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

[angelburst29]

November 18, 2018 - Russia, Turkey, Iran to hold Syria talks November 28-29: Kazakh Foreign Minister
Russia, Turkey, Iran to hold Syria talks November 28-29: Kazakh foreign minister | Reuters


FILE PHOTO - Kazakhstan's Foreign Affairs Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Russia, Turkey, and Iran will hold the next round of talks on Syria on Nov. 28-29 in Kazakhstan, Kazakh foreign minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said on Monday.

Delegations of the Damascus government and the Syrian rebels are also set to attend, Abdrakhmanov told reporters.


16 November، 2018 - UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly in favor of resolution affirming Syria’s sovereignty over occupied Golan
UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly in favor of resolution affirming Syria’s sovereignty over occupied Golan

The UN General Assembly on Friday voted in overwhelming majority in favor of a draft resolution affirming Syria’s sovereignty over the occupied Golan and considering all Israeli occupation procedures in it null and void.

151 states voted in favor of the draft resolution, with the US and the Israeli occupation voting against, and 14 states abstaining.

During the meeting of the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, Syria’s Permanent Representative at the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said that the voting of the greater majority in favor of this resolution sends a clear message to Israel that its occupation of the Golan is unacceptable and that it violates the UN Charter and international law, and that it should end its occupation of all occupied Arab lands and cease its violations of human rights and international laws.

Al-Jaafari said that this vote shows that the majority of members states are against the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan, and also affirms that Israel’s attempts to annex the Golan are null and void and without any legal effect.

The people of the occupied Syrian Golan thwarted all the Israeli occupation’s attempts to Judaize Golan, and the most recent example was thwarting the so-called local councils elections on October 30th,” he said. Syria’s Representative said that the United States’ vote against the resolution isn’t surprising, since Washington is Israel’s partner in its wars and aggression in the region, and has been stealing the Golan’s resources via American companies like Genie Energy, Afek, and AES Corporation that conduct illegal oil exploration in Golan.

He added that the US also practices occupation by having its forces deployed in Syrian territories to protect Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in al-Tanf area and north of Deir Ezzor.

Al-Jaafari said that the US vote against the resolution sends a clear message to the world signaling the end of Washington’s alleged role of sponsoring the peace process in the Middle East.

Syria’s Representative said that the Israeli occupation’s representative failed to understand the legal and political message sent by this majority votes, adding that this representative also used the term “Golan Heights” which is incorrect as the Golan consists of heights, valleys, plains, rivers, springs, and Lake Tiberias, all of which is Syrian territory as the member states acknowledged, and it will all return to Syria whether Israel likes it or not.

He said that when the Israeli representative says that Israel will not withdraw from the Syrian Golan, he should understand that if Israel doesn’t comply with international resolutions and doesn’t return the occupied Golan to Syria, it is opening the door to another option which is war.

“We will reclaim Golan by peace or by war; this is our message to Israel and its ambassador,” al-Jaafari concluded.


17 November, 2018 - Russian deputy envoy says UN resolution on human rights in Syria detached from reality
Russian deputy envoy says UN resolution on human rights in Syria detached from reality

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to UN Gennady Kuzmin said the resolution is "just a mechanism for geopolitical score-settling"

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gennady Kuzmin slammed the resolution on human rights in Syria passed by UN General Assembly Third Committee on Friday as political point scoring, he said at the committee’s meeting.

Moscow voted against the resolution at the meeting. "It is just a mechanism for geopolitical score-settling," Kuzmin said about the resolution.

"We have spoken out more than once against attempts to transform the Third Committee into a body rubberstamping the nations’ politicized resolutions with the only aim of mount pressure on the government of one of the UN member states," he said.

He slammed the resolution on human rights in Syria as a vivid example of this practice. "Each year, its content is becoming more and more detached from reality," Kuzmin stated. "This document has turned into a poisonous concentrate of all ideas and initiatives which Damascus’ opponents failed to ‘push through’ at other platforms."

Syria’s Ambassador to UN Bashar Jaafari pointed out that Saudi Arabia, which authored the resolution, had breached requirements for drafting these documents.

"While it was drafted, no public meetings were held, since most of the discussions on the resolution were behind closed doors at the Saudi mission," he said.


17 November، 2018 - Russian Foreign Ministry: OPCW report on Syria drafted with violations
Russian Foreign Ministry: OPCW report on Syria drafted with violations

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the report of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) report on Syria was drafted with numerous violations and is contrary to the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the OPCW’s principles of confidentiality.

The Russian ministry said it had obtained information about a planned memorandum between the organization and the UN-facilitated international mechanism.

“The very fact of the appearance of this document and its content raises a number of serious questions,” the ministry said in a statement quoted by the Russian Sputnuik news agency.


November 18, 2018 - Humanitarian operation conducted by Russian military in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor governorate
Humanitarian operation conducted by Russian military in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor governorate

Officers of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria conducted a humanitarian operation delivering food products to civilians in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor governorate, the Center’s chief Vladimir Savchenko said on Sunday.

"A humanitarian operation was conducted in the settlement of Hsham in the Deir ez-Zor governorate. A total of 450 bags with food were distributed amonf civilians," he said.

Apart from that, a targeted charity operation was conducted in Damascus. "Twenty-five wheelchairs, 25 towels and 25 warn blankets were delivered to a specialized institute for disabled war veterans," he said.

He also said that ceasefire violations by illegal armed groups operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone continue. Thus, during the past day shelling attacks were reported from Aleppo’s and Hama’s suburbs and the settlement of Safsara in the Latakia governorate.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes.


17 November، 2018 - Czech Government intends to build an orphanage in Syria
Czech Government intends to build an orphanage in Syria

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis announced his country’s willingness to establish an orphanage in Syria in coordination with the Syrian Government.

The orphanage will embrace a kindergarten, a school, a lodging and a stadium and it will accommodate for 150 children.

In a statement, Babis said that children can live in the orphanage for a certain period, and they can return later to their relatives gradually.

He indicated that the Czech Embassy in Damascus will buy a place where a destroyed school was previously built, and it will work on rebuilding it to implement the aforementioned project.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Syrian Forces Rebuff Terrorists’ Attack on Residential Areas of Aleppo – Reports

The Syrian forces rebuffed the shelling of the militants on the residential areas of the northern city of Aleppo, media reported on Sunday.

The militants shelled the city's districts of New Aleppo and Al-Zahraa, while the Syrian army repelled the attack and managed to injure several militants, according to the Al Ekhbariya broadcaster.

Militants, operating in Aleppo's neighbourhoods, have repeatedly attacked the residential quarters of once most populated Syrian cities, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and militant and terrorist organizations.

Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been providing humanitarian aid to residents of the crisis-torn country.


Intense clashes breakout between Turkish forces and rebels in northern Aleppo (video)

A number of clashes broke out this past weekend between the Turkish Army and rebel forces in northern Aleppo.

According to opposition activists, the Turkish Army, alongside the Free Syrian Army (FSA), launched a large-scale operation to arrest rebel fighters committing crimes in the Afrin region.

However, during the operation, Turkish Army and their allies clashed with members of the Sharqiyah Martyrs Brigade after the former raided their positions in Afrin.

The aforementioned rebel group was accused by locals of looting and kidnapping across the the Afrin region.

As a result of the looting and kidnapping, the Turkish military has intervened to end the corruption that plagued the Afrin region.

In the video below, the Turkish military and their allies can be seen clashing with the rebels accused of looting and kidnapping.


25 MILITANTS KILLED IN TURKISH MILITARY OPERATION AGAINST ITS OWN PROXIES IN SYRIA’S AFRIN

25 militants have been reportedly killed since the start of Turkey’s military operation against its own proxies in the Syrian area of Afrin on November 18.

According to reports, about 200 members of the al-Sharqiyah Martyrs Gathering and a few other Turkish-backed miltiant groups had been accused by Turkey and the rest of Turkish-backed militant groups of conducting various crimes in Afrin.

While the common explanation of this situation in Turkish-affilated media is that Ankara seeks to restore security and order in the area local sources say that the main reason of this effort is to punish too “independent” militant groups. In fact, all Turkish-backed militant groups have been accused of variuos crimes multiple times. However, Ankara has punished no group for this besides the al-Sharqiyah Martyrs Gathering. MORE HERE


Afrin : Renegade Rebels Surrender To Turkish Military

For two days, the Turkish military and allied opposition forces linked to the Ankara-backed National Army have been engaged in a major “security” operation against “corrupt” rebel elements operating in the north Syrian city of Afrin.

On Sunday, heavy clashes took place in Afrin and video footage proved that medium weapons and military vehicles used in the battle. The number of casualties suffered from firefights are still unclear.

There are now also report that formal surrender agreement has been reached between the warring factions – Turkey and its allies have emerged as the winner.

The corrupt opposition elements targeted by the Turkish operation are responsible for running prostitution rings and being involved in the organized rape of women and children, looting and illegal racketeering of various kinds.


Turkish Army Hands over Demilitarized Zone in Northern Syria to Tahrir Al-Sham Terrorists

Syria's state-owned al-Watan daily quoted a sources close to Tahrir al-Sham as disclosing that Ankara forces have hand over the demilitarized zone, spread from Northeastern Lattakia to Western and Southern Idlib, Northwestern Hama and Western Aleppo to Tahrir al-Sham and its allies.

It further said the move comes as the Turkish army plans to move to the East to launch a large-scale assault on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Tal Abyadh region in Northern Raqqa and other border regions on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

The daily went on to say that recent attack on the Syrian Army by Tahrir al-Sham, deployed in the demilitarized zone in Northeastern Lattakia and Northern Hama, is yet another proof showing the agreement between Ankara and Tahrir al-Sham to hand over the zone to the latter over a month after the deadline for the terrorists' withdrawal from the zone under the Sochi Agreement ended.

According to the deadline the terrorists including Tahrir al-Sham should have evacuated the demilitarized zone or face repercussions that included a joint attack by the Syria and Russian army assisted by Turkey.

The move by the terrorists is pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.

Colonel Mar'ei Hamdan, a Syrian military expert, was quoted by the Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency as saying on Monday that Tahrir al-Sham is in control of nearly 70% of towns and villages in Idlib province and makes provocative moves against the Syrian army, adding that the army's commitment to decrease tensions is not lasting forever.

He added that the Syrian army has so far repelled all attacks by terrorists against its positions and inflicted heavy damages on them, noting that the army is now necessitated to come out of the defensive mood to retake control of Idlib.

Hamdan said that Tahrir al-Sham will resort to a full-scale military operation against the Syrian and Russian armies soon, after rejecting the Sochi agreement last October, which leaves no room for ceasefire or disarmament anymore, and underlined that the Syrian army's battle against Tahrir al-Sham is inevitable.

Meantime, the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham and National Liberation Front (NLF) terrorist groups has also dismissed the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement and is preparing for military operations against the army in Northern Syria, calling for a coalition with Tahrir al-Sham.

Tahrir al-Sham and other allied terrorist groups have not left the demilitarized zone two months after the Sochi agreement and have instead reinvigorated their strongholds and targeted the army positions every day.

Relevant reports said last Sunday that the Turkey-backed NLF had put its gunmen on alert to launch a heavy offensive against the Syrian army in the demilitarized zone in Idlib province.

The Arabic-language al-Watan reported that the Turkey-backed NLF had kept its fighters in and outside the demilitarized zone, envisioned in the Sochi Agreement, on alert for imminent war against the army.


Islamist rebels attempt to infiltrate Syrian Army lines in northern Hama

The Islamist rebels of Jaysh Al-Izza attempted to bypass the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) lines in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate last night, a military source in Mhardeh city told Al-Masdar News this morning.

According to the military source, Jaysh Al-Izza attempted to infiltrate the Syrian Arab Army’s positions near the town of Al-Zalaqiyat.

However, the Islamist rebels were seen by the pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF) making their way towards the Syrian Army’s posts near the Al-Zalaqiyat Checkpoint.

The Syrian Arab Army then fired on the Islamist rebels with their heavy machine guns; this resulted in the death of several Jaysh Al-Izza fighters.

Due to the heavy casualties sustained by the Islamist rebels, Jaysh Al-Izza was forced to withdraw across the 20km long demilitarized zone.


Weapons and munitions left behind by terrorists uncovered in Quneitra



The authorities found amounts of weapons and mines, some of which are Israeli-made, which were thrown by terrorist organizations at the bottom of al-Hurieya Lake alongside the barbed wire with the occupied Syrian Golan in Quneitra.

