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

[sToRmR1dR]

Source: ‘49 pieces of hardware’: Syria gets S-300 missile system & more from Russia in wake of Il-20 downing



Well, things may get more difficult for the US and Israel, as the S-300 are now delivered and soon to be operational.
Let's see if there will be any other distraction during that time interval.

#art

Shoigu: Russian Experts Will Train Syrian Personnel to Use S-300 Within 3 Months

The Russian Defense Ministry promised to deliver S-300 missile defense systems to Syria by mid-October.

According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Syrian personnel will be able to operate the S-300 systems within three months.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

 

[Laura]

You know, with all this craziness going on, I can't help but recall what Victor Clube said:

...the Christian, Islamic and Judaic cultures have all moved since the European Renaissance to adopt an unreasoning anti-apocalyptic stance, apparently unaware of the burgeoning science of catastrophes. History, it now seems, is repeating itself: it has taken the Space Age to revive the Platonist voice of reason but it emerges this time within a modern anti-fundamentalist, anti-apocalyptic tradition over which governments may, as before, be unable to exercise control. ... Cynics (or modern sophists), in other words, would say that we do not need the celestial threat to disguise Cold War intentions; rather we need the Cold War to disguise celestial intentions! (emphasis in the original)​

Just think about what this might mean, considering when it was written and all that has happened since. One might think the War on Terror was actually a planned cover-up...

 

[thorbiorn]

It is getting still more interesting, here are some translated headlines from a Yandex News feed

US Ambassador at NATO has threatened to destroy Russian missiles

RIA Novosti
18:16

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  Discover24
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  ЛигаNews.net
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  76 photos2 videos

The U.S. permanent representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that Washington is considering the possibility of the destruction created by Russian land-based missiles, which allegedly violate the terms of the Treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range nuclear forces (INF) in 1987.
Read more about the event

In the Scenarios evaluated the threat of the U.S. against Russia over alleged violations of the INF Treaty
RT in Russian20:54

The US has threatened to destroy Russian missiles of intermediate and short range
Kommersant19:22

US Ambassador at NATO has threatened to destroy Russian missiles
RIA Novosti18:16

The US has threatened to destroy Russian cruise missiles
RBC18:15

The US has threatened to destroy Russian missiles
Газета.Ru18:38

The U.S. permanent representative to NATO: America may be ready to shoot down Russian missiles
TASS17:20

The US has threatened to destroy Russian missiles
Lenta.ru16:21

Together with the threat of a Naval Blocade to block Russian oil export just recently, which came right after Israel and France in union worked to down a Russian surveillance plane, leading to Russia promising to deliver the S300 as planed. And add to this the increased tension with Iran and the US, the new aggressive moves by Kosovo and the BUK anti aircraft missiles observed a week ago out of storage north of Donetsk in Ukraine ...

 

[lilies]

That No Fly Zone over Eastern Syria that became visible months earlier (I reported), is slowly materializing, I hope - I mean the current one under construction in Western Syria hopefully will slowly crawl toward the Eastern side as well - , so we will have a chance to travel through/along that timeline.

 

[angelburst29]

For the first time during the seven-year long conflict inside his country, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has conducted an exclusive interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper.

Oct. 3, 2018 - Syrian President does exclusive interview with Kuwaiti newspaper for first time in years
Syrian President does exclusive interview with Kuwaiti newspaper for first time in years


President Assad sat down with Kuwait’s Al-Shahed newspaper on Tuesday in order to discuss a wide-range of topics, including the current conflict inside Syria.

In his interview with journalist Sheikh Sabah Al-Mohammad, the Syrian President said that his nation is involved in a serious media war that is distorting the image of the Middle East and his country.

Assad commended Kuwait and its leader, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who he called an “honorable man.”

The Syrian President stressed that Syria would be reentering Arab politics and going back to its “Arab role.”

Assad said that the next phase of the Syrian conflict will concentrate on rebuilding the devastated nation with the help of regional countries.

The Syrian leader also stressed that once the conflict is over, Syria will reopen its doors to the people of region in order to boost its tourism.


2018-10-03 - Putin calls on all foreign armies in Syria to eventually pull troops out
Putin calls on all foreign armies in Syria to eventually pull troops out

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said during a press conference on Wednesday that all foreign countries, including Russia, inside of Syria should pursue the objective of eventually withdrawing their troops, the Interfax News Agency reported.

Putin then turned his attention to the United States, who he said should either receive Damascus’ permission to maintain any presence inside of Syria.

The Russian leader also hailed the recent Idlib demilitarized zone agreement that was established between him and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on September 17th.

Putin added that this Idlib buffer zone agreement prevented unnecessary bloodshed between the opposing parties in Syria.

The Russian, Turkish, and Iranian leaders are expected to meet again to expand on the Idlib buffer zone agreement and find a possible political settlement.


2018-10-02 - Syrian opposition, Russian FM discuss situation in Idlib
Syrian opposition, Russian FM discuss situation in Idlib

In a recent telephone conversation with the President of the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) Nasr Al-Hariri, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed the latest developments inside the Idlib Governorate and his government’s assessment of the Sochi agreement.

The sides exchanged views on the current situation in Syria, especially in the Idlib de-escalation zone, as well as efforts to promote political settlement of the Syrian crisis on the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday, as quoted by the Tass News Agency.

With the Idlib Governorate mostly cordoned off from the Syrian military, the opposition groups have shifted their attention to a potential political solution.

According to a source in Damascus, the Russian government is working directly with the Syrian opposition and Turkey to expand on the Sochi agreement and possibly reopen the main highway from the Syrian capital to Gaziantep in southern Turkey.

Turkey and Russia have been in talks regarding this main highway for some time now and it appears that they are in position to reopen it with proper security.


2018-10-02 - HTS to allegedly withdraw from Idlib buffer zone after Turkish intel pressure: Al-Watan
HTS to allegedly withdraw from Idlib buffer zone after Turkish intel pressure: Al-Watan

Al-Watan newspaper reported, citing sources close to the Turkish Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front, that Turkish intelligence had held several meetings with the leadership of these two groups.

The sources said that Turkish intelligence had put pressure on the groups’ leaders, while also pledging that the government would not carry out a military operation in Idlib.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, in turn, pledged to change its structure and alter its jihadist ideology so that Ankara does not qualify it as a terror organization any longer, the newspaper added.

For its part, -Nusra promised to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone, without any official announcement of the move, according to the media.

Al-Nusra further promised to disband its so-called “rescue government” that manages the territories the group controls in Idlib. Part of this government will merge with the interim government created by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces.

Al Watan specified that Jabhat al-Nusra’s condition for disbanding was a guarantee of security for its members and leadership.

Idlib remains the only province from which the Syrian government has still not eliminated extremist and rebel forces. In mid-September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib by October 15.


2018-10-03 - Breaking: Putin says no military operation in Idlib in near future
Breaking: Putin says no military operation in Idlib in near future

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he does not foresee any military action in Syria’s Idlib in the near future, stressing that peace – not fighting – is the ultimate goal.

“I do not see any military action in the zone in the foreseeable future, we don’t want fighting in this area – what we want is to achieve peace, and the instruments that we’ve chosen have been effective so far,” President Putin said during the press conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in St. Petersburg.

Putin also said that the humanitarian approach in Idlib “should be on helping people,” whether they live in territories controlled by the Syrian government or by the opposition.

“We shouldn’t really care where these people live, they need to be helped. They shouldn’t suffer,” Putin said.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies have already pulled back many of their divisions from the southeastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate, as these troops were needed elsewhere.

Furthermore, with the new demilitarized zone in Idlib, the Syrian military no longer needs to worry about jihadist rebels storming their areas.


2018-10-02 - Number of US diplomats in Syria has doubled: Mattis
Number of US diplomats in Syria has doubled: Mattis

The total number of U.S. diplomats in Syria has doubled since the Anti-ISIS Coalition began their operations nearly five years ago, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said on Tuesday.

“Our diplomats there on the ground have been doubled in number. As we see the military operations becoming less, we will see the diplomatic effort now able to take (root)” Mattis said, as quoted by Reuters.

Mattis did not specify how many U.S. diplomats are in Syria.

The Defense Secretary said that the U.S.’ operations against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) is nearing its end, as their allies from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) wrap up their operations against the terrorist group.

The Syrian Democratic Forces control most of the territory east of the Euphrates River in Syria after a long battle against the Islamic State terrorists.


2018-10-02 - IRGC attack on eastern Syria killed 40 ISIS terrorists: commander
IRGC attack on eastern Syria killed 40 ISIS terrorists: commander

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) attack on eastern Syria this week resulted in the death of 40 Islamic State (ISIS), Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajzadeh, the commander of the IRGC’s aerospace forces, said on Tuesday.

According to Hajzadeh, the IRGC was operating on information that was received from the Quds Forces in Syria.

“We had a successful operation and in our other operation against terrorist groups in Kurdistan Region,” Hajzadeh said, as quoted by state-owned IRNA. “The information we received by the IRGC Ground Force was so helpful,” he stated.

Hajzadeh said that the Quds Forces relied on information from their drones because they could not physically scout the area due to the U.S. military presence in the eastern part of the Euphrates River Valley.


2018-10-03 - New images show ISIS bases hit by Iranian missiles in eastern Syria (Photos)
New images show ISIS bases hit by Iranian missiles in eastern Syria


2 October، 2018 - Shoigu: Russia completed delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Syria
Shoigu: Russia completed delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Syria – Syrian Arab News Agency

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed that the Russian side has completed the delivery of S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with members of Russia’s Security Council to discuss the situation in Syria on Tuesday that the delivery of air defense systems to Syria has been completed.


