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Breaking News: Putin makes surprise visit to Syria Video

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Putin Visit Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:05 P.M.) – Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Syria, Monday, after a busy weekend that dealt with several regional issues, including the ongoing problems between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Putin reportedly landed at the Hmaymim Military Airport near Jableh city this morning, making a rare appearance in Syria after more than six years of war.

According to local reports, the Russian President ordered his troops to begin withdrawing from Syria, as a large portion of their objective in Syria has been completed.

Many Russian troops will remain in the country as part of a peacekeeping force and to aid the Syrian military in their fight against terrorist groups inside the country.

Armenian Holocaust Memorial in Deir ez-Zor liberated by Syrian Army

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The Armenian Genocide memorial in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate has been liberated by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) after being occupied by Islamic State forces for several years, Al-Masdar News reports.

Prior to its liberation, the memorial had been badly damaged by various groups, including the Islamic State, the source says.

While no immediate plans have been announced by the Syrian government to fix the memorial, its restoration will likely happen during the reconstruction of Deir ez-Zor.

Pictures of the memorial released by the Syrian army reveal the extent of damage that the conflict has caused over the years.

The memorial complex served as church, museum, monument, archive centre and exhibition. It was under the direct administration of the Armenian Prelacy, Diocese of Aleppo. Every year, on 24 April, tens of thousands of Armenian pilgrims from all over the world visited the Der Zor complex to commemorate the genocide victims, with the presence of their religious leaders.

On September 21, 2014, the memorial complex was blown up, reportedly by IS members.

Related links:

Al-Masdar News. In pictures: Armenian Holocaust Memorial liberated by Syrian Army

Armenian Genocide film “The Promise” screened in Syria

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The Promise in Syria

“The Promise”, a feature film about the Armenian Genocide was screened in Damascus, Syria on Monday, October 31.

The war drama centers on a love story involving a medical student (Oscar Isaac), a journalist (Christian Bale), and the Armenian woman (Charlotte Le Bon) who steals their hearts. All three find themselves grappling with the Ottomans’ decision to begin rounding up and persecuting Armenians during the first genocide of the 20th century.

A number of officials from the Armenian embassy, Syrian parliament members, cultural figures and religious leaders attended the event.

Prior to the screening, ambassador Arshak Poladyan detailed the history of the Armenian Genocide and the Armenophobic policies that the Ottoman Empire was famous for at the time.

Poladyan then drew the attention of those present to Turkey’s anti-Armenian position and the denialist policy, adding, however, that the process of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide has entered a whole new stage.

Syria demands immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Turkish troops from its territory

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Damascus, SANA – “Syria condemns in the strongest possible terms the incursion of Turkish army units into Idleb province, stressing that it constitutes a blatant aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and a flagrant violation of international law, a source at the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

The source added that the Turkish aggression has nothing to do with what has been agreed upon by the guarantor states during the latest round of talks in Astana, emphasizing that Turkey should abide by provisions of Astana statement.

It noted that the Turkish troops dashed into Idleb province accompanied by Jabhat a-Nusra terrorists which shows clearly the close relationship between Turkish regime and terrorist groups, a matter that the international community should pay more attention to and take firm stance in order to oblige Turkey to end its support to terrorism which managed to shed the blood of Syrian people and destabilize the region and the entire world.

The Syrian Arab Republic demands an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the Syrian territories, stressing that the Turkish flagrant aggression cannot be justified in any way.

 

US-backed forces in Syria race to capture Deir el-Zour

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Syrian state media said government forces have broken the “Islamic State” (IS) group’s siege of the airport to the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. The risk of a clash with US-backed Kurdish SDF forces has grown.

Syria’s SANA news agency reported on Saturday that government forces had broken the siege on two Deir el-Zour neighborhoods as well.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said it had reports that pro-government forces had opened an artery to the airport, besieged by IS militants since early this year.

The predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Saturday they had launched military operations against IS in eastern Syria, increasing the possibility of conflict with rival, Russian-backed government forces running their own operations in the same area.

