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Israel warns Damascus not to use air defenses against Israeli jets inside Syria

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“We are flying the F-35 fifth-gen stealth fighter all over the Middle East and have already attacked twice on two different fronts,” Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin was quoted as saying by Israeli media.

A senior Israeli Air Force officer has said that his country’s military aircraft will continue to operate in Syrian airspace for as long as is deemed necessary.

“We’re not doing this because we’re aggressive, but because we constantly have to be actively defending the state of Israel,” the senior officer said, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.

“This is the only thing preventing offensive measures by Iran,” he added.

The officer also warned Syria not to use its air defenses against Israeli warplanes. “All batteries that fire on Israeli aircraft will be destroyed. All batteries that do not fire on us will not be destroyed,” he said, noting that “this policy will continue.”

On Tuesday, the commander of the Israeli Air Force declared that Israel had become the first country in the world to use its US-made F-35 fifth-gen stealth fighter in combat.

“We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East and have already attacked twice on two different fronts,” Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin was quoted as saying by Israeli media.

Syrian-Israeli relations were brought to a boiling point earlier this month after the Israeli Air Force hit what it said were Iranian targets in Syria, following an alleged rocket attack against Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights.

Earlier this year, Israeli jets repeatedly struck Syria’s T-4 air base, which Tel Aviv claimed contained “Iranian bases in Syria.”

On Wednesday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad told Sputnik that the possibility of withdrawing Iranian military advisers and Hezbollah militia was “not even on the agenda of discussion, since it concerns the sovereignty of Syria.”

The Israeli Air Force has regularly violated Syrian airspace throughout the course of the Syrian civil war. Damascus has called these incursions acts of aggression and vowed to continue to “repel any aggression against Syria, regardless where it will take place.”

Source: Sputnik

Turkish delegation visits Damascus, meets senior officials, “Authentic Turkish Crime Kiss and Kill.”

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Turkish delegation

A Turkish delegation visiting Damascus on an economic and political mission says respecting Syria’s sovereignty is a main precondition to end the conflict in the Arab country.  

In a Thursday meeting with Syria’s parliament speaker Hammoudeh Sabbagh, the delegation representing the Eurasia Local Governments Union from Turkey reiterated that Syrians had the right to determine their own destiny and no third party has the right to interfere, pressure or try to influence the will of the Syrian people.

Syria’s official SANA agency cited head of the delegation Hasan Cengiz as saying in the meeting that the war on Syria, which is well in its eighth year now, came as part of a wider project to divide the Middle East region.

Cengiz added that the only way out of the conflict would be for others outside Syria to respect the country’s sovereignty and the right of its people to determine their future.

The remarks are the first of their kind for a senior Turkish politician since the war started in Syria in 2011. Turkey has been one of the main countries supporting the opposition in Syria, especially those openly vying to topple the government through armed confrontation.

Turkey has even boots on the ground in northern Syria where it is fighting Kurdish militants. Ankara considers the militant group known as the YPG an extension of the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly criticized Turkey for launching a military operation in late January to oust the Kurds from the town of Afrin.

Sabbagh, the Syrian parliament speaker, told the visiting Turkish delegation that Turkey has committed an aggression against Syria by maintaining a military presence north of the country, adding that the move represents a flagrant violation of international laws.

Sabbagh said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was directly responsible for the bloodshed in Syria, adding Erdogan has always pursued an aggressive policy toward Damascus government over the past years.

Turkey is increasingly wary of US plans in Syria, including its schemes to carve out a mini-state for Kurds along Turkish borders.

Initially a dyed in the wool ally of US and a facilitator of the campaign against the Syrian government, Ankara has swung toward Iran and Russia in their efforts to end the crisis in Syria.

Armenian Ambassador in Damascus: Great desire to bolster deeply-rooted Armenian-Syrian relations

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Damascus, SANA – Respecting sovereignty of states, non-interference in states’ domestic affairs and preserving international peace and security are the characteristics of the mutual relations between Syria and Armenia since 1992.

The Armenian Ambassador in Damascus Arshak Poladian said in an interview with SANA that his country supports the resilience of the Syrian people during the war that is targeting the country, pointing out that Armenia has condemned terrorism, which targeted the Syrian people, infrastructure and institutions, as it also encouraged an intra-Syrian dialogue as a means for reaching a political solution to the crisis.

Poladian considered that the continuous work of the Armenian diplomatic institutions in Syria reflects his country’s standing by the side of Syria, pointing out to the humanitarian aid sent by his country in support of the resilience of the Syrian people.

He expressed Armenia’s desire to contribute to the reconstruction process stemming from the historic fraternal relations between the two countries, noting that the Armenian Culture Minister has offered a project for restoring the archeological city of Palmyra, which underwent fierce terrorist attacks.

He clarified that the bilateral relations have witnessed prosperity throughout the past years, and that was represented through signing some 50 to 60 agreements in different domains.

