West Asia News and Discussions

[Prem]

Only tactic now left is to activate the Kurds - which would immediately sour the Turkish pitch, as well as give guarantees of statehood that the west was so far reluctant to give [this is not a Kosovo on which a overnight volteface can be made - there it was about supporting Muslims against Orthdox, the latter lowerin pecking order to Muslims anyway from the two other sects.]
Tricky. The longer Assad takes to fall, the stronger will be the Islamist takeover when he falls. Which is desirable.

Kurds have quietly taken over 3 towns in Syria. Soon the birds of prey will show up to hunt the Syrians/Asad. Turkey can control Kurd behavior by denying access to international water.

[shyamd]

Facebook status of a friend and some comments:
Now with an Emirati doctor friend who tells me many of his patients may be naturalised Emiratis of Jewish Yemeni origins
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8 people like this.

XXXX, my father was in Aden (and born in Oman) and he remembers the jews that lived near the port areas of Muscat. Also, in Aden he went to boarding school with Yemeni jews as well. In fact, the kids used to pull their long dangling hairs at the time, and my dad (not being Yemeni) used to end up defending the jewish kids in his school...at that time though, religion wasn't something people wore or showed off on. How times change.

[chanakyaa]

http://www.rt.com/news/syria-aleppo-cla ... ascus-132/

Yeh sab log Jo photo mien hai, who kon hai? Disgruntled Sherian or gore logo ki naei arabiian phauj? Aur ye rooshiya kaha chala Gaya? Do hapte pahale badi badi baatein kar raha tha? lagta hai gore me Satan deal bana li hai.

[chanakyaa]

http://www.rt.com/news/muslim-brotherho ... -arab-129/

Haha.. Doosron ke ghar mien aag lagi tub baboot aaya. Aab khoodka ghar jal raha hai to saha nahi jata.

[Sushupti]

Explosion Rocks S. Arabia's Intelligence Headquarters

TEHRAN (FNA)- Reports from Saudi Arabia said an explosion rocked the Arab country's intelligence headquarters and killed the Saudi deputy intelligence chief.




The Arabic al-Fajr news website reported from Saudi Arabia that the deputy head of Saudi Arabia's secret service has been killed in the blast.

No official report has yet been released on the incident.

On Thursday night Prince Bandar bin Sultan was appointed Saudi Arabia's new spy chief.

Prince Bandar, 63, who vanished from public view when he was recalled from Washington by King Abdullah in 2005 after notching up 22 years as the kingdom's ambassador there.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9104250954

[Y. Kanan]

We sure are seeing a lot of destroyed tanks and APC's in various news footage from Syria. I don't think the rebels are as "poorly armed and desperately short of ammunition" are we're being led to believe by the media. The rebels appear to be quite well-armed, in fact. There's certainly no shortage of RPG's and anti-tank mines, all courtesy of the CIA and their Saudi friends.

Another manufactured rebellion, another secular muslim nation falls, another strategic defeat for Russia, another victory for Sunni\Wahabbi Islam. Meanwhile freedom-yearning Shiites are massacred on the streets of Bahrain by Saudi & Paki troops and the western powers couldn't care less.

This whole routine is becoming all too familiar. What I find most alarming about it, is that you have to wonder how hard would it be for powerful nations like the US & China to instigate the same kind of "spontaneous revolution" here? Every country has a rebellious minority; start handing out RPG's and assault rifles like candy and watch what happens.

[pentaiah]

Exactly my thoughts
Long ago CIA determined that external forces can not destabilize India quickly but internal strife instigated by external forces can deal a heavy blow

The evanjihadis and naxals are already getting plenty of help and the impact is already being felt, like tectonic shifts these events are happening slowly but surely the ruptures are going to shake the foundation of the republic

[Pranav]

Christians Flee from Radical Rebels in Syria - http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 46180.html

There had been many warnings that the Khouri* family wouldn't talk. "They won't say a word -- they're too scared," predicted the mayor of Qa, a small market town in northeastern Lebanon where the Khouris are staying. "They won't even open their door for journalists," said another person, who had contacted the family on behalf of a non-governmental organization.

Somehow, though, the interview was arranged in the end. Reserved and halting, the women described what happened to their husbands, brothers and nephews back in their hometown of Qusayr in Syria. They were killed by Syrian rebel fighters, the women said -- murdered because they were Christians, people who in the eyes of radical Islamist freedom fighters have no place in the new Syria.

Many similarities with the ethnic cleansing of Pandits in Kashmir.

[Theo_Fidel]

This whole routine is becoming all too familiar. What I find most alarming about it, is that you have to wonder how hard would it be for powerful nations like the US & China to instigate the same kind of "spontaneous revolution" here? Every country has a rebellious minority; start handing out RPG's and assault rifles like candy and watch what happens.

This is BS. The rebellious in Syria are the majority not a minority. The Alawite configuration is inherently unstable.

What kind of weird thinking drags India into the midst of this. This sort of spontaneous dhoti shiver is a peculiarly Indian phenomena. It speaks to the fact that people are out of touch with large chunks of the Indian population. City Billis have zero idea of what folks in Rural Chattisgarh think about. Having interacted with the poor rural folk in India, it has always struck me that they are far more loyal and patriotic and willing to sacrifice for the nation more than all the fat-a$$es that pass for our educated elite classes. I would include myself in this class. They certainly don't cut and run to USA and green card at the first hint of trouble. Or how about that IC184 dharna to free all the terrorists....

[habal]

http://www.rt.com/news/syria-aleppo-cla ... ascus-132/

Yeh sab log Jo photo mien hai, who kon hai? Disgruntled Sherian or gore logo ki naei arabiian phauj? Aur ye rooshiya kaha chala Gaya? Do hapte pahale badi badi baatein kar raha tha? lagta hai gore me Satan deal bana li hai.

those people look too swarthy to be Syrian, they could be Libyan, Yemeni or even pakistani guns-for-hire.

[Multatuli]

Syria under President Asad was/is an impeccable enemy of Israel. Syria was the only Arab military power of some consequence to oppose Israel. Yet the Saudi's and Qatar have helped to destroy Syria's military power. It seems to me that the Sunni Muslim leaders of those countries dislike/hate Shia Muslims more then they hate Israel. I would not rule out a future Saudi-Israel coalition against Iran (that is, if such a coalition/secret understanding doesn't already exist).

On the supposed chemical weapons of Syria and what I would do with them in President Asad's place:

I would make a deal with the Salafi/Wahabi groups. I give them CW's, training in their use, help to transfer large quantities of CW's to North African countries, not to be used there, but because it's easier to smuggle it into Europe and the US. It's fairly easy to get the CW's into Europe once they arrive in North African safe houses.


Furthermore, I would also distribute CW's to the Kurds for use against Turkey.

Jordan and Saudi Barbaria need to be hit too with CW's and biological weapons (if Syria has them). But most of all the West needs to be targetted. Iran should also facilitate such attacks in Europe and the US, as it should be clear to them that Iran is the next target for the West. Getting CW's into Jordan shouldn't be too difficult either.

[Suppiah]

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/ar ... epage=true

Chindu comes to the regime's rescue..

If faithfully reflecting Beijing's agenda is the high priority, perhaps some other excuse, other than 'socialism' may have been a better choice....perhaps the much abused strawman of 'secularism' may have been a better option...but ooops secularism is a useful stick to beat the yindoos and BJP with but should never be recommended where Religion of peace is in majority..

This is what happens though when copy and paste from Guardian becomes 'liberal' journalism in India...

[shyamd]

Border clash injures 2 Jordanian soldiers

Aleppo MP defects to opposition with his family.

--------------------
CIA is not involved and is playing at best a marginal role - some regional observers go far to say that the US wants Asad to survive. As I said before and was confirmed by recent articles, the gulf are providing the intel to the US on Syria.

This project was envisaged and launched by the Gulf states.This is just like Afghanistan all over again - Saudis have unlimited cash and will just keep pumping the money until eventually Russia back off.

Now western capitals are starting to think about Intervention - this means one thing, preparations have started per NATO war SoP

[habal]

they have been planning for this 7 years ago. NATA and it's middlemen have been busy supplying weapons through turkey since past 5 years. Gulf states are important because they have provided the manpower and the humint because obviously they have the boots on the ground. This project has been initiated in west and Saudis/GCC etc are just playing along because they think outcome is inevitable.

[Pranav]

This whole routine is becoming all too familiar. What I find most alarming about it, is that you have to wonder how hard would it be for powerful nations like the US & China to instigate the same kind of "spontaneous revolution" here? Every country has a rebellious minority; start handing out RPG's and assault rifles like candy and watch what happens.

This is BS. The rebellious in Syria are the majority not a minority.

The rebellious in Syria (or Kashmir or that matter) are an externally supported minority, purporting to speak for the majority. We have seen all the same psy-ops in Kashmir, what with Bill Clinton claiming Yindoos are killing Sikhs in Chattisinghpopra.

There is also the issue of demographic change through infiltration or through the activity of CIA-linked EJ orgs like World Vision. It is also a fact that Maoists are often linked with such orgs.

What kind of weird thinking drags India into the midst of this. This sort of spontaneous dhoti shiver is a peculiarly Indian phenomena.

The point is that people certainly need to be aware of existing plans of western elites. The comprehensive guide to such issues is -

[Multatuli]

Rudradev wrote (Page 167 of this thread):

(X-Posting from Indo-US Thread, as it's relevant here.)

A recent Republican-Democrat spat in the United States Presidential race has cast light on some very curious questions. Questions that we've been wondering about on BRF for a long time, even if they've only just begun to occur to the American public. Indeed, this new eventuality might actually provide us with a key to unlock the puzzle of America's unfolding game plan in West Asia and North Africa.

......

Honestly, this is how it looks to me.

1) The US and West have not, by any means, given up on the idea that the best way to manage the North African/West Asian (NAWA) Muslim ummah is by nurturing and backing Sunni Islamist proxies.

This technique has worked for them in the past and they are convinced that it is the best option for them in future. It is the nationalist, Russia-leaning Arab leaders whom the West has always had a problem with: Nasser, Saddam Hussein, Gaddhafi and now Basher al Assad.

