U.S. is talking with Syria's government. Better late than never.

The conversation is happening with Russian officials acting as the go-between but there has been at least one positive development that points to ice-breaking exchanges between Syria and the U.S. See US-backed forces, Syrian gov’t agree to jointly run Tabqa Dam in west Raqqa; July 14, AMN. 

The amazing speed with which the SAA has been taking back Daraa province has been due at least in part to the U.S. refusal to give any more support to 'rebel' groups in the region during the SAA's "Southern Offensive" -- although whether the U.S. decision was unilateral or the result of U.S.-Syria communications or U.S.-Russia talks, I don't know. 

Regarding the larger picture of the U.S. involvement in Syria, from Elijah J. Magnier's July 13 report:   

[...] According to the source involved in overseeing the entire military operation for the last years of war in Syria: 

“President Assad was very clear in his answer to the US establishment. Syria (said Assad) is determined to liberate the entire Syrian territory regardless of the consequences. There is of course a price to be paid to obtain the liberation of north Syria, which is occupied by both the US and Turkey, neither of whom were invited by the Syrian government: this price is worth it”.

The American message is clear:”The US will leave al-Tanf crossing and abandon northeast Syria in al-Hasaka and Deir Ezzor as soon as possible. The only condition is for Russia and Syria to guarantee a total withdrawal of all Iranian forces from the Levant. The US is ready to leave the Kurds and let these continue their negotiation with Damascus. The US establishment will recognise Assad’s authority over Syria but Iran must leave”.

Assad responded: “Iranian forces and their allies came to Syria under an official request by the central government and will leave when this government asks the allied forces to leave, and only when all terrorists have been eradicated from the Levant”.

“You (said Assad) came to Syria without any permission and occupied our territory. It is therefore our duty to push you out by all means. You shall not obtain by negotiation and peace what you failed to obtain after seven years of war”. 

I sense a little puffery on the Syrian side of the communiques but to continue:

Russia played the role of postman for the exchange of the US-Assad messages. President Assad, however, informed the Americans that Iran is not interested in remaining in Syria once all terrorist Takfiris are killed and when its function is no longer required.

[...]

Moreover, Iran and Hezbollah consider their withdrawal both a fact and a necessity once Assad is no longer in need of their contribution. 

However, there is still al-Qaeda in the Levant, and other jihadists in the north under Turkish control. Also, there is still ISIS in the northeast within the US-controlled area. All these can only be eliminated once the Syrian Army and its allies wage war against them.

[...]

That's a big "however," but I hope the U.S. military command now sees the wisdom of not obstructing the Syrian army and its militias, including the Lebanese and Iranian ones.

No one wants to leave off fighting more than Hezbollah, which has lost so many fighters in Syria they stopped publishing KIA stats years ago. And Iran's military, which has lost not only many grunts but top commanders in Syria, is anxious to stop throwing mountains of money into the Syrian War.

As to 'bleeding' Iran by stringing out the war in Syria -- only people who don't understand the present dynamics in the Middle East or ignore them would push such plan -- and I hope the American command is coming around to seeing this, now that they've realized Islamic State wasn't defeated in Syria or Iraq. IS in Syria hightailed to desert but Iraq is far worse. IS lodged in Iraq's countryside and gaining ground as I write these words.

Which is to say the U.S. is going to have need for Iranian militias in Iraq.      

That's not the half the considerations but the point is that it's self-defeating for the U.S. to use Syria as a staging area to fight Iran.        
  
********              

U.S. INDICTS WINSTON CHURCHILL, FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT IN ABSENTIA ON CHARGE OF SPYING FOR RUSSIA

You could tell they were spying for Russia just by looking at them 

The rumor is that the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to unseal an indictment against Abraham Lincoln. That was another one who had 'Russian agent' stamped all over him. But isn't being dead an acceptable excuse not to appear in court? Not in the American justice system, not where Russian spies are concerned. 

See also:

"No Evidence In Mueller's Indictment Of 12 Russians - Release Now May Sabotage Upcoming Summit;" Moon of Alabama, July 13. 

Well, the effect of releasing the indictment at this particular time has been to change the subject in the U.S. news media from the open hearing yesterday in Congress to question Peter Strzok. The hearing quickly descended into a circus, which made both the Republicans and Democrats look bad. But the issues surrounding the questioning of Strzok are very serious, and his evasive answers at the hearing provide more fuel to claims that the upper echelon of the FBI became compromised by politics.
    
**********

Don't ask me why because I don't know

Will Van Wagenen at age 29 in 2007 

The song came up unbidden from my memory while I was forcing myself to read through stomach-turning essays by a young American with a Master's degree in theology studies from Harvard, who somehow got himself kidnapped in Iraq in 2007 while he was doing humanitarian work in the country.  