SANA’s reporter in Quneitra said that a diving team from competent authorities extricated new amounts of weapons and IEDs, some of which are Israeli-made.

The reporter added that the uncovered weapons included Malutka rockets , Jahannam (Hellfire) Shells, artillery shells, tanks, munitions, and machineguns thrown by the terrorists in al-Hurieya lake before defeating them from the province with the aim of inflicting as much harm as possible on civilians, irrigation water and irrigated crops in the area.








Electricity returns to al-Mayadeen after four years of blackout due to terrorist acts

WATCH Russia’s Su-57 stealth jets fly their 1st combat mission in Syria in rare MoD VIDEO


© YouTube / Russian Defense Ministry

The brief Syria deployment of Russia’s Su-57 fifth-generation fighters that made headlines around the world can now be seen in newly released Defense Ministry footage, showing the jets flying sorties and returning to base.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released an astonishing video showing a pair of Russia’s cutting-edge Su-57s testing ground in Syria. The jets are seen taking off from an undisclosed location – presumably, Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria’s northeast – before flying up.

The Su-57s are then filmed traversing the skies over Syria. At some point the camera gets so close that the pilot’s actions can easily be seen inside the cockpit.

The video also shows the stealth jets simultaneously landing on the runway, with or without the parachute brakes.

The planes, which flew a total of ten sorties, were pushed to the limit as the military wanted to see how they would perform during a real-life mission. The jets’ aerodynamics, avionics, fire control, and weapons systems were all put to test amid high temperatures and complicated terrain, the ministry said on Facebook.

Though little is verifiably known about the Su-57’s features and capabilities, the jet has given a bit of publicity in recent weeks.

Recently, Russian TV was allowed to film the low-visibility fighter flying in formation during mid-air refueling. The jet approached close enough so that the flying tanker would be able to extend the refueling cable and far enough to avoid a collision.

The multirole, single-seat, twin-engine Su-57 jet, referred to as PAK FA and T-50 during research and development, is designed to give the Russian Air Force an unhinged superiority in aerial warfare.

It is said to be capable of engaging all types of air, ground and surface targets benefiting from a sophisticated target acquisition system. The Su-57 is expected to stand out due to exceptional maneuverability and supersonic features.

The jet will also be hard to spot on radar as it is reportedly covered by a special radio-absorbent paint. The Su-57’s guided and unguided weapons are also hidden in domestic bays to ensure low radar signature.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Pentagon Supports Enhanced Dialogue Between US, Russian Troops in Syria

US Department of Defense spokesman Eric Pahon told Sputnik on Monday that the existing deconfliction channel between the Russian and US militaries in Syria has worked well.

"More dialogue could only be better," Pahon said. "We are talking with the Russians in the area… The more we talk and the more we are able to avoid miscalculation, the better."

Pahon said the established military-to-military deconfliction channel has been working well and there have not been any interruptions, but pointed out that the US military is prohibited from actually cooperating with Russia.

"General Dunford has had communications with his counterpart on the mil-to-mil level. We haven't had any significant incidents between the coalition aircraft or Russian aircraft operating in the area. So, clearly we were able to deconflict our operations and that continues," Pahon said.

In August, The US government extended its ban against cooperating militarily with Russia in a bilateral format through 2019, according to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The prohibition, first enacted in the 2017 NDAA, says none of the funds authorized may be used for any bilateral military-to-military cooperation with Russia until Moscow implements the Minsk accords and returns Crimea to Ukrainian sovereignty.

However, the 2019 law adds a provision — missing from two previous NDAAs — that explicitly authorizes negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Syria has been in a state of conflict since 2011, with the government forces of President Bashar Assad fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of a countrywide ceasefire in Syria, while it also provides humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians and is actively engaged in dialogue on the settlement to the Syrian crisis.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 members has been conducting military operations against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria and Iraq since September 2014. The coalition’s activities in Syria are authorized neither by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.


US Continues De-Escalation Effort Between Turkey, Kurds in Syria - Pentagon

The United States continues to try to de-escalate the situation between the Kurds and Turkey in Syria, US Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Robertson told Sputnik.

"We continue to engage the leadership on all sides in order to deescalate the situation," Robertson said on Monday. "The idea is to keep fight focus on ISIS [Daesh]."

The Syrian Democratic Forces have long been the point of disagreements between Turkey and the United States. Ankara has condemned Washington for sending arms and providing other support to the group while Washington has been calling on Ankara for restraint in its conflict with the Kurds.

In late October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara would soon begin a large-scale operation against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to the east of the Euphrates.

The YPG makes up a major component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which seek to defeat the Daesh terrorist group in Syria. The United States has been supplying the Kurds with weapons and sees its aid to the militia as part of the fight against terrorism.

Turkey has said it considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), banned by Turkey. Ankara has been claiming that the YPG's presence near its border hampers its national security. Earlier this year, Turkey conducted an offensive against the Kurdish militia in Syria's northern border city of Afrin and is also engaged in an operation to eliminate Kurdish strongholds in northern Iraq.


Russian Envoy to UN Calls for Probe into Coalition Airstrikes East of Euphrates

Indiscriminate airstrikes by the US-led coalition against the Daesh terrorist group to the east of the Euphrates River should be thoroughly probed, Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said in a Security Council meeting.

"Closer attention should be focused on reports from the Syrian side about indiscriminate coalition airstrikes in the east of Euphrates which claimed dozens of lives," Safronkov said on Monday. "These need to be investigated."

On Saturday, the SANA news agency reported that the coalition’s airstrikes hit the al-Buqa village near the town of Hajin in the province of Deir ez-Zor leaving 40 civilians dead. Coalition’s spokesman Col. Sean Ryan told Sputnik that the coalition had conducted strikes in the area, which, however, did not result in any civilian casualties.

The US-led coalition also said in a statement on Saturday it had detected 10 non-coalition strikes in Deir ez-Zor. Pentagon spokesperson Robert Manning said during a press briefing on Monday that ten unidentified strikes in eastern Syria over the weekend are suspected to come from Syrian and Iran-backed forces.

On Thursday, the Syrian news agency SANA reported that 23 civilians were killed in coalition airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor. According to the news agency, the strikes targeted the residential areas of the villages of Bu-Badran and al-Sousa.

The coalition regularly carries out airstrikes in the Syrian eastern province. On November 9, media reported that 26 civilians, including women and children, were killed in an airstrike by the coalition on the city of Hajin.


Syrian Envoy to UN Urges to Set Up Country's Constitutional Committee

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura voiced late on Monday his hope that the Syrian Constitutional Committee, set to draft reforms to the country's constitution, could convene in December.

"Let me declare: our aim is and remains for the UN to issue invitations latest, we believe. mid [middle] of December and convene the first meeting of the Constitutional Committee within December, before the 31st of December, which is the date indicated in the Istanbul, very constructive, declaration," de Mistura told the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, Damascus believes that the Syrian Constitutional Committee, set to draft reforms to the country's constitution, should be established as soon as possible, Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari told the UN Security Council.

"We positively look on … the establishment of a committee to discuss a current constitution," Jaafari said on Monday. "We are mindful of the establishment of such a constitution [committee] and we believe it should be set up as soon as possible."

Jaafari pointed out that the constitutional committee should be based on the commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and integrity, and any process related to the constitution should not affect this commitment.

Secondly, the envoy continued, the political process should be led by Syrians without external interference.

"Any prior conclusion with regard to the work of the committee and its recommendations cannot be accepted," he added. "The constructional committee is sovereign and takes its decisions."

On October 27, the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France held a summit in Istanbul aimed at brokering an end to the war in Syria. In a joint communique issued after the summit, the leaders said the Syrian Constitutional Committee should convene in Geneva by the end of 2018.

The idea to form a Syrian constitutional committee was first agreed at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi in January.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations.


Chinese Envoy to UN Says Beijing Ready to Aid Rebuilding Effort in Syria

China is ready to work with other nations to help rebuild Syria and continues to promote the political process in the war-torn country, China's Ambassador to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu said during a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East and Syria.

"China is ready to work with the rest of the international community, and we will continue to play a positive and constructive role in helping to promote the political process, rebuild the country and improve the humanitarian situation," Ma said on Monday.

China has not interfered in the military conflict in Syria, but Chinese Ambassador to Syria Qi Qianjin announced in August that China is willing to participate in the Syrian fight against terrorists there.

Participants of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi, Russia, decided earlier this year to form a Constitutional Committee to establish amendments to a new Syrian constitution and help the country to recover from the conflict that has been ongoing since 2011.


Syrian Military Destroys Militants' Ammunition at Test Range Near Damascus

Syrian military destroyed ammunition discovered near Damascus after the liberation of the territory from militants, head of the 166th sapper unit Ali Suleyman has stated.

"The territory has a lot of improvised road mines that were planted by terrorists and used against Syrian troops… The majority of these improvised explosive devises were discovered by Syrian sappers on the roads after the territory had been liberated from militants," Suleyman told reporters.

All explosive devices found in the suburbs of Damascus are being brought to a test range near the city.

Some of them are used to destroy buildings damaged by the war that cannot be restored, he said.

As the armed conflict in Syria seems to be nearing its end and Damascus has regained control over vast territories that were previously controlled by terrorist groups and rebels.

At the same time, Syria has already launched the reconstruction process and started welcoming back the refugees. The first checkpoint was opened on August 25, 2018, enabling internally displaced Syrians to get back to their homes.


Two Syrian soldiers killed in shelling attack by militants in Aleppo

Two Syrian servicemen were killed and seven more were wounded in a shelling attack by militants at the Aleppo research center quarters, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides Vladimir Savchenko said on Monday.

"Militants shelled the positions of Syrian government forces near the settlement of Jubb al-Zarur in the Latakia governorate twice during the day. Seven shelling attacks were reported at Aleppo’s northwestern residential quarters. As a result of shelling aimed at Aleppo’s research center quarters, two Syrian servicemen were killed and seven more were wounded," he said.

According to Savchenko, officers of the Russian reconciliation center held a working meeting with a representative of the committee on refugee affairs in Aleppo. "The sides specified the list of equipment that refugee centers need in order to prepare for the winter period," he said.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on providing assistance to refugees returning to their homes.


Syrian Army on high alert in northwest Syria after jihadist attack kills 23 soldiers (video)

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been placed on high alert in northwest Syria after the jihadist rebels killed 23 soldiers along the Hama-Latkia axis.

According to a new military report, the Syrian Army has moved reinforcements to the Al-Ghaab Plain in response to the jihadist attack on Tal Burkan.

Furthermore, the Syrian Arab Army has continued their heavy attacks on the jihadist positions around the Al-Ghaab Plain; this comes as the Sochi Agreement from September 17th falls apart.

The Syrian Army was recently filmed by the Sputnik News Agency targeting the jihadist rebels with artillery and missile strikes.


Syrian Army advances to last hills occupied by Daesh in southern Syria (video)

Footage filmed on Sunday shows units of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) patrolling through rugged desert near the Tulul al Safa heights, east of Sweida province.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising into the sky following explosions in the distance.

The Syrian Arab Army was able to liberate the Al-Safa volcano on Saturday after breaking through the terrorist group’s lines at the northwestern axis of this mountainous area.

An offensive by the SAA saw government forces make gains against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the area on Saturday, according to government news agency SANA.

Army’s General Command announces southern region completely free of terrorism

The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces announced that the entire southern region is now free of terrorism following the elimination of the last terrorist gatherings of ISIS terrorist organization in Tuloul al-Safa area deep inside Sweida eastern Badiya (Desert).

“Following a string of accurate and focused military operations, our valiant armed forces have established complete control over Tuloul al-Safa area which is of a complex volcanic nature, eliminating ISIS terrorists positioned there, and confiscated large amounts of light and medium weapons,” the Command said in a statement of which SANA received a copy on Monday.

The Command hailed the liberation as an achievement which is particularly significant given that an area of 380 square kilometers in the Syrian Badiya has been cleared of terrorism, which served as the last stronghold for ISIS in the southern region.

Liberating Tuloul al-Safaa area confirms the high combat efficiency of the Syrian army personnel and their insistence to chase and eliminate terrorists anywhere and everywhere across Syria, added the statement.

The Command concluded by reiterating commitment to uproot terrorism, stressing the necessity of exerting concerted efforts by all Syrian compatriots to restore security and stability to the entire Syrian land.

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064691718874894338

Interview with Samuel Hassoun, American ex-military who moved to Syria in 2011

Samuel Hassoun is an American of Syrian descent. His grandfather was Syrian, and in 1995 he first visited Syria, visiting numerous times afterwards, eventually meeting what would become his wife. He and his Syrian wife moved to Syria in March 2011.

