25 years ago today, the U.S. government used chemical weapons on American civilians, which resulted in the death of nearly 80 men, women, and children.
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In response to Tuesday’s violent Manhattan incident, causing multiple deaths and injuries, a possible false flag, Trump lied claiming US forces responded by hitting ISIS “10 times harder,” adding:
“They will pay a big price for every attack on us!” He lied. America created and supports ISIS. It doesn’t strike its imperial foot soldiers.
No know ISIS attacks occurred against Americans – at home or abroad, nor any by other terrorist groups.
None occurred against other NATO countries, Israel, Saudi Arabia or other pro-Western regional rogue states – supporting ISIS and likeminded groups.
US-led terror-bombing in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere supports operations by ISIS and other terrorists, America’s proxy force, massacring civilians and destroying vital infrastructure instead.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway lied, saying:
“We have, and we will continue to strike ISIS hard and often, along with Al-Qaeda and other affiliated or likeminded violent extremist organizations wherever they are globally.”
“We are fighting and killing ISIS in operations in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Philippines, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, the Sinai in Egypt and wherever these groups emerge.”
Fact: Just the opposite is going on. US terror-bombing supports ISIS and other terrorists in countries where Washington deploys their fighters.
Manhattan incident suspect Saipov may or may not be “an animal,” as Trump described him.
America’s killing machine is monstrous, raping and destroying one country after another, responsible for countless millions of casualties, intending endless more rampaging worldwide, making the world safe for Western monied interests and their rogue allies, nightmarish for most others.
On Friday, Trump departed for Hawaii, a stopover on his lengthy Asia-Pacific trip, visiting Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
North Korea is the key focus, along with US hostility toward China’s growing economic might and influence, as well as its trade advantage.
Possible US war on North Korea has the world community concerned, notably China and Russia, strongly against belligerence on the peninsula.
On Friday, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said US Guam-based B-1B strategic bombers “conducted a nuclear bomb simulated attack drill on major targets in North Korea” near its territory.
“The gravity of the situation” is compounded by three US aircraft carrier strike groups deployed in the Asia-Pacific, conducting joint naval exercises, Pyongyang considers a rehearsal for war on the country, KCNA adding:
“This clearly shows that the US is aggravating the situation on the Korean Peninsula and seeking to spark a nuclear war.”
At a Friday press briefing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said “(w)e have heard statements to ease the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula and others which escalate tensions.”
“China hopes all parties could act and speak prudently when the situation on the peninsula is fragile and complicated.”
All relevant parties “should make more efforts to enhance mutual trust and ease tensions.”
Perhaps the die is cast, US war plans readied. Reckless remarks from and actions by Washington are eerily similar to the run-up to other American aggressive wars – demonizing an adversary for months, manipulating the public mind, justifying unjustifiable hostilities, media scoundrels going along, repeating state-sponsored propaganda.
War on North Korea would be catastrophic for the peninsula and region. Russia and China could get involved, their security threatened by regional war possibly going nuclear.
America’s military/industrial complex controls Trump, hawkish neocons in charge, escalating ongoing wars, deciding what nations to be attacked next – North Korea and Iran prime targets.
Nuclear war if launched threatens humanity, the greatest threat to life on earth.
The post US Hitting ISIS “Ten Times Harder?” A Big Lie! appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.
(image: Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images)
Yogi Berra was right, saying “(i)t ain’t over till it’s over.” Things are heading in the right direction in Syria, miles yet to go to liberate the country from the scourge of America’s presence and terrorist groups it supports.
Each day brings more good news than bad. On Tuesday, Russian armed forces chief of staff in Syria General Alexander Lapin said:
“At present, 85 percent of the Syrian territory has been liberated from the militants of illegal armed formations.”
“About 27 square kilometers (10,424 square miles]) of Syrian territory remain to be liberated until the complete annihilation of” US-supported ISIS.
Defeating US-supported al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) remains a formidable task to achieve. Encouraging news reported by AMN News said “(a)t least five Syrian rebel groups associated with the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization, a coalition of Syrian rebels closely linked to Al-Qaeda, have announced their defection, marking another episode in a recent string of defections affecting HTS.”
Others are expected to follow suit. HTS commander/religious leader Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini left the group hours after leaked audios revealed widening rifts among al-Nusra commanders, at least 10 senior ones defecting days earlier, surrendering to Syrian forces.
Northern Syria remains occupied by Turkey, America and terrorists it supports. Washington came to stay. Liberation won’t come easily.
US-backed terrorists aim to prevent Syrian and allied forces from fully liberating Deir Ezzor, moving in from the northeast, government and allied forces, greatly aided by Russian airpower, from the west.
A possible clash looms, despite a terrorist spokesman saying their fighters won’t attack Syrian forces.
Washington’s aim is controlling as much Syrian territory as possible, intending permanent occupation, similar to plan for Afghanistan and Iraq.
How Damascus and Russia contest this aim remains to be seen.
Separately, Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah declared victory in the country, saying “(w)e have won…the war…and what remains are scattered battles.”
On Monday, Sergey Lavrov said “(s)ince the very beginning, we have consistently taken a very clear stance. Everyone who is on the Syrian soil or in Syria’s airspace without the consent of the Syrian government violates the international law.”
“Russia, as well as the representatives of Iran, including the representatives of the Hezbollah movement, are working here (by) direct invitation of Syria’s legitimate authorities.”
“(S)ome unwelcome (elements) with arms in their hands are in Syria’s territory. As we saw a possibility to cooperate with (America) in the war on terror in the interests of all Syrian citizens, such contacts were established.”
Washington remains the mortal enemy of Russia, Syria and all other sovereign independent countries.
The battle to liberate Syria “ain’t over till it’s over.”
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Mohammad bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia [image: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin]
His unannounced visit was reported by the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), saying:
“A prince from the Royal Court visited the country in secret over the past few days and discussed the idea of pushing regional peace forward with a number of senior Israeli officials.”
Both countries have no formal diplomatic ties. In 2013, Saudi prince Bandar bin Sultan visited Israel, breaking a decades long taboo – marking the first known Saudi visit to the Jewish state.
Bandar came covertly, not openly, to discuss interests both countries share – including toppling Assad and confronting Iran.
A Saudi/Israeli/US alliance reflects a deplorable axis of evil. Bandar reportedly discussed bankrolling a new terrorist force to escalate war on Syria – about a year before Washington began its terror-bombing campaign, ongoing since September 2014.
The Saudis, Israelis and Americans are enemies of peace, along with their rogue allies. Claiming crown prince/defense minister Mohammed bin Salman came to Israel secretly to talk peace defies his real purpose – likely to plot hostile actions against Syria and Iran, a similar scheme to what Bandar urged years earlier.
