A loud sound of an explosion shook the Syrian capital Damascus this evening turned out to be a failed assassination attempt by a car bomb in the Damascus upscale Mazzeh residential neighborhood.
Two people were injured in the blast that destroyed the targeted car completely and at least two cars parked next to it, local sources said.
A spokesperson for the Damascus Police Command said in an early statement carried by the Syrian news agency SANA:
“An explosive device exploded in a civilian car in the eastern Mezzeh area, which led to its burning and the fire spread to two other cars next to it.”
The police spokesperson concluded: “the damage was limited to material and no injuries were recorded.”
In a later update, Syrian media spoke of two injuries in the explosion and were rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment.
Some experts suggest that the explosion blew up prematurely and failed to assassinate the targeted figure, yet to be known who it was.
By the time of this report, there is still no news on the targeted person by this heinous terrorist attack, all analysts, however, accuse the US-led forces in the region of committing this attack, these include Israel’s Mossad, infamous for its cheap assassinations, the CIA, al Qaeda Levant, ISIS (ISIL – Daesh) operating out of the US Army protected zone in the Syrian Al Tanf desert region. Other suspects within the same US-led circle are the Saudi, French, and Qatari ‘intelligence’ agents.
NATO has escalated its terrorist attacks against Syria in the past month after the devastating earthquake of the 6th of February fearing the trend by different countries, regional and from far away, to restore their ties with the Syrian government through the humanitarian earthquake relief efforts.
Biden’s junta explicitly stated its instructions to its vassal states, especially the European countries and the Gulfies its objection to any normalization in diplomatic ties with Damascus, the US fading empire has not achieved its goals in Syria yet and therefore the war of terror and blockade on the Syrian people must continue, in their view even while the US economy rapidly collapses and their proxy terrorist Nazi war and NATO expansion against Russia in Ukraine is being lost.
Israel’s repeated bombing, the Turkey-sponsored al Qaeda terrorist attacks in the northern region, the Turkish madman Erdogan’s heinous crimes against humanity by cutting the water of the Euphrates flowing into Syria and Iraq, the US-sponsored Kurdish SDF separatists raids against the Syrian towns and villages in the northeast of the country, and the US army’s increasing their theft of Syrian oil and food, all are coordinated through the ‘inclusive’ White House promoting its so-called western values.
A senior Iranian advisor comments on the US aggression on Deir Ezzor and reveals details about the US aggression.
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a crater after an explosion hit a building, in Deir Ezzor, Syria, March 8, 2023 (AP)
The US occupation on Thursday waged aggression on civilian sites in Deir Ezzor from an occupied area in Al-Tanf, a senior Iranian advisor said Friday.
“The targets that were hit are food stores and service centers,” the advisor told the UNews news website. “This aggression left seven martyrs and injures seven other innocents who did nothing wrong except for serving the locals, their people, in the area.”
“We are fully aware that the US occupation is trying to cause injuries among our ranks under false pretexts that it has long used to justify its criminality,” he added. “Based on that, we underline that our mission, through our legitimate presence in Syria, has been to help the Syrian state to confront the terrorists and the takfiri project led by ISIS.”
“For years, the region has been under attack from the American occupation, in an attempt to impose an equation of force, and their pretext has always been that they are returning fire. In the end, it turned out that they are seeking to attack precision weapons and systems that Iran is transporting, which pose a threat to their protégé, Israel,” the top Iranian advisor said.
The Iranian defense official threatened that in light of the attack launched from the US-occupied Syrian region of Al-Tanf by the Americans, “we warn the US enemy that we have the upper hand, and we are able to respond in the event that our sites and forces are targeted on Syrian soil.”
The statements come after the US military said it carried out “precision airstrikes” in eastern Syria on Thursday in response to an alleged drone attack that killed one American and injured five US service personnel.
The US military controls parts of the provinces of Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir Ezzor, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located. The Syrian government has repeatedly called the US military presence in the provinces an occupation aimed at plundering the country’s oil.
A Department of Defense statement claimed that the casualties fell “after a one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria.”
The US has for long employed the alleged “ISIS threat” as a pretext to continue its illegal occupation of northeastern Syrian territories, frequently looting oil and gas from Syrian fields and transporting them to other occupation bases in Iraq via illegal crossings.
The US shelling came after media reports said Friday that missile strikes targeted a US occupation base in the Al-Omar field, the largest oil field in Syria located in the governorate of Deir Ezzor in the country’s northeast.
Two occupation soldiers injured during the attack were treated on site, while three others were evacuated to the medical facility in Iraq along with a wounded contractor, The New York Times said.
It was reported earlier in the day that armed groups fired about a dozen rockets at a US base while attacking a second base in the area, but the strike led to no casualties.
يبدو أن هناك تنسيقاً روسيّاً – إيرانيّاً غير معلن للتصعيد ضدّ الوجود الأميركي في سوريا (أ ف ب)
الحسكة | لم يمضِ وقت قصير على إعلان الولايات المتحدة اختراق الطائرات الروسية – أكثر من 20 مرّة – الأجواء فوق «قاعدة التنف»، وتالياً انتهاك اتّفاق غير معلَن بين البلدَين في سوريا، حتى تعرّضت قاعدة «التحالف الدولي» في خراب الجير في ريف الحسكة الشمالي الشرقي، لاستهداف صاروخي، أَوقع خسائر بشرية في صفوف الأميركيين، للمرّة الأولى منذ بدء «المقاومة الشعبية» باستهداف القواعد الأميركية غير الشرعية في البلاد، في حزيران عام 2021. وفيما كانت الطائرات الروسية تواصل عمليّات الرصد والمراقبة في أجواء منطقة الـ55 كلم و«قاعدة التنف»، نجحت إحدى الطائرات المسيّرة التي يُرجّح أنها تابعة لفصائل سورية مدعومة من إيران، في استهداف «قاعدة ومطار خراب الجير» في ريف اليعربية، بعدد من الصواريخ، وهو ما خلّف خسائر بشرية ومادية فيها.
ويبدو ممّا تقدَّم، أن هناك تنسيقاً روسيّاً – إيرانيّاً غير معلن للتصعيد ضدّ الوجود الأميركي في سوريا، بهدف الضغط على الولايات المتحدة لإجبارها على اتّخاذ قرار بالانسحاب من القواعد التي تتواجد فيها شمال البلاد وشرقها. والظاهر أيضاً أن الجانب الروسي ركّز اهتمامه على مراقبة وتعقّب تحرّكات الأميركيين في التنف جنوب البلاد، فيما تولّى الجانب الإيراني مهامّ مراقبة واستهداف القواعد الأميركية في محافظتَي الحسكة ودير الزور، في الشمال الشرقي منها. وفي هذا الإطار، أفادت مصادر ميدانية، «الأخبار»، بأن «طائرة مسيّرة تابعة للمقاومة الشعبية السورية المدعومة من إيران، نجحت في اختراق نظام مراقبة خاص نشرتْه الولايات المتحدة في عموم قواعدها في سوريا، واستهدفت بعدّة صواريخ هنغاراً هو عبارة عن غرف منامة، ما أدّى إلى وقوع خسائر بشرية ومادية»، مشيرة إلى أن «الاستهداف وقع بعد ظهر الخميس، من دون تحديد الوجهة التي انطلقت منها الطائرة المسيّرة». ولفتت المصادر إلى أن «نجاح الطائرات المسيّرة في إسقاط قتلى في صفوف الأميركيين، يُعتبر تطوّراً نوعيّاً في عملها»، متوقعةً أن «تصعّد المقاومة من عمليّاتها حتى الوصول إلى هدفها الرئيس في الضغط على قوات الاحتلال الأميركي، لمغادرة المنطقة نهائيّاً».
وبعمليّتها هذه، تكون «المقاومة الشعبية» قد تمكّنت من خرْق نظام مراقبة عالي التقنية، يتضمّن رادارات وكاميرات حراريّة ونظام دفاع جوياً نصبته الولايات المتحدة في جميع قواعدها في سوريا. كما أن استهداف «مطار خراب الجير» خصوصاً، وإنْ لم يكن الأوّل من نوعه، يمثّل نجاحاً إضافيّاً للمقاومة، لكون المنطقة تقع تحت سيطرة «قسد»، منذ أكثر من 10 سنوات، فيما تبعد أقرب نقطة من أماكن وجود المقاومة المفترضة في دير الزور، عنه، أكثر من 200 كلم. ومن هنا، ثمّة ثلاثة احتمالات لنقطة انطلاق المسيّرة، وجميعها كارثيّة بالنسبة إلى الأميركيين: فإمّا أنها نجحت في قطْع أكثر من 200 كلم من مناطق سيطرة الجيش السوري في دير الزور متجاوزةً سلسلة من القواعد الأميركية في الدير والحسكة، أو أنها انطلقت من محيط القاعدة، أو أنها انطلقت من داخل الحدود العراقية الملاصقة للقاعدة، وهو احتمال يبدو ضعيفاً.