......

In West Asia, as in every other arena; in the Arab Spring, as in every other season of our history... India finds her security menaced once again by the stratagems of the US-led West, whose interests remain diametrically opposed to our own.

Rudradev ji, I think you have connected the dots.

OT: That woman Huma Abedin is probably the intermediary between the Clinton's/GOTUS and the Muslim Brotherhood. Paki's have a lot of experience acting as go-between for the US (US-China, US/Saudi Barbaria and Taliban/Al Qaeda/various other Islamic terrorist outfits).

[Samudragupta]

RD's postulation echos closely with the thinking of some of the Gulf states...MB is clearly an Western Intel Front which is overthrowing the existing order....

Dubai’s chief of police has warned of an “international plot” to overthrow the governments of Gulf Arab countries, saying the region needs to be prepared to counter any threat from Islamist dissidents as well as Syria and Iran.
The comments by Dahi Khalfan, one of the most outspoken security officials in the United Arab Emirates, follow the detention in the UAE since April of at least 20 dissidents, according to relatives of the detainees and activists.
“There’s an international plot against Gulf states in particular and Arab countries in general...This is preplanned to take over our fortunes,” Khalfan told reporters at a gathering late on Wednesday marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“The bigger our sovereign wealth funds and the more money we put in the banks of Western countries, the bigger the plot to take over our countries...The brothers and their governments in Damascus and North Africa have to know that the Gulf is a red line, not only for Iran but also for the Brothers as well.”
Most of the detainees since April are Islamists, targeted by an official clampdown amid concern they may be emboldened by the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in other Arab countries such as Egypt.
UAE Interior Ministry officials have not been available to comment on the arrests. Last week, UAE officials announced that authorities were investigating a foreign-linked group planning “crimes against the security of the state”.
“I had no idea that there is this large number of Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf states. We have to be alert and on guard because the wider these groups become, the higher probability there is for trouble,” Khalfan said on Wednesday.
“We are aware that there are groups plotting to overthrow Gulf governments in the long term.”
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab world poses a serious threat to Gulf states, Dubai’s police chief said, as he warned of an “international plot” to overthrow Gulf rulers.
Dahi Khalfan, one of the most outspoken security officials in the United Arab Emirates, also accused Shi’ite power Iran and its ally Syria of interfering in the Gulf states, most of which are ruled by Sunni Muslim monarchies.
At least 20 dissidents, most of them Islamists, have been detained in the UAE since April, according to relatives and activists, amid concern they may be emboldened by the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in other Arab countries such as Egypt following popular protests.
Gulf Arab states are also wary of Iran which some governments suspect of stirring up unrest in their countries and harbouring expansionist ambitions.
“There’s an international plot against Gulf states in particular and Arab countries in general ... This is pre-planned to take over our fortunes,” Khalfan told reporters at a gathering late on Wednesday marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“The bigger our sovereign wealth funds and the more money we put in the banks of Western countries, the bigger the plot to take over our countries.”
Last week, UAE officials announced that authorities were investigating a foreign-linked group planning “crimes against the security of the state”.
“I had no idea that there is this large number of Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf states. We have to be alert and on guard because the wider these groups become, the higher probability there is for trouble,” Khalfan said.
“We are aware that there are groups plotting to overthrow Gulf governments in the long term.”
“The brothers and their governments in Damascus and North Africa have to know that the Gulf is a red line, not only for Iran but also for the Brothers as well.”
He did not mention other countries, but some Gulf Arab leaders have implicitly accused the United States, a key ally, of supporting Islamists including the Brotherhood as they came to power over the past year in Egypt and Tunisia.
The Gulf states have also been alarmed by pro-democracy protest movements closer to home in Bahrain and Yemen.
Khalfan’s comments have caused controversy in the past. Last month Egypt’s Foreign Ministry summoned the UAE ambassador to clarify statements by Khalfan on Twitter that were an “attack on Egypt”, according to Egyptian state-run media, which did not cite the remarks that caused offence.
The police chief said on Wednesday that his tweets on local and regional politics were personal and did not necessarily reflect the views of the government of Dubai.

At the end of the day..Shiv's theory that peace with Pakistan can only be obtained when West is booted out of Indian subcontinent is absolutely correct... because there is no reason why radical Islam in Af-Pak cannot be friendly with the US interest....if MB can work for western interest....

[Samudragupta]

But that does not still answer the q why the hell Saudis are giving Syria to MB if they are considered as equal enemies???

[shyamd]

US by their own admission are doing the bare minimum. All this talk of CIA being the brain of this is not true at all. It's the GCC that envisaged the response soon after Bahrain and decision to take the fight to Iran. They are the ones providing intelligence to the US today.

As for the MB - The Saudis DO NOT want the MB in power - they want either Generals to rule or a Sunni who has the support of ALL communities - alawite, Christian and Sunni. The Saudi proposal is to have Manaf Tlass lead the transition as president. This is being met with resistance already. It's turkey that want the MB in power as well as the US.

Since August they were trying to get Asad insiders to pull ofF a coup to prevent the very scenarios we see ourselves today.

[pentaiah]

US by their own admission are doing the bare .

As if US is going to admit yes we are behind all this
US will never bare only others have to bear

[paramu]

What I find most alarming about it, is that you have to wonder how hard would it be for powerful nations like the US & China to instigate the same kind of "spontaneous revolution" here? ....

What I find alarming is that we have few people in this forum who can't see this obvious thing and parrot what western media says. Unless one has to benefit personally (either directly or being in good books) from this I can't understand why a neutral person from India would see things differently. I even wonder, if similar situation happens in India, like with naxals or islamists or EJs, will they be siding with outsiders like old Jaichand and Mir Jaffer did?

[shyamd]

US by their own admission are doing the bare .

As if US is going to admit yes we are behind all this
US will never bare only others have to bear

Obama is being put under pressure for not doing enough and it's showing in the media. If they were the brains behind it, don't you think they would claim credit for it and do a lot more, use a lot more diplomatic leverage with Russia to get what they want?

I guess people love conspiracy theories. The reality is that they are not very well respected

[pentaiah]

http://www.foreignaffairs.com

[Pranav]

What is the impact of these new measures?

India-Iran Shipping Joint Venture Folds due to Sanctions - http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-current ... sanctions/

India bans U.S.-sanctioned Iranian ships from its waters - http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a ... epage=true

[Austin]

Syrian rebels threaten to attack Russian naval base

Syrian rebels have threatened to attack Russia's naval base at the port of Tartous if Moscow continues to supply weapons to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"We have a warning for the Russian forces: if they will send any more weapons that kill our families and the Syrian people we will hit them hard inside Syria," said Louay al-Mokdad, a logistical coordinator for the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

"Informers inside the regime are telling that us that there is a big weapons' shipment arriving at Tartous in the next two weeks. We don't want to attack the port, we are not terrorists, but if they keep acting like this we will have no choice."

The FSA has formed a 'Naval brigade', made up of defectors from the Syrian navy, which operates close to Tartous. "Many of our men used to work in the port of Tartous and they know it well," said Captain Walid, a former officer in the Syrian Navy. "We are watching very closely the movements of the Russians."

The port, which was leased to Russia as part of a debt write off, is where most of Moscow's arms shipments arrive in Syria.

The FSA has identified warehouses used to store weapons and the living quarters of Russian officers. "We can easily destroy the port. If we hit the weapons' stores with anti-tank missiles or another weapon it would trigger a devastating explosion," said an FSA representative. "Or we can attack the ships directly."

Earlier this month, the Kremlin made clear that it would fulfil its "contractual obligations" and continue to supply Syria with arms and military hardware, including anti-aircraft systems.

[Philip]

Please do attack Russian forces FSA,you'll do the world a favour! The inevitable counter from Russia,coupled with the Assad regime's planned annhilation of Aleppo and the FSA will bring to an end the ambitions of the pretenders,and their western backers.This war in Syria is now an all-out proxy conflict between east and west,and the despotic Arab potentates who fear any secular Islamic state which would undermine their authoritarian rule.The super feather-weight Qataris and middle-weight Saudis ,imagine themselves to be light-heavies,if not heavies in the global "boxing" rankings! Syria will prove shortly who are the real heavies and who the pretenders are.The manner of proof is going to be extremely bloody though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -life.html

Syria: Britain warns of 'devastating loss of life'
Britain has warned that the escalating Aleppo crisis in Syria could lead to a "devastating loss of civilian life and a humanitarian disaster".

Xcpt:

7 Jul 2012
William Hague's comments were echoed by France who said Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, is prepared to carry out a "slaughter" of his own people in Aleppo, France has warned.
Mr Hague, the foreign secretary, said: “This utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict could lead to a devastating loss of civilian life and a humanitarian disaster. It will add to the misery being endured by the Syrian people, and plunge the country further into catastrophic civil war.
“The Assad regime must call off this assault. I call on all countries around the world, including the Permanent Members of the Security Council, to join us in condemning these latest actions and to insist on a political process to end the violence in Syria. All those with influence on the Syrian regime should bring it to bear now. No nation should stand silent while people in Aleppo are threatened with a potential massacre."
Bernard Valero, a French foreign ministry spokesman, said: "With the build-up of heavy weapons around Aleppo, Assad is preparing to carry out a fresh slaughter of his own people."
The US State Department on Thursday warned that Assad may be preparing to carry out a massacre following "credible reports" that columns of tanks, helicopter gunships and warplanes were being readied for an assault on the city.

