The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 03 Mar 2016 14:02

whoa.... that ATGM packs a hefty punch! It has ragdolled a jihadi straight up into air atleast 20 feet (watch at 40 secs)

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Mar 2016 15:17

Kurds claim downing of Turkish helicopter bombing them over Iraqi Kurdistan - reports

https://www.rt.com/news/334377-turkish- ... kurdistan/

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Mar 2016 15:32

Singha wrote:iran/rus have provided a lot of atgm in latakia.
they creep into position, identify the lookout positions and dens of the rebels
then snipe at them with visual guidance. though the missiles are not smokeless tfta like javelin they seem to travel fast and provide no warning even to alert humans.

the heavy weight and tripod of the TOW seems to be hampering the rebels in moving them around in the mountains. might have been taken away to turkey for safekeeping.

Looks to me like Konkurs , Even IA uses it in ATGM role

http://weaponsystems.net/weapon.php?wea ... 20Spandrel

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Mar 2016 15:36

EXCLUSIVE: First Western journalist to visit ISIS says US wants to ‘divide’ Syria

https://www.rt.com/news/334343-todenhof ... des-syria/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Mar 2016 15:41

the musical backing is classical hezbollah

habal · Post by **habal** » 03 Mar 2016 16:07

it is iranian towsan, a copy of some russian atgm.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Mar 2016 18:37

Official: Iran Confiscates ISIL-Bound Cargo of Guillotines

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian customs authorities have discovered and seized a cargo bound for the ISIL terrorist group, an official disclosed on Sunday.

"Few days ago, we seized a cargo containing guillotines (an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading) that was headed to the ISIL," Director-General of Iran's Customs Office for Transit Affairs Vahid Dashtbani told the Iranian Seday-e Eqtesad daily on Sunday.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 03 Mar 2016 19:47

And a jolly good AllahoAckbar to you too..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ppd09ATLaA

raghava · Post by **raghava** » 03 Mar 2016 20:00

^ it appears from the video above that the ISIS troops knew the arty gun was going to be targeted.

habal · Post by **habal** » 03 Mar 2016 20:09

A fair and honest tribute to the one and only Syrian Arab Army, kudos to the writer, John Wight.

http://ahtribune.com/history/602-syrian-arab-army.html

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 04 Mar 2016 00:37

raghava wrote:^ it appears from the video above that the ISIS troops knew the arty gun was going to be targeted.

Strictly a test. They even had their ears covered. But brave to be standing that close when a supersonic/hypersonic thing is heading for u. I mean, "CEP"? So this must have been launched from directly above. With a string tied to it. Just b4 the soosai vest strapped to the barrel went off. I mean, if one goes to Houristan, and there is no ARTILLERY there to play with?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 06:18

hnair wrote:whoa.... that ATGM packs a hefty punch! It has ragdolled a jihadi straight up into air atleast 20 feet (watch at 40 secs)

I think it blew up something else like TOW ATGMs

or stockpile of shells. no way that small ATGM can have such a devastating blast.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 06:24

where regime_change failed, terrorism will take over...

(CNN)The Syrian government reported a nationwide power outage Thursday -- the latest electricity problem in a country that has seen frequent outages during a five-year war involving the regime, rebels and terror groups.

Electrical workers determined the cause and began restoring power to some places by late Thursday afternoon, the Syrian Ministry of Electricity said without detailing what had gone wrong.

It wasn't clear how many people the outage affected as many cities outside of the regime's control don't get service from the government-run power grid. ISIS and other militants groups control large parts of the country, and many cities in these areas use fuel-powered generators for electricity.

Efforts to relaunch power service could take two to 12 hours, a Ministry of Electricity official said in a video posted online late Thursday afternoon.

