If The West Launches A Military Strike Against Syria, Be Prepare For Blow-Back

Attack On Syria Likely To Trigger Terrorists Acts Against U.S., Israel -- Washington Times

With the White House closer to launching a surgical military strike on Syria, questions swirl over the extent to which such an attack could trigger a wave of terrorism directed at the U.S. and Israel.

Some analysts say that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia fighting in support of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, likely would be inspired to ramp up operations in Iran’s “shadow war” with the U.S. and its allies.

Tensions between the West and Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program have fueled the protracted and secretive war — a tit-for-tat exchange marked most often by operations and attacks carried out from the Middle East to Eastern Europe and Asia by Hezbollah and Israel’s lead intelligence agency, the Mossad.

“These are groups that have long memories,” Matthew Levitt, who heads the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Monday.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is the great unknown .... but I suspect that if the West does strike Syria and it has an impact on the Syrian civil war, some in the Shiite community will be looking for revenge.

Read More

US begins war on Syria as early as Thursday officials say

 

The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/27/320762/us-war-on-syria-as-early-as-thursday/

Senior American officials say the United States has planned to launch missile strikes against Syria “as early as Thursday” in order to punish Damascus over the alleged use of chemical weapons.

The unnamed officials told NBC News on Tuesday that the “three days” of strikes would be limited in scope, and aimed at “sending a message to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad rather than degrading his military capabilities.”

On Monday night, four US warships were deployed in the Mediterranean within cruise missile range of Syria.

American defense officials said if the US wants to send a message to Assad, the most likely military action would be a Tomahawk missile strike, launched from a ship in the Mediterranean.

The US military has beefed up equipment during the past weeks. Several nuclear-powered submarines are reportedly in the water near Syria, also cruise-missile equipped.

The report came one day after US Secretary of State John Kerry accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem on Tuesday accused Kerry of lying about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, challenging Washington and its allies to provide evidence.

This is while the UN inspectors are still in Syria to investigate the chemical weapons attacks and they are not scheduled to leave the country until Sunday.

Russia and China have both warned against a US-led military intervention in Syria. Moscow says a military action would have "catastrophic consequences" for the entire region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told British Prime Minister David Cameron in a telephone call Monday that there was no evidence that an attack had taken place or who was responsible.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Monday that the use of force without a U.N. mandate would violate international law.
-------------------------------------------------

West, Arab leaders reach ‘consensus’ on Syria attack

 

 

The British Royal Navy's helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious is deployed to the Mediterranean, on August 25, 2013

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/27/320745/west-arabs-reach-consensus-on-syria/

Western and Arab military leaders have reached a “consensus” on military intervention in Syria over accusations that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons, a Jordanian security official told German news agency, DPA.

“It was decided that should the international community be forced to act in Syria, the most responsible and sustainable response would be limited missile strikes,” the official said on condition of anonymity on Tuesday following a meeting held in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

The military leaders led by Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey agreed to prepare for the strike as early as this week, the official added.

Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said UK armed forces are devising contingency plans for military action against the Arab country over the alleged use of chemical weapons.

The UK has been reportedly sending warplanes and military transporters to its airbase in Cyprus, situated near Syria.

US defense officials also say several navy destroyers have been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean to be used against Syria upon an order of President Barack Obama.

“[The destroyers] are in position if needed, but they, to my knowledge, have received no tasking to this point, and that would come obviously from the White House,” an American military official said on condition of anonymity.

 

On August 21, the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that 1,300 people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

However, the Syrian government categorically rejected the baseless claim, and announced later that the chemical attack had been actually carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation.

Damascus later allowed UN chemical weapons inspectors to the site of the chemical weapons attack near the Syrian capital on Monday, when they began taking samples from the victims.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the outbreak of the violence.

------------------------------------------------

 

Iran warns against military intervention in Syria

 

 

This file photo shows Takfiri militants operating in Syria

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/27/320733/iran-warns-against-attack-on-syria/

 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has warned against the dire consequences of a potential foreign military intervention in Syria.

 

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Araqchi said a potential military offensive against Syria will entail dangerous and dire consequences, which will impact the whole Middle East.

The Iranian official also censured Western countries for their double standards regarding the ongoing crisis in Syria, saying, “Wherever the terrorists serve Western interests, they (Western powers) support these groups.”

Araqchi said there are documents indicating that the Takfiri militants in Syria had carried out the recent chemical attacks in the country.

The Russian government has presented the documents to the United Nations Security Council, he said.

On August 23, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon was positioning military forces as part of “contingency options” provided to US President Barack Obama regarding Syria.

Hagel made the comments after the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed on August 21 that 1,300 people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

However, Damascus categorically rejected the baseless claim, and announced later that the chemical attack had actually been carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation.