The person who emerged from the mercifully short ordeal embarked on a mission to inform fellow Americans about what their government was really up to in Iraq -- and later, in Syria, and he had the writing and research skills to give power to his observations. 

His writings are buttressed by extensively quoting mainstream U.S. news reports, so his essays contain few surprises about U.S. actions in Syria for anyone who's closely followed the war there for years. But the volume of facts he marshals in a single writing means William Van Wagenen's essays can be upsetting to get through in one sitting, even for this veteran of Syrian war news. 

So there I was, forcing myself through There is No FSA, There is Only Al-Qaeda after tackling his latest for the Libertarian Institute, The Myth of US ‘Inaction’ in Syria ("While arming rebels threatening the massacre of Alawite civilians in Latakia, US planners were at the same time welcoming the potential massacre of Syrian civilians in Damascus."). 

Suddenly I said, "No more. Not now," then for a reason that's a mystery to me, I recalled the American pop song, played so often it became annoying. It was a global mega-hit -- even in Iran, where some young people got arrested for making a "Happy" dancing video. The whole world was singing and dancing along with "Happy."

Dammit, Will Van Wagenen and Pharrell Williams are who Americans are, not the monsters who encourage genocide and mass murder as a 'regime-change' tactic.  

Do I feel better after singing "Happy" along with Pharrell? Well, maybe I regained a little perspective. But not my sleep. It's almost 4 in the morning where I am. For once I am going to give myself a break from checking the day's war news in Syria before I hit the sack. 

To sleep go I, perchance to dream of dancing.           
 

Stop complaining about Americans or we'll save your nation next. Pundita Rewind from 2016.

Aleppo, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, before Americans strove to help save Syrians from their government

Aleppo, after Americans helped

Afghan women in Kabul before Americans helped save them from Soviet Russia

Afghan women in Kabul after Americans helped

Sirte before Americans helped save Libyans from their government

Sirte, after Americans helped

Clearly Mr Abdul-Rahman doesn't understand American benevolence.

Residents of Muammar Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte are struggling to come to terms with the destruction and humiliation of their city, a former fishing village which once had aspirations to be the “capital of Africa”. During an eight-week siege, much of Sirte was reduced to rubble by NATO and US-backed rebels. ... “We never expected such destruction,” said a resident who gave his name as Abu Abdul-Rahman, pointing to his bullet-riddled television and broken furniture. “Is this what they call a revolution? We chose to flee instead of fighting and still they destroyed our homes.” He added: “They treated us like animals who didn’t deserve to be protected.” ... “We lived with Gaddafi for 42 years. He never attacked our houses with his army,” said another Sirte resident, sitting in his damaged house.

Composite photo of  historic Maidan Square before and after Americans began

to save Ukrainians from Vladimir Putin

Tender-hearted Huffpo was distraught about the photos: Incredible Before And After Pictures Of Kiev's Devastated Independence Square (February 2014):

Three months ago, Independence Square, know locally as Maidan Nezalezhnosti, was the peaceful centrepiece of the ancient capital of Kiev, with an architectural history dating back hundreds of years.

Since the revolution in 1990, the square has become a focal point for political rallies, however Maidan has seen little compared to the violence and bloodshed that has engulfed Kiev since November, with the stunning landmark turned into a charred warzone of barricades, burned tents and makeshift weapons.

These incredible pictures show the world-famous square before and after the violence, and with Wednesday’s truce proving all to brief, Maidan is likely to see more bloodshed before it once again returns to the splendour of its former self.

As to how much longer you'll have to wait before Americans finish saving Ukraine -- it's pretty much saved now. Here's the latest John Batchelor Show update from Stephen F. Cohen on what's left of the nation, most of which is now more-or-less officially an American colony.

As to Iraq, I got tired of fooling around at Google Images but after all we did to save Iraqis from their government, those ingrates are now saying Americans are their enemy: One Third of Iraqis Think US Supports Terrorism, ISIS and "more than 90 percent of young people in Iraq consider the United States to be an enemy of their country, according to a new poll."

Then there was Egypt, which we almost saved until someone in the Obama White House realized that leaving the Muslim Brotherhood in charge of the Suez Canal probably wasn't a good idea.

Here some readers might note that Americans actually did a good job of saving Kuwait in 1991 and without reducing the country to rubble. We certainly did; there are different rules for American benevolence if a nation is a rich Persian Gulf oil producer.

To all other peoples: say your prayers daily and be nice to everyone in your nation because you just never know when Americans will decide it is our responsibility to save you.

********   

Instead of running to Putin again, why didn't Netanyahu call Assad?

The two leaders were on good terms in 2010, and even later. Then the Israeli military got deeply involved with the Saudi regime. Now the Israeli air force is bombing Syrian army positions, which is helping al Qaeda. This is very bad behavior. Very bad. I am very upset with Bibi. He needs to stop treating Assad as if he doesn't exist. Talking past him to the Russians and Americans. How would he like it, if Trump refused to talk to him about Israeli matters and instead talked only to Jordan's king about them?

