Saturday 8 June 2019

New Evidence Proves Israel Attacked USS Liberty With Orders to Kill 294 Americans



Global Research, June 08, 2019
America is commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the Israeli attack on USS Liberty.
This article was first published on November 14, 2014
Fresh evidence presented in an exclusive Al Jazeera investigation into the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty that killed 34 Americans proves the incident was not a mistake. Since 1967 the ‘official story‘ has been that Israel simply misidentified the American ship as Egyptian for several hours. Israel apologized to the United States and for several decades we’ve been led to believe that this could be the only explanation for why Israeli jets and torpedo boats would launch rockets, missiles and torpedoes at an American target for more than two hours.
A new documentary called ‘The Day Israel Attacked America” airing on Al Jazeera was produced and directed by award winning British film maker Richard Belfield. Thanks to the audio evidence obtained by Belfield, it is finally possible to prove the survivors of the attack on the USS Liberty were right all along. The survivors have always been extremely confident that Israel’s intentions were to sink that ship and kill everyone on board so Egypt could be blamed for the tragedy. Why? To convince President Lyndon Johnson (and the American public) that we needed to declare war on Egypt. This is the definition of a ‘false flag‘. (can you say 9/11?)
It appears that once again, a conspiracy theory has turned out to be conspiracy fact. You can finally take off your tinfoil hats!
Earlier this year, I acquired a copy of the audiotape of the attack as it had unfolded, the real time conversations between Israeli Air Force pilots and their controllers back at base. It had never been broadcast before. I went to talk to Al Jazeera and after careful consideration, the network commissioned the film.” – Richard Belfield
Just sixteen minutes after Israel attacked America, the USS Liberty was confirmed by Israeli forces to be an American ship. These conversations can be heard in the documentary Al Jazeera has been airing on their station.
“To what state does she belong?” (Answer): “American”
Yet the attacks continued for an hour and a half!
Even five minutes before the first bombing you can hear Israeli Air Force pilots question whether the ship was American or not. You don’t have to be a genius to understand why these pilots would be extremely uncomfortable attacking a ship suspected to be American without being given direct orders to do so. I believe we can safely assume this attack wouldn’t have been carried out otherwise.
rsz_deathamerica“Is it an American ship?” “What do you mean American?” “No comment.”
Twenty minutes after a ground controller answered “American” when asked “to what state does she belong?” by Israeli Air Force pilots, the first torpedo hit the USS Liberty. A voice can clearly be heard which confirms that this target, thought to be American at that time, was to be destroyed.
“The torpedo is talking care of the ship now.”
As soon as the first torpedo hit the USS Liberty, Israeli torpedo boats circled the ship and started machine-gunning the American target for another 40 minutes. When the USS Liberty crew lowered their lifeboats into the water to evacuate their ship, the Israelis moved closer so they could gun down the Americans attempting to save their own lives.
More than ten years ago a journalist named Arieh O’Sullivan from the Jerusalem Post was allowed to listen to these same audiotapes. He published a transcript of the Israeli military transmissions he heard directing the attack on the USS Liberty. Sixteen minutes after the attack started, just as in the recording obtained by Al Jazeera, O’Sullivan’s transcript (translated from Hebrew to English) shows the same exchange.
“Kislev, what country?” (Answer): “Apparently American.”
That is where O’Sullivan’s transcript, published over ten years ago by the Jerusalem Post, ends. There is just one major problem with that… The attack continued for another hour and a half!
Navy Admiral Thomas Moorer, who has served this country as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Naval Operations, once lead an independent commission to investigate what really happened to the USS Liberty. The commission’s findings were made public in 2003. Here are a few of the shocking conclusions.
  • The attack, by a U.S. ally, was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill its entire crew.
  • The attack included the machine-gunning of stretcher-bearers and life rafts .
  • The White House deliberately prevented the U.S. Navy from coming to the defense of the USS Liberty. This was the first time in naval history a rescue mission had been cancelled while an American ship was under attack.
  • Surviving crew members were later threatened with court-martial, imprisonment, or worse if they talked to anyone about what had happened to them; and were “abandoned by their own government 
John Crewdson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, published in 2007 what former CIA analyst Ray McGovern has called the ‘most detailed and accurate account of the Israeli attack‘ for the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun. You guessed it, Crewdson was fired by the Chicago Tribune just a year later after working there for 24 years. You should read his work.
Israeli messages intercepted on June 8, 1967, leave no doubt that sinking the USS Liberty was the mission assigned to the attacking Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats as the Six-Day War raged in the Middle East. Let me repeat: there is no doubt – none – that the mission of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was to destroy the USS Liberty and kill its entire crew.” – former CIA analyst Ray McGovern.


