Maintaining pressure on the Assad regime — particuarly over the Iranian military presence in Syria — Israel has sent a pointed message to Bashar al-Assad: we know where we live.
The Israeli Defense Ministry has released photographs taken by its newest spy satellite of sites located inside Syria, including Assad’s Presidential Palace.
The ostensible reason for the publishing of the image was the 30th anniversary of Israel’s first orbital launch. But the three pictures happened to show the palace; tanks on a regime military base; and the Damascus International Airport — which was reportedly targeted by an Israeli missile strike on Saturday night.
Israel has periodically carried out missile strikes on regime targets since the Syrian uprising began in 2011. Initially the attacks concentrated on preventing transfer of weapons and rockets from Iran to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, another essential ally for the Assad regime, and on deterring any Iranian and Hezbollah presence in southwest Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In the past year, the strikes have expanded on regime positions, including major bases, across the country in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand that all Iranian and Iranian-led personnel withdraw.
Last Saturday’s attack reportedly targeted an Iranian plane at the Damascus airports delivering weapons to pro-Assad forces, including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps units, and several weapons storage facilities.
Following standard practice, the Israel Defense Forces did not claim responsibility. But on Sunday, Netanyahu said:
Israel is constantly working to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with advanced weaponry. Our red lines are as sharp as ever and our determination to enforce them is stronger than ever.
Amnon Harari, the head of the Defense Ministry’s space program, made no reference to Syria or Iran on Monday. Instead, he focus on the technological achievement — and mentioned unnamed
Israel’s independent capabilities in the field of satellites represents a significant advantage in its efforts to stand up to various security threats. The quality of the images and photographs that are produced by our different satellites is incredible and provide us with valuable intelligence, and prove that the sky is not the limit.
I didn’t force wikileaks or the Washington Post to publish that article. Are you suggesting the WaPo hates America?
Nor am I responsible for the fact the US supports 73% of the world’s dictators or arms and supports like Al Qaeda and it’s offshoots.
Hahahahaha
“To be specific, I am certain that you have no evidence.”
I have some.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-secretly-backed-syrian-opposition-groups-cables-released-by-wikileaks-show/2011/04/14/AF1p9hwD_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e8cc3d51480f
Then there is Roland Dumas, iformer Foreign Minister of France, who stated that he was made aware of the plans or Syria in 2009. The Britain were apparently organizing an invasion of rebels into Syria. They even asked if he would like to participate.
There’s quite a few other similar sources.
1. The Syrian program in the WaPo report is one of a series of US programs supporting civil society activists. It was not for “regime change”. (There was a similar program for Egypt.)
2. Article is clear that program was under review by Obama Administration because of fear it might give false impression of pursuing regime change.
3. Program was only funded through FY 2010.
So article actually takes apart your assertion.
“The Syrian program in the WaPo report is one of a series of US programs supporting civil society activists.”
I might find that that argument compelling if the US were financing similar programs in Saudi Arabia.
“So article actually takes apart your assertion.”
A secret program that supported opposition groups. Article says that “Around the same time, Syrian exiles in Europe founded the Movement for Justice and Development. The group, which is banned in Syria, openly advocates for Assad’s removal. “
The article states that the US funded these exiles.
The Remind me how the US would react to a secret program in the US financed by Russia short of describing it as an act of war and yet another Pearl Harbor
Yeah, this reply shows no understanding of the US programs for civil society initiatives — you can criticize them, but don’t misrepresent them, especially in connection with Syria 2011.
What a waste of time…….so boring.
The US here the US there and again the US and so on. lol like with Andre this guy just speaks from hate towards the US. Go on supporting your piss poor dictatorships and terrorists. We surely dont care.
“Yeah, this reply shows no understanding of the US programs for civil society initiatives”
You’ll have to forgive my skeciticism, but initiatives like the National Endowment for Democracy and other similar institutions with the word “Democracy” in their name do anything but promote democracy and are essentially CIA front groups created to promote regime change.
