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

Are the U.S. France and Britain preparing to launch punitive airstrikes against Syria in reprisal for another (forthcoming) “false flag” Chemical Weapons attack allegedly ordered by president Bashar al Assad against his own people.

August 26, 2018 - Is the US and Its Allies Preparing to Bomb Syria? Towards a “No Fly Zone” in Northern Syria?
https://www.globalresearch.ca/is-th...wards-a-no-fly-zone-in-northern-syria/5651914


U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is reported to have told his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, that “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing to use chemical weapons to recapture the northwestern province of Idlib from rebels.”

On August 22, at a press conference in Jerusalem, John Bolton, Trump’s (“Humanitarian”) National Security Adviser expressed his “concern” intimating that Assad is preparing to “kill his own people”:

“We are obviously concerned about the possibility that Assad may use chemical weapons again, …​
if the Syrian regime uses chemical weapons, we will respond very strongly and they really ought to think about this a long time before they come into any decision, because there is no ambiguity in the U.S. position on this point.”​
Is another false flag CW attack on the drawing board of the Pentagon?

It’s intent (according to Bolton) would be to provide legitimacy to a US and allied “humanitarian” bombing, i.e. “Responsibility to Protect”, i.e. “war with a human face”.

Apart from acknowledging Bolton’s statement, the Western media (with the exception of a report by Germany’s Deutsche Welle) have remained silent regarding the details of the alleged false flag CW scenario which were revealed by Russia’s Ministry of Defense:

“Foreign specialists” have arrived in Syria and may stage a chemical attack using chlorine in “the next two days,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. This will be filmed for international media to frame Damascus forces.​
Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the operation is planned to unfold in the village of Kafr Zita in Syria’s northwestern Hama Province in “the next two days.”

The above report remains to be corroborated or refuted. The Western media has remained silent. It has not taken the trouble (with a couple of exceptions) to report or challenge the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry.

The unspoken truth is that the US and its allies including Israel are largely intent upon sabotaging the peace process in Syria.

What Next?

Now that the details concerning the alleged false flag CW operation have been revealed, the question is whether the US and its allies will go ahead with the punitive bombing raid against Syria.

Russia’s Response

“We warned the Americans and their allies against taking new reckless steps in Syria,” said Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov,

According to Tass (August 25) Russia has responded with major naval deployments:

“The Black Sea Fleet’s frigates Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Essen armed with Kalibr cruise missiles will join the Russian Navy’s Mediterranean task force, the Fleet’s press office reported on Saturday.​
“The Black Sea Fleet’s frigates Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Essen are making a planned passage from Sevastopol to the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, the warships’ crews are passing through the Black Sea’s Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits,”​
These developments are of strategic significance.

The Russia-Turkey relationship has facilitated the routine deployment of Russia’s Black Sea fleet out of Sevastopol in Crimea through the Bosphorus into the Eastern Mediterranean. From Russia’s perspective, the naval integration of the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean constitutes a major turning point which also affects the deployment of NATO naval forces in the Black Sea out of Romania and Bulgaria.

We are dealing with a geopolitical shift: With Ankara siding with Moscow, the Russian Federation has regained control over the Black Sea Basin.

The Kurdish YPG Supported by the US

The US has largely been supportive of Al Qaeda affiliated rebels as well the Kurdish YPG militants which have been fighting Turkish forces in Northern Syria. Back in January, “The White House said Trump had urged Erdogan to curtail the military operation in Syria, while Turkey said Erdogan had told Trump that U.S. troops should withdraw from Manbij.” (Reuters, January 24, 2018)

Both governments agreed in January to remain in “close coordination” to “avoid misunderstandings”.

About Turn: In recent developments, Washington has reaffirmed its support for the YPG (against Turkey) in defiance of the January understanding with Ankara “to collaborate”. In turn, Russia and Turkey are coordinating their actions in Syria against the US supported Kurdish YPG.

On August 25, a senior official of the State Department William Roebuck traveled to Manbij and Ayn al-Arab in Kobani close to the border with Turkey (see map). “He also visited Dayr al-Zawr Province which is held by US-backed Kurdish militants.” (Press TV, August 26, 2018)
“We are prepared to stay here, as the president (Donald Trump) has made clear,” He was referring to more than 2,000 US and allied troops deployed in territories in Northeast Syria under Kurdish YPG control. (Press Tv, 25 August 2018).​

On Saturday, Kurdish media reported that the US had installed advanced radar systems in its bases at the Ayn al-Arab military airport and the town of Rmelan in Hasakah Province.
Quoting an informed source at the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of Kurdish militants, the report said the systems are meant to create a no-fly zone in northeastern Syria.​
The source also said the US had recently sent additional weapons and ammunition for SDF militants in the southern countryside of Hasakah (see map below). (Press Tv, August 25, 2018)​


US military deployments in Northeastern Syria are in practice (not officially) also directed against Turkey, with a view to creating a separate Kurdish proxy state in Northern Syria.

“The no fly zone” appears to be modeled on that imposed on Iraq in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, allegedly to protect Kurds in Northern Iraq.

But in this case the US zone of influence is on Turkey’s door step, the No Fly Zone extends to Turkey’s border.

While Turkey has established an alliance of convenience with Russia and Iran (both of which are involved militarily in Syria), the US and Turkey are potentially on a “Collision Course” which could lead to a broader war.

When Allies Confront Allies

Needless to say, NATO is in disarray with the US, France and Britain confronting Turkey (which is also a NATO member state) in the Syria war theater.


Aug 27, 2018 - BREAKING: DRILL GOES ‘LIVE’ – IRAN SEIZES CONTROL OF HORMUZ STRAIT, U.S EMPIRE STUNNED
BREAKING: DRILL GOES 'LIVE' - IRAN SEIZES CONTROL OF HORMUZ STRAIT, U.S EMPIRE STUNNED - Fort Russ

FRN has been made aware that Iranian Revolutionary Guards Chief, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, just hours ago declared that Iran has fully liberated the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz from foreign and hostile subjugation. Iran had been conducting ‘drills’ in the area, beginning in mid-June, and supported by the Chinese Navy, when the drill went ‘live’.

This was a confirmation of the statement by Alireza Tangsiri, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s navy chief, saying the same. Iran has confirmed that any number of friendly and neutral states will continue to have full commercial access to the strategic water-way. China has confirmed its support for today’s major move on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The strait will now be a part of a strategic co-prosperity zone for Axis of Resistance countries, as well as increasingly neutral states including other Gulf Monarchies, like Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, who are now in a process of pushing out of Saudi-Israeli interference and control. The orientation of these states had begun to shift dramatically in the 2016-17 period, when the success of Iran and Russia in the Syrian war became evident.

Details of today’s event:

Iran had been conducting a series of ‘drills’ and ‘military exercises’ since mid-June, in the strait, when apparently the ‘drill went live’, and Iran declared full military control of the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. This is a major event, the significance of which has already sent a strong and stabilizing message around the world.

The official IRNA news agency said the start of major drill in the lead-up to today’s major event, occurred on Sunday June 17th, and included an Iranian warship and two Chinese destroyers, a logistics ship and one helicopter. The Chinese flotilla ‘went to Oman’ after the naval exercise, state-run Xinhua also confirmed in their report. Iran has confirmed that Oman will continue to have access, despite pressures from Saudi Arabia and Israeli. The Chinese flotilla is still stationed in Oman, and in connection with this, are the official reports dating back to May that China and Oman have entered into a military-strategic partnership.

The Iranian navy had assigned its Alborz destroyer, a helicopter and about 700 personnel to the exercise.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been holding large-scale military drills in the Persian Gulf. The IRGC said they were ready to disrupt other countries’ oil shipments through the strait if Iran’s own exports were impeded.
Iranian officials have earlier threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off the main oil shipping route, in retaliation for any hostile actions from the US. In early July, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held large-scale military drills in the Persian Gulf. The drills were part of the annual exercises framework.

Through the use of and under the cover of ‘drills’, supported by the Chinese, the Iranian Navy was able to assume full control, unopposed and without a shot being fired, of the Strait of Hormuz.



Previously, the Iranian Supreme Leader’s Top Adviser for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow that if Iran was not permitted to export its oil via the strait, no other Middle Eastern state would be able to do so.

Iran’s ground forces commander Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari has warned the US and its allies to avoid trying to bring Iran’s oil exports to a halt adding that the country’s armed forces have all they need to defend the nation.

Both Russian and Iranian media, under a dangerously increasing regime of US corporate media and internet censorship, have apparently intentionally downplayed today’s major, breaking news event. The connection between the drills, and the sudden Iranian military announcement, is not concretely made, even while both events are mentioned in the relevant journalistic reportage of this major event. Iran’s English language PressTV has not covered it, and the Sputnik news coverage appears to have intentionally failed to ‘connect’ some fairly obvious and glaring ‘dots’.

US Empire and allies, impotent to respond:

Iran has effectively bucked the now defunct U.S official policy, as elucidated by US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. Pompeo and the U.S Empire have been wiped from the page of historical relevance in Mid-east affairs, as he had said that the US was poised and ready to ensure uninterrupted oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz despite threats from Iran. Iran has today proven otherwise, and the US Empire is stunned.

Senior US officials had said they aimed to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero. Today’s events appear to bring a close to that dashed aim.

In June, the US Department of State urged oil companies to stop exporting oil from Iran by November to avoid US sanctions, but Iran’s largest western market, the EU – which is really was at issue – has already made it clear that they will not be backing out of the the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.) The Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal represents an agreement on the nuclear program of Iran reached in Vienna on 14 July 2015 between Iran, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, plus Germany), and the European Union.

Thus, of those states mentioned above, only the US has backed out. The UK can, only if it completes Brexit, also ‘back out’. The Brexit process is one which FRN has consistently explained is a complex phenomenon that represents Atlanticist pressures on the UK to be ‘Airstrip One’ against the coming Eurasia, as the EU further integrates into China, Russia, and the Mid-East. Thus, keeping the JCPOA together, minus the US under Israeli and Neocon pressure, has been a massive success for the Rouhani-led government. Rouhani is anything but ‘clinging to power’ – that phrase being a somewhat ridiculously unfitting and predictable phrase borrowed from the US’s regime-change discourse.

