foreign Office but overseen by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) produce videos, photos, military reports, radio broadcasts, print products and social media posts branded with the logos of fighting groups, and effectively run a press office for opposition fighters.Materials are circulated in the Arabic broadcast media and posted online with no indication of British government involvement.
…
Through its Conflict and Stability Fund the government is spending £2.4m on private contractors working from Istanbul to deliver “strategic communications and media operations support to the Syrian moderate armed opposition” (MAO).

The contract is part of a broader propaganda effort focused on Syria, with other elements intended to promote “the moderate values of the revolution” …
…
The documents call for contractors to “select and train a spokesman able to represent all the MAO groups as a single unified voice”, as well as providing media coaching to “influential MAO officials” and running a round-the-clock “MAO central media office” with “media production capacity”. One British source with knowledge of the contracts in action said the government was essentially running a “Free Syrian army press office”. The British and the U.S. media also run various “civil” groups to further their regime change goals.

The “White Helmets”, known for fake “rescue” videos and their strong cooperation with al-Qaeda (vid), are financed with $23 million by the U.S. government through USAID, with £18.7 million by the U.K. Foreign Office and with several millions more from other governments. But are the “White Helmets” not “moderates” who only want to help people? The U.S. government does not seem to believe that. It just banned the head of the “White Helmets” from entering the United States even though it finances his activities.

Many social media accounts like @raqqa_sl, which are promoted in “western” media, also distribute fake pictures and videos as part of these propaganda efforts.

But even when these media manipulation campaigns and fake “moderates” get exposed their operations continues unabated. The Guardian, after publishing the above, will not for one moment reflect on how its own publishing on Syria was influenced by the government financed fakes. It is, just like other mainstream media, an integrated part of the campaign.

No unveiling of the truth about the “western” attack on the Syrian state and its people seems to any effect on the ongoing media operations. On April 20 the U.S. military spokesperson for the anti-Islamic State coalition told some truth about the role of al-Qaeda in the “rebel” occupied eastern Aleppo city:

That said, it’s primarily al-Nusra who holds Aleppo, and of course, al-Nusra is not part of the cessation of hostilities.
Only two weeks later the NYT propagandist Anna Barnard has the Chutzpah to claim that al-Qaeda only has a small presence in Aleppo.

The Huffington Post spin on the Palmyra Performance.

Russian Orchestra Gives Stunning Performance In Palmyra Ruins
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russian-orchestra-in-syria_us_572b4f5de4b016f37894cc8f

Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre staged a surprise concert in the amphitheater of the Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday, in what looked like an attempt by the Kremlin to win hearts and minds and remind the world of its role in the city’s recapture.

The concert, held just over a month after Russian air strikes helped push Islamic State militants out of Palmyra, saw Valery Gergiev, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, conduct the Mariinsky orchestra.

Sergei Roldugin, a cellist friend of Putin’s named in the Panama Paper leaks as owning a network of offshore firms that have handled billions of dollars, also performed. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Putin, addressing the audience by video link from his Russian Black Sea residence of Sochi, called terrorism a contagion the world needed to rid itself of and said the fact the concert was taking place at all was “surprising.”

“Today’s action involved major inconvenience and dangers for everyone, being in a country at war close to where hostilities are still ongoing. That has demanded great strength and personal courage from you all. Thank you very much,” said Putin.

Gergiev, a longtime Putin supporter, described the concert as a protest against the barbarism and violence exhibited by Islamic State militants who had destroyed parts of Palmyra and used the city’s Roman amphitheater to execute prisoners.

The event was made public just hours before it began. Russian and Syrian military personnel as well as locals could be seen in the audience.

Russian special forces called in air strikes in March to help the Syrian government retake the city and Russian engineers later demined the historic part of Palmyra. Moscow has said its experts are ready to help restore the city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Thursday’s concert had echoes of a performance conducted by Gergiev in August 2008, when the Mariinsky performed in front of the bombed-out parliament of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia after Russian forces defeated the Georgian army in a short war over the territory.

Despite South China Sea territorial disputes exacerbating diplomatic disagreements between Beijing and Washington, the Chinese navy will participate in a series of US-initiated maritime drills this summer that are said to be the world’s largest.

