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

[angelburst29]

Thank you for your analysis angelburst29, it added clarity to my understanding of the article and put it in a bigger context than I initially approached it with Your feedback is very much appreciated as I am still learning to put 2 and 2 together in an objective and coherent way.

You're right that Johnson's words don't mean anything "in a real sense" since the UK is already involved. I guess I had a bit of an emotional response to this article.

As for the agenda behind Trump-Syria-Russia, I'm following these topics with lots of interest despite not being able to offer much insight myself. I adopted a bit of a "hoping for the best but expecting the worst" approach with Trump, which in fact eased some of the doom and gloom I was feeling when the recent events unfolded. I guess it was a moral spine and not ego that he needed in order to stand up to the PTB - and it's hard to say how far he is going to get having too little of the former but too much of the latter.

Well, this is truly an exciting show and if only popcorn was paleo I'd definitely get some to watch it ;)

Personally, I think you show remarkable "insight" Ant22, on many of the topics you Post in. Like anything, it takes time to observe and search for facts - before you can form any kind of opinion. And opinions can be "one sided" for it's rare - to know "all the facts" on any given subject, that's why feed back is so very important (in my view).

In the article you Posted with Johnson, the conversation is mainly - political. Discussions rarely "factor in" the human suffering or casualties that their political moves generate. Most career politician's tend to look at things related to a war conflict "from the top - down", unless they were enlisted in military service, at some point. I don't think, Johnson or even Trump (for that matter), have ever set foot on a battle field? Yet, their decisions directly impact - those on the bottom - of the equation. They use fancy words like "collateral damage" to neutralize their positions and distance themselves from the death and destruction, their actions promoted. Both in Syria’s Shayrat airfield and the "Mother of All Bomb's" in Iraq - there were casualties! Yet, it's the political posturing that the media focuses on, not the death and suffering?

Taking the bottom position and looking up, even one death - is one death too many, in my opinion. That's why I admire Putin for being the "first and only one" who has stepped to the front, promoting Peace through negotiation. Many other Countries are now joining forces with Putin, by setting up meetings to find peaceful solutions instead of working it out on a battle field. I had hoped, with Trump's promises, that he would eventually work with Putin to end the bloodshed? At this point, that remains to be seen?

 

[angelburst29]

Sen. John McCain meets with Iranian dissidents relocated to Albania (Video)
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sen-john-mccain-meets-with-iranian-dissidents-relocated-to-albania/article/2620377?custom_click=rss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_gsL1hy4lU (7:31 min.)

Speaking to members of the Mujaheddin-e Khalq, the largest of five organizations in the National Council of Resistance of Iran, at their headquarters in Tirana, McCain spoke about his opposition to the Iranian regime. "Someday, Iran will be free. Someday, we will all gather in that square," McCain said.

He also congratulated members of the group for successfully relocating to Albania from Iraq where they had been subject to attacks from militias backed by Iran.

Wonder, if Iran is being set up for more sanctions or whatever - between McCain and Mattis?

The Pentagon announced Houthi bombardment of Saudi Arabia with Iranian missiles.

Yemen launches Iranian-made missiles into Saudi Arabia. Mattis flies to Saudi Arabia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/04/yemen-launches-iranian-made-missiles.html

The head of the Pentagon, James Mattis, said that Yemeni Houthi rebels fired on Saudi Arabia with missiles produced in Iran.

"We see that the Houthis are launching missiles delivered by Iran to Saudi Arabia ... and this has to be stopped," Mattis told reporters on his way to Saudi Arabia.

The Pentagon press service also indicated that he expressed the view that the UN should help resolve the conflict in Yemen through political methods.

Previously, Mattis said that the US is willing to make efforts to resolve the conflict in Yemen by conducting negotiations.
____________________________
Translator comment:
1. Has the reader ever read of Cameron, May, Merkel, Hollande, or Kerry or Tillerson speak of negotions for peace -- and mean it?
2. Here is part of the Voice of America account of Mattis' trip:
Mattis said the United States has seen “Iranian supplied missiles being fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia.” He vowed to work with U.S. allies to help the conflict, which has killed thousands of Yemenis, come to an end.

 

[angelburst29]

Russian Officer Dies Stopping Terrorists From Entering Syrian Army Garrison
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704201052823646-bordov-killed-syria-russia/

Russian military adviser Major Sergei Bordov was killed during militants' attack on a Syrian Army garrison. He prevented the terrorists from entering the facility at the cost of his life, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Update:

Russian military adviser Major Sergei Bordov was killed during militants' attack on a Syrian Army garrison. He prevented the terrorists from entering the facility at the cost of his life, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"In Syria, Russian military adviser Major Sergei Bordov was killed as a result of a militant attack. The serviceman was a member of a unit training Syrian troops," it read.

The ministry underscored that the officer organized the defense of Syrian soldiers and prevented the terrorists' breakthrough into the inhabited area.

"During the fight, the officer sustained critical wounds. Major Sergei Bodrov was granted a state decoration posthumously," it added.

The ministry disproved a Reuters report about two Russian servicemen allegedly recently killed in Syria.

"Rumours spread by Reuters about the alleged death of two Russian servicemen in Syria are another episode of disinformation that contradicts the reality," it said.

Western countries are blocking attempts to investigate the Idlib chemical incident because in the event of a probe it will be established that the "attack" was a false flag and lie, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.

Assad: West Blocks Probe as It Would Show Idlib 'Attack', US Strike 'False Flag'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704201052822122-assad-idlib-shairat-lie-false-flag/

The United States and other Western countries block any attempts to launch an impartial investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.

"We formally sent a letter to the United Nations, we asked them in that letter to send a delegation in order to investigate what happened in Khan Shaykhun," Assad said in an interview.

"Of course till this moment they didn't send, because the West and the United States blocked any delegation from coming, because if they come, they will find that all their narratives about what happened in Khan Shaykhun and then the attack on Sha'irat airport was a false flag, was a lie," Assad stressed.

There was no chemical weapons attack in the Syrian province of Idlib, the reports of it were a false flag play which was supposed to justify a US missile strike on a Syrian armed forces’ airbase, Bashar Assad told Sputnik.

"So, for us, there was no gas attack and no gas depot, it was a false flag play just to justify the attack on the Shairat base. That's what happened," Assad said.

"First of all, we don't know if the site that we attacked that day half an hour before noon, about 11:30, was a chemical warehouse or depot or anything like this. And their story said that the attack happened at 6, 6:30 in the morning. We didn't launch any attack at that time. So, you have two possibilities: the first one is that there was an attack at lunch time or at about 11:30. The other possibility that we believe in is that it was a false flag, there was no attack," the president explained.

A video footage from the Syrian Khan-Shaykhun presented by the "White Helmets" completely contradicts the specifics of sarin gas use, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Sputnik.

Assad stressed that the video clearly shows people without any means of chemical warfare protection helping those who allegedly fell victims to sarin gas attack.

"…Even if you look at the pictures, you can see that the rescuers — presumable rescuers — were rescuing people without masks, without gloves, and they were moving freely. How? This is against all the specifications of the sarin gas that they talked about," Assad said.

Russia could join the international coalition against Daesh only on equal terms, a senior politician said.

Russia's Entry to Int'l Coalition in Syria Possible 'on Absolutely Equal Terms'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704201052820474-russia-coalition-syria-us/

Moscow joining the Western coalition in Syria is only possible if it stands on a level playing field with the United States, Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of Russia's upper house of parliament, said Thursday.

A broad coalition [in Syria] would be an ideal solution, if there were no flagman represented by one country, like the United States in the current coalition. We must participate on the absolutely equal terms there," Dzhabarov said during a video-link between Russian and Egyptian parliamentarians devoted to the settlement of the Syrian crisis, organized by the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.

He added that the parties to the coalition should not consider the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad as a workable solution for the nation's conflict.

On Sunday, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wrote in an article for The Telegraph newspaper that Moscow should "make a sensible compromise," withdraw its support for Assad and join the US-led international coalition fighting Daesh. He also characterized the Syrian crisis as an opportunity for Russia to develop more productive relations with US President Donald Trump.

On April 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference after a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, that Russia was not betting on the success of any specific person, including Assad, in the settlement in Syria.

On Wednesday, bus convoys resumed transporting residents out of the Syrian towns of Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib as part of an evacuation deal between the government and militants. Rescued residents told Sputnik Arabic of the horrific details of Saturday's blast which halted the evacuation.

Syrian Blast Horror: Children Were 'Enticed with Apples, Chocolates to the Site'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704201052817015-syria-foua-kefraya-evacuation/

On Wednesday, the Syrian government resumed the evacuation of residents from four besieged towns which had been interrupted after a bomb attack hit one convoy.

Thousands of people have left the rebel-besieged Shi'ite towns of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province under the reciprocal evacuation deal between the government and the militants. Local media reports suggest that 45 buses carrying some 3,000 civilians left the two towns for Aleppo.

The evacuation resumed after a few days of hiatus caused by a terrorist attack that targeted a bus convoy carrying the first batch of people.

More than 118 people were killed and 224 others injured on Saturday after a bomber blew up an explosive-laden car at the site.

The explosion hit the Rashidin area on Aleppo's outskirts. The bus was waiting to enter the city of Aleppo.

Sputnik Arabic was able to talk to the residents of the two towns who spoke about what happened on that fateful day. They begged to lift the blockade and secure the convoys.

Public activist Misaa Aswad was in that convoy and she saw the blast with her own eyes.

"Upon arrival in Rashidin we were kept locked in the bus for 24 hours. We sat motionless and were not let out of it. Only children and elderly people were allowed to leave the bus for 10 minutes to use bathrooms. It was very hot and stuffy in the overcrowded buses," she told Sputnik.

She further recalled how the militants started getting ready for the attack.

The militants started talking to our children and offering them apples and chocolates. And we were very hungry by then as we had not eaten anything. The terrorists gathered the kids outside and said that soon a car would come with tasty food, fruits and chocolates," she said.

Misaa Aswad said that she was in the last bus and was sitting at the window, so she was able to see everything clearly.

The militants started taking out photo and video cameras to be able to record everything. About 15 minutes before the blast the children were told that a car with chips was on its way. They rushed in that direction and their parents were no longer able to control them.

Soon a car with a sign "Food for Dogs" arrived. They started throwing food on the ground. And at this very moment the blast hit the site. 120 people were killed instantly, 285 went missing. Some were later located, because they were taken to hospitals in the cars of the Red Crescent. However those who were taken away in the cars of the militants are still missing.