Control of the border

Control of the border will shape regional dynamics going forward. Since Syria descended into civil war in March of 2011, President Bashar al-Assad has relied heavily on Iran, which has sent thousands of fighters and advisers to help fend off multiple rebel groups seeking to topple him.

Washington, however, has considerable influence in northeastern Syria, where hundreds of US troops and advisers are aiding the SDF.

The US-backed fighters are still battling to liberate Raqqa from IS control.

After three months of fighting, the SDF has liberated about 60 percent of Raqqa, which lies about 85 miles (140 km) to the northwest of Deir el-Zour and 165 miles from the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Syrian forces have retaken a hospital in Deir el-Zour following an attack by “Islamic State” fighters, according to a monitoring group. The government forces and IS are battling for the province’s control. (15.05.2016)

While the SDF forces are expected to prevail in Raqqa, many experts believe more difficult fighting lies ahead.

Nawaf Khalil, a Syrian Kurdish representative based in Germany who frequently visits northern Syria, said the SDF no longer needed a large number of fighters in Raqqa, freeing them up for battle elsewhere.

“Deir el-Zour is a main connection point and a very important geographic area,” Khalil said.

The arrival of Syrian troops in Deir el-Zour this week ended a nearly three-year-old siege by IS militants on government-held parts of the city. The Syrian military issued a victory statement, saying the city would be used as a launching pad to liberate other IS-held areas along the Iraqi border.

Israeli jets hit Syria army position in Hama Province, kill 2 soldiers

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At least two Syrian soldiers have been killed after Israeli fighter jets targeted an army position in the west-central province of Hama, in yet another act of aggression against the Arab country

“Israeli warplanes at 2:42 a.m. today fired a number of missiles from Lebanese air space, targeting one of our military positions near Masyaf, which led to material damage and the deaths of two members of the site,” the army said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement further warned against the “dangerous repercussions of this aggressive action to the security and stability of the region.”

“This aggression comes in a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorists after the sweeping victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army against terrorism at more than one front, and it affirms the direct support provided by the Israeli entity to the ISIS and other terrorist organizations,” it added.

Masyaf is located approximately 60 kilometers east of the coastal city of Tartus, where Russia holds a naval base.

Earlier media reports said the Israeli military had struck a scientific research facility in Masyaf.

Citing pro-government activists, Al-Masdar News, a pan-Arab news and commentary website, said Thursday that Israeli warplanes targeted the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in Masyaf in Hama.

Meanwhile the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two facilities were hit, a scientific research center and a nearby military base. It said the Israeli assault also wounded five people.

“Many explosions were heard in the area after the air raid,” said the group’s head, Rami Abdulrahman, adding that some of the blasts may have been secondary explosions from a missile storage facility being hit.

Israeli officials have not immediately commented on the reports.

Over the past years, the Israeli military has carried out sporadic attacks against various targets across Syria in what Damascus views as an attempt to boost the Takfiri terror groups that have been taking heavy blows from the Syrian army and allied forces on the battle ground.

The latest Israeli strike comes just days after the Syrian army, backed by popular defense groups and Russia airpower, managed to break the years-long siege imposed by the Daesh terror group on the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr.

Armenia ready to help demine Syria: Russian military official

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Armenia and Serbia are ready to enter an international coalition for demining Syrian territory, the head of the Russian General Staff’s Office for the Development of UAVs, Maj. Gen. Alexander Novikov, said Friday, August 25, according to Sputnik.

He said that the Russian Defense Ministry was working on establishing the coalition.

“Relevant requests were sent to the representatives of defense departments of Iran, Egypt, Serbia, Armenia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Armenia and Serbia are ready to send their units, the possibility of involving Chinese sappers are being worked through,” Novikov said at the Army-2017 international forum in Moscow Region.

During a Security Council meeting in April, Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov called on the international community to create an international coalition for demining Syria, where a civil war had been raging for nearly six years.

