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

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US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby said that the department has no plans to make public an internal memo calling for the United States to take military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

State Dept: ‘No Plans’ to Make Public Memo Urging Strikes on Syrian Gov't
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160617/1041541184/usa-no-plans-urge-syria-strikes.html

US Department of State has no plans to make public an internal memo calling for the United States to take military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing on Friday.

"There’s no plans to make it public," Kirby stated when asked when the State Department would release the dissent letter.

Furthermore, Kirby said there will be no investigation as to how the letter ended up in the public domain.


Kirby also said that the United States has not made a proposal for members of the opposition in Syria to join government of President Bashar Assad.

"No," Kirby stated when asked whether there is a US proposal to add members of the opposition to the active government in Damascus.

Earlier on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the US proposal to consider a possibility of incorporating representatives of the opposition into the Syrian government is "absolutely reasonable."

An internal memo on Syria advocating for military strikes against President Bashar Assad's forces, signed by dozens of US diplomats, is a way to force Moscow to cooperate with the US leadership regarding the future of Assad as the Syrian leader, a source in the Syrian opposition told Sputnik Friday.

US Diplomats Used Memo to Compel Russia to Work With Them on Assad
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160617/1041505182/us-russia-assad.html

The internal memo signed by some 50 US diplomats, a draft of which was obtained by The New York Times from a US State Department official on Thursday, calls for "a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons," against Assad forces.

"All these statements are games that we have already seen in the past. This is the way to put pressure on the Russians. They are saying: ‘Look, we have the opposition that demands actions against Assad and calls on the government to change the current political position toward the Syrian regime, so you [the Russians] need to work with us [the current US administration] and we need to move fast’," the source said.

Many in the State Department believe a Libya-style intervention could work in Syria if they put NATO boots on the ground there, former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz told Radio Sputnik.

US-Led Intervention in Syria 'Would be Worse than Libya'
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160617/1041537702/us-intervention-syria-libya.html

On Friday the New York Times revealed a leaked internal memo, in which dozens of US diplomats expressed disagreement with US President Barack Obama's foreign policy.

The letter is signed by 51 US State Department officials and calls for the US to carry out military strikes in Syria against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. This, they hope, would enable Washington to ultimately change the Syrian government.

Fred Fleitz, Senior Vice President for Policy and Programs at the Center for Security Policy, told Radio Sputnik that a Libya-style intervention in Syria would worsen the situation there.

"What happened in Libya is that no-one gave any consideration as to what would happen after Gaddafi left power, and the same thing could happen in Syria. If we just knock out Assad who would take over? I think Syria would get worse, because it could become taken over by a government run by al-Qaeda or ISIS) Daesh," Fleitz said.

However Fleitz, a former CIA analyst and State Department official, is one of those in the US who believes that with the right planning and substantial military support NATO could carry out an intervention.

"My solution is that we have to have an international coalition led by NATO, with regional states to resolve the situation with the Assad government, ISIS and the al-Nusra Front. I don't think just attacking Assad is the solution."

"What was done in Libya was half-hearted," the US expert believes.

"This is where the phrase 'leading from behind' came for the US. It was mostly a bombing campaign, run by the British and the French. You may remember that they bombed so much they ran out of bombs."

Despite his belief that a NATO plan might work, Fleitz nevertheless doubts that the political will in the region exists to support another regime change project.

"I think that if we had an intervention like this, it would have to have significant regional support, and frankly we're nowhere near that right now," he said.

Russia has warned that the presence of the USS Porter in the Black Sea is a provocation, but the United States says it intends to stay.

In the Face of Russian Warnings, US Says It Will Remain in Black Sea
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160617/1041538563/uss-porter-ignores-warnings.html

The USS Porter, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, entered the Black Sea last month, sparking criticism from Moscow as being yet another example of the US military encroaching on Russia’s borders.

"American warships do enter the Black Sea now and then. Certainly, this does not meet with [Russia’s] approval and will undoubtedly lead to planning response measures," said Andrey Kelin, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s European Cooperation Department.

"If a decision is made to create a permanent force, of course, it would be destabilizing, because this is not a NATO sea."

But the US Navy has no intention of leaving the region. Speaking from the USS Mason in the Mediterranean, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told reporters that the Western presence is necessary to prevent "Russian aggression."

"We’re going to be there," he said. "We’re going to deter. That’s the main reason we’re there – to deter potential aggression."

"We’re going to be there," he said. "We’re going to deter. That’s the main reason we’re there – to deter potential aggression."

Referring to the deployment of two US Navy aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean ahead of the NATO Summit in Warsaw next month, Mabus added that the Pentagon plays an important role in maritime security.

"We’ve been in the Mediterranean continuously for 70 years now, since World War II," he said. "We’ve been keeping the sea lanes open…It’s what we do."

With its own Black Sea Fleet operating out of Sevastopol, Russia views these maneuvers as the latest example of NATO’s eastward expansion. The alliance plans to station four new battalions in the Baltics and Poland, and has installed a new missile defense system in the region.

Any permanent stationing of a US warship in the waterway would be a violation of the Montreux Convention, which states that countries without a Black Sea coastline cannot keep military ships in the region for more than 21 days.

NATO is pushing ahead with its military "Schengen zone" in Europe, integrating new members and signing logistic agreements with others to ensure seamless passage for the bloc's troops through Europe.

Step-by-Step: How NATO is Creating Its 'Military Schengen' Zone in Europe
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160617/1041527653/nato-europe-military-schengen.html

Although the NATO bloc had to be disbanded following the collapse of its major adversaries, the USSR and the Warsaw Pact, in the early 1990s, the Cold War relic is seemingly catching a second wind.

"Under the guise of deterring Russian 'aggression,' the US is pushing for a deepening of the alliance, and further undermining the sovereignty of each member state. NATO is also attempting to expand once again, trying to formally secure Montenegro as a member state in the near future, in addition to pulling Georgia closer to the imperial alliance," Steven MacMillan, a geopolitical analyst and editor of The Analyst Report, writes in his article for New Eastern Outlook.

There is only one stumbling block in the way of NATO's "triumphant march": travel restrictions on the movement of US-NATO troops and equipment in Europe.

"We need a Schengen area for American tanks," former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski said back in October 2015.

The idea was echoed by Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council in her June opinion piece for Foreign Affairs.

"NATO's member states are willing to defend one another, and they have the troops and the equipment to do so. But quickly getting those troops and equipment to their destination is a different matter altogether. In some new NATO member states, bridges and railroads are simply not suitable for large troop movements. But one thing frustrates commanders even more: the arduous process of getting permission to move troops across borders," she wrote.

Therefore, the bloc desperately needs a "military Schengen" zone in Europe, Braw argued.

"With a military Schengen in place, NATO troops and equipment would be able to cross NATO borders to their destination the same way EU citizens do: without having to show permits," she underscored.

However, under the false pretext of the so-called "Russian threat" the US-led Alliance is seeking more control over the continent.

Meanwhile the Baltic States have signaled their willingness to ease travel restrictions on the passage of NATO troops and equipment in Europe.

"We support NATO's open-doors policy," Estonian Defense Minister Hannes Hanso told the national Err.ee broadcaster in late May 2016, ahead of the bloc's largest joint Anaconda-16 and BALTOPS-2016military drills in the region.

But that is half the story: to expand its influence in Europe NATO is actively engaging new states in its fold.

On May 19 NATO Foreign Ministers inked the accession protocol for Montenegro.

This spring Finnish and Swedish leaderships reportedly signaled their willingness to discuss the issue of their potential NATO membership, Foreign Policy Magazine reported.

Furthermore, on May 25 Sweden's parliament ratified an agreement granting NATO more access to the country for both training exercises and in the event of a war.

Earlier, in February 2016 Serbia signed a logistical support agreement with the bloc. The agreement gives NATO logistical support staff the right to move freely across the state.

The latest developments show clearly that the NATO bloc is serious about boosting its military presence in Europe. In addition to 4,000 forward-stationed troops in the Baltic States and Poland, NATO is likely to deploy an additional 40,000-strong contingent in the region — in close proximity to Russia's borders.

"NATO is a threat to world peace. Its incessant war games and its addiction to antagonizing the Russian bear are putting the future of the world in jeopardy… The abolition of NATO is what is needed to move the world closer to peace," MacMillan underscores.

Russian military aviation continues to destroy identified terrorist armories and military facilities in Syria.

Rain of Fire: Russian Airforce Strikes Terrorist Ammunition Warehouse in Aleppo (VIDEO)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/rain-of-fire-russian-airforce-strikes.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWGTRnBl7rM (Looks like a 4th of July Party?)

The camera gets another shot of an incendiary ammunition warehouse of militants from "Jabhat al-Nusra" in the village of Hayan in Aleppo province.

In the footage, captured by the media with several cameras, exploding shells are seen flying into the sky from the conflagration.

Advocates of illegal armed formations (IAF) continue to convince the world that the attack was on a civilian area.

As has been reported, the civilians left the area because of the constant fierce fighting and reprisals by armed groups.

In the area of illegal armed groups under the leadership of the Syrian wing of "al-Qaeda" - the group "Jabhat al-Nusra" -concentrate their attack on nearby settlements.

In the last 2 days, terrorists attacked the settlement of Halas using VBEID, mortars, and tanks. The militants are trying to take the village by storm. The Syrian Army is trying to hold their position by fighting inside the city.

Recall that on 8th June, military aircraft of the Russian airforces destroyed the headquarters and ammunition depot of militants in nearby Anadan.

On 12th June, cameras also filmed an airstrike by Russian aviation on terrorist targets in the area.

 

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U.S. missile defense system in Europe may be used against Russia — Putin

http://tass.ru/en/politics/883251

Russian President said he is worried that military confrontation between Russia and the United States "is dragging the world into a new dimension"

ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday the U.S. missile defense system being deployed in Europe has the potential of turning into an offensive system and may be used against the Russian Federation.

"There’s no [nuclear] threat [from Iran], and the missile defense system [in Europe] is still being built, so we were right when we said they are deceiving us, they are not sincere with us referring to the alleged Iranian nuclear threat during the construction of the missile defense system," Putin said.

"It is like this actually - they tried to deceive us once again," he said at a meeting with the heads of global information agencies.

"We know approximately which year the Americans will get a new missile that will have a range of not 500 kilometers but more, and from that moment they will start threatening our nuclear potential. We know what will be going on by years. And they know that we know," Putin underscored.

He stated that the United States, "despite all our objections, all our proposals on real cooperation, does not want to cooperate with us, rejects our proposals and acts in accordance with its plan."

"You may believe me or not, but we have suggested specific variants of cooperation, they have all really been rejected," Putin said.

He recalled that missile defense system elements have been built in Romania. "What have they constantly said? 'We need to protect ourselves from Iran’s nuclear threat.' Where’s the Iranian nuclear threat? There’s none!" Putin said.

Military confrontation between Russia and the United States

Russian President said he is worried that military confrontation between Russia and the United States "is dragging the world into a new dimension."