Back in May, US President Donald Trump said that the United States would leave the nuclear agreement with Iran that stipulated Tehran should guarantee the peaceful nature of its nuclear program in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions. This exemplified the US’s capitulation to Israel’s own regional interests. Israel and Saudi Arabia have made an alliance to divide up Iraq and Syria, and Iran has made a policy of ensuring that Syria and Iraq exist as unitary and integral states, thereby ensuring stability, growth, and predictability in the region, and cutting-off the rise of Salafist-Sunni radical ‘Islamic’ fundamentalism in the region.

The US has necessarily felt this sting, and are hedging their reportage of this major event, the circulation of the news surrounding which will no doubt have an absolutely deleterious effect on the stock value of firms which US elites have invested in, whose military and financial interests are at odds with those of Iran.

The Reuters news headline, begins to reflect the significance of today’s event:


In addition to this, we have seen media hysteria today, ramping up hype over what is a rather commonplace story about an upcoming parliamentary inquiry that Rouhani will answer questions at. The AFP has gone into overdrive, delivering the next round of ill-informed, reality distorting ‘regime change’ discourse regarding Rouhani. Their reportage exposes an deliberate aim to misinform the public. They additionally make anachronistic references to ‘street opposition’, even while today there are no protests occurring in the Iranian Islamic Republic.

That Iran has a democratically elected parliament, and that Iran has a normal system of checks and balances is accidentally revealed in their piece, even though their aim was to introduce the word ‘impeachment’. But what they accidentally tell the public is that Iran indeed has a parliament, and that there are methods to remove a sitting president. What they do is conflate the fact that such a procedure exists in this Iranian republic, as in many republics, with some notion that such a procedure is on the horizon, or has a relevant place in today’s news about the upcoming parliamentary inquiry.

Included in the below screen-shot of the US deep-state AFP misinformation campaign, are some notes with red under-liner and text to point out the ridiculous phrasings, outright distortions, and internal logical contradictions. What they fail to explain is that Rouhani is a ‘conservative-friendly reformist‘. His popularity and re-election just last May, with about 70% voter turn-out, are based upon staking out a middle-path between economic ‘anti-western’ Iranian revolutionary conservatism, and ‘west-friendly’ reformism-pragmatism.

The confusion and inability to ‘message control’ in sectors of some of these states, such as Qatar, is evidenced by the lack of coverage (at the time of publishing, 4 pm GMT+2) in Al Jazeera of this major geostrategic and geopolitical event. The following screen-shot show’s the Al-Thani dynasty controlled Qatari news coverage for today, regarding Iran. No mention of this major development, and instead, banal reportage.

From the perspective of the rising the Multi-Polar Revolution (MPR) in progress, today’s immense development cannot be overstated. The Strait of Hormuz is a water-way of tremendous significance, and Iran’s liberation of this passage, supported by the Chinese Navy stationed in nearby Oman, signifies the tectonic shift we have witnessed over the last five years. It was five years ago that the US’s military planners strategists came to the sober conclusion that they no longer had the force-projection ability, nor the international support, to strike Damascus directly with US or UK air force assets.

This marked a huge turning point in history, almost as if an alternate time-line had crossed into our own, one in which the US Empire was suddenly feckless and incapable of militarily defeating a 4th rate regional military power. In reality, the US military had been in terminal decline, along with its economy, as well-noted, by the neoconservative think-tank, the PNAC (Project for a New American Century) since 2000. In their white paper, they described that only a ‘Pearl Harbor like event’ could spur the sort of investment in military re-arming that could turn the tide. Ultimately, these efforts were successful in breathing life back into imperial projects, but only for another decade, ending with the destruction of Libya. Their gambit to seize Crimea by staging a coup in Ukraine, and create a permanent war-zone there, also ended in failure.

All of this explains the US’s clamp-down on political movements, and journalism ‘at home’.
 
28 August، 2018 - Al-Jaafari: Western states planning to stage new chemical incidents to obstruct political process and justify aggression on Syria
Al-Jaafari: Western states planning to stage new chemical incidents to obstruct political process and justify aggression on Syria – Syrian Arab News Agency

Syria’s Permanent Representative at the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said on Tuesday that there are certain Western states that are using their “black flags and White Helmets” to stage new chemical incidents in order to obstruct the political process and justify their aggression against Syria.

During a Security Council session on the situation in Syria, al-Jaafari said that Syria has repeatedly affirmed that it considers the use of chemical weapons immoral and that it denounces their use, reiterating that Syria does not possess any chemical weapons as it has fulfilled its obligations to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

He asserted that Syria’s chemical arsenal was destroyed on board an American ship in the Mediterranean, all while Israel’s nuclear, chemical, and biological arsenal is waiting for the “blessing of the Council.”

Al-Jaafari said that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and groups affiliated with it are preparing to use chemical weapons against civilians in Idleb in order to accuse the Syrian forces and justify any military aggression that could be waged by the governments of the states that control these terror groups.

He asserted that any aggression against Syria would constitute an aggression against regional and international peace and security, and that such an aggression would provide support for terrorism and undermine the efforts to combat it.

Responding to representatives of some member states, al-Jaafari said that Syria has accepted 2700 requests from World Food Program to deliver aid to the liberated regions.

“The Syrian Arab Red Crescent continuously cooperates with local and international humanitarian partners to deliver the aid and send tens of convoys to the needy areas,” he added.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Jabhat al-Nusra terror organization and groups affiliated to it are holding over two million people in Idleb hostage and preventing them from leaving.

He said that members of the “White Helmets” have transported two toxic gas containers in Idleb province, not to mention that there are already eight containers of toxic gas, with the intent of using them against civilians in order to justify a new aggression by Washington, London and Paris on Syria.

Nebenzya warned against new western aggression on Syria based on fabricated news and allegations about using chemical weapons against civilians in Idleb.

The Russian diplomat stressed that the Syrian army does not possess any chemical weapons, pointing out that any western attack in Syria will harm the political process in the country and will not serve the interests of terrorist groups there.

Nebenzya also asserted that the illegal presence of the US forces in al-Tanf area violates Syria’s sovereignty and the international anti-ISIS coalition led by Washington attempts to control the country’s resources.

He noted that the western states are protecting terrorists and manipulating the chemical file to exert pressure on the Syrian government, meantime, the colonial policy continues with the aim of dividing Syria instead of focusing on political settlement and counterterrorism efforts in the country.
 
2018-08-28 - Russia denies reports on Bolton’s warning about strikes on Syria
Russia denies reports on Bolton's warning about strikes on Syria

The Kremlin cannot confirm that US Security Adviser John Bolton had reportedly warned Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev about possible strikes on Syria in case of a “chemical attack,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

“No,” Peskov told reporters when asked whether he could confirm that there had been such a warning.

On Saturday, media reported citing sources that Bolton told Patrushev at the Thursday talks in Geneva that the United States was ready to take military action if Damascus used chemical weapons in the Idlib province.

Earlier in the day, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybkov said that Bolton’s statements on Syria and threats were likely to be the only language that the US has used.

Kremlin spokesman also noted that Russia’s expenditures on its defense capacity, including during the Vostok 2018 military exercises, are justified in the current international situation.

“The country’s defense capability in the current international situation, which is often very aggressive and unfriendly toward our country, is justified, necessary and has no alternative,” Peskov told reporters when asked about Russia’s expenditures on the Vostok drills.

On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that approximately 300,000 servicemen, 36,000 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles, more than a thousand aircraft will be involved in the Vostok-2018 military drills that are set to become Russia’s largest military exercises since the Zapad drills in 1981.

Russia, alongside Iran and Turkey, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been assisting Damascus both through supporting the struggle against terrorist groups and providing humanitarian aid to the residents of the crisis-torn country.


2018-08-27 - France is prepared to strike Damascus if chemical weapons are used: Macron
France is prepared to strike Damascus if chemical weapons are used: Macron

France is ready to conduct further airstrikes in Syria in response to Damascus’ alleged use of chemical weapons, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday during his speech to French ambassadors.

At the same time, the French President noted the first results of the joint Russia-French mechanism on the Syrian settlement.

“The mechanism of coordination with Russia, created in St. Petersburg, has produced its first results, in particular in the humanitarian sphere,” Macron told ambassadors in Paris, according to his official Twitter account.

Europe needs to launch a new dialogue on cybersecurity, chemical weapons and a number of other security issues with Russia, Macron added.

Macron also noted that he never insisted on the resignation of Syrian President Bashar Assad in exchange for rendering humanitarian aid to the country. At the same time, the French President suggested that leaving power in the future in the hands of Assad “would be a bad mistake.”

“France can’t appoint future Syrian leaders…But it is our duty and in our interests to make sure that Syrian people are able to do this,” he said.

Emmanuel Macron said he feares a serious humanitarian crisis in the Syrian province of Idlib.

France expects that Russia and Turkey will put pressure on the Syrian authorities in connection with the situation in the province of Idlib, Macron added.

“I think that this scenario will be a terrible mistake,” Macron said during his speech to French ambassadors. “Who has provoked all these millions of refugees? Who has been killing his own people?”

The speech comes several days after the Russian Defense Ministry accused the United States, the United Kingdom and France of preparing to carry out new strikes against Syria under the pretext of a false flag, namely, a falsified government chemical weapons attack.


Tue Aug 28, 2018 - Russian Paper: US Likely to Target Syria from Hasaka
Farsnews

A leading Russian newspaper reported that the US military forces are likely to launch missile attacks on Syrian army positions from an occupied airbase in Hasaka in a last ditch effort to delay the Damascus government's conquer over terrorist groups in Idlib in its impending operation.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reported on Tuesday that the new US airbase in Hasaka province in Northeastern Syria will likely be used to launch missile attacks against the army positions.

