Between tragedy and comedy: a documentary film praising Syria’s White Helmets, a rescue group hailed as heroes and saviors by the MSM, amid allegations of having ties with terrorist organizations, has won the Oscar for best documentary short feature. ‘The White Helmets,’ a 40-minute documentary, marks first Oscar win for director Orlando von Einsiedel.
One woman was killed and 17 people were injuredafter terrorists shelled the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its suburbs, as well as areas in southern and southwestern Syria, the country’s SANA news agency reports.
At the same time, ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda)mercenary-terrorists on Monday attacked the village of Qeniet al-Assi and Jeb al-Jarrah town in Homs countryside, claiming the life of one person, in addition to material damage. ~ SANA’s correspondent in Homs said that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists positioned in al-Misharia village targeted the residents’ houses in Qeniet al-Assi village in the northern countryside of Homs with machinegun fire, claiming the life of one person.
Syrian Army units, backed by the air force, destroyed Daesh (ISIS, ISIL, IS…) gatherings and positions in the surrounding of Deir Ezzor city.
The army units clashed with ISIS terrorist groups as the artillery shelled their positions and fortifications in the surrounding of al-Maqaber area in Deir Ezzor Province, killing and injuring many terrorists.
The Syrian air force destroyed an ISIS command center, fortified positions and two vehicles in the surrounding of al-Maqaber area and Juneid battalion.
Syrian Army units, in cooperation with backing forces, carried out military operations against the ISIS movement axes in Deir Ezzor city.
As part of their crimes against the Syrian people, ISIS terrorists pumped large amounts of the water from the Euphrates River through al-Babiri pumping station towards areas in eastern Aleppo in order to flood villages, causing damage to locals, farmlands and utilities.
Syrian Army builds barriers to stop the flooding of villages and farmland in Eastern Aleppo Countryside by Daesh mercenary-terrorists…………….
A farewell to Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Mr Churkin, for well over a decade, featuring Spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova. Following the Assassination of Andrei Karlov in Turkey earlier this year, was the death of Andrey Melanin in Athens of ‘natural causes’. Ambassador Alexander Kadakin to India had died of an apparent heart attack, even though no previous health issues were known. Together with Vitaly Churkin, this now brings the death total of Russian officials serving in foreign capacity to 4, all within a 3 month period. Coincidence? Or does the CIA have a long arm? This episode features Mr Churkin dispelling allegations of Russia having dropped leaflets over Aleppo, urging civilians to leave the city or face death. Of course, it is only the senile or those with short memories, who would think that “evidence” presented in the UN Security Council, is anything more than fabricated Neocon garbage. See linked video at the end, with Colin Powell’s “weapons of mass destruction” a.k.a simple washing powder. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, based on this kind of “evidence” would take over half a million Iraqi lives…. To shame. US military deaths cannot be calculated due to contractors such as Blackwater not being included in official statistics. Military industrial company fat cat CEOs only rub their hands in glee. (Translation thanks to Inessa Sinchougova)
This episode is taken off political analyst’s Valeriy Piakin’s channel – his explanation of recent events confirms what many have suspected. In the past few months, an unusual amount of individuals in pro-Russian fields of work have passed away. Starting with Arsen Pavlov (Motorola), a Commander in the Donbass region, followed by Russian Ambassadors to Turkey and India; Mikhail Tolstyh (Givi) – another high ranking Commander in the Donbass, and now – Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin. Piakin’s explanation posits that all of these individuals were victims of US intelligence operations – but why?
The intention is to remove all individuals who have something to do with the Minsk agreement, so that it can no longer realistically be implemented. The Minsk Agreement (a ceasefire, followed by elections and self-determination in Eastern Ukraine) is counterproductive to the West. To allow Minsk to happen would be to undo all of elites’ hard work to date. This is why ”not fulfilling Minsk obligations” is always pinned on Russia in Western media – despite the fact it is not party to the document, and it is the Kiev junta who shells civilians of Eastern Ukraine.
If Piakin is correct, then everyone who defends Minsk – whether on the battlefield or through the information war – have reason to be concerned for their safety. People like Zakharchenko of the Donbass, and those below him, as well as Russia’s extended diplomatic community should be highly vigilant and ramp up their security against espionage. (Translation thanks to Inessa Sinchougova)
As the Syrian crisis approaches its 6th anniversary, we take a look at some of the Syrian government’s social, political and economic policies. This will not only give an insight into what life has been like in Syria, but it also provides an indication of what values and principles are important to the Syrian government.
Generally speaking, President Bashar al-Assad, and his late father, Hafez al-Assad operated a secular state, allowing all religions to be practised across Syria. The government itself is made up of a range of different religions, although Islam is the state religion.
Despite the raging conflict, most schools and academic institutions continue to function in government-held areas. However, the war has displaced millions internally, and in the vast majority of cases, they have moved from areas held by Daesh or other militant groups, to areas under the sanctuary of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied forces.
