Before I get to this SITREP I’d like to note the Middle East right now is dealing with highly unusual weather. Storm after storm, and fallouts from the storms in the region have created torrential rains and flash floods everywhere. Areas like Gaza, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, parts of Iraq and Saudi Arabia are all witnessing strange and out-of-place weather. Basically if an area is adjacent to a river or the ocean, or is in the mountains, than an unprecedented level of water is dropping from the sky. This is not the first time that the Middle East has had such bizarre weather, but it has been more frequent in the last 2-3 years.
Syria, Iran, Hezbollah:
• The fighting right now in Syria reflects the strategic necessity of controlling highways and major junction centers such as Homs. Highways and roads ease logistical movement. Although most military vehicles are ‘all-terrain’ their treads/wheels (and at times engines) are more taxed on unpaved roads. Other impacted variables off-roading is top speed, fuel efficiency, and a higher likelihood of suffering some kind of breakage.
• The Syrian Arab Army, NDF and Hezbollah have had more success against rebels and Al-Nusra than they’ve had against ISIL. The Syrian military faces a few other independent actors as well (more later).
• SAA and NDF victories have been slow but purposeful. It’s been more than a month since the Russian air strikes have started and the SAA has had issues in maintaining security along supply lines and in gaining large decisive victories like those seen by ISIL in 2014.
• That’s not to blame the SAA for a lack of effort. It’s easy to forget a month ago the Syrian military was in desperate need to turn the tide against the rapid gains made by the newly coordinated Army of Conquest (FSA, Al-Nusra, and friends) which was just about to redraw the strategic map.
• The manpower issues that have plagued the SAA are one of the reasons these tactical setbacks are occurring. The NDF is stretched thin as is and the SAA is not replenishing their numbers as fast as they’d like. President Assad has done a lot of things to address the manpower issue including pardoning desertion, pension raise to military and retired personnel and offering tax exemptions to government employees [Source]
• Syria’s military is weakened beyond recovery for many years. The only deterrence Syria has against Israeli action is a stockpile of rockets and ballistic missiles for saturation missile attacks on city-centers and military installations. To what extent their chemical weapons program and stockpiles are is unknown especially after the 2013 Russian deal.
• Iran continues to lose high ranking officers in Syria. [Source]
• One can only speculate that this is really a targeted campaign. The number of SENIOR IRGC officers to fall has been too high in too short of a time span. Either IRGC commanders have a creed to lead from the front (even at the colonel level, which is admirable) or there is some serious accurate intelligence being handed down to anti-Iranian forces to get these guys killed. One or two commanders is one thing. One or two (high ranking) commanders every week is a different story.
Russia, United States, UK:
• The US will deploy Special Forces into Syria, the official number is set to 50 advisors. [Source]
• It’s most likely that the US has already had boots on the ground in the form of Special Forces (in the role of forward air control). Because the West likes to appear like its avoiding causalities and because drones are not as 100% accurate as the commercials like us to believe militaries are forced to use boots on the ground to accurately identify targets before airstrikes.
• Not ALL US air strikes are vetted by a FAC. Mostly ones that are in proximity to civilian centers (in which the collateral damage may exceed a certain number that might draw too much attention from news media).
• The British SAS were deployed in Iraq and Syria for some time. Apparently they’ve taken daring raids against ISIL positions in jeeps and humvees like it was World War 2 or something. Claims that they dress up as ISIL militants have surfaced but to what truth that holds is unconfirmed [Source]
• I get the impression that the SAS-dress-up-as-insurgents claim originated from a tabloid.
• The US seems to have created a new “faction” loosely uniting various Islamist and rebel forces. This faction is called the Syrian Arab Coalition (another name is the Syrian Democratic Forces). It’s planned to be used to fight ISIL directly and has already received US weapon drops inside Syria, giving them a level of success. [Source]
• The Kurds will be the more professional forces within the Syrian Democratic Forces.
• Of course this faction exists only in name, some kind of handlers on the ground must be vetting which groups should get supply drops and establishing communications between them to coordinate attacks.
• A very small number of US trained rebels are being used as forward air controllers to call in US airstrikes for this newly minted organization.
• You have to give the US credit, it keeps trying. The department of defense sold its new plans by successfully inserting Special Forces with Kurds to free ISIL-held prisoners and it has displayed how effective weapon drops can be in the hands of the right rebels in fighting ISIL. This has emboldened the US, expect greater escalation in support.