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Valero said France shared US concerns over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Aleppo and called on Assad to end the violence and step down.
"Our message is that Assad must go," he said.
Aleppo, Syria's most populous city and also the country's commercial hub, has been the theatre of fierce fighting between the opposition and Assad's forces for the last week.
On Thursday Syrian troops reportedly strafed several neighbourhoods of Aleppo from helicopter gunships, after an MP defected to Turkey.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army was using helicopter gunships in the southwest of the city, in the Salaheddin, Bustan al-Qasr, Sukari, Al-Mashhad and Al-Azamiya neighbourhoods.
Troops also clashed with rebels in the central Jamiliya district, adjacent to Aleppo's historic old quarter, as well as in Mahatat Baghdad and in Saadallah al-Jabiri Square.
Earlier, MP Ikhlas al-Badawi, said she had cross to Turkey "and defected from this tyrannical regime ... because of the repression and savage torture against a nation demanding the minimum of rights."
Opposition sources Syrian troops and armour are amassing around the northern city of Aleppo, Syrian's main commercial and industrial hub, to crush armed resistance to Assad that has been gathering momentum following a military crackdown on street demonstrations against his rule.
The authorities chose Badawi, a Sunni Muslim, to run for parliament on behalf of the "labourers and peasants" sector, a term for state backed labour and farmers unions who are guaranteed half the seats in the 250 seat assembly.
Badawi, a mother of six, was also a member of the Ba’ath party, which took power in 1963 military coup that destroyed the country's democratic institutions in favour of a Soviet style political system dominated by Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
Intensified ground and aerial bombardment on Syrian cities by Assad's forces in recent weeks has prompted diehard Baathists and Assad's loyalists to defect.
They have been mostly Sunni Muslim, from the majority sect at the forefront of the 16-month uprising against Assad.
Nawaf al-Fares, Syria's ambassador to Iraq and a former Ba’ath party chief in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, fled to Qatar through Jordan two weeks ago.
Fares, according to opposition sources, is a friend of Manaf Tlas, a brigadier general in the Republican Guards and a member of Assad's inner circle, who fled Syria earlier this month.
Source: agencies

[Philip]

Details are emerging of the US's "5 yr plan" for the region.The war in Syria and the so-called "Arab Spring" are now being discovered to have been a meticulously dsigned plot that has been in the planning for years.The great danger now is that of an "east-west" naval confrontation in Syria and the planned attacks by the FSA ( no doubt at the behest of their diabolic sponsors) against Russians in Syria.As the Russians keep on saying,Syria is the gateway to defanging Iran and Shiite power in the ME,the ultimate goal of the US-Saudi/Arab monarchist-Israeli axis.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=32079

The US-NATO War on Syria: Western Naval Forces Confront Russia Off the Syrian Coastline?
by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, July 26, 2012

"As I went back through the Pentagon in November 2001, one of the senior military staff officers had time for a chat. Yes, we were still on track for going against Iraq, he said. But there was more. This was being discussed as part of a five-year campaign plan, he said, and there were a total of seven countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan."

Former Nato Commander General Wesley Clark

"Let me say to the soldiers and officials still supporting the Syrian regime -- the Syrian people will remember the choices you make in the coming days...."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Friends of Syria conference in Paris' July 7, 2012

While confrontation between Russia and the West was, until recently, confined to the polite ambit of international diplomacy, within the confines of the UN Nations Security Council, an uncertain and perilous situation is now unfolding in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Allied forces including intelligence operatives and special forces have reinforced their presence on the ground in Syria following the UN stalemate. Meanwhile, coinciding with the UN Security Council deadlock, Moscow has dispatched to the Mediterranean a flotilla of ten Russian warships and escort vessels led by the Admiral Chabanenko anti-submarine destroyer. Russia's flotilla is currently stationed off the Southern Syrian coastline.

"Polite Diplomacy" (without smiles). Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov meet in St. Petersbourg, June 29, 2012

Back in August of last year, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin warned that "NATO is planning a military campaign against Syria to help overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad with a long-reaching goal of preparing a beachhead for an attack on Iran,..." In relation to the current naval deployment, Russia’s navy chief, Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov, confirmed, however, that while the [Russian] flotilla was carrying marines, the warships would "not be engaged in Syria Tasks". "The ships will perform "planned military manoeuvres", said the [Russian Defense] ministry"

The US-NATO alliance has retorted to Russia's naval initiative, with a much larger naval deployment, a formidable Western armada, consisting of British, French and American warships, slated to be deployed later this Summer in the Eastern Mediterranean, leading to a potential "Cold War style confrontation" between Russian and Western naval forces.

Meanwhile, US-NATO military planners have announced that various "military options" and "intervention scenarios" are being contemplated in the wake of the Russian-Chinese veto in the UN Security Council.

The planned naval deployment is coordinated with allied ground operations in support of the US-NATO sponsored "Free Syrian Army"(FSA). In this regard, US-NATO has speeded up the recruitment of foreign fighters trained in Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

( Russian warships enter the Med, bound for Syria - timesofmalta.com, July 24, 2012)

Franco-British War Games: "Warship Diplomacy"

France and Britain will be participating later this Summer in war games codenamed Exercise Cougar 12 [2012]. The games will be conducted in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of a Franco-British "Response Force Task Group" involving Britain's HMS Bulwark and France's Charles De Gaulle carrier battle group. The focus of these naval exercises will be on amphibious operations involving the (planned simulated) landing ashore of troops on "enemy territory".

Britain's HMS Bulwark
France's Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier

Smokescreen: The Proposed Evacuation of Western Nationals "Using a Humanitarian Naval Fleet of WMDs"

Barely mentioned by the mainstream media, the warships involved in the Cougar 12 naval exercise will also participate in the planned evacuation of "British nationals from the Middle East, should the ongoing conflict in Syria further spill across borders into neighboring Lebanon and Jordan.":

The British would likely send the HMS Illustrious, a helicopter carrier, along with the HMS Bulwark, an amphibious ship, as well as an advanced destroyer to provide defenses for the task force. On board will be several hundred Royal Marine commandos, as well as a complement of AH-64 attack helicopters (the same ones used in Libya last year). A fleet of French ships, including the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier, carrying a complement of Rafale fighter aircraft, are expected to join them.

Those forces are expected stay offshore and could escort specially chartered civilian ships meant to pick up foreign nationals fleeing Syria and surrounding countries. (ibtimes.com, 24 July 2012).

Sources in the British Ministry of Defense, while confirming the Royal Navy's "humanitarian mandate" in the planned evacuation program, have categorically denied "any intention of a combat role for British forces [against Syria]".

The evacuation plan using the most advanced military hardware including the HMS Bulwark, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is an obvious smokescreen. The not so hidden agenda is military threat and intimidation directed against a sovereign nation located in the historical cradle of civilization in Mespotamia:

"The Charles De Gaulle alone is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with an entire squadron of jets more advanced than anything the Syrians have -- is sparking speculation that those forces could become involved in a NATO operation against Syrian forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad...

The HMS Illustrious, which is currently sitting on the Thames in central London, will likely only be sent to the region after the end of the Olympics." (Ibid)

This impressive deployment of Franco-British naval power could also include the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier, which is to be sent back to the Middle East:

[On July 16, 2912], the Pentagon also confirmed that it would be redeploying the USS John C. Stennis, a nuclear-powered supercarrier capable of carrying 90 aircraft, to the Middle East... The Stennis would be arriving in the region with an advanced missile-launching cruiser, .... The carrier USS Eisenhower is already expected to be in the Middle East by that time (two carriers currently in the region are to be relieved and sent back to the U.S.).

Amid unpredictable situations in both Syria and Iran, that would have left U.S. forces stretched and overly burdened if a firm military response were needed in either circumstance. (Ibid, emphasis added)
USS Stennis aircraft carrier

The USS Stennis strike group is to be sent back to the Middle East "by an unspecified date in the late summer" to be deployed to the Central Command area of responsibility:

"The Defense Department said that the early deployment had come from a request made by Marine Corps General James N. Mattis, the commander for Central Command (the U.S. military authority area that covers the Middle East), partly out of concern that there would be a short period where only one carrier would be located in the region." ((Strike group headed to Central Command early - Stripes Central - Stripes, July 16, 2012)

Marine Gen. James Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, "asked to move up the strike group’s deployment based on “a range of factors,” and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta approved it"... (Ibid)

A Pentagon spokesman stated that the deployment shift of the USS Stennis strike group pertained to "a wide range of U.S. security interests in the region". "We’re always mindful of the challenges posed by Iran. Let me be very clear: This is not a decision that is based solely on the challenges posed by Iran, ... " This is not about any one particular country or one particular threat.” intimating that Syria was also part of planned deployment. (Ibid, emphasis added)

"Intervention Scenarios"

This massive deployment of naval power is an act of coercion with a view to terrorizing the Syrian people. The threat of military intervention purports to destabilize Syria as a nation state as well as confront and weaken Russia's role in brokering the Syrian crisis.

The UN diplomatic game is at an impasse. The UN Security Council is defunct. The transition is towards Twenty-first Century "Warship Diplomacy".

While an all out allied military operation directed against Syria is not "officially" contemplated, military planners are currently involved in preparing various "intervention scenarios":

‘Western political leaders may have no appetite for deeper intervention. But as history has shown, we do not always choose which wars to fight - sometimes wars choose us. ‘Military planners have a responsibility to prepare for intervention options in Syria for their political masters in case this conflict chooses them. ‘Preparation will be proceeding today in several Western capitals and on the ground in Syria and in Turkey. ‘Up to the point of Assad’s collapse, we are most likely to see a continuation or intensification of the under-the-radar options of financial support, arming and advising the rebels, clandestine operations and perhaps cyber warfare from the West. ‘After any collapse, however, the military options will be seen in a different light.’ (Daily Mail, July 24, 2012, emphasis added)

Concluding Remarks

The World is at a dangerous crossroads.

The shape of this planned naval deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean with US-NATO warships contiguous to those of Russia is unprecedented in recent history.

History tells us that wars are often triggered unexpectedly as a result of "political mistakes" and human error. The latter are all the more likely within the realm of a divisive and corrupt political system in the US and Western Europe.

US-NATO military planning is overseen by a centralised military hierarchy. Command and Control operations are in theory "coordinated" but in practice they are often marked by human error. Intelligence operatives often function independently and outside the realm of political accountability.

Military planners are acutely aware of the dangers of escalation. Syria has significant air defense capabilities as well as ground forces. Syria has been building up its air defense system with the delivery of Russian Pantsir S1 air-defense missiles.