Israeli attack springboards jihadist offensive near occupied Golan Heights
By Leith Aboufadel
July 12, 2018

AMN

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:50 A.M.) – The Israeli Air Force carried out a powerful attack against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) last night, targeting the latter’s positions in the western countryside of the Al-Quneitra Governorate.

According to a military report, the Israeli Air Force struck at least three Syrian Army posts near the Qars Nafel Hill and several other points near the towns of Samdaniyah Al-Sharqiyah, Umm Batna and Dawha.

The Syrian Air Defense attempted to intercept the attack, but was only able to shoot down the Israeli missiles near the town of Umm Batna and Kroum Hill.

Following the Israeli airstrikes, the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham [al Qaeda] took the opportunity to launch a quick offensive in order to capture some ground against the Syrian Arab Army in the Al-Quneitra Governorate.

This jihadist offensive would ultimately fail after a short battle with both the Syrian Arab Army and Al-Quneitra Hawks faction of the National Defense Forces (NDF).

Last night’s attack against the Syrian Army by the Israeli Air Force marks the second time this week that they have targeted the government’s positions inside Syria.

Previously, the Israeli Air Force bombed the Syrian military’s T-4 Airport in eastern Homs; this attack reportedly targeted the barracks at this imperative installation west of Palmyra.

[END REPORT]

*********

Devastating drought in Syria's breadbasket - worst in almost half century

"Grain shortages and financial ruin plague Hasakah farmers as crops fail after devastating drought;" Syria Direct, July 10.

H/T Joshua Landis Twitter page.

Russia to the rescue. 

********

The Christian Militias in Syria and Iraq

"A very detailed introduction to the many different facets of the so-called ''Christian militias' fighting in Iraq and Syria, talking about the history and motivations of the Assyrian/ Syriac/ Chaldean community."

This is a podcast; there's no transcript. The discussion is friendly to non-scholars, conversational in tone. URL:

https://soundcloud.com/popularfrontcast/07-the-christian-militias-of-iraq-and-syria

H/T Joshua Landis Twitter page. 

**********

The globalization of chaos

No matter how many dirty tricks the USSR and USA used against each other the 'cold' war between the two powers was orderly because it developed a predictability. That's the way things go when only a few deploy dirty tricks; no matter how much damage they do, they don't set off chaos. But once many governments found the means to play dirty tricks, the Monkey See Monkey Do syndrome set in:  If the Americans and Soviets could do it, why can't we?

And so even pipsqueak governments mounted 'black ops,' information warfare, proxy war using mercenary armies; instigated phony people's revolutions; and forged insane alliances with enemies, on the limited theory that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Sensing big profits from pipsqueaks playing superpower the rentier, ex-military, and revolving-door crowds (in and out of civilian and government jobs) sold their expertise to the highest bidders on how to take down another government without actually sending tanks across the border.

Soon these crowds were taking over the show, until nobody could figure out who or what was fighting whom and why.

The upshot was chaos on a global scale. 

The spectacular warning that things had gotten completely out of hand came with the 2010 Red Shirt peaceful protests in Bangkok.

Inside the ramshackle Red Shirts camp and unseen by outsiders was a secret armed camp made up mostly of ex-military loyal to Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Those were the Black Shirts. Their role was to stage provocations against the military, which retaliated against the Red Shirts, who would then cry to the TV cameras. It went on like that for more than month until there was chaos.

     

That was how one man with deep pockets and some friends in the country's military and among the rentier and revolving door crowds in Washington, DC nearly toppled the government of Thailand. If not for the huge ego of the commander of the Black Shirts, Shinawatra might well have pulled it off.

But Seh Daeng couldn't resist the spotlight. He just had to boast to the Western press. He agreed to meet a group of them outside, under cover of darkness. Then a reporter told Seh Daeng the video camera needed light to show him speaking his momentous words.  

As soon as the camera light switched on, one shot was fired from a Winchester .308 rifle with a silencer. Sniper shot to the head. 

Seh Daeng lingered a few days and the Red Shirt protests limped on a few more days but his death was the end of a clever clandestine operation to bring down a government in record time while using peaceful protests as cover.

When things get to the point where just one man can reasonably hope to bring down a government, this is no longer Monkey See Monkey Do; we're in Kaiser Soze territory.

What now? On the heels of chaos comes attempts to reimpose order. Thus, the New Cold War, in which Pentagon and NATO chiefs scramble to recreate the order of the good old days, when it was just our gang against their gang. 

However, the punchline to the New Cold War is the same as the one for the Old Cold War: 14 minutes after one side's launch of a nuclear missile, it's the end for living creatures.