The US is so painfully inconsistent and hypocritical when it comes to it’s claim of championing democracy, that it’s hard to believe any of these institutions or programs are legitimate.
The fact that the US is funding opposition groups in secret in other countries cannot be dismissed as benign or well intended.
I’m sorry but unless you have specific information about the initiatives, you’re just reciting polemic.
I’ve done a lot of work on NED and in the middle of writing a major article concerning their work. I’m critical of some of that activity, but it’s on the basis of reliable information and not unsupported reaction.
I look forward to reading that article Scott
Israel has already lost the battle of Demographics. If they cannot push the Gazans into the Sinai (Egypt not allowing this, brotherhood were trying to get this done) then Israel have it tough over the next 50 years as there is mixing of the populations (Israeli and Palestinian) and zionist thinking is decreasing. Demographics show that >50% of israelis are above 50 years of age while palestinian majority is below 30. Also don’t forget that 2 million Israelis are actually arabs.
In the end WAR is not the answer to the Israeli Palestinian problem, Demographics is the answer. Palestinians need to stay on their land and have children as usual. Israelis immigration is also on the rise with many moving to the States and Europe just like many other populations looking to further their careers. The arabs know this demographic change well and are just taking the cash from the USA (in the case of Egypt) to stay that course and not fight. The only idiots who want war are the Iranians and its not for freeing Palestine, its simply to turn attention away from their Nuclear program. Even the Turkish idiot Erdogan has great relations with Israel even though he talks a great anti-israel game. Turkish Airlines has 4 flights a week to Tel Aviv and a Turkish company is building the US embassy in Jerusalem. This of course without mentioning that Turkish companies supply parts for the Israeli Air Force F-16. Very cheeky of Erdo to talk as if he is against Israel.
Syria was simply a Revolution that got hijacked.. the Ottoman Empire wannabe and the Persian Empire wannabes got in on it for the simple fact that they are both opportunists looking to return to their previous empire glory at anyones expense. The Revolution bubbled and morphed as America helped Turkey produce ISIS in the oil rich regions of Turkey which are now filled with up to 15 American Bases on Syrian land. The Iranians did the same when they entered Quseir and Homs in 2012. The Russians came in 3 years late in 2015 and sucker punched everyone and brought Bashar in by force to Russia for questioning if you remember. They flew him in the middle of the night, Putin met him again later but on Putins terms they met in Hmeimeem Airbase. This would be considered an insult to any real acting president. But we all know and Putin knows that Bashar does not run Syria anymore.
A deal is already cut, Israel will get payback for the annoyance it took from Iran/Hezbolah in 2006 and bomb them freely and endlessly with Russian permission. Turkey will shut his mouth and stick to Idlib but he will give up the Nusra and AlQaeda groups that he and Qatar supported. The American will pull out of Syria as long as they have the Arabs/GCC buying them off. And Russia will trade Bashar Assad for the rebuilding funds for Syria.
In the end the Syrian people Lost everything, but also the Iranians lost their regional goals, the Turks lost their regional goals as well. The winner in the region is the following 4, the Arabs/Americans/Russians/Israelis.
1.The Arab get to rebuild Syria and make new business partners with the new breed of Syrians who are tired of the fighting. Regardless of their religion, Alewite, Druze, Kurdish, Sunni etc. Money talks and a visitor from Dubai looking to rebuild will be met with smiles from Alawite investors, they speak the same language (Arabic) and when good money is involved the hate is drowned. Plus they ultimately wanted Iran out of the region and will get that.
2.America is good now that Trump has been payed off by MBS in the new and improved KSA.
3.Putin is good now that oil prices are back up and he has everyone in his pocket including Syria.
4.Israel is good for now that it can bomb freely Hezbola and Iran in Syria until they leave with tail tucked between legs.
