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

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2016 20:49

Al-Masdar News ‏@TheArabSource 1h1 hour ago
Egyptian Army killed 60 terrorists in northern #Sinai http://bit.ly/1RrgMTd

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2016 20:49

Leith Abou Fadel ‏@leithfadel 1h1 hour ago
Leith Abou Fadel Retweeted Al-Masdar News
BREAKING! Syrian Army and Hezbollah have officially entered Palmyra! They have reached the Central Prison

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2016 20:51

palmyra castle has a twisty but nice paved road leading to it....large tour buses go to the top and turn back in a small parking area
it overlooks the archeological area.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2016 20:53

^^ 0:58 is probably the syriatel hill with telecom tower...its a twin peak of castle like everest and lhotse

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 25 Mar 2016 21:03

Broadly Speaking.. in the fullness of time ... in a more perfect world .. at the right point in time.. in a more general sense..

v r being seen 2 b IDIOTS the world over..
The citizens PAY this lyin piece of sh1t to stand up and represent the United State of America? Not once does he dare to look in anyone's eyes.

You didn't answer the question

I know that, hee hee

If that had been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped it. Pathetic.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2016 21:06

ARA News ‏@ARANewsEnglish Mar 22
Assyrian leader accuses PYD of monopolizing power in Syria's north - #ARAnews http://is.gd/EkjPcn

QAMISHLI – Since it started to control much swathes of territory in Syria’s north and northeast, the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and its political leadership of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) have been major powers in the region, especially after expelling the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) from key cities and towns. However, many Kurds, Arabs and Assyrians accuse this force of usurping power in Syria’s Kurdish region of Rojava.

Johnny Misso, head of the Assyrian World Council (AWC) on Tuesday accused the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) of monopolizing power in areas under the control of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria.

“We have released an urgent call to the Human Rights Council about the violations committed against Assyrians in Syria,” Misso said in a press statement.

“Thousands of Assyrians living in northern Syria are exposed to attacks by the PYD-linked YPG forces,” he said.

“On January 12, the YPG forces attacked the Assyrian Protection Forces (Suturo) in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria, killing one of its members,” Misso stressed.

The Assyrian leader pointed out that the PYD continues to escalate tension in the region, rather than proposing solutions to the crisis, “as it undermines the ongoing peace efforts between the opposition and the Syrian regime, beside threatening the unity of the Syrian territory.”

According to Misso, the PYD monopolizes power and subdues Assyrians in the federal system announced by the group in Syria’s north and northeast.

“PYD ignores the national and international law, threatening the security of the local population, including Assyrians through its separatism aspirations,” he said.

On 17 March, the PYD and its Arab allies announced a Democratic Federal System for Rojava and Norhern Syria in a two-days conference in the oil-rich town of Rumelan, appointing Hediya Yousef, a Kurd, and Mansur Selam, an Arab, as co-leaders, after those parties were excluded from the Geneva talks.

However, speaking to ARA News in Qamishli, Sanharib Barsoum, leader of the Assyrian Union Party (AUP), said: “The recently declared federal democratic system for Rojava and Norhern Syria is a guarantee for the rights of all components of the region, including the Assyrians.”

In March 2015, several Syrian human rights organizations released an urgent call to the international community to intervene and stop the attacks of the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS) on the Assyrian villages in the countryside of Tel Temir in Hasakah province, in northeastern Syria. The Kurdish YPG forces had played a major role in liberating the Assyrian areas after fierce battles against ISIS.

“Thousands of Assyrian civilians in the Nineveh Plain in Iraq have been displaced, but no one cared about them,” Barsoum said, pointing out that the Assyrian minority in Syria is facing a similar destiny.

In early 2015, ISIS launched major offensive on several Assyrian villages near Tel Temir in the western countryside of Hasakah, abducting hundreds of Assyrian civilians. Months later, the Kurdish YPG forces, with the support of allied Arab and Christian groups, were able to liberate the whole countryside of Hasakah from the radical group.