It added that the US engineering units are equipping the military airport in the town of al-Shadadi in Hasaka for the deployment of heavy aircraft, cautioning that the air base is larger even than Russia's Humeimem military base in Lattakia.

According to the report, the US-led western coalition is preparing for aggression against Syria under the pretext of allegations of chemical attacks in Idlib as the Syrian army is due to start its imminent military operations in the province.

Relevant reports said earlier today that the US army had dispatched another long military convoy to the regions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasaka province, local sources reported.

The sources said that the US has sent a convoy of a hundred trucks to Syria from Iraq via the Simalka border-crossing on Monday.

They further said that the convoy included several tankers, military vehicles and bulldozers, and has already arrived in SDF-held regions in Hasaka.

Also, the London-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported last week that the US army sent over 800 trucks packed with military equipment to Northeastern Syria for its military bases and military airports on Eastern Euphrates and in Aleppo and Hasaka provinces in Northeastern Syria.

It also said that in addition to the trucks cargo planes carrying weapons and military hardware as well as logistic equipment landed in Kobani airport in Northwestern Aleppo.

"A sum of 150 new trucks carrying construction materials, military equipment and weapons have been sent to the US bases," the SOHR added.


28 August، 2018 - Lavrov: Any US aggression on Syria will endanger efforts to solve crisis in it
Lavrov: Any US aggression on Syria will endanger efforts to solve crisis in it – Syrian Arab News Agency

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that launching a new aggression by the US on Syria will endanger all efforts to solve the crisis in it and will be a clear example on the US behavior towards the situation in the country.

In an interview with Czech Pravda Newspaper, Lavrov said that despite of the fact that there are no proves on the allegations on using chemical weapons by the Syrian forces in Douma city, the US and its allies on April 14th violated the basic principles of the international law and the UN Charter through shelling the Syrian territories in a way that endangered the process of settlement in the country as a whole.

Lavrov added that there has been no evidence till now which proves the allegations on what took place in Douma on April 7th and no traces of chemical weapons use have been found and there haven’t been any victims or witnesses, but they have found those who participated in the fake drama who are from the organization of the so-called “White Helmets”.


2018-08-27 - Russia says US building up naval force in Middle East region to strike Syria
Russia says US building up naval force in Middle East region to strike Syria

The U.S. is capable of launching an attack on Syria from any part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Monday.

Furthermore, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused the U.S. of building up its naval forces around the Middle East region.

“The United States keeps building up the group of cruise missile carriers in the Middle East region, connected with the preparation of a regular provocation with an alleged ‘use of chemical weapons’ in the province of Idlib,” the Ministry of Defense stated.

Recently, Russian military said that the militants are preparing to use chemical weapons in Syria, and the US could use this as a reason for a new attack on Syrian state facilities.

For this purpose, the destroyer USS The Sullivans, armed with 56 cruise missiles, arrived in the Persian Gulf several days ago, while a US В-1В bomber carrying 24 air-to-surface AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles has been deployed at Al Udeid air base in Qatar, Konashenkov noted.


2018-08-28 - Another large Syrian Army convoy heads to Idlib frontline
Another large Syrian Army convoy heads to Idlib frontline

More Syrian Arab Army (SAA) troops were seen heading towards the frontline with Idlib province in north-western Syria, as they passed through Maar Shahour village in Hama Governorate, on Monday.

Soldiers rode on top of lorries carrying tanks, artillery and armoured personnel carriers.

An army officer said his troops were ready for the “final battle” against militants in Idlib province.

He added that the SAA are now “waiting for the orders from the leadership” in Damascus before commencing any operation.

According to reports, the Syrian Army is sending forces to three frontline areas, which share borders with the last major militant stronghold of Idlib, namely the central province of Hama, the coastal province of Latakia and the southern part of Idlib itself.


2018-08-27 - Large Syrian Army convoy heads to Idlib for next offensive (video)
Large Syrian Army convoy heads to Idlib for next offensive (video)


2018-08-27 - Large foreign jihadist group issues general mobilization request for all fighters in northern Syria
Large foreign jihadist group issues general mobilization request for all fighters in northern Syria

The Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) announced on Monday morning the general mobilization of all their fighters in northern Syria.

The foreign jihadist group made this announcement in response to large-scale military buildup by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies in the Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama governorates.

The Turkestan Islamic Party reinforcements reportedly included hundreds of fighters and tens of technical vehicles and tanks.

The aforementioned jihadist group is one of the largest foreign militant entities inside Syria; they are mostly based in northwest Hama, northern Latakia, and southwest Idlib.


2018-08-27 - More rebel groups join Syrian al-Qaeda under Zawahiri leadership
More rebel groups join Syrian al-Qaeda under Zawahiri leadership

Rebel groups who have been fighting under the banner of Hay’ay Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib province declared mass defection to join another rival jihadi group.

The six defected factions issued a joint statement pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri through its proxy group in Syria called Guardians of Religion Organization (Tanzim Hurras al-Din“.

The groups are originally militants who were evacuated from Damascus, Homs and Daraa after being defeated by the Syrian Army.

Informed sources suggested that the discrimination and unfair treatment those evacuees received in Idlib have been the main causes behind their defection.


2018-08-28 - Russia calls on US, Germany to convince rebels to avoid escalations in Idlib
Russia calls on US, Germany to convince rebels to avoid escalations in Idlib

Moscow calls on Washington and Berlin to influence armed opposition groups and terrorists in Syria’s Idlib with whom they are keeping in contact, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Tuesday.

“We want to call on colleagues in Washington and Berlin, using the opportunities that they have, to influence the armed opposition members and terrorist structures – in the latter case I’m speaking about the US, not about Germany – with which they retain contact,” the deputy foreign minister said, commenting on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump’s appeal to Moscow to influence Damascus regarding the situation in the governorate.

German Speaker of Government Steffen Seibert earlier released a statement on the telephone conversation between Merkel and Trump, which says that the German and US leaders called on Russia to influence Syria’s government to avoid escalation of tensions in Idlib.


Tue Aug 28, 2018 - Syrian Army Closes off Abu Al-Dhohour Corridor as Zero Hour for Major Operation in Idlib Arrives
Farsnews

The Syrian Army blocked Abu al-Dhohour humanitarian corridor in Southeastern Idlib after over 9,000 people left the terrorist-held regions in recent weeks, implying that the government forces' major operation in Northwestern Syria is imminent, state-run media said on Tuesday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted field sources as reporting that the army closed off Abu al-Dhohour humanitarian corridor in Southeastern Idlib which was set up by the army for exit of civilians from terrorist-held regions.

It further said that the army has closed all passageways in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib, adding that over 9,000 civilians have left the terrorist-held region for army-controlled regions via Abu al-Dhohour corridor in the last week.

The daily added that the army has dispatched more forces and equipment to the battlefields in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib for utilizing them in a large-scale operation in the Northwestern part of the country.

A media outlet reported earlier today that the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) announced general mobilization of all their fighters in Northern Syria.

The foreign jihadist group made this announcement in response to large-scale military buildup by the Syrian Army and their allies in the Lattakia, Idlib, Aleppo and Hama provinces, the AMN reported.
 
While the Syrian Army had secured the entirety of the Damascus governorate and much of southern Syria earlier this year, government forces are gathering in northwestern Syria as they prepare for an offensive against hardline Islamist militants in Idlib.

28.08.2018 - Alleged Twitter Account of Syrian Girl Gains attention Ahead of Idlib Offensive
Alleged Twitter Account of Syrian Girl Gains Attention Ahead of Idlib Offensive

A new Twitter account, apparently run by a six-year-old girl in Idlib, has been likened by Twitter users to Bana Alabed’s, which was heavily active during the Syrian Army’s liberation of Aleppo, urging the West to militarily intervene.

The latest account is ostensibly used by a girl named Hala, and although she currently has just 322 followers in comparison to Bana’s 343,000, social media users have suggested that the profile is aiming to draw in a foreign military intervention to aid militants by sharing news of false-flag chemical attacks in Idlib and smearing government forces in other ways.


حلا_hala @hala_syri

My name is Hala 6 years from the city of Idlib

Her tweets are written in a similar style to Bana's, in surprisingly good English, and often include images of Hala holding placards with corresponding hashtags, such as #AllEyesOnIdlib.

While Bana wrote and published open letters to US President Donald Trump urging him to take action to stop the bombing of Aleppo, Hala's account has yet to do this.

Social media users have warned that this is the latest Bana-inspired propaganda account, with some claiming that the accounts are in fact run by "American trolls" or Britain's intelligence service.

Other profiles have also been set up ahead of the anticipated Idlib offensive and users have also been warning of their propaganda efforts and inherent bias, suggesting they are part of a concerted disinformation campaign.

Although Bana left Syria, alongside her mother and father, who reportedly served in the ranks of Islamist militants in Aleppo, she has continued to call for action against the Syrian government and has met a number of high-profile celebrities and politicians, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

However, despite her best efforts, many consider Bana to be a blatant propaganda stunt and have worked toward exposing her parents' exploitation of her to further the narrative of Syrian and Russian forces deliberately targeting civilians in Syria.

The Idlib governorate is the last major militant bastion in Syria and based on the Syrian Army’s recent progress against militant forces, the various Islamist militant groups in the province are unlikely to be able to fend off the impending offensive without a direct military intervention from abroad.

Tens of thousands of government troops and allied militiamen have been deployed to Idlib and north Latakia in recent weeks, and the offensive is likely to be launched at some point in September, though some light skirmishes have already taken place.


29.08.2018 - Syria Spurns US Offer to Pull Out Troops as Trade for Iran Withdrawal - Report
Syria Spurns US Offer to Pull Out Troops as Trade for Iran Withdrawal - Report

Syria turned down an offer from the US to withdraw their forces from Al Tanf, a US base in the southeast and the East Euphrates zone in exchange for three concessions from the Assad government, according to a report from Lebanese daily Al Akhbar.

