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

Here is the latest update from Tim Hayward by McKeigue, Miller and Robinson - there is a full report offered in the link at the end:

Posted on April 12, 2019 by timhayward


The Syria, Propaganda and Media Working Group has undertaken a detailed examination of the final report from the OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission on the alleged chemical attack in Douma on 7 April 2018. The resultant Briefing Note – by Paul McKeigue, David Miller, and Piers Robinson – exposes deep flaws in the anonymously authored report. These discredit OPCW as a source of impartial investigation and undermine it as an international institution fit to be entrusted with maintaining the prohibition of chemical weapons.
Comments on the Briefing Note can be made below the Summary of it that follows.
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Briefing note on the final report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission on the alleged chemical attack in Douma in April 2018
Paul McKeigue, David Miller, Piers Robinson
Members of Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media

Summary
This briefing note reviews the Final Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission on the alleged chemical attack in Douma on 7 April 2018, released on 1 March 2019. We focus on the methods and the conduct of the investigation.
  • The FFM report attributes all relevant observations to a chemical attack, without considering any competing explanation. The report’s handling of evidence raises several concerns:
    • The report states that new interviews were undertaken with witnesses in October 2018, six months after the initial interviews had been completed. No explanation is given for how the witnesses were identified or why these new interviews were undertaken. The report merges all witness testimony into a single account, without any analysis of gaps and discrepancies.
    • The FFM sought assessments in October 2018 from unidentified experts on the “trajectories” of the gas cylinders assuming they had been dropped from the sky, without considering alternative routes of delivery such as stairs. No explanation is given for why, if these assessments were necessary, they were not obtained in April 2018 when the experts could have inspected the sites.
    • The report excludes media files without timestamp metadata, but includes files with timestamps that are incorrect. A serious analysis of this material would have combined all available evidence to infer the timing and sequence of images with or without metadata.
    • The FFM declined to proceed with exhumations which might have allowed victims to be identified.
  • Key observations that favour a managed massacre over a chemical attack are ignored, or evaluated without considering any alternative explanation to a chemical attack:
    • The report is written to make it appear as if the witnesses who reported that the hospital dousing scene had been staged were never formally interviewed by the FFM, downgrading their testimony to “other open-source video material”.
    • The report ignores the visual evidence that the fire in the room below the cylinder at Location 2 had been lit before the cylinder had discharged its contents.
    • The report attributes the visual evidence that the victims at Location 2 had made no attempt to escape to “an agent capable of quickly killing or immobilising”, without considering the possibility that the victims had been killed elsewhere.
  • The report records, without explanation, that the Team Leader was “redeployed for information-gathering activities from all other available sources” three days after arriving in Damascus. This decision could have been taken only by the Director-General.
  • OPCW’s conduct of the investigation of this alleged chemical attack violates rules laid down in the Chemical Weapons Convention, which do not empower the Director-General to interfere with the investigation once the inspectors have been dispatched, and stipulate that the final report must be produced within 30 days of the inspection team’s return to base.
  • From the contrast between the shortcomings of this anonymous report, and the professionalism of a report on another investigation by the Fact-Finding Mission that was signed by the Team Leader Kalman Kallo and released in July 2018, it is reasonable to infer that Kallo did not write this Final Report. A proposal that all members of the FFM team should give a briefing on the Final Report was voted down by the OPCW Executive Council on 14 March 2019.
  • The apparent removal of the Team Leader, the exclusion of evidence that the hospital dousing scene was staged, the delay in producing this anonymous report and the refusal to allow a briefing by the FFM team raise concerns that criminal activities – the staging of a chemical attack using the bodies of civilians – have been covered up. In most jurisdictions, the duty to disclose such a cover-up would override the confidentiality agreements that OPCW employees are required to sign.
  • This report discredits OPCW as a source of impartial investigation and undermines it as an international institution that is fit to be entrusted with maintaining the prohibition of chemical weapons, let alone with the remit to “identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons” assigned by a resolution of the Conference of States Parties in June 2018.
Read the full report
 
'A well coordinated drills?'- Still can't see the 'whole picture'...

I am getting the same feeling about the strategies sToRmR1dR. They lie so well. Acting like they are withdrawing troops here and there while constantly setting the stage for future continuation of reaching their goal/goals. It seems they much prefer poxy troops with a small on the ground presence of other national troops to say they have "skin in the game".
 
More weapon caches from the US (with communications hardware), captured at Daara.

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2-3 minute Read: Snip:
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:50 A.M.) – The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) is regrouping in Syria to carry out new offensives against the government and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a military source in Damascus told Al-Masdar on Tuesday.