October 1, 2018 - Russia will monitor air traffic in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Europe from Syria
Russia will monitor air traffic in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Europe from Syria

The advanced defence and surveillance systems which Russia intends to send to Syria will be able to monitor flight movements in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Europe, media reports said.

“We will know not only that someone has entered the airspace in this region, but also that somewhere a plane is only operating on the runway, be it in Israel or Saudi Arabia or even in Europe,” Vladimir Mikheyev, first deputy director of government-owned Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies, told Russia’s Tass news agency.

“Systems capable of combating precision weapons-guided bombs and missiles … will be added to the conventional radar protection systems,” he added.

Mikheyev pointed out that Moscow is planning to strengthen its own defence systems which could include the installment of aerosol smokescreens which make airplanes invisible to missiles.


Wed Oct 03, 2018 - Syrian Army Seizes Terrorists' Large Warehouse Near Israeli Border
Farsnews

The Syrian Army seized a large warehouse of terrorists' arms near the Israeli border, while combing through a town that was once controlled by the rebels.

According to Al-Ikhbariyah TV, the Syrian Army discovered the large weapons warehouse in the Northern countryside of Quneitra.

The weapons warehouse reportedly contained a large quantity of medicines and medical equipment that were supplied by the Israeli military.

(As a side note: )
Tue Oct 02, 2018 - Over 60 Saudi Officers Resign for Feeling Guilty of Yemen War
Farsnews

Saudi whistle-blower Mujtahid, who is believed to be a member of or have a well-connected source in the royal family, wrote on his twitter page on Tuesday that more than 60 Saudi officers have resigned after the UN issued statements about the Saudi crimes in Yemen.

"Some of these Saudi officers and military men resigned for feeling guilty of what is happening in Yemen and some others resigned for the fear of their names being enlisted as war criminals," he added.

Mujtahid said that most of the resignations have not been accepted and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is punishing those who have resigned.

Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen since March 2015 to restore power to fugitive president Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed at least 17,500 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children.

Despite Riyadh's claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

According to several reports, the Saudi-led air campaign against Yemen has driven the impoverished country towards humanitarian disaster, as Saudi Arabia's deadly campaign prevented the patients from travelling abroad for treatment and blocked the entry of medicine into the war-torn country.

Yemen is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with more than 22 million people in need and is seeing a spike in needs, fuelled by ongoing conflict, a collapsing economy and diminished social services and livelihoods.

A UN panel has compiled a detailed report of civilian casualties caused by the Saudi military and its allies during their war against Yemen, saying the Riyadh-led coalition has used precision-guided munitions in its raids on civilian targets.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

2 October، 2018 - Shoigu: Russia completed delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Syria
Shoigu: Russia completed delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Syria – Syrian Arab News Agency

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed that the Russian side has completed the delivery of S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with members of Russia’s Security Council to discuss the situation in Syria on Tuesday that the delivery of air defense systems to Syria has been completed.


October 1, 2018 - Russia will monitor air traffic in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Europe from Syria
Russia will monitor air traffic in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Europe from Syria

The advanced defence and surveillance systems which Russia intends to send to Syria will be able to monitor flight movements in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Europe, media reports said.

“We will know not only that someone has entered the airspace in this region, but also that somewhere a plane is only operating on the runway, be it in Israel or Saudi Arabia or even in Europe,” Vladimir Mikheyev, first deputy director of government-owned Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies, told Russia’s Tass news agency.

“Systems capable of combating precision weapons-guided bombs and missiles … will be added to the conventional radar protection systems,” he added.

Mikheyev pointed out that Moscow is planning to strengthen its own defence systems which could include the installment of aerosol smokescreens which make airplanes invisible to missiles.

Invitation to 'dance'?

Israeli minister says S-300 system is useless against their warplanes

Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told his nation’s Army Radio on Wednesday that the S-300 system will not have much of an affect against their warplanes.

“The operational abilities of the air force are such that those (S-300) batteries really do not constrain the air force’s abilities to act,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.

“You know that we have stealth fighters, the best planes in the world. These batteries are not even able to detect them,” he continued.

The Israeli minister said that Russia already had their S-300 systems inside of Syria, so the weapon had already been factored in.

Furthermore, he said that Israel made it clear that they will not back down and will continue conducting their operations inside Syria.

“We have clarified to the Syrians more than once that we will not step back from our commitment to prevent Iran’s entrenchment in Syria,” Hanegbi said, adding a veiled threat to take action against the S-300 on the ground: “We were already forced, a few months ago, to destroy Syrian missile batteries, and I hope they won’t challenge us in the future.”


‘New reality’? Israel may increasingly use F-35s in Syria raids after Russia’s S-300 delivery

The IAF must increasingly rely on the futuristic stealth capabilities of the troubled F-35 jet if it’s to continue its raids with impunity, after Syria’s air-defenses were boosted with S-300 systems, Israeli army radio reports.

Tel Aviv's self-reserved right to freely strike ‘Iranian targets’ anywhere inside or outside Syria was severely undermined by Moscow’s transfer of S-300 air defense systems and accompanying hardware to Damascus. The surface-to-air interceptors delivered to the Syrian Arab Army, as well as Moscow's resolve to jam the radar, navigation, and communications systems on any aircraft attacking targets in Syria via the Mediterranean coast might complicate missions for Israeli F-15s and F-16s. So, to avert potential threats to their fighter planes, Israel will rely more on the F-35 to carry out its missions in Syria, Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) reported.

“The coming attacks won't be the first, but they will be safer for the pilots in light of the new reality in Syria's skies,” a source within IAF told the radio station, also emphasizing that Israel has every intention to use this “most expensive weapon in the world.”

In recent years, Tel Aviv purchased 50 F-35 units, known in Israel by their Hebrew name, the ‘Adir,’ from Lockheed Martin, at the cost of $125 million each. Eight of the planes have already been transferred to Israel, while 33 more are expected to arrive by 2021, an IAF source said.

According to the technical characteristics of the US-made jets, the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system should, in theory, allow the jet to operate undetected inside enemy territory and to evade advanced missile defense systems such as the S-300 by suppressing its signals. Whether or not the F-35’s ‘stealth’ capabilities will be effective in real battle conditions is yet to be seen as, in the past, the aircraft, on top of hundreds of bugs and glitches in its systems, was experiencing radar problems.

Russia’s move to secure the Syrian airspace with S-300 complexes follows the downing of the Il-20 reconnaissance plane over Syria by Damascus’ dated air defense system. Moscow pinned the blame for the death of the 15 servicemen on Tel Aviv, asserting that the tragedy occurred because four Israeli F-16 jets used the Russian plane as a cover during an air raid in the Latakia province.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1045130908930576384

Tel Aviv denied responsibility, shifting the blame on Damascus and Tehran, and stressing that it will continue to strike ‘Iranian targets’ in Syria. Israel, however, pledged to boost coordination between the IDF and the Russian militaries, to avoid any further unfortunate incidents in the Syrian skies.


Merkel meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem to discuss Syria, Iran (video)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The leaders exchanged greetings and posed for photographs ahead of talks which are expected to focus on Iran and Syria.

Germany, US agree to stop chemical weapons from being used in Syria

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, today, to discuss a wide-variety of issues, including the ongoing war in Syria.

At the top of their Syria discussion was the use of chemical weapons inside the country and ways they could halt the use of such attacks in the future.

“There are different ways to participate to help ensure that chemical weapons are not used there and that none are even present,” Maas said, citing Germany’s expertise in disposing of such weapons, as quoted by the Reuters News Agency.

Maas said that the U.S. and Germany are working to push for a political settlement in Syria, as well as a new constitution

Recently, the Reuters News Agency leaked a document that said Germany was planning to halt all military flights over Syria and Iraq.

The Germany Air Force will reportedly halt these flights by next year; however, no reason was given for this abrupt move.


Turkey tells US to stop their 'delaying tactic' in Manbij

The Spokesperson for the Turkish President, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Wednesday that the U.S. was purposely delaying the implementation of the Manbij roadmap.

“The delaying tactic started becoming a growing problem. Manbij roadmap should be implemented as soon as possible,” Kalin said.

Kalin continued that Turkey “can take steps at any time to ensure its national security against terror groups in Syria”.

Kalin’s comments come just a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasted the U.S. over their failure to remove all the YPG elements from Manbij.

Both Turkey and the U.S. have already begun joint patrols inside of Manbij; however, the former has repeatedly accused the latter of not removing the YPG personnel from the city.

 

[goyacobol]

Invitation to 'dance'?

There's a good possibility for dancing I think. Since 2015 there has been much sceptisim on the F-35's effectiveness.

Putin’s Wild Card in Syria

And we now know that the American weapons systems have built-in problems and obsolescence designed to keep USG contracts going for perpetuity, to keep the profits going to the RKM-associated defense investors. Take the F-22, the best platform we have. This had contamination problems with their foreign-made oxygen system and was taken out of production because of the efforts of Traitor Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. McCain is the man who blocked retrieval of POWS and MIAs after the Vietnam War ended, and pushed for the new F-35, which has so many operational problems it may take 20 years to fix. It is supposed to do everything for all services, but excels at nothing. American fighters and interceptors used to be the best, but have been slipping lately.

“The American defense Contracting System is really a large corporate welfare system for making continuing profits. American weapon systems are plagued with problems and need constant upgrades and repairs. After the end of the Cold War, the Russians were short of money, and their defense contractors had to make weapons that actually worked reliably at the least cost. This has led to a very efficient Russian defense contracting system that makes weapon systems that work well.”

