Syrian Army Eliminates more than 200 NATO Terrorists in 30 Days

 OCTOBER 1, 2023

ARABI SOURI

Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies eliminated more than 2000 NATO-sponsored Al Qaeda terrorists in 30 days in the northwestern provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Hasakah, and Hama, multiple sources reported.

Following up our chronological reporting of the ongoing Syrian war on the US-led NATO-sponsored terrorism of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and their affiliated terrorist groups in the northwestern region of Syria, bordering the southeastern NATO flank, the following are the updates from 19 September until the time of this report:

The video is also available on Rumble, Bitchute, and YouTube.

19 September 2023,
12 noon, SAA heavy artillery continued since early morning shelling the posts of the Nusra Front (Al Qaeda Levant aka HTS) in western Aleppo countryside, and across the Al Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside.

12:10 noon, SAA heavy artillery shells a post of the Nusra Front on the outskirts of Ain Eissa town in the northern Latakia countryside.

Local Syrian sources and military analysts monitoring the latest escalation in the region stated that in the past 30 days, (20 August through 19 September 2023), there are at least 160 confirmed killed terrorists reported by the colleagues of those terrorists, excluding the foreign terrorists who burned their passports upon joining the ranks of the NATO foreign legion to destroy Syria (al Qaeda, ISIS, Uighur, et al) who estimates put the minimum number of the eliminated ones of them at 40, especially on the southern Idlib countryside axis.

20 September 2023,
00:05 am, SAA heavy artillery, and missiles bomb the posts and gatherings of the Nusra Front on the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside and on the axis of eastern Idlib city.

01:00 am, SAA bombs the posts of Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) on the outskirts of Al Fatirah town in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

01:05 am, local sources reported that so-called Muhammad Talal Al-Haj Ahmad aka Abu Jaafar Zammar, a field commander in the Nusra Front was among the killed in the SAA heavy artillery bombing of their posts on the Kafr Ta’al axis in Aleppo’s western countryside. Unnamed foreign terrorists were also eliminated with this terrorist.

09:30 am, SAA heavy artillery and grad MLRs bomb posts of Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) on the outskirts of Kafr Awayed and the town of Al Fatirah in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

12:30 pm, SAA heavy artillery and grad MLRs missiles bomb the posts of Ansar Tawhid on the outskirts of Kansafrah in southern Idlib countryside.

The SAA units expanded their bombing to target the posts of Ansar Tawhid and Nusra Front on the outskirts of Fatirah, Sufuhun, Kafr Awayed, Flaifil, and the hill of Tareesha in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

21 September 2023,
04:35 pm, SAA heavy artillery eliminates several Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) terrorists in a bombing of one of their makeshift posts in Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

08:45 pm, SAA artillery bomb posts of Al Qaeda on the axis of Ain Eissa in the northern Latakia countryside.

10:55 pm, SAA heavy artillery and grad MLRs bomb the posts and gatherings of Ansar Tawhid on the outskirts of Al Fatirah town in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

22 September 2023,
00:05 am, SAA expands the shelling of Ansar Tawhid posts on the outskirts of the towns of Fatirah and Ruweiha in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

Local sources reported direct casualties among the Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) in the SAA bombing.

11:30 am, SAA heavy artillery resumes bombing Ansar Tawhid posts on the outskirts of Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside after repeated attempts of the NATO Turkey-sponsored terrorist group to infiltrate the outposts of the Syrian Arab Army defending the Syrian villages in the region.

23 September 2023,
01:55 pm, SAA missiles bomb the fortifications of the Turkestani Islamist Party (Uighur and Central Asia terrorists) on the Zaqqum – Karkour axis in the western Hama countryside.

08:00 pm, SAA artillery destroys a mortar and inflicts direct casualties among the Nusra Front terrorists operating it in the fields to the north of the town of Afis in Idlib’s eastern countryside.

09:55 pm, SAA heavy artillery, and MLRS bomb the Nusra Front posts in eastern Idlib countryside and Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside with confirmed casualties among the terrorists.

11:10 pm, SAA targets with intensified missiles new posts of Ansar Tawhid and their gatherings in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

24 September 2023,
00:05 am, SAA bomb with grad MLRS the posts and gatherings of Nusra Front terrorists on the outskirts of the town of Sarmin in eastern Idlib countryside.

00:45 am, SAA intensifies the bombing of the posts of Ansar Tawhid on the outskirts of al Fatirah town in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

11:15 am, SAA heavy artillery bombs the gatherings of the Nusra Front on the axis of Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside and on the outskirts of the town of Sarmin in Idlib’s eastern countryside.

11:45 am, SAA artillery bomb the posts of a Nusra Front affiliate on the outskirts of Al Nayrab town in the eastern Idlib countryside and the Kafr Ammah and Kafr Ta’al axis in the western Aleppo countryside.

12:10 pm, SAA shoots down a kamikaze drone sent by Nusra Front terrorists over the Al Ghab Plains in the western Hama countryside.

12:20 pm, the posts and gatherings of the Nusra Front terrorists on the outskirts of Al Fatirah, Kansafra, Al Nayrab, Sarmin, Maarat Naasan, Kafr Ta’al, and Kafr Ammah are at the receiving end of the SAA artillery bombing since the early morning hours.

25 September 2023,
08:15 am, Al Qaeda Levant (Nusra Front) terrorists bomb the town of Suqalbiyah and the village of Al Ashareh in the western Hama countryside with kamikaze drones, several civilians were injured in the terrorist attack including children, the injured were rushed to the Hama National Hospital for treatment.

10:00 am, several sorties of Russian fighter jets bomb the posts and quarters of the Nusra Front terrorists on the outskirts of the villages of Ankawi, Fatatirah, and Haloubah.

03:05 pm, SAA heavy Krasnopol guided artillery and MLRS missiles bomb the posts and gatherings of Nusra Front terrorists in Idlib countryside.

06:20 pm, Nusra Front terrorists fired two shells on the villages in Latakia countryside resulting in a fire in the farmlands.

In response, the SAA heavy artillery and MLRS missiles bomb the posts and gatherings of Nusra Front terrorists in the city of Jisr Shoghour in Idlib’s southwestern countryside.

06:40 pm, Nusra Front terrorists bomb the village of Naour Shahta in western Hama countryside with a drone killing a civilian and injuring several others including a child who was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

26 September 2023,
02:00 pm, the Syrian Ministry of Interior mourns the martyrdom of Syrian Police Honorary Major Ali Jawdat Dib of the Special Task Force who was martyred in Hasakah province, northeast of Syria, succumbing to the wounds he sustained during his duty earlier.

27 September 2023,
09:00 am, Russian fighter jets bomb Nusra Front posts on the outskirts of the village of Ankawi in the Al Ghab Plain in the northwestern Hama countryside and the outskirts of the village of Halloubah in the Al Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside.

11:00 am, SAA heavy artillery bomb the gatherings and posts of Ansar Tawhid (NATO Turkey-sponsored ISIS remnants) on the outskirts of the village of Binin in the Al Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside.

08:35 pm, SAA heavy artillery shells the fortifications of the Nusra Front (NATO Turkey-sponsored Al Qaeda Levant) and Turkestani Islamist Party (Uighur) terrorists on the Kabbani Hills axes in the northern Latakia countryside.

28 September 2023,
10:00 am, Nusra Front terrorists bomb with rockets several villages in the western Hama countryside inflicting material damage to the properties of the villagers.

09:05 pm, Syrian and Russian aircraft destroyed underground bunkers used by the NATO-sponsored Al Qaeda terrorists to store their weapons, munition, military gear, and personnel in Idlib countryside.

09:20 pm, SAA bombs a post used by an Iranian terrorist group in the town of Tuffahiya in the Latkia northern countryside. The terrorist group calls itself the ‘Iranian Sunnah Migrants Movement’, and it’s part of the Syrian opposition!

29 September 2023,
10:35 am, SAA units bomb with laser-guided Krasnopol heavy artillery the posts of Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants sponsored by NATO, the ‘defensive’ alliance) in the vicinity of the towns of Kafr Awayed, Kansafrah, and Fatirah in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

07:40 pm, the Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that the Syrian Arab Army shot down 2 drones in the northern Latakia countryside and a third in the western Aleppo countryside from the drones used by the NATO-sponsored terrorists to bomb the villages in these areas.

The Syrian MoD statement added that the Syrian Arab Army units responded to these terrorist attacks by bombing the quarters of the terrorists inflicting serious damage and eliminating several terrorists and their commanders, a so-called Abu Marwan Azzo, a commander in the Nusra Front (NATO-sponsored Al Qaeda Levant) among the killed terrorists, in addition to destroying a 4 x 4 vehicle with the terrorists in it in the western Aleppo countryside.

09:35 pm, SAA shells with MLRS grad missiles the posts of Ansar Tawhid on the outskirts of Al Fatirah town in the Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside after the terrorists fired a drone at the SAA units on the Mallajah axis, the drone was shot down by an SAA sniper.

10:45 pm, SAA shells with artillery and missiles the posts and gatherings of Nusra Front terrorists on the axes of Al Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside, the Al Ghab Plains in the northwestern Hama countryside, and the northern Latakia countryside.

30 September 2023,
11:15 am, SAA artillery and grad missiles guided by surveillance drones targeted the gatherings of the Nusra Front on the Karkour village axis in the Al Ghab Plains, Hama northwestern countryside.

12:20 pm, the Russian Reconciliation Center in Hmeimim (the Russian Army command in Syria) stated that its military destroyed the dens used to manufacture and store drones in Idlib used by the terrorists to target the Syrian forces and the civilians in addition to underground bunkers in the towns of Halloubah and Ankawi, vowing to escalate further against the terrorists in future retaliations.

End of the updates.

The recent debacle at the Canadian parliament, where a standing ovation was given to glorify a Nazi SS war criminal in the presence of the Canadian prime minister, the Jewish Zionist president of Ukraine, and a number of ambassadors of NATO member countries, including the German ambassador, exposes the true nature of the NATO “defensive” alliance.

In addition, declassified and leaked reports from the past few years confirm the role of the US CIA, UK MI6, and other NATO spy agencies in creating and commanding terrorist groups and committing terrorist attacks around the world, especially against Arabs, Slavs, Africans, Chinese, and Latin Americans, and even against their own who do not follow their agenda, such as the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.