If the initial nuke launch turns out to be in retaliation to a seagull flying off course or a computer glitch, well, the people with their finger on the counter-launch button have 14 minutes to figure this out.  

(Amazingly, there are still some people in this world who don't believe in the existence of God.)  

As to the global chaos, did they learn their lesson in Syria, which saw seven foreign governments, each for their own reasons, trying to overthrow the country's government?  

Only one thing is certain. It was Islamic State, a non-state actor, which made a financial killing in the oil trade while those seven governments unleashed chaos in Syria and fell to squabbling with each other. 

Once again, it's the Kaiser Soze model that profits most from chaos.    

*********

John Batchelor and Stephen F. Cohen prep for NATO summit today

"Cold Wars make it possible to invent threats then act upon them."

"NATO is talking itself into war with Russia." 

"NATO is convinced that the Russians are preparing to invade in order to destroy NATO."

Those are just three of John Batchelor's great one-liners during his talk with Stephen F.Cohen on Tuesday night about key issues regarding the NATO summit -- although I'd have to review the podcast to jog my memory as to whether he said NATO was talking itself into war or had already done so.

In any case, President Trump will want to talk about money at the summit while the NATO bigwigs will counter with what he's going to do about Russia's obvious plan to invade Europe.  

Now why is it obvious? We have NATO's reading of a before and after satellite photo to thank for that. Below is the "after" photo. Visit Defense One for the 'before' photo and accompanying article to understand why NATO might have to start a defensive nuclear war with Russia.  

Veterans of making sense out of SouthFront's Syrian war maps should have no trouble reading the photo. Put the before and after photos together, as they do at Defense One, and it's obvious, after Defense One explains for people who can't read SouthFront war maps, that the Russians have built an "exterior fence" around some buildings and put snow or dirt over some other buildings to fortify them, and there's the proof that the Russians are preparing to invade plus they've been building a railroad extension, which is more proof.

Put it all that another way, as John Batchelor did, and humanity still has 14 minutes from the launch of a nuclear weapon from Russia or the U.S. to prepare for The End. 

My view is that the people currently in charge at NATO make the characters in "Dr Strangelove" look sane.

Is there is any way to stop the madness?  Well, Steve tried to put the best spin on things by pointing out that bureaucrats (who want to protect their department budgets) are fueling a lot of NATO war drumming. 

But while I can't recall whether it was Steve or John who made the observation, another great one-liner was that relations between the U.S. and Russia had become militarized. This is a departure from the Cold War, during which diplomacy played a large role in staving off hot war between the superpowers.  The role is absent in the new cold war. 

The hopeful news, which Steve and John didn't discuss because they might not know about it yet, is now that the Bundestag made public their research bureau's investigation of whether the U.S. coalition's presence in Syria is legal, I don't think there's going to be much discussion about Syria at the NATO summit.

All right. The gabfest is just about to get underway in Brussels, so here's the podcasts for the Batchelor-Cohen discussion.

Part 1.  Part 2. 

*********

Syrian War Report July 10: "Government forces liberated all border points souch of Daraa

I'm posting SouthFront's video report from their YouTube site rather than the same one at their website. I'd like readers to know that they do post their daily video war reports at YouTube, and to appreciate the highly professional work that SouthFront does to produce the videos, which include transcripts published at their website. I poke fun at their war maps but these people really deserve donations.

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"German Parliament Report: U.S. Presence in Syria Is Illegal"

"The German parliament is now unlikely to renew the mandate for the anti-ISIS operation. Other countries will likely follow and end their participation in the U.S. coalition."

"While this will not change the situation on the ground in Syria it does change the international political atmosphere. It also 'rehabilitates' the Syrian government in the European public eye as it can no longer be depicted as an enemy." 

The German parliamentary report, dated June 28, 2018, seems to have been made available to the German public on the virtual eve of the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11, which President Trump will attend -- and which is expected to be acrimonious, particularly with regard to his demand that all NATO countries contribute their "fair share" to membership. See this BBC report on the upcoming summit for a chart showing which countries aren't meeting the target contribution; Germany is one.  

But with the German parliamentary report in hand, German officials at the summit can ask the Americans, 'You want us to pay our fair share of NATO membership, but a fair share of patently illegal operations under international law?'

And the report is getting publicity ahead of the Trump-Putin summit on Monday -- not to mention Trump's visit to England later this week. Of course the British are also part of the U.S. coalition in Syria.  

Much thanks to MoA's Bernhard for his translation work and commentary on the parliamentary report's key conclusions. 

German Parliament Report: U.S. Presence in Syria Is Illegal

by "b"

July 10, 2018

Moon of Alabama

The Scientific Services of the German Bundestag are the equivalent to the Congressional Research Service in the United States. Members of Parliament can ask the services to give their neutral expert opinions on legal questions and other issues. Opinions by the scientific services are held in high regard.