We discuss the realities he was seeing and hearing in Syria versus the lies reported on corporate and Gulf media on Syria, as well as many other aspects of life in Syria and the long-manufactured war on Syria.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064768269083652101

Syrian army advances against ISIS in southeastern desert
Monday, 19 November 2018
Hundreds of ISIS militants withdrew from the heart of a rugged area in southeastern Syria after holding up for over three months against a major campaign by the Syrian army and its allies to crush them, rebels and residents said on Sunday.

They said extremists dug into the Tulul al Safa heights, east of Sweida province, had begun their retreat in the last few days as Syrian army tanks backed by heavy air strikes approached their last hideout.

Local leaders in Sweida city said the army and militias had suffered heavy losses in weeks of attempts to advance deep into the volcanic plateau area where the rugged terrain had long made it an ideal refuge for fugitives and insurgents.

Syrian state media, quoting army sources, said they had closed in on Tulul al Safa and pro-government websites said the army had finally raised the national flag near the tomb of an revered holy figure close to the site.

The extremist group, which lost most of its territory in Syria last year, rampaged through Sweida city in July from the desert areas east of the city, killing more than 200 people and detonating suicide vests.

The militants are believed to have fled to other areas to the west, including the towns of al Hasa and al Rahba, with many also melting into the vast sparsely populated eastern desert region, a former rebel source familiar with the area said.

Further northeast, the US-led coalition was waging air strikes against the town of Hajin, east of the Euphrates River, in the last remaining ISIS-held pocket in Syria near the border with Iraq.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064693294410752000

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064710289436930048

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Sochi Agreement on Brink of Collapse

Various terrorist groups have been pounding the Syrian army ever since the agreement was struck by Russia and Turkey, and government troops have been repelling such attacks from the demilitarized zone on a daily basis.

On Tuesday, the army targeted the movements of Kata'eb al-Izzah terrorists, deployed in the demilitarized zone, and repelled their attack on the government forces near the town of al-Latamina in Northern Hama, inflicting major losses on them.

Other units of the army fended off a heavy attack by the terrorists in the village of al-Hamamiat North of the town of Mahradah from their positions in Tal al-Sakahr region, killing and wounding a number of terrorists and forcing the militants to retreat.

In the meantime, the army men engaged in heavy fighting with the terrorists in al-Khowein region in Southeastern Idlib.

Meanwhile, the army's artillery and missile units pounded terrorists' positions in the small towns of al-Loweibadah, Zarzour, Um Jalala, repelling their attacks.

Now, observers believe that terrorists' provocative measures in the region and their growing attacks on the army in Lattakia, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo provinces have pushed the Sochi Agreement to the brink of collapse.

The terrorists' attacks are pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.


Russian, Turkish defense chiefs discuss situation in Syria’s Idlib

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar have discussed further work on the Idlib demilitarized zone and the situation in Syria in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

"We are glad to welcome you to Sochi. We had to invite you, because the situation in Syria requires our immediate decision and discussion of the urgent issues. The dynamics we have gained after signing the documents on Idlib in Sochi needs to be maintained to tackle the remaining issues without losing momentum," Shoigu said.

The two ministers’ previous meeting was held in Istanbul on October 27 and was likewise dedicated to the situation in Syria.

The Idlib demilitarized zone was set up in accordance with the Russian-Turkish memorandum signed in Sochi on September 17 following talks between the Russian and Turkish presidents.


Conditions for political stabilization in Syria created thanks to Russia, says Lavrov

Russia has helped to prevent Syria’s disintegration and create conditions for political stabilization in that country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"Russia is helping to reach political settlement to numerous crises and conflicts, including in Syria," he said. "Thanks to our steps in Syria, it has become possible to deliver a decisive blow on terrorists, to prevent disintegration of Syria’s statehood, to create conditions for the return of refugees and political stabilization in conformity with the resolutions of the January 30 Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi."

"It was there [at the Sochi Congress] that the [Syrian ceasefire] guarantor nations - Russia, Iran and Turkey - and delegations from the Syrian government and the opposition agreed realistic conditions for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254," Lavrov noted.

The Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi on January 30-31 yielded an agreement on a constitutional committee in Syria. The committee will be tasked to elaborate recommendations on amendments to the Syrian constitution.


Russian frigates Admiral Makarov, Admiral Essen hold air defense drills in Mediterranean

The Black Sea Navy Fleet's frigates Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen have carried out joint exercises aimed at spotting unidentified aerial targets and countering air attacks of a simulated enemy in the Mediterranean Sea, Head of the Fleet’s press service, Alexei Rulev, told reporters on Tuesday.

"During the course of training, the crew of shipboard battle stations identified and classified targets with air defense units destroying simulated enemy aviation by using the air defense systems onboard the vessels," he stated.

The chief of the Black Sea Navy Fleet's press service recalled that it is the second time that the frigates Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen had held drills in the Mediterranean Sea this year. In September, they participated in the war games as part of the inter-naval exercises led by the Russian Navy’s commander-in-chief.

Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov are the second and the third 11356 Project frigates respectively. The vessels have a displacement of 4,000 tonnes, a speed of 30 knots, and a sea endurance of 30 days. These frigates are armed with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, the Shtil-1 self-defense missile system, the A-190 100mm artillery gun, antiaircraft artillery, a rocket launcher, torpedoes and can carry a Kamov Ka-27 or Ka-31 deck-based helicopter.


US-BACKED KURDISH ARMED GROUPS OPEN FIRE AT ARAB PROTESTERS IN SYRIA’S AL-HASKAH PROVINCE

Members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have opened fire at Arab protesters in the area of Ash-Shaddadi in the Syrian province of al-Hasakah, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported on November 20 citing local sources.

According to the report, the protests started three days ago but the situation escalated on November 19 when several mortar shells launched by the YPG-led force hit civilian houses. The shells were fired during drills at the nearby shooting range.

According to reports from other sources, 3 civilians were injured as a result of this incident. This situation caused a new round of protests against the local Kurdish-controlled administration.

The YPG is the core of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and is actively receiving political and military support from the US. Currently, the YPG and its political wing known as the Democratic Union Party (PYD) control a large part of northeastern Syria, including a large Arab-populated area.

The YPG/PYD policy in the captured area causes tensions with the local population on the constant basis.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Russian spy jets hover over jihadist positions in Idlib



The Russian Air Force continued their new campaign on Tuesday to survey the jihadist positions across the Idlib Governorate.

According to a military source in the Latakia Governorate, the Russian IL-20 spy planes were seen flying over the jihadist positions in the Idlib demilitarized zone.

The Russian IL-20 spy planes have been conducting these reconnaissance flights in response to the constant jihadist attacks on the Syrian government forces in the Latakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib provinces.

Since the Sochi Agreement was established on September 17th, the Idlib buffer zone has remained a hostile area in northwestern Syria.
As a result of the ongoing hostilities, the Syrian Arab Army has made the decision to build up their forces in northern Hama and southern Idlib, as they prepare to kickoff a new offensive against the jihadist rebels.


Syrian Army’s elite 4th Division heads to Hama for next battle (video)

The Syrian Arab Army’s elite armored division is leaving southern Syria for the Hama Governorate this week, a new military report said on Tuesday.

According to the military report, the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Armored Division has received orders to leave the Al-Safa region for the Hama province in order to participate in the next offensive.

With the 4th Division heading to Hama, it appears that the Syrian Arab Army’s next target will be the jihadist-held areas along the Idlib axis.

However, this new deployment could be short-lived if an agreement is made by the parties at the upcoming Astana Peace Conference.

Turkey is attempting to secure an agreement at this conference that would prevent the Syrian Army from entering any part of jihadist-held Idlib and Hama.

Both Russia and Syria have been fed up with the jihadist forces in the Idlib buffer zone, as they continue to launch attacks against the government forces from this demilitarized area.


Coalition Conducted 19 Airstrikes in Syria's Hajin on November 16-17 - Pentagon

The US-led coalition against the Daesh terrorist group conducted 19 airstrikes in the area of the Syrian city of Hajin on late Friday through Saturday, Department of Defense spokesperson Col. Rob Manning said.

"Coalition conducted a total of 19 strikes in the Hajin area between the hours of 11:00 p.m. on Nov. 16 and 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 17," Manning told reporters on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the SANA news agency reported that the coalition’s airstrikes hit the al-Buqa village near the town of Hajin in the province of Deir ez-Zor leaving 40 civilians dead. The coalition’s spokesman Col. Sean Ryan told Sputnik that the coalition had conducted strikes in the area, which, however, did not result in any civilian casualties.

The airstrikes were conducted in support of ground forces fighting the Islamic State in the Middle Euphrates River Valley, Manning added.

The US-led coalition also said in a statement on Saturday it had detected 10 non-coalition strikes in Deir ez-Zor. Manning said during a press briefing on Monday that the unidentified strikes in eastern Syria over the weekend are suspected to come from Syrian and Iran-backed forces.

The coalition’s activities in Syria are authorized neither by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.


Israeli Operations in Syria Curbed Iran and Hezbollah – IDF Chief of Staff

According to the outgoing Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, Iran was unable to give Hezbollah precision missile weapons because of Israeli bombings in Syria.

The military capabilities of Iran and Hezbollah near Israel's northern border are much smaller than they could be because of successful actions by Israel, outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said in a Monday statement.

The departing general said that the Israeli army will continue to counter Iran's attempts to take root in Syria and create a missile delivery route to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

During his trip to the northern border, Eisenkot "praised the armed forces for their actions aimed at preventing the consolidation of Iranian forces in Syria and Iranian attempts to move precision missile weapons to the ‘Hezbollah' terrorist organization," the statement reads.

The chief of staff, whose service ends on December 31, underscored that the military capabilities of Iran and Hezbollah are far from what they had hoped, and this is the result of continuous and successful Israeli operations.

"The fact that Iran's abilities are far from what it had aspired to is a result of an ongoing operational activity," Eisenkot said Tuesday.
"The army will continue to act in order to void such attempts [to move missile weapons to Lebanon], while simultaneously upkeeping the long-term security of the northern border," the statement reads.

Tel Aviv acknowledges that the IDF has conducted 200 bombings in Syria over the last two years and says it's ready to continue its operations, despite the reinforcement of Syrian air defenses with Russian S-300 missile systems.

The systems were shipped to Syria as a response to the downing of a Russian Il-20 aircraft by Syrian S-200 missile systems firing at Israeli jets, which Moscow has blamed on Tel Aviv.

On Tuesday, a vetting committee approved the candidacy of Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi for the position of IDF chief of staff, according to a Times of Israel report. He is expected to step into the role at the beginning of next year.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned last week, shortly after an Israeli offensive involving heavy bombing and ground special forces operations in the Gaza Strip. Lieberman appointed Kochavi as Eisenkot's successor while he was still in office.


Kremlin refrains from commenting media reports about contacts with US on Iran and Syria

The Kremlin refrains from commenting on media reports that Russia has allegedly approached the United States and Israel with a proposal to mitigate the anti-Iranian sanctions in exchange for the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"No comment," he told TASS when asked whether this topic had ever been raised.

"We don’t comment on the subject matter of closed-door talks with heads of other states," he stressed.

Earlier, US news portal Axios said citing Knesset lawmakers that Russia had allegedly approached Israel and the US with such proposals.


US Threatens 'Grave Consequences' for Those Who Supply Oil to Syria

The United States claims that an illegal scheme is in place to support Syrian President Bashar Assad and provide financial assistance to Hezbollah and Hamas.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has promised severe consequences for anyone who is supplying oil to Syria or trying to circumvent US sanctions against Iran.

“Today’s US Treasury’s action targeting the Russia-Iran oil scheme to prop up [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, and finance Hizballah & Hamas, sends a clear message: there are grave consequences for anyone shipping oil to Syria, or trying to evade U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s terrorist activities,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064926871522037760

He added that Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “should decide if spending the Iranian people’s money on the Iranian people is more important than inventing schemes to fund Assad, Hizballah, Hamas, and other terrorists”.

COMMENT: US should decide if spending the American people’s money on the American people is more important than inventing schemes to fund illegal groups.

On Tuesday, Washington added six individuals and three organisations to its sanctions list claimed by the Treasury to be involved in oil shipments to the Syrian government, among them the Russian companies Global Vision Group and Promsyryeimport, and the latter company’s first deputy director Andrei Dogayev.

The list also features two Iraqi nationals, a Lebanese, a Syrian and an Iraqi,as well as the Iranian-registered Tadbir Kish Medical and Pharmaceutical Company.