ساد التخبط صفوف القوات الأميركية الموجودة في «قاعدة التنف»
وأمام هذه السيناريوات، ساد التخبّط صفوف القوات الأميركية الموجودة في القاعدة، والتي نفّذت، بالتعاون مع «قسد»، سلسلة اعتقالات بحقّ مدنيين في القرى والتجمّعات السكنية المحيطة، بتهمة تسريب معلومات عن تحركات القوات الأميركية ومراكزها في المنطقة. كذلك، شهدت أجواء محافظتَي الحسكة ودير الزور، تحليقاً متواصلاً للطيران الأميركي الحربي والمسيّر، في موازاة استنفار داخل القواعد ونشر دوريات تابعة لـ«قسد» في محيط «العمر» و«كونيكو»، تخوّفاً من وقوع هجمات مشابهة لهجوم «خراب الجير». وبعد مرور 12 ساعة على الاستهداف، وتأكيد وقوع خسائر بشرية في صفوف الأميركيين، نفّذت طائرات حربيّة أميركية، غارات جويّة على عدّة مواقع لقوات محلية سورية مدعومة من إيران في مدينة دير الزور وبادية البوكمال. وأعلنت وزارة الدفاع الأميركية («البنتاغون»)، في بيان، «شَنّ غارات محدودة ودقيقة ضدّ جماعات مدعومة من إيران شرق سوريا، رداً على هجوم طائرة من دون طيار أسفر عن مقتل متعاقد أميركي وإصابة خمسة جنود». وأشار البيان إلى أن «أجهزة الاستخبارات حدَّدت أن المسيّرة من صنع إيراني»، مضيفاً أنه «تمّ تنفيذ الغارات الجوية، رداً على الهجوم الذي وقع الخميس، بالإضافة إلى سلسلة من الهجمات الأخرى ضدّ قوات التحالف الدولي من مجموعات تابعة لإيران».
من جهتها، أكدت مصادر ميدانية سورية في دير الزور، في تصريح إلى «الأخبار»، أن «طائرات تابعة للاحتلال الأميركي اعتدت بعدّة غارات على بناءين عسكريّين توجد فيهما قوات رديفة في منطقة هرابش، بالقرب من مطار دير الزور العسكري، ما أدّى إلى ارتقاء خمسة شهداء وأربعة جرحى»، مضيفاً أن «العدوان طاول أيضاً نقطة عسكرية لقوات رديفة في بادية القورية في ريف الميادين، ما أدّى إلى استشهاد عنصرَين وجرح خمسة أفراد من القوات الرديفة». وعادت «المقاومة الشعبية» للردّ على الاعتداءات الأميركية مجدّداً، باستهداف صاروخي لقاعدة حقل «العمر» النفطية، شمال شرقي دير الزور، بعد ظهر الجمعة، من دون معلومات عن حجم الخسائر، ووسط استمرار حالة التوتّر في عموم المنطقة.
في هذا الوقت، حذّر «المركز الاستشاري الإيراني»، في بيان، أمس، الأميركيين من استهداف مراكزه وقواته، قائلاً: «نملك اليد الطولى ولدينا القدرة على الردّ في حال تمّ استهداف مراكزنا وقواتنا على الأراضي السورية». كما أوضح أن العدوان استهدف «نقاطاً مدنية» هي عبارة عن «مخازن تغذية ومراكز خدمات»، لافتاً إلى سقوط «عدد من الشهداء والجرحى الأبرياء الذين لا ذنب لهم». كما أشار البيان إلى أن الاحتلال الأميركي يحاول، من خلال اعتدائه على المنطقة منذ سنوات، «فرْض معادلة، ولطالما كانت ذريعتهم أنهم يردّون على مصادر نيران»، مضيفاً أنه «تبيّن أنهم يسعون، بحسب ما يعتقدون ويُشيعون، إلى استهداف أسلحة دقيقة وتجهيزات حسّاسة تنقلها إيران، وتُشكّل خطراً على ربيبتهم إسرائيل». وفي أعقاب إطلاق التحذير الإيراني، تمّ استهداف القاعدة الأميركية في حقل العمر النفطي في ريف دير الزور الشرقي، بعدة قذائف صاروخية.
The US plan involves providing ISIS and other extremist groups with armored vehicles as well as the planned ‘kidnapping’ of Russian and Iranian military personnel
The Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has warned that the US occupation army is concocting a plan to sow chaos in quake-struck Syria by training and arming members of ISIS and other extremist groups.
“[The US army plans] to form several groups of radicals with a total number of about 300 people. After special training, they will be involved in attacks on military facilities in Syria and Iran,” Naryshkin said in an SVR statement released on 20 March.
“Their patrons intend to use some of the terrorists in the capital region, including for the kidnapping of Russian and Iranian servicemen,” he added.
Washington is allegedly giving “a special role in the effort” to the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) – a coalition of Kurdish and Arab rebel fighters that was formed in 2011 by Syrian army defectors and which operates in Syria’s central and northeast regions.
“The Americans and their British allies use them to work with clandestine formations of [ISIS] that are still lingering in the country’s remote regions,” the statement says.
Washington’s efforts to sow chaos in the country come at a time when the Arab world has moved hastily to rebuild ties with Syria, recognizing the failure of the US-sponsored war.
According to the Kremlin, ISIS fighters are tasked with fomenting chaos in Suwayda, Deraa, Homs, Raqqa, and Deir Ezzor governorates. These activities are coordinated from the Al-Tanf military base of the US occupation in Homs.
On top of this, the US army is reportedly getting ready to deliver “several dozen pickup trucks with large-caliber machine guns, as well as the Igla short-range man-portable air defense system, TOW, and NLAW missile defense systems” to the extremist groups.
“Representatives of the US Armed Forces Central Command, along with members from intelligence services, are involved in the planning of major operations against government forces and state structures in Syria,” the SVR reported.
The SVR revelations come just days after US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief, General Michael Kurilla, bemoaned that the Russian air force has increased the frequency of “unprofessional” and “unsafe” flyovers of US occupation bases in Syria.
Despite US claims that it is committed to the defeat of ISIS, earlier this month Al-Monitor noted: “Nearly four years after the [ISIS] defeat on the battlefield, some 10,000 suspected fighters from the group remain in makeshift prisons under [US-proxy militia] control, with not even a hint of international political will to establish war crimes tribunals on the horizon.”
Following last year’s deadly prison riot in Ghweran prison in US-controlled Hasakah, reports said the US army used the chaos to quietly transfer hundreds of ISIS members to Deir Ezzor – including a significant number of high-ranking leaders – in a bid to “revive” the extremist group in Syria’s oil-rich regions.
This took place just a few months before two US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters were spotted airlifting ISIS fighters in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk after clashes with the Iraqi army.
In the early years of the Syrian war, Washington welcomed the growth of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. An August 2012 Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report made clear that Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Al-Qaeda were the driving forces of the US and Gulf-backed insurgency against Damascus and that the US and its regional allies supported the establishment of a “Salafist principality” in eastern Syria.
For 18 months after the declaration of the so-called Caliphate, US planners took no action against ISIS, allowing the group to threaten Baghdad and Damascus.
More recently, the US army has been accused of training militants affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda at Al-Tanf base to fight in Ukraine and to carry out attacks inside the territory of former Soviet states.
ISIS ranks in Afghanistan were bolstered last year by US-trained spies and elite military personnel who were abandoned following Washington’s chaotic withdrawal from the country last year, according to former Afghan officials that spoke with western media outlets.
At Russia’s Valdai Club meeting – the east’s answer to Davos – intellectuals and influencers gathered to frame West Asia’s current and future developments.
Pepe Escobar is a columnist at The Cradle, editor-at-large at Asia Times and an independent geopolitical analyst focused on Eurasia. Since the mid-1980s he has lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Singapore and Bangkok. He is the author of countless books; his latest one is Raging Twenties.
The 12th “Middle East Conference” at the Valdai Club in Moscow offered a more than welcome cornucopia of views on interconnected troubles and tribulations affecting the region.
But first, an important word on terminology – as only one of Valdai’s guests took the trouble to stress. This is not the “Middle East” – a reductionist, Orientalist notion devised by old colonials: at The Cradle we emphasize the region must be correctly described as West Asia.
Some of the region’s trials and tribulations have been mapped by the official Valdai report, The Middle East and The Future of Polycentric World. But the intellectual and political clout of those in attendance can provide valuable anecdotal insights too. Here are a few of the major strands participants highlighted on regional developments, current and future:
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov set the stage by stressing that Kremlin policy encourages the formation of an “inclusive regional security system.” That’s exactly what the Americans refused to discuss with the Russians in December 2021, then applied to Europe and the post-Soviet space. The result was a proxy war.
Kayhan Barzegar of Islamic Azad University in Iran qualified the two major strategic developments affecting West Asia: a possible US retreat and a message to regional allies: “You cannot count on our security guarantees.”
Every vector – from rivalry in the South Caucasus to the Israeli normalization with the Persian Gulf – is subordinated to this logic, notes Barzegar, with quite a few Arab actors finally understanding that there now exists a margin of maneuver to choose between the western or the non-western bloc.