Iran and Turkeys currency will continue to suffer and get worse. The Turks lost their muslim brotherhood grand plans in Egypt/Libya/Tunis and now they have lost it in Syria as well. The Iranians similarly lost their grand plans in the middle east of splitting Saudi Arabia in half and sharing the other half with the Turks. The Iranians also have lost Yemen and are facing a real problem in Southern Iraq now and South Lebanon will be a problem in the next year. It is possible if the Hariri indictment goes through there is also a shia-vs-shia fight in Lebanon as Nabih Berri tries to take power away from guilty Nasrallah. Iran will also have to give up their Nuclear plans in order to ear. Welcome the new OIL-FOR-FOOD program that the Americans will set up in November.Similar to what they did in Iraq but on a much grander level.
Lots of big changes coming. Enjoy the show, Syria is over, onto the next chapter please. THE KURDISH BREAKAWAY FROM TURKEY IRAN AND SYRIA coming.
Your comment makes for entertaining reading.
Syria was no revolution. It was another colour coded farce concocted in Washington. A series of small demonstrations took place due to the poor economy resulting from years of drought that got highjacked by foreign jihadists, much like we saw in Lybia.
Egypt is a beggar state entirely dependent on the US and Saudi Arabia to function. They can ill afford a fight with anyone, let alone Israel. They’ve been reduced to begging Israel to sell them gas at full market prices. Nice thank you after selling gas to Israel for all those years at a huge discount.
Iranians don’t want war and have not attacked or invaded anyone in 300 yrs. That is why they are so reticent to respond to Israel’s incitement and taunts in Syria. The only reason they are in Syria at all was to prevent the overthrow of Assad. Their nuclear program generates electricity and medical isotopes, so there is no reason to end it. To suggest Erdogan has great relations with Israel is laughable. Israel are lobbying the US not to sell F35s to Turkey who incidentally have a consulate in Jerusalem. Their embassy is in Tel Aviv and are certainly no building another one. To suggest that selling F16 parts to Israel is evidence of good relations is like arguing that Israel selling weapons to Iran during the Iran/Iraq war was a sign of diplomatic relations.
“The Russians came in 3 years late in 2015 and sucker punched everyone and brought Bashar in by force to Russia for questioning if you remember.”
The meeting, requested by Assad, was held in Russia the same way Netanyahu’s countless trips to Russia have been. Putin hasn’t bothered to visit Israel or the KSA. government was on the brink of collapse and security situation was too dire to hold the meeting in Syria. Given Syria were at the height of the civil war, the circumstances were anything but normal. The fact that Putin travelled to Syria for the subsequent meeting is anything but an insult. Hmeimeem Airbase was the only location where Putin’s security cold be guaranteed. You would recall that Putin’s visit was also made in secret. Are suggesting Bashar brought Putin in by force to Syria for questioning?
I am not sure what deal you believe was cut and with whom? Russia has no need to cut any deal with Israel. Russia are now allied with Hezbollah and has helped strengthen Hezbollah immeasurably. Hezbollah forces fought alongside Russian elite troops and received training in state of the art weaponry.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/thanks-in-no-small-part-to-russia-hezbollah-is-now-a-full-fledged-army/
Nor does your theory explain why Israel need Russia’s permission to bomb Hezbollah. What was holding them back prior to 2015?
Putin has risked far too much to throw Assad under the bus at this late stage. Assad is secular, educated and predictable and he’s not going to gamble with some unknown who could go rogue.
There are no rebuilding funds for Syria coming from the GCC countries. Saudi Arabia is still haemorrhaging money in Yemen. China have offered to step in to finance the rebuilding of Syria, so the Arab states will be shut out.
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/03/competition-over-syrias-reconstruction-china-likely-winner/146366/
The winner in the region is the following 4, the Assad/Russians/Hezbollah and to a lesser extent, Iran.