Related links:

Sputnik. Armenia, Serbia Ready to Join Coalition for Demining Syria

Syria: A Testament To International Moral Bankruptcy

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Alon ben meir

Alon ben meir

By Alon Ben-Meir,

Much has been written about Syria’s civil war which has engulfed the country for the past six years, but sadly the mounting death and destruction in Syria has long since become mere statistics. The international community grew comfortably numb to the horror, the likes of which we haven’t seen since World War II. Both internal and external players have been nurturing their vested interests by prolonging the deadly conflict, hoping to improve their position to serve their long-term objectives. The irony is that none of the external main players—Russia, Iran, US, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia—and the domestic actors (the Assad regime, Sunnis, and Kurds) will end up with such lasting gains that outweigh the horrifying losses that have been inflicted on the country and its citizens.
What happened to the sentiment of “never again” that was universally embraced in the wake of World War II to prevent calamities such as this from occurring? How low will the moral bar of the international community sink before we awake to the unfolding catastrophe?
How many more men, women, and children must die, and how much ruin can the country further sustain before we act to stop this madness that seems to infect every party involved, when nothing else matters but their criminal self-interest?
‘Crimes against humanity’ became a mere slogan, shaming every domestic and foreign party that could have stopped the slaughter but did nothing. They immunized themselves, assumed no responsibility, and discharged their moral culpability while the blood of innocent Syrian people continues to stream, marring what’s left of their conscience.
While Syrian men and women suffered untold losses, pain, agony, and deprivation, the children—yes, millions of children—have suffered beyond the pale of wrenching ache and anguish, quietly despairing for they remain helpless and destitute.
According to World Vision International, “millions of children under five are now more vulnerable than ever to physical trauma, injuries, communicable diseases, and malnutrition.” At least 8.2 million children inside Syria and across the region are now experiencing displacement, shattered health systems, and food insecurity, while over 2 million are growing up as refugees.
Nearly three million under the age of five have grown up knowing only war. One in four children is at risk of severe mental health disorders, with potentially lifelong consequences. Attacks on hospitals have left 43 percent of Syrian hospitals functional, while half of Syria’s doctors have fled the country.
As many as 80,000 children in Syria are believed to be infected with polio, which was eradicated in Syria in 1995. The ongoing bombing and shelling is the main cause behind the children’s psychological trauma that will leave indelible emotional scars from which they will suffer throughout their adult lives. During the five-year span of the conflict, life expectancy at birth has dropped by 15 years, and to top it all, tens of thousands of children were killed.
And if this is not enough, just think about the damage that has been inflicted on these children, who have been deprived of basic education with one in every four schoolsdamaged, destroyed, or used for displaced people. There were 400,000 more children out of school in 2015 than 2014, as more than 4,000 attacks against schools have made these educational institutions financially insolvent.
These are not mere numbers. We are talking about a catastrophe in the making for all to see. Just imagine, two generations have been lost; never again will they know normalcy but only anguish and uncertainty, while the world watches with complacency.
No one is talking about a solution that could bring this calamitous war to a conclusion. The UNSC has been inept at best. Russia’s veto-wielding power has and continues to prevent the passage of any solution that does not meet its total requirements. President Putin will continue to support Assad and spare no effort to maintain Russia’s presence in Syria as a springboard to enhance its regional influence.
Iran, who is fighting for regional hegemony, will continue to support Assad’s regime until the last Syrian soldier. The mullahs do so in the ‘name of the almighty,’ which gives them the ‘moral authority’ to ravage the country for as long as it takes to secure their hegemonic ambitions from the Mediterranean to the Gulf.
Turkey’s President Erdogan, who wishes to spread his wings throughout the Middle East, is fighting to secure a foot-hold in Syria. He is indiscriminately bombing the Syrian Kurdish fortifications, accusing them of supporting the PKK to prevent them from establishing their own autonomous rule, which can only further destabilize Syria.
The US was the only country that could have spared this horror, under the