This has put a strain on facilities, including schools and universities, and many of them are now operating well-above their standard capacity. For example, more than 200,000 students currently study at Damascus University, as it has accepted displaced students from across Syria……………….
(1)~ The Syrian Army’s missile and artillery units targeted the gatherings and positions of Al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) in Northern Quneitra on Saturday, killing several terrorists including Al-Nusra’s major agent responsible for contacts with Israeli forces.
The army’s artillery and missile units shelled heavily Al-Nusra’s concentration centers in Taloul a-Hamr (Red Hills) in Eastern Hadher town, killing three terrorists, including Commander of Tajamo al-Haramoun Eyad Kamal nom de guerre Morou……………………………..
(2)~ Based on Syrian Military Intelligence data a Syrian Artillery Regiment conducted strikes against a group of terrorists first line commanders and during their presence in al-Tulol al-Homr (Arabic for the Red Hills) specifically in the area located between Bet Jin town in the Southwestern Suburbs of Damascus and al-Hadar town in Northern al-Qunaitira.
Three terrorists high level commanders were hit including the number one hand of Zionists in the South known as Mohammad Iyad Kamal (code name “Moro”)……………………………………
(3)~ Israel has sent its troops on repeated spying missions to a village located half a kilometer inside Syria’s territory in an incident caught on camera, a Tel Aviv-based TV says.
Israel’s Channel 2 carried the report, saying the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps had dispatched its Ait (Eagle) 595 Battalion on back-to-back incursions early Sunday.
The channel’s Danny Kushmaro, who was accompanying the troops in one of the missions, said the forces had reached the area on foot……………………..
Media sources said that Turkey has cut off the Euphrates River flow to Northern Syria, forcing the Tishrin dam and its hydropower plant in Eastern Aleppo to stop operation .
Jahineh news reported that Turkey has closed off the flow of water in the Euphrates River that runs from its Southern territories to Northern Syria.
The Euphrates River is the main source of water reservoir behind the Tishrin Dam, and The news website said the shortage of water in the Dam has stopped its Hydropower plant’s power generation for Aleppo city.
Jahineh added that water in Assad Lake and behind the Tishrin Dam is at its lowest level and insufficient for pumping into the turbines of the Tishrin hydropower plant…………………………
Ce 20 février est une journée qui commence mal, très mal, par la nouvelle du décès de Monsieur Vitali Tchourkine, délégué permanent de la Russie auprès des Nations Unies. Une perte certainement terrible pour la Fédération de Russie. Une perte tout aussi terrible pour la Syrie. Qu’il repose en paix, ainsi que tous les soldats, médecins, infirmiers, volontaires et experts russes tombés en Syrie. Sacrifices qui ajoutent de la peine à la peine de tout un peuple reconnaissant pour toutes les fois où les amis russes sont intervenus afin de le soutenir contre des agresseurs sans foi ni loi.
II. Des agresseurs qui s’emploient à ressusciter « le Pacte de Bagdad » comme l’explique Madame Bouthaïna Chaabane, conseillère politique du Président Bachar al-Assad, dans son article de ce 20 février, publié par le quotidien syrien Al-watan :
“Un rapport confidentiel établi en 1983, et déclassifié le 20 janvier 2017 [1], révèle que les États-Unis ont encouragé Saddam Hussein à attaquer la Syrie dans l’objectif d’occuper les deux pays par une guerre sanglante qui épuiserait leurs forces.
Ce rapport s’appuie sur les déclarations de Graham Fuller, un ex haut fonctionnaire de la CIA, lequel affirme que les États-Unis ont fortement cherché à convaincre Saddam Hussein d’attaquer la Syrie, sous un prétexte ou un autre, dans le but de frapper les deux plus importantes forces du Moyen-Orient arabe et de les éloigner du front de lutte israélo-arabe. Mais vu que Saddam était engagé dans la guerre contre l’Iran, il fallait lui offrir de quoi le tenter avec le soutien de la plupart des États régionaux inféodés aux États-Unis, comme l’Arabie saoudite et d’autres Pays du Golfe, lesquels auraient financé cette guerre afin d’affaiblir la Syrie en tant que force régionale en plein développement. D’où la fourniture d’équipements modernes à Saddam afin de boucler la boucle des pays voisins menaçant la Syrie : la Jordanie, la Turquie et Israël……………”…………..
Despite the difficult terrain and limited visibility, Syrian Arab Army forces deployed in the mountains of Latakia province continue to hold the line against Nusra Front mercenary-terrorists.
300 families who left their homes fleeing the terrorist organizations have returned back to Helfaya city in the northwestern countryside of Hama province.