The Ambassador pointed out to Armenian’s participation in Damascus International Fair where it displayed brochures on the Armenian products and information about several companies specialized in jewelry, technology, food and iron mines.

In the educational field, the two counties signed an executive education program specialized in the higher education where the two countries exchange student missions.

Ambassador Poladian clarified that relations between the Syrians and Armenians go back to the beginning of the past century where Syria was a refuge for Armenians who  escaped the Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks in 1915.

R.Milhem/Ghossoun

Damascus under reconstruction for intl. fair

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Syria’s capital is hosting large-scale reconstruction projects as it prepares to host the country’s major international exhibition after a six-year hiatus.

The last edition of the Damascus International Fair was held in 2011, when foreign-backed militancy began sweeping the country to bloody and devastating effects.

Major streets and buildings are now undergoing renovation and restoration in anticipation of the August 17-26 event, which would serve as its 59th edition, footage showed on Monday.

The projects comprise widening of several main roads, and refurbishment of old buildings and landmarks, including the Damascus Sword Statue in the capital’s Umayyad Square.

The event has been traditionally used as an occasion to market the country’s products and attract foreign investment.

Its expected renewal would mark a hard-earned victory which the country’s Army and allied forces have decisively scored against foreign-backed militants in recent months.

On Sunday, Syria’s Tourism Minister Beshr Yaziji said visits to the country had jumped by 25 percent so far this year.

Yaziji said 530,000 people had visited Syria during the first half of 2017, a 25 percent increase from the same period last year.

Also attracting foreign tourists to the country are a number of shrines, held in veneration among Shia Muslims worldwide. Defense of the sites has notably heartened the Shia fighters to join the Syrian forces in their counter-terrorism operations.

Now pilgrims are flooding back to the Arab country as relative calm has returned to Damascus and the country’s second-largest city of Aleppo thanks to the joint anti-terror operations.

Yerevan resuming regular flights to Damascus

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flights to Damascus Cham Wings Airlines is resuming direct flights from Yerevan to Damascus and back, Aleppo-based Kilikia travel agency reveals.

The first flights is scheduled for June 21, set to be implemented once a week on Wednesdays.

The tickets will cost some $150.

The first-ever flight from the Armenian capital to the Syrian one was carried out back in 2012.

Read also: Taron-Avia launching regular Gyumri-Moscow flights

Syria: Twin blasts in Damascus leave 40 killed, 120 injured

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At least 40 people were killed and 120 got injured in two blasts in Damascus on Saturday, Lebanon’s Al-Manar television reported, according to TASS agency.

The Syrian authorities have not published official data on the victims.
Earlier on Saturday, SANA reported a double explosion in Damascus’s Bab Musalla district. The agency said self-made explosive devices went off near the Bab Saghir city cemetery.

 

Israel military fires missiles against targets near Damascus: attempt to “divert attention away from the successes in Aleppo. Report

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israel-jetIsraeli fighter jets have carried out missile attacks against two targets inside Syria close to the highway connecting the capital Damascus, to the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Syria’s state television reported on Wednesday that the Israeli air force had fired two missiles from the Lebanese airspace towards an area near Damascus. It said the attack had fallen short of causing any casualties.

Syria’s official news agency SANA cite an unnamed military source as saying that the missiles fell on the Saboura area west of Damascus.

The source said the Israeli assault was an attempt to “divert attention away from the successes of” government forces on the battleground against Takfiri militants.

Meanwhile, Rai al-Youm, an Arab world digital news and opinion website, said one of the strikes, it said, hit a Syrian army’s arms depot, while another targeted a number of trucks thought to be carrying weapons and military equipment.

Al-Masdar News, a pan-Arab news and commentary website based in Boston, also said the warplane had fired long-range ‘Popeye’ missiles at the Saboura district,

The air-to-surface missiles have been developed by the Israeli military itself.

“The jet did not penetrate Syrian airspace but did allegedly breach Lebanese airspace in order to come within striking range of its designated target,” it reported.

Israel is widely viewed as a staunch supporter of the Takfiri terrorists operating against the Damascus government.

The regime regularly targets the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, parts of which it has occupied since 1967.

Tel Aviv also provides treatment to anti-Syria Takfiri terrorists who sustain injuries on the battlefield against the Syrian army.

In the past, Israeli jets have time and again carried out sorties inside the Syrian territory under various pretexts.

Back in May, an Israeli strike against Damascus claimed the life of Mustafa Badreddine, a senior Hezbollah commander.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, which fought off two Israeli wars in 2006 and 2008 at home, has been successfully helping Syria to defend itself in the face of terrorists and to prevent the spillover of the crisis into Lebanon.

Assad Meets US Senator in Damascus to Discuss Fight Against Terrorism

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1038786130Syrian President Bashar Assad discussed in Damascus on Thursday the situation in the Arab country and the fight against terrorism with US Sen. Richard Black, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Assad said that terrorist actions all across the globe highlighted the need for real international cooperation not only in the fight against terrorism but also against the Wahhabi ideology behind it, according to the SANA news agency.