According to the US Treasury Department, the Global Vision Group and Syrian citizen Mohammed Amer Alshviki, who, according to Washington, is the company’s owner, allegedly play a key role in a scheme for petroleum shipments to Syria and financial transfers to the Quds Force special unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Shortly before that, US Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey stated that the recently imposed second batch of US sanctions against Iran are aimed at forcing Tehran to reduce its ‘presence’ in Syria.

Russia and Iran are yet to comment on these accusations and sanctions.


Syrian Authorities Restored Nearly One Third of Homes in Latakia Since 2015

More than 400 out of the 1,500 dwelling houses destroyed in the course of the Syrian civil war have been recovered in the mountainous areas of the western Syrian Latakia Province, Sameer Islam, a representative of the local authorities who oversees construction works in the area, told reporters on Wednesday.

"The program of accommodation recovery in Latakia's mountainous areas was launched back in 2015, as soon as militants were removed from villages. We created a special commission then, and its members have been traveling across all the released villages, registering fractures, and creating a plan of works. Within this program, over 400 houses in seven localities have been restored. We need to recover 1,500 buildings in total," Islam said.

He added that over 1.36 million Syrian liras ($2.6 million) has been spend during the first stage of the reconstruction. Islam specified that the recovery of the worst-hit houses was being conducted first.

"We reconstruct the walls and insert windows so that people have where to return to after the war," Islam added. Broken walls, and damaged window and door apertures are the most-often registered wrecks, according to Islam.

Syria has been devastated by years of violent war with terrorist and armed opposition groups, which led to the destruction of its infrastructure and a major humanitarian crisis in the country.

The Syrian authorities are currently engaged in rebuilding the country in order to create favorable conditions for the actively returning refugees.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

US Coalition Strikes Deir ez-Zor Using Banned White Phosphorus - Syrian Media

Syrian state media has repeatedly reported about the coalition’s airstrikes in the area of the Syrian city of Hajin leaving dozens of civilians dead, while the US-led coalition fiercely denies conducting strikes.

Syrian state TV SANA has reported about dead and wounded people in Deir ez-Zor due to the US-led coalition aircraft striking Hajin using white phosphorus munitions prohibited by international conventions.

This is not the first report of the coalition using white phosphorus during their strikes on Deir ez-Zor in Syria.

On 17 November, SANA reported that the coalition's airstrikes had hit the al-Buqa village near the town of Hajin leaving 40 civilians dead, with the US-led coalition confirming that it had carried out airstrikes in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor but refuting media reports about mass civilian casualties caused by the strikes.

The area of Hajin has been repeatedly targeted by the coalition's airstrikes. The Syrian authorities have called on the UN to take measures against the perpetrators and to stop the illegal presence of the coalition in the country.

More the 70 countries included in the coalition have been conducting military operations against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq since September 2014.


Western nations preventing full defeat of terrorists in Syria, says diplomat

The US and other Western countries are standing in the way of a complete defeat of the terrorists in Syria, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad, currently on a visit to Abkhazia, told TASS on Wednesday.

"The West and the US plan to extend the crisis in Syria, because they were plotting against our country from the very beginning. As we come closer to a full victory over the terrorists, they stand in the way of this victory," Haddad said. The West does not want to see the refugees return, nor does it want the Syrian people to experience stability, the diplomat added.


Russian FM: US sanctions against Russian companies reveal its desire to prevent reconstruction of Syria

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the US accusations and its sanctions on Russian companies that work in Syria reveal that Washington wants to prevent the reconstruction of the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry said that accusations about supplying petroleum to Syria, which has been fighting terrorism for more than seven years, seems like a statement of support for terrorists, and it also shows the US’ desire to prevent the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

The Ministry said that the real reason for the sanctions is related to the internal political conflict in the US, which prompts every side to try and score points by an means possible, which leads them to taking reckless actions on the international levels.

The US imposed on Tuesday sanctions against the Russian companies Global Vision Group and Promsyrioimport for operating in Syria.


Amnesty Starts Project to Let Netizens Track US Coalition’s Destruction of Raqqa

A prominent international watchdog has launched an online investigative project that will allow Internet users worldwide to track the destruction caused by the US-led coalition's bombardment of Syria's Raqqa in 2017 that has resulted in numerous civilian casualties and the city being nearly completely razed to the ground.

"Thousands of digital activists around the world will take part in an innovative new crowdsourcing data project Amnesty International is launching today, which uses satellite imagery to help plot how the US-led military coalition’s bombings destroyed almost 80% of the Syrian city of Raqqa. 'Strike Tracker' is the next phase of an in-depth Amnesty International investigation into the shocking scale of civilian casualties resulting from four months of US, UK and French bombardment to oust the armed group calling itself Daesh* from Raqqa," Amnesty International said in a press release.

According to the press release, the organization's field investigations have revealed that the actions of the US-led coalition in Raqqa constitute a violation of the international humanitarian law.

"With thousands of ‘Strike Trackers’ on the case to help us narrow down precisely when and where Coalition air and artillery strikes destroyed buildings, we can significantly scale up our ability to map out the apocalyptic destruction in Raqqa," Milena Marin, a senior adviser for tactical research on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response team, was quoted as saying in the press release.

The watchdog previously said that over 30,000 artillery strikes along with several thousand airstrikes were conducted by the coalition in Raqqa from June to October 2017, leaving the city in ruins. According to London-based NGO Airwars estimates, the US-led coalition's strikes in 2017 led to at least 1,400 civilian deaths in Raqqa.

The city of Raqqa first fell into the hands of the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was then captured by Daesh, which proclaimed the city its de facto capital. In 2016, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the US-led coalition, launched a campaign to win the city back from the terrorists. The operation culminated in the 2017 Battle of Raqqa, which eventually allowed the SDF to gain control over the city.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia


Senior MP: Damascus to Start Idlib Operations If Sochi Agreement Fails

"Damascus is waiting for implementation of the Sochi agreement signed between Turkey and Russia, and the military operations will be the option if the agreement is not implemented in a short period of time," Raqib was quoted as saying by the Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday.

He added that military operations in Idlib are demanded by the Syrian people to expel the terrorists.

Asked about the possibility of clashes between the Syrian and Turkish armies, Raqib said, "The Turkish side will not dare to directly engage in clashes with Syria because the Syrian leadership and people will give a strong response to any aggression."

Heavy attacks by the terrorist groups, deployed in the demilitarized zone, on the Syrian Army in the Northern and Northwestern parts of the country has pushed the Sochi Agreement to the threshold of failure.

Various terrorist groups have been pounding the Syrian army ever since the agreement was struck by Russia and Turkey, and government troops have been repelling such attacks from the demilitarized zone on a daily basis.

On Tuesday, the army targeted the movements of Kata'eb al-Izzah terrorists, deployed in the demilitarized zone, and repelled their attack on the government forces near the town of al-Latamina in Northern Hama, inflicting major losses on them.

Other units of the army fended off a heavy attack by the terrorists in the village of al-Hamamiat North of the town of Mahradah from their positions in Tal al-Sakahr region, killing and wounding a number of terrorists and forcing the militants to retreat.

In the meantime, the army men engaged in heavy fighting with the terrorists in al-Khowein region in Southeastern Idlib.

Meanwhile, the army's artillery and missile units pounded terrorists' positions in the small towns of al-Loweibadah, Zarzour, Um Jalala, repelling their attacks.

Now, observers believe that terrorists' provocative measures in the region and their growing attacks on the army in Lattakia, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo provinces have pushed the Sochi Agreement to the brink of collapse.

The terrorists' attacks are pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.


Turkey Gives New Warning to Terrorists to Leave Demilitarized Zone in Northern Syria

Syria's state-owned al-Watan daily quoted militant-affiliated sources as disclosing that the Turkish authorities, including army generals, held a meeting with commanders of Ankara-backed National Liberation Front, Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) and other terrorist groups in Northern Idlib near the border with Turkey.

The daily went on to say that the Turkish authorities have stated in the meeting that there could be no further delay in the establishment of the demilitarized zone mentioned in the Sochi Agreement.

It further said that the Turkish authorities have demanded the terrorist groups to halt attacking the army positons, especially from inside the demilitarized zone.

The daily said that Ankara's new warning to the terrorists might be linked to a visit to Russia's Sochi by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Head of the country's Intelligence Hakan Vidan and their meeting with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Al-Watan said that the meeting was demanded by Russia to object at the Turkish side's lack of pressure on Ankara-backed terrorists to implement the Sochi Agreement.

The terrorists' refusal to implement the Sochi Agreement is pushing the army to initiate its long-waited assault on militants in Idlib that had been put on hold due to the Sochi Agreement.


Russia ships large quantity of weapons to Syria (photos)

The Russian Navy is shipping a large number of tanks and armored vehicles to the Syrian military, as they prepare to launch new operation in Syria’s northwestern region.

According to Yoruk Isik of the Bosphorus Observer, the Russian heavy landing ship Project 1171 BSF Tapir (NATO:Alligator) class LST Nikolay Filchenkov 152 was photographed traveling through the Bosphorus Strait towards the Mediterranean Sea.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064892436974116865

The Russian ships were reportedly en route to the Syrian port-city of Tartous.

Due to the capacity of there ships, the Russian Navy often transports armored vehicles in large quantities to Syria.

In particular, these ships possess the ability to ship as many as 20 tanks or 40 AFV’s or 1,000 tons of equipment.


Syria, Hezbollah Develop Electronic Warfare Weapons To Block Israeli Air Attacks – Report

The Syrian forces and Hezbollah are developing electronic warfare weapons in order to deny the Israeli air attacks the means by which to deliver GPS-guided air-launched munitions against targets in Syria and Lebanon according to Israel’s Channel 2 news service

The report – citing Israeli military officials – claims that not only is Israel aware of these alleged attempts by the Syrian military and Hezbollah to develop GPS (Global Positioning System) signal blocking weapons for denying Israeli air attacks , but that Israel is already developing a counter to such systems.

Part of this process, the report states, is an exercise recently conducted by the Israeli military to study the effects of GPS-jamming by a would-be adversary on its forces during an operation.

For a modern air force such as Israel’s, GPS-guided munitions are key to striking targets at long range with both high-precision and with minimum risk to pilots and aircraft involved in such an attack. Other guidance techniques, namely laser-designation, require an aircraft to get closer to the target (increasing its risk of coming under fire) and can be hampered by bad weather conditions.

The Israel government and military recently stated that Israeli forces intend to continue conducting operations in Syria despite recent setbacks in regards to Russian air denial and the delivery of advanced S-300 air defense systems to the Syrian military.

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065393577637830657

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065372230115368961

Large quantity of jihadist weapons seized by Syrian Army near Israeli border (video)
2018-11-21
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:30 P.M.) – A large quantity of weapons that were left behind by the jihadist rebels in the Al-Quneitra Governorate were recently confiscated by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

According to a new report from state-owned Al-Ikhbariya, the Syrian Army seized a large quantity of weapons and medical supplies that belonged to the jihadist groups that were previously active in the Al-Quneitra Governorate


The Al-Ikhbariya report added that Israeli weapons and medical supplies were among the contents seized by the Syrian military during their combing operation in this southwestern province.

As shown in the video below, the Syrian Army uncovered a significant quantity of RPGs, machine guns, and night vision goggles, along with Israeli medicines and food:

Turkish-backed rebels form new special forces unit to fight Syrian Army (video)
2018-11-22
BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:45 A.M.) – The Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) released a video on Wednesday that showed a newly formed special forces unit training in northern Syria.

The new NLF special forces unit was reportedly trained in urban warfare and hit-an-run scenarios.

This new rebel unit will be immediately deployed to the front-lines against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies in the Idlib and Hama provinces, opposition activists claimed.

Below is the video that was released by the National Liberation Front this week:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065491507426222080

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Israel a deal which would see Iranian-backed forces removed from Syria in return for relief from recently re-imposed US sanctions on Iran.

The deal was revealed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a closed hearing of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on Monday and exposed by Axios yesterday.

It is thought that Putin made the offer during a brief meeting with Netanyahu in Paris on the sidelines of a First World War commemoration on 11 November. At the time, Netanyahu described the meeting as “good and practical,” adding: “I would even describe it as very important”. Neither party revealed details of the discussion.

Yet according to members of the Israeli Knesset that attended Monday’s meeting, “Netanyahu said Russia and the US were discussing ways to limit Iranian influence in Syria — including the Russian proposal on sanctions relief,” Axios explained. When asked if Israel had expressed a position on this proposal, Netanyahu noted that Israel hadn’t yet formulated a response.