Furthermore, the presence of tens of thousands of Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists in areas occupied by the US and Turkish armies in Syria, ISIS, and Al Qaeda terrorists were treated by the Israeli army medics with state-of-the-art medical equipment provided to them for free by US taxpayers, debunks the US and NATO claims to be fighting terrorism.

In light of this evidence, it is reasonable to conclude that the US and its Western allies were never committed to combating terrorism, but are instead using terrorist groups to achieve their own sinister and hegemonic geopolitical goals.

If there’s such a person, it’s safe now if you’re living in a NATO member country, it seems, to come out from the closet and declare your terrorist Zionist Nazi reality.

The Syrian people and their armed forces and allies are fighting to defend themselves, their families, their homes, their culture, their heritage, their values, and their future on their land; explain what the US Army is doing halfway across the planet in Syria other than stealing Syrian oil and wheat and to whose benefit other than the AntiChrist as they believe in their biblical prophecies.

The Pentagon Threatening to Revive ISIS

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Idlib, Syria: The War on the NATO-sponsored Al Qaeda Update

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

 ARABI SOURI

The war on the US-led NATO-sponsored al Qaeda and ISIS terrorism in the northwestern Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Idlib, the de facto Al Qaeda Levant capital continues around the hour, NATO escalated its attacks on the Syrian people. The Syrian Arab Army and their allies are retaliating.

Since our last update on early Sunday 17 September (Syria’s local time), there have been a series of large attacks by the NATO Turkey-sponsored Al Qaeda terrorists (Nusra Front, HTS) against the posts of the Syrian Arab Army, one of those attacks resulted in the martyrdom of Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers.

Here are the chronological updates on the war on the terrorists sponsored by NATO, the “defensive” alliance, since our last report. These updates cover the period from early September 17 to the evening of September 18, the last update we received from the northwest front:

17 September 2023,
00:05 am, Syrian Arab Army (SAA) units operating in the southern Idlib countryside bomb Al Qaeda Levant (Nusra Front) in the Al Zawya Mountain axis and northern Latakia countryside with MRLs grad missiles and heavy artillery.

09:30 am, SAA units resume bombing Nusra Front terrorists on the outskirts of Al Fatirah town in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside, and on the outskirts of Maarat Naasan in the northern Idlib countryside, and the Nusra Front posts on the outskirts of Kafr Nouran town in the western countryside of Aleppo with heavy artillery and MRLs grad missiles.

11:25 am, SAA units bomb with heavy artillery Nusra Front posts in the Al Ruweiha axis in the eastern Al Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside.

11:25 am, along with targeting Al Qaeda Levant (Nusra Front) terrorists in the Al Ruweiah axis, the SAA units bombed with heavy artillery the posts of Ansar Tawhid (the Obama-created ISIS remnants) on the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

01:00 pm, SAA heavy artillery units bomb Nusra Front posts and gatherings on the outskirts of the town of Afis in the eastern Idlib countryside, and in the Al Zawaya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside.

08:20 pm, SAA units bomb with artillery and missiles the posts of the Nusra Front on the outskirts of the towns of Kafr Ammah and Kafr Ta’al in the western Aleppo countryside, and on the outskirts of the towns of Al Fatirah, Kansafrah, and Flaifil in the Al Zawya Mountain axes in southern Idlib countryside.

10:40 pm, SAA heavy artillery, and MRLs grad missiles bomb the posts and gatherings of Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) on the outskirts of Al Fatirah and Kansafrah towns in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

18 September 2023,
Propagandists of the Nusra Front and Ansar Tawhid started to publish obituary posts for some of their killed terrorists on the southern Idlib countryside front on social media.

00:20 am, at least 10 of the Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) were confirmed killed in the bombing of their posts in the Al Zawya Mountain in the southern Idlib countryside by the Syrian Arab Army artillery and missiles.

01:30 am, 6 commanders of Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) were confirmed killed in the SAA heavy artillery bombing of their command post on the outskirts of the village of Sufuhun in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

06:20 pm, SAA units bomb with intensified heavy artillery and MRLs grad missiles a fortified post of Nusra Front (al-Qaeda Levant aka HTS) in the Al Ghab Plains in the northern Hama countryside, and one of their gatherings in the vicinity of Al Fatirah town in the Al Zawya Mountain in southern Idlib countryside.

The operations of Ansar Tawhid (ISIS remnants) and Nusra Front (al-Qaeda Levant) in southern Idlib near the illegal bases of the NATO Turkish Army prove that these three forces are working together. This includes the Turkish Army (NATO’s second-largest army,) al-Qaeda, and ISIS.

It is obvious that they are receiving their instructions from the same military command center. This allows them to avoid friendly fire and to target the Syrian Arab Army more effectively. The coordinates of the Syrian Arab Army must be collected by live satellite and electronic warfare. The US Army and the British MI6 base in Cyprus are providing these capabilities.

Everything you were told about the US-led NATO’s war on terror and that NATO is a defensive alliance has been proven to be the total opposite in the Syria Chapter of the war on humanity led by those ruling the United States of America since political Zionism took over that country.

16 Syrian Army Martyrs and More than 45 al Qaeda Terrorists Killed

Syria News is a collaborative effort by two authors only, we end up most of the months paying from our pockets to maintain the site’s presence online, if you like our work and want us to remain online you can help by chipping in a couple of Euros/ Dollars or any other currency so we can meet our site’s costs.

You can also donate with Cryptocurrencies through our donate page.
Thank you in advance.

Turkey Plans to Annex Aleppo

August 17, 2023

Source

Steven Sahiounie

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his plan to return Syrian refugees in Turkey to Aleppo. For many years he has proposed a plan to create a safe zone, or de-escalation zone specifically developed to hold the millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

The Erdogan plan, dubbed the Aleppo model, includes Idlib, and parts of the countryside of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia. 

In March 2020, Russia and Turkey entered into an agreement concerning Idlib.  Turkey had promised to secure the M4 highway stretching from Latakia to Aleppo. This vital route provides imported cargo, and exported cargo between the port of Latakia and Aleppo.  The highway, when operating safely makes the drive time between Latakia and Aleppo about two hours in length. However, Turkey failed to fulfill their promise to Russia.  The terrorists who occupy Idlib control the M4 highway and make it impassable for cargo or civilians.  The trip takes six hours of drive time because a detour must be taken for safety, and Syria faces a chronic gasoline shortage, making the passage of goods and travelers an ordeal.

Idlib is the sole remaining territory in Syria occupied by Radical Islamic terrorists. They hold 3 million civilians as hostages. The UN, US, EU and other international humanitarian aid agencies such as Doctors Without Borders provide supplies to the civilians; however, it is the terrorists who manage and warehouse all the aid.  Often the terrorists will distribute aid to those who are aligned with them, while depriving secular Syrians from any aid. The surplus aid is sold by the terrorists in a huge shopping mall owned by Mohamed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Jolani is a Syrian who fought against the US occupation of Iraq. He first was a member of Al Qaeda, but after spending time in a US prison in Iraq with Abu Baker Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, Jolani switched to ISIS. Baghdadi asked Jolani to go to Syria and make an ISIS branch there, but after Jolani arrived in Syria he formed his own terrorist group Jibhat al-Nusra.

Jibhat al-Nusra was known as the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria.  The US had funded Jolani in Syria, but when the UN designated the terrorist group as banned, the US re-branded the group and changed the name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).  Jolani and his terrorists have recently hung people in Idlib who refused to conform to the dictates of extreme Radical Islamic ideology.  Jolani has prevented women in Idlib from benefiting from international aid programs targeting women with business education.

Erdogan’s ruling party, AKP, is aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood which is a global organization advocating the destruction of democracy in favor of Islamic Law.  Erdogan has directed the AKP, the Ministry of the Interior, and the AKP members of the Parliament to promote Syrians returning to Syria from Turkey.

Turkey claims to be negotiating with Russia and Syria concerning the return of Syrian refugees to Aleppo under the Erdogan proposal to boost the commercial and social fabric there.

Aleppo is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world (tied with Damascus). Prior to the conflict which began in 2011, Aleppo was considered the industrial capital of Syria. The Industrial Zone in Aleppo was a vast center of factories making products from soap to fabrics for both domestic use and international export.

In the first few years of the conflict, Aleppo did not participate in the US-NATO attack on Syria for regime change. Jibhat al-Nusra saw the opportunity to surround and occupy the eastern section of Aleppo. This cut the huge city of 4 million into two: the free western section under Syrian administration, and the eastern section under the occupation of various Radical Islamic terrorist groups supported by the US and Turkey.

During the conflict years of 2014 to 2016 the terrorists dismantled the factories in Aleppo and transported the materials to Turkey where they were re-assembled by Erdogan loyalists and cronies. 

After Erdogan’s terrorists destroyed the economy in Aleppo and stole the factories, now he suddenly proposes to rebuild factories and boost the economy of Aleppo. But, Erdogan is not proposing to fund or support existing Syrian businesses in Aleppo, instead under his plan Turkish businesses along the border region will develop Turkish businesses and employ Syrian workers. The workers will have an income, but the Syrian businesses will be targeted for extinction. It appears Erdogan is proposing an annexation of Aleppo and more regions in Syria. 

The Syrian refugees returning to Syria would be working for Turkish businesses with no benefit for Aleppo.

Erdogan has repeatedly voiced his wish to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Damascus has said their condition for the meeting is the complete military withdrawal of Turkish military in occupation of area in Syria, and the removal of Radical Islamic terrorist groups which Turkey has employed in Syria.

A planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan is scheduled at the end of this month. According to the Turkish media, “Hürriyet Daily News”, the leaders will discuss two issues concerning Syria.

The return of refugees is the first issue, while the second is the normalization between Ankara and Damascus, which was originally proposed by Putin to Erdogan.  The Russian negotiating teams in Syria have been successful in clearing areas from terrorist groups and targeting terrorists like ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The Syrian people continue to suffer under the occupation of US troops illegally occupying parts of Syria, while stealing the Syrian oil production of the best producing wells, which prevents the Syrian people from having enough gasoline and almost no electricity.  The US and EU continue sanctions on the Syrian people which prevent rebuilding or investment to recover from the years of armed conflict. The US continues to support the Radical Islamic terrorists holding Idlib civilians as hostages. The international community sits and watches as the Syrian people starve while the western governments maintain the status quo.

