First, as always, a recap.
Turns out that the Iranian strikes were apparently very accurate, check out these photos:
This is interesting, because while I had some US ex-Colonel on idiot-box saying that most Iranian missiles either missed or landed in the desert. Rah! Rah! Rah! The US has THE BEST military in the GALAXY!! We kick these ragheads back to their medieval reality, bla-bla-bla.
The reality is that this has been a very effective “proof of concept demonstration”. Think like this: the Iranians have super-accurate coordinates for every single building in the Green Zone. What impact would you think a determined – non symbolic – missile strike on key US buildings in the Green Zone would have? How about US forces in Kuwait and/or Saudi Arabia.
Keep in mind that the kind of missiles Iran used is very much an older, less capable, generation. For example, as far as I know, these missiles have no final guidance capability (you may want to double/triple check this one). Other ones do (that I am sure of).
Furthermore, it is becoming apparent that Iran had no intention of hitting US personnel, at least not deliberately. So when the Idiot-in-Chief tweets “so far, so good” he is quite correct, but for all the wrong reasons.
I think of this first strike as a very serious WARNING SHOT which serves two purposes.
First, to show that the “54 targets in Iran” threat is an empty one: Iranians don’t care (for certain) and Pentagon planners probably don’t want it either (most likely). So besides hot air, the Idiot-in-Chief produced nothing.
Second, to show to those in the US who actually believe their own silly propaganda about the US having THE BEST military in the history of the Galaxy that in terms of missiles, Iran is doing just fine, thank you.
Now, in all fairness, I will ALWAYS welcome ANY gesture which can avoid a massive total war. There is no doubt in my mind that these events are marking the beginning of the end for the Empire. The only real question is at what costs to the rest of mankind? So while he is a narcissistic idiot for sure, and while he wrapped the key part of his statement in all sorts of delusional and dumb chest-thumping and flag waving, I have to admit that Trump did the right thing once again. Destroying 54 (or even a SINGLE one) Iranian target would have resulted in an Iranian strike on Israel (now we know for sure that it would be an accurate one too!) which would have triggered a massive regional war. We STILL are not there and while many will call me naive or stupid, I am grateful for ANYTHING which can delay or cancel any major (or even minor) war. And while I do think that Trump is a narcissistic idiot, I will ALWAYS recognize when he does something either right or even “less bad than what he could have done”.
I will also add this: I consider the US servicemen in Iraq (and the result of the world, for that matter) as guilty of voluntarily signing up to a military which has never and will never fight any just war. But that is not a sin deserving to be killed in a massive ball of fire, sorry. In combat, yes, US soldiers are a legitimate target, and legally speaking (from the point of view of the Geneva Conventions and the International Law of War), the targets Iran hit were 100% legitimate since international law does NOT ban collateral damage, it only bans INTENTIONAL collateral damage. US military personnel are, by definition, legal, legitimate, targets, but on a human level I feel sorry for them and I don’t wish them to pay for the crimes of their commanders (for whom I have ZERO sympathy or compassion).
I am actually quite happy that nobody died in these strikes.
If there were numerous casualties (as some sources report), then I have no problem admitting that this strike was both legal and ethical, but I would feel sad for every killed person (US or Iraqi).
Do the Shia Muslims care about the lives of their enemies? Yes! They actually do. Proof? Just see how Hezbollah treated those Lebanese people who were collaborators with the infamous Israel proxy called the “SLA” (South Lebanon Army) and you will see for yourself. Have their been Shia executed atrocities in the past? Sure! Starting in Iraq were various Shia militias committed plenty of horrible atrocities. But that happens to ANY party to a vicious conflict, and ESPECIALLY a civil war (just look at the butchery the Russian or US civil wars were!). But the fact is that Shia leaders often emphasize both mercy, compassion and justice (Hassan Nasrallah specifically said that Hezbollah would not target US civilians; contrast that with the Idiot-in-Chief).
So how do we “score” this one? Who won and who lost”
This all depends on your criteria.
Here are mine: anything which makes it easier for the US to remain in the Middle-East is a victory for the Empire and anything which makes it harder for the US to remain in the Middle-East is a victory for the rest of the planet.
I think that this criteria makes it rather easy to score this latest strike, don’t you?
One more thing: two more rocket strikes seemed to have landed near the Green Zone. From the (rather minimal) info I have, these were rockets from some kind of MRLS and they were fired by LOCAL Iraqi forces, NOT from Iran. This is both interesting and telling. Why?
Because you can expect a dramatic increase in these kind of “hit and run” mini attacks which can’t achieve a real tactical advantage, but which are devastating for morale and which hugely decrease the mobility and ability to operate of the targeted forces. Again, I invite you to re-apply my criteria above to evaluate the usefulness (or lack thereof) of these strikes.
Singing off for a few hours. Kind regards
The Saker
PS: one more thing: the Idiot-in-Chief said that “Iran is standing down”. Just remember that an other no less Idiot-in-Chief announced in 2006 that “Israel had defeated Hezbollah”. This is an old US trick called “declare victory and leave”. They have declared victory. Good. Now let’s see how long it will take them to get out of Iraq and the Syria and, much further down the road, from the entire Middle-East.
Infowars had reported that the Iranians had warned the Iraqis ahead of time, counting on them to warn the Americans.
So assuming that there was some behind the scenes collaboration for a dog and pony show, this works out to avoid the worst…
– Iran gets to chest thump that it did something and frighten the Americans into not retaliating.
– Trump gets to chest thump that the Iranians didn’t hit anything of interest, everyone is alive, and that he sees no point in retaliation for some ‘poorly targeted’ missiles.
Everything goes back to the status quo.
Not quite… Trump gets to pull our of Iraq and Syria completely without Iraq falling into civil war (because the warring factions inside Iraq united after the assassination)
Iran has no other choice at this stage than maintaining the initiative and this time, striking Israel as the core target in its retaliation campaign now that General Soleimani’s body was finally laid to rest in his home town.
Once the State of Israel is under siege and extremely busy battling Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and IRGC forces deployed in Syria, the Iranian regime will have to wait again for America’s military response and then, strike back with all of its arsenal.
If the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies are capable of inflicting casualties to US forces in that region (including the IDF) surpassing the 20K+ mark in less than 2 weeks of intense and brutal combat operations and, the IRGC is able to permanently blockade the Strait of Hormuz, destroy critical energy infrastructure in the middle east (i.e. refineries, pipelines, power plants, oil installations, platforms and tankers) and furthermore, Iran is able to cope with the indescribable punishment that is going to be subject in that period (Iranian casualties above the 50K+ mark and the total destruction of its oil and nuclear facilities) do not be surprised that a cease fire will be agreed by all warring parties.
No WW3, just a brutal short-term regional war.
Totally agree with you, Struth, and that’s the key point, the big picture of all this. The pieces are falling into their right position. Coincidence? I doubt it.
No, Johnno, the Empire is losing (credibility) fast. Infowhores, if anything, is the Empire’s Goebbels. More so than the rest of the M$M even, although together they make up the (neocon) AngloZionist propaganda machine (which is both fake-right and fake-left, Nazi-like and Trotskyite).