According to the source, the Syrian military believes the Islamic State is planning to launch a major offensive in several areas, including the eastern countryside of Homs, Al-Mayadeen (Deir Ezzor), and Al-Raqqa.

He said the Islamic State’s sleeper cells have exponentially increased their attacks against the government and Syrian Democratic Forces, with a primary concentration on Al-Raqqa, Al-Shaddadi, Palmyra, Al-Mayadeen, and Al-Sukhneh.

The source added that the terrorist group has been collecting weapons during their night raids and could launch a big operation in the coming weeks.

Quick read:
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And Syrian aircraft theft's, (wow).

 
SDF, (searching the al-Baghuz Fawqani area), captured weapons stashes left by the Islamic State jihadists.





 
At least three soldiers were wounded during the Israeli attack on Masyaf - Syrian air defenses managed to shoot down some of the Israeli missiles.

3 people injured in Israeli rocket attack on Syria's Hama province – reports
13 Apr, 2019

Syrian air defenses intercept an Israeli aggression on Massyaf area, down a number of missiles
13 April, 2019

This article is up on Yahoo this morning, as one of it's top stories. The main website that published the article Center for the National Interest, gives the over-all impression, of being a pro-Israel propaganda site. The main theme of the article seems to point "that Israel had a legitimate justifiable claim to cross the Border into Syria on April 13th and bomb targets"? It goes into a elaborate description of Syria's defense systems, including the new Russian system (which Russia controls) -- and through an agreement between Netanyahu and Putin (on Netanyahu's last visit to Russia) Russia would not interfere with Israeli missiles? The Syrian Military used the older model and only scored a few incoming missiles? It tries to paint a picture - that Putin is running the show and Assad has limited control over operations? It goes on to state, "Russia and Iran are reportedly competing for influence over the Syrian government. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad favors Moscow, but his influential brother Maher has close ties with Iran" to give the impression that there is a power struggle between factions, even dragging North Korean technology and Belarussian specialists into the mix. (Guess, there was no way of fitting in Venezuela and Cuba -- without really tipping their hand?)

April 20, 2019 - Israeli F-16 Jets Blew Up a Syrian Missile Factory (And Russia’s Air Defense Missiles Didn’t Strike)
Israeli F-16 Jets Blew Up a Syrian Missile Factory (And Russia’s Air Defense Missiles Didn’t Strike)
Israeli F-16 Jets Blew Up a Syrian Missile Factory (And Russia’s Air Defense Missiles Didn’t Strike)
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Why not?
Israeli F-16 Jets Blew Up a Syrian Missile Factory (And Russia’s Air Defense Missiles Didn’t Strike)

At 2:30 in the morning on April 13, 2019, around a dozen missiles tore over the night sky of Hama province, Syria, launched by Israeli F-16 jets flying over Lebanon.

In response, short-range Syrian air missiles arced into the night sky trailing plumes of fire from their rocket motors. One or two can be seen exploding mid-air, possibly having have hit their target.

However, as has happened in over 200 other Israeli air strikes on targets in Syria, the defensive fire proved inadequate. The weapons struck three Syrian targets.

The first was a training base called the “Academy.” A second site was reportedly a storage facility for surface-to-surface missile launchers located near the Masyaf National Hospital. Afterward, the pro-Assad Al-Masdar news agency published a picture of an annihilated M-600 Tishereen ballistic missile launcher.

The M-600 is a Syrian license-manufactured version of the Iranian Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missile, a type Tehran has used for missile strikes on targets in Syria, Iraq and Israel since 2017.

The third and hardest hit site was a missile manufacturing facility belonging to the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center near Masyaf, Syria. The SSSRC is dedicated to procuring sanctioned chemical weapons and ballistic missile technology from abroad for Damascus. The gated facility, for which you can see a satellite photo here, adjoined two compounds believed to house Syrian and Iranian troops.

Before-and-after satellite photos show that around three-quarters of the facility was reduced to flattened rubble by the bombs. The Syrian government claimed six personnel were injured in the attack, while independent observers reported seventeen to twenty-one injured, and possibly some deaths amongst Iranian forces.

The North Korean Connection?
Hawkish Israeli website Debkafile alleged that “Western intelligence sources” claimed that technical experts from Iran, North Korea and Belarus were killed or wounded in the strike. According to Debka, the North Koreans were specifically assisting with the production of fuel for solid-fuel rockets, which are less volatile and can be launched on much shorter notice than liquid-fuel rockets which require hours to pump full of gas prior to launch.