Putting Aside Differences? Beijing, Washington to Hold Joint Naval Drills
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160507/1039219906/beijing-us-joint-drills.html

On Friday, US Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin announced that China would take part in the biannual Washington-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, to be held off the Hawaii coast in June and July.

China has taken part in previous RIMPAC drills, but an ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea led to a deterioration of cooperation between the two countries.

The announcement came after Beijing readied for its own drills, to be partly carried out in the disputed areas of the South China Sea which, according to Xinhua, will enhance combat readiness and interoperability between naval, air and other forces.

On April 28, China denied entry to Hong Kong harbor for the US Navy aircraft carrier John Stennis. When the US Cmdr. Bill Urban publicly expressed his bewilderment over the refusal to enter the port, the China state-run paper replied in an op-ed, saying only that "each [entry] must be approved by Beijing.” Moreover, the report read that the Pentagon was responsible for “creating quite an unpleasant atmosphere between the two sides."

The South China Sea transit zone moves some $5 trillion in trade annually. Other regional states such as Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines have overlapping territorial claims in the area.

 

[Ca.]

Conflict in Syria possible prelude to WWIII: Analyst: (Video)
Sat May 7, 2016 3:57AM
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/05/07/464351/Syria-war-over-resources-Gosling-Millett/

Press TV has conducted an interview with investigative journalist Tony Gosling, and Richard Millett, a journalist and political commentator, to discuss the significance of the “regime of calm” declared in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Gosling says the foreign-backed conflict in Syria is a conflict that is “a possible prelude to “World War III,” which, he says, is about resources.

The world powers want oil and gas pipelines through Syria, he explains, adding that US allies in the region, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are attempting to link up oil and gas pipelines to Turkey through Syria.

He believes the conflict in Syria has nothing to do with President Assad, because the war is a rivalry between the West and the East over pipelines and resources. He does say, however, that Western powers, which have examined the “regime change” policy in Iraq and Libya before, are also pursuing the same goal in Syria.

Gosling says the supporters of the “so-called democratic rebels,” who are in fact terrorists, have to stop backing them, adding that the terrorist groups should be removed from Syria in order for peace and stability to be restored to the country.

Millett, for his part, accuses the Syrian armed forces of violating the ceasefire in Aleppo, saying that there has been no cessation of hostilities in the city.

International Military Review – Syrian Military News, May 6, 2016 (Arab, Ger Subs)
South Front
Published on May 6, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr-8qij1a38

R&U Videos II
Battles for Syria | May 6th 2016 | Militants capture Khan Tuman
Content WarningThis video may be inappropriate for some users.
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GAvaaaxGaM

Syria War (And Related News)
Video on today 6 May 2016
Syrian Military News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H5jUj7NabM

Syria War video
Published on May 5, 2016

http://<iframe width="560" height="...GA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Syria civil war: Aleppo ceasefire extended
May-7-16
US confirms extension of ceasefire in Syria's northern province, with Russia saying it will be valid for 72 hours.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/syria-civil-war-aleppo-ceasefire-extended-160506231128905.html

The US State Department has confirmed an extension of the ceasefire in Syria's northern province of Aleppo.

Russia late on Friday announced the extension of the truce in Aleppo for 72 hours starting at midnight on Saturday.

State department spokesman John Kirby said that "the cessation of hostilities has reduced violence in Aleppo, and the United States is committed to keeping it in place as long as possible".

"While we welcome this recent extension, our goal is to get to a point where we no longer have to count the hours and that the cessation of hostilities is fully respected across Syria," Kirby said.

The renewed truce extends a 48-hour ceasefire that came into effect on Wednesday at midnight Damascus time and was due to expire at midnight on Saturday.

Sporadic fighting

The initial ceasefire was supposed to include not only the city of Aleppo but also surrounding districts.

However, fighting has continued at several locations across Aleppo province.

On Friday, Syrian rebel group al-Nusra Front captured the strategic village of Khan Touman outside of Aleppo city that could potentially open up new supply routes for rebel-held areas of the city.

The capture also opens up an alternate supply route to rebel-held areas of the city, connecting it to areas of Idlib that are also controlled by the opposition.
Syrian government forces have been trying to encircle rebels in the city by cutting them off from supply routes in the north.

Sources told Al Jazeera that groups involved in the attack included Ahrar al-Sham, Ajnad al-Sham and other factions under the command of the Army of Conquest.

