US can't win in Syria so they've resorted to drowning the world in propaganda instead

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US can't win in Syria so they've resorted to drowning the world in propaganda instead

The success of the ongoing Russian airborne campaign in Syria has prompted Washington to launch an information war against Moscow.

While Moscow proposed that all warring sides in Syria declare a ceasefire starting on March 1, the US continues to insist on an immediate cessation of hostilities, claiming that Moscow is stalling in order to allow the Syrian army to complete its ongoing offensive.


Also, on February 10 US warplanes carried out an airstrike against the Syrian city of Aleppo, with Washington immediately blaming Russia for the deed. 

According to Araik Stepanyan, executive secretary of the Presidium of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, faced with the success of the Russian airborne campaign in Syria the US resorted to information warfare.

"We need to understand that an information war was declared against Russia, so such statements shouldn't come as a surprise," Stepanyan told Radio Sputnik. "The fact that these statements are easy to refute matters little for the US leadership because its goal is to create an information phantom for the electorate. They're well versed in the art of fooling the masses; the creed of their propaganda is 'the more terrifying the lie is, the more people believe in it'."

Stepanyan added that the US had to resort to this strategy because its own campaign in Syria has so far failed to produce any meaningful results. He also mentioned the recent incident when TV Channel France 2 showed footage of Russian airstrikes in Syria as the work of the US-led international coalition, remarking that apparently the US can now claim credit for Russia's successes.

"These are all elements of hybrid warfare, its integral component — psychological warfare," he concluded. 

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama sought to increase the budget of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the US federal agency responsible for the Voice of America and Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, among others, requested a substantial budget increase. If the newly proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 is approved, the agency will receive nearly $778 million - a vast sum, especially compared to Russia's foreign media budget.


For example, MIA Rossiya Segodnya, the parent company of Sputnik News, operates on a budget of $75 million, including both domestic and foreign media — 10 times less than the BBG.

Russia to Help Palestine Become Independent State – Putin

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Russia to Help Palestine Become Independent State – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address to the Arab League summit participants that Russia will continue contributing to the attainment of Palestine’s independence.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia will help Palestine in achieving its goal of becoming an independent state with the capital in East Jerusalem, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday in his address to the Arab League summit participants.

“Russia will continue contributing to the attainment of this goal [Palestine’s independence], working through bilateral channels and through multilateral channels, including in the ‘Quartet’ of international mediators,” Putin said.

The Quartet comprising Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, was established in 2002, aiming to reach a long-term peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians.

The Russian president stressed on Saturday the need for closer cooperation between the Quartet and the Arab League, and highlighted Moscow’s readiness to cooperate with the league further.


Palestinians seek the creation of an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, as well as on the Gaza Strip. Palestinians have designated Jerusalem as its capital and called on Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territories it took after the 1967 war.

Russia to Help Palestine Become Independent State – Putin

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Russia to Help Palestine Become Independent State – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address to the Arab League summit participants that Russia will continue contributing to the attainment of Palestine’s independence.

Palestinians Open First Embassy in Western Europe

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia will help Palestine in achieving its goal of becoming an
independent state with the capital in East Jerusalem, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday in his address to the Arab League summit participants.

“Russia will continue contributing to the attainment of this goal [Palestine’s independence], working through bilateral channels and through multilateral channels, including in the ‘Quartet’ of international mediators,” Putin said.

The Quartet comprising Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, was established in 2002, aiming to reach a long-term peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians.

Israel Supported Hamas to Divide Palestine's Resistance - Assange

The Russian president stressed on Saturday the need for closer cooperation between the Quartet and the Arab League, and highlighted Moscow’s readiness to cooperate with the league further.

Palestinians seek the creation of an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, as well as on the Gaza Strip. Palestinians have designated Jerusalem as its capital and called on Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territories it took after the 1967 war.

Putin: Russia Is Ready To Show Proof That 9/11 Was An Inside Job

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Putin: Russia Is Ready To Show Proof That 9/11 Was An Inside Job

Russian President Vladimir Putin has named the date he plans to release proof that the US government and intelligence agencies were responsible for the “controlled demolition” of the World Trade Centre in the 9/11 attacks.

Like a boxer confident in his own strength, Putin has been absorbing pressure from the US and biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The evidence is so explosive he knows he only has to hit once.

According to Kremlin insiders, President Putin has named September 11th 2016 as the date he plans to release the satellite footage proving conclusively the US government’s darkest secret: that the 9/11 attacks were a false flag terrorist event committed against their own citizens.


The US government’s secret terrorist activities at home and internationally will be exposed, undermining the credibility of the nation on the world stage, and proving that Putin is the only major world leader truly fighting terrorism and darker forces.

It is well known that Putin is a fan of synchronicity, but there is more to the September 11th 2016 date than a simple anniversary of the attacks. It is also the beginning of a politically volatile period in the US.