–Quotation from Veterans Today Financial Editor Mike Harris

 

[Voyageur]

Interesting:

Russian Railways Looking Into Possibility of Rebuilding Syrian Railways
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Russian Railways is looking into the possibility of joining the process of rebuilding rail roads in Syria, First Deputy CEO Alexander Misharin told Sputnik on Friday.

"We are exploring this possibility. We have never ended our cooperation. Why not working if the conditions for this are created," Misharin said.

Earlier, the 4th edition Rebuild Syria Expo held in October showcased some of the biggest names from 270 companies representing 29 countries. Companies from Western and Latin American nations as diverse as Brazil, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Venezuela, Cuba, Germany, Romania and Belgium have attended the event, SANA noted. Traditional allies such as Russia, China, Belarus, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and many others will also attend.

Syria's minister of public works and housing, Hussein Arnous, told reporters that the remarkable increase in participants in the expo set clear evidence on its success and underlined the importance of such events in bringing together contractors and investors from the public and private sector.

Also read that there is work being done on reconstruction of some of the heritage sites is Syria (they will never be the same, yet perhaps they will tell a lasting reality of who did this to such rare works and of those who helped in destroying antiquities).

 

[angelburst29]

Interesting:

Also read that there is work being done on reconstruction of some of the heritage sites is Syria (they will never be the same, yet perhaps they will tell a lasting reality of who did this to such rare works and of those who helped in destroying antiquities).

4 October، 2018 - 500 Ancient Artifacts displayed at 'Syria's Recovered Treasures' Exhibition
500 ancient artefacts displayed at “Syria’s Recovered Treasures” exhibition – Syrian Arab News Agency

“Syria’s Recovered Treasures” exhibition, held by General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums at Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts, showcases golden coins, bronze statues and amphorae among 500 other ancient artifacts dating back to different historical eras from the tenth century BC to the Islamic era.

The exhibition is a joint effort of the Directorate over the past years, in partnership with several institutions and organizations concerned with cultural and archaeological heritage, not to mention the heroism of Syrian soldiers to retrieve the Syrian archaeological pieces which have been damaged and looted by terrorist groups.

In a statement to journalists, Minister of Culture, Mohammed al-Ahmed said that visitors of the exhibition could realize the volume of destruction caused by the terrorist war waged on Syria which mainly targets the country’s deep roots and ancient civilization, adding that it conveys a message to the entire world that Syria has succeeded to protect its culture and history and restored large part of its archaeological artifacts.

Director General of Museums and Antiquities, Mahmoud Hammoud, told SANA that exhibits were found by the Syrian army and other concerned parties in different areas after being liberated from terrorism, including Deir Ezzor, and the Eastern Ghouta, Wadi Barada (Valley) and al-Doumeir, northeast of Damascus.

“In total, more than 9,000 pieces have been salvaged; some of which are in good condition while others need to be restored,” said Hammoud, adding that the Directorate is training national cadres to rehabilitate Syrian monument and archaeological pieces.


2018-10-05 - Syrian ancient artifacts go on display in Damascus (Video)
Syrian ancient artifacts go on display in Damascus

Ancient artifacts salvaged from Syria’s war-torn cities were on display at Damascus Opera House on Friday, including two rare busts retrieved from Palmyra.

The exhibit, which opened on Wednesday, also features pottery, flint tools and statues among the 500 artifacts on display.

Many of the country’s archaeological sites were destroyed or badly damaged as a result of ongoing fighting.

The Syrian Army salvaged some items of historic value when recapturing cities, but many artifacts remain unaccounted for or hidden in neighboring countries.


3 October، 2018 - Icons full of Art and creativity at Handicrafts and Heritage Exhibition in Damascus (Photos)
Icons full of art and creativity at handicrafts and heritage exhibition in Damascus – Syrian Arab News Agency

 

[angelburst29]

A military convoy of tens of Russian forces and military vehicles has been dispatched to Albu Kamal region in Southeastern Deir Ezzur as the Syrian army continues cleansing operations against the ISIL in the region, militants' media outlets claimed on Saturday.

Sat Oct 06, 2018 - Militant Sources: Russia Deploying Troops to Deir Ezzur Near Iraqi Borders
Farsnews

The Arabic-language al-Baladi news channel affiliated to the militants in Syria reported on Saturday that the Russian forces have been deployed in regions near the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and US forces' positions in Southeastern Deir Ezzur.

It added that the Russian forces have been for the first time deployed in the region after the Syrian army regained control of the Western banks of the Euphrates river.

Meantime, the Syrian army troops have started military operations against the ISIL in Badiyeh (desert areas) of Deir Ezzur.

The Syrian army had earlier reinvigorated its positions in al-Sayal region in Southeastern Deir Ezzur near Albu Kamal after sending military convoys.

The Syrian Army dispatched more fresh forces and military equipment to Southeastern Deir Ezzur on Wednesday to intensify attacks on ISIL's movement and positions in the Eastern desert of Deir Ezzur.

The army forwarded tens of fresh soldiers and a large volume of military equipment to al-Sayal region near the town of Albu Kamal in Southeastern Deir Ezzur.

In the meantime, field sources said that the army has kept its soldiers on alert and has reinvigorated its combat-defense capabilities after ISIL's sporadic attacks.

Meantime, the Syrian Air Force carried out a number of combat flights over the ISIL's movements near Aweiraz Dam and a large region from the T2 Oil Pumping Station in Southwestern Deir Ezzur to the Eastern desert of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs.

ISIL suffered heavy casualties and it military hardware sustained major damage in the air raids.


06.10.2018 - Druze Gather in Israeli-Controlled Golan Heights to Mark Support for Assad
Druze Gather in Israeli-Controlled Golan Heights to Mark Support for Assad



The minority has been repeatedly subjected to Daesh terrorism since 2015, leading to protests by the Druze community from the Israeli-controlled portion of the Golan to protect their brothers on the other side of the artificial border from the violence.

Gathering along a fence separating them from the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights, Druze commemorated the anniversary of the start of the 1973 Arab Israeli War while celebrating Syria's successes in its recent war against the terrorists.

People gathered on both sides of the fence that separate Israeli occupied Golan from Syria to commemorate the start of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1048584115145072641

Carrying Syrian flags, portraits of President Bashar Assad, binoculars and megaphones, the Druze community in the village of Massade chanted loyalty to the Syrian government, with troops and civilians on the other side of the border shouting and waving back.

Local resident Emil Masoud told Reuters that the rally was meant to "celebrate the final stages of the war…and to celebrate with our people in Syria the final stage of victory."

The village of Massade, part of Syria's Quneitra District, has been under Israeli occupation since the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.

Israel occupied 1,200 square kilometers of the 1,800 square-kilometer Golan Heights during the Six-Day War, and formally annexed it in 1981. The UN Security Council condemned the decision and called the move to impose Israeli "laws, jurisdiction and administration" over the territory "null and void and without international legal effect."

During the conflict in Syria, much of southern Syria, including the Syrian-controlled portion of the Golan Heights, was occupied by Islamist militants, including Daesh (ISIS), a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries. This summer, Syrian forces won back control of their southern border areas from the terrorists.

Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem called on the international community to compel Israel to abide by UN Security Council resolutions, including the one on the Golan Heights, and stressed Damascus' determination to fully liberate the Golan Heights, "just as we liberated southern Syria from terrorists."


06.10.2018 - Ceasefire Breaches Recorded in Syria's Idlib Safe Zone - Russian Military
Ceasefire Breaches Recorded in Syria’s Idlib Safe Zone – Russian Military

The Russian Centre for Reconciliation in Syria said Saturday that it registered ceasefire breaches in four areas of the Idlib de-escalation zone in northern Syria.

Despite the ceasefire regime being established throughout the country, there are still cases of ceasefire regime violation by illegal armed formations in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Insurgents attacked the following towns over the past day: Rasha, Nahshabba, Ikko in Latakia province and western outskirts of Aleppo city (two times)," Lt. Gen. Vladimir Savchenko, head of the center, said.

He also noted that medical care was provided to 47 Syrians, including 31 children, over the past 24 hours.


October, 06, 2018 - Facing Tough Mission in Syria's Idlib, Turkish Forces Attacked by Armed Terrorists
Facing Tough Mission in Syria's Idlib, Turkish Forces Attacked by Armed Terrorists - Tasnim News Agency

Turkey deployed a number of its military officers to Syria’s northern province of Idlib to disarm the remaining terrorist groups under an agreement with Russia, but the mission failed after the militants refused to drop weapons and attacked the Turkish forces.

Turkey, known as one of the three guarantors of a ceasefire in Syria’s de-escalation zones, reached an agreement with Russia in September to avert bloodshed in the northern province of Idlib by creating a demilitarized zone.

Under the agreement with Russia, Turkey must disarm the armed rebels in Idlib, but its attempts have been stymied by extremist terror groups in the embattled province.

According to a number of sources, Turkey has recently deployed a number of its officers to Idlib to disarm the terrorist groups, with the mediation of the so-called Free Syrian Army.

But the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group refused to drop arms and has reportedly launched an attack on the Turkish and on the Free Syrian Army forces.

The document signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan has imposed an October 10 deadline for all heavy weapons — including tanks, mortars and artillery systems — to be removed from Idlib. By October 15, all designated terrorist groups must be cleared from the area, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate and the largest armed faction in Idlib.

The Syrian and allied Russian forces have threatened an all-out assault on Idlib if Turkey fails to carry out its commitments.