1.Assad will remain in power and the Arabs wont get a look in, other than maybe Qatar
2. MBS’s plans have hit an iceberg. 800,000 expats have left the country. Saudis don’t want to work so not only has Saudi Arabia lost it’s workforce, but is haemorrhaging foreign investment – 15% of GDP alone has left the state in 2017. So much for a new and improved KSA.
3.Putin is good now but Erdogan is proving to be a problem child.
4. Israel admit they cannot defeat Hezbollah so will stick to throwing spit balls from a safe distance. Russia has said that Iran leaving Syria is out of the question.
Iran and Turkey are not the only states facing economic difficulty. Jordan is in deep trouble. Saudi Arabia still can’t get Yemen under control and the war is draining them of money. The It is Hariri indictment has gone into hibernation and will likely remain there. Hezbollah and Nasrallah have never been more powerful, especially with the Saudis cutting off funding to their proxies in Lebanon.
The Kurds are not going to breakaway from anywhere. Their territory is land locked. Baghdad took Kirkuk, which was their biggest source of revenue.
What do you call a territory with no coastline and no natural resources? A non starter.
FYI. Russia has just blames Israel for the shoot down of their plane in Syria. Pff, so much for Israel being a winner.
Another user with serious problems and hatred vs the USA. You look more and more similar to deangelis, our former resident clown from australia. He dident end up well in here. Any reason apart your nationality for all this USA hate? Welcome to the 2000s the cold war for you is over i fear. This 50s or 60s propaganda of yours in here lasts a blink of an eye and most of us are not interested.
I have no love for USA foreign policy, but evolved enough to be able to differentiate between the US government and the country itself, which I happen to love. There cold war of no consequence for me as my family left Europe when I was young and Cold War itself barely registers as a childhood memory. It seems it is still very real for you.
No just when i have to correct random post cold war nostalgia bs like yours. Plus before you said you lived in the west then now that you left Europe (serbia easy guess if that name is real) years ago. So that leaves us with you living in the US? I doubt Asia since that cannot really be considered west.
I just find it amusing how people like you resort to such weak arguments as accusing those you disagree with as hating the US, as if that’s some basis for disqualification. Since when does the legitimacy of an argument depend on how anyone feels about the USA? Should your ideas be dismissed on the grounds you hate Russia and Syria?
Just imagine how distorted history would be if in the wake of WWII we only considered the historical accounts of pro Nazis as legitimate?
Having spent considerably time in Asia, I would argue that many parts of Asia are very western indeed, especially given the number of head offices located throughout the region.
deangelis 2.0
Nuff said. Or its probably you again.
Thanks god, amusement level in here just went up by a notch.
Nuff said about what? You lost me
Oh btw dont put in here “legitimacy” since you base yourself on mostly russian propaganda which normal people are very well aware thats its 99,9% a biblical amount of lies and bs just for the purpose of attracting empty heads. Distortion of reality through absurd or at times comical assumptions, thats what it is.
“Oh btw dont put in here “legitimacy” since you base yourself on mostly russian propaganda…”
Wow, you really haven’t gotten over the Cold War have you? What’s it like to live in a binary, zero sum game, universe?
ahahahaha welcome back Andre !!
I have no idea what you are smoking or talking about
Oh don’t worry 99,9% in here do.
I don’t want to get too involved with this long comment but…
If you believe Syria’s uprising was “another colour coded farce concocted in Washington”, you’ve got a set worldview that doesn’t correspond to reality on the ground.
To be specific, I believe there is ample evidence to suggest that local and authentic protests were sabotaged by outside actors who seized on them to escalate this into a regional conflict.
Oh now you are getting closer to the reality of facts……with a little help and documentation free of 2 cents propaganda maybe by the end of the year you will have the clear picture.
To be specific, I am certain that you have no evidence.