Do not forget: the US government’s darkest secret is also their biggest Achilles heel.

This blow will hit hard. There will be mass protests in the cities and irrepressible public anger that will lead to a popular uprising, culminating almost certainly in revolution. The government will be completely destroyed, and the new world order they support will be thrown into chaos.

2016 is the year Putin has vowed to destroy the Illuminati. The simple step of choosing the right moment to take advantage of the great American Achilles heel may well be his first step towards shaking up the status quo and fulfilling his promise.

Welcome to New Reality: Russia and China Challenge US Naval Supremacy

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Welcome to New Reality: Russia and China Challenge US Naval Supremacy

Russia and China have achieved remarkable success in their efforts to develop advanced navies, which presents a challenge to America's naval supremacy at a time when the US Navy is trying to adapt to the changing security environment, US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said.

"For the first time in 25 years, the United States is facing a return to great power competition. Russia and China both have advanced their military capabilities to act as global powers," he stated in a report, titled "A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority."

Both countries possess a "growing arsenal of high-end warfighting capabilities," designed to exploit the US Navy's "vulnerabilities" and "to leverage the maritime, technological and information systems," the document noted.

Russian Pacific Fleet warships during a naval parade in the Peter the Great Bay marking the wrap-up of the "Joint Sea 2015 II" Russian-Chinese naval drill

In addition, Russia and China "continue to develop and field information-enabled weapons, both kinetic and non-kinetic, with increasing range, precision and destructive capacity."

"The Russian Navy is operating with a frequency and in areas not seen for almost two decades, and the Chinese PLA(N) is extending its reach around the world," the report added.

Timeline of Major Events Leading to N Korea’s First Ever H-Bomb Test

The document, released on Tuesday, also mentioned other players, who are trying to acquire "advanced technology, including military technologies that were once the exclusive province of great powers." Richardson listed North Korea, Iran's "advanced missiles, proxy forces and other conventional capabilities," as well as international terrorist organizations as a threat to the US.

"Coupled with a continued dedication to furthering its nuclear weapons and missile programs, North Korea's provocative actions continue to threaten security in North Asia and beyond," the document stated.


Incidentally, on Wednesday, Pyongyang announced that North Korea successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Russia condemned the move as a violation of international law and urged all stakeholders to look for a diplomatic solution to the issue.

How Russia Will Eventually Kick the US out of Iraq

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How Russia Will Eventually Kick the US out of Iraq

Earlier this week I wrote about a strange occurrence in Iraq, involving a Russian machine gun loaded with Iranian ammunition, that was found mounted on an American tank. The Iraqi military had apparently lent this vehicle to a Shia militia (against the orders of the US Government), who wasted no time equipping it with the weapons they had acquired from their Iranian and Russian allies. All signs suggest that this event is a harbinger of things to come.

The Iraqi government happens to be an awkward transitory phase with their foreign policy. They are currently being supported by both the United States and the Russian-Iranian alliance. As we speak, there are two Russian generals stationed in an intelligence center in Baghdad, and Iranian advisers are helping the Iraqi military direct their war against ISIS. Iraqi officials have even said that they would welcome Russian airstrikes in their country, and they want a “full blown military alliance” with Russia, Iran, and Syria.

As you might expect, the United States isn’t taking this news very well. In fact, they’ve recently given the Iraqi government an ultimatum: It’s us or them.

The U.S. has told Iraq’s leaders they must choose between ongoing American support in the battle against militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and asking the Russians to intervene instead.

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that the Iraqis had promised they would not request any Russian airstrikes or support for the fight against ISIS.

Shortly after leaving Baghdad, Dunford told reporters traveling with him that he had laid out a choice when he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi earlier Tuesday.

“I said it would make it very difficult for us to be able to provide the kind of support you need if the Russians were here conducting operations as well,” Dunford said. “We can’t conduct operations if the Russians were operating in Iraq right now.”

Of course, this has less to do with our ability to work alongside the Russians, and more to do with our willingness. It’s also very telling. We didn’t tell the Iraqi’s that they can’t under any circumstances, work with the Russians. Like a scorned lover in an unfaithful relationship, we delivered a final, impotent demand to our former puppet regime. “You have to choose between him or me.”

Five years ago there wouldn’t have been a choice. We could just tell the Iraqi government what to do, and they had to fall in line because their country was such a mess. Our military was the only thing keeping the crazies from burning their nation to the ground.

But after we left, their country burned anyway. It was clear that they needed real help, and they’ve found it with Russia. We can longer tell them what to do because they’re in a desperate situation, and we no longer have the military prowess to boss them around, or to save them. That’s why our demands are so revealing. We’re no longer in a position to give orders. Russia’s campaign in the Middle East has revealed that our military is a paper tiger in the region.