A losing Nazi Germany had the same propaganda. Nazi Germany was Western imperialism without mask, much like the AngloZionist Empire nowadays.
Iran, in many ways the leader of the free world, is defeating the AngloZionist Empire in the Middle East, if not destroying the AngloZionist Empire altogether.
The Facts behind the Assassination of Soleimani
By A. Dane
My correction to the article from strategic culture Foundation:
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/01/08/the-deeper-story-behind-the-assassination-of-soleimani/
The Day after the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, information came to light in a speech given by the Iraqi prime minister in the Iraqi Parliment.
The Iraqi prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi revealed details of his talks with Trump in the weeks leading up to Soleimani’s assassination.
Mahdi tried to explain on live television how Washington had been browbeating him and other Iraqi members of parliament to toe the American line. Trump even threatening to engage in false-flag sniper shootings of both protesters and security personnel in order to inflame the situation, like similar modus operandi seen in Egypt in 2009, Libya in 2011, and Ukraine in 2014.
The Speaker of the US Council of Representatives of Iraq, Halbousi attended the parliamentary session while almost none of the Sunni members were present.
The US had learned that Abdul-Mehdi was planning to reveal explosive information at the session and had sent Halbousi to prevent this information from being broadcasted.
Halbousi cut Abdul-Mehdi off during his speech and asked for the live broadcast to be stopped.
Halbousi and members of the parliament then moved next to Abdul-Mehdi, continuing the debate without it being broadcasted.
Abdul-Mehdi spoke angrily about how the Americans had ruined the country and now refused to complete infrastructure and electricity grid projects unless they were promised 50% of Iraq’s oil revenues, which Abdul-Mehdi refused.
Abdul-Mahdi’s said: This is why I visited China and signed an agreement with them to complete the constructions in Iraq. Upon my return, Trump called me to ask me to reject this agreement.
When I refused, he threatened to unleash huge demonstrations that would end my premiership.
Such huge demonstrations duly materialized and Trump called again to threaten that if I did not comply with his demands, he would have Marine snipers target protesters and security personnel.
I refused again and threatened to hand in my resignation.
After this, our Minister of Defense publicly stated that a third party (US Marines) was targeting both protestors and security personnel, just as Trump had threatened to do. Simultaneously I received a new call from Trump threatening to kill both me and the Minister of Defense if we kept talking about the sniper attack.
I was supposed to meet Soleimani later in the morning when he was killed. He was to deliver a message from Iran in response to the message we had delivered to Iran from the Saudis.
It was known to all that Soleimani was heading to Baghdad as a diplomat and via Iraq’s efforts to mediate the regional crisis with Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis, Iranians and Iraqis were trying to avert a regional war. Both Riyadh and Tel Aviv know that a military conflict with Iran would mean the end of the Saudi royal family and Israel.
The Saudi Royal family wanted Iran to know that they had no part in the US operation in Iraq.
Mohammad bin Salman even sent a delegation to Washington to urge restraint, on behalf of Persian Gulf states. The message was: ‘Please spare us the pain of going through another war’.
Qatar, (from which the US drone that killed Soleimani took off), is only a stone’s throw away from Iran, situated on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar immediately expressed solidarity with Tehran, hosting a meeting at a senior government level with Mohammad Zarif Jarif, the Iranian foreign minister.
Turkey and Egypt, when commenting on the assassination, employed moderat language.
A picture emerges of a desperate US lashing out at Nations turning their backs on the One World Order in favor of the traditional multipolar world of Sovereign nations.
However, this does not mean that oil can now be traded in other currency than the US dollar.
The petrodollar is what ensures that the US dollar retains its status as the global reserve currency.
This privilege of a global reserve currency ensures that the US can easily fund its war machine because Middle Eastern oil producing Nations are obliged to reinvest large parts of their oil revenues in US treasury bonds, Bonds that the US prints out of thin air to cover its deficit.
The trend is now towards a multipolar world, with China and Russia playing the leading roles.
Venezuela, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia makes up the majority of oil and gas reserves in the world. The first 3 have an alliance with Beijing, something they are keen to expand in order to ensure the future for the Eurasian super constelation.
Saudi Arabia is pro-US but could gravitate towards the Sino-Russian camp both militarily and in terms of energy. The same process is going on in Iraq and Qatar thanks to Washington’s war on terror starting with Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Yemen , Ukraine, Syria and now Iran.
The agreement between Iraq and China is a prime example of how Beijing cooperates with the Iran-Iraq-Syria troika to revive the Middle East by inviting them into the Belt and Road Initiative.
Saudi Arabia and Iran provides China with most of its oil, while Russia and Qatar supply China with most of its LNG needs. The US is left out, with little ability to influence events.
Washington tries to prevent the Eurasian integration by unleashing chaos in these nations, and killing Soleimani served this purpose. Soleimani was the military brain behind restoring order in Syria, and Iraq during the US led Al-CIA-da and ISIS terror regime. The US cannot afford to lose its global reserve currency status, and has been engaged in a gamble that could have started WWIII.
The region could have been inflamed to devastating war involving multiple countries and their allies. Oil refineries would be destroyed across the region, and half of the world’s oil supply could be shut off, and oil prices would skyrocket ($200-$300 a barrel). Western nations would plunge into a new sever financial crisis, and the blame would be laid barely at Trump.
Since 911the US has resorted to terrorism, lies and threats toward both enemies and friends.
The US has been convinced that it can do without the Middle Eastern oil, that it can do without its allies, and that nobody would dare to sell oil in any other currency than the US dollar.
Soleimani’s death is the result of US acting on behalf of Israel. Washington has thrown the region into chaos by targeting countries like Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Iran that are central for Israel to erect its Greater Israel project. Israel has no ability to carry out such plans itself, so the Israeli Lobby in DC may have influenced the decision to kill Soleimani, especially in an US election year.
The assassination of Soleimani is the US lashing out against its steady loss of ISIS and Al-CIA-da mercenaries. The Iraqi attempt to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia has been hampered by the US and Israel, determined to keep chaos and instability in the region.
Washington has tried to retain its hegemonic status by bullying sovereign nations.
Washington’s allies and enemies must acknowledge this reality and take proper countermeasures.
This is silly. Currencies are easily exchanged. The price of oil may be quoted in US dollars, but the actual purchase can be done in any acceptable currency. There is a huge supply of Eurodollars/Petrodollars easily bought in the world market. In fact there has been since at least the ’60s. American politicians and “pundits” used to complain about it.
The US Petro dollar game.
President Nixon made a deal with Saudi Arabia, to protect the Kingdom with the US Military.
Instead Saudi Arabia MUST demand payment in Dollar for their oil. (Thus named Petro Dollars)
Saudi Arabia MUST also reinvest a large part of their Dollar income in US Treasury Bonds.
Since the time of President Nixon, the US government has been able to finance large budget deficits via US Treasury Bonds, so today the official US Government debt stands at $ 23 Trillion.