Governor of Hama Mohammad al-Hazzouri told SANA that the families included 1500 persons, noting that their return back to Helfaya has come in the framework of implementing the reconciliation agreement reached recently to restore security and stability to the city, which is located 25 km northwest of Hama city.
In a relevant context, Hama Governorate has provided temporary residential places to 6 families from Jaabar village in the countryside of Raqqa who arrived in Hama on Monday fleeing ISIS terrorists.
Governor of Damascus Countryside Alaa Ibrahim inspected on Wednesday the services situation in Serghaya town and the implemented measures to settle the status of armed persons after the departure of terrorists from the town within the framework of continued local reconciliations in the western part of the province.
In a press statement during the visit, the Governor said the process of settling the legal status of about 700 persons from the town of Serghaya has been embarked on, noting that a large number of those persons will join the military service, while the others will return to their normal lives………………
Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, has died suddenly in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The cause of Churkin’s death has not yet been released.
Syrian Arab Army and Syrian Armed Forces units continued targeting terrorists from Daesh, al-Nusra, and other terror groups affiliated to them in several areas in the country, killing scores of mercenary-terrorists and destroying their vehicles.
New Russian humanitarian aid distributed in Hama countryside for the inhabitants of Al-Sqailbiyeh city, 48 km to the northwest of Hama.
The Hmeimim-based Russian Coordination Center said in a statement on Monday that it distributed food supplies of rice, flour, sugar and tanked meats to about 20,000 civilians in Al-Sqailbiyeh city, in coincidence with offering medical services and medicine to the patients by doctors of the mobile medical clinic…………………
American geoscientist and international radiation expert Leuren Moret says the whole country of Syria is plagued with radioactive contamination because the United States not only used depleted uranium weaponry, but provided it to terrorists fighting against the Syrian government.
Dr. Moret made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday, days after the Pentagon admitted that it used depleted uranium (DU) ammunition in Syria, the controversial weaponry that causes serious health problems among the population.
Dr. Moret said the use of depleted uranium ammunition is: “not limited just to attacking Daesh, or ISIL, positions in Syria in late 2015. Actually, the US government, the Pentagon has used depleted uranium in Syria from the very beginning, and that would be after [President Vladimir] Putin announced Russia would be assisting the Syrian government in removing the terrorists from Syria”.
“They used it all over Syria where these battles have been, but they also armed terrorists with depleted uranium weaponry. The whole country now, where the battles have been whether on battlefields or in urban regions, are all contaminated. And that has to be cleaned up before they rebuild the cities, parts of Damascus, almost all of Aleppo, and villages too,” she added……………………
Premier Khamis: “Media outlets of friendly countries play a large role in exposing falsehood of western media”.
“The media of the resistance has succeeded to win the battle of the word and has been able to penetrate the Western public opinion and change its disposition and convey the truth about events”, Tourjman said.
He noted that the Syrian media has not been fighting alone, but has rather been accompanied with “a unified media front that started with the axis of the resistance in Lebanon and Iran along with many media outlets of the friendly countries.”
Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has renewed calls to the UN Security Council for an immediate end of the violations of The Syrian sovereignty by the Turkish Armed Forces.
The Ministry also published a list of all violations that occurred since last December.
The letter, which was addressed to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, mentions illegal incursions into Syrian territory, building a wall within the so-called Turkish buffer zones (which exist on the sovereign Syrian territory), destruction of the property belonging to the Syrian citizens such as uprooting of hundreds of olive trees in order to build roads for the tanks of the Turkish army (as recently seen in the village of Qljabreen in the Azaz area of Aleppo province) and illegal backing of the terrorist groups which are loyal to the regime in Ankara.
The letter further states that the Turkish authorities recently established a military base inside Syrian territory, more precisely in the village of Jtrar, North of the town of Tal Rifaat, located in the province of Aleppo. The base includes the headquarters for the Turkish army personnel and their allies who are stationed on the Syrian soil and are allegedly involved in the so-called “Operation Euphrates Shield”. Ammunition depots are also being mentioned…………………
Conférence de presse du Dr Bachar al-Jaafari suite à la réunion d’Astana 2:
…”Merci à vous tous, je m’exprimerai en arabe, mais je pense que vous aurez la traduction simultanée
Notre évaluation du processus d’Astana est positive tant qu’il sert le noble but pour lequel nous sommes venus jusqu’ici. Et c’est essentiellement :
1-la consolidation effective de l’accord de cessation des hostilités,
2-suivie de la séparation des groupes armés ayant signé cet accord de ceux qui ont refusé de le signer, c’est-à-dire la séparation entre ceux qui croient en une solution politique et les terroristes,
3-pour qu’ensuite, tous les signataires, y compris les trois États garants et les groupes terroristes ayant consenti à signer cet accord, soient obligatoirement engagés à combattre le terrorisme et à soutenir les efforts de l’Armée arabe syrienne, de ses amis et de ses alliés”… … …
… … …Bachar al-Jaafari : “Évidemment que l’arrivée si tardive de la délégation turque à Astana, sa représentativité réduite et son refus d’adhérer au projet du communiqué final sont embarrassants pour les autres États garants et le pays hôte. Quant à la deuxième partie de votre question, il serait plus opportun de la poser aux trois États garants”… … … “La Jordanie a été et reste une importante source de douleur et de perturbations pour notre peuple. Peut-être que sa participation à la réunion d’Astana en tant qu’observateur, comme je l’ai compris, contribuera à ce que Amman révise sa politique erronée à l’égard de la Syrie”…………….
The leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics (DPR and LPR) held a press conference in Lugansk on Friday in a display of unity against Kiev putschists and to discuss areas of Donbass that are under the control of Kiev’s forces.
Igor Plotnitsky, Head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (Russian):“I want to say that we have never considered and will not consider temporarily occupied territories as lost for us. Those [areas] are our homeland, they are our native people, and they are temporarily under the occupation of fascist Ukraine, because today that is the regime that exists in Ukraine, as they decided, and by right, is called fascism”.
Igor Plotnitsky, Head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (Russian):“We invite all our citizens, we have not forgotten about you. You do not have the February 23 holiday; you do not have the May 9 holiday. Come to us, you will have an opportunity to celebrate those old holidays with us that were historically formed in our land, on our territory, in the Russian world”.
Alexander Zakharchenko, Head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (Russian):“Our brothers and sisters are there on that territory, and this message is to them, first of all. We have not forgotten about them, we remember our debt to Kramatorsk, Lisichansk. We remember our friends and brothers that were killed on the battlefields in those years. We remember hundreds, thousands of tortured people that were accused of separatism and terrorism”.
Igor Plotnitsky, Head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (Russian):“There are no contradictions between the LPR and DPR. We do not have any of the problems they put on us. And actually, you should trust official sources, not gossip that goes around”.
Alexander Zakharchenko, Head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (Russian):“I think that world leaders, and especially in Europe, will start thinking about this, and I think that in the next few hours a big brain-storming session is going to start there, that will allow us to decide on something in four days”.
RELATED:
Crime rate hike in Ukraine? Russians did it! [English subtitles]
Did someone put a burning brown bag on your porch? Russians did it!…says SBU [Ukrainian Security Service]
President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that victory in Aleppo is an important step in the way to defeat and to eliminate the terrorism from our country, adding “we don’t think that we can talk about winning the war unless we defeat the terrorists everywhere in Syria”.
The president added in an interview given to French TF1 TV and EUROPE 1 Radio that the west supported terrorists in Syria under the name of “moderate”, but it was supporting the same basis of al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Following is the Full Video of the Interview in English…………………..
Following is the Full Text Transcript of the Interview……………………..
(Por el Maestro Viejo) ~ Fue un día, solo un día donde las grandes cadenas de desinformación masiva encabezaron sus noticias con un informe de Amnistía Internacional (AI) que desvelaba 13.000 ejecuciones en las cárceles de Siria. Ojo, no 12.967 ni 13.046, sino 13.000.
Se ve que al llegar a ese número Al Assad mandó detener la operación para que fuera un número redondo.
Han pasado unos cuantos días y nada más se supo, el gobierno sirio desmintió las informaciones y recordó la campaña mediática que los medios capitalistas tienen contra el gobierno y no se habló más.
“La historia no será benévola con aquellos que han propagado la mentira de sostener que en Siria se puso en marcha algo parecido a una revolución democrática” (John Wight, “Siria y el guardaespaldas de mentiras”)
… … …
Sobre todo desde el famoso escándalo de las falsas incubadoras de Kuwait en 1990 (una mentira en cuya difusión tuvo un papel estelar Amnistía Internacional: véase “Haciendo memoria. De incubadoras y bebés para hacer la guerra contra Irak”), a dicha organización se le ha ido cayendo poco a poco la máscara, mostrándonos su verdadero rostro: el de servir de herramienta ideológica a los intereses de las élites de Occidente………………….
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned NATO’s attempt to “constantly provoke” Russia, through expansion and the placing of weapons “across national borders,” during an address to the Federal Security Service, in Moscow on Thursday.