Syrian army mobilizes in response to ISIS, US threat

AUG 14, 2023

ISIS killed 43 Syrian soldiers this week amid rumors that US occupation forces and allied militias will try to capture Syria’s last remaining border crossing with Iraq

Syrian soldiers fighting ISIS in eastern Syria (Photo Credit: LBC Group)

News Desk

The Syrian Army has reinforced its positions with soldiers and military equipment in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor in response to increased attacks by ISIS and a possible assault on Al-Bukamal by US occupation forces and their allies, Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper reported on 14 August.

Local sources reported that a huge military convoy of the Syrian army arrived yesterday evening in the desert of Al-Mayadeen on the Homs-Deir Ezzor Road. The convoy consisted of buses and troop vehicles, in addition to field artillery, mortars, and modern tanks.

According to Al-Watan, the Syrian army is preparing to repel a possible military assault that US forces and its proxy armed groups, including the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), may launch from the eastern bank of the Euphrates River toward the city of Al-Bukamal. The Syrian army expects US forces and their allies to try to capture Al-Bukamal, and thereby block the only remaining border crossing between Syria and Iraq under Syrian government control.

The military reinforcements arrived two days after an attack by ISIS militants on a military bus Thursday evening, which led to the killing of 33 Syrian soldiers in the Al-Mayadeen desert as they traveled to a base at the T2 pumping station southeast of Deir Ezzor. 

The T2 pumping station was an ISIS stronghold until its capture by the Syrian army in 2017.

ISIS also launched an attack on a checkpoint of the Syrian army last Wednesday near the village of Maadan Ateeq, east of Raqqa, killing ten Syrian soldiers.

The Syrian military build-up in Deir Ezzor also comes as the Russian military targeted ISIS positions in the region from warships anchored off the Syrian coast. Russian forces fired highly destructive precision missiles in the early hours of yesterday, targeting the extremist organization in the deserts of Hama and Homs.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), Syria is witnessing the “most violent” escalation in ISIS activities since it was “eliminated geographically” in 2019.

According to the Syrian military, ISIS enjoys logistical support and training from US forces occupying the illegal Al-Tanf military base at the intersection of the borders between Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.

The US acknowledges training armed groups it calls the Free Syrian Army (FSA) inside the Al-Tanf base, while protecting a 55 km area around it.

Previous US support for ISIS was illustrated by a 2012 US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) document that indicated a Salafist principality like the one established by ISIS in 2014 would emerge in western Iraq and eastern Syria. The document indicated that this would be a positive outcome in the view of the US and its regional partners as part of their covert war against the Syrian government, which began in 2011.

For years, ISIS was able to quickly acquire US and Saudi-supplied weapons allegedly sent to other extremist groups in Syria fighting under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) brand. In some cases, US and Saudi-supplied weapons purchased in eastern Europe reached ISIS within two months, according to a study by the UK-based Conflict Armament Research.

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Al-Hindi to Al Mayadeen: PA did not fulfill promise given to PIJ

25 Jul 2023 

Source: Al Mayadeen

Mohammad Al-Hindi, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) speaks during an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen TV, Beirut, Lebanon, July 25, 2023.

By Al Mayadeen English

n an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen deputy chief of the PIJ, highlights the firm stance of the movement on the case of Palestinian Resistance fighters detained by the Palestinian Authority.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Mohammad, Al-Hindi, in an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, affirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to assert an image of a victory through which he could make a show of Israeli deterrence, but his plan failed in Jenin and its camp, achieving nothing.

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: " Netanyahu wanted the image of a victory through which he could affirm Israeli deterrence, but his plan failed in #Jenin and its camp, and achieved nothing."#Palestine https://t.co/tbBp1pBSQU

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

He emphasized “the unity of the Palestinian people and their factions” as “the foundation of Resistance,” as proven in the Battle of the Fury of Jenin, in which various factions in the city cooperated to defend Jenin from the Israeli occupation’s = incursion. Al-Hindi confirmed that during this battle, the Al-Quds Brigades – Jenin Brigade shared weapons and funds with fighters of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and other factions.

He also stated that “the Palestinian people currently possess good military capabilities, manufacturing their weapons in Gaza and the West Bank.”

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: "The #Palestinian people are currently equipped with good military capabilities, and are manufacturing their weapons in #Gaza and the #WestBank, as they did before." https://t.co/fgZBysAqzc

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

In his interview with Al Mayadeen, Al-Hindi asserted that the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, “proved that it can deter and confront the occupation,” adding that its military capabilities in Gaza and the West Bank have vastly improved.

Al-Hindi believed that “resistance in Palestine has become an individual, collective, and factional decision,” adding that “Al-Quds Brigades are at the forefront of the confrontation.” He further noted that “the battle [to free Palestine] is long and ongoing, and we realize that the price for ending the occupation in the West Bank is high, but we also believe that victory is on our side.”

PIJ will not attend the meeting of Secretaries-General in Cario

Regarding the Palestinian Authority, the Deputy Secretary-General stressed that the project of the [Palestinian ] Authority is based on compromise and negotiations [with the occupation] has failed, and the rise in settlement activity bears testament to this.”

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: "The PA's project, which is based on compromise and negotiations, has failed, and the increase in Israeli settlements is evidence of that."#Palestine https://t.co/2yBldimxEv

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

Al-Hindi added that the PA, headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has no role to play on the political level, but rather its role is limited to security matters.

Moreover, the official criticized the security apparatuses of the Palestinian Authority arrested Resistance fighters simply because they resist the occupation, without any legal charges raised against them.

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: "The PIJ will not participate in the meeting of Resistance Secretaries-General in Cairo if the #Palestinian Authority does not liberate detained #Resistance fighters." https://t.co/w5bdSJIxrw

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

Al-Hindi, in his exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, referred to a promise made by officials in the Palestinian Authority to release detained Resistance fighters in preparation for Abbas’s visit to the Jenin camp. However, this promise, he said, was not fulfilled.

He announced that the PIJ will not participate in the meeting of the secretaries-general in Cairo unless the PA releases the detained resistance fighters, adding that “Palestinian factions are making efforts to bring the points of views of [the Palestinian] Islamic Jihad and the [Palestinian] Authority closer together to ensure the success [of a possible] meeting”

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: "The #Palestinian factions are making efforts to bridge the points of view between the PIJ and the Palestinian Authority in order to make the #Cairo meeting a success."#Palestine https://t.co/lVEVVsmzPF

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

Moreover, the Deputy Secretary-General that the PIJ continues to communicate with its counterparts in the Fatah movement in hopes securing a release of the detainees.

He also revealed that the head of the General Intelligence Service of the PA, Major General Majid Faraj, called the Secretary-General of the PIJ, Ziyad Al-Nakhalah, but they did not meet in person.

Al-Hindi pointed out that the PIJ “has made various efforts to bring Fatah and Hamas closer, further stating that the movement welcomes any rapprochement between them.

Internal Israeli crisis to the benefit of Palestine

Regarding the ongoing political crisis in “Israel,” Al-Hindi said that the occupation is facing significant division between the Easterner and WesternerJews [Mizrahi and Ashkenazi jews], which concerns the United States.

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: "Israel faces a real crisis amid a great split between Easterners and Westerners, and this upsets the #UnitedStates." https://t.co/FKSzvGd2YL

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

Al-Hindi predicted that the phenomenon of reverse migration in “Israel” is bound to increase due to the turbulent situation in the occupation’s society. This turbulence and changes on the administrative levels, along with other developments in the region, especially the Iran-Saudi reconciliation, come in favor of the Palestinian people, according to Al-Hindi.

PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Hindi to #AlMayadeen: "The successive rounds of fighting in #Gaza and the #WestBank are a prelude to a major battle in which all battlefields will unite." https://t.co/rdZ52DEpdn

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 25, 2023

The Deputy Secreatry-General asserted that reunifying political opponents in “Israel” is difficult, and if Netanyahu considers launching an aggression on Palestinian cities to divert attention from the internal Israeli crisis, the Resistance in Gaza and the West Bank will respond and deter the occupation. 

Complete Video

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Jenin Brigades releases footage of the bombing of Israeli bulldozer

8 Jul 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen

scene from the footage released by Jenin Brigade on Telegram showing the bombing of an Israeli bulldozer (Social media)

By Al Mayadeen English

The footage released by the Jenin Brigades depicts the detonation of a Tariq 1 bomb near an IOF bulldozer during the IOF raid last Monday.

The Jenin Brigade shared these scenes on their Telegram account, under the authorized publication category. The footage showcases the engineering unit successfully detonating an explosive device known as Tariq 1 within the military bulldozer during the battle of Jenin.

This evening, the Jenin Brigades released footage depicting the moment when an Israeli occupation military bulldozer was detonated during its incursion into the Jenin camp last Monday.

#سرايا_القدس تنشر مشاهد لتفجير عبوة ناسفة نوع "طارق 1" في جرافة عسكرية ضمن معركة #بأس_جنين.#الميادين #فلسطين #جنين_عاصمة_المواجهة pic.twitter.com/0pxNWYBpYL

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) July 8, 2023

Al-Quds Brigades – Jenin Brigade celebrated on the victory of the Palestinian Resistance over the invading Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday. 

“The Palestinian Resistance, chiefly Al-Quds Brigades – Jenin Brigades, wrote in the battle of the Fury of Jenin the most magnificent epics of heroism and sacrifice,” the armed wing said. It cost the enemy heavy losses in this round of confrontations which will go down in the history of the struggle of the Palestinian people, it added.

The group thanked the steadfast Palestinian people residing in the Jenin camp, its countryside, and the cities that embraced its people. The Jenin Brigade also saluted the families of those martyred, injured, and detained during the battle for the great sacrifices they made.

On his part, Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh said, “All options to support Jenin and its people were on the table,” adding that the heroic operation in “Tel Aviv” and other acts of Resistance which took place all over Palestine came in support for Jenin and its people. 

He also added that Hamas sent clear messages to the occupation through third parties to inform it that the Resistance was aware of the situation in Jenin pushing it to stop its aggression on the camp.

Echoing Haniyeh’s remarks, the Al-Qassam Brigades congratulated the residents of the camp as well as its fighters, the fighters of Al-Quds Brigades, and those of Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, for their steadfastness during the battle.

