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

This is what I think at the moment is going on in North Korea:

Kim Jung-Un doesn't want war; he may be a bit crazy but obviously he is not suicidal and most of the 'craziness' is just an image created by Western propaganda. But he and his father observed what happened to Saddam and Gaddafi, and they learned that when the west is threatening to invade you, you cannot reason with them. Saddam opened the door so they could check out he had not WMDs. Gaddafi apeaced Europe and NATO for years in different ways, making a bunch of concessions they didn't deserve. It didn't matter. So instead of playing nice, Kim Jung-Un is barking as loud as he can and showing his teeth in the hopes that they'll leave him alone that way.

If that works, he is also hoping that he can use his fancy weapons as bargaining chips for the time in which he can sit down and negotiate better deals with the US and South Korea. Ok, I'll sacrifice my nukes if you guys lift sanctions and make some serious commerce with me. In other words, he is applying Trump's famous Art of the Deal. Does Trump know this? I think so, but it doesn't matter anymore because Trump is no longer in charge; the deep state won the match.

And why is the deep state threatening with 'fire and fury' via Trump? I don't think the US wants a war with North Korea either; that's right at the doorstep of China, and while they would like to see China and Russia weakened, they know they can't risk going to war directly with then. Trump also said they might impose sanctions on those doing business with North Korea. Like China?? Well, good luck with that; that's also not going to happen unless they want to bring about the economic collapse once and for all. So what the US really wants is an excuse to militarize that region of Asia even further, to enclose China in the same way they have been surrounding Russia with their bases in Eastern Europe. And in the process, sell a whole lot more weapons to South Korea, which they are already doing.

So neither of them really wants a war - not yet, anyway. However, Putin was absolutely correct when he said that the war hysteria could lead the world to a catastrophe. Because if they keep escalating their words, a few smaller actions may follow and "accidents" could happen, to the point that they have no option but to engage for real, and of course that would be very dangerous.

Oh and Nikki Haley, I don't think she understands even a quarter of the above. I don't know who her direct handler is or if she is just improvising or her own, but she is just terrible and stupid. A dangerous automaton suffering from Dunning-Kruger (and thus one of my preferred trolling targets on Twitter).
 
ANNA NEWS puts out quality video real footage of the war in Syria on you tube. some video's tends to 15-30 min. Here is the latest one.- "Three days before Deir ez-Zor." One can get the feel of how it looks like to be on the war. How resilient SAA guys despite constant threats and uncertainty.

 
seek10 said:
ANNA NEWS puts out quality video real footage of the war in Syria on you tube. some video's tends to 15-30 min. Here is the latest one.- "Three days before Deir ez-Zor." One can get the feel of how it looks like to be on the war. How resilient SAA guys despite constant threats and uncertainty.


Thanks for the great find Seek10. It really was like being there as close as you can do with a video. Stirs the emotions when you realize what they have been going through in Deir ez-Zor and Syria in general. We won't see this one on MSM.
 
In the lull of posts I just thought I would post this odd perspective of Radio Free Europe which is claiming that Russia is doing more NATO military exercises than the US.

Radio Free Europe RadioLiberty

771E2A58-CF5C-4970-922E-7D42FF3C9BFB.png

Whether this is pure propaganda or nervousness I don't know but I lean towards propaganda. If it's true then bravo Russia. :thup:
 
Russian Center for the reconciliation of warring parties in Syria delivered food, water, medicines and essential items to the Syrian city of Deir Ez-Zor, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Russia Delivers Humanitarian Assistance to Syria's Deir Ez-Zor
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201709091057252863-russia-humanitarian-aid-deir-ezzor/

According to the statement, the humanitarian operation was carried out in liberated areas of Deir ez-Zor. The Russian military has delivered food products, bottled drinking water, medicaments, mobile generators, and items of first necessity.

Russian military continues its work on returning refugees to their houses, recovering destroyed infrastructure, and providing humanitarian aid, according to the statement.

"The Russian party jointly with the Aleppo’s authorities have opened a school in the district of al-Furkan. About 500 pupils are supposed to study there," the statement added.


Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Friday that European countries and the international humanitarian organizations have not offered any aid to the residents of the Syrian city of Deir Ezzur after the siege was lifted.

Russia: Syria's Deir Ezzur Got No Humanitarian Aid from Western States after Liberation
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960618000208

Konashenkov said that neither the Syrian authorities nor the Russian center for reconciliation of warring parties have received a "single offer" of humanitarian aid from European countries or international organizations since Deir Ezzur was liberated, RIA Novosti reported.


A convoy of humanitarian aid, including food stuff and medical consignments, arrived in the towns of Fua'a and Kafraya, North-East of Idlib province, that are under siege by militant groups, local sources said on Friday.

Convoy of Humanitarian Aid Enters Shiite Towns Besieged by Militants in Northern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960617000689

The sources said that six trucks, carrying food and media aids, arrived in the government-controlled towns of Fua'a and Kafraya after five months within the framework of an agreement over the exit of terrorists from al-Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee camp in the Southern countryside of Damascus city.

In the meantime, six other trucks with humanitarian aid were dispatched to the al-Yarmouk camp that is controlled by the terrorists.

Secretary General of Palestine Resistance Coalition Khlid Abul Majid said that dispatch of humanitarian convoy to al-Yarmou is considered as a prelude to an agreement over the terrorists' pullout from the camp.

Meanwhile, field reports from Northern Syria said that the terrorists deployed in Ma'arat Mesrin in Idlib violated the evacuation agreement and shelled heavily humanitarian aid centers in Fua'a and Kafraya and prevented distribution of foods and medicines among civilians.


Following a request by the Kremlin, US military assets have stopped shadowing a Daesh convoy stuck behind lines of advancing Syrian army troops.

US Warplanes Stop Shadowing Daesh Convoy at Russia’s Request
https://sputniknews.com/military/201709091057252956-us-follows-russian-request-syria/

Syrian army troops covering ground in the desert province of Deir ez-Zour in the country's eastern territories have now outflanked a Daesh convoy that has been stationary for almost ten days, after US jets bombed the roadway and bridges ahead, preventing its escape to regions in Iraq still controlled by the rapidly-dwindling armed extremist faction.

The US-led coalition against Daesh quickly agreed to a request by Russian forces in the region to stop surveillance on the convoy, streamlining efforts between Russian- and US-backed forces to defeat the extremists, according to a report from the Guardian.

A convoy of an estimated 17 buses containing Daesh militants and their families has dwindled to 11, after six vehicles abruptly returned to their starting points as Syrian army troops close in.

Food and water has been supplied by the Syrian army to those stranded in the face-off in the middle of the desert.

There have been reports of individual fighters escaping the convoy under cover of darkness. even as the noose tightens around the remaining fugitives. An estimated 85 Daesh fighters have been killed attempting to escape from the convoy, according to a US spokesperson.


The Syrian army troops continued their military operations against ISIL, and managed to capture the terrorist group's strategic base along Homs-Deir Ezzur Road.

Syrian Army Takes Control of ISIL's Key Base in Homs-Deir Ezzur Front
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960618000686

The Syrian Army scored an important victory in Deir Ezzur province, following their large-scale military operation along the Sukhnah-Deir Ezzur Highway.

The army units managed to advance from the direction of the newly-liberated city of al-Shoula towards al-Malha and drive out the ISIL terrorists from the region after tough battle.

The Syrian Army is now only 10km away from the strategic Panorama area, which is the last stretch of highway under ISIL’s control.


The ISIL and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorist groups engaged in a fresh round of clashes in the Southern province of Dara'a after intensifying attacks on militants' commanders in the region, news website affiliated to the terrorist groups reported on Saturday.

Clashes Intensify between ISIL, FSA Terrorist Groups in Southern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960618000429

The websites reported that Ali Mohammad al-Abid, the commander of Qowat Shabab al-Sonah affiliated to the FSA, was gunned down by unknown assailants near the town of al-Sahwa in Eastern Dara'a.

In the meantime, Ahmad Zakariya al-Hariri, commander of al-Ramah al-Awani battalion affiliated to the FSA was killed in a bomb blast along the road between the two towns of Abta'a and al-Ja'eiliyeh.

Other media outlet in Dara'a province, meantime, reported that the ISIL-affiliated Jeish Khalid Bin Walid has engaged in intense clashes with the FSA fighters.

Reports further said that both sides suffered heavy casualties in the infighting but Jeish Khalid Bin Walid managed to capture seven FSA fighter, adding that the ISIL-affiliated groups later killed the captured fighters and burned them.

Yesterday afternoon ISIL launched large assault against the FSA at the villages of al-Abdali and al-Majahid, overrunning its defenses around the villages and forcing militants to withdraw.

However, around midnight, the FSA – having re-grouped – launched a counterattack on these villages, re-capturing them from ISIL before dawn.

Local sources affiliated to opposition groups in Southern Syrian reported that several helicopter flew over the regions controlled by Jeish Khalid Bin Walid, possibly transferring military aid for the terrorist group.

The local sources possibly conduct heliborne of arms and ammunition for Jeish Khalid Bin Walid or transferred fresh militants to the region.


The USS Wasp is sailing from its homeport in Virginia to Sasebo, Japan, to join the US Navy’s 7th Fleet and bring Washington’s most advanced fighter jets to North Korea’s backyard.