Egypt is not a Beggar state, lol.. Syria is. Egypt removed the Turkish and Qatari backed Brotherhood and from then on Saudi Arabia supported it along with the UAE. After the fall of the Egyptian pound, the current currency to dollar 18-1 has held strong. The same cannot be said of the Turkish Lira or the Iranian Riyal. The last few years has seen Egypt build the worlds Largest Solar Farm, expand the Suez canal, and build a new city to accommodate another anticipated 20 million citizens (still building). The Russians have collaborated to build a Nuclear plant near the North Coast of EGYPT in the Dbaa area. The Chinese are also building a new part of the free zone that is coming along in South Sinai. The outlook is excellent and this is all to tie in with NEOM which will link up Egypt, Saudi and Jordan. Even Sinai is being developed if you don’t know that was held up during the Mubarak time so as not to rock the boat with the Americans and Israelis. Times have changed…
In terms of Gas fields, Egypt has no need, It already has the Zohr Gas field, look that up if you must. But Israel needs to send the gas to Europe after it is refined. Egypt has refineries since the 70s. So Egypt takes the Israeli pure gas and refines it to a product that Europe can use. Look up REFINING. Something like LNG has to be refined. Egypt does this with the aim to be a regional gas hub. Small thinking on your part to think Egypt needs gas. Refining takes plants and technology and Israel is small scale and does not have that. It has the gas field but not the refining capabilities. Egypt is not threatened by Israel. The army is advanced and the real answer to the Palestinian Israeli problem is demographics and time like I said before, not war..Times have changed…
As far as Iran not wanting war or invading anyone in 300 years. Well, I find it simple. Iran is like the neighbor that has two jobs and 8 kids. While the parent is at work his kids come break your car mirror and break the neighborhood windows and burn a tree down and hurt other neighborhood children and throw trash around the streets. The parent (IRAN) tells them this is good revolutionary islamic behavior. SO..Do you confront the Ill behaving children or do you talk the parents who foster this type of behavior. Iran is the parents and the children are its funded militias all around the Middle East. Wherever you go that Iran has been funding freely militias in, there is chaos (Lebanon with the trash problem, Iraq with its chaos). Iraq has numerous iranian militias. Syria has numerous Afghani militias funded by Iran. Lebanon has Hezbollah. Kuwait had the Abadlis. Bahrain had their own Hezbola . Western KSA had their own small groups. This is the easiest analogy. In reality the solution to Iran and its militias will be for that neighbor to move out or the kids to grow up and move out. Each solution will take a long time.
Trump unlike Obama, is breaking their bank and thus their behavior whereas Obama was thinking to pay them off, which never works, because if you give the Iranians and inch they will take a mile and sell you a Persian rug while they are at it. Russia is fine with what Trump is doing btw. Putin knows that Iran is a paper tiger that dresses up F5 jets as Iranian jets and that their currency is just as weak as their supposedly effective missiles and Airforce. When oil prices go up in November it will be Russia and KSA who will bank.
KSA has so far made change that its youth are happy with. Yes they have reduced the foreign workforce by 800,000 as you said. But unemployment has gone down. The figures are there but you will be blind to them I am sure. The allowing of cinemas and female driving and finally calling out Qatar are fundamental changes that will have long reaching impact. I feel you are stuck in 2013 when Russia was looking at KSA as an enemy. Its 2018, wake up. Everyone is getting on. Even China doesn’t care about this nonsense in Syria. They will only join in when there is political stability. They have no beef with who is next just so long a it is stable.
Another silly thing you didn’t answer was my description of Israel. Demographics point to the loss of zionism, but at this current time, Russia is not an enemy of Israel. Israel bombs in Syria freely now as can be seen from what happened last night. They gave 1 minute notice that they will bomb. Its not difficult to understand that Russia allows Israel to bomb Iran and Hezbola freely. The 2006 war was a nuisance to Israel but ever since 1982 Israel knows it is impossible to occupy Beirut or Damascus and that was not the goal. If you want to be honest about the real winners then Israel won in that the UN forces are station on Lebanese land and Hezbola won simply because they stayed alive. But thats like saying whoever finishes the last sentence wins. Its silly. I will allow you the last word but it doesn’t mean that your points were in anyway correct.