Netanyahu and Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment. Riyadh denied the visit, its state media saying:
“A senior Elaph source (said) a high-level Qatari official quietly visited Tel Aviv midweek and discussed security issues with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
“The source added that the visit lasted two days before his meeting with Kuwaiti emir Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and US President Donald Trump to discuss the Qatar diplomatic crisis.”
“The senior Qatari emissary discussed security issues with Israeli representatives, including military steps that concern Doha due to their potential to escalate the Qatar crisis with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE.”
“The Qatari official explained the fragile situation that his country is in to his Israeli hosts in the hope that Israel will help reduce tensions and even solve the crisis through behind-the-scenes efforts.”
“According to reports, Israel will ‘look into the issue.’ Official Israeli sources refused to confirm or deny the reports.”
The reported visit came a day after Netanyahu said Israeli/Arab world relations are better than ever.
“What’s happening now with the Arab bloc states has never before happened in our history, even when we signed agreements,” Netanyahu claimed, adding:
“What we have now is greater than anything else during any other period in Israel’s history.”
Crown prince Salman’s visit had nothing to do with fostering regional peace, everything to do with plotting actions against Syria and Iran – maybe allying Saudi wealth with Israeli might for hostile actions against both countries.
Israeli and Riyadh’s best efforts to topple Assad failed, unable to effectively counter a formidable, resilient, committed Syrian, Iranian, Russia alliance against terrorist groups they support.
What new scheme Salman proposed is unknown, likely a new approach to pursue a failed agenda.
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ISIS and other terrorist groups couldn’t exist without foreign backing. America, NATO, Israel and their rogue allies provide weapons, munitions, and other material support.
Media scoundrels suppress what’s going on, pretending US war on terror is real. It’s a colossal hoax.
Washington and its allies deploy terrorist forces to locations where they want them used, shifting them to various battleground areas, including back-and-forth cross-border between Syria and Iraq.
Last Wednesday, US-led helicopters airlifted around 20 ISIS field commanders, along with rank-and-file fighters from Deir Ezzor – after Syrian and allied forces broke their three-year siege.
According to Syrian military and media reports, heliborne operations in Deir Ezzor’s Kal al-Mala region and near al-Rahba shifted ISIS forces for use elsewhere in Syria.
Similar operations occurred earlier in Iraq and Syria, much like how armies deploy their troops where they’re strategically needed.
Separately, Russia delivered humanitarian aid to liberated Deir Ezzor areas, including food, water, medical supplies, mobile generators, and other essential goods, according to its Defense Ministry.
Russia’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Sergey Rudskoy said “(o)ver the past two weeks, the Syrian government troops with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces have achieved important advances and dealt a decisive blow to Daesh terrorists in Syria’s east and center” – calling it one of the most important achievements in over six years of war, a major defeat for ISIS.
Smashing the terrorist group entirely won’t end war in Syria. Thousands of al-Nusra and likeminded fighters remain to be eliminated.
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Syrian and allied forces, greatly aided by Russian aerial operations, broke ISIS’ three-year siege of Deir Ezzor governorate, an important achievement toward liberating the area entirely.
Russian warplanes killed ISIS’ emir and minister of war in the city with powerful bunker busting bombs.
ISIS’ siege of Deir Ezzor’s military airport was broken, located two km east of the city. Western Deir Ezzor’s Panorama area was liberated, ISIS’ front lines overrun.
Syrian forces regained full control over the strategic Sukhnah-Deir Ezzor highway, opening another route to the governorate’s capital. The area’s Teym oilfield was retaken. So were Tal Rubiyat and Khim Defaa, high ground on Deir Ezzor’s outskirts.
Government and allied forces continue advancing toward routing ISIS’ last stronghold in the country decisively.
Russia’s Defense Ministry issued the following statement:
“Syrian government troops, with the support of the Russian Air Force, achieved a serious success, inflicting a devastating defeat on Daesh units in the area of the city of Deir Ezzor, which exceed(ed) in scale all previous (Syrian) victories over the past three years.”
“Currently, the government troops under the command of Gen. Suheil Hassan together with the units, which had been under the siege at the Syrian military airbase, are widening the corridor between the airfield and Deir Ezzor, carrying out successful military actions on (ISIS) flanks.”
ISIS is battered, not defeated, but greatly weakened from its earlier strength – a major achievement for Syrian and allied forces, Russian airpower playing a crucial role.
Retaking the city entirely will eliminate its last major stronghold, dealing a significant blow to US and Israeli imperial aims.
US media scoundrels reported nothing about Russo/Syrian military successes, downplayed them, or pretended US-backed forces launched an offensive against ISIS in Deir Ezzor.
Washington and its rogue allies support ISIS. So-called US-backed forces are anti-Syria terrorists.
Deir Ezzor lies in the heart of the country’s oilfields. US military strategists want control over them.
Buoyed by breakthroughs against ISIS, Syrian and allied forces have the upper hand. Liberating the city entirely seems just a matter of time.
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On September 8, a Russian Defense Ministry statement said the following:
“After confirming the information received and conducting additional reconnaissance, two Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft of Russia’s Aerospace Forces were scrambled from the Hmeymim air base, which made a pinpoint strike with bunker busting bombs. The air strike destroyed an underground terrorist command post, a communications center and about 40 militants of Daesh” – including war minister Gulmurod Khalimov, dying “from a lethal injury,” adding:
“Effective actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces made it possible to speed up the unblocking of the city of Deir Ezzor and allow the Syrian troops to start its immediate liberation.”
“According to confirmed information, four influential field commanders were among the destroyed militants, including ‘the Sharif (emir) of Deir Ezzor,’ Abu Muhammad al-Shimali who was responsible for finance as well as redeployment of new recruits to Daesh training camps.”
Shimali was a Saudi national, affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq before joining ISIS, a key terrorist leader eliminated.
Pre-dawn on Friday, Syrian and allied forces liberated ash-Shula from ISIS control, a strategic town west of Deir Ezzor, the last major one along the route to the city. Liberating it entirely could come in days.
Achieving it will be a major step toward defeating the scourge of US-supported ISIS in Syria. Reports indicate its fighters are scrambling to leave the city, infighting among its members occurring as Syrian forces advance closer to their positions, aerial operations greatly aiding them.
Sergey Lavrov called breaking ISIS’ siege of Deir Ezzor “an important milestone in the war on terror in Syria,” adding:
“Now that the siege is broken, conditions have been created for achieving another important task, which is the liberation of Deir Ezzor from terrorists.”
“The Syrian troops supported by our aerospace force continue its activities aimed at achieving this goal.”
ISIS in Syria faces defeat, Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Sergey Rudskoy said in response to military successes against its fighters in Deir Ezzor.
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[image: Reuters]Numerous accusations by Washington and its rogue allies about Syria using chemical weapons were fabricated.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia was caught red-handed supplying terrorists in Syria with CWs. So was Turkey, discovered shipping toxic sarin gas cross-border. Perhaps Jordan and Israel supplied CWs. Both countries support ISIS and other terrorist groups.