• Russia and the US have undertaken a joint exercise together to practice safety protocols in the air. A step in the right direction, for the US anyway. [Source]
• Russia is using much larger weapons, such as the KAB-1500LG guided bomb which come in several variants, including a fuel-air bomb (thermobaric) and a bunker buster variant. Indicating that some areas are HEAVILY fortified to require these beasts. [Source] [Source] [Source] [Source] [source]
• Russian anti-air weapon systems are active in Latakia, for now any attack on Syria must involve very large numbers of fighter craft. A buildup that sizeable would be detected before an operation can commence. These anti-air systems are only capable of handling the odd Turkish or Israeli jet that might want to test the limit of Russian resolution. [Source]
Army of Conquest, FSA, GCC, and Rebels:
• I can’t seem to understand what exactly is going on with these people. What their strategy is.
• They seem to be losing battle after battle. Albeit they’ve had a few tricks up their sleeves such as the ludicrous levels of TOWs (and TOW rockets…)
• What few successes they’ve had against the SAA and supporting militias are very minor compared to the losses they’ve had to endure.
• Their only hope is for Turkey to create a buffer zone for them inside Syria to take respite, but that seems very unlikely now that Russia is in the equation.
• One has to consider how Al-Nusra and the Army of Conquest gang (Islamists) feel after Saudi Arabia accepted that the Syrian government cannot be religious.
• Something is keeping the Army of Conquest in line after hearing that their hard fighting won’t see Assad leave and won’t allow them to establish a religious state.
• Islamists not affiliated with the FSA or Army of Conquest (Army of Islam, or Jaish al-Islam) use hostages in cages in a failed attempt to dissuade air strikes on their positions. The hostages consist of women, captured Syrian soldier and officers, and minorities [Source]
• The Army of Islam is part of the Islamic Front, an anti-ISIL Islamist faction operating in Syria. It is also anti-Hezbollah and does not operate with the FSA or the Army of Conquest conglomeration. One of the many independent and capable factions of the Syrian conflict. It is represented by the Syrian oppositions through third-parties as it is not officially recognized as an opposition party.
• They are primarily located around the outskirts of Damascus (Ghouta, Douma)
Yemen:
• A massive storm has showered Yemen with unseasonal amounts of rain, adding to its already substantial woes.
• Combat operations have been complicated for all parties.
• Another storm seems to be brewing and is heading to the Gulf of Aden. [Source]
Iraq:
• It seems bad weather has halted the Iraqi offensive in Ramadi. [Source]
• Considering the hectic unseasonal rains occurring it’s safe to say ISIL is also having issues. The entire region does not have the proper infrastructure to handle these levels of rain.
Egypt:
• Parts of Egypt are impacted by the storms. Deaths have been reported. [Source]
• Another Sinai attack by Islamists targeted on a club frequented by Egyptian police. [Source]
• A Russian plane fell in the Sinai. If I know one thing is never underestimate mechanical failures. It does seem though that everyone is treating the bomb theory seriously just by the way security agencies are reacting. The Saker has covered this topic very well already and it would be better to wait for the results. [Source]
• It seems like Cameron really approves of Sisi, probably because of all the British investments in Egypt. [Source]
Israel and Palestine (Gaza and West Bank)
Because people think I’m giving Israel a pass I’ll reflect on some of their actions seen with the Palestinians today. I doubt they’ll enter the Syrian theater anytime soon (if at all). Primarily because the government is going to find it very hard to sell any adventures in foreign territory after Gaza in 2014 and Lebanon in 2006. However it does seem like that something is going to go down in Jerusalem and potentially the West Bank. Gaza right now is being suffocated by both Israel and Egypt (Western-backed dictatorships always listen) and Hamas is not strong enough to resist Israel with the strongest military and Egypt with the largest at the same time.
• Israel is no stranger to pre-emptive wars. [Source]
• However the time to attack Hezbollah has passed with the Russian arrival. Strikes on Iranian facilities have also been ruled out due to the complication of Russian jets in the air.
• The situation right now suits Israel just fine. Syria has been shattered, Iran is occupied with Iraq and Syria, and Hezbollah has been losing manpower slowly fighting other Arabs instead of Israelis.
• Internally Israel has overreacted to a series of knifing attacks by Palestinians.