Anyhow, you seem very young to me. Good luck figuring out that you’ve been tuned into the Iranian propaganda for so long that washing it off will need more than soap.
Bashar Assad could have stayed, but he would have had to give up the Iranians. This was the deal Putin and Salman made to put this whole Syrian fiasco to the side. Putin is giving Assad some time and then he will just replace him with another educated secular Syrian guy, there are many others to choose from. Syrians are educated overall and they are business savvy and thus will be willing to cut him out of it spells more money and prosperity in the long run. Syrians overall know that Iran is broke, and that the money will not come from Russia or China as you said. The writing is on the wall and the leader of it is Putin and he owes Iran nothing.
Like I said, money talks. This is the way of geopolitics. Putin owns Syria now, he doe not want a nuisance. Bashar does as he is told or he is let loose. Enjoy the show, and yes, the Kurdish thing is my best guess of whats next. Putin and Trump will coordinate on that when the Americans get ready to pull out. I guess they will pull out to SDF areas and thats when the show starts and Syria is over like I sad
PEACE.. WAR is not the Answer
Egypt is definitely a beggar state. It’s entire existence is based on aid from Saudi Arabia and the US. It has to import it’s food. The riots that led to the Mubarak overthrow were essentially bread riots resulting from the price of wheat going up thanks to speculation by Goldman Saachs. It produces nothing and every project you listed is based on foreign investment. It’s funny you should mention the problems with currency in Turkey and Iran while leaving out the fact that both are facing sanctions from the US while the US and the KSA gives billions in aid to Egypt.
The Russians are not collaborating to build a nuclear plant in Egypt, they will be the ones building it. Egypt wouldn’t have the skilled labor to so much as turn on a light switch, let alone build or operate the nuclear plant. The solar farm is not completed yet and it remains to be seen if the Egyptian infrastructure will even be able to distribute the benefits. NEOM is entirely Saudi investment that Egypt might or might not benefit from. It’s years away from starting and decades away from completion and there are serious concerns whether it will be a massive white elephant. Another hair brained scheme by MBS to mimic Dubai and Qatar. Most of Egypt’s population are uneducated and illiterate, so they have to undertake a generational transformation if they want to turn their disaster out economy around.
In terms of gas fields, Egypt is still relying on imported gas. Reports show Zohr is not going to be sufficient to make up the shortfall in demand for Egypt and blackouts are still common. FYI. LNG does not need to be refined only liquified if it needs to be exported.
Egypt is not threatened by Israel because being a beggar state, the main condition for receiving aid from the US is that it does what it is told by Israel.
“Iran is like the neighbor that has two jobs and 8 kids. While the parent is at work his kids come break your car mirror and break the neighborhood windows and burn a tree down and hurt other neighborhood children and throw trash around the streets”
That’s quite amusing coming from a supporter of the KSA, who back the most extreme and violence terrorist gangs throughout the world from Afghanistan to Africa to South East Asia. All with their own little franchises of Al Qaeda. Saudi Arabia has so many Ill behaving children it pays them huge amounts of money and arms to wreak death and destruction throughout the rest of the world so that it distracted to stay away from home. Most recently we saw how closely the KSA works with these terrorist groups when someone closely affiliated with the Royal family sent that ill advised tweet to Canada depicting a plane flying into Toronto’s CNN tower.
Obama was not paying anyone off. He returned Iran’s own money that the US has kept from arms sales it had not honoured and lifted some of the sanctions on Iran ever so slightly. Trump is just a buffoon who no one takes seriously, not even his own staff as we have recently learned. The US itself is sanctioning half the planet, and in a trade a war with the rest of it. This is driving China, Russia and Europe away from the US financial system.