Officials of "several US intelligence and security agencies" reportedly landed in a private UAE plane at Damascus International Airport in late June. They then took off in a convoy towards the center of Damascus for a meeting with the head of Syria's national security office, Major General Ali Mamlouk.

The meeting reportedly lasted for four hours. The sides discussed multiple aspects of the seven-year war in the country before the Americans made their offer: a withdrawal of its troops from Al Tanf and the East Euphrates on three conditions, including a complete Iranian withdrawal, a share in Syria's oil spoils, and intelligence on terrorists.

"I find the report almost entirely credible," former UK Ambassador to Syria Peter Ford told Sputnik News.

The first condition was that Iran also withdraw fully from the country. Unlike the United States, Iran was invited by the Syrian government to help it fight Islamist insurrectionists and foreign proxies.

"Open sources were already reporting in June that the US was offering to put Al Tanf in the mix of a deal concerning the conditions under which Washington would acquiesce in the Syrian government's campaign to recover the South," Ford told Sputnik News. "It was also being reported that those conditions included Iran's withdrawal from the south."

Israel has been warring with fighters in the south of Syria near the country's Golan Heights, which Israel illegally occupies.

Offering up Al Tanf "reflects the weakness of the US position in Syria," Ford said. "In June the Americans knew they could not prevent the Syrian government's campaign to take back the south — what could they do, risk conflict with Russia and retaliation by Iran against Israel by large-scale sustained bombing of Syria without any pretext?" Ford wondered. Nonetheless, US President Donald Trump couldn't appear weak to critics, and "hence the idea of striking a deal and throwing Al Tanf into the mix."

"Unfortunately for the Americans, the Syrians no doubt assessed Al Tanf as low value. To some degree Al Tanf is more a liability to the US than an asset, containing as it does thousands of refugees living in pitiful conditions with hundreds of jihadis amongst them. Why should Syria pay a price to relieve the invader of a burden?" Ford posed.

"Looking forward, the lesson from this failed negotiation is that the Americans will no doubt come back at some point to suggest a similar deal with regard to the northeast, though again they will be holding a weak hand, because their position in the area is not tenable in the long term: they are already having the rug pulled from under their feet by the Kurds' negotiations with Damascus," he added. "In any case, the US devalue their own land-based assets every time they use their battle fleet to attack Syria."

On Monday, Al Akhbar reported that Hezbollah had received a formal request from the Syrian government to stay in Syria after the liberation of the Idlib province from jihadists in order to help with "post-conflict reconciliation." Hezbollah has been accused of being an Iranian proxy by the West, despite it primarily operating in Lebanon.

As a second concession for an Al Tanf withdrawal, Al Akkbar said that the Americans also demanded a share in the oil sector of eastern Syria, which until recently was occupied by Daesh militants with a stronghold in Deir ez-Zor.

Third, the US officials also reportedly sought Syrian intelligence on terrorists who could present threats to Western countries in the future.

"The request for intelligence cooperation was not earlier divulged, but it makes logical sense. What seems to make less sense is that the US should demand concessions for US companies in the oil sector," Ford said. "Given that the US through its Kurdish/SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] proxy controls large swathes of the oil producing region of the northeast, this would only seem to make sense in the context of a US withdrawal from that area as well as Al Tanf. Maybe this possibility was floated as well."

"As to the demands for oil concessions and intelligence cooperation, Trump's advisers may have thought that douceurs for Big Oil and Big Secrets (the intelligence agencies) would also help sweeten the bitter pill of the US 'losing' the South," he added. "The inclusion of oil concessions certainly doesn't sit well with US claims to be in Syria exclusively to defeat ISIS and protect human rights, though that will not overly worry this business-minded president."

Indeed, American oil projects exist in Syria, albeit in the Golan Heights. Genie Energy Ltd., a New Jersey-based company, is pursuing a conventional oil project there. Genie Energy's Strategic advisory board includes former US Vice President Dick Cheney, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, former CIA Director James Woolsey, Bill Richardson — a former US ambassador and governor who has repeatedly agitated in favor of the Syria conflict on cable news — and British investment banker Jacob Rothschild.

"With overall victory in sight, Damascus might only be interested in deal-making if the US put on the table not just withdrawal but also the chemical weapons card, the reconstruction card, the sanctions card, the Geneva card and possibly the Golan," Ford said, adding, "This is not likely to happen."

"Syria's rejection of the deal reflected an astute assessment of the limited American options, as was borne out by subsequent events and recovery of the south without making any concessions to the US," Ford said. "It also reflected the strategic view taken by Damascus of the partnership with Iran, not to be sacrificed under any circumstances."

According to Al Akhbar, Mamlouk addressed each demand. Regarding the terrorists, he said that Syria has a "huge information structure" on them, but its disclosure is "linked to the evolution of your [the US'] political position on Syria." He added that such information has already been shared with the Emiratis and Jordanians.

When it came to Syria's oil reserves, Mamlouk reportedly told the Americans to get in line. "US companies can then enter the Syrian energy sector through Western or Russian companies," Mamlouk said, adding that Syria isn't interested in doing business with nations seeking their government's overthrow, describing other Western and Russian firms as based in "countries that have not conspired against the Syrian people."

We will not have to give facilities to companies belonging to countries that have fought us and are still," Mamlouk reportedly said.

When it came to an Iranian withdrawal, the Syrian official underscored his country's sovereignty and position that the US is an "occupying force," reportedly telling the Americans, "You entered our territory forcibly, without permission, and you can go out in the same way."

"Syria is not a country cut off from a tree; it is part of a broad axis," Mamlouk reportedly said, highlighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's alliance with Tehran and Hezbollah.

"The demand for Iranian withdrawal was pushing at an open door," the former ambassador told Sputnik News. "The presence of Iran and allied militia in the south had already been greatly reduced, simply because it wasn't required. The Americans must have known this but needed something for the Washington gallery."


28.08.2018 - US Prepares to Set Up No-Fly Zone in Northern Syria - Report
US Prepares to Set Up No–Fly Zone in Northern Syria – Report

The Russian Defense Ministry stated earlier that the US-led coalition was "building up a group of cruise missile carriers in the Middle East region," in preparation for a possible strike, while French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France was also ready to launch new strikes against Syria in case of a chemical weapons attack there.

The US military is laying the groundwork to close the airspace over northern Syria, according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. US military freighters are reported to have transported radar systems to the city of Kobanî, controlled by the Kurdish militia, and the US military base in Al-Shaddadah in southern al-Hasakah.

The outlet claims that the US plans to use these complexes to establish a no-fly zone over the territory between Manbij in Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor. Washington hasn’t commented on the report yet.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that militants in the Syrian province of Idlib were preparing to stage a false flag chemical weapon attack against civilians in order to blame Damascus and give the US and its allies a pretext for a punitive strike against Syria.

The ministry has noted that the US and its allies keep expanding a group of cruise missile carriers in the Middle East region, preparing for a possible strike.

French President Emmanuel Macron also declared during his speech to French ambassadors on Monday that France was ready to launch new strikes against Syria in case of a chemical weapons attack there.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton also reportedly warned Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev that Washington was prepared to take forceful military action against Syria if Damascus uses chemical weapons, stressing that America was prepared to respond with greater force than before. Kremlin, however, couldn't confirm this information.
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that it seemed the US had issued threats to Damascus in order to prevent the expulsion of terrorists from Idlib province.

29.08.2018 - US Rejects Russia's Data on Chemical Weapons Provocations in Syria - Lavrov
US Rejects Russia's Data on Chemical Weapons Provocations in Syria - Lavrov

According to Lavrov, Russia cited more and more facts that confirm the forthcoming staging of the use of chemical weapons as a false flag in order to blame the Syrian government.

US officials "say that this is not true, but they cannot bring any facts to the basis of their position," he added.

"There is an impression that this issue and the threats in this connection, which are made against the Syrian government, are being used for the sole purpose of preventing the expulsion of terrorists from the Idlib de-escalation zone. Probably, there is a certain desire behind it – it has been visible for several years already, starting with the Obama administration, when the United States wanted to get the Nusra Front* off the hook by any means, hoping to use it in the fight against, as they say, the regime," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with Saudi counterpart Adel Jubeir.

It is necessary to prepare an operation against terrorists in Syria's Idlib region, while minimizing the risks for the population, Lavrov added.

Russia is ready to cooperate with the US to resolve all problems in Syria, Libya and other countries in region, but Washington has shied away from it, Sergei Lavrov said.

"We advocate that all problems in this region and other regions of the world should be resolved collectively. We are open to cooperation with the United States and other Western countries, as well with the countries of the region to settle all the problems that exist there — in Syria, in Libya, in Iraq, as well as in Palestine," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel Jubeir.

The cabinet minister noted that Washington sought to change the Syrian government rather than fight terrorism, as it had done before, in Iraq and Libya.

Russia, alongside Iran and Turkey, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been assisting Damascus both through supporting the struggle against terrorist groups and providing humanitarian aid to the residents of the crisis-torn country.

Idlib province is one of Syria's de-escalation zones and a remaining stronghold of insurgency in the country.


30.08.2018 - Some 10,000 Nusra, Al-Qaeda Terrorists in Idlib have to be Defeated - De Mistura
Some 10,000 Nusra, Al-Qaeda Terrorists in Idlib Have to Be Defeated - De Mistura

There are approximately 10,000 members of the al-Qaeda* and Nusra Front* terrorist groups, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Thursday.

"No one doubts… that al-Nusra and al-Qaeda are terrorists and that terrorists identified by the UN need to be defeated… Indeed, the estimates of the al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, whatever name they want to call themselves, are more of less around 10,000 of them plus families," de Mistura told reporters.

He also expressed his readiness to cooperate with the Syrian government to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians from the Idlib province.

"I am once again prepared, personally and physically, to get involved… with the government cooperation… to ensure such temporary [humanitarian] corridors would be feasible and guaranteed for the people so they can then return to their own places untouched," the UN Special Envoy added.