• The knifing attacking are motivated by the unending and unsympathetic occupation of Palestine [Source]
• The violence is escalating. A disproportionate number of Palestinians have been killed compared to Israelis but that has always been the case [Source]
• For whatever reason the targeting of women, teenagers, and elderly by Israel never ceases to surprise me (considering its vast technological and military capabilities compared to the Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza). [Source] [Source]
• The Israeli perspective shrugs this off as “Pally-wood” in which Palestinians stage these events in some form of propaganda which would make Goebbels cream his pants.
• Unfortunately for Israel this is a hard line to sell considering how fast the world is beginning to understand the disproportionate struggle which the Palestinians must endure.
• Israel and the US enjoy a very friendly relationship. The Israeli lobby inside the US has a significant level of influence. Although all lobbies have some impact on the US government and its foreign policy, Israel by far overshadows all others. [Source]
• Of course no one claims Israel is innocent in all this with its double-speak occupation occurring in the West Bank and its systematic torture of the Gaza people (once extending to even the allotted calorie intake allowed for the population of Gaza). [Source]
• Israel has some cover in the media to initiate an operation against the Palestinians in the West Bank. Right now all eyes are on the Russian and US and the action in Syria.
• Either by luck, coincidence or operational planning Israeli military operations occur when the world is relatively distracted by some global event. Many operations or wars occurring during international events (Both the Hezbollah 2006 war and the 2014 Gaza war were around the same time as FIFA. The second intifada was overshadowed by the War on Terror the US unleashed on Afghanistan and Iraq.)
• But more accurately these incidents occur during the Israeli election season. Leaders want to project themselves as tough on Palestinians and initiate operations which instigate the population to resist. The war in Gaza in 2014 (which still allowed Netanyahu to win the early elections months later) is a good example. [Source]
• It feels like Israel is fanning the flames to the current issue issuing ridiculous charges for stone-throwing (didn’t David defeat Goliath with a stone?), storming the Al-Aqsa mosque, impressing discriminatory policies, arresting children and hunting teenagers for posting on Facebook. [Source] [Source] [Source] [Source] [Source]
• Israel has mastered the use of deception and public relations but as the media becomes more proliferated it has become somewhat harder to maintain the narrative [Source]
• Israel has not had a war since the 2014 onslaught in Gaza.
• Russia will probably not condemn anything Israel will do right now against the Palestinians. I only can offer the fact that Israel isn’t making a stink about Russia’s direct involvement in the Syrian battlefield.
• True enough Israel hasn’t been more vocal about Russian involvement. Generally speaking Israelis like to make a fuss about any shift of power inside the Middle East. Twice is true to countries directly bordering theirs.
• They made a huge ordeal about the Saudis purchasing F-15E from the US and insisted their advanced radar features be reduced, thus creating the F-15S for Saudi export (downgraded radar features). And this is Saudi Arabia, one of the least resistant countries to Israel. [Source] [Source]
• Israel is a hyper-military power. Its projection capabilities are second to none in the region. Unfortunately the IDF soldier of today lacks the will for war, unlike the generations before them. This is reflected on their unwillingness to aggressively engage Hezbollah or militarily defeat Hamas.
• Israel attacks the Palestinians on multiple fronts, in the media, economically, physically in person and even on the international level. [Source]
• Israel has tried to legitimize some of its occupations, as seen with the Druze in the Golan Heights and Christian Palestinians [Source][Source]
“…and Hezbollah has been losing manpower slowly fighting other Arabs instead of Israelis.”
This statement is a correct one, but I feel there are added, positive dimensions to this involvement by Hezbollah that are missing.
First: All of Hezbollah gets serious combat experience, including coordinating their attacks with support from the air.
Second: They experience attacking a strong defensively entrenched enemy (as they normally are), which must be of huge benefit for them in planning future battles with Israel.
Third: Their strategic alliance with Syria and Iran are strengthened beyond measure
Fourth: They have formed a working relationship with Russia, and developed one with Iraq
Fifth: The respect gained by these others must be huge
Six: They have received training and increased weaponry (in type and quantity) as a result.
Seven: Israel is now seriously restrained
Eight: Takfiris suffer a serious defeat, and the threat from these forces within Lebanon is greatly diminished
Nine: The Syrian border is secured against infiltration and attack
Ten: IRGC forces are now in Syria, closer to their own areas in Lebanon
Eleven: If reports are to be believed, Hezbollah now has an armoured brigade, and enhanced air defence capability.
Twelve: Their supply lines from Iran into Lebanon are now secure.