Any form of US-NATO direct military intervention against Syria would destabilize the entire region, potentially leading to escalation over a vast geographical area, extending from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with Tajikistan and China.

Military planning involves intricate scenarios and war games by both sides including military options pertaining to advanced weapons systems. A Third World War scenario has been contemplated by US-NATO-Israeli military planners since early 2000.

Escalation is an integral part of the military agenda. War preparations to attack Syria and Iran have been in "an advanced state of readiness" for several years.

We are dealing with complex political and strategic decision-making involving the interplay of powerful economic interest groups, the actions of covert intelligence operatives.

The role of war propaganda is paramount not only in moulding public opinion into accepting a war agenda, but also in establishing a consensus within the upper echelons of the decision-making process. A selective form of war propaganda intended for "Top Officials" (TOPOFF) in government agencies, intelligence, the Military, law enforcement, etc. is intended to create an unbending consensus in favor of War and the Police State.

For the war project to go ahead, it is essential that both politicians and military planners are rightfully committed to leading the war "in the name of justice and democracy". For this to occur, they must firmly believe in their own propaganda, namely that war is "an instrument of peace and democracy".

They have no concern for the devastating impacts of advanced weapons systems, routinely categorized as "collateral damage", let alone the meaning and significance of pre-emptive warfare, using nuclear weapons.

Wars are invariably decided upon by civilian leaders and interest groups rather than by the military. War serves dominant economic interests which operate from behind the scenes, behind closed doors in corporate boardrooms, in the Washington think tanks, etc.

Realities are turned upside down. War is peace. The Lie becomes the Truth.

War propaganda, namely media lies, constitutes the most powerful instrument of warfare.

Without media disinformation, the US-NATO led war agenda would collapse like a deck of cards. The legitimacy of the war criminals in high office would be broken.

It is therefore essential to disarm not only the mainstream media but also a segment of the self proclaimed "progressive" alternative media, which has provided legitimacy to NATO's "Responsibility to protect" (R2P) mandate, largely with a view to dismantling the antiwar movement.

The road to Tehran goes through Damascus. A US-NATO sponsored war on Iran would involve, as a first step, the destabilization of Syria as a nation state. Military planning pertaining to Syria is an integral part of the war on Iran agenda.

A war on Syria could evolve towards a US-NATO military campaign directed against Iran, in which Turkey and Israel would be directly involved.

It is crucial to spread the word and break the channels of media disinformation.

A critical and unbiased understanding of what is happening in Syria is of crucial importance in reversing the tide of military escalation towards a broader regional war.

Our objective is ultimately to dismantle the US-NATO-Israeli military arsenal and restore World Peace.

It is essential that people in the UK, France and the US prevent "the late Summer" naval WMD deployment to the Eastern Mediterraean from occurring.

It is essential that people in the UK, France and the US prevent "the late Summer" naval WMD deployment to the Eastern Mediterraean from occurring.

The British Ministry of Defense has announced that several British warships are required "to ensure the security" of the Olympic Games. HMS Bulwark is stationed in Weymouth Bay for the duration of the games. HMS Illustrious is "currently sitting on the Thames in central London". The deployment of British warships including HMS Bulwark and HMS Illustrious to the Middle East is envisaged "after" the Olympic Games.

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SYRIA: NATO's Next "Humanitarian" War?
- by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky - 2012-08-15
ONLINE INTERACTIVE I-BOOK. The insurgency in Syria is based on the "Libya Model": it is integrated by mercenaries and Al Qaeda affiliated paramilitary brigades supported by British, French and Turkish Special Forces...
Click to order Michel Chossudovsky's most recent book:

“This book is a ‘must’ resource – a richly documented and systematic diagnosis of the supremely pathological geo-strategic planning of US wars since ‘9-11’ against non-nuclear countries to seize their oil fields and resources under cover of ‘freedom and democracy’.”
-John McMurtry, Professor of Philosophy, Guelph University

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.”
-Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

Michel Chossudovsky exposes the insanity of our privatized war machine. Iran is being targeted with nuclear weapons as part of a war agenda built on distortions and lies for the purpose of private profit. The real aims are oil, financial hegemony and global control. The price could be nuclear holocaust. When weapons become the hottest export of the world’s only superpower, and diplomats work as salesmen for the defense industry, the whole world is recklessly endangered. If we must have a military, it belongs entirely in the public sector. No one should profit from mass death and destruction.
-Ellen Brown, author of ‘Web of Debt’ and president of the Public Banking Institute


It is essential that people in the UK, France and the US prevent "the late Summer" naval WMD deployment to the Eastern Mediterraean from occurring.

The British Ministry of Defense has announced that several British warships are required "to ensure the security" of the Olympic Games. HMS Bulwark is stationed in Weymouth Bay for the duration of the games. HMS Illustrious is "currently sitting on the Thames in central London". The deployment of British warships including HMS Bulwark and HMS Illustrious to the Middle East is envisaged "after" the Olympic Games.

Spread the word. Forward this article. Post it on Facebook.

[Austin]

Saudi riot police fire live rounds on Shiite protesters in Qatif - reports (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

[Austin]

Syrian Army wipes out militants in Aleppo

Syrian government troops are conducting an operation to wipe out militants in the city of Aleppo.

The armed opposition fighters were encircled in the city two days ago and have since tried to break the blockade but failed to overpower the government army resistance and were compelled to retreat to the city.

According to Syria’s SANA news agency, the troops have also destroyed several truckloads of rebels in Damascus suburbs and have seized the rebels’ arms caches.

The military set free two Italian engineers who were abducted by militants. The conflict in Syria has been raging since March last year.

According to the United Nations, 16,000 have since died in clashes.

[Philip]

Syria dispatch: Rebels forced to share guns as Assad's tanks roll in to Aleppo
The countryside around Aleppo is a fragile haven for Syria's rebels. Makeshift battalions of local fighters have filled the vacuum left by the withdrawal of most of the regime's forces, but their gains are uncertain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... leppo.html

By Damien McElroy, in al-Bab, Aleppo Province8:55PM BST 26 Jul 2012107 Comments
The insurgents are ill-equipped to defend the area from the possible return of an army with vastly superior firepower. Al-Bab, a market town 20 miles east of Aleppo, is one of the first to fly the colours of what rebels call "Free Syria". Their green and black flag has been painted on to former police stations and government offices.
But on the outskirts of the town, an army garrison steadfastly refuses to capitulate. "We have them surrounded and we are trying to talk them into surrender," said Suleiman Nadoom, a rebel fighter. "We think they are still in touch with the army and are being promised reinforcements. The other night they shelled us. There were 40 martyrs."
Because of this danger, people are still leaving the "free" town. Mohsen Ahkram and his brother, Firas, fled with their families to an uncle's home 10 miles further east.
"They are targeting the apartment buildings and the houses," he said. "I had to take the little ones away from all that. No-one knows who will be next."
The rebels who captured al-Bab are short of supplies. Individual fighters are forced to share assault rifles and often possess only a few dozen rounds of ammunition.
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They face a dilemma over whether to join the battle for Aleppo or stay to defend the town from a possible counter-attack. President Bashar al-Assad's forces have launched a major operation to prevent Aleppo, Syria's commercial capital with some 2.5 million people, from falling into rebel hands.
On Thursday, the regime was reported to have sent another 100 tanks to the city, moving them from the rural province of Idlib, which has been largely ceded to the rebels. The insurgents are realistic about their chances of resisting a full-scale attack. "The army's reinforcements have arrived in Aleppo," Colonel Abdul Jabbar al-Okaidi, a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA), told AFP news agency. "We expect a major offensive at any time, specifically on areas across the southern belt, from east to west." Col Okaidi added: "There's no way to compare our capacity to theirs. They have tanks, we have medium and light weapons. But we believe in our struggle; they are fighting for nothing."
Outside Aleppo, even apparently straightforward mopping-up operations have exposed the rebels' weakness. When they attacked a police station near al-Bab, one fighter was killed and the rest declared failure and withdrew.
Sami Assam is part of a five-man unit that specialises in attacking the remnants of the regime's forces stranded in rebel-held areas. A former shopkeeper in Greece, he returned to his homeland to join the revolt last year - only to be captured and locked up. He was a prisoner for three months until his jail fell to the FSA.
This prison is now a rebel headquarters. Fighters sleep in the cells, while policemen's hats lie piled in a corner. All the torture instruments used by the regime's security forces have apparently been destroyed.
"You could be in here for anything - just walking on the wrong street for example - and they would try to make you into a broken man," said
Mr Assam, 28. "Three months in here was the most miserable experience I have had."
But ethnic and sectarian tensions are rising in areas controlled by the FSA. Friends ask whether acquaintances are Arabs or Turkoman. Meanwhile, the tools of a successful guerrilla movement, such as rocket-propelled grenade launchers and roadside bombs, are notable by their absence.
A promised flood of weapons from Saudi Arabia and Qatar has yet to reach the rebels in this area. Here, their best chance of equipping themselves is to seize an armoury from the security forces.
For the moment, the rebels admit they could do nothing to stop an armoured column from reinforcing the military base outside al-Bab. Now that state officials have fled, rival factions dominate the politics of the town. Rumours spread that the hated pro-regime Shabiha militia is trying to fuel local disputes. Suspicious crowds stop unknown cars and question the occupants.
"This is the calm before the storm. We are very nervous now and no-one is leading us," said Ahmed Abdullah, a law lecturer. "Our fate is in God's hands only."