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian):“Good afternoon, dear comrades. Our meetings in the framework of the annual board of the Federal Security Service allow us to analyse deeply and summarise the work of the department over the last year, it is also a good opportunity to comprehensively discuss the most important questions of national security generally.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian):“Over the past year the situation in the world has not become more stable, has not improved. It is the opposite, many of the existing challenges and threats only worsened. There has been intensified military-political and economic competition between global and regional centres of influence and individual countries. If you look bloody conflicts are continuing in several are continuing bloody conflicts Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries. International terrorist groups are actively involved in them and in fact a terrorist army is receiving hidden and even explicit support from some states. At the NATO summit last July in Warsaw for the first time since 1989, Russia was named the main security threat to the Alliance, and dealing with it [Russia] was officially proclaimed as the new NATO mission, and the further expansion of the block is being undertaken with this particular aim. In fact, it was carried out before, but now they have found another argument, that seems more serious to them. The have sped up the process of the placement of strategic and conventional weapons across national borders. We are being provoked all the time. In plain words, they constantly provoke and tend to try to draw us into a confrontation. And attempts to interfere in our internal affairs, aimed to destabilise the social and political situation in Russia, do not stop. We also saw a serious escalation of the situation in the south-east of Ukraine recently. The aim of this escalation is clear: to abort the Minsk agreements. The current government in Ukraine is definitely not ready for a peaceful solution to this complex problem and rely on a military solution. Moreover, they are speaking in public about terrorist organisations, subversive activities, including in Russia. It could not, not disturb us. The events and circumstances mentioned, require particular attention and concentration of force from special and targeted structures in Russia, above all the Federal Security Service, primarily in the fight against terrorism.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian):“The activity of terrorist groups should be identified and blocked, their financial base should be liquidated, as well as the activities of emissaries from abroad, their subversive activities on the internet should be suppressed, at the same time consider, of course, the Russian and international experience in this field.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia (Russian):“We should take our anti-terror cooperation with foreign partners to the next level, in spite of all the difficulties, which are being formed in various areas of international life. First and foremost, of course, we have to strengthen our work with our partners in such organisations as the UN, the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organisation] and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Our common interest is the restoration of a dialogue with the intelligence services in the United States, of other countries and members of NATO. It is not our fault that it was broken and does not develop. It is obvious that in the counterterrorism area all the responsible states and international associations should cooperate, because even a simple information exchange on the sources and channels of terrorists funding, on the people involved or suspected of involvement in terrorism, seriously increases the effectiveness of our joint efforts.”
[Cheri] Berens is an American who has lived in Cairo for years working as a researcher for the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. She witnessed the violence that preceded the takeover of the country by the radical Muslim Brotherhood and the counter-revolution that removed it from power.
Berens is author of “Cheri’s Memoir: An American Woman Living in Egypt” and is working on her next book, “The Cultural History of Egypt.”
And, in an essay on her blog titled “Women’s March to Islam?” she chronicled how for everyday Egyptians watching on television, packed into “every coffee shop in Cairo that had a satellite dish,” the scenes in the streets of Washington, D.C., were disturbingly familiar.
They recognized the same methods the Muslim Brotherhood used for decades to finally seize control in Egypt playing out in the American capital.
… … …
Last week we told you about a Muslim mayor in New Jersey who declared his town a sanctuary for illegal aliens. The media was quick to highlight the mayor’s decision not to abide by federal laws but has been silent on his numerous trips to Syria (taxpayer funded?) and apparent personal links to jihad fighters in Syria. The Syrian Free Press has the details…………….
More than 5,000 rounds of depleted uranium (DU) ammunition were used in two attacks on Islamic State oil tankers in eastern Syria, the US military has confirmed. ~/~ More specifically, A-10 ground attack aircraft used armor-piercing DU rounds for their 30mm rotating cannons. ~/~ The US-led coalition previously pledged it would not use the controversial ordnance. ~/~ RT’s Gayane Chichakyan talks on the issue.
Civilians in the town of Kafr Naboudeh in Northern Hama engaged in heavy fighting with Ahrar al-Sham and Jeish al-Nasr, killing several terrorists including a field commander, news websites affiliated to terrorist groups disclosed.
The websites said that residents of Kafr Nabouden started clashing with the terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham and Jeish al-Nasr that had attacked Kafr Naboudeh and tried to enter the town.
The media outlets added that the civilians blocked terrorists’ path into the town, defending Syrian army soldiers deployed in Kafr Naboudeh.
Fierce clashes broke out between the pro-government civilians and terrorists at Kafr Naboudeh entrace gate, leaving several militants dead including commander of Jund al-Sonah Brigade known as Abu Hazen, said the websites………………..