So far the Iraqi government hasn’t made a decisive choice. They probably want to ditch the Americans, but they can’t quite bring themselves to do it. Here’s what Iraq’s Prime Minister had to say on the matter.

Reuters reports that the U.S. ultimatum to Iraq puts Abadi in a difficult position, as his own country’s ruling political alliance and some powerful Shiite groups have been pushing him to request Russian air support.

The news agency said a proposal to request Russian strikes had been put to Abadi last week, but that he was yet to respond.

“Abadi told the meeting parties that it wasn’t the right time to include the Russians in the fight because that would only complicate the situation with the Americans and could have undesired consequences even on long-term future relations with America,” Reuters quoted a senior Shiite politician close to Abadi as saying.
He says he wants to maintain a long-term relationship with the US, but his willingness to work with our government’s enemies would suggest otherwise. However, they can’t afford to lose America’s support, at least not yet.

I suspect that they’re trying to decide on which superpower to side with, but the Russian-Iranian alliance isn’t quite ready to give them their full support. Their military forces are still tied down in Syria. So for now, Prime Minister Abadi is stuck with the Americans and their limited help, while he quietly allows Iraq’s militias to work with our Cold War enemy. Some help is better than no help, I suppose.


However, if the Russian’s successfully defeat all of the rebel factions in Syria, including ISIS, then all bets are off. They’ll be able provide full military support for Iraq, in which case their government will be able to kick our personnel out of the country, and welcome their new friends. The Russian-Iranian alliance will be able to finish what they started in Syria, and mop up what’s left of our proxy forces. At that point, everything our government has worked for in the Middle East will completely unravel, as well it should.

Syrians want Russian business help to rebuild country – Assad

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Syrians want Russian business help to rebuild country – Assad

A employee works in the Ebla natural gas plant near Homs, northeast of Damascus, April 22, 2010. © Khaled al-Hariri / Reuters

Syrian President Bashar Assad has called on Russian companies to work in Syria to help restore the war-torn country.

"Assad specifically underlined that in rebuilding Syria, the Syrian people rely on Russia's help. He urged all [Russian – Ed.] companies to do business with Syria," Russian Communist Party member Alexander Yushchenko told RIA Novosti.  The announcement followed the arrival of a delegation of Russian Parliament members in Damascus last week.

Assad proposed intensifying Russia-Syria cooperation in the oil sector, according to Yushchenko. He added that the two countries currently have contracts for exploration of oil fields on the [Mediterranean] shelf, saying that there are many other projects that Moscow and Damascus are ready to develop.

Yushchenko also said that Assad had invited Russian companies to participate in rebuilding homes in Syria.

Last week Assad visited Moscow to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He thanked Russia for the support provided to Syria in fighting terrorism, and help restoring the country’s sovereignty and unity.  The two presidents also discussed the issue of Syria’s economic recovery.


In July, the executive director of the Russian Union of Gas and Oil Industrialists, Gissa Guchetl said Russian businesses would consider resuming energy contracts in Syria worth $1.6 billion if the country manages to stabilize from its civil war.

Iraq Authorises Russia to Strike Islamic State Inside Country

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Iraq Authorises Russia to Strike Islamic State Inside Country

Iraqi security officials have told MEE that US-led coalition strikes, which follow a stringent protocol, have been too slow, ineffective.

The Iraqi government authorised Russia to target Islamic State group convoys coming from Syria, a senior Iraqi official said.

The authorisation for Russia to target IS inside Iraq comes amid security coordination between Iraq, Russia, Iran and Syria.

Hakem al-Zamli, chief of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defense committee, told Anadolu Agency on Friday that the measure contributed to weakening IS by cutting off its supply routes.

Earlier this month, Iraqi security officials told MEE that Russia would likely be invited to bomb IS within their country because the US-led coalition air strikes have proved slow and ineffective, largely because stringent protocols were followed.

“They [the US-led coalition] refuse to strike private cars, mosques, bridges, schools despite the fact Daesh militants are mainly using these places as headquarters,” a senior military officer, who declined to be named, told MEE, using an Arabic acronym to refer to IS.

The US-led rules, which enforces verification of targets, regularly give IS militants time to save their supplies, equipment and fighters, they said.

“This is an exceptional war and our enemy has no rules,” one of the officers said. “How [can] you ask me to stick to the rules while my enemy is brutally killing my people every day, enslaving my sisters and destroy my towns and cities?

“Russians have no red lines, no complicated and restricted rules, so it would be easy for us to deal with them,” he said.

Russia, an ally of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, began carrying out air strikes in Syria on 30 September. According to the Kremlin, the strikes are aimed at weakening the IS militant group, an avowed enemy of the regime.

Turkey and several Western countries, however, accuse Russia of targeting rebel groups in Syria opposed to Assad, many of which enjoy the support of Ankara and Washington.