US Assault Ship Loaded with Joint Strike Fighters Heads to North Korea
https://sputniknews.com/military/201709091057231984-ship-loaded-f-35-heads-pyongyang/

The Wasp, an Amphibious Assault Ship and lead ship of her class, doesn’t have quite as much surface area for jets to take off and land as the larger Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, but the ship will still bring a new squadron of carrier-compatible F-35B aircraft to the 7th Fleet’s area of operations.

The F-35B jets have the AV-8B Harrier’s capability of taking off vertically, as a helicopter does, while also being able to operate in the air like fighter jets.

Placing the Amphibious Assault Ship in proximity to the Korean Peninsula “ensured that our most technologically-advanced air warfare platforms are forward deployed,” USS Wasp Cmdr. Andrew Smith said in an August 30 release.

The Wasp inserts a second squadron of F-35s into the region. The first arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Okinawa in March, the eight-plane squadron’s new permanent home. Another cadre of Joint Strike Fighters arrived in July, the Marine Corps said.

Up to 100 F-35 aircraft are set to fly near the Korean Peninsula over the coming years, as Seoul and Tokyo have each agreed to buy more than 40 of them from Lockheed Martin.


The US wants more war because it means more profit and distracts from the social problems. The US tries to paint Pyongyang as the world’s enemy, however, we know who the true aggressor is, says international affairs commentator Daniel Shaw.

Serious about peace? 'US should withdraw 50,000 troops from Japan, 30,000 from S.Korea'
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/402456-us-north-south-korea/

The US president has offered to help Middle East countries resolve the blockade of Qatar, a country which he branded a sponsor of terrorism just a few months ago when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE cut diplomatic and transport links with the Gulf nation.

The US maintains a significant military presence in Qatar with the biggest air base in the region; around 11,000 American troops are stationed there. Just weeks after welcoming the blockade, President Trump approved a fighter jet deal with Qatar worth $12 billion.

RT talked to the international affairs commentator Daniel Shaw and explains the US always puts its military interests first.

RT: What do you make of the latest statement from President Trump? Is he trying to de-escalate the situation?

Daniel Shaw: The US has done nothing to de-escalate the situation; they’ve always intensified and escalated the situation. If the US were serious about peace in the Pacific, they would immediately withdraw 50,000 troops from Japan, 30,000 troops from South Korea, and the 4,000 troops they have in Guam. All of these war exercises are provocations the South Korean government and the US military run together. This has really put North Korea on the defensive despite everything the US media says about North Korea being the aggressor. We know who the true aggressor in the Pacific is.

RT: In the very same speech, criticizing North Korea, the US leader mentioned Kuwait's purchase of new American fighter jets. Is it just coincidence or is he trying to tout US military power?

DS: The US is always trying to tout their military power and use it to intimidate anybody in the world expecting any sovereign country to cow before US military might and constantly trading in arms with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and Qatar. These are some of the most unequal, violent societies in the entire world. So, we see, as always the hypocritical nature of the US military. What North Korea has said is “what is good for the goose is good for the gander.” If you all can stockpile weapons and try to intimidate us and surround us, then we are going to come out fighting and defend ourselves. You have backed us into a corner, and we are going to act like a panther because you have given us no other choice.

RT: The North Korean ambassador to Russia said the US is disrupting international efforts to resolve the crisis. Does he have a point, considering Washington rejected a dialogue plan from Russia and China?

DS: The North Koreans, the South Koreans, the peoples of the world want dialogue and negotiations. The US media is also chiefly to blame: CNN, MSNBC, the entire gamut of mainstream networks is constantly painting North Korea as the aggressor and every day in this country people wake up to the news that we could potentially face a nuclear holocaust. But who has Pyongyang ever attacked? The US has always been the aggressor. So, yes, we should blame the US because Russia, China and South Korea itself have tried to play a mediating role. But it is very clear what the US wants – they want more war, war means more profits, it means a distraction. They can point the finger away from all the social problems – with white supremacy, and racism and fascism - and try to paint Pyongyang as the world’s enemy.


The Israeli military is in the midst of its largest military exercise in nearly two decades, focusing on a potential war with Hezbollah.

Israel has launched its largest military exercise in almost 20 years
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-israel-fp-06140bac-94ab-11e7-89fa-bb822a46da5b-20170908-story.html

Held in the north of the country, the roughly two-week drill - dubbed "The Light of Grain" - comes amid rising tension along the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and militia, has maintained a presence for decades.

The drill will simulate "scenarios we'll be facing in the next confrontation with Hezbollah," an Israeli defense source told Agence France-Presse.

Tens of thousands of soldiers from multiple branches of the Israeli Defense Forces - including the air force, navy, ground units, intelligence and cyber command - are set to participate.

On Thursday, senior Hezbollah leader Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek, the head of Hezbollah's governing Sharia Council, dismissed the operation. "The maneuvers that [Israel] is conducting on the border are part of coercions after the triumphs that [Hezbollah] has made against terrorism," he said, according to The Daily Star. (Article continues.)
 
angelburst29,

You have just been Tweeted as I try to do as often as I can. I think you are a super sleuth for news. Keep up the good work. :thup: Hey, it's getting me re_Tweets galore.
 
goyacobol said:
In the lull of posts I just thought I would post this odd perspective of Radio Free Europe which is claiming that Russia is doing more NATO military exercises than the US.

Whether this is pure propaganda or nervousness I don't know but I lean towards propaganda. If it's true then bravo Russia. :thup:

Western propaganda outlet Radio Free Europe claims rise in Russian US asylum seekers due to persecution, but offers no proof

Thu, 08 Dec 2016

https://www.sott.net/article/336199-Western-propaganda-outlet-Radio-Free-Europe-claims-rise-in-Russian-US-asylum-seekers-due-to-persecution-but-offers-no-proof
 
angelburst29 said:
goyacobol said:
In the lull of posts I just thought I would post this odd perspective of Radio Free Europe which is claiming that Russia is doing more NATO military exercises than the US.

Whether this is pure propaganda or nervousness I don't know but I lean towards propaganda. If it's true then bravo Russia. :thup:

Western propaganda outlet Radio Free Europe claims rise in Russian US asylum seekers due to persecution, but offers no proof

Thu, 08 Dec 2016

https://www.sott.net/article/336199-Western-propaganda-outlet-Radio-Free-Europe-claims-rise-in-Russian-US-asylum-seekers-due-to-persecution-but-offers-no-proof

I tend to think it is propaganda too. I don't often check out Radio Free Europe because of that. A reference from another article led me to see the details. Sometimes it is useful just to see what kind of propaganda is being spread I think.

Thanks for the SOTT article.
 
SYRIA: CIVILIANS CELEBRATE AS SAA SYRIAN ARMY LIFTS CIA/ISIS SIEGE ON DEIR EZ-ZOR (Video)
http://nrt24.ru/en/news/victory-assad-ciaisis-crushed-deir-ez-zor-civilians-celebrate-syrian-army-lifts-siege-victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT41UtULEnk (1:31 min. RT.)


Using heavy artillery strikes and aided by the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Syrian Arab Army continues its offensive in the Deir ez-Zor province, driving back Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) terrorists.

WATCH: Syrian Army Drives Daesh Terrorists From Deir Ez-Zor Province
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201709101057266914-deir-ezzor-offensive-liberation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_eYDapzDeA (1:14 min.)

Syrian Army forces have successfully wrestled control of Kabajib village, located southwest of Deir ez-Zor, from the clutches of Daesh terrorists.

The liberated village is considered to be one of the most important strategic settlements in the area as it essentially serves as the gateway to the main access road leading to the city of Deir ez-Zor.

A Syrian military source told Sputnik Arabic that "infantry units have been working in that direction for a while now in order to open access to the city from the south."

They’re being supported by artillery and airstrikes. After our recent success in breaking the blockade from the other side, it is time to capitalize on this success and move to lift the siege on the city from multiple directions," he explained.


On Saturday, the Islamic State downed a Russian reconnaissance drone in rural Deir Ezzor using anti-aircraft weaponry.

Russian drone shot down by ISIS anti-aircraft unit near Deir Ezzor (Video)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-russian-drone-shot-isis-anti-aircraft-unit-near-deir-ezzor/

The pickup truck, manned by an ISIS child fighter, shot the Russian aircraft down near the town of Al-Shulah, located on the highway leading to Deir Ezzor. Al-Shulah was notably liberated by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) earlier this week: (Video)

Russian surveillance drones have played an instumental role in supporting the SAA’s ongoing Deir Ezzor offensive and has provided Moscow’s warplanes with pinpoint coordinates for sorties against ISIS insurgents.

About an hour ago, the SAA remarkably lifted the siege of Deir Ezzor Airbase too, thus connecting both eastern pockets with the government mainland in western Syria.


Hezbollah uncovered a new Israeli spy device in southern Lebanon, Saturday, the Lebanese group’s media wing announced.

In pictures: Hezbollah captures Israeli spy device in southern Lebanon
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pictures-hezbollah-captures-israeli-spy-device-southern-lebanon/

Hezbollah discovered the device while a conducting a patrol in the Kafr Shubah area of the occupied Sheba’a Farms.

In the pictures released by Hezbollah’s media wing, the spy device resembled a rock and was placed along a trail in the occupied Sheba’a Farms.


Units of the Syrian Army, operating at AlSukhneh-Deir Ez Zour axis managed to reach the Syrian Army Regiment 137 and Al Panorama areas on Sunday, following severe clashes with ISIS terrorists, during which, the latter met with heavy losses in terms of personnel and equipment.

