[IsraelTimes] Rare motion for the neutral country passes the parliament’s lower chamber with 126 votes in favor, 20 against and 41 abstentions, despite government’s opposition to ban
Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... ’s parliament on Tuesday voted to outlaw Hezbollah, in a rare move by the neutral country that has traditionally followed a policy of promoting international dialogue and mediation.
Proponents of the ban, which was passed by the lower house after receiving upper house approval last week, said Hezbollah was a threat to international security and that Switzerland needed to prohibit it to take a stand against terrorism.
The Swiss government opposed the ban after Switzerland’s Federal Council said that the Lebanese terror group could not be banned as a threat to security under the country’s intelligence act because the existing law required sanctions or a ban by the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... to be in place for such a move to be applied.
"If Switzerland now moves to ban such organizations with special laws, we must ask ourselves where and how the boundaries are drawn," Justice Minister Beat Jans said during the parliamentary debate.
The ban nevertheless passed the lower house with 126 votes in favor, 20 against, and 41 abstentions.
The security policy committee that proposed the ban argued that Switzerland’s mediating role will remain intact thanks to a specific provision on peace talks and humanitarian aid.
Last week, the Swiss parliament outlawed Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... over the Paleostinian terror group’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 251 were seized as hostages.
The government, which drafted the bill to outlaw Hamas, said it had done so in line with the practice of proscribing organizations on a case-by-case basis only "for extremely serious reasons."
Switzerland had previously only banned al-Qaeda and Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , which are on the United Nations’ list of terrorist organizations.
[Rudaw] Two prominent US senators on Tuesday said they will introduce bilateral sanctions legislation on The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... if it does not accept a US-brokered ceasefire with allied Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.
Turkey and Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) holy warriors have prepared to strike the symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane in northern Syria after rebels toppled Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... ’s regime earlier this month. They first moved against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by attacking the northwestern Shahba region, taking Tal Rifaat and Manbij.
The US brokered a four-day ceasefire between the SDF and Turkey last week, which a State Department spokesperson said was extended on Tuesday.
US Senators Lindsey Graham ...soft-spoken senator from South Carolina, former best buddy of John Maverick McCain. Since McCain's demise, Graham has become more outspoken, more Republican and more of a supporter of President Trump. The speech he gave in support of Brett Kavanaugh was downright manly and really cheesed off the Dems... and Chris Van Hollen, of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, spoke to SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday, stressing that Washington "cannot sit idly by" and watch its Kurdish allies be attacked.
"The United States must immediately use all the tools at our disposal to press for a sustained ceasefire and a demilitarized zone. If Turkey does not accept those terms, we tend to introduce bipartisan sanctions legislation this week," a joint statement from both senators said.
"While Turkey has some legitimate security concerns that can be addressed, these developments are undermining regional security," the statement added.
The ceasefire extension came amid a proposal by Abdi for a demilitarized zone in Kobane under US supervision, an initiative he said "aims to address Ottoman Turkish security concerns and ensure the long-term stability of the region."
Turkey considers the SDF and its main fighting force, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), as the Syrian front for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - designated as a terrorist group by Ankara.
Earlier in December, Senator Graham said that Ottoman Turkish attacks present a great risk of jailbreak to tens of thousands of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) prisoners held in northeast Syria (Rojava), urging protection of Kurdish forces from Turkey.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/20/2024 2024-12-20 02:21 ||
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[REUTERS] Four Canadian ministers publicly unveiled on Tuesday a border security plan they had privately presented to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... 's incoming administration, with an emphasis on surveillance, intelligence and technology.
Canadian ministers had an "encouraging" meeting with Trump's border czar Tom Homan, Public Safety, Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told news hounds.
"I went through with Mr. Homan the information that we're sharing with you today... I'm encouraged by that conversation and by conversations I've had with the incoming Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick," LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc and his colleagues announced Tuesday a plan to beef up the U.S.-Canada border with helicopters, drones, surveillance towers and sniffer dogs, as well as a "joint strike force" to target transnational organized crime.
The embattled minority government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... says it will invest C$1.3 billion ($909 million) toward border security over six years. The plan focuses on fentanyl, irregular migration and organized crime.