Not long before the blast, she said, the militants who were in the buses, left them and moved to a safe distance.

"I would like to appeal to the international community through Sputnik to draw attention to the people suffering in Foua and Kefraya. Me and my kids were able to leave it but my husband is still there, that was the condition of the deal. However the militants were also able to leave the city. On the way they were treating us very badly and were abusing us. Before the blast they left the buses. What happened in Rashidin is a tragedy for humanity. We beg you, do not allow our villages to be destroyed. We want to go back home. But to be able to do it, the blockade should be lifted."

Activist Ahmad Bush told Sputnik that he has been living under the siege since March 28, 2015. His settlement was shelled every day.

"Militants tried to capture our towns five times, but our defense was able to repel these attacks. Thanks to the "four town deal" people are now able to leave them," he said, referring to an agreement between the Syrian government and a number of armed groups that the Syrian army provides secure passage to militants and their family members from Damascus suburbs of al-Zabadani and Madaya into Idlib in exchange for evacuation of civilians from Shi'ite towns of Foua and Kefraya.)

"3,800 people were killed and 5,700 wounded during the siege. When people started gathering near the buses, militants started shooting, killing several women and children and damaging buses," he said.

The lack of clean water was the hardest thing to bear during the siege as the terrorists damaged the major water reservoirs of their settlements, the activist said. There is also not enough fuel and medication. Not enough doctors and other personnel.

Ahmad's wife and children were wounded in the blast. His daughter is sick, she needs qualified aid in Damascus or Beirut. He also begged the parties involved to provide security for the convoys, take people out of these towns and lift the blockade.

 

[angelburst29]

Sen. John McCain meets with Iranian dissidents relocated to Albania (Video)
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sen-john-mccain-meets-with-iranian-dissidents-relocated-to-albania/article/2620377?custom_click=rss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_gsL1hy4lU (7:31 min.)

Yemen launches Iranian-made missiles into Saudi Arabia. Mattis flies to Saudi Arabia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/04/yemen-launches-iranian-made-missiles.html

Trump administration says Iran complying with nuclear deal
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-trump-iran-nuclear-deal-20170418-story.html

April 19, 2017 - The Trump administration has notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and says the U.S. has extended the sanctions relief given to the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.

However, in a letter sent late Tuesday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration has undertaken a full review of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"Iran remains a leading state sponsor of terror, through many platforms and methods," Tillerson wrote. He said the National Security Council-led interagency review of the agreement will evaluate whether it "is vital to the national security interests of the United States."

The certification of Iran's compliance, which must be sent to Congress every 90 days, is the first issued by the Trump administration. The deadline for this certification was midnight.

As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump was an outspoken critic of the deal but had offered conflicting opinions on whether he would try to scrap it, modify it or keep it in place with more strenuous enforcement. Tuesday's determination suggested that while Trump agreed with findings by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran is keeping to its end of the bargain, he is looking for another way to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.

Despite the sanctions relief, Iran remains on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism for its support of anti-Israel groups and is still subject to non-nuclear sanctions, including for human rights abuses and for its backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.

The nuclear deal was sealed in Vienna in July 2015 after 18 months of negotiations led by former Secretary of State John Kerry and diplomats from the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France and Russia — and Germany. Under its terms, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program, long suspected of being aimed at developing atomic weapons, in return for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

Opponents of the deal, including Israel, objected, saying it only delayed Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and did not allow for the kind of inspections of its atomic sites that would guarantee it was not cheating. Obama, Kerry and others who negotiated the deal strenuously defended its terms and said the agreement made Israel, the Middle East and the world a safer place.

 

[angelburst29]

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that a former member of Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) was behind terrorist attack on the buses carrying civilians near Aleppo city, media sources reported on Friday.

President Assad: Ex-Nusra Member behind Aleppo Bus Attack
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960201000693

President al-Assad was quoted by Al-Mayadeen News as saying that an ex-Nusra member carried out the heinous suicide attack in the Southwestern outskirts of Aleppo that killed 126 evacuated civilians from the towns of Fua'a and Kafraya that are under militants' siege in Idlib.

Al-Nusra front was an al-Qaeda affiliate that was aligned with the Syrian Opposition before forming a group called Fatah Al-Sham Front and later Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board).

While no group has claimed responsibility for this terrorist attack, it is widely believed from government circles that the terrorists of Tahrir Al-Sham Hay’at were behind the suicide bombing.

On April 15, in the western region of Aleppo’s Rashidin, a terrorist attack took place in which a truck was blown up near a convoy of buses carrying civilians. More than 118 people were killed and 224 others injured on Saturday after a bomber blew up an explosive-laden car at the site. Sputnik Arabic spoke with the survivors of the brutal attack.

How 'Militants Used Potatoes to Trick Children' in Syria's Rashidin
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704211052852185-militants-used-potatoes-trick-children/

According to eyewitnesses, the terrorist himself fled the crime scene after mining a car. At the moment of the blast, water and chips were being distributed so many hungry children were standing right at that spot.

Sputnik spoke with the survivors of the terrorist attack. Adnan, a young boy said that he heard militants calling the children to come outside, in order to give the kids some chips and biscuits.

Adnan did not immediately run with the other children but waited for his turn to come. However, there was an explosion and most of his friends died on the spot. He only received a scratch on his face from a piece of glass.

“I wanted to take the potatoes so I started walking toward the truck. Then the blast happened and there was debris flying everywhere. One injured me,” Adnan told Sputnik Arabic.

Fatima, a mother of three children, was also present in the area when the bomb blast took place. She is the only surviving parent to her children as her husband was killed last year in Kefraya. Since then, all her efforts have been aimed at protecting her offspring because the situation in their village was very dangerous. As soon as there was an opportunity to leave for Aleppo, Fatima decided to take her children and go. The explosion in Rashidin wounded her little daughter.

The militants called the children to come and have a snack and it looked as if they had good intentions. So I let my children go along with everyone. Who could have known that they would fall victims of malice and cruelty against the inhabitants of our settlements,” Fatima said.

According to her, before the blast took place, the situation was fine and it seemed that the militants had good relations with the civilians.

“We were in the bus and everything was fine. Some armed people were bothering us on the way and telling us to wear the hijab. They were calling us Shiite s, enemies of God,” Fatima told Sputnik Arabic.

She further said that “the militants tricked the children using potatoes.” “The children hadn’t eaten potatoes for two years. My daughter begged me to let her go and I allowed it. If only I knew I would have never let her go,” Fatima said.

When the blast took place Fatima’s daughter disappeared from sight. After some time Fatima saw her child lying among the rest of the children, she was shocked, but just then the militants opened fire at everyone in the vicinity and Fatima had to duck for cover.

“If someone hadn’t told me that my daughter was alive I would have lost my mind right there,” Fatima said. Currently her child is recovering in hospital.

On Wednesday, the Syrian government resumed the evacuation of residents from four besieged towns which had been interrupted after a bomb attack hit one convoy.

Thousands of people have left the rebel-besieged Shi'ite towns of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib Province under a reciprocal evacuation deal between the government and the militants. Local media reports suggest that 45 buses carrying some 3,000 civilians left the two towns for Aleppo.

Damascus has intelligence on Jordan planning to deploy troops in Syria in coordination with the US, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik in an interview.

Jordan Planning to Deploy Troops in Syria in Coordination With US - Assad
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704211052854131-assad-syria-jordan-us-troops/

The Syrian government is aware that Jordan is planning to deploy troops on its territory in coordination with the United States, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.

"We have such information, but anyway Jordan was part of the American plan since the beginning of the war in Syria," Bashar said.

He maintained that, "it's the United States who defines the plans, who defines the players, and who endorses everything regarding Syria coming from Jordan, and many of the terrorists coming from Jordan, and of course Turkey, since day one of the war in Syria."

The statement comes following the talks between US President Donald Trump and Jordanian King Abdullah II earlier in April. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting at the White House on crucial Middle East issues, such as means to defeat Daesh terrorist group.

Jordan is a part of the US-led coalition against Daesh, which is conducting airstrikes against Daesh in Syria without the approval of Syrian authorities and the UN, thus, violating the international law.

There is no difference between terrorist action in Syria and the military interventions of the United States and Turkey there, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.

'No Difference' Between Terrorists and US, Turkish 'Invasion' in Syria - Assad
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704211052849909-assad-turkey-us-invasion/

The US-led coalition conducts anti-Daesh air raids and provides military support to the rebels in Syria without either Damascus' or UN's approval, thus violating the international law.

"When you talk about the Turkish invasion, when you talk about the American troops — again, it's an invasion — and when you talk about the terrorists on the ground, it's one entity, there's no difference. There's one master who's controlling all these factions. So, the priority now is to defeat the terrorists. When you defeat the terrorists, the Turkish army and any other army will be weak on the ground," Assad said.

Turkey's Euphrates Shield campaign had been ongoing in northern Syria since last summer and recently ended.

Assad also said that US and Turkish forces should leave Syria "by will or by force" after the defeat of terrorists in the Arab republic.

The priority now is to defeat the terrorists. When you defeat the terrorists, the Turkish army and any other army will be weak on the ground," Assad said.

He argued it would be "very easy" to drive out the Turkish and US forces after expelling their proxies, which he described as the "real strength" and "the strongest element on the ground."

"In that regard, the Americans, like the Turks, like any other occupiers, they have to get out by their will or by force… In that regard, when you defeat the terrorists in different areas, it's going to be very easy to expel any other one including the Turks; either they leave, or it's your land, you have to defend it," Assad said.

Senior Israeli defense officials on Wednesday said that the military of Syrian President Bashar Assad is believed to have as much as three tons of chemical weapons, despite a 2013 agreement ordering the country to dispose of its stockpiles.

Israel claims Syrian Army still holds nearly 3 tons of chemical weapons
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/israel-claims-syrian-army-still-holds-nearly-3-tons-chemical-weapons/

The Syrian government’s chemical weapons program has been the subject of fierce scrutiny in recent weeks, after a deadly chemical attack in northern Syria earlier this month killed more than 80 civilians.

A senior Israeli military official said that Assad’s military is believed to possess between one and three tons of chemical weapons.

U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, accused the Syrian Government while on a visit to Israel, today, of retaining its chemical weapons.