(RT Documentary) ~ In almost six years of war in Syria, millions of civilians have been killed or wounded. Many have lost their homes and loved ones but the children are the most vulnerable victims of all, it’s estimated that over 8 million have been affected. ~/~ RT Doc’s Maria Finoshina has reported on the developing conflict in Syria since it began. Now she returns to the devastated cities of Aleppo and Homs to meet just a few of the kids who’ve grown up with the horror of war. ~/~Many of the children have never known a time of peace. Most are deprived of education and even a place of safety. Traumatized by what they’ve lived through, they receive no counselling and spend their childhoods simply trying to survive: dodging bombs and snipers’ bullets, constantly on the move to escape hostilities, while earning to support their families. ~/~The harrowing stories include Ahmad, who survived being shot in the head by a sniper but was left partially paralyzed. For him, the simplest of routine tasks are now a struggle but he still goes to school every day. Leith watched as five of his family members, including his parents, were killed. Moayed’s house was razed to the ground and now, every member of his big family has become a refugee in their own country. They squat in a partially destroyed building, with no water or electricity. ~/~Millions more of Syria’s children have similar stories to tell: a whole generation is growing up with war and as the bloodshed continues, their futures remain precarious and uncertain. Related:“They slaughtered my brothers and sisters”: stories of Aleppo’s orphans
Footage emerged on Tuesday of two Russian airplanes being loaded with humanitarian aid that will be delivered from Yerevan to Syria. ~ On the instructions of Armenian President Serj Sargsyan, approximately 40 tonnes of food, clothing and other essentials are to be transported to those affected by the conflict in Syria. ~ Russian transport was used as they have the necessary infrastructure to both deliver and issue humanitarian assistance. ~ It is the second time that Armenia has sent aid to Syria following a delivery in autumn 2016.
Syrian Army units operating in the eastern countryside of Homs established control over a number of hills in Jahar area after eliminating the remaining Daesh (ISIS, ISIL apes & rats) gatherings there.
Syrian Army units, in cooperation with the allied and supporting forces, carried out during the past few hours a swift military operation in which they established control over a number of strategic hills surrounding Jahar gas station to the northwest of Tadmur (Palmyra) city.
A number of vehicles and various kinds of ammunition were destroyed as a result of the operation. A number of Daesh mercenary-terrorists were killed and others were injured, while the rest of them fled towards the wells area leaving behind their arms.
Meanwhile, this Monday the Syrian Army eliminated all members of a Daesh mercenary-terrorist gangs and destroyed their weapons’ depot and a car equipped with heavy cannon near Ghassan Abboud roundabout in the city…………….
A video, released on Monday [13, February 2017] shows the destroyed facade of the Roman theater and a tetrapylon which dates back to 270 AD. ~ The video compares the state of the architectural landmark from June 6, 2016, when all four columns and the facade of the theater were intact, to their present state from February 5. ~ The terrorists blew up the proscenium, the central part of the ancient theater.
According to the Russian Defense ministry, Syrian troops backed by Russian jets are currently continuing their advance, with less than 20km left to Palmyra. It also stated that over the past week Russian jets made more than 90 assault sorties: “The Syrian government forces destroyed more than 180 objects of militant infrastructure, including more than 60 checkpoint, 15 warehouses storing weapons, ammunition and military vehicles, 43 armored cars and jeeps, equipped with heavy machine guns. Casualties among terrorists amounted to more than 200 people”, the ministry stated on Monday, adding that since February 7 the Syrian army established control over a territory of 22sq km, liberating the settlements of El Kuleybe and Kirkuk. In total, since the government forces launched the operation to free Homs province from jihadists, they liberated some 805sq km of land…(…read more…)…
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, received a medal from the CIA for his distinct intelligence-related counter-terrorism work and his contributions to ensure international peace and security.
The medal, named after George Tenet, was handed to him by CIA Director Micheal Pompeo.
Crown Prince Abdulaziz al-Saud received CIA Director Micheal Pompeo in Riyadh on Friday (10, 2017) in the presence of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman al-Saud, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense……………….
Heavy fighting continued between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and jihadist-mercenaries in Harasta, Eastern Ghouta Region outside Damascus. After repelling an offensive launched by terrorist gangs last week, the SAA took measures to carry out several attacks to expand its control over the region.
A Syrian Arab Army unit carried out a military operation targeting an Daesh (ISIS, ISIL, IS…) gathering to the west of Deir Ezzor Airport. Syrian Agency reporters in the province said Sunday that the army destroyed a machinegun and eliminated most of the ISIS group’s members in the surrounding of Liwa al-Taamin, to the west of Deir Ezzor Airport.
In Daraa, Syrian Army units clashed with Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists who launched attacks against the locals’ houses and military points in al-Manshiyeh neighborhood in Daraa al-Balad area in the southern province of Daraa.
The army units confronted the assault that was launched from various directions towards the southeastern part of al-Manshiyeh neighborhood. Local reporters pointed out that the terrorist organizations targeted in parallel with their assault with artillery, mortar shells, home-made Jahannam (hell) cannons and heavy machineguns the residential buildings in al-Manshiyeh neighborhood, claiming two lives and injuring several people, in addition to causing huge material damage to houses and infrastructure. Heavy losses were inflicted upon the terrorist organizations in weaponry and personnel. Later, an army unit destroyed two booby-trapped vehicles for terrorist organizations to the southeast of al-Manshia neighborhood.