Canada has been under pressure to beef up its border with the U.S. since Trump threatened Canada and Mexico with sweeping 25% tariffs if they did not stem the movement of migrants colonists and drugs into the United States.
U.S. authorities apprehended more than 23,000 people near the U.S.-Canada border in the 12 months ending in October, more than double the previous year but a tiny fraction of the 1.5 million people apprehended near the U.S.-Mexico border during that time.
Canadian police say they have installed more cameras and sensors over the most-traversed section of the border over the past four years.
Yet they acknowledge there is little they can do to stop southbound crossers.
Experts told Rooters the flurry of attention to the U.S.-Canada border is as much about perception as reality.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2024 00:00 ||
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Sunday on 60 Minutes: For the first time, recently retired Mossad agents who led the pager and walkie talkie plot against Hezbollah tell Lesley Stahl how they executed the operation, sharing never-before-known details of the 10-year undercover op. https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMWpic.twitter.com/mQAgMLWF70
[IsraelTimes] The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related entities, according to the Treasury Department website which lists several individuals, companies and vessels.
The sanctions target three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which generates billions of dollars for Iran’s leaders, supporting Tehran’s nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles, and financing of proxies including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, the Treasury says.
“The United States is committed to targeting Iran’s key revenue streams that fund its destabilizing activities,” Bradley Smith, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, says in a release.
The sanctions come after the Israeli military carried out a series of intense airstrikes that shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early this morning, in a preplanned operation that coincided with the Houthis firing a missile that hit a school in central Israel.
Workers walk through the rubble of a destroyed school building in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on December 19, 2024, after the campus was hit by a Houthi missile fired from Yemen. (Jack Guez/AFP)
Smith says Iran relies on a “shadowy network” of vessels, companies, and facilitators for those activities.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
The vessels targeted are the Djibouti-flagged crude oil tanker MS ENOLA, owned by Journey Investment company, the San Marino-flagged MS ANGIA, and the Panama-flagged MS MELENIA. The last two tankers are managed and operated by Liberia- and Greece-registered Rose Shipping Limited.
The sanctions block all property and interests in the United States of the designated parties, and US persons and entities dealing with them could be exposed to sanctions or enforcement actions including fines.
The Treasury says it also imposed sanctions on 12 individuals to pressure procurement and financing schemes by the Yemen Houthi group. Those include Hashem Ismail Ali Ahmad al-Madani, the head of the Houthi-aligned central bank in Sanaa, for their alleged roles in trafficking arms, laundering money, and shipping illicit Iranian oil for the benefit of the Houthis.
[GEO.TV] A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistain is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including the United States.
Could, yes. Probably? I’d vote probably no. They’d use them on India long before turning their attention to faraway America, and India would trounce them as they’ve done every time before.
"Candidly, it's hard for us to see Pakistain's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," Finer said in a speech to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The latest statement comes only a day after the US State Department said it was imposing additional sanctions related to Pakistain's ballistic missile programme, targeting four entities that it said were contributing to the proliferation or delivery of such weapons.
A good idea as a matter of principle — Pakistan can be trusted to be untrustworthy, just like the Palestinians can be trusted to miss an opportunity.. If only the State Department had taken the same approach to Iran…
The statement, issued on the State Department's website, said that the decision was taken "in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistain’s long-range missile development".
It added that the four entities were being designated for sanctions pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13382, which targeted proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
"Pakistain’s National Development Complex — which is responsible for Pakistain’s ballistic missile program and has worked to acquire items to advance Pakistain’s long range ballistic missile program — and Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, and Rockside Enterprise — which have worked to supply equipment and missile‐applicable items to Pakistain’s ballistic missile program, including its long range missile program — are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 Section 1(a)(ii) for having engaged, or attempted to engage, in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery (including missiles capable of delivering such weapons), including any efforts to manufacture, acquire, possess, develop, transport, transfer, or use such items, by Pakistain," read the statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2024 00:00 ||
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“Human Rights Watch is once more spreading its blood libels in order to promote its anti-Israel propaganda… This report is full of lies that are appalling even when compared to HRW’s already low standards,” the foreign ministry says in a statement.