Yes, all this comes with a cost, but the strategic calculus (unless they suffer defeat in Syria) is worth it from their perspective. As Hassan Nsarallah stated, they in it until victory.
Salam Steve,
Not according to John Rambo, they are “a tribal primitive peoples who have been occupied by one European power after another.”
A better wording for “a tribal primitive peoples”, would have been “monkey chimpanzee”.
Best regards,
Mohamed.
Hi john, I saw an article a couple of days ago that said that Yemenis have captured a Saudi Town…
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&frid=23&eid=237653
And also, that there are Palestinian soldiers fighting against ISIL…I can’t find the headline now
Palestinian soldiers means PLO, they are not fighting in Syria.. neither is Hamas.. They are AGAINST Syria.. In fact they fight with the muslim brotherhood who are destroying Syria.. Okay I don’t think these are real muslim brotherhood but using their infrastructure to organize. The Palestinian militia are from the refugee camps that were organized when IS or who ever tried to take over the camp near Damascus, there are like a million refugees in Syria. Since the Palestinian political faction is on the other side, I think this was done so the millions of Palestinians in Syria would not get kicked out like they did from Jordan and Lebanon. They are part of the national defence force made of many other militias and number over 150,000.. with Christians, druze, shites and everyone.. They are not strong enough to directly engage with the likes of IS lacking heavy weapons.
So you still want to support the Palestinians? The very same ones supporting IS? Its a slippery slope here.. many Palestinians here fighting with IS. I can see the Palestinians fighting with the NDF because for now it is their home, none of the GCC countries host Palestinian refugees.. Yet they side with them… Turn on those who try to help them… Shall we carry banners freedom for Palestine… Freedom for IS.. Like that Turkish intelligence chief said, IS is a movement and they have rights.. Its a trend and a movement like that will not be stopped.. Maybe we should carry signs for their rights as well.. Also india was one of the first countries to give diplomatic status to the PLO and gave them a lot of leverage, all the GCC countries and other muslim countries in asia, middle east and Africa then sent planes, equipment, pilots to bomb india.. And then some idiots come here and they see indias friendship with Israel as having evil intentions.. oh those evil evil Indians.. I am surprised india has not thrown out the Palestinians.. When you come down to it, Palestine is now openly an IS supporter..
Bibi would love it if the Palestinians got brainwashed into supporting the ISIS franchise (a Western and Israeli intelligence operation). Why? Israel could then create a false flag in which “Palestinian ISIS” blows up Al-Asqa Mosque.
Just as there are Syrians who are fighting alongside the Islamic State so too are there Syrians fighting against them. The same is true of Palestinians. Generally speaking Palestinians are poor, disenfranchised and are desperate enough to go for anything that will let them not feel like they’re victims.
Palestinians may have turned on those that have helped them from time to time but people forget that pretty much every Arab state have thrown the Palestinians under the bus when dealing with the West in any negotiations.
The lack of concern from Saudi Arabia about the Al-Aqsa mosque is directly correlated to the lack of condemnations from the United States on the Yemeni bombing campaign.
But I have no idea how you can claim Palestine is in open support of the Islamic state when Hamas (Gaza) was openly threatened by the Islamic State (just google it and pick whatever source you trust).
And Fateh in the West Bank wouldn’t dare say anything as Israel basically dictates what they should do.
Syria and the PLO have split blood together fighting Israel during the 1973 war (specifically the battles of Mount Hermon) and not to mention the cooperation seen during the Lebanon war in the 80s. That bond is still seen in the many Palestinian militias fighting alongside the SAA and NDF.
Now it is true that Hamas supports the Muslim Brotherhood which is one of the reasons Egypt has basically gone full-Israel on Gaza but that’s a far cry from saying it supports ISIL. Even now the Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood in the Sinai disagree on what Egypt should be (as a province of the Islamic State or as a national entity).
To say that Palestine supports the Islamic State because it has a few Palestinian fighters is the same as saying Britain supports the Islamic State because there are a few Brits amongst them.
Salam John Rambo,
Excellent. Well said. I am a Shia and I don’t consider all Muslim Brotherhood to be bad. Basically, the Sunni believe that all these corrupt leaders are appointed by The Will of God. Hassan al-Banna the founder of Muslim Brotherhood, who challenged this BS after several centuries and took exemption to it. According to him, all these corrupt leaders are not appointed by The Will of God, but by The Empire.
Of course, The Empire couldn’t have it, so they infiltrated the Muslim Brotherhood. The rest is history.
