Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Two Hezbollah fighters said killed in alleged Israeli drone strike in Syria

2024-05-26

[IsraelTimes] One person, said to have close ties to Iran, killed by bomb placed in vehicle in Damascus suburb; no comment from IDF

An alleged Israeli dronezap in central Syria killed two fighters from Leb
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group on Saturday, Lebanese media and a war monitor said.

The Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV didn’t say if there were casualties, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said two Hezbollah members were killed and several others maimed in the dronezap.

"An Israeli drone fired two missiles at a Hezbollah car and truck near the town of Qusayr in Homs province, as they were on their way to al-Dabaa military airport, killing at least two Hezbollah fighters and wounding others," said the Observatory.

It was the third strike against Hezbollah targets in Syria in about a week.

On Monday, Israeli strikes in the Qusayr area, which is close to the Lebanese border, killed eight pro-Iranian fighters, said the Observatory, a Britannia-based monitor with a network of sources in Syria. At least one Hezbollah fighter was among those killed, a source from Hezbollah told AFP at the time.

Another strike, on May 18, targeted "a Hezbollah commander and his ~~lover~~ companion," the Observatory said. It did not report any casualties.

Separately on Saturday, a bomb attached to a car went kaboom! early Saturday in the western part of the Syrian capital that is home to several diplomatic missions, killing one person and causing material damage, state media reported.

Security incidents, including blasts targeting military and civilian vehicles, occur intermittently in the capital of war-ravaged Syria.

Quoting a police official, SANA said "one person was killed when an bomb went kaboom! in their car in the Mazzeh district."

The neighborhood houses the Iranian consulate, destroyed last month in a strike blamed on Israel. The attack at the time killed seven people including two Iranian generals and a member of Hezbollah, and triggered a direct Iranian military assault on Israel for the first time, sparking fears of a regionwide war.

Several ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s have hit the tightly-secured neighborhood over the past months, mostly targeting Iranian officials.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the man killed in the earth-shattering kaboom was a Mazzeh resident who carried a card identifying him as a Syrian army officer. Abdurrahman said the dead man had close ties to the Iranians.

Last month, an bomb went off in a car in Mazzeh, an upscale neighborhood of Damascus, without causing any casualties, SANA reported at the time.

Tehran has been sending advisers to Syria since the country’s conflict, which later turned into civil war, began in March 2011 and has killed half a million people. Iran-backed fighters have helped tip the balance of power in favor of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
’s government.

There was no comment from the IDF on either incident.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 14 IDF soldiers and reservists.

There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 313 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 61 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.

Link

International-UN-NGOs

From Ankara to Moscow, Eurasia integration is on the move

2018-04-08

Disclaimer - I really posted this article just because of the photo!

[Atimes] The Russia-led Eurasia Economic Union is spreading its wings and gaining strength, with some key projects, big players and big plans in the pipeline.

As presidents Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rouhani and Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara for a second Russia-Iran-Turkey summit on the future of Syria, Moscow hosted its 7th International Security Conference attended by defense ministers from dozens of nations.

A more graphic illustration of the synchronicity drive towards Eurasia integration would be hard to find.

Crucially, China sent not only a high-ranking delegation to Moscow, but most of all a loud and clear message. General Wei Fenghe, the new Chinese Defense Minister, side by side with Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu, said: “The Chinese side came to let the Americans know about the close ties between the Russian and Chinese armed forces.” Shoigu, for his part, underlined the “special character” of the Russia-China partnership.

So it's COLD-WAR II?

And then Iran’s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, expanded the scope, saying “foreign plans” related to security in the Middle East would inevitably fail – they must be hatched within Southwest Asia.

What happened in Moscow necessarily must be crossed over with what happened in Ankara.

For the Ankara meeting, the foreign ministers of Russia (Sergey Lavrov), Iran (Mohammad Javad Zarif) and Turkey (Mevlut Cavusoglu) met in Astana in early April to prepare the terrain.

The final joint statement is unmistakable, emphasizing their common commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria.

The fact that Ankara is Putin’s first foreign trip after reelection speaks volumes.

Northern Syria, however, remains a much trickier proposition, as we have a de facto NATO versus NATO subplot; Turkish troops versus the YPG Kurds, a proxy US force.

The fact that the SAA-Russia offensive in eastern Ghouta happened in parallel to the neo-Orwellian Operation Olive Branch by the Turks in the Kurdish canton of Afrin spells out a complex Russia-Iran-Turkey deal worked out in Astana – as diplomats confirmed to Asia Times.

With the prospect of Syrian reconstruction finally at hand, Beijing will turbo-charge its plans to turn Syria into a key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) node.