‘No doubt Syria has retained its chemical weapons’: US Secretary of Defense
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/no-doubt-syria-retained-chemical-weapons-us-secretary-defense/

“There is no doubt Syria has retained its chemical weapons,” Mattis alleged on Friday.

Mattis has made a number of allegations over the course of this week, starting with the claim that Iran is behind most of the problems in the Middle East.

The Secretary of Defense made these comments in the presence of the U.S.’ closest allies in the region. (Israel)

The rejection of the Russian-backed plan on the investigation of the purported chemical attack in Syria and attempts to accuse the Damascus government of using chemical weapons appear to be an attempt to switch to the idea of the regime change in the country, Russia’s top diplomat said Friday.

Lavrov slams allegations of Damascus using chemical weapons as ploy for ‘regime change’
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/lavrov-slams-allegations-damascus-using-chemical-weapons-ploy-regime-change/

“Yesterday, our joint proposal that experts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) should visit the scene of the purported incident with the use of chemical weapons was blocked by Western delegations without any clear explanations,” Sergey Lavrov said at the meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

[...] “I think that this is a very serious situation, because it is evident now that the false information about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government is used to ditch the implementation of resolution 2254 that envisages political settlement, and to switch to the long-standing idea of a regime change. I’m sure that we must prevent it,” Lavrov said.

 

[angelburst29]

Israeli aviation launched a missile attack on Syrian army's positions in the province of Quneitra bordering Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, a Syrian military source told Sputnik.

Israeli Warplanes Launch Missile Attack on Syrian Army in Quneitra - Source
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704211052869570-israel-warplanes-syria-army/

"Enemy warplanes of Israel launched two missiles from the occupied territory [Golan Heights] at 18:45 [local time] on one of the positions of our army. It caused material damage," the source told Sputnik.

According to the source, the strike was carried out when the Syrian army was repelling terrorists' attack in Quneitra.

"These actions will not stop the fight of our Armed Forces against terrorist groups which are close to Israel," the source added.

Earlier, the IDF said that a projectile was launched from the Syrian territory and fell on the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights, causing no injuries. The Israeli military did not specify whether or not the shelling from the Syrian territory was deliberate or there was an accidental overflight of a projectile or mines through a dividing line. The troops have been searching the area.

In November, the IDF said a missile believed to be launched from Syria, hit the Israeli-controlled northern Golan Heights without causing any casualties. The IDF responded with retaliatory fire.

Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War with Syria and annexed the territory in 1981. The international community has not recognized the Israeli annexation.

According to the US Navy, a F/A-18E jet based on the US Carl Vinson aircraft carrier crashed near the Philippines.

F-18 Jet From USS Carl Vinson Heading to N Korea Crashes Near Philippines
https://sputniknews.com/military/201704211052862419-f18-carl-vinson-philippines/

A pilot flying an F/A-18E combat aircraft ejected safely from his cockpit on landing approach to the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and was recovered unharmed by a helicopter rescue crew, the US Navy said in a press release on Friday.

"A pilot safely ejected and was quickly recovered by a helicopter assigned to [helicopter squadron] HSC-4 aboard USS Carl Vinson while conducting routine flight operations during a transit in the Celebes Sea," the release explained.

The incident took place in the Celebes Sea in the western Pacific. The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia border the body of water. The distance from the Celebes Sea to the South Korean port of Busan is about 2300 miles.

The incident occurred as the F/A-18E assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 was on final approach to the Carl Vinson, the release explained.

The incident is under investigation and the pilot under review by the Carl Vinson's medical team.

After it turned out that the Carl Vinson deployed to deter North Korea did not reach the Sea of Japan reportedly because White House and Pentagon failed to communicate effectively and was spotted near Indonesia, it was reported that it will finally reach the Korean Peninsula later this month.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that an "armada" is heading to the Korean Peninsula's shores amid a tensions with North Korea had escalated.

All 100 US Senators have been invited to the White House next week for a briefing with Trump administration officials on North Korea's recent behavior, Politico reported on Friday.

White House Invites All US Senators for Briefing on North Korea Next Week
https://sputniknews.com/us/201704211052870775-white-house-senators-north-korea/

According to Politico, the senators received information about Wednesday's briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

Media reports noted that the briefing was supposed to take place at the Capitol, but a notice sent to the senators told them they need to go to the White House instead.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches conducted in violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions.

North Korea reportedly carried out the most recent missile test early on Sunday. However, the launch was unsuccessful, according to South Korean defense officials. The North Korean Foreign Ministry said that the alleged missile launch had not been announced officially, though it's Pyongyang's "sovereign right" to conduct such tests.

 

[Ant22]

‘Many Syrian families are calling their newborns Putin,’ says senior Damascus official

https://www.rt.com/news/385647-many-syrian-families-are-calling-kids-putin/

Syrian parents are naming their children after the Russian President as a sign of gratitude, while millions of students, including Bashar Assad’s own children, are learning Russian, Syria’s Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad said.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Moscow embassy, and with the approval of President Assad, Russian is the second language taught in Syrian schools. We have opened Russian faculties in all of the country’s universities, while children receive tuition from the seventh grade,” said the official, addressing Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, the Federation Council, in Moscow.

Russian was first put on the curriculum in government-controlled schools in 2014, and has been prioritized since then.

“Making Russian a second language in the country is a gesture of gratitude to the Russian people from Syria,” said Haddad, who has been in his post since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011.

“Many families have even named their sons Putin. And it is no secret that the President’s own children are learning Russian,” said the official.

Although Russia has recently stepped up its support for the Syrian government, its strategic relationship with Damascus goes back to Soviet times, and many top Damascus officials, including Haddad himself, were educated in Russia, either as foreign students, or army officers.

Russia has maintained a naval base in Tartus since the 1970s, and though the diplomatic relationship between the two countries waned after the collapse of Communism, and the rollback of Moscow’s international reach, the base, alongside an aerial facility in Khmeimim, built in 2015, have played a key role in the conflict.

Meanwhile the tradition of naming children after leaders’ surnames and other ideological charged terms took root in the early Soviet Union, where names such as Vladlen (Vladimir Lenin) and Elem (Engels, Lenin, Marx) became popular.

There was widespread media coverage of Kosovar Albanians named Toni and Tonibler after the former UK Prime Minister who endorsed their statehood, but the fate of the children named George Bush after the US-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein in Iraq remains under-documented, though there are several reports of children subsequently being renamed, as the former US president fell out of favor.

 

[angelburst29]

A little bit off the beaten path ...

A report surfaced of two Russian military planes "bombers" being intercepted by U.S. planes near Alaska. After 12 minutes, the Russian planes turned around.

US Sends Two F-22 Jets in Response to Russian Tu-95 Bombers Near Alaska
https://sputniknews.com/military/201704181052751808-us-f-22-russian-tu-95/

18.04.2017 - The US Air Force flew two F-22 stealth fighter planes and an E-3 early warning jet near the state of Alaska after two Russian strategic bombers were seen about 100 miles from Kodiak Island, Fox News said on Tuesday.

The Russian nuclear-capable bombers reportedly turned around after the US planes flew nearby for 12 minutes.

Russia Defense confirmed the report.

Russian Defense Ministry Confirms US Interception of Russian Bombers Near Alaska
https://sputniknews.com/military/201704191052762898-russian-bombers-intercepted-us-f-22/

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that two Russian Tu-95MS bombers were escorted by US fighters near Alaska.

The ministry pointed out that Russian jets regularly carry out patrol flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic region, Atlantic Ocean, Black Sea and Pacific Ocean.

“All flights of the Aerospace Force were carried out and are carried out in strict accordance with the international rules of using the air space over the neutral waters without violation of borders of other states,” the statement added. The US military also confirmed the incident.

A few days later, another report - that Russian planes have "buzzed" over Alaska - 4 days in a row. This time, American, as well as Canadian planes intercepted the two “Bear” bombers.

Russian Planes Buzz Alaska Four Nights in a Row
_https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-planes-buzz-alaska-four-194637112.html

American and Canadian fighter planes scrambled to intercept two Russian TU-95 “Bear” bombers Thursday night, marking the fourth consecutive night of Russian probes near the Alaskan coast, U.S. defense officials said Friday.

At no point did the Russian aircraft cross into American or Canadian airspace, but the incursions into the Air Identification Zones — which extend beyond the territorial waters of the U.S. and Canada — represent a sharp increase in activity in the area, which has seen no Russian activity at all since 2015. The flights may also herald the return of Moscow’s 60-year-old nuclear capable bomber to the international stage, after the entire fleet was grounded in 2015 after a rash of accidents.

[...] It’s unclear what the overall objective of the Russian passes are, but they’re in keeping with tactics Russian pilots have employed in recent years in the Baltic and Black sea regions, where NATO pilots regularly intercept aircraft sent by the Kremlin to skirt the airspace of NATO countries.

An earlier report which claimed the Russian planes were "spy planes" although, also stating - they remained in international airspace. So, why the intercepts?

More Russian spy planes, bombers approach Alaskan airspace
_http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/21/more-russian-spy-planes-bombers-approach-alaskan-airspace.html

Russian Bear bombers and spy planes buzzed Alaskan airspace the past two nights in a repeat of incidents earlier this week, two U.S. officials told Fox News.

Wednesday night a pair of Russian spy planes Ilyushin IL-38s flew near the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea staying in the U.S. Air Defense Zone for a few hours before departing.

Thursday night, a pair of long-range nuclear-capable Tupolev Tu-95 Bear bombers flew near Alaska and Canada staying in each country’s air defense zone for hours.

Two U.S. Air Force F-22 fighter jets intercepted the bombers, a NORAD spokesman told Fox News without elaborating. The spokesman would not say how close the Russian bombers came to the Alaskan coast or Canada. CF-18 Hornets also participated in the intercept.

The Russian jets in both incidents remained in international airspace. It was not immediately clear how close they came to mainland Alaska.

Russia now has flown bombers or spy planes near Alaska on four consecutive nights this week, the first time since President Trump took office that Russia has flown this close to the United States. The U.S. Air Force scrambled fighter jets in some of these instances.

Pentagon officials said they believed the Russians were testing the U.S. Air Force’s response to their bomber flights.

Not one to miss an opportunity, John McCain claims the flights are "Putin's classic old Soviet confrontational behavior" to test Trump?