"People feel no danger and I that is alarming for me. Can we see that we are dragging the world into an utterly new dimension. This is the problem," Putin said on Friday at a meeting with CEO’s of the world’s leading news agencies organized by TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

He said he doesn’t know how to "bring it home" to partners from other countries.

"I don’t know where it [the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system in Europe] might lead to but I know for sure that we will have to answer," he stressed, adding with a smile that he is sure in any case Russia "will again be accused of aggressive behavior, although it is just an answer."

"It is clear that we will have to ensure not only our own security. It is vital for us to ensure strategic balance in the world," Putin said.

He recalled previous discussions with the United States of the idea to build non-nuclear ballistic missiles. "We said then: ‘Do you understand what it is? You will have missiles launched from submarines, from territory. A ballistic missile is fired, and we don’t know if it contains a nuclear warhead or not," the Russian president said.

"It is the strategic balance that has secured peace on the planet from big armed conflicts over the past 70 years, and it is good, although it is based on a mutual threat, but it has ensured global peace for us for decades. How can it be destroyed? It seems to me it is very dangerous. I am convinced of that," he said.

Putin did not advise Canada to abstain from joining the missile defense system in Europe. "We can’t tell you what to do. Do as you wish. And we will do as we consider necessary to ensure our security," he said.

Kerry: Memo calling for attack on Syria 'important statement'

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/18/470993/US-Kerry-attack-Syria-memo-

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said an internal memo calling for stronger military action against the Syrian government is an “important statement” which he would consider when he returns to Washington.

“It’s an important statement and I respect the process, very, very much,” Kerry said Friday in Copenhagen.

An internal document, signed by 51 State Department officials involved with advising on Syria policy, called for targeted strikes against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“Failure to stem Assad’s flagrant abuses will only bolster the ideological appeal of groups such as Daesh, even as they endure tactical setbacks on the battlefield,” the cable reads.

Their urgent call for military action closely resembles the arguments Kerry has been making in Situation Room debates on how to force President Assad to accept a transition of power, administration officials said, according to the New York Times.

Kerry has warned President Barack Obama that unless Washington is willing to put more pressure on Assad, he will simply wait out the end of Obama’s second term in office.

“For quite some time, Secretary Kerry has had real reservations about the president’s approach to Syria,” Frederic C. Hof, a former special adviser to the White House on Syria, told the Times.

“His mellow reaction might indicate sympathy,” he added.

An official familiar with US debates on Syria said while the “dissent channel” diplomats are simply urging airstrikes to force President Assad into negotiations, Kerry would consider military operations to shift the balance of power in the country.

Critics of the US policy on Syria seized on the leaking of the cable to intensify their calls for the White House to act more aggressively against the Assad government.

During a press briefing at the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh has long been pushing for a military campaign to overthrow President Assad.

“There should be more robust intervention,” he said when asked about the State Department cable. “If the Bashar regime feels that it can continue in a stalemate, much less prevail, there will be no incentive to take the necessary steps to bring about a transition.”

The Saudi minister reiterated that from the onset of the Syrian crisis, Saudi Arabia has strongly favored “a more robust policy, including air strikes, safe zones, a no fly zone, (and) a no drive zone.”

NATO should not fuel tensions with Russia: German FM

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/18/470972/Germany-NATO-Frank-Walter-Steinmeier-Baltic-Poland-Putin

Germany’s foreign minister has censured war games by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Eastern Europe, saying such drills will not bring security to the region and will rather stoke tensions with Russia.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier made the remarks in an interview with the German Bild am Sonntag newspaper, whose extracts were published on Saturday.

“What we shouldn’t do now is inflame the situation further through saber-rattling and warmongering,” Steinmeier said, adding, “We are well-advised to not create pretexts to renew an old confrontation.”

NATO launched the Anakonda-16 maneuver on June 7, simulating a Russian attack on Poland. The two-week-long exercise involves some 31,000 troops, dozens of ships and fighter jets, along with 3,000 vehicles.

“Whoever believes that a symbolic tank parade on the alliance’s eastern border will bring security, is mistaken,” Steinmeier said.

He further called for more dialogue and cooperation with Russia, warning that it would be “fatal to now narrow the focus to the military.”

NATO is expected to send units to Romania as part of plans to expand its presence in Eastern Europe.

It will also send four battalions in Poland as well as the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, which are likely to number 2,500-3,000 troops combined with a small force designed to act as a tripwire.

The deployment is slated to be formally authorized during a summit in the Polish capital city of Warsaw next month.

Putin slams NATO expansion

In another development on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again criticized NATO’s eastward expansion, warning that there would be consequences if the Western military alliance continued its one-sided policy against Moscow.

He made the comments during a question and answer session at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016.

The Russian president also noted that his country does not want a new Cold War with the West, stressing that Moscow’s policy is “aimed at cooperation and search for compromise.”

NATO has stepped up its military build-up near Russia’s borders since it suspended all ties with Moscow in April 2014 after the Black Sea Crimean Peninsula re-integrated into the Russian Federation following a referendum.

Moscow has repeatedly repudiated NATO’s expansion near its borders, saying such a move poses a threat to both regional and international peace.

Last month, NATO formally invited Montenegro to become its 29th member, prompting the Kremlin to warn that the decision risked fueling geopolitical tensions across Europe.

Neocons Attempt to Hijack US Policy in Syria Via Diplomatic Memo

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160618/1041551589/neocons-attempt-hijack-usa-syria-policy.html

Neoconservatives in the US State Department leaked a diplomatic memorandum urging military action in Syria in an attempt to manipulate the next president’s foreign policy agenda, former White House National Security Council advisor Gwenyth Todd told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – On Friday, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby told Sputnik that an internal memorandum was under review urging the United States to take military action against the Syrian government. A draft of the memo, signed by 51 diplomats, was obtained by The New York Times from a State Department official on Thursday.

"Such an ‘open letter’ is a typical maneuver by neoconservatives to manipulate the agenda of the next US President, be it Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump," Todd told Sputnik on Friday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, Todd noted, is a real frustration for many lower-level State Department officials, as well as for neoconservatives everywhere, who are intent on removing Syrian President Bashar Assad because Kerry is not going to undermine President Barack Obama’s strategy.

"We are unlikely to see Obama being swayed by the ‘invade Syria’ crowd," Todd explained. "Obama will ignore the letter, understanding exactly what it is."

Although Clinton is a highly intelligent and caring person, Todd claimed, she is likely to be easily convinced by her advisers to launch a military intervention against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"If the next US President surrounds himself or herself with familiar faces from the period before Obama's 2012 putsch of neoconservative, anti-Iran, anti-Assad advisers, this ‘open letter’ from State Department officials could well become very relevant," Todd warned.

It became evident under George W. Bush that intelligent and pragmatic US military leaders are unable to stand up to the neoconservative agenda, she added.

The State Department was very much in favor of using military might to remove Assad under Secretary Clinton, Todd said, while General David Petraeus as the Director of the CIA was "absolutely fixated on bombing Damascus."

Clinton was the lesser of the two evils in this case, Todd added, because she was going to leave anyway, but Petraeus was not going to back down and is reported to have gone to great lengths to undermine Obama.

"The whole affair-while-in-Afghanistan scandal was the only publicly tenable way for Obama to force the much-revered General Petraeus out of the CIA and silence him by holding over his head the threat of indictment for sharing classified information with his former girlfriend," Todd suggested.

Trump, Todd observed, has been highly critical of using the US military in hopeless and catastrophic misadventures in the Middle East but what he might do is still a mystery.

"As a businessman focused on profit, the disastrous economic implications of increased US military involvement in Syria suggests he [Trump] would not be swayed by neoconservative ideologues," Todd mused. "Still, post-Obama Washington remains a great unknown."

Kirby told reporters in a briefing on Friday that the Obama administration was still committed to pursuing a political solution in Syria despite the memorandum, which came through the department's "dissident channel."

Russia recognizes Assad as the legitimate authority in Syria, and has repeatedly stated the Syrian people should be free to choose their leadership without outside intervention. The United States and some of its allies have been supporting elements of the opposition, including Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaeda, and have urged Assad to resign.

Syrian Army, Hezbollah Continue to Hunt Terrorists East of Damascus

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000572

The Syrian pro-government forces struck the terrorists of Faylaq al-Rahman and broke through its defense lines near al-Mohammadiyeh and Jisreen and captured the strategic Arab Houses area after hours of heavy battle.

The terrorist group left behind several members dead and several more wounded and fled the battlefield.

On Tuesday, a source in Damascus announced that the Syrian Air Force's planes dropped thousands of leaflets on key towns in Eastern Ghouta, underlining the government's frim will to root out foreign-backed terrorism in the country.

"This is our own country which needs our joined hand to be rebuilt. Every body must join national reconciliation that will guarantee the country's peace and security. Do not forget that foreign powers' meddling in our internal affairs in the last five years led the country towards this bloody crisis. If there was no any foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, the country would no be engaged in growing militancy. The foreign meddlers are the main cause of human catastrophe in Syria and destruction of the country's infrastructures," the leaflets said.

Tens of ISIL Military Vehicles Hit by Syrian Army's Heavy Fire in Sweida

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000532

The Syrian artillery, tipped off by the intelligence agents, targeted the Takfiri group's strongholds in Mashbak al-Widian East of the village of al-Rashidi, which ended in destruction of a large number of the ISIL military vehicles and the killing or wounding of several terrorists.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian military forces traced and seized a truck of terrorists carrying a large volume of ammunition, weapons and different types of explosive devices in Northern Sweida.

The Syrian army stormed the ISIL convoy of military vehicles near Kou Hadar region in Northern Sweida and seized the convoy's cargo.

There were a large volume of weapons and ammunition, including Israeli-made ones, in the convoy heading to the Western desert.

Several members of the ISIL were also killed in the Syrian Army's attacks.

ISIS suicide attack foiled near Palmyra

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-suicide-attack-foiled-near-palmyra/

The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) attempted to launch a suicide attack against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) at the Al-Rayyan Junction, which is located along the Homs-Palmyra Highway.

The Islamic State’s attempt to surprise the Syrian Arab Army with a VBIED (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) proved unsuccessful on Saturday, as the government forces foiled the terrorist attack before it could reach its intended target.

According to a source at the T-4 Military Airport, the Syrian Armed Forces killed the suicide bomber; however, they could not confirm his identity.

 

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A Syrian army colonel and a soldier were killed in an explosion, which was carried out by a suspect during the inspection at a check point in the Damascus province, a military source told Sputnik.

Syrian Colonel, Soldier Killed by Explosion at Checkpoint Near Damascus
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041571215/syria-blast-damascus.html

According to the source, the Syrian military stopped a vehicle with five people for an inspection north-east to Damascus. During the check all the five people were confirmed to be wanted and one of them detonated a grenade in the inspection room.

"A check-point commander, holding the rank of colonel, and his assistant, a soldier, as well as two wanted people [including the man who detonated the grenade] were killed," the source said.

The source added that other two criminals had run away and the third one had been captured. The investigation of the tragic incident is underway. No details on their alleged links to terrorism have been provided.