Barzegar does not identify Iran-Russia ties as a strategic alliance, but rather a geopolitical, economic bloc based on technology and regional supply chains – a “new algorithm in politics” – ranging from weapons deals to nuclear and energy cooperation, driven by Moscow’s revived southern and eastward orientations. And as far as Iran-western relations go, Barzegar still believes the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, is not dead. A least not yet.
‘Nobody knows what these rules are’
Egyptian Ramzy Ramzy, until 2019 the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, considers the reactivation of relations between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE with Syria as the most important realignment underway in the region. Not to mention prospects for a Damascus-Ankara reconciliation. “Why is this happening? Because of the regional security system’s dissatisfaction with the present,” Ramzy explains.
Yet even if the US may be drifting away, “neither Russia nor China are willing to take up a leadership role,” he says. At the same time, Syria “cannot be allowed to fall prey to outside interventions. The earthquake at least accelerated these rapprochements.”
Bouthaina Shaaban, a special advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is a remarkable woman, fiery and candid. Her presence at Valdai was nothing short of electric. She stressed how “since the US war in Vietnam, we lost what we witnessed as free media. The free press has died.” At the same time “the colonial west changed its methods,” subcontracting wars and relying on local fifth columnists.
Shaaban volunteered the best short definition anywhere of the “rules-based international order”: “Nobody knows what these rules are, and what this order is.”
She re-emphasized that in this post-globalization period that is ushering in regional blocs, the usual western meddlers prefer to use non-state actors – as in Syria and Iran – “mandating locals to do what the US would like to do.”
A crucial example is the US al-Tanf military base that occupies sovereign Syrian territory on two critical borders. Shaaban calls the establishment of this base as “strategic, for the US to prevent regional cooperation, at the Iraq, Jordan, and Syria crossroads.” Washington knows full well what it is doing: unhampered trade and transportation at the Syria-Iraq border is a major lifeline for the Syrian economy.
Reminding everyone once again that “all political issues are connected to Palestine,” Shaaban also offered a healthy dose of gloomy realism: “The eastern bloc has not been able to match the western narrative.”
A ‘double-layered proxy war’
Cagri Erhan, rector of Altinbas University in Turkey, offered a quite handy definition of a Hegemon: the one who controls the lingua franca, the currency, the legal setting, and the trade routes.
Erhan qualifies the current western hegemonic state of play as “double-layered proxy war” against, of course, Russia and China. The Russians have been defined by the US as an “open enemy” – a major threat. And when it comes to West Asia, proxy war still rules: “So the US is not retreating,” says Erhan. Washington will always consider using the area “strategically against emerging powers.”
Then what about the foreign policy priorities of key West Asian and North African actors?
Algerian political journalist Akram Kharief, editor of the online MenaDefense, insists Russia should get closer to Algeria, “which is still in the French sphere of influence,” and be wary of how the Americans are trying to portray Moscow as “a new imperial threat to Africa.”
Professor Hasan Unal of Maltepe University in Turkiye made it quite clear how Ankara finally “got rid of its Middle East [West Asian] entanglements,” when it was previously “turning against everybody.”
Mid-sized powers such as Turkiye, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are now stepping to the forefront of the region’s political stage. Unal notes how “Turkiye and the US don’t see eye to eye on any issue important to Ankara.” Which certainly explains the strengthening of Turkish-Russian ties – and their mutual interest in introducing “multi-faceted solutions” to the region’s problems.
For one, Russia is actively mediating Turkiye-Syria rapprochement. Unal confirmed that the Syrian and Turkish foreign ministers will soon meet in person – in Moscow – which will represent the highest-ranking direct engagement between the two nations since the onset of the Syrian war. And that will pave the way for a tripartite summit between Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Note that the big regional reconciliations are being held – once again – either in, or with the participation of Moscow, which can rightfully be described as the capital of the 21st century multipolar world.
When it comes to Cyprus, Unal notes how “Russia would not be interested in a unified state that would be EU and NATO territory.” So it’s time for “creative ideas: as Turkey is changing its Syria policy, Russia should change its Cyprus policy.”
Dr. Gong Jiong, from the Israeli campus of China’s University of International Business and Economics, came up with a catchy neologism: the “coalition of the unwilling” – describing how “almost the whole Global South is not supporting sanctions on Russia,” and certainly none of the players in West Asia.
Gong noted that as much as China-Russia trade is rising fast – partly as a direct consequence of western sanctions – the Americans would have to think twice about China-hit sanctions. Russia-China trade stands at $200 billion a year, after all, while US-China trade is a whopping $700 billion per annum.
The pressure on the “neutrality camp” won’t relent anyway. What is needed by the world’s “silent majority,” as Gong defines it, is “an alliance.” He describes the 12-point Chinese peace plan for Ukraine as “a set of principles” – Beijing’s base for serious negotiations: “This is the first step.”
There will be no new Yalta
What the Valdai debates made crystal clear, once again, is how Russia is the only actor capable of approaching every player across West Asia, and be listened to carefully and respectfully.
It was left to Anwar Abdul-Hadi, director of the political department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the latter’s official envoy to Damascus, to arguably sum up what led to the current global geopolitical predicament: “A new Yalta or a new world war? They [the west] chose war.”
And still, as new geopolitical and geoeconomic fault lines keep emerging, it is as though West Asia is anticipating something “big” coming ahead. That feeling was palpable in the air at Valdai.
To paraphrase Yeats, and updating him to the young, turbulent 21st century, “what rough beast, its hour come out at last, slouches towards the cradle [of civilization] to be born?
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Last week’s devastating earthquake has shined a spotlight on Washington’s brutal economic sanctions on Syria while encouraging solidarity between the country and its neighbor Iraq
Popular Mobilization Unit fighters march during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, Baghdad June 2017. (Photo credit: AFP)
ByNews Desk-
A member of the Syrian People’s Assembly, Mohammed Fawaz, lauded Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) for their success in breaking the harsh economic sanctions imposed on Syria by the United States. The PMF sent aid and delegations to Syria to assist in the wake of last week’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
Fawaz said on Monday 12 February that, “Iraq is the strategic depth of Syria and its back, and this was embodied by the entry of the Popular Mobilization convoys into Syria, breaking the unjust siege on the Syrian people and in defiance of the Caesar Act.”
He added that “the visit of the Iraqi deputies to the Syrian People’s Assembly came as a political condemnation of the inhumane sanctions on the Syrian people and raised the voice from Damascus of the need to speed up the lifting of this ban.”
Another member of the Syrian People’s Assembly, Nasser Youssef, praised the PMF and called for strengthening cooperation between the brotherly countries of Syria and Iraq.
US planners imposed additional harsh sanctions on Syria in 2019 through legislation known as the Caesar Act. These were added to sanctions imposed at the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011 to complement the US-backed jihadist insurgency in the country.
The act was named after a report issued in 2014 claiming to show evidence of “industrial scale killing” by the Syrian government. The report, authored by the UK law firm Carter-Ruck, claimed to verify photographic evidence provided by a defected Syrian Arab Army (SAA) photographer, known as “Caesar,” who had smuggled 55,000 photographs out of Syria. These photographs allegedly documented the Syrian government’s torture and killing of some 11,000 detainees.
However, as journalist Rick Sterling has detailed, over 46% of the photographs (24,568) did not show people tortured to death by the Syrian government. Rather, they showed dead Syrian soldiers and victims of car bombs and other violence. Thus, nearly half the photos showed the opposite of what was alleged.
After reviewing the Carter-Ruck report, Dan Murphy of the Christian Science Monitor similarly concluded that the Carter-Ruck report and allegations made by Caesar were not credible.
In addition to the US-imposed sanctions on Syria, US planners have sought to block trade and cooperation between Syria, Iraq, and Iran by maintaining a military base on the Syria-Iraq border at al-Tanf, while the Israeli air force has regularly bombed PMF and SAA targets on the same border further to the north, near the town of Al-Bukamal, with US approval.
It’s getting harder to ignore. The persistent ISIS presence in the Syrian desert only serves US aims to continue its military occupation and support for Kurdish separatism.
In March 2019, former US President Donald Trump startled Washington’s war establishment by announcing that the mission of “eliminating terrorism” had been accomplished in Syria.
Seven months later, Trump solidified his claims by celebrating the assassination of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by a US special forces operation in rural Idlib, in the north of the country.
In reality, the US president had been angling to exit Syria for some time, and the absence of terrorism provided that excuse. Trump had promised his voter base to wind down expensive foreign military adventurism, and viewed the high cost of military deployment in Syria as disproportionate to the gains realized.
But while withdrawing US forces from various locations in Syria’s north and northeast, the American president was pressured to maintain a small number of troops in the oil-rich countryside of Hasakah and Deir Ezzor, and in the Al-Tanf base, an area crucial to Israel’s strategic interests as it is located on the border with of Iraq and Jordan, and on the hypothetical road that connects Tehran to Beirut.