Sen. John McCain: Russian military flights near Alaska intended to test Trump
_http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/azdc/2017/04/22/mccain-russia-military-jets-flights-near-alaska-intended-test-trump/100759948/

The Russian military planes that flew near Alaska four days in a row are part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's effort to test President Donald Trump, Sen. John McCain says.

"This is Vladimir Putin's classic old Soviet confrontational behavior," McCain, R-Ariz., told The Arizona Republic. "Among other things, he's testing the new president."

However, McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, did not seem overly concerned about incidents in which the Russians carefully avoided entering U.S. airspace.

"It's sort of dangerous. Not real dangerous, but it's provocative and it's a violation of the standards of international behavior," McCain said.

U-tuber Andrew Kerr (for Western Journalism) picks up on McCain's spin and adds "a spin of his own."

FOR SECOND DAY IN A ROW, PUTIN SENDS STRONG MESSAGE TO TRUMP THAT HAS THE AIR FORCE ON ALERT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdVgtdZEq50

Andrew Kerr for Western Journalism reports, For the second day in a row, two long-range Russian bombers were spotted off the coast of Alaska Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. military announced.

A repeating theme is that 2 Russian planes have flown in International space, near Alaska, for 4 days in a row. I suspect, the planes were Aerial Observer flights? A day before the reported "first intercept", a BP oil and gas well "blew out" in Alaska’s North Slope and BP is still trying to get it under control. The well was sending a “spray” of crude oil into the air.

BP trying to get leaking oil well under control on Alaska’s North Slope
_https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/04/15/bp-trying-to-get-leaking-oil-well-under-control-on-alaskas-north-slope/?utm_term=.cc0f0e6f1397

April 15, 2017 - A BP oil and gas production well in Alaska’s North Slope blew out Friday morning, and on Saturday afternoon, the well was still not under control as responders fought freezing temperatures and winds gusting up to 38 mph. Efforts to get the well under control were also being hampered by damage to a well pressure gauge and by indications that the well itself has “jacked up,” or risen three to four feet, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said in a situation report Saturday afternoon.

BP, whose Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico blew out and caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history, has responded to questions about the well, but information was limited and there was no estimate about volumes of natural gas and oil released.

The well was venting natural gas and sending a “spray” of crude oil into the air Saturday. BP has reported to regulators that the crude spray has landed on the drilling pad but it remains unsafe to approach the well and determine whether the crude spray has affected tundra in the area. An overflight with infrared capabilities indicated that the spray plume did not spread beyond the drilling pad, according to the Alaska DEC.

The ADEC also said that two leaks have been identified at the well, one near the top and one further down the well assembly.

“The top leak was misting oil in conjunction with releasing natural gas,” the department said, but “the activation of the surface safety valve has stopped the release from that point. The bottom leak has been reduced, but is currently leaking gas as well as some minor amount of crude oil.”

“BP is in the process of shutting in a well at the Prudhoe Bay oil field that experienced an unplanned release of hydrocarbon,” said Brett Clanton, a BP spokesman in Houston.

“No people were in the vicinity of the well at the time of the release and there are no injuries,” he added. “Crews have secured the site, the fire department is on the scene and crew members are now working to safely shut in the well. All necessary notifications have been made to state and federal regulators.”

Uncontrollable Oil Leak, North Slope, Deadhorse, Alaska, Next BP Disaster, April 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TamId1PwyuI (19:01 min.)

A study was just published (April 20) on BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and damage assessment.

BP oil spill did $17.2 billion in damage to natural resources, scientists find in first-ever financial evaluation of spill’s impact
_http://www.orrazz.com/2017/04/bp-oil-spill-did-172-billion-in-damage.html

The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill did $17.2 billion in damage to the natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists recently found after a six-year study of the impact of the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

This is the first comprehensive appraisal of the financial value of the natural resources damaged by the 134-million-gallon spill.

“This is proof that our natural resources have an immense monetary value to citizens of the United States who visit the Gulf and to those who simply care that this valuable resource is not damaged,” said Kevin Boyle, a professor of agricultural and applied economics in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and one of the authors of the paper.

Findings from the study were published in the issue of Science released on April 20.

 

[Voyageur]

Not one to miss an opportunity, John McCain claims the flights are "Putin's classic old Soviet confrontational behavior" to test Trump?

Sen. John McCain: Russian military flights near Alaska intended to test Trump
_http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/azdc/2017/04/22/mccain-russia-military-jets-flights-near-alaska-intended-test-trump/100759948/

The Russian military planes that flew near Alaska four days in a row are part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's effort to test President Donald Trump, Sen. John McCain says.

"This is Vladimir Putin's classic old Soviet confrontational behavior," McCain, R-Ariz., told The Arizona Republic. "Among other things, he's testing the new president."

However, McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, did not seem overly concerned about incidents in which the Russians carefully avoided entering U.S. airspace.

"It's sort of dangerous. Not real dangerous, but it's provocative and it's a violation of the standards of international behavior," McCain said.

Ah John, from such a shining example of upholding a standard of "international behavior."

Yeah, the Canadian news was all abuzz - never mentioning the U.S. planes though, and saying everything was peaceful and polite in the end. After 70 odd years of high arctic western rhetoric against the Russian's, always keeping fears stirred and shaken just enough, it's getting old.

 

[angelburst29]

Syrian military sources revealed that Moscow has informed Damascus of its preparedness to dispatch ground troops to Syria.

Russia Ready to Send Ground Forces to Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960204000944

Al-Hadath news quoted the sources as saying that Russia has announced that in case of the Syrian army's request it is ready to send ground forces to Syria.

The sources said that special Russian forces are prepared to be deployed in regions which are experiencing the most pressures by the terrorist groups.

They added that the technical aspects of the plan have been studied and prepared by Russia, saying that the plan can be implemented upon Russian President Vladimir Putin's order after Damascus' official request.

A Russian daily reported earlier this month that the country's soldiers are about to shoulder the responsibility of restoring security to the Christian-populated regions during the Syrian Army's imminent anti-terrorism operations in Northern Hama.

Izvestia reported that the Russian units will help popular forces in Hama province to restore security to the town of Mahradeh, whose population are mainly Christians.

The daily added that terrorists are under the Syrian Army's siege from all directions.

There have been fierce clashes between the government forces and militants near Hahradeh since April 4th.

Informed sources believe that the army intends to complete the siege of the terrorists in Northern Hama to clean the region up to the border with Idlib province.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet in Sochi on May 3. According to Ismail Hakki Pekin, former chief of Turkey’s military intelligence, the meeting will boost Ankara's positions in talks with the US on Syria. Pekin also said that Washington plans to change state borders in the region.

US Plan for the Middle East is to 'Change Borders of Two Dozen States'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704241052942670-us-turkey-middle-east/

According to Peskov, during their talks the two leaders will focus on the Syrian settlement.

Turkish experts and politicians reached by Sputnik made an optimistic prognosis for the upcoming talks.

Hasan Basri Kurt, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), noted that the Putin-Erdogan talks are likely to produce positive results for both Moscow and Ankara.

"There are a number of important issues in the region. Their discussion is a major positive step for both Russia and Turkey. Among them are bilateral energy cooperation and the fight against terrorism. I guess they will be on the agenda. Normalization between the two countries is continuing and during the meeting in Sochi new steps will be taken," Kurt told Sputnik Turkey.

Commenting on the Astana negotiating process on Syria, the lawmaker underscored that the framework laid down the groundwork for a new stage in the Syrian settlement.

Kurt also suggested that after the talks the removal of economic sanctions between Moscow and Ankara would speed up because "Russia-Turkey economic ties are not like with any other country."

Sources within the ranks of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) disclosed that ISIL has executed several commanders of the terrorist group after his forces suffered heavy defeats in battle with the SDF.

ISIL Executes Own Senior Commanders in Syria's Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960204001088

The sources said that the ISIL has executed a number of its own commanders after the SDF forces laid siege on ISIL in Raqqa city from three directions and closed the entire roads to the city.

The sources added that lack of trust in each other and militants' spiritual collapse were other causes behind the execution of the notorious commanders by the ISIL.

In the meantime, local members of the ISIL have lost their trust in foreign members (Mohajereen) of the ISIL, accusing them of spying for SDF and the international coalition.

The US, Israel and Britain have increased their aid to the al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) to create an autonomous region in Southern Syria but the plan is confronted by Iran and Russia's intensified intelligence and military operations.

Iran, Russia Posing against Israel, US on Major Battle Scene in Dara'a
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960204001220

Based on Washington and London's scheme, Dara'a will be the first region in which the establishment of an autonomous region will be tested, while the US will continue support for the Kurdish militia and certain other Arab terrorist groups in Northern Syria.

Israel is also responsible for logistical, intelligence and medical support for the terrorist groups and the Israel-West-Jordan operations room is supervising the terrorist groups' activities, waiting for the zero hour for the US and Britain to put the plan for Dara'a into action.

Meantime, Russia and Iran have prepared plans to confront the US and British plots, which have recently been displayed in increased airstrikes against the terrorist positions in Dara'a and the concentration of Moscow's intelligence operations on this front.

Moscow, Damascus and Tehran are trying every means to close the doors to the US and they have focused on the liberation of Dara'a, reinvigoration of their air defense and operational systems and continued military operations in other Southern fronts, specially in the outskirts of Damascus and the Eastern Ghouta.

Field sources reported on Tuesday that the Syrian army has sent a large number of fresh forces to the Southern city of Dara'a to reinvigorate its combat capabilities.

The sources confirmed that the army has forwarded fresh units of military forces to al-Manshiyeh neighborhood in the Southern part of Dara'a city to take part in an imminent operation against Al-Nusra Front.

Other sources in Southern Syria reported that the army's artillery and missile units heavily pounded the movements and positions of Al-Nusra in Tariq al-Saad (way to dam) neighborhood, South of Khazan (Makhzan) al-Karak neighborhood, East of al-Masri square and in al-Feren neighborhood, killing several terrorists and destroying their positions equipped with machineguns and snipers.

The US-led coalition is focused on keeping the city of Raqqa isolated, following media reports that Daesh terrorist group has moved its capital in Syria, an Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson told Sputnik on Monday.

US Coalition Focused on Cutting Off Raqqa Amid Reports of New Daesh 'Capital'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704241052950536-us-coalition-raqqa-new-daesh-capital/

On Friday, Fox News reported, citing US defense officials, that Daesh is now basing operations in Deir ez-Zor, located about 90 miles from Raqqa.