British-based rights group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said more than 73 people had died in clashes in Khan Touman and surrounding villages, which included at least one al-Nusra suicide bomber.

The group put the number of government dead at 30 and rebels killed at 43, with dozens of wounded on both sides.
Source: Al Jazeera

Yemeni committee slams US troop deployment
PressTV News Videos
Published on May 7, 2016

The Pentagon has acknowledged for the first time it has deployed US troops to Yemen.

A Pentagon official has said the move is aimed at helping local forces battling Al-Qaeda militants. It’s unclear how many troops the US has sent to Yemen. Saudi Arabia has admitted that the US is assisting the Saudis in their war on the poorest country of the Arab world. Yemenis are angry over Washington’s support for the Saudi onslaught against their country

http://<iframe width="560" height="...Jc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Islamic State expanding its activities into Libya, Afghanistan, Europe - Russian UN envoy

http://tass.ru/en/politics/874464

According to the Russian diplomat, increased activities of Islamic State militants give grounds to doubt the efficiency of the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition

UNITED NATIONS, May 7. /TASS/. Islamic State, a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia, is uncontrollably expanding its zone of activity into Libya, Afghanistan and Europe, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitally Churkin said on Friday at a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Iraq.

According to the Russian diplomat, increased activities of Islamic State militants give grounds to doubt the efficiency of the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition.

"We completely support the Iraqi government’s efforts against Islamic State and note certain progress but the upsurge in terrorist activities, especially in Baghdad, makes us grow wary and question the efficiency of the activities of the ‘coalition’ which has been calling itself ‘global’ in the recent time due to some reason. In the meantime, the zone of terrorist operations is uncontrollable expanding beyond the region, into Libya, Afghanistan and Europe," he said.

"Only an all-embracing approach to anti-terrorism efforts and strict observance of international law may produce a desirable result," he stressed. "There is no room for double standards here. A consistent and principles approach of all responsible members of the international community is needed to counter this absolute evil."

On Thursday, Gerard van Bohemen, the chair of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee, said joint actions of the states have weakened Islamic State in Iraq and Syria but the group’s geographic coverage is expanding into Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya.

Chemical agents

Chemical substances used by Islamists in Iraq reach that country from Turkey, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said.

He said Russia is seriously worried over reports about the use by militants of munitions stuffed with poisonous substances. He drew attention of the fact that the United Nations Secretary General’s latest report says nothing about whether "any investigation is conducted into these incidents."

"Chemical warfare agents are rapidly spreading across the region and are used by terrorists whereas some of the member states are stubbornly seeking to turn a blind eye on that and go on blaming ‘the Bashar Assad regime’ for everything," Churkin said. "However the analysis of core chemical components of explosive compounds seized from Islamists near the city of Tikrit with a subsequent identification of producer companies and a scrutiny of terms of sales to other countries indicates that these compounds were either manufactured in Turkey or sold there without the right of re-export."

He said that in this context Russia’s initiative to elaborate an international convention for the suppression of acts of chemical terrorism acquires "extra topicality." The same, in his words, is applicable to the Russia-and China-initiated draft resolution of the United Nations Security Council on preventing production and use of poisonous substances by non-state entities.

On Wednesday, the Russian United Nations envoys said Western countries "are using trumped-up pretexts to block the Russian-Chinese initiative aimed at checking the threat of production of chemical weapons in Syria and around it by terrorists."

In April, Russia and China initiated a draft resolution of the United Nations Security Council that binds the countries to immediately report to the United Nations Security Council and the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) in Syria about any actions of non-government entities aimed at developing, obtaining, possessing, transporting, transferring or using chemical weapons and means of their delivery. Apart from that, the draft resolution tasks the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism with monitoring capacities to reveal persons, grousp or governments involved in such activities.

In March, Churkin referred to the United Nations Security Council a letter saying that Turkey is a key supplier of weapons and military equipment to Islamic State gunmen in Syria. He also informed that 1.9 million U.S. dollar-worth of explosive substances and chemical agents were supplied to terrorists from the Turkish territory last year.

Speaking at today’s United Nations Security Council meeting, the Russian diplomat accused Ankara of regular infringement upon Iraq’s sovereignty. He said Turkey’s air strikes "may lead to the death of civilians noted in the [United Nations] report." "Turkey’s ground presence in the Bashiqa military camp is preserved under the pretext of anti-terrorism fight. Baghdad’s protests are being ignored," Churkin added.