Iraq has been gripped by a security vacuum since June 2014, when IS stormed the northern city of Mosul and declared a self-styled caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.

Syrian Army Seizes Israeli backed Base on Golan Heights

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Syrian Army Seizes Israeli backed Base on Golan Heights

Syrian Army Seizes FSA Military Base in Golan Heights in Quneitra

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Armed Forces on Saturday morning stormed the 4th Battalion Base of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Golan Heights and took full control over the base after fierce clashes with the FSA militants.

At sunrise on Saturday morning, the Syrian Army’s 90th Brigade of the 9th Armored Division, in coordination with Fouj Al-Joulani (Golan Regiment) and Liwaa Suqour Al-Quneitra (Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade) of the National Defense Forces (NDF), launched a counter-assault at the 4th Battalion Base outside of the town of Taranjah, resulting in a series of intense firefights with the Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front Brigades.

The FSA has now lost all of their previous gains from the September offensive that put them in position to attack the Syrian government strongholds of Khan Arnabeh and Hadar inside the Golan Heights of the Quneitra province.

The Syrian Arab Army’s 90th Brigade and the National Defense Forces were able to impose full control over the 4th Battalion Base after they overran the Free Syrian Army’s defensive positions; this forced the aforementioned militants to withdraw to Tal Taranjah in order to regroup after their frontlines crumbled at the base.

According to a military source from the town of Hadar, the FSA militants have conducted a counter-assault since losing the 4th Battalion Base; however, they have yet to regain any territory lost to the Syrian Armed Forces this morning.

Russian Operations Weekly Review: Syria Advances as Russia Increases Airstrikes on Militants

TEHRAN (FNA)- Russia has increased the number of daily airstrikes in Syria several times in full coordination with the Syrian army’s intensifying offensives on terrorist-held regions and positions across the war-stricken nation.

Over the past week, Russia destroyed 363 ISIL facilities as the Syrian army continues offensives around the country to combat terrorist groups, the Russian Media reported.

Russia’s presence in Syria led to a change in the focus of the US-led coalition’s strikes against ISIL. The US continues minor airstrikes in Syria, generally using drones and striking near the Iraqi and Turkish borders. However, the drone use has created issues of air control, as Russian aircraft are often forced to fly in close proximity with US drones, as Russia’s defense ministry showed in a fly-by of a MQ-9 Reaper drone.

In Aleppo, the Syrian army began an offensive against ISIL to break the Kuweires air base out of encirclement, as well as offensives around the southern outskirts of the city, liberating 14 villages only in the last two days.

The offensive appears to be effective, as ISIL is moving fighters from Iraq to Syria, according to Defense Ministry intelligence. ISIL twitter accounts have been posting maps of a supposed counter-offensive they were planning, to cut off the road the Syrian army uses for supplying Aleppo, but the counter-attack failed and the ISIL-Nusra militants were pushed back after sustaining large casualties.

The Syrian army also began an offensive in the Lattakia province, in which al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front massacred hundreds of civilians in previous years.

The offensive has thus far killed hundreds of fighters, according to Syrian military sources, but remains one of the more difficult offensives due to Lattakia’s mountainous terrain.

In Damascus, the offensive against ISIL and other terrorist groups has gained ground at several points, according to reports.

Damascus is controlled by the Syrian government, and many anti-government areas controlled by the Free Syrian Army have signed ceasefires with the Syrian government. However, portions remain controlled by ISIL and other groups including the al-Nusra Front.

In the eastern Deir Ezzur, the Russian military destroyed a key bridge which previously allowed ISIL to resupply an enclave it held in the city. Offensives in central Syria’s Homs, Hama and Idlib have continued to gain ground.

It is not clear if US-supplied TOW missiles, many of which reportedly ended up in the hands of terrorist groups such as al-Nusra continue to destroy Syrian army tanks. Almost no new videos have been uploaded, and terrorist groups have been found reusing old videos and presenting them as new for propaganda purposes.

Some units of al-Nusra have also reportedly been in talks to align with ISIL. ISIL broke away from other rebel groups in 2013 in a bitter power struggle which also saw it disaffiliate from al-Qaeda.

Three Senior Al-Qaeda Commanders Killed in Bomb Explosion in Syria’s Idlib

TEHRAN (FNA)- Three senior commanders of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front were killed in a bomb attack on the group’s meeting in the Northwestern province of Idlib.

The local activists identified the warlords as Abu Zubayr Al-Sham, Abu Dujana Al-Ansari and Abu Al-Nasir Al-Jazrawi.

Al-Jazrawi was a Saudi national and the highest ranking commander in this group of killed al-Qaeda emirs.

No one has thus far claimed responsibility for the bombing; however, al-Nusra and their affiliated-faction “Jund Al-Aqsa” have recently been the target of criticism from their allies in “Jeish Al-Fateh” (Army of Conquest) due to their unwillingness to combat the ISIL.