In Sweida, members of the Popular Defense groups thwarted two machine gun fire attacks launched by ISIS terrorists on civilians in the surroundings of Barek village in the northeastern countryside of Sweida. The terrorists, driving a vehicle equipped with a 23 mm machine gun to the west of Tal Saad, opened fire on a number of shepherds to the north of Barek village on Sunday morning with the aim to kill them and steal their cattle. Members of a popular defense group positioned in the area responded to the fire source, hitting the target directly.
Syrian Arab Army units repel terrorist attack on military posts in northeastern countryside of Lattakia: Syrian Army units in cooperation with the supporting forces repelled an attack by terrorist groups on a number of military posts in the northeastern countryside of Lattakia. A military source said the attack was launched by the terrorist groups from various directions targeting military posts in Kinsabba town and the mountains of Hassan al-Raei and al-Qalaa.
The attack was repelled and a number of terrorists were killed and others were injured, according to the source.
Turkey has claimed that there will be no commission on investigation of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ unintended strike against the Turkish military in Syria. According to a military source in Ankara, there’s no need, as the ‘situation is clear’. ‘In the early morning just after the incident, corresponding talks were carried out with Russia. The case is about reinforcement of coordination we have and making it more effective. Negotiations are taking place now,’ he claimed. ~ Russian Aerospace Forces carried out an unintended strike against the Turkish positions near the Syrian town of al-Bab on 9 February. The Turks were attacking the Daesh terrorists then. As a result, three Turkish military men died, 11 people were injured. ~ The Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the President of Turkey Recep Erdogan. ~ The incident could have happened because of a fault of the Turkish Command. Uncoordinated deployment of the Turkish troops in a grid which had been meant for an airstrike could have been one of the reasons.
President Assad: “… John Kerry, a few months ago, said and by his voice that “we were watching ISIS advancing, and we expected the Syrian president to make concessions.” What does it mean? Obama said it in one of his speeches, that the war on Iraq created ISIS. So, who supported ISIS? We didn’t create it, you created it, the United States created all this mess. Who supported the rebels and called them “moderate rebels” while they became ISIS and al-Nusra in Syria? We didn’t. So, it’s not a conspiracy, these are facts, this is reality. We didn’t give money, we didn’t support these terrorists. Your country supported them, UK, France, publicly, and they said they sent armaments, we didn’t. So, it’s not my allegation, it’s your official allegation, including Joe Biden, the Vice President of Obama. He said, about Saudi Arabia and other countries supporting the extremists…”……………
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko is playing a desperate poker game in which he is gambling his political future with an all-out war in Europe. In a scene reminiscent of an old Hollywood B-movie Western, Poroshenko appears like a washed-up gunslinger with a lousy hand of cards who is bluffing with empty bravado.
However, the difference is Poroshenko is no gunslinger. And this is not fiction. It is grim reality where lives are suffering from his poker games.
He is a billionaire chocolate oligarch who along with his cronies in Kiev have driven their country into ruins. If a war breaks out, these effete, self-dealing elites will not be doing the fighting. They will find some luxury exile from where to spend their embezzled loot.
… … …
According to Eduard Basurin, the vice commander of the DPR, as quoted in Fort Russ: “Following the talk between Poroshenko and Trump, Ukraine will in the near future cease to receive financial and military support for its terrorist operation in the land of Donbass. In connection with this, the Ukrainian president has fallen into complete despair and is ready to desperately commit to the most reckless action of unleashing a full-scale and bloody war in Eastern Europe.”……………………..
In an interview with Sputnik Arabic, field commander of the Syrian Arab Army in Deir ez-Zor Brigade General Issam Zaheralden confirmed that two senior Daesh commanders, including Abu Muhammed al-Adnani who was in charge of the group’s drone attacks, were killed in an airstrike near the city of Deir ez-Zor.
Brigade General Issam Zaheralden said that civilians lost access to the airport, their only source of food, medicine and fuel, due to the latest terrorist attack on the city, prompting the Syrian Arab Army to launch an offensive along the 3-kilometer-long (1.8-mile-long) frontline.
As part of this campaign, the Syrian Arab Air Force conducted airstrikes near an area known as hill 14, killing 15 terrorists, Brigade General Issam Zaheralden detailed, adding that Abu Muhammed al-Adnani and Abu Walid al-Tarablusi were among them………………
The advance of the Syrian army on Daesh positions in the east of Aleppo province caught the terrorists by surprise. Sputnik Arabic reports that the Syrian infantry successfully overcame three barrier boundaries which were put up by Daesh on the outskirts of al-Bab. ~Read more
President Bashar al-Assad stressed that Syria is owned by the Syrians and that the peace is two things: fighting terrorists and terrorism, stopping the flowing of terrorism, every kind of logistical support. Second, dialogue between the Syrians to decide the future of their country and the whole political system.