Trump, known for his brazen proclamations, publicly stated that “oil interests” were the reason for keeping this small contingent of US troops in the embattled Levantine state. The wholesale exit of US forces would have paved the way for Syrian and Russian troops to take back control of the northeast, and for Moscow to move forward with its peace plan through the Astana Process with Iran and Turkiye.
The facade of ‘fighting terror’
With the arrival of Democratic President Joe Biden to the White House, Washington shifted its priorities and sought to maintain a protracted presence in Syria under the pretext of “fighting terrorism.” ISIS cells were magically reactivated in the Syrian desert, a development heavily circulated in US media through “intelligence sources.” This prompted accusations from Moscow that Washington is supporting terrorism from its Al-Tanf base, which Russian planes bombed last July.
Amidst escalating hostilities between the US and Russia over Ukraine, Syrian field sources have informed The Cradle of the existence of communication channels between the Al-Tanf base and ISIS cells that carry out scattered attacks in the Syrian Desert against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied, Iran-backed factions.
The sources have also noted a marked shift in both ISIS tactics and the terror group’s access to advanced weapons and modern communication equipment that have been discovered in their hideouts. Given Iraq’s stringent measures on all border crossing with Syria – digging a trench along the border, building a separation fence, and installing surveillance cameras and checkpoints – it is unlikely that ISIS could obtain these resources without support from a powerful nation.
Kurdish forces employ the ISIS threat
During every Turkish threat to attack US-backed Kurdish forces in the country’s northern provinces, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) raises the specter of ISIS and its expansion, which is used to justify the continued Kurdish occupation of northern Syria to repel these attacks.
This pattern repeated itself during the 2016-2017 Turkish Euphrates Shield operation against ISIS and Kurdish targets, the 2018 Olive Branch operation when Turkish forces invaded Afrin in Aleppo’s countryside, and the 2019 Turkish offensive called the Peace Spring operation.
The trend continued last December, when Ankara threatened to attack Kurdish-held territories in Syria’s north. The SDF, which had halted operations against ISIS, quickly reversed its decision two days later.
In addition to playing the ISIS card to justify its relevance, the SDF – which is affiliated with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) which Ankara considers an extension of the terrorist-designated Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) – has another lever it frequently employs.
The Kurdish group controls dozens of prisons that house thousands of ISIS leaders, fighters, and their families, the most notorious of which are Al-Hol camp near the Iraqi border, and Al-Sinaa prison in the Hasakah Governorate.
And the SDF, in coordination with US strategists, have employed this leverage to release ISIS members and their families from camps or to allow prison breaks at important junctures.
So why are ISIS attacks on the rise?
A clear correlation can be observed between the rise in ISIS attacks and US attempts to fortify its presence in Syria in order to ‘fight terror.’ After a period of relative decline during Trump’s presidency, the terrorist organization has regained strength, ironically, following Biden’s decision to expand operations against ISIS.
In early 2022, ISIS launched an attack on Al-Sinaa Prison, which holds prominent ISIS leaders and fighters. The operation came less than three weeks after several noteworthy developments: First, international coalition forces brought in large shipments of weapons, including Bradley vehicles and anti-tank weapons; Second, coalition forces returned to the Lafarge base on the strategic international M4 highway north of Aleppo; Third, western forces had just completed maintenance operations for the oil fields.
Notably, the attack also took place after US Caesar Act sanctions were lifted from areas controlled by the SDF and Turkiye.
US support for the SDF through exempting Kurdish areas from the Caesar Act demonstrates Washington’s goal of solidifying the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in SDF-controlled areas. This serves to ensure a continued US presence and foothold in resource-rich northeastern Syria in the event of a future withdrawal of troops – and ongoing obstruction of Russian peace efforts to stabilize the country.
Terrorism: a tool for US expansionism
As soon as Ankara voiced its willingness to reconcile with Damascus, the US began preparing for a new troop deployment to fortify its position in Syria, particularly since rapprochement – backed by Russia and Iran – hinges on several key agreements, the most prominent of which requires the exit of US forces from the country as a necessity for a political solution.
The new US military expansion – which is essentially a redeployment – returns troops to previous bases in former ISIS-stronghold Al-Raqqa Governorate all the way to the border with Turkiye, restructures and revitalizes the jihadist-aligned Raqqa Revolutionaries Brigade (Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa), and provides them with weapons and equipment to form an SDF-like force in this predominantly Arab province.
In December 2022, ISIS launched a series of attacks in Raqqa, which served as the necessary pretext for the US and SDF to launch a large-scale security operation in and around the governorate. The US military used the attacks as an opportunity to reposition its forces, bring in heavy machinery, and rehabilitate helicopter airstrips.
Similarly, US-led coalition forces and the SDF launched the Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt security campaign in and around Al-Hasakah early this year, which resulted in the arrest of 154 ISIS members – according to an SDF statement on 7 January. However, these figures were questioned by locals, who accused the SDF and coalition forces of arresting countless innocent civilians in the Tel Hamis area.
Local sources accuse the SDF of drawing up indiscriminate lists that include personal targets, which have led to accusations against innocent people, the arrest of US occupation opponents who have nothing to do with ISIS, and a desire to increase detainee numbers as part of “the show” that accompanies all US operations.
In light of these facts, Syrian military sources in the eastern desert anticipate an increase in ISIS attacks – particularly as Syrian-Turkish reconciliation talks progress and exert negative pressure on US ambitions in Syria’s north. The sources says that the connection between the US and ISIS, which is used opportunistically and strategically to achieve political goals, is no longer a secret and will only gather further steam in the months ahead.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Russian-brokered Syrian-Turkish rapprochement will bury prospects of a divided Syria, with the potential for opposition factions to be co-opted into the armed forces.
The newly-initiated Syrian-Turkish rapprochement talks are headed in Damascus’ favor and the “Turkish concessions” derided by opponents are just the start, insiders tell The Cradle.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already abandoned his dream of “praying in the Umayyad Mosque” in Damascus. But sources say this will be swiftly followed by further concessions that will throw a wrench into the ambitions of Syria’s opposition factions.
An undivided Syria
There will be no “federalism” or “confederation” – western codewords for the break up of the Syrian state – at these talks, but rather a “Turkish-Russian” acceptance of Damascus’ conditions.
For starters, Ankara plans to open the strategic M4 highway – which runs parallel to the Turkish border and connects all the vital Syrian cities and regions – as a prelude to opening the legal border crossings between Syria and Turkiye, which will re-establish trade routes between the two countries.
This move, based on an understanding between Damascus and Ankara, will essentially close the door on any opposition fantasies of breaking Syria into statelets, and will undermine the “Kurdish-American divisive ambition.”
It is not for nothing that Washington has sought to thwart communications between Ankara and Damascus. Under the guise of “fighting ISIS,” the US invested heavily in Syrian separatism, replacing the terror group with “Kurdish local forces” and reaped the rewards in barrels of stolen Syrian oil to help mitigate the global energy crisis.
Now Turkiye has closed the door to that ‘federalization’ plan.
A Russian-backed proposal
The Syrian-Turkish talks in Moscow on 28 December focused mainly on opening and establishing the necessary political, security, and diplomatic channels – a process initiated by their respective defense ministers.
While resolving the myriad thorny files between the two states is not as easy as the optimists would like, it is also nowhere as difficult as the fierce opponents of rapprochement try to suggest.
The Moscow discussions centered on mild, incremental solutions proposed by Russia. The Kremlin understands that the minefield between Ankara and Damascus needs to be dismantled with cold minds and hands, but insists that the starting point of talks is based on the political formulas of the Astana peace process that all parties have already accepted.
On the ground, Moscow is busy marketing satisfactory security settlements for all, though those on the battlefield appear to be the least flexible so far. The Russian plan is to “present security formulas to the military,” intended to be later translated into the integration of forces – whether Kurdish fighters or opposition militants – into the ranks of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
This will be achieved via committees led by both Syrian and Turkish intelligence services, a Russian source involved in coordinating the talks tells The Cradle.
Occupied areas of Syria, in 2023
Co-opting the Kurds
The Russian proposals, according to the source, rely on two past successful models for reconciliation on the battlefield. The first is the “Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood model in northern Aleppo,” an area once controlled by Kurdish forces who began to coordinate with the SAA after the sweeping 2016 military operation that expelled opposition militants from the eastern neighborhoods of the city.
The Russian source says that the “Sheikh Maqsoud” model succeeded because of “security coordination,” revealing that “Syrian state security is deployed at the entrances to the neighborhood with checkpoints that coordinate with the Kurdish forces inside – in every way, big and small.” This security coordination includes “arresting criminally wanted persons, and facilitating administrative and service services” in coordination with Damascus.
The second reconciliation model used by Russian forces in Syria succeeded in bringing together the SAA and Sheikh Maqsoud Kurdish militias in a joint military maneuver conducted near the town of Manbij in the countryside of Aleppo last August.
While the Russian source confirms that the experience of “security coordination” between the SAA and the Kurdish forces was “successful,” he cautions that these models need “political arrangements” which can only be achieved by “an agreement in Astana on new provisions to the Syrian constitution, which give Kurds more flexibility in self-governance in their areas.”