29.08.2018 - Russian MoD Provides Five Tons of Food to Refugees from Syria's Idlib Province
Russian MoD Provides Five Tons of Food to Refugees From Syria's Idlib Province

The Russian servicemen have distributed over five metric tons of bread among the Syrian nationals, who left the militant-controlled Idlib province through the Abu al-Duhur humanitarian corridor, the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation said on Wednesday.

“Over 5 tons of bread have been distributed since the launch of the checkpoint,” the center said. The displaced people also receive other food and necessities as well as clothes, the Russian center noted that all people leaving the province have to undergo a checkup at the field hospital and receive necessary treatment.

Idlib province is one of Syria's de-escalation zones and a remaining stronghold of insurgency in the country. Russia operates the Abu al-Duhur humanitarian corridor, which allows the residents to leave the province until the insurgency is eliminated.

On Tuesday, Russian military registered 27 truce breaches of ceasefire regime in Syria.

Over the last 24 hours, the Russian party of the Russia-Turkey Commission on violations ceasefire regime has registered 27 cases of firing in the provinces of Latakia, Aleppo, Hama and Idlib. The Turkish side has registered one case of ceasefire violations in Aleppo," Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily bulletin.
 
Two interesting articles on the planned staging of chemical attacks:

Russia submitted proof of false-flag chemical-weapons plot to OPCW & UN – Lavrov

There is “no doubt” that militants are plotting a false-flag chemical-weapons attack in Syria’s Idlib province, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Moscow has provided proof of the plot to the UN and OPCW.

“We have presented concrete facts obtained from various sources both to the UN and to The Hague, where the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) headquarters is located,” Lavrov said, while speaking about the risk of a false-flag attack involving the use of chemical weapons in Syria, adding that “these facts are congruent.”

Lavrov said that “there is no doubt that such provocations are being prepared.” He explained that terrorist groups entrenched in Syria’s northwestern province, including Al-Nusra Front (now known as Tahrir al-Sham), are trying to derail the separation of terrorists from other armed groups “in every possible way.”

The foreign minister also said that Russia would continue to support Damascus in its fight against terrorists and is open about its actions. “We have no plans to conceal what we do to back the Syrian government, which is liberating its land from terrorists to [allow] the Syrian citizens to return to… normal life as soon as possible,”Lavrov told journalists during a joint press conference with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed in Sochi.

Earlier, Russia’s representative to the OPCW, Aleksandr Shulgin, told journalists that Moscow had handed evidence of the planned false-flag attack to the OPCW Director General Fernando Arias. The Syrian government also sent its own data to the OPCW, he added, while warning that the attack could be staged “at any moment.”

Moscow has previously accused Washington of helping militants with a false-flag plot with a view to blaming the Syrian authorities for the attack and thus justify new airstrikes against Syria. The planned airstrike is allegedly a lot larger in scale than the one carried out by the US, the UK and France in April.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that the chemicals needed for the fake attack have been already delivered to the area, citing sources on the ground. It accused the White Helmets group of assisting the terrorists with the delivery.


US-trained militants planned to carry out terrorist attacks in Palmyra – Russian MoD

US specialists were training militants in Syria who were set to carry out a terrorist attacks in Palmyra, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. It received the information from fighters captured by the Syrian Army.

The captured militants said that they were from the Lions of the East Army group, which is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, according to the ministry. Some 500 fighters were based at the militants’ camp, which was located near the US-led international coalition’s Al-Tanf military base.

The militants were to carry out “a series of terrorist attacks in Palmyra area” and ensure the passage of around 300 fighters to capture the city within the next week, the ministry said. One of the captured militants said that they were trained by US instructors, and that the group was receiving weapons and ammunition from the US base.

Al-Tanf base is close to the Rukban refugee camp, which contains over 60,000 women and children from the cities of Raqqa and Der ez-Zor.

In late July, the Russian Defense Ministry also warned about chemical-weapons provocations planned by militants in Idlib province, northwestern Syria. It said that an attack would be used as a pretext for airstrikes on Syrian targets by the US, UK and France.
The Defense Ministry added that USS ‘The Sullivans,’ an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer, had already been deployed to the Persian Gulf for the operation.

In April, the US, UK and France unleashed a bombing campaign on Syria. The airstrikes were carried out in response to an alleged gas attack in Douma on April 7, which the West blamed on Bashar Assad’s government. The operation started hours before a team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was due to reach the city.

Islamic State militants initially captured Palmyra, often referred to as the Bride of the Syrian Desert, in 2015, deliberately demolishing and damaging some of its world-famous historic sites. In March 2016, it was recaptured by the Syrian Army, supported by Russian airstrikes. IS managed to win Palmyra back the following December and to hold it until March 2017, when it was finally liberated by Damascus.
 
Syriangirl posted up that Israel just launched attacks on Damascus! Not sure how she knows it's them for sure, but if true, that's a serious provocation and marks a change. From what I understand, they've usually attacked the SAA in the Golan Heights region under the guise of 'self-defense, along with covert support and funding of jihadists, which is probably well known in the region. But to attack Damascus outright?!

 
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Syriangirl posted up that Israel just launched attacks on Damascus! Not sure how she knows it's them for sure, but if true, that's a serious provocation and marks a change. From what I understand, they've usually attacked the SAA in the Golan Heights region under the guise of 'self-defense, along with covert support and funding of jihadists, which is probably well known in the region. But to attack Damascus outright?!

According to Syrian agency SANA, it wasn't Israel but short-circuit. And the ones who claimed it was Israel seem to be the Times of Israel and another Syrian agency called Al Mayadeen. I does look suspicious, though.

Blasts at Damascus air base after possible missile strike

Powerful blasts have rocked a military airport in Damascus, with reports suggesting it was targeted by a missile attack or an airstrike. A military said they were caused by a short circuit at a nearby ammunition depot, though.

The blasts occurred at the Mazzeh military airport late Saturday night, according to multiple reporters on the ground. Explosions can be heard in footage from Damascus posted on social media.


According to unnamed officials and intelligence sources cited by multiple media outlets, the air base was the target of an airstrike or missile attack, and Syrian air defenses responded. Some reports suggested that there had been three explosions, targeting a research center in Jamraya near Damascus and a military depot, which suffered a direct hit.

Israel has previously targeted the base in its attacks, although there has been no official confirmation as of yet.

However, one military source cited by Syrian state media outlet Sana, has denied there has been an attack, instead saying the explosions were caused by a short circuit at a munitions dump.

The airport is a key Syrian air force base located in the Mazzeh (Mezzeh) municipality to the southwest of central Damascus.
 
Hmm, I found this as well stating the SOHR (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights) also said it was an Israeli airstrike which adds to the suspicion.

Blasts from area of military airport shake Syrian capital

A string of powerful blasts from the direction of a military airport in Damascus lit up the skies and shook the capital city in the early morning hours on Suay, residents and state TV reported.

The explosions were seen and heard coming from the direction of the Mezzeh airport, southwest of the capital. The airport has been targeted in a number of airstrikes in recent years that the government has blamed on Israel.

The state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV station showed what appeared to be hand-held footage shot by residents of the capital capturing a string of bright explosions lighting up the night sky.

The TV station reported, citing an unnamed military source, that the explosions did not come from inside the airport but from a nearby munitions depot. The station said an electrical short circuit was to blame, and reported that emergency services were at the scene.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said the explosions came from inside the Mezzeh air base and said they were likely caused by an Israeli missile strike.

Israel rarely acknowledges strikes inside Syria but has said it would use military action to prevent weapons transfers to its enemies. Israel is alarmed by the the expansion of operations by Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to support President Bashar Assad in Syria's seven-year-long civil war.

The blasts come at a tense moment, as Syrian government forces prepare to attack the last refuge of the opposition in the northwest of the country. The U.S. is warning Damascus against using chemical weapons in the battle, while Damascus alleges that the U.S. is preparing to falsify a chemical attack to justify military operations on Syria.

The U.S., France, and the U.K. struck military installations around Damascus in April this year after a chlorine gas attack against rebels under siege outside the capital.
 
Hmm, I found this as well stating the SOHR (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights) also said it was an Israeli airstrike which adds to the suspicion.


In the first bolded section below Israel too reports it was them. Then in the second bolded part Israel states that Syria is looking to "reinstate the country's army to pre-war levels and even increase the number of its forces", thus Israel is getting ready for "any scenario". Smells of a threat to me.

Multiple Blasts Heard at Airbase in Damascus Suburbs - Reports

Repeated blasts were heard from the direction of Syria's Mazzeh Military airbase near Damascus on Sunday, Reuters reported.
According to a source in the Syrian intelligence services, the unannounced airstrike hit an ammunition storage facility at the Mazzeh military airbase, however, the military airfield itself was not affected.
#Damascus now after the airstrikes targeted #Mazza military airport pic.twitter.com/lUUl9HGA4l
— Aghiad AL Kheder (@aghiad_alkheder) 1 сентября 2018 г.

The source specified that Syrian air defense systems had repelled the airstrikes. The Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing sources, that the strikes had been conducted by Israeli aircraft.
Another footage shows how big the explosions targeted #Mazze airbase in #Damascus#Syria pic.twitter.com/363vEyRQrZ
— Aghiad AL Kheder (@aghiad_alkheder) 1 сентября 2018 г.

According to media reports, the Mazzeh military facility was targeted by Israel in 2016 and in 2017, although a military source cited by Syria's SANA news agency has refuted claims of Israeli airstrikes, saying that explosions at the airbase were caused by a short circuit.
In May, Israel hit dozens of Iranian targets in Syria after Iranian forces allegedly fired 20 rockets at Israeli positions in the Golan Heights. Tehran has denied having military bases in Syria. Israel has also repeatedly expressed security concerns over the Iranian presence next to its borders in Syria.

In early August, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said that the fight against terrorism was one of the tasks of the Iranian forces in Syria, adding that Tehran would maintain its presence in the war torn-country as long as Damascus wants it to.
However, Bahram Qassemi also stressed that Iranian forces could decrease their presence in Syria and even end it after the situation in the distressed country normalizes and the fight against terrorism brings significant results.