Russia has given up on the US and is turning elsewhere. Again you seem obviously to the fact barley a day goes by that the US is not piling on sanctions against Russia. You also ignore the recent Caspian Sea agreement that is going to benefit all signatories immensely including Iran.
KSA has not made changes that its youth are happy with. It has undone them. It tried austerity for a brief period and backed off to avoid the backlash from a population that is used to living on government handouts. The 800,000 jobs vacated by experts leaving have not been filled. The only reason unemployment has gone down is because the government created fake jobs where people are paid to do nothing and don’t even turn up to work. Calling out Qatar as you described it, was a massive own goal for Saudi Arabia. It produced nothing but copiouf egg on the face of the Saudis, as Qatar went about it’s business undeterred until Tillerson told the Saudis to cut it out.
The fact is that MBS’s changes are proving to be a joke. Russia are pragmatists and don’t look at anyone as an enemy, but they don’t trust KSA one iota. China offered to take part in the Idlib assault so I am not sure where you are getting your information they don’t care about the nonsense in Syria.
“Another silly thing you didn’t answer was my description of Israel”
I didn’t answer it because it’s irrelevant to the rest of the points you raised. The demographics issue has been around for decades and frankly, doesn’t look like it’s going to be the saving grace for Palestinians so many had predicted. The concern for Israel was that it would be eventually become an apartheid state and that this in turn would be bad for PR, but they needn’t have worried. The US and Europe are much to afraid to criticize Israel and Israel have shown they are fine with apartheid and lording it over the Arabs.
Russia doesn’t “allow” Israel to bomb anyone in Syria. Israel does what it wants and doesn’t listen to anyone. Israel and Russia merely have an agreement not to attack each other. The 2006 war was a massive defeat for Israel because by it’s own admission, it lost it’s deference capability. Since 1982 Israel have been obsessed with destroying Hezbollah, as Olmert had vowed to do in 2006. If you want to be honest, 51% of Israel believed they lost that war. Hezbollah managed to effectively shut down northern Israel and bring the Israeli economy to a standstill. The only reason UN forces are station in Lebanon is because the UN placed them there and any suggestion that they be positioned in Israel would have been vetoed by the US.
Israeli military leaders have since admitted they have no way of defeating Hezbollah.
Bashar Assad has stayed and is not going anywhere. He knew all along the Arabs would stab him in the back at the first opportunity and that knowns who his friends are.
You keep referring to imaginary deals being made but the Putin made no deal with that Saudis. In fact you might recall the offer and their made by Bandar before Socchi, threatening that unless Putin agreed to Assad’s removal, the KSA might unleash their terrorist proxies on the games. He also offered a carrot of massive arms contracts. Needless to say, Putin told him to go forth and multiply.
Putin has risked much to protect Assad and will not be replacing him, nor is he stupid enough to believe he has that power. The last thing he needs is a client state to baby sit and like you said, he does not want a nuisance.
Syrians will never trust the Arab states again after the death and destruction they have wreaked on Syria. Iran is a massive country with huge resources and a large very well educated population. The gas pipeline running through Syria from Iran will be a huge boom to both economically. Putin owes Iran nothing, but recognises the huge protentional that Iran offers Russia and how important Iran is to the Eurasian trading block. Whether he likes it or not, Russia and Iran are inextricably linked and it is not in Putin’s interest for Iran to become destabilised.
Expect more chaos from the KSA as it struggles to avert it’s inevitable demise. The Kurdish thing is going nowhere. Like I said you can’t have a land locked state with no resrouces. Putin knows Trump is a child with no power in Washington and will not waste his time with any serious discussions.
But Assad doesn’t live in the Presidential Palace. So this mass murderer would even be laughing if they’d bomb it
I think Israel tonight might have sent a very big message. Reports of multiple targets hit in Latakia, Tartus, Hama and Homs.
“Israel cannot make any country bend to its will.”
Hmmmm i think i will disagree on that. Especially speaking about its neighbours.