Syrian Forces gain more ground as ISIS executes dozens of its members on escape charges September 10th, 2017
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/09/syrian-forces-gain-more-ground-as-isis.html

In addition, Syrian Army carried out a special operation of cleansing ISIS terrorists and gaining control over several sites in the surrounding areas of Al Taim oil field.

The Army has also managed to expand its control over new surrounding areas of Deir Ez Zour Airport, the battalions of Sriti and Al Haras Al Jumhouri, factory areas, the cemeteries, and the neighborhoods of Al Tahtouh and Hrabesh in Deir Ez Zour city.

Engineering units of the Syrian Army have already been dispatched to the scene and are currently dismatling land mines and IEDs left over by ISIS terrorists.

Meanwhile, local sources from Deir Ez Zour countryside confirmed that huge gatherings of ISIS terrorists, some of their prominent leaders including, fled the area.

The sources added that ISIS dismissed a large number of its leaders, in addition to excecuting at least 27 of its terrorists on charges of organising a mass escape from the town of Abukamal and the villages of Hasrat, Al Jalaa and Al Salihyia.

In the central province of Homs, Army units regained control over the villages of Rahhoum, Abu Hawadid, and Al Fao Shawish in the area of Jeb Al Jarrah, located in the eastern countryside of Palmyra.


Russian observers registered six ceasefire violations in Syria in the past 24 hour, the situation in the de-escalation zones remains stable, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a bulletin on Sunday.

Six ceasefire violations by terrorist groups in Syria recorded by Russia, Turkey recorded none
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/09/six-ceasefire-violations-by-terrorist.html

"Control groups continue monitoring the ceasefire observation within the implementation of the Memorandum on creation of the de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic, which had been signed by the Russia, Turkey, and Iran on May 4, 2017," the ministry said. "Situation in the de-escalation zones is assessed as stable."

"Within last 24 hours, the Russian party of the Russia-Turkey Commission on violations of the Joint Agreement has registered 6 cases of firing in provinces of Aleppo (2), Damascus (3), and Daraa (1)," the ministry continued. "The Turkish party has registered no cases of ceasefire violations."

"Most cases of unselective firing from small arms have been registered in the areas controlled by insurgents of the ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groupings," the defense authority added.

"The Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides within last 24 hours held 2 humanitarian actions," the bulletin reads. "Citizens of Wadihah, Aleppo province, received 2.2 tons of food products; and citizens of al-Amir, Homs province, received 1.6 tons of food products and Russian military medics provided medical assistance to 393 civilians."

"In total, 55,807 citizens received medical assistance," the ministry added.

"Negotiations on joining ceasefire regime have been continued with field commanders of detachments of armed opposition in the Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, Hama, and al-Quneitra provinces," the Russian military said. "Within 24 hours, four applications have been signed with the leaders of illegal armed formations, operating in the de-escalation zone No. 1. Total number armed formations, which had claimed to observe the ceasefire regime, reached 233.".


The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is rolling through the Islamic State’s (ISIL) defenses near the Deir Ezzor Military Airport, liberating site-after-site from the terrorist forces.

Syrian Army liberates large hilltop near Deir Ezzor Airport
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-liberates-large-hilltop-near-deir-ezzor-airport/

Minutes ago, the SAA’s Republican Guard lifted the siege on the Deir Ezzor Airport after liberating the large hilltop of Tal Rubiyat.

Tal Rubiyat overlooks the Ta’meen Base that is located northwest of the Deir Ezzor Airport and near the provincial cemetery.

With Tal Rubiyat liberated, the SAA has secured the supply line to Deir Ezzor Military airport and even threatens to create an ISIS pocket around the Panorama roundabout.


Three commanders of the ISIL terrorist group have escaped from the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur with thousands of US dollars after government troops lifted the siege on the city and its airbase and entered the town, Arab media said Sunday.

Several Senior Terrorist Commanders Escape from Eastern Syria with Hefty Amount of Money
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960619001032

The Arabic-language al-Ahd news reported that one of the senior commanders of ISIL carrying a hefty amount of money earned from smuggling crude oil has fled Deir Ezzur province along with some other ISIL members towards the Southern territories of Hasaka province controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Al-Ahd further reported that Mohammad Jaber Haj Razouq, ISIL's police chief in Eastern Deir Ezzur nom de guerre Abu al-Joud, has escaped along with his family members to Turkey.

"Abu Laden Araghi, the Iraq emir of ISIL in the town of al-Mayadeen in Southeastern Deir Ezzur, has escaped from ISIL-held regions," al-Ahd reported, adding that ISIL has offered reward for any information about him.

Al-Ahd went on to report that ISIL has dismissed non-Syrian (Mohajereen) members of the terrorist group from their positions and replaced them with militants that have a Syrian origin that are known as Ansar.

Earlier reports said that the Syrian Army troop advanced rapidly against ISIL in the Southern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city and lifted terrorists' nine-month-long siege on the most important military airport in the Eastern part of the war-hit country.

The army men removed ISIL's siege of Deir Ezzur airbase after liberating the areas around the Tahtuh and Harabish districts, forcing the terrorists to retreat from the road blocking Deir Ezzur city from the airbase.

The army men also managed to advance against ISIL from al-Maqaber (cemetery) region and arrived at the positions of their comrades in areas surrounding Tamin (security) brigade base in the Western and Southwestern directions of the airbase, lifting the siege on the Syrian Air Force's base in Eastern Syrian 10km away from Deir Ezzur city.

The army's engineering units managed to defuse over 400 landmines and explosive packages along the road to Deir Ezzur airbase. A military source reported that tens of ISIL terrorists left behind their weapons in al-Maqaber and fled the battlefield.

The source further said that the army's anti-ISIL operation in the region is still underway, adding that the Russian Air Force is targeting ISIL's positions behind the frontline.

The source added that the next objective of the army is capturing Thardah Mountain, whose liberation will secure the Western side of the Deir Ezzur Military Airport.
 
Trump Accountable for US Army's Rescue Operations for ISIL in Eastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960618000447

Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine, told Sputnik that he believes that the information is reliable and that they do not need any comments from the CIA or the Pentagon on the matter.

"It is President Trump who must comment on this and declare clearly: either the evacuation of the ISIL field commanders was authorized by him personally and he assumes all political responsibility for this step, or the (US) special services acted without his approval," Korotchenko said.

He noted that if this information is finally confirmed, Trump should instruct the Attorney General to launch an appropriate investigation and bring all those responsible to justice for being involved in international terrorism.

Korotchenko was echoed by Franz Klintsevich, first deputy chairman of the Russian Upper House's Defense and Security Committee, who suggested that the evacuation of ISIL's leaders by the US forces did take place.

"No matter how the so-called antiterrorism coalition tried to refute reports on the evacuation of more than 20 field commanders from Deir Ezzur, all the long-term experience of US actions, including in Afghanistan, convinces us that the evacuation was almost 100-percent true," Klintsevich said on his page in Facebook.

"As a person who took part in the 1979-1989 war in Afghanistan, I can say that we constantly felt that Americans were directly supporting the Mujahideen at the time," he added, also citing escape corridors for militants leaving the Syrian city of Raqqa, which is "allegedly besieged by (US) allies."

"Of course, Deir Ezzur is not Raqqa, and it will be impossible to evacuate hundreds of militants in this case here but this is not the point. It seems that the US still sees the meaning of its existence in its confrontation with Russia, and this, to put it mildly, does not cause optimism," Klintsevich said.

Earlier, in an interview with Russia's Rossiya 24 TV channel he suggested that the evacuation of ISIL's leaders from Deir Ezzur may indicate that the US is trying to save its agents and contacts, among other things.

"Unfortunately, I have come to this conclusion. I think that analyzing these events, we will have more complete information in the near future," Klintsevich added.

Commenting on ISIL leaders' evacuation, a military and diplomatic source, meanwhile, told Sputnik that the first such extraction took place on August 26, when a "US Air Force helicopter" evacuated 2 of ISIL's European field commanders with members of their families from an area located to the Northwest of Deir Ezzur at night.

According to the source's data, two days later, US choppers transferred 20 ISIL field commanders and militants close to them from the Southeastern areas near Deir Ezzur to northern Syria.

When contacted by Sputnik, the Combined Joint Task Force of the Operation Inherent Resolve’s press office called the allegations "false."

On Tuesday the Syrian army, with Russian air support, managed to finally break the three-year ISIL's siege of the city of Deir Ezzur. Until that point, food and ammunition had only been delivered to the city by air. Helicopters from the city of Qamishli had evacuated the wounded and delivering essential supplies to the city's population.


The British Special Forces have completely withdrawn from their bases at Syria's border with Iraq, an Arab media outlet reported on Sunday.

Britain Withdraws Entire Forces from Bases at Syria-Iraq Border Region
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960619000738

The Arabic-language al-Hadath news quoted another Arab news network, Elam al-Harbri, as reporting that all the British soldiers have left al-Tanf and al-Zakaf bases at Syria's border with Iraq for al-Arzaq base in Jordan.

Elam al Harbi had previously reported that Ahmad Abdu terrorist group and later Jeish al-Soud al-Sharqiyeh had left Syria's Badiyeh (desert) in Southern Damascus for Jordanian territories afte receiving assurances from Russia and Jordan.

Elam al-Harbi had said that the two terrorists groups were to hand over the region that was previously under their control to the Syrian government.

