Russian MoD warns of false flag chemical attack in Idlib
Russian Defence Ministry’s Chief Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said in a briefing in Moscow on Wednesday that they have got information about a possible false flag chemical attack being planned in Syria’s Idlib.
“Terrorists of the Islamic Party of Turkestan transferred 20 containers with 10 litres of chlorine each from Maarrat al-Nu’man provocative acts,” Konashenkov said, adding that “local residents reported to the Russian Reconciliation Centre that this group of White Helmets searched for residents who would like to take part in staged video footage in exchange for food.”
He also claimed that “six special radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance vehicles have been deployed to Russian posts in the immediate vicinity of the demilitarised zone in Idlib province.”
Konashenkov stated that “the territory controlled by the United States in Syria, it should be noted that this is not a de-escalation zone, or a de-conflict zone, it is a grey zone in which the situation is rapidly deteriorating.”
The spokesperson also said that the S-300 missile systems have been successfully delivered to Syria.
RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY: SYRIAN SERVICE MEMBERS ARE TRAINING ON S-300 (VIDEO)
Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, revealed that Russian military advisers are still training personnel of the Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces (SyAADF) on the use of the advanced S-300 long-range air defense systems, which were delivered to Syria earlier this month.
“I suggest all hot-heads to step away from provocations and evaluate the situation in a logical manner,” Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said during a press briefing, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik.
The Russian MoD spokesman also revealed that the SyAADF personnel are training on the use of the advanced Polyana-D4M automated command and control system, which had never been exported before. The system serves as an upper level command post (CP) of air defense brigades and can command different types of systems, including S-300 and Buk.
Russia took the decision to supply Syria with these advanced systems following the downing of the Il-20 intelligence plane on September 17. According to the Russian MoD, these systems will improve the security of Russian service members in Syria.
US providing military, logistical support to Daesh terrorists in Syria: Report
A recent media report says members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group are being provided with advanced weapons by the United States in Syria, revealing Washington’s support for terrorists in the Arab country.
Yeni Şafak, a Turkish daily newspaper, quoting sources, reported on Wednesday that there had been many cases of US forces directly delivering material and technical assistance to militants in the town of al-Mansurah, which is located in the northern Syrian province of Raqqah.
A large cache of US-made weapons, specifically shells and ammunition, was also dispatched to the al-Tanf border crossing with Jordan, which lies at the ultra-strategic intersection of the Syrian, Iraqi, and Jordanian borders, it added.
The US, which has a military base in Tanf, is believed to be regularly training terrorists in the area. The US has unilaterally declared a 55-kilometer “de-confliction zone” around the base, and frequently threatened to target Syrian forces within the area.
The cordoned-off area also contains the Rukban refugee camp, which, according to Syrian and Russian officials, is home to terrorists, including those of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terror group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.
The report also said that a US-backed group comprising ethnic Kurds and Arabs was being used by the US forces to deliver weapons and material.
The US-backed Kurdish groups such as the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), militarily led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), have been accused of colluding with Daesh Takfiri militants.
In early June, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in an interview with NTV channel that the YPG had likely provided Daesh terrorists with a safe corridor out of Raqqah.
Syrian government forces have frequently discovered US- and Israeli-made bombs and weapons, some of which were extremely rare in the Arab country, during the ongoing anti-terror campaign across the country.
The Syrian government has also recently sent a message to the United Nations, accusing the US-led coalition of reaching deals with Daesh and coordinating its actions with the terror group’s commanders.
In September, the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh, airlifted to a safe sanctuary several commanders of the foreign-sponsored terror outfit from a region in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
Last August, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that US-led choppers had transported four Daesh members and a civilian from a house used as an arms depot in Beqres, a suburban area east of Dayr al-Zawr, to a safe area.
The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
The military alliance has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of achieving its declared goal of destroying Daesh.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
US raises concern over Turkish air strikes on Kurdish fighters in Syria
The United States has voiced concern over Turkish air strikes on Kurdish fighters in Syria, which led the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a US-allied force, to temporarily suspend its fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
"Unilateral military strikes into northwest Syria by any party, particularly as American personnel may be present or in the vicinity, are of great concern to us," US State Department Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters on Wednesday.
"Coordination and consultation between the United States and Turkey on issues of security concern is a better approach," he said.
The YPG dominates the Syrian Democratic Forces, joint Arab-Kurdish units fighting in Syria with US backing. They have been a key US ally in the fight against IS.
Turkey, however, considers the YPG to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a deadly insurgency in Turkey since 1984 and is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the European Union.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkey killed four Kurdish fighters in shelling of YPG positions in Syria near the border at Kobane.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a day earlier vowed to "destroy" the YPG and said Ankara was determined to push Kurdish fighters back from the border area.
And on Sunday, the Turkish military fired artillery shells at YPG positions in the village of Zor Maghar, east of the Euphrates River.
“The shelling proves how serious and determined we are," a Turkish intelligence source told Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity.
On Wednesday, Palladino said the US has been in touch both with Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces "to emphasize the need to de-escalate the situation".
He stressed that Turkey remained a partner and said the US was "fully committed to our ally's border security".