Shortly before the reports of the outage, the ministry said on its Facebook page Thursday that militants had hit part of a power-generating station with rockets in the western city of Hama. The Syrian government hasn't said whether this attack was linked to the nationwide outage; the ministry said maintenance workers were fixing the damage.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 06:26

from a kurdish source - plan for next phase of SDF offensive

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 06:27

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 1h1 hour ago
Names of the 3 commanders:
Abdel Aziz Salameh - commander of #MB affiliated Liwa Al-Tawheed
Abo Ali Sejo
Hisham Derbalah

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 1h1 hour ago
#Turkey arrested 3 #ShamFront commanders in connection to the Opposition losing control over areas in N #Aleppo to #SAA & allies

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 06:29

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 4h4 hours ago
#SDF advance in #DeirEzzor province and have reached Abo Khashab, #IS leader of Deir & #Hasakah "Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Khalifa" has been killed

Doloroso ‏@Pynnha108 6h6 hours ago
Iran offers the Lebanese Army £7 billion

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 04 Mar 2016 07:14

On expected lines the ceasefire has helped SAA+ and SDF(YPG) to focus on ISIS. SAA+ have been able to secure the Aleppo supply route and have made small progresses against ISIS in Quryatayn (Eastern Hama) and towards eastern Homs near Palmyra. They have also advanced to take positions at the boundary of Raqqa governorate.

The SDF have made greater progress against ISIS with just yesterday's gains being close to 35 sq km in one area towards Dier ez Zor. Now they straddle the entire Raqqa governorate and will make their move shortly.

In Iraq, the offensive in Samarra desert against ISIS has gone exceedingly well with ISIS running back to their holes in Mosul area. Another offensive to liberate Kamra town, NE of Fallujah is on. Lot of civilian population trapped in the town plus previous attacks have encountered strong VBIED response.

For a video of ISIS rats in chaos (fast forward style check this tweet link)
https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 0585414656

SAA+ have minor gains in NE Lattakia but the main challenge of the village of Kabane first and then the the Salamiah town west of Al Ghab plains is yet to be overcome

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 07:22

oh that was such a juicy target for frogfoots or hinds. russia should kit up the iraqi AF with more of these useful assets.

the american supplied F-16 would orbit majestically at 35000feet and await the delivery in 2020 of JDAMs

instead of F-16, Iraq should have been given a bunch of A-10. congress always want to retire the A-10 and only some section of the army knows its real value hence keeps it around.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 04 Mar 2016 08:48

Iraq/syria are getting boring. So last week. Whats the next country up for reconstruction. Lebanon would suit a lot of people but it is too small, wont even occupy the reconstructors for a week. Oman is kind of interesting. Trying to sit out of the debate being neutral-ish. May be south of Libya something can be cooked up. Or perhaps even egypt.

One of the most powerful things these groups could have done/still do is bung up suez. ISIL, Houthis, the somalis, nobody ever tried. Why?

edit -- actually, perfect timing by holy kim of the far better korea. A little bit of eastern fireworks. Can we have something better than the sea shelling being tried from the sea shore?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 09:11

there is no need to stir the pot in africa, it is already boiling.

maghreb + sahel + kenya + ethiopia. al shabab or boko haram or IS all are carving out control over vast lands and rolling back state control . these states were weak even in the best of times. now against ruthless and well armed militias they have a serious fight even to protect their own core areas and capitals.

this + KSA + qatar + bahrain imo is the new strategic depth of the sunni kabila, while the shia kabila counts on iran and the depth of the herat-nimroz provinces + CAR states backstopped by russia as their safe rear areas.

the usual cabal of mining and oil cos who run the show in africa in collusion with the regime elites will be hard at work building bridges and track2 channels to these new forces...oil and metals must flow unhindered to feed the engines of world economy.

TSP and south AF is not contiguous with this formation except by sea, but like paulus 6th army is a mighty and self sustaining force on its own.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 04 Mar 2016 10:34

sahel is too poor to have a proper fight. At best, a bad mad max remake. There is no hyooman rights milk to be squeezed either -- ethiopia, somalia are old hat. No one will give at the sight of a few more pot bellies.

No, we must start fresh. Korea, or one of the stans. Turkii also stands a good chance. Lebanon doesnt count even if it tries to vote. Anything good in east europe? South america is awefully quiet too.