A Lebanese media outlet reported on Monday that the UK ended training of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorists in al-Tanf base and withdrawn from the base in Southern Homs near the border with Iraq.

The English-language AMN website reported that the United Kingdom withdrew its troops from the coalition-operated al-Tanf base in Syria’s Southwestern desert and ended all military assistance hitherto provided to FSA-affiliated mercenaries in the region.

The UK-based Daily Telegraph reported the UK's wind-down of support for the FSA militants began in June of this year when at least 20 special forces troops were confirmed to have withdrawn from the al-Tanf base.


Russian Permanent Representative to the UN headquarters in Geneva said provisions of the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic related to the operation of the Russian Aerospace Force and Syrian army is "politically motivated fake".

Russian Diplomat Brands UN Independent Commission’s Report on Syria as Bogus
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960619000820

"The report in the part concerning Russia and the use of chemical weapons is an example of a politically driven fake. What is more, it is clumsily made up," Alexei Borodavkin said, TASS reported.

"I think we should not pay attention to these accusations."

"It has recently become fashionable in some political and diplomatic quarters to trade in anti-Russia lies," the diplomat added.

"However, the situation is gradually turning the tide. Even where such allegations are still in demand, their political price is plummeting rapidly," he said.

The Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, published in the run-up to the 36th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council due to open in Geneva on September 11, says that Syrian and Russian air strikes targeted hospitals and medical staff, while Syrian government forces used chemical weapons.


Russia’s Defense Ministry rebuked German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen for falsely claiming that Moscow planned to send more than 100,000 troops to take part in the upcoming joint military drills in Belarus.

Russia Slams German Minister for ‘Baseless’ Remarks over Military Drill Plans
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960619000443

Russia said the exercises with Belarus, code-named “Zapad 2017” and scheduled for September 14 to 20, will involve about 12,700 Russian and Belarusian troops and are “purely defensive” in nature, presstv reported.

Von der Leyenm, however, on Thursday claimed that the upcoming exercises would be a show of Russian might because “more than one hundred thousand” forces would be participating.

“Anyone who doubts that it is a show of might only has to look at the high numbers of participating forces in the Zapad exercise: more than one hundred thousand,” she said.

Russia rejected those remarks, saying that von der Leyen was misinforming the public.

“We are astonished by the statement made by Ms. von der Leyen, Germany’s Federal Minister of Defense, publicly handling baseless figures that allegedly 100 thousand Russian troops engaged in the Zapad 2017 and threaten Europe,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

“The German side has timely received and does have comprehensive information of the concept, defensive nature, and true figure of the Russian troops engaged in the Zapad 2017 exercise,” the major general said. “It is hard to imagine that Ursula von der Leyen’s colleagues from NATO, other competent German ministries or her own subordinates deliberately misled her,” the statement said. “It is much easier to suppose the opposite.”

An earlier statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry had said that Western countries sought to create a “hype” over the planned exercises and justify military buildups near Russian borders.

“The hype was fanned up artificially and is definitely meant to convince the Western public that the cost of deploying additional forward military presence in Poland and the Baltics and increased NATO military activity is justified,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said last month.

Russia has criticized such a buildup as a threat to its national security.

In February, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “NATO’s expansion has led to an unprecedented level of tension over the last 30 years in Europe.”

Western countries and their small allies in Eastern Europe have long brandished what they say is a Russian threat to justify military activities and preparations near Russia.

During a recent visit to an Estonian military base near the Russian border, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the world today was increasingly dangerous because of, among other things, “a more assertive Russia.”

“We have proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in North Korea, we have terrorists, instability, and we have a more assertive Russia. It is a more dangerous world,” he said in an interview with The Guardian, which was published on Friday.


People in Germany staged an annual anti-war protest rally in front of a United States air base in their country, condemning war-mongering policies of the current US administration.

Germans Hold Anti-War Protest Near US Base
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960619000779

Demonstrators on Saturday formed a human chain in the Ramstein-Miesenbach municipality stretching to outside Gate 5 of the American air base there, presstv reported.

The organizers of Stop Air Base Ramstein said as many as 5,000 protesters attended the rally.

They demanded an end to the use of the air base to relay telemetry to drones that collect information on militant groups or attack designated targets. The protesters said the attacks on suspected militants were “extrajudicial killings” and violated international law.

The human chain wrapped up a week of protests in the area.

The protesters who rallied on Saturday were joined by left-wing politician Oskar Lafontaine, the former head of Germany’s Left Party. He denounced German involvement in conflicts, role in the Iraq War, and the expansion of nuclear armaments.

“So long as we live in a system which requires military equipment and warmongering, the economic order on which capitalism is reliant, the world will edge closer to destruction,” Lafontaine told the protesters. “Nuclear weapons are not weapons. They are monsters and we need to chase them away from this planet.”

The Ramstein Air Base is host to 22,000 US military and Department of Defense personnel. Family members included, the number reaches 54,000. It is the largest concentration of US citizens outside of the US.

Ramstein Air Base is also the headquarters of NATO’s Air and Space program (AIRCOM).


A pair of Japanese F-15 fighter jets conducted a military exercise with a duo of US B1-B bombers in the skies above the East China Sea. The drill comes as Seoul braces for a possible new missile test by North Korea.

Japanese Jet Fighters, US Bombers Conduct War Games over East China Sea
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960619000603

The exercise involved two US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flying from Andersen Air Force Base on the US Pacific island territory of Guam, joined by two Japanese F-15 jet fighters on Sunday, Japan’s Air Self Defense Force (ASDF) reported, RT reported.

Late last month, Japanese F-15 fighter jets also conducted a military exercise with US B1-B bombers and F-35 stealth fighters in skies south of the Korean Peninsula. The August 31 drill came two days after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Northern Japan.

Japan is on high alert after a series of North Korean missile and nuclear tests, including one which passed over its territory.

On Thursday, for the second time in its history, Japan carried out a series of anti-missile drills at a US airbase in the northern Tohoku region, as tensions mount with North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons program.

A crew of 30 set up a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile interceptor system capable of intercepting short- and medium-range missiles at Misawa Air Base, Aomori Prefecture. The aims of the exercise were to boost US-Japanese co-operation, and to ready the military for any potential attack by North Korea.

Japan carried out missile interception drills for the first time at the end of August at the Iwakuni Air Base in Yamaguchi and the Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, only hours before a North Korean missile passed over the Northern island of Hokkaido.

As tensions continue to flare up on the Korean Peninsula, the US has been deploying more military equipment into South Korea, such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system, which has met with protests from both Russia and China, as well as the local population.

On Thursday, clashes broke out between police and protesters in the South Korean province of Gyeongsangbuk, where locals fear the THAAD deployment will make them a target of the North Korean government.

The US has also been holding joint military drills with South Korea. The annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises, conducted in late August, involved 40,000 American and South Korean troops in land, air, and sea drills. Pyongyang has repeatedly described the annual US-South Korea military drills as the “most explicit expression of hostility,” voicing fears that the war games may “evolve into actual fighting.”

Russia has noted that through these military drills, the United States engaged in activity on the peninsula that could be considered provocative. “The United States and South Korea are provoking Pyongyang by flexing military muscle and making repeated threats of intervention and pre-emptive strikes,” Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma foreign affairs committee, told reporters following North Korea’s latest nuclear test last week.

To help end the crisis, Russia and China have proposed a double-freeze plan, which would see Pyongyang suspend its nuclear and ballistic missile tests in exchange for a halt in joint US-South Korea military drills. The US has rejected this proposal, saying that it has every right to conduct exercises with its ally, South Korea. The US has also demanded more sanctions, calling on Russia to stop shipping oil to North Korea.

However, Moscow has rejected these calls, stressing that dialogue, not sanctions, is the only solution to the crisis.

“There are possibilities to achieve the settlement of Pyongyang’s problem by diplomatic means. This is possible and must be done,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Thursday.

Putin believes that Pyongyang perceives nuclear weapons as its only protection, and will not abandon them.

“They [in North Korea] view the possession of atomic weapons and missile technology as their only means of protection. Do you think they’ll give it up now?,” he added.


An Iranian missile boat has sent a warning signal to a US Navy ship that closed on an Iranian fishing boat in the Persian Gulf, the press service of the Iranian Navy said Sunday in a statement.

Iranian Navy Warns US Ship Off Sinking Fishing Boat in Persian Gulf
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201709101057267179-iranian-us-navy-persian-guf/

According to the statement, Iranian fishing boat Shams was traveling 45 nautical miles off the Jask port in Iran's Hormozgan province testing its engine, when it started to sink. Upon receiving a distress signal from Shams, Iranian Navy missile boat Falahen set off to rescue the sinking boat.

"It is reported that a US Navy ship with the vessel number 02 approached the mentioned [fishing boat] when the missile boat 'Falahen' sent a warning signal and forced the ship to leave the area," the statement read.

The crew of the boat in distress was rescued. So far, the cause of the incident is still unidentified.

The incident is one of many times when US' and Iranian maritime forces have come dangerously near conflict and likely will not be the last. In a similar incident in August, Pentagon officials said Iranian speedboats had “harassed” US warships in the Strait of Hormuz. They claimed that Iranian boats moved close to two US Navy destroyers with their weapons uncovered in the strait in an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter.
 
Colonel Pat Lang's Outpost - "A Committee of Correspondence" 08 SEPTEMBER 2017

Israel is testing Russia ...

