Tag Archives: Middle East

May 17 2013

CIA chief John Brennan visits Israel to discuss Syria

John Brennan, director of the US spy agency CIA

The director of the US spy agency CIA has visited the occupied Palestinian territories to discuss the situation in Syria with Israeli officials.

An unnamed Israeli official said John Brennan arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and went straight into a meeting with Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Moshe Yaalon.

The Tel Aviv regime has not provided any details about the meeting.

Brennan’s visit comes two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the crisis in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

During the meeting, Putin warned against any moves that would further destabilize the situation in Syria and said, “In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation.”

The Russian president made the comments days after the Israeli military launched airstrikes on two research centers near Damascus following heavy losses inflicted upon al-Qaeda-affiliated groups by the Syrian army.

Turmoil has gripped Syria for over two years, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the foreign-sponsored militancy.

Western powers and their regional allies including the Israeli regime, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are partners in supporting the militant groups in Syria.

Source: Press TV

May 17 2013

‘US, Turkey will keep up anti-Assad bid’

US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, May 16, 2013.

US President Barack Obama says the United States and Turkey will continue to support the militants in Syria, and keep working on the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Obama made the remarks during a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday.

The US president said Washington will make efforts to mobilize the international community to exert more pressure on Assad.

Meanwhile, Erdogan said that Ankara will support the militants in Syria and that Assad’s removal from power is one of Turkey’s priorities.

“We both agree that Assad needs to go. He needs to transfer power to a transitional body,” Erdogan stated.

“That is the only way we’re going to resolve this crisis,” he added.

However, at a meeting in Washington on Monday, Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron promised to make diplomatic efforts to find a political solution to the two-year crisis in Syria.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

In an interview broadcast on Turkish television on April 5, Assad said that if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.

“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control… the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” he stated.

Source: Press TV

May 5 2013

Report: Israel Using Depleted Uranium in Missile Attacks on Damascus

TEHRAN (FNA)- Sources disclosed on Sunday that Israel has used depleted uranium in its recent missile attacks on a suburban Damascus area.

The first missile which hit Jamraya near al-Haviyeh in Reef (outskirts of) Damascus contained uranium substances, a correspondent of the Russian TV quoted some local sources as saying.

Other media outlets had also earlier released similar reports on Israel’s use of radioactive materials in attacks on Syria.

Explosions shook Damascus early on Sunday and Syrian state television said Israeli rockets had struck a military research center on the outskirts of the capital.

The blasts occurred a day after an Israeli official said Tel Aviv had carried out an air strike targeting a consignment of missiles in Syria. The research center hit on Sunday was also targeted by Israel in January.

“The new Israeli attack is an attempt to raise the morale of the terrorist groups which have been reeling from strikes by our noble army,” Syrian television said, referring to recent offensives by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against rebels.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials on Sunday’s explosions.

Late in January, the Syrian Army said in a statement that two people were killed and five others injured in an Israeli air strike on a scientific center in Jamraya, 25 kilometers (15 miles) Northwest of the capital Damascus.

May 5 2013

Damas annonce le nom de deux pilotes israéliens capturés !

IRIB- le site Dampress rend public les noms de deux pilotes de l’appareil israélien qui a participé au raid contre la banlieue de Daams .

Les sources sionistes ont reconnu avoir perdu contact avec Shamoel Azar et Esson Gary alors qu’ils survolait la Syrie . ” Nous n’avons aucune information sur le sort de ces deux pilotes” ajoutent les ources syriennes.
Apr 29 2013

Germany’s interior minister says Germans teamed up with Syria militants

Unrest has gripped Syria for over two years. The file photo shows militants in Syria.

 

German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich has said that a number of German nationals have teamed up with the foreign-backed militants in Syria.

In an exclusive interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel weekly magazine, Friedrich officially confirmed for the first time that there were German-born gunmen inside Syria fighting against the government.

Friedrich particularly expressed concern about calls for those Europeans who have been trained in battle inside Syria.

German officials say that 20 German nationals are currently fighting in Syria. Some have reportedly even taken their wives there and live directly on the frontlines of battle.

A recently published study reveals that between 2,000 and 5,500 foreign nationals are active in Syria. Senior counter-terrorism officials within the European Union have stated that at least 500 of those nationals come from the EU countries.

Pan-European police force Europol said in its annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report released on April 25 that Syria was the “destination of choice for foreign fighters in 2012.”

The report cited the risk that the foreign fighters pose on Europe – after their return – through using new training and knowledge that they acquired in Syria for conducting terrorist activities.

“The threat from terrorism… remains strong in Europe. It also continues to evolve from structured groups and networks to smaller EU-based groups and solo terrorists or lone actors,” the report said.

Europe has seen a rise in the number of its citizens entering Syria as ‘jihadists.’