"The Coalition remains focused on isolating Raqqa, ISIS [Daesh]’s self-proclaimed capital," the spokesperson stated. "In addition, ISIS had previously used the city as a command and control node for international terrorism."

The spokesperson emphasized that defeating Daesh in Raqqa remains crucial for the coalition, because a victory in that city would damage the group’s "prestige, recruiting and ability to finance themselves."

US forces in Syria have noticed a pattern that Daesh leaders escape any territory they recognize is being seized while leaving some militants to fight and die in their place, he added.

The spokesperson pointed out that Daesh has not regained control over any significant territory freed by the coalition's partners.

On Sunday, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) established control of all strategic highways leading to Daesh's de facto capital of Raqqa.

A former commander of Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) said that top Commander of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) Abu Mohammad Joulani should kill himself due to his weak management and following the recent defeats of his forces in the battle with the Syrian Army in Hama.

Former Al-Nusra Commander Asks Tahrir Al-Sham Leader to Commit Suicide Following Defeats in Hama
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960204000640

"Were I al-Joulani I would surely commit suicide in a religious way after the military collapse of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at's forces" in the battle against the Syrian army in Northern Hama, Saleh al-Homawi wrote in his tweeter.

"Al-Nusra prevents other (terrorist) groups from participation in the battles (with the Syrian army), and then retreats in a dramatic manner," he added.

Military analysts said that disagreement among terrorists and their commander has intensified after their repeated and rapid defeats of the terrorists in Northern Hama.

US military forces conducted on Monday paratrooper drills over a military base in Japan's Okinawa prefecture despite the agreement prohibiting parachute drop exercises in this area, local media reported.

US Conducts Drills in Okinawa Violating Agreement on Relocation to Ioto
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960204000949

Nearly 30 US paratroopers practiced parachute jumps out of MC-130 special mission aircraft with all of them landed on the Okinawa territory, what violated the agreement of 1996 stipulating relocation of paratrooper exercises to the island of Ioto, Kyodo reported.

The Japanese Defense Ministry informed the authorities of the Okinawa's Kadena city about the drills only late on Sunday, the news agency specified.

Local residents reportedly oppose the drills because of the incident that occurred in 1965, when a trailer dropped by parachute from a plane over Yomitan settlement killed an 11-year-old girl.

The authorities of Kadena together with local citizens claimed that the paratrooper drills were unacceptable, the media added.

Okinawa occupies less than 1 percent of the country's territory but hosts some 70 percent of US bases in Japan.

 

[angelburst29]

Syrian Kurds on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to express its opinion regarding Turkish airstrikes against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a representative body of the Rojava federal region in Russia said in a statement.

Syrian Kurds Urge UNSC to React to Turkish Airstrikes Against YPG in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704251052988504-syria-turkey-kurds-ypg/

Earlier in the day, the YPG, which is the Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD) military branch, said Turkish planes had attacked its headquarters in northeastern Syria near the town of Derik in the Qerecox mountains. The airstrikes targeted a media center, a local radio station and some military buildings, killing several YPG members.

The international community and the UN Security Council should have a position of their own, and express their opinion with regard to Turkey, which occupies and attacks foreign territories, and its actions," the statement read.

Kurdish media also said Iraq's town of Sinjar was hit by Turkish jets, and that over a dozen Peshmerga troops were killed. Turkey was said to have targeted a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) base in the region.

The Kurds stressed that the Turkish attack proved Ankara's concern about the situation in which "the allies of the Turkish state, the Daesh terror group [Daesh banned in Russia]" were at the moment, as there were no PKK bases in Syria.

Turkey's General Staff confirmed that an operation against Kurdish positions was conducted.

The Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Co-chair Ilham Ehmed and Northern Syrian Federation Executive Council Co-chair Foza Yusuf appealed to the United States to exert influence on Turkey following recent airstrikes against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), local media reported Tuesday.

Syrian Kurd Leadership Calls on US to Stop Turks Attacking Rojava
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704251052991509-syria-kurds-attacks/

Kurdish Firat news agency reported that Yusuf and Ehmed called upon the international coalition and the United States to not leave their reaction limited to a statement, and demanded that the United States prevent such airstrikes, stressing that if necessary they would halt the operation to liberate Raqqa from the Daesh terror group (banned in Russia) and resist the Turkish army in order to protect their land.

Turkey's General Staff confirmed an operation against Kurdish positions.

The Turkish Army carried out several attacks in northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq on Tuesday, killing and wounding several people in the process.

Turkish Army attacks Kurdish forces in northern Syria, 18 killed
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-army-attacks-kurdish-forces-northern-syria-18-killed/

The Turkish Army carried out their first attacks in the Sinjar Mountains of northwestern Iraq, killing six people this morning.

Following the attacks on the PKK in northwestern Iraq, the Turkish Army targeted the YPG-held territory in northern Syria, killing at least 18 people, the AFP News Agency claimed.

Recently, the Turkish Army has begun building up their forces along the Syrian border, as they prepare for what looks like an invasion of the PYD-governed territory in Al-Hasakah, Aleppo, and Al-Raqqa.

Local sources in Syria and Iraq confirmed on Tuesday that civilians' houses and positions of the Kurdish fighters (Pishmarga) have been targeted by the Turkish Air Force.

Turkish Warplanes Target Pishmarga Bases, Residential Areas in Syria, Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960205000338

The sources complained that despite the Turkish army's claim about hitting the positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), several rounds of heavy bombardments have been carried out on the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and residential areas in Iraq and Syria by the Turkish fighter jets.

The Turkish army announced on Tuesday that its aircraft carried out combat sorties over PKK positions in Iraq and Syria.

Based on the Turkish army, the warplanes took off from Diarbakr and bombed regions near Sinjar in Iraq and border areas in Northeastern Syria.

Local sources rejected the Turkish army claims, and said that the fighter jets did not raid PKK positions and rather bombed the positions of Pishmarga, YPG and residential areas, leaving a large number of people dead or wounded.

Also, the Turkish army soldiers and allied militants targeted heavily the positions of Kurdish fighters in five different regions in Northern Aleppo, escalating fierce clashes with the Kurds.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued the fourth phase of the Euphrates Rage Operation and managed to drive ISIL out of over 15 villages and settlements in Raqqa province.

Syria: ISIL Terrorists Suffer Heavy Defeats in Clashes with Kurdish Forces in Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960205000407

The SDF stormed ISIL's defense lines and took full control over the villages and settlements of Kabash al-Sharqi, Um al-Tonok, Rayan, Tishrin farm, Mosheirehe al-Shamaliyeh, Mosheirefeh al-Janoubiyeh, al-Rahiyat, Beir Jarbou, Jarwa, al-Hattash, Hazimeh, Khalwa Abideh, Holo Abd, Abareh, al-Kaleteh, Sukriyeh and Zohra, inflicting major losses on ISIL.

The Kurdish forces also won back a key neighborhood in the Southern sector of Tabaqa city following a large advance on its Western urban axis.

In the meantime, the SDF managed to seize control over the Alexandria suburb, and now the Kurds have swept through the adjacent Wahab neighborhood.

Kurdish forces also secured the island of Jazirat al-Ayd, a few kilometers North of Lake Assad.

The Islamic State (ISIL) launched a new attack against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor on Tuesday, striking the latter’s positions at a base near the Al-Kubar area.

ISIL captures Kurdish base in northern Deir Ezzor
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isil-captures-kurdish-base-northern-deir-ezzor/

ISIL’s attack in the Al-Kubar area would catch the Kurdish forces off-guard, forcing them to withdraw from the base in order to avoid suffering anymore casualties.

According to the Islamic State’s official media wing, their forces killed at least five Kurdish “PKK” fighters at this military base in northern Deir Ezzor, while also capturing a small cache of light and medium weapons.

Recently, the Islamic State has enjoyed an influx of fighters in the Deir Ezzor countryside, as they move their capital from Al-Raqqa to the desert city of Al-Mayadeen.

Tel Aviv remains so “neutral” in the Syrian conflict that even ISIS terrorists have on at least one occasion “apologized” to Israel for mistakenly attacking Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in the occupied Golan Heights, according to RT report that quoted a former Israeli Defense Minister.

ISIS apologized for attacking Israeli soldiers in the Golan – Former Defense Minister
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-apologized-attacking-israeli-soldiers-golan-former-defense-minister/

Speaking about the wider Israeli policy of “neutrality” in Syria, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon accidentally acknowledged that Israel has an open communications channel with an ISIS cell which operates in Golan Heights, the RT report continued.

“There was one case recently where Daesh [ISIS] opened fire and apologized,” Ya’alon said on Saturday, as cited by the Times of Israel.

Ya’alon’s office refused to elaborate on his statement when being pushed to do so by local media.

The incident in question took place in November 2016 and saw the exchang of fire with ISIS and the Israeli forces after the IDF’s Golani Brigade crossed the security fence with Syria to conduct an “ambush operation.”

Three Russians dressed in Syrian military fatigues were allegedly arrested by the Lebanese Army while trying to cross over from Syria, the Daily Star claimed this evening.

Three Russians dressed as Syrian soldiers arrested by Lebanese Army: report
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/three-russians-dressed-syrian-soldiers-arrested-lebanese-army-report/

The Lebanese Army has not issued a communique to corroborate this claim by the Daily Star.

If these men are in fact Russian military personnel, this would be the first time that any foreign troops authorized by the Syrian government have crossed into Lebanese territory.

No further details have been released.

The French-Swiss cement company LafargeHolcim Ltd, which is the largest in the world, has announced the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer, Eric Olsen. Previously, the company was accused of financing the ISIS armed group in Syria. Olsen is due to leave his position on July 15. He has called his departure a bid to appease “strong tensions” arising from the allegations. The company doesn’t hold Olsen responsible.

American CEO resigns after funding ISIS in Syria
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/04/ceo-resigns-after-cooperation-with-isis.html

Le Monde and Bloomberg reported earlier that the leadership of one of the company’s plants, located to the northeast of Syria, had financed ISIS armed formations in 2012-2014 in order to ensure the safety of the company’s employees and continue their activity. The company’s management paid taxes to IS fighters who had occupied neighboring cities and roads near the enterprise.

LafargeHolcim is the leading global building materials and solutions company, utilised by construction workers, architects and engineers all over the world. Lafarge built a cement plant in Syria which took almost 3 years to construct, at a cost of approximately $680 million. Since the beginning of its operations, the political situation in Syria rapidly deteriorated, posing security and operations challenges to the plant and employees. Circumstances became increasingly worse and ultimately untenable, forcing LafargeHolcim to abandon the premises in September 2014.