Best regards,
Mohamed.
” For whatever reason the targeting of women, teenagers, and elderly by Israel never ceases to surprise me (considering its vast technological and military capabilities compared to the Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza).”
One would think so,right.But its because the Zionists despise Arabs,and especially Palestinians.They have the feeling they are “sub-humans”.So the lives of a Palestinian woman,child,or elderly person mean nothing to them.That isn’t true of all Israelis.But is true of the Zionist true-believers.
To give you an idea of the Israeli feeling for Palestinians.One of Israels most monstrous PM’s (Begin),a known terrorist from the Mandate of Palestine days.And a hero of Netanyahu’s said in the Israeli Parliament about the Palestinians,that they were “beasts who walk on two legs”.And there is another quote attributed to him,that the Israelis deny he said.But knowing the evil of his career I’m thinking he may have said it.I feel certain he felt that way from his actions:
“Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves.”
The Begin quote, which came from an Israeli journalist, I think, was, of course, denied. Everything is. If you believed the denials you would imagine that Jews are a very poor, powerless minority, everywhere, with no influence in any country, and totally dedicated to serving humanity as ‘God’s Chosen People’, a heavy burden and responsibility to be a ‘Light Unto the Nations’, which difficult role they bear with ‘moral purity’ etc, etc. And that Israel lives in a ‘nasty neighbourhood’ full of deranged beasts who hate Jews simply out of inherent evil and envy, and who indoctrinate their children to attack the Jews who protect and nurture them in the West Bank and Gaza luxury resorts etc, etc. If Begin did not say the above, it still entirely accurately encapsulates the philosophy and religion of Judaic and Zionist supremacists like himself, and scores of similar pronouncements have been made by numerous other Jews, Israeli, religious and secular, over the centuries.
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/obamas-regime-change-syria-effort-destabilize-china-russia/ri10983
“It appears the negative contagion of US –sponsored regime changes in the Mideast, that empowered the rise of Salafi jihadism, is pivoting east and destabilizing Asia.”
etc
http://russia-insider.com/en/dogfights-next-us-sends-f-15-jets-counter-russian-air-force-over-syria/ri10965
“In the final analysis, Washington has absolutely no idea what’s going to happen now that i) the PKK has suffered a bitter electoral defeat at the hands of Erdogan in Turkey, and ii) it’s just a matter of time before Hezbollah advances on Raqqa supported by Russian warplanes and so, the Pentagon is sending in the dogfighters to make sure that in case something goes horribly wrong, the US can shoot down whoever happens to be in the sky before the “50” spec ops get bombed. ”
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re-posting this link
http://russia-insider.com/en/new-us-backed-syrian-anti-isis-alliance-fiction/ri10959
“But 10 days of interviews and front-line visits across northern Syria with many of the forces in the alliance, called the Syrian Democratic Forces, made clear that so far it exists in name only, and that the political and logistical challenges it faces are daunting.”
etc
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“The publication «The Intercept» published the classified documents showing that 90% of those killed by US drone strikes – civilians, has no relation to the objectives. Subsequently, the victim in the official documents of the United States called “destruction of the enemy.”
Large civilian casualties from US drone attacks in Syria and Iraq are linked to the fact that as targets used mobile phones, said the former NSA employee Edward Snowden US “They are targeted not at the individual citizen, they are targeting the mobile phone. And they do not know, is now holding this phone in the hands of a terrorist himself or his mother. That is why many turn into a fiasco drone strikes, why shoot at the wedding feast. ”
Militants in Syria have MANPADS, which can hit targets at altitudes of up to 4.5 kilometers, in particular systems “Stinger” and several others, including in China, which they captured from the CAA.
Command of the Syrian Air Force and groups FAC of Russia, located in Syria, are in constant contact, selected targets distributes between Russians and Syrians special headquarters, and in the case of being in one area of the pilots of the two countries are choosing different heights, told Russian journalists the commander of the air base, “Ham.” According to him, the main goal, which strikes the Syrian and Russian aviation – is places where rebels control centers and headquarters, their convoys that move on the earth. “In the development of each goal is being hard work, which excludes attacks on civilian targets. The coordinates of the target are defined very clearly, and then distributes them to the headquarters of the Russian and Syrian air force”, – assured the commander of the air base. ” etc, extensive report summary events Syria 7-8 Nov
http://www.anna-news.info/node/46411
google translate
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Currently, work is conducted pre-contract to supply Algeria and Egypt airborne defense system for aircraft and helicopters “President-C.”