More and more, it really feels like korea time. But who knows? Kim might not be crazy enough.

nandakumar · Post by **nandakumar** » 04 Mar 2016 10:37

http://www.zmescience.com/research/tech ... -03022016/
The above article warns that Mosul dam is at risk of collapsing. The town under control ISIS forces have stopped doing maintenance work which the dam had always needed since it was built. This would be the ISIS's version of scorched earth policy if they are defeated across the swathe of middle east territory that they currently control.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 04 Mar 2016 10:41

Dams are their favorites. Same with Syria. The good book must have a chapter on thou shall lie with thine concubine in a cave under the dam or be damned. Either way, like atami takat, they dont really think it would do any great harm if the dam were damned. Its just a vbied type theat, better than a single susai and hard to stop with drones. These are not budhha statues and they dont really have the means to do the great damage they threaten with toyota technicals.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 10:48

IS would have depth charge the dam from behind to use the powerful effect of water expansion like HWT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_ ... mb_dam.gif

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 04 Mar 2016 10:57

If IS had anything to do but alohasnakbar, you would not be seeing vbieds with sheet metal protection and a pigeonholed driver. They have had 5 years of open supply and endless recruits. Best -- a rigged up toyota. They arent managing anything that will kill a fish let alone blow a dam. And the uber super powers be acting with boots on the ground if they so much as suspected any preparations for something like that.

Scaremongering and sleeping with yazidi girls. Thats all they are good for. edit -- yes, the dam can fall apart by itself. thats possible.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 04 Mar 2016 11:22

Iraqis are doing repair work on dam.

Haidar Sumeri ‏@IraqiSecurity 5h5 hours ago
Mosul dam, northern #Iraq, today. Work to strengthen the important dam is ongoing.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 11:37

The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) is at the gates of the Deir Ezzor Military Airport once again after a violent battle with the Syrian Armed Forces along the southern perimeter of this strategic military installation in eastern Syria. On Thursday morning, several ISIS fighters reached the southern gates of the Deir Ezzor Military Airport after successfully evading the barrage of bullets fired from the Syrian Arab Army’s mounted machine guns at the guard towers. For over 9 hours, the Syrian Armed Forces and ISIS were involved in a heated battle at the gates of the Deir Ezzor Military Airport; however, the aforementioned terrorist group was unable to infiltrate past the dilapidated walls of this base. Finally, after suffering heavy losses, ISIS withdrew from the southern gates of the airport in order to regroup for another assault, which will likely come on Friday morning. According to a military source from the Syrian Arab Army’s 104th Airborne Brigade of the Republican Guard, the estimated death toll for ISIS on Thursday is between 20-30 dead and over 30 wounded. ISIS has been unable to reinforce their fighters at the airport, thanks in large part to the Russian Air Force, who continues to pick-off the terrorist group’s convoys in the vicinity of the base.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/ba ... rms-gates/ | Al-Masdar News

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 11:38

On Thursday night, the top emir (leader) of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) was reportedly killed by an airstrike in the Aleppo Governorate. According to an Al-Masdar News field correspondent in Damascus, the head of all ISIS operations in Aleppo “‘Umar Al-Absi” (AKA “Abu Al-Athir) was reportedly killed by the Syrian Air Force inside the village of Touman in the Al-Bab Plateau. The source added that another senior official from ISIS was reportedly killed by the airstrike as well; this commander was identified as “Abu Mu’awiya Al-Halabi”. Other reports claim that the two ISIS leaders were killed by a U.S. airstrike in the Al-Hasakah Governorate; however, not much detail was provided regarding the alleged airstrike. Another source from the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” also alleged that the emirs were killed by the Syrian Air Force inside the village of Touman.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/to ... airstrike/ | Al-Masdar News

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 11:39

On Thursday morning in the Homs Governorate’s eastern countryside, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade of the 18th Tank Brigade – in close coordination with Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – imposed full control over the village of Al-Bayarat after a violent battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). Following the capture of Al-Bayarat, the Syrian Arab Army’s 67th Brigade and their allies advanced to nearby Al-Dawah, where they were confronted by a large ISIS force inside the village’s northwestern sector. Not long after entering Al-Dawah, the Syrian Armed Forces captured at least half of the village following an intense battle with ISIS. In addition to entering Al-Dawah on Thursday, the Syrian Armed Forces also advanced to the Palmyra Quarries after retreating from this area during ISIS’ counter-offensive last month. With their gains on Monday, the Syrian Armed Forces are now 2.5 km away from the ancient city of Palmyra’s western gates; this is the closest the government forces have been since their massive retreat from the area. According to a military source in east Homs, the recent gains in the Palmyra countryside are only part of the preliminary offensive; this battle is expected to intensify in the coming weeks as several units from the Syrian Arab Army pour into this desert front.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sy ... untryside/ | Al-Masdar News