Opposition amnesty
A parallel proposal revealed to The Cradle by a Turkish source, approaches ground solutions from a “confederation” angle, anathema to the Syrian authorities. According to him, “Damascus must be convinced of sharing power with the qualified factions of the (Turkish) National Army for that.”
While the Turkish proposal tried to move a step closer to Damascus’ aims, it seems that Russian mediation contributed to producing a new paradigm: This would be based on the tried-and-tested Syrian “military reconciliation” model used for years – namely, that opposition militants hand over their arms, denounce hostility to the state, and are integrated into the SAA.
Turkiye’s abandonment of its “demand to overthrow the regime” applies also to its affiliated military factions inside Syria, as the latter’s goals have dwindled to preserving some areas of influence in the north of the country. This is the current flavor of Turkiye’s reduced “confederation” ambitions: To maintain Turkish-backed factions within “local administrations” in northern areas where Turkiye has influence. This, in return for giving up on Ankara’s political ambition of “regime change” in Damascus and redrawing Syria’s northern map.
The solution here will require amending the Syrian constitution, a process that began several years ago to no avail.
From the Syrian perspective, officials are focused on eliminating all opposing separatist or terrorist elements who do not have the ability to adapt to a “unified” Syrian society.
Therefore, Damascus rejects military reconciliation proposals for any “sectarian” separatist or factional militias. Syrian officials reiterate that “the unity of the lands and the people” is the only gateway to a solution, away from the foreign interests that promote “terrorism or secession” – a reference to the Turkish and American role in Syria’s war.
Reconciliation on Damascus’ terms
There is no “confederation” in the dictionary of the Syrian state, and it is determined to stick hard to the principle of Syrian unity until the end. Damascus is intent on one goal: Reconciliations based on surrendering arms in the countryside of Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasakah, Qamishli, and al-Tanf, which are the areas that are still outside the control of the state.
According to the Turkish source, Syria refused to discuss anything “outside the framework of reconciliations and handing over weapons and regions,” which he says “makes it difficult for Ankara to undertake its mission,” especially in light of the fact that the Al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front controls large parts of these target areas.
A Syrian source tells The Cradle that the “Qamishli model” of military reconciliation is the closest one that applies to this case: Wherein “the SAA and national defense forces (the majority of which are pro-Damascus Kurds) coordinate fully.”
He makes clear that Damascus has already provided ample self-governance mechanisms for Kurds in the country’s north:
“The (Kurdish-run) Autonomous Administration in Syria already exists. It deals directly with Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration (in Damascus) and has multiple agencies that work through local representative councils to implement government plans in terms of security, tax collection, and services,” and of course it consists of the people of the region – Kurds.
The recent statement of top Erdogan advisor Yassin Aktay may throw a wrench in those works. His insistence that Turkiye should maintain control over the city of Aleppo – Syria’s second most populous, and its industrial heart – did not come out of nowhere.
Ankara considers that its repatriation of three million Syrian refugees should start from “local administrations run by the (Turkish-backed) Syrian National Army (a rebranded version of the opposition ‘Free Syrian Army),” says the Turkish source.
He is referring to Idlib, Aleppo, and their countrysides, and the areas in which Turkiye launched its “Olive Branch” and “Euphrates Shield” military operations. These locales in Syria’s north include the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo, including Azaz, Jarabulus, al-Bab, Afrin, and its environs.
Turkiye may consider gradually handing over these strategic zones to its allied Syrian militias, he says.
“Call it confederation or not, these areas should be controlled by the Syrian National Army factions instead of the Al-Nusra Front – in order to ensure the safe return of the refugees.”
Steady progress
In short, the Russian mediation to bring Damascus and Ankara closer is moving slowly, but according to the Turkish source, “it is closer to reconciliation because the Syrian Ministry of Local Administration is beginning to take charge of regional affairs after holding new local council elections – in compliance with plans forged in the Astana process.”
Regarding Astana, the Turkish source says, “Let the Syrians treat the Kurdish and opposition areas as one, if the Kurds agree to dismantle their factions and join the Syrian army within a certain equation, the opposition factions will also accept.”
Regarding the complicated geopolitics of Syria’s east – currently occupied by US troops and their proxies – a high-ranking Syrian official who recently visited Saudi Arabia and Cairo, proposed “Arab intervention with the Syrian tribes to disengage tribe members in the Al-Tanf region from the US forces.” But according to the official, this would be subject to “the progress of relations between Damascus, Riyadh, Cairo, and possibly even Jordan.”
A few days ago, a video message was sent by Nusra Front leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani, in which he thundered: “Where are the armies of the Muslims?” It is a topical message from Al Qaeda’s Syria boss, who is angling to maintain his sectarian “area of influence” in northwest Syria – strategic Idlib on the Turkish-Syrian border. Julani’s destructive narrative may be the last barrier to break for Damascus, Ankara, and Moscow to strike a deal on the ground.
The newly-initiated Syrian-Turkish rapprochement talks are headed in Damascus’ favor and the “Turkish concessions” derided by opponents are just the start, insiders tell The Cradle.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already abandoned his dream of “praying in the Umayyad Mosque” in Damascus. But sources say this will be swiftly followed by further concessions that will throw a wrench into the ambitions of Syria’s opposition factions.
An undivided Syria
There will be no “federalism” or “confederation” – western codewords for the break up of the Syrian state – at these talks, but rather a “Turkish-Russian” acceptance of Damascus’ conditions.
For starters, Ankara plans to open the strategic M4 highway – which runs parallel to the Turkish border and connects all the vital Syrian cities and regions – as a prelude to opening the legal border crossings between Syria and Turkiye, which will re-establish trade routes between the two countries.
This move, based on an understanding between Damascus and Ankara, will essentially close the door on any opposition fantasies of breaking Syria into statelets, and will undermine the “Kurdish-American divisive ambition.”
It is not for nothing that Washington has sought to thwart communications between Ankara and Damascus. Under the guise of “fighting ISIS,” the US invested heavily in Syrian separatism, replacing the terror group with “Kurdish local forces” and reaped the rewards in barrels of stolen Syrian oil to help mitigate the global energy crisis.
Now Turkiye has closed the door to that ‘federalization’ plan.
A Russian-backed proposal
The Syrian-Turkish talks in Moscow on 28 December focused mainly on opening and establishing the necessary political, security, and diplomatic channels – a process initiated by their respective defense ministers.
While resolving the myriad thorny files between the two states is not as easy as the optimists would like, it is also nowhere as difficult as the fierce opponents of rapprochement try to suggest.
The Moscow discussions centered on mild, incremental solutions proposed by Russia. The Kremlin understands that the minefield between Ankara and Damascus needs to be dismantled with cold minds and hands, but insists that the starting point of talks is based on the political formulas of the Astana peace process that all parties have already accepted.
On the ground, Moscow is busy marketing satisfactory security settlements for all, though those on the battlefield appear to be the least flexible so far. The Russian plan is to “present security formulas to the military,” intended to be later translated into the integration of forces – whether Kurdish fighters or opposition militants – into the ranks of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
This will be achieved via committees led by both Syrian and Turkish intelligence services, a Russian source involved in coordinating the talks tells The Cradle.
Occupied areas of Syria, in 2023
Co-opting the Kurds
The Russian proposals, according to the source, rely on two past successful models for reconciliation on the battlefield. The first is the “Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood model in northern Aleppo,” an area once controlled by Kurdish forces who began to coordinate with the SAA after the sweeping 2016 military operation that expelled opposition militants from the eastern neighborhoods of the city.
The Russian source says that the “Sheikh Maqsoud” model succeeded because of “security coordination,” revealing that “Syrian state security is deployed at the entrances to the neighborhood with checkpoints that coordinate with the Kurdish forces inside – in every way, big and small.” This security coordination includes “arresting criminally wanted persons, and facilitating administrative and service services” in coordination with Damascus.
The second reconciliation model used by Russian forces in Syria succeeded in bringing together the SAA and Sheikh Maqsoud Kurdish militias in a joint military maneuver conducted near the town of Manbij in the countryside of Aleppo last August.
While the Russian source confirms that the experience of “security coordination” between the SAA and the Kurdish forces was “successful,” he cautions that these models need “political arrangements” which can only be achieved by “an agreement in Astana on new provisions to the Syrian constitution, which give Kurds more flexibility in self-governance in their areas.”
Opposition amnesty
A parallel proposal revealed to The Cradle by a Turkish source, approaches ground solutions from a “confederation” angle, anathema to the Syrian authorities. According to him, “Damascus must be convinced of sharing power with the qualified factions of the (Turkish) National Army for that.”
While the Turkish proposal tried to move a step closer to Damascus’ aims, it seems that Russian mediation contributed to producing a new paradigm: This would be based on the tried-and-tested Syrian “military reconciliation” model used for years – namely, that opposition militants hand over their arms, denounce hostility to the state, and are integrated into the SAA.