Deputy Director General to develop a set of “Concern Radio-electronic technology” Igor Nasenkov said that “President-S” is for personal protective planes and helicopters from hitting aircraft and anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-aircraft artillery systems air defense ground and sea-based. The complex, in particular, is installed on the Ka-52, Mi-28 and Mi-26.
The complex is designed to detect and track incoming missiles, to create active interference and radar head
divert its path to destroy the target.”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/46420
google translate
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“Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun warned Russians of the influence of Western propaganda. He believes that all the countries that have gone on about the United States, ended up in the doldrums.
– You’ve seen that done States with those countries that have gone at them on occasion. They have turned them into beggars, ruined industry, people have turned to migrant workers. So I want to tell the Russian people should beware of Western propaganda. They say that your coming to Syria is a war in Russia, but in fact it is the protection of Russia from the war, – he stressed.
Ahmad Hassoun met with the leaders in Moscow and personally thanked Vladimir Putin for assistance to Syria, and strong resistance to attacks and US pressure. The Syrian leader said that the United States provoked the religious wars and ethnic strife, they were sure that it has the soil. But they failed to break the Russian. For the spiritual leader of Syria thanked President Putin.”
http://www.anna-news.info/node/46383
google translate
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http://www.anna-news.info/node/46366
extensive Syrian report here too seems to be a summary of late October
troop movements etc
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“Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with the permanent members of the Security Council of Russian course of the operation videoconferencing in Syria.”
6th Nov-details, analysis, report etc
http://www.anna-news.info/node/46360
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bit more
“MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch and All the East has called on the United States and other world powers to stop financing terrorist organizations forcing Syrians to flee the armed conflict and move to Europe.
“We ask the United States and other nations to stop financing terrorist and extremist groups. Consolidated effort is needed to bring the situation back to normal. We urge all parties to make efforts for a peaceful resolution of the crisis,” the patriarch told a news conference in Moscow on Monday, the first day of his visit to the Russian capital, which will last until November 13.
(Lawmaker: IS sponsors once tried to break Chechnya from Russia)
He pointed to the “big role of external forces that foment the crisis, so we ask to stop financing those who direct their weapons against the Syrian people.”
“Yes, we realize that Syria needs reforms, a system that will benefit all people, but at this price, the price of the destruction of Syria and its people,” said Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II who is also the primate of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church.
According to the patriarch, the beginning of the Russian military operation in Syria will give the Syrian people the hope for the end of the five-year war.”
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SOCHI, November 9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that the operation in Syria has shown the combat readiness of the armed forces has grown.
“Timely measures have enhanced the combat readiness and capabilities of our armed forces. This is well-seen in the anti-terrorist operation we have been conducting at the request of the Syrian leadership,” Putin told a conference devoted to the state of affairs in the defense-industrial complex.
He noted the stable operation of Russian defense-industrial complex enterprises, which were providing the armed forces with advanced missile systems and nuclear-powered and multi-role submarines, as well as surface ships.”
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SOCHI, November 9. /TASS/. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports on Monday that Russia had allegedly built up its military personnel in Syria and deployed them outside its air bases in the Arab country.
Peskov was asked to comment on the reports in some media sources that referred to bloggers who claimed that the Russian military personnel in Syria had been augmented.
“Like anonymous sources, bloggers are not the ground for any comments,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
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MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. The inter-Syrian consultations in Moscow are being discussed, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad told TASS on Monday.
“Preparations are underway to hold inter-Syrian consultations in Moscow,” the diplomat said. “We hope that these meetings will take place,” he added.
On November 3 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov said that the meeting between the Syrian government and the opposition may take place in the Russian capital the following week. “We will invite the broad specter of the opposition. Talking about the Syrian government, they are always ready, there are no problems here,” Bpgdanov said.
Inter-Syrian conferences Moscow I and Moscow II were held in January and April 2015.
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MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. The date of the second ministerial meeting on the Syrian settlement is being coordinated, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of information and media told TASS on Monday.
“The second ministerial meeting on Syria is being coordinated,” the foreign ministry said.
A diplomatic source told TASS earlier that the meeting will most likely be held on November 14. China also said that Beijing plans to join the talks in Vienna on November 14.
“The second broad ministerial meeting on Syria will take place in Vienna on November 14. China will take part in the meeting to facilitate the political resolution of the Syrian problem,” he said.