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 11:44

irani tow-ski blows up IS vbied samarra .. this time they chased the vbied in a pickup truck, intercepted him well out of danger area , nice move given the open terrain there

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 1649710080

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 04 Mar 2016 14:04

Singha wrote:
hnair wrote:whoa.... that ATGM packs a hefty punch! It has ragdolled a jihadi straight up into air atleast 20 feet (watch at 40 secs)
I think it blew up something else like TOW ATGMs or stockpile of shells. no way that small ATGM can have such a devastating blast.

That is a Paveway guided dumb bomb of fairly large size

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 04 Mar 2016 14:19

not the LGB taking that artillery piece out, but the smoky ATGM one in last page taking out a few jihadis on a hilltop

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 04 Mar 2016 14:27

hnair wrote:not the LGB taking that artillery piece out, but the smoky ATGM one in last page taking out a few jihadis on a hilltop

I was surprised by that one. I don't believe a vehicle will be thrown up 300 feet. The energy requirements are too high and I would have thought that the vehicle should have been ripped apart with that much energy being pumped at it. Should be possible to actually calculate the work done to throw a car (say 700 kg) up 100 meters.

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 04 Mar 2016 14:36

Shiv, not sure if we are talking of the same video? There is no vehicle being tossed up, just a bunch of peoples, who seem to (futilely) duck at the last minute

(link)

btw, that LGB taking out the artillery seemed to be like one of those news items that user TSJones posts. Seems genuine, but then everyone seemed to have cleared from around the piece and safe, when the bomb sails in. Probably a token bombing arranged by Saudis. No douchebag is flying out from the fireball and that artillery piece never had a mind of its own, for us to rejoice.

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 04 Mar 2016 16:54

Mosul Dam break study done in 2009.
http://www.iwtc.info/2009_pdf/4-1.pdf

If ISIS is able to break it (given the lunatics they are) that will inspire other terrorists to try same. Bhakra dam breach will be disastrous for Punjab and Haryana.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 04 Mar 2016 18:33

Malloostanis would say

(now accompanied by madarasastanis). "MullaPeriyar" and "Amma's Decishun-Making" are words far scarier than "Mosul".

habal · Post by **habal** » 04 Mar 2016 18:48

she's worse than ISIS, she doesn't care and neither do her subjects. ISIS has exercised far more due diligence than her while taking decisions regarding the dayum.
.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 19:35

follow this handle to get latest YPG news
https://twitter.com/drpartizan_?lang=en

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Mar 2016 19:36

YPG and tribes are advancing in a region between deir azzor and raqqa north of place on map called madan.

they are still around 100k away from deir from both N and NE routes and maybe 40k from raqqa at nearest point N

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 04 Mar 2016 19:38

hnair wrote:...

btw, that LGB taking out the artillery seemed to be like one of those news items that user TSJones posts. Seems genuine, but then everyone seemed to have cleared from around the piece and safe, when the bomb sails in. Probably a token bombing arranged by Saudis. No douchebag is flying out from the fireball and that artillery piece never had a mind of its own, for us to rejoice.

The LGB video is an old one. Surfaced around the time US ops in Kobane started or I saw it first then. While unless the US owns up, it cannot be confirmed, but there are a few things to note in the video

a) Camera steady on gun, no movement or panning etc.
b) People moving around the gun, suddenly move out of frame - video edited to the part directly were no one is in frame
c) Prior to bomb strike, jihardie moving infront of cam is looking at the gun and has his ears covered already.
d) There is a spare wheel set in front

Most probably, it is a dummy gun or a Cat E parts reassembled piece for this demo bombing with precision. The size if the bomb vs. gun piece would be another good analysis.

All in all, video is too focussed, too precise to be an accidental capture of an arty piece destruction in an active conflict zone. JMT.