The US is doing its best to form an alliance between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in a bid to establish and strengthen control over areas located in the Northern parts of Aleppo province.

Syria: US Plotting to Take Control of Northern Aleppo Through FSA-SDF Alliance
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329001117

"Washington is contacting the FSA and SDF leaders to coordinate setting up an alliance between them to fight the ISIL," locals sources, speaking on conditions of anonymity told FNA on Saturday.

The sources said that some of the SDF leaders have not agreed with the US plan, but some others have called for holding a meeting in Turkey.

In late May, local sources said that several terrorists were killed in clashes between the ISIL and the coalition of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and al-Shamiyeh Front in the Northern territories of Aleppo province near the border with Turkey.

"The ISIL terrorists stormed strongholds of al-Shamiyeh and FSA near the villages of Tal Hussein, Tatiyah, Baryshah and Janhat in the Eastern side of the town of Azaz a few kilometers South of Aleppo border with Turkey," the sources said.

"The ISIL pushed its rivals back from the villages," the sources said, adding, "Heavy death toll on both sides was reported."

The Syrian Army troop traced and targeted a large cargo of the terrorist groups' arms and ammunition on a main road in Eastern Hama, destroying most of the column's vehicles, local sources said.

Terrorists' Arms Cargo Destroyed in Army Attack in Hama Province (Map)
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000929

"Terrorists of al-Nusra Front's large cargo of arms and ammunition heading towards the ISIL-held region in Wadi al-Adhib in Eastern Hama came under the heavy attacks of the Syrian soldiers on Salamiyah-Ithriya road," the sources said, adding, "The convoy of weapons was completely destroyed in the attack."

Military sources said earlier today that the recent advances of the Syrian Army and its allies in the Eastern and Northeastern parts of Hama province paved the way for the government forces to push East and capture the town of Aqayrabat known as the main stronghold of the ISIL in Hama province.

"Aqayrabat, as the main base of the ISIL, the safest town in the province home to ISIL members' families and one of the most important bases of the Takfiri group to equip its vehicles with improvised explosive devices to carry out suicide attacks, is one of the main targets of the Syrian army and popular forces in their fight against terrorism," the sources said, adding, "Liberation of Aqayrabat will end the ISIL rule in Hama province."

"Seizure of the strategic road of al-Mab'oujeh to Salba region by the Syrian army has given the government forces' upper hand in carrying out liberation operation of Aqayrabat," the sources added.

"Aqayrabat's proximity to Aleppo-Damascus highway and gas fields has doubled the town's strategic importance for both government and terrorist groups ," they went on to say.

The ISIL terrorists stormed a village near the town of al-Bab and captured at least 70 people, a local source said, adding that those captured have been transferred to ISIL bases to be used as human shield in battles.

Syria: ISIL Kidnaps Scores of Villagers North of Aleppo
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000838

"The ISIL stormed the village of Shawa 18km to the small town of al-Rai two days ago and seized 14 people. Several hours later they came back and captured 54 more and transferred them with three buses to their based in nearby mountains," the source said, adding, "At least 12 vehicles and 100 terrorists had participated in the operation."

"The ISIL had previously done the same in the villages of al-Wahij, Albu Qaz and al-Baraziyeh to use them as human shield or as fighters," the source went on to say.

A report said earlier today that Takfiri terrorists of the ISIL on Friday brutally executed six civilians while trying to flee from the city of Manbij in Northern Syria.

Terrorists arrested members of a family who were trying to escape from the war-torn city of Manbij in Aleppo province, as the Syrian Democratic Forces' rapid advances towards the ISIL-held city has put the Takfiri militants on the verge of a complete fall.

"They were executed by firing squad in front of hundreds of Manbij residents. There were two children among the victims,” local media activist Nasser Taljbini said.

"By executing the family in public, the ISIL was trying to deliver a message to all civilians who are still residing the city of Manbij, threatening anyone who would leave to face a similar fate," he added.

According to local sources, ISIL has been using civilians as human shields in the military operations in Manbij.

Two notorious commanders of the ISIL terrorist group were killed in heavy fighting with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the Western side of the town of Manbij Northeast of Aleppo province.

Aleppo: Senior ISIL Commanders Killed in Clashes with SDF near Manbij
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000788

Abu Talha al-Shami and Abu Hadid, two notorious fighters among the ISIL rank in Manbij, were killed in the Western entrance of the under-the-siege town.

Earlier reports said that the SDF continued to storm the ISIL strongholds in the Western, Eastern and Southern sides of the terrorist-held town of Manbij, inflicting a heavy death toll on the militants.

The SDF fighters ended their mop up operations near al-Etehad university, and the villages of Madani Kabir, Madani Saghir and Sheikh Yahya and launched fresh offensives on the ISIL positions from the town's Western flank.

"Heavy fighting is now underway between the SDF and ISIL along Manbij-Aleppo road," battlefield sources said, adding, "At least 28 ISIL members have thus far been killed in the clashes in the Western part of Manbij."

"The SDF fighters also carried out mop up operations in Hamdoun farms, silos areas and the village of Rasm al-Akhzar in the Southern side of Manbij and deployed forces at positions only one kilometer away from the town," the sources added.

"At least 20 ISIL terrorists were killed in the SDF's cleansing operation of the village of Tal Rafi'a in the Eastern side of Manbij and the SDF fighter reached to 4 kilometers distance from the town," the sources went on to say.

Military sources disclosed that the terrorist groups have once again used poisonous materials in their attacks on the strongholds of the Syrian Army and popular forces in Eastern Ghouta.

Syria: Terrorists Carry out Chemical Attack on Gov't Positions East of Damascus
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000755

"The Takfiri terrorist groups have accessed to a dangerous type of chemicals with serious causes on the human breathing system," the sources said, adding, "Some sources disclosed earlier that the Takfiri terrorist groups had imported this kind of chemicals from Turkey to use them in chemical weapons."

Earlier this month, a military source within the ranks of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) disclosed that the ISIL terrorist group trained tens of suicide-attackers to hit different targets across the world with chemical bombs.

"The ISIL has equipped its terrorists with chemical bombs to use them in suicide attack in Iraq, Syrian or any other country," General Akram Mohammad Abdulrahman said, adding, "The ISIL suicide-attackers will use both explosive and chemical material simultaneously in their attacks."

"The ISIL has trained scores of youngsters to take part in such attacks," the YPG general said.

The ISIL has arrested nearly 2 dozen militants who were trying to escape the battle with the Syrian army in Raqqa province, informed sources disclosed.

Raqqa: ISIL Captures 20 Own Militants Before Escaping War
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000593

"Over 20 ISIL terrorist who wanted to escape to Idlib province in order not to take part in the battle with the Syrian army in the Western part of Raqqa were arrested by the terrorist group," the Arabic-language media quoted local sources as saying on Saturday.

The sources reiterated that the arrested ISIL militants are facing an unknown fate.

On Friday, the Syrian Army troops fended off ISIL's attacks their strongholds along a main road to Raqqa, forcing the terrorist group to retreat from the battlefield under heavy fire.

The ISIL's attacks on government positions at al-Rasafeh crossroad on the Ithriya-Raqqa road were fully repelled by the Syrian army men.

The ISIL suffered a heavy death toll and its military equipment also sustained major damage in their unsuccessful assaults.

According to an embassy spokesman, US Embassy calls on Moscow to explain the situation with alleged Russia's airstrikes on the Syrian opposition.

US Embassy Urges Moscow to Explain Alleged Airstrikes on Syrian Opposition
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041567082/us-russia-airstrikes-syria.html

The US Embassy calls on Moscow to explain the situation with alleged Russia's airstrikes on the Syrian opposition, an embassy spokesman said on Saturday.

Earlier this week, US media reported citing an anonymous official that Russia had allegedly hit the positions of the Syrian opposition forces, which are supported by Washington.

"We are seeking an explanation from Russia on what happened, and why, and assurances this will not happen again. Through the cessation of hostilities, the United States wants to bring about a way to de-escalate, protect civilians, support the moderate opposition, and achieve concrete steps toward a political transition in Syria," William Stevens told RIA Novosti.

Canada has severe doubts over the US push to send a battalion to Europe as part of an effort to protect Eastern European allies from the so called “Russian aggression”: on the one hand it finds it hard to say no to its neighbor, on the other, the move will certainly further complicate its relations with Russia, which it wants to improve.

Canada Not So Eager to Follow NATO’s Lead Into Eastern Europe
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160618/1041565979/canada-troops-europe.html

On Tuesday, NATO agreed to deploy a new 4,000-strong force in the Baltic States and Poland, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting of the block’s ministers in Brussels.

The declared aim is to “protect its Eastern European allies from the so-called “Russian aggression.”

The three battalions, each to consist of between 800 and 1,000 troops, will reportedly be provided by Britain, the US and Germany.

The US originally vowed to provide two battalions but then changed its mind to only one. The bloc now needs to find a fourth country to send its servicemen to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland on a six-to-nine month rotating basis.

It turns out that there are not many waiting in line. However, the US is now pushing Canada to join the effort.

Technically, Canada has not yet made up its mind. A government spokesperson told Canadian Press that Ottawa is “actively considering options,” Canadian National Affairs Columnist Thomas Walkom writes in his article for the Canadian news website Thestar.com.

Back in Canada, the Trudeau government is simultaneously trying to forge a friendlier relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime,” the author explains.

Last month, he notes, Dion rejected the idea of passing a Canadian version of America’s so-called Magnitsky Act, “designed to freeze the assets and limit travel of Russian human rights violators.”

The country’s top diplomat said that such a law “was unnecessary and would only antagonize the current Russian government.”

The issue was also raised on Friday in St. Petersburg, when President Putin was meeting with heads of leading international news agencies.

Vladimir Putin said that the relations between Canada and Russia have a chance to be re-established after new prime minister came to power (November 2015), as he recalled meeting Justin Trudeau at last fall's G20 summit in Turkey.

“For this there should be some specific steps, which should be made by both sides,” the Russian leader said.

“The prime minister himself said when we were at G20 in Antalya that he thinks how we should re-establish the relations in full. We welcome this… and will get down to this task, to work together,” he added.

Regarding possible deployment of Canadian troops in Europe, the Russian president added a message for Canada:

“If Canada wants to join — join it! What else can I say? We could not dictate to you what to do. Do what you want. And we will do what we think is necessary to provide our security.”

About a hundred of Moscow’s homeless are going to take part in a rehabilitation 'summer camp' program.

Helping Hand: Summer Camp for the Homeless Launches Near Moscow
http://sputniknews.com/art_living/20160618/1041570861/moscow-homeless-rehabilitation-camp.html

The homeless will be able to undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation program at a camp established on June 17 on the shores of Oka River in the vicinity of Moscow by a joint effort of the city administration and the charity NGO Mercy House.

Approximately 100 homeless people who voluntarily agreed to take part in the program will live in the camp where a team of clergymen, psychologists and drug therapists will attempt to help them deal with their problems and change their lifestyle, according to the Izvestia newspaper.