Read more: Jenin Fury carving new rules of engagement, deterrence in WB: Analysis

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Israeli soldier killed in Hamas shooting operation

JUL 06, 2023

Reports indicate that the initial objective of the operation was to assassinate Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich

News Desk

A shooting operation was carried out on 6 July near the Kedumim settlement close to the northern occupied West Bank city of Qalqiliya, resulting in the killing of one Israeli soldier and the injury of at least two others. 

Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service initially said that at least one Israeli was seriously wounded, before announcing the death shortly afterwards. 

Palestinian media outlets claimed the shooting resulted in two injuries. 

According to Israeli army radio, the attacker got out of a vehicle and opened fire at two settlers near the Kedumim settlement before fleeing. 

He was found shortly afterwards and shot dead by Israeli troops. Footage on social media allegedly shows the Israeli forces opening fire at the attacker. 

Footage purportedly from the scene shows Israeli security forces opening fire pic.twitter.com/ixTaoPIF56

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 6, 2023

Israeli news outlet Ynet claimed that the shooting took place near “an axis that connects Kedumim to Nablus, an area where there have been many attacks in the past.” 

Hamas’ Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades has claimed responsibility for the operation, and the executor has been identified as  resistance fighter Ahmad Yasin Ghaidhan, from the village of Qibya west of Ramallah. 

According to Israeli media, the soldier killed was serving in the Givati Brigade of the Israeli army.

Reports indicate that the initial objective of the operation was to assassinate Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The shooting comes one day after the end of Israel’s brutal operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where they were driven out by the resistance after besieging the city and its refugee camp, killing 12, injuring over 100, and displacing thousands. 

One day before the withdrawal from Jenin on 5 July, ten Israelis were wounded in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv. 

Israel launched the operation in Jenin due to the growing presence of resistance factions there, particularly the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) Jenin Brigade, who led the fight against Israeli troops during the operation. 

Israeli Knesset member, Avichai Boaron, said following the shooting that the Israeli military operation should be expanded to include other areas of the West Bank, particularly Nablus, where the PIJ’s Nablus Brigade and other groups, such as the Lions’ Den, have also gained notoriety. 

Many referred to the Tel Aviv ramming-stabbing operation as a natural response to Israel’s brutal assault on Jenin, including Hamas, as well as well as media personalities such Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah. 

In a statement following the shooting on 6 July, the PIJ praised “the heroic [operation] in the Kedumim settlement, which comes as a response to the occupation’s crimes against our people.” 

Syrian Defense: Militant bases in Idlib destroyed in today’s strikes

25 Jun 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen

Smoke rises after Syrian government and Russian airstrikes hit Al-Habeet, southern Idlib, Syria on May 3, 2019. (AP)

By Al Mayadeen English

A site belonging to the armed groups in Idlib countryside was targeted by the joint air strikes of the Syrian and Russian forces according to SANA.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its army destroyed militant headquarters in cooperation with the Russian Air Force, leaving casualties among the armed militants.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported on Sunday that the Syrian army’s artillery continued to target militants, their fortifications, and weapons depots in Idlib’s countryside.

A site belonging to the armed groups in the Idlib countryside was targeted by the joint air strikes of the Syrian and Russian forces according to SANA.

According to the Syrian Defense Ministry, also targeted were warehouses of militants in the countryside, and drone launching sites were also destroyed.

In a statement issued today, Sunday, the ministry stated that the targeted sites were destroyed, “including weapons, ammunition, and drones,” and confirmed dozens of militant casualties and several injuries. 

Local sources told Al Mayadeen that the warplanes targeted armed groups that had been bombing civilian sites in the countryside of Hama and Latakia over the past two days.

In its statement, Syria’s Defense Ministry pointed out that the recent attacks by armed groups claimed the lives of a number of civilians, and also caused great material damage to the property of the people, which necessitated the targeting of these specific strikes.

It also further revealed that among the dead as a result of the air strikes were a number of leaders of the armed terrorist groups.

Earlier, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Syria reported that the movements of armed groups were targeted in the vicinity of the town of Sarmin, in the southeastern countryside of Idlib.

The joint Syrian-Russian Air Force raids were carried out on military targets of the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” and the “Turkistani Islamic Party” in the countryside of Idlib and Latakia.

Local sources told Al-Mayadeen that “The warplanes targeted the armed groups that were bombing civilian sites in the countryside of Hama and Latakia, over the past two days.”

This comes after a Syrian citizen on Friday was martyred and two others were injured in a terrorist attack by two drones that targeted the outskirts of the city of Al-Qardahah in the Lattakia countryside and the town of Deir Shamil in the Hama countryside.

The state-run Syrian news agency SANA cited a security source as saying that one of the two missiles fired by a drone in Latakia fell in agricultural lands next to Al-Qardaha clinic, killing 25-year-old Mohammad Hani Sultana and injuring another citizen, while causing minor material damage to a building.

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IOF Soldier Wounded in Occupied West Bank by Palestinian Resistance Fighters

 June 2, 2023

An Israeli occupation soldier was wounded in a recent shooting operation near the “Homesh” settlement in the West Bank, according to Israeli media reports. The incident highlights the increasing frequency of resistance operations, which have taken the Israeli occupation by surprise despite heightened security measures

Hamas spokesperson, Abdul Latif Al-Qanou, stated that these operations are increasing in frequency throughout the occupied West Bank, causing instability, and disrupting the occupation’s heightened state of alert.

Shootings in the West Bank have been escalating, with more than 60 incidents reported in May, according to Israel Hayom.

Resistance fighters targeted a settler’s vehicle in the Al-Aghwar region on Thursday, with the IOF on high alert and searching for the shooter.

In another incident, a child and his father were injured when the IOF opened fire on their vehicle at the entrance of a town West of Ramallah. Activist Bilal Al-Tamimi reported that the IOF ambushed the vehicle, which was situated next to the checkpoint, and wounded the child in the head and his father in the shoulder.

lsraeli occupation forces shoot a Palestinian child south of Ramallah. Reports say injury is critical. pic.twitter.com/A43m16KPCM

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) June 1, 2023

In yet another operation, occupation forces stormed a Nablus town on Friday morning and detained liberated prisoner Maan Al-Shaer at his home.

تغطية صحفية: "قوات الاحتلال تقتحم بلدة برقة في نابلس فجر اليوم وتعتقل الأسير المحرر معن الشاعر من منزله". pic.twitter.com/vKfrR2kjEB

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) June 2, 2023

Some 46 Palestinians were treated for wounds during the raid on the Askar refugee camp which took place in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

Tensions have been running high in the occupied West Bank over the past year, with the Israeli military conducting violent raids under the pretext of detaining what it calls “wanted” Palestinians.

As a result of these attacks, at least 112 Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested in 2023.

Finally, Hamas Resistance Movement held a rally in Gaza after Friday Prayer in support of Al-Quds against the Israeli occupation.

Source: Palestinian Agencies

The Qatar-Syria stand off: Enemies to the end

For various reasons related to political leverage, regional grandstanding, and outright animosity, Qatar is likely to remain the last Arab state to return to Syria.

May 05 2023

Photo Credit: The Cradle

ByThe Cradle’s Syria Correspondent

While most Arab countries have already moved to reestablish relations with the Syrian government – in line with a regional and international recognition of the failure to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad after a dozen years – some Arab states, led by Qatar, are out of sync, opposing rapprochement with Damascus.

Doha’s ongoing refusal to normalize ties with Damascus raises many questions, especially as it contradicts the trend of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, under Saudi leadership, to restore relations with Syria to their pre-war levels.

It also contradicts the attempts of Qatar’s only regional strategic ally, Turkiye, to resolve its differences with Damascus, abandon its decade-long enmity with Syria, in a Russian-mediated effort to solve a wide range of problems between the two neighbors. The most prominent of these issues is the removal of Turkish troops from northern Syrian territories, the crisis of Syrian refugees and displaced civilians on both sides of the border, and the growing capabilities of US-backed, secessionist Kurds leading a “self-administration” project inside large swathes of eastern and northern Syria, which Turkiye sees as a threat to its soft underbelly.

Today, Qatar appears to be virtually the only Arab regional state actively toeing the rejectionist position of the US and EU in refusing to open up to the government in Damascus.

The Qatari betrayal of Syria

With the ascension of President Assad to power in 2000, Syrian-Qatari relations witnessed a significant improvement, reaching a climax with Israel’s July 2006 war on Lebanon and then its 2008 war on the Gaza Strip.

Qatar’s public posture appeared firmly supportive of both the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance, and Doha became a major funder of the post-war reconstruction of areas destroyed by Israeli attacks. This coincided with the improvement of relations between Qatar and Hamas, the Palestinian resistance’s most prominent faction.

Between 2000 and 2011, relations between Doha and Damascus strengthened outside of the conventional political arena. Assad and former Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani struck up a personal relationship, and the latter paid numerous visits to Damascus.

With the 2011 outbreak of unrest in Syria, signs of a clear and unexpected Qatari shift began via Al-Jazeera – Doha’s most prominent media outlet – and its biased, often inciteful coverage of events in Syria. Sequentially, the political stances of Qatar, Hamas, and Turkiye began to change, with Doha and Ankara pressing for Damascus to alter its position on the banned Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood – designated a terrorist organization – and to include it in governance.

When Damascus completely rejected the Qatari and Turkish demands, the unrest in Syria turned from civil disobedience to armed assault, which began to expand rapidly throughout the country. Turkiye opened its borders to foreign fighters from all over the world, with Arab states of the Persian Gulf funding – initially led by Qatar – amounting to billions of dollars, according to the Financial Times.

As the war on Syria expanded, a US-led alliance was formed to train Syrian fighters, and two command centers were established, “MOC” (Military Operations Command) in Jordan, and “MOM” (Müşterek Operasyon Merkezi) in Turkiye.

The task of overthrowing the Syrian government was transferred to Riyadh, led by former intelligence chief Bandar Bin Sultan, who demanded a budget of $2 trillion, according to Bin Jassim. With the growing emergence of “jihadi” terrorist organizations, led by ISIS and the Nusra Front, Syrian authorities lost control over massive swathes of territory and a partial blockade was imposed on Damascus.