Rights group accuses Israel of ‘acts of genocide’ in Gaza over water scarcity
[IsraelTimes] Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of committing “acts of genocide” in the Gaza Strip by damaging water infrastructure and cutting off supplies to civilians, calling on the international community to impose targeted sanctions.
In a new report, which focused specifically on water, the New York-based rights group details what it said were deliberate efforts by Israeli authorities “of a systematic nature” to deprive Gazans of water.
Israel has steadfastly rejected previous similar accusations from rights groups, saying its actions in Gaza are legitimate military operations.
Israel has also taken steps to increase the water supply in Gaza, including providing power for a major desalination plant in Khan Younis.
While HRW said Israeli action amounted to the war crime of “extermination” and “acts of genocide,” it stopped short of saying Israel was committing outright “genocide.”
#1
(1) If you look carefully at that the globalists are saying, you can conclude that they intend to eliminate 90% of the human race.
(2) If you studied any history, you shouldn't be surprised they come for the Jews first.
[IsraelTimes) Sweden will no longer fund the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, UNRWA, the Nordic country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, tells the TV4 network.
The minister adds that Stockholm will instead bolster its humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via other channels.
[Rudaw] Nearly 2,500 Syrian soldiers, who sought refuge in Iraq earlier this month as Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... ’s regime was facing a lightning-blitz by a coalition of rebels, are set to be "voluntarily" repatriated to their country in the coming days, a top security official in Iraq’s bordering province of Anbar said on Wednesday.
The soldiers started fleeing to Iraq through the al-Qaim border crossing on December 7, a day before Assad’s regime collapsed. Iraqi officials said at the time that they had entered the country with Baghdad’s permission..
"Starting today, measures have been taken to return Syrian soldiers to their country," Sa’d Mohammadi, head of the security committee of the Anbar provincial council, told Rudaw’s Hastyar Qadir on Wednesday, adding that the repatriations will begin on Thursday.
Mohammadi said that a total of 2,490 Syrian soldiers are present in Iraq, noting that their return is voluntary.
The HTS-led administration has issued an amnesty to the former regime’s soldiers, designating places for them to hand over their weapons.
During the escalation of the conflict between Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) and the Syrian regime, thousands of soldiers from the Iraqi armed forces, including the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), along with border police, were deployed along the Iraqi-Syrian border in Anbar province. Iraq feared that the developments in the neighboring country could negatively affect its security.
The Shiite-led Iraqi government was among the top allies of Assad, but Baghdad was quick to announce that it did not want to be embroiled in the conflict.
[IsraelTimes] The Biden administration’s Middle East aid envoy Lisa Grande reportedly made demands of Israel regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, in a harsh phone call with Israel’s military liaison to the Paleostinians, COGAT chief Gen. Ghassan Alian.
Channel 12 news reports that Grande demanded during the call that Israel declare it is not following a policy of deliberately starving Gazooks amid the ongoing war, which was sparked by Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... ’s brutal massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
She also demanded that Israel cancel all civilian evacuation orders, allow Paleostinians who have been evacuated to return to their homes, and present a comprehensive plan to reduce harm to civilian infrastructure, according to the report.
Channel 12 cites US officials as saying that it was a constructive call, though it caught Alian off guard — especially given Israeli efforts in recent months to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"There are some in our administration who believe the harm to civilian infrastructure is not proportionate," Grande reportedly said during the call.
"Stunned" by the call, Alian was said to respond: "What kind of proportionality is expected from the IDF when it is acting against a terrorist organization whose deliberate modus operandi is to fight from inside civilian areas and civilian and humanitarian facilities, including hospitals, residential buildings, UN facilities, and others, while simultaneously keeping 100 hostages in these areas."
"I am astounded that you raise the notion that we are following a policy of deliberate starvation. We are bringing in aid on a wide scale and without limitation, and there has been an increase in the inflow of aid since October, especially in November," the COGAT chief said, according to Channel 12.
The International Criminal Court in the Hague has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly using starvation as a method of war against the Paleostinians.
