Israeli jets ‘strike near Damascus’ – Syrian army

December 7, 2014 By administrator

Jim Muir reports from Beirut as Syria accuses Israel of carrying out air strikes near Damascus

The Syrian military has accused Israel of carrying out two air strikes on Syria, near the capital Damascus. Report BBC

Israeli planes bombed the area near Damascus international airport and the town of Dimas, the Syrian army said in a statement carried on state television.

No casualties were reported. There has been no confirmation of the air strikes from Israel.

Israel has conducted several air strikes on Syria since 2011.

“This afternoon, the Israeli enemy targeted two safe areas in Damascus province, namely the Dimas area and the Damascus International Airport,” the military statement said.

It described the air strikes as “direct aggression” carried out to help the Syrian government’s opponents.

Some installations had been damaged, it added, without elaborating on what had been hit.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict, said (in Arabic) that 10 explosions were heard near Dimas, which is located close to the Syria-Lebanon border.

The group also said that there had been eight air raids on areas in the town of Khan al-Sheeh, on the eastern outskirts of the capital, and that a warehouse near Damascus airport had been hit.

Responding to the Syrian accusation, Israel’s military said it did not comment on “foreign reports”.

‘State of war’

The Israeli air force has conducted several air strikes on Syria since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.

They appear to have been mainly aimed at preventing weapons transfers to Syria’s allies in Lebanon, the militant Hezbollah movement, the BBC’s Jim Muir reports from Beirut.

Israel generally does not comment when it carries out attacks outside its borders, he says.

However, Israeli jets were seen constantly flying over parts of Lebanon on Sunday, about 30km (20 miles) from where the alleged attacks are said to have taken place, our correspondent adds.

The Israeli military has also bombed Syrian military sites in the past in retaliation for attacks on the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel seized the region from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Middle East War, and thwarted a Syrian attempt to retake it in 1973.

It unilaterally annexed the area in 1981, in a move not recognised internationally.

The two countries remain technically in a state of war, and UN observers are deployed to monitor a 70km-long (44-mile) demilitarised zone.

BREAKING NEWS: Thursday, August 7, 2014 9:57 PM EDT Obama Authorizes Limited Airstrikes in Iraq if Needed

August 7, 2014 By administrator

President Obama said he had directed United States military forces to conduct targeted airstrikes on Islamic militants if they move to take Erbil, in northern Iraq, threatening the American citizens and military personnel there.
And he said that, at the request of the Iraqi government, he has authorized the military to help provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqi citizens, many of them religious minorities, who are trapped on a mountain.

READ MORE »
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/world/middleeast/obama-weighs-military-strikes-to-aid-trapped-iraqis-officials-say.html?emc=edit_na_20140807

Anti-austerity general strike cripples public life in Greece

April 9, 2014 By administrator

Greece’s two largest trade unions have started a 24-hour nationwide walkout to once again protest against austerity measures imposed by the government. The general strike has brought public services to a standstill.

Greek unions launched a general strike Wednesday in protest at harsh spending cuts the government has been enforcing to secure more bailout tranches from international creditors.

The general strike precedes a planned one-day visit to Greece by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday.

Wednesday’s industrial action was directed in particular against Athens’ plan to lay off 11,000 public servants this year, with 4,000 state workers already dismissed in recent months.

The walkout left public services and schools shut across the country. Dock workers also stayed at home, leaving tourists stranded at islands because ferries did not operate.

Doctors and nurses at state hospitals also took part in the walkout and pharmacies remained closed.

Anger and frustration

“Today’s strike action is being held for the working class to respond decisively to the measures the government is deciding against workers’ rights, unemployment and the abolition of collective wage agreements,” said leftist PAME union spokesman Giorgos Pondikos in a statement.

Police said at least 6,000 people took part in an initial demonstration in Athens, with more protest marches and allies scheduled throughout Wednesday.

Repeated income cuts and tax hikes had deepened a six-year recession in Greece, with unemployment standing at a record high 28 percent in the southern eurozone nation.

The government, however, said it saw signs of improvement, with the economy expected to return to growth this year and Athens planning to return to capital markets soon for the first time in four years.

hg/ipj (AP, dpa)