This mega debt has been financed mainly by oil producing Nations who are obligated/forced/threatened to buy US Treasury Bonds for their Petro Dollars.
Since President Nixon, the whole world has needed Dollars to buy oil. Thus much more Dollars has been printed than is needed within America, but most of these dollars are distributed worldwide.
Printing money usually creates inflation inside the nation printing the money, but not in the US, because of the worldwide demand for dollars.
However, if many nations stops using the dollar as payment (like to buy Oil), all the dollars ever printed will quickly end up back in the USA, thereby creating Hyperinflation in America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_the_Weimar_Republic.
During US Hyperinflation, The Dollar will become worthless. All US Treasury Bonds will become worthless. The US Government will go bankrupt, and America will be send into a hard depression.
All US military personnel and public servants will not be paid their salary or pensions.
The US Government knows that this will become reality if the world dumps their dollar reserves.
Remember Muhammad Gaddafi. Libya was one of the few nations, who stopped accepting US Dollar as payment for their oil. Gaddafi started to sell Libya’s Oil for Euros.
Soon after, Libya was attacked by the US, NATO and Al-CIA-da mercenaries.
Today Libya is plundered, and has been transformed from a 1st. class Nation to a 3rd. world dump.
The Threat: Keep using the US Dollar as international payment or the US will attack your nation.
OK,
This is gonna be a bit meta.
These don’t look like deliberate surgical near misses.
If it’s true that the missiles were of a older (dumb) generation then how would they be so precise to hit the base sporadically without hitting anyone. It seems like an oxymoron, they are either new gen weapons and precise or older types and not so precise.
It looks like to me that the missiles hit the target (the air base) but not the barracks by mere chance. This is why Iran initially claimed 80 killed because that many missiles hitting the base has to produce (by some probability) kills. Iran assumed that people died. Surprisingly they didn’t.
I think this is dumb luck that no one died and not masterful precision of the Iranians and the admittedly outdated weapons.
So if we accept that this was pure luck that no one died, then on the other hand there is the bad fortune that scores of Iranians died in a funeral. If you add to that the plane (if we accept all sides) that fell due to a technical failure making it also sort of a chance occurrence.
All bad omens, all bad luck, or perhaps a higher power at play? Too put it plainly looks like God isn’t on the Iranian side.
Iran has showed precision guidance during missile strikes in Syria. I will agree with the Saker that these strikes represent a clear warning based on precision. Even those missiles that alllegedly landed in the fields short of Erbil base is in the realm of a clear warning.
I believe some of the rockets used a warhead that detached on final. The parts found in the desert may just have been the thrust stage falling away.
Don’t know for sure but this could be the case.
Its quite possible that the Iranians had the same deal set up as when Trump launched his illegal attack on Syria.
I’ve seen reports that the Iranians warned the Iraqi government in advance of the attack. This warning might have included specific instructions as to what buildings to avoid. Or maybe just enough warning that everyone heads to a bunker or that its safer outside the perimeter fence until after the missiles come down. But, it is likely that the early warning the Iranians gave the Iraqis was used to minimize casualties from the attack. And, since Iran was trying very clearly very soon after the attack to say “this can end with this”, then it also seems likely that the Iranians gave the Americans such an advance warning to avoid casualties in order to allow Trump to save face and not be forced by the pro-Global-Nuclear-War lobby to retaliate in response to lives lost.
I suspect that Iran simply fired the bottom of the shelf stuff. But even these missiles have undergone many many improvements. Some of the sharpest pencils at my university were Iranian students coming to study in the US !!!! So lets not be too cocky here. Dismissing Iranian capabilities is foolish. They have a nuclear program going which shows that they know what they are doing.
LOL. When you build a base in the desert, it is pretty much a dead cinch certainty that any missiles fired at it would land in the desert. After all, they are hardly likely to land in a forest. :)
Hitting the desert and hitting the base are not mutually exclusive choices. Both can happen at the same time. :)
I still say the final say on whether Trump blows anything up is the US military. I think it was a propaganda line last time around when Trump claimed he personally cancelled the strikes. I think Trump and Pompeo and Bolton all went to the Pentagon and thought they were giving the order to Hit them and Hit them Hard, and the Pentagon just looked at them and said “no.”
We have had multiple examples of the Pentagon not following Trump’s orders. Remember when he ordered a CV to N.Korea and a week later it was spotted sailing the opposite direction. Early on generals came out and very publicly said that they could optionally refuse to follow Trump’s orders.
From that logic, it was not Trump that held back a further retaliation. It was the Pentagon. Who knows what Trump ordered, and for that matter, who cares, since he’s not the Decider in the room. I’m not particularly fond of a world where the US Pentagon is in the dominant position, but it is something of a relief to know that Trump could jump up and down and shout “Fire! Fire! Fire!” all he wants to and nobody important would listen.
My biggest worry is the desperation of the empire. The cards right now seem to be on their hands. They have done their first extremely high profile assassination in the name of Israel and now that blunt brutal violence has shown it self out in the open. there are no more conventions to be followed. Will they start taking out weaker Israeli enemies with more delusional pretexts? They have no reason notopen.That they have come out as israel’s personal army. Iran to the empire, as it stands. is nuke-less and wont respond symmetrically.
I will also say that the deep state gained tremendous leverage over the narrative thanks to the Trump authorized assassination. They have a deeply (unified and) angry nation that can not respond symmetrically to their aggression and tons and tons of cannon fodder and flashy fiat financed rockets and death machines. These things are expendable.
Will the deep state take out one or two high value stooges and blame Iran for it to get their war? How about ramping up the bombings on their enemy now that they are in “shock”? I see these as very possible, certainly given the fact that this would be of great benefit to the Empire.
I also said it in another comment, I cant shake the feeling that with Tump’s latest move (and by extension a few other stooges in his administration) he has sealed his fate. He is not as useful as he thinks he is when he can be the perfect catalyst for war with Iran. To the deep state right now, he is worth more dead than alive
“They have done their first extremely high profile assassination in the name of Israel and now that blunt brutal violence has shown it self out in the open. there are no more conventions to be followed. Will they start taking out weaker Israeli enemies with more delusional pretexts? ”
Well, all bets are off, but I am not sure this logic is valid.
After MbS offed Kashoggi, would you say that this made it easier for him to off a few other journos he didn’t like?
I should think the brutality of the act concentrated a lot of minds such that people are now watching, and he really cannot get away with that trick again. He got off easy *just this once . . .*
The brutality and dishonorableness and blasphemous aspect of the Solameini assassination and the worldwide disgust response may well inoculate against the USA/Trump trying this again anytime soon.
Katherine
The difference between MBS killing the journalist and the Solameini assassination. Is the fact that the US is the global hegemon, the same rules dont apply to them.
The US Military will only leave Iraq on their shields.
Next to stopping Iran “from getting nuclear weapons”, breaking the Shia Crescent is a close second mission.
Leverage on Turkey with the Kurds, Iran on one side of Iraq and Syria on the other both again with Kurds, positions Iraq as the keystone of US intention to break the Shia Crescent.
Add to that oil and Russia moving into the vacuum left if the US leaves and you have three strategic reasons the US won’t leave.