Israel has persistently claimed that it has facilitated the transfer of tens of thousands of aid trucks with enough food to provide for Gaza’s nutritional needs, and has blamed the UN for not scaling up its logistics and distribution operations.
[IsraelTimes] New David Division to be tasked with defense of the Jordan border or West Bank barrier; members will keep weapons at home, be able to respond to sudden events in their area
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday detailed its plans to form a new light infantry division based on volunteer reservists for patrol and routine security, including during periods of escalation across the country.
The 96th Division, also known as the David Division, is to be composed of five regional brigades based on where the soldiers reside rather than for regional defense.
The IDF said the division’s missions would be largely related to defense on the border with Jordan and along the West Bank security barrier. The division would also operate in the West Bank if needed.
The division’s members would be ready to respond to sudden events in their respective regions, as they are slated to keep their weapons and equipment at their homes, unlike other reservists who return their gear to the army when leaving reserve duty.
The division was being established by Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz, who, along with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, has so far appointed all of the five brigade commanders and 25 battalion commanders, along with around 100 of the 125 company commanders.
The first division commander will be Brig. Gen. Oren Simcha, who is also responsible for the IDF’s new Eastern Regional Divison.
The commanders of the brigades include Col. Yehuda Levin, who will head the 189th Negba Brigade, made up of troops from southern Israel; Col. Shai Babad, who will head the 187th Yonatan Brigade, made up of troops from the Shfela region; Col. Elad Tahori, who will head the 186th Yizraeli Brigade, made up of troops from the Jezreel Valley; Col. Dudu Cohen, who will head the 182nd Ori Brigade, made up of troops from the Jerusalem area; and Col. Ori Levin, who will head the Galil-Golan Brigade, made up of troops from the Galilee and Golan Heights.
The planned 15,000 soldiers who will man the division will be between the ages of 38 and 58 — above the current age of exemption from reserve duty which is 40 for most — with 80 percent being volunteers.
Thousands of former combat and combat support soldiers have already volunteered to be part of the division, according to the military.
Two unique battalions in the brigades include one composed of Bedouin soldiers, and another based on ex-Navy sailors. (Currently, the vast majority of soldiers who served in the Navy don’t serve in reserves, as there are few reserve roles in the Navy.)
The military is also considering making one of the battalions co-ed if enough female volunteers seek to serve in the division.
The IDF plans that by the end of 2025, all 25 brigades will be fully established.
Speaking at an event on Monday night, Halevi said "In this war, we learned that the IDF needs to be bigger, broader, in the face of difficult situations and long wars."
"It will be necessary to convince and bring in enough people and train them, but we have the right spirit, and an understanding of the need," the IDF chief said.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The Islamic Resistance® Movement Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... strongly condemned the Israeli aggression against Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... , which targeted civilian and service facilities in Sanaa and Hodeidah.
In a statement, Hamas said the aggression on Yemen represents ''a dangerous escalation and an extension of the aggression against our Paleostinian people, Syria, and the broader Arab region.''
''The Israeli enemy will not break Yemen's resilience or deter them from their principled stance in supporting our Paleostinian people until the aggression on Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ceases,'' the group stressed.
Hamas also expressed full solidarity with Yemen and the Ansar Allah movement in confronting the Israeli, American, and British aggression, calling on the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to condemn the aggression on Yemen and take measures and decisions to curb the Israeli actions.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2024 00:00 ||
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#1
The old saying... Pot calling the Kettle black comes to mind
Lame duck tries to limp across the finish line. What odds incoming president Trump repudiates whatever agreements the [Biden]-[Harris] administration comes to with Hayat Tahrir al Sham?
[IsraelTimes] US envoys have arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new Islamist-led rulers, the State Department says, in the most formal US diplomatic mission since the start of the long civil war.
The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Department’s Syria engagement, are the first US diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syria’s opposition militias overthrew oppressive president Bashar al-Assad.
The diplomats will meet representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — designated a terrorist group by Washington — and civil society to discuss with Syrians “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” a State Department spokesperson says.