Turkiye’s abandonment of its “demand to overthrow the regime” applies also to its affiliated military factions inside Syria, as the latter’s goals have dwindled to preserving some areas of influence in the north of the country. This is the current flavor of Turkiye’s reduced “confederation” ambitions: To maintain Turkish-backed factions within “local administrations” in northern areas where Turkiye has influence. This, in return for giving up on Ankara’s political ambition of “regime change” in Damascus and redrawing Syria’s northern map.
The solution here will require amending the Syrian constitution, a process that began several years ago to no avail.
From the Syrian perspective, officials are focused on eliminating all opposing separatist or terrorist elements who do not have the ability to adapt to a “unified” Syrian society.
Therefore, Damascus rejects military reconciliation proposals for any “sectarian” separatist or factional militias. Syrian officials reiterate that “the unity of the lands and the people” is the only gateway to a solution, away from the foreign interests that promote “terrorism or secession” – a reference to the Turkish and American role in Syria’s war.
Reconciliation on Damascus’ terms
There is no “confederation” in the dictionary of the Syrian state, and it is determined to stick hard to the principle of Syrian unity until the end. Damascus is intent on one goal: Reconciliations based on surrendering arms in the countryside of Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasakah, Qamishli, and al-Tanf, which are the areas that are still outside the control of the state.
According to the Turkish source, Syria refused to discuss anything “outside the framework of reconciliations and handing over weapons and regions,” which he says “makes it difficult for Ankara to undertake its mission,” especially in light of the fact that the Al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front controls large parts of these target areas.
A Syrian source tells The Cradle that the “Qamishli model” of military reconciliation is the closest one that applies to this case: Wherein “the SAA and national defense forces (the majority of which are pro-Damascus Kurds) coordinate fully.”
He makes clear that Damascus has already provided ample self-governance mechanisms for Kurds in the country’s north:
“The (Kurdish-run) Autonomous Administration in Syria already exists. It deals directly with Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration (in Damascus) and has multiple agencies that work through local representative councils to implement government plans in terms of security, tax collection, and services,” and of course it consists of the people of the region – Kurds.
The recent statement of top Erdogan advisor Yassin Aktay may throw a wrench in those works. His insistence that Turkiye should maintain control over the city of Aleppo – Syria’s second most populous, and its industrial heart – did not come out of nowhere.
Ankara considers that its repatriation of three million Syrian refugees should start from “local administrations run by the (Turkish-backed) Syrian National Army (a rebranded version of the opposition ‘Free Syrian Army),” says the Turkish source.
He is referring to Idlib, Aleppo, and their countrysides, and the areas in which Turkiye launched its “Olive Branch” and “Euphrates Shield” military operations. These locales in Syria’s north include the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo, including Azaz, Jarabulus, al-Bab, Afrin, and its environs.
Turkiye may consider gradually handing over these strategic zones to its allied Syrian militias, he says.
“Call it confederation or not, these areas should be controlled by the Syrian National Army factions instead of the Al-Nusra Front – in order to ensure the safe return of the refugees.”
Steady progress
In short, the Russian mediation to bring Damascus and Ankara closer is moving slowly, but according to the Turkish source, “it is closer to reconciliation because the Syrian Ministry of Local Administration is beginning to take charge of regional affairs after holding new local council elections – in compliance with plans forged in the Astana process.”
Regarding Astana, the Turkish source says, “Let the Syrians treat the Kurdish and opposition areas as one, if the Kurds agree to dismantle their factions and join the Syrian army within a certain equation, the opposition factions will also accept.”
Regarding the complicated geopolitics of Syria’s east – currently occupied by US troops and their proxies – a high-ranking Syrian official who recently visited Saudi Arabia and Cairo, proposed “Arab intervention with the Syrian tribes to disengage tribe members in the Al-Tanf region from the US forces.” But according to the official, this would be subject to “the progress of relations between Damascus, Riyadh, Cairo, and possibly even Jordan.”
A few days ago, a video message was sent by Nusra Front leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani, in which he thundered: “Where are the armies of the Muslims?” It is a topical message from Al Qaeda’s Syria boss, who is angling to maintain his sectarian “area of influence” in northwest Syria – strategic Idlib on the Turkish-Syrian border. Julani’s destructive narrative may be the last barrier to break for Damascus, Ankara, and Moscow to strike a deal on the ground.
A military facility housing US forces in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor came under attack on 25 August, mere hours after rockets struck US bases in the same area, injuring three US service members.
According to Syria’s state-run new agency SANA, one US military personnel was injured during the second attack. In response, a US aircraft circled over the area and targeted a Syrian base with projectiles.
Earlier today, The Washington Post cited a US military source claiming that the aircraft “targeted infrastructure used by groups with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).”
Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani dismissed all claims that Iran was involved in either of the 25 August attacks.
A day prior, three rockets struck a US base near the Conoco gas field in Syria’s northeastern Deir Ezzor countryside.
The rocket landed inside the base, injuring at least three US soldiers and causing material damage. In retaliation, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the destruction of three vehicles and equipment used to launch some of the rockets.”
Indeed, minutes after that missile attack on US troops, local Syrian sources confirmed combat chopper activity in the area’s airspace.
Russia media outlet Sputnik said ambulances quickly arrived at the explosion site to transport the casualties and wounded, amid a large deployment of US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militants in the area.
Conoco is the largest gas field in Syria, producing nearly 10 million cubic meters of natural gas per day. Earlier this month, the Syrian oil ministry revealed that US troops plunder 80 percent of the country’s daily oil output.
At dawn on 23 August, the US military announced it carried out raids on facilities used by groups allegedly affiliated with the IRGC.
The US maintains approximately 900 troops in Syria, primarily split between the Al-Tanf base and the country’s eastern oil fields.
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The US occupation forces in Syria announce that they carried out precision airstrikes on facilities linked to the IRGC in Deir Ezzor, Syria.
Boys look out the window of a building damaged by an Israeli occupation air strike near Damascus airport, in Damascus, Syria, November 20, 2019 (Reuters)
The US occupation forces in Syria said early Wednesday they carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria on areas used by groups linked to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
The strikes “took proportionate, deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties,” the US military’s Central Command said.
CENTCOM did not identify the targets nor offer any figures killed in the strikes that the military said came at the orders of US President Joe Biden.
“Today’s strikes were necessary to protect and defend US personnel,” CENTCOM spokesperson Colonel Joe Buccino claimed in a statement.
Buccino underlined that the offensive was in response to an attack that took place on August 15, which was allegedly launched by “Iran-backed groups” in Syria against a US occupation forces post in Al-Tanf region. CENTCOM claimed that the attack did not result in any casualties or damages.
“These precision strikes are intended to defend and protect US forces from attacks like the ones on August 15 against US personnel by Iran-backed groups,” the statement read.
“The US strikes targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s [IRGC],” it added.
Iranian media announced Tuesday the martyrdom of IRGC officer Abolfazl Alijani during an advisory mission in Syria.
According to Iranian media, martyr Alijani, a graduate of the Imam Hussain Military College of the IRGC, is one of the combat engineering cadres of the ‘Amir Al-Mu’minin’ college for Military Sciences of the Revolution Guards Ground Force.
Deir Ezzor is a highly important region for the US occupation forces, as it lies on the borders with Iraq and contains vast oil fields.
The Syrian Oil Ministry revealed earlier this month that the US occupation forces loot the majority of Syria’s oil, knowing that the daily production of the eastern oil fields is 80.3 thousand barrels.
It is noteworthy that Syrian state media has accused over and over again the US and the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) armed groups of occupying areas in the vicinity of oil-rich fields, smuggling resources to Iraq, and then siphoning them out.
The United States has been for years supporting SDF militias against Damascus, and the US-backed forces are currently occupying parts of the provinces of Al-Haskah, Deir Ezzor, and Raqqa, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located.
The actions carried out by the United States constitute state piracy with the aim of plundering Syria’s oil resources and depriving the Syrians of their own resources amid a harsh economic situation caused largely by the occupiers, the Americans themselves.
Press conference of the foreign ministers of Syria and Russia
The so-called International Coalition claims it thwarted an unmanned aerial systems attack near a US occupation military base in Syria.
The drone attack on US occupation Al-Tanf base in Syria
The US occupation military base in Al Tanf in Syria, which is located on the Iraq-Syrian border, was targeted with a drone attack, news sources reported on Monday.
The attack was carried out by the Iraqi Resistance drone unit, the Iranian news agency Mehr quoted an Iraqi security source as saying.
The Iraqi source indicated that the Iraqi Resistance targeted the US occupation base in Al Tanf using several bomb-carrying drones, Mehr reported.
The so-called International Coalition said it thwarted an “unmanned aerial systems [UAS]” attack near a US military base in Syria, with no casualties or material damage reported.
“Operation Inherent Resolve forces, in coordination with our Maghaweir al-Thowra [MaT] partners, responded to an attack by multiple unmanned aerial systems in the vicinity of Al-Tanf Garrison at approximately 6:30 a.m.,” the coalition said in a statement.
The so-called coalition claimed that its forces “successfully engaged one UAS preventing its impact. A second UAS detonated within a MaT forces compound resulting in zero casualties or reported damage.”