River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Sovereignists of all countries – unite!


Sovereignists of all countries – unite!
June 07, 2019
[This analysis was written for the Unz Review]
We all know that the Neocons are by far the largest and most influential group of sponsors of US wars of aggression. They are the ones who lobbied the hardest for the invasion of Iraq, and they are the ones which for decades have tried every possible dirty trick to lure the US into acts of aggression against Iran. In fact, in terms of international law, the Neocons could be seen as a gang of international war criminals. Why? Because, as I have already pointed out several times, according to the fundamental positions of the Nuremberg Tribunal, the worst crime possible is not genocide or any other crime against humanity. The worst possible crime is the crime of *aggression* because, according to the experts who set up the Nuremberg Tribunal, the crime of aggression “contains” all the other crimes (by the way, the International Criminal Court takes the same position). In the words of the chief American prosecutor at Nuremberg, Robert H. Jackson, “to initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.” By that definition, every single US President would be a war criminal (at least as far as I know; if you can think of a US President who did not commit the crime of aggression – including against Native Americans! – please let me know). As for the Neocons, they could be fairly characterized as a “criminal conspiracy to commit the crime of aggression.” In a sane world, that would make them international pariahs on par with the al-Qaeda crazies (who, whether they realize it or not, were federated by the US Neocons and are still their hired guns not so much against the West but mostly against all the other (non-Takfiri) forms of Islam, primarily Hezbollah and Iran). In fact, while most are still afraid to say so publicly, I believe that there is a growing realization amongst political analysts that the Neocons are a dangerous international gang of warmongering thugs.
What is, however, less known is that inside the US, the Neocons and their allies have been a prime force to dismantle the Bill of Rights, especially the First and Second Amendments.
Today, I want to give a simple yet telling example of how this kind of stuff is quietly happening with very little opposition. And for that example, I will use the US state in which I am currently living, Florida.
Check out this stunning sequence of events:
On April 11th the FL House unanimously (114-0) passed a House Bill 741 which would define anti-Semitism as:
  • “A certain perception of the Jewish people, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jewish people.”
  • “Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism directed toward a person, his or her property, or toward Jewish community institutions or religious facilities.”
The bill also provides many examples of “anti-Semitism,” including:
  • Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews, often in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
  • Accusing Jews as a people or the State of Israel of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
  • Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interest of their own nations.
The bill also provides that examples of anti-Semitism related to Israel include:
  • Applying a double standard to Israel by requiring behavior of Israel that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation, or focusing peace or human rights investigations only on Israel.
  • Delegitimizing Israel by denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist.
On April 29th Governor DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet met in Jerusalem (not a joke!) to proclaim their support for “the Jewish state” (sic) and declare that DeSantis will be the most pro-Israel governor in “America” (sic). The fact that holding that meeting abroad is a violation of Florida law did not bother anybody (except The Florida First Amendment Foundation which filed a lawsuit against this outrage). Neither did the fact that Israel is the last openly and officially racist state on our planet. Sadly, Florida is hardly an exception, two dozen other states (including Texas) have passed similar laws.
The tiny little fig-leaf covering the real anti-civil-rights nature of such laws is the cop-out that such laws do not technically violate the First Amendment since they “only” apply to schools (FL) or that they do not ban free speech as such, but “only” allow for disinvestment from corporations and individuals who dare to profess the “wrong” point of view about Israel (TX).
This is, of course, utter nonsense.
Since the Neocons cannot openly come out and declare “let’s abolish the First Amendment”, they use what I would call a “legislative death by a thousand cuts” meaning that rather than openly repealing the First Amendment, they simply neuter it by imposing innumerable small limitations, regulations, interpretations, restrictions, etc. etc. etc (by the way, that is how the US elites are currently also trying to dismantle the Second Amendment).