[James B]

The Syrian Crisis and Chemical Weapons

[Prem]

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cac ... 797df63bb4
A Challenge for Pakistan: Saudi Arabia’s New Counterterrorism Cooperation with India

At a time when questions are being raised about Saudi Arabia’s tacit support for the global Salafist movement, recent developments have displayed the Kingdom’s new-found seriousness in fighting terrorism, especially that emanating from South Asia. These developments include the deportation of a top Lashkar- e-Taiba (LeT) operative and the detention of a wanted Indian Mujahideen (IM) suspect.After a long period in custody, Saudi authorities deported Syed Zabihuddin Ansari (a.k.a. Abu Jundal) to India on June 22. In response to an Interpol alert, Saudi security agencies announced in mid-May that suspected IM operative Fasih Mehmood was detained in Jubail for his involvement in subversive activities in India (Times of India [New Delhi], July 4). Fasih, an engineer by profession, is wanted in India for his alleged involvement in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blasts in Bangalore (April 17, 2010) and the shooting of a tourist bus at Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid (September 19, 2010). Indian agencies are presently seeking Fasih’s deportation through diplomatic channels, though there have been some regulatory bottlenecks delaying his extradition (IBN Live, July 12; Deccan Chronicle [Hyderabad], July 18).The visible shift in Indo-Saudi bilateral ties in the diplomatic sphere can be traced to the January 2006 Memorandum of Understanding on combating terrorism (part of the larger “Delhi Declaration”) signed by then Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Sa’ud al-Faizal bin Abdul Aziz al-Sa’ud (Press Trust of India [New Delhi], January 25, 2006). The much needed extradition treaty was finally signed in late February 2010, furthering bilateral security cooperation under the auspices of the March, 2010 Riyadh Declaration (Times of India, March 1, 2010).
Riding in this new wave of counterterrorism cooperation from Saudi Arabia, India is attempting to target other Indian terrorist fugitives currently holed up in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region, including former leaders of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and LeT operatives such as C.A.M. Basheer and Abu Haroon.
The arrest and deportation of Ansari, who was sent by his LeT handlers to Saudi Arabia on a mission to mobilize resources for the next big attack against India, certainly signals a new phase of Indo-Saudi anti-terrorism cooperation, even though it took months of diplomatic negotiations (with the United States playing an active role) to persuade Saudi authorities to overcome their long standing pro-Pakistan policies. Indeed, the latest policy shift goes against the Kingdom’s old ally Pakistan in many ways. Ansari now becomes the third living proof of Pakistan’s complicity in the Mumbai attacks, along with Ajmal Kasab and David Headley. It also sends a strong message to Pakistan that the Kingdom is no longer a safe haven or staging point for Islamic extremists who use the country to exploit both Salafist sympathizers and the South Asian diaspora to raise funds and to scout talent for jihad.
India is concerned about Saudi Arabia’s largesse towards the Islamic madrassas and charity organizations that have contributed to Salafist-Jihadi extremism in South Asian countries. Saudi Arabia has also been at the center of controversy over its support for Kashmir-centric charities and LeT fronts like Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD) in the name of health and educational aid. Even Saudi Arabia’s legitimate banking institutions are now being closely watched by authorities in the United States, India and Bangladesh for facilitating transactions and hosting accounts of Indian-centric Pakistan-based terrorist groups and charities.
However, the change of heart on the part of the Saudi authorities is not directly related to U.S. pressure. Saudi Arabia well understands the dynamics of the changing geopolitical atmosphere in the Arab world and India’s growing clout in the world stage. It also appreciates the fact that terrorism is a double-edged sword, especially following the August 2009 suicide attack on Prince Muhammad bin Nayef in Jeddah (al-Jazeera [Doha], August 28, 2009). last. India expects the deportation of IM’s Fasih Mehmood in the near future once Saudi officials have confirmed he is an Indian national. However, even if these are steps in the right direction, Saudi authorities have conveyed to their Indian counterparts that while they may be prepared to extradite Indian nationals to India, they wouldn’t necessarily act against Pakistan nationals wanted for terrorist acts in India. India clearly cannot take Saudi cooperation for granted and will still need to work closely with Saudi authorities to ensure future cooperation. A change is nonetheless visible in the Saudi attitude towards India as it reciprocates India’s willingness to stand by the Kingdom in matters of trade and security. However, it is premature to expect Saudi Arabia to change its approach towards Pakistan vis-à-vis India. In the light of existing conditions, India might work in tandem with Saudi authorities to further a crackdown on the financial institutions and wealthy Saudi individuals who have channeled billions of petro-dollars under the name of Da’wa contributions to fund jihad across South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Maldives or India.

Animesh Roul is the Executive Director of Research at the New Delhi-based Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict (SSPC).

[shyamd]

Yawn... BR ahead of the curve as always...

23rd June

Yes some NATO source confirmed it was a reconnaissance version. Their biggest problem is their lack of surveillance assets and they are begging Washington so Washington arranged for some private players to do the work

Exclusive: Secret Turkish nerve center leads aid to Syria rebels

A Free Syrian Army soldier mans the last gate before the Turkish territory at the Bab Al-Salam border crossing July 22, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

By Regan Doherty and Amena Bakr

DOHA/DUBAI | Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:12am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey has set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria's rebels from a city near the border, Gulf sources have told Reuters.

News of the clandestine Middle East-run "nerve centre" working to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad underlines the extent to which Western powers - who played a key role in unseating Muammar Gaddafi in Libya - have avoided military involvement so far in Syria.

"It's the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main co-ordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom," said a Doha-based source.

"The Americans are very hands-off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes."

The centre in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 100 km (60 miles) from the Syrian border, was set up after Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said. The Turks liked the idea of having the base in Adana so that they could supervise its operations, he added.

A Saudi foreign ministry official was not immediately available to comment on the operation.

Adana is home to Incirlik, a large Turkish/U.S. air force base which Washington has used in the past for reconnaissance and military logistics operations. It was not clear from the sources whether the anti-Syrian "nerve centre" was located inside Incirlik base or in the city of Adana.

Qatar, the tiny gas-rich Gulf state which played a leading part in supplying weapons to Libyan rebels, has a key role in directing operations at the Adana base, the sources said. Qatari military intelligence and state security officials are involved.

"Three governments are supplying weapons: Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia," said a Doha-based source.

Ankara has officially denied supplying weapons.

"All weaponry is Russian. The obvious reason is that these guys (the Syrian rebels) are trained to use Russian weapons, also because the Americans don't want their hands on it. All weapons are from the black market. The other way they get weapons is to steal them from the Syrian army. They raid weapons stores."

The source added: "The Turks have been desperate to improve their weak surveillance, and have been begging Washington for drones and surveillance." The pleas appear to have failed. "So they have hired some private guys come do the job."

President Barack Obama has so far preferred to use diplomatic means to try to oust Assad, although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signaled this week that Washington plans to step up help to the rebels.

Reuters has established that Obama's aides have drafted a resolution which would authorize greater covert assistance to the rebels but still stop short of arming them.

The White House's wariness is shared by other Western powers. It reflects concerns about what might follow Assad in Syria and about the substantial presence of anti-Western Islamists and jihadi fighters among the rebels.

The presence of the secret Middle East-run "nerve centre" may explain how the Syrian rebels, a rag-tag assortment of ill-armed and poorly organized groups, have pulled off major strikes such as the devastating bomb attack on July 18 which killed at least four key Assad aides including the defense minister.

A Turkish diplomat in the region insisted however that his country played no part in the Damascus bombing.

"That's out of the question," he said. "The Syrian minister of information blamed Turkey and other countries for the killing. Turkey doesn't do such things. We are not a terrorist country. Turkey condemns such attacks."

However, two former senior U.S. security officials said that Turkey has been playing an increasing role in sheltering and training Syrian rebels who have crossed into its territory.

One of the former officials, who is also an adviser to a government in the region, told Reuters that 20 former Syrian generals are now based in Turkey, from where they are helping shape the rebel forces. Israel believes up to 20,000 Syrian troops may now have defected to the opposition.

Former officials said there is reason to believe the Turks stepped up their support for anti-Assad forces after Syria shot down a Turkish plane which had made several passes over border areas.

Sources in Qatar said the Gulf state is providing training and supplies to the Syrian rebels.

"The Qataris mobilized their special forces team two weeks ago. Their remit is to train and help logistically, not to fight," said a Doha-based source with ties to the FSA.

Qatar's military intelligence directorate, Foreign Ministry and State Security Bureau are involved, said the source.

WESTERN CAUTION

The United States, Israel, France and Britain - traditionally key players in the Middle East - have avoided getting involved so far, largely because they see little chance of a "good outcome" in Syria.

"Israel is not really in the business of trying to 'shape' the outcome of the revolt,", a diplomat in the region said. "The consensus is that you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. The risk of identifying with any side is too great".

A former U.S. official who advises a government in the region and other current and former U.S. and European security officials say that there has been little to zero direct assistance or training from the U.S. or its European allies.

The former official also said that few sophisticated weapons such as shoulder-fired bazookas for destroying tanks or surface-to-air missiles have reached the anti-Assad forces.

While some Gulf officials and conservative American politicians have privately suggested that a supply of surface-to-air missiles would help anti-Assad forces bring the conflict to a close, officials familiar with U.S. policy say they are anxious to keep such weapons out of the hands of Syrian rebels. They fear such weapons could make their way to pro-jihad militants who could use them against Western aircraft.

AFTER ASSAD

The CIA and the Israelis' main concern so far has been that elements of al-Qaeda may attempt to infiltrate the rebels and acquire some of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

Sima Shine, a former chief Mossad analyst who now serves as an adviser to the Israeli government, told Reuters: "It's a nightmare for the international community, and chiefly the Americans - weapons of mass-destruction falling into the hands of terrorists. In parallel to its foreign contacts, Israel is taking this especially seriously. After all, we are here, and the Americans are over there."

She envisaged two circumstances under which Hezbollah, the Lebanese Islamist group, could obtain some of the chemical weapons stockpile.

"Assad goes and anarchy ensues, during which Hezbollah gets its hands on the weapons. There is a significant Hezbollah presence in Syria and they are well-ensconced in the military and other national agencies. So they are close enough to make a grab for it.

"Another possibility is that Assad, knowing that he is on his way out, will authorized a handover to Hezbollah, as a message to the world about the price of encouraging his ouster."

However, British and U.S. officials believe there is little or no sign of Assad being toppled imminently.

The situation, one senior European official said, is still likely to veer back and forth, like a tug-of-war between pro- and anti-Assad forces.

There is no indication, the official added, that Assad himself has any intention of doing anything but fighting on until the bitter end.