Syrian Forces Recapture Key Areas in Quneitra Countryside

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army announced on Saturday that its troops stormed the positons of the militant groups in the Southwestern province of Quneitra, and retook Dahret al-Kassar and al-Seria al-Rabe’a areas after heavy clashes with the terrorists.

The army said that its soldiers alongside popular defense forces seized back Dahret al-Kassar in the countryside of the Quneitra province.

The army added that the militant centers in  al-Seria al-Rabe’a came under heavy offensives of the Syrian forces, which resulted in the killing and wounding of dozens of the militants and recapture of the area.

Also, at sunrise on Saturday morning, the Syrian Army’s 90th Brigade of the 9th Armored Division, in coordination with Fouj Al-Joulani (Golan Regiment) and Liwaa Suqour Al-Quneitra (Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade) of the National Defense Forces (NDF), launched a counter-assault at the 4th Battalion Base outside of the town of Taranjah, resulting in a series of intense firefights with the Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front Brigades.

The FSA has now lost all of their previous gains from the September offensive that put them in position to attack the Syrian government strongholds of Khan Arnabeh and Hadar inside the Golan Heights of the Quneitra province, massdar reported.

The Syrian Arab Army’s 90th Brigade and the National Defense Forces were able to impose full control over the 4th Battalion Base after they overran the Free Syrian Army’s defensive positions; this forced the aforementioned militants to withdraw to Tal Taranjah in order to regroup after their frontlines crumbled at the base.

According to a military source from the town of Hadar, the FSA militants have conducted a counter-assault since losing the 4th Battalion Base; however, they have yet to regain any territory lost to the Syrian Armed Forces this morning.

Syrian Army Regains Strategic Hills in Lattakia Province

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army announced on Saturday that its forces have advanced against the militant groups in parts of the coastal province of Lattakia and recapture the strategic Hills of Katef al-Ghader after heavy clashes with the terrorists.

Militant strongholds in the Hills of Katef al-Ghader in ‎Lattakia mountains were stormed by the Syrian army troops, who killed and wounded the militants positioned across the hills and retook full control over the fighting area.

Spokesman for the Syrian Army General Ali Maikhoub said on Friday that at least 300 militants have been killed by the country’s soldiers in various battlefronts of the coastal province of Lattakia.

“More than 300 terrorists were killed in Lattakia province,” Maikhoub said, added, “Our troops have control over Jub al-Ahmar and the Salma village.”

On Thursday, the Russian and Syrian warplanes conducted airstrikes on Takfiri terrorists’ positions in across Lattakia province, leaving a large group of them dead.

The air raids hit the concentration centers of Takfiri terrorists in the center of Jub al-Ahmar in Lattakia, and killed a large group of the militants.

Meanwhile, heavy clashes have erupted between the Takfiri militant groups and the Syrian forces in Salam in Lattakia, a military source said.

Syria’s government troops, supported by Russian airstrikes, continue their offensive in the country’s Western regions.

Russia started precision airstrikes against the ISIL targets in Syria on September 30, following a request from Syria’s internationally recognized government. The Russian airstrikes hit targets that are chosen based on intelligence collected by Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Iraq, Russia Agree to Hit ISIL Militants Heading from Syria to Iraq

TEHRAN (FNA)- Head of the Iraqi Parliament’s National Security and Defense Commission Hakem al-Zameli said that Baghdad and Moscow have agreed to hit ISIL militants heading from Syria to Iraq.

In a statement released on Friday, Zameli said that the joint data center between Iraq, Syria and Russia was still in its initial stage, noting that however, it has offered important intelligence information which helped end the battle in Beiji.

He further added that Syria offered important information about the position of ISIL terrorists.

“Iraq agreed with Russia, which leads the joint data center, to hit the ISIL militants heading from Syria to Iraq,” Zameli said, pointing out that this move would weaken the ISIL militants as it will cut off supply routes of the Takfiri insurgents.

Some 84 Terrorists Give up Fight, Surrender to Syrian Authorities in Homs

TEHRAN (FNA)- Over 84 terrorists have laid down arms and surrendered to the Syrian authorities in the Central Homs province, local sources said on Saturday.

Some 84 wanted persons from Homs and its countryside turned themselves in to the authorities to be pardoned, provincial officials said.

Earlier this month, some 558 wanted militants have surrendered to the Syrian authorities as the army troops, backed by Russian air support, gained a faster momentum in their match on terrorist-held regions.

Some 258 wanted persons from the provinces of Damascus, Idlib, Hama, Aleppo, Hasaka and Deir Ezzur turned themselves in to the Syrian authorities to be pardoned.

Official sources said a sum of 300 people from Hama laid down arms and surrendered to Syrian Army yesterday, while previously 560 wanted persons from Damascus, Damascus countryside, Quneitra and Homs gave up fight and turned themselves in to the authorities October 7.