The subsequent investigation confirmed the allegations.

"Those responsible for the Syria operations appear to have acted in a manner they believed was in the best interests of the company and its employees. However, the investigation revealed significant errors in judgment that are inconsistent with the applicable code of conduct. "

 

[angelburst29]

The Pentagon’s plan for seizing and occupying territory in east Syria is beginning to take shape. According to a Fox News exclusive: “The Islamic State has essentially moved its so-called capital in Syria… ISIS is now centered in Deir ez-Zur, roughly 90 miles southeast of Raqqa, the officials said.” (“ISIS moves its capital in Syria”, FOX News )

Is “Mad Dog” Planning to Invade East Syria?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/is-mad-dog-planning-to-invade-east-syria/5587020

The move by ISIS corresponds to the secretive massing of US troops and military equipment on the Syria-Jordan border. It creates the perfect pretext for a ground invasion followed by a long-term military occupation in an area that Washington has sought to control for the last 18 months. Here’s more on the topic from South Front:

“The US military is reportedly concentrating troops and military equipment at the Syrian-Jordanian border. Local sources said that about 20 US Army armoured vehicles (including battle tanks and artillery pieces) carried on trucks were spotted in Al-Mafraq. US troops were allegedly accompanied with the Jordanian Army’s 3rd Division.

The US Special Operation Forces, the UK Special Operation Forces and units from some other countries -have been conducting operations across the Syrian-Jordanian border for a long time. They even had a secret military facility inside Syria where members the so-called New Syrian Army militant group were deployed. However, it was the first time when a notable number of US armoured vehicles was reported there. The US Ro-Ro ship Liberty Passion, loaded with vehicles, had arrived to the Jordanian port of Al-Aqapa few days ago. These moves followed a meeting between the Jordanian King and the US president.

Thus, the US-led coalition could prepare a large-scale military operation in southern Syria. The goal of the operation will likely be to get control over the Syrian-Iraqi border and to reach Deir Ezzor. It will involve militants trained in camps in Jordan and the US-led coalition’s forces.” (“US Military Deployment at Syrian-Jordanian Border, Military Escalation”, Global Research)

Deir Ezzor is a strategically-located city along the Euphrates that the Pentagon needs in order to tighten its grip on the eastern quadrant of the country. Once Deir Ezzor is taken, the US can launch its CIA-backed jihadist militias back into Syria at will putting more pressure on Damascus and eventually forcing regime change. That is the plan at least, whether it works or not is anyone’s guess. The deployment of troops on the Jordanian border suggests that Washington’s proxy-army, the mainly-Kurdish militia or SDF, is either unwilling to conduct operations as far south as Deir Ezzor or doesn’t have the military strength to beat ISIS on its own. In any event, the Pentagon needs fresh troops and equipment to succeed. Here’s more from South Front:

“US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis presented a preliminary version of the new plan to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said on February 28th. ….The plan submitted by Mattis also includes a proposal to increase the size of the US military contingent to ISIS in Syria… (Note–There are already 400 Special Forces operating alongside the SDF) Without significant US presence on the ground, the SDF will hardly be able to retake Raqqah from ISIS without incurring unacceptable losses….

As to Deir Ezzor, the US can try to use militants trained in Jordan to launch an attack on Deir Ezzor from the southern direction. However, the total failure of this US-backed group in 2016 leaves little chance that it’s able to combat ISIS successfully in 2017. So, the US and its allies will be pushed to deploy special forces units or even ground troops to support the advance there.

The Polish Special Forces have already deployed to Jordan where they will operate alongside their French and British counterparts. According to reports, the US-led block created a joint command center to coordinate efforts of all sides, which will support the advance against ISIS in the area.” (“New US Strategy Against ISIS And War In Syria. What To Expect?”, South Front)

Here’s more from Fox News:

“U.S. military drones have watched hundreds of ISIS “bureaucrats,” or administrators, leaving Raqqa in the past two months for the city of al-Mayadin located further down the Euphrates River from Deir el-Zour.”

Let me get this straight: US military drones located hundreds of ISIS terrorists traveling across the open desert, but did nothing to stop them. Why?

Is it because the Pentagon needs ISIS in Deir Ezzor to justify a ground invasion? That’s certainly the most plausible explanation.

More from Fox:

“Questions remain about the hold force necessary to keep the peace after ISIS is uprooted from Raqqa.”

In other words, readers are supposed to believe that the Pentagon doesn’t already have a plan in place for occupying the cities when the siege ends. That’s baloney. Check out this excerpt from an article by Whitney Webb:

“The Syrian city of Raqqa – the “stronghold” of terror group ISIS – will be governed by a “civilian council” with the support of U.S. troops following its “liberation” from terrorists….

On Tuesday, the U.S.-allied militias …announced that they had formed a “civilian council” to govern Raqqa after its capture from Daesh militants. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)… claim to have spent six months setting up the council, with a preparatory committee having met “with the people and important tribal figures of Raqqa city to find out their opinions on how to govern it,” Middle East Eye reported.

SDF spokesman Talal Selo stated that some towns near Raqqa had already been turned over to the council following a successful operation to drive out Daesh forces.

The U.S. military had previously hinted that power would be given to rebel groups following Raqqa’s “liberation”…(“After ‘Liberation,’ U.S. To Give Control Of Raqqa To Rebels, Not Syrian Government”, Information Clearinghouse)

Washington has already chosen a group of puppets who will follow their directives when the fighting finally ends. The leaders will be selected from rebel groups and tribal elders that pledge their allegiance to Washington. The new arrangement will prevent the Syrian government from reclaiming a sizable portion of its sovereign territory or reestablishing control over its borders. A splintered Syria will strengthen US-Israeli regional hegemony and provide the land needed for future US military bases.

But why would Washington opt to occupy another country when previous occupations (like Iraq) have gone so badly?

There’s a two word answer to that question: Nadia Schadlow. President Trump’s National Security Advisor H R McMaster recently hired Schadlow to join his staff as a deputy assistant to the president for national security strategy. Schadlow recently published a book that “examined 15 cases in which the United States Army intervened abroad, and the service’s role in political and economic reconstruction.” According to the Wall Street Journal:

(Schadlow’s) “War and the Art of Governance” consists of a collection of case studies, beginning with the Mexican-American War and ending in Iraq. Each examines how the U.S. attempted…to translate battlefield victory into a lasting and beneficial political outcome.

Ms. Schadlow’s case studies tell an often doleful story of America allowing victories to fall apart, leaving behind a suffering populace that should have been rewarded with a better peace. She asserts convincingly that postconflict governance can only be done well by soldiers….

The Army’s Civil Affairs units are the only government entities capable of administering conquered territories, yet Civil Affairs units remain the Army’s neglected stepchildren. … the nation must never go to war again until it can definitively answer Gen. Petraeus’s question about “how this ends.” It ends only when the U.S. Army assumes the mantle of leadership and commits itself to remaining on the field until the lives of the population can be protected, the damage repaired and a political future guaranteed.” (“What Happens After Victory”, Wall Street Journal)

Get it? The woman is an expert on military occupation!

Now answer this one question for me: Why would McMaster hire an expert on military occupation unless he was planning to militarily occupy another country?

The facts speak for themselves.

 

[angelburst29]

It is necessary to respect the sovereignty of Syria and refrain from actions that lead to increased tensions in the region, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday when asked about the Kremlin's reaction to reports about Israeli strikes in Syria.

Kremlin Calls for Respecting Syria's Sovereignty After Reports of Israeli Attack
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201704271053067495-israel-syria-airport-attack-russia/

Earlier in the day, a large explosion erupted close to the Damascus airport with initial reports claiming that it was a result of an Israeli airstrike against a Hezbollah supply hub.

We continue to believe that all countries should refrain from any actions that lead to increased tensions in an already troubled region, and we stand for respect for the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and for the Syrian Arab Republic to be a politically integral, single and sovereign state," Peskov said.

Asked whether Israel had warned Russia beforehand about the strikes, the Kremlin spokesman said: "There are information exchanges via different channels between Moscow and Israel. Our general staffs are in the process of constant dialogue."

What the US did in Syria casts doubts on Donald Trump's pledge to fight Daesh, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief said.

US Attack on Syria Casts Doubt on Trump's Pledge to Fight Daesh - Moscow
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704271053051134-us-sttack-syria-trump-russia-daesh/

The United States missile attack on a Syrian airfield casts doubt on President Donald Trump's election campaign pledge to jointly combat Daesh, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergei Naryshkin said at an international security conference Thursday.

"The recent US Tomahawk strike at the airbase in Syria, which served as a stronghold for government troops to attack terrorist positions, makes us question the sincerity of President Trump's election promises to make every effort to forge a joint international struggle against Daesh," Naryshkin said.

After the missile attack, the Russian Defense Ministry suspended a point-to-point communications link with the US military under the memorandum of understanding on de-confliction in Syria.

The ministry said the Russian air group in Syria was protected by S-400 and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems on a round-the-clock basis.

In an exclusive interview with Fox Business on April 12, US President Donald Trump blamed the current situation in Syria on Moscow's support for country's Assad, calling the Syrian leader "an animal."

Trump repeatedly advocated establishing a political dialogue with Moscow, particularly in regards to the fight against terrorism.

An evil coalition of terrorists could be emerging, according to the Collective Security Treaty Organization's acting secretary general.

Evil Coalition: Daesh, al-Qaeda Trying to Forge an Alliance
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704271053058540-daesh-al-qaeda-alliance/

Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorists are trying to unite in an alliance through talks, the Collective Security Treaty Organization's acting secretary general, Valery Semerikov, said Thursday at the Moscow Conference on International Security.

"According to available information, recently there have been attempts to remove the contradictions between Daesh and al-Qaeda by means of negotiations and unite the two terrorist organizations in an alliance," Semerikov said.

"If this initiative is implemented, the terrorist threat in the world will multiply many times," he said.

The crew are fighting for the survivability of the vessel.

Russian Black Sea Fleet Vessel Receives Hull Breach Near Bosphorus
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704271053061037-russian-vessel-liman-bosphorus-hull-breach/

A Russian Black Sea Fleet research vessel, the Liman, received a hull breach in the sea 40 kilometers from the Bosphorus, the crew were not injured, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

On April 27 at 11.53 Moscow time, in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, 40 kilometers northwest of the Bosphorus Strait, the research vessel of the Black Sea Fleet, the Liman, as a result of a collision with the Ashot-7 vessel… received a starboard hole below the waterline. No one was injured among the crew. The crew… are fighting for the survivability of the vessel," the statement said.