2018-10-06 - Largest rebel group begins withdrawing heavy weapons from Idlib buffer zone
Breaking: Largest rebel group begins withdrawing heavy weapons from Idlib buffer zone

The largest rebel group has begun withdrawing their heavy weapons from the Idlib buffer zone, local activists reported this evening.
According to the reports from the area, the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) began removing their weapons from the front-lines in Idlib, as they observe the Idlib buffer zone agreement.

With the withdrawal of the National Liberation Front from the Idlib buffer zone, all that remains in the area are the hardline jihadists and some rogue rebel groups.

The jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Hurras Al-Deen group have already refused to leave, so there will likely be a Turkish military operation to forcibly remove them from the Idlib buffer zone.


6 October، 2018 - Bogdanov: Agreement on Idleb aims at getting rid of terrorists there
Bogdanov: Agreement on Idleb aims at getting rid of terrorists there – Syrian Arab News Agency

Russian President’s Special Represenative for the Middle East and African Countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the main goal of the agreement on Idleb is eliminating the hotbed of terrorists there.

RT website quoted on Saturday Bogdanov as saying that the Idleb agreement is interim as its ultimate aim is eliminating the hotbed of terrorists in Syria in general and in that area in particular, as well as preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He added that the agreement stipulates for getting rid of the terrorists who reject to hand their weapons over in Idleb, adding that his county hopes that the agreement would be implemented strictly.


06.10.2018 - US to Supply more F-35's to Israel to Offset S-300 Systems in Syria - Report
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201810061068662547-israel-us-f-35-supplies-syria/

On Tuesday, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow had delivered S-300 missile systems to Syria to increase the security of Russian military personnel in the Arab country.

An additional shipment of US F-35 stealth planes will be supplied to Israel under President Trump's order, in retaliation to Syria’s recent acquisition of Russian S-300 missile defense batteries, according to the Israeli news website Debka.

Washington also notified Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that the first US F-35 squadron would soon be deployed at Al Dhafra Air base 32 kilometers south of UAE's capital Abu Dhabi.

Debka cited military sources as saying that the F-35 deliveries indicate the US's and Israel's "determination to maintain Israeli Air Force's operations over Syria, notwithstanding the presence of the S-300s and boosted Russian-Syrian air defense capabilities."

The remarks came a few days after Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi claimed that the F-35 stealth fighters will be able to avoid S-300 missile systems strikes and can possibly destroy them right on the ground.

"You know that we have stealth fighters, the best planes in the world. These batteries are not even able to detect them. The operational abilities of the air force are such that those [S-300] batteries really do not constrain the air force's abilities to act," Hanegbi alleged.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed the government’s discontent over Russia's delivery of S-300 missile system to Syria, but said that the move will not stop Israel from continuing its military operations in the war-ravaged Arab country.


06.10.2018 - Russia trying to Mediate between Iran & Israel as Syria Tension Simmer - Report
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201810061068655918-russia-mediator-for-israel-iran-in-syria/

Tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv took a turn for the worse this week, with Israel vowing to continue its attacks against the alleged Iranian presence in Syria. Meanwhile, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander has warned that Israel would be destroyed by Hezbollah and its government would be forced to "flee into the sea."

Russia made an effort to open channels of communication between Israel and Iran in a bid to reduce tensions, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat has reported, citing a senior Russian source.

Moscow's efforts, said to have been made in the wake of the delivery of its S-300 missile systems to Syria, were described as an attempt to "reduce tensions and prevent friction" between Tehran and Tel Aviv over conflicting interests in the Arab Republic.

Russian, Iranian and Israeli officials have made no official comment regarding the authenticity of the report.

This week, Washington urged Tehran to make use of the Russia-US deconfliction hotline to warn the US of any air or missile strikes in Syria following Iran's Monday attack against Daesh (ISIS)* forces just a few kilometers from a US military base, which came without prior warning.

Iranian-Israeli tensions reached a boiling point in recent months over the conflict in Syria. Last month, a senior Israeli military official admitted that Israel had struck over 200 targets in the war-torn country over the past year and a half. Israel justified these attacks by claiming that they have been focusing on eliminating a suspected Iranian military presence.

Tehran and Damascus have rejected such charges, and said that although Iran has military advisers assisting Syria in its fight against Islamist extremists, no regular forces are present. Moreover, Damascus has repeatedly pointed out that assistance from Iran and the Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah has been approved by Syria's internationally recognized government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected Syria and Iran's arguments this week, vowing Thursday that Israel would "continue doing what it takes to defend itself" and "continue blocking Iran's attempts to use Syria and Lebanon as its
forward bases to launch attacks on Israel."

Also this week, the Russian military confirmed that it had completed the delivery of several S-300 air defense installations to Syria. On Wednesday, Israeli military officials signaled that Tel Aviv was "unhappy" with the delivery of the S-300 systems to Syria, but added that the Israeli Air Force would not stop its operations in the country.

The Israeli military continues to hold Syria responsible for the destruction of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft which was accidentally shot down with 15 servicemen on board by Syrian air defenses during an Israeli air raid on September 17. The Russian defense ministry has accused the Israeli Air Force of deliberately using the Russian plane as a shield, and of providing insufficient warning for the aircraft to make it out of harm's way. Russia has taken a number of steps in response to the incident, including the delivery of the S-300s, the provision of its advanced friend/foe identification systems to the Syrian military, and providing Syria with radio-electronic suppression of satellite navigation, airborne radars and combat communications systems of any aircraft attempting to attack Syrian targets. Israel has not carried out any additional attacks on targets in Syria since September 17.


Sat Oct 06, 2018 - Source: Turkey behind Terrorists' Delay in Leaving Al-Tanf
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970714000830

Turkey has played a role in delaying the implementation of a Russian-US agreement to evacuate the militants from al-Tanf region at the borders between Iraq and Syria, Russian media said on Saturday.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency quoted an informed source as saying that Turkey is behind the delay in transferring all terrorist groups from al-Tanf region and al-Rakban camp to Northern Syria to pave the ground for civilians' return to their villages and towns.

Based on the report, Turkey wants to shelter the foreign terrorist groups, including Turkistani, Turkaman, and other militants who consider themselves as remnants of the Ottoman government in Northern Syria and prevent the Syrian militants from residing in that region.

The source also said that delay in the implementation of al-Tanf agreement has also delayed the US forces' withdrawal which depended on the retreatment of all terrorist groups by receiving government amnesty or their transfer to Northern Syria, adding that Ankara has revealed its opposition after a likely agreement with the US in this regard.

Sources had said last month that Moscow and Washington had held talks to end the presence of US forces and affiliated militants in al-Tanf base at the borders with Iraq, adding that their withdrawal was imminent.

They added that the US and Russian officials were in talks over the final stages of the agreement, noting that plan was to come into effect soon.


October, 04, 2018 - Damascus to Resume Pivotal Role in Region after War, President Assad Says
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/...role-in-region-after-war-president-assad-says

Syrian President Bashar Assad told Kuwaiti newspaper Wednesday that Syria has reached a "major understanding" with Arab states after exercising years of war.

Arab and Western delegations have begun visiting Syria to prepare for the reopening of diplomatic and other missions, he said, AP reported.

Soon the war will be over, Assad told the paper's publisher, Syria will resume its pivotal role in the region.

Syria's membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended in the early days of the war and Arab countries later imposed economic sanctions after they failed to mediate an end to the war.

 

[angelburst29]

Thu, Oct 4, 2018 - Dear Israel: 'If You Won't Speak to Lavrov, You'll Speak to Shoigu', Russia's #1 Anchor (Dmitry Kiselyov)
Dear Israel: 'If You Won't Speak to Lavrov, You'll Speak to Shoigu', Russia's #1 Anchor (Dmitry Kiselyov)

Dmitry Kiselyov

Another great one liner from Kiselyov. This is the reason he is the most popular journalist in Russia.

Published on Oct 1, 2018 (3:16 min.)

Transcript:

Last Monday, President Putin informed his Syrian colleague, Bashar Al-Assad, over the phone about his decision to supply the S-300 air defense systems to Syria. The decision was made after our reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea on September 17th.​

Russia placed the blame for the tragedy on Israel. The Russian government found Israel's excuses insincere and unconvincing, claiming that Israel's actions were in conflict with the level of trust and cooperation that existed between the two countries up until the Il-20 tragedy. The new measures taken by Russia will create a protective umbrella over Syria.​

This situation reminds me of an old joke: "If you don't want to talk to Lavrov, you'll to have to speak to Shoigu."

It's no secret that Shoigu speaks in a military tone of voice.

Here it is. He even broke it down for everyone to understand.

Sergey Shoigu, Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation:

“Firstly, the Syrian Armed Forces will be supplied with the advanced S-300 air defense missile system within two weeks. It is capable of intercepting air threats at a range of more than 150 miles while simultaneously hitting several aerial targets.

Secondly, the command centers of Syrian troops and military air defense units will be equipped with automatic control systems, which have so far only been supplied to the Russian Armed Forces. Most importantly, it will ensure the identification of all Russian aircraft by the Syrian air defense forces.

Thirdly, in the regions over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea bordering Syria, Russia will jam the satellite navigation, onboard radar, and communication systems of combat aircraft which attack targets on Syrian territory.

We are convinced that these measures will calm down some hotheads and keep them from committing careless actions which pose a threat to our servicemen. Otherwise, we will have to respond in line with the current situation.”

As for Israel, it's having mixed feelings. In the heat of the moment, some say they'll find a way to suppress the Russian air defense systems and continue airstrikes against Syria.

Others are asking themselves: Is it worth radically changing the tone of Israel's relationship with Russia?

There are even those who are thanking Russia for the lesson. Take an article by Gideon Levy, a famous journalist, published in Haaretz, one of the most respected newspapers in Israel, for example.