President al-Assad: We paid a heavy price to preserve our homeland and independent decision
Damascus, SANA-President Bashar al-Assad met on Wednesday with members of the World Peace Council and the World Federation of Democratic Youth who are taking part in the meetings of the World Peace Council’s Executive Committee currently held in Damascus.
At the beginning of the meeting, President al-Assad thanked the participants for their stances in support of Syria and their unflinching solidarity for the Syrian people since the beginning of the war, considering that the founding principles of the World Peace Council and its sought-for goals can bring about world in which more safety and justice prevail for the coming generations.
The President considered that the weight of the World Peace Council and the World Federation of Democratic Youth lies in their adherence to their principles in defending truth and embodying the principle of peace at a time when international policies are built on lies and deception.
The President indicated that the world needs these organizations and parties especially amid attempts by some superpowers to turn international organizations into tools to strike stability and push for destruction instead of exerting efforts to consolidate peace and stability in the world.
Defending principles exacts a price, the President affirmed, citing Syria which paid a heavy price to preserve the homeland and independent decision.
“When principles are realistic and based on the will and interests of nations, they constitute a solid basis in the face of the narrow interests of some Western states who have never refrained from igniting wars to realize their goals by spreading the extremist ideology which was marketed by the US administration in the 1980s and promulgating ignorance in a way that plunges peoples into wars and through spreading poverty in the world,” added the President.
Maria do Socorro Gomes, President of the World Peace Council, for her part, condemned the crimes against the Syrian people which “have shown the world the stances of the imperialist states towards peace and the sovereignty of nations,” affirming that the Council’s members will exert all efforts to unmask the true face of the terrorist war against Syria.
Head of the World Federation of Democratic Youth Iacovos Tofari said holding the meeting in Syria carries a clear message of solidarity with the Syrian people against the war waged on them.
The members, for their part, expressed support for the Syrian leadership, army and people, voicing trust in the ability of the Syrian people to seal a decisive victory.
Syria to Open Checkpoints on Iraqi Border, Sees No Security Threats - Minister
Syria is ready to open checkpoints on the border with Iraq, as it sees no security threats, and waits for the neighboring state to solve logistics issues, Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hammoud told Sputnik in an interview.
The checkpoints on the Syrian-Iraqi border have been closed since 2014 due to the territory being seized by the Daesh* terrorists. Damascus and Baghdad have discussed the issue of opening the border earlier in October.
"During the last visit of Iraqi Foreign Minister [Ibrahim Jaafari] to Syria, one of the main topics discussed was opening the border. The Iraqi side promised that it would be done soon. We are ready as soon as logistics issues are solved on the Iraqi side," the minister said.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations, whose members flee to the neighboring states as the government forces regain control of the Syrian territory.
Syrian Transport Minister Urges Russian Aeroflot to Resume Air Services Between Two States
Ali Hammoud said that he would like to see Aeroflot Russian Airlines become the first foreign carrier to resume air services to Syria.
"We believe that the reasons for which this company stopped flights [to Syria] became history. We invite Aeroflot to return to Syria and become the first international company to resume its work here," the minister said.
The minister added that it would only be natural that the first foreign carrier to resume air services in Syria should be a Russian one after Moscow helped Syria in fighting terrorism.
Aeroflot suspended flights to Syria in 2012.
Syria is interested in purchasing Russia's new MC-21 passenger jets and seeks priority in becoming the first buyer, Ali Hammoud said.
"We have asked the friendly Russian side so that Syria could have the right of being the first in buying these aircraft," the minister said.
According to the minister, Syrian airlines will need more jets when they resume air survives to Europe.
The MC-21 jets are developed by the Irkut Corporation. Preparing assembly lines for the serial manufacture of MC-21 is currently underway.
The Syrian Ministry of Transport is considering the possibility of expanding the Damascus airport or building a new one in cooperation with Russia, the ministry's head added.
"We are cooperating with the Russian side on the issue of expanding the Damascus International Airport or building a new one to replace the current one," Hammoud said, adding that a Syrian analytic company was commissioned to compare the two options, and the most advantageous one would be chosen afterward.
Largest Hub on Wheat Exports in Middle East
Russia will set up in Syria the largest hub on its wheat exports in the Middle East, Ali Hammoud said.
"We have reached an agreement with the Russian government on establishing in Syria a center for the exports of Russian wheat to other countries in the region. In this connection, it will be necessary to expand ports in Syria and create granaries in the port area to store large volumes of Russian wheat," the minister said.
"That is why we will need a railway and roads, which will be built as part of this large-scale project," the minister said.
Adequate infrastructure will be necessary to transport wheat to neighboring states, the minister added.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
Mosaic painting dating back to fifth century AD discovered in Hama countryside
A mosaic painting that dates back to the fifth century AD was discovered in al-Kharayeb village in Salhab area, 48 km west of Hama city.
Speaking to SANA, Head of Antiquities Department, Abdulqader Farzat that a citizen from al-Kharayeb village in Hama western countryside informed the authorities about parts of a mosaic painting he found in his garden.
The authorities sent a specialized mission to the place which carried out the excavations and revealed the painting.
Farzat clarified that the dimensions of the painting are 13.5 and 2.30 meters. It is decorated with geometric shapes and inscriptions in Latin of a church floor that dates back to 412 of the fifth century AD in the Byzantine era.