Araqchi said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a victim of chemical arms, condemns the use of such weapons by any side.”

Visits by Omani leader and UN official to Iran

Commenting on the recent visit by Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Araqchi said Tehran and Muscat discussed the expansion of bilateral ties and cooperation in the fields of energy, economy and culture during the trip.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed any connection between the Omani ruler’s trip to Tehran and that of UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, saying the two visits had different goals.

The Omani ruler arrived in Tehran at the head of a high-ranking delegation on a three-day official visit on Sunday as the first head of state to visit Iran since President Hassan Rouhani took office on August 4, 2013.

Feltman also visited Tehran on Monday to discuss regional issues, including the crisis in Syria, with Iranian officials.

Iran-Britain relations

Responding to a question regarding the possibility of the resumption of Iran-UK ties, Araqchi reiterated that reestablishing the relations between the two countries required time and expert negotiations.

He further emphasized that it must become evident that the British approach toward Iran has been changed.

Even under such circumstances, the resumption of the ties must be decided by Iran's Majlis, the foreign ministry spokesman added.

Nuclear negotiations

Araqchi said Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has made it clear that no one is to retreat from the rights of the Iranian nation with respect to the country’s nuclear energy program.

“What is important,” he said, “is entering the negotiations with new approaches, based on a win-win interaction that would result in acceptable outcomes for the Iranian nation.”

----------------------------------------------

 

Obama reportedly considering two-day strike on Syria

 

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/usa/us-syria-strike-chemical-060/

 

White House officials say the United States may launch a limited military strike on Syria as early as this Thursday as the intelligence community prepares to release a report justifying action and allies are rallied.

Senior officials in the Obama administration told the Washington Post for an article published on Tuesday that the White House is weighing a limited strike on Syria and said on condition of anonymity that “We’re actively looking at the various legal angles that would inform a decision.”

According to the Post, the likely response from Washington would be a sea-to-land strike from the Mediterranean that would last no longer than two days and would not be directed towards targets where the chemical weapons arsenal is believed to be stored.

But while an attack is all but imminent and will likely be launched from warships already mobilized in the Mediterranean by the week’s end, public support in the US has teetered towards nil as of late. The Obama administration says there is undeniable proof that chemical weapons were used on civilians outside of Damascus on August 21, but a five-day-long Reuters poll taken during that time concluded only nine percent of Americans favor intervention.
 

 

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube on August 26, 2013 allegedly shows a UN inspectors (C) visiting a hospital in the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyet al-Sham. (AFP Photo)

 

Notwithstanding that lack of support, US Secretary of State John Kerry hinted Monday at a response which will jolt Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ideally worsen the odds that his regime will implement chemical warheads again.

Despite insistence from Assad and allies in Russia that the Syrian government is not guilty of using chemical weapons, Sec. Kerry said during a press conference on Monday that “our understanding of what has already happened in Syria is grounded in facts, informed by conscious and guided by common sense.” Kerry called Assad’s reported attempt to cover-up the alleged use of chemical weapons “cynical” and said, “President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people.”

One day earlier, Sec. Kerry admitted that Pres. Obama was considering his options with regards to a strike and was to meet with lawmakers in Congress as well as with international leaders. According to the Post article, however, the president may forego getting approval from Capitol Hill and will instead rely on striking Syria due to “undeniable,” as the White House puts it, war crimes.

“The administration has said that it will follow international law in shaping its response,” Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan wrote for the Post, adding, “But much of international law is untested, and administration lawyers are also examining possible legal justifications based on a violation of international prohibitions on chemical weapons use, or on an appeal for assistance from a neighboring nation such as Turkey.” Additionally, the US has already received assurance of support from Britain, France and Turkey.
 

 

(FILE PHOTO) The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) (L) and the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transiting the Strait of Gibraltar on their way to the Mediterranean Sea. (AFP Photo / Jamie Cosby)

 

According to senior administration officials who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, Pres. Obama met with his national security team this past weekend and has ordered that a declassified intelligence report showing the rationale for any attack on Syria be released before it occurs.

While only nine percent of the respondents polled in the Reuters survey between August 19 and 23 said they want the White House to respond to Assad’s reported use of chemical weapons immediately, 25 percent said they would favor intervention if the US concludes with certainty that those warheads were illegally used. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from earlier in the month found that 30.2 percent of Americans would support intervention if Assad is linked to using chemical weapons.

Sec. Kerry said the indiscriminate slaughter of women and children apparently being carried out by the Assad regime constitutes a “moral obscenity.”