Alexander Neu, a Member of Parliament for the Left Party in Germany, requested an opinion on the legality of the military presence and operations by Russia, the United States and Israel in Syria.

The conclusions  (pdf, in German) are quite clearcut:

1.  Russia was asked by the recognized government of Syria to help. Its presence in Syria is without doubt legal under International Law.

2.  U.S. activities in Syria, which are analyzed in two parts:

Regime Change

The provision of arms to insurgents in Syria by the U.S. (and others) was and is illegal. It is a breach of the Prohibition on the Use of Force in international law specifically of the UN Charter Article 2(4):

All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.

Fight against ISIS

The U.S. argues that its presence in Syria is in (collective) self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter because the Islamic State in Syria threatens to attack the United States. That, in itself, would be insufficient as Syria is a sovereign state. The U.S. therefore additionally claims that the Syrian state is "unwilling or unable" to fight against the Islamic State.

The scientific services finding is that the claim of "unwilling or unable" was already dubious when the U.S. operation started. This for two reasons:

• It is not law or an internationally accepted legal doctrine. (The 120 members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and others have argued strongly against it.)

• The Syrian government itself was fighting ISIS, but it could not operate in large parts of its territory where the Islamic State had taken control. Some argue that this justified the "unable" argument. But ISIS is largely defeated and it no longer has any significant territorial control.

The already dubious legal case for the presence of U.S. (and other 'coalition' troops in Syria) can thus no longer be made. The U.S. presence in Syria is illegal.

3.  Israel's attack on Hizbullah and Iranian units and installations in Syria, as well as against Syria itself, are claimed by Israel to be 'anticipatory self-defense' under UN Charter Article 51. 

• 'Anticipatory self-defense' could only be claimed if  attacks against Israel were imminent. That case has not been made. The Israeli attacks are thus 'preemptive self defense,' which is not an accepted doctrine under  international law.

4. The service was not asked for an opinion on Turkey's incursion into Syria but it notes that claims of 'self defense', as Turkey makes in its fight against Kurdish entities in Syria, are often abuses for geostrategic purposes.

Thus, the Bundestag Scientific Services opinion. 

The given legal arguments are not new. Others have long reasoned along the same legal lines and come to the same conclusions. 

But Germany is a partner of the U.S. coalition of the willing against ISIS. Its military has flown reconnaissance missions from Turkey and Jordan in support of the U.S. operation under the same legal argument the U.S. made. The German parliament is now unlikely to renew the mandate for the anti-ISIS operation. Other countries will likely follow and end their participation in the U.S. coalition.

While this will not change the situation on the ground in Syria it does change the international political atmosphere. It also 'rehabilitates' the Syrian government in the European public eye as it can no longer be depicted as an enemy. 

[END REPORT]

********

"Syrian Army Finds US Anti-Tank TOW Missiles in Country's South"

"The Gharaz find is the latest in a series of discoveries made by the Syrian military as it clears areas formerly controlled by rebel militants and jihadist terrorists. Last week, the Syrian Army discovered a huge cache of Western-made weapons, including TOW missiles, also in Daraa. That find included weapons and ammo of various calibers, as well as boxes of supplies addressed to FSA militants from the United States."

[Pundita note: I'm not sure they "discovered" those weapons last week or whether a group of fighters that reconciled with the Syrian government simply told the military where to find the cache. There have been so many reports on found caches that I'd have to go through my notes to be certain. 

In any case, over the years of the war, the U.S. and its buddies transferred a veritable mountain of materiel to their mercenaries in Syria. That a majority of these mercenaries were connected with vehemently anti-American terrorist groups including al Qaeda -- my government, the American government, didn't give a damn.]

July 10, 2018 - 20:18

Sputnik

Syrian sappers working in Gharaz in Syria's southern Daraa province have discovered storage facilities containing US-made TOW anti-tank missile systems.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency [SANA], the TOW missiles were discovered in a recently liberated settlement, alongside mortars, shells of various calibers, improvised explosive devices and communications and night-vision systems, as well as other equipment made in Western countries. A modified T-55 tank likely captured from Syrian forces earlier was also found.

The Syrian Army fully liberated Gharaz on Tuesday, freeing the area around the settlement's grain silos and central prison after battles a SANA reporter described as "fierce." An undisclosed number of militants were killed or wounded, with the rest reportedly fleeing to neighboring areas.

Syrian forces are continuing their offensive to eliminate the last pockets of resistance in Daraa province, having started the operation earlier this year after Damascus and other government-held cities had been shelled by local militants. Most settlements were freed without heavy fighting, with some Free Syrian Army rebel units switching sides and joining the army in crushing Nusra Front* and Daesh (ISIS/ISIL)* forces following negotiations facilitated by the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria.