Black in turn said that it was necessary to show the US people the real situation in Syria despite disinformation that some parties at the US administration practiced.

The US senator also called for lifting economic sanctions imposed on Syria that violated international law.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against several opposition factions and extremist groups. The United States and some of its allies have been supporting the so-called moderate Syrian opposition since the beginning of the conflict, calling on Assad to resign.

Ankara supporting anti-Damascus terrorists: Syria UN envoy

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Bashar Ja'afari, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations ©AP

Bashar Ja’afari, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations ©AP

The Syrian ambassador to the UN has accused Turkey of aiding terrorist groups operating against the Damascus government.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday, Bashar Ja’afari also called on the UN to take action to bring an end to the Ankara government’s crimes against Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

Ja’afari said armed terrorist groups, with members from over 100 countries, are being provided with funding, weapons, logistical and materiel support “by states and regimes from the region and beyond” in their war against Syria.

“During the crisis, Turkish interference in Syria’s internal affairs took many forms, including direct involvement of the regime of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, the Turkish armed forces in offensive military operations in support of terrorists,” he noted.

The diplomat said the Turkish forces “have also provided covering fire for the terrorists’ movements inside Syrian territory or along the Syrian-Turkish border, in order to facilitate the infiltration of terrorist mercenaries from Turkish territory into Syrian territory.”

He urged the UN “to take a firm stand” to “put an end to these violations and crimes” committed by Ankara against Syria as well as Syrian refugees in Turkey, accusing Erdogan of dreaming “of reviving the Ottoman colonial legacy.”

Elsewhere in his comments, Ja’afari described Ankara’s recent downing of a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian soil as “a stab in the back of the heroes who are combating the terrorism” perpetrated by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

On November 24, Turkey downed a Russian Su-24M Fencer aircraft, claiming that the fighter jet had repeatedly violated the Turkish airspace.

Moscow, however, dismissed Ankara’s claims, stressing that the plane was brought down in Syria’s airspace, where Russia has been conducting operations against Takfiri terrorists since September 30 upon a request by the Damascus government.

In his letter, Ja’afari also denounced Turkey’s allegations regarding the incident as a futile attempt to cover up the involvement of the Erdogan administration in the smuggling of Syrian oil by Daesh into Turkey and the smuggling of arms to terrorists in Syria.

Earlier this month, Russia released photos showing columns of tanker trucks purportedly loading oil at Daesh-controlled installations in Syria and Iraq before entering neighboring Turkey.

Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Russian Jets Destroy 49 Terrorist Targets in Syria

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1028700872The Russian Air Force has conducted 33 sorties hitting 49 ISIL targets in the Syria’s provinces of Idlib, Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Russian strikes in Syria destroyed 2 terrorist command centers, 3 arms depots, 2 underground bunkers, 32 fighting positions in alpine terraine, 9 fortified firing positions and a plant producing firing platforms and reactive warheads, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman said.

Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber has destroyed a command center of Nusra Front terrorist group in Syria’s Idlib, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
“During aerial reconnaissance in the Idlib province, Russian drones uncovered one of the command centers of Jabhat al-Nusra [Nusra Front] group. As a result of using an aerial bomb, the terrorists’ command center and two cargo vehicles carrying ZU-23 missile launchers next to it were destroyed.”

Two Russian Su-25 jets have destroyed a major ISIL training camp in the Latakia province.
“Near Duwayr al-Akrad, Latakia province, two Su-25 attack aircraft conducted two successive strikes with high-explosive bombs on a large ISIL training camp detected by means of Russian reconnaissance. The strikes caused the complete destruction of the camp and all the training facilities.”

In the Aleppo province, Russian combat aircraft hit an ISIL plant, which was producing home-made missiles. The plant also produced platforms to launch ramps and rockets against positions of the Syrian Armed Forces and populated areas.

“Su-25 strike in the province of Aleppo destroyed a plant producing home-made rockets. As a result of a direct strike by an aerial bomb and the detonation of explosives, the facility was completely destroyed.”
Russian bombers have destroyed Islamic State terrorists’ underground reconnaissance facilities in the province of Hama.
“In the Hama province, a Su-34 bomber launched guided aerial bombs on hidden underground reconnaissance facilities with a network of exits into different parts of a populous area,” Konashenkov said.
According to Konashenkov, the Islamic State is fleeing the Damascus region following Russian airstrikes.
“Pinpoint strikes by Russian jets in the province of Damascus have crucially changed the operational situation in this region. ISIL militants are suffering a severe lack of ammunition and are leaving their positions en masse.”
“Last night, reconnaissance means registered retreating of several large detachments, about 100-man-strong each, in direction of Marj al-Sultan,” he added.
Since September 30, Russia has been delivering airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria at the request of the country’s President, Bashar al-Assad.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151019/1028738076/russia-syria-isil-airstrikes.html#ixzz3p1OddoW9