The diplomats will meet representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — designated a terrorist group by Washington — and civil society to discuss with Syrians “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The visit comes as Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, and start debating whether or not to remove the terrorist designation on the group. The US delegation’s travel follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
In their meetings, the US officials will discuss with HTS representatives a set of principles such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities that Washington wants included in Syria’s political transition, the spokesperson said.
The delegation will also work to obtain new information about US journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, and other American citizens who went missing during the Assad regime.
“They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the department spokesperson said.
“They also plan to meet with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan,” the spokesperson said.
The United States cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut down its embassy in Damascus in 2012.
Forces under the command of al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani – replaced the Assad family rule with a three-month transitional government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.
Washington in 2013 designated al-Sharaa a terrorist, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.
Quizzing a bunch of jihadis and their future targets about plans to form a Western-style democracy strikes me as counterproductive. The following is intersting in a modified limited hangout progression kind of way:
US DOUBLES TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO SYRIA
The United States has more than doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight the Islamic State group — a dramatic increase that the Pentagon revealed Thursday, acknowledging that the added troops have been there for months or even more than a year.
The US had said for years that there were about 900 troops in Syria, but Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, acknowledged there were roughly 2,000 there now.
The Pentagon was asked repeatedly about the US presence in Syria in the wake of the chaotic overthrow of Assad. It did not disclose the increase and instead kept repeating the 900 figure.
Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Ryder said the additional forces had been in Syria “at a minimum months — it’s been going on for a while.” He said he only just learned the new number and that the increase was not related to the ouster of Assad or any hike in attacks either by or against IS.
Ryder blamed the secrecy on “diplomatic considerations” and sensitivities but declined to be more specific. There has long been friction between the US and Syria’s neighbors — Turkey and Iraq — about the ongoing presence of American forces in Syria and the need to keep them at a particular level.
Ryder said he is “not tracking” any additional adjustments to the force numbers in the future. That could change, however, as President-elect Donald Trump has said he does not support US forces getting more involved in Syria.
Ryder told reporters the increase in forces was temporary and they are there to augment US operations against the Islamic State group. He said US Army conventional and special operations forces make up the bulk of the additional troops.
The “temporary” description, however, belies the fact that troops have been rotating in and out of Syria for nearly a decade, and for much of the last year, or possibly two, the number has consistently been higher than the 900 officials repeatedly insisted were there.
There have always been an undisclosed number of U.S. special operations forces deploying into Syria for short periods of time, but that would not account for the extra 1,100 forces.
Asked whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin knew the total was that high, Ryder said, “I’m confident that the secretary is tracking US forces deployed around the world.” When pressed on whether Austin directed his staff to keep the higher number secret, Ryder said no. He also said that Austin has not talked to Gen. Erik Kurilla, the top US general for the Middle East, about the matter.
Since Assad’s overthrow, Israel and Turkey have both launched military operations inside Syria’s borders, including Israeli airstrikes against weapons facilities in the east that belonged to Assad’s regime and Turkey’s offensive in the northeast against Kurdish forces, who have partnered with the US in its fight against the Islamic State.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Wednesday said it removed customs and taxes with other parts of Syria in a bid to “preserve the unity of Syrian lands” following the collapse of the Baathist regime.
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), which governs Rojava, announced its decision to “cancel customs duties, fees, and other taxes between the areas of the Autonomous Administration and other Syrian areas.”
The decision was on the Kurdish-led authority’s “keenness to preserve the unity of Syrian lands and in line with the changes that occurred in Syria, represented by the fall of the tyrannical regime,” adding that the procedures were followed due to “exceptional security circumstances” during the Syrian civil war.
The statement comes amid historic changes in Syria as a coalition of militia groups, led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ousted Assad on December 8.
The collapse of the regime marked a new start in Syria’s history. The HTS-led groups established a transitional government led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir who has promised a future Syrian state that guarantees the rights of all its citizens.
The Rojava authority reached out to the new administration in Damascus following the collapse of Assad’s regime in an effort to reach an agreement on the future of Syria.
Last week, DAANES announced that it will raise the Syria “independence” flag across Rojava institutions.
