Dear friends, To my never-ending amazement, our community is still growing, and I don’t mean the number of pages served by this blog (which peaked at over 3 million and is now tapering off at somewhere over 2) since that kind of numbers really don’t mean much. And neither do I mean the other six Saker blogs. This time around, something new happened: a website created by a member of
Note by the Saker: I learned the hard way and have come to terms with the following sad facts: a) there will always be people who will deliberately accuse others of things they neither said nor meant and b) some people are simply to stupid to understand an argument. The following article by Jimmie Moglia will be an ideal target for both of these categories. The only way for me
by Ghasssan Kadi for the Saker Blog On the 6th of May 2018, Lebanese voters went to their polling booths to vote for members of Parliament. This was the first Parliamentary election since 2009, nearly a decade ago, even though the regular parliamentary term is only four years. And for the first time in Lebanon’s history, the Lebanese diaspora were able to vote in their representative embassies. So why did
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-25-2018-israeli-us-strikes-on-government-forces-what-is-going-on/ Late on May 24, Israeli warplanes carried out several strikes on the al-Dabaa airbase in the southwestern Homs countryside, according to pro-government sources. The Syrian Air Defense Forces (SADF) responded to the attack by launching at least 2 S-200 surface-to-air missiles, according to local activists. The General Command of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) said in an official statement that the Israeli Air Force had targeted an airbase in
A rare and interesting event: a “volley” launch of four submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM – in this case the newest model “Bulava”) from a nuclear powered ballistic submarine (SSBN – in this case the newest model “Iurii Dolgorukii”). The launch took place in the White Sea and all the warheads reached their targets in the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East.
2018/05/25 05:00:01Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of the issues of the day. The ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’ will have two new open threads each week. The Saker stated moderation policy will apply eg ‘no caps’, no obscenity … etc to all post. The Cafe is now open for
[This article has been written for the Unz Review] This has been an interesting week for Russia. First, and contrary to my own expectations, Iulia Skripal has been allowed to make a recorded statement on video where she is seen writing a statement in English and Russian. This falls far short of even the basic British obligations to allow consular access to both Skripals, but it is a sign that
https://southfront.org/conflict-in-eastern-ukraine-can-soon-turn-into-open-war/ This week the military situation in eastern Ukraine has once again escalated as forces loyal to the Kiev government have advanced on positions controlled by defense forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DRP) near the city of Gorlovka. Gorlovka is the DPR-controlled town, located north of the DPR capital of Donetsk. Its pre-war population was about 256,000 people. On May 21, pro-Kiev troops, backed up by artillery and machine
I just came across an interesting, if old (2016) video. According to this (Russian language) article, it shows a Syrian Army position attacked by a ISIS suicide bomber. Amongst the Syrians, there is one Russian Special Operations (other sources say that he was from the Naval Infantry – probably the latter first and then into the Special Operation Forces) solider who holds his position even while all the others run.
Dear friends, I wanted to share with you an absolutely beautiful video of Jeff Beck and Tal Wilkenfeld playing together in 2007. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do – there is so much joy in this music! The Saker
Please press the ‘cc’ button to see the English subtitles
By David Franke for The Saker Blog A number of articles in the alternative media have put forth generalized arguments that the unipolar moment of the American Empire is unraveling, to be supplanted by a multipolar world. Here are two current articles, and a third that’s a few months old—all from mainstream media—that provide some of the details supporting that thesis. It doesn’t matter if you approve or disapprove—this is
by R.Lesnoix for The Saker Blog Peace between North Korea and the United States would be a welcome development. Both have nuclear weapons and have been threatening each other with the use of these until recently. With the proximity of China, Russia and Japan, each with their own interests, renewed fighting in and around the Korean peninsula could rapidly escalate. Such an escalation would spell trouble for the entire world,
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-24-2018-army-to-start-new-operation-in-response-to-isis-attacks/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Liwa al-Quds have repelled an ISIS attack on their positions west of al-Mayadin in the province of Deir Ezzor killing at least 8 terrorists. According to pro-government sources, there are currently about 1,500 ISIS members and commanders operating in the Homs desert. The increased activity of these terrorists may trigger an SAA military operation in order to fully eliminate them earlier than it
Step one: the DPRK destroys its nuclear testing facility Step two: Trumps cancels his meeting with Kim Jong-un Step three, just read this masterpiece: Amazing, no? The fact that the North Koreans requested the meeting is irrelevant, Trump’s red button is bigger than Kim’s and Kim is invited to lose face by begging for another meeting. I have to say that I am awed by the sheer lunacy of the
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-23-2018-biggest-isis-attack-near-palmyra-in-past-few-months/ On May 22, ISIS attacked positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the T3 pumping station, near the city of Palmyra, in the province of Homs. The attack started with the explosion of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Then, ISIS infantry stormed the SAA positions. However, the advance was repelled. According to pro-government sources, at least 16 SAA soldiers were killed, 14 others were injured and a
By Aram Mirzaei for The Saker Blog These past weeks have witnessed a lot of tensions running high, with Israel and Iran reportedly facing off near the Golan Heights. Israel has launched several airstrikes on “Iranian bases” across Syria, while Damascus (IRGC allegedly) responded with missile fire against IDF positions. In the aftermath of these hit and run attacks, Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad travelled once more to Russia to meet
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-22-2018-damascus-is-secured-daraa-is-next/ Late on May 21, Russian air defense systems, allegedly a Pantsir-S short to medium range system, launched at least four missiles at “unidentified” targets over the Khmeimim air base in Syria, according to local sources. Later, the Russian military revealed that one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had been shot down. No damage or casualties occurred as a result of the incident. A similar incident took place on April 24
by Nick for The Saker Blog “Terrorism is like a scorpion; it can unexpectedly sting you at any time”. Among the Western nations to discover the bitter truth of Bashar al Assad’s 2013 warning was Britain, when a Libyan suicide bomber killed 22 people attending a pop concert in Manchester. But while the UK media covered the May 22nd first anniversary of the massacre, not a single mainstream outlet so
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) Iran is considering conducting all trade in euro and yuan amid uncertainty over whether Brussels can challenge the dominance of US law and prevent possible sanctions The Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has monopolized the highest levels of government in Tehran around the clock