The Syrian war entered a new phase in 2015, after Russian military forces intervened at the request of Damascus. Less than a month later, the US launched an “international coalition” to militarily intervene in Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS. This changed the contours of the war map. With the help of foreign allied forces, including Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, the Syrian government regained control of much of the country, and established the ‘Astana process’ with Russia, Turkiye, and Iran to demilitarize areas outside of US and Kurdish separatist control.

Qatar’s continued Syrian role

Despite an ostensible decline in Qatar’s role in the Syrian war, Doha has not followed in the footsteps of most Gulf countries, who recognized their efforts to unseat Assad had failed. Even the Saudis, who played an oversized role in the assault against Damascus, dialed down their rhetoric against Syria in recent years, and have now moved to reconcile with Assad and his government.

Instead, Qatar’s adversarial footprint in Syria has continued unabated. It maintains its relationships with various Syrian opposition factions, including the Al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front (which controls Idlib and areas in the countryside of Aleppo), and has transformed the Syrian embassy in Doha into an operations room for adversaries of Syria.

Syrian opposition sources tell The Cradle that Doha continues its ties with all the armed factions in northern Syria, including the Levant Front, the National Army – which it co-funds with Turkiye – and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

These relationships guarantee Doha – which has pumped billions of dollars into the Syrian war – a desirable modicum of influence in northern and northwestern Syria. The Qataris have bet heavily on the jihadist factions there; these militias are less expensive to maintain because of their efficiencies in self-financing and on the battlefield. Furthermore, the jihadi groups have ultimately proven to be more loyal to Qatar’s interests, especially Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

Likewise, the presence of more than a million Syrians in hundreds of encampments near the Turkish border provides Doha – which has financed the construction of towns for the displaced in this region – with additional leverage to be used on Damascus when the moment arises.

This partially explains the reasons for Qatar’s continued refusal to restore relations with Damascus and approve the return of Syria to the Arab League. Doha seeks to exert leverage and extract a price from the Assad government in any future Syrian solution. But there are several other factors that impact Qatari intransigence on the Syrian issue:

First, Qatar currently hosts the largest US Central Command (CENTCOM) military base in West Asia, and Washington outright rejects any and all rapprochement initiatives with Damascus.

Second, is Assad’s refusal to normalize relations with Turkiye pending a wholesale withdrawal of Turkish military forces from occupied Syrian territories. So long as Syrian-Turkish differences remain unresolved, Doha will not move to improve its own ties with Damascus.

Third, is Syria’s own refusal to normalize relations with Qatar without the latter paying a substantial price for its role in inciting, expanding, and militarizing the conflict. Qatar is a small, wealthy emirate, far from Syria’s borders. Unlike other regional supporters of opposition militias – such as Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the UAE, who exercise substantial regional influence – Qatar has little value for Damascus other than the outsized wealth it can contribute to Syria’s reconstruction.

However, these deeply-embedded Syrian-Qatari differences do not preclude Syria’s return to the Arab League fold, from which it was suspended in 2011. Qatar cannot afford to exercise a veto on Syria’s return all by itself, nor will the organization tolerate being held up on this critical inter-Arab issue solely based on Doha’s stubborn refusal.

On 7 May, Arab foreign ministers will meet in Cairo specifically to discuss Syria’s Arab League restitution. Arab diplomatic sources inform The Cradle that the mere convening of the League Council at this extraordinary political level means that there is an agreement to endorse the Syrian return. They say that the council is likely to discuss two proposals: The first, submitted by Saudi Arabia, will require Qatar to abstain from voting, and the second is for Syria to initially return to the League as an “observer,” with the provision that it regains its full membership next year.

As for Kuwait and Morocco, which also ostensibly reject Syria’s return, the diplomatic sources reveal that Saudi Arabia has managed to persuade them not to oppose its proposal, which will make it easier for Doha “not to oppose what the member states of the Arab League are unanimously agreed upon.”

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.

Keywords

Arab LeagueBashar al-AssadHayat Tahrir al ShamNusra FrontQatarSaudi ArabiaSyriaSyrian normalizationTurkeyTurkiye

Sayyed Nasrallah, Haniyeh discuss Palestine developments

9 Apr 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen Net

By Al Mayadeen English 

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah meets with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, and the leaders discussed the latest developments in occupied Palestine.

• Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, right, meeting with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, June 29, 2021. (AP)

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah received on Saturday Hamas the chief of Hamas’s Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and his deputy, Saleh Al-Arouri, both of whom were heading a Hamas delegation.

Sayyed Nasrallah discussed with the Hamas delegation the latest developments in occupied Palestine and the incidents that were taking place in Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the uptick in resistance in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah’s media relations office said in a statement.

The parties to the meeting discussed the latest regional political developments, as well as the preparedness of the axis of resistance and the coordination and cooperation of all of its members in the face of the latest challenges.

The meeting comes in light of tensions in Al-Aqsa Mosque over the continuous Israeli raids against it, as well as the brutalization of Palestinians stationing themselves in the holy site.

The Israeli occupation forces on Sunday turned the courtyards of Al-Aqsa mosque into military barracks in a bid to provide protection for the illegal settlers storming the Muslim holy site on the fourth day of Passover.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Al-Quds said scores of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in Groups from the Moroccan Gate, adding that they carried out provocative tours and performed some rites under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces.

Occupied Al-Quds has witnessed stark tensions since the onset of the week, which kicked off with the Israeli occupation raiding the holy site and assaulting the Palestinians who are stationed there as part of the religious practice of Itikaf.

The IOF’s provocations sent settlers into a frenzy, with Israeli media reporting that the current situation resembled the time leading up to the Seif Al-Quds battle, adding that “an incident in Al-Aqsa can also be dragged into a wide confrontation” this time.

The first round of aggression spurred up a week of Israeli violence and Palestinian confrontation that spread all over the occupied state in various forms, from rallies to resistance operations.

The raids have drawn international condemnation and sparked concerns within the Israeli occupation about the severity of the security situation and how the occupation’s actions were backfiring.

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Resistance Confronts Israeli Tripartite Aggression in Al-Quds, Gaza, Lebanon

 April 7, 2023

Smoke rise in south Lebanon following Israeli strikes on open areas on Thursday, April 7, 2023 (photo by Al-Manar reporter Ali Shoeib).

The Israeli occupation goes ahead with its aggression in Palestine’s Gaza and Al-Quds, with Lebanon coming on the scene on Friday as Israeli warplanes launch several strikes on the country’s south.

Al-Manar correspondent Samer Hajj Ali said three Israeli strikes targeted at dawn on Thursday open areas in Qlayle, Ras Al-Ein and region surrounding Rashidiyya refugee camp.

For its part, the Israeli occupation military confirmed the strikes, claiming they targeted “infrastructure” of Hamas resistance movement in Lebanon.

Israeli army will not allow Hamas “to operate from Lebanon and considers the state of Lebanon responsible for all fire from its territory,” the occupation military said in a statement.

Al-Manar reporter Ali Shoeib posted a photo showing damage caused by the strikes on an open area in Qlayle valley and the vicinity of Rashidiyya camp.

اضرار الغارة الإسرائيلية التي استهدفت أحد البساتين في سهل القليلة و خراج مخيم الرشيدية فجر اليوم . pic.twitter.com/ylLvri3K1Z

— علي شعيب || Ali Shoeib 🇱🇧 (@alishoeib1970) April 7, 2023

Following the strike, Hamas issued a statement, stressing that the Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for the attack on Rashidiyya camp.

It stressed that the attack represents the true image of the Israeli occupation’s criminality.

Al-Aqsa

Meanwhile in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), thousands of Palestinian worshipers defied Israeli attacks and repressive measures and performed Al-Fajr (dawn) prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli occupation forces assault Palestinian worshipers making their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Fajer prayer near Bab Hitta in occupied #Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/JEIEOu4NTz

— AlQastal News (@QastalNewsEn) April 7, 2023

Following the prayers, Palestinians took to courtyards of the holy compound and held a protest, voicing support to the resistance and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

Palestinian worshipers held a protest at the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem following Fajer prayer.#AlAqsaUnderAttack #AlAqsaMosqueUnderAttack #FreePalestine 🇵🇸#IsraeliTerrorists #IsraelIsATerrorState #SaveAlAqsaMosque #SaveAlAqsa #IsraeliCrimes… pic.twitter.com/SDp0CuN8TP

— Mona (@ML35209678) April 7, 2023

Earlier, Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad Palestinian resistance movement, warned the Israeli enemy that Al-Aqsa Mosque is a red line.

In a video, Al-Quds Brigades fighters were shown preparing rockets to fire at the occupied territories in a clear warning to the Israeli occupation.

The video was concluded with a statement in Arabic and Hebrew: “Al-Aqsa is a red line.”

Meanwhile, Al-Quds Brigades spokesman Abu Hamza that the resistance is proceeding its retaliation in support of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On his Telegram account, Abu Hamza said: “Our Jihad is going ahead.”

Gaza Strikes

On the other hand, Gaza was subjected to aerial attacks that targeted several areas across the coastal enclave, with the Paslestinian resistance retaliating with firing rockets at the settlements bordering Gaza.

Palestinian media reported several strikes across Gaza, as the occupation military claimed targeting sites belonging to Hamas.

The resistance, meanwhile, fired several barrages of rockets at Israeli settlements bordering Gaza, with Israeli media reporting that at least 40 missiles were launched.

Source: Palestinian adn Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manr English Website)

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محور المقاومة متوثباً: فلسطين لم تعد وحيدة!

  الجمعة 7 نيسان 2023

(أ ف ب )

ابراهيم الأمين

لندع لغيرنا أن يلبس القفازات في مقاربته لما يجري. ولسنا أصلاً في وارد التماثل مع إعلام العدو الذي صار، عقداً بعد عقد، أكثر ارتباطاً بالمؤسسة الحاكمة، وأكثر خضوعاً للرقابة العسكرية التي لم تعد تكتفي بمنع ما تعتبره تهديداً أمنياً، بل صارت تتصرف وفق منطق الرقيب الذي نعرفه نحن العرب جيداً. علماً أن العدو لم يجد بعد علاجاً لمعضلة النشر العشوائي على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، فتراه يتكل على «وطنية» الشعب الذي لا يورط بلاده في أزمة، في انتظار أن يصدر تشريع يجرم من يقول ما لا يجب قوله.