In response, Major General John Brennan, the commander of the coalition, claimed that “such attacks put the lives of innocent Syrian civilians at risk and undermine the significant efforts by our Partner forces to maintain the lasting defeat of ISIS [Islamic State].”
Brennan added that the “coalition personnel retain the right to self-defense, and we will take appropriate measures to protect our forces.”
According to Rudaw, “There have been at least 11 rocket and drone attacks against sites housing American forces in Iraq and Syria this year.”
Syrian air defenses confront Israeli aggression on Tartus
The attack on the US occupation base in Syria comes hours after the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) confirmed that Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile targets in the sky of Tartus and in the air of the Qalamoun mountain range near the Lebanese border.”
Earlier, Al Mayadeen correspondent in Damascus reported that three explosions were heard in the sky of the Syrian city of Tartus.
Our correspondent added that the Syrian air defenses engaged Israeli missiles targeting positions in the vicinity of Tartus, noting that the aggression was carried out by Israeli warplanes from over Lebanese territory.
In a statement, a military source said that “the Israeli enemy carried out at 20:50 today a missile aggression, targeting some points in Damascus countryside using southeastern Beirut’s air space and coinciding with another one targeting some points southern Tartous using the Mediterranean airspace.”
“The aggression led to the death of three soldiers, the wounding of three others,” the source indicated.
US reviews Israeli plans for strikes against Iranian targets in Syria
Behind the curtains, current and former officials say that for several years, many Israeli missions have been reviewed in advance for approval by senior officials at US Central Command and the Pentagon.
This means that the formal coordination was previously unknown, and the secrecy surrounding it demonstrates how Washington has sought to support its Israeli ally.
The US review, according to the Wall Street Journal, mainly focuses on Israeli missions in eastern Syria that pass close to the US occupation’s Al-Tanf base.
What is the US doing in Syria?
Besides being an occupation that backs armed groups for its own operations and agenda in the region, the US occupation forces continue to steal Syrian oil by smuggling it from their bases in Syria to their bases in Iraq.
Convoys of tens of vehicles, including tankers loaded with stolen oil from oil fields occupied by US forces in Syria, are frequently seen crossing toward northern Iraq, in addition to trucks loaded with military equipment.
US troops loot 84 oil tankers from Syria, smuggle them into Iraq
On Sunday, SANA reported that the US occupation forces in Syria looted 89 oil tankers from Syria and smuggled them into Iraq through illegal crossings.
A convoy of 89 oil tanks left from Al-Yaarubiyah, Al-Hasakah Governorate, using the illegal border crossing of Al-Mahmudiyah in northeastern Syria to get to Iraq, SANA also said on Saturday.
The United States has been for years supporting militias against Damascus, and the US-backed forces are currently occupying parts of the provinces of Al-Haskah, Deir Ezzor, and Raqqa, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located.
The actions carried out by the United States constitute state piracy with the aim of plundering Syria’s oil resources and depriving the Syrians of their own resources amid a harsh economic situation caused largely by the occupiers, the Americans themselves.
In late July, a convoy of 35 vehicles with tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil that the US occupation forces control, as well as several covered trucks, traveled through the unauthorized Al-Mahmudiyah crossing, which was allocated by the US occupation forces more than two years ago to steal Syrian oil, one day after they smuggled 14 tankers loaded with Syrian oil.
News sources reported that the US occupation’s military base of al-Tanf, located along the Iraqi-Syrian border, was targeted by drones on Monday morning.
An Iraqi security source said that the operation was carried out by the Iraqi Resistance drone unit.
The source emphasized that the Iraqi Resistance targeted the US base in al-Tanf using several explosive-laden drones.
No further information has yet been published regarding the possible number of casualties and damages caused by the operation.
This is not the first time that this US occupation base has been targeted.
Russia’s airstrikes on the US occupation in Syria raise concerns of escalation.
Russian aircraft flying in a “Z” formation outside of Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2022 (Getty)
US military officials are saying that Russian forces have conducted a series of operations against the US occupation in Syria this month.
On Wednesday, Russia carried out airstrikes against the al-Tanf garrison, a region that is occupied by the US, near the Syrian border with Jordan in southeast Syrian, and hosts training bases for US mercenaries in Syria, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Russia had notified the US that it would be conducting the airstrikes in response to attacks made against the Syrian army. The advanced notice of the operation, which took place through a communications line set up years ago, meant that no casualties took place.
Russian jet aircraft, including two Su-35s and one Su-24, were seen flying over al-Tanf shortly after, striking a combat outpost at the garrison, according to a US military officer cited by WSJ.
US officials revealed to CNN on 17 June that the Kremlin warned Washington before launching airstrikes against US-backed armed groups in southeastern Syria.
Earlier this week, an unidentified drone strike hit Al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria, which stretches for over 50 kilometers and is occupied by the US army.
The airstrikes targeted positions held inside Al-Tanf by fighters from the CIA-trained Maghawir al-Thawra (MaT) armed group, which seeks to overthrow the government in Damascus.
While no casualties were reported from the drone strike, an unnamed US official told CNN that the Russians achieved their goal of “sending a message” that the attack could be carried out without fear of retaliation.
After receiving the Kremlin warning, the Pentagon alerted the fighters to move their positions, according to the unnamed officials.
The drone attack came in response to a roadside bomb attack that MaT had carried out against Russian troops. It also marked the first time that Russian forces had attacked a US-occupied military base in Syria.
Al-Tanf base is one of the most strategic military garrisons for the US occupation in Syria. In addition to housing hundreds of troops, the base is also used to train armed groups waging war against the government of Syria.
Over recent months, Moscow has intensified its military cooperation with Damascus in an effort to help authorities regain full control of the country.
On 15 June, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, said Moscow would “not turn a blind eye” to Turkish military incursions on Syrian soil.
Lavrentyev firmly stated that Russia would not abandon its allies in West Asia.
A day later, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced the beginning of the process for Syria to formally recognize Donetsk and Luhansk, the two republics in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with Russia Today (RT) on 9 June, Al-Assad praised the repositioning of the Kremlin on the global scale, saying Russia has restored a much needed international balance.
“We can look at Russia from two angles: the angle of the ally who, if he wins a battle or if his political position on the world stage becomes stronger, is beneficial for us; and from another angle, Russia’s strength today constitutes a restoration of balance,” President Al-Assad said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the ‘Israeli’ occupation regime has secretly coordinated the majority of its airstrikes on Syria with the United States.
‘Israel’ secretly coordinates with the US on many of the airstrikes it carries out in Syria, according to current and former US officials, the report by the American newspaper read.
The report added that American officials have said little about ‘Israel’s’ bombing missions.
The airstrikes are allegedly aimed at interrupting arms supplies to the Resistance groups operating on Syrian territories.
The American side pays special attention to the ‘Israeli’ strikes near Al-Tanf military base, which is a US stronghold near the Syrian-Jordanian border, the report underlines.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the US pre-screens raids launched by “Israel” against Syria.
US al-Tanf military base in Syria.
“Israel” secretly coordinates with the US on many of the airstrikes it conducts in Syria, according to current and former US officials.
What was the US role in Syria?
Behind the curtains, current and former officials say that for several years, many Israeli missions have been reviewed in advance for approval by senior officials at US Central Command and the Pentagon.
This means that the formal coordination was previously unknown, and the secrecy surrounding it demonstrates how Washington has sought to support its Israeli ally.
The US review, according to the WSJ, mainly focuses on Israeli missions in eastern Syria that pass close to the US occupation’s Al-Tanf base.
The vast majority of those Israeli airstrikes were authorized by the United States, but the officials claim the US military does not assist “Israel” in selecting its targets. The US does not review all Israeli operations in Syria they claimed. It is a “well-developed and deliberate process,” one former US official said. This cannot but mean that the operations they choose to review are targeted and singled out.
“In northeast Syria and in the vicinity of al-Tanf, the US mission is solely securing the enduring defeat of ISIS, working with our local partners,” a US defense official claimed. “We won’t discuss the details of the steps we take to reduce the risk to our forces and to the mission.”
While the US has generally approved the strikes under review, current and former officials claim the US has occasionally asked “Israel” for changes.
The US urged “Israel” to pause its strikes at least twice in order to avoid complicating the battle space while the US military was engaged in “sensitive operations”, they claimed.
However, US officials say that a portion of Israeli airstrikes don’t pass near Al-Tanf base and thus aren’t reviewed by the US, including the latest Israeli aggression on Damascus Airport.
As per the WSJ report, the US military also doesn’t review Israeli airstrikes in Iraq, which “Israel” hasn’t officially confirmed, but US officials say have occurred.
Besides being an occupation that backs armed groups for its own operations and agenda in the region, the US occupation forces continue to steal Syrian oil by smuggling it from their bases in Syria to their bases in Iraq.
Convoys of tens of vehicles, including tankers loaded with stolen oil from oil fields occupied by US forces in Syria, are frequently seen crossing toward northern Iraq, in addition to trucks loaded with military equipment.