As somebody who studied in the USA and obtained two diplomas here (1986-1991), I can attest that before 9/11 US schools and campuses were a wonderful Petri dish for all sorts of opinions and ideas, including very controversial ones. The freedom of speech on US colleges was total, and it was understood and expected that all opinions and ideas were to compete on their intrinsic merits and not carefully parsed for any sign of crimethink. This has now totally changed: with a few exceptions, most US schools (including many colleges!) have now become ideologically monolithic, and the only possible opinion is total hatred for Trump and unconditional support for the Clinton gang.
The most toxic aspect of these freedom-crushing laws is that they are deliberately directed at the young because the ruling plutocracy fully appreciates the fact that young people are far easier to mold ideologically, to indoctrinate. Add to this that the bulk of the US “educational” system (along with the US corporate media) is designed to actually stupidify students and make them compliant (the exact opposite of what “education” is supposed to achieve) since all that is required from 90+% of the US population are just the basic skill-sets needed to serve their overlords and ruling elites (the remaining top 10% of schools are mostly reserved for the children of the ruling US nomenklatura such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.).
There is another aspect of this slo-mo deconstruction of civil rights in the USA which I think is extremely important to point out: I believe that the absolutely outrageous nature of such laws is not only a side-effect of the infinite arrogance of the Neocons but also a deliberate mind-manipulation technique. By being so “in your face” with their ideological arrogance, the Neocons are forcing everybody observing the laws into one of two camps: first, those who meekly accept whatever the Neocons want, and those who dare to resist. The first group then becomes an accomplice, a bystander, who by silence acquiesces, while the second group becomes a target to be silenced, by whatever means necessary. The similarities in other circumstances are apparent: 9/11, MH-17, Skripal, fictional gas attacks in Syria, etc. The rulers of the Empire demand that everybody endorse a narrative which is self-evidently false thereby creating a very accurate tool to measure the degree of political subservience of every person asked whether the official version is true or not.
In this context, it is quite amazing to see that very few people dare to openly question why and how a foreign power acquired such total control over a supposed superpower. There are, of course, many courageous individuals who dare to question all this (the names of Cynthia McKinney, Ron Unz, Philip Giraldi, Paul Craig Roberts, Catherine Austin-Fitts, Bonnie Faulkner and many others come to mind), but their courageous voices are drowned by an CAT5 hurricane of pro-Zionist propaganda. And, of course, when all else fails, the vapid and nonsensical accusation of “anti-Semitism” is used to discredit anybody whose arguments cannot be simply dismissed. Finally, the US deep-state has been very successful in its covert support for all kinds of genuinely racist movements, personalities and media outlets as a means to discredit (by supposed association) anybody critical of Israel or of Zionism. The exact same technique was used to discredit the 9/11 Truth movement which has been negatively affected on a grass-roots level by all sorts of plain stupid theories (nukes, Russian missiles, directed energy weapons, etc.) which helped to “dissolve” the serious and rigorously scientific studies of what really happened on 9/11.
One of the most devastating consequences of this Zio-compatible political orthodoxy in the USA has been that no US politician has successfully challenged the total control of the Zionist Occupation Government (ZOG – a much-discredited term, yet a totally accurate one, in my opinion). Cynthia McKinney tried, and we all know what happened to her. Even more chilling is the fact that even people like Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader or Tulsi Gabbard clearly decided to stay away from this issue, lest they be demonized and removed from any position of power like Cynthia McKinney was.
This is all entirely deliberate. Just check the language used by HB 741 which clearly and repetitively conflates any rejection or condemnation of Zionism (which is an ideology) with the hatred of Jews (as a religion, ethnicity or race; FWIW, I personally think of Jews as a tribe, not a race or ethnicity). This conflation is the cornerstone of Zionist power in the West, and this is why any discussion of it is considered as an impeachable evidence of racist crimethink).