According to Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi, nearly US$1 billion worth of agreements on energy, trade and finance have already been signed. Previously, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad promised that nations which helped Syria fight terrorism “have the right to be at the forefront” of those restoring the country’s economy.

That means, essentially, Russia, Iran and China. It remains to be seen what role – if any – will be played by Erdogan’s new Ottomanism.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Assad Launches Aleppo Battle under Russian Air Cover and Iranian Support

2016-04-12

“Syrian regime’s government forces, with support from Russia, are planning an operation to retake Aleppo and battle a terrorist rebel offensive in the region,” the Syrian regime’s Prime Minister, Wael al Halqi, said on Sunday after a week of clashes.

“We, together with our Russian partners, are readying ourselves for an operation to liberate Aleppo and blockade all illegal armed groups which have not signed up to or are violating a ceasefire,” said Wael al Halqi in a meeting with delegation of visiting Russian lawmakers.

Statements made by Bashar al-Assad’s regime regarding preparations to take over Aleppo coincided with confirmations from Syrians against and pro-regime that the Russian air force has been engaged in the military operations in south of Aleppo since last Saturday.

For his part, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrian regime along with its Iranian allies are preparing for a military battle and confirmed that the region is facing the fiercest clashes coinciding with Russian violent bombardments targeting areas where opposition forces and allies are taking over.

Moreover, sources from the Syrian opposition also told Asharq Al-Awsat that armed factions have benefited from the truce to supply themselves with arms and ammunition. He revealed that opposition fighters possessed around 20 Chinese missiles, which they bought from the International Black Market, each costing around 25 thousand dollars.

A member of the main opposition council said the last 10 days had “witnessed a serious deterioration, to the point where the ceasefire is about to collapse.” Basmah Qadamani of the High Negotiations Committee also told “Journal du Dimanche” that a US-Russian ceasefire monitoring mission was “powerless”.

“The government has resumed using barrel bombs,” Basmah Qadamani added, referring to the crude and indiscriminate weapons that observers say have killed thousands of civilians in opposition-held areas.

Politically, the U.N. Envoy to Syria, Staffan Di Mistura arrived to Damascus on Sunday, coming from Amman, in the framework of preparing for Geneva talks that will resume on Wednesday.

De Mistura has said the next round of talks needs to “be quite concrete in the direction of a political process leading to a real beginning of a political transition”.

He is scheduled to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the regime, Walid Muallem and Russian Ambassador in Damascus.

On the other hand, the Syrian National Coalition’s envoy to Paris and the opposition’s spokesman, told Asharq Al-Awsat” we are not optimistic about the coming round of talks.”

He also said that there is one major request in the coalition’s agenda, which is the formation of a transitional ruling body with full powers.

In a common matter, “U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone on the need for greater cooperation to strengthen the truce,” Reuters quoted Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

They also discussed efforts to fight ISIS and other terrorist organizations, agreeing to take additional measures to halt the flow of militants and weapons from abroad, the ministry said.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria's President Assad in rare mosque appearance

2014-01-13

[Al Ahram] Syria's

Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators...
made a rare appearance on Sunday to attend prayers at a mosque in the capital Damascus, state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
reported.

Assad, who has only been seen in public a few times since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, was shown at the Al-Hamad mosque in the capital's northwest for prayers marking the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

Among those alongside Assad were Syria's top Sunni authority, Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassun, and Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi.

Assad's last public appearance was on October 15 for prayers at the time marking the Moslem holiday of Eid al-Adha.

His latest appearance came as Western powers stepped up pressure on Syria's divided opposition to enter talks with Assad's regime at the start of a new round of diplomatic efforts to end the country's 34-month conflict.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Halqi: Lebanese Government Meddled in Syrian Affairs

2013-12-22

Cat fight!

[AnNahar] Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi stated that the Lebanese government can be held "partially" responsible for the developments in his country, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday.

He told the daily: "The Lebanese government has interfered in Syrian internal affairs."

"Part of what Syria has been a victim of can be attributed to the policies of this government," he added.

Moreover, he accused the government of failing to disassociate itself from Syria.

Halqi explained that the government helped facilitate the infiltration of gunnies into Syria, adding: "Terrorist activity would still be ongoing had it not been for Hizbullah's presence on either side of the Lebanese-Syrian border, especially Syria's al-Qusayr."

Furthermore, the Syrian official said that contacts between the Syrian and Lebanese government's are nonexistent, revealing that the only communication between Syria and Leb is taking place with the latter's foreign ministry.

"The current relations do not represent the historic history between the two countries," lamented Halqi.

The Lebanese government has adopted a policy of disassociation from regional developments, especially those in Syria.