Have the US or NATO abandoned the war in Donbass or controlling Ukraine as a launch site against Russia? Hell, they are working to add Belarus to the “nations” they use against Russia.
No, the US isn’t leaving. They will have to be damaged heavily. General Suleimani understood this.
The US hasn’t left Afghanistan and it won’t leave Iraq.
The lesson goes back to Vietnam. If you want the US out of your country or out of next door to your country, you have to pile the American bodies in plain view for the parents, families and neighbors back in the States to see what a waste the war is. Less than that, the US will never end these wars.
Hell, they are expanding the model in Africa and working to do the same across South Asia and Central Asia. The Empire needs wars. The MIC lives on wars. The Military seeks wars. This is what Hegemony is.
You want the end to these wars. You will have to blow them out of their bases. Like the Vietnamese did.
Absolutely agree. The problem is, the Vietnamese had the full backing of the Russians and Chinese – both men, materials, and intelligence. Big difference. Iran doesn’t have that quite yet, but I’m sure they will once the fight starts. Totally agree that they need to be pushed out.
Larch is right. There is no other way.
You want to know the truth? Get Iran to destroy the Ashdod Port in Israel, and you will see who the coalition of the willing really is-is, right now its a dog&pony show.
Trump&Bibi, Putin&Xi are all working for the same cause “Greater Israel” in the form of the most powerful nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Trump’s kills the most important man in Shia world, and its no big deal? All is forgiven??
Lastly, note that Nobody here ever discusses the real deal, and that deal is the 100’s of Billions of USD that China/Russia are investing right now in Israel. To make Israel the “Greater Israel” in finance and military power of the region, something that the USA has gone nutz about.
Greater-Israel may not take over the land-mass of Iran, but it sure as hell is going to be most powerful regional center of MENA, this is because the Ashdod Port will be the biggest & deepest port in the world, and Israel’s entire Navy will be protected by the Chinese Military Air-force.
Excellent, excellent point. I’m starting to believe all of this is just a dog and pony show to keep us occupied/fearful with the thought of total war, while a New World Order is established.
That thought has sat in the front row of my mental audience for a while now. It was the news that the Israeli’s were working with the Chinese on the Social Credit scoring system that put it there.
A sad time for humanity really.
I have to agree with you 100%.
I also agree. The U$A will never leave the ME without a major, catastrophic war which leaves Israel and the oil fields a smoking ruin.
Athough this might change once/if the dollar loses world reserve currency status.
That is where the linchpin is. Russia was aware of that back when they tried to enlist China in selling off T-bills.
absolutely correct L 445
Having lived thru the vietnam debacle 60s and 70s and watched the panic evacuation via the US embassy on live tv plus one John Pilger oz journalist filming the departure and the victory entry by the north vietnamese into the city… (very risky move but he was permitted to keep filming by the north)
There was panic unbelievable displayed and yes 40,000 dead troops (Pentagon never reveal true figures so much higher counts … then the approx 1200 US pow s abandoned in vietnam ) and nigh on 3 million plus vietnamese butchered … It was a massive PR disaster for the US military and broke the myth of their “troops” being the best….
(USN and aircorp remained untouched invoking a huge shift in future military methods and planning.)
The US troops on the ground in the middle east wont be pulled out until perhaps a barracks beirut bombing affair takes place where 200 give or take died > and that definning event/s provokes unplanned public reaction and revulsion…. Yes L445 I totally agree with how you view and analyse this ….
War is ugly and I too am happy no further deaths but…. This is far from over.
Anybody who touches Israel will bring swift rath into the region with huge consequences we can be sure….
We live in exceeding dangerous times with an unpredictable useful idiot commander tweet (AS he is being referred to by some in twiiter)
That makes sense, because the REAL military experts know the reality and have families that they care about.
Also, our spook agencies are back in Vietnam and are exerting a lot of influence.
Still no reports on the damage at Ebril or from the numerous PMU attacks. Escobar reports at his Facebook that Ha’aretz has reported 242 WIA arrived at Tel Aviv on airplanes. So, the fog of war still dominates the region.
Same reply to you as on another thread.
“Bovine scatology, pure and simple. Show me a reliable source, not some ‘teewitter’ sjw supposition.
Also, my friend, kindly think a little before reporting this sort of nonsense. Do you have any concept of how many airframes it takes to transport 224 casualties? Do you have an concept of what ‘224 casualties’ looks like on the ground? Do you have any comprehension of what the total casualty count would be to generate ‘224’ wounded? Kindly show me current Sat images of a massive medical treatment, triage and evacuation effort at the Al Asad aerodrome that would be in excess of the 500 casualties to generate ‘224’ wounded. You can’t, because there aren’t any.”
Auslander
Author
Never The Last One, paper back edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521849056 A deep look in to Russia, her culture and her Armed Forces, in essence a look at the emergence of Russian Federation.
An Incident On Simonka paperback edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1696160715 NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
This Iranian General says 9 airplanes were used to transport the wounded to Israel (he doesn’t say how many wounded)
https://middleeastobserver.net/irans-irgc-aerospace-chief-on-us-casualties-damages-future-retaliation-steps/
Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force General Amir Ali Hajizadeh reveals key details regarding the recent retaliatory Iranian ballistic missile attacks on US bases in Iraq.
Excerpts:
– We were able to target the barracks of US soldiers in airbase but we avoided that because our aim was to target the command center
– We struck the US command center of the Ain al-Assad base and images reveal the extent of its destruction
– Our aim was to create terror and panic in hearts of US forces (in airbase)
– US forces transported its injured soldiers to Zionist entity (Israel) using 9 airplanes
——–
Still no facts, just trolling from Outlaw Historian.
Should begin all his comments with “I just pull this out of my butt . . . “
Iraq is the supply line for the forces in Syria. The only one they can count on. American diplomacy has determined that the American forces probably shouldn’t rely on their NATO alliance with Turkey.
When it looked like for a short while that the French might take over the occupation duties at the oil wells, I thought the situation reminded me of a modern Dien Bien Phu. The short history of that was that the French had the bright idea of setting up an inland base with paratroopers, from which they were going to raid and attack the Vietnamese. Instead, the Vietnamese hauled AAA guns up onto the hills overlooking the base. This cut off the ability to supply the base from the air.
If the Americans try to stay in Syria as their Iraqi supply line becomes more dangerous, they risk the same situation. Nowadays, with modern SAMs having ranges of tens or hundreds of miles, cutting off aerial supply to an isolated American base on the Syrian oil fields seems very possible.
The presence of the invading American forces at the Syrian oil wells is dependent on the Americans ability to move supplies through Iraq. They might be able to fly supplies as far as the very base the Iranians just pummeled, but no further. As the Iraqi countryside becomes more full of ‘rebels’ who are willing to attack American convoys, the whole situation in Syria becomes very precarious.
That sure is how it looks to me.