 

Read More

Iran warns US against overstepping red line on Syria

 

 

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/25/320395/dont-cross-syria-redline-iran-warns-us/

Deputy Chairman of Iranian Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri has warned the United States of the “severe consequences” of crossing the red line on Syria.

“The US knows where the red line of the Syria front is laid; and crossing Syria’s red line in any form will have severe consequences for the White House,” Brigadier General Jazayeri said on Sunday.

The Iranian commander said that the ongoing terrorist war in Syria is masterminded by the US and the reactionary forces in the region against the resistance front, adding that despite the enemy plots, the Syrian government and nation have gained considerable victories thanks to their resistance against this massive aggression.

He said that the Syrian government and nation currently have the upper hand in the imposed terrorist war.

Jazayeri’s remarks came after US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on August 23 that the Pentagon was positioning military forces as part of “contingency options” provided to US President Barack Obama regarding Syria.

Hagel’s comments have been interpreted as a tacit suggestion that the US may be preparing for a military strike on Syria. The US defense secretary repeated similar remarks on Sunday during a visit to Malaysia.

On August 21, the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that hundreds had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar. However, the Syrian government categorically rejected the baseless claims, and announced later that the chemical attack had actually been carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation.

Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani also on Sunday described as shameful the United States’ warmongering gestures and propaganda against Syria.

Larijani said that the false accusation by the militants that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in Syria is meant to set the stage for Washington and the Israeli regime to take advantage of the situation to advance their warmongering policies.

Chairman of Iran's Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi on August 23 also warned against a foreign military attack on Syria.

“In case of a potential attack, Syria will defend itself with greater unity and power; and Syria’s regional allies will not stand idly by in the face of such a potential attack,” Boroujerdi pointed out.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

A very large number of the militants operating inside Syria are reportedly foreign nationals.

According to reports, the West and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants inside Syria

-----------------------------

 

UK, US warn Syria of ‘serious response’ over alleged chemical attack

 

 

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/25/320381/uk-us-toughen-antisyria-rhetoric/

Britain and the US have threatened Syria with a “serious response” over last week’s alleged chemical attack in the Arab country, which they claim was carried out by government forces.

An alleged chemical attack on parts of the Syrian capital Damascus killed hundreds of civilians on Wednesday.

The Syrian government has categorically denied any role in the attack.

However, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the US president Barack Obama said during a 40-minute phone call on Saturday that they are “gravely concerned” about the incident, claiming there are "increasing signs that this was a significant chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian regime".

"[Cameron and Obama] reiterated that significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community and both have tasked officials to examine all the options," Cameron’s office said in a statement.

Britain and the US’s fresh anti-Syrian accusations come as a team of the United Nations chemical weapons inspectors are in Syria to investigate chemical weapons use in the country.

Foreign-backed terrorists in Syria claim that government forces carried out a chemical attack in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar on August 21, killing 1,300 people.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that a footage posted online by the terrorists to back their claim, had been posted before the attack took place

----------------------

 

US ready for ‘all contingencies’ in Syria: Pentagon chief

 

 

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/25/320378/us-ready-for-all-contingencies-in-syria/

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has reiterated that the Pentagon has prepared “options for all contingencies” in Syria and is ready to use force if President Barack Obama gives the green-light.

"President Obama has asked the Defense Department to prepare options for all contingencies. We have done that and we are prepared to exercise whatever option -- if he decides to employ one of those options,'' Hagel said Sunday in Malaysia where he was starting a one-week tour of Asia.

He said that the administration was still weighing whether to launch a military offensive against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad following reports of a chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus earlier this week.

"There are risks and consequences for any option that would be used or not used - for action or inaction," the Pentagon chief told reporters. "You have to come to the central point of what would be the objective if you are to pursue an action or not pursue an action. So all those assessments are being made."

President Obama met with his national security team at the White House early on Saturday to discuss reports of the chemical attack in Syria and elaborate on a response.

"We have a range of options available, and we are going to act very deliberately so that we're making decisions consistent with our national interest as well as our assessment of what can advance our objectives in Syria," a senior administration official told CNN on condition of anonymity when discussing the options being revised in ongoing White House meetings.

Also on Saturday, Obama called British Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss a potential response to the suspected chemical attack.

Meanwhile, the US Navy is pre-positioning four destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is moving its forces closer to Syria in anticipation of a possible order for airstrikes by President Obama.

Obama said last year that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would “cross a red line.”

The Syrian opposition accuses government forces of attacking militant strongholds near the capital with a toxic gas on Wednesday. Damascus has rejected the claim as baseless, saying it has proof that the militants were responsible for the attack which killed hundreds of people

----------------------- 

Syrian army finds chemicals in militants tunnels

 

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/24/320277/chemicals-found-in-syria-militant-tunnels/

Syrian army soldiers have found chemical agents in tunnels dug by the foreign-backed militants in a northeastern suburb of the capital, Damascus, Syrian TV says.