The Gharaz find is the latest in a series of discoveries made by the Syrian military as it clears areas formerly controlled by rebel militants and jihadist terrorists. Last week, the Syrian Army discovered a huge cache of Western-made weapons, including TOW missiles, also in Daraa. That find included weapons and ammo of various calibers, as well as boxes of supplies addressed to FSA militants from the United States.

* Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Nusra Front, a jihadist militant group that has attempted to rebrand itself several times during the Syrian conflict, is the Syrian offshoot of the al-Qaeda terrorist group.

[END REPORT]

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"More Militant-Held Regions in Southern Syria Join Peace Agreement"

July 9, 2018
FARS

TEHRAN (FNA)- Militants in more regions in Dara'a and Sweida provinces handed over their weapons to relevant officials and ended fight with the Syrian army, the Russian Defense Ministry announced in its latest report on Monday.

The Center reported that 15 towns in Dara'a and a town in Sweida province have joined the peace plan in the past 24 hours.

It added that totally 75 regions in Dara'a province have joined the peace plan, increasing the number of such regions in Southwestern Syria to 90.

Meantime, nearly 1,000 terrorists and their family members are due to be transferred from Southern Syria to other regions.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that a majority of militant commanders have endorsed the reconciliation plan in the Southern province of Dara'a, adding that the peace plan will probably be put into action in five regions in Western Dara'a.

The ministry said that most terrorist commanders have joined peace agreement with the Syrian army only a few hours after the start the reconciliation plan in Dara'a.

It further said that a major number of terrorist commanders have decided to end battle and join the peace process with the army following talks with government troops.

In the meantime, the terrorist groups in the townships of Jidrou region in Western Dara'a, including Ankhal, Nawa, Jasem, Nemr and al-Harrah formed a joint delegation to enter talks with the Russian-Syrian delegation.

Terrorists formed a joint delegation after militants in Eastern Dara'a laid down arms and signed the peace agreement with the army.

Field sources said that terrorists in Western Dara'a have been given only a 48-hour-long ultimatum to decide about peace talks.

[END REPORT]

*********

What did I tell you? When pigs fly will the U.S. military leave Syria.

Elijah Magnier was wrong to assume the U.S. military would be pulling out of Syria within six months. Now we learn the military CAN'T leave Syria. That's because Islamic State in Syria has burrowed into desert redoubts and can't be dislodged. Therefore, the U.S. has no choice but to stay in Syria forever. For a good cause of course.    

All this reminds me of the old days in rural America. Farmers learned that the more the traveling salesman quoted from the Bible, the tighter they'd have to hold onto their wallets.

ISIS Remnants in Iraq and Syria Fight On Longer Than US Expected
Locals say clearing ISIS from empty desert is 'impossible'
By Jason Ditz
July 9, 2018

Anti-war.com

The defeat of ISIS in eastern Syria and western Iraq meant them losing control over effectively all of the cities. Both Iraqi and Syrian governments were eager to declare victory when this happened, but ISIS didn’t vanish, they just fled into the desert.

Those remnants are still around, making their presence felt across the desert region, and occasionally carrying out attacks against the various forces operating in the cities nearby. Last week, this meant a roadside bomb targeting a US convoy.

For the US, this clearly wasn’t the plan. Having lost their cities, ISIS was supposed to be demoralized, and collapse in short order. Instead, the group remains resilient. Worst of all, they’re not exactly in a place where they’re easy for US forces to target.

The desert is a big place, and locals say that clearing ISIS from the vast Deir Ezzor desert and the vast Anbar desert is virtually impossible. Secretary of Defense James Mattis warns that there is still “hard fighting” ahead.

It’s fighting the US isn’t necessarily ready for. The thousands of US troops sent after ISIS were prepared to take cities, but ISIS has remade itself since then back into an insurgency operating in remote areas. The ISIS leadership is spread out, meaning killing one won’t bring down the whole organization. This is something the US has struggled to cope with against other insurgencies, and looks to be a prolonged problem in the ISIS war, with Mattis reiterating that the US is committed to fighting for the long-term.

[END REPORT]

**********

55 Syrian Arab and Turkish tribes/clans formally condemn US, Turkish, French presence in Syria, voice support for Syrian army

A number of national Kurdish figures rejected foreign interference in Syria's affairs and any attempt to divide Syria.

(ALEPPO) SANA - July 8, 2018 - A forum of 55 clans and tribes in Aleppo province asserted solidarity with the Syrian Arab Army in its war against terrorism and facing foreign interference in Syria’s affairs, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Arab and Kurdish tribes in Aleppo stand in the same trench with the Syrian Arab Army led by President Bashar al-Assad in facing the Turkish aggression and its backers, particularly the US and France and other Western states, and in combating terrorism until all illegitimate forces from Syria are eliminated, the clans and tribes said in a statement at the end of their forum held Saturday.