“Thank you, Mother Russia, for setting limits on a child whom no one has restrained for a long time. Russia has outlined for the world a way to treat Israel, using the only language Israel understands.”

Amid such statements, the idea of setting up a state committee that would decide whether conducting further airstrikes against Syria is appropriate is being voiced louder.

Well, hopefully, it works.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Now we are 'dancing' angelburst29. I like your 'moves' btw.

Fresh footage of S-300 system unloading in Syria released by Russian MoD (VIDEO)

New footage of the delivery of the Russian S-300 air defense system to the Syrian military has been published by the Russian Defense Ministry’s television channel.

The video from Zvezda TV shows the arrival of the Russian An-124 Ruslan transport plane to an airfield in Syria and the unloading of the system’s components by Russian troops.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1048834891067084800

Last week, Moscow supplied Damascus with an S-300 in response to the downing of the Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane in Syria on September 17. The aircraft, with 15 servicemen on board, was mistakenly shot down by Syrian air defense units. Moscow said the Israeli F-16 jet used it as cover during a raid on Syrian targets.

The move will likely “cool some hotheads down and avert them from ill-judged acts that endanger our troops,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said earlier.

Russia said that Israel was solely responsible for the tragedy, and provided radar data to back the accusations. Tel Aviv, however, denies any wrongdoing, attempting to shift the blame to Syria and its ally, Iran.


Netanyahu says will hold meeting with Putin soon

Some time ago Israeli Prime Minister spoke with Russian President by phone

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to hold a meeting with him soon.

"Some time ago I spoke with Putin by phone. We agreed to hold a meeting soon to maintain important coordination between our countries’ armies," Netanyahu told the government, according to his Chancellery.

"Israel will continue taking steps in order not to allow Iran to create military bases in Syria and prevent Iran from handing over lethal arms to the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon," Netanyahu said.

The prime minister’s Chancellery has not revealed the date of the upcoming meeting. This will be the first meeting between Putin and Netanyahu after the Russian electronic surveillance Il-20 plane was accidently downed by Syrian air defenses over the Mediterranean Sea when it was returning to the Hmeymim airbase. Russian top brass said a missile from Syria’s S-200 system downed the aircraft when it targeted four Israeli F-16 fighter jets, which attacked facilities in Latakia. The Israeli Air Force and those who made the decision to use the Il-20 aircraft as cover are solely to blame for its crash, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

After that incident Russia handed over to Syria 49 units of equipment as part of delivering the S-300 missile system aimed at increasing security of the Russian military in Syria. Syrian specialists will learn how to use the S-300 system within three months, and an effort to install a centralized control system for the Syrian air defense network will be completed by October 20.


Daesh Terrorists Again Evacuated by US Copters From Syria's Deir Ez-Zor – Report

The Saturday evacuation is the latest in a series of airlifts coming amid the Syrian Army's ongoing offensive on jihadists who still control small pockets of Deir ez-Zor, much of them empty desert.

A number of wounded Daesh* terrorists militants have been evacuated by US helicopters from Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, local sources said, as quoted by the Syrian news website Arabi Today.

On Saturday night, the militants were reportedly relocated from the town of al-Shaafah located near the Iraqi border to an unknown location.

It is not the first time that US military aircraft have been spotted transferring Daesh terrorists from embattled regions.

In late September, Syria's SANA news agency reported that the US-led coalition performed "an air landing operation" on the outskirts of al-Marashida in order to airlift terrorist leaders to an unknown destination.

In April, SANA said that US military helicopters reportedly evacuated at least three Daesh commanders of Iraqi origin along with their family members from Tal al-Shayer region 20 kilometers southeast of the Syrian city of al-Shadadi in Hasakah province.

In December 2017, SANA revealed that a number of Daesh militants had been evacuated from several locations across Deir ez-Zor province to the al-Hasakah region, under the control of US forces.

Deir ez-Zor had been under siege by Daesh militants since 2014 before the area was cleared in the fall of 2017 by government forces. The province was also targeted by a Daesh offensive from May to June this year.

The United States and a number of its allies launched their campaign against Daesh in Syria in 2014, in what was approved neither by the UN nor Damascus.


Farsnews

Ankara-Backed Terrorists Hide Heavy Weapons in Lattakia

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that there has been no clear indication of a retreat by militant groups from the weapons-free zone after the Sochi agreement between Russia and Turkey, adding that 70% of the demilitarized region is still under the occupation of militants.

It said that Ahrar al-Sham, Faylaq al-Sham and the Coastal Regiments 1 and 2, affiliated to the National Liberation Front (NFL), have not retreated from Northern and Northeastern Lattakia, noting that they have only concealed their heavy weapons in tunnels.

NFL's spokesman had on Saturday claimed that the process to transfer heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone in Northern Syria has started.

The SOHR also reported on Saturday that the militants had not withdrawn from the demilitarized zone in Northern Syria agreed by Turkey and Russia under the Sochi Agreement, adding that they were even reinforcing their positions in the region.

It that the militant groups, including the Turkey-backed NFL, had not retreated from the weapons-free zone at the administrative borders of Idlib, Hama, Lattakia and Aleppo provinces.

The SOHR, meantime, added that the militant groups have, instead, strengthened their positions and strongholds in the demilitarized zone, specially areas in Northern Lattakia.

Syrian sources said on Thursday that Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorist group and the Turkish army disagree on the implementation of the Sochi agreement between Moscow and Ankara, adding that the militants seek control over key passageways in the demilitarized zone.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted sources close to the militants as saying that Tahrir al-Sham has demanded control over certain crossroads on M5 highway which links Aleppo to Hama and M4 highway that links Aleppo to Lattakia.

They added that the Turkish intelligence body has opposed the demand, specially about the passageways located between the Syrian army-controlled areas and those occupied by the terrorists in Idlib, Western Aleppo and Sahl al-Qab in Northwestern Hama, adding that Turkey wants to deliver their control to the National Liberation Front militants who are supported by Turkey.

The report said if Tahrir al-Sham and Ankara come into terms with each other over this issue, the terrorist group will soon start withdrawal from demilitarized zone.

Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group is attempting to maintain its positions in Syria, it said.


Farsnews

US Spying Drone Spotted Near Russia-Run Base in Western Syria

The Arabic-language website of Russia's state news agency, Sputnik, reported that Western sites that are monitoring flights across the glob have detected an American RC-135 V reconnaissance aircraft flying almost 14 hours along Syria's coast 60 km away from the Russia-run Humeimim base.

It further said that the US drone, carrying ID number 14848-64, took off from Sodabi Base in Crete Island in Eastern Mediterranean.

The RC-135 V aircraft is one of the most important electronic devices of the US air force used for countering planes and air defense system, including anti-aircraft missile systems.

The report underlined that the US spying drones' presence near the Russia-run base testifies Pentagon's concerns about delivery of Russia's S300 system to Damascus.

A media outlet reported on Tuesday that several huge Russian cargo planes arrived in the Russia-run Humeimim airbase in Western Syria after Moscow announced in late September that it would equip Syria with S300 air defense system.

The Arabic-language website of Russia's state-run news agency, RT, quoted western websites that monitor military movements across the globe as reporting that several Antonov 124 cargo planes have been landing in Humeimim airbase since Thursday.

It further said that the flights to Humeimim in Western Lattakia came immediately after Russia's decision to deliver S300 Missile System to Syria's air defense units.

The Arabic RT went on to say that an Antonov-124 cargo plane with RA-82035 serial number landed in Humeimim military airport last night that was the sixth of this kind since Thursday.


Farsnews

US Army Sends More Military Convoys to Military Airport in Northeastern Syria

The US army forwarded a military convoy from its base in the town of Tal Issa to Tabaqa military airport in Western Raqqa.

The convoy included ten military vehicles, a field source said, adding that the fresh troops are to resume patrolling around military positions in Western Raqqa, including positions of the SDF training camp for especial forces West of Tabaqa.

In the meantime, local sources reported that a number of SDF militias were injured after unknown raiders targeted their positon near the village of al-Sahbiyah Qarbi in Raqqa province.

The sources further said that a number of civilians were arrested in the small town of al-Mansourah amid a new round of SDF's forced recruitment in Western Raqqa.

The London-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported in September that the US-led coalition forwarded a sum of 150 vehicles carrying military-logistic equipment to the SDF-held regions on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River via Simalka passageway at Iraq-Syria border.

It further said that the convoy has been sent to the coalition bases in Raqqa, Aleppo, Hasaka and Deir Ezzur provinces, adding that more convoys will be sent to the US bases in Syria in coming days.

 

[angelburst29]

Farsnews
US Spying Drone Spotted Near Russia-Run Base in Western Syria

The Arabic-language website of Russia's state news agency, Sputnik, reported that Western sites that are monitoring flights across the glob have detected an American RC-135 V reconnaissance aircraft flying almost 14 hours along Syria's coast 60 km away from the Russia-run Humeimim base.

It further said that the US drone, carrying ID number 14848-64, took off from Sodabi Base in Crete Island in Eastern Mediterranean.

The RC-135 V aircraft is one of the most important electronic devices of the US air force used for countering planes and air defense system, including anti-aircraft missile systems.

The report underlined that the US spying drones' presence near the Russia-run base testifies Pentagon's concerns about delivery of Russia's S300 system to Damascus.

Sun Oct 07, 2018 - US Drone Reportedly Spotted Near Russian Borders Again
Farsnews

RQ-4 Global Hawk, a strategic US Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew for eleven hours near the Russian borders, according to the aviation website Plane Radar.