Still, those who, like myself, live in the USA are comparatively better off than any European dissidents since in most EU countries (and in Russia, by the way) there are already plenty of laws banning specific forms of free speech including even the so-called “Holocaust denial” and the (vaguely worded) ban on “hate speech”: there is no First Amendment in Europe and the ban on some forms of free speech has always been present in Europe (the French philosopher Alain Soral is now risking a year in jail for various “thought-crimes”. I will write about his plight in the near future).
Conclusion: in so many ways, Russians and Americans have the same problem!
Once we make the decision to call things by their proper names, it becomes evident what the problem is, of the USA: the USA is not a genuinely free or sovereign country, but an “occupied territory” ruled by a transnational gang of thugs whose ideology is as racist, messianic and as hateful as it gets (Zionism); I would, therefore, suggest that a perfect US “liberation slogan” might be “restore full sovereignty to the people”. Russia, I believe, has the same problem, albeit to a lesser degree (the most significant difference is that there are still many patriots in Russia who are willing to speak up against this state of affairs, but without falling into the trap of endorsing racist views). Fundamentally, I think that it would be fair to say that both Russia and the USA are struggling to free themselves from the yoke of a trans-national gang of thugs whose goal is world domination, literally (if you are naïve enough to believe that Zionism is “just” the advocacy of a Jewish homeland and a relocation of any threatened Jews to “Eretz Yisrael” you are totally mistaken, see why here).
Furthermore, both Russia and the USA also suffer from the internal oppression of a ruling class, which is corrupt to the core and profoundly contemptuous of everybody else. And while these people are not united under one leader or organization, and while they don’t have to have secret coordinating meetings, they have such a commonality of interests that they will always and instinctively act in concert. I know that this is not a cool thing to say in 2019, but for all his other mistakes, Karl Marx was quite correct in his realization that class struggles are what defines the structure of most societies and that class consciousness often determines how those in power act.
So, whatever we choose to call them (Neocons, Zionists, Atlantic Integrationists, 5th columnists, etc.), these labels are all situational, and we all know who we are dealing with here and how these people operate. And to those who would (inevitably) accuse us of some kind of crypto-racism we would simply reply with the words of a very famous Jew, Saint Paul, who said: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Besides, blaming Jews for Zionism is about as logical as blaming Russians for Bolshevism, Germans for National Socialism or blaming US Americans for imperialism: this is both counter-factual and profoundly immoral. But, not to worry, the Pope has already declared that Christians have to ask for pardon for “19 centuries of Christian anti-Judaism”! I suppose that soon the Latins will declare Saint Paul an “optional saint” (like they did with Saint Nicholas). In fact, judging by the Pope’s obsession with denouncing anti-Semitism, we can safely assume that soon such notorious “anti-Semites” like Saint Paul, Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint Justin Martyr and many others will soon be made “optional”. At the end of the day, I fully expect these folks to make Christ Himself “optional,” again for His anti-Semitism (especially in the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint John which will surely be “corrected” in the near future).
Russians and US Americans live in very different societies with very different histories. Yet I believe that rather than futilely hoping that Russia will one day become a backer of the (deep-state sponsored and therefore truly racist) Alt-Right, it would be far more realistic and productive to hope that all the people of Russia and the USA, irrespective of their race, ethnicity or religion, join forces to struggle to recover their sovereignty over their country. It does not matter what ideology the trans-national plutocracy happens to advocate as long as the rest of us realize that true sovereignty is the counter-poison which will restore our freedoms and stop wars of aggression (which only the ruling elites benefit from). Today the Neocons are enemy #1 for the US. The Russian 5th columnists are the enemy #1 for Russia. Showing how they work towards the same goals is, I believe, one of the first things which those who resist these thugs must achieve. Paraphrasing Marx, I would suggest this slogan: “sovereignists of all countries – unite!”.
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Former Qatari PM: Most of ISIL Fighters Are Saudi