The forum was held under the title “In Retaliation for the US, French and Turkish Interference in Syria”

A number of the national Kurdish figures expressed rejection of any attempt to divide Syria and of the foreign interference in its affairs.

For their part the elders and dignitaries of the tribes rejected all types of aggression against Syria, affirming that the Syrians will stay united side by side with the Army in defending the homeland and facing whoever tries to interfere in its affairs.

They also rejected the existence of any US, French or Turkish forces on the Syrian territories.

R. Jazaeri/Ghososun

[END REPORT]

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"Syrian Army welcomed by residents of Jordanian border-town"

By Leith Aboufadel
July 10, 2018
AMN

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:20 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a major advance along the Jordanian-Daraa border on Monday, seizing a number of towns that were previously under the control of the rebel forces.

Residents of Zaizoun cheered on the Syrian Arab Army as they entered their village in the southern province of Daraa, as footage filmed on Monday shows. [See video at AMN]

Civilians welcomed the SAA with chants and victory signs, and some of them even placed soldiers on their shoulders.

Army troops also reportedly arrived in Tal Shihab, where they were reportedly given a similar welcome.

Last week, the Syrian government and militant groups reached a ceasefire accord in Daraa during negotiations brokered by Moscow.

The UN has estimated that more than 320,000 people have been displaced in the Daraa region since the beginning of an offensive in the region.

[END REPORT]

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Oh look! An almost comprehensible Syrian war map!

[blowing kisses] Thank You DEBKAfile! 

I also see that DEBKAfile and the sources for FARS -- that's Iran's state news agency -- have quite different takes on the same general situation. What to do. How about if I publish both reports.    

Syria launches anti-rebel operation in Quneitra ahead of Putin-Netanyahu meeting
Jul 9, 2018 @ 17:43
DEBKAfile

The Syrian army began attacking rebel positions around Quneitra opposite Israel’s Golan border on Monday, July 9, DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal. For some hours, Syrian forces have been pounding rebel positions at Nabi Sakhar east of Quneitra with heavy tank and artillery fire as well as Golan 1000 rocket launchers. For now, the rebels hold superior fire power, but are short of manpower for holding the wider region.

It is not clear whether the Syrian forces reached the Quneitra region from Daraa where fighting continues, or from the north. In communiques in the last few hours, the Syrian high command in Damascus claimed the rebels are supported by the IDF. According to the official Syrian news agency SANA, “the jihadist rebels ae currently under the protection of the Israeli Defense Forces” – although no details are offered. 

There is no official word from Israel.

DEBKAfile’s military sources say that the launching of the Syrian Quneitra offensive should not have come as a surprise to the Netanyahu government or the IDF since there were plenty of signs it was on the way. 

In Daraa, the first part of Syria’s drive to seize control of the southwest is jumping back and forth, because neither the Assad regime nor the Syrian army accept the ceasefire deal which the Russians negotiated with local rebel leaders. On Sunday, therefore, the Syrian air force renewed its strikes on rebel positions in Daraa and Syrian, Hizballah and pro-Iranian Shiite militias stand ready to go into Daraa City. This would be in repudiation of the Russian-rebel deal which restricted entry to Syrian civilian administrators.

The rulers of Damascus suspect the Russians are aiming to broker the same ceasefire deal with the rebels of Queiitra. This would leave the anti-Assad fighters in place and in control of their villages, in return for surrendering their heavy and medium arms.

The Syrian allegation of an Israeli air attack on the big Syrian T-4 air base Sunday night clearly pointed to its next target: the Syrian Golan town of Quneitra opposite IDF lines. The giveaway came from the content of the Syrian communique, which was framed to implicate all of Assad’s enemies in the purported attack. The Israeli jets allegedly flew in from Jordan over the US outpost at Al Tanf.

By setting up this ploy four days before President Vladimir Putin receives Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Moscow on Wednesday, Bashar Assad was giving Moscow due warning that he would play the Quneitra offensive by his own rulebook, not the Russians.’ 

It remains to be seen how the Syrian army’s Quneitra operation, launched on Monday, plays out – whether it is restricted to small skirmishes or spreads more widely.

[END REPORT]

Now to the FARS report, also datelined July 9:

Syrian Army Aborts Israel's Logistical Backup for Tahrir Al-Sham [aka Nusra Front aka Al Qaeda]

TEHRAN (FNA)- A timely offensive by the Syrian army stopped Israel's move to supply logistical support to Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorist group in Southwestern Quneitra.

The Syrian army's artillery and missile units staged heavy fire on Tahrir al-Sham's positions and moves in al-Alam square, Rawihineh and the road linking Naba'a al-Sakhrah to Southwestern Quneitra and the nearby areas on Monday.

