Tag Archives: Syria

May 22 2013

israel: S-300 Missiles Moving to Syria

Israel’s Air Force Commander Major General Amir Eshel said today that S-300 advanced missile defense system will soon arrive in Syria.

The S-300 systems have been modernised repeatedly to maintain it’s reputation as the ultimate rocket and aircraft destroying machines. The S-300PMU2 Favorit can launch six missiles at once, each capable of destroying aircraft flying at several times the maximum speed of the F-16 and F-22 fighter jets – the flaunted possessions of the Israeli and US air forces, as well as intercepting ballistic targets.

Speaking at a convention in Herzliya, Eshel added “there is a clear understanding that such capabilities will produce confidence and aggressive behavior.”

“Aerial superiority is a condition to win and win quickly, and is of great strategic importance. The other side understands that well, which is why Assad, with his low budget, has invested billions into purchasing antiaircraft missiles.”

“It’s not just our problem. The challenge that is developing in the north did not start yesterday and there isn’t a challenge that has no solution,” the air force chief noted, adding that Syria could collapse soon and different forces could get hold of Assad’s armory.

“This does not mean we will act, but it means we must be ready with our planes and missile defense systems. No one is going to tell us ‘take two weeks to prepare for the war.’ We will have to be ready for confrontations in Gaza and Lebanon, including long-range ones. Failure to prepare for this would mean a failure to learn the lessons of the Yom Kippur War.”

IDF Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Benny Gantz added: “In light of the region’s instability, the military faces a real scenario of a confrontation on multiple fronts, and is in a new resource reality which could change it completely.”

The revelations come after an IDF vehicle was destroyed by Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.

Source: Syria Report

May 22 2013

Syria: Al-Qusayr and the Hezbollah

The line of reports from Al-Qusayr remains the same as yesterday, and today we are almost able to say, that the “battle” is pretty close to its end.

Meanwhile, such reports of the presents of fighters of the Lebanese Tayyar Al-Mustaqbal (Future Movement) in al-Qusayr are interesting:

“Province of Homs. The cleanup operation against those armed gangs and groups, who are entrenched in the neighborhoods, continues. Currently, the main forces of the surviving terrorists still remain in the northern districts, where also the airport Ad-Dabaa, occupied by them, is located; it seems they apparently intend to use it for their escape from the encirclement.

In the course of the battles from today[21/05/2013 - author], a group of Lebanese fighters was destroyed by Syrian Army members, the group belonged to the Al-Mustaqbal, led by Saad Hariri; as well as a terrorist unit, consisting of 20 men, under the led of the field commander Wrtan al-Zkhuri from the al-Nusra-Front (Dschabhat al-Nusra).

Once again, a group of armed men was tracked down and liquidated at the border to Lebanon, while the gunmen tried to break through the blockade around the city and to help the encircled terrorists.” (ANNA-News)

Both Salafi and Israeli sources, and with the later, the “world community”, hardly get any air while they are getting loudly worked up (het up / excited) that Hezbollah takes part around Al-Qusayr. They modestly ignore the reasons for this, respectively they rant about an “alliance with the dictator”.

The Lebanese Hariri units are the reason. Hariri controls the comfortable and wide swath from the Lebanese Tripoli up to the Syrian border, which was set up by the sponsors of the aggression against Syria.

Foreign terrorists (especially North-African), tons of weapons, and ammunition reach Syria through this corridor. The Al-Mustaqbal will know how to feed themselves from the arsenals, which are passing by. Of course, the safe passage costs something.

Ultimately, Hezbollah is nothing else doing in this scenario than what israel is doing against Hezbollah – they are trying to prevent the rearmament of the Hariri units. Which are not arming themselves against israel, but against a much more uncomfortable enemy in the inland.

That there are Lebanese terrorists groups in Syria for a long time, this does not fit into the world picture which is jointly drawn by Israel and the Salafists (Salafis). So, without further ado, this gets suppressed without hesitation, and therefore, the half-truth looks similiar to a dangerous lie. Continue reading →

May 21 2013

Syrian army destroys Israeli military vehicle in Golan Heights

File photo shows the line that separates Syria from the Israeli-occupied lands on the Golan Heights.

 

Syria says its army has destroyed an Israeli military vehicle that had crossed the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights.

The Syrian army said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the vehicle drove toward the village of Bir Ajam, located in the “liberated area of Syrian territories where there are armed terrorist groups.”

“Following that, the Israeli enemy fired two rockets from the occupied site of Tal al-Faras toward one of our sites in al-Zubaydiah site; no casualties reported,” the statement added.