The new Syrian flag, featuring three red stars and the colors green, white, and black, has yet to be officially recognized as the country is going through a transitional period.
The HTS-led forces have so far not clashed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the de-facto army of Rojava.
[Rudaw] A spokesperson for Syria’s transitional government said on Wednesday that no authority other than the central government in Damascus will be recognized while affirming that Kurds are equal partners in rebuilding the nation.
"We will not accept any part of Syrian territory to remain outside the control of the current government in Damascus," Obeida Arnaout, spokesperson for the new Syrian administration’s political affairs office, told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS) led an offensive on Damascus in recent weeks that toppled Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... Arnaout did not mention the Kurdish enclave in Syria by name but emphasized the territorial integrity of the new Syria.
The HTS has avoided armed festivities with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava).
Rojava authorities have expressed their readiness to sit down with HTS leadership to determine the future of Kurds in Syria, ordering its institutions to raise the new flag of Syria as a gesture of goodwill.
During more than a dozen years of civil war, Kurds were able to control most parts of Rojava and some Arab-majority towns. However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... they lost some areas to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... and Syrian militias it supports in 2018 and 2019. The SDF also withdrew from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after Ankara and the murderous Moslems launched attacks against them while the HTS-led groups were fighting the toppled regime.
"We view every component of the Syrian people as a partner in the nation... but we are talking about a stage of specific requirements," Arnout said.
Turkey-backed turbans, who call themselves the Syrian National Army (SNA), control swathes of territory in northern Syria. It is not clear how the new government in Damascus will deal with these areas.
United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen said on Tuesday that while much of Syria appears stable the situation remains "fragile," with ongoing violence and displacement in Rojava threatening the country's peace.
Syria’s caretaker prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, told Italian daily Corriere della Sera this week that the new Syrian state will "guarantee the rights of all people and all communities in Syria."
"Under Assad’s regime, the Kurds were deprived of most of their rights. However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... we view them as entitled to rights that must be restored to them, just like any other component of the Syrian community," the spokesperson said.
Kurds in Syria have long faced systemic repression and discrimination from the Syrian government, including attacks on peaceful gatherings, arrests of political activists, and bans on cultural celebrations. Kurds have been detained, tortured, and denied basic political and cultural rights.
Thousands of Kurds have also been denied access to full citizenship rights, with many being rendered stateless due to exclusionary policies. These policies date back decades and disproportionately targeted Kurds, stripping them of their nationality and relegating them to second-class status, denying education, employment opportunities, and political representation, leaving them more vulnerable to poverty and marginalization. While there were reforms in 2011, the process was limited and disrupted by ongoing conflict.
On Tuesday, residents of the Kurdish neighborhood of Rukn al-Din, often called the neighborhood of the Kurds, told Rudaw’s Halkawt Azees that they want to have an effective participation in the political process and be provided with Kurdish education while having an independent administration.
#1
Arnout. Now there is a familiar name. An Arnout headed a pro-Al Qaeda charity in the USA before being arrested. He served a short period in jail. He was thought to have rejoined Al Qaeda (under one of its noms de guerre).
Posted by: Albert Pelosi3459 ||
12/20/2024 4:32 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"We will not accept any part of Syrian territory to remain outside the control of the current government in Damascus"
Good luck with that, Mr. Arnaout. Folks tried to do that for years.
The Persians tried, as did the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Umayyads, a bunch of folks including the Crusaders, Ottomans, French, a bunch more folks during the 1940's-60's, the Assads and now you.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/20/2024 12:38 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] The Syrian Civil Defense group, known as the White Helmets, uncovered at least 21 corpses as well as incomplete human remains on Wednesday in the Sayeda Zeinab suburb of the capital Damascus.
The discovery was made at a site previously used by Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... ’s Hezbollah and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, both allies of deposed president Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... during the country’s civil war. The site included a field kitchen, a drugstore and a morgue, according to Ammar al-Salmo, an official with the White Helmets, a volunteer organization that operated in areas that were controlled by the opposition.
Rescue teams in white hazmat suits searched the site, located not far from the revered shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammad. The remains were placed into black bags and loaded onto a truck as bystanders from the neighborhood looked on.