Syrian forces never used them at any time throughout years of war. No credible evidence suggests it. Claims made were phony.
On August 6, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said US and UK-made CWs were found in liberated Syrian areas, noting:
“The consequences of the war that has been raging in Syria for many years are now being analyzed and material evidence has started to emerge. It has been mentioned many times at various levels.”
“The fact is that the western states and regional countries have directly or indirectly supplied banned poisonous substances to militants, terrorists and extremists active in Syria” – along with Western weapons and other material support.
Clear evidence shows ISIS, al-Nusra and other terrorist groups were aided by nations “claim(ing) their commitment to democratic principles and international law, but in fact, they supply militants with things necessary to continue military activities on the territory of an independent state.”
Information was “handed over to the United Nations and even made public during bilateral talks, particularly between Russia and the United States,” Zakharova explained.
Separately on Facebook, she said “(h)ere you can see all their commitment to international law and the triumph of democracy. Supplying chemical agents to terrorists and using photos of killed children as a pretext is beyond one’s comprehension.”
On Wednesday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad accused Washington and Britain of supplying terrorists in Syria with CWs, explaining evidence was found in liberated areas by government forces.
Munitions filled with toxic agents were discovered – produced by the US Federal Laboratories and NonLethal Technologies, as well as Britain’s Cherming Defence.
Russian lower house State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky responded to the evidence, saying:
“Syria now has all the reasons and the right to address the United Nations over western-produced chemical weapons found on the territories liberated from terrorists.”
“The information released by the Syrian Foreign Ministry once more demonstrates in full the hypocrisy of the members of the western US-led coalition, and proves that the entire goal of the entire operation is to remove the regime of President Bashar Assad.”
They support the terrorist scourge they claim to oppose, what’s been well known all along, something I stress repeatedly in my articles on Syria.
Washington, NATO, Israel and their rogue allies want endless war and regime change, not peace and stability, notions anathema to their diabolical agenda.
The Israeli-Islamic terrorism connection can’t be hidden any more. This article contains 11 clues (out of many). Above: Jabat al-Nusra terrorists wounded in Syria taken to Israeli hospitals. Image credit: SyrianFreePress.wordpress.com.The Israeli-Islamic Terrorism connection has become as clear as day. There are so many clues it’s impossible for the Anglo-American-Zionist axis to hide it any more. This article offers further proof of the Israeli-Islamic terrorism link, beyond what I have already exposed in previous articles such as Top 10 Indications or Proofs ISIS is a US-Israeli Creation. There is really no doubt that Israel is following the logic that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Since its arch-enemy Iran is helping Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, Israel is turning to the enemies of the Syrian Government to collaborate and conspire with them in the overthrow of Assad. These enemies are the “Syrian rebels”, or Salafist, Wahhabi and Takfiri terrorists (see this article for a breakdown of what all these terms mean, and how mainstream Sunni Muslims are distancing themselves from these violent groups). Whether it’s ISIS, Al Qaeda, Fatah Al Sham, Jahbat Al Sham, Al Nusra Front, Syrian rebels in general or any other Takfiri terrorist group, Israel has been actively pursuing relationships with all them to undermine the Iran-Syria alliance.
The following 11 clues are arranged in chronological order, from the most recent (#1) to the oldest (#11), however all the following articles and reports have been written within the last 2 years.
1. Israel is building a new hospital for Islamic takfiri terrorists: A recent PressTV report from July 19th 2017 states that Israel is planning on building a new field hospital to help wounded soldiers. Do you think Israel is just doing this out of their love for humanity?
“Israel’s military says the Tel Aviv regime plans to build a new field hospital in Syria … Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Koler told reporters in a phone conference on Wednesday that the hospital would be located on the Syrian side of the fence but on the Israeli side of the demarcation line in the Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory occupied by Israel … He noted that Israel had delivered what he called “humanitarian aid” into Syria, including hundreds of tons of food and clothing, as well as fuel and equipment such as generators.”
“Humanitarian aid”? Smells like another Orwellian euphemism, similar to humanitarian intervention. Try “takfiri terrorist support” and you’ll be closer to the mark.
2. Israel takes Fatah Al Sham / Al Nusra Front terrorists to Israeli hospitals: According to a June 25th 2017 article from the AhlulBayt News Agency (an Iranian source), Israel is continuing to accept Syrian terrorists who have been wounded in battle with the SAA (the Syrian Arab Army which is the official, legitimate army of the Syrian Government) in Quneitra province. The articles states:
“The sources reported that a number of injured members of Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) have been transferred to the Israeli hospitals via al-Hamidiyeh region in Quneitra countryside. The army troops repelled Al-Nusra Front’s offensives in the Southwestern province of Quneitra, leaving tens of terrorists dead and many more wounded. Later, the Israeli aircraft attacked the Syrian government forces’ tanks and artillery positions South-West of the war-hit country. This is not the first time that Al-Nusra terrorists have been transferred to Israeli hospital after sustaining injuries in clashes with the army soldiers. In September and November 2016, tens of wounded fighters of Fatah al-Sham (formerly know as the Al-Nusra) Front were transferred from Quneitra battlefields to Israeli hospitals in the occupied Golan Heights, as several Israeli ambulances entered Syria’s Southern province of Quneitra and transferred those terrorists injured in clashes with Syrian Army troops to their hospitals in the occupied part of the Golan Heights.”
3. Israel is coordinating attacks inside the Golan Heights with Al Nusra: Further evidence of the Israeli-ISIS connection can be found in this PressTV article of June 25th 2017, which reports a Syrian military source. Israel claims plausible deniability by saying their attacks on Syria are in retaliation for attacks that come out of Syria against Israel (though no necessarily from the SAA). The source states:
“Israel’s airstrikes on the Golan Heights on Saturday coincided with a push by Nusra Front terrorists against army (i.e. SAA) positions … Israel regularly hits positions held by the Syrian army in the Golan Heights, describing the attacks as retaliatory. Syria says the raids aim to help Takfiri militants fighting against government forces.”
Israeli-Islamic terrorism is right in line with the Mossad’s motto.4. Israel is making frequent contact with Syrian rebels and terrorists: This PressTV article from June 21st 2017 highlighted a quote from the Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force for the period from 2 March to 16 May 2017 dated June 8th 2017. PressTV writes that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that:
“… the growing interactions between the two sides could lead to escalation and cause harm to members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force deployed to the Golan Heights. UN observers listed 16 meetings between the Israel forces and the Syria militants in the border area, including on Mount Hermon, in proximity to UN outposts in Syria’s Quneitra Province and the Golan Heights, from March 2 to May 16.”