Lilit Gorelova, head of Mercy House, said that most of the homeless going to this 'summer camp' are in fact frequent participants of charity events run by her organization.

"We didn’t go looking for the homeless, instead they came to us," she said.

Gorelova pointed out that all of the homeless participating in the program vouched not to consume alcohol or use foul language while in the camp.

"Our goal is to show the homeless that there is a way out, to help them return to normal life," Gorelova added.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Kremlin considers "Russian threat" rhetoric NATO propaganda

http://tass.ru/en/politics/883299

According to Kremlin administration chief Sergey Ivanov it is aimed at gaining political and economic dividends

VLADIVOSTOK, June 18. /TASS/. Head of the Kremlin administration Sergey Ivanov says the information about alleged threats from Russia towards the Baltic countries is propaganda, the aim of which is to gain political and economic dividends. He has pointed to violation of the Russia-NATO basic approaches to relations in the alliance’s intentions to deploy additional forces in those countries.

"This is propaganda from beginning to end. I would say rough propaganda," Ivanov said in an interview with the Vesti on Saturday weekly television program. "Authors (of claims of the kind) must have looked at maps of World War II to see how the Soviet Army was attacking across Suwalki, and as if nothing has changed, as a scientific and pseudo-scientific reason put it on the table."

Statements of the kind emerge from a poor economic situation in the Baltic countries and the fleeing of people there.

"What is to be done? A well-known recipe: shout at the top of your voice about Russia’s upcoming attack, as it is only dreaming about enslaving the Baltic countries," Ivanov said.

With such policies, NATO may draw additional forces to the countries.

"What would mean even one battalion or one brigade at a new location? Hundreds new jobs. Additional revenues. It is profitable economically," he said.

The rotation basis of deployment, announced by NATO, violates the basic approaches in relations with Russia, he said.

"Well, what’s the difference: whether you have one unit permanently or it is being replaced every six months," he continued. "So to say, for example, there were Spaniards, and then come the Portuguese. They arrived right the day following the Spaniards leave. The combat readiness is not affected. Changing the order of the addends does not change the sum, you know the rule from school lessons.".

Russian Defense Minister Orders Hmeimim Base to Increase Aid to Syrians

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041572237/russia-syria-hmeymim-aid.html

Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman said that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered the Hmeymim airbase command to increase assistance to the Syrian population, especially in the settlements blocked by terrorists.

HMEYMIM (Sputnik) – Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered the Hmeymim airbase command to increase assistance to the Syrian population, especially in the settlements blocked by terrorists, Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday.

"Army Gen. Sergei Shoigu has ordered the Russian airbase command to increase overall support and assistance to the local population, especially in those Syrian settlements, blocked by terrorists," Konashenkov told reporters.

According to the ministry's spokesman, Shoigu has also instructed the Russian center for the Syrian conflicting sides' reconciliation to enhance talks with heads of local administrations and commanders of armed groups in order to call on them to join the reconciliation process and ceasefire regime.

Russian MoD Inspects Russian Military at Syrian Hmeymim Airbase

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041571523/syria-russia-shoigu-hmeymim.html

Russian Defense Minister has inspected the Russian military deployed at the Syrian Hmeymim airbase, Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday.

HMEYMIM (Sputnik) — Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin has inspected the Russian military, deployed to the Hmeimim airbase in Syria and checked the launching sites of a S-400 air defense system, Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday.

"The Russian defense minister has checked the combat duty at the command post of the air defense group and the launching sites of the S-400 air defense system deployed to the [Hmeimim] airbase," Konashenkov told reporters.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups.

SDF Liberate Daesh-Controlled District Near Manbij City

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041570312/kurds-syria-daesh-manbij.html

Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated Manbij city in the Aleppo province from Daesh terrorists, a military source told Sputnik.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have managed to liberate from Daesh terrorists a district at the western entrance to the Manbij city in the Aleppo province, a military source told Sputnik.

In late May, the SDF troops announced an offensive against the Daesh terrorist group, which is outlawed in Russia and the United States. One of the goals of the operation supported by the US-led coalition is to liberate the city of Manbij. On June 10, the SDF command announced that IS-held Manbij had been completely surrounded.

"The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have managed to take control over the el-Khatib district at the western entrance to Manbij in the Aleppo province," the source said.

According to the source, the forces invaded the district backed by the US-led coalition air forces and engaged in battle with terrorists. Both sides have suffered losses, the source added.

Manbij, located between the Islamic State's de facto capital of Raqqa and the Syrian-Turkish border, is a strategically important area for the group.

Syrian Tribal Leaders: Liberation of Manbij Cuts ISIL Supply Route to Turkey

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329001035

"Manbij's adjacency to Turkey is a big danger to the region since the ISIL receives aid from there and Turkey is considered as the ISIL's main ally and sponsor and the most dangerous threat against the Syrian people," said Morshid Ahmad from al-Shadadi region on Saturday.

Also, Ziyad Marwan al-Omri, a tribal leader in al-Hazeem region, said that Manbij is the gate to the Eastern parts of al-Jazira region and its liberation will establish security in Syria and extensively cuts ISIL's main supply route to the Turkish borders.

The comments came after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued to storm the ISIL strongholds in the Western, Eastern and Southern sides of the terrorist-held town of Manbij, inflicting a heavy death toll on the militants.

The SDF fighters ended their mop up operations near al-Etehad university, and the villages of Madani Kabir, Madani Saghir and Sheikh Yahya and launched fresh offensives on the ISIL positions from the town's Western flank.

"Heavy fighting is now underway between the SDF and ISIL along Manbij-Aleppo road," battlefield sources said, adding, "At least 28 ISIL members have thus far been killed in the clashes in the Western part of Manbij."

"The SDF fighters also carried out mop up operations in Hamdoun farms, silos areas and the village of Rasm al-Akhzar in the Southern side of Manbij and deployed forces at positions only one kilometer away from the town," the sources added.

"At least 20 ISIL terrorists were killed in the SDF's cleansing operation of the village of Tal Rafi'a in the Eastern side of Manbij and the SDF fighter reached to 4 kilometers distance from the town," the sources went on to say.

 

[bjorb]

Those who are fluent in the German please help me out because 'Der Spiegel' is the orginal source. But if I understood it correctly,

German MSM 'Der Spiegel' has exclusive info that the hacker tasks of ISIS are secretly done by the Russian government.

So the Russian government is spreading ISIS propaganda and are bombing them at the same time. Makes perfect sense. The extent they go to demonize Russia is reaching North Korea Style propaganda. Just shows how desperate they are becoming. Just imagine the news over 2 or more years.


http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/islamischer-staat-cyberattacken-als-werk-russischer-hacker-enttarnt-a-1098249.html

Das sogenannte Cyber-Kalifat des "Islamischen Staates" (IS) ist womöglich eine russische Erfindung. Nach Informationen des SPIEGEL sehen deutsche Sicherheitsbehörden die irakisch-syrische Terrorgruppe bislang nicht dazu in der Lage, komplexe Spionage- oder Sabotageattacken im Netz durchzuführen.

Etliche Indizien sprächen dafür, dass die dem "Cyber-Kalifat" zugeschriebenen Angriffe tatsächlich unter falscher Flagge von Hackern des Kreml verübt worden seien. Ein entsprechender Verdacht war bereits aufgekommen, als im April 2015 angebliche IS-Computerspezialisten über Stunden den Fernsehsender TV5 Monde lahmlegten und über dessen Website Drohungen gegen Franzosen ausstießen.

Im Licht der neuen Erkenntnisse wären unter anderem auch der Angriff des "Cyber-Kalifats" auf das Zentralkommando der US-Streitkräfte Anfang 2015 sowie vermeintlich dschihadistische Hackerattacken auf das amerikanische Außenministerium und saudische Sicherheitsbehörden im Frühjahr 2016 tatsächlich im russischen Auftrag erfolgt.

Die deutschen Sicherheitsbehörden gehen davon aus, dass die drei russischen Geheimdienste FSB, GRU und SWR derzeit mehr als 4000 Cyber-Agenten befehligen. Sie würden damit aktuell über eine ähnlich große Streitmacht wie die USA verfügen, die ihrerseits angekündigt haben, ihr Personal für "Cyber-Missionen" bis 2018 auf mehr als 6000 Spezialisten aufzustocken.

Erst vor wenigen Tagen waren unbekannte Angreifer ins Netzwerk der Demokratischen Partei in den USA eingedrungen und hatten dort offenbar auch ein umfangreiches Dossier über den designierten US-Präsidentschaftskandidaten Donald Trump entwendet. Nach Angaben der "Washington Post" soll die Attacke von zwei staatlichen russischen Hackergruppen verübt worden sein.

 

[Ca.]

Get the hip waders on while listening to 39 minutes of BS with the current State Dept briefing on Syria.

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

Daily Press Briefing - June 17, 2016
Published on Jun 17, 2016
Spokesperson John Kirby leads the Daily Press Briefing at the Department of State.

Tensions Between US/NATO & Russia Are Flaring Dangerously
by Tyler Durden - Jun 18, 2016 11:10 AM
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-06-18/tensions-between-usnato-russia-are-flaring-dangerously
Snippet

To cut to the chase, the harsh conclusion of the piece is this: “If there is going to be a war with Russia, then the United States will most certainly be destroyed, and most of us will end up dead.”

Russia is, of course, a major nuclear power with a long history of surviving being attacked by outsiders. But for some reason, US/NATO military and diplomatic efforts have all been geared at further encroaching upon and/or isolating Russia.
They note:

The US leadership has done everything it could to push the situation to the brink of disaster. First, its anti-Russian policies have convinced the Russian leadership that making concessions or negotiating with the West is futile. It has become apparent that the West will always support any individual, movement or government that is anti-Russian, be it tax-cheating Russian oligarchs, convicted Ukrainian war criminals, Saudi-supported Wahhabi terrorists in Chechnya or cathedral-desecrating punks in Moscow.

Now that NATO, in violation of its previous promises, has expanded right up to the Russian border, with US forces deployed in the Baltic states, within artillery range of St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, the Russians have nowhere left to retreat. They will not attack; nor will they back down or surrender.

Sputnik
US Syria Memo Threatens to ‘Plunge the Whole Region Into Complete Chaos (Sound Clip https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/269738191&amp;color=ff5500"
(updated 21:47 18.06.2016)
Full article at the link
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160618/1041573825/us-state-department-syria-airstrikes-memo.html

Ideas aired in the US State Department that Washington should carry out military strikes on Assad forces "make no sense at all," foreign policy analyst Daniel Wagner told Radio Sputnik

 

[angelburst29]

An Israeli army tank captured by the Syrian army in 1982 and recently returned to Israel by Russia is “fake,” Israeli experts say.

Israeli tank returned by Russia is ‘fake’, Israeli experts say
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/18/471077/israel-tank-russia-netanyahu-putin-moscow-M48A3-Magach3

A report by Zionist media network Arutz Sheva on Saturday quoted an Israeli general as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell “for a fake” during his visit to Russia last week along with the rest of “the nation.”

The M48A3 Magach-3 tank was one of the eight captured by Syria during a battle known as Battle of Sultan Yacoub near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where the Israelis also lost some 30 soldiers.