June 8, 2019
TELEMMGLPICT000199860092_trans++hPEGQT2fTiR-cA2EWkGOkdrURlqrZJBRknYITkYQ5JE
The former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jasem denied all the Saudi accusations about his country’s involvement in supporting terror, stressing that most of ISIL fighters are from Saudi Arabia.
In an interview with the British newspaper, The Telegraph, bin Jasem said that all the Saudi allegations are unproven, adding that neither the United States nor the European countries have supported them.
Bin Jasem also said that Saudi supports the terrorist groups for its own interests, reminding that 15 out of the 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks are Saudi.
Related Videos

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Syrian War Report – June 6, 2019: Syrian, Russian Forces Pound Militants In Greater Idlib



Syrian War Report – June 6, 2019: Syrian, Russian Forces Pound Militants In Greater Idlib

06.06.2019
ISIS cells have used an IED to blow up a Syrian Army vehicle on the road between Naamer and al-Khirbet in northern Daraa, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq said on June 4. According to the report, 3 soldiers were killed in the attack. However, these claims have not yet been confirmed by pro-government sources.
This became the first official ISIS announcement of an attack in the province of Daraa since last year when the army and former rebels that had reconciled with the government eliminated ISIS’ local branch, the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army.
The resumption of ISIS attacks in southern Syria may be a sign that the terrorist group’s core hiding in the Syrian and Iraqi deserts has had enough time to restore contacts with its cells in this part of the country. If this is the case, further attacks in the area can be expected.
Just recently, the army discovered a large ammo depot during a recent search operation in the country’s south. The ammo depot contained loads of weapons, including: 3 US-made TOW anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) launchers along with 4 missiles, 3 Russian-made Metis-M ATGM launchers along with 6 missiles and two 1PBN86-VI thermal sights, a Soviet-made Malyutka ATGM along with its launcher, 7 Bulgarian-made AT-4 Spigot ATGMs, a Bulgarian-made Konkurs ATGM and several rounds for the Yugoslav-made M79 Osa anti-tank weapon.
A swarm of armed drones attacked residential areas in the town of Jubb Ramlah in western Hama in the early hours of June 5. According to
Local sources, the Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces intercepted all the drones before they managed to cause any losses.
Opposition sources confirmed the attack attempt saying that it was a response to strikes on the Greater Idlib area.
According to pro-militant sources, Syrian and Russian forces carried out hundreds of strikes on various targets in northwestern Hama, southern Idlib and northern Lattakia over the last 24 hours. Clashes also continued in the area north of Kafr Nabudah.
At the same time, so-called moderate rebels from Jaysh al-Izza, the group that had received large quantities of weapons from the US, appeared in a new video with a badge of the Islamic Black Standard with the Seal of Muhammad. This is a well-known symbol of al-Qaeda and the official flag of ISIS.
Despite all the attempts by Idlib militant groups and their Western backers to present these “rebels” as “moderate democrats”, it’s not so easy to hide the truth.
Related Videos
Related News

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Qatar: Saudi-Led Bans Worsening Human Rights Situation



A high-ranking Qatari official says the continuation of a dispute initiated by a Saudi-led quartet of Arab states with her country would heighten the risk of human rights violations, and undermine the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC].
“Ever since the Gulf crisis started, the countries of embargo – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates [UAE] – have sought to put the status quo on a normal footing through a series of unfair measures against Qatari citizens, and in violation of humanitarian principles and international law. Among the objectives of normalization of the crisis by the countries of blockade was to damage the economy of state of Qatar. Nevertheless, these states have failed despite their diligent attempts. The continuation of the crisis will undermine the GCC and exacerbate violation of human rights,” the spokeswoman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry Lolwah Rashid al-Khater said in an exclusive interview with London-based and pan-Arab media outlet al-Araby al-Jadeed on Wednesday.
“When it comes to meetings at military and security levels within the framework of Arab, Islamic, international and even GCC summits, the State of Qatar is committed to cooperation,” Khater pointed out.
She went on to say that her country “follows the policy of open doors on dialogue and political understanding and convergence of views.”
“Qatar does not want to break up ties with anyone, because there are stronger ties in the Gulf region that cannot be cut despite the continuation of the crisis over the past two years,” the Qatari foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
“We are already evaluating our strategies and would not rely on the embargo countries, even if relations are restored,” she highlighted.
“We are aware that the continuation of the Gulf crisis will open up cracks in the GCC, which is supposed to be the first player concerning the treatment of crises and convergence of views among member states. We have always welcomed a constructive dialogue based on respect for sovereignty,” Khater said.
She stressed that Kuwait’s Emir Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah is still exerting intensive efforts to mediate between the disputing parties.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, after officially accusing it of “sponsoring terrorism”.
The administration of the Saudi-backed and former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Libya, the Maldives, Djibouti, Senegal and the Comoros later joined the camp in ending diplomatic ties with Doha. Jordan downgraded its diplomatic relations as well.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry later announced that the decision to cut diplomatic ties was unjustified and based on false claims and assumptions.
On June 9, 2017, Qatar strongly dismissed allegations of supporting terrorism after the Saudi regime and its allies blacklisted dozens of individuals and entities purportedly associated with Doha.
Later that month, Saudi Arabia and its allies released a 13-point list of demands, including the closure of al-Jazeera television network and downgrade of relations with Iran, in return for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Doha.
The document also asked Qatar to sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement.
Qatar rejected the demands as “unreasonable.”