After lifting off from the US airbase Sigonella in Italy, the UAV entered Ukraine's airspace at 8:27 Moscow time (5:27 GMT) and an hour later on Friday, the drone headed to Poland, Sputnik reported.

Shortly afterwards, the RQ-4 Global Hawk flew for several hours near Russia's Kaliningrad region and then headed towards the airspace of the Baltic states, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, thereby spending more than three hours at the Western borders of Russia's Leningrad and Pskov regions.

Friday's flyover was the latest in a series of such reconnaissance flights by US drones were specifically detected near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad as well as Crimea and the Krasnodar region several weeks ago.

The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly called on Washington to abandon such flights, but the Pentagon refuses to comply.


07.10.2018 - Netanyahu says Agreed with Putin to meet in Near Future
Netanyahu Says Agreed With Putin to Meet in Near Future

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting in the near future.

"A short while ago, I spoke with President Putin. We agreed to meet in the near future in order to continue the security coordination between the military of the two countries. Israel will continue acting to prevent Iran from establishing military bases in Syria and transferring lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon," Netanyahu said on Twitter.

This would be the first meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin following the Il-20 incident.


2018-10-08 - Netanyahu to hold meeting with Putin to prevent Iran from building new bases in Syria
Netanyahu to hold meeting with Putin to prevent Iran from building new bases in Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to hold a meeting with him soon.

Some time ago I spoke with Putin by phone. We agreed to hold a meeting soon to maintain important coordination between our countries’ armies,” Netanyahu told the government, according to his Chancellery.

“Israel will continue taking steps in order not to allow Iran to create military bases in Syria and prevent Iran from handing over lethal arms to the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister’s Chancellery has not revealed the date of the upcoming meeting.


Oct 5, 2018 - NATO’s Takfiri Laundromat
NATO’s Takfiri Laundromat - Fort Russ

It wasn’t at all long ago*

✓ Turkey’s intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, named as member of terror group linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.
✓ Turkish intelligence directly supplied military aid to ISIS for years.
✓ Turkish government siphoned military supplies to ISIS through humanitarian relief agency.
✓ ISIS fighters, including al-Baghadi’s deputy, received free medical treatment in Turkey and “protection” from Turkish police.
✓ Head of ISIS in Turkey received “24/7 protection” under the personal order of President Erdogan.
✓ Turkish police investigations into ISIS are being systematically quashed.
✓ ISIS oil is sold with complicity of authorities in Turkey and Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
✓ NATO affirms Turkey’s role as ally in war on ISIS.

Well folks, if the President’s palace in Ankara can be compared to the administrative office of a regional Hell, Recep Erdogan and his intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, a member of the Turkish branch of al-Qaida since the 1990s (according to a Turkish former counter-terrorism police chief) aptly fit the descriptions of Satan and Beelzebub respectively; but it wasn’t only Erdogan enriching his family by laundering ISIS & al-Qaida’s stolen oil and his intelligence chief Fidan arranging the shipments of weapons to ISIS & al-Qaida that laundered oil bought. Yeah, that’s what was going on with NATO’s Turkey [pun intended] through 2015, all as the complicit Western intelligence community has pretended the real problem is Assad. That is, that’s how it all went down until late 2015 when Russia stepped in shortly before the Syrian ‘regime’ would have collapsed to the takfiris. We can thank Orthodox Russia (and ‘Vlad’) Syria is not run by head-choppers with slave markets brought to you courtesy of NATO and ‘friends’ (including but not limited to Saudi money and Israeli weapons.)

But wait! It’s not ‘game over’ yet, ISIS leadership and core cadres seem to have found its way (as if by magic) to Afghanistan where they found ready logistics enough to become quickly established and I don’t think it was their arch-enemy Iran let them cross to relative safety let alone supports their new mission. How that happened is likely related to this next, where Erdogan is playing two sides (his habit of backstabbing), we begin with the preliminary circumstance:

“According to the [Sochi/Idlib] agreement [between Russia, Iran, Turkey], all heavy weaponry operated by opposition [opposed to Assad] factions must be pulled out of the demilitarized zone by October 10 and “terrorist groups” should be cleared by October 15″

It is 3 October as I write this, and that’s not happening, yet.

“The sources said Moscow already informed Tehran, Damascus and Ankara that in case the above conditions were not fully implemented, Russia would therefore immediately launch a military operation and airstrikes against Idlib.

According to the sources, Russia and Turkey disagree over the depth of the decentralized zone, as Moscow is seeking to annex Idlib and other main cities to it [out of opposition control], but Ankara has rejected the offer.

“The second disagreement is related to the two main roads linking Aleppo to Latakia and Hama, which are considered the “main artery of the North.” Russia asked that the Syrian regime control the M4 from Aleppo to Latakia and the M5 from Aleppo to Hama before 2019. However, Ankara insists that the roads remain monitored by Russia and Turkey”

Preceding, we see the Turkish side seeking to block Syria’s long term reassertion of sovereignty via access to the Idlib region.

“The third disagreement is related to the fate of extremists as Turkish officials want to transfer them to Kurdish-controlled areas while Russian officials insist on “terminating them”.

This is the big disagreement in the near term, and the one we’ll be looking at a bit more closely.

“Also, the two sides disagree over the range of the Sochi agreement.

“Moscow wants it a temporary agreement similar to the ones implemented in the de-escalation areas of Daraa, Damascus Ghouta and Homs, while Ankara prefers to have it permanent, similar to the one implemented in the areas of Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations.

In plain words, Erdogan wants to keep Idlib province as a ‘moderate jihadi’ Turkish ‘protectorate.’

“Both countries hope that a Russian-Turkish-French-German summit planned for next month could contribute to solving the disputes over Idlib”

This last bit is disingenuous on the Turkish side, Erdogan is playing for time to consolidate Idlib Province in Syria as a laundered al-Qaida controlled district and the Russians have noticed:

“Terrorist organizations Jabhat al-Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [both al-Qaida affiliates] have agreed, under pressure from Turkish intelligence, to disband and withdraw their forces from the demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, Al Watan newspaper reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

“Al-Watan newspaper reported, citing sources close to the Turkish Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front, that Turkish intelligence had held several meetings with the leadership of these two groups.

“The sources said that Turkish intelligence had put pressure on the groups’ leaders, while also pledging that the government would not carry out a military operation in Idlib.

“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, in turn, pledged to change its structure and alter its jihadist ideology so that Ankara does not qualify it as a terror organization any longer, the newspaper added.

“For its part, al-Nusra promised to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone, without any official announcement of the move, according to the media.

“Al-Nusra further promised to disband its so-called “rescue government” that manages the territories the group controls in Idlib. Part of this government will merge with the interim government created by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces”

So, Edogan’s intelligence people, whose boss is known to have held membership in al-Qaida, is rapidly changing al-Qaida’s label and reintegrating them to Idlib’s ‘moderate rebel’® governing structures. That sounds very far removed from Russia’s sensible determination to ‘terminate’ the takfiri terrorists even as Erdogan claims he is working with the Russians to eliminate the radicals. Meanwhile, as Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov had stated the task of isolating the radicals… “is not easy”and hoped that Turkey would “succeed”… it would appear it was easier than he could have imagined (far too easy, in fact.)

This analysts conclusion? Erdogan is in process of backstabbing Putin and it is not a wise choice, particularly considering Erdogan’s backstop is the Russophobic Trump administration’s desire to preserve and protect the bad players, doubtless so they may be employed to do the empire’s dirty deeds on another day.

Of course it should come as no surprise the USA’s so-called ‘efficient institution’ would work with American media to deny Americans this information; and go so far as to have the Department of Homeland Security warn Americans away from Russian media where these facts indeed ARE reported. No surprise, one might wonder? Well, no surprise if you’d had access to this bit of history:

“By the end of 1962 this nation had gone so far down the line following the Agency [CIA], the new Special Forces doctrine, the MAP [Military Assistance Plan], and the new U.S. philosophy as outlined in the President’s Committee report, that it was saying openly it was well on its way to carrying out as top national policy a major clandestine operation so big in fact that the entire government would be involved. Obviously, it could not be really clandestine in the sense that it would be kept secret from our enemies; on the contrary, it was a new kind of “clandestine”, so it would be kept secret from all Americans” –L. Fletcher Prouty, Pentagon liaison to the CIA

To carry this operation out, and see where we are today, it were only necessary for the CIA to establish a lap-dog American press. They’ve done it. The Russian press as alternative to American press most certainly isn’t a perfect vehicle but; the Russians will report the treason in DC whereas the Washington Post and New York Times will not.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Oct 5, 2018 - NATO’s Takfiri Laundromat
NATO’s Takfiri Laundromat - Fort Russ

It wasn’t at all long ago*

[..]

Preceding, we see the Turkish side seeking to block Syria’s long term reassertion of sovereignty via access to the Idlib region.

“The third disagreement is related to the fate of extremists as Turkish officials want to transfer them to Kurdish-controlled areas while Russian officials insist on “terminating them”.

This is the big disagreement in the near term, and the one we’ll be looking at a bit more closely.

“Also, the two sides disagree over the range of the Sochi agreement.

“Moscow wants it a temporary agreement similar to the ones implemented in the de-escalation areas of Daraa, Damascus Ghouta and Homs, while Ankara prefers to have it permanent, similar to the one implemented in the areas of Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations.

In plain words, Erdogan wants to keep Idlib province as a ‘moderate jihadi’ Turkish ‘protectorate.’