The tank was sent to Russia to remain in exhibit in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow but recently “Russian President [Vladimir] Putin decided to give one of these tanks back to Israel,” according to the leader of Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, who referred to the move as an “insult” to Syria.

Now, Israelis are claiming that the tank is not the one with the three Israeli soldiers they thought were in it.

Bibi’s Facebook page described the tank as “the only evidence we have of our boys who went missing in that battle: Zacharia Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, and Yehuda Katz," but Lieutenant Colonel Michael Mas told Yedioth Ahronoth that it was “fake.”

“It is very sad that the Prime Minister and the nation are falling for a fake," Mas said. "This tank isn't the missing soldiers' tank. What has been returned to us is a complete tank, and the missing soldiers' tank is different. While this is one of the tanks which were captured from the 399 division during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, there are no signs that anyone was ever injured in this tank."

"When Netanyahu said that there will be some closure for families who have no grave (to visit), he made two mistakes. First, this isn't the missing soldiers' tank, and second, they are missing, not killed in action," he added.

Another Israeli military official said the tank sent by Russia carried a different serial number from that specific tank with the number 817581.

The Israeli premier’s office backed down to put an end to the drama.

"We said that this is a tank from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub and is evidence of the fighting. This is what the Prime Minister told the families," it said. "No one ever said that this was the tank of the three (missing soldiers)."

The Saudi foreign minister has repeated Riyadh's call on the US to carry out airstrikes against the Syrian government, echoing a similar request by dozens of US diplomats who broke ranks with the White House to push for military action against Damascus.

Saudi repeats call for US strikes on Syrian government
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/17/470925/Saudi-Arabia-US-Syria-Assad-Daesh

During a press briefing at the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Friday, Adel al-Jubeir said the Arab monarchy has long been pushing for a US military campaign to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Saudi minister added that from the very start of the crisis in Syria, Riyadh has strongly favored “a more robust policy, including air strikes, safe zones, a no fly zone, a no drive zone.”

He went on to say that the kingdom had called for arming Syria’s so-called “moderate opposition” with ground-to-air missiles and reiterated an offer to deploy Saudi special forces as part of any US-led operation against the Damascus government, which has been making back-to-back gains against the Daesh Takfiri group.

Jubeir’s comments came after 51 US State Department officials signed an internal document, known as the “dissent channel cable”, this week, calling for targeted military strikes against the Syrian government.

“Failure to stem Assad’s flagrant abuses will only bolster the ideological appeal of groups such as Daesh, even as they endure tactical setbacks on the battlefield,” reads the cable, critical of US President Barak Obama’s policies towards the Syrian crisis.

The State Department has acknowledged the existence of the cable as confidential diplomatic communication, but did not comment on its contents.

Russia's reaction Meanwhile, Russia slammed the so-called internal document and warned that such attempts to oust Assad would not “contribute to a successful fight against terrorism.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov further said that “this could plunge the region into complete chaos.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov also censured the proposed attacks against Damascus, saying they would be “at odds with the UN resolutions.”

“We need to negotiate and reach a political resolution on the basis of international law, which was agreed upon at the UN Security Council,” Bogdanov added.

The United States and its allies formed a coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The coalition has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of fulfilling its declared aim of destroying Daesh.

Daesh Takfiri terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly conflict it blames on certain foreign states for over five years. UN 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. The militancy has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure.

 

[Ca.]

Tass
Russian Defense Minister holds talks with Syrian President Assad
Also by the order of Putin, the Russian Defense Minister inspected how the service of the Russian military is organized at the Khmeimim airbase
http://tass.ru/en/politics/883374
June 18, 21:44 UTC+3
DAMASCUS,

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu by the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with President Bashar al-Assad during his working visit to Syria, the Defense Ministry reported.

"The meeting touched upon relevant issues of military and military-technical cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries, as well as certain aspects of cooperation in the fight against terrorist groups operating on Syrian territory", the ministry said.

Also by the order of Putin, the Russian Defense Minister inspected how the service of the Russian military is organized at the Khmeimim airbase.

Tass
Moscow reminds US of its mistakes in military scenarios of resolving conflict
http://tass.ru/en/politics/882904
ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/.

The United States and its allies should not forget their own mistakes in the military resolution of conflicts, Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
Commenting on an internal memo allegedly written by US State Department diplomats to President Barack Obama, Zakharova said: "Regardless of whether this letter was sent or not - we’ve seen quotes. We are talking about the fact that all international formats set up with US participation, the corresponding resolution of UN Security Council, documents adopted after the meeting of the International Syria Support Group, say that no military scenario for resolving the Syrian issue is considered. Only peaceful path, only political dialogue - only these approaches. The main thing is that it was already outlined in legal documents."

However, "we know that tough debates are underway in US on military or peaceful scenarios on any issue," she continued. "We saw this in case with the Iranian nuclear program, we remember how high-ranking officials called for resolving the issue of Iranian nuclear program by military means. Here’s a concrete example of how wisdom gained the upper hand. We now see an issue that has truly been resolved, and not exacerbated," she said.

Zakharova expressed hope that "those mistakes that were made by US and all illegal coalitions in Iraq and in other places on regime change, on military solution, on absence of professional approach toward resolving the conflict - they will not be forgotten after all."

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that "more than 50 State Department diplomats have signed an internal memo sharply critical of the Obama administration’s policy in Syria, urging the United States to carry out military strikes against the government of President Bashar al-Assad to stop its persistent violations of a cease-fire in the country’s five-year-old civil war."

The New York Times confirmed the information saying that "dozens of State Department officials this week protested against US policy in Syria, signing an internal document that calls for targeted military strikes against the Damascus government and urging regime change as the only way to defeat Islamic State." "The ‘dissent channel cable’ was signed by 51 State Department officers involved with advising on Syria policy in various capacities, according to an official familiar with the document," NYT added

Russia Defense Report - PAK-FA Nearing Service Entry
South Front
Published on Jun 18, 2016

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

 

[sToRmR1dR]

US, Russia Hold Videoconference on Flight Safety in Syria – MoD

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041580012/us-russia-syria-air-safety.html

Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman said that Russia and the United States have discussed progress on the Memorandum of Understanding on the Safety of Flight in Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia and the United States have discussed progress on the Memorandum of Understanding on the Safety of Flight in Syria, Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Sunday.

"A videoconference between representatives of the Russian and US defense ministries was convened to address a US request of June 18, 2016 on the Safety of Flight Memorandum of Understanding that was agreed on October 20, 2015," Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said.

Hawkish Statecraft: US Diplomats Now Want Pentagon to 'Clean Up' in Syria

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160619/1041578000/us-diplomacy-syria.html

Fifty-one US State Department employees recently signed a so-called “dissent memo” calling on the Obama administration to launch military strikes against President Assad in Syria; the Russian media however, suggests that the US diplomats simply admitted their failure in settling the conflict and now want to shift the responsibility to the Pentagon.

Dozens of State Department employees signed and submitted a memo to President Obama earlier this week where they expressed disagreement with his policy in Syria.

The document urged the Obama administration to adopt a more aggressive stance against the Syrian government of President Assad, including the use of military force.

The 51 signatories to the document, which was sent through the department’s internal “dissent channel,” were largely mid-level diplomats based in Washington and overseas.

The State Department has immediately leaked the document to The New York Times providing the Russian media with a reason to suggest that the whole move is a “performance with which the US diplomacy pursues its own murky purposes.”

“This is not the first case of “organized rebellion” among the employees of the US State Department,” writes an article on the Russian news website Vzglyad.

“However it is worth noting that the majority of those “dissent” are always those who demand toughening of the US policy in this or that region, up to an open military invasion,” it adds.

The website further suggests that the move resembles a staged performance, which pursues certain aims.

The first, it says, is that the State Department earns a reputation of an institution where “all US citizen employees, foreign and domestic, are able to express dissenting or alternative views on substantive issues of policy without fear of reprisal and in a manner which ensures serious, high-level review and response.”

The State Department’s dissent channel was established during the Vietnam War.

Secondly, it suggests that the Secretary of State in this conflict “goes into the background” as if saying “it is not me, it is my employees”.

The US media has already criticized John Kerry for his reaction to the document.

“For a cabinet member whose department had just erupted into open disagreement with the White House, Secretary of State John Kerry’s reaction to a critical memo on Syria policy signed by 51 diplomats was remarkably mellow. “It’s an important statement,” he told reporters in Copenhagen on Friday, “and I respect the process very, very much,” The New York Times wrote on the issue.

The Russian website further suggested that the US diplomats just admitted their inability to settle the Syrian conflict by the diplomatic means and now want to shift all the responsibility to Pentagon, which could be further blamed for the chaos in the region, failures in Syria and “confrontation with Russia.”

By defining the government of President Assad as the main focus of the US military operations, the State Department employees directly deny the earlier declared aims of “fighting against terrorism and Islamist extremism, the website notes.

And wonders that it is the US diplomacy which is now insisting on a war with unpredictable consequences.

Militant Shelling Kills 8 People Syria's Aleppo - Syrian Democratic Council

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041576824/militants-kill-eight-aleppo.html

A member of the Syrian Democratic Council said that eight people were killed during militant shelling of the Sheikh Maqsood district in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Eight people were killed during militant shelling of the Sheikh Maqsood district in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a member of the Syrian Democratic Council said.

"A Red Crescent ambulance was hit while trying to transport those injured, with eight injured people killed as a result," Rezan Heddo told Sputnik on Saturday.

Sheikh Maqsood a Kurdish district of Aleppo, which is held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, has come under increasing attack from Islamist militants present in and around the city. The Nusra Front, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam have been shelling the district with conventional armaments as well as chemical weapons.

Early in June, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said that nearly 120 people have been killed in Sheikh Maqsood since February.

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 US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. The ceasefire does not apply to terrorist organizations, such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front, both of which are outlawed in many countries, including Russia.

Russian Bombers in Syria Fly Clear of Reported Rebel Positions – Ministry

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041580336/russia-syria-us-airstrikes.html

Russian warplanes bombed targets in Syria that were far away from the areas where Syrian rebel forces are active, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier this week, US media cited an anonymous official who claimed planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces had hit the positions of US-backed Syrian opposition forces. Russian and US defense officials held a rare video conference overnight to address the issue.

"The target that was bombed [by the Aerospace Forces] was situated more than 300 kilometers [186 miles] away from the territories that were declared by the US as positions of opposition forces participating in the cessation of hostilities agreement," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

He stressed that the Russian Aerospace Forces had informed the US-led anti-Islamist coalition beforehand of the planned air raid, in line with arrangements of the US-Russia memorandum. The ministerial spokesman accused Washington of repeatedly refusing to provide Moscow with exact coordinates of rebel positions.

US hopes China takes notice as two aircraft carriers sail PH Sea

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/19/471097/US-aircraft-carriers-China-Pacific-

The US Navy has deployed two aircraft carriers in the western Pacific Ocean as tensions mount before an international court’s ruling on China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea.