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Friday 7 June 2019

Syrian War Report – June 5, 2019: Army Liberates More Areas In Northwestern Hama

Syrian War Report – June 5, 2019: Army Liberates More Areas In Northwestern Hama

05.06.2019
Syrian government forces have resumed their offensive on the positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and the Turkish-backed Front for National Liberation (NFL).
Over the past two days, units of the Syrian Arab Army and the Tiger Forces have liberated the villages of Qasabiya, Humayrat, Hardanah and Qirutiyah. According to pro-government sources, army troops are now aiming to liberate Meidan Ghazal, Shariya and Deir Sonbol as well as Tal Sakhar, Habit and Abidin.
These settlements are located northwest and east of the town of Kafr Nabudah, a key militant stronghold, which had recently been liberated by the army. The collapse of the militants’ defense there became the main factor allowing government forces to develop their advance.
Multiple Syrian and Russian airstrikes in northern and southern Idlib are being reported by pro-militant sources on a daily basis.
The ongoing army advance was launched on June 3 after a failed attempt to establish a temporary ceasefire in the area last week.
Immediately after the declaration of the ceasefire, units of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the NFL stormed army positions in Kafr Nabudah thus showing their commitment to further hostilities. This predetermined the observed scenario.
According to pro-militant sources, at least 4 pieces of military equipment and over a dozen army troops were killed in the recent clashes. In their turn, government-linked media claim that 8 militants and 2 vehicles were eliminated.
On June 4, Israel’s ImageSat Intl. released a satellite image showing the alleged impact of Israel’s June 2 strike on the T4 airbase in Syria.
The Israeli satellite and data analysis company claimed in its report that the strike had targeted “an element or a few” speculating that they may have been some kind of “advanced weapon system element”. Nonetheless, it was not able to provide evidence to confirm these speculations.
Syria and Iran provided no details as to what kind of infrastructure or weapon systems were targeted in the T4 airbase. Nonetheless, it’s an open secret that Iran uses this airbase for UAV operations across the country.
Related Videos
Related News

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Syrian Army advances into southwestern Idlib after resuming offensive: map



BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their offensive in the northwestern region of Syria this week after a failed 48-hour-long ceasefire along the Idlib-Hama axis.
Backed by Russian air support, the Syrian Arab Army’s Tiger Forces resumed the offensive on Monday when they stormed the small town of Al-Qasabiyah. Not long after storming Al-Qasabiyah, the Syrian Arab Army announced full control over the town after the jihadist forces failed to maintain their last line of defense.
The following day, the Syrian Arab Army attacked three towns near Kafr Naboudeh, seizing them after a short battle with Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham. According to a source, the Syrian Army captured the towns of Hardinah, Hamirat, and Qayroutiyah after advancing north of Hawash.
The Syrian Arab Army is now launching heavy artillery strikes on the key hilltop of Tal Sakher in order to secure the eastern flank of Kafr Naboudeh. Once Tal Sakher is captured, the Syrian Arab Army will make its way to the strategic town of Al-Hobeit, which is the first major town in southwestern Idlib.
At the same time, a Syrian Army source said the Turkish military has increased its support to the militants in northwestern Syria. The source said the Turkish military is sending more weapons to the militants in a bid to halt the Syrian Arab Army’s offensive in the Idlib Governorate.
Related Videos
Related News

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Thursday 6 June 2019

Russia-China SitRep: Double Helix Strategic Coordination (by Larchmonter445)