"If reports are confirmed, this will be another sign of the growing Israeli military activity over the ongoing Syrian war caused by a series of success of the Syrian-Iranian-Russian alliance against ISIS across the country.

On September 7, the Israeli Air Force carried out a missile strike on a Syrian military facility near Masyaf town located west of Hama city in central Syria. The strike allegedly hit a weapon depot at the medium-range ballistic missiles plant located in the area. Some pro-Israeli sources speculated that a chemical weapons plant became a target of the strike.

At the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel is ready to do everything to prevent a Shi’ite corridor from Tehran to Damascus and to defend own interests in the region.

Israel increased its military and media activity over the Syrian war after Tel Aviv had failed to get a Russian support in an attempt to influence the US-Russian negotiations aimed at reaching a final settlement agreement over the conflict in Syria.

The Israeli media even accused Russia of providing a diplomatic cover for Hezbollah in the United Nations Security Council.

Tel Aviv is deeply concerned over the collapse of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and fears that the Syrian crisis could be solved in a way ignoring a major part of Tel Aviv’s “interests” in the region." SF

-------------

Israel's self image is being severely stressed by the survival of the Syrian Government and the failure of Israel's attempt to instigate rule in Syria of manageable and fragmented jihadi and semi-secular groups.

A concomitant feature of this Syrian Government survival is introduction of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps troops from the Al-Quds force and their allies in Lebanese Hizbullah. These forces have played a significsant role in preserving the Syrian Government. They now are taking their places as a key element in containing Israel at the line of the Golan Heights.

The Israelis do not like that. Their current "life illusion' centers on Iran and its little friends as avatars of the larger world gentile menace. The specter of a "Shiite land corridor to the Mediterranean " is dominant among people like avigdor Liberman. "We will do what we must!" is the threat.

Russia stands in the way of this fantasy of regional domination by what is really a very small state heavily armed and heavily funded by an ignorant and distant giant.

For the Likudnik world view to prevail Russia must be taught a lesson. The Israeli air attack on Masyaf, carried out from the neutral sanctuary of Lebanese air space and this move forward of Israeli ground forces farther into Syrian territory are opening gambits to see of the Russians can be bullied into accepting Israeli 'moral" dominance in the Middle East. pl

https://southfront.org/israeli-troops-enter-militant-held-area-of-beer-ajam-in-golan-heights-reports/

ISRAELI TROOPS ENTER MILITANT-HELD AREA OF BEER AJAM IN GOLAN HEIGHTS – REPORTS

On September 8, Israeli troops entered a militant-held area in the eastern part of the Golan Heights, according to sources loyal to Syrian pro-government sources.

Israeli troops allegedly advanced 200 meters inside the area controlled by the so-called Syrian moderate opposition and reached the village of Beer Ajam.

If reports are confirmed, this will be another sign of the growing Israeli military activity over the ongoing Syrian war caused by a series of success of the Syrian-Iranian-Russian alliance against ISIS across the country.

On September 7, the Israeli Air Force carried out a missile strike on a Syrian military facility near Masyaf town located west of Hama city in central Syria. The strike allegedly hit a weapon depot at the medium-range ballistic missiles plant located in the area. Some pro-Israeli sources speculated that a chemical weapons plant became a target of the strike.

At the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel is ready to do everything to prevent a Shi’ite corridor from Tehran to Damascus and to defend own interests in the region.

Israel increased its military and media activity over the Syrian war after Tel Aviv had failed to get a Russian support in an attempt to influence the US-Russian negotiations aimed at reaching a final settlement agreement over the conflict in Syria.

The Israeli media even accused Russia of providing a diplomatic cover for Hezbollah in the United Nations Security Council.

Tel Aviv is deeply concerned over the collapse of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and fears that the Syrian crisis could be solved in a way ignoring a major part of Tel Aviv’s “interests” in the region.
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Saudi Arabia was serious about settling the Syrian crisis and stressed its support for series of negotiations in Kazakh capital city of Astana.

"No uninvited guests have the right to maintain their presence in Syria" - Lavrov
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/09/no-uninvited-guests-have-right-to.html

During a press conference held today with his Jordanian counterpart in Jordanian capital city of Amman, Lavrov said that the situation in Iraq, Syria Libya and Yemen has been thoroughly discussed, noting that the crises can only be resolved by maintaining sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nations.

Lavrov's comments come after yesterday’s visit to Saudi Arabia, during which he said Jeddah and Moscow supported the unification of the Syrian opposition factions.

“There is an agreement on strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism and we have a common concept of implementing this and without any double standards”, Lavrov said.

He also said that any foreign presence on the Syrian soil or airspace without the approval of the government in Damascus, violates international law and sovereignty of the Syrian state.

“Since the very beginning, we have consistently taken a very clear stance. Everyone who is on the Syrian soil or in Syria’s airspace without the consent of the Syrian government violates the international law,” Lavrov was heard saying, adding that Russia, as well as the representatives of Iran (Hezbollah including), maintain their presence in Syria due to a direct invitation of Syria’s legitimate authorities.

Lavrov then pointed out to double standards as regards the notorious terror group Al Nusra Front as several members of the US-led “anti-ISIS” coalition are remaining rather supportive of the group, stressing that this is totally unacceptable, especially because both, ISIS and Al Nusra Front, are designated as terrorist organisations by the United Nations.

For his part, the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said he appreciated the importance of cooperation with Russia on reducing tensions in southern Syria, and in trilateral talks, where Washington also participates.

Safadi stressed that his country wants a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria, followed by a peaceful solution to the crisis.

In a related context, he also pointed out that Oman agrees with Moscow on finding a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue on a two-state basis.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented Monday on the military operations by foreign powers in Syria, indicating that the United States violated international law by not coordinating its military operation in the war-ravaged countries with Damascus.

Lavrov: US Bombing Syria in Violation of International Law
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201709111057293328-lavrov-syria-us/

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented Monday on the military operations by foreign powers in Syria, indicating that the United States violated international law by not coordinating its military operation in the war-ravaged countries with Damascus.

On Sunday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad called on the United States to withdraw from the country's territory, because such presence is illegal.

"We have again and again voiced a very clear position: everyone, who is either on Syrian soil or in Syrian airspace without consent, and without an invitation of the Syrian government, is violating the international law. Russia is operating here at the direct invitation of the legitimate Syrian authorities, as well as the representatives of Iran, as well as the representatives of the Hezbollah [movement]," Lavrov said at a press conference commenting on Mekdad's words.


Two Israeli warplanes came under fire by the Syrian army in the Southern parts of the country, social media reports said on Monday.

Syrian Army S-200 Missiles Fired at Israeli Fighter Jets
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620000877

The Arabic website of Sputnik news agency quoted the facebook page of Encyclopedia of Syrian Military as reporting that the Syrian army's air defense radars traced two F-16 fighter jets since 10:25 local time on Sunday and ordered their interception at 11:26 local time.

The report added that the two aircraft were flying Northward and the missile hit them in the Northern parts of Sidon in Lebanon, noting that the targets were also traced by the air defense battalions.

The facebook page underlined that the decision to intercept the Israeli warplanes is no less important than destroying them, reminding that the Israeli fighter jets are equipped with protection systems which can create virtual targets.

The Damascus and Tel Aviv officials have yet to show reaction to the report.

Israel is known to have assisted Golan-based militants of the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) with medical aid and military equipment since as early as 2013.

Photos released on social media last month also showed that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) medical personnel have been recovering wounded terrorists from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights and then treated them in medical centers on the Israeli-occupied side of the region.

According to sources, the militants have been treated by the IDF Israel's medical centers only to then be sent back into Syria were they continue to commit terrorist acts.

Despite the fact that such gunmen are labeled as “rebels” by Western and Persian Gulf media due to their apparently “moderate” stance against the Syrian government, the actual reality stands that a vast majority of the Golan-based militants which Israel provides medical and military aid to are committed militants who pursue sectarian ideals in Syria.


The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that ten commanders of illegal armed formations had come over to the side of the Syrian government forces.

Ten Commanders of Illegal Armed Groups in Syria Join Government Forces - MoD
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201709111057294981-ten-commanders-syria/

The ministry said the agreement with the commanders was reached at the hands the Russian reconciliation center in Syria.

The news comes in the wake of reports that a US Air Force aircraft had evacuated a group of nearly two dozen Daesh field commanders and militants from Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria last month.

The report on the alleged US operation to rescue Daesh in Deir ez-Zor commanders has led Russian experts to call on President Trump to comment directly on the claims, and to ignore any CIA or Pentagon commentary.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday after talks with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al Safadi that the situation with Jabhat al-Nusra remains confusing, because it is continuously being shielded from airstrikes.

Russian Top Diplomat: Al-Nusra Front Is Shielded from Strikes
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620001264

"We said today that the situation with Jabhat al-Nusra continues to remain dubious, as a number of participants in the US-led coalition for some reason are trying to shield and spare them from airstrikes," Lavrov stressed.

"This is inadmissible. Just like the ISIL (Daesh or ISIS), Jabhat al-Nusra remains a terrorist group," Lavrov stressed.


The Syrian army continued its military operations in Eastern Hama and managed to capture a strategic power station in Salamiyeh region after heavy clashes with the terrorists.

Syrian Army Takes Control of Key Power Station in Eastern Hama
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620000841

Salba power station in Salamiyeh region is now under the full control of the Syrian army.