It should of course be noted that the entire Golan Heights region was annexed by Israel during its 6-Day War of 1967. It has been illegally occupying that region ever since, for over 50 years now. Rather than trying to find a way to give some territory back to Syria, Israel is pushing forward to create a buffer zone to further entrench themselves in the stolen land.
Israeli-Islamic terrorism: Zionist Jihadists. Image credit: SyrianFreePress.wordpress.com5. Israel communicates with and funds Islamic Terrorists to maintain its buffer zone in the “stolen Golan”: Israel stole the Golan Heights region from Syria during the 6-Day War of 1967, and has up to this point refused to give back all the territory it illegally annexed. This Russia insider article from June 19th, 2017, highlights how Israel is attempting to create a new buffer zone around Quneitra in Syria so that it can retain control of the Golan Heights forever.
6. Wall Street Journal reports that Israel has been secretly helping the Syrian rebels: The original Wall Street Journal article on June 18th 2017claimed they had interviewed around half a dozen Syrian fighters to reach this conclusion:
“Israel has been regularly supplying Syrian rebels near its border with cash as well as food, fuel and medical supplies for years, a secret engagement in the enemy country’s civil war aimed at carving out a buffer zone populated by friendly forces.
The Israel army is in regular communication with rebel groups and its assistance includes undisclosed payments to commanders that help pay salaries of fighters and buy ammunition and weapons, according to interviews with about half a dozen Syrian fighters.”
The rest of the article is hidden behind a paywall. Subsequently, several other articles summarizing this have sprung up, such as this one which also states:
“The commander identified by the nom de guerre Abu Suhayb who leads the terrorist group told the Journal that he receives about $5,000 a month from Israel.”
Rita Katz of SITE further cements the Israeli-Islamic terrorism link. Image credit: HelpFreeTheEarth.com7. ISIS videos are distributed to the world via SITE, an Israeli Intelligence Front: I have exposed previously on the The Freedom Articles how the organization SITE (Search International Terrorist Entities) led by Rita Katz is a Mossad or Israeli intelligence front. Isn’t it strange and very convenient how almost all (if not all) of ISIS’ videos (beheadings, killings, etc.) come via SITE? In this article from May 10th, 2017, Christopher Bollyn exposes SITE and people connected to it, such as Aaron Zelin – a Jewish Zionist from Illinois who works with Zionist think tanks like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and who runs Jihadology.net.
8. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted as saying that Israel will keep taking in Syrians to its hospitals: We also have an April 9th 2017 article from the Times of Israel that quotes Netanyahu as admitting that Israel has helping been helping wounded Syrian civilians, and will continue to do so:
“Netanyahu [said] “… Israel is treating injured civilians from Syria as part of the humanitarian effort. We will continue to do so.””
9. An Israeli Knesset (Congress/Parliament) member accused Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman of working with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham / Nusra: A September 12th 2016 article Israeli Lawmaker Accuses Israel of Aiding Syrian Rebel Group Formerly Known as Nusra Front from the Jewish Israeli media outlet Haaretz gave voice to the accusations of an Israeli Knesset member named Akram Hasoon. The article stated:
“In a status posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, Knesset Member Akram Hasoon (Kulanu) claimed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham is bombing the Druze village of Khadr with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s support and protection.
Hasoon said that since the weekend, the quiet village of Khadr near the Syrian border has been subject to persistent bombardments by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants. “We have gotten information from all fronts and from people who are responsible within the village that the Nusra Front is operating with unprecedented support from Israel, because the organization’s fighters are advancing in those places where the Israel Defense Forces had previously bombed Syrian positions and the organization is holding those positions, in addition to the logistical and medical assistance it’s getting from Israel.”
Citing eyewitnesses, Hasoon said that the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters have advanced technological equipment that gives them an advantage over Assad’s forces. “To date dozens have fallen and the fighting continues, all with Israeli support,” he wrote.”
Israeli-Islamic terrorism: Herzi Halevi (above) suggests that Israel directly support ISIS.10. Israeli Intelligence Head Admits Israel Prefers ISIS: This Antiwar.com article from June 21st, 2016 quoted a high-ranking Israeli military officer, Major General Herzi Halevy, at the Herzliya Conference. Halevy is a major general in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the current chief of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate. According to the article, which used Hebrew-language NRG site as its source, Halevy openly declared that Israel “prefers ISIS” to the Syrian Government and that Israel does not want to see ISIS defeated in the war. The article stated:
“Halevy went on to express concern that the defeat of ISIS might mean the ‘superpowers’ leaving Syria, saying this would put Israel ‘in a hard position’ after being so opposed to the survival of the Syrian government. He then said Israel will do ‘all we can so as to not find ourselves in such a situation,’ suggesting that the Israeli military is looking at direct support for ISIS as a matter of policy, and not just rhetoric.”
11. Israel was the main buyer of stolen ISIS oil in 2015: This well-researched article from November 30th, 2015 published by the Qatari-owned new outlet al-Araby al-Jadeed concluded that Israel was the biggest buyer of stolen ISIS oil.
Islamic terrorism and creations like ISIS are, of course, not only supported by Israel. There is a mountain of evidence revealing the role of the US, UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and others. In this video posted in 2015 former VP Joe Biden openly admits that ISIS terrorists are being funded by the allies of the US (and therefore of Israel). He specifically names Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. In November 2015, Russia exposed how ISIS truckswere carrying oil out of Syria to fund their operations, and presented evidence “that provided examples based on our data on the financing of different Islamic State units by private individuals. This money, as we have established, comes from 40 countries and, there are some of the G20 members among them.” In June 2017 Turkish politician Enis Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the crime of leaking secret documents to a newspaper showing the Turkey’s MIT (National Intelligence Organization) shipped weapons to foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists in Syria. US support of ISIS is well known, as is the fact that Britain helped to create ISIS along with America.
The evidence of the Israeli-Islamic terrorism link is overwhelming. We know that radical Islamic terrorism is really Zio-Islamic terrorism. Both radicalized individuals and key Zionist players (both using religion as an excuse to steal and kill) are involved. It’s a slick game but the cat is out of the bag.