The US interference in the crisis-stricken Middle Eastern country continues to be exposed, from occupation to military agenda and the theft of oil.
Illustrative image. Source: the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Early on June 16, a series of airstrikes hit positions of US-backed Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT) in the southeastern Syrian area of al-Tanf, where the US-led coalition maintains a garrison.
A US military official told BBC journalist Nafiseh Kohnavard that the airstrikes were carried out by warplanes from the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in response an attack with a roadside bomb that resulted in Russian military casualties. The unnamed official said that Russia blamed MaT for the attack. The US-led coalition was alerted ahead of the airstrikes.
MaT shared photos showing the aftermath of the Russian airstrikes on Twitter. The group claimed that the airstrikes resulted in some material losses only.
Click to see full-size image. Source: Maghaweir al-Thowra account on Twitter (@MaghaweirThowra).Click to see full-size image. Source: Maghaweir al-Thowra account on Twitter (@MaghaweirThowra).
Around 200 US troops and 300 MaT are usually present in al-Tanf garrison, which was supposedly established to counter ISIS.
The US-led coalition maintains a 55-kilometer no-fly zone around the garrison. Despite this, VKS warplanes conduct reconnaissance sorties over the area on a regular basis.
Between March and May, Syrian government troops around al-Tanf came under attack on several occasions. While some of the attacks were attributed to ISIS, which is known to be present within the 55-kilometer zone, others were attributed to the MaT.
MaT recent activities were not limited to the 55-kilometer zone and its surroundings. Over the past year, MaT built relations with an armed faction in the southeastern Syrian governorate of al-Suwayda. The faction, which was known as the Counter Terrorism Force, was neutralized by pro-government forces earlier this month. The faction’s militants fell into an ambush while attempting to flee towards al-Tanf garrison. Its leader was killed in the ambush.
Aside from its destabilizing activities, MaT is allegedly involved in the trafficking of arms, tobacco products and even drugs between Syria, Jordan and Iraq.
The Russian airstrikes on al-Tanf appear to be more of a warning to the US-led coalition and its proxy, who continue to use the area as a forward base for sabotage. Unrest around the area could soon developed to a confrontation.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accuses the US of actively recruiting around 60 Islamic State members it has released from prisons to participate in hostilities in Ukraine as mercenaries.
Russia’s SVR said mercenaries banned in the Russian Federation were being recruited to participate in hostilities in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported on Tuesday that the United States is actively recruiting Islamic State members to participate in hostilities in Ukraine as mercenaries.
“According to information received by the Foreign Intelligence Service, the United States is actively recruiting even members of international terrorist organizations as mercenaries to participate in hostilities in Ukraine, including the Islamic State (IS) group, banned in the Russian Federation,” it said, adding that the military forces target sabotage against the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.
The statement added that “in April, with the participation of US intelligence services, about 60 IS fighters aged 20 to 25 were released from prisons controlled by Syrian Kurds are undergoing combat training for the purpose of subsequent transfer to Ukrainian territory.”
“According to the SVR, the specified military base and its environs have long turned into a kind of terrorist ‘hub,’ where up to 500 IS members loyal to Washington and other jihadists are being ‘retrained’ at the same time. Priority is given to natives of the states of Transcaucasia and Central Asia. The training ‘course’ in At-Tanf includes training in the use of available types of anti-tank missile systems, reconnaissance and strike drones MQ-1C, advanced communications and surveillance equipment,” the statement said.
Biden forces illegally occupying Syria’s largest Conoco Gas field in Deir Ezzor province carried out a military drill using live ammunition, yesterday Sunday 15 May 2022, local sources have reported.
The local sources added that helicopters from two illegal military bases run by the Syrian oil and gas thieves of the US Army took part in the drill with sounds of explosions heard dozens of miles away from the gas field, the sources added the loud sounds of explosions to the heavy artillery and mortars used during the drill.
Biden forces have been beefing up their illegal military bases in the northeastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, mainly in the oil and gas fields in the region, with advanced gears and armored vehicles like the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, in addition to logistical support material, assorted weaponry, and large caches of ammunition.
This latest drill comes a month after a military drill carried out by the US army oil and gas thieves with their proxy Kurdish SDF separatist terrorists, the 4th of April’s drill included surface to surface missiles, fighter jets, tanks, and artillery.
Though the Biden junta continues the policies of his predecessors in justifying the illegal presence of their forces in Syria by claiming they’re fighting ISIS (ISIL), the only thing they have not done yet is actually combat ISIS, all they did was empower ISIS by dropping weapons and ammunition, by mistake – for the record, multiple times, air-lifting ISIS commanders when endangered and moving them to other regions where soon terrorist attacks were carried out against the Syrian army and civilians in the Syrian desert.
Another thing that the Biden forces have excelled at in Syria is plundering Syria’s grains, including wheat and barley, oil, and gas, thus depriving the Syrian people of their food to eat and feed their children, and fuel to heat their homes, cook their food, and transport within their own country, this comes on top of the inhumane blockade the US regime imposes on Syria and the draconian sanctions it imposes on countries and companies, especially US companies willing to do any legitimate business with Syria.
The US armed forces illegally deployed and operating in Syria have earlier gone to further lengths in their support to ISIS, in particular, by carrying out a military drill with one of the ISIS-affiliated terrorist groups so-called Maghawir Thawra within the 50 kilometers kill zone they control in the Al Tanf region in Syria’s furthest southeastern desert at the border junction with Iraq and Jordan.
What remains a puzzle for the rest of the world, especially the victims of the US wars on humanity around the globe: don’t the US citizens, mainly the taxpayers, have other priorities in their lives than to kill and maim innocent people on the other side of the planet? How about securing food for their own children, at least, not talking about the healthcare issues, infrastructure, housing, pandemics, jobs, et al, instead of spending their hard-earned tax money on financing the Military-Industrial Complex?
Biden forces and their Kurdish SDF separatist terrorists continue ‘business as usual’ by stealing more of the Syrian oil and breaching Syria’s sovereignty as both of them work for the ‘Greater Israel’ project which has the Turkish madman Erdogan play a leading role in it, the Syrian national resistance in northern Syria also continue ‘business as usual’ by targeting the oil thieves and their proxy terrorists.
More than 50 vehicles most of which are tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil were seen heading toward the Kharab Al Jir (Karab Al Jeer) military airport in the northeastern Hasaskah province before heading to Iraq through an illegal border crossing, the vehicles were operated by the Biden forces illegally present in Syria and were guarded by the Kurdish SDF separatist terrorists.
Near the village of Al Sajir in the northeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, a group of Syrian national resistance attacked an illegal military point manned by the US-sponsored Kurdish SDF separatist terrorists, local sources confirming the attack also confirmed casualties among the targeted terrorists.
More in this report by the Syrian Ekbariya news channel:
A number of the US-sponsored SDF militants were killed and wounded in separate attacks targeting militia vehicles and points in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
Al-Ekhbariya reporter quoted local sources as saying that an armed attack was carried out by unidentified persons with machine guns and RPGs, targeting a military point of the SDF militia in the village of Al-Sajir, north of Deir Ezzor, amid almost confirmed news of the death and injury of a number of militants of that militia.
The American occupation transferred a convoy of tanks filled with stolen Syrian oil and military equipment to its base at Kharab Al-Jeer Airport in the Yarubiyah countryside, in preparation for its expulsion to Iraq through the illegal Al-Waleed crossing.
Local sources indicated that a convoy of 50 vehicles, mostly tankers loaded with stolen oil, and a number of tankers loaded with artillery and military equipment, were accompanied by eight military armored vehicles of the American occupation forces headed from the Tel Hamis area in the eastern countryside of Hasaka to Kharab Al-Jeer airport in the town of Al-Yaroubiyeh, which the occupation forces use as its base.
The sources pointed out that the exiting vehicles stopped at Kharab Al-Jeer Airport to head to the illegal Al-Waleed crossing.
End of the transcript.
All of the Biden’s regime talks, and the talks of the regimes of his predecessors in the USA and in all NATO member countries, about the need to respect the freedoms of people, protect the borders of countries, respect the sovereignty of nations, as their current hysteria over Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity, are all talks to justify their policies, talks targeted for the consumption of their gullible citizens who only foot the bills of the criminal interventions of the ‘Collective West’ in the targeted countries, the only goal is the hegemony of the haves in order to have more on the account of the rest of the world.
The sanctions (legally termed: unilateral coercive measures) the collective west imposed on Russia allegedly for the Russian military operation in Ukraine are nothing but a continuation of punishing countries who reject the absolute US hegemony, for decades, the US consecutive regimes have imposed inhumane sanctions and blockades on Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, and many other countries, their sanctions on Syria dubbed ‘Caesar Act‘ are the most draconian sanctions as they target companies and entire countries who deal with any Syrian business.
In addition to their illegal occupation of areas in northern Syria, where Syria’s main oil fields and wheat fields are, the Biden forces also occupy a military post in the furthest southeastern desert at Al Tanf area where they provide a protected zone for ISIS remnants.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 