Daesh launched attack on northern Iraqi town: Local official

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/07/464367/Iraq-Daesh-Takfiri-Taza-Khurmatu-Kirkuk/

Daesh terrorists have reportedly used internationally-banned chemical weapons in their recent offensive against a Shia Turkmen-populated town in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk.

Head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Arshad Salihi, said in a statement on Friday that the extremists lobbed a barrage of mortar rounds, which contained chemical agents, on the town of Tuz Khurmatu, situated 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) south of oil-rich city of Kirkuk, on March 9.

Three civilians lost their lives in the attack and hundreds more suffered injuries.

“Daesh has materials to produce these kinds of prohibited weapons [...] and has also experts to produce these weapons,” Salihi said.

Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu said on Tuesday that fact-finding teams from The Hague-based watchdog have discovered evidence suggesting the use of sulphur mustard in Daesh attacks against areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

“Although they could not attribute this to Daesh... there are strong suspicions that they may have used it (chemical weapons),” Uzumcu said.

“Secondly, the suspicions are that they may have produced it themselves, which is extremely worrying,” he pointed out.

He further said “it proves that they have the technology, know-how and also access to the materials which might be used for the production of chemical weapons.”

On April 7, 23 people were killed and over 100 others injured in a chemical attack by Daesh terrorists against members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in a neighborhood of the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo.

Videos posted online purportedly showed yellow gas rising over Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood in Aleppo, located some 355 kilometers (220 miles) north of the capital, Damascus.

According to a report by the Syrian-American Medical Society, Daesh has carried out more than 160 attacks involving “poisonous or asphyxiating agents, such as sarin, chlorine, and mustard gas” since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011. At least 1,491 people have been killed in the chemical attacks.

Over 50 Daesh Victims Mass Graves Found in Iraq

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039231468/mass-graves-daesh-iraq.html

According to the statement of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq Jan Kubis, more than fifty mass graves of the "Daesh" terrorist group's victims were found in Iraq.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — More than 50 mass graves of the "Daesh" terrorist group's victims were found in Iraq, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq Jan Kubis said.

"As territory is retaken from the criminal and terrorist gangs of Daesh, evidence of the heinous crimes they have committed continues to be uncovered. More than 50 mass graves have been discovered so far in several areas of Iraq. Most recently, on 19 April, three graves were found in the football ground area of central Ramadi, with indications that the remains of as many as 40 people may have been discovered," Kubis told the UN Security Council on Friday.

The envoy urged the international community to make effort to ensure the accountability of Daesh terrorists for the committed atrocities.

"Daesh" group launched an offensive in Iraq in June 2014 and took control of large parts of the country. In February, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi vowed to eradicate the militants in 2016, stressing that IS continued to lose ground in the country.

 

[angelburst29]

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as Russian President on May 7, 2012. On March 4, 2012, Putin won the presidential elections for the third time to serve a six-year term.

-Game Moves and Achilles' Heel: Four Years Since Putin's Inauguration
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160507/1039227088/putin-four-years.html

Putin was appointed prime minister in August 1999, becoming acting president on December 31, 1999. In March 2000, he won his first elections.

Crimea’s reunification with Russia, success in resolving the Syrian crisis, intensification of cooperation with southeastern Asia, active intra-political operations, modernization of the Russian Armed Forces are among Putin’s main victories, according to experts and lawmakers.

Assessing the achievements of the past four years, they also point out vulnerabilities in the country’s economy and call for reforms in this sector.

Chess-Game Moves Crimea’s reunification with Russia and the operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria became the apotheoses of Putin’s foreign policy trend which he has been planning since 2000, lawmakers believe.

"Indubitably, both foreign and domestic policies have been successful, the country became stronger, it is evident. What he began in 2000, paid off in 2014. Reunification with Crimea and the operation in Syria were the apotheoses," Mikhail Yemelyanov, of the party A Just Russia, told RIA Novosti.

Ivan Melnikov of the Russian Communist Party also noted "the brilliant foreign policy which has been thought through like a game of chess, in the spirit of the most glorious and powerful pages of the great Russian history."