ما حصل أمس لم يكن مفاجئاً لكل من هو عارف أو منخرط في الصراع المفتوح بين محور المقاومة والعدو. فكرة القيام بعمليات ضد العدو انطلاقاً من لبنان، ليست مرتبطة بجدول أعمال من يعيشون على هامش الأحداث الجوهرية في المنطقة والعالم. وإسرائيل أكثر من يعرف الأمر ويعي خطورته. شكل القصف الذي استهدف نهاراً وليلاً مستوطنات العدو في الجليل الغربي أو في إصبع الجليل، ربما لم يكن في حسابات كثيرين، ومن بينهم جهات في كيان الاحتلال. لكن التوقيت كان متوقعاً في ظل لعبة الاختبار التي يقوم بها العدو من خلال عمليات الاستفزاز في القدس المحتلة. وأكثر ما يجعل بعض أركان العدو، وعواصم أجنبية ودولاً عربية، وقوى كثيرة في لبنان، لا يضعون في حساباتهم احتمال انخراط الساحة اللبنانية في الصراع، هم الذين لا يزالون يحسبون الأمور وفق مقاس ما يعرف بالضغط الداخلي على حزب الله نتيجة الأزمات القائمة في لبنان. حتى أن بعض أصحاب هذه النظرية، اعتبروا أن الاتفاق السعودي – الإيراني سيكون له تأثيره لجهة تجميد الجبهة اللبنانية، كما كان هناك من اعتبر أو قرأ تفاهم الترسيم البحري على أنه بوابة الهدوء المفتوح على الجبهة الشمالية لكيان الاحتلال.

ببساطة شديدة، ما قام عشية معركة سيف القدس وبعدها، أنهى مرحلة من التنسيق الموضعي بين القوى المنخرطة في مقاومة الاحتلال. وانطلق بعدها قطار كبير يصل عواصم بمدن ومحاور تغطي العالم العربي كله، وهو قطار مفتوح لمن هو قادر على تحمل المسؤولية وكلفة الانخراط في معركة كبيرة ستقود حتماً إلى المواجهة المنتظرة التي يراهن أهل الأرض على أنها ستنهي كيان الاحتلال تماماً.

قبل أربعة عقود، قال كثيرون، من قصيري النظر والممتنعين عن تحمل المسؤولية والمتخاذلين والمنخرطين في مشروع العدو، إن العصر الإسرائيلي ثبت نفسه بعد غزو بيروت عام 1982. بعدها بعقد، اعتبر هؤلاء أنفسهم، بعد التسوية مع قيادة منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية واتفاق أوسلو المشؤوم، أن لا جدوى من مقاومة الاحتلال. ورفضوا الإقرار بالنتائج التي تدحرجت من تحرير العام 1985 إلى انتفاضة العام 1987 وصولاً إلى صمود المقاومة في لبنان وفلسطين وانتصاراتها بين العامين 1992 و1997، وصولاً إلى تحرير العام 2000 في لبنان، والعام 2005 في غزة، وصمود العام 2006. مع ذلك، فإن الجميع بات يعرف أن المقاومة ليست فقط ذات جدوى فحسب، بل هي قادرة على حماية منجزاتها، وتتقدم خطوات كبيرة صوب الهدف الأكبر. وبالتالي، على من يعتقد أن الحديث عن التحرير الكامل لفلسطين ضرب من الجنون، أن يهدأ قليلاً ويعيد النظر في كل ما جرى خلال أربعة عقود، ليعرف أن الحلم ليس مستحيلاً.

ولأن الحلم ليس مستحيلاً، يجب توفير عناصر النجاح والقوة الكافية له، وهذا ما استوجب المساعي الهائلة التي حصلت في الأعوام الأخيرة نحو توحيد السياسات الاستراتيجية، السياسية والأمنية، في مواجهة العدو. وهو ما فتح الباب أمام ورشة ضخمة تعمل من دون توقف لترسيخ قواعد هذا التحالف. والأمر يرتبط أيضاً بالتجارب المباشرة، وهو ما يحصل من خلال المواجهات المفتوحة عسكرياً وأمنياً مع العدو في أكثر من ساحة.

وعليه، فإن فكرة توحيد الساحات والجبهات لم تعد شعاراً يعمل لتثبيت قواعده بصورة عملانية، بل صار إمكانية متاحة، والعدو هو أكثر جهة على وجه الكرة الأرضية تعرف حقيقة ما يجري. وكل نشاطه الأمني والاستخباراتي والتعاون السياسي القائم بينه وبين دول عربية وغربية، وكل أنشطته العدوانية، تعكس فهمه الدقيق لهذه الحقيقة.
لكن، ثمة خطوات يقوم بها العدو تبدو خارج الحسابات المنطقية. والمقصود، هنا، ليس انتقاصاً من مهنية مؤسساته السياسية أو العسكرية أو الأمنية، لكنه يشعر أنه بات محشوراً في زاوية لا يمكنه التعامل معها بصمت أو بتقييد نفسه، ولذلك يصبح مضطراً لاجتراح حلول لأزمته، وغالباً ما يلجأ إلى القوة التي تمثل عنصراً مركزياً في بنائه العام، ويندفع إلى اعتداءات تفرض معادلات جديدة.

توحيد الساحات والجبهات لم يعد شعاراً يعمل لتثبيت قواعده بل صار إمكانية متاحة والعدو أكثر من يعرف حقيقة ما يجري

الحاصل منذ عامين حتى الآن، أن العدو يحاول كسر الحلقة التي تجمع قوى وعواصم محور المقاومة. لكنه يعرف أن الحسابات باتت تقيده في كثير من الساحات. وفي معركة «وحدة الساحات» التي خاضتها حركة الجهاد الإسلامي، كان العدو حريصاً على عدم القيام بأي عمل من شأنه جر حركة حماس إلى المواجهة. وكما فعل في «سيف القدس»، بأن تجنب أي خطوة غير محسوبة في الجبهة الشمالية لعدم فتح الباب أمام حزب الله للقيام بعمل كبير مساند للمقاومة في فلسطين، فهو يلجأ إلى خيارات العمل الأمني في ساحات مثل لبنان وإيران، لكنه يتكل على «عقدة قائمة» على الجبهة السورية، ما يتيح له توجيه ضربات تلو أخرى، لا تعطل برنامج محور المقاومة، وإن كانت تتسبب بإزعاج، وتتحول عنصر ضغط على القيادة السورية. ومع ذلك، لم يحقق العدو الأهداف التي يريدها.

عملياً، نحن أمام مستوى جديد من تشابك أذرع قوى المقاومة في المنطقة. ما حصل أمس، هو إشارة عملانية إلى أن الجبهة الشمالية، بقضها وقضيضها، مستعدة لخوض المعركة بكل ما تتطلبه إذا تجاوز العدو حدوداً معينة، سواء في القدس أو أمكنة أخرى. وهو لمس، طوال الساعات الماضية، أن الاستعداد لم يعد هذه المرة يقصر على ساحة. وهو أبدى خشيته، للمرة الأولى، من أن يشارك اليمن في الحرب، وأن يعمد أنصار الله إلى توجيه ضربات ذات طابع استراتيجي إذا تطلب الأمر، كما يعرف أن قادة حماس والجهاد الإسلامي في بيروت الآن، وسمع إسماعيل هنية وزياد النخالة يتحدثان عن جاهزية مقاتلي الحركتين في كل أماكن تواجدهم، وليس في الساحة الفلسطينية فحسب، كما يدرك أن حزب الله لن يقبل أي تهديد، وسمع ما قاله رئيس المجلس التنفيذي في حزب الله السيد هاشم صفي الدين من أن القدس ليست وحيدة في المعركة. وحتى الرسالة التي وصلت بطريقة ملتبسة حول احتمال لجوء العدو إلى اغتيال قياديين من حماس في لبنان، بعد تحميل الحركة المسؤولية عن القصف الصاروخي، فإن الجواب عليها كان باستعادة كلام الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصرالله الذي سبق أن حذر من أن المساس بأي مقاوم على الأراضي اللبنانية، بمعزل عن جنسيته، ستعده المقاومة عدواناً مباشراً عليها، وسترد عليه بقسوة وبسرعة، وحتى إن قرر العدو توجيه ضربات موضعية ضد لبنان، فهو يعرف أن الموضعي هنا، يعني اللاشيء، أما إذا تعرض أمن سكان جنوب لبنان لأي نوع من الخطر، فسيكون هناك رد من جانب المقاومة…

منذ أسابيع، تلقى العدو كل ما يلزم من إشارات إلى أن الجبهة المواجهة له متأهبة لخوض أعنف المعارك، وعلى أكثر من ساحة، وبأكثر من مستوى، وما على العدو إلا النظر إلى أوضاعه الداخلية، وإلى حالة الانتفاضة القائمة أو الكامنة في فلسطين التاريخية، وفي جوارها الساخن، وبيده القرار: إما يستسلم للوقائع الجديدة، أو يسير إلى حتفه بقدميه!

من ملف : محور المقاومة يتحرّك: القدس ليست وحدها

مقالات ذات صلة

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• عدوان على غزة ليلاً
• بعد خطاب نتنياهو… فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية من بيروت: لن نقف مكتوفي الأيدي
• محور المقاومة يتحرّك: القدس ليست وحدها
• الأقصى يواصل ملحمته: تحدّي منع التقسيم

Hamas spox to Al Mayadeen: ‘Israel’ to pay, escalation unstoppable

8 Mar 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen Net

By Al Mayadeen English 

Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem announces that the Resistance is ready and continues to prepare itself for the engagement with IOF in case the latter cross the red lines.

Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem (Archive)

Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem confirmed, on Wednesday, that the Israeli occupation, with its behavior, has made the escalation unavoidable, not only in Palestine but in the entire region as well.

Qassem said, during an interview for Al Mayadeen, that “in parallel to the Israeli policy that may push in the direction of a big explosion, there is an increase in resistance and confrontation.”

"حكومة الاحتلال بسلوكها تدفع الأمور إلى تصعيد ليس فقط في #فلسطين بل في المنطقة"

المتحدث باسم حركة #حماس حازم قاسم لـ #الميادين#جنين_تقاوم pic.twitter.com/FOsv5IUYNm

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) March 8, 2023

The Hamas Spokesperson explained that “we are amid a major gradual escalation, contrary to all of Washington’s false claims about de-escalation.”