The Belarussians were allegedly in the employ of Belvneshpromservice, a state-owned arms exporter under sanction by the United States for illegal arms transfers. Belarus is a strong supporter of the Assad government, though it has officially denied that any Belarussian specialists are present in Syria.

Other sources have not corroborated Debka’s claims. However, Syria has historically exchanged scientists and technology with North Korea and Iran to circumvent international sanctions and arms-control laws. In July 2007, a missile being loaded with chemical weapons exploded in a secret facility in Al Safir, Syria—killing over forty people, including technicians from North Korea and Iran. The explosion was possibly caused by Israeli sabotage. Two months later, Israeli warplanes killed Syrian and North Korean technicians at a nuclear reactor site under construction at Deir-es-Zor.

Israel has employed everything from air strikes to motorcycle-riding assassins to target Syrian and Iranian experts involved in missile and chemical weapons program. The personnel at the Masyaf facility have been no exception. Israel warplanes bombed the facility for the first time in 2017. Then in August 2018, a car-bomb most likely planted by Mossad killed Aziz Anbar, a senior scientist at the facility. He had been working on a project called “Sector 4” intended to install improved guidance systems onto Syria’s M-600 ballistic missiles.

However, Syrian military commentator Mohammed Saleh Alftayeh expressed skepticism of the Debka claim in an internet exchange. According to him, the facility was building Iranian-designed Zelzal-2 (“Earthquake”) unguided artillery rockets with a range of 124 miles, whereas North Korean technology is used for longer-range systems.

“The Israelis are concerned more with [Iranian] Fateh-110 which we know North Koreans helped with its development (the development is still ongoing, so they might still be involved). Such development is more likely to be taking place at a different location in Masyaf (in Wadi Jahannam) which is actually dug inside a hillside and is an old base.

The base that was attacked this time is a relatively new one which was built [in 2014] next to some training facilities and separated from them by just a wall. This does not really speak of a sensitive project with foreign participation that needs secrecy and protection.”

The Mystery of the Silent S-300 Battery
Another aspect of the operation that has raised eyebrows concerns the advanced S-300PMU-2 surface-to-air missile battery (NATO codename SA-20B Gargoyle) deployed near Masyaf.

In 2018, Russia sold the S-300 to Syria over long-standing Israeli objections after a Russian Il-20 surveillance plane was mistakenly shot down by Syrian air defenses attempting to engage Israeli fighters. In theory, the S-300s, which can employ 48N6 missiles with a theoretical maximum range of 120 miles, could pose a greater risk to the IDF’s frequent strikes over Syria.

In February 2019, satellite photos revealed at least three S-300 systems in Masyaf apparently in operational condition. However, the S-300 battery did not attempt to shoot down the incoming missiles on April 13. The defensive fire on April 13 instead likely came from short-range Pantsir-S1 or Tor-M1 air defense systems. Syrian state news sources claimed the S-300 crews had not yet completed their training.

However, the S-300’s silence may reflect a new understanding reached between Putin and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who won reelection just a week prior to the strike. Apparently, the latter agreed to provide fifteen minutes of advance notice of strikes to Russian forces.

Conflict analysis website T-Intelligence argued “The fact that the Syrian-operated SA-20B remained idle during last night’s IAF operation confirms that the use of the SAM system requires Russian approval. As expected, the Kremlin seems unwilling to authorize SAM attacks on IAF aircraft to protect Iranian assets.”

Debka later reported that a “Syrian military source” angrily criticized Russia for permitting the strike. “Russia may disapprove of the Israeli air strikes in Syria, but they will not intervene to stop them as they currently have an agreement with the Netanyahu administration.”

Russia and Iran are reportedly competing for influence over the Syrian government. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad favors Moscow, but his influential brother Maher has close ties with Iran. Early in 2019, Bashar began purging his brother’s supporters in the military, sparking several armed clashes.

Defense commentator Babak Taghvaee claimed IDF fighters used for the first time an indigenously-designed 1,256-pound air-launched supersonic missile called the Rampage, which would have been even harder than usual intercept. The long-range weapon, derived from the EXTRA artillery rocket, uses INS and GPS guidance and can be programmed to approach its targets from a specific angle at specific speed after launch and even calibrate the warhead to produce different levels of shrapnel to control collateral damage.

As the Rampage supposedly has a range measured in “hundreds” of kilometers, it could have launched well beyond the engagement range of the S-300PM2 system.

Alftayeh observes that a number of military and political factors might have weighed against employing the S-300 battery’s expensive 48N6 missiles.