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5doeBEyjVDg
*http://freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/top-10-proofs-isis-us-israeli-creation/
*http://freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/sunnis-denounce-salafist-takfiri-terror/
*http://presstv.com/Detail/2017/07/19/529028/Israel-build-hospital-Syria
*http://en.abna24.com/news/middle-east/injured-terrorists-taken-to-israeli-hospitals-syria_838787.html
*http://presstv.com/Detail/2017/06/25/526436/Syria-Israel-Nusra-Front
*http://presstv.com/Detail/2017/06/21/526028/Israel-Palestine-UN-Syria/
*http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2017/486
*http://freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/2017-nwo-anniversaries-2/
*http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/another-israeli-land-grab-syria/ri20143
*https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-gives-secret-aid-to-syrian-rebels-1497813430
*http://istosnews.com/en/2017/06/wall-street-journal-israel-secretly-aiding-syria-militants/
*http://bollyn.com/why-do-isis-videos-come-from-israeli-intelligence/
*http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-doubles-down-on-support-for-moral-us-strike-on-syria/
*http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.741543
*http://news.antiwar.com/2016/06/21/israeli-intel-chief-we-dont-want-isis-defeated-in-syria/
*http://www.globes.co.il/en/article.aspx?did=1001084873
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOf7jzc7faY
*http://anonhq.com/putin-exposes-40-countries-that-finance-isis/
*http://presstv.com/Detail/2017/06/14/525299/Turkish-opposition-lawmaker-Berberoglu-prsion-sentence-Gulen-links-failed-coup-Erdogan
*http://www.globalresearch.ca/more-evidence-of-us-support-for-isis/5595151
*http://www.activistpost.com/2017/06/britain-helped-create-isis.html
In letters to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and current Security Council president, Syria’s Foreign Ministry called for ending the US-led coalition, operating illegally on its territory without Damascus or SC permission.
Since September 2014, US-led coalition warplanes have been terror-bombing Syrian infrastructure, government sites, and government forces – on the phony pretext of combating ISIS.
Civilians are being massacred daily. America and its rogue allies flagrantly violate SC Res. 2253 – calling for an asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo, along with criteria for combating terrorism, not supporting it.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry accused the US-led coalition of “commit(ting) massacres (of) civilians through conducting systematic airstrikes on the provinces of Raqqa, Hasaka, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor on a daily basis since the beginning of its illegitimate interference on September 23rd, 2014 with the aim of providing support to the armed terrorist groups,” the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
“(T)errorism could not (flourish) without the unlimited support provided by the Coalition’s member states to the terrorist organizations, particularly the ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra.”
“The Ministry renewed condemnation, in the strongest terms, of the international coalition’ crimes against civilians and its attacks on the infrastructure, the economic, services and oil facilities and the public and private properties in Syria which claimed the lives of innocents and caused huge material damage.”
US-led terror-bombing along with so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) terrorists it supports are systematically raping and destroying Raqqa.
Civilians are being massacred daily by aerial and ground attacks. Infrastructure, residential areas, mosques, schools, hospitals and virtually everything else in the city is being destroyed or heavily damaged.
Essentials to life are in short supply or unavailable, including food, water and medical care. Virtually every family has lost a loved one, friend or someone they know.
Atrocities committed by the SDF go unreported, including cold-blooded murder, forced displacements, and abductions, youths forced into armed service. Resistance means death.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), nearly 500 attacks on vital civilian targets occurred through June 30 alone – largely by US-led terror-bombing.
Washington flagrantly violates Security Council Resolution 2139 (April 2016), stating:
“(A)ll parties (must) immediately cease all attacks against civilians, as well as the indiscriminate employment of weapons in populated areas, including shelling and aerial bombardment…”
Mass slaughter and destruction is part of Washington’s plan to control northern Syria, using it as a platform to seize more territory – on the phony pretext of combating ISIS America created and supports.
(image: thefederalist.com)It’s naive to believe otherwise. It’s central to US strategy since launching war for regime change.
Tactics alone changed from then to now, not Washington’s objective – allied with Israel and other rogue states to topple Syria’s legitimate government.
In response to Trump’s announced end to covert CIA-arming and training of so-called “moderate rebels” (aka terrorists like all other anti-government groups), Russia’s Information and Press Department deputy director Artyom Kozhin said the following:
“We have not heard anything regarding this decision from the official sources. Neither do we know about the status of other similar programs that could be implemented by other US agencies.”
“(W)e have expressed how we feel when it comes to the US flirting with militants in Syria more than once. We have forewarned that this flirtation could have unpredictable military and political consequences.”
“We repeatedly pointed to the Americans’ unscrupulous actions taken in Syria in the pursuit of their self-seeking geopolitical interests.”
“It is an open secret that a substantial number of militants who have been trained under the US Train and Equip program ultimately joined ISIS and al-Nusra.”
“We regard this as a repetition of the tragic story of Afghanistan and Libya. The potential consequences of this should be obvious to everyone.”
On Friday, Sergey Lavrov minced no words, saying Washington continues arming anti-government terrorist groups in Syria, euphemistically called the moderate opposition.
It has illegal bases in the country, established without Security Council or Damascus authorization.
According to CENTCOM commander General Joseph Votel, US forces will remain in Syria after the battle for Raqqa is over – on the phony pretext of stabilizing the region.
Washington wants northern Syrian territory occupied, along with other areas it’s able to gain control over – a scheme risking direct confrontation with Russia and Damascus.
Trump wants increased funding for US military bases in Iraq and Syria, reflecting plans for permanent (illegal) US occupation.
Saying it’s to continue combating ISIS is willful deception, concealing America’s support for the terrorist group and likeminded ones.
On July 19, Russia’s upper house Federation Council ratified a January protocol agreed on in Damascus to establish the legal presence of Russian aerial forces and support personnel in Syria for 49 years – to be automatically extended for subsequent 25-year periods.
The move aims to secure and protect Syrian sovereignty. It continues longstanding mutually cooperative bilateral relations.
It signifies Russia’s intention to challenge US, NATO and Israeli imperial designs on the country.
Separately in letters to the UN secretary-general and Security Council president, Syria demanded compensation from Washington and its “illegitimate coalition” allies for terror-bombing civilian targets and destroying vital infrastructure.
Damascus called for an immediate halt to US-led aggression, massacring tens of thousands of civilians, a demand the Trump administration surely will ignore.
Endless war and regime change remain its objectives, no matter the human toll.
US Operation Inherent Resolve was established to support ISIS and other terrorist groups, not combat the former as claimed. According to its commander General Stephen Townsend:
“The Iraqi government has expressed an interest in having the US forces and coalition forces remain after the defeat of ISIS. Our government is equally interested in that.”
Bashar al-Assad calls US forces in Syria “invaders,” supporting death squads recruited from scores of nations, not combating them, he’s stressed. He, his government, and Syrian people want uninvited foreign forces out of the country.
Earlier, CENTCOM commander General Joseph Votel said US forces will remain in Syria after the battle for Raqqa is over – on the phony pretext of stabilizing the region.
Washington wants northern Syrian territory territory occupied, along with other areas it’s able to gain control over – a scheme risking direct confrontation with Russia and Damascus.
Trump wants congressional funding for US military bases in Iraq and Syria. On July 12, a White House policy statement on the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act expressed concern about lack of “additional requested authority for small-scale construction of temporary facilities that are necessary to meet operational needs and force protection requirements in both Iraq and Syria” – code language for intended US occupation of both countries.
Claiming funds are needed to continue combating ISIS conceals US support for all terrorists operating in both countries.