The discovery came after the government forces surrounded a sector of militant-held district of Jobar on Saturday.

"Army heroes are entering the tunnels of the terrorists and saw chemical agents," Syria television said, adding, "In some cases, soldiers are suffocating while entering Jobar.”

It added that ambulances arrived in the region to rescue the people who were suffocating in Jobar and the area is now controlled by Syrian army forces.

The Syrian government also stated that the foreign-backed militants had carried out the recent chemical attack in Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

On Wednesday, Syria's opposition claimed that hundreds were killed in a government chemical attack on militants strongholds in Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar before dawn.

The Syrian army has vehemently denied allegations that it used chemical weapons against militants in the suburbs of the Ghouta region, saying the accusations were fabricated to distract the visiting team of UN chemical weapons experts and to cover up militants losses.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Angela Kane arrived in Damascus on Saturday for talks aimed at establishing an investigation into the Wednesday’s attack.

In a related development, Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Syria’s opposition of preventing an objective probe into the alleged attack.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, however, said his commanders have prepared a range of options for President Barack Obama if he chooses to go for military action against Syria.

"The Defense Department has a responsibility to provide the president with options for contingencies, and that requires positioning our forces, positioning our assets, to be able to carry out different options - whatever options the president might choose," he said.

 

Read More

Foreign war on Syria to threaten entire Middle East security - Iran lawmaker

 

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/24/320211/attack-on-syria-to-endanger-mideast/

A senior Iranian lawmaker has warned against a foreign military attack on Syria, saying such aggression will threaten the security of the entire Middle East.

“If the West launches a war on Syria, an all-out and uncontrollable war will undoubtedly begin in the region, which will pose a serious threat to the security of the Middle East region; and its final outcome will be harmful to the US and the Zionist regime (Israel),” Chairman of Iran's Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Friday.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday that the Pentagon was positioning military forces as part of “contingency options” provided to US President Barack Obama regarding Syria.

“The Defense Department has a responsibility to provide the president with options for all contingencies,” Hagel said. “And that requires positioning our forces, positioning our assets to be able to carry out different options - whatever the president might choose.” The remarks have been interpreted as a tacit suggestion that the US may be preparing for a military attack on Syria.

Reacting to the hawkish remarks by Hagel as well as similar comments by other Western officials, Boroujerdi said that such statements, besides being threats against Syria, will also be challenging the security of the Israeli regime.

The Iranian lawmaker said that a war on Syria would be a repeat of the West’s past mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Boroujerdi stated that the US and its regional allies have so far made use of their utmost potential and utilized all levers that run counter to human rights, including full support for the terrorists in Syria, to defeat the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

“In case of a potential attack, Syria will defend itself with greater unity and power; and Syria’s regional allies will not stand idly by in the face of such a potential attack,” Boroujerdi pointed out.

On August 21, the militants in Syria alleged that 1,300 people had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

However, the Syrian government vehemently dismissed the claim, saying the new accusations were fabricated to distract a visiting team of UN chemical weapons experts and to cover up militants’ losses.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

A very large number of the militants operating inside Syria are reportedly foreign nationals.

According to reports, the West and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants inside Syria

 

Read More

US is involved in ‘Hot War’ with Russia, fought by proxies

 

US President Barack Obama (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)

RT Interview with William Enghdal

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/op-edge/us-russia-proxy-war-364/

Edward Snowden is a ‘red herring’ and the ‘childish’ cancelation by Obama of a meeting with Putin in September is of little significance as the US president has little to offer Russia, William Engdahl a geopolitical analyst, told RT.

The real issues of missile defense, Syria and Iran will remain unresolved because of a policy pursued by Washington of full spectrum dominance, where the sole super power the US seeks to dictate military, economic and financial terms to the entire world, Engdahl added.

RT: The Russian deputy foreign minister didn’t have a particularly productive discussion with the US Secretary of State in Brussels. Are there any indications that the same talks that are happening today will be any different?

William Enghdal: I doubt it rather seriously. The decision by President Obama to cancel the meeting with Putin before the G20 meeting is really an indication of a lack of strategy on the part of Obama rather than the putting down of Russia. The background to that is the fact that there are not only fundamental differences between the two sides, the United States government in Washington has been trying since the end of the Cold War to dismantle Russia, quite simply, with missile defense, with the plundering of their economy through using the IMF and shock therapy in the ’90s.

Now that Obama is back in the presidency they are finding a far more difficult negotiating partner over questions like Syria, over issues like the missile defense and others. Snowden, I think is a red herring, simply an excuse that is very convenient to use at this point.