Several positions and military vehicles of terrorists were smashed and a number of militants were killed and wounded.

Field sources said that Tahrir al-Sham was moving towards the de-escalation zone with Israel to receive military aid from the Israeli army when it came under attack by the Syrian army.

In a relevant development on Saturday, the Israeli troops targeted a position of the Syrian Army troops in the Southwestern province of Quneitra to assist Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at terrorists that have suffered a heavy defeat in battle with the government forces, a media outlet reported.

Al-Mayadeen news network reported that the Israeli troops opened heavy fire at one of the positions of Tahrir al-Sham in Khan Arnaba region in Northern Quneitra after the government forces repelled a heavy offensive of Tahrir al-Sham in the region.

Al-Mayadeen further said that the Israeli attack did not leave any human casualties.

It went on to say that the terrorist groups in Quneitra had attacked the army stronghold in al-Ba'ath, Jaba and Tal Koroum regions before the Israeli troops launched their attack.

Al-Mayadeen further said that over 30 terrorists were killed or wounded in the militants' failed attack on the army positions in three flanks near al-Ba'ath.

Meanwhile, field sources reported that Israeli troops launched artillery attack on Syrian army in Quneitra, adding that the Tel Aviv Jerusalem army forces transferred the wounded members of the terrorist groups from the Quneitra battlefield to occupied territories in Bariqa border region in Israel to treat them in their hospitals.

The sources went on to say that Israel has increased its backup for terrorists in recent weeks when Tahrir al-Sham intensified attacks on the safe villages and townships in Quneitra province.

[END REPORT]

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What's Hezbollah supposed to use as weapons in Syria? Slingshots?

On Sunday the IAF bombed the T-4 air base in Syria surely on the same pretext they used the last time and all other times. They always claim they were targeting Iranian cargo planes dropping off weapons with which to launch an attack on Israel. 

I have no idea whether Iranian planes were unloading at that particular airport at the time. I do know that the Syrian War is a BYOW affair -- as in "bring your own weapons" and ammo. 

The Syrian government can't afford to arm Hezbollah or the Iranian militias fighting on their behalf. And I doubt the Lebanese militias in Syria can afford to pay out of pocket for their weapons.  

That leaves the Russians and Iranians. The Russians are already spending a fortune to help arm the Syrian military. So that would leave the Iranians. 

Logic also dictates that the IRGC wouldn't send Hezbollah or any Iranian militia in Syria the money to purchase materiel -- a process that would be very hard to carry out on a routine basis. Instead, they'd ship the materiel to air bases around Syria. Of course they wouldn't want to advertise this for obvious reasons. 

I'm not saying anything Israel's defense ministry doesn't already know. What they might not know is how close they've gotten to the tipping point -- that point where people won't believe you, even when you're telling the absolute truth, because you've been caught in so many lies.

A general rule of getting along in this world is to lie only when strictly necessary. If one feels to compelled to tell one whopper after another, it's time to rethink one's strategy. 

All right; below is a report from SouthFront which includes mention of the attack on the T-4. I've not posted the accompanying map because I get queasy trying to understand SouthFront's war maps.

By the way -- I don't know whether the people at SouthFront are German or Russian or whatever, but how would they like it, if some news source decided to change the name of their country's capital city because the editor didn't think it should be the capital? 

If the Israelis say the capital of their country is Mashed Potatoes, then that's how you'd write it. You can't be an activist and a journalist at the same time -- not if you want the public to consider SouthFront a reasonably reliable news source. You do publish opinion. So make the effort to keep your editorializing and war reporting separate. Okay?   
   

TEL AVIV JERUSALEM SENDS ANOTHER THREAT TO DAMASCUS AS SYRIAN FORCES RETAKE ANOTHER CHUNK OF BORDER WITH JORDAN

July 9, 2018
SouthFront

On July 9 Syrian government forces liberated a large chunk of the border with Jordan in the southern Daraa countryside, retaking the area between the border points of 29 and 35. Earlier, government troops took control of the villages of Khrab al-Shahm, Zaizoun and Tal Shihab.

While Syrian forces are rapidly advancing against militants, the Israeli leadership has send another threat to the Damascus government.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that his country will “respond harshly” to any attempts by the Syrian military to enter the demilitarized area in the Golan Heights.

“For our part, we will sanctify the 1974 disengagement agreement and there too we will insist that every last letter be abided by, and any violation will meet a harsh response from the State of Israel,” Lieberman said speaking in parliament.

Last night warplanes of the Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike on targets in Syria’s T-4 airbase in the central province of Homs. The General Command of the Syrian Arab Army said that Syrian forces had intercepted several missiles and targeted an Israeli warplane. However, some Israeli missiles hit targets in the base.

The Israeli side says that none of its warplanes were hit.

[END REPORT]

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