“Both countries hope that a Russian-Turkish-French-German summit planned for next month could contribute to solving the disputes over Idlib”

This last bit is disingenuous on the Turkish side, Erdogan is playing for time to consolidate Idlib Province in Syria as a laundered al-Qaida controlled district and the Russians have noticed:

“Terrorist organizations Jabhat al-Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [both al-Qaida affiliates] have agreed, under pressure from Turkish intelligence, to disband and withdraw their forces from the demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, Al Watan newspaper reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

“Al-Watan newspaper reported, citing sources close to the Turkish Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front, that Turkish intelligence had held several meetings with the leadership of these two groups.

“The sources said that Turkish intelligence had put pressure on the groups’ leaders, while also pledging that the government would not carry out a military operation in Idlib.

“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, in turn, pledged to change its structure and alter its jihadist ideology so that Ankara does not qualify it as a terror organization any longer, the newspaper added.

“For its part, al-Nusra promised to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone, without any official announcement of the move, according to the media.

“Al-Nusra further promised to disband its so-called “rescue government” that manages the territories the group controls in Idlib. Part of this government will merge with the interim government created by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces”

So, Edogan’s intelligence people, whose boss is known to have held membership in al-Qaida, is rapidly changing al-Qaida’s label and reintegrating them to Idlib’s ‘moderate rebel’® governing structures. That sounds very far removed from Russia’s sensible determination to ‘terminate’ the takfiri terrorists even as Erdogan claims he is working with the Russians to eliminate the radicals. Meanwhile, as Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov had stated the task of isolating the radicals… “is not easy”and hoped that Turkey would “succeed”… it would appear it was easier than he could have imagined (far too easy, in fact.)

This analysts conclusion? Erdogan is in process of backstabbing Putin and it is not a wise choice, particularly considering Erdogan’s backstop is the Russophobic Trump administration’s desire to preserve and protect the bad players, doubtless so they may be employed to do the empire’s dirty deeds on another day.

Of course it should come as no surprise the USA’s so-called ‘efficient institution’ would work with American media to deny Americans this information; and go so far as to have the Department of Homeland Security warn Americans away from Russian media where these facts indeed ARE reported. No surprise, one might wonder? Well, no surprise if you’d had access to this bit of history:

“By the end of 1962 this nation had gone so far down the line following the Agency [CIA], the new Special Forces doctrine, the MAP [Military Assistance Plan], and the new U.S. philosophy as outlined in the President’s Committee report, that it was saying openly it was well on its way to carrying out as top national policy a major clandestine operation so big in fact that the entire government would be involved. Obviously, it could not be really clandestine in the sense that it would be kept secret from our enemies; on the contrary, it was a new kind of “clandestine”, so it would be kept secret from all Americans” –L. Fletcher Prouty, Pentagon liaison to the CIA

To carry this operation out, and see where we are today, it were only necessary for the CIA to establish a lap-dog American press. They’ve done it. The Russian press as alternative to American press most certainly isn’t a perfect vehicle but; the Russians will report the treason in DC whereas the Washington Post and New York Times will not.

MAJOR: JIHADISTS BREAK CEASEFIRE IN IDLIB - Fort Russ

FRN has been made aware of the recent major development out of Idlib, Syria. The Russian Reconciliation Center said on Saturday it had registered violations of the ceasefire regime in different areas of the Idlib de-escalation zone in northwest Syria.

“Insurgents have attacked the following cities during the last day: Rasha, Nahshabba, Ikko, Latakia province, and the outskirts of the western city of Aleppo (twice),” said Lieutenant General Vladimir Savchenko, head of the center.

According to the military, adequate medical assistance was provided to 47 Syrian citizens in the last 24 hours, including 31 children.

Syria has been in a state of war since 2011, with forces loyal to the state and government battling numerous opposition groups and armed militant and terrorist organizations. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria as well as one of those responsible for providing humanitarian aid to the residents of the crisis-hit country.

This comes as France emphasized the need to respect the agreement to create a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib, closed between Turkey and Russia in Sochi, and calls for the Syrian Constitutional Committee to be launched as soon as possible, said French Foreign Ministry on Friday.

The agreement reached by the presidents of Russia and Turkey in Sochi in September provides for the creation of a demilitarized zone in Idlib province from 15 October.

“France calls on all sides, including the Damascus regime and its allies, to fully comply with the Sochi agreement,” the ministry spokesman told reporters.

The Paris diplomacy chief also said he wanted the rapid implementation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, which was set up under the care of the UN. The decision to create the constitutional committee was taken at the Syrian National Dialogue Dialogue held in Sochi in January this year.

According to the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, the committee, which intends to facilitate the process of ending the conflict in the country, will be composed of representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition, as well as a group of Syrian experts, members of civil society, tribal leaders, women and also independent members.

France is aligned with the United States and the United Kingdom on the Syrian issue and participated in bombings against Syrian government positions earlier this year. At the time, a climate of tension with Russia and the government of Damascus preceded the attacks after alleged charges of use of chemical weapons by the regime of Assad.


Jihadist rebels remain inside Idlib buffer zone: report

The jihadist rebels have remained inside the Idlib buffer zone, despite repeated warnings from the Turkish and Russian forces in the area, a military source in Damascus told Al-Masdar News tonight.

According to the source, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) reported that the jihadist rebels from Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Hurras Al-Deen group have remained in the western part of the Idlib buffer zone near the Latakia provincial border.

The source said that the jihadist rebels are still launching attacks on the Syrian Arab Army’s positions from their posts inside this 15-20km deep buffer zone.

Most recently, the jihadist rebels have attacked the Syrian Arab Army’s positions inside the Latakia Governorate from the key town of Kabbani, which is situated just west of the Al-Ghaab Plain.

The Syrian military has since responded by firing a barrage of missiles towards Kabbani and the Jisr Al-Shughour District.

The Jisr Al-Shughour District is currently inside the Idlib buffer zone, despite the large presence of jihadist rebels.


Jihadist rebel group attempts to infiltrate Syrian Army lines from Idlib buffer zone

The jihadist rebels attempted to infiltrate the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) in the northwestern countryside of the Hama Governorate, yesterday, a military source told Al-Masdar News.

Led by the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), the jihadist rebels attempted to infiltrate through the farms around Al-Mansoura and Tal Wassit before they were spotted by the Syrian Arab Army’s scouts in the Al-Ghaab Plain.

According to the source, the Syrian Arab Army was able to foil the infiltration attempt before any of the jihadist rebels could reach their intended target zone in the northwestern countryside of the Hama Governorate.

The source added that the Syrian Arab Army was able to kill a few of the infiltrators before they retreated to the northern part of the Al-Ghaab Plain.

The jihadist rebels in the northwestern countryside of the Idlib Governorate have been using the agreed upon buffer zone to attack the Syrian Arab Army, despite repeated warnings from the Russian and Turkish forces.




President al-Assad during al-Baath Party’s Central Committee meeting: Idleb agreement is a temporary measure

https://sana.sy/en/?p=148378



The Central Committee of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party held a meeting on Sunday chaired by President Bashar al-Assad, the Party’s Regional Secretary, during which he gave a presentation of the latest political and field developments.

The President said that what is happening in Syria cannot be separated from what has been amply in circulation recently about the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ which he said is ‘’as old as the Palestinian cause, but has picked up momentum recently in order to benefit from the exit of many countries from the confrontation with the Israeli enemy.”

“What we have witnessed recently of Western hysteria ahead of Idleb battle stems from the fact that it is a fateful thing for them, because the Syrians’ victory in it will lead to the failure of their plans and to Syria’s return as yet a more serious prospect in the face of their project in the region than it was before whether through the Deal of the Century or any other, and it will be a new model for the countries of the region and the world, “ said the President.

Commenting on Idleb agreement, President al-Assad pointed out that the position of the Syrian state is clear that this province and other Syrian territory remaining under the control of terrorists will return to the Syrian state, describing the agreement as a temporary measure through which the state has achieved many gains in the field, first and foremost stemming bloodshed.

President al-Assad affirmed that Syria’s enemies will ramp up their attempts to drain it militarily, politically, economically and socially as it progresses towards victory, predicting that this will incur internal challenges which are no less serious than war.

In this context, President al-Assad considered that Syria is heading towards the rehabilitation of ‘some segments which incubated chaos and terrorism so that these segments will not be a loophole through which Syria will be targeted in the future.’

The President stressed the role of al-Baath Party in addressing the consequences of war and engaging in a rigorous study of society and the changes that took place, as well as putting forward its own perceptions and definitions regarding the terminology prevalent in society and synchronizing speech, practice and doctrine to reach different segments of society.

President al-Assad affirmed the need to focus on the work of the Central Committee of the Party and the activation of its role, underlining the necessity that all the proposals put forward during its meetings have clear implementation mechanisms whereby responsibilities are assigned within a specific time frame.

He also stressed on the need to create mechanisms of dialogue and communication to facilitate the creation of better decision-making mechanisms within the Party’s top brass.

Later on, the President answered the questions of the attendees regarding the party’s affairs and the political and field developments.

 

[angelburst29]

The Russian Army has deployed more troops in Southeastern Deir Ezzur near regions that are controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) amid intensifying tensions between Moscow and Washington, a Syrian state paper reported on Monday.

Mon Oct 08, 2018 - Syrian Sources: More Russian Forces Deployed Near US-Backed Militia in Deir Ezzur
Farsnews

Syria's state-run al-Watan daily reported that the Russian military stationed more troops in the town of al-Mayadeen and in the small town of Mahkan in Southeastern Deir Ezzur.

In the meantime, militant-affiliated sources said that a large volume of Russian army equipment has been sent to al-Mayadeen and Mahkan and Russian soldiers have deployed in different positions near SDF's strongholds.