Reporting by: Ahmed Shiwesh

Source: ARA News

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 25 Mar 2016 21:30

It seems once the Palmyra Castle fell, ISIS defences all along the Palmyra town (South, West, North) have fallen quickly with latest reports indicating SAA either at or in the Palmyra Airbase/ Airport located North- East of town. If this is true than a lot of ISIS is effectively trapped with many fighters in Palmyra town.

SAA may drive further East closer towards the Dier Ez Zor town.

member_22733 · Post by **member_22733** » 25 Mar 2016 21:32

Nice. May sharia be dispensed using the rustiest and bluntest knives.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 25 Mar 2016 21:47

would we like to see the regime retake Palmyra?

what kind of cr*p question is that?

is the US in favor of Assad retaking territory during the cease fire?

hell no! does that answer everybody's question? can we be more succinct than that?

make me the spokesman for the state department. Please!

we. are. not. pro. Assad. doesn't mean we support ISIS. but Assad needs to go. maybe to Moscow? permanently.

member_22733 · Post by **member_22733** » 25 Mar 2016 21:49

^^^

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 25 Mar 2016 22:00

TSJones wrote:
would we like to see the regime retake Palmyra?
what kind of cr*p question is that?

is the US in favor of Assad retaking territory during the cease fire?

hell no! does that answer everybody's question? can we be more succinct than that?

make me the spokesman for the state department. Please!

we. are. not. pro. Assad. doesn't mean we support ISIS. but Assad needs to go. maybe to Moscow? permanently.

How about the saud family, jordans king and the qatari and bahrani emirs go to USA and stay there permenantly. May soon come true.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 25 Mar 2016 22:20

Regime and Putin violate Ceasefire! Continue to target US allies!

Russian warplanes have continued to back up the Syrian army and its allies, despite Moscow's recent announcement that it was withdrawing the bulk of its military forces.

Its planes carried out 41 sorties between Tuesday and Thursday in support of the Palmyra offensive and destroyed 146 targets, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

Beirut-based television channel Al-Mayadeen, broadcasting from the edge of Palmyra, showed a low-flying jet carry out three air strikes against what it said were Islamic State fighters withdrawing from the old citadel back into Palmyra.

General Vodkov is obviously "on the ball" esp after that Spetznaz hero was martyred.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 25 Mar 2016 22:21

is the US in favor of Assad retaking territory during the cease fire?
hell no! does that answer everybody's question? can we be more succinct than that?

A keeper. So the "ceasefire" WAS to protect the (US)ISIS in Palmyra and Raqqa.

member_22733 · Post by **member_22733** » 25 Mar 2016 22:23

Delusional doesn't even begin to describe it.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 25 Mar 2016 22:32

SAA seems to have barged in through the Palmyra orchards too.

New map from @Syria Reporter:

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 04:02

Next fight of the series al sukanah..

Palmyra is effectively game over

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 04:07

NassimNicholasTaleb ‏@nntaleb
Is it me or a Kafkaesque absurdity? Europe allows Saudi Barbaria to teach/promote Salafi hatred in cities while locally"fighting" terrorism

Leith Abou Fadel retweeted
NassimNicholasTaleb
9h9 hours ago
NassimNicholasTaleb ‏@nntaleb
Ystrdy in front of St Patrick's Cathedral in NY Salafi fellow blasted Salafi prayers. Blast Byzantine vespers in Riyadh & you'd be beheaded.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 05:12

if this map be true, the remaining rodents are trapped

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 05:13

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 9h9 hours ago
#SAA
Maj. Gen. Sha'ban Al-'Oja
Commander of the 64th Artillery Battalion
Martyred at #Tadmor

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 05:14

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 11h11 hours ago
Hassan Ridha Retweeted seyit evran
28 Turkish soldiers were killed and 32 wounded following attack by #PKK in #Amed #Diyarbakır

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 05:32

JN releases video of a indian (british PIO law graduate) jihadi abu-baseer al-hindi
must have been a high ranking Emir to deserve a film in his honour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYfKM7Q ... e=youtu.be

Suresh S · Post by **Suresh S** » 26 Mar 2016 05:51

interesting observation habal about the spetsnaz soldier. I won'nt be surprised if it happaened.

