Turkey rebranding al-Nusra terrorist to new name so-called “Army of Aleppo”

December 3, 2016 By administrator

Russia says the formation of the so-called Army of Aleppo in the east of the Syrian city is an attempt to disguise and shield the al-Nusra Front terrorist group.

“I do not rule out that this is just another attempt to rebrand al-Nusra Front and shield it from righteous retaliation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Rome on Friday.

Lavrov stressed that nearly all the militant groups in the eastern part of the flashpoint Syrian city, where the “Army of Aleppo” was recently formed, are under the control of al-Nusra Front.

“As I have already mentioned, according to our intelligence,… practically all armed opposition groups in eastern Aleppo report to al-Nusra Front. Nusra has some 1,500 militants there, while other groups under its command have up to 6,000 militants,” he said.

Al-Nusra Front is an affiliate of al-Qaeda that has recently renamed itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and has claimed to have broken up with al-Qaeda in what has largely been interpreted as a decoy attempt.

Russia has long been pressing for the designation of al-Nusra as a terrorist group at the United Nations Security Council. Such attempts have, however, been hindered by the United States.

Lavrov also said his country had supported an initiative by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on the exit of militants from eastern Aleppo.

“De Mistura proposed allowing all terrorists to leave eastern Aleppo, we, despite the idea’s controversy, supported it and were ready to cooperate with it,” he said, adding the proposal “was blocked by those who, we are convinced, are interested in eastern Aleppo remaining under the control of terrorists.” He did not elaborate.

The Syrian government holds and defends the city’s western side and has been purging its east of militants.

Meanwhile, a monitoring group said on Friday that Syrian troops had taken control of half of the militant-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

Rami Abdel-Rahman, the head of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the government forces “consolidated their control” over two eastern districts on Friday, adding they are now “comfortably in control of half” of the militant-controlled areas in Aleppo’s east.

He added the Syrian forces were advancing toward the recapture of the rest of the areas under the militants’ control in the east of the city.

The Russian Defense Ministry had already announced on Tuesday that the Syrian army had extended its control to half of those areas.

Russia has been offering military support to the Syrian government.

Elsewhere in his Friday remarks, Lavrov blamed the foreign-backed opposition for the stall of the intra-Syrian peace talks for more than six months, saying they “put forward ultimatums in the form of an absolute precondition to oust President [Bashar] Assad.”

The conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

Israeli MP: Tel Aviv aiding al-Nusra in Syria

September 12, 2016 By administrator

This picture taken on August 6, 2016 shows members of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group sitting in a trench in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. ©AFP

An Israeli lawmaker has criticized the Tel Aviv regime for supporting Takfiri terrorists who are fighting in Syria to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Akram Hasson said the Fateh al-Sham terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, is operating in Syria with “unprecedented logistical and medical” support from Israel.

He said Israel’s recent escalation of attacks on the Syrian army positions in the Golan Heights are aimed at paving the way for the terrorist group to gain more grounds.

Golan belongs to Syria, and the international community has never recognized Israel’s occupation of around 1,200 square km (460 square miles) of the territory during the 1967 Six-Day War and its annexation later.

Scores of illegal settlements have been built in the area over the years while the Israeli regime has used the area to launch attacks against the Syrian government and its allies.

Israel has recently intensified its airstrikes on the Golan Heights, targeting the Syrian army and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, which is assisting Damascus in the fight against Takfiri terrorists.

The Israeli lawmaker further said that the Fateh al-Sham terrorist group is bombing the Syrian Druze village of Khadr, with the support of Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Avigdor Lieberman.

“This new strategy led by Lieberman since he took office has strengthened the Nusra Front and it’s raising its head to attack our brothers,” Hasson wrote.

Citing eyewitnesses, Hasson said the Takfiri terrorist group is using advanced technological equipment, adding Israel’s strategic support has been broadened over the past few months.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Damascus has blamed regional players, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, for supporting Takfiri militants inside the country.

Aleppo District Hit by Turkish supported terrorist Al-Nusra Front Fire – Russian Military

June 5, 2016 By administrator

aleppo hit by al nusra Al-Nusra Front militant group heavily shelled the nortern parts of Syrian city of Aleppo, killing and wounding civilians and destroying buildings, Russian military said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The militants fired mortar rounds and rockets at the Burayj ar Rih neighborhood in northern Aleppo, killing and wounding civilians, Russia’s Syrian reconciliation center said early Monday.

“Nusra Front Militants fired mortars and multiple rocket launchers at the Burayj ar Rih district north of Aleppo,” a member of the Russian Defense Ministry’s center in Hmeimim said.

“The shells fired by terrorist groups at residential quarters destroyed a shopping mall, homes and administrative buildings, private buildings, killing and wounding civilians,” the military official said.

Lavrov: Turkey Supplies Al Nusra, Jaish Al-Islam Militants in Syria

February 11, 2016 By administrator

1021402230 Militants around the city of Aleppo in Syria, including those from the Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) and Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) groups, are supplied from Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

MUNICH (Sputnik) – Speaking after a Thursday meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), Lavrov stressed that the western suburbs of Aleppo are still controlled by al-Nusra and Jaish al-Islam.

“Those guys are around Aleppo on the western side, on the eastern side the government forces have unblocked the city with our support…And don’t forget that all those who are in the Aleppo region – both Jabhat al-Nusra and Jaish al-Islam, and [Harakat] Ahrar ash-Sham, and some more moderate groups – all of them are supplied via one route, from one location on the territory of Turkey,” Lavrov said.

The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that UN Security Council Resolution 2254 prohibits all supplies that support terrorist organizations.

Syria: Turkish Supported Al-Nusra terrorist destroys churches, desecrates cemeteries in Latakia

February 2, 2016 By administrator

Al-Nusra Front has destroyed the churches of Syrian village of Ghnemye in Latakia’s north, Arevelk cited one of the residents as saying.

Upon returning to the town, the resident found his home demolished.

“The Armenian and Evangelical churches of the village have been completely destroyed, with cemeteries desecrated,” Arevelk said.

Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that four years on has grown to a stalemate, with the Assad government, Islamic State, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory.

More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a million injured. Some 11,5 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad – including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe.

Iran, Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the U.S., UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran have pro-Assad forces on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.

Syria airstrikes kill al-Nusra Front leaders: Report

March 5, 2015 By administrator

More than a dozen senior leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front have been killed in two airstrikes by the Syrian army in the northwestern part of Syria.

The terrorist group reportedly said on social media on Thursday that its military chief, Abu Homam al-Shami, was killed in the attacks, the state-funded BBC reported.

Abu Musab Falastini, Abu Omar Kurdi, and Abu Baraa Ansari were three other leaders of the terrorist group killed in the attacks.

The airstrikes were reportedly conducted by the Syrian army in the al-Habit area of the Idlib Province.

A Middle Eastern security source, who was briefed by Syrian intelligence, said a senior Saudi operative in the group was also killed in the air raids, which took place in the town of Salqin and a nearby town in Idlib.

One of the attacks targeted a meeting of the terrorist group’s leaders and the other one targeted a military base of the group.

A spokesman for the US-led coalition, which is conducting airstrikes against what are said to be ISIL position in Syria and Iraq, said the coalition’s fighter jets were not involved.

“Within the last 24 hours, we have not conducted any airstrikes within 200 miles of the province of Idlib,” the spokesman said.

Al-Nusra Front, along with many other foreign-backed Takfiri groups, including the ISIL terrorist group, are operating against the government of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of 210,000 people, according to reports.

New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, lost their lives in Syria last year.

source: presstv