On his expectations from the new administration in Washington, President Assad said, in a statement to Belgian media:
“What we heard as statements by Trump during the campaign and after the campaign is promising regarding the priority of fighting terrorists, and mainly ISIS, that’s what we’ve been asking for during the last six years. So, I think this is promising, we have to wait, it’s still early to expect anything practical. It could be about the cooperation between the US and Russia, that we think is going to be positive for the rest of the world, including Syria. So, as I said, it’s still early to judge it”.
President Bashar al-Assad said Europe has isolated itself and undermined every possible role it could play in this regard and has also harmed the interests of its people through it having supported organizations that have practiced all forms of terror against the Syrian people.
The President said there are Western politicians who work only with the aim of winning the elections and not for serving the interests of their countries and people, which has lead to the emergence of European policies that are dissociated from reality regarding some issues, which in turn has cast a shadow over the position and role of the European Union in the world………………….
Prominent DPR Commander ‘Givi’ ~ The legendary commander of the Somali battalion of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Mikhail Tolstykh, popular with his nickname “Givi” has been killed in his office in Donetsk.
The first reports from Russian media have suggested that an explosive detonated and killed Givi. The DPR officials have labeled it as a “terrorist act” and that they’ll do everything possible to find the ones behind the assault. The news comes as the self-proclaimed republics of DPR and LPR have been witnessing the largest military activities since the signing of the Minsk-2 agreement.
Givi is yet another victim of such assault as earlier this week LPR’s colonel Oleg Anashtenko died in a similar case when his car was blown up. In October 2016, another legendary commander, Aresen Pavlov “Motorola”, was killed in an explosion in his home.
A terrorist attack in the capital of the Lugansk People’s Republic in Donbass killed two people including the chief of the LPR People’s Militia Office. Confirmed the death of colonel Anashchenko, classifying the explosion as a terrorist attack.
On October 16, a blast in an elevator killed a prominent commander of the Donetsk People’s Republic colonel Arseniy Pavlov (call sign Motorola). The Donetsk authorities accused Kiev of masterminding the murder.
In May, a top military commander of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Alexei Mozgovoi, was assassinated by unknown gunmen when his car ran into an ambush……………
“A sustainable decline in the number of violations of the ceasefire” in Syria, said Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi of Russia’s General Staff, who was speaking in Moscow on Tuesday. He was reporting on the outcome of the first joint operational group meeting in Astana that was held on Monday.
Sergei Rudskoi, Lieutenant-General, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate, General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (Russian):“The Russian Federation is fulfilling its obligations and is continuing to work to maintain the ceasefire and spread [it] through the whole of the Syrian territory. Military experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran held a constructive meeting in Astana on February 6 this year in order to improve the arrangements for the ceasefire. Representatives of the UN also participated in the meeting. All participants mentioned a sustainable decline in the number of ceasefire violations. The Russian project regulations concerning a joint operational group for the consolidation of the ceasefire regime have almost been agreed upon. It is supposed to be signed during the next meeting in Astana”.
Sergei Rudskoi, Lieutenant-General, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate, General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (Russian): “All participants of the meeting supported an additional protocol for the agreement that was signed earlier. It was worked out by Russian and Turkish experts and contained certain measures focused on improving the truce. A regulation concerning a district joined to the peace process was also approved and presented by the Russian side, which determines the relations between Syrian officials; and the areas that are under the control of armed groups during the transition period was also approved. These documents were sent to the opposition and Syrian government for approval”.
Sergei Rudskoi, Lieutenant-General, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate, General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (Russian): “During this meeting the determination of which districts are controlled by ISIS and al-Nusra Front was almost finished. There are certain irrelevant disagreements that will be agreed upon soon. It really helps to separate the opposition from the terrorist groups. Besides, the representatives of Jordan who spoke about the situation in the south of Syria in detail, were also present at [this] meeting for the first time. They emphasised that the majority of armed groups support the ceasefire, and those who didn’t join the [ceasefire] regime, are ready to do so in the nearest future. We suggested creating Syrian government and opposition working groups to discuss the preparation of the Syrian constitution in Astana. Later, on this basis it will be possible to form a constitutional commission that will complete the main Syrian law [statutes] and determine the mechanism of its adoption. In general the participants of the meeting supported our initiative”.
Residents of al-Ziabiyeh area in Damascus Countryside have started to return to their homes, which they were forced to leave due to terrorism, after the completion of infrastructure restoration and the repairing of what been destroyed by the Takfiri terrorist organizations.
In a press statement, State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar said the families’ return to al-Ziabiyeh is a message to all citizens that the state is serious about the issue of ensuring the return of all citizens to their home areas.
He added that it is also a message to the external sides belying their claims that the Syrian government is seeking a demographic change and also to confirm that the reconciliation project runs in parallel with the achievements of the Syrian Arab Army who cleansed the area of al-Ziabiyeh from terrorism and made the families’ return possible……………………..