The army troops, backed by Russian warplanes, have made major advances in their fight against the Takfiri terrorists across the Arab country in recent days.

Following the Syrian-Russian joint operations, thousands of Takfiri terrorists have also fled Syria to Jordan, Turkey and Europe.

Syrian Jets Hit Terrorist Centers Hard North of Sweida

TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Air Force fighter bombers carried out several sorties over the militants’ positions in the Northeastern parts of Sweida province, and targeted their razed their positions and facilities to the ground.

The militant hideouts in Tal Sa’ad and Khirbet Sa’ad in the Southern province of Sweida were targeted by the Syrian fighter jets, in which the terrorists’ munition depots, military equipment and logistic vehicles were destroyed.

Earlier this month, the Syrian army, backed by popular defense groups, killed a large group of the ISIL terrorists in Tal Ash-heeb in the Northeastern countryside of Sweida on Tuesday.

A military source said that the Syrian forces targeted ISIL terrorists’ concentration centers and movement axes in Tal Ash-heeb, killing and injuring all the terrorists there and destroying their weapons and ammunition.

Dozens of Militants Killed, Wounded in Syrian Airstrikes in Hama

TEHRAN (FNA)- Jeish al-Fateh militant group’s strongholds in Kafr Zeta in Hama province came under heavy air raids by the Syrian air force on Saturday, local sources said, adding that the massive aerial bombing has inflicted large casualties on the terrrorists.

Kafr Zeta was the scene of massive airstrikes of the Syrian warplanes, which bombed the militant gathering centers, resulting in destruction of the terrorists’ hideouts and military equipment, the sources said.

The sources further added that the militant groups sustained heavy death toll in the air attacks.

Also on Saturday, the sources said that the ISIL Takfiri terrorists’ hideouts in Tal Mahsar village near al-Hamra town were targeted by the Syrian jets, in which the militants’ ammunition depots were destroyed.

In the meantime, the Syrian warplanes carried out airstrikes on ISIL hideouts in the villages of Rasm al-Tineh, Dabaret al-Dibeh, East of al-Sheikh Hilal,  South of Ethria and Uqairibat in the Eastern countryside of the Hama province, leaving many terrorists killed or wounded and a long convoy of their military vehicles destroyed.

On Friday, a total of 45 militants were killed during a Syrian Army attack on an ISIL convoy in Hama province.

“Our armed forces successfully continue their advance, supported by the air force,” an army spokesman, General Ali Maikhoub said.

“An ISIL convoy of military vehicles was attacked near the town of Um Hadij, resulting in destruction of at least 23 vehicles and killing of 45 terrorists,” the general went on to say.

The ISIL militants suffered heavy casualties in Syrian fighter jets’ intensive bombing of their hideouts in several parts of Hama province on Friday.

The sources said that the Syrian warplanes bombed the ISIL gathering centers in Uqairibat village to the East of Salamiyeh city, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their vehicles and military equipment.

Syrian Army, Popular Forces Retake New Village from Militants near Aleppo

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army and popular forces, in a series of joint operations, pushed back militants from al-Jabboul village in Eastern Aleppo on Saturday, bringing the number of the villages liberated in the Northern province in the last three days to 17.

The terrorist groups pulled back forces from the al-Jabboul village and its nearby areas after their positions came under heavy attacks of the Syrian army and popular forces.

The militants also suffered heavy casualties in the army troops’ attacks.

Earlier today, the army sources said that the Takfiri militant groups positioned in the nearby areas of al-Amara and Tallit al-Mahdia suffered heavy death toll in the Syrian army’s offensives and retreated from the battlefield.

The army said that the two abovementioned villages are under the full control of the Syrian troops now.

On Friday, the Syrian Army announced that its troops, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian air support, have recaptured two other villages in Southwest Aleppo province.

The army said that the militant groups retreated from al-Huweiz and al-Qarasi after their positions came under attack of the Syrian forces.

Also on Friday, the Army and Hezbollah forces pushed back militant groups from vast areas in the Northern Aleppo province, and recaptured at least three more villages.

Sources said that the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance recaptured Ghayghar, al-Ajoubiyah Farms and Tal Mafless after fierce clashes with the militants of Liwaa Suqour al-Sham and Harakat Nour al-Deen Al-Zinki.

The Syrian army on Thursday won back control over 9 villages in Aleppo.

The Syrian army and popular defense forces, backed by Russian warplanes, freed vast areas in Aleppo Province from the control of the Takfiri militants, killed a senior terrorist commander and took a wide stride towards the strategic Kuweires military airbase.

The Syrian forces regained control of al-Safira village in the Southern countryside of Aleppo in the early hours of Thursday, killing dozens of terrorists, including their senior field commander Uwais al-Qoqazi.