Hong Lei also said that China welcomes the results of the last ministerial meeting on Syria and supports continuing the fight against the Islamic State terrorist organization and other extremist groups. “The participants of the Vienna meeting are very attentive to the problem of fighting against terrorism. All sides, including China, support airstrikes at the sanctioned Islamic State and other terrorist forces in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution,” the spokesman noted.
He added the importance of coordinating efforts and UN’s role in settling the Syrian crisis. Hong Lei called for refraining from “using double standards and linking terrorism with any concrete nationality or religion.”
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“Here is a geographical analysis of the use of Russian aviation: The main attacks were made in the area between Hama and Homs, as well as in the northern provinces of Syria, which are under the control of the largest groups, “Jabhat al-Nusra”, “Jaish al-Fatah”, “Ahrar Al-Sham “,” Liwa al-Tawhid “, etc. In these provinces are the full force group “Jaish al-muhajirin” (including the breakaway organization, such as “Jund Caucasus”), complete with members from the North Caucasus, Georgian and European Chechens.”
analysis ,etc etc
http://fortruss.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/current-results-of-russian-military.html
article as at 6th November
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Putin is going after Jabhat al-Nusra because they are a proxy of the CIA while IS is a proxy of the pentagon. The CIA gave them advanced weapons t break through SAA defenses. Being mostly foreigners, this was a direct act of state terrorism. I think this is exactly why the RuAF is targeting this group more than the others. As they have the best US trained members as well as the latest weapons, AKA CIA shock troops to be used against Russia later.. And why we hear so much whining from the likes of McCain.. IS are just vets of Libya.. more of hillaries state department mercenaries.. Opportunists since they fight for money.. And why they attack other groups. It still does not make sense why the RuAF is not attacking IS. Maybe only because during the truce negotiations, the moderate terrorists wont be holding much Syrian land to ask for concessions. IS wont receive any anyway so they don’t matter.. FSA is another name for Jabhat al-Nusra. They even sleep in the same control center. Difference being FSA only eats livers and use sex slaves while Nursa cuts off heads but don’t drink blood or eat their victims and they prefer boys to girls..
“According to Lavrov, another meeting on the Syrian settlement in Vienna must focus on lists separating terrorists and patriotic oppositionists in the war-torn Arab country.
“Without consent on the lists of terrorists and oppositionists it will be hard to count on the success of the Vienna meeting, which is scheduled to take place soon,” Lavrov said. “Therefore, we have quite a pragmatic task at this meeting.”
“The Vienna format is now the basic, if not the sole, format of negotiations on settlement between the main players,” Lavrov said.
“This is just the beginning of a long and difficult process,” he added.
Russia suggests including OIC, Arab League in Vienna format
The Russian diplomat noted that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League should join the Vienna format talks on the Syria settlement.
“The Vienna format could be expanded through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States,” Lavrov said.
According to the Russian foreign minister, the inclusion of the OIC could put an end to speculations about confrontation between Sunni and Shia countries and their allies in the process of the Syria settlement.”
http://tass.ru/en/politics/834912
Washington is an “arsonist” responsible for the ongoing Syrian crisis, Tony Cartalucci writes, stressing that Syria and Russia must attempt to expand their operation across Syrian territory faster than the Pentagon can spread “chaos” there.
Washington is capable of extinguishing the fire of the ongoing Syrian crisis at any moment by shutting down the Turkish-Syrian border and ending Saudi aid to Islamist groups operating in Syria, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer Tony Cartalucci remarks, calling attention to the fact that the US has so far hesitated to do this.
“At any moment, should the US truly be interested in extinguishing this fire, it can shut down the Turkish-Syrian border, end Saudi aid to terrorist groups operating in Syria, and end the conflict in weeks, if not days. That it refuses to do so, illustrates the key role it plays in creating and perpetuating it, and more specifically, the creation and perpetuation of the “Islamic State” itself,” Cartalucci stresses in his article for New Eastern Outlook.
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20151108/1029783088/washington-arsonist-syria-crisis-isil.html#ixzz3r0StsCw3
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extract :
“Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, have since “shifted most of their aircraft” to fight the fledgling Houthi government which took power in Yemen last September.
Speaking with Sputnik, Middle East expert and former special correspondent for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Hassan Shemshadi commented on the Arab states’ shifting priorities, and on Tehran’s assessment of the overall effectiveness of the US-led air war against ISIL. He explained that up to this point, Iran does not think very highly of the campaign’s effectiveness.