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 06:55

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 06:57

Syrian Soldiers Enter Palmyra
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian State news agency showed the moment when the army troops enter Palmyra city from its Western side. [VIDEO]

http://en.farsnews.com/player.aspx?nn=13950105000402
"SAA reportedly take full control of Tadmor Airport, if true it would mean that the city is now encircled"

https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/ ... 9419573248

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 26 Mar 2016 07:01

It seems Palmyra Airbase was either never taken or SAA withdrew from it. All other points captured seem to be true.

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 07:24

snahata, spetsnaz are true dharmic heroes.

USA like kauravas constantly stab in back. USA drones and signal aggregators like E-3C fly in syrian airspace supposedly to help anti-isis coalition.

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 07:29

kya piddi aur kya piddi ka shorba..

big words from small man
http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news ... 04B4C9E845

Suresh S · Post by **Suresh S** » 26 Mar 2016 07:34

stab in the back is in the dna of these hypocrates of british origin and I have first hand experience of this not once but multiple times over my lifetime. I would rather trust a snake because I know how he is going to react.

Suresh S · Post by **Suresh S** » 26 Mar 2016 07:49

no habal. not big words from a small man but words from a prostitute to please his masters

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 07:52

Multiples Mi-24 and Mi-35 flying low toward Palmyra, a good video showing a bit of their attack maneuvers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS3M6EG ... e=youtu.be

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 07:57

Any army will be massively encouraged when they see such air support.

they approach low and rise for attack.
the wheel has truly turned and justice is being served.
not many decoy flares.
so the pilots fear no manpads from fleeing rats.

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 07:59

one of saddam's snipers perhaps or US special forces ..

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 5h5 hours ago

#SAA
Maj. Gen. Sha'ban Al-'Oja
Commander of the 64th Artillery Battalion
Martyred at #Tadmor

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:00

now on to Deir azzor!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:02

the hinds might be flying out of T4 airbase behind palmyra west to maintain time on station. hymenim is way too far away.

they seem to be pro level operators, flying low and hard in pairs...seen them work over the ghab plains also.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:04

the airport is probably heavily mined and will take time to mop up. there cannot be too many rats there though...its not exactly IGI T3

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:05

this seems to be latest correct map - Al amiriyah fortified area and airport remains in IS hands

habal · Post by **habal** » 26 Mar 2016 08:07

twitter a/c of serving or ex-SAA

hamza_780
https://twitter.com/hamza_780/status/713483655822368768

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:09

I was mistakenly thinking palmyra airport was a civilian airport for tourists and residents. it seems like a outright military airport looking at overhead photo. looks like tourists were brought by buses from western homs and damascus.

being full of revetments and bunkers it was probably a IED making plant and weapons storage for IS and will have plenty of scope for defenders. has to be managed carefully. perhaps call in a couple backfires.

https://www.google.co.in/maps/@34.56178 ... !1e3?hl=en

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:10

Sharmine Narwani ‏@snarwani 11h11 hours ago
#Jordan's King Abdullah says #Turkey exports terrorists to Europe as a matter of "policy." http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jorda ... 1687591648 …

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2016 08:15

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jorda ... 1687591648

King Abdullah of Jordan accused Turkey of exporting terrorists to Europe at a top level meeting with senior US politicians in January, the MEE can reveal.

The king said Europe’s biggest refugee crisis was not an accident, and neither was the presence of terrorists among them: “The fact that terrorists are going to Europe is part of Turkish policy and Turkey keeps on getting a slap on the hand, but they are let off the hook.”

Asked by one of the congressmen present whether the Islamic State group was exporting oil to Turkey, Abdullah replied: ”Absolutely.”

Abdullah made his remarks during a wide-ranging debriefing to Congress on 11 January, the day a meeting with the US president, Barack Obama, was cancelled.

The White House was forced to deny that Obama snubbed one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East, attributing the cancellation to "scheduling conflicts", although Obama and Abdullah met briefly at St Andrews Airforce base a day later.