Remember in grade school (in the USA) we heard celebratory tales of how the Yankee “irregulars” beat the British regulars in the Revolutionary War, starting with the harrying operation as the Brits tried to get back to their base in Boston from Concord after “the shot heard round the world.” The “patriots” hid behind stone walls, dressed themselves up in buckskins and other camo, did all sorts of “ungentlemanly” sniping, picking off the redcoats one by one. i guess it was classic asymmetrical warfare, with the rebels as the underdog trying to leverage what they had via stealth and generally irregular forms of warfare. Also, the underdog on its own territory.
Why should it be any different in Iraq? The locals are the “patriots” and I should think they will at least as creative as the American irregulars in harrying and weakening and exasperating the unwanted intruder.
Katherine
According to the latest information, the Iranian response was both intelligent and highly symbolic. It’s aim was to prove that it has highly accurate missiles and that it will use them in a future conflict. Iran informed Iraq of the intended targets. It also informed the US, giving US commanders time to place their troops in safe locations. After that the missiles were fired. All hit their targets. Two failed to detonate. Apparently there were no casualties, as intended. However, the Iranians got their message through.
What is the deal with the neocon MSM boasting about B-52’s being sent to an Indian Ocean air base? I would think that they would be sitting ducks for Iranian SAM missiles unless they were 100% taken out of action. Even more so than the USS Donald Duck for the Russians in the Black Sea a few years ago.
the same el gallinazo perhaps, from tod days?
with the amusing plumbing anecdote, involving a sawzall and some pvc pipe?
Have to agree with Larchmonter 445 , the US will only leave Iraq (and Syria) when the bodybags start piling up … the reason the Idiot-in-Chief and his sidekicks talk the way they do is because the majority dumbed-down US audience lap it up and fully believe it. The only way they will question the disinfo-feed is if the bodybags are telling them otherwise.
“One more thing: two more rocket strikes seemed to have landed near the Green Zone.”
“Les ripostes continuent. Deux roquettes se sont abattues mercredi 8 janvier au soir sur la zone verte de Bagdad, où se trouve l’ambassade américaine, a annoncé un responsable des services de sécurité. Des journalistes de l’Agence France-Presse (AFP) ont entendu deux explosions retentir dans le centre de Bagdad, vingt-quatre heures après des tirs de missiles iraniens sur des bases américaines en Irak d’Aïn Al-Assad et Erbil. Ces explosions ont été suivies par le hurlement des sirènes de sécurité de la zone verte.”
Yandex translation. Mod:
“The responses continue. Two rockets fell on the evening of Wednesday, January 8 in the Green Zone of Baghdad, where the US embassy is located, a security official said. Journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) heard two explosions in central Baghdad 24 hours after Iranian missiles fired at US bases in Iraq by Ain al-Assad and Erbil. These explosions were followed by the howling of the Green zone security sirens.”
Most likely the Iraqi PMU or some other related Iraqi group revenging their Deputy-Commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed alongside Soleimani. Remember, an Iraqi military leader was also killed in the US attack.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/31769/satellite-images-show-the-aftermath-of-irans-missile-strikes-on-al-assad-air-base-in-iraq
If country A has a weapon which can defeat country B, but deliberately withdraws it, and country B recognizes the effectiveness of the weapon, then, essentially country B has been defeated. In battle country B could not show it’s superiority to country A.
I repeat, “DON’T GO!!!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH1LUcNukR8
I wonder what the corrupt loser generals in the Pentagon think of the crowds that came out for Soleimani. Here in the States virtually nobody knows them or cares if they live or die.
This article, gleaned from SyrianPerspective, addresses a possible motive for Soleimani’s slaying. Whether this is a part of the picture, or not, trump has made a serious mistake. He’s watched too many bobby deniro movies.
From my perspective Iran did what it said it would. It called Trump’s bluff and openly struck US assets. The US, whether it wants to admit it or not, has been humiliated.
Year’s from now, it will be noted that January 5, 2020 marked the decisive turning point in the winding down of the US empire.
Persons are choosing to overlook the fact that the Supreme Leader said this attack was not so much about revenge, as it was about delivering a direct slap to the global face of arrogance.
Revenge for the matryed Solomanei and his companions will come in the form of the US expulsion from the region – nothing less, and this is underway from multiple angles.
Iran has forever changed the rules to US detriment. From now on, whenever the US attacks Iranian assets, Iran will respond in kind, and please note that Iran did not use it most powerful missiles.
Iran has shown that it can stand up to the IS bully and its threats and this has sent its ratings up, not just in the region, but globally.
Trump can chat and tweet all he wants, the IRGC just bitch slapped him.
On a different note, can anyone in Iran say whats the situation with Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC , he was instrumental in the downing of the US drone and is a regarded as a tough and efficient commander?
He is the only senior commander that has not commented on Solemanei’s matrydom, nor did I see him at the funeral.
In December, it was reported that he might have been injured while visiting Syria, but nothing has been heard since.
Hope he is ok.
Selah
Now that that show is over, can we get on with focusing in on the upcoming super bowl. I do not want to miss the playoffs because of a war.
Oh now I see why don did not hit the 52 targets… he was told they need to shift everyone’s attention to the superbowl. How else will they make money? since the tickets sales is already way below target… is superbowl gonna bankrupt too? enjoy your show!
It looks like (to be crosschek) up to the last minute the americans were raising their flag and threatening to reply to the Iranian salvo, up to when the Iranians said: “If you dare respond to our shelling, we will destroy Dubai and Haifa.”
https://www.stalkerzone.org/iranian-symphony/
This might explain the decomposed face of Trump and his generals during his short incoherent declaration.
I am still not sure what to think about the fatality figures, which range from zero (Pentagon/Trump claims) to eighty (Iranian sources). Maybe Washington evacuated when Iran warned Iraq that it was going to conduct strikes? Another thought are the US “military contractors” (i.e. mercenaries), which always seem to be hanging around US bases. Perhaps some of them died. Washington has always been very secretive about their casualties.
Please US, just go home already. You’ve been warned by Iran with those ballistic missile strikes. If not all the military contingent there going home, at least each troops responsible for their own life please leave Middle East immediately. They are not your backyard, they’re someone else’s. What are you doing there, thousand miles away from your home soil? All of you US soldiers are only cannon fodders and you are being sacrificed by your own government.
So, what are you waiting now soldiers?! It’s not a just war, leave immediately for your own life!
Христос родился! Славим его!
Overall I agree with your analysis and thank you.
Just a quick question. You mentioned Hezbollah was trying to avoid civilian casualties. So why did it carry out the attacks in Buenos Aires in 94?
They did not: /hezbollah-didnt-do-argentine-bombing-updated/
Or fire rockets at civilians in 2006? They could have focused on Israeli military targets, but they did not.
While Israel had precision weapons which they used against the civilians in Lebanon, Hezbollah did not, at that time, have high precision missiles. AND they were only fighting back
The Saker
Claiming that every Israeli is a militant is a trick the Ziomedia would do. Obviously little children can’t be militants and hitting civilians may hit the innocent.
Because Zionist like you have penach to justifying the murders of innocent civilians women and children, you Israeli’s always have your blinders on as to the kind of NAZI’s you really are.