“There is also other evidence,” the journalist explained. “Ahead of the battle for Kobani, the coalition’s intelligence received information on the exact coordinates of the movements of ISIL tank columns. However, the airstrikes carried out against the terrorists never did end up taking this data into account. The diversionary bombing campaign ended up being carried out randomly and aimlessly in the desert. Then the coalition declared that it had struck ISIL positions.”
Shemshadi told Sputnik that “further proof can be found in a recent report of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. In this document, Ali Shamkhani, the former Air Force commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, reported that witness and military testimony had shown that the coalition had at its disposal complete visibility of the area, and could destroy a minimum of 120 ISIL military positions. However, only 12 bases were ultimately destroyed. The Iranian government even has reliable intelligence data showing that coalition aircraft flying over their targets have received orders not to hit ISIL positions.”
“All of this confirms,” according to the journalist, “that the mission of the Western-Arab anti-ISIL coalition has been and remains a bluff.
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151109/1029820138/iran-assessment-us-led-war-isil.html#ixzz3r0TM0wcW
Bacteriological/Chemical weapons: I have a question for you and/or Saker.
I was reading an article from Réseau International (from Strategika 51) that DAESH is using bacteriological (e.g Vibrio Cholerae) and chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria. They are also poisoning the drinking water and the dams with genetically modified agents very difficult to eradicate.
Could you provide your opinion on this matter? This is important to know the extent of the truth and the possible impacts of this important development.
Here are the links:
http://reseauinternational.net/conflit-au-moyen-orient-la-guerre-bacteriologique-et-chimique/
https://strategika51.wordpress.com/hq/news/
If their MO holds then what happened n North Korea where they sprayed chemicals so nothing grows there even after 50 years. In Vietnam, children develop abnormalities from all the chemicals sprayed there.. The first thing they bombed after taking out Iraqi air defense systems was to bomb the civilian infrastructure of sewage treatment plants and water supplies and the electricity grid.. Even after a decade of sanctions most electric grid was fixed but the US still destroyed them during their invasion.. And after a decade Iraq still had blackouts for most of the day.. Why they would bomb it in the first place.. or why it would take a decade and still not get fixed is beyond the scope or normal understanding.. After spending a trillion in Afghanistan all they can show is some stuff that were built by other countries and old stuff the soviets built.. And some nice 5 star hotels.. Guess when the US destroys, a trillion just don’t build much these days… And more than a trillion in Iraq? They still have blackouts and sewage problems..
My general impression is that the offensive is going well, but slow in most areas, and very slow in some areas. But I don’t really know what the goals are so it is hard to say, anyone know what the initial stated goals for the offensives were?
I heard Russia will stay with their planes for 4 months, so that means SAA has 3 months of Russian aircover left.
Interesting that Turkey and Israel have stolen the Syrian water!!!!!!
Syria is a Socialist Republic and the Government Still Supports the Majority of the Population
Sunnis are not closed out of the Syrian government or slighted by it. Although the Assads are Alawite, the Parliament of Syria, the massive bureaucracy that handles the day to day affairs of government and the Syrian Arab Army reflect the demographics of the society at large, meaning that they are mostly Sunni. There are many wealthy Sunnis in Damascus and Aleppo and many of them have government ties.
In Syria, women dress as they please, attend college if they like and hold jobs with substantial responsibilities. In Saudi Arabia, women must cover their faces outside their homes and need a man’s permission to travel, receive medical care or own property. They are not allowed to drive. While Syria insists on sovereignty despite horrific international pressure, the Saudis have infiltrated numerous countries with paid mercenary terrorists and are currently conducting a horrific bombing campaign against neighboring Yemen.
Syria, over the last half century, has taken in more refugees from the region and treated them better than any other country in the region. They have a couple of million Palestinians living there and took in at least 1.5 million Iraqis. The children were welcomed in schools and basic medical care was provided. Sadly, it is now the source of refugees.
http://orientalreview.org/2015/11/08/syria-why-the-west-meddling-into-a-3000-years-old-realm-has-failed/
In spite of their difficult situation, the Syrian government came out to vote with the BRICS and said NO to Kosovo in UNESCO.
Kosovo was refused membership by just 3 votes. Every little bit helps.
https://www.rt.com/news/321287-kosovo-member-unesco-admitted/
Big thanks to Syria and all the countries who voted against this !!
Read A.Dugin interview with Alexander Geyevich. Good stuff.