In July, the Iranian Supreme Leader's top adviser for international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said that Tehran would be present in Syria and Iraq at the request of these countries' legitimate governments and would not leave despite US threats.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in August that Syria was seeking to reinstate the country's army to pre-war levels and even increase the number of its forces, stressing that Israel was ready for any scenario.

Israeli-Syrian relations have been strained, particularly over the disputed Golan Heights. Israel occupied the region after the 1967 Six-Day War with Syria and annexed the territory in 1981. The international community has not recognized the annexation.
 
Smells of a threat to me.

I agree Ant22, we need to pay attention to reality left and right. It's a big show but we still have to pay attention. Thanks to angelburst29, c.a. and all you guys who watch this thread and others that give us a heads-up over the MSM version of reality.

It just looks like they keep doing the same strategies over and over. I am sure there are some unexpected secret projects they will throw into the mix but basically STS is STS. They "will fail" and that's what I keep in mind. Thank the DCM for Putin and all others on the planet who have a different intention for being here.
 
In the first bolded section below Israel too reports it was them. Then in the second bolded part Israel states that Syria is looking to "reinstate the country's army to pre-war levels and even increase the number of its forces", thus Israel is getting ready for "any scenario". Smells of a threat to me.

Multiple Blasts Heard at Airbase in Damascus Suburbs - Reports

02.09.2018 - Syria Confirms Blast at Ammunition Depot Near Damascus Caused by Short Circuit
Syria Confirms Blasts at Ammunition Depot Near Damascus Caused by Short Circuit

Over the past several years, Syria has repeatedly accused Israel of attacks on the Mezzeh military airport. According to Tel Aviv, Israel strikes the Iran-supplied Hezbollah arms depot at the Mezzeh facility to prevent the Lebanese movement from obtaining advanced weapons for terrorist aims.

"In fact, from what we understood from sources in the Syrian Defense Ministry, the cause of these explosions was a short-circuit due to overheating… These expositions were not the result of illegal Israeli aggression," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the Russia-24 broadcaster on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, a source in Syrian intelligence services told Sputnik that the outskirts of Damascus were subject to a missile attack. The Syrian air defense systems repelled the blows, he said, adding that Mezzeh military airfield near Damascus was not affected by the strike, but there were explosions at an ammunition depot near it as a result of the attack. The Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing sources, that the strikes had been conducted by Israeli aircraft.


03.09.2018 - Putin to Discuss Possible Idlib Provocation During Tehran Summit - Reports
Putin to Discuss Possible Idlib Provocation During Tehran Summit - Reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin may discuss provocations using chemical weapons in Syria at the Russia-Turkey-Iran summit in Tehran on Friday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said in an interview.

"This issue, all aspects of the Syrian settlement and aggravating points will be discussed," Ushakov told the Izvestiya newspaper asked whether the issue of provocations with chemical weapons would be on the summit's agenda.

Putin will also hold separate meetings with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin and Erdogan would hold a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the Russia-Turkey-Iran summit on Syria in Tehran.

Speculation about the possibility of a chemical attack in Syria has grown in recent weeks after Russian officials warned of a plot to launch such an assault in order to provoke western retaliation against the Syrian government.

On August 25, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that terrorists of the Tahrir al-Sham group (affiliated with the Jabhat Nusra terror organization, banned in Russia) were preparing a provocation in Syria's western Idlib province to accuse Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons against civilians.


02.09.2018 - Idlib Militants Dig Huge Tunnel Network, Plan Chem Weapons Provocations - Source
Idlib Militants Dig Huge Tunnel Network, Plan Chem Weapons Provocations – Source

Moscow previously informed the UN and submitted evidence about planned provocations in the province of Idlib using chemical weapons. According to the Russian foreign minister, militants are hoping to use such provocations to convince Western countries to launch a new round of airstrikes on Damascus’ positions.

Sputnik Arabia's sources have reported that militants from the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are digging a tunnel network throughout the province as a part of their preparations for battle against the Syrian army. Locals told Sputnik that the group had forced thousands of captives to dig the tunnels both with and without special equipment. The sources also said that some of the tunnels were so wide that a car could drive through them.

Sources noted that the tunnels look very much like the ones that were previously found in Eastern Ghouta. Since many of the militants from Ghouta have relocated to Idlib, it is possible that those who constructed the tunnels there are now overseeing the same work in Idlib.

Another local source in Idlib told Sputnik that a cold storage truck carrying gas cylinders had been spotted in the province. According to the sources, the truck arrived from Turkey and drove to the former headquarters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham south of the city of Idlib. There, workers of African appearance, who spoke English and French, loaded the cylinders, which looked like oxygen tanks used in hospitals, onto the truck.

After it was fully loaded, the source said, the truck moved on — but this time it was accompanied by a column of cars equipped with machine guns belonging to Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkistan Islamic Party* in Syria. The cold storage truck made a stop in the Jisr al-Shughur region and then drove in the direction of northern Hama, the source told Sputnik. Its destination remains unknown.

Russian envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia warned the UN Security Council on August 28 that militants were preparing to stage chemical attacks in Idlib in order to pin it on Damascus. The information was earlier also reported by the Russian Defense Ministry, which noted that militants were planning to attack Hama and Aleppo as well, hoping that staged chemical attacks would force the US to launch more strikes against the Syrian army.

The US, UK and France earlier this year accused Damascus of using chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta and launched coordinated airstrikes against the Syrian government facilities that had allegedly produced the weapons.

The airstrikes were condemned by Russia as an unprovoked attack against a sovereign state. The Russian Defense Ministry later presented witnesses of the so called "chemical attack" in Eastern Ghouta to members of the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). These witnesses said that there had been no chemical attack in Ghouta and recounted in detail how the video, allegedly proving the attack, had been staged.


31.08.2018 - Lavrov: Russia Submitted Proof of Planned Chemical Attack in Idlib to UN, OPCW
Lavrov: Russia Submitted Proof of Planned Chemical Attack in Idlib to UN, OPCW

Moscow is calling on the international community to realize its responsibility to prevent regular provocations with chemical weapons in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"I would still not talk about the risk of using chemical weapons, but about the risk of provocations using chemical weapons in order to blame the Syrian government afterward, because such a provocation is being prepared, there is no doubt. Both in the UN and in The Hague, where the headquarters of the OPCW is located, we submitted concrete facts that were obtained from different sources," Lavrov said.

The minister also called on the international community to realize its responsibility for preventing regular provocation with chemical weapons in Syria.

"It is necessary to make efforts so that the international organizations feel their responsibility for the provocations being planned [in Syria] and speak up against such attempts," Lavrov stressed.

The Russian Foreign Minister stated that Syria had every right to chase "terrorists" out of the rebel-held Syrian enclave of Idlib, emphasizing that talks were ongoing to set up humanitarian corridors there.

"In this area, in this de-escalation zone, there must be a separation of the armed opposition, ready for dialogue with the government, from terrorists of Jabhat al-Nusra [banned in Russia] and other organizations recognized as terrorist by the UN Security Council. Terrorists oppose such separation," Lavrov said.

He said terrorists "are trying financially and by other means, including through intimidation, not to let the armed groups that do not make part of Jabhat al-Nusra… leave the area and even force them to cooperate with them."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has warned of possible US-UK-French aggression and of the disastrous consequences of Western attempts to destabilize the country.

He also stated that the White Helmets had kidnapped 44 children in Idlib to use in a staged chemical attack.
 
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has warned of possible US-UK-French aggression and of the disastrous consequences of Western attempts to destabilize the country.

He also stated that the White Helmets had kidnapped 44 children in Idlib to use in a staged chemical attack.

The next attack is already being announced by Foreign Minister Walid. The MSM will probably never make any such announcement. It is only us and whoever is observing who will not be ignorant of the reality that is happening "left and right".
 
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) has reported about a missile attack on Hama and Tartus carried out by the Israeli Air Force. The latter, however, has not yet commented on the strike.

04.09.2018 - Syrian Air Defenses Down Several Missiles Fired by Israeli Warplanes - Reports (Photos - Video)
Syrian Air Defenses Down Several Missiles Fired by Israeli Warplanes – Reports

One person was killed and four others wounded in Israeli air strikes on a Hama suburb, Syrian national news agency SANA reported citing hospital officials.

Earlier, SANA reported that Syrian air defenses thwarted several rockets launched by Israeli planes in the Wadi al-Uyun region in Hama province and in Tartus. The state agency stated that military air defenses were used to confront several rockets fired by Israeli planes near Hama.

As the Al-Masdar media outlet reported, only five of the missiles had been intercepted. According to the media, the rockets were launched by Israel, targeting Hama. The media, however, have yet to precisely specify what objects were targeted by Israel in Syria.

It is still unknown whether the airstrikes were carried out in close proximity to the Russian naval support facility in Tartus.

Prior to that, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported, citing witnesses, about several explosions that were heard in the countryside of Hama province.

Update:
04.09.2018 - Syrian Air Defenses Down Several Missiles Fired by Israeli Warplanes - Reports

Syrian Air Defenses Down Several Missiles Fired by Israeli Warplanes – Reports

Eight people were wounded in Israeli air strikes on Syria's Tartus province, the SANA news agency reported citing hospital officials. Earlier Tuesday, the agency said citing hospital officials one person was killed and four others were wounded.


04.09.2018 - Hezbollah Defies Alleged Secret US Offer on Tit-for-tat Withdrawal From Syria
Hezbollah Defies Alleged Secret US Offer on Tit-for-Tat Withdrawal From Syria

Earlier, Lebanese media reported that officials from US intelligence and security agencies had secretly traveled to Damascus in June to meet with Syrian officials, and to offer to pull US forces out of Syria in exchange for a withdrawal of Iranian advisers, the sharing of intelligence on terrorists, and a share of the spoils from Syrian oil sales.