Meantime, the Syrian army is now very close to imposing control over the entire Eastern Hama as limited areas are still under the control of the ISIL.

In a relevant development on Sunday, the Syrian Army troops carried out an ambush operation against ISIL in Eastern Hama and repelled a heavy attack of Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) in the Southern part of the province, inflicting major casualties on the terrorists on Sunday.

The army's elite forces ambushed a group of ISIL terrorists in Wadi al-Azib region in Eastern Hama, killing the entire members of the group and seizing their arms and ammunition.


The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have advanced over 250 square kilometers in their anti-ISIL operations dubbed as 'Island's Storm', and are approaching the contact line with the Syrian army, the Kurdish-led militant group claimed.

SDF Perilously Close to Syrian Army in Deir Ezzur
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620000745

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) opened a new front in Eastern Syria after making large advances in the Northern countryside of Deir Ezzur.

The spokesman for international coalition Ryan Dilon reported that since the beginning of the Island's Storm military operations, the SDF has captured more than 250 square kilometers in Wadi Nahr Khabour region in Northeastern Deir Ezzur.

Meanwhile, the SDF media center announced that the Kurdish-led forces have entered the streets of the city of al-Sanayeh in Deir Ezzur province.

Al-Sanayeh industrial region is only 10 kilometers from Deir Ezzur city, meaning that the SDF are now just 10 kilometers away from Syrian troops and their allies if their claims are proved to be true.


Tens of ISIL terrorists were killed in the city of Raqqa concurrent with the collapse of ISIL in Deir Ezzur, websites close to the terrorist groups said.

44 ISIL Terrorists Killed in Infighting in Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620000632

The websites reported that clashes between a group of ISIL terrorists in al-Amasi region in Raqqa city and another ISIL group coming from outside killed around 44 terrorists from both sides.

The clashes occurred after a group of ISIL terrorists were trying to defect the group after the recent defeats of ISIL and absence of the ISIL Commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Informed sources disclosed in early August that clashes among terrorist groups have intensified in Southeastern Idlib, leaving a number of militants dead or wounded.

The sources reported that the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) stormed the positions of Jeish al-Fateheen affiliated to Ahrar al-Sham in the town of Tahtaya, killing and wounding a number of the rival militants.

The sources added that Al-Nusra intends to impose full control over the road connecting the Southern part of Idlib province to its Eastern part via driving out Jeish al-Fateheen of Tahtaya.

In the meantime, fighters of Hamoud al-Malik, the former commander of Ahrar al-Sham, engaged in clashes with former combatants of Jund al-Aqsa in the town of Ma'art Shamarin in Southern Idlib.

Local activists reported on Wednesday that Al-Nusra militants stationed at a checkpoint South of Saraqib intercepted a convoy of four trucks of Faylaq al-Sham terrorist group.

Al-Nusra militants seized the vehicles which were laden with weapons and ammunitions, and detained Abu Adas, Faylaq’s commander who was leading the convoy.

Faylaq al-Sham issued an ultimatum to Al-Nusra to release the convoy and the commander before midnight or wait for bloody clashes.

The showdown comes two weeks after Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham (a close ally to Faylaq) signed a ceasefire following fierce clashes in North Idlib which killed up to 50 militants from all sides.


Audio files leaked in recent days indicate widening rifts among the commanders of the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) terrorist group, media reports said.

Report: Rifts Widening Among Al-Nursa Front Commanders in Idlib
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620000567

The commanders and religious muftis of Al-Nusra Front are at odds over a recent request by an Al-Nusra commander in Idlib who asked Chief Commander of Al-Nusra Front Abu Muhammad Julani for permission to arrest Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, the commander and Mufti (religious leader) of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) during an upcoming visit to Al-Nusra bases, the Arabic-language al-Hadas news website reported.

Al-Julani, however, rejected the request by Al-Nusra commander in Idlib Abu Hamzeh Banesh, and told him that he would prevent further visits to Al-Nusra military bases by al-Muhaysini.

In a relevant development in late July, Tahrir al-Sham ultimately pushed Ahrar al-Sham back from Idlib city after weeks of bloody clashes in Northwestern Syria.

The Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news network quoted informed sources affiliated to the terrorist groups as saying that Tahrir al-Sham has gained full control over Idlib city and has driven the entire members of Ahrar al-Sham out of the city.

The network added that regardless of the ceasefire, fierce clashes between Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham are underway to take control of passageways and command centers.

In the meantime, media activists said that Al-Nusra's superiority over Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib seems to be against its interests because it has increased the possibility of imminent military operations against them by Damascus, Moscow and even Ankara.


Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday after negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir that the de-escalation zones in Syria are organized as temporary, and nobody is going to use them to split the country into enclaves.

Russia: Splitting Syria Is Not Purpose of De-Escalation Zones
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960620000351

"The purpose of the de-escalation zones is to stop the violence," the Russian minister said, TASS reported.

"It is not a permanent measure, and nobody who agree those zones has an intention of keeping them for good, thus in fact having long-term enclaves in the Syrian territory," he added.

"The agreement is their term is six months, and it is clear already the result is evident, the ceasefire is generally observed," Lavrov stressed, adding that the purpose of the de-escalation zones is "to begin spreading across Syria the space, where ceasefire is observed, where peaceful life is developing."

"A very important element of the program to organize the de-escalation zones is beginning of dialogue via the national reconciliation committees," he said, adding that "Inside those zones there is interest to having the committees to begin talks with the government."

"This would be a very important addition to the efforts to have in Geneva a direct dialogue at the negotiation table under auspices of the UN," Lavrov said.

"If we establish local reconciliation processes in the regions, I believe, the work would move quicker, more effective, and the space, where ceasefire is observed and where the national dialogue emerges, will be expanding to involve eventually entire Syria," he underlined.

At the Astana meeting on Syria in May, the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire (Russia, Iran and Turkey) signed a memorandum on setting up de-escalation zones in the war-torn country.

The de-escalation zones include the Idlib Province, some parts of its neighboring areas in the Lattakia, Hama and Aleppo Provinces North of the city of Homs, Eastern Ghouta, as well as the Dara'a and Quneitra Provinces in Southern Syria.

Starting from May 6, military activities and aircraft flights in the de-escalation zones are banned. Three de-escalation zones have already been established, while the fourth zone in the Idlib Province is being set up.

The document’s term is six months, with an optional further extension.
 
As the two old, cold war adversaries, Russia and NATO, prepare to begin massive war games to show off their respective military strengths, it was the UK's turn to accuse Russia first of "testing the West" by conducting war games on NATO’s eastern flank in its biggest military exercise in four years.

Massive Russian, NATO Wargames Set To Begin Amid Mutual Accusations Of Provocation
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-10/massive-russian-nato-wargames-set-begin-amid-mutual-accusations-provocation

Speaking on BBC's “The Andrew Marr Show” on Sunday, U.K. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said that Russia's exercise "is designed to provoke us, it’s designed to test our defenses, and that’s why we have to be strong. Russia is testing us and testing us now at every opportunity. We’re seeing a more aggressive Russia. We have to deal with that."

In a testament to our hyperbolic times, Fallon's statement also contained just a "little bit" of fake news while Fallon said that more than 100,000 Russian and Belorussian troops are at the borders of North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said last month that the so-called Zapad 2017 exercise Sept. 14-20 involves 13,000 troops, and that the drills are “purely of a defensive nature" according to Bloomberg.

To this end, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also told BBC today that Russia should allow western monitors to access the proceedings, in line with rules that require international observation of all exercises involving more than 13,000 troops. “We have seen before that Russia has used big military exercises as a disguise or a precursor for aggressive military actions against their neighbors,” Stoltenberg said. “That happened in Georgia in 2008 when they invaded Georgia, and it happened in Crimea in 2014 when they illegally annexed Crimea. So we call on Russia to be fully transparent.”

Stoltenberg also said that Russia has a history of “under-reporting” the number of troops in its exercises and “using loopholes in international agreements to avoid international observation,” although it was not clear just which country Putin had an intention of invading next.

Meanwhile, what the NATO commander forgot to mention is that just days before the dreaded Russian "Zapad 2017" exercise is set to begin, NATO's own Steadfast Pyramid 2017 military exercise kicked off in Latvia on Sunday, with 40 senior commanders from NATO states, as well as Finland and Sweden. They are expected to train how to “plan and conduct operations” amid the bloc’s buildup in the region.

Steadfast Pyramid 2017 and Steadfast Pinnacle 2017, involving more than 40 senior officers from NATO member states, plus Finland and Sweden, will take place at the Riga-based Latvian Defense Academy, the country’s national news agency LETA reported on Sunday.

Covering the duration of Russia's drills, Steadfast Pyramid, the first part of the exercise, will last until September 15. It is reportedly “to improve the ability of top-level officers and commanders to plan and lead joint operations,” according to LETA. Steadfast Pinnacle, the next stage of the drill, will last from September 17 until September 22. Steadfast Pyramid and Steadfast Pinnacle were first held in Latvia in 2011. British General James Everard, the NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, is expected to arrive in Latvia to oversee both stages of the exercise, Latvia’s Defense Ministry said, according to LETA.

Meanwhile, not much is known so far about NATO's war games. A NATO fact sheet says Steadfast Pyramid and Steadfast Pinnacle are focused on “further developing the abilities of commanders and senior staff to plan and conduct operations through the application of operational art in decision making.”