It adopted the Baabda Declaration in June 2012, which calls for keeping Leb away from regional conflicts.

Hizbullah has however acknowledged that it is involved in the fighting in Syria alongside the country's regime against what it called bad turban takfir
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed...
i groups.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Mortar Fire Kills 4 by Ummayad Mosque in Damascus

2013-11-30

[An Nahar] At least four people were killed Friday in mortar fire near the famed Ummayad mosque in Damascus, as Syrian forces pressed an operation against rebels in the strategic Qalamoun region.

Government forces bombarded one of two remaining rebel holdouts Qalamoun, northwest of the capital, as Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi flew to Iran for talks with the key regime ally.

In Geneva, meanwhile, the U.N. released a new report highlighting the plight of Syrian child refugees.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iranian Deputy FM: End sending terrorists to Syria to help talks

2013-11-30

A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official says effective measures to stop the flow of foreign-sponsored militants into Syria will help the forthcoming Geneva II conference on the ongoing Syrian crisis to bear fruit, PressTV reported.

"The success of the Geneva II [conference] depends on the halt of support for the flow of terrorists and arms into Syria," Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in Tehran on Friday.

Then his lips fell off and his nose grew significantly...

He described Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi's visit to Tehran ahead of the Geneva peace talks as highly significant.

Amir-Abdollahian added that Halqi, who arrived in Tehran earlier in the day, seeks to exchange views on the formulation of a political roadmap for the Syrian crisis and the establishment of regional peace, stability and security during his stay in the Iranian capital.

"The important point is that attempts were made over the past 30 months to eliminate Syria from the resistance movement or substantially weaken it through the flow of weapons and terrorists into the country," the Iranian deputy foreign minister stated.

As opposed to the flow of arms and 'volunteers' to Hezbollah and the Syrian army...

He added, "We are witnessing that the perseverance of the Syrian people, the Syrian Army and even the opposition supporting a political solution has resulted in great achievements, and most parties now believe that a political solution is the only viable way out of the Syrian crisis."

Amir-Abdollahian further noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran differentiates between opposition groups who support a political solution for Syria's future and foreign-backed militant groups operating inside Syria.

The top Iranian official said Tehran is holding consultations with regional allies as well as the Syrian government to work out a joint solution and help the coming Syrian peace talks in Geneva to emerge fruitful.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian PM: Syria's success to follow Iran nuclear deal

2013-11-30

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi says Iran's success in working out a nuclear deal with the six world powers will be followed by the victory of the Syrian nation in the course of the crisis in the Arab country, PressTV reported.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Tehran Mehrabad International Airport on Friday afternoon, Halqi expressed confidence that Iran's success in its nuclear dossier will lead to further victories in the region, including the triumph of the Syrian nation.

The Syrian prime minister noted that his trip to Tehran is mainly aimed at conveying Syria's congratulations to Iran over the achievement of the Islamic Republic's nuclear deal.

Iran and the six major world powers sealed an interim deal in Geneva on Sunday morning to pave the way for the full resolution of the West's decade-old dispute with Iran over the country's nuclear energy program.

In exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities,

...which is already in dispute...

the United States and its allies have agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against the country.

Halqi expressed gratitude to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the Iranian nation over their support for Syria, and noted that the Syrian nation will soon celebrate its great victory in Damascus, representing the triumph of the resistance movement.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria Says its Army is Ready, has 'Finger on Trigger'

2013-09-01

[An Nahar] Syria said it has its "finger on the trigger" as it braces for what it considers an imminent Western military strike, as U.S. President Barack Obama
Because I won...
plans to address the nation.

"The Syrian army is fully ready, its finger on the trigger to face any challenge or scenario that they want to carry out," Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said.

And a security official, asking not to be named, told Agence La Belle France Presse that Syria was now "expecting an attack at any moment."

The White House said Obama would speak to the American people at 17:15 GMT, but would not announce imminent military action.

Maneuvering over the past two days has appeared to signal that Obama has called for "limited" military strikes that could take place shortly.

But developments on Saturday could indicate an prolongation of the timetable for diplomatic reasons.

Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
foreign minster, meanwhile, brought forward to Sunday a Cairo meeting that had been scheduled for Tuesday. Earlier this week, it placed the "entire responsibility" for the alleged attacks on Damascus, and any further condemnation of Assad's actions could give Washington extra diplomatic cover for military action.

Furthermore, U.N. front man Martin Nesirky said inspectors who spent four days investigating an alleged chemical attack last week would not issue a report on their findings until laboratory tests are conducted.

With the departure of the inspectors on Saturday opening a window for a possible U.S.-led punitive strike, the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned that this would trigger reactions beyond the borders of Tehran's key regional ally.