The Nimitz-class supercarriers, USS Ronald Reagan and USS John C. Stennis, and their accompanying warships conducted air defense and sea surveillance operations in the Philippine Sea on Saturday, the US Pacific Command said in a statement.

The training drill also involved 12,000 sailors, 140 aircraft and six smaller warships.

“The ships and aircraft assigned to both strike groups began coordinated operations in international waters demonstrating the United States’ unique capability to operate multiple carrier strike groups in close proximity,” the statement said.

“While at sea, the strike groups conducted air defense drills, sea surveillance, replenishments at sea, defensive air combat training, long range strikes, coordinated maneuvers and other exercises,” it added.

The apparent show of force comes as the UN arbitral tribunal in The Hague is expected to soon issue its verdict on a territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

The decision is largely expected to favor the Philippines, which filed the case in 2013, and could have wide-ranging implications for China’s claims in one of the world’s most contested strategic waterways.

The message of the US exercise was unmistakable, and the timing was deliberate, an American official familiar with the planning of the operation told the New York Times on condition of anonymity.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including waters close to the Philippine coasts, based on what has come to be known as the “nine-dash line” defined by ancient maps.

The US Pacific Command stressed that the US, as a “Pacific nation and a Pacific leader… has a national interest in maintaining security and prosperity, the peaceful resolution of disputes, unimpeded lawful commerce, and adherence to freedom of navigation and overflight throughout the shared domains of the Indo-Asia Pacific.”

Beijing has repeatedly criticized US military presence in the region and suspects the military drills are part of efforts to contain China.

China warns US against meddling on Tibet

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/19/471118/China-US-Wang-Kerry-Tibet

China has warned the US against interfering in its internal affairs, following a meeting between US President Barack Obama and Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone call on Saturday that Washington should refrain from interfering in China’s internal affairs on matters related to Tibet.

Kerry assured the Chinese FM that there had been no change in US foreign policy on Beijing, reaffirming that Tibet was part of China, according to an account of the call posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

Kerry then reiterated that Washington had no support for Tibet’s independence campaign from China.

The phone call by the Chinese foreign minister came after Obama met with Dalai Lama at the White House last week despite Beijing’s warning that the meeting would damage diplomatic relations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry said earlier it had conveyed its “firm opposition” to the meeting to the US Embassy in Beijing.

China views Dalai Lama as the leader of the secessionists pursuing independence for Tibet.

“The 14th Dalai Lama is not simply a religious figure but a political figure in exile who has been conducting secessionist activities internationally under the pretext of religion,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.

The meeting with Dalai Lama “will send the wrong signal to Tibetan separatist forces, and it will undermine the mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US,” he said.

Tensions are already high between the US and China over Washington’s military presence in disputed territories claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

China and some regional countries, which all have overlapping claims with China, lay territorial claims to a set of islands in the South China Sea.

Washington has been taking sides against Beijing in the disputes.

 

[angelburst29]

According to a military source, a Syrian Air Force's fighter jet crashed Sunday after the take-off from an airport in the western province of Hama leaving the crew members dead.

Syrian Fighter Jet Crashes After Take-Off in Hama Province
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041584216/syria-fighter-jet-crash.html

A Syrian Air Force's fighter jet crashed Sunday after the take-off from an airport in the western province of Hama leaving its pilot dead and killing two people on a runway, a military source told Sputnik.

"The pilot of the MiG-21 reported a technical fault during take-off, and the plane crashed while attempting to land. The pilot was killed, as well as two people on the ground," the source said.

According to the source, two more people on a runway were injured.

Aa a result of suicide bombing in Al-Qamishli (Syrian border with Turkey) three people are dead and five injured.

Jihadist Suicide Bomber Kills Three, Injures Five in Syrian Border Town
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041587252/syria-suicide-blast-alqamishli.html

A suicide bombing in the northeastern Syrian city of Al-Qamishli on the border with Turkey left three people dead and five injured, a local source told Sputnik on Sunday.

The bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up in the center of the city, which is considered the capital of a self-proclaimed Kurdish Rojava autonomy, also known as Western Kurdistan.

No terrorist group took responsibility for the attack.

A member of the Syrian Democratic Council said that eight people were killed during militant shelling of the Sheikh Maqsood district in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Militant Shelling Kills Eight People in Aleppo, Syria
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041576824/militants-kill-eight-aleppo.html

Eight people were killed during militant shelling of the Sheikh Maqsood district in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a member of the Syrian Democratic Council said.

"A Red Crescent ambulance was hit while trying to transport those injured, with eight injured people killed as a result," Rezan Heddo told Sputnik on Saturday.

Sheikh Maqsood a Kurdish district of Aleppo, which is held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, has come under increasing attack from Islamist militants present in and around the city. The Nusra Front, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam have been shelling the district with conventional armaments as well as chemical weapons.

Early in June, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said that nearly 120 people have been killed in Sheikh Maqsood since February.

The Russian center for the Syria reconciliation said that Jaysh al-Islam formations performed mortar shelling of the Syrian army's positions in three settlements.

Jaysh Al-Islam Attacks Syrian Army in 3 Settlements With Mortars
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041575178/jaysh-alislam-attack-syrian-army.html

Jaysh al-Islam formations performed mortar shelling of the Syrian army's positions in three settlements, the Russian center for the Syria reconciliation said on Saturday.

"Jaysh al-Islam formations, which had claimed to belong to the opposition, have performed mortar shelling of positions of the Syrian Armed Forces in Harasta al-Basal, Haush al-Fara and Jaur al-Basha inhabited areas," the center said in a bulletin posted by the Russian Defense Ministry on its website.

The protest of Okinawans on Sunday is the latest in more than half a century of discontent with the presence of thousands of US troops on the island.

Okinawans Finally Snap After Decades of US Military Depravity
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160619/1041589295/okinawa-us-military-protest.html

On Sunday 65,000 Okinawa residents held their biggest rally since 1995 to protest the presence of US bases on the island, over the high number of crimes committed by US troops stationed there.

The southwestern Japanese island hosts most of the US military personnel in Japan, of which there are over 50,000 in total, as well as 40,000 dependents and another 5,500 American civilians employed there by the US Department of Defense.

Sunday's rally, which has even spread to Tokyo, was organized in protest at the rape and murder of a 20-year-old local woman last month, allegedly by a US contractor and former Marine.

On Sunday RT Russian compiled a list of the incidents which have tested Japanese commitment to the security treaty it first signed with the US in 1951, according to which the US has the right to place military bases on the archipelago in exchange for a pledge to defend Japan in the event of an attack.

Later, in 1960, Japan and the US signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, which allows US servicemen to live in Japan without registering with the Japanese authorities like other foreigners have to do.

The Japanese authorities are only given information about the number of US soldiers at the bases, and in contrast to US forces' freedom of movement the Japanese are not allowed to enter a US base, under threat of arrest.

In November 1949 a Time magazine article first lifted the lid on US troops' bad behavior on Okinawa, where they had been stationed since Japan was defeated in World War II. After the end of the war Okinawa remained a US protectorate until 1972, when the island reverted back to the government of Japan.

Called "Forgotten Island," the article reported that between March and September 1949 US service members had committed 29 murders, 18 rapes, 16 robberies and 33 assaults against the island's 600,000 residents.

In 1955 a six year old girl called Yumiko Nagayama was killed and raped by a US Marine on Okinawa. US soldier Isaac J. Hurt was tried on charges of rape and murder by a US court-martial in Okinawa. Though he was found guilty, his case was later appealed and Hurt was set free in the US.

A quarter-century of resentment boiled over in the December 1970 Koza riot, when around 5,000 Okinawans clashed with 700 US servicemen after a car driven by a drunk US soldier hit an Okinawan man close to the Kadena Air Base. During the riot on December 20-21, approximately 60 Americans were injured, 82 people were arrested, several buildings on the air base were destroyed or heavily damaged and 80 cars were burned.

The largest protest to date on the island was in September 1995, after three US Marines stationed at the Camp Hansen base rented a van and kidnapped and raped a 12-year-old Japanese girl. Public rage erupted, and 90,000 Japanese took to the streets to protest against US crimes in Okinawa.

In July 2000 then US President Bill Clinton was forced to apologize to Okinawans for US soldiers’ crimes when he attended the G8 summit in Okinawa. His visit was preceded by a 25,000 strong demonstration by protestors who formed a human chain around the Kadena base in central Okinawa. Their protest was in response to the arrest of a US marine for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and of an airman for an alleged hit and run incident.

Bulgaria’s prime minister firmly ruled out his country’s participation in the proposed NATO fleet in the Black Sea aimed at countering Russian forces in the area: “I don’t need war,” the politician said after Russia promised a response; meanwhile Romania’s president, one of the initiators, has hurriedly backed off.

Bulgaria Rejects NATO Fleet in the Black Sea, Romania Hurriedly Backs Off
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160619/1041590077/bulgaria-romania-nato-fleet.html

"I always say that I want the Black Sea to see sailboats, yachts, large boats with tourists and not become an arena of military action… I do not need a war in the Black Sea," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Thursday referring to the proposal for the NATO fleet in the Black Sea made by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis while visiting Bulgaria on June 15-16.

“Our country will not become part of the Black Sea fleet being prepared against Russia,” Borissov said as quoted by EurActiv.com website.

“To send warships as a fleet against Russian ships exceeds the limit of what I can allow,” Borissov told reporters in Sofia on Thursday, as cited by Bloomberg.

“To deploy destroyers, aircraft carriers near [the resort cities of] Bourgas or Varna during the tourist season is unacceptable.”

Klaus Iohannis has quickly backed off, insisting that “the Black Sea naval initiative regards joint training and exercises and that NATO cannot and does not want to keep a fleet in the Black Sea,” Romanian news agency Agerpres reported on Thursday.

“The initiative I introduced to the Bulgarian President and Prime Minister is an initiative designed for cooperation in the area of joint exercises and joint training of the Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish naval forces. This is the so-called naval initiative, and it does not comprise all naval forces, just joint exercises and training," the agency quotes the Romanian leader as saying in response to recent statements by the Bulgarian prime minister.

The Romanian president apparently said that “the initiative should be deployed under the NATO umbrella, because all the three Black Sea countries — Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey — are NATO allies.”

''Where the misunderstanding probably emerged was in relation to the concept of a NATO fleet. Nobody creates a NATO fleet. That would be nonsense. NATO cannot and does not want to keep its own Black Sea fleet,” Agerpres quotes Iohannis as explaining.

‘We will board the ships, we will waive our flags, but only Bulgaria and Romania”, the Bulgarian prime minister said, adding that any other scenarios could lead to a military conflict.

After the USS Porter (DDG-78), armed with assault cruise missiles and an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (primary weapon: Standard Missile 3), entered the Black Sea last week, Moscow promised “response measures” to Washington.

“If a decision is made to create a permanent force, of course, it would be destabilizing, because this is not a NATO sea," Andrey Kelin, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s European Cooperation Department then said.

"If a decision is made to create a permanent force, of course, it would be destabilizing, because this is not a NATO sea," he added.