Black Sea Fleet vessels and an An-26 plane with rescuers were sent to assist the sailors.

All crew members of a Russian Black Sea Fleet research vessel whose hull was breached near the Bosphorus Strait have been rescued, the Turkish Coast Guard Command told Sputnik on Thursday.

All 78 Crew Members Rescued in Russian Black Sea Fleet Vessel Incident
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704271053062228-liman-hull-breach-crew-rescued/

The crew was unharmed when the Liman received a hull breach in the sea 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Bosphorus Strait, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement earlier in the day.

Two ships collided: one Russian, one Togo-flagged. All crew members of both ships were rescued, there are no victims," the Coast Guard Command spokeswoman said. A total of 78 people have been evacuated, she specified.

A Russian Black Sea Fleet research vessel has sunk due to a hull breach near Turkey, the crew has been rescued and is alive and well, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Russian Black Sea Fleet Vessel Sinks After Hull Breach, Crew 'Alive and Well'
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704271053065986-russia-vessel-liman-sinks-crew-rescued/

"All crew members of the Liman research vessel of the Black Sea Fleet are alive and well, and are presently preparing for evacuation from a Turkish rescue vessel … The Liman vessel has sunk due to the hull breach," the ministry said in a statement.

A Cobra helicopter, belonging to the Jordanian regime's Royal Armed Forces reportedly crashed yesterday while conducting a training flight, following a technical error. Both pilots are claimed to have survived the accident.

Jordanian Helicopter Crashes East of Amman
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/04/jordanian-helicopter-crashes-east-of.html

A statement, issued by the General Command of the so-called "Royal Jordanian Armed Forces", confirmed the loss of a Cobra helicopter that occurred during a training flight in Ghabawi (an area east of the Jordanian capital city of Amman), due to technical problems that eventually forced both pilots to make an emergency landing, which ended successfully. Both crew members have since been transferred to the King Hussein Medical Center, and are, according to the statement of the General Command, in good condition.

This is not the first incident, related to the Jordanian aviation. Previously, an F-16 aircraft crashed during a test flight due to technical fault on the 5th of December 2016, claiming the life of one pilot. Another jet crashed on April 6th 2015, during a training flight, killing a Jordanian pilot, alongside his Iraqi trainee.

 

[angelburst29]

Russian member of parliament Konstantin Kosachev has put the blame for the continuation of a civil war in Syria on the United States and its allies, saying they have been fueling the conflict for years, pursuing the goal of toppling Syrian President Bashar Assad.

US, Allies Have Been Inciting Syrian Conflict for Many Years, Russian MP Says
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704271053084549-us-allies-syrian-conflict/

In fact, it is the US and its allies who bear direct responsibility for the continuing civil conflict in Syria, they have been inciting this conflict for many years with the aim of changing the regime in Damascus," the chairman of the upper house of the Russian parliament's international affairs committee said, adding that such US plans were not destined to come true.

The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), governing coalition of the Kurdish de facto autonomous region in northern Syria (Rojava), is calling on major powers participating in the Syrian settlement process to agree on a no-fly zone in the country’s north in wake of the Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish militias.

Syrian Kurds Urge 'Superpowers' to Create No-Fly Zone After Turkish Airstrikes
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053116615-turkey-airstrikes-syria-kurds-no-fly-zone/

Earlier this week, Turkish jets struck in northern Syria and Iraq the positions of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military branch of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). Turkey's General Staff said about 70 Kurdish fighters were killed as a result of the airstrikes.

Now after this aggression, we firmly repeat our call for a no-fly zone over Northern Syria, and this demand is going to be part of our agenda in the following stage. Even though we have not been invited to Astana, we call upon the participants to accept a no-fly zone, and we will strongly confirm this demand in all the conferences held on Syria," TEV-DEM representative Muhammad Hassan told Sputnik.

Next week, the Kazakh capital will be hosting a new meeting on Syria with participation of the conflicting sides, three ceasefire guarantor states – Russia, Turkey and Iran, as well as the United Nations experts.

"We call upon super powers, like the US, the Russian Federation, and the EU countries to help us fulfill this demand," Hassan said.

According to media reports, Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s military wing dubbed People's Protection Units killed 17 Turkish servicemen and left three others wounded, Kurdish media reported, citing a source in the YPG.

Kurdish PYD Armed Wing Kills 17 Turkish Soldiers in North Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053092077-turkey-syria-kurds/

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) military wing dubbed People's Protection Units killed 17 Turkish servicemen and left three others wounded, Kurdish media reported, citing a source in the YPG.

The YPG members also have destroyed an armored personnel carrier of the Turkish army in northern Syria’s Afrin, located near the border with Turkey, Firat news agency said Thursday.

People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the military branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has claimed responsibility for the two recent attacks on Turkish armed forces in the country's eastern Bitlis Province which killed 12 soldiers, HPG said in a statement.

Military Branch of PKK Claims Responsibility for Killing Twelve Turkish Troops
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053087642-hpg-killing-12-turkish-troops/

According to the document, members of YJA STAR, the women's military branch of PKK, shelled the Turkish camp in the Sex Cuma region with rocket-propelled grenades, killing 10 soldiers on April 25.

On April 26, HPG militants shelled the Turkish troops in Hizan district leaving 2 people dead.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara will respond to the mortar attacks conducted from the area controlled by Syrian Kurds.

Erdogan Pledges to Respond to Attacks From Syria's Kurdish-Controlled Territory
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053107032-turkey-syria-kurd-conflict/

Turkey plans to respond to the mortar attacks conducted from the area controlled by Syrian Kurds during the past two days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

"[Turkey] has been subjected to mortar fire from the Syrian side for already two days. The enemy has been identified. How can we leave it without response? We will do what needs to be done," Erdogan said.

Erdogan noted that some people in northern Syria want to establish their own state, hinting at the Syrian Kurds.

"We strongly oppose establishment of the [Kurdish] state and will not permit creation of a terrorist corridor in Syria. I expect the allies to show solidarity with regard to the issue," Erdogan stressed.

On Wednesday, Turkish General Staff said that two checkpoints in Turkey's Hatay province, bordering Syria, were attacked from Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) military wing, dubbed the People's Protection Units (YPG). Most recently, on Thursday, Kurdish media reported that the YPG killed 17 Turkish servicemen and left three others wounded.

Turkish servicemen killed at least 11 militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the military branch of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), on Friday, following a YPG attack on a border post in southeastern Turkey.

Turkish Troops Repel Attack on Southeastern Border Post, Kill 11 YPG Militants
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053112796-turkey-ypg-fight/

A group of YPG fighters attacked a military border station in the Sanliurfa province, however their offensive was repulsed, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported on Friday, citing a Turkish military statement.

The news outlet added that the Turkish soldiers had also destroyed a vehicle carrying militants.

US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner said Thursday that by carrying out strikes against Kurds in Iraq and Syria, Turkey has put American troops operating in the region at risk.

State Department Accuses Turkey of Putting US Forces at Risk in Strikes on Kurds
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704271053084786-turkey-kurds-us-troops-risk/

US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner said Thursday that by carrying out strikes against Kurds in Iraq and Syria, Turkey has put American troops operating in the region at risk.

We made very clear to the Turkish government at very high levels our deep concern about the actions they took the other day," Toner said. "Not only were they fully coordinated, or not coordinated, within the coalition, but they put, frankly, US soldiers at risk, who were operating in that area, but also resulted in the deaths of, for example, Iraqi Peshmerga who are fighting on the ground."

Toner stressed the United States will continue to press the case with Turkey that all of the forces fighting Daesh (outlawed in Russia) in that region need to focus on the goal to combat the terror group.

We understand Turkey’s concerns about [Kurdish People’s Protection Units] YPG, we disagree," Toner said.

The YPG are the military branch of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Ankara could forbid Washington from using its Incirlik airbase if the United States cooperates with the Kurdish forces, such as the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Popular Defense Units (YPG).

Turkey to Kick US Out of Incirlik Airbase if Washington Teams Up With Kurds
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201703011051152582-turkey-us-incirlik-kurds/

Back-dated 01.03.2017 - The Yeni Safak newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing own sources, that Ankara could end the permission in case of the cooperation between Washington and the Kurds during operations against the Daesh terrorist group in the area of Raqqa.

The newspaper added that Ankara was also considering the possibility to close the country's airspace for US aircraft.

The United States, along with several other countries, uses the Incirlik base for aircraft involved in the anti-Daesh campaign in Syria.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed 23 Daesh members and liberated three neighborhoods of the Syrian northern city of al-Tabqa on Friday.

Kurdish SDF Kills 23 Daesh Militants as Part of Operation to Liberate al-Tabqa
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053111370-sdf-daesh-tabqa-raqqa/

According to the Firat news agency, the liberated neighborhoods are Nebabile, Zahra and al-Wahab. The Kurdish fighters also reportedly discovered a tunnel operated by Daesh militants.

The SDF was formed in 2015 as the defense force of northern Syria's de facto autonomous Rojava federation and is supported by the US-led coalition.

High-ranking Israeli officials seem to be shying away from claiming responsibility for an alleged Israeli strike against a site near Damascus International Airport in Syria on Thursday. The Russian media, however, was able to obtain at least some commentary.

Fire and Forget: Why Israel is Playing Dumb After Aerial Attack on Damascus
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704281053096669-israel-syria-alleged-attack/

On Thursday, a large explosion occurred close to the Damascus airport, with initial reports claiming that it was an Israeli attack on a supposed Hezbollah supply hub.

Following the incident, Israel's Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz made an interesting comment, saying that the strike "is in line with Israel's policy of countering Iranian attempts to supply modern weapons to Hezbollah through Syria," but stopped short of saying Israel was responsible for the strikes.

Katz also cited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge to continue Israeli efforts to prevent the alleged delivery of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah, which is fighting on the side of the Syrian government forces.

For its part, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press office also refrained from commenting on the matter.

Russian online newspaper Vzglyad, however, got in touch with Elina Bardach-Yalova, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Israel, who provided at least some commentary.

"Yisrael Katz has made a somewhat ambiguous remark. I don't think he suggested that it would be perceived as confirmation," she told the outlet.