Valeriy Ryazansky, who heads the social politics committee in the Russian upper house, pointed out that Russia managed to make BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) instruments of political dialogue in the international reality.

According to Igor Lebedev of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the country yet again declared itself as a strong state.

"Russia stated that the unilateral world where all decisions were made and are made under dictation of one state came to an end," Lebedev told RIA Novosti.

Deputy head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee Frants Klintsevich speaks of modernization of the Russian armed forces.

"The last four years have definitely been a breakthrough in this sector. Nowadays we have one of the most modern militaries in the world," he said.

Principles of Internal Politics Speaking about internal politics, lawmakers note improved food security and the growth of domestic production.

According to Russian parliament’s deputy speaker Sergei Zheleznyak, despite the serious opposition in economic, financial and political spheres, Moscow "uses this difficult time to increase domestic production, to strengthen food security, to… expand the most advanced production facilities in strategically important sectors."

He also pointed out that much funding was being spent on serious infrastructure projects.

According to Yemelyanov, the stability in internal politics is a success, as well as "stability in international relations, terrorism has almost been repressed."

Achilles' Heel A number of parliamentarians have also pointed out the ineffectiveness of Russia’s economic trends.

"The economy is the Achilles’ heel. It is impossible to have a strong country without strong economy. I believe that here it is necessary to take a closer look at the work of the Central Bank, at the work of the financial and economic bloc of the government," Yemelyanov said.

Ryazansky called for development of Russia’s own production and increasing domestic demand.

Putin's Majority Russian President Vladimir Putin’s performance is approved by 82 percent of Russian citizens, an opinion poll for the month of April said.

According to the survey conducted by the non-governmental Russian research company Levada-Center, 82 percent of those interviewed said that they generally approve the work of Putin. The indicator remained the same since the start of the year.

According to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), around 84 percent of Russians do not rule out voting for Putin again.

"The Russian president continues to gain more and more support from the various political forces. He is supported by both members and supporters of parliamentary parties… and parties who are not represented in the Russian State Duma," VTsIOM found.

Around 64 percent of the so-called "non-system opposition," or oppositional forces which operate outside of the official political establishment, support Putin and would not rule out voting for him.

Putin’s personal qualities such as hard work, experience, energy, willpower and work in the interests of Russia have been noted by researchers.

US General Philip M. Breedlove, who has long backed exerting more military pressure on Moscow, has recently revealed that as NATO's supreme allied commander he was supposedly focused on "trying to prevent a Cold War," but his vigorous anti-Russian rhetoric and policy decisions point to a different conclusion.

Breedlove Says Tried to Avert Cold War But Actions Speak Louder Than Words
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160507/1039232312/breedlove-nato-russia.html

Breedlove served as the top commander of US and NATO forces in Europe for three years. The bloc's biggest military buildup, particularly in Eastern Europe, was launched on his watch. NATO officials used what they referred to as Russia's "aggressive behavior" to breathe life into and secure funding for this strategy.

These efforts paid off. In 2014, the US, the largest contributor to NATO's budget, launched the 1$ billion European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) in response to Crimea's reunification with Russia and Moscow's supposed role in the Ukrainian civil war.

The ERI's budget for fiscal year 2017 skyrocketed to $3.4 billion. It will be used to fund new command and control centers, rotational deployment, more war-games and prepositioned military equipment on the bloc's eastern flank. Further plans include permanently stationing a third brigade in Europe.

In addition, NATO created a "spearhead force," formally known as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), at the 2014 summit in Wales. The 5,000 VJTF troops are meant to reinforce the existing NATO Response Force, established in 2002. In total, approximately 40,000 soldiers will serve in the NRF.

These initiatives are ostensibly meant to ensure that Russia does not upend peace and security in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region, although Moscow has repeatedly said that it does not pose a threat to any country, whether a NATO member or not.

Nevertheless, NATO officials have painted Russia as a threat since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, blaming Moscow for meddling in the affairs of its neighbor. For its part, Russia, which is not a party to the Ukrainian conflict, has made every effort to resolve the crisis through the Minsk peace process.

In early May, General Breedlove accused Russia of choosing "a path of belligerence."

NATO's former commander previously called Moscow "resurgent" and "aggressive." He also said that the country has "chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat" to the United States, as well as Washington's allies and partners in Europe.