Qassem also pointed out that “the Resistance in Gaza, and specifically Al-Qassam Brigades, said its patience is running out in the face of Israeli attacks.”

"نحن في أتون تصعيد متدرج كبير بخلاف كل ما تتحدث عنه #واشنطن زوراً من خفض للتصعيد"

المتحدث باسم حركة #حماس حازم قاسم لـ #الميادين#جنين_تقاوم pic.twitter.com/FvETUOvkhg

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) March 8, 2023

The spokesperson also stressed that “the Resistance is ready and preparing itself for taking action in the event that the occupation crosses the red lines,” adding that “the Resistance in Gaza provides a firm ground for Resistance operations across the West Bank.”

Qassem said, “The price that the occupation will pay in the event of any confrontation with Gaza will be too heavy for the occupation government and Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to handle.” Moreover, the occupation is “terrified of Gaza possibly taking part in this battle” and, as such, is “instigating mediations out of fear” of the situation.

Regarding the US stance vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause, Qassem said, “The US position is always supportive of the occupation, and therefore it can never be relied upon.”

After Jenin massacre, ‘Israel’ fears response from Resistance

Israeli media reported that the Israeli security and military establishment is preparing for “retaliatory operations” after the Israeli Special Forces operation (Yamam) in Jenin yesterday, which led to the martyrdom of six Palestinians, including the one who carried out the Huwara operation.

The IOF carried out arrests, including the two sons of the Palestinian who carried out the Huwara operation, Abd Al-Fattah Kharrousha, whom the Al-Qassam Brigades mourned, while the IOF claimed that his two sons were involved in carrying out the shooting.

On March 7, occupation police issued “an order to double the state of vigilance and have a prominent presence in Al-Quds,” according to Israeli media. 

Palestinian Resistance factions, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, threatened to take revenge for the Israeli attack, during which a house was besieged and its occupants targeted. 

The West Bank mourns its martyrs and the resistance factions call for a general mobilization

Occupied Palestine || A number of Palestinians were killed and injured when the Israeli occupation forces stormed Jenin and its camp

A general strike in the West Bank in response to the massacre of the Zionist enemy in Jenin

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Syria is Fighting for its Life

MARCH 5, 2023

Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° 

Vanessa Beeley

On the 4th March ISIS terrorists attacked a group of civilians while they were collecting truffles in the Dwizin area of Aqayribat district, east of Hama City. Accurate information is scarce but reports indicate many civilians were killed and wounded in the attack. It is also possible that the ISIS terrorists took hostages. This is the third such attack since the earthquake hit Syria on 6th February – designed to strike fear into already traumatised civilians.

Watch UK Column report with my section on Syria:

Assad: Earthquake Repercussions Belong to Cumulative Case of War, Terrorist Sabotage, Embargo & Its Effects

Feb 17, 2021

By Staff, SANA

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad gave a speech on Thursday night in which he tackled the repercussions of the earthquake that struck the country.

“A homeland is a home, and its protection is a duty, regardless of the type and magnitude of the challenge, and regardless of the capabilities. This was the case since the first moments of the earthquake,” Assad underlined at the beginning of his speech.

The Syrian president’s speech detailed all repercussions of the tragedy, stating the following:

This deep and overwhelming sense towards the homeland, our home, Syria, was felt by the one family inhabiting it, individuals and institutions. And there was this massive surge on the part of everyone to protect, save and help their brothers and sisters affected by the earthquake in Aleppo, Lattakia and Hama. This national patriotic and humanitarian scene is not surprising for any of us; for we have felt it at different turns of the war on Syria. But now, it is clearer and more comprehensive. More importantly, it is more expressive, for it comes after twelve years of war and embargo, with the accompanying death, sabotage and lack of resources on the national level.

However, despite the cruelty of all this, it has not changed the essence of our feeling and our thinking towards each other and towards the homeland, whether it is the land or the people inhabiting it, towards its concepts, customs and traditions.

If this war has exhausted and drained a lot of the national resources, and weakened the capabilities to face more crises, this war itself gave the Syrian society the expertise and the ability to act quickly and effectively in the early hours of the earthquake.

The magnitude of the disaster and the tasks that we should all shoulder are much larger than the available capabilities. However, what our society, its individuals and institutions, was capable of doing was also much larger than the available capabilities. This was not only because of the war and the sanctions, but also because Syria has not been an earthquake area for about two and a half centuries. Neither the buildings nor the institutions nor the equipment were prepared for different types of natural disasters. This made it the first challenge of its kind, and the largest of its kind. Nothing compensated for those weaknesses except the quick and highly effective response of the government, civil-society organizations and individuals who volunteered in the rescue work, those who made in kind or financial donations, residents and expatriates. They have tried every possible way to break the embargo in order to provide every possible assistance to their disaster-affected brothers and sisters. This is in addition to the emergency aid sent by sisterly and friendly countries, which constituted a significant support for the national efforts to alleviate the impact of the earthquake and save many of the injured.

However, from the experiences of other countries in this area, earthquakes have immediate and long-term effects. What we shall face for months and years, in terms of economic, social and service challenges is no less important than what we faced during the first days. And it needs a lot of thinking, dialogue, solidarity and organization on the part of all national sectors. It is important not to look at the repercussions as a separate case related exclusively to the earthquake; for it is a cumulative case of war, terrorist sabotage, the embargo and its effects and of the earthquake recently. Added to this are faults that have accumulated in different sectors for decades before the war.

The scene might look complicated, and it might be difficult to categorize the reasons leading to each problem separately. But it might give us an opportunity to solve those accumulated problems in an interrelated manner. This means moving from addressing the negative aspects of the emergency conditions into the positive aspects of comprehensive treatment. And it means moving forward instead of standing fixed in facing crises. This cannot happen all at once, but in a prioritized manner depending on the available capabilities, and in stages. But what is important is having the vision based on a national consensus and a broad dialogue.

But even then, we need to continue dealing with the repercussions of the earthquake step by step. After completing the rescue stage, providing emergency shelters and the basic requirement in terms of food, clothes and medicine, which have been done so far. The relevant government institutions have started to provide temporary housing, until permanent housing is provided at a later stage.

Creating a fund for supporting the affected people is under study. The fund aims at supporting them until they become capable of restoring the different aspects of their life capabilities. This will happen after the damage is assessed, and criteria are drawn for the identification of those covered and the support provided. All this should be done in parallel with curbing economic decline which usually hits affected areas and impacts the national economy in general. The necessary legislation will be passed and measures taken in order to alleviate the economic burdens on their population and accelerate the economic cycle there. These have been started to be examined before being presented for discussion and taking the appropriate decisions in the next few days. There are also some other ideas which have been proposed recently and will be announced by the relevant institutions, after being properly examined, discussed and their feasibility ensured.

When societies suffer different kinds of earthquakes, geological, political, military, cultural, social or other kinds of violent tremors, they are bound to lose part of their stability, because their institutional and social controls are shaken. This includes laws, regulations, concepts, traditions and morals. This, in turn, gives rise to negative aspects already there, but have been latent or limited as a result of those controls.

Enthusiasm and vigor in treating these manifestations which appear on the surface are necessary in crises, provided they are based on wisdom and awareness, on facts not exaggeration and illusions. So, let’s look for the truth instead of promoting rumors which have eclipsed scenes of heroism, sacrifice, devotion, solidarity and the unlimited enthusiasm we have seen during the hours and days which followed the earthquake. For they will send messages of frustration to all those who have made that amazing and extraordinary patriotic scene, and promote instead an image at odds with the pure and honorable image we have drawn in the minds of others.

Is there an event, small or large, that can obscure the images of heroism projected by our national civil and military institutions, civil society, and individual volunteers involved in rescue work like a beehive, day and night? They are credited with all that has been achieved. They have born the homeland, with all its hopes and pain, in unlimited enthusiasm and forbearance and great sacrifice. They have embodied the homeland in all its beautiful meanings and noble values.

Was it this spontaneous popular surge to support the disaster-affected with a flood of good that suspended their poverty and need? It was a surge of activity and feeling which equaled the well-off, who gave without being asked, and the needy, who cut some of their limited resources and daily sustenance in order to help a disaster affected person. They have been a real and live model of morals in their noblest manifestations, patriotism in its deepest meanings and humanity in its most sublime attributes.

Can we ever forget those who have mobilized in order to defend the real image of our society in the different mass and social media, not allowing the distorted image that some people have been trying to market to affect our reputation as a society, and preventing that image from affecting its morals, solidarity and altruism, which is the highest value on the individual and collective levels?

There are many other stories and endless details, individuals, heroes, courageous and valiant persons who stand as role models for the present and guiding lights for the future.

For all those, residents and expatriates, who alleviated this painful tragedy with what they could, materially and morally, with something or with a word, we don’t say thank you, because loving one’s homeland, serving and defending it is a duty that does not require thanks, but we say to them: we are proud of you, and your homeland is proud of you.

In the midst of our pain and sadness for the victims, our pride in our compatriots, we should not omit to thank all the countries which have stood with us from the first hours of the disaster, our Arab brothers and our friends whose kind and field assistance have made the greatest impact in strengthening our capabilities to face the difficult circumstances in those critical hours.

I would like to thank in particular the rescue teams from different countries which took active part in rescue operations and continued to work until the last moments of hope of finding a live person under the rubble. They conducted their work with the same enthusiasm and devotion as their Syrian colleagues. They were real brothers. So, on behalf of every Syrian, we thank them and are grateful to them.

All of us in this homeland, Muslims and Christians, believe in God; and believing in God means believing in God’s will. For us, God’s will is a destiny which brings us things we like and things we dislike. If we are not in a position to comprehend God’s wisdom in the calamities and graces which befall us, and their reasons, we are certainly in a position to learn the lessons from them. The first and most important thing which we should learn from this tough experience, now that we have been able, together, with all parts of our spectrum and sectors, to overcome our circumstances and limited capabilities, is to believe in our own tremendous capabilities, and to believe that our solidarity enables us to do it and that our fragmentation stifles it.