Present at the meeting in Congress were the chairmen and members of the Senate Intelligence, Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, including Senators John McCain and Bob Corker, and Senators Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid, the Senate Majority and Minority leaders respectively.

According to a detailed account of the meeting seen by MEE, the king went on to explain what he thought was the motivation of Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Abdullah said that Erdogan believed in a “radical Islamic solution to the region".

He repeated: "Turkey sought a religious solution to Syria, while we are looking at moderate elements in the south and Jordan pushed for a third option that would not allow a religious option.”

The king presented Turkey as part of a strategic challenge to the world.

"We keep being forced to tackle tactical problems against ISIL but not the strategic issue. We forget the issue [of] the Turks who are not with us on this strategically."

He claimed that Turkey had not only supported religious groups in Syria, and letting foreign fighters in, but had also been helping Islamist militias in Libya and Somalia.

Abdullah claimed that "radicalisation was being manufactured in Turkey" and asked the US senators why the Turks were training the Somali army.

The king invited the US politicians present to ask the presidents of Kosovo and Albania about the Turks.

Abdullah said that both countries were begging Europe to include them, before Erdogan did.

Abdullah was supported in his remarks by his Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who said that the Albanian president was a Catholic married to a Muslim, and that that was a model which should be protected in a Muslim majority country.

Judeh said that when the Russian bombing campaign prevented Turkey from establishing safe zones in northern Syria to stop refugees from coming to Turkey, "Turkey unleashed the refugees onto Europe”.

Both Judeh and Abdullah bridled at the $3bn deal offered by Europe to Turkey, noting that Turkey had only 2m Syrian refugees out of a population of 70m, whereas Jordan was facing “a bigger problem proportionally".

Jordan and Turkey are officially allies. The Turkish prime minister, Ahmed Davutoglu, cancelled an official visit to Jordan after the latest bomb attack in Turkey which killed 34 people in Ankara.

The Kurdish Freedom Falcons (TAK), an offshoot of the PKK, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The postponed visit is due to take place this weekend and Davutoglu will be mindful that Abdullah told senators that Turkey was using the Kurds as an "excuse" for its policies in Syria.

Galip Dalay, research director at Al Sharq Forum and senior associate fellow on Turkey and Kurdish Affairs at Al Jazeera Center for Studies, said it was wrong to portray Turkey as having a strategic goal of establishing an Islamist government in Syria.

He said: "Turkey did its best in the first eight months of the Syrian crisis to find a political solution to the crisis, which would have included Bashar Assad. Back then, Turkey was criticised in the region and the West for being too soft on Assad regime and being too optimistic about the possibility of reform. When it became clear, after eight months of arduous attempts, that Assad had no intention of initiating a political and democratic process to meet the demands of the protestors, Turkey threw its weight behind the opposition. "

Dalay said that the claim Turkey was buying oil from the Islamic State group was a Russian fabrication concocted by Moscow after Turkey shot down the Russian fighter. "Turkey is not the only one saying there is no evidence to support this claim. The United States said it too."

The Turkish government would not comment officially on Abdullah’s reported remarks on 11 January. But a senior Turkish source accused the king of becoming "the spokesman for Bashar al-Assad".

He said the portrait emerging from these remarks was not one of a king speaking but of a "Western journalist with a fuzzy state of mind and little familiarity with the region".

He said: “Turkey is definitely carrying out an intense struggle against Daesh (the Islamic State group). Bombings take place in Turkey not in Jordan. When this is the case, groundless accusations by King Abdullah are totally unacceptable.

"Moreover, his tackling of the Daesh issue with such unfounded information also raises the question about whether Jordan could play a meaningful role in the fight against Daesh.”

He said the king’s claims that IS was selling oil to Turkey were not only absurd but showed that Abdullah did not have the slightest idea about what was going on in Syria.

"The king's statements and accusations against Turkey are not the first. Unfortunately, all of his allegations are the same as the slanders frequently expressed by the Assad regime.

"It would be to Jordan's and the region's interest, if Jordan, as a friend of Turkey, were to work for a strategic cooperation with a strategic power like Turkey, instead of acting like the spokesperson of Assad

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jorda ... NrTkX.dpuf