Earlier this week, NATO welcomed its new supreme allied commander, US Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, who has already described Russia as "aggressive." These comments seem to indicate that the military alliance will likely follow its anti-Russian strategy, thus contributing to the already strained relations with Moscow.

Many, including Professor Stephen F. Cohen, have called the cold snap in NATO-Russian relations the new Cold War that US and NATO hardliners, like General Breedlove, have helped to shape

On the occasion of the 71th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the largest copy of the Victory Banner, placed May 1, 1945, on the roof of the German Reichstag, will be placed at the North Pole.

Banner of Victory: Brandished at the North Pole and Other Parts of Universe
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160507/1039234721/banner-of-victory.html

The initiative is a part of the "Banner of Victory" project, which aims at the patriotic education of Russian citizens and draws attention to the role of the state symbols.

However, the North Pole is not the only unusual location where the Victory Banner has been placed. Some of them are listed below.

In space On March 27, 2015 the space crew of "Soyuz TMA-16M" delivered the Banner of Victory to the International Space Station. In this way, Russian cosmonauts congratulated their compatriots on Victory Day.

At the top of a mountain On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War in 2015, servicemen at the Center for Mountaineering and Survival climbed Mt. Elbrus and set up a banner there.

In January 2015, Russian climbers also set up the Victory Banner on the top of the highest peak in South America, Aconcagua, in Argentina. According to the team leader Pavel Romanovich, the idea was born a few years ago, when they has been preparing to conquer the highest peak in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Underwater In April 2015, athletes from the Yakut diving club "Aquastar" dove with the Banner of Victory to the bottom of the ice-covered Lena river.

In May, the same year, Sakhalin's customs commandos carried the Victory Banner to the bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk.

"Our grandfathers achieved victory conquering a lot of difficulties […], so our dive we have devoted their immortal dead," team member Maxim Kotov told RT.

Senator from the US State of Virginia Richard Black claims that the US government has likely acted to prevent the Syrian government’s armed forces from recapturing the city of Aleppo from the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front.

US Working to Block Syrian Liberation of Aleppo From Nusra Front - Senator
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039223008/usa-blocks-aleppo-nusra-liberation.html

The US government has likely acted to prevent the Syrian government’s armed forces from recapturing the city of Aleppo from the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front, Senator from the US State of Virginia Richard Black told Sputnik.

"It is clear to me that what is happening is we are trying desperately to slow down the Syrian army’s advance, which is on the verge of crushing al-Nusra and liberating Aleppo once and for all," Black said on Friday.

In an exclusive interview with Sputnik this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that the United States was attempting to create a safe-zone in Aleppo that covered al-Nusra Front fighting positions. The US attempt was made during Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry’s negotiations to reconstitute the Syrian cessation of hostilities.

Black noted that he agreed with Lavrov’s assessment, but argued it is unlikely the US government is being "used" to provide cover for al-Nusra Front in Syria.

"I believe that Secretary Kerry, the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency are very much on the side of al-Qaeda," he asserted.

Black further alleged that the Geneva peace talks are being carried out with the goal of "preserving" the anti-Assad terrorist organizations "so that at some point they eventually can reconstitute themselves and seize control of Syria."

Last week, Black returned from a three-day visit to Syria where he sat down with Syrian President Assad, First Lady Asma Assad and a number of other military and political leaders. The trip was particularly significant since the United States has largely severed ties with the Assad government since the start of Syrian civil war in 2011.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

In Video: Russia sets up new military base in Palmyra

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-russia-sets-new-military-base-palmyra/

Russia has recently turned part of the Syrian desert city of Palmyra into a military base to use as an ‘operation room’ to target terror group in the war-torn country.

AFP’s Andrey Borodulin released a video showing the recently-established, fully-fenced base where the sophisticated Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system was deployed.

Pantsir-S1 is a combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system. It represents the latest air defence technology by using phased array radars for both target acquisition and tracking.

The Russian forces supporting the Syrian President Bashar Assad’ government have been stationing in Hmeymim airbase, to the south of coastal city of Latakia.

Analysts say the newly-built base deep in the Syrian desert well indicates Russian’s intention to expand its military operation eastward to the ISIS’ de facto capital of Raqqa and the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor.