(additional reporting by Mark Hosenball in London and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; writing by Richard Woods; editing by Michael Stott and Ralph Boulton)

Russian Navy to evacuate Syrian base in emergency

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Published: 28 July, 2012, 15:06

If the lives of the personnel at the Russian naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus are put at serious risk, they may be evacuated, Russia’s Navy chief says. This comes as Russia holds a major naval drill not far from the Syrian coast.

“If an emergency happens, we will remove the base’s personnel,” Vice-Adm. Viktor Chirkov told Echo Moscow radio Saturday, when asked what the Russian military would do if the base at the Syrian port Tartus came under attack.

He added that it would be up to the Russian president to order such a move.

Earlier, Navy sources warned that Russia currently has enough capabilities to defend its base in Syria from a rebel attack. This was in response to threats from the Free Syrian Army, who said they would target the base or Russian warships directly for Russia’s support of the Syrian government.

The Tartus base is used for repair and refueling of Russian military vessels in the Mediterranean. It is currently manned by some 50 sailors and officers. The base was first established in the 1970s as part of the Soviet Union’s effort to contain growing Israeli influence in the Middle East.

The base suffered from neglect in the 1990s, but Moscow decided to beef up its military presence in the region in 2008, which meant more investment in the Tartus base. In August 2010 then-commander of the Russian Navy Vladimir Vysotsky said the base would be upgraded to service high-tonnage ships, including aircraft carriers. On Thursday, Vice-Adm. Chirkov told the media that Russia intends to preserve the base.

The Tartus base has come into media spotlight lately, after Russia launched massive naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea. The Navy deployed 20 warships and support ships for the exercise. Several of the vessels in the fleet carry units of marines on board.

Some media speculated that the ships and ground troops could be used to help Damascus in its crackdown on the opposition. Moscow denied the allegations, saying the exercise was scheduled long before the Syrian conflict escalated. The Russian fleet is not even expected to visit the Tartus base as part of the drills.

The 17-month-long armed conflict in Syria has left 16,000 people dead, according to UN estimates. The armed opposition is struggling to oust President Bashar al-Assad’s government with support from the US, some European countries, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Syrian government says it is facing a covert foreign intervention.

[Surya]

Please do attack Russian forces FSA,you'll do the world a favour! The inevitable counter from Russia

err The Russians barely hung on in chechnya and took some effort squishing Georgia both in their backyard

they cannot do much here and do not have the stomach or the manpower to do anything.

all the fighting and dying will have to be done by Assad's forces

[Johann]

Philip, stuff and nonsense, there are going to be no 'east-west naval confrontations' in the Eastern Med. This is not about Russia, which is even more of a bit player in the situation on the ground than the US.

Hard as it may be to wrap the mind around, this is a conflict dominated by the peoples and governments of the Middle East - Arabs, and to a lesser extent the Turks and Iranians. The West, Israel, Russia and China as supporting rather than leading actors.

What Putin cares about is not Assad's fate, but looking strong to his own people, to the UNSC, and to Russia's weapons sales clients. The more Western criticism and pressure he faces, the better he looks to those parties.

The Russians will give Assad cover at the UNSC, but they won't lift a finger to defend him on the ground.

[Austin]

The Russians will give Assad cover at the UNSC, but they won't lift a finger to defend him on the ground.

Its better for the Russians not to put the boots on ground all they would end up with body bags in hundreds and thousands with no end to fighting in sight , If Iraq and American body bags is any thing to go by its better to stay out of such multi ethnic mess that Syria is not poised to end up with , its a case of Iraq redux.

Its better to wait for the society gets polarised with sunni , alawaite ,christian and shiate and then arming them via proxy to keep the pot boiling ......unfortunately Syria will end up being another iraq perhaps more worse.

I wonder if Hizbollah have actually got their hands on CW perhaps some trickling into their hands.

[shyamd]

Since WWII, China Russia and US fight in war by proxy. Another thing is, Russia has a poor economy and hasn't got the cash to sustain a long fight or build a great empire.

-----------------------------
India-Saudi ties poised for upsurge after Jundal handover

New Delhi,Diplomacy, Sun, 29 Jul 2012 IANS

New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Building upon the positive momentum generated by the handover of 26/11 handler Abu Jundal by Riyadh last month, India and Saudi Arabia are set to intensify their security and economic cooperation as India cuts down on Iranian oil and hikes its oil supply from the most powerful economy in the Middle East.

Amid the languishing pace of justice in Pakistan for the 26/11 victims, the decision of Saudi Arabia to extradite Abu Jundal came as a shot in the arm for New Delhi and has set the stage for an all-round acceleration of strategic and economic ties between India and Saudi Arabia, home to over two million expatriate Indians.

"India's relations with Saudi Arabia are poised for a major upsurge. It (the handover of Jundal) is the culmination of a decision taken by King Abduallah many years ago to develop strategic relations with India," Ishrat Aziz, a former ambassador of India and an expert on the region, told IANS.

"Saudi Arabia has been a victim of terrorism itself. Security is the cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's foreign policy and it is looking to India as a major emerging power," said Aziz. The India-Saudi ties have undergone a sea change, said Aziz, who served as India's ambassador to Riyadh during the 1987-1994 transition period.

"This relationship is moving in the right direction and has acquired strategic heft in the last few years. It's going to get stronger in days to come," Zikrur Rahman, director of the India-Arab Centre at Jamia Millia Islamia, told IANS.

The signs of a transformed relationship are all too visible. Security cooperation has acquired a prominent focus in the bilateral relationship since the historic visit of King Abdullah, the first visit by a Saudi monarch to New Delhi in half a century, in 2006. The Delhi Declaration issued at the end of the Saudi monarch's visit identified security and counter-terror cooperation as key elements of strategic partnership between the two countries.

The strategic ties were reinforced when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Saudi Arabia in 2010, a landmark trip that saw the signing of an extradition treaty and culminated in the Riyadh Declaration that singled out security cooperation as an important driver of the relationship. Defence minister A.K. Antony's February 2012 visit saw the two sides setting up a joint committee to chalk out a roadmap for bolstering bilateral defence cooperation, ranging from stepped up high-level exchanges and warship visits to hydrography and training.

Intelligence sharing and the training of Saudi defence personnel in India have become features of bilateral partnership and are expected to grow stronger.

There is also a qualitative shift in mutual perception. India, a knowledge power armed with an economy still growing at around seven percent amidst a global slowdown, has other added attractions for Saudi Arabia, a traditional friend and ally of the US, which is looking east for fresh infusion of technology and skilled manpower.

Another good news for Riyadh, which regards Tehran as a major regional nuisance, is that India has cut down its import of Iranian oil in the face of Western sanctions and has raised purchases from Saudi Arabia.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has shot up to $25 billion in 2010-11 and Riyadh has emerged as India's top oil supplier.

What has taken experts and Saudi-watchers by surprise is that Saudi Arabia, despite its close ties with Pakistan, handed over to India the prize catch that ended up exposing Islamabad and has infused a new momentum in New Delhi's quest for 26/11 justice.

What tipped Riyadh in New Delhi's favour? Was it American pressure or an incrementally improving relations with New Delhi? Ajai Sahni, a counter-terror expert, says Riyadh's decision was influenced by both factors but also reflected the Arab world's most powerful nation's attitude towards a changing world order.

"Saudi Arabia is beginning to lose faith in the Pakistan model of using Islamist extremism to promote external causes. This policy has caused a tremendous backlash in the larger Muslim world," Sahni told IANS. The relationship with Pakistan, said Sahni, is being re-evaluated in Saudi Arabia, but it does not amount to abandoning Pakistan.

The Saudi establishment's attitude towards terrorism has shown a marked change in the last decade since 9/11, specially after Riyadh was targeted by terrorists. Besides, Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda has been an anathema to the Saudi royal family, and it has watched with concern the growing incestuous ties between al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the chief architect of the 26/11 terror.

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Well ahead of the curve:
24th December 2011

Qatar is buying up all the weapons from libyan rebels and flooding it to the Free Syrian army. Problem with the FSA is that they are actually made up of administrative services of the army and arent well experienced in combat. Some islamist rebels are also being air lifted by Qatar to Turkey to join ranks with FSA as was expected.

25th March 2012

Meanwhile Libyan Embassy has made adverts in Turkish press asking for bulk booking of hotels in Izmir, Istanbul and Gaziantep on March 19th. Qatar has been paying for medical treatmnt of Libyans in Turkey - so once they get better they are expected to support the FSA on the front line or in the training camps. Same in Jordan as well. So this war is no where near over yet.

Libya rebels move onto Syrian battlefield

By Jomana Karadsheh, CNN
July 28, 2012 -- Updated 1518 GMT (2318 HKT)
Libyan revolution veteran Al-Mahdi al-Harati (standing) training members of the Liwa al-Umma to fight in Syria.

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Their war for freedom in Libya may be over, but almost a year after they won the battle for the Libyan capital, a group of fighters have a new battlefield: Syria.

Under the command of one of Libya's most well known rebel commanders, Al-Mahdi al-Harati, more than 30 Libyan fighters have made their way into Syria to support the Free Syrian Army rebels in their war against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Al-Harati, who commanded the Tripoli Revolutionary brigade -- which was the first group of rebels to enter the Libyan capital last August -- has been in Syria for months leading some of his former men and Syrian military defectors who have joined his "Liwaa al-Umma" or "The Banner of the Nation" brigade.

Recent YouTube videos show at least two different Syrian rebel factions announcing that they are part of the Liwa al-Umma.

Heavy fighting in Syrian city of Aleppo

Al-Harati, who has dual Libyan and Irish citizenship, first visited Syria last year on what he calls a "fact finding mission" to see the situation on the ground and find out what Syrian rebels needed.

"After many Syrians approached me asking for my help, I felt it was time to do more and due to the great success of the Tripoli Brigade we felt it was time to act and that meant the formation of the Banner of the Nation," Al-Harati told CNN in Skype messages this week.