Endless wars in Iraq and Syria continue because of America’s presence and use of imported death squads as imperial foot soldiers.
Defense Secretary Mattis claiming Washington “wants to win the peace, stabilize the region and militarily pressure Iran” is false on points one and two, outrageously true on Iran.
Longstanding US policy, complicit with Israel, calls for regime change in Damascus and Tehran, pro-Western puppet rule replacing their legitimate governments.
All ongoing US wars reflect naked aggression against sovereign independent countries threatening no one. Iran is high on America’s target list.
Reportedly the Trump administration intends expanding US involvement in Libya, raped and destroyed by Obama and Hillary in 2011, the nation a cauldron of endless violence and chaos.
Greater US involvement would make already nightmarish conditions worse. Reported Pentagon plans involve establishing a permanent US military presence in the country to assure US control.
America’s belligerent presence abroad is nightmarish for affected countries. Wherever it goes militarily, mass slaughter and destruction follow.
Rex Tillerson wants Russia to agree on establishing no-fly zones in Syria – meaning we fly, you don’t, an unacceptable notion.
Terrorists comprising the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) want UN authorities establishing a nationwide ceasefire – to stop Russian support for Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russian aerial operations, intelligence, and ground support, including special forces deployed to the country, are crucial for any hope to eventually free Syria from the scourge of US-supported terrorism.
According to Fars News, “Russian special forces in Syria are tactical reconnaissance, forward air control, light fire support (i.e. snipers, anti-tank guided missile teams and mortar detachments) and operational advisor(s).”
They’ve been involved in the liberation of Palmyra and elsewhere in the country. They’re “equipped with state-of-the-art weapons, equipment and modern technology.”
According to Syrian military sources, they’re involved with government forces to liberate Deir Ezzur from ISIS control. Al-Hadath news said Moscow will deploy additional troops to Syria if Damascus requests them.
Details of Russian operations remain secret for security reasons. During a press conference in Hamburg, Putin reiterated support for Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding:
“The future of Syria and the political future of President Assad should only be determined by the Syrian people.”
His comments came in response to Rex Tillerson, saying he has “no (future) role” in Syria, a notion Russia and international law reject.
Washington, NATO, Israel and their rogue allies oppose Syrian liberation, wanting endless war, regime change, balkanizing the country, isolating Iran, and initiating efforts to replace its sovereign independence with pro-Western puppet rule.
Separately, Sergey Lavrov called defeating terrorism and constitutional revisions top priorities for discussion in Geneva peace talks, saying:
Along with combating and eliminating the terrorist threat, “(a) constitution is something that, in the long run, should reflect all concerns of all ethnic, religious and political groups in Syria and that is to ensure balance of interests of each of these groups.”
Implementing de-escalation zones is vital “to normalize relations within the framework of the ceasefire between government troops and armed opposition forces, (along with) creat(ing) conditions for them to stop fighting against each other and consolidate their efforts to rebuff terrorism.”
On Monday, a seventh round of Geneva talks began. More Astana talks are planned.
So far, no breakthroughs were achieved because Washington wants war, not resolution.
Along with NATO, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, it continues recruiting, arming, funding, training and directing ISIS and other terrorist fighters, used as imperial foot soldiers.
It systematically tries undermining Russia’s good faith efforts for conflict resolution while claiming otherwise.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova provided more evidence of its diabolical agenda, saying:
“According to (reliable) information available (to us), Syrian terrorist groups plan staged provocative actions with the use of chemical poison gases to justify US strikes against the positions of the Syrian government forces.”
Earlier, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were caught red-handed supplying ISIS and other terrorists in Syria with sarin and other toxic agents. It’s likely still going on.
ISIS, al-Nusra and other anti-government terrorists have foreign-supplied labs equipment for making CW bombs.
According to Zakharova, Daesh (ISIS) is transferring workshops and equipment for the production of ammunition, including those equipped with chemical agents, from the city of Raqqa to the controlled areas of Deir Ezzor province.”
US special forces illegally in northern Syria helped their move, providing an exit corridor while pretending to be involved in combating them.
Zakharova pointedly said “the movement of such large-scale equipment from under the nose of the coalition forces can indicate at least a selective unwillingness…I think you can speak with a high degree of probability about complicity with insurgents.”
In Warsaw, Poland ahead of arriving in Hamburg, Germany for G20 summit meetings and private discussions with Putin and Xi Jinping, Trump addressed Poles in Krasinski Square.
Ludicrously claiming Western nations face an existential challenge to “defend our civilization, borders and faith, he roared about needing to “confront forces that threaten over time to undermine our values…”
He continued implausibly claiming “(t)he fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” adding “(d)o we have the courage to preserve our civilization?
He sounded more buffoon-like than presidential. The core issue of our time, isn’t whether Western civilization can survive..
It’s whether humanity can survive America’s rage to dominate, its endless imperial wars, its wanting all other nations subservient to its will.
The way neocons infesting Washington operate, the odds are long against saving humanity from catastrophic nuclear war.
(image: Getty)Trump escalated Obama’s war on Syria, naked aggression against a sovereign independent country threatening no others – based on a litany of Big Lies.
According to his press secretary Sean Spicer last Monday, further escalation may be coming, saying:
“The United States has identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would result in mass murder of civilians, including innocent children.”
“The activities are similar to preparations the regime made before its April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack.”
“As we have previously stated, the United States is in Syria to eliminate (ISIS). If…Assad conducts another mass murder using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price.”
Neocon US UN envoy Nikki Haley outrageously tweeted “(a)ny further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Assad, but also on Russia & Iran who support him killing his own people.”
Assad, his government and military are combating US-supported terrorists to liberate the country, restore peace and stability, along with freeing its people from the scourge of US imperial ravaging.
No April 4, 2017 CW attack occurred. The alleged incident was fake. The Trump administration knew this but attacked Syria’s Shayrat airbase anyway.
A previous article explained Al-Qaeda-connected, Western-supported, anti-Assad White Helmets alone provided unverified images of the alleged attack’s aftermath.
No evidence suggests area residents were victims of toxic sarin or any other CW. None sought medical treatment.
Nothing proves an attack actually occurred, just unverified reports claiming one, falsely blaming Damascus for what appears not to have happened.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said Khan Sheikhoun areas residents weren’t evacuated to protect them from alleged toxic exposure.
“Neither locals nor pseudo-rescuers have even asked for medicines, antidotes, decontaminants,” or any other help, he explained.
“(T)here are simply no plans to carry out a qualified investigation…by the current ‘schemers’ of the (alleged) chemical attack.”
“(T)he only (so-called evidence of CW use comes from al-Qaeda-connected) White Helmets videos.”
Images of them in Kahn Sheikhoun showed them with no protective clothing, indicating no need because no CW attack occurred, just a fabricated report of one – a pretext for Trump’s aggression.