Although no Russian fighter jets have been spotted in the city’s military airport so far, it is widely expected that Palmyra skies will be jammed with the roaring SUs and MIs.

Russian airstrikes considerably helped the Syrian Army liberate Palmyra from ISIS in late March.

PR War' in Aleppo: US Spends 'Millions' to Decry Russia’s Success in Syria

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039233914/us-pr-war.html

The actual situation on the ground in the Syrian conflict is not affected by the ceasefire. Actually, the conflict has turned into a public relations war of an unprecedented scope, geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen said.

The partial ceasefire in Syria that was brokered by Russia and the United States in February was extended on Wednesday to the embattled northern city of Aleppo, where both government and militant forces have been shelling each other's positions.

According to Henningsen, the ceasefire has little chance to change situation in Aleppo.

Extremist groups in the city will use the ceasefire to buy time to get reinforcements to establish new supply lines that have been cut off by Russian airstrikes, he suggested.

"The problem is that Al-Nusra Front, or Ahrar ash-Sham, or all these terrorist groups that are operating freely in Syria in these rebel – held areas – they are ubiquitous with the so-called opposition. You can’t separate them; this is just a game, this is being played," the analyst told RT.

He added that while there is a diplomatic process underway to settle the crisis "behind the scenes there is whole other agenda playing out," and the US knows it very well.

Henningsen said that what the US is doing is called a "strategy of confusion" in terms of public relations. It is aimed at making a number of contradicting statements on the situation so no one can understand what is actually going.

"This is used to basically obscure and cover up what is essentially a dirty war going on the ground in Syria right now," he said.

The expert also commented on the possible reasons behind Washington objecting to Russia’s actions and proposals on Syria.

"I think it’s out of frustration. Russia came in with a very clear objective back in October, 2015 and they achieved that objective by a lot of people’s estimation. […] This upset everybody because the US was saying that Russia was being dragged into a quagmire. At every turn the narratives that are being conjured up by the State Department are getting knocked down and disintegrating," he said.

Henningsen noted that the US has spent millions of dollars on the "Aleppo is burning," a PR campaign to create a so-called "no bombing zone" like it was with the "no-fly zone" and "safe zone" before.

"This is a public relations war with a level of sophistication we’ve never seen before," he concluded.

Thirteen Iranian Troops Killed in Clashes With Militants in Syria

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039242276/guards-troops-clashes.html

Thirteen Iranian soldiers have been killed in recent days in clashes with extremist militants in Syria, media reported Saturday, citing an Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) spokesman.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The clashes left 21 other soldiers with the IRGC wounded, Hossein Ali Rezayi added, as cited by the ISNA news agency.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. A ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia came into force across the country on February 27, however it excludes terrorist groups such as al-Nusra Front and Daesh, both of which are outlawed in Russia.

Since late 2011, Iranian soldiers have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces. According to Iranian media reports, over 400 Iranian army personnel have been killed in the fighting in Syria since the start of the conflict.

Iran says several of its soldiers killed near Aleppo

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-iran-idUSKCN0XY0C4?il=0

Several Iranian soldiers were killed near Aleppo, the Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday, in what appeared to be one of Iran's biggest losses in Syria since it deployed forces to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Islamist insurgents on Friday seized the strategic village of Khan Touman, some 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Aleppo. Dozens of people were reported to have been killed in the battle.

Fars news agency on Saturday quoted a Revolutionary Guards official as saying that 13 Iranian military advisors had been killed and 21 wounded in the fighting.

The attack on Khan Touman was launched by an alliance of Islamist insurgents known as Jaish al-Fatah, including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which has rejected diplomatic efforts to halt the five-year civil war.

Earlier this week, the United States and Russia brokered a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo itself. But fighting in the countryside to the south of the city, one of the major fronts where Iranian-backed forces have been deployed, has escalated in recent days.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that monitors the conflict, said that Syrian and Russian jet planes have intensified their bombing of insurgent posts.

Jaish al-Fatah and affiliates have published on social media videos and photos of what appear to be the bodies of Iranians or other Shi'ite militias who were killed in Khan Touman.

Some videos include footage of their wallets, personal documentation and Iranian currency.

There are indications that some of the casualties might be Afghans who are trained in Iran and are deployed alongside Iranian soldiers in Syria.

The Revolutionary Guards in a statement on Saturday urged people not to be affected by the Islamist rebels' "psychological war on the social media".