Speaking on Monday, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem described the tit-for-tat offer allegedly proposed by US officials during the meeting in June as "meaningless," and emphasized that only the "victors" are eligible to set any conditions on peace in Syria, and not Washington, which has suffered a defeat.

Hezbollah and the Syrian government were enjoying "successive victories for Syria and its axis," Qassem said, according to PressTV. "We have lifted this black cloud, victories will continue, and we will achieve more," he added.

The deputy leader of the Lebanese political and militant group also urged "all factions counting on America" to "reconsider" their alliances, suggesting that the United States holds no loyalty to its partners.

"They are Saudi Arabia's allies, and tomorrow Saudi Arabia will see that the first strike it will get will be from America," Qassem said.

Hezbollah has been a key ally of the Syrian government in the war in Syria, and has played a major role in the fight against jihadist terrorists (including Daesh/ISIS*) in both Syria and Iraq, since 2014.

Last week, Lebanon's Al Akhbar newspaper reported that Damascus had turned down an alleged secret US offer to withdraw from the Arab Republic, including its forces in At-Tanf, and the Kurdish-controlled East Euphrates, in exchange for concessions from the Assad government on Iran, intelligence sharing and oil.

Among the conditions was the demand that Iran, which unlike the United States sent its military advisors to Syria at the request of the Syrian government to help fight Islamist militants, also withdraw. Damascus has said repeatedly that the issue of foreign military forces on Syrian territory "concerns the sovereignty of Syria" and is not up for debate.


(Note: I don't believe this next claim by Bob Woodward? As far as Syria is concerned - Trump only wanted to pull our troops out?)

04.09.2018 - Mattis Did Not Carry Out Trump's Order to '****ing Kill' Assad in 2017 - Report
Trump Wanted to 'F***ing Kill' Assad After 2017 False Flag Chem Attack – Reports

A new book by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward claiming to offer insight into a tumultuous Trump White House revealed the tense atmosphere during the lead-up to the US missile strikes against Syria in April 2017.

According to Woodward, following the alleged chemical attack at Khan Shaykhun on April 4, 2017, which Syrian and Russian officials slammed as a false flag attack aimed at discrediting the Syrian government, President Trump was so furious that he wanted to assassinate Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In a telephone call with Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Trump allegedly said the following, according to Woodward: "Let's ****ing kill him! Let's go in. Let's kill the ****ing lot of them."

Telling the president that he would deal with it, Mattis hung up the phone instead allegedly told an aide: "We're not going to do any of that. We're going to be much more measured."

Three days later, following consultations, but before the alleged chemical attack could be investigated, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea at the Shayrat Airbase, in what Washington claimed was a direct response to the Khan Shaykhun 'attack'.

The US strike, which killed several Syrian troops and civilians, and destroyed several planes, failed to reach its objectives of crippling the Syrian Air Force, with aircraft taking off from the base's runways just hours after the attack to strike terrorist targets.

However, the attack did prompt Moscow to announce that it would take measures to help strengthen Syria's air defenses.

On April 14, 2018, the United States and its British and French allies carried out new strikes, again over claims that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons, this time in Douma, using over 100 cruise missiles. Immediately following that attack, the Russian military reported that Syrian air defenses had shot down 71 of 103 cruise missiles fired. Syrian media reported that half a dozen troops, and 3 civilians, were injured in the attack.

In a fit of public rage on Twitter ahead of the strikes, Trump called President Assad an "animal," and threatened a "big price to pay" for the 'chemical attack', which has since been conclusively proven to have been a false flag operation committed by the White Helmets organization.


03.09.2018 - US State Senator: Trump Administration Poised to Prolong War in Syria
US State Senator: Trump Administration Poised to Prolong War in Syria

Last week, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem underscored that "anything that is actively promoted by the US" will not stop the Syrian Army's drive to clear Idlib Province and finally put an end to terrorism in this Arab country.

US Republican State Senator Richard Black from the Virginia legislature has lashed out at Washington's "political approach," which he claimed had not brought any benefits to Americans and caused chaos in the Middle East, riding roughshod over Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen, according to SANA, Syria's state-run news agency.

Speaking to reporters after his talks with Syria's political and media advisor Bouthaina Shaaban, Black also urged the White House to cooperate with Damascus in order to help liberate the province of Idlib from Al Nusra Front* militants, which he recalled are part of al-Qaeda**.

He singled out the militants' plot to stage a chemical weapons attack in Idlib and hold the Syrian government responsible in order to stage a missile attack on Syria.

Black accused Western intelligence agencies of training and funding terrorists, who he said equally target both Syria and the rest of the world.

He suggested that some members of the US administration are poised to add to prolonging the war in Syria, a stance that Black said should be replaced with focusing on peaceful means to resolve the situation.

Black's remarks came after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem underlined that "anything that is actively promoted by the US will not affect the determination of the Syrian people and Syrian Army's plans to clear Idlib and finally put an end to terrorism in Syria."

He pointed out that the US presence in Syria is illegal and Washington can in no way justify it.

"The US presence has claimed the lives of thousands of Syrians and every time terrorists were besieged by the Syrian Arab Army, Washington provided them with protection. It became clear that Washington's main objective was to prolong the crisis in Syria in the interests of Israel," Muallem stressed.


04.09.2018 - Nusra Front May Produce Weaponized Chlorine in Syria - UN Envoy
Nusra Front May Produce Weaponized Chlorine in Syria - UN Envoy

Nusra Front terrorists have the ability to produce weaponized chlorine, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"I have been saying, and I confirm my thinking that the government on the one hand and al-Nusra [on the other], which is an organization declared terrorist by the [UN] Security Council, are having the capability to produce weaponized chlorine," de Mistura told reporters.

The envoy underscored that chlorine has "unique horrible capacity of being on the gray zone between what is considered a chemical attack and not."


04.09.2018 - US Will Do Whatever It Takes to Stop Assad From Freeing Idlib - Syrian General
US Will Do Whatever It Takes to Stop Assad From Freeing Idlib – Syrian General

Damascus's upcoming Idlib operation has triggered deep dissatisfaction among the US and its Western allies who would like to see it thwarted, retired Brigadier General Ali Maqsud told Sputnik. According to the Syrian general, ongoing Russian naval drills may prevent the US-led coalition from executing a strike on Syrian government forces.

Russia's ongoing large-scale training exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, held by the country's navy and aerospace forces, support Syria against potential Western aggression, retired Brigadier General Ali Maqsud, a Syrian military strategy analyst, told Sputnik Arabic.

According to the analyst, Syria is being targeted by both regional and international forces. Currently, the Syrian Arab Army, backed by its allies, is advancing in southern Syria and preparing for an all-out Idlib operation.

Naturally, jihadists and their sponsors are dissatisfied with the developments on the ground, he highlighted, adding that they would do whatever it takes to prevent the government troops' offensive. Maqsud believes that the US and its Western allies are getting ready for a strike on Syria.

"Under these conditions, the true goal of the Russian drills in the Mediterranean Sea is to deal a blow to the impending aggression. The arrangement and conduct of the [military] exercises implies cooperation on the political and diplomatic levels between Russia and its allies. The result of these drills will be stability in the region," the retired brigadier general said, adding that the White Helmets and other rebel groups would not be able to carry out a chemical provocation in Syria.

"The countries of the region have boosted relations and improved coordination," he explained. "Iran confirmed through Russian intermediaries that it is working and will work to establish stability and peace in the region."

According to Maqsud, the US has backpedaled on its initial offensive plan.

The Americans have deployed radar defense systems in Al-Shaddadah, a town in al-Hasakah Governorate in the north of Syria. This system is meant to protect the base from air attacks. I think they are preparing to defend themselves," the analyst suggested.

It was earlier reported that the Russian military drills in the Mediterranean would involve 26 warships and submarines, as well as 34 combat aircraft including Tu-160 strategic bombers, Tu-142 and Il-38 anti-submarine warfare planes, Su-33 and Su-30SM fighter jets.

The ongoing exercises came on the heels of US threats to act "very strongly" in case the Syrian government resorts to the use of chemical weapons during the upcoming advance on Idlib, the last terrorist stronghold in Syria. Simultaneously, Moscow warned about the possibility of a chemical provocation by jihadists to provoke the US-led coalition into retaliating against Damascus.


Tue Sep 04, 2018 - Russian, Syrian Warplanes Start Pounding Terrorists' Positions in Idlib, Hama
Farsnews

The Russian and Syrian fighter jets carried out massive bombing raids on terrorists' positions in Northwestern Hama and Western Idlib on Tuesday, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The Arabic-language Moraseloun news website reported that the fighter jets conducted a heavy bombing on terrorists' positions in a large region stretching from Southern Idlib to the al-Ghaab Plain in an introduction to the upcoming ground assault.

In the meantime, the warplanes stuck terrorists' strongholds in Jisr al-Shughour, Jabal al-Zawiyeh, Marowaj, al-Shaqar, Harash Basnaqoul, Anab, al-Janoudiyeh, Qani, al-Sarmaniyeh and Zeizoun, inflicting major casualties on the terrorists.

Earlier reports said that the army sent twenty tanks and BMP vehicles, floating bridges and tens of personnel carriers to the battlefields in Northwestern Syria.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded the positions and movements of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) in the village of al-Jabeiryeh and in the town of al-Latamina in Northern Hama, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.


Tue Sep 04, 2018 - US, French Forces Looting Historical Artifacts of Syria
Farsnews

The American and French military troops are conducting excavation operations in historical sites in Raqqa province to plunder the region's valuable artifacts, a Russian media outlet reported on Tuesday.

The Arabic-language website of RT quoted media activists in Raqqa province as reporting that the American and French forces are carrying out excavation operations in historical hills in al-Mansoureh region in Western Raqqa.

It further said that similar excavation operations have been conducted Northwest of the town of Tabaqa near Ja'abar citadel and in the town of al-Jarniyeh in al-Karin region.

Northeastern and Eastern Syria are home to a precious collection of historical artifacts where ISIL had been looting its monuments and selling them to foreign countries.