According to investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Trump ordered the attack on Syria’s Shayrat airbase “despite having been warned by the US intelligence community that it had found no evidence that the Syrians had used a chemical weapon.”
“The available intelligence made clear that the Syrians had targeted a jihadist meeting site on April 4 using a Russian-supplied guided bomb equipped with conventional explosives.”
“Details of the attack, including information on its so-called high-value targets, had been provided by the Russians days in advance to American and allied military officials in Doha, whose mission is to coordinate all US, allied, Syrian and Russian Air Force operations in the region.”
According to one unnamed US intelligence official, “(w)e KNOW that there was no chemical attack…The Russians are furious.”
“Claiming we have the real intel and know the truth…I guess it didn’t matter whether we elected Clinton or Trump.“
Hersh explained he learned of a “total disconnect” between Trump and “many of his military advisors and intelligence officials, as well as officers on the ground” with firsthand knowledge of the phony Khan Sheikhoun incident.
Fact: No evidence suggests Syrian responsibility for any CW attack throughout over six years of war – not in Khan Sheikhoun, Ghouta in August 2013, or any place else.
Fact: Plenty of evidence proves US-supported terrorists used CWs numerous times, falsely blamed on Syria and Bashar al-Assad.
Fact: The Organization for the Prohibition (OPCW) of Chemical Weapons confirmed the destruction of Syria’s CW stockpile – under its supervision. No evidence suggests any remain.
Fact: Spicer lied claiming US possession of evidence, suggesting a planned Syrian CW attack. No evidence exists. Accusations without verifiable proof are baseless.
What’s going on is clear. Washington wants Syrian sovereignty destroyed, pro-Western puppet rule replacing Assad.
Russia’s intervention at the behest of Damascus turned the tide of battle in favor of liberating the country from the scourge of US-supported terrorism.
Trump and hawkish generals given warmaking authority appear determined to press on – ominously risking possible US/Russia confrontation at some point, pitting the world’s dominant nuclear powers against each other militarily if it occurs.
Instead of being noninterventionist as promised, Trump resembles war goddess Hillary with a gender difference.
America’s rage for unchallenged global dominance under his leadership risks unthinkable nuclear war, humanity’s greatest threat if launched.
For most, their welfare and futures were destroyed on the phony pretext of combating terrorism Washington created and supports.
Terror-bombing Iraq, Syria and other countries has nothing to do with liberating them from ISIS and likeminded groups – everything to do with imperial dominance, resource plunder and exploiting the people of ravaged nations.
Media scoundrels glorify them in the name of peace – supporting what demands condemnation. Opposing them is considered unpatriotic, the human toll of no consequence in all US wars.
Mass slaughter and destruction reflect strategic decisions taken in waging them.
America pretends to be combating ISIS in Syria while providing support.
Russia demands a clear explanation in detail about the US downing of a Syrian Su-22 aircraft. All that’s forthcoming will be Washington claiming the right of self-defense while pursuing naked aggression.
Moscow continues to believe accommodation with America can be found – despite consistent betrayal numerous times before.
Deals it agrees to are flagrantly breaching virtually always – proving it can never be trusted.
Chances for cooperation between Washington and Moscow are nil. Believing otherwise is foolhardy.
RT Arabic interviewed former Raqqa resident Abu Abdullah. In fleeing the city, a US-led airstrike killed his daughter, he explained, saying:
“Coalition planes struck the district of Dariya. I was with my daughter at the time, and just like that, she perished in the blast.”
“I lost my leg. More often than not, US planes hit civilians, not” ISIS as claimed.
The cold, hard true about US aggression is that “mostly civilians (are dying) in the Dariya district, (including) the agricultural university, the Al-Hal market, (and) hospitals. All these buildings suffer from coalition bombings. No place is safe.”
The only way out of the Raqqa cauldron is by paying hundreds of dollars to smugglers, he said – likely also true in Mosul, US terror-bombing massacring civilians there as well.
Media scoundrels report none of this, suppressing the dark side of all US imperial wars – most Americans none the wiser.
Former top military and intelligence officials – including many who warned against the faulty Iraq intelligence in advance of the Iraq war – have long said that the claims that Assad carried out the chemical weapons attacks was bunkum.
Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh – who broke the stories of the Mai Lai massacre in Vietnam and the Iraq prison torture scandals, which rightfully disgraced the Nixon and Bush administrations’ war-fighting tactics – reported yesterday in the large German publication Weld that U.S. military officials tried to tell Trump that a chemical weapons attack never occurred at all:
On April 6, United States President Donald Trump authorized an early morning Tomahawk missile strike on Shayrat Air Base in central Syria in retaliation for what he said was a deadly nerve agent attack carried out by the Syrian government two days earlier in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Trump issued the order despite having been warned by the U.S. intelligence community that it had found no evidence that the Syrians had used a chemical weapon.
The available intelligence made clear that the Syrians had targeted a jihadist meeting site on April 4 using a Russian-supplied guided bomb equipped with conventional explosives. Details of the attack, including information on its so-called high-value targets, had been provided by the Russians days in advance to American and allied military officials in Doha, whose mission is to coordinate all U.S., allied, Syrian and Russian Air Force operations in the region.
Some American military and intelligence officials were especially distressed by the president’s determination to ignore the evidence. “None of this makes any sense,” one officer told colleagues upon learning of the decision to bomb. “We KNOW that there was no chemical attack … the Russians are furious. Claiming we have the real intel and know the truth … I guess it didn’t matter whether we elected Clinton or Trump.“
***
In a series of interviews, I learned of the total disconnect between the president and many of his military advisers and intelligence officials, as well as officers on the ground in the region who had an entirely different understanding of the nature of Syria’s attack on Khan Sheikhoun. I was provided with evidence of that disconnect, in the form of transcripts of real-time communications, immediately following the Syrian attack on April 4 [Here’s one of the transcripts]. In an important pre-strike process known as deconfliction, U.S. and Russian officers routinely supply one another with advance details of planned flight paths and target coordinates, to ensure that there is no risk of collision or accidental encounter (the Russians speak on behalf of the Syrian military). This information is supplied daily to the American AWACS surveillance planes that monitor the flights once airborne. Deconfliction’s success and importance can be measured by the fact that there has yet to be one collision, or even a near miss, among the high-powered supersonic American, Allied, Russian and Syrian fighter bombers.
Russian and Syrian Air Force officers gave details of the carefully planned flight path to and from Khan Shiekhoun on April 4 directly, in English, to the deconfliction monitors aboard the AWACS plane, which was on patrol near the Turkish border, 60 miles or more to the north.
***
A high-level meeting of jihadist leaders was to take place in the building …. Russian intelligence depicted the cinder-block building as a command and control center ….