RT: You are saying that if a consensus is reached on some of the issues that will be discussed that might off set the brewing tension over Edward Snowden?

WE: No, I am not saying that at all. I don’t think there will be any consensus reached between Russia and Washington on the issue of missile defense, because Washington is determined to encircle Russia with its missile defense, which is an offensive strategy, not a defensive one, by the way. It is a nuclear first strike preparation strategy. That is something that Russia understandably is not exactly overjoyed about. The issue of Syria is nonnegotiable; in terms of what the US is trying to put into power in Syria, similar to what they tried in Egypt and failed, that is a Muslim Brotherhood controlled regime that would allow Qatar to control pipeline flows into Europe and not Iran among other things.

There is not a basis of agreement on these fundamental questions. Snowden is not, as I say, the issue. The issue is this fundamental disagreement and Washington is not prepared to change its agenda and openly and honestly negotiate and resolve these differences, therefore Obama is using this childish maneuver of cancelling the meeting because of Snowden.

RT: OK I want to go back to Syria. About Syria, the peace conference keeps getting postponed. We know that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wanted it to come up as soon as possible. Is he likely to achieve a breakthrough at this meeting on that subject?

WE: I don’t see it, unless Washington is prepared to literally pullback all of its attack dogs inside Syria that they have run through Turkey using Al-Qaeda and these other groups; that they pertain to not want to allow to get any weapons, but of course they know they’re getting the weapons. Until that is done and all sides’ foreign elements pull out of Syria and allow the Syrians to resolve their own issues by themselves in the elections next year don’t think any peace conference is going to take place. The Syrian ‘opposition’ is a Muslim Brotherhood externally controlled opposition that has no roots inside the Syrian society in terms of a majority.

RT: Obama said that Russia sometimes has this Cold War mentality, but isn’t he also perpetuating and provoking that by not wanting to sit down with Putin and have that one-on-one with him when he comes in September?

WE: That is the laughable irony about this. If I were president Putin I would break open a nice bottle of champagne and celebrate the fact that he doesn’t have to go through this ordeal of another photo opp with Obama who has nothing to offer Russia in any serious way. Obama’s statement on the Tonight Show about the Russians somehow occasionally reverting to the Cold War mentality as if they were cured alcoholics who would go on a drinking binge from time to time is really not only insulting, it reflects the mentality in Washington.

This is not serious statesmanship. The point is Washington has an agenda, which I talk about in my book Full Spectrum Dominance to extend NATO across the globe and use that as a global police force for the sole superpower and the Cold War didn’t end in 1991, when the Soviet Union and the Warsaw pact dissolved. Washington for its side has continued the Cold War. In fact you can say it’s a Hot War right now. The battle is being fought by proxies, by surrogates.

The battle over Syria is part of the Hot War between a coalition of countries of which Russia and China are critical factors that are resisting that one country dictates the term in military and other senses - economic and financial - to the entire world. I think that is a very unhealthy, one-sided or lop-sided state of affairs. That’s what the real issue is between Washington and the Putin administration.

About: William Engdahl

William Engdahl is an award-winning geopolitical analyst and strategic risk consultant whose internationally best-selling books have been translated into thirteen foreign languages

 

Read More

US seeks to expand assassination drone attacks to Syria: Report

Update: March 16th, 1:58 PM EST

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/16/293811/us-to-launch-drone-attacks-in-syria/

The CIA is considering a secret contingency plan to expand the US assassination drone strikes to Syria, former and current American officials say.

The officials said the Counter terrorism Center, which runs CIA’s drone operations in Pakistan and Yemen, has recently tasked some of its agents to collect further intelligence on the situation in Syria, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.

The targeting officers, who are based at CIA headquarters in Langley, have formed a unit with US intelligence agents in Iraq, to examine purported threats against "the US’ interests in Syria," the report said.

The unit is closely working with Saudi, Jordanian and other regional spy services, according to the report.

The CIA and the White House have declined to comment on the issue.

According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, between 2,627 and 3,457 people have been killed by US drones in Pakistan alone since 2004.

Some former CIA officials expressed skepticism about the nature of Washington’s new contingency plan, saying no evidence substantiates existential threats against the US’ interests in Syria.

The news comes on the same day as the summit of EU leaders in Brussels failed to reach an agreement on lifting the body's arms embargo on Syria to facilitate the flow of weapons to militants.

Although the US publicly claims that its role in Syria is merely limited to providing food and medical supplies to the anti-government militants, Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List revealed on March 7 that the US has coordinated weapons shipments from Croatia to the militants in Syria.

According to the report, 3,000 tons of weapons in 75 planeloads have been transferred from Zagreb to the militants in Syria via Jordan and Turkey. The weapons were reportedly paid for by Saudi Arabia at the request of the US.