Later, the army also won back the villages of Balas, Jouret al-Hajjash, Rasm al-Skeikh Qiqan, Deir Salibah, Kafer Obeid, al-Halabiah and Teir al-Ward.

A few hours later on Thursday the army regained control of al-Ayyubiah village in the Southern countryside of Aleppo.

‘Which side are you fighting for?’ Russia blasts US for refusing to share intel on ISIS

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‘Which side are you fighting for?’ Russia blasts US for refusing to share intel on ISIS

A still image captured from U.S. Navy video footage shows a Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile (TLAM) is launched against ISIL targets from the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea in the Gulf, September 23, 2014.

Washington’s failure to share data with Russian intelligence about terrorist positions in Syria makes one question the goals that Americans have in their anti-ISIS campaign in Syria and Iraq, a senior Russian diplomat has said.

The refusal to share intelligence on terrorists “just confirms once more what we knew from the very start, that the US goals in Syria have little to do with creating the conditions for a political process and national reconciliation,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Thursday.

“I would risk saying that by doing this the US and the countries that joined the US-led coalition are putting themselves in a politically dubious position. The question is: which side are you fighting for in this war?”

Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Earlier, the Russian military said they would welcome American intelligence on the forces of terrorist group Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) to help with Russia’s bombing operation in Syria. But the US State Department said it would not be possible because Russia and the US do not share the same goals in Syria.

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“I don’t know how you can share intelligence when you don’t share a basic, common objective inside Syria. We’re not at that – we’re nowhere near that point. There’s no shared, common objective here about going after ISIL,” said John Kirby, a State Department spokesman.

The US has accused Russia of failing to target ISIS and instead bombing moderate rebel forces, which Washington wants to replace the government of President Bashar Assad. Russia denies the allegations.

Ryabkov said that without US intelligence Russia would remain quite effective in the Syrian operation, considering that it has plenty of other sources.

“There are our own means of reconnaissance. We get intelligence from a number of other countries and coordinate its flow through the Baghdad information-sharing center,” the Russian diplomat said, referring to a facility in the Iraqi capital that is used by Syria, Iraq, Iran and Russia to coordinate their efforts in fighting ISIS.

The US-led coalition has been bombing ISIS targets for over a year and provided supplies and assistance to forces such as Iraqi and Kurdish militias, which are fighting the terrorists on the ground. But it has refused to deal with either Damascus or its key regional ally Tehran, saying that the downfall of the government of President Assad is part of the solution to the crisis. Despite the coalition’s efforts, ISIS has enlarged the territory under its control over the last year.

Senior Syrian and Iranian officials questioned America’s determination to defeat ISIS, saying that the coalition airstrikes are more of a show and are not intended to actually harm the terrorists. Instead Washington is trying to get ISIS topple the Assad government, hoping to deal with them later.

Russia voiced similar concerns on Wednesday, after reporting that its week-long effort had done serious harm to the jihadists in Syria.


“The US Air Force and other parties has been conduction airstrikes for a year. We have reasons to believe that they don’t often hit terrorist targets, or rather do so very rarely,” said Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile Russia’s effort seems to have paid off, as on Tuesday the Syrian Army announced a major offensive against various terrorist groups. Commenting on what role Russia’s support played in turning the tables on the jihadists, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said that Russia “has produced significant results in several days that greatly surpass those achieved by the [US-led anti-ISIS] coalition in over a year.”

'US beating drums of war against Russia to increase European defense spending'

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'US beating drums of war against Russia to increase European defense spending'

Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford testifies during the Senate Armed Services committee nomination hearing to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 9, 2015.

European leaders know that the US wants to get them to spend money on military equipment which will be purchased from the US, says Brian Becker of the anti-war Answer Coalition. But Europe knows the dangers from the experience of two world wars, he added.

Several senior American officials say Russia is the greatest threat to their country's national security. First it was Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James, then General Joseph Dunford at his confirmation hearing for the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called Russian actions “nothing short of alarming.”


RT: Several senior American officials say Russia is the greatest threat to US national security. Why is such rhetoric being employed by senior American officials?

US military leaders call Russia ‘greatest threat’, demand more funding

Brian Becker: We have to understand this rhetoric and these presentations first by the Air Force Secretary Deborah James and Major General Joseph Dunford, soon to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both of whom pose the presentation that Russia is an existential threat and the greatest threat to America.

They also say, and this is very interesting, that it requires the 28 NATO members to step up and do their part to spend at least two per cent of their GDP on military spending in NATO, and only four of the 28 members of NATO are doing it so far. What the US military officials are basically telling NATO is: “Get in line, this is an existential threat, you have to spend more of your money, money that is being drained from other parts of the economies of Europe." A lot of that money will go to US war contractors. So the ABCs of the war propaganda Russia is an existential threat is that it is very good, very necessary in fact for the biggest war contractors, the biggest parts of the military industrial complex in America. That is one part of the story.