***
A senior adviser to the American intelligence community, who has served in senior positions in the Defense Department and Central Intelligence Agency, told me [that] the basement was used as storage for rockets, weapons and ammunition, as well as … chlorine-based decontaminants for cleansing the bodies of the dead before burial. The meeting place – a regional headquarters – was on the floor above.
***
One reason for the Russian message to Washington about the intended target was to ensure that any CIA asset or informant who had managed to work his way into the jihadist leadership was forewarned not to attend the meeting. I was told that the Russians passed the warning directly to the CIA. “They were playing the game right,” the senior adviser said. The Russian guidance noted that the jihadist meeting was coming at a time of acute pressure for the insurgents: Presumably Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham were desperately seeking a path forward in the new political climate.
***
Russian and Syrian intelligence officials, who coordinate operations closely with the American command posts, made it clear that the planned strike on Khan Sheikhoun was special because of the high-value target. “It was a red-hot change. The mission was out of the ordinary – scrub the sked,” the senior adviser told me. “Every operations officer in the region” – in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, CIA and NSA – “had to know there was something going on. The Russians gave the Syrian Air Force a guided bomb and that was a rarity. They’re skimpy with their guided bombs and rarely share them with the Syrian Air Force. And the Syrians assigned their best pilot to the mission, with the best wingman.” The advance intelligence on the target, as supplied by the Russians, was given the highest possible score inside the American community.
***
“This was not a chemical weapons strike,” the adviser said. “That’s a fairy tale. If so, everyone involved in transferring, loading and arming the weapon – you’ve got to make it appear like a regular 500-pound conventional bomb – would be wearing Hazmat protective clothing in case of a leak. There would be very little chance of survival without such gear. Military grade sarin includes additives designed to increase toxicity and lethality. Every batch that comes out is maximized for death. That is why it is made. It is odorless and invisible and death can come within a minute. No cloud. Why produce a weapon that people can run away from?”
The target was struck at 6:55 a.m. on April 4, just before midnight in Washington. A Bomb Damage Assessment (BDA) by the U.S. military later determined that the heat and force of the 500-pound Syrian bomb triggered a series of secondary explosions that could have generated a huge toxic cloud that began to spread over the town, formed by the release of the fertilizers, disinfectants and other goods stored in the basement, its effect magnified by the dense morning air, which trapped the fumes close to the ground. According to intelligence estimates, the senior adviser said, the strike itself killed up to four jihadist leaders, and an unknown number of drivers and security aides. There is no confirmed count of the number of civilians killed by the poisonous gases that were released by the secondary explosions, although opposition activists reported that there were more than 80 dead, and outlets such as CNN have put the figure as high as 92. A team from Médecins Sans Frontières, treating victims from Khan Sheikhoun at a clinic 60 miles to the north, reported that “eight patients showed symptoms – including constricted pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation – which are consistent with exposure to a neurotoxic agent such as sarin gas or similar compounds.” MSF also visited other hospitals that had received victims and found that patients there “smelled of bleach, suggesting that they had been exposed to chlorine.” In other words, evidence suggested that there was more than one chemical responsible for the symptoms observed, which would not have been the case if the Syrian Air Force – as opposition activists insisted – had dropped a sarin bomb, which has no percussive or ignition power to trigger secondary explosions. The range of symptoms is, however, consistent with the release of a mixture of chemicals, including chlorine and the organophosphates used in many fertilizers, which can cause neurotoxic effects similar to those of sarin.
***
The adviser said … “Did the Syrians plan the attack on Khan Sheikhoun? Absolutely. Do we have intercepts to prove it? Absolutely. Did they plan to use sarin? No. But the president did not say: ‘We have a problem and let’s look into it.’ He wanted to bomb the shit out of Syria.”
***
“What doesn’t occur to most Americans” the adviser said, “is if there had been a Syrian nerve gas attack authorized by Bashar, the Russians would be 10 times as upset as anyone in the West. Russia’s strategy against ISIS, which involves getting American cooperation, would have been destroyed and Bashar would be responsible for pissing off Russia, with unknown consequences for him. Bashar would do that? When he’s on the verge of winning the war? Are you kidding me?”
***
Within hours of viewing the photos, the adviser said, Trump instructed the national defense apparatus to plan for retaliation against Syria. “He did this before he talked to anybody about it. The planners then asked the CIA and DIA if there was any evidence that Syria had sarin stored at a nearby airport or somewhere in the area. Their military had to have it somewhere in the area in order to bomb with it.” “The answer was, ‘We have no evidence that Syria had sarin or used it,’” the adviser said. “The CIA also told them that there was no residual delivery for sarin at Sheyrat [the airfield from which the Syrian SU-24 bombers had taken off on April 4] and Assad had no motive to commit political suicide.” Everyone involved, except perhaps the president, also understood that a highly skilled United Nations team had spent more than a year in the aftermath of an alleged sarin attack in 2013 by Syria, removing what was said to be all chemical weapons from a dozen Syrian chemical weapons depots.
At this point, the adviser said, the president’s national security planners were more than a little rattled: “No one knew the provenance of the photographs. We didn’t know who the children were or how they got hurt. Sarin actually is very easy to detect because it penetrates paint, and all one would have to do is get a paint sample. We knew there was a cloud and we knew it hurt people. But you cannot jump from there to certainty that Assad had hidden sarin from the UN because he wanted to use it in Khan Sheikhoun.” The intelligence made clear that a Syrian Air Force SU-24 fighter bomber had used a conventional weapon to hit its target: There had been no chemical warhead.
Hersh than notes that Trump was determined to bomb Syria in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack that never occurred. America’s top military and intelligence officials steered into him a less destructive bombing run.
Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi confirms that American intelligence community insiders are furious that the Trump administration has twisted the intelligence so as to claim that the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapons attack. And see this.
Unfortunately, none of this is new …
The 2013 sarin attack in Syria, was also blamed by the U.S. on the Syrian government.
However, the United Nations’ report on the attack did NOT blame the government, and the U.N.’s human rights investigator accused the rebels – rather than the Syrian government – of carrying out the attack.
Moreover, high-level American and Turkish officials say that Turkey supplied Sarin gas to Syrian rebels in 2013 in order to frame the Syrian government … to provide an excuse for regime change.
And Seymour Hersh reported that high-level American sources tell him that the Turkish government carried out the chemical weapons attacks blamed on the Syrian government.
As Hersh noted:
‘We knew there were some in the Turkish government,’ a former senior US intelligence official, who has access to current intelligence, told me, ‘who believed they could get Assad’s nuts in a vice by dabbling with a sarin attack inside Syria – and forcing Obama to make good on his red line threat.’
Indeed, it’s long been known that sarin was coming through Turkey.
And a tape recording of top Turkish officials planning a false flag attack to be blamed on Syria as a justification for war was leaked … and confirmed by Turkey as being authentic.