A US assassination drone (file Photo)

 

Read More

The Rise and Fall of the House of Saud

Updated - 2013 July 29th

This Post will be updated with news and information as the house of Saud and NATO are exposed for their crimes against the peace of the World.

Saudi Arabia, big oil & US foreign policy (Part I)

Source Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N8ymhSZzPI

With 261 billion barrels of crude oil lying beneath its soil, Saudi Arabia remains the lynchpin in the international oil grab presided over by the four horsemen; Shell, Chevron, British Petroleum, Exxon. As of 1990 Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company) produced over 8 million barrels of crude oil a day, ensuring the Saudi role as "swing producer". During the 1991 Gulf War Aramco underwent another expansion and now cranks out an unprecedented 10 million barrels a day. Aramco's primary construction contractor is Bechtel, a San Francisco-based private company that is the largest engineering firm in the world.

In 1981 the US and Saudi governments spearheaded an effort to create the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), consisting of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and UAE. All except Oman are members of OPEC. The elite families of the six GCC nations; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and UAE are heavily invested in Western economies. High volume crude oil production keeps this investment capital flowing to Wall Street while allowing the GCC elites to live opulent lifestyles, in this way the volume of oil production is much more important than the price received for the oil for Western bankers and the GCC monarchs alike.

Saudi Arabia, big oil & US foreign policy (Part II)

Source Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UdKz42yld8

Will Saudi Arabia see the wave of changes?

Source Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZO7fQKN3g

The Saudi monarch has given a fifth of the seats in a consultative body to women as part of social reforms promised in the year 2011. The kingdom's top religious authorities, including the Grand Mufti, have accepted the decision; however dozens of Saudi clerics have staged a protest against the decision to appoint women to the Shura Council. The Saudi monarch has given a fifth of the seats in a consultative body to women as part of social reforms promised in the year 2011.

The kingdom's top religious authorities, including the Grand Mufti, have accepted the decision; however dozens of Saudi clerics have staged a protest against the decision to appoint women to the Shura Council.

Follow Press TV on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/presstvchannel
Follow Press TV on Twitter: http://twitter.com/presstv
Follow Press TV on Tumblr: http://presstvchannel.tumblr.com

Suicide for Sale: Saudi Arabia gets cash for blood in Syria

Source Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMkpa9guxSM

Outside support for the myriad of Syria's armed groups is no secret. Saudi Arabia and Qatar alone funnel millions of dollars to the rebels every month. But, as Gayane Chichakyan reports, it's not just cash and weapons being smuggled into Syria, but suicide bombers and ideology too.

Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RussiaToday
Watch RT LIVE on our website http://rt.com/on-air
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RTnews
Follow RT on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RT_com
Follow RT on Google+: http://plus.google.com/b/102728491539958529040

RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.

George Galloway On The Saudi Arabian Invasion of Bahrain

Source: YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16727Iounhc

UPDATE: January 30th, 2013

 

Saudi King overthrow imminent

Source: Press TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyx7dCnKe_M

Saudi Arabia's monarchy has been holding strong for nearly three centuries. But according to former aide to the White House Bruce Riedel, recent geopolitical changes are leaving the royal family vulnerable.

Riedel is a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He says that vast amounts of money have been able to keep violent waves of protest and demonstrations that could overthrow the monarchy at bay. Other protests like those that swept the Arab World have prompted the toppling of entrenched leadership.

Riedel questions the sustainability of the Saudi monarchy's methods which he says if they were overturned would not only affect surrounding Persian Gulf states but also the US.

Saudi Arabia is one of the US' oldest allies in the Middle East. For nearly two years, protesters in Saudi Arabia have held demonstrations almost regularly. Those leading an opposition movement there accuse leadership of suppressing freedom of expression and discrimination.

The demonstrations have occurred mostly in Qatif and Awamiyah in Eastern Province.

In 2011, Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the province.

Reidel suggests that Barack Obama would be better advised to urge King Abdullah to move more rapidly on a reform agenda.

Riedel says that revolution in the Middle East could occur faster than any of us previously thought. If that happens he says, the ripple effect stemming from the uprisings would cross geopolitical borders to create a worldwide dilemma.

----------------------------------------

 

2013 – January 30^th - Press TV

Saudi ex-diplomat flees Qatar amid deportation fears

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/01/30/286444/saudi-exdiplomat-manages-to-flee-qatar/

Amnesty International says a former Saudi diplomat who was due to be deported from Qatar to his native country of Saudi Arabia has managed to travel to Morocco with the help of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee.