The American and French forces have deployed in regions that are under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Northern and Eastern Syria under the pretext of war on ISIL.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted opposition sources as reporting on Sunday that the US-led coalition reinvigorated its military presence on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River in the second half of the current year via setting up 18 bases in the Northeastern and Eastern provinces of Syria.

The US-run bases are in Ein al-Arab (Kobani), Kharab Ashak, Manbij, Ein Issa, Raqqa and Tabaqa in Raqqa province, al-Shadadi, al-Houl, Tal Tamar, Tal Bidar and Romeilan in Hasaka province and al-Amr oilfield and al-Bahrah region in Deir Ezzur province, al-Watan went on to say, adding that some of the bases have runways for the take-off and landing of military aircraft.

It further said that the US-run bases are under tight military protection via ground and aerial patrols and are surrounded by a circle of checkpoints.
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that "there is no place for terrorists in Syria, and the Syrian government has every right to seek their liquidation on its territory".

Mon Sep 03, 2018 - Russian FM: Syrian Government Has Every Right to Liquidate Terrorists In Idlib
Farsnews

"We are now taking the most active effort, together with our Turkish colleagues, together with the Syrian government, and with the Iranians as participants in the Astana format, to split the armed normal opposition forces from the terrorists 'on the ground'," Lavrov said during his speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Sputnik reported.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov has stated that terrorists were preparing a provocation in Syria's Western Idlib province to accuse Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons against civilians.


Mon Sep 03, 2018 - Terrorists Continue Preventing Implementation of Peace Plan between Syrian Army, Militants in Idlib
Farsnews

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorists have arrested pro-peace activists in different regions in Idlib province and formed firing squads in a move to prevent any possible endorsement of the peace agreement with the Syrian Army, local sources reported on Monday.

The sources said that Tahrir al-Sham has stationed several firing squads in main squares across the town of Harem in Western Idlib to arrest and execute those who try to promote peace with the army.

Tahrir al-Sham and Syria's Tahrir Front have recently captured hundreds of pro-peace activists in Hama and Idlib provinces.

In August, the Arabic-language service of Sputnik quoted commander of Russia's Peace Center in Syria Major General Alexi Tsiganov as saying that the terrorists arrested over 500 pro-peace activists and transferred them to an unknown destination.

Tsiganov also pointed to provocative measures by the terrorists in the region, and said that Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at terrorists voiced their readiness for taking part in military operations against the Syrian army, while rejecting any offers for peace talks.

Meantime, over 1,000 civilians, including women and children, left the terrorist-controlled areas in Idlib toward the Syrian army positions at the time.


2018-09-04 - Ceasefire being violated ‘too frequently in Idlib – Lavrov
Ceasefire being violated 'too frequently in Idlib - Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a speech to MGIMO University (Moscow State Institute of International Relations) students in Moscow on Monday, said that the situation in Syria’s Idlib cannot be tolerated “indefinitely” since the ceasefire regime over there is being violated “too frequently.”

“Over the past two months, shelling on Syrian troops has been carried out from this zone. There have even been attempts to assault the [Syrian army’s position] from this zone. A huge number of drones are being launched [from this zone] in an attempt to attack our military base in Khmeimim,” Lavrov said, adding that over 50 drones have been destroyed.

Talking about the situation in Ukraine, Lavrov said that the Minsk Agreements were the “only way of settling the Ukrainian crisis” but that “the Ukrainian authorities are trying to avoid them by all means possible.”

“I hope the US will influence Kiev in a disciplinary manner since the Ukrainians do not listen to anybody else,” he concluded.

Moscow State Institute of International Relations is one of Russia’s most prestigious educational institutions, preparing students in careers in international relations and diplomacy.


Mon Sep 03, 2018 - Syrian Media Reveals Turkey's Concession to Anti-Terrorism Operations in Idlib
Farsnews

A leading Syrian newspaper reported that the massive military operations against the terrorist groups in Idlib will start after the upcoming summit among the Iranian, Turkish and Russian leaders in Tehran, noting that Ankara has agreed with gradual termination of militants' occupation of Idlib.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted special sources privy to the Russian-Turkish negotiations as saying on Monday that talks have progressed a lot and Turkey has agreed with efforts to gradually return Idlib to the Syrian government either through political efforts or military operations.

They added that the results of such talks which have not yet ended will be raised in the Friday meeting among the Iranian, Russian and Turkish presidents in Tehran, noting that the date of the Idlib attack will be decided in the Tehran summit.

According to the Syrian newspaper, the army's military operations will likely kick off immediately after the Tehran summit.


Mon Sep 03, 2018 - Muallem: Turkey Should Understand Idlib Belongs to Syria
Farsnews

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated that Turkey should understand that Idlib province is part of the Syrian state.

“At first, the international community should admit the Idlib province is part of Syria and the Syrian state has to have its territories back. No one has a right to prevent it. At second, as the President Bashar Al-Assad stated, the priority at this moment is to liberate Idlib whether be reconciliation, which is more preferable, or with the help of army. At third, it’s clear that al-Nusra, which is the most important organization in Idlib, is on the list of terror agents by the United Nations Security Council. So, Syria along with its allies believes Idlib should be liberated either by reconciliation or by force of arms. In order to protect civilians from dangerous acts of military nature we opened a humanitarian corridor through Abu al-Dhohour aerodrome. This corridor has been open for a week. We welcomed hundreds of Syrian families who came from Idlib to the provinces controlled by the Syrian army," the AMN reported.


2018-09-04 - Russian Air Force steps up attack despite large Turkish Army presence in Idlib
Russian Air Force steps up attack despite large Turkish Army presence in Idlib

The Russian Air Force has stepped up their aerial assault in the Idlib Governorate this afternoon, following a series of powerful airstrikes earlier today.

Using their Sukhoi jets, the Russian Air Force has launched another another two dozen airstrikes over the southwestern countryside of the Idlib Governorate, a military source told Al-Masdar News.

The Russian jets primarily concentrated these strikes on the Jisr Al-Shughour District, which is controlled by the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Turkestan Islamic Party.

With these latest airstrikes, the Russian Air Force has now launched over 70 airstrikes above the Idlib Governorate today.

This latest campaign by the Syrian and Russian air forces is the largest aerial bombardment of any part of Syria this year.

While the Russian Air Force continues to bombardment the jihadist rebels, the Turkish military has responded by increasing the size of their forces around the Idlib and Hama governorates.

It appears that a major showdown might take place between the Syrian Arab Army and Turkish military, if the latter does not withdraw from certain observation posts near the jihadist rebels.


2018-09-04 - Turkey responds to Russian attack by reinforcing Idlib
Turkey responds to Russian attack by reinforcing Idlib

The Turkish military is working on reinforcing its observation outposts in northern Syria before the long-awaited Idlib offensive kicks off.

A fresh convoy for the Turkish Army has recently entered Syria from the Hatay Province for this exact purpose, pro-opposition activists reported.

The convoy transported concrete walls and fortifications to their observation post near Morek in northern Hama countryside.


Mon Sep 03, 2018 - Top Syrian Diplomat: US Coddling of Israel’s Interests Prolongs Conflict in Syria
Farsnews

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated that it is impossible to end the Syrian crisis because of US meddling, since Washington has been coddling the interests of Israel.

"The Syrian people and the Syrian government want the crisis to end today. However, it is impossible because of external interference led by the United States," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

Muallem adding that "this interference satisfies the interests of Israel and runs counter to those of the Syrian people".

"The main goal of this intervention is to prolong the crisis," the Syrian top diplomat pointed out, noting that "this is why I cannot provide a specific time on when it will end. However, I can confirm that our people and leadership very much hope that the crisis will come to an end soon".

The United States’ attempts to destabilize the situation in Syria are bound to fail and will only lead to human casualties, Muallem stated.


Tue Sep 04, 2018 - Russian FM: Advanced Weapons Were Supplied to Terrorists in Syria via Bogus Companies
Farsnews

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that state-of-the-art weapons, including drones, were supplied to terrorists in Syria by foreign sponsors via bogus companies.

"Terrorists’ resistance in Syria has not been broken down to the end," Lavrov said in an address to the participants in an anti-terror conference in Moscow, TASS reported.

"Scattered groups of terrorists continue fierce fighting. Notably, militants suffer no shortage of weapons and munitions. Moreover, they use state-of-the-art weapons, such as unmanned aerial vehicles. Evidently, it would be impossible without foreign sponsors," he added.

"The counter-terrorist operation in Syria has exposed numerous evidence of supplies of various weapons and hardware to terrorists by bogus companies via third countries," the top diplomat stressed.

The Russian top diplomat called on the world community to do away with the so-called "grey zones" in the economy used as a channel to supply militants with weapons.

He also insisted that the practice of dividing terrorists into "good" and "bad" be stopped, noting that "life proves that everyone loses in the long run".


Tue Sep 04, 2018 - Terrorists Launch Drone Attack on Syrian Army Positions in Lattakia
Farsnews

The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported on Tuesday that five bomber drones of the terrorist groups, deployed in Western Idlib, attacked the Syrian Army positions in Northeastern Lattakia.

Commander of the Russian Center Vladimir Savchenko reported that the terrorists, deployed in the town of Jisr al-Shughour in Western Idlib, bombed the army's positions in the mountainous region in Northeastern Lattakia by five attack drones.

He further said that three Syrian soldiers were killed and nine more were wounded in the attack.

On Monday, Abu Abdul Haq al-Kurdi, a notorious commander of Tahrir al-Sham, was killed after terrorists' positions in the village of Kabineh in Jabal al-Akrad in Northeastern Lattakia came under heavy missile and artillery fire by the army.

In the meantime, a drone of the terrorist groups that was carrying explosive materials was shot down by the army units in al-Mashari'a region in al-Ghaab Plain in Northwestern Hama.

Also, other artillery and missile units shelled the positions and movements of the terrorists in the small town of al-Ziyarah and in the villages of al-Qarqour and al-Mashik in al-Ghaab Plain, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.
 

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