Under the Montreux Convention, countries which don't have a Black Sea coastline cannot keep their warships there for more than 21 days. NATO members Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria are all Black Sea Basin countries.

Earlier reports of the Balkan Insight website however suggest that Bucharest is urging NATO to create a permanent alliance fleet in the Black Sea in a “move aimed to counter Russia’s strong involvement in the region.”

The website said that as early as February Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc announced that Romania is taking the first steps to negotiate with NATO to set up a regular multinational naval patrol in the Black Sea.

“The possibility of creating such a fleet might be discussed at the next NATO summit in July,” Motoc then said. He added that Romania must be ready by then with a clear plan and proposal.

The outlet also added that the regular flotilla might include ships from NATO countries bordering the Black Sea, namely Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, but also from Germany, Italy and the United States.

The Bulgarian prime minister was not that optimistic. He said that his country was among the most loyal EU countries and was doing what was expected from the European family. But he added that there was no way that Bulgaria would be attacked by Russia.

“You remember how our nuclear reactors from the Belene central left for Turkey. Not a single colleague spoke in my defense when President Putin, in the presence of Erdogan, waived his finger at me, saying that Bulgaria lost everything”, EurActive quotes Borissov as saying.

The website adds that “indeed, under Western pressure, Bulgaria abandoned plans to build a nuclear central with Russian technology, and gave up the South Stream gas pipeline project. Putin made strong statements against Bulgaria, and in January 2015, Borissov warned that his country faced an energy catastrophe.”

The International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Geneva ruled in favor of the Russian Atomstroyexport company and ordered to pay €620 million in compensation from Bulgaria to Russia.

 

[angelburst29]

Defense Ministry: Russian Soldier Killed in Syria Protecting a Humanitarian Convoy (Photos)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/defense-ministry-russian-soldier-killed.html

A Russian serviceman was killed in Syria while preventing a VBIED from entering the place of humanitarian aid distribution to the population.

This was announced by the Ministry of Defence.

"On June 15th, 2016, in the province of Homs, a soldier, Andrey Timoshenkov, escorting a humanitarian convoy of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria prevented a breakthrough of a car bomb attack to the place of delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population," stated the message.

Timoshenkov stopped the car bomb by opening fire on it with small arms. The explosion of the car created by the suicide bomber gave Andrey a fatal wound.

Despite the military doctors at the Khmeimim airbase fighting for the life of the soldier for more than a day, Timoshenkov died from the severe injuries he received on June 16th.

The commander of Sergeant Andrey Leonidovich Timoshenkov gave him a state award posthumously.

Russia started operations in Syria in late September 2015, acting on the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In mid-March 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a withdrawal of the main part of the Russian aviation group from the Syrian territory. The Russian military continued to perform tasks in Syria - so they took part in the liberation of Palmyra and the clearing of the city.

A Russian SU-34 successfully attacked objects of ISIL in the Syrian province of Hama. This was reported by "Rusvesna", citing a military source in Syria.

Russian Su-34 causes panic among ISIS in Hama
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/russian-su-34-causes-panic-among-isis.html

At around 5.00 am on June 17th, Su-34 strike aircraft hit ISIS targets in the area of the settlement Qalib al-Thawr.

"The air strike caught the terrorists by surprise, which led to them fleeing, as evidenced by scattered weapons, abandoned automobiles, and light armored vehicles.

The air strikes destroyed 4 defensive positions around the settlement Qalib al-Thawr, 8 pickups with the machine guns, and about 60 militants and ammunition depots. Consolidating the success of the inflicted air strikes, government troops advanced 8 miles and entrenched themselves in the commanding heights," Rusvesna" was told.

He added that the same morning, in the Northern province of Hama, "air reconnaissance had uncovered and identified a large concentration of vehicles, including mini-trucks mounted with heavy small arms and cargo bays".

"One strike hit a cluster of vehicles and outposts. In total, about 45 vehicles, 2 commercial pickups, 10 pickups with machine guns, as well as vans for the transportation of militants were destroyed".

The Russian center for the Syria reconciliation said that Jaysh al-Islam formations performed mortar shelling of the Syrian army's positions three times in Damscus province.

Jaysh Al-Islam Attacks Syrian Army 3 Times in Damascus Province
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160619/1041599299/jaysh-al-islam-attacks-syrian-army.html

Jaysh al-Islam formations performed mortar shelling of the Syrian army's positions three times in Damscus province, the Russian center for the Syria reconciliation said on Sunday.

According to the ministry, the ceasefire has been observed in most Syrian provinces. Within last 24 hours, three ceasefire violations have been registered in the Damascus province, according to Russian military.

A visit to the US by Saudi Arabia’s young deputy crown prince has raised speculation that his superiors are seriously ill and are being pushed out of the kingdom’s political scene.

Saudi king’s son pushing superiors out of political scene: Reports
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/19/471106/Saudi-Arabia-Mohammad-bin-Salman-bin-Nayef

Bruce Riedel, an ex-national intelligence officer and a member of US President Barack Obama’s transition team, told NBC News on Friday that Mohammed bin Salman, the third in line to the throne, is visiting the US as his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef suffer from ill health.

“We’ve put a lot of markers down on Mohammed bin Nayef. It’s the smart move to do the same with bin Salman. It’s an opportunity to get to know him,” Riedel said.

Bin Salman, who also serves as the Saudi defense minister, is currently on a visit to the US aimed at restoring ties with Washington and promoting plans to overhaul the country’s oil-dependent economy.

He has met with US President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter during the lengthy visit that started on June 13. He is also expected to hold a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon next week

Meanwhile, Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy also told AFP that bin Salman is “notionally number three in the hierarchy, but effectively he’s number one because the old king prefers his son to take over the monarchy.

An informed Saudi source also told Middle East Eye on Saturday that Salman’s trip to the US was “designed to make him US’s number one Saudi ally and to push [bin Nayef] out of the scene.”

Bin Nayef, bin Salman’s cousin, is a US ally who has increasingly kept a low profile.

Furthermore, an unidentified Bahraini source said that bin Salman’s trip to the US was likely part of a long-term plan to bolster the young prince’s international reputation.

Bin Salman has been granted increasing power since he was named the third in line to the throne last April. He is heading up the country’s economic reforms, policy towards Syria and deadly aggression against Yemen.

However, the young prince’s meteoric rise seems to have sparked tensions within the Saudi royal family.

On Saturday, Ahmed Tuwaijari, a former member of the kingdom’s consultative assembly and a confidant of King Salman, was recorded as saying that the position of deputy crown prince, which was created by former Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2014, violates the Saudi law.

There are two ways to create a ruling body in the country, a real way which is “managed well and results in the real expression of society” and a fake way “which does not represent reality and tries to justify everything for the ruler and whoever is with him,” Tuwaijari said.

With much of its wealth dependent on oil revenues, Saudi Arabia has been hardly hit by plunging oil prices, from $114 in June 2014 to currently some $49 a barrel of benchmark Brent crude.

Oil prices have fallen around 70 percent since mid-2014 due to oversupply, low demand and slowing economies.

 

[youlik]

США покрывают боевиков «умеренной оппозиции» и убийства мирных сирийцев

19.06.2016 - 23:01
США покрывают боевиков «умеренной оппозиции» и убийства мирных сирийцев | Русская весна
По сообщению Центра по примирению враждующих сторон на территории Сирийской Арабской Республики с 00.00 16 июня, по инициативе американской стороны в Алеппо на 48 часов был введен «режим тишины».

Несмотря на принятое соглашение, террористы «Джебхат ан-Нусра»* и «Ахрар аш-Шам»* ежедневно подвергали минометным обстрелам кварталы Шейх Максуд, Эль-Халидия, Аз-Загра и аэропорт Эн-Найраб в городе Алеппо. По данным сирийской стороны, в черте города в результате обстрелов за двое суток погибло 8 и ранено 24 мирных жителя.

Об этом «Русской Весне» рассказал военный источник.

В ответ на просьбу США, «режим тишины» был продлен на 24 часа. За сутки «тишины» от обстрелов боевиков погибло еще 6 и ранено 12 жителей города.
18 июня американская сторона снова вышла с предложением продлить «режим тишины» с 00.00 19 июня еще на 72 часа.

На этот раз обстрелам боевиков подверглись кварталы Шейх-Максуд, Салах эд-Дин, Аз-Загра и аэропорт Эн-Найраб со стороны районов, контролируемых боевиками «Джебхат ан-Нусры» и формированиями так называемой «умеренной оппозиции».

Выходя с инициативой введения «режима тишины», американская сторона не пытается контролировать действия вооруженных формирований «умеренной оппозиции», к которым они относят «Джебхат ан-Нусру» и «Ахрар аш-Шам» и от обстрелов которых гибнет мирное население. При этом в гибели людей США обвиняют ВКС России и вооруженные силы САР.

Translation
USA cover up of militants of "moderate opposition" and the killing of innocent Syrians

19.06.2016 - 23:01
USA cover up of militants of "moderate opposition" and the killing of innocent Syrians | Russian spring
According to the Center for reconciliation of the warring parties in the Syrian Arab Republic from 00.00 on 16 June, at the initiative of the American side in Aleppo for 48 hours were entered "silent mode".

Despite the agreement, the terrorists "dzhebhat an-Nusra and Ahrar al-sham"* daily subjected to mortar shelling in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud, al-Khalidiya, Al-Zagra and the airport EN-Neirab in the city of Aleppo. According to the Syrian side, in the city as a result of attacks two days has killed 8 and injured 24 civilians.

This "Russian Spring" told a military source.

In response to the request of the United States, "silence regime" has been extended for 24 hours. A day of "silence" from attacks of fighters has killed 6 and injured 12 residents.
June 18, the U.S. side again came out with a proposal to extend the "silent mode" from 00.00 on 19 June for another 72 hours.

At this time, fire fighters were exposed neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsood, Salah al-DIN, Al-Zagra and the airport EN-Nairab from the areas controlled by the militants "dzhebhat an-Nusra" and groups of the so-called "moderate opposition".

Leaving the initiative to introduce a "silence regime", the us is not trying to control actions of the armed forces of "moderate opposition" to which they refer "Dzhebhat EN-Nusra" and "Ahrar al-sham" and from the attacks which killed civilians. Thus the deaths of the USA accused the Russian space forces and the armed forces of the SAR.

http://rusvesna.su/news/1466366659

 

[Ca.]

Putin crushes CNN smartass Fareed Zakaria on Donald Trump and US elections
Russia Insider Published on Jun 19, 2016

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

Fareed Zakaria, as a host on CNN, is known to misquote Putin as well as misrepresent Russia's intentions to the world. At the St Petersburg Economic Forum 2016, Zakaria wasn't going to get away with that very

Ruptly TV
Syria: Russian DefMin Shoigu inspects Hmeymim Air Base near Latakia
Published on Jun 19, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3g38BLZys
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived at the Hmeymim Air Base in Latakia Governorate, Saturday, to inspect Russian operations at the base. Shoigu's visit to Syria was carried out on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Сирийская армия крошит боевиков. Эпическое сражение на юге Алеппо / Syrian war Epic battle of Aleppo
Published on Jun 19, 2016

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlFq9TG8Ucs
Сирийская армия гонит банды исламистов из населенных пунктов по всему югу Алеппо. Пуски ПТУРов, мощные танковые атаки, удирающие и уничтожаемые боевики.
The Syrian army is driving the Islamist gangs from the settlements around the south of Aleppo. Triggers ATGM, powerful tank attack, run away and destroyed by insurgents.