Russia-China SitRep: Double Helix Strategic Coordination (by Larchmonter445)
Macintosh HD:private:var:folders:r6:0zfqxffs5tv6kg1lbk07wrlr0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:President Xi Arrives in Russia.jpeg.jpeg
The Earth shifted today in Moscow. Two great civilizations embodied in two superpower nations grew closer than ever. Their leaders signed a new document enshrining their deepening relationship. The Double Helix evolves in demonstrable ways.
President Xi and President Putin signed the multipage document (which clearly indicates more than just a terminology change from the former relationship title to the new one.)
“The comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination”, is the new appellation.
The key is coordination.
Macintosh HD:private:var:folders:r6:0zfqxffs5tv6kg1lbk07wrlr0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:si700.jpg
One of the bases for this coordination is the personal relationship of the two Presidents. Today, in the meeting with the world press for the formal signing of the document, and thirty other agreements of projects and commercial development, President Xi referred to his relationship with President Putin as “my best friend”.
“President Putin has established a close working relationship and deep personal friendship,” he said.
So, atop the strategic coordination is a relationship that is a signal to all the government officials and business men on both sides of the strategic partnership that things are personal, intimate, vital.
President Xi aimed at the Hegemon his most important words:
Chinese President XI Jinping said that the world’s “raise your head” protectionism and the policy of hegemony, Russia and China as permanent members of the UN security Council should make efforts to protect international security.
“Currently, the international situation is experiencing unprecedented over the centuries, profound changes. Peace and development remain the trends of the time, but raise your head protectionism, unilateralism, increasing power politics and hegemonism” – said XI Jinping on Wednesday after Russian-Chinese talks.
According to him, “we have a big hard way to achieve peace and development, we, as a leading world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia, along with the international community must show a sense of duty, determined to protect the international system (security) under the auspices of the UN, based on international law”.
XI Jinping spoke of the need to solve the problems occurring in “hot spots”, by political means, to safeguard the multilateral trading system.
The other item of high geopolitical importance is the draft agreement signed related to the national payment systems of both nations. Cross border payments for trade settlement can now be in national and other currencies. This allows commercial banks to make independent decisions to join payment systems in either nation.
The ruble and the yuan are the national currencies. And this agreement marginalizes payments in dollars to the sidelines. It sets an example for other bilateral trade these countries conduct that the ruble and yuan are viable alternatives for trade balance settlement.
President Putin focused some of his remarks at world problems, issues that are in the news and concerns of the world.
“Extensively talked about current issues on the international agenda. Confirmed that the positions of Russia and China on key international issues are close or, as diplomats say, are the same.”
Putin continued, “Russia and China are working in favor of peaceful settlement of the crisis in Syria, in favor of stabilization of the situation in Venezuela, remained committed to the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program.”
On the topics of alleged use of chemical weapons and nuclear weapons, the INF Treaty and unilateral sanctions against Iran, the two leaders agreed:
  • Russia and China have called for the examination of cases of alleged use of chemical weapons on a depoliticized basis;
  • Moscow and Beijing acted to restore the viability of the INF Treaty;
  • Russia and China called on other countries to return all nuclear weapons outside their national territory;
  • Russia and China urged Iran to continue to perform its obligations under the AGREEMENT. The two leaders called unacceptable unilateral sanctions of Washington against Tehran.
Space is a high concern of the two leaders. Russia and China will work towards a legally binding international Treaty guaranteeing the absence of any weapons in earth orbit, and will also make efforts to prevent an arms race in space.
Moscow and Beijing reaffirmed their intention to forbid to place in space weapons of any kind, with the aim to prevent security threats around the world.
They issued a joint statement on the subject of the militarization of Space.
“The parties confirm that the Conference on disarmament as the sole forum for multilateral negotiations on disarmament, plays a key role in the negotiations on the international agreement on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects”, — stated in a joint statement, the leaders of Russia and China.
It is emphasized that any practical measures to prevent the militarization of outer space are unable to fully substitute international legal instruments on this issue.
It is noted that Russia and China propose to make such a legally binding instrument “on the basis of the Russian-Chinese draft Treaty on prevention of placement of weapons in outer space, the use of force or threat of force against outer space objects”.
Recall that in the United States compared with regular accusations against Moscow and Beijing, ostensibly seeking to militarize outer space, created the U.S. Space Forces, which in the future should become an independent military Department.
One of the more salient agreements signed in Moscow today was a one billion dollar investment fund for Research and Development Innovation. The fund will support projects aimed at development of new technology in key branches of Russian and Chinese economies with the focus on commercialization.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the China Investment Corporation (CIC) will set up Sino-Russian projects, support on-going projects, promote exchanges and cross-border implementation by Chinese and Russian companies.
There was a visit of the two Presidents to the Moscow Zoo where two gift giant pandas now grace a new pavilion. Female Dindin and male Jouy are now resident attractions for Russians and other tourists. They will be living in Russia for fifteen years, but their offspring will belong to China under the gifting agreement.
Macintosh HD:private:var:folders:r6:0zfqxffs5tv6kg1lbk07wrlr0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:1220063.jpg
This is a three-day visit by President Xi that includes the very crucial annual international economic forum at St. Petersburg, (SPIEF).
Macintosh HD:private:var:folders:r6:0zfqxffs5tv6kg1lbk07wrlr0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:5cf7c611a3101765669db2eb.jpg
More news will flow from his speech and the business transactions that will benefit Russia and China from that economic forum.
—Larchmonter445

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!