The Russian embassy in Tel Aviv declined Axios’ request to comment on the revelation. Yet a senior US State Department official didn’t deny the allegations, instead of saying: “We remain engaged with the UN ‎and other parties, including Russia, to encourage all possible efforts to advance the political track as called for in UNSCR 2254 [which calls for a ceasefire and political settlement in Syria]. We do not, however, discuss the substance of these diplomatic discussions.”

The proposed deal will be seen as significant in light of Israel and Russia’s strained relations after the downing of a Russian military plane over Syrian airspace in September. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces allegedly mistook the Russian jet for an Israeli aircraft, having been simultaneously responding to Israeli attacks on targets in Syria’s coastal region of Latakia.

The incident sparked a diplomatic row after Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that the Israeli jets carrying out the strikes in Latakia used the Russian plane as cover to allow them to approach their targets without being hit by Syrian anti-aircraft fire. Russia placed the blame for the incident – in which 15 Russian personnel died – squarely with Israel, calling its actions “irresponsible” and accusing it of not giving Moscow sufficient notice of the attack.

The Israeli army was forced to open an investigation into the incident, dispatching the Air Force Chief to present its findings in the Russian capital. Only ten days after the incident, Russia decided to act on its long-postponed decision to deliver S-300 missiles to Syria to act as a sophisticated anti-aircraft system.

The US has sided squarely with Israel in the spat, with the US envoy to Syria James Jeffrey sayingearlier this month that Russia should maintain a “permissive approach” towards Israeli air strikes in Syria. Jeffrey explained that Israel has “[an] existential interest in blocking Iran from deploying long-range power projection systems such as surface-to-surface missiles [in Syria],” adding: “We [the USA] understand this existential interest and we support Israel.”

Since the country descended into civil war following the Arab Spring of 2011, Syria has become a battleground for regional rivalries. Russia has vehemently supported the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad – its long-term ally in the Middle East – and defended the participation of Iranian and Iranian-affiliated forces in the conflict. Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes against these Iranian forces, with some strikes allegedly at the behest of the US. Israel is also known to have armed and funded rebel groups with the aim of keeping Iranian-backed forces away from the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since the Six Day War of 1967.

On 5 November, the USA re-imposed sanctions on Iran which had previously been lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. The latest round of sanctions targeted Iran’s energy, shipbuilding, shipping, and financial sectors, with the US adding an additional 700 organisations and individuals to its list of entities facing embargo. Israel’s Netanyahu praised the re-imposition of sanctions, claiming they would “contribute to stability, security and peace”.

PressTV Published on Nov 21, 2018

A committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament has recommended that the National Security Council change the rules on the use of nuclear weapons

Syria will get Russian-made earth movers and tractors

Published on Nov 21, 2018

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Zakharova: Militant training underway at US base in Syria's Al-Tanf

According to numerous witness accounts, militants are receiving training at the US military base near the Syrian city of Al-Tanf, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

"In fact, under the excuse of fighting against the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terror group outlawed in Russia - TASS] and - as we were told - in order to contain Iran, a big US military base was set up there - in a strategically important area adjacent to the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan, which is close to the highway connecting Baghdad and Damascus. And there, according to numerous witness accounts, militant training is underway," the Russian diplomat said.


US Installing Observation Posts in Syria at Turkish Border - Pentagon

The United States is establishing several observation posts in northern Syria near the Turkish border in a move to share military intelligence on terrorists' movements into Turkey from the neighboring country with Ankara, the US Defense Department said citing Defense Secretary James Mattis.

"The U.S. military is setting up several observation posts in Syria beside the border with Turkey, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said. The purpose of the OPs is to provide Turkey with military intelligence of any terrorist elements moving into Turkey from Syria, said Mattis, speaking at a Pentagon press briefing today," the Department of Defense said in a statement on Wednesday.

Washington would not deploy additional servicemen to the area for the mission as it would be operated by the troops already stationed in the area, the statement added.

Hundreds of US troops have been operating in the north of Syria though this has not been authorized by the government of the Middle Eastern country.

Despite Washington’s disagreements with Ankara over the US support for the Kurdish-led opposition Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara considers to be linked with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) listed as a terror group by Turkey, the United States and Turkey held joint patrols in the Syrian border area of Manbij earlier in November. According to the United States, the mission is aimed at supporting the US commitments to its NATO ally Turkey.


MAJOR – EXPOSED: Al-Qaeda In Syria Assisted By Dutch Government

In a major revelation which FRN has confirmed, the Dutch government has engaged in assistance to terrorist groups in Syria, such as Al-Qaeda, that has been used for military purposes, although the government has claimed otherwise, a joint investigation of the Dutch daily Trouw and Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) has revealed.

The Trouw newspaper reported late on Wednesday that the Dutch government had issued documents proving that the groups used “almost all equipment” provided by the government in its military operations. The documents were allegedly published at the request of the Dutch media, but were unavailable for public viewing shortly after publication.

The documents also revealed the previously hidden names of two jihadist groups that received assistance from the Dutch government.

According to the Trouw-NOS investigation, the terrorist groups used cars offered by the Dutch government in attacks, as well as laptops, to set targets.

The investigation pointed out that these data contradict recent statements by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok that the government had been providing only “non-military” assistance.

The lower house of the Dutch parliament asked for explanations from the cabinet.

In September, the Dutch government announced that it would stop providing assistance to opposition groups and other organizations operating in Syria due to the inefficiency of the aid program. The government said at the time that the program did not bring the expected results, as the Syrian government was close to declaring victory in the conflict.

Since May 2015, the Netherlands has transferred some 70 million euros (US $79.8 million) in assistance to 22 groups, including various opposition groups such as the Free Syrian Police and Al-Qaeda affiliated White Helmets. However, it is well established that all so-called “rebel” groups in Syria are in one way or another associated with Al-Qaeda or other jihadist groups that have extremist ideology. Despite this knowledge, it is clear Amsterdam in a crazed frenzy have wasted taxpayer money on attempting to overthrow a foreign leader.


Difficulties persist in setting up demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib, says diplomat

Difficulties persist in setting up a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

"The situation in the country’s northwest, particularly in Idlib, still causes the most concern," she said. "Despite Ankara’s significant efforts to implement the Russian-Turkish memorandum signed on September 17, difficulties persist in setting up a demilitarized zone in Idlib," Zakharova added.

In this regard, she mentioned last week’s attack on the Syrian government troops’ positions near the Jurin settlement, carried by terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia), which claimed the lives of 18 military servicemen.

Russia is also concerned about the United States’ activities in Syria, the foreign ministry spokeswoman went on to say. "The so-called US-led coalition has been conducting intensive airstrikes on the outskirts of Hajin, occupied by ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terror group outlawed in Russia - TASS], causing numerous civilian deaths," Zakharova stressed. "According to the Syrian media, the coalition has once again used white phosphorus shells," she added.

"By maintaining its illegal military presence in Syria and failing to specify its purpose and provide a timeframe, Washington makes it clear that it is not interested in an early resolution of the crisis in the country," the Russian diplomat said.

According to the Russian-Turkish memorandum, signed in Sochi on September 17 following talks between the two countries’ presidents, a 15 to 20 kilometer-wide demilitarized zone was to be set up in the Syrian province of Idlib by October 15. However, Ankara asked to be given more time and postpone the launch of joint patrols, saying that it was impossible to guarantee security.


Jihadist rebels attempt to creep past Syrian Army lines in Idlib

For the third night in a row, the jihadist rebels attempted to sneak past the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) lines in the southeastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate.

Led by Hay”at Tahrir Al-Sham, the jihadist rebels attempted last night to creep past the Syrian Army’s lines near the town of Khuwayn in the Idlib demilitarized zone.

However, despite their best efforts to evade the Syrian Army, the jihadist rebels were ultimately spotted before they could reach the government lines in southeastern Idlib.

According to a military report from this front, the Syrian Arab Army was able to fully repel the jihadist infiltration attempt after a short battle with the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham militants.

The jihadist rebels have repeatedly attempted to sneak past the Syrian Army’s lines recently, prompting the latter to remain on high alert along the Idlib demilitarized zone.


French Jihadists In Syria’s Idlib Armed With Chemical Weapons, Anti-Aircraft Missiles – Report

According to a report by the Sputnik News Agency claiming to cite sources “close to terrorist organizations”, French jihadists very recently entered onto the Idlib region of Syria.

As stated in the report, the foreign terrorists are now armed with dangerous tactical firepower, including weaponized chemical substances and US-made FIM-92 Stinger man-portable, anti-aircraft systems as well as trucks and heavy vehicles (i.e. tanks).

The reports says that several days ago, the French jihadists moved with their weapons from the provincial capital (Idlib city) to the town of Khan Sheykhoun, near Hama province. Both are militant-held settlements, with Idlib province on the whole being primarily dominated by armed insurgent groups.

Sources cited in the report claim that during the move, the so-called “White Helmets” organization (a known Al-Qaeda front group) handed over five packages of toxic substances to the French terrorists; these weaponized chemical materials are said to have come from an Al-Nusra storage site (also called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda) in Kafr Nubel village.

The report concludes that, according to its sources, the French jihadists moved these chemical substances back to Idlib city and stored them in a makeshift underground storage site near the Central Prison.


Syrian Troops Establish Control Over Last Daesh Stronghold in Country's South

The Syrian Armed Forces have established control over the last stronghold of the Daesh terrorist group in southern Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

"The General Staff of the Syrian Armed Forces announced the completion of their military operation and the establishment of full control over al-Safa plateau region — the last stronghold of Daesh* militants in the south of the country. An area of 380 square kilometres [some 147 square miles] with a very complex terrain has been cleared of terrorists," Zakharova said at a briefing.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065064771316326401

The diplomat added that the implementation of the Russian initiative to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland as well as internally displaced persons would continue.

At the same time, as a source told Sputnik, militants from the Kataib al-Izza terrorist group tried to breach Syrian Armed Forces positions in the northern Hama province near the demilitarized zone.

"Militants are constantly attempting to breach Syrian army positions with the aim to disrupt the implementation of the agreements on the establishment of a demilitarized zone reached in Sochi… The Syrian Army responded to these attempts on Thursday, the attackers suffered losses," the source said.

The mentioned demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces was agreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at talks in Sochi on September 17. According to the deal, the demilitarized zone was to be established by October 15. However, creation of the demilitarized zone is still not completed, as terrorists continue provocations.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. Victory over the Daesh was declared at the end of 2017. However, the Syrian Army continues mop-up operations in some areas of the country. Currently, the priorities in the country are the political settlement, restoration and refugee repatriation.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065859880634982400

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065845170216804352

French militants-experts are helping Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) [former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria] to arm newly delivered missiles with chemical warheads, local sources familiar with the situation told the Russian news agency Sputnik on November 22.

According to the sources, the White Helmets organization transferred five containers with toxic chemicals from one of HTS’ warehouses in the town of Kafr Nabl in the southern Idlib countryside to an underground facility in Idlib city, which has recently been built near the Central Prison.

“The five containers were handed over in the underground facility to French experts, of the black ethnicity .. they arrived recently to modify missiles of an unidentified type, which were supplied along with their launchers through the border,” Sputnik quoted the sources as saying.​

Local sources close to HTS leadership and the White Helmets organization have been leaking detailed information about the groups’ chemical activities to several Syrian, Lebanese and Russian news outlets for more than three months now.

Earlier this month, HTS launched an extensive investigation to determine the personnel responsible for leaking information about its chemical weapons. However, the sources are still leaking details of how the radical group is moving dangerous chemical materials within northwestern Syria.

Russia and the Damascus government believe that HTS and its allies are planning to use these weapons to stage a chemical attack and blame it on the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in order to provoke a military action from the U.S. and its allies.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065606290603425796

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (4:00 P.M.) – Syrian authorities have found large quantities of weapons and ammunition used by Islamist rebels in Barzeh neighborhood, north Damascus,

The weapon cache, hidden in a cellar of one of the half-destroyed buildings, include rocket and mortar shells, homegrown bombs, explosive belts and materials (including the highly-explosive C4), sniper rifles, RPGs and their launchers, night vision goggles in addition to huge quantities of ammunition of various kinds and chemical masks.

In May 2017, The Syrian government has officially taken full control of the Barzeh District in Damascus after the last batch of militants and their families exited the area.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065856463581655041

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Lavrov: demanding deadlines for Syrian constitutional committee seek Syria's regime change

The countries that insist on setting artificial deadlines for calling the Syrian constitutional committee are trying to undermine the Astana process and overthrow the current regime in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Friday during the Mediterranean Dialogues international conference in Rome.