The London-based human rights organization said in a recent report that Amnesty International and Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) pressured Qatari officials to halt the deportation of Mishal bin Zaar Hamad al-Mutiry.

According to the report, the two human rights bodies paid the al-Mutiry family’s travel expenses to Morocco. The ex-diplomat and his family left Qatar on January 18.

Before traveling to Morocco, al-Mutiry had lived in Qatar since August 2011, when he escaped Saudi Arabia.

In 2006, the former diplomat said he was arrested and tortured for six months after being tracked down and brought back by Saudi regime officials from Brussels to Riyadh.

At the time, al-Mutiry had been living in the Netherlands, where he was granted political asylum in 2004.

The ex-diplomat had been dismissed from his job at Saudi Arabia’s embassy in The Hague after accusing his native country’s embassy of funding terrorism.

Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Program Director at Amnesty International, said, “The spotlight on this case resulted in the Qatari authorities curtailing their plans to deport Mishal al-Mutiry long enough for him and his family to leave of their own accord, and the assistance of the NHRC was crucial to ensuring they could travel.”

“Given that Mishal al-Mutiry faced a real risk of torture in Saudi Arabia, it is a huge relief that the authorities did not end up forcing him to return there,” Luther added.

“We will continue to monitor his situation and react if the risk of being deported to Saudi Arabia arises again,” he said.

-----------------------------------

Update - 2013 – Feb 09

Saudi regime taking its last breaths

Source: Press TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wxbYiqFoWk

An analyst says next month the people of Saudi Arabia's anti-regime movement, led by the eastern provinces, will march on the capital Riyadh.

In the background of this in Saudi Arabia Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr shot and arrested by regime forces last July 2012 for criticizing the ruling family is still a focus of anti-regime protests by the people of the eastern provinces that chant slogans for the release of the cleric who is being denied medical care in prison. Protests that are growing across the country have for some time now demanded the release of all political prisoners held in Saudi jails.

Press TV has interviewed Ali al-Ahmad, Director of IGA, Washington about this issue.

---------------------------------------

Update: 2013 Feb 14

 

Saudi Arabia, ally to West and exporter of terrorism

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/14/288978/s-arabia-ally-to-west-and-terror-exporter/

Saudi Arabia is viewed as a land of contradictions by many outsiders, as the country continues its widespread support for extremism and terrorist groups while being propped up by the West.

An analyst with the Institute for Middle East Studies says wealthy Saudi figures and tribes are willing to support terrorists if they believe the extremists to be pursuing a sacred cause.

Furthermore, the WikiLeaks whistleblower website has published secret documents belonging to the US Department of State, revealing that terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda receive most of their funds from Saudi Arabia.

Nonetheless, countries such as the United States continue to hail the Saudi monarchy despite the kingdom’s support for terrorism such as funding terrorists in Iraq, Syria and Yemen among other parts of the world.

Analysts attribute the US support to the huge reserves of natural resources in Saudi Arabia, while the ruling Al Saud family has proven to be a reliable and staunch ally for Washington over the past decades.

The absolute monarchy seeks to quell any instability in the region by resorting to heavy-handed crackdowns in confronting critics at home and supporting despotic regimes in neighboring countries, the observers add.

 

-------------------------------------

 

Update: 2013 March 16th

 

Saudis hold anti-regime protest in Qassim

 

Anti-regime protest in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/16/293846/saudis-hold-antiregime-protest-in-qassim/

Demonstrators in Saudi Arabia have staged another protest rally against the Al Saud regime in central province of al-Qassim, Press TV reports.

The outraged protestors took to the streets in the city of Buraidah on Saturday, calling for the immediate release of political prisoners including a group of women who were recently arrested.

Earlier on March 1, Saudi security forces arrested over 300 people, including 15 women, in al-Qassim province.

The arrests took place after hundreds of Saudis staged a protest sit-in to demand the release of political prisoners.

Saudi activists say there are more than 30,000 political prisoners, mostly prisoners of conscience, in jails across the Kingdom.

According to the activists, most of the detained political thinkers are being held by the government without trial or legitimate charges and that they were arrested for merely looking suspicious.

Some of the detainees are reported to be held without trial for more than 16 years.

Attempting to incite the public against the government and the allegiance to foreign entities are usually the ready-made charges against the dissidents.

In Saudi Arabia, protests and political gatherings of any kind are prohibited.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations have turned into protests against the repressive Al Saud regime, especially after November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the country's Eastern Province.

----------------------------------------------
Update: 2013 March 19

Factors in place for revolution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Source: Press TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUS9mff9rF8

A commentator says that all the factors and ingredients of a revolution are now present in the Persian Gulf monarchy of Saudi Arabia.