@TheSaker
After reviewing available data I come to the conclusion this was a warning shot with two implied goals:
a) deter any kind of retaliation or otherwise aggressive act towards the resistance (Iran?)
b) you are put on a brief notice to leave immediately because from now on there will be active resistance to your occupation
Would you say that this is fairly accurate?
Thank you brother love reading everything you post. You doing a great job. May Allah reward you for all your efforts
What about the us air defense?
Any realistic view needs to access what was going on there.
Was the us defense missing or off?
Did the Iranians blind or cicumvent the defense?
Iranian cruise missiles may fly under the ground radar, what about an awacs plane or a satelite looking from above?
If Iran got the missiles through the us defense the balance of power has changed a lot.
Dear Saker,
Do you find there to be any symbolic significance in the choice of Al Assad as the target? A response and a warning not to assassinate leaders in lieu of regime change?
PeaceAK
Well that was a strange way for the two powers to become better acquainted with each other. I much rather the two leaders would sit down to a cup of tea and a discussion about the great history of Iranian poetry next time.
I learned that Iran can attack the best military in the galaxy with relative impunity. That the best military in the galaxy is a little short on air defense at the moment. That the unsinkable aircraft carrier and greatest ally ever was just trying to get things going but really doesn’t want to be around when it all kicks off. That Iran has a low tech/budget Sampson Option of its own. Also the U.S. media’s green screen theatrics are starting to look a little dated. It is really sad and embarrassing.
Nothing has changed. The U.S. is still going to occupy the ME and try and keep its economy and world currency status. The economic pain a pull out would cause is less desirable than a major war. This will not change no matter the party or personality that wins any election. Israel is still going to have its regional designs along with Saudi Arabia and those that kowtow to its crown.
The axis of resistance is still going to fight to liberate its land and unite its people. Even against the longest odds as is the tradition of shia people.
There can only be more war for the future.
I do have a question about the choice of targets. I understand that the drone attack that killed General Soleimani came from that base but is this not also a message to the U.S. with regards to Syria? Will Syria be completely liberated this year? Obama’s Syrian disaster sure seems to be drawing to a close. May it be soon!
Didn’t the previous Iranian president say that nuclear weapons were “so twentieth century” years ago. I thought at the time what he meant was that Iran already had enough deterrence because they could blow to hell out the Saudi/Gulf states oil infrastructure. The petrodollar collapses at that point and the American Empire goes along with it. Additionally, given my time in the Air Force, I will say by the looks of the areal shots that I doubt there were many casualties if there was prior warning given, but certainly material damage occurred that degraded our ability to attack. The strike was a demonstration: does anybody in the Pentagon think CentCom or an aircraft carrier in the Gulf is going to survive a swarm attack of guided missiles now?
Aftermath of Al-Assad:
https://twitter.com/Moluskein/status/1214979584791371776
This article on RT by Ritter answered a lot of questions I had about the Iranian missile attack.
Iran didn’t want to kill US troops with its strike, it wanted to make point to Trump about its missile tech & resolve. It did that
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/477759-iran-missiles-subdued-us-strike/
“In the early hours of Wednesday morning, that task completed, Soleimani’s IRGC comrades, acting on the orders of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, launched some 22 ballistic missiles from Iranian territory into neighboring Iraq, targeting the huge US air base Al Asad, in western Iraq, and the US consulate in the city of Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan.
In the hours following the announcement of these attacks, which were broadcast on Iranian television for the Iranian people, the world held its breath, waiting for the results. Shortly after the missiles were launched, Iran signaled its desire for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis through a tweet sent out by its Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, who described the attacks as “proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter.” Zarif concluded by noting that “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”
However, in launching its missile attack on US targets in Iraq, Iran appeared to go out of its way to signal that it considered the matter of retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani closed. First and foremost, Iran communicated its intent to strike US targets in Iraq directly to the Iraqi Prime Minister a full two hours prior to the missiles being launched; Iraq then shared this information with US military commanders, who were able to ensure all US troops were in hardened shelters at the time of the attack.
But the most important aspect of Iran’s actions was the way its missiles were targeted.
The missile attack on the US incorporated new, advanced missiles—the Qaim 1 and Fahad-110—possessing advanced guidance and control capable of pinpoint precision. Iran had used these weapons previously, striking targets inside Syria affiliated with the Islamic State. But this was the first time these weapons had been used against the US. From the US perspective, the results were sobering. The Iranian missile attacks resulted in no casualties among US, Iraqi or coalition forces stationed in either Al Asad or Erbil. But the lack of lethality, however, is actually Tehran’s way of proving the accuracy of its ballistic missiles.
Commercial satellite images of the Al Asad air base taken after the attack show that the Iranian missiles struck buildings containing equipment with a precision previously only thought possible by advanced powers such as the US, NATO, Russia and China. Iran fired 17 missiles at Al Asad, and 15 hit their targets (two missiles failed to detonate).
Iran also fired five additional missiles at the US consulate in Erbil; US commanders on the ground said that it appeared Iran deliberately avoided striking the consulate, but in doing so sent a clear signal that had it wanted, the consulate would have been destroyed.
Iran also fired five additional missiles at the US consulate in Erbil; US commanders on the ground said that it appeared Iran deliberately avoided striking the consulate, but in doing so sent a clear signal that had it wanted, the consulate would have been destroyed.
Surrounded by his national security team, Trump had to back down from that threat, knowing full well that if he were to attack Iran, the Iranian response would be devastating for both the US and its regional allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The US might be able to inflict unimaginable devastation on Iran, but the cost paid would be unacceptably high.”
I am reminded of a story from The Crusades reading about this Iranian demonstration. In a meet between Richard the Lion Heart and Saladin (I think it was these 2), they showed off their favourite toys. Richard cleaved a mace with his massive 2 hand sword. Saladin plucked a hair from his head and divided lengthwise with his sword.
The Iranians and their allies made it clear if Iran is attacked, israel gets attacked, along with its colonials. This I think was crucial. I noticed netanyahoo went out of his way to distance israel from the murder of Soleimani, saying it was between Iranians and americans, that israel wasn’t involved. A lie, obviously. Facing accurate Iranian missiles and a mass blitz from Hizbullah’s missile/rocket inventory, the israelis would see serious casualties and devastation. Right now the israeli regime is in a sort of limbo state, with the haggling over forming a new government. I don’t think they are up for it at the moment. The chaos such a massed strike could create would be multiplied. My guess once they figured out what could well happen to israel, trump’s zionazi overlords ordered trump to stand down.
Comparison of US and Iranian Airforces:
https://twitter.com/200_zoka/status/1215165551804370944
@Gorgeous George on January 08, 2020 · at 5:28 pm EST/EDT
I think this is dumb luck that no one died and not masterful precision of the Iranians and the admittedly outdated weapons.
However outdated they may have been, Iran’s missiles were quite precise. You missed a key observation: if a building was hit, it was taken out surgically; the building next to it wasn’t touched, unless that building was also targetted. You don’t see half of one building destroyed along with half of an adjacent building. The missiles were that precise.