"Those who insist on [UN Special Envoy for Syria] Staffan [de Mistura] setting a deadline and saying, "This is it, this is my list, I don’t care what you think," they want only one thing: to ruin Astana process and to come back to some regime change logic," Lavrov stated.

"When the ISIL (former name of the IS, terrorist group outlawed in Russia - TASS) was close to the outskirts of Damascus in August 2015, nobody was calling on the opposition to start negotiations with the government. But after the situation changed on the ground, everybody is calling on the government to start negotiations," the Russian foreign minister said. "Bias in this kind of issues is absolutely counterproductive. And such approaches demonstrate not only the double standards, but they reveal that people who promote such approaches think about their own geopolitical games, and not about the fate of the people who are in need to be helped, to get out of the crisis," he stressed.

Earlier, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura stated that the first session of the Syrian constitutional committee might take place in December of this year.

On January 30, the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, agreed to set up a constitutional committee that will be tasked with drafting a new constitution for Syria.


Turkish top diplomat comments on Idlib deal implementation

The Turkish-Russian agreement on establishing a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib "is being implemented at a good pace," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the CNN Turk TV channel on Friday.

"There is a need to take additional security measures along the M4 and M5 highways [in Idlib,’ he said. "The memorandum on Idlib is being implemented at a good pace. However, the steps we have taken will not make it possible to ensure a permanent ceasefire unless a political solution is found," the Turkish top diplomat added.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday that "despite Ankara’s significant efforts to implement the Russian-Turkish memorandum signed on September 17, difficulties persist in setting up a demilitarized zone in Idlib." In this regard, she mentioned last week’s attack on the Syrian government troops’ positions near the Jurin settlement, carried by terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia), which claimed the lives of 18 military servicemen.

According to the Russian-Turkish memorandum, signed in Sochi on September 17 following talks between the two countries’ presidents, a 15 to 20 kilometer-wide demilitarized zone was to be set up in the Syrian province of Idlib by October 15. However, Ankara asked to be given more time and postpone the launch of joint patrols, saying that it was impossible to guarantee security.


Turkish Army, rebels launch new operation in northern Aleppo

The Turkish Army and their rebel allies launched a new military operation in northern Aleppo, today, targeting several militants accused of kidnapping and looting.

According to oppositions activists in northern Syria, the Turkish Army and their allies from the National Liberation Front began the security operation inside the important border-city of ‘Azaz in Aleppo’s northern countryside.

The main objective of this operation is to arrest rebel fighters that have taken advantage of their position to commit crimes in the territories they control.

This new action by the Turkish Army and their allies in ‘Azaz will resemble their previous operation that targeted the Afrin region.

During their Afrin operation, the Turkish Army and their allies arrested dozens of rebels that were accused of committing crimes in this part of the country.


ISIS ATTACKS SYRIAN ARMY POSITIONS NEAR BORDER WITH IRAQ

On November 22, ISIS cells in the Homs Desert took advantage of a sand storm and launched a large attack on positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Iranian forces west of the strategic T2 station near the Syrian-Iraqi border.

A local source told SouthFront that the SAA and its allies lost several soldiers during the attack. However, the terrorist group’s fighters failed to capture any position.

The Syrian pro-opposition Step News Agency said that warplanes of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) conducted several airstrikes on ISIS gatherings and hideouts around the T2 stations in the last few hours.

This was the second attack by the remaining ISIS fighters in the Homs desert this month. On November 18, the terrorist group’s fighters attacked positions of the SAA and Iranian forces between the city of al-Mayadin and the town of al-Kashmah in the southern Deir Ezzor countryside.

These attacks will likely force the SAA to launch a large-scale military operation to neutralize ISIS fighters in the Homs desert soon. Any such operation will be backed by the Russian Aerospace Forces.


Terrorists target Soran with shells .. Army responds and destroys launching pads

Terrorist groups linked to Ḥurras ad-Din (Guardians of Religion) terrorist organization led by Jabhat al-Nusra on Friday fired several rocket shells that landed in the vicinity of Soran city, 18 km north of Hama city, causing material damage only, SANA reporter said.

This attack is a new violation of the demilitarized zone agreement in Idleb.

The reporter added that units of the Syrian Arab Army working in the northern countryside responded to the sources of rocket shells with artillery and rocket fire, destroying a number of launching pads and leaving terrorists killed and wounded.

On Thursday, The army units thwarted attempts by terrorist groups to infiltrate towards military points in the vicinity of villages of Lahaya, Ma’rkebbeh, al-Jabin, al-Mougheir and Moaskar Bridiege in the northern countryside of Hama, inflicting losses upon terrorists and forcing them to fled away.


MAP: ISIS CELLS PRESENCE IN EASTERN SYRIA



This map provides a general look at the presence of ISIS cells in eastern Syria. ISIS units are still capable of operating in a few formally liberated areas and are using the US-occupied area of at-Tanf as as safe haven to avoid Syrian Army attacks when they need this.


RUSSIA’S INVESTIGATORS DEPLOYED IN SYRIA IDENTIFIED 9 MILITANTS INVOLVED IN KILLING OF 2 RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN IN SU-24 INCIDENT IN 2015 (video)

Russia’s Investigative Committee has identified nine militants involved in the killing of Russian Su-24M jet pilot Oleg Peshkov and marine Alexander Pozynich as well as in the attempted killing of Su-24M navigator Konstantin Murakhtin in Syria in 2015, according to the Russian state-media.

“During an examination of the accidents scenes in the Syrian province of Latakia, the crash sites of the Russian fighter jet and the rescue team’s helicopter were established, as well as the areas from where illegal armed unit members attacked the pilots after they had ejected, and a house in one of the settlements in the Latakia province, where the perpetrators took Oleg Peshkov’s body,” Committee Spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko told TASS, adding that “other important evidence was also collected.”“The collected evidence makes it possible to bring charges against nine Syrian nationals.“​

She added that the aforementioned persons were charged with participation in the activities of an illegal armed group, accessory to murder and attempted murder, desecration of a human body, as well as with weapons, ammunition and personal property theft. Petrenko said that the militants have been arrested in absentia, while the Investigative Committee has also issued international arrest warrants for them.

“The investigation continues, steps are being taken to establish other people involved in the murders of the Russian military servicemen,” she said noting that the investigation in Syria is ongoing.​

The Russian Aerospace Forces’ Su-24M warplane was downed by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet in the Syrian province of Lattakia on November 24, 2015. Su-24M pilot Peshkov was killed by Turkish-backed militants after he had ejected from the warplane. The navigator survived and was rescued by a Russian-Syrian rapid response team. Marine Pozynich died during this operation.

The Turkish side claimed that the Su-24M had violated Turkish airspace. The Russian side denounced these claims. The incident caused notable tensions between Russia and Turkey and Moscow imposed sanctions and employed a wide range of measures to punish Ankara for its hostile approach. As a result of this as well as other developments in the conflict, Turkey was forced to shift its attitude in Syria in favour of Iran and Russia.

After S-300 Arrive, Syria Finds New Purpose For Huge S-200 Missile – Report

With the Syrian Army preparing to introduce the advanced S-300 missile system into front-line service as its primary long-range air defense weapon, one Russian military expert believes that the older S-200 missile equivalent will now be modified to attack enemy ships and land targets.

Until the arrival the S-300, the older S-200 served as the main strategic-range air defense weapon of the Syrian military. However, with hostile neighbors such as Israel and Turkey now in possession of advanced fighter aircraft with highly-effective electronic countermeasure systems, the S-200 has somewhat lost its edge as a capable anti-aircraft weapon.

However, one Russian military expert, speaking through Russian media, claims that Syrian S-200 missiles – with their massive two hundred kilogram warhead and 240 kilometer range – will probably be modified to attack enemy ships and land targets.

Technically, such a modification is possible given that anti-ship guidance uses the same principal as air-aircraft guidance – that is, X-band radar.

The actual modification would not be to the missile itself, but rather to the fire control radars of the S-200 system, which will have to be upgraded with more sophisticated electronics in order filter out surface clutter – i.e.waves and sea spray in the case of ship targets or dust and trees in the case of land targets – in order to gain an effective lock on target.

Despite being an aging design, a Syrian S-200 did managed to down an Israeli F-16 fighter in February this year. Dozens of previous S-200 attempts against Israeli fighters in preceding years, however, failed to destroy any Israeli fighters – at least as far as official records show.


ISRAELI FIRM RELEASES SATELLITE IMAGES OF RUSSIAN NAVAL FACILITY IN SYRIA’S TARTUS

On November 22, Israel’s ImageSat released satellite images of the Russian naval facility in Syria’s Tartus. The images, which were reportedly taken on November 12, show Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate Admiral Makarov and the Alligator-class landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov.

The Admiral Makarov frigate recently participated in drills near Syria while the Nikolai Filchenkov landing ship is a part of the Russian logistical operation to support the anti-terrorist campaign in Syria.






ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER MET WITH SYRIAN OPERATIVES DURING IN COURSE OF CONFLICT

Maj. Gen. Gershon Hacohen, a former Israeli military General Staff Corps commander, revealed that Moshe Ya’alon, Israel’s former Defense Minister, had met with Syrian operatives as a part of Israel’s involvement in the war torn country.

“They came and Bogie wanted to understand who they were. He asked one of them, ‘Tell me, are you a Salafist?’ And he said, ‘I really don’t know what a Salafist is. If it means that I pray more, then yes. Once I would pray once a week, on Fridays, now I pray five times a day. On the other hand, a Salafist isn’t meant to cooperate with the Zionists. I’m sitting with the defense minister of the Zionists. So I don’t know.’ This means that identity components are very fluid. They don’t tell you where the person is going.” Maj. Gen. Hacohen said at an Israel Democracy Institute conference, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported on November 23.​

The meeting likely took place before Maj. Gen. Hacohen retirement from the Israeli military in September, 2014. Back then, most of southern Syria was held by the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Maj. Gen. Hacohen claimed that the Syrians who met Ya’alon were “activists.” However, the fact that the Israeli defense minister met with them suggests that they were military commander of the FSA.

Israel’s cooperation with the FSA in southern Syria is well-documented. Last year, the Syrian opposition news agency SMART published a video of FSA fighters using 107mm rockets that was supplied by the Israeli military. Both sides even planed to establish a “safe zone” in southern Syria, according to a report of the Intercept.

Despite Israel’s support, the FSA failed to keep southern Syria under its control when the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies launched a military operation in the region earlier this year.

 

[angelburst29]

sToRmR1dR Yesterday at 7:18 PM
Lavrov: demanding deadlines for Syrian constitutional committee seek Syria's regime change

The countries that insist on setting artificial deadlines for calling the Syrian constitutional committee are trying to undermine the Astana process and overthrow the current regime in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Friday during the Mediterranean Dialogues international conference in Rome.