Also, al-Watan said that deployment of more Russian troops in Deir Ezzur came after tensions between Moscow and Washington over the Deir Ezzur region went high.

Russia has on many occasions criticized occupation of oil and gas fields in Deir Ezzur by the US and its militant allies and called several times for expulsion of the occupiers from the Eastern Banks of the Euphrates River, it added.

Militants' media outlets claimed on Saturday that a military convoy of tens of Russian forces and military vehicles was dispatched to Albu Kamal region in Southeastern Deir Ezzur as the Syrian army continues cleansing operations against the ISIL in the region.


Mon Oct 08, 2018 - US-Backed SDF Commander Killed in Deir Ezzur
Farsnews

A senior commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces was killed in Deir Ezzur as tensions have heightened in SDF-occupied areas in Northern Syria.

The Arabic-language Baladi news website affiliated to the militants reported on Monday that SDF Commander Hamzeh Zabiyan was killed in a bomb blast near al-Omar oil field in Eastern Deir Ezzur. It added that the bomb also killed and wounded 5 other militants who accompanied Zabiyan.

Also, other reports from Raqqa said that the SDF has erected new checkpoints inside Raqqa city and put its forces on alert.

A number of SDF forces were also killed and wounded after a bomb went off in areas near the village of al-Jarniyeh in Northwestern Raqqa.

Popular uprisings against the Washington-backed SDF have been reported in Deir Ezzur and Raqqa provinces in the past few weeks.


Mon Oct 08, 2018 - Report Blasts Turkey for Deploying 7,000 Turkistani Terrorists in Syria
Farsnews

Ankara has paved the ground for the traffic of thousands of members of the Turkistani terrorist group to Syria, the Syrian media sources reported on Monday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper referred to Turkey's all-out support for the Turkistani terrorist group, claiming that Ankara has provided the ground for the militants' deployment in Syria.

It added that the Turkistani terrorists entered Syria late in 2013 along with their family members and were stationed at the bordering areas with Turkey in the Northern mountains of Syria and Western Idlib.

Al-Watan said that the number of Turkistani militants surged to 7,000 in early 2016, adding that other terrorist groups, including Jund al-Aqsa, also joined the group later.

According to the report, the Turkistani terrorists are in possession of a large number of heavy weapons in the newly-formed demilitarized zone and in areas 10km away from the Syrian Army positions in al-Tabibat, al-Shaqar base, Kafr Yadin, al-Najiyeh, Northern Lattakia and Sahl al-Qab.

It also launches attacks on Syrian army positions in Northeastern Lattakia and Sahl al-Qab in Hama in collaboration with other terrorist groups, the report added.

Relevant reports said last Saturday that Turkey had played a role in delaying the implementation of a Russian-US agreement to evacuate the militants from al-Tanf region at the borders between Iraq and Syria.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency quoted an informed source as saying that Turkey was behind the delay in transferring all terrorist groups from al-Tanf region and al-Rakban camp to Northern Syria to pave the ground for civilians' return to their villages and towns.

He added that the Turkish side had not yet fully accepted to transfer the US-backed terrorist groups, including al-Qoryatayn, Maqawir al-Thawra and Ahmad al-Abdou, stationed in al-Tanf to regions in Northern Syria.

Based on the report, Turkey wanted to shelter the foreign terrorist groups, including Turkistani, Turkaman, and other militants who consider themselves as remnants of the Ottoman government in Northern Syria, and prevent the Syrian militants from residing in that region.

The source also said that delay in the implementation of al-Tanf agreement had also delayed the US forces' withdrawal which depended on the retreatment of all terrorist groups by receiving government amnesty or their transfer to Northern Syria, adding that Ankara had revealed its opposition after a likely agreement with the US in this regard.


Mon Oct 08, 2018 - Northern Syria: Kurdish Militias Down Turkish Reconnaissance Aircraft over Kobani
Farsnews

The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) shot down a Turkish reconnaissance aircraft over the town of Kobani in Northeastern Aleppo, the group reported on Monday.

According to the official media wing of the YPG, their forces downed the Turkish Army drone after it was spotted flying over their positions in Kobani, the AMN reported.

The YPG seized the drone and its high resolution camera shortly after it was downed in the Kobani countryside.

The Turkish drone was said to have been capturing images of the YPG’s positions before it was finally downed this morning.


Mon Oct 08, 2018 - Kurdish Militia Open Fire at Syrian Army in Manbij
Farsnews

Kurdish militias opened fire at the Syrian Army troops near the town of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo and killed a soldier, a media outlet reported on Monday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported that Asayesh, security forces of the Kurdish militia of the Democratic Union, attacked the army men near Manbij, killing a soldier.

It further said that the army men closed off al-Tayehah passageway near Manbij after the attack.

In a similar development in July, a sum of 14 Syrian soldiers were killed in an ambush operation of the Kurds in the town of Qamishli in Hasaka province.

Local sources in Manbij in Eastern Aleppo reported on Thursday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested over 20 young people in the village of Haj Hossein with the aim of forced recruitment, transferring them to their base in al-Sad region. They added that the SDF also set up several checkpoints in Manbij to increase recruitment.

Based on reports, the SDF measures against the civilians angered and provoked them to hold daily protest rallies in Manbij.


Mon Oct 08, 2018 - 400 Arab ISIL Terrorists Flee from Iraq to Syria
Farsnews

A senior leader of Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi volunteer forces) warned that hundreds of Arab militants from the ISIL terrorist group have escaped from Iraq to Syria.

"The ISIL's repeated failures, growing differences among its ringleaders and infightings among the militants have made the Arab members of the ISIL leave Iraq for Syria in groups," Jabbar al-Amouri told the Arabic-language Baghdad al-Youm newspaper on Monday.

He added that based on intelligence, over 400 Arab members of ISIL, most of them with Saudi origins, have been transferred to Syria, warning that they are still considered as a threat to Iraq as they have deployed near Iraq's borders in Syria.

Relevant reports said in August that the US army was trying hard to push back the Iraqi popular forces of Hashd al-Shaabi from Northern and Western Iraq to redeploy the ISIL terrorists at the border with Syria.


2018-10-08- Syrian Army spy reveals jihadist rebels hid hellfire cannons between civilian homes in south Aleppo (video)
Syrian Army spy reveals jihadist rebels hid hellfire cannons between civilian homes in south Aleppo (video)

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) released a new video from the southern countryside of Aleppo this week that showed the placement of the jihadist hellfire cannons in the area.

According to the official media wing of the Tiger Forces, a Syrian Army was able to capture the placement of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s hellfire cannons inside the key town of Al-‘Eis, which is near the front-lines in southern Aleppo.

As shown in the video below, the hellfire cannons are hidden between civilian homes so that the Syrian Arab Army and their allies cannot spot them from afar:

2018-10-08 - Three Russian S-300PM battalion sets delivered to Syria free of charge — source
Three Russian S-300PM battalion sets delivered to Syria free of charge — source

Russia has donated to Syria three battalion sets of S-300PM missile systems of eight launchers each, a military diplomatic source told TASS on Monday.

“On October 1, three battalion sets of S-300PM systems of eight launchers each were delivered to Syria,” the source said.

“These systems were previously deployed at one of the Russian aerospace forces’ regiments which now uses the S-400 Triumf systems. The S-300 systems underwent capital repairs at Russian defense enterprises, are in good condition and are capable of performing combat tasks,” the source said, adding that the S-300PM systems were handed over to the Syrian side free of charge.

According to the source, along with the launchers Russia delivered more than 100 surface-to-air guided missiles for each battalion.


2018-10-08 - Syrian engineer builds electronic sniper armed with Kalashnikov to guard village (video)
Syrian engineer builds electronic sniper armed with Kalashnikov to guard village (video)

The engineering genius was prompted to invent his deadly weapon by tragedy, after Daesh (ISIS) militants killed, injured and kidnapped several dozen people in his village this summer.

Hamzah Salam, an engineer from the village of Shreihi in Suwayda, southern Syria, has built a custom automatic turret using a Russian PK machine gun which he dubbed an ‘electronic sniper’.

“The automated system monitors the situation and, if necessary, opens fire. My ‘electronic sniper’ is very convenient: it can be controlled remotely or placed in autonomous operation mode,” Salam explained, speaking to a Sputnik Arabic correspondent.

According to the engineer, the platform “can use any small-arms weapon, from a machine gun to a sniper rifle. Cameras transmit a signal to a computer, which analyzes the data received. Its main task is to track movement. The computer has several preset scenarios. If it notices odd behavior in a given quadrant, it will open fire. The system is fitted with a night-vision device, meaning round-the-clock security. The base of the gun is capable of rotating 360 degrees, resulting in maximum firing coverage.”

Syrian engineer builds electronic sniper armed with Kalashnikov to guard village (video)

Salam has had an interest in electronics since he was a child, and would repair lamps and kettles before moving on to making improvements to radios, and even inventing his own wireless microphone. In university, he focused on sensor technology. Now he is continuing his research on electronic keys and computer recognition systems.

Tragedy prompted the young man to invent and build his automatic machine gun. In July, Daesh (ISIS)* terrorists carried out raids in the city of Sweida, Syria and its environs, conducting suicide bombings and indiscriminately killing and abducting people in nearby villages in covert house-to-house attacks.

The violence led to the deaths of at least 258 people, most of them civilians, and injured nearly 200 others. Salam’s village of Shreihi suffered dozens of casualties.

The attacks prompted the Syrian military to step up its attacks against the terrorists. Last week, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the terrorists had been cut off from their freshwater supplies in the region’s mountainous area and were leaving their weapons and beards behind as they fled in an attempt to blend with the local civilian population.