Battles for Syria | June 19th 2016 | Damascus
Published on Jun 19, 2016

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTAH2rrrwX8
War diary | Greater Damascus, Syria | June 15th -19th 2016
________________________________________­___________________
Be advised, VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES, not recommended for children under age of 18
Mature viewers only. This is a war documentary. For documentary and educational purposes only.
Video is on channel covering wars posted not to offend, shock or encourage violence but for news / historical and educational purposes - to document war, war crimes and cases of terrorism. (Every video is dated for such purposes)

Video shows a war, and all horrors that come with it… Real events - as it is - often videotaped by the people who lived thru it.
Video shows scenes of real war, violence, death scenes., and often have historical significance.
It is raw footage, therefore : Use your own discretion.
If it’s not something you were expecting to watch, please watch something else.

Again : This is a war documentary, VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES, VIOLENCE AND POSSIBLE WAR CRIMES.

Al Masdar News
US, Russia agree to improve coordination on Syria By Leith Fadel - 20/06/2016
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-russia-agree-improve-coordination-syria/
Russian fighter jets hammer jihadists in west Aleppo: video By Leith Fadel - 20/06/2016
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-fighter-jets-hammer-jihadists-west-aleppo/ | Al-Masdar News

 

[idiaysan]

The link posted is dead, Ocean.

I watched the UN Speeches of China, Jordan, and Russia (they were back to back). King Abdullah of Jordan gave an excellent speech, calling for tolerance and a global fight against extremists. He called out those who manipulate others for control of land, money and power. He stated these extremists are only a drop among humanity, but that their venom can poison the whole well. He called on people to practice love and compassion for others, not just in the mosque, church or synagogue, but in their daily lives. It was one of the better speeches I've seen him give.

He was followed by President Putin. When Putin started, the volume dropped so low, I had to turn it up to full tilt just to hear the female translator, who was not enunciating words well at all and difficult to listen to. I immediately thought "someone" had done that on purpose - giving him a poor translator and lowering the volume. A few minutes into the speech, there was a short pause and a new translator, who was much better, took over and the volume increased. http://gadebate.un.org/ Speeches can be watched here in 6 different languages.

lilou thank you very much for your link is scary as preparing the third world war these imperialist yankies hand of the Zionists, but more frightening is to realize that the vast majority of the world population does not realize anything.
I quote Malcolm X , because its message is more alive today than ever

 

[angelburst29]

The Saudi-affiliated militia in Syria launched separate attacks on ISIL positions in the Eastern parts of Qalamoun after rejecting to join the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in campaign against ISIL in Aleppo and Raqqa.

Saudi-Affiliated Militia in Rivalry with SDF to Win ISIL-Controlled Regions in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000613

The Ahmad al-Abdo, Jeish Aswad al-Sharqiya and Jeish Tahrir al-Sham militant groups launched a joint attack against the ISIL positions in Eastern Qalamoun to drive the ISIL towards Jabal al-Zaba'a and al-Mahasa regions in the Eastern parts of Homs.

Also, Aswad al-Sharqiya militias which are supported by Saudi Arabia and affiliated to Jeish al-Islam terrorist group targeted a number of New Syrian Army group's positions near the Jordanian borders which forced them to withdraw into Jordan.

This is while the Saudi-backed militants have also rejected cooperation with the SDF in joint operations with the US against the ISIL in the Southern parts of Deir Ezzur.

It seems that the Saudi regime has ordered the militant groups affiliated to Riyadh to attack the ISIL positions in the Eastern parts of Qalamoun and desert areas to pressure the Syrian army units and prevent their operations in Syria Desert.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorist group executed a young Syrian man in the countryside of the city of Raqqa on charges of spying for the US-led coalitions forces.

ISIL Crucifies Young Syrian Man for Spying in Raqqa City
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000807

Mohammad Adnan Kadri was first crucified, then a dagger was put into his heart before he was shot in the head in the presence of dozens of civilians. Kadri was arrested for taking pictures and videos from places in Raqqa to inform coalition forces of ISIL's positions, houses and hideouts.

In a similar incident in early May, the ISIL executed a man in al-Tabaqa region in the presence of dozens of civilians.

On Friday, the ISIL brutally executed six civilians while trying to flee from the city of Manbij in Northern Syria.

Terrorists arrested members of a family who were trying to escape from the war-torn city of Manbij in Aleppo province, as the Syrian Democratic Forces' rapid advances towards the ISIL-held city has put the Takfiri militants on the verge of a complete fall.

"They were executed by firing squad in front of hundreds of Manbij residents. There were two children among the victims,” local media activist Nasser Taljbini said.

"By executing the family in public, the ISIL was trying to deliver a message to all civilians who are still residing the city of Manbij, threatening anyone who would leave to face a similar fate," he added.

The ISIL terrorists have set fire to the agricultural products of the people in the outskirts of the city of Hasaka in Northeastern Syria, local sources disclosed.

ISIL Burns Farmers' Agro Products in Hasaka
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000693

"The ISIL has burnt the agricultural products of Al-Saba Sakour, Taninir and Southeast of Al-Khabour river in suburban Hasaka," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted local sources saying.

They also added that a huge fire has been set to the farms of Tal Hasanat in the Northern part of Torbi Sabih-al-Qahtania region near Hasaka city that coveres hundreds of hectares of land.

The sources went on to say that the ISIL burn the agricultural products of Hasaka people after the fled their homes towards Southern Hasaka as a result of fierce clashes between the Syrian army and the ISIL.

The ISIL terrorist group is losing more areas in Syria everyday and for the same reason it is doing it best to prevent its further defeat.

The torching of the people's agricultural lands is only an example of the numerous crimes the Takfiri terrorist group is committing in Syria and Iraq.

An anti-terror expert indicated that Abu Mohammad al-Adnani is hotly tipped to be next in line for ISIL terrorist group leadership and has pledged that the bloodshed by the group will continue unabated.

'Terror Monster Tipped as Next ISIL Leader'
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000979

He was the first ISIL chief to call for militants to commit murders in the West and has urged a month of attacks for Ramadan, Daily Star reported.

Now with unverified reports suggesting current leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, he could be about to take the reins.

Security analyst Kyle Orton said al-Adnani was the “most senior and visible figure” in line for leadership. And with ISIL being attacked on multiple fronts, Orton said that a change in leadership might even be welcomed.

“If Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is killed, not immediately, that is almost the best scenario for ISIL now,” he told Daily Star.

“If Abu Bakr is killed as the self-styled caliphate goes down then it leaves a clean slate for the group to start again,” he said.

In his most recent speech, al-Adnani openly mocked the idea that ISIL would crumble without its current leader.

Mr Orton said al-Adnani was a "true believer in the most hardcore sense" and would likely be no better than Baghdadi.

There would be other contenders, he said, as there was after the death of the leader of ISIL. But he said the terror group was "a mature organization" that could "mobilize its ruthless internal security apparatus to put down these challengers."

"It's not solely personal but institutional, and even once denied urban strongholds, many of those chains of command are likely to hold," he added.

However, it's far from certain that al-Adnani, who was born Taha Falaha in Syria, will take over.

If he's not picked, Mr Orton says ISIL might pick a more "stolid" leader who can keep the state machinery running and help it survive collapse.

Reports started circulating earlier this week that current ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in an airstrike.

Yet with the story being attributed to pro-government Turkish paper Yeni Şafak, many analysts have cast doubt on the claims.

Nonetheless, the group is fighting for survival and is currently battling for control of a number of its strongholds.

Among them are Sirte, an ISIL-controlled city in Libya, and Fallujah in Iraq, where government forces claim to have won the battle.

Military sources said on Monday that dozens of ISIL terrorists were killed or wounded after the Syrian army's engineering units detonated two tunnels, filled by explosive materials, under their positions in the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur.

Syrian Army Detonates Tunnels under ISIL Positions in Deir Ezzur
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000918

"The Syrian army engineering units detonated two tunnels with the length of 45 and 40 meters and the width of 2 meters filled with explosive materials under the ISIL positions in al-Sina'ah district near Deir Ezzur, which ended in the killing and wounding of scores of the militants," the sources said, adding, "Simultaneous with explosion of the tunnels, the ISIL centers came under the heavy shelling of the army's missile and artillery units, which increased the ISIL casualties."

"Heavy fighting is now underway in Deir Ezzur," the source went on to say.

Reports said earlier today that the Syrian Army's artillery and missile units shelled ISIL's base in the Southwestern side of Deir Ezzur city, hitting the Takfiri terrorist group's large depot of arms and ammunition.

"The ISIL base's arms depot near Panorama was badly attacked by the Syrian artillery and missile," the sources said, adding, "The depot was completely destroyed and several guards of the base were also killed in the attacks.

The Syrian Army's artillery and missile units shelled ISIL's base in the Southwestern side of Deir Ezzur city, hitting the Takfiri terrorist group's large depot of arms and ammunition, military sources said.

Syria: ISIL Arms Depot Detonated by Army's Heavy Fire in Deir Ezzur
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000427

"The ISIL base's arms depot near Panorama was badly attacked by the Syrian artillery and missile," the sources said, adding, "The depot was completely destroyed and several guards of the base were also killed in the attacks.

Provincial sources said on Sunday that the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement dispatched a large number of its experienced fighters to Deir Ezzur to help the Syrian Army troops and its popular allies end ISIL's siege on the Eastern city.

"Hezbollah has sent its first group of elite fighters to the military airport in Deir Ezzur province," the sources said.

"The Syrian army’s 104th and 137th brigades have been under ISIL siege in the Deir Ezzur for over a year now," the sources added.

"However, this situation is expected to change in the coming weeks as Hezbollah mobilizes its elite units to help protect the provincial capital of Deir Ezzur and liberate several areas under ISIL control," they went on to say.

A huge explosion took place in an ammunition depot at a military firing range in Southern Russia, said the country’s Defense Ministry in a statement.

Rocket Engine Catches Fire at Testing Range in Southern Russia, Hundreds Evacuated
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000732

The Ministry said a rocket engine caught fire and the officials were forced to evacuate around 600 people from the area, TASS reported.

The people who have been evacuated from the site of the incident included personnel and residents of a nearby town.

The incident took place at Ashuluk testing range near the city of Astrakhan in Southern Russia.

According to sources, rocket boosters used to launch spacecraft into low Earth orbit have caught fire in the depot. The engine is from an S-75 high-altitude air defense system.

Initial reports suggested 50 people were killed in the fire, but the Defense Ministry said no one was hurt.

Local media reported that firefighters managed to contain the blaze, citing EMERCOM sources.