So, let’s believe in God, believe in our homeland, in the will capable of making miracles when we possess it, in order for Syria to remain proud of its people, strong in its history, rich in its dignity, capable in its will.

What happened on February 6 in Syria and northern Alexandretta – Geologist Ammar Ajeeb

Special and continuous coverage of the repercussions of the devastating earthquake 2/17/2023, presented and interviewed by Bushra Zaini

Al-Ekhbariya camera monitors the conditions of the affected people and the damage caused by the earthquake in the village of Astamu in the countryside of Lattakia

• Gulf Media Outlets Broadcast Assad Speech on Earthquake Repercussions

Earthquake in Syria is Devastating Combined with Western Hybrid War

 FEBRUARY 6, 2023

Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° 

The barbaric Western sanctions combined with heating, fuel, and electricity shortages are causing absolute devastation in Syria’s quake-hit cities.

As if the region does not have enough to deal with! Sanctions, war & hybrid war, blockade, starvation, poverty, mass displacement, cholera, freezing temperatures, no electricity, no water, no heating, mass poverty and now an earthquake reported 8.1 at worst. 💔💔💔

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

The Syrian Arab Army is working with volunteer Fire Brigades and Civil Defence to search for survivors as storms continue to torment the rescuers and homeless #Syria pic.twitter.com/8BkyMAJG8G

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Buildings weakened by war are still collapsing hours after the earthquake. This is #Aleppo. Al Zbadia neighbourhood. pic.twitter.com/yGlZAMpRyE

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Al Masharqa, #Aleppo. 8 children's bodies have been found so far, in the rubble. 💔#Syria pic.twitter.com/ze7A9PEohd

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Fire brigades in Lattakia remind us that they lost comrades in the tragedy but all volunteers are working around the clock to rescue survivors. They are hampered by driving rain and wind as storms also batter Syria. The scale of the devastation is unbearable 💔 pic.twitter.com/1ffsp1c3Wx

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Search for survivors continues in Hama #Syria. A friend told me they spent all night on the street and that it was the most terrifying night of their lives. After 11 years war..that says something 💔 pic.twitter.com/otPm4A3tvp

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Antioch-Rehaniyya Road. pic.twitter.com/W7Hs6o8TmZ

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Buildings weakened by war are still collapsing hours after the earthquake. This is #Aleppo. Al Zbadia neighbourhood. pic.twitter.com/yGlZAMpRyE

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Buildings weakened by war are still collapsing hours after the earthquake. This is #Aleppo. Al Zbadia neighbourhood. pic.twitter.com/yGlZAMpRyE

— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 6, 2023

Over 2,300 killed as 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits Turkey, Syria

Monday, 06 February 2023 5:04 AM  [ Last Update: Monday, 06 February 2023 1:17 PM ]

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake has hit Turkey and Syria, killing over 2,300 people and trapping many others.

The quake struck at 04:17 am local time (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 17.9 kilometers (11 miles) and was followed by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock 15 minutes later, according to the US Geological Survey.

Turkey’s AFAD emergencies service center put the first quake’s magnitude at 7.4.

According to the head of Turkey’s disaster and emergencies management agency (AFAD) Yunus Sezer, the country’s death toll following the earthquake has risen to about 1,500 with thousands of buildings destroyed.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the earthquake as the country’s largest disaster since 1939.

People gather as rescuers search for survivors under the rubble, following an earthquake, in the Syria city of Jandaris, February 6, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)

The Ankara government has requested international aid amid the widespread devastation caused by the quake.

The president of the Turkish Red Crescent also urged the nation to make blood donations.

Kerem Kinik also said on Twitter the organization sending additional shipment of blood to the affected region.

The country’s vice president Fuat Oktay announced the suspension of schools in the 10 affected cities and provinces.

He also announced that flights to and from the airport in Hatay province have been suspended, while airports in Marash and Antep are also closed to civilian flights.

The quake leveled buildings across major cities in southern Turkey, including Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, and caught most people while they were still asleep.

“I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I’ve lived,” Erdem, a resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicenter, told Reuters. “We were shaken at least three times very strongly, like a baby in a crib.”

Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble, following an earthquake, in militant-held town of Jandaris, Syria, on February 6,2023. (Via Reuters)

The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, said it was concerned about areas in Turkey from which there had been no news following the overnight tremor.

“National authorities will be focusing on search and rescue at the moment,” a WHO spokesperson told Reuters in a statement, adding “Then we will expect an increased need for trauma care to treat the injured and to support the entire health system in affected areas.”

In Syria, the country’s official media as well as rescue teams working across the nation put the death toll at over 800.

The official SANA news agency, quoting the country’s health ministry, said the quake had killed at least 461 people and left at least another 1,326 injured, including the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Tartus.

Rescue teams said over 380 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in northwestern parts of the country, which are held by pro-Turkish militants.

A man carries away an injured child following an earthquake in the town of Jandaris, Syria, on February 6, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Reports said the Syrian border city of Harem in Idlib province was completely ruined by the quake.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad held an emergency cabinet meeting to review the damage and discuss the necessary measures, according to his office.

Raed Ahmed, who heads Syria’s National Earthquake Center, told Syrian media that this was “historically, the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the center.”

The tremors were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus.

People in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli ran into the street and took to their cars to get away from their buildings in case they collapsed, Reuters cited witnesses as saying.

Turkey is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. In 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed in the worst earthquake to hit the country in decades.

Putin offers condolences, aid to Turkey, Syria after quake

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences and offered Russian aid to Turkey and Syria following the deadly earthquake, the Kremlin said.

“We share the sadness and the pain of those who lost their loved ones and we hope for a speedy recovery for all the injured, and are ready to provide the assistance needed to overcome the impact of this natural disaster,” Putin said in a message to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

In a separate message to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin asked him to “convey words of sincere sympathy and support” to the families of the victims and said Russia was “ready to provide required assistance.”

People gather near a damaged site following an earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria, in this handout released by SANA on February 6, 2023. (via Reuters)

“Bashar al-Assad gratefully accepted this offer, and in the coming hours rescuers of the Russian emergencies ministry will fly to Syria,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

“The Turkish president warmly thanked Vladimir Putin for such a prompt and sincere reaction and said that he was giving instructions to the competent authorities of the country to accept the help of Russian rescuers,” it said.

Russia said it had emergency rescue Ilyushin-76 planes on standby to fly to the two countries.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu separately spoke with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar by telephone, offering condolences and support.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Shoigu “offered to provide all necessary assistance through the military department to his Turkish colleague in the aftermath of the earthquake, including medical assistance to the victims.”

People search through rubble following the earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on February 6, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)

China’s Xi condole with Turkey, Syria over deadly quake

Later on Monday, China’s President Xi Jinping sent his condolences to Turkish and Syrian leaders over the most powerful earthquake to have hit their countries in nearly a century.

Xi told Turkey’s Erdogan and Syria’s Assad in separate messages that he was “shocked” to learn of the disaster.

He also conveyed “deep condolences for the dead and sincere sympathy for their families as well as for the injured.”

“I am shocked to learn of the strong earthquake that took place in your countries, causing heavy casualties and loss of property,” Xi said in his messages, according to CCTV.

China’s official foreign aid agency said it was in communication with Turkish and Syrian authorities and “willing to provide emergency humanitarian aid in accordance with the needs of the affected population.”

People search for survivors under the rubble following the earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on February 6, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)

EU mobilizes over 10 search and rescue teams to Turkey

The European Union says more than 10 search and rescue teams from the bloc have been mobilized in the wake of Turkey’s major earthquake.

“Urban Search and Rescue teams have been quickly mobilized from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania to support the first responders on the ground,” the European Commission said in a statement.

Italy, Spain and Slovakia have offered their rescue teams to Turkey as well.

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Iran Captures Hardened Terrorist Accused of Criminal Conduct Abroad

August 19, 2022

By Staff, Agencies

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said its forces have arrested a notorious terrorist who has committed a litany of terrorist activities in regional countries, including Syria.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the ministry said its forces have captured a hardened and dangerous terrorist who had been involved in terrorist operations in foreign countries.

According to the statement, the arrestee has taken part in terrorist activities in four countries of the region, had joined Takfiri-terrorist groups in Syria at the height of the crisis in the Arab country, and had committed criminal acts in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib.

After the defeat of Takfiri terrorists in Syria, the “member of the ring of cross-border terrorism,” who is also an expert in heavy weapons, shifted his criminal activities to two neighbors of Iran and joined another terrorist group with criminal records against the unity of the Islamic community to continue with acts of sabotage against the Iranian nation and its territorial integrity, the statement added.

Earlier this month, the Intelligence Ministry arrested ten members of Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIL’/’ISIS’ group] who had plans to carry out acts of terrorism targeting mourning ceremonies marking the martyrdom anniversary of third Shia Imam Hussein [AS].

HTS attacks Church in Syria leaving 2 dead, 15 wounded

24 Jul 2021

Source: Agencies

By Al Mayadeen English 

Two people have been killed and 15 others were injured in an attack on a church in Hama, Syria, reportedly launched by Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham.

The site where the missile landed in Hama, Syria on July 24, 2022

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on Sunday attacked a religious celebration in Hama, Syria, killing two people and injuring 15 others.

“A suicide drone armed with a missile fell near a gathering during a religious celebration marking the opening of the Hagia Sophia. This was followed by another UAV falling down in the same location,” local sources reported.

“Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham launched two UAVs equipped with cameras and small-sized missiles that directly targeted the religious gathering,” the sources added.

Footage showing the first drone falling down on the attendees gathered near the church was circulated on social media.

لحظة استهداف حفل افتتاح كنيسة آية صوفيا في وسط #سوريا#إرم_نيوز #حماة pic.twitter.com/zivV9YiJe2

— Erem News – إرم نيوز (@EremNews) July 24, 2022

فيديو لموقع المستهدف من قبل المسلحين في كنيسة #أية_صوفيا في #السقيلبية ب #حماه .#سورية pic.twitter.com/RFMSVwPswn

— Khaled Iskef خالد اسكيف (@khalediskef) July 24, 2022

The sources revealed that the Syrian air defense force dealt with several UAVs flying overhead in the city, shooting several unauthorized drones down.

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A martyr and a number of wounded in a terrorist attack by a drone on a religious celebration in Suqaylabiyah, Hama

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