The comments come as the Al Saud regime forces have arrested dozens of prominent figures in the Persian Gulf kingdom in a two-day period as Riyadh intensifies its campaign of terror on dissidents. According to reports, security forces raided homes and offices across the capital city of Riyadh, detaining a number of religious scholars, doctors, professors, students and civil workers. Regime forces also launched similar crackdowns in the kingdom's Eastern Province and the cities of Mecca and Jeddah.

Since February 2011, demonstrators have held anti-regime protest rallies on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the Qatif region and the town of Awamiyah in Eastern Province, primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ali al-Ahmad, director of the IGA from Washington DC, to shed more light on the issue at hand.

----------------------

Update: 2013 May 07

Muslim Holy Shrine Demolishing Idea Came from Saudi Arabia

Source: Press TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxhb58lPfaY

-----------------------------------------------------------

June 16^th, 2013

Saudi royals planned military coup: Website

 

News Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/16/309375/saudi-princes-planned-military-coup/

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has ordered former deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz be put under house arrest.

The monarch apparently issued the order after the country’s intelligence services detected suspicious activities by the officers within the ground forces who are close to the former defense minister, mirataljazeera.net reported.

The king ordered the house arrest from Morocco where he was on a visit. The monarch cut short the trip and flew home to deal with the issue.

The investigation was carried out by a committee comprising six different security agencies. It revealed that the officers, in cahoots with the prince and the former governor of the Eastern Province Mohammed bin Fahad bin Abdul Aziz, currently residing in the United States, were planning to stage a coup d'état.

The website also said that the former defense minister is suspected of having a role in the coup.

Prince Khaled was dismissed by royal decree on April 21, 2013. Prince Fahd Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, who was commander of Saudi naval forces since 2002, succeeded him.

There has been a power struggle within Al Saud as younger members of the royal family are vying to snatch power in case the ailing king dies.

------------------------------

June 20^th, 2013

Saudi Arabia provides heavy weaponry to militants in Syria

 

 

News Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/20/309946/saudi-arabia-arms-militants-in-syria/

Saudi Arabia has provided the Takfiri militants operating inside Syria with Russian-made Konkurs anti-tank missiles.

According to the Daily Telegraph, militant sources said they had received the first batch of the heavy weaponry from Saudi Arabia in Aleppo.

The sources said that more arms, including higher-end missiles, would be sent to the militants later.

On June 14, US President Barack Obama ordered his administration to provide the militants with weapons, claiming that the Syrian government had used “chemical weapons” against the militants and thus crossed Washington’s “red line.” Damascus has rejected the allegation as “lies.”

Israeli President Shimon Peres voiced support for Washington’s arming of the Takfiri militants in Syria. Takfiris accuse most Islamic sects of being infidels.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned other states against providing weapons to the militants in Syria, saying that the arms could end up in Europe one day.

The crisis in Syria began in March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security forces, have been killed in the foreign-sponsored militancy.

Last month, the Syrian president said that militants from as many as 29 different countries were fighting against Syria.

The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants.

 

------------------------------------------

June 28^th, 2013

Saudi Arabia committing genocide

Video Source: Press TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mMN5pcrvFA

 

Tens of thousands of people in Saudi Arabia have attended the funeral of two activists who were killed by regime forces in the country's Eastern Province. The funerals were held in the town of Awamiyah and the Qatif region on Wednesday.

The mourners slammed the regime's deadly crackdown on the country's uprising and chanted slogans against the ruling Al Saud family.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Syed Ali Wasif, Society for International Reforms and Research, about the recent protests in Saudi Arabia.

----------------------------------------------

Update: 2013 July 29

 

Global demand for Saudi oil dropping

 

 

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/29/316100/global-demand-for-saudi-oil-dropping/

Global demand for Saudi Arabian oil has been continuously dropping, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal says.

 

In open letters to high-ranking Saudi officials published on Sunday, Prince Alwaleed, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, expressed alarm over the fact that "92 percent of the government budget relies on oil" revenues.

"The world's reliance on OPEC oil, especially the production of Saudi Arabia, is in a clear and continuous drop," he wrote in a letter, which addressed to Ali al-Naimi, the Saudi Arabian minister of petroleum and mineral resources.

The prince added that the threat from shale gas is "definitely coming", and pointed out recent progress in this field in North America and Australia.

Shale gas is natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations and is extracted by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking -- pumping water, chemicals and sand at high pressure into rock to release it.

"Revenue diversification is a must, and that necessitates a clear vision that should be implemented immediately," said Prince Alwaleed, one of the world’s richest men with an estimated fortune of more than $20 billion.

He also called on Saudi authorities to prepare plans to generate nuclear and renewable energy to "reduce local consumption of oil as soon as possible".

 

 

 

 

 

Read More