"Those who insist on [UN Special Envoy for Syria] Staffan [de Mistura] setting a deadline and saying, "This is it, this is my list, I don’t care what you think," they want only one thing: to ruin Astana process and to come back to some regime change logic," Lavrov stated.
~~~

Lavrov Sounds the Alarm… Again! Washington Foreign Policy - Simply WAR by Other Means!

Published on Nov 23, 2018 (5:55 min.)

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs: “I'm sure that common sense will prevail in the end. We will hardly become absolutely alike one day, we will also have disagreements in the approaches to some problems. But let's maintain our attitudes via a dialogue, not via threats and ultimatums. Let's be completely honest.”

 

[sToRmR1dR]

US-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Deir Ez-Zor Leave 10 Civilians Killed - Reports

According to the Syrian broadcaster Ikhbariya and SANA News agency, the US-led Coalition continues pounding the eastern part of the Syrian Deir ez-Zor province.

"More than 10 civilians, including children and women, died as a result of airstrikes of the international coalition on the village of al-Shafa in the east of Deir-ez-Zor province," the Ikhbariya TV channel said.

Meanwhile, the SANA state-run news agency reported a total of 11 victims of airstrikes and said that the attacks were continuing.

The coalition regularly carries out airstrikes in the Syrian eastern province. On November 9, media reported that 26 civilians, including women and children, were killed in an airstrike by the coalition on the city of Hajin.

Last week, the SANA agency reported that the US-led coalition used prohibited cluster bombs in recent airstrikes on Hajin and Shaafa. Previously, multiple Syrian media reports alleged that toxic white phosphorus munitions had also been used in the coalition's repeated attacks in the region.

The US Defense Department has dismissed the allegations as false, maintaining that the coalition’s airstrikes in Syria conform with the laws of armed conflict.

However, the coalition's activities in Syria are authorized neither by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.


US encouraging chemical terrorism by supporting extremists in Syria — Russia’s OPCW envoy

The United State is pandering to chemical terrorism through supporting extremist groups in Syria, Russian Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Alexander Shulgin said on Friday.

"Under a pretext of fighting against terrorism in Syria, the United States has illegally deployed its military contingent in that country," Shulgin said at the OPCW Fourth Review Conference. "The real goal of the United States’ military presence is to provide a cover for extremist groups acting in Syria, in its own political interests. And these groups are behind provocations with the use of chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhoun and numerous other chemical incidents."

"So, as a matter of fact, the United States is encouraging chemical terrorism," he stressed.

"Non-governmental organizations affiliated with terrorists, such as the White Helmets, that have been caught in staging fake chemical attacks more than once, for instance in Syria’s Douma, are being widely used to create a corresponding information background," Shulgin said. "We have repeatedly informed both the OPCE Executive Council and the United Nations Security Council about the groundlessness of these allegations and wild guesses."

Moreover, the United States demonstrates a selective approach to the implementation of its liabilities under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Shulgin continued. "In the recent time, the United States seeks to claim the mantle of the convention custodian, pointing to alleged violations of the CWC by other member nations," he said. "But what are the Americans doing themselves? We would like to focus special attention on the US’ implementation of its liabilities under the convention, which is openly selective. Any provisions of the convention that do not fit the US’ interests are simply ignored by Washington."

"For instance, when ratifying the convention, the US Congress made 28 reservations to make it possible to circumvent its provisions, in particular, to prohibit to take any chemical samples collected in the US outside the country; to impose restrictions on OPCW inspections in the US aiming to expose prohibited activities under a request from any other signatory nation; to use chemical agents to suppress riots, etc.," Shulgin noted. "Moreover, the United States is practically the only country to keep in place the reservation to the 1925 Geneva Protocol providing for a possible retaliatory use of chemical weapons."

"It is also worth recalling that back in 2003-2011 American and British specialists found more than 4,500 artillery and rocket shells and air bombs stuffed with toxic agents in Iraq and destroyed them secretly, without verification from the OPCW Secretariat," the Russian diplomat went on to say. "It seems that the key reason why these operations were kept secret was unwillingness to make public the United States’ involvement in Iraq’s former chemical warfare program."

"There are questions about the great number of munitions with allegedly unidentified chemical content destroyed by the US. They ask us to take it for granted that these are very old munitions. But, as they say, trust but verify! It may turn out that traces of undeclared chemical warfare activities are disguised as unidentified substances," he stressed.

"It is obvious that the United States is accusing Russia and other countries [of violating the CWC] because it wants to divert attention from its own ugly actions," Shulgin said. He called on the US to stop misleading the global community. "Instead, the Americans should better admit honestly that they must take steps to bring their activities in compliance with the clear requirements of the convention," Shulgin noted.


Four Syrian soldiers wounded in shelling by militants in Hama governorate

Four Syrian servicemen were wounded in a shelling attack staged by militants at a populated locality in the Hama governorate, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides Sergei Solomatin said on Friday.

"During the day, shelling attacks were reported at the western suburbs of the settlement of Safsara in the Latakia governorate, the settlement of Tell Bazzam in the Hama governorate and Aleppo’s northwestern suburb. As a result of shellings, four Syrian servicemen were wounded in the settlement of Tell Bazzam," he said.

According to Solomatin, officers of the Russian reconciliation center conducted a humanitarian operation in the settlement of Tesnin in the Homs governorate. As many as 450 bags with food products with an overall weight of about two tonnes were handed out to civilians.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes.


Over 50 Daesh terrorists killed in disastrous offensive in Deir Ezzor

The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) launched a powerful counter-offensive in the southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor on Thursday after spending the last few days on the defensive.

The Daesh fighters stormed the defenses of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the Tanak Oil Fields, which are located 35km east of Deir Ezzor city.

However, the Daesh forces would find themselves overwhelmed by the Syrian Democratic Forces, who managed to not only foil the terrorist offensive, but also kill scores of militants that participated in the attack.

Citing an SDF source on Friday, Kurdistan 24 reported that at least 50 Daesh militants were killed during the short battle on Thursday.

“Our comrades, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, killed more than 50 Daesh jihadists who sent three car bombs two days ago. Part of our fighters withdrew, and the other supporting group clashed with the jihadists until fighter jets started their bombardments,” the SDF source told Kurdistan 24.

This desperate offensive by Daesh comes just days after the Syrian Democratic Forces sent reinforcements to the Euphrates River Valley in order to help drive back the encroaching terrorists.


ISIS Unleashes Multiple Assaults Across Eastern Syria Using Deadly Tactic

Over the last two days, ISIS has launched a series of powerful assaults across eastern Syria against both Syrian pro-government forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Seemingly appearing out of nowhere in the vast expanse of the Syrian Desert, ISIS has struck at SDF positions and bases near the terrorist group’s stronghold of Hajin and further out towards the Al-Omar oil fields eastern Syria .

At the same time, the jihadist faction hurled itself at the positions and main staging areas of Syrian pro-government forces across Homs and Deir ez-Zour provinces, including at the strategic border city of Bu Kamal and the T-2 pumping station.

The combined forces involved in these ISIS attacks appears to number hundreds of militants who are backed-up by key fire support assets including anti-aircraft cannons, heavy machine guns, mortars and Bazooka-like recoilless rifles.

All of the heavy weapons used by ISIS are entirely self-propelled, being rigged on to the back of pickup trucks, allowing for a high-degree of mobility.

Furthermore, the attacks utilize a key tactic that is highly characteristic of many ISIS operations – hit and run. The aim is to keep the larger, more powerful Syrian Army and SDF off-balance for as long as possible in order to prevent these forces from maintaining operational initiative and gathering the strength required to finish off the terrorist group’s last strongholds in the country.

 

[angelburst29]

The main objective for Washington now is again regime change rather than defeating IS, Russia’s top diplomat stressed.

November 24, 2018 - Islamic State acting as US 'ally' for regime change in Syria, suggests Lavrov
Islamic State acting as US 'ally' for regime change in Syria, suggests Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva © Alexander Scherbak/TASS

LISBON - The Islamic State terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia) is allied with Washington, in carrying out the objective of regime change in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested after talks with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva on Saturday.

"The US State Department said the other day that IS had not been beaten yet and in order to defeat IS, the main prerequisite is regime change in Syria," Russia’s top diplomat pointed out.

"My guess is being confirmed that the Americans view IS as a justification for their military presence in Syria and almost as an ally in the struggle against the Syrian authorities," Lavrov said.

"That is, the main objective [for Washington] now is again regime change rather than defeating IS," Russia’s top diplomat said, adding that the US apparently has "a covert agenda in Syria."

The Islamic State has been routed on the territory controlled by the Syrian government but some pockets of resistance still remain, Lavrov said.

"The basic IS stronghold is located on the territory controlled by the United States," Russia’s foreign minister stressed.

"In the area of the township of Al-Tanf where the United States is maintaining an absolutely illegitimate presence, there has been a zone created, which they control and inside it the infamous Rukban refugee camp is located. Within this 55km zone, there are several thousand militants who are viewed by the United States for some reason as a group of persons with inviolable status, allowing the Americans to provide justification for their further presence on Syrian soil," Lavrov said.


November 25, 2018 - Russian servicemen assist prisoner swap in Syria
Russian servicemen assist prisoner swap in Syria

Representatives of Turkey, Iran and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were also present during the handover.

Russian servicemen in Syria © Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW - Russian servicemen in Syria assisted a prisoner swap that took place near the city of Aleppo on Saturday, the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, Sergei Solomatin, said.

"Near the settlement of Tadef [35 km northeast of Aleppo], 10 Syrian citizens captured by illegal armed groups were swapped for 10 armed opposition militants," Solomatin said.

According to the official, the swap was organized with the assistance of Russian Defense Ministry officials within the Working Group on release of detainees/abductees, handover of bodies and search for missing persons. The working group operates within the framework of the Astana format.

Representatives of Turkey, Iran and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were also present during the handover.

On July 30-31, Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi hosted the tenth meeting of the three guarantor nations of the Syrian ceasefire (Russia, Iran and Turkey), who agreed to launch a pilot project to help the parties to the conflict exchange lists of casualties, prisoners and missing persons.

Negotiations about the exchange of prisoners in Syria have long been conducted on various platforms. Outgoing UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura suggested creating such mechanism as early as in the spring of 2016. However, such efforts produced no result until recently.


November 24, 2018 - At least 37 people hurt as extremists fire shells with chlorine in Aleppo
At least 37 people hurt as extremists fire shells with chlorine in Aleppo

All of those injured were taken to the hospital with symptoms of suffocation.

© AP Photo/File

MOSCOW - Extremist armed groups fired shells loaded with chlorine in Aleppo on Saturday the SANA agency reported citing a source in the police department. According to the Syrian governmental TV channel, at least 37 people suffered from the shelling.

There are women and children among those who were taken to hospitals with suffocation symptoms. Two teenagers are in intensive care unit in serious condition.

A police source told the TV channel that the shopping area on the Nil Street, where citizens were strolling in the evening, came under fire. Earlier, reports about the fall of chlorine shells came from the neighborhoods of Al-Khalidiyah and Jamiyat al-Zahr.

On Thursday, militant groups also fired at the western areas of Aleppo. Then five people were injured.

~~~
[U]c.a.[/U] Friday at 7:50 AM

https://twitter.com/x/status/1065845170216804352

French militants-experts are helping Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) [former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria] to arm newly delivered missiles with chemical warheads, local sources familiar with the situation told the Russian news agency Sputnik on November 22.

According to the sources, the White Helmets organization transferred five containers with toxic chemicals from one of HTS’ warehouses in the town of Kafr Nabl in the southern Idlib countryside to an underground facility in Idlib city, which has recently been built near the Central Prison.