Latvia, a former Soviet republic, has seen a major NATO buildup over the past months. Recently, NATO deployed four multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland as part of Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP). These combat-ready battlegroups, led by the UK, Canada, Germany, and the US respectively, are meant to demonstrate “the strength of the transatlantic bond.” A 1,100-strong battlegroup led by Canada is stationed in Latvia, comprising a number of mechanized infantry units as well as a tank company and some support elements, according to NATO.

While NATO has denied it, Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO of offensive behavior, and justifies its own defensive buildup and posture on NATO's encroachment on Russian borders.

Meanwhile, blissfully unconcerned about the Russian response, Poland and the Baltics have been calling for a stronger military presence in their countries, claiming it is necessary to deter “assertive” Russia. Lithuania has gone so far as suggesting developing a “military Schengen project that would facilitate the movement of troops in Europe.” Earlier this week, Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said the Benelux countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg – as well as Finland and Estonia, support the plan, which includes “simplifying procedures and investing in infrastructure.”

At the same time, Moscow has consistently said the ongoing buildup threatens Russian and European security. In mid-July, Russian envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said the alliance is pushing forward for “an intensive mastering of the potential theater of military operations, accompanied by the development of the necessary infrastructure.”

To underscore his point, Grushko added that from July to November, NATO will hold 15 drills complementing each other, “which are held in the same operative field and aimed at providing a vast range of support measures.”

Finally, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said that Moscow will not remain silent facing emerging threats on its western borders. NATO’s saber-rattling leaves Russia no other choice than to “give a suitable response to all of these actions,” he said, noting that Moscow’s countermeasures will be “much cheaper,” if not quite as technologically advanced, Putin told award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone.


The spectacular victory this week for Syrian state forces and allies liberating Deir ez-Zor portends an end to the war. But celebrations should be tempered by the realization that the enemies of Syria will shift their agenda for conflict elsewhere.

Losing in Syria, the US will target Russia more than ever
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/402779-syria-war-us-russia/

If we segregate the many protagonists in Syria’s conflict, the two main rivals to emerge from the melee are the United States and Russia. Russia may have gained the upper hand in Syria. But, ironically, winning the peace in Syria may unleash wars elsewhere.

Reports that US military forces have been airlifting insurgents out of harm’s way in Syria suggest that Washington is saving its terrorist assets to fight another day, perhaps in some other unfortunate country targeted for regime change.

The six-year war in Syria was never really about Syria alone. It was but a battlefield in a global war for dominance by the US and its allies. Syria was only one of many countries where the US has sought to establish its suzerainty through war for regime change.

When Russia stepped in to defend its Syrian ally at the end of 2015, that was the game-changer. Up till that point, the government of President Bashar Assad looked decidedly precarious, as mercenary proxies backed by the US and its allies homed in on the goal of regime change.

The liberation of Aleppo last December and this week of the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor by the Syrian Army backed by Russian air power have heralded the final defeat of the foreign-sponsored war against Syria. However, that is not the end of the affair.

For months now, the US and its NATO and regional partners have realized that the game was up in Syria. Syrian President Assad recently disclosed that foreign funding for the anti-government militants had dried up. A key marker was the closing down two months ago of CIA support operations for militants in Syria by President Trump.

With the fall of the US-led war for regime change in Syria, the various foreign co-conspirators are scrambling to realign their interests.

Russia is emerging as the kingpin in the Syrian situation. Turkey is reportedly giving full support to the Russian-brokered peace talks to resume in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was in Moscow this week, where he announced in a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Paris was no longer demanding President Assad to stand down. Quite a change from predecessor Laurent Fabius’ view, expressed repeatedly, that “there was no place on Earth for Assad.”

France, like Turkey, realizes that their best bet now is to dive into peace talks in the hope they can influence the final settlement with some dividend.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is supplicating Moscow to exercise its newfound authority in Syria in such a way as to curb Iran’s influence. Iran, along with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, was also key to Syria’s military success against the foreign-backed jihadist proxies. The Saudi rulers know the writing is on the wall for the US-led war against Assad. Last month, the Saudis reportedly told the various terrorist groups in Syria that the bankrolling was over.

What the Saudis are focused on now is the bigger picture of confronting Iran, which they see as their nemesis in the region.

Israel, too, backed the wrong horse in Syria, and like the other sponsors of the regime-change agenda, it is keen to shore up its losses. The surprise visit by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to Moscow at the end of last month was motivated by his alarm over Iran’s robust position gained in neighboring Syria.

The Israeli air strike this week in Syria (allegedly from Lebanese airspace to avoid Russian S-400 missiles) can be best understood as a knee-jerk act of revenge for the Syrian Army’s breakthrough victory at Deir ez-Zor.

Syrian political commentator Afraa Dagher wrote that the US, Israel, and the other regime-change conspirators had hoped to split the central authority of Assad by making Deir ez-Zor “a Berlin” – a symbolic splintering of the country.

Although the Syrian government is substantially regaining control over all its territory – with reports over the weekend of the army pushing on to liberate more territory – one cannot discount that the foreign enemies have given up their nefarious agenda entirely.

The intensified US aerial bombing of the northeast city of Raqqa and its support for Kurdish militia harks to the same objective of carving up Syria’s territorial integrity, with a view to undermining the authority of the Assad government in Damascus.

While the foreign enemies of Syria do seem to have resigned to accepting defeat in their objective to overthrow Assad, the country will still be subject to troublesome external interference. The Turks and French will no doubt try to stick their oars into the political process to sway the outcome. The Saudis and Israelis will shift their animosity toward Iran in some other way which will likely involve further violation of Syrian sovereignty.

As for the United States, and its trusty British bulldog, the agenda in Syria was always about the macro picture of exerting global dominance with regard to perceived rivals of Russia, China, and Iran. The US has incurred a serious setback in Syria. No doubt about it. Russia can be said to have won, and for a while is the kingpin, as the war-torn Arab country begins to reconstruct.

But we can expect new battlefields to emerge in the US struggle for hegemonic control.

The flared-up crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program seems more than a coincidence with the stifling of American ambitions in Syria. Washington’s gung-ho approach to North Korea has served to destabilize the region and given the US a perfect cover for expanding its strategic forces on the far-east borders of China and Russia.

In Ukraine, the US is recklessly destabilizing that conflict further by moving to supply the Kiev regime with lethal weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of escalating violence and the scuppering of any hope for a peaceful settlement if the US proceeds with its plans to arm the Kiev regime.

Winning the six-year war in Syria is a seminal strategic victory for the Syrian people and their allies, primarily Russia, thanks to Putin’s courageous decision to intervene nearly two years ago.

The US and its partners-in-crime against Syria are licking their wounds.

Nevertheless, the US agenda of global hegemony and “full spectrum dominance” will not stop there. We have to understand the Syrian war as being just one front in a range of global fronts for the US to violently assert its power ambitions. That incorrigible dynamic stems from the inherent nature of US capitalism and its imperialist form.

Russia is helping to win the peace in Syria despite a six-year criminal onslaught led by the US, Britain, France, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and others.

But this is perhaps the precise time when war will erupt somewhere else. All the more so because Russia has spectacularly defied the American global bully in Syria.
 
Special Report: Just as the West ignored signs in 2002-03 that anti-government Iraqis were fabricating WMD claims, evidence is being brushed aside that Syrian jihadists have ginned up chemical attacks, reports Robert Parry.

Echoes of Iraq-WMD Fraud in Syria September 10, 2017
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/09/10/echoes-of-iraq-wmd-fraud-in-syria/

The New York Times and other Western media have learned few lessons from the Iraq War, including how the combination of a demonized foreign leader and well-funded “activists” committed to flooding the process with fake data can lead to dangerously false conclusions that perpetuate war.

What we have seen in Syria over the past six years parallels what occurred in Iraq in the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion in 2002-03. In both cases, there was evidence that the “system” was being gamed – by the Iraqi National Congress (INC) in pushing for the Iraq War and by pro-rebel “activists” promoting “regime change” in Syria – but those warnings were ignored. Instead, the flood of propagandistic claims overwhelmed what little skepticism there was in the West.

Regarding Iraq, the INC generated a surge of “defectors” who claimed to know where Saddam Hussein was concealing his WMD stockpiles and where his nuclear program was hidden. In Syria, we have seen something similar with dubious claims about chemical weapons attacks.

The Iraqi “defectors,” of course, were lying, and a little-noticed congressional study revealed that the CIA had correctly debunked some of the fakers but – because of the pro-invasion political pressure from George W. Bush’s White House and the U.S. mainstream media’s contempt for Saddam Hussein – other bogus claims were accepted as true. The result was catastrophic.

But the telltale signs of an INC disinformation campaign were there before the war. For instance, by early February 2003, as the final invasion plans were underway, the parade of Iraqi “walk-ins” was continuing. U.S. intelligence agencies had progressed up to “Source Eighteen,” one fellow who came to epitomize what some CIA analysts suspected was systematic INC coaching of sources.

As the CIA planned a debriefing of Source Eighteen, another Iraqi exile passed on word to the agency that an INC representative had told Source Eighteen to “deliver the act of a lifetime.” CIA analysts weren’t sure what to make of that piece of news since Iraqi exiles frequently badmouthed each other but the value of the warning soon became clear.

U.S. intelligence officers debriefed Source Eighteen the next day and discovered that “Source Eighteen was supposed to have a nuclear engineering background, but was unable to discuss advanced mathematics or physics and described types of ‘nuclear’ reactors that do not exist,” according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report on the Iraq War’s intelligence failures.