On April 24, EU’s anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove told the British media that some 500 Europeans were in Syria to fight against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Kerchove said Britain, Ireland and France were among the EU countries to have the highest numbers of militants in Syria.

Unrest has gripped Syria for over two years and the Syrian government maintains that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country. Continue reading →

Apr 27 2013

Exclusive: Most Prominent Achievements of Syrian Army Obtained Recently

During the last few weeks, the Syrian army attained a great progress in the battlefield and regained many areas, Al-Manar TV correspondent reported.

Aided by the Popular Committees, the Syrian army regained the Prophet Mando strategic hill in Homs countryside, and dominated over the military supply lines that lead to Homs and al-Qussayr on the sides of Tel-Kalkh and Al-Qaa.

Moreover, the Syrian army retrieved tens of villages in Qussayr countryside; the most important are Al-Borhania and Sakarja. Some villages east and west Assi River were also recaptured. Consequently, the Syrian Army tightened its control over the entrances of Qussayr city.

In Homs, the Syrian troops were able to impose control over many regions that were considered militants’ strongholds, restore security in Feraaya, strengthen their deployment in Khaledeya and Baba-Amru, and distance themselves from threats of militant groups.

In Damascus countryside, however, the Syrian troops were able to tighten the ring around the gunmen in east Gouta, severely siege Darya, and restore security in Jdaydet Al-Adem.

Continue reading →

Apr 7 2013

Vessel carrying weapons to Aqaba to be transfered to terrorists in Syria: Analysis by Tore

Editor’s note: We want to thank Tore (twitter account: @Potifar66 ) for this thorough analysis.
Written on Friday April the 5th. Sorry for the delay in posting.
I have found convincing proof that weapon ship was heading for Aqaba in Jordan from AIS database tracking ships. I noticed a lot of contradicting verdions  in press, found this strange and did a check. http://vessels.vtexplorer.com/vessels/list?search_text=Com+r
Destination is Jordan, Aqaba no doubt, and cargo seems to fit in with whats going on in Syria and weapon transport over Jordan border.
Where ship came from could also be found out via AIS transponder. Ship COM R is a Togo flagged ship. It came from Rotterdam via Gibraltar as Small Agt 1 in january, entered Med and port Valetta Malta.
Then disappears, but appears again Suez end february, but has now changed name to COM R. Here a registry for ship a d photos etc.
Both Reuters and AFP versions are strange and contradicting  . First it was reported by Turkish newsagency AA, then Israeli Ynet came with this fantasy of Iranian ship coming from Eilat!
Then you had Reuters who reported the name of ship  COM R
And provided version of some security firm , which naturally had to have a lot of weapons in cargo. Smells too, but more refined lying
Then you had Haretz who reported conflicting versions :
And then you had AFP who said ship came out of Israel on its way to Togo!
So why did they do everything to spread fog over the seizure of such a big cargo of weapons? Why did they avoid checking the AIS dbases that give GPS positions for all ships?
Thats was my question and found info on destination Aqaba in Jordan
This is a convincing proof , so beats the other versions, which now range from Iranian fishing boat loading weapons in Israel , to a version that weapons was meant to Syria governement ( destination Aqaba )!!! Think that one was Bloomberg.
Then today Israel FM denies any Connection to Israel:
Ships timeline before it was seized  I indicated in start of E-mail, suppose this could be elaborated better.  Take for sure it came trough Suez.
Question remains : where were weapon cargo taken onboard?
I cannot find AIS readings for ship lately, so calls of ports etc I dont know. I guess they loaded In Some Saudi port after Suez  .In this waters i fairly normal to switch of AIS transponders to not be spotted by pirats.
But what if this was not a Saudi Port? I am just speculating , but what if this was a British/French weapons cargo? That would explain the extreme confusion now spread by media? Sort of a real scandal it would be if Hollande and Cameron was involved in a breach of EU embargo?
Tweets from TORE

Tweets from TORE

Thats more or less what i got on a haste. Looking forward to see developments here
Mar 16 2013

UK admits Syria policy backfiring

The office of the British Prime Minister has admitted London’s alliance with France to push the European Union for lifting a ban on arming Syrian militants has backfired.

A Downing Street official said the EU leaders are concerned that any move by British PM David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande to arm Syrian militants could escalate the crisis in the Middle Eastern country.

“There is a perversity about the EU arms embargo… it is backfiring,” ITV quoted the unnamed official as saying.

Cameron, Hollande and British Foreign Secretary William Hague have separately called for an EU permit to arm Syrian militants and the two leaders are expected to raise the issue at a Brussels summit on Friday.

Germany and Austria have already shown their opposition to the proposals with Austrian Foreign Ministry saying Britain’s request for arming the militants is a breach of the EU agreements.

This comes as Russia has also voiced opposition to any such plans with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warning supplying the Syrian militants is illegal under the international law.  Continue reading →