A top advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader on Saturday reiterated Tehran's continued support of Syria's president in a meeting with Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

"Iran will use all its means to fight against terrorists who are committing crimes in the region," Ali Akbar Velayati, Ayatollah Khamenei's top adviser on international affairs, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

The war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people though, with tens of thousands unaccounted for, some say the death toll may be as high as 400,000.

Thousands of Fresh Soldiers to Join Syrian Army's Imminent Operation in Khan Touman

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950218000525

"Thousands of fresh but experienced forces have been dispatched to the Southern part of Aleppo province and thousands more will also be sent the battlefield to support the operating forces," the army said.

"The Syrian and Russian warplane have been heavily bombing the terrorists' newly-captured positions in Khan Touman region in the past hours and now the ground is paved for a final operation to push the militants back from the region," the army added.

"A large number of popular forces will also accompany the army men in the operation," the army underlined.

Reports said earlier today that the Syrian and Russian fighter jets, in a fresh round of large-scale joint combat operations, bombed heavily the terrorist groups' concentration centers in the Southern parts of Aleppo province to lay the ground for the imminent operation of the government forces in Khan Touman region.

Almost the entire positions of the terrorist groups of al-Nusra Front, Jund al-Alqsa and Ahrar al-Sham inside and outside of Khan Touman were massively bombed by a large number of the Syrian and Russian warplanes.

The airstrikes inflicted major damage on the terrorists' military and logistic vehicle.

Tens of the terrorists were also killed in the air attacks.

The air attacks have also destroyed supply and commination lines of the terrorist groups in the region, which have pave the way for the pro-government forces to carry out a large-scale operation there to return security to Khan Touman and its surroundings as soon as possible.

The Al-Nusra and units of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) claim to have taken back Khan Touman, but government forces say they are still in charge of key centers and blocks in the town.

The Syrian army alongside the National Defense Forces and Hezbollah fighters regained full control over the town of Khan Touman in December. Ever since then the city has fallen back to the terrorists twice, with the second time being this weekend.

Following an unsuccessful truce that was repeatedly violated by the terrorist groups, the Al-Nusra Front - the Syria arm of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group - could relocate some 20,000 terrorists to Northern Aleppo via Turkey's soil to launch a large-scale attack on pro-government positions in several key cities in Aleppo province, including Khan Touman in the Southwest.

Terrorist organizations target residential neighborhoods in Aleppo with rocket shells

http://sana.sy/en/?p=76670

Aleppo, SANA-Terrorist groups violated the truce in Aleppo by firing scores of rocket shells on a number of residential neighborhoods in different areas in Aleppo on Saturday.

A source at Aleppo police command told SANA reporter that the terrorist groups targeted on Saturday afternoon al-Zahraa, Maysaloun, al-Ramouseh, al-Izaa and Benyameen neighborhoods with scores of rocket shells, injuring a civilian and causing material damage to public and private properties.

On Friday, the truce was extended in Aleppo city and the northern countryside of Lattakia for 72 hours starting from 1:00 o’clock on Saturday May 7.

The cessation of hostilities does not include ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations listed on the international terrorism list.

Terrorist attacks on Ain al-Kroum and Nahr al-Bared villages in Hama countryside

http://sana.sy/en/?p=76666

Hama, SANA- Terrorist groups targeted Ain al-Kroum and Nahr al-Bared villages in al-Ghab Plain in the north western countryside of Hama on Saturday.

A source at Hama police command said in a statement to SANA that 10 rocket shells fell on Ain al-Kroum and Nahr al-Bared villages 45 kilometers to the north west of Hama, causing material damage to private and public properties.

On May 2nd, terrorist groups targeted Ain al-Kroum village with six rocket shells injuring three civilians and causing material damage to locals’ properties.

Terrorist attack with shells on besieged Kafaraya and al-Fou’a towns in Idleb

http://sana.sy/en/?p=76659

Idleb, SANA Terrorists of the so-called Jaish al- Fateh on Saturday fired mortar and rocket shells on the besieged towns of Kafaraya and al-Fou’a to the north of Idleb city causing material damage.

Local sources from inside said that terrorist organizations besieging the towns fired from Bennish town a number of rocket and mortar shells, causing material damages only to houses and public and private properties.