"The fact that the Americans believe that military intervention will be limited to within Syrian borders is an illusion," said commander Mohammad Ali Jafari.

"It will provoke reactions beyond that country," and "reinforce extremism," he said, quoted by the ISNA news agency.

The inspectors, who flew to the Netherlands on Saturday, are due to report straight back to United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
chief

the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
and detail their conclusions on whether a poison gas attack actually did take place in Damascus suburbs on August 21.

Obama's administration says it already has firm evidence that the regime launched a chemical onslaught that killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children.

That brought a contemptuous response from Russian President Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
, whose country is a close ally of Syria, saying claims the regime had used chemical weapons were "utter nonsense" and demanding proof.

The U.S. president said he was looking at a "wide range of options" but had ruled out "boots on the ground" or a "long-term campaign."

"We are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act," Obama said Friday, while stressing no final decision had been taken on unleashing military strikes against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Trampler of Homs...
's regime.

Syria has denied responsibility
Nope. Nope. Wudn't us.
for the alleged incident and has pointed the finger of blame at "terrorists" -- its term for rebels ranged against Assad's forces.

In Damascus, the mood was heavy with fear, and security forces were making preparations for possible air strikes, pulling soldiers back from potential targets.

Residents were seen stocking up with fuel for generators in case utilities are knocked out by a strike.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria's Al-Halqi Says His Country Will Become 'Graveyard of Invaders'

2013-08-29

[An Nahar] Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said Wednesday that Syria will turn into a "graveyard of the invaders" in case of a Western military intervention.

Syria will "surprise the aggressors as it surprised them in" the 1973 Yom Kippur war, when Arab forces caught Israel off guard, and become "the graveyard of the invaders," he said, quoted by state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
The "colonialist threats" of Western powers "do not terrorize us because of the will and determination of the Syrian people, who will not accept being humiliated," Halqi said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the SWAT team had finally arrived...
deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad said the West had pushed anti-regime rebels to use poison gas, while blaming it on the government, as a pretext for a U.S.-led military intervention.

"The terrorist groups used sarin gas in several areas of the country... with the encouragement of the Americans, the British and French," Muqdad told news hounds.

"The encouragement of these Western countries must stop because by defending these terrorists... these groups will soon turn their chemical arms against the people of Europe."

Muqdad was speaking after a meeting with U.N. disarmament envoy Angela Kane, the leader of a team of U.N. weapons inspectors.

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
, Bashar al-Jaafari, meanwhile, told the state news agency SANA that rebels had used chemical arms to provoke a Western intervention.

He also said that dozens of Syrian soldiers inhaled poison gas in new incidents in his country and called on the U.N. to investigate.

Ambassador Jaafari told news hounds he had asked U.N. Secretary General

the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
to extend the mandate of a U.N. chemical weapons team now in Syria to include the "heinous" new incidents.

He said "dozens" of Syrian soldiers were being treated in hospitals after the incidents on August 22, 24 and 25 in the Damascus suburbs. Jaafari gave no other details.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria accuses West of 'inventing' excuses; Jordan king urges solution

2013-08-29

[Al Ahram] Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi on Wednesday accused Western countries of "inventing" excuses to take military action against Syria over its alleged chemical weapons attacks.

"Western countries, starting with the United States, are inventing fake scenarios and fictitious alibis to intervene militarily in Syria," he said, quoted by state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
In the meantime, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
called Wednesday for a "comprehensive" solution in Syria, as Washington and its allies considered military action against the kingdom's northern neighbour.

"The king and Abbas discussed the Syrian crisis and urged a comprehensive solution to the crisis that would end the suffering of the Syrian people," a palace statement said after the two leaders met in Amman.

Jordan's Information Minister Mohammad , whose country is a key US ally, reiterated on Wednesday that the kingdom would not be used as "a launchpad" for any military intervention in Syria.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria Seeks to Bolster Iran Ties after Rowhani Win

2013-06-17

[An Nahar] Syria will seek to expand its relations with close ally Iran after moderate holy man Hassan Rowhani's presidential election victory, Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said on Sunday.

"Syria wishes to further expand its relations with the new Iranian leadership," Halqi said as he received a high-level Iranian economic delegation in Damascus, state news agency SANA said.

Halqi praised "the strength of strategic and stable relations between Syria and Iran on different levels," as he met a delegation headed by Hassan Kazemi Qomi, an economic adviser at Iran's foreign ministry.

"We congratulate Iran's people and leadership for the great success of the Iranian presidential elections," he added, calling the vote "a sincere expression of real democracy" that "showed the unity of the Iranian people with their political and spiritual leaders".

Link

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