“Source Eighteen used the bathroom frequently, particularly when he appeared to be flustered by a line of questioning, suddenly remembering a new piece of information upon his return. During one such incident, Source Eighteen appeared to be reviewing notes,” the report said.

Not surprisingly, U.S. intelligence officers concluded that Source Eighteen was a fabricator. But the sludge of INC-connected disinformation kept oozing through the U.S. intelligence community, fouling the American intelligence product in part because there was little pressure from above demanding strict quality controls. Indeed, the opposite was true.

A more famous fake Iraqi defector earned the code name “Curve Ball” and provided German intelligence agencies details about Iraq’s alleged mobile facilities for producing agents for biological warfare.

Tyler Drumheller, then chief of the CIA’s European Division, said his office had issued repeated warnings about Curve Ball’s accounts. “Everyone in the chain of command knew exactly what was happening,” Drumheller said. [Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2005]

Despite those objections and the lack of direct U.S. contact with Curve Ball, he earned a rating as “credible” or “very credible,” and his information became a core element of the Bush administration’s case for invading Iraq. Drawings of Curve Ball’s imaginary bio-weapons labs were a central feature of Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the U.N. on Feb. 5, 2003.

The Syrian Parallel

Regarding Syria, a similar mix of factors exists. The Obama administration’s advocacy for Syrian “regime change” and the hostility from many Western interest groups toward President Bashar al-Assad lowered the bar of skepticism enabling propaganda arms of Al Qaeda and its jihadist allies (Comment - including the fictitious White Helmets?) to have enormous success in selling dubious accusations about chemical attacks and other atrocities.

As with the CIA analysts who tripped up a few of the Iraqi liars, some United Nations investigators have seen evidence of the trickery. For instance
they learned from townspeople of Al-Tamanah about how the rebels and allied “activists” staged a chlorine gas attack on the night of April 29-30, 2014, and then sold the false story to a credulous Western media and, initially, to the U.N. investigative team.

“Seven witnesses stated that frequent alerts [about an imminent chlorine weapons attack by the government] had been issued, but in fact no incidents with chemicals took place,” the U.N. report stated. “While people sought safety after the warnings, their homes were looted and rumors spread that the events were being staged. … [T]hey [these witnesses] had come forward to contest the wide-spread false media reports.”

Accounts from other people, who did allege that there had been a government chemical attack on Al-Tamanah, provided suspect evidence, including data from questionable sources, according to the U.N. report.

The report said, “Three witnesses, who did not give any description of the incident on 29-30 April 2014, provided material of unknown source. One witness had second-hand knowledge of two of the five incidents in Al-Tamanah, but did not remember the exact dates. Later that witness provided a USB-stick with information of unknown origin, which was saved in separate folders according to the dates of all the five incidents mentioned by the FFM (the U.N.’s Fact-Finding Mission).

“Another witness provided the dates of all five incidents reading it from a piece of paper, but did not provide any testimony on the incident on 29-30 April 2014. The latter also provided a video titled ‘site where second barrel containing toxic chlorine gas was dropped tamanaa 30 April 14’”

Some other witnesses alleging a Syrian government attack offered curious claims about detecting the chlorine-infused “barrel bombs” based on how the device sounded in its descent.

The U.N. report said, “The eyewitness, who stated to have been on the roof, said to have heard a helicopter and the ‘very loud’ sound of a falling barrel. Some interviewees had referred to a distinct whistling sound of barrels that contain chlorine as they fall. The witness statement could not be corroborated with any further information.”

However, the claim itself is absurd since it is inconceivable that anyone could detect a chlorine canister inside a “barrel bomb” by “a distinct whistling sound.”

The larger point, however, is that the jihadist rebels in Al-Tamanah and their propaganda teams, including relief workers and activists, appear to have organized a coordinated effort at deception complete with a fake video supplied to U.N. investigators and Western media outlets.

For instance, the Telegraph in London reported that “Videos allegedly taken in Al-Tamanah … purport to show the impact sites of two chemical bombs. Activists said that one person had been killed and another 70 injured.”

The Telegraph also quoted supposed weapons expert Eliot Higgins, the founder of Bellingcat, as endorsing the report. “Witnesses have consistently reported the use of helicopters to drop the chemical barrel bombs used,” said Higgins. “As it stands, around a dozen chemical barrel bomb attacks have been alleged in that region in the last three weeks.”

To finish up pointing the finger of guilt at the government, the Telegraph added that “The regime is the only party in the civil war that possesses helicopters” – a claim that also has been in dispute since the rebels had captured government air assets and had received substantial military assistance from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United States, Israel, Jordan and other countries.

The Al-Tamanah debunking received no mainstream media attention when the U.N. findings were issued in September 2016 because the U.N. report relied on rebel information to blame two other alleged chlorine attacks on the government and that got all the coverage. But the case should have raised red flags given the extent of the apparent deception.

If the seven townspeople were telling the truth, that would mean that the rebels and their allies issued fake attack warnings, produced propaganda videos to fool the West, and prepped “witnesses” with “evidence” to deceive investigators. Yet, no alarms went off about other rebel claims.

The Ghouta Incident

A more famous attack – with sarin gas on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta on Aug. 21, 2013, killing hundreds – was also eagerly blamed on the Assad regime, as The New York Times, Human Rights Watch, Higgins’s Bellingcat and many other Western outlets jumped to that conclusion despite the unlikely circumstances. Assad had just welcomed U.N. investigators to Damascus to examine chemical attacks that he was blaming on the rebels.

Assad also was facing a “red line” threat from President Obama warning him of possible U.S. military intervention if the Syrian government deployed chemical weapons. Why Assad and his military would choose such a moment to launch a deadly sarin attack, killing mostly civilians, made little sense.

But this became another rush to judgment in the West that brought the Obama administration to the verge of launching a devastating air attack on the Syrian military that might have helped Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate and/or the Islamic State win the war.

Eventually, however, the case blaming Assad for the 2013 sarin attack collapsed. An analysis by genuine weapons experts – Theodore A. Postol, a professor of science, technology and national security policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Richard M. Lloyd, an analyst at the military contractor Tesla Laboratories – found that the missile that delivered the sarin had a very short range placing its likely firing position in rebel territory.

Later, reporting by journalist Seymour Hersh implicated Turkish intelligence working with jihadist rebels as the likely source of the sarin.

We also learned in 2016 that a message from the U.S. intelligence community had warned Obama how weak the evidence against Assad was. There was no “slam-dunk” proof, said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. And Obama cited his rejection of the Washington militaristic “playbook” to bomb Syria as one of his proudest moments as President.

With this background, there should have been extreme skepticism when jihadists and their allies made new claims about the Syrian government engaging in chemical weapons attacks, just like the CIA should have recognized that the Iraqi National Congress’s production of some obviously phony “walk-ins” justified doubts about all of them.

After the invasion of Iraq and the U.S. failure to find the promised WMD caches, INC leader Ahmed Chalabi congratulated his organization as “heroes in error” for its success in using falsehoods to help get the United States to invade.

But the West appears to have learned next to nothing from the Iraq deceptions – or arguably the lessons are being ignored out of a desire to continue the neoconservative “regime change” project for the Middle East.

Pressure to Confirm

U.N. investigators, who have been under intense pressure to confirm accusations against the Syrian government, continue to brush aside contrary evidence, such as testimony regarding the April 4 “sarin incident” at Khan Sheikhoun, that suggested a replay of the Al-Tamanah operation.

In a new U.N. report, testimony from two people, who were apparently considered reliable by investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, asserted that anti-government aircraft spotters issued no early-morning warning of a flight leaving the Syrian military airbase of Shayrat, contradicting claims from Al Qaeda’s allies inside Khan Sheikhoun who insisted that there had been such a warning.

If no warplanes left Shayrat airbase around dawn on April 4, then President Trump’s case for retaliating with 59 Tomahawk missiles launched against the base two days later would collapse. The U.S. strike reportedly killed several soldiers at the base and nine civilians, including four children, in nearby neighborhoods. It also risked inflicting death on Russians stationed at the base.

But the U.N. report accepts the version from the activists and rebels inside the Al Qaeda-controlled town and then goes on to endorse other rebel claims regarding alleged Syrian military chemical attacks on at least 20 other occasions.

The New York Times was mightily impressed with the U.N. report’s “unequivocal condemnation” of Assad’s regime and cited it as justification for Israeli warplanes bombing a Syrian military facility on Thursday. Rather than criticize Israel for attacking a neighboring country, the Times framed the action in a positive light as having “brought renewed attention to Syria’s chemical weapons.”

But the journalistic (and intelligence) point should have been that the West was fooled in Iraq by self-interested “activists” flooding the Times, the CIA and the world with fake information — so many bogus walk-ins that they overwhelmed whatever half-hearted process there was to weed out lies from truth. The Syrian “opposition” appears to have adopted a similar strategy in Syria with similar success.

Given the history, skepticism should be the rule in Syria, not credulity. Or, as President George W. Bush once said in a different context, “fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
 
kenlee said:
Seamas said:
Good story... what happened with your brother? Did he just grow out of it or did you finally have to stand up to him to get him to stop being a bully?

I'd say both since as we got older in our teens the 2 years age difference mattered less and less and even if I didn't learn how to fight I'd still be big enough to handle him....

Thanks for sharing, I'm glad the two of you are friends now :)
 
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