“The five containers were handed over in the underground facility to French experts, of the black ethnicity .. they arrived recently to modify missiles of an unidentified type, which were supplied along with their launchers through the border,” Sputnik quoted the sources as saying.

~~~

November 24, 2018 - Syrian State Media says Insurgent Shells injure 50 people, cause Choking, in Aleppo
Syrian state media says insurgent shells injure 50 people, cause choking, in Aleppo | Reuters

Syrian state media said insurgent shelling on Aleppo city wounded 50 people on Saturday, causing breathing problems.

State news agency SANA, citing a health official in the city which is under government control, said the shells hit two districts and contained gases that made people choke.
(Comment: WoW Reuters! You really put a lot of effort in that one ... ? A quick Twitter-copy-paste? )


November 24, 2018 - Turkey uneasy about US Plan for Observation Posts on Syria Border: minister
Turkey uneasy about U.S. plan for observation posts on Syria border: minister | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Turkey is uneasy about U.S. plans to set up "observation posts" in Syria along parts of its border with Turkey, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday the United States was setting up the posts to help keep the focus on clearing the final Islamic State militant strongholds in Syria.

The United States has long complained that tension between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - which includes the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia - has at times slowed progress on the fight against Islamic State.

Akar said he told U.S. Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford and other U.S. officials during a recent visit to Canada that setting up the posts would have a very negative impact on perceptions of the United States in Turkey.

“During our talks with both political and civilian interlocutors we repeatedly expressed our unease in various ways,” he said. “I think actions like this will make the complicated situation in the region even more complicated”.

Turkey is angry at U.S. support for the YPG, which it views as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) waging a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

“Nobody should doubt that the Turkish Armed forces and the Republic of Turkey will take the necessary steps against all kinds of risks and threats from across its borders,” he said.

We expect our U.S. allies to immediately cut their ties with the terrorist YPG, who are not in the slightest bit different from the PKK,” Akar added.

Islamic State is still present in eastern Syria in a pocket east of the Euphrates River near the border with Iraq.

President Donald Trump’s administration hopes that the U.S.-backed fight against Islamic State in its last foothold in northeastern Syria will end within months. But a top U.S. diplomat recently said American forces will remain to ensure the “enduring defeat” of the militant group.


2018-11-24 - Turkey Officially Condemns US Observation Posts in North-Eastern Syria
Turkey Officially Condemns US Observation Posts in North-Eastern Syria - Eurasia Future

After US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced that American forces will set up observation posts in north-eastern Syria, it seemed as though yet another US betrayal of its Turkish NATO partner was underway in spite of the attempts among both US and Turkish forces to cooperate in the northern Syrian city of Manbij under the so-called roadmap to liberate the town currently occupied by the US backed terror group YPG/PKK. Even before this announcement from Mattis, Turkey had expressed concerns about America’s commitment to joint patrols in Manbij, not least because far from distancing itself from its battlefield terrorist allies in the region, the US is if anything solidifying the reality that its relationship with the YPG/PKK will continue for the foreseeable future.

The worrying reality is that in spite of the fact that Turkey has been a loyal ally of the United States throughout its modern history, Washington continues to forge a battlefield alliance with one of the world’s most notorious terror groups that since the late 1970s has killed 40,000 people in Turkey, many of whom were civilians.

The PKK terror group does not share the kinds of values that ordinary Americans would feel comfortable with. Operating with a mafioso mentality, the group is notorious not only for attacking, murdering and disfiguring policemen, soldiers and civilians but they are also guilty of harassing, pillaging and murdering those of an ethnic Kurdish background they deviously claim to defend. By contrast, one can be of an ethnic Kurdish background and a full Turkish citizen without facing any form of legal prejudice. This contrasts sharply with the rights of African-Americans in the United States prior to 1964 where various southern states enacting so-called Jim Crow laws which deprived black American citizens of their most basic rights.

Like most responsible nations, the United States lists the PKK as a terrorist organization and yet in Syria, the United States military continues to arm, fund and fight beside the PKK’s Syrian branch – the YPG. Beyond simply being a supreme insult to a long time NATO ally, the short term thinking behind allying with a violent terror group will come back to haunt the US in one form or another as any alliance with terrorism ultimately becomes a pact with the Devil that is not easy to crawl out from under. Already, local Arabs in the north-east of Syria are beginning to rebel against the pseudo-regime of YPG/PKK terrorists that under US supervision have occupied parts of northern Syria, thus turning historic Arab majority regions into a gangsters’ nest of ethnic cleansing that has seen both Arab and non-Kurdish minority populations suffer under the whip hand of ethno-centric terrorist extremists.

Is the United States really so desperate for an ally in Syria that it is willing to retain an always ill-conceived alliance with a group that has committed acts of violence against not only Turkomen but against Muslim Arabs and the Christian minorities of the region? Is the US proud of arming a group that has launched mortars into Turkey from Syrian soil after the US cleared a path for YPG/PKK occupation of some of Syria’s most strategic northern cities and towns?

If the US government is thankful for this, surely the American people ought to be thankful for a dose of reality that might lead them to openly challenge their government’s alliance with YPG/PKK terrorism in the same way that Turkey’s handling of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has led many Americans to question their governments position vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia. For all that Saudi Arabia is, it is still a state. By contrast, the PKK is a terror group according to the American government itself and yet that same American government is fighting with the PKK in Syria.

If Americans learned anything from the horrors of 9/11, it should have been that there is no such thing as an acceptable terrorist group. There are no “good terrorists and bad terrorists”. All terrorists are in fact bad or in the words of George W. Bush “evil doers”. A group that uses remote detonation devices, mortars, violent armed assaults, bondage, extraction, torture, mass murder, ethnic cleansing, blackmail and the sale of narcotics to achieve its vague political aims cannot have a single saving grace. And yet by allying with the YPG/PKK in Syria, the US is effectively saying that the disgusting and criminal methods used by the terror organization are somehow appropriate or even desirable. This becomes all the more tragic when one realizes that the PKK threatens the security of a sovereign state that is not an enemy but a long time partner of the United States.
The war in Syria has been a polarizing one for many people across many lands, but just as most level headed people draw a line when it comes to supporting groups like Daesh (aka ISIS), the same red line applies or at least must apply to supporting the PKK in all its forms. This is why news that the US has set up observation posts in north-eastern Syria to ostensibly separate Turkish forces from the YPG/PKK, feels duplicitous than transparent. While the US claims that these observation posts will help American forces to keep the YPG/PKK out of Turkey, the reality is that these observation posts will ensure the survival of a terror group that should be mutually neutralized by both Turkish and American forces in order to ensure long term regional peace not just for Turkey but also for Syria and Iraq.

Now, Turkey’s Defense Minister has explicitly condemned American observation posts in the region. Hulusi Akar has stated that he expressed Turkey’s dissatisfaction over the matter to U.S. Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford when the pair met at the recent Halifax International Security Forum in Canada. According to Akar,

“During our talks with both political and civilian interlocutors we repeatedly expressed our unease in various ways. I think actions [the setting up of observation posts] like this will make the complicated situation in the region even more complicated.​

​

We have stated that the observation points to be established by the U.S. troops on the Syrian border will have a very negative impact […] and in the course of our discussions we expressed that it could lead to a perception that ‘U.S. soldiers are somehow protecting terrorist YPG members and shield them’.​

​

Nobody should doubt that the Turkish Armed forces and the Republic of Turkey will take the necessary steps against all kinds of risks and threats from across its borders.​

​

We expect our U.S. allies to immediately cut their ties with the terrorist YPG, who are not in the slightest bit different from the PKK”.​

The Turkish Defence Minister’s statement makes it clear that Turkey beleives that the US position in northern Syria is not only unwise and untenable but that it is a direct threat to Turkey’s fundamental security interests.

Turkey is an invaluable partner as multiple nations ranging from China and Qatar, Russia to Sudan, Pakistan to Malaysia have come to realise. As one of modern Turkey’s long term allies, rather than offer thanks for the stabilising presence of Turkey in an otherwise fraught region, the US government is squandering this alliance on the altar of violent terrorism and squandering good will among the vast majority of Syrian Arabs in the process.

Just as Turkey would never fund anti-US terror groups operating in Mexico, nor should the United States fund an anti-Turkish terror group operating in Syria. If Americans want to express thanks to a steadfast ally in the multi-layered wars against terrorism, the best thing they could do is to publicly express their outrage at their government’s support for a YPG/PKK terror group that does not belong in the 21st century.

And yet by allying with the YPG/PKK, the United States is openly siding with a group operating on Turkey’s borders whose goal is to kill Turkish and other civilians while threatening the wider regional peace. Such a move is not only irresponsible but it is effectively criminal. It would behove both sides to reach a crucial understanding on this matter so that the dire realities on the ground can be rectified at once.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Terrorists target neighborhoods in Aleppo city with shells containing toxic gas, causing asphyxiation among civilians



Terrorist groups on Saturday evening fired rocket shells containing toxic gases at al-Khalidiye and al-Neel Street neighborhoods in Aleppo city.

SANA’s correspondent in Aleppo reported that the attack caused 50 civilians to suffer from asphyxiation.

Earlier, a source at Aleppo Police Command told SANA that the terrorist attack on al-Khalidiye neighborhood caused around 15 civilians to suffer from asphyxiation, and these civilians have been rushed to hospitals.

More to come…












“MODERATE REBELS” ATTACK ALEPPO CITY WITH CHEMICAL WEAPONS. CASUALTIES REPORTED (PHOTOS)

At the late hours of November 24, unknown militants launched several rockets containing chlorine gas at residential areas in the northern part of the city of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

​

“Terrorist groups fired rocket shells containing toxic gases at al-Khalidiye and al-Neel Street neighborhoods in Aleppo city,” the SANA said in a press release.​

The reporter of the Syrian News TV in Aleppo said that 75 civilians, including at least 14 children, were intoxicated as a result of the chemical attack. The injured civilians were reportedly transported to the hospitals of Aleppo University and al-Razy.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1066435552772333569

Few hours after the attack, local sources said that a group of experts have arrived in Aleppo to examine the attack site and the victims. This indicates that the Damascus government is planning to call for an international investigation into the dangerous incident.

Russia and the Damascus government warned earlier this year that radical militants in northern Syria received chemical materials, including chlorine, from Western countries. Furthermore, two days ahead of the attack in Aleppo, a report by the Russian news outlet Sputnik warned that French militants-experts have armed several rockets with chemical warheads in southern Idlib.

In its first response to the chemical attack, the SAA shelled several positions of the militants in the western Aleppo countryside and the southeastern Idlib countryside. A much more serious response is expected in the upcoming few hours.


Syrian Troops Pound Militants in Response to Aleppo Chlorine Attack - Source

Syrian army forces attacked the positions of militants who fired chlorine-filled shells at residential areas of Aleppo on Saturday. Militants have suffered significant losses, a Syrian military source told Sputnik.

"The Syrian army responded to the shelling of militants, attacking the positions from which the shelling was carried out, militants suffered significant losses," the source said.

On Saturday, militants from terrorist groups fired chlorine-filled shells at neighborhoods of al-Khalidiye and Al Zahraa, as well as the Nile Street. At least four children were hospitalized with asphyxiation and other symptoms typical of chlorine gas poisoning. According to the latest reports of Syrian state television, 55 people were hospitalized.

The attack using poisonous gas was carried out by terrorists based north of Aleppo, the source asserted.

Aleppo was liberated by Syrian government troops from militant and terror groups in 2016 but militants continue to shell the city from positions in Aleppo’s suburbs.

The Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation warned earlier in November that militants were preparing new attacks with the use of chemical agents in Syria. In particular, the Russian Defense Ministry said that militants have transported 20 containers with toxic chlorine into Syria.

In October, Daesh terrorists attacked Nusra Front militants in the Syrian settlement of Al-Lataminah, killing at least two White Helmet staffers and seizing at least two canisters of chlorine, the Russian Defense Ministry said. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the seized chlorine canisters were later transported to the south of Aleppo province and handed over to terrorists of the Daesh-linked Hurras al-Din group.


Russian MoD to Discuss Aleppo Chlorine Shelling With Ankara

Russia intends to discuss with Turkey the attack on Syria's Aleppo by militants who used shells filled with poisonous substances, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Sunday.

"The Russian side intends to discuss this incident with the Turkish side as a guarantor of adherence to the cessation of hostilities by the armed opposition in Idlib de-escalation zone," Konashenkov said.

On Saturday, militants from terrorist groups fired chlorine-filled shells at neighborhoods of al-Khalidiye and Al Zahraa as well as the Nile Street. Dozens were reportedly hospitalized with asphyxiation and other symptoms typical for poisoning.

The governor of the Syrian province of Aleppo, Hussein Diyab told local media that this incident is an obvious confirmation of the possession of chemical weapons by terrorists.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman told reporters on Sunday that a special army team arrived in Aleppo to "work with the injured taken to medical institutions, monitor the situation in the area where the militants used poisonous substances."

On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that difficulties in establishment of a demilitarized zone in Idlib remained.

On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed at talks in the Russian resort city of Sochi to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces.


Ankara Transfers Militants to Turkey From Syria's Idlib - Reports

The specific names of the groups, to which the militants belong, are not indicated by the pro-government Syrian newspaper al-Watan.

According to al-Watan, turkish military has transported a significant number of militants from the demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib to a tent camp in the Turkish city of Nusaybin on the border of the two countries, al-Watan reported on Saturday, citing local sources.

On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed at talks in the Russian resort city of Sochi to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces.

The Anadolu news agency reported Saturday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar had discussed the latest developments in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, and also in the city of Tal Rifaat, located in the neighboring province of Aleppo.

The two ministers have reportedly discussed technical and tactical measures to be taken to ensure security in Syria, within the Sochi agreement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday, however, that difficulties in establishment of a demilitarized zone in Idlib remain. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told CNN Turk broadcaster on Friday that Ankara sees no difficulties with the withdrawal of heavy weaponry in Idlib.

The province of Idlib in northwest Syria is the last remaining stronghold of terrorist groups operating in the country, including Jabhat al-Nusra, which has joined forces with four other jihadi groups in Idlib to form a terrorist alliance called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, widely regarded as the dominant force on the ground in the province.


WATCH Damascus Swap Syrian Civilians for Militants Under Astana Talks Protocol

Russian Defense Ministry has published on Saturday a video on its YouTube channel showing an exchange of captured militants in the Aleppo area for hostages previously held by illegal armed groups.

The 45-second video shows how the exchange of prisoners took place. A convoy of cars followed under the supervision of the Iranian and Turkish sides, as well as the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Women and elderly people were among the liberated hostages. They were happy and gave comments to journalists.

Earlier on Saturday, head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for Syrian reconciliation Lt. Gen. Sergei Solomatin said that the armed opposition and the Syrian authorities exchanged 10 Syrian citizens held by illegal armed formations for 10 militants as part of implementation of the agreements reached during the talks in Astana.

He also added that the exchange was organized with the participation of representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry in the working group operating under the Astana format of the Syrian reconciliation talks.