Al-Harati said: "With the prior success in Libya I decided to leave nationality aside and, just like world organizations helped Libya in its time of need, I decided to pass my experience to others to benefit."
Mohammed, who fought with Libyans rebels, is now heading to Syria to join opposition forces.

In the past week, at least three more former members of the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade traveled from the Libyan capital to join their former commander in Syria, two former members of the TRB says.

Al-Harati, who describes himself as a "commander and facilitator" says there were no active efforts to recruit Libyans.

"These are grown men with their own minds and do not need convincing about this cause," Al-Harati said.

Mohammed, 23, fought in some of the fiercest battles against Moammar Gadhafi's troops in Libya's Western Mountains.

One year on, he dreams of fighting al-Assad's troops. He does not want his last name disclosed because he does not want his family to know he wants to go to Syria.

"What Bashar al-Assad is doing is unacceptable in Islam ... He is killing children and wiping out entire cities ... The Syrians need people to fight with them, this is Jihad, it does not have to be my (personal) cause ... As a Muslim I have to go and help them," he said.

Mohammed smiles as he recalls the fighting in Libya last year, like now he says, it was during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

"There is nothing better than Jihad during Ramadan ... There are some people who look at us and say we are Jihadist extremists, we are not. In Libya we experienced Jihad, tasted the beauty of Jihad. We are not going to Jihad like al-Qaeda and others. We are going to support our brothers in Syria," he said.

Another fighter is Housam Najjair. He is 33, al-Harati's brother-in-law, and had never used a weapon until he fought in Libya last year.

He said: "When I watch TV reports ... you hear the cries of an old woman or a mother of a child who has been killed, or some of the brutal pictures that we have seen of children being killed ... I can not sit back and watch that," Najjair told CNN in a Skype interview from one of Turkey's borders with Syria hours before making the dangerous journey into Syria.

"I have to do whatever I can to make that journey. Because I feel guilty putting my head down at nighttime knowing that last year I was given an amazing opportunity to learn how to use weapons, for good, all for good, learn how to use weapons, how to maneuver, how to travel, how to attack, how to defend, all these things," Najjair said, adding that his aim is to share these experiences with Syrian rebels.

During the interview, Najjair got the phone call he had been waiting for, his group of fighters is mobilizing to go into Syria.

"It is a rollercoaster of different kinds of emotions, you get excited, you get adrenalin, fear, anticipation, all these feelings come into it, fear is not the main factor and in my mind will never be ... it will impair your judgment ... Libya was a walk in the park compared to Syria, I know this going in there," Najjair said as he prepared to leave.

Najjair says the no-fly zone enforced in Libya last year helped rebel fighters and allowed them to make great advances. Without that in Syria, operating will be much harder.

He says they do not have a military base, there are makeshift barracks; they are constantly on the move and cannot spend more than a day in one location. Fighters, he says, are scattered across different areas.

A Syrian town's 'Street of Death'

Last month, a senior Libyan security official told CNN the government was aware of Libyans fighting in Syria, but they were individuals and not government sponsored.

Earlier this year, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, accused Libya of hosting and training Syrian rebels. A claim denied by the Libyan prime minister.

But Libya's government and people have been vocal in their support for the Syrian opposition.

Libya was one of the first countries to recognize the opposition Syrian National Council as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people and in February, Tripoli expelled Assad's diplomats and closed down their embassy.

Many in Libya say they relate to Syrians who want to overthrow the regime. It was not too long ago that they lived a similar experience.

But not everyone chooses to express support militarily.

Some show solidarity by hanging the Syrian opposition flag outside their shops in Tripoli, flying alongside the Free Libya flag.

In a YouTube video posted on July 4, a group of six Libyan doctors is seen being greeted by Free Syrian Army troops as they enter Syria.

"We are coming for you Bashar," says one of the doctors as they shake hands with the heavily armed Syrian fighters.

There are no official figures on how many Libyans are currently in Syria. In February, reports of at least four Libyan fighters killed in Syria circulated, but there has been no government confirmation.

For fighters like Najjair, the risk of death is a matter of faith.

He said: "You have to have faith and you have to say to yourself, "if it's my time, I will be gone. If it's not my time it will be another amazing journey another amazing victory.""

[Austin]

Shyamd , when did you last checked Russian Economy , they have the best performing Economy in Europe today and have 3rd largest reserves ... if Russian Economy is poor then EU and US economy is in deep shit with recession and debt.

The problem is the body bag syndrome .......fighting against the Jihadis just means body bags for the Russians , they have learnt their lesson after Afghan war and US forces have been slaughtered by the same Jihadis/Sectarian crowd in Iraq and Afganistan and both country does not have any solution to its problem inspite of close to Trillion Dollar spent in Iraq and much more in Afghanistan and its still bleeding them both men and material for NATO.

Its better for Russias to keep away from any troop deployment else history will just repeat itself , its safer to covertly arm the Alwaites , Chirstians ,Shiah or who so ever is on the other side and keep the pot boiling but I hope they dont do that as that would mean more innocent people dying and you never know how the Jihadis might come knocking at your door step , like one Mr Bin Laden came to US after being fed by them in Afgan war against Soviets.

This war wont end with Assad defeat much like it wont end with Assad winning and keeping few states under its control ......the dice has been rolled and all you will have in days and months and years ahead is body bags i.e. Iraq Redux .......the best solution is to talk and have a national government which i really dont see happening things are just getting more polarised.

[shyamd]

^^ Their reserves are large but their economy is not that great (If I'm not mistaken its not as big as Holland for example) and they have very little to offer - this is one of the main reasons why historically central asian states are looking in a different direction (aside from the cultural issues) and also why PRC chose to ally with the US instead. The US/EU had access to high tech that was needed. Russia didn't and still doesn't. Sure they have commodities that they export.

Sure US and EU are in deep trouble, but can we seriously compare the Russian economy to the size of the US? I dont think so...

I agree - the russians don't need to put boots on the ground.

I do think Asad will be defeated, wait and see. Russians will give him some cover in UNSC - but Russia doesn't have that much leverage over the GCC - who are the main influencers. They'll keep pumping in the cash/weapons until Asad gets defeated. Asad has been struggling to pay his soldiers for the last few months.

The death and destruction in Aleppo will be great.

Asad will probably try and fight for an alawite homeland - I dont think that will resolve his problem - it can prolong the fight, thats all. Everyone, from the russians to the syrian commanders fighting on the ground (even the secular ones) say that the people aren't going to forget that it was the alawites that were behind the massacres. The russians say this war could go on for another 15 years (over exaggeration imo).

----------------------------------
U.S. presented Netanyahu with contingency plan for Iran strike
U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon shared Washington's contingency plans for a possible attack on Iran with Israel's PM, according to a senior American official.

The U.S. national security adviser has shared with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States' contingency plans for a possible attack on Iran.

According to a senior American official, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon briefed Netanyahu on the plans during Donilon's visit to Israel two weeks ago. According to the official, who requested anonymity, Netanyahu hosted Donilon at a three-hour dinner. For part of the time, Israel's national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, was on hand.

Donilon sought to make clear that the United States is seriously preparing for the possibility that negotiations will reach a dead end and military action will become necessary. He said reports of such preparations were not just a way to assuage Israel's concerns.

Donilon's talks in Jerusalem were the most significant so far between American and Israeli officials here in recent weeks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Deputy Secretary of State William Burns have been in Israel as well.

According to the American official, Donilon shared information on U.S. weaponry and military capabilities for dealing with Iran's nuclear facilities, including those deep underground.

But another U.S. official involved in the talks with Israel said that "based on the intelligence we have, we think there is still time for diplomacy, and the time for a military operation against Iran has not yet come."

A spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, Tommy Vietor, declined to comment on the details of a private conversation between Netanyahu and Donilon.

In any case, the secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Michael Donley, told the Capitol Hill Club last week that the force's new bunker buster bombs were ready for use if needed. In recent months, the bombs have undergone technical improvements.

The bombs, each weighing 15 tons, would be intended for fortified bunkers deep underground where chemical or nuclear weapons are stored. This would include the uranium enrichment facility deep inside the mountains near the Iranian city of Qom.

The United States has told Israel several times that the existence of such weapons means Iran will never reach the point where its nuclear facilities are immune to attack.

American attempts to allay Israeli concerns will continue this week with the arrival Tuesday of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. On Wednesday he will meet with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and senior security and intelligence officials.

The United States and its allies continue to ratchet up the economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran, but it seems these efforts have yet to bear fruit. Despite U.S. efforts, the diplomatic channel vis-a-vis Iran seems at an impasse.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been informed of the lack of progress in talks with the Iranians at a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Ashton is holding talks in Brussels with Iran as the representative of the six powers: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

The day before Ashton's meeting with Lieberman, her deputy, Helga Schmid, met in Istanbul with Iran's deputy chief of negotiations, Ali Bagheri. According to a senior Israeli official, when Lieberman and his associates asked Schmid how the meeting ended, they were told there was nothing new.

Lieberman told Ashton that the stalled talks proved that the time had come to move from talk to action to stop Iran. Ashton, who is to meet in the coming days with the head of Iran's negotiating team, Saeed Jalili, told Lieberman she had not given up on diplomatic efforts.

The Israeli official said Ashton said she had to persevere in the talks so she could show Europeans that she had done everything possible before abandoning the diplomatic track.

Above article and below raised a sh*t storm yesterday: Must Read

US sees Israel, tight Mideast ally, as spy threat

Story user rating:

ADAM GOLDMAN and MATT APUZZO
Published: Yesterday


FILE - In this March 5, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Washington's political praise has reached a crescendo ahead of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's anticipated visit this weekend with Netanyahu in Israel. Their relationship has spanned decades, since their brief overlap in the 1970s at the Boston Consulting Group. Both worked as advisers for the firm early in their careers, before Romney co-founded his own private-equity firm. Romney in a speech this week called Israel “one of our fondest friends,” and criticized President Barack Obama over what he called the administration's “shabby treatment” of Israel. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The CIA station chief opened the locked box containing the sensitive equipment he used from his home in Tel Aviv, Israel, to communicate with CIA headquarters in Virginia, only to find that someone had tampered with it. He sent word to his superiors about the break-in.