If obsolete missiles can do what the photo suggests, I wonder what modern missiles can do….
Sorry, I messed up the formatting. This site really needs a way to preview a comment.
Anyway, I forgot to add, if Hezbollah has missiles as precise as these, the Israelis would have something serious to fear.
I love your views Sake. Always brilliant yet restrained, just like the Iranian strikes on US bases – also brilliant and restrained. I am from Malaysia (via oru great Prime Minister Mahahtir) . My country just organized ‘Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019’ to signal the Saudi-controlled OIC that Saudi influence on Muslim world and OIC have seen better days. Kuala Lumpur will one day be the HQ of a new Muslim organization to replace OIC in Riyadh We Muslims, especially Malaysia’s Mahathir, are seeing the Saudis and OIC fast becoming tols of the Empire.
One wonders exactly what the 13(unlucky for some number symbol) options…stages…levels….escalations are…..as presumably they remain as official defense policy.
Q and A and consequent complaints from Iran and Iraq re the recent outrage may follow up in UN? Nothing much from there….will visa situation be sorted…..is it now mummufied?
Whatever the truth about this dog and pony show, it seems to me all the future rests on this Iin my humble opinion).
The US needs control of the oil for its financial viability. Imagine if Iraqi and Iranian oilfields were owned by local companies or even nationalised.
On that basis alone, it seems to me the Amerikans will never get out of the Middle East without a real war forcing them to do so. As much as that scares me that is what I believe
Anyone verified this?
Iran destroyed an American plane – the crew miraculously escaped.
The night standoff between Iran and the United States ended in the destruction of an American military aircraft. As follows from the data presented, a few minutes before the ballistic missile strike, a military aircraft was to take off from al-Assad air base, however, after receiving a warning from Baghdad, the crew had to urgently evacuate, after which the aircraft was destroyed by ballistic missile splinters .
As can be seen in the satellite images presented, within the runway of the al-Assad airbase there are indeed fragments of an unknown aircraft, which confirms the source’s argument that not only hangars, but also one of the aircraft was destroyed as a result of the strike.
What kind of aircraft in question is still unknown, however, its presence on the runway may indicate the fact that we are talking either about the duty fighter of the US Air Force, or about a military transport aircraft preparing to leave the military base shortly before ballistic missile strikes.
Подробнее на: http://avia.pro/news/istochnik-iran-unichtozhil-amerikanskiy-samolyot-ekipazh-uspel-spastis
TASS, January 6. Former Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps General Qasem Soleimani did much for strengthening strategic cooperation with Russia, foreign policy adviser to the Iranian supreme leader Ali Akbar Velayati said at the general’s farewell ceremony, the Al-Alam TV Channel reported on Monday.
“Soleimani was a key figure in our bilateral partnership with Russia and showed big respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he had close relationship,” the Iranian leader’s top foreign policy adviser said at the general’s farewell ceremony in Tehran.
“If not for the courage displayed by the commander of the Quds Force in most responsible moments, Baghdad would have fallen into the hands of terrorists from the Islamic State [terrorist grouping outlawed in Russia] while Salafi extremists would have come to power in Damascus,” Velayati said.
“By killing General Soleimani, the United States did the most stupid thing and now ‘a second Vietnam’ awaits America, if they do not withdraw their troops from the Middle East,” Velayati stressed.
And
TOKYO, January 9. /TASS/. The current stage of confrontation between Washington and Tehran is not over yet, and, if the United States really wanted to avoid escalation, it would not have killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Yutaka Takaoka, chief research fellow at the Middle East Research Institute of Japan, told TASS on Thursday.
READ ALSO
UN chief encouraged by signs of de-escalation in Persian Gulf
“US President [Donald Trump]’s speech last night was not substantive. It seems that there is a sense of relief now, since the United States did not react fervently [to Iran’s strikes on military facilities in Iraq — TASS]. However, I would not be so optimistic. If [the US] wanted to avoid confrontation, it would not have killed Soleimani in the first place,” the expert stressed.
He also did not rule out that clashes between the US and Iran could occur in the future. “I cannot give an optimistic forecast that everything ended after yesterday’s statement by Trump and Iran’s reaction [to Soleimani’s murder — TASS],” he added.
Dear Saker,
a short point:
In this current conflict between the US and Iran I see an analogy in intent and size of the forces involved. Approximately 2400 years ago Hellenes resisted the Persians. Today the role of the Hellenes is played by Iran and the empire plays itself.
On a totally different subject, the fires in Australia (and California and elsewhere) are intended to eradicate perma-culture and off-the-grid living.
The missiles reportedly used by the Iranians were reportedly of the Qiam type, which according to Wikipedia was first launched in 2010. So these are very much modern missiles. At any rate, the basic technology of short to medium range ballistic missiles have not, as far as I am aware changed much since the 1970s or 1980s. An old-style Scud missile will still kill you. What has changed though is the guidance systems used Still according to Wikipedia, the guidance system used for the Qiam missiles is an Inertial Navigation system, basically the same system as the V2 used. It is however impossible for such a system to reach the kind of accuracy that we have seen here. For that something else is necessary, perhaps piggybacking onto GPS or GLONAS or more plausibly based on image recognition technology.
Yup. Just like the US still uses ‘dumb’ gravity bombs but glues fins and guidance systems to them to make them ‘smart’. Not exactly cutting edge technology as it has been around for 30+ years. I am sure Iran could manage the same with their ‘dumb’ missile warheads.
Ukrainian plane as well . Very accurate indeed . Brilliant strategy from the Iranians
What ‘Ukrainian plane’? The base hit north of Baghdad is about 1000 kilometers from the scene of the airplane disaster near Tehran, ergo well away from any area the missiles would have been fired from, and the crash was quite some time after the missile firing, read hours.
I watched early in the morning the first vid of the plane going down, this on a site you can’t get in to. The vid was almost 90 seconds, I counted them after the first watch to verify the vid count, and the right motor at the beginning of the vid was clearly streaming a heavy burning excess fuel trail. Halfway through the vid there was a bright flash from the motor, sparks flew, the burning trail intensified and grew. The plane never changed downward angle, which was not steep, and crashed just out of sight at the end, just the impact explosion was seen. That video is gone now, replaced by a shorter one of a little less than 1 minute duration, beginning right before the sparks flew.
Bottom line, the turbine began to disintegrate and as the disintegration progressed, more and more damage was done to the engine and the fuselage, some of the larger ‘sparks’ were clearly seen impacting the fuselage.
The plane crashed do to catastrophic engine failure, pure and simple, and all the evidence released so far confirms this fact. Toss in Uncle Sugar and Boeing demanding the flight recorders to ‘investigate’ and it’s obvious they are only interested in turning this tragedy in to some kind of propaganda attack against Iran…and Russia. Already some ‘west media’ are reporting the plane was shot down with a ‘Russian missile’. Russia did sell some Tor systems to Iran 15 years ago, but from what I saw, this plane crash is an unfortunate accident. Some media mention that sale deep down in their verbal regurgitations, but not all by any stretch of the imagination.