Israeli defense and military officials, however, have expressed concern over Iran's activity in Syria. On Wednesday, one day before the explosion, the country's Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman told Russian ministers during a meeting in Moscow that Israel "will not tolerate attempts by Iran to transfer weapons to Hezbollah" and "won’t allow concentrations of Iranian and Hezbollah forces on the Golan Heights."

Speaking with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Liberman expressed Israel’s concern that Iran is allegedly using Syrian territory to smuggle arms to the Lebanese group, which is viewed by Tel Aviv as a terrorist organization, something Israel has said it cannot condone.

"In this particular case, Israel is interested in Hezbollah only because this group is being supplied from Syria, with the help of Iran, with high-precision missiles which can pose a threat to the residents of Israel," Bardach-Yalova told the website.

"These are long-range missiles and Israel has every intention to prevent the supply of these missiles to Hezbollah. Such handovers often take place on Syrian soil and in cases where it is impossible to prevent it by any other means, we have to destroy these deliveries," she added.

The spokeswoman also noted that the Syrian authorities look the other way during these deliveries.

"Any missiles possessed either by Hezbollah or Hamas pose a threat, as do any missiles if they are going to be launched at someone's territory. It will inflict damage. And we want to prevent it," she said.

Bardach-Yalova stressed that Israel is not interested in interfering into what she called an internal Syrian conflict. However, she noted the warning of the country's Defense Minister, who sad that Israel will only interfere into what is going on in Syria when arms are supplied to Hezbollah.

Commenting on another of Liberman's warnings, that Israel "won’t allow concentrations of Iranian and Hezbollah forces on the Golan Heights," Yevgeny Satanovsky, head of the Moscow-based Middle East Institute think tank talked about the interests of Iran and Hezbollah in the area.

"Iran might be interested in the concentration of forces against Israel. Hezbollah, however, can’t do anything. It might not want to get into a confrontation with Israel as it has another enemy to fight against, judging by the fighting and its victims in Syria. But it is a clear [Iranian] satellite," he told Vzglyad.

The expert further suggested that if Tehran starts "mounting bunches of missiles" on the Golan Heights or tries to set-up an air and naval bases in Syria, it will result in a "large regional war."

"Israel won't allow Iranians to launch any serious attack on its territory," he concluded.

In a separate comment on the issue, Anton Mardasov, a military expert and head of the Department of Middle East Conflicts at the Institute for Innovative Development, a Moscow-based think tank, said that the Iranian presence in Syria is not limited to the army units, the units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Over the course of Iran's interference in the Syrian conflict, he said, many international brigades, which could be called Shi'ite jihadists, have come to Syria from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Iraqi Hezbollah, an affiliate of the Syrian Hezbollah, is also present in the country. Many of these pro-Iranian proxies are deeply rooted there, including in the territories near the Golan Heights.

Moreover, the expert said, some of the groups, such as the Iraqi units, are part of the al-Hashd al-Sha'abi (People’s Mobilization Forces), an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization, which have recently declared a jihad against Israel.

When the Israeli ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry over the Israeli attack on Syria in March, Mardasov said, it wasn't because Israel had attacked Hezbollah; it was because Israel had attacked those very groups.

However, regardless of the extensive presence of Iranian proxies in Syria, there are no prerequisites that they will start fighting against Israel, he said. Iran is already incurring considerable expenses for its involvement in the Syrian conflict.

Meanwhile, the expert said, Damascus is being called "the Iranian gates." It is quite hard to control all Iranian supplies to the country. Iranian aircraft fly into Syria very often and it still remains a question of what they are delivering there. There is a certain risk that Iran is strengthening its positions in Lebanon and Syria by delivering armaments, and Israel is concerned about it, he said.

Mardasov also noted that, on the other hand, it was repeatedly admitted that not only the so-called "moderate opposition," such as the Free Syrian Army, is undergoing treatment in Israeli hospitals. There are also the fighters of the units which have sworn allegiance to the terrorist group Daesh (ISIS), as well as al-Nusra fighters.

"It is in Israel's interests to weaken its unfriendly neighbors and to demonstrate that it is able to make an agreement with numerous players," he said.

The relationship between Israel and Damascus is very complicated, he said, Apart from the public rhetoric, there are certain ties behind-the-scenes. It is in Damascus' interests to maintain consensus with Israel, as it is possible to stabilize the situation in Syria, including the developments in its south, only with Israel's assistance.

Israel may also have a certain influence on the opposition and act as a guarantor of a ceasefire, the expert concluded.

Syria will respond to any aggression from Israel, which Damascus believes supports terrorist groups there, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad told Sputnik.

Syria to Respond to 'Terrorist Supporter' Israel's Aggression - Ambassador
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704041052264419-syria-israel-aggression/

Riyad Haddad accused Tel Aviv of "at this time attempting to support terrorist groups in our territory," saying "as soon as Israel feels that the terrorist groups are weakening, they immediately intervene to support them."

That is why we will respond to any aggression on the part of Israel, as we responded the last time by destroying one of the planes and striking a blow to the second plane. We will do the same if there is a repetition of such an attempt," Haddad said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said last month its jets conducting raids in Syria were attacked from the neighboring country. Israel reportedly intercepted at least one Syrian missile using its Arrow missile defense system. The Syrian government forces said they had shot down one of four Israeli Air Force jets.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman later vowed to "destroy" Syrian air defense systems if they attack Israeli aircraft.

Syria considers Turkey's plan to launch a new offensive on its territory a "flagrant aggression" against the Arab republic's sovereignty, Syrian Ambassador said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Ankara was preparing for new operations in Syria after the completion of the Euphrates Shield campaign.

"This is a flagrant aggression against the sovereignty of our country," Haddad said.

The envoy added that Damascus "believed from the very beginning that the Turkish army's presence on our territory is an occupation regardless of whether the first operation was completed or not."

 

[angelburst29]

Russian Black Sea Fleet Vessel Receives Hull Breach Near Bosphorus
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704271053061037-russian-vessel-liman-bosphorus-hull-breach/

All 78 Crew Members Rescued in Russian Black Sea Fleet Vessel Incident
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704271053062228-liman-hull-breach-crew-rescued/

Russian Black Sea Fleet Vessel Sinks After Hull Breach, Crew 'Alive and Well'
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704271053065986-russia-vessel-liman-sinks-crew-rescued/

Russian intelligence ship sinks off Turkey’s Black Sea coast: authorities
_https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-ship-collides-livestock-vessel-black-sea-turkeys-115656304.html

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Russian naval intelligence ship sank off Turkey’s Black Sea coast on Thursday after colliding with a vessel carrying livestock and all 78 personnel on board were evacuated, Turkey’s coastal safety authority said.

The ship, identified as the Liman, collided with the Togo-flagged Youzarsif H, the authority said on its website.

The collision was caused due to fog and low visibility, the Turkish shipping agency GAC said. It occurred 18 miles (29 km) from Kilyos village on the Black Sea coast just north of Istanbul, broadcaster NTV said.

Turkish authorities dispatched a tugboat and three fast rescue vessels, the coastal safety authority said.

Advisers to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim conveyed his sadness over the incident to Russian counterparts, according to sources in his office.

No information was immediately available about the state of the Youzarsif H, or its crew or cargo. The Togo-flagged livestock carrier was built in 1977 and has a capacity of 2,418 tonnes, according to Thomson Reuters shipping data.

It is managed by Nejem Co. Marine Services, according to the data.

It was not clear whether either vessel was headed to the Bosphorus Strait from the Black Sea.

The Bosphorus, which cuts through Istanbul, is one of the world’s most important waterways for transit of oil and grains. The 17-mile waterway connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

Russian Defense Ministry said that all special equipment from the sunken Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel Liman has been evacuated by the crew .

Special Equipment From Sunken Liman Vessel Evacuated by Crew - MoD
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704281053104149-liman-vessel-equipment/

All special equipment from the sunken Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel Liman has been evacuated by the crew, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.

"Thanks to the courage and competent actions of the Russian crew … the ship that received hull ruptures below the waterline in two compartments of the engine room stayed afloat for almost three hours. All the removable special equipment, documentation, weapons and ammunition were evacuated by the crew to lifesaving appliances, and then safely delivered to the Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea,"

The Liman research ship collided Thursday with a Togo-flagged vessel 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Bosphorus Strait. The Russian vessel sunk after receiving a hull rupture, all 78 crew members were rescued.

Russian Navy servicemen, whose ship sunk off the Turkish coast after colliding with a freighter, are being flown back to Russia, the nation’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

Sailors From Sunken Russian Ship in Turkey Airlifted to Russia
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201704281053089883-russian-sailors-saved/

"Due to congested traffic in the Bosphorus Strait caused by unfavorable weather, a decision was made to airlift the crew of the Liman research ship to Russia by military transport aircraft of the Defense Ministry," the statement read.

The Russian military said the aircraft with all crew members on board was on the way to the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol, Crimea, and was expected to land shortly.

Back on April 19, 2017:

Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said that two Russian citizens were among the 12 crew members of the dry-cargo carrier "Geroi Arsenala" that sank on Wednesday in the Black Sea.

Two Russians Among 12 Crew Aboard Shipwrecked Dry-Cargo Carrier
https://sputniknews.com/world/201704191052763922-shipwreck-dry-cargo-carrier/

Two Russian citizens were among the 12 crew members of the dry-cargo carrier "Geroi Arsenala" that sank on Wednesday in the Black Sea, the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told Sputnik.

"There were 12 crew members on board the shipwrecked dry-cargo vessel that shipwrecked in the Black Sea, including two Russians, one of whom was a captain, nine Ukrainians, and one citizen of Georgia," the agency official said Wednesday.

Several people missing, five rescued after dry-cargo shipwreck in black sea.

Several People Missing Five Rescued After Cargo Shipwreck in Black Sea
https://sputniknews.com/world/201704191052763397-people-missing-rescued-cargo-ship-wreck/

The dry-cargo carrier "Geroi Arsenala" sank on Wednesday in the Black Sea with five people having been rescued and seven still missing, a source in local emergency services told Sputnik.

"'Heroi Arsenala' sank, five people were rescued, seven are missing," the source said.

A total of 127 rescuers are engaged in the search and rescue operation, according to the press service of the Krasnodar region's department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

The ship with grain was heading for Turkey from the southern Russia's Rostov Region. Causes of the incident remain unknown.