It’s neighbours don’t bend to Israel’s will, they bend to Washington’s and usually because there’s a big fat bribe involved. Name any country they “bends” to Isrsel’s will and you will probably find they are recipientd of aid and a guarantee from Washington to protect their leadership from any rival.
“Israel has sent a pointed message to Bashar al-Assad: we know where we live.”
Actually that should read, “you know where we live too, but we have the US in our corner should you ever decide to fight back, so we’re going to keep throwing sucker punches”
You do realize that Israel alone could invade Syria and by noon be at Bashar’s Palace looking at his tv.
You do realize how funny that claim is given that Israel couldn’t even reach the Litani River in Lebanon in 2006 after they threw everything they had at a Southern Lebanon. Such an invasion would lead to catastrophic losses for Israel which is not something Israel could stomach.
In fact the Israel are even reticent to invade Gaza these days given the losses they suffered in 2014.
lol deangelis 2.0
Completely out of touch with reality. You do realize you are speaking about a nuclear power with one of the best armies in the world and intelligence. Israel in 2006 had to contain itself, to win it would have had to raze half of beirut to ashes. Which thanks god they dident. I wonder why the iranians who get bombed one day yes and the other aswell dont move a finger let alone russia or syria. Think about it. Not sending you back to study some history and give a look to previous ME conflicts with Israel involved in it. You know how far Damascus is from the Golan?
Being a nuclear power means they can destroy Syria. A ground invasion is something entirely different.
Israel has a very capable Air Force. It’s ground forces not so much. Similarly it’s intelligence was also exposed in 2006 as being very flawed. Same in 2014 when the IDF has no idea over the extent of Hamas’s tunnel network.
Israel did not contain itself in 2006. The reality is that they bombed so much of Southern Lebanon that they ran out of targets, but even then, the IAF failed to clear the area of Hezbollah assets or make it safe for the ground forces. The leadership became inpatient and sent in the ground forces too early and they got chewed up and spat out.
“to win it would have had to raze half of beirut to ashes.”
If you took your own advice and studied history, you would know that air power alone does not win wars. The US learned that lesson in Vietnam. You are essentially admitting that Israel’s ground forces are not capable of invading any country and that a scorched earth strategy is their only option.
“You know how far Damascus is from the Golan?”
About 2 hours further than it is from Tel Aviv. Your point?
“You are essentially admitting that Israel’s ground forces are not capable of invading any country and that a scorched earth strategy is their only option.”
Well yes. Israel war doctrine always counted on fast ending conflicts since IDF devastating capabilities are only detered by its small numbers. Israel can’t afford to occupy another nation with ground forces thats why it usually uses its long range tools, IAF as its first option. What i am debating is your very badly placed assumption that the IDF would be unable to deal with Syria without the help of the US. If it was a one on one it would be delt in the way the IDF feels too with far wider options than the SAA would have. The days of the Vietnam war are a thing of the 60s, military evolution, especially in long range missiles but even more in aviation makes example obsolete. Countries can be bended without invading it.
“Israel can’t afford to occupy another nation with ground forces thats why it usually uses its long range tools”
In which case we are in agreement but what you are conflating is Israel’s defensive capability with it’s capacity to invade and occupy another country.
I never disputed Israel’s capacity to defend itself, but your use of the phrase “deal with” Syria in the context of this article suggests military aggression. As we have seen with the disaster in Iraq and the failure in Afghanistan, the ability to make other countries bend are limited. Israel cannot make any country bend to its will.
What’s more, there is no separating Israel’s military capability from the massive abc unconditional support Israel enjoys from the US. Apart from the security guarantee Israel enjoys, Israel wouldn’t even have an Air Force were it not for US largesse.
If you were to take the US out of the equation, Israel would be far less aggressive and brazen. Indeed many of the attacks it has carried out in Syria against Iranian targets have been deliberate provocations intended to incite a response from the Iranians so as to justify escalated US involvement directly against Iran.