Even the orcs are beginning to say a ‘Russian’ missile ‘may’ have brought the plan down. But then, they are orcs after all.
Auslander
Author
Never The Last One, paper back edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521849056 A deep look in to Russia, her culture and her Armed Forces, in essence a look at the emergence of Russian Federation.
An Incident On Simonka paperback edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1696160715 NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
Auslander….
Yapping puppet Justin Trudeau has just come out and accused Iran of shooting down the Ukrainian plane with a surface to air missile, says he has evidence from ‘multiple intelligence sources’ (read United States).
Did not provide evidence, obviously.
This reported at Sputnik News a short time ago.
Looks like the Empire Of Evil will try and pin the blame on Iran.
The airline said the last scheduled maintenance of this aircraft was on January 6. This would have been in Kiev. Taking into account the relation between Kiev and its masters, a careful and discreet monkey-wrenching so that the aircraft goes catastrophically crazy on the second scheduled takeoff, doesn’t seem too outlandish an idea to me
2 engine failures on 737s in less than two years between 2016 and 2018
Boeing 737 Suffers ANOTHER Catastrophic Engine Failure After Takeoff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpkLW460KDs
NTSB Recommends Partial Redesign For Boeing 737 Engines
https://simpleflying.com/ntsb-boeing-737-engines/
Greetings Saker community,
this is my first comment on the Saker blog and it is somewhat OT:
The assassination of Solemeini has left me with somewhat of.psychic shock, a shock related to the peril we Americans face today through our body politic, both left and right.
I saw a video clip of Solemeini comforting a young girl the other day and I couldnt help but ask myself if
Trump, Bolton, Pompeo, Haspell, Haley, Mnuchin, or any of our high ranking officials are even capable of that kind of tenderness.
But I cant locate the video. Can anybody help me?
My sincere gratitude to The Saker and his community,
Mustafa
https://twitter.com/Louis_Allday/status/1213966590431178753
here it is.
When they get their forces out of afghanistan you just know its gonna be nukes in the ME.
Trump actually does wants to leave the Middle East and dismantle the empire in some parts. He promised in his campaign to bring the troops home and since the US producers plenty of oil and gas by itself it has lost strategic interest in the oil rich region. Trump will dismantle all the parts of empire wich costs are higher than their gains and the Middle East currently clearly falls under this criteria. For the same reason Trump calls out his allies to carry their burden in defense, because Trump wants alliances that pay off for the US.
This is a complete paradigm shift in US policy. Before Trump (and for the neocons), economy has become a means to serve the US empire, for Trump the US empire is a means to serve the economy. Thus I agree with your assessment, that the current situation in Iran leads to a retreat of the empire in there, but I think the US administration does this on purpose, not out of stupidity.
@deedl Thank you for the explanation! Trump wants the empire to serve the economy and not the other way around, if parts of the empire are useless he will amputate them. That means Trump is practical and business oriented in contrast to his predecessors who are more ideological oriented thus more dangerous.
I have a question for all of you who know this stuff better then I due.
My husband and I have been arguing about the Iraqi vote to kick out foreign militaries. He believes this is non binding so far? That they have to go through more steps before it is binding?
Correct info from your husband. It was a non-binding vote, but it represents the sentiment of the majority of people in Iraq.
Note that the US has benefitted many Sunni Iraqis and most Kurdish Iraqis. So those folks wants the payments and investments from occupation that they have gotten to continue.
Trillions of dollars have been spent and most of it is “missing”, unaccounted for. Some of that dough is in the pockets of Iraqis.
So, the US has bought a large portion of the government and bureaucracy.
The rest (vast majority) want the US out, NATO out, and certainly, the Sunnis and Kurds want the Iranians out.
The power that comes out of the barrel of a gun wielded by an outraged populace makes it binding
Re: binding and not binding
Zionistani reporter Jacques Khoury tweeted that 224 injured Amerikastani war criminals were airlifted to Tel Aviv for treatment and then his account was mysteriously suspended with Khoury claiming, implausibly, that it was hacked. It’s extremely likely that Amerikastani casualties *would* be evacuated to zionistan for treatment because of they were taken home or to one of the NATO slaves, word would leak out at once. I predict that in the next week’s a remarkable number of Amerikastani troops will mysteriously “die in accidents” – a number corresponding exactly to the number killed in the Iranian missile barrage. Just a coincidence, of course!
It’s significant that, whether or not any Amerikastani war criminal was eliminated – and every single one of them is a war criminal undeserving of the slightest bit of sympathy – *even though* Amerikastan was warned in advance, *not one* of the Iranian Qiam missiles was intercepted. If they were Qiam 2 missiles that had terminal guidance, if they were Qiam 1 they didn’t. Qiam 1 are basically upgraded North Korean SCUD C missiles designed in the 1970s and have a circular error probability of 500 metres, very much not good for precise strikes, so it’s likely that they were Qiam 2. But whatever model they are, they are still just upgraded SCUD C missiles from the 1970s…..and Amerikastani Patriot missiles and other defences proved totally unable to intercept them. This is not a message that went unnoticed, especially in the zionist entity, which immediately began backing away from war talk. As did Trump.
Let me repeat that like gang members who volunteer for Mexican cocaine cartels or the Mafia, and immediately become criminals from the moment they join, whether or not they have yet committed a crime, any Amerikastani joining its armed forces is immediately a war criminal. No exceptions whatsoever. No sympathy either.
Trump didn’t pull his punches. He crapped his pants.
iran’s rhetoric just clearly shows it is not ready for a full scale war. soleimani’s life was worth more than the whole people in the us airbase camp. so why not target the people as well? the iranians got the moral ground but they were only hitting equipments with precision. i surmise trump backs off a little bit now and recalibrates. then with split second decision, he will bomb Khameini – the ayatollah just to make it clear to the world that he can do as he pleases with only equipments as collateral damage. the iranians want to appear nice as of now. once they have their hands ready on their home brewed nukes, they will start shooting big calibre americans like pompeo, esper or trump himself, if ever these war criminals will visit the mid east. the iranians may have realised that kim of north korea can’t be messed with by having the nuke.
PressTV has interviewed international lawyer Barry Grossman in the context that an official Iranian main revenge would be that american forces are forced to leave the Middle East.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/09/615722/US-military-Iraq
BBC is saying that US Named Iran as culprit for the ukrainian airplane crash. To add to it, they re saying it was à Russian missile.
Ukraine has been pressing for Russia to be Named as state sponsor of terrorism.
Kolomoysky is CEO of Ukrain Internationale Airways.
Just like he was Governor of Dnipropetrovsk région when the local ATC rerouted MH17 to its final destination. Trudeau lined up with Trumpushka and said he believe it was Iran
Raytheon has advanced system for air strikes: MALD https://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/mald?fbclid=IwAR0IT928IW-po_a0JGE6cWsJTjjciB4zy_Xmbd7xxxz-oormjchY4iKrgk4
IRAN: Who or what brought down the Ukranian airliner?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrBqEpiL2I
Did The US or Israel Hack Iran Air Defenses Taking Down Flight 752?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9onw1Pllrzc&t=102s