The incident, described by three former senior U.S. intelligence officials, might have been dismissed as just another cloak-and-dagger incident in the world of international espionage, except that the same thing had happened to the previous station chief in Israel.

It was a not-so-subtle reminder that, even in a country friendly to the United States, the CIA was itself being watched.

In a separate episode, according to another two former U.S. officials, a CIA officer in Israel came home to find the food in the refrigerator had been rearranged. In all the cases, the U.S. government believes Israel's security services were responsible.

Such meddling underscores what is widely known but rarely discussed outside intelligence circles: Despite inarguable ties between the U.S. and its closest ally in the Middle East and despite statements from U.S. politicians trumpeting the friendship, U.S. national security officials consider Israel to be, at times, a frustrating ally and a genuine counterintelligence threat.

In addition to what the former U.S. officials described as intrusions in homes in the past decade, Israel has been implicated in U.S. criminal espionage cases and disciplinary proceedings against CIA officers and blamed in the presumed death of an important spy in Syria for the CIA during the administration of President George W. Bush.

The CIA considers Israel its No. 1 counterintelligence threat in the agency's Near East Division, the group that oversees spying across the Middle East, according to current and former officials. Counterintelligence is the art of protecting national secrets from spies. This means the CIA believes that U.S. national secrets are safer from other Middle Eastern governments than from Israel.

Israel employs highly sophisticated, professional spy services that rival American agencies in technical capability and recruiting human sources. Unlike Iran or Syria, for example, Israel as a steadfast U.S. ally enjoys access to the highest levels of the U.S. government in military and intelligence circles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly about the sensitive intelligence and diplomatic issues between the two countries.

The counterintelligence worries continue even as the U.S. relationship with Israel features close cooperation on intelligence programs that reportedly included the Stuxnet computer virus that attacked computers in Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities. While the alliance is central to the U.S. approach in the Middle East, there is room for intense disagreement, especially in the diplomatic turmoil over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"It's a complicated relationship," said Joseph Wippl, a former senior CIA clandestine officer and head of the agency's office of congressional affairs. "They have their interests. We have our interests. For the U.S., it's a balancing act."

The way Washington characterizes its relationship with Israel is also important to the way the U.S. is regarded by the rest of the world, particularly Muslim countries.

U.S. political praise has reached a crescendo ahead of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's scheduled meeting Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Their relationship spans decades, since their brief overlap in the 1970s at the Boston Consulting Group. Both worked as advisers for the firm early in their careers before Romney co-founded his own private-equity firm. Romney said in a speech this past week that Israel was "one of our fondest friends," and he criticized Obama for what he called the administration's "shabby treatment" of the Jewish state.

"The people of Israel deserve better than what they've received from the leader of the free world," Romney said in a plain appeal to U.S. Jewish and pro-Israel evangelical voters.

Obama, who last year was overheard appearing to endorse criticism of Netanyahu from then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has defended his work with Israel. "We've gotten a lot of business done with Israel over the last three years," Obama said this year. "I think the prime minister - and certainly the defense minister - would acknowledge that we've never had closer military and intelligence cooperation."

An Israeli spokesman in Washington, Lior Weintraub, said his country has close ties with the U.S. A text message Saturday from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the report "false."

"Israel's intelligence and security agencies maintain close, broad and continuous cooperation with their U.S. counterparts," Weintraub said. "They are our partners in confronting many mutual challenges. Any suggestion otherwise is baseless and contrary to the spirit and practice of the security cooperation between our two countries."

The CIA declined comment.

The tension exists on both sides.

The National Security Agency historically has kept tabs on Israel. The U.S., for instance, does not want to be caught off guard if Israel launches a surprise attack that could plunge the region into war and jeopardize oil supplies, putting American soldiers at risk.

Matthew Aid, the author of "The Secret Sentry," about the NSA, said the U.S. started spying on Israel even before the state was created in 1948. Aid said the U.S. had a station on Cyprus dedicated to spying on Israel until 1974. Today, teams of Hebrew linguists are stationed at Fort Meade, Md., at the NSA, listening to intercepts of Israeli communications, he said.

CIA policy generally forbids its officers in Tel Aviv from recruiting Israeli government sources, officials said. To do so would require approval from senior CIA leaders, two former senior officials said. During the Bush administration, the approval had to come from the White House.

Israel is not America's closest ally, at least when it comes to whom Washington trusts with the most sensitive national security information. That distinction belongs to a group of nations known informally as the "Five Eyes." Under that umbrella, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand agree to share intelligence and not to spy on one another. Often, U.S. intelligence officers work directly alongside counterparts from these countries to handle highly classified information not shared with anyone else.

Israel is part of a second-tier relationship known by another informal name, "Friends on Friends." It comes from the phrase "Friends don't spy on friends," and the arrangement dates back decades. But Israel's foreign intelligence service, the Mossad, and its FBI equivalent, the Shin Bet, both considered among the best in the world, have been suspected of recruiting U.S. officials and trying to steal American secrets.

Around 2004 or 2005, the CIA fired two female officers for having unreported contact with Israelis. One of the women acknowledged during a polygraph exam that she had been in a relationship with an Israeli who worked in the Foreign Ministry, a former U.S. official said. The CIA learned the Israeli introduced the woman to his "uncle." That person worked for Shin Bet.

Jonathan Pollard, who worked for the Navy as a civilian intelligence analyst, was convicted of spying for Israel in 1987 when the Friends on Friends agreement was in effect. He was sentenced to life in prison. The Israelis for years have tried to win his release. In January 2011, Netanyahu asked Obama to free Pollard and acknowledged that Israel's actions in the case were "wrong and wholly unacceptable."

Ronald Olive, a former senior supervisor with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service who investigated Pollard, said that after the arrest, the U.S. formed a task force to determine what government records Pollard had taken. Olive said Israel turned over so few that it represented "a speck in the sand."

In the wake of Pollard, the Israelis promised not to operate intelligence agents on U.S. soil.

A former Army mechanical engineer, Ben-Ami Kadish, pleaded guilty in 2008 to passing classified secrets to the Israelis during the 1980s. His case officer was the same one who handled Pollard. Kadish let the Israelis photograph documents about nuclear weapons, a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet and the U.S. Patriot missile air defense system. Kadish, who was 85 years old when he was arrested, avoided prison and was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. He told the judge that, "I thought I was helping the state of Israel without harming the United States."

In 2006, a former Defense Department analyst was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for giving classified information to an Israeli diplomat and two pro-Israel lobbyists.

Despite the Pollard case and others, Olive said he believes the two countries need to maintain close ties "but do we still have to be vigilant? Absolutely. The Israelis are good at what they do."

During the Bush administration, the CIA ranked some of the world's intelligence agencies in order of their willingness to help in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism. One former U.S. intelligence official who saw the completed list said Israel, which hadn't been directly targeted in attacks by al-Qaida, fell below Libya, which recently had agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

The espionage incidents have done little to slow the billions of dollars in money and weapons from the United States to Israel. Since Pollard's arrest, Israel has received more than $60 billion in U.S. aid, mostly in the form of military assistance, according to the Congressional Research Service. The U.S. has supplied Israel with Patriot missiles, helped pay for an anti-missile defense program and provided sensitive radar equipment to track Iranian missile threats.

Just on Friday, Obama said he was releasing an additional $70 million in military aid, a previously announced move that appeared timed to upstage Romney's trip, and he spoke of America's "unshakable commitment to Israel." The money will go to help Israel expand production of a short-range rocket defense system.

Some CIA officials still bristle over the disappearance of a Syrian scientist who during the Bush administration was the CIA's only spy inside Syria's military program to develop chemical and biological weapons. The scientist was providing the agency with extraordinary information about pathogens used in the program, former U.S. officials said about the previously unknown intelligence operation.

At the time, there was pressure to share information about weapons of mass destruction, and the CIA provided its intelligence to Israel. A former official with direct knowledge of the case said details about Syria's program were published in the media. Although the CIA never formally concluded that Israel was responsible, CIA officials complained to Israel about their belief that Israelis were leaking the information to pressure Syria to abandon the program. The Syrians pieced together who had access to the sensitive information and eventually identified the scientist as a traitor.

Before he disappeared and was presumed killed, the scientist told his CIA handler that Syrian Military Intelligence was focusing on him.

[Austin]

^^ Their reserves are large but their economy is not that great (If I'm not mistaken its not as big as Holland for example) and they have very little to offer - this is one of the main reasons why historically central asian states are looking in a different direction (aside from the cultural issues) and also why PRC chose to ally with the US instead. The US/EU had access to high tech that was needed. Russia didn't and still doesn't. Sure they have commodities that they export.

Shyamd , I understand Economy is not your forte but you seriously need to do some study on Russian Economy in recent times like the debt , reserves , growth etc and then compare with EU economy and then you will find they are in far far better shape

Sure US and EU are in deep trouble, but can we seriously compare the Russian economy to the size of the US? I dont think so...

I am not comparing the two economies , I really dont want to be in a deep shit economy like EU or US is they really dont have the stomach to do things they would have easily done 10 years back and most certainly the body bags they have got from Iraq and Afganistan is a lesson they will never forget.

Russian should really not care if Assad wins or looses its his call but it should oppose any UN move to change government via some kind of UN sanctions or mandate .....as it sets a very bad precedent for future and just encourages party with guns to forment more violence with support of Western led UN based change .....and both China and Russia has been successful in blocking such move which is really good for now and in future. Libya was a aberration something should never happen but they lernt their lessons well.

Russia if need be would get enough ammunition from Alawaite , Iraq , Iran , Shiah and all the sect that opposes a Sunni led government to keep pot boiling , but they should not do that all they should do is to push the parties for a national led government involving all parties from all communities peaceful talks and stopping of violence from both sides are way forward .....a Sunni win or Assad or his cronies stay in power will just means more body bags and possibly West Asia getting unstable and Oil Price hitting the roof affecting the recovery of economy in the world.

The more such moves are delayed the more things will get polarised and in such situation no one will be a winner and every one will be a looser.