"Some (of the remains) are skeletons, others are incomplete, and there are bags of small bones. We cannot yet determine the number of victims," al-Salmo says.
"Damascus has become a mass grave," he says, pointing out the growing reports of war-related graves and burial sites in the capital and other places in Syria.
Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and Hezbollah provided Assad’s government with military, financial and logistical support during the civil war.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who now goes by his real name Ahmad al-Sharaa, the head of Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS) and Syria's new de facto ruler, has stated that foreign fighters who helped his organization topple the Syrian government may be allowed to receive Syrian citizenship.
He started in Al Qaeda in Iraq, and founded the Syrian branch that is now Al Nusra. This looks like returning to his roots.
Media outlets reported that al-Jolani stated that foreign fighters who entered Syria to fight against the Syrian government were part of the movement that led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, and they should be celebrated, as he expressed.
Thousands of Salafist religious extremists from dozens of countries, including Britain, Belgium, France, China, Chechnya, Tunisia, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia came to fight with Al-Jolani against Syria.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2024 00:03 ||
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Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
[FoxNews] The Pentagon says there are 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria, more than double what officials with the Department of Defense have been telling reporters for months.
"We have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops deployed to Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. "In light of the situation in Syria, and in significant interest, we’ve recently learned that those numbers were higher."
Ryder asked to look into the numbers and said he learned on Thursday that there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.
"It was explained to me these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments," he continued. "As you know, for many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time, but given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know, as soon as I found out this information."
If it’s only temporary because of overlap, that’s happened before.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russia is allegedly transferring S-300 and S-400 air defense systems from Syrian territory to Libya, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote on December 18, citing its sources.
Israel blows them up, Russia ships them out. The key agreement apppears to be that they’re not left behind for Al Nusra or ISIS to get their hands on.
Other Russian weapons are also being sent from Syria to the African country, according to unnamed American and Libyan officials. The sources claim that air defense systems, including radars for anti-aircraft installations, have already been delivered to eastern Libya. The eastern part of the country is controlled by commander Khalifa Haftar.
The article says that the Russian cargo plane arrived in eastern Libya twice in a week, with stops in Mali.
Sources also suggested that Russian troops and military aircraft would be withdrawn from Syria.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on December 12, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the Russian Federation is close to an agreement with the Syrian armed opposition on maintaining the Khmeimim airbase on the territory of the republic and its presence in the Tartus naval port. On December 14, the leader of the armed Syrian opposition, Ahmed al-Sharaa (known by the nickname Abu Mohammed al-Julani), said that the new authorities of the country "give Russia the opportunity" to reconsider relations with the Syrian people.
On December 16, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov noted that no final decisions regarding Russian military bases in Syria have been made yet. According to him, the Russian side is in contact with representatives of the forces that now control the situation on Syrian territory. The Kremlin representative added that everything will be determined during the dialogue.
For several years, Russia has supported the Syrian government led by Assad in its fight against terrorist forces. Moscow has pledged to provide support as long as the Syrian state itself is conducting military operations, noted Russian President Vladimir Putin. Back in 2015, he emphasized that “we are not going to be more Syrian than the Syrians themselves.”
I presented a clear plan to Homeland Security in Congress on how the Biden administration could help Iranians end the Islamic Republic through pressure on the regime and solidarity with the people. Sadly, many opportunities were… pic.twitter.com/hEeHhsxvUX
I presented a clear plan to Homeland Security in Congress on how the Biden administration could help Iranians end the Islamic Republic through pressure on the regime and solidarity with the people. Sadly, many opportunities were lost.
For raising this demand, I’ve faced a kidnapping attempt and two assassination plots on U.S. soil, while millions inside Iran risk their lives daily for the same cause.
Ending the Islamic Republic is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for peace and stability in the region and beyond. The regime understands only one language: the language of pressure. I am ready to share this roadmap with the new administration.
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From Twitter feed of Masih Alinejab, an Iranian born reform advocate now living in the West. She tried to get an audience with Obama, gave advice to Biden Admin (which didn't seem to be taken).
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/20/2024 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