Also on Tuesday, the Israeli military said its troops had shot at a target inside Syria, following an incident where gunfire from Syria hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Israeli regime has recently boosted its military activities in the Golan Heights, where clashes between the Syrian army and the militant groups continue.

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

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad said on May 18 that militants from 29 different countries were fighting against the government in different parts of the country.

Source: Press TV

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 16 2013

Over 70 states refuse to say yes to anti-Syria resolution

Foreign-backed militants in Syria (file photo)

More than 70 countries have refused to say yes to an Arab-backed resolution against Syria at the United Nations General Assembly.

Russia, China and Iran were among the 12 countries that opposed the resolution on Wednesday.

Russia called the resolution, co-sponsored by the United States, “counterproductive and irresponsible.”

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 107-12 with 59 abstentions. Argentina, Brazil, and more than a dozen other Latin American and Caribbean countries abstained from voting.

Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Alexander Pankin called the resolution “very harmful and destructive,” saying it disregards “illegal actions of the armed opposition.” He also accused the resolution’s Arab sponsors of attempting to replace the Syrian government instead of trying to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari also stated that the resolution “seeks to escalate the crisis and fuel violence in Syria.”

The non-binding resolution, which was drafted by a number of Arab states, calls for a “political transition” and refers to the foreign-backed militants in Syria as “effective representative interlocutors” needed for the transition.

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.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.

In an interview recently broadcast on Turkish television, Syrian President Bashar al-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 16 2013

Russian Pacific Fleet Warships Enter Mediterranean For First Time In Decades, To Park In Cyprus

Earlier we reported that the US has now officially landed a Marine force in israel as well as an assault ship, in a visit that the US Navy promptly assured “is not associated with, nor a reaction to, any world events.” It seems we were not the only ones who read this justification somewhat skeptically: so did Russia. And in a historic event, the Russian Pacific fleet, for the first time in decades, crossed the Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean, direction Cyprus’ port of Limasol (hi Cyprus – Russia will be arriving shortly) in what is now the loudest implied warning to the US and Israel amassing military units across Syria’s border that Russia will not stand idly by as Syria is used by the Israeli “Defense” Forces for target practice. “The task force has successfully passed through the Suez Channel and entered the Mediterranean. It is the first time in decades that Pacific Fleet warships enter this region,” Capt. First Rank Roman Martov said. This is what is also known as dropping hints, loud and clear.

The group, including the destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, the amphibious warfare ships Peresvet and Admiral Nevelskoi, the tanker Pechenga and the salvage/rescue tug Fotiy Krylov left the port of Vladivostok on March 19 to join Russia’s Mediterranean task force.

Admiral Panteleyev destroyer

Admiral Nevelskoi

 

The task force currently includes the large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk, the frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the salvage/rescue tugs Altai and SB-921 and the tanker Lena from the Northern and Baltic Fleets, as well as the Ropucha-II Class landing ship Azov from the Black Sea Fleet. The task force may be enlarged to include nuclear submarines, Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov said last Sunday.

Shore leave for a whole lot of submarines just a few hundred kilometers from Syria? Surely. From Rian.

May 16 2013

Austria says UK push to arm Syrian rebels would violate international law & Putin warns against actions fueling crisis in Syria

Forceful Austrian position signals deep EU divisions on Syria ahead of this month’s embargo decision

20130516-083522.jpg
Fighters from Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra take their positions on the front line during a clash with Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters/REUTERS

By Julian Borger, The Guardian

“Die Briten sind not amused,” is how Die Presse reported it today. “The Brits are not amused.” The Austrian foreign ministry circulated a discussion paper (known in Brussels jargon as a non-paper) among the EU member states yesterday forcefully rebutting British and French arguments for amending the European embargo on Syria to allow weapons shipments to the rebels.

Update: here is a link to an English version of the Austrian paper [click here]

The Austrian paper argues that lifting the embargo would “constitute a breach of international and EU law” and be contrary to the “principle of non-intervention and non-use of force” laid down in the UN Charter. If the weapons ended up in the hands of the al-Nusra Front, it would also violate UN Security Council resolutions on al-Qaida, given al-Nusra’s stated affiliation.

According to the Austrian press reports the UK asked the Austrians not to circulate the paper, but Vienna did it anyway – a sign of the declining clout of the UK in Brussels as the country sinks into an internecine quagmire on EU membership.

Austria has a particular reason for opposing the lifting of the arms embargo, as it has UN peacekeeping troops deployed in the line of fire on the Golan Heights, but sources in Brussels suggest the Austrians may also be expressing the views of a EU majority that has deep reservations over lifting the embargo, particularly at a time when there is at least the glimmer of diplomatic hope in the wake of the Kerry-Lavrov agreement to hold a new international conference on Syria.

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