“Due to the special nature of the system, and that the Russians are likely to have supplied only a few missiles to equip the launchers, I don’t think SAA will ever use it soon. The IAF has been using the tactic of saturating the attacked area with various kinds of missiles and bombs. It is not economical to use the S-300 against such an attack.”

He also noted that the aircraft launching the missiles were likely out of the S-300’s effective engagement range, particularly if the IDF employed Rampage missiles.

The mysteries surrounding the Israeli strike on Masyaf highlight how competing domestic factions and international actors continue to complicate Syria’s long and multi-faceted civil war.
 
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This article is up on Yahoo this morning, as one of it's top stories. The main website that published the article Center for the National Interest, gives the over-all impression, of being a pro-Israel propaganda site. The main theme of the article seems to point "that Israel had a legitimate justifiable claim to cross the Border into Syria on April 13th and bomb targets"? It goes into a elaborate description of Syria's defense systems, including the new Russian system (which Russia controls) -- and through an agreement between Netanyahu and Putin (on Netanyahu's last visit to Russia) Russia would not interfere with Israeli missiles? The Syrian Military used the older model and only scored a few incoming missiles? It tries to paint a picture - that Putin is running the show and Assad has limited control over operations? It goes on to state, "Russia and Iran are reportedly competing for influence over the Syrian government. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad favors Moscow, but his influential brother Maher has close ties with Iran" to give the impression that there is a power struggle between factions, even dragging North Korean technology and Belarussian specialists into the mix. (Guess, there was no way of fitting in Venezuela and Cuba -- without really tipping their hand?)

April 20, 2019 - Israeli F-16 Jets Blew Up a Syrian Missile Factory (And Russia’s Air Defense Missiles Didn’t Strike)
Israeli F-16 Jets Blew Up a Syrian Missile Factory (And Russia’s Air Defense Missiles Didn’t Strike)

If you want to see 'some parts' of the 'whole picture', you should have to follow the developments in Iraq and Afghanistan. ;-)

The new proxy war in Syria: Iran and Turkey vs. Saudi Arabia and Russia
By Leith Aboufadel - 2019-04-21

Iran’s Supreme Leader Appoints New Commander for Revolutionary Guards - Reports
21.04.2019

Turkish Army sets up new military bases in Syria ahead of anti-SDF operation
2019-04-21

US Plotting to Take Control of Key Iraq-Syria Border Crossing
Apr 21, 2019
 
US to lift Cyprus arms embargo in security boost

This is 'adding fuel to the fire' according to North Cyprus Today newspaper on April 20th. Also we should not forget the Yinon plan of Israel and their ambition to own the whole island of Cyprus for centuries!! Even Akel's Yiorgos Loukaides said the end to the embargo was a 'dangerous adventure'. Plus Russia was warning them against this decision throughout December 2018.
Of course this in nothing to do with the vast quantities of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean! So USA now rescinds the embargo they put in place themselves 32 years ago! They are also now FINANCING military 'assistance' to Greece and South Cyprus. The excuse being that their NATO member Turkey chooses to purchase a Russian S-400 defence system.
So we now have a build up of bases : USA/Israel/Greece/South Cyprus on the south coast of Cyprus. Turkey building one on the North coast of Cyprus. Russia being totally ignored, and increasing its bases in Syria. Not to mention Israel blatantly firing missiles inside Syria through Lebanese air space and the British using Akrotiri base in South Cyprus to send war jets to bomb imaginary 'chemical factories' in Syria.
Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Large tracts of Turkey, Iran and Iraq are all countries that are part of the Yinon plan!
The usual lies for intervention are: ' to prevent peace and stability on the island from being transformed to tension' - meaning we want your resources!! Even if that means conflict and genocide!!
Greek Cypriot communist party member Yiorgos warns them saying they are 'increasing US supremacy in the region at the expense of Russia'.
 

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:05 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has deployed a number of units to the central Syria front as the recent string of Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) has threatened the security of the region.

According to a report from Palmyra, the Syrian Arab Army sent these reinforcements to the Al-Sukhnah area in order to clear the mountains in the northeastern part of the Homs Governorate.

Most recently, the Islamic State managed to capture some territory near the small town of Al-Kawm; this prompted the Syrian military and their allies from Liwaa Al-Quds to step up their operations along the Sukhnah-Rusafa Road.

This area in northeastern Homs is incredibly important to the Syrian military because eastern Homs is rich in natural resources.
Losing their gas fields, like the ones in the Al-Sha’ar Mountains, would only further the plight of the Syrian people living under the government.

With the ongoing fuel crisis that is crippling the economy and everyday life in Syria, the government will have to protect these areas and prevent the Islamic State from once again expanding in central Syria.


 
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