RT: What is calling Russia 'the biggest threat'' and lumping it in with Islamic State going to lead to?

BB: It doesn’t just lump Russia in with ISIS, it says “Russia is a greater threat to the US and to the West, and to world peace than ISIS.” Now you see the US’s government right now is at war, endless war with IS because purportedly it poses an existential threat. But if the existential threat posed by Russia is even greater than IS, you can make the case, and I think it’s absolutely true, that the US military is preparing the American public for military confrontation, conflict of some type with Russia, which would seem to all people to be absolute madness.

Nonetheless, they must be doing this to prepare the population to allow greater and greater military threats to go against Russia. Now, once the Pentagon claims the escalation ladder, carries out massive war exercises on Russia’s border, Russia will be compelled to meet that threat. That’s how conflicts go from small conflicts to bigger conflicts, and even possible global conflicts.



RT: European officials have been so far reluctant to boost military spending for NATO. Do they not fear any imminent threats that the US is citing?

BB: The European powers know absolutely that this is hogwash. They know with certainty that the US is beating the drums of war in order to get them to spend more of their money on military equipment, much of which will be purchase from the US. And they also know that it’s easy for American politicians, and the Generals in America are just politicians in uniform before they become big businessman when they circulate back into corporate America, they know that they are playing with fire. It is very easy for American officials to talk tough against Russia. But Europe knows all too well, the dangers of real war, the danger of WWI and WWII which is 70 years over this year. They don’t take lightly to the fact that the Pentagon is playing with fire. And of course it will be the European people who will be on the frontlines, not Americans.

RT: US military officials said that they knew Europe was facing tough economic challenges, but NATO commitments should still be a priority. Is this talk of threats a way to secure NATO funding?

BB: Yes, that was my point. I think a lot of this is to keep the alliance together. They know that Germany and France, and other major European powers could start to have very warm and good relations - economic, political, and even possibly military relations with Russia. They are trying to keep the discipline of the alliance, and they are also trying to make sure that those countries pay their fair share to the war effort, to the NATO war effort, which, as I said, benefits US war corporations.

Units from NATO allied countries take part in the NATO Noble Jump 2015 exercises, part of testing and refinement of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in Swietoszow, Poland June 18, 2015.

US Secretary of the Air Force and United States Marine Corps general not diplomats

Paul Heroux, Middle East expert also commented on Deborah James’s and General Joseph Dunford’s statements that Russia is the greatest threat to US national security saying that “Their job is to bring to attention what, in their point of view, is going to be a big threat.”

RT: European officials have been so far reluctant to boost military spending on NATO. Why do you think that is?

Paul Heroux: There could be a number of reasons. The crisis in Greece right now is putting pressure on other European counties because there is maybe a need for a debt bailout. But at the same time we don’t want to go back to the old ways of huge deficit spending on the military. I would like to think we’ve progressed a lot more and we’re going to do more diplomatic solutions.

RT: You talk about diplomatic solutions... Is it diplomatic to call Russia 'the biggest threat' to American security?

PH: No, I don’t think it is. But I also think that was made by somebody whose job is not to be a diplomat, somebody who is either a general or secretary of one of the branches of our [US] armed forces. Their job is to bring to attention what, in their point of view, is going to be a big threat.


We also have other people in the US saying that the biggest threat to US security is cyber terrorism, or cyber security; other people say it might be global warming; other folks might say it’s ISIS or terrorism, and some might even say the nuclear program in Iran.

RT: Does calling Russia "the biggest threat" suggest the deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington? Is that the sign there is no real hope for dissent dialogue in the next coming weeks and months?

PH: Deterioration has been going on for a number of years, that’s right. From the point of view of the US, Russia is the problem, from the point of view of Russia; it’s probably the US that’s the problem. The important thing is that they keep working together. What we need to do is basically take baby steps, small, realistic goals that can be achieved rather than trying to change the whole landscape of the negotiations and the state of affairs between the two countries. Small realistic baby steps will help develop a sense of trust and a sense of shared interest. And I think that’s the direction we should be going in.

‘Artificially hostile atmosphere’: Moscow blasts US claims of Russian threat

RT: Why has the trust deteriorated so badly, do you think on the both sides since the so-called reset?

PH: I think it could be a number of issues. Just the interest of the US and Russia. Russia, for example, is trying to reclaim its former kind of Eastern superiority, and that may sometimes complete with some US interests or some of NATO’s interests. Other times the US is also trying to keep ourselves from sliding into place where other countries don’t want to work with us, and it’s a difficult balance. Also it largely could be just the personalities of different leaders. We see that with Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu; we saw that starting with Vladimir Putin and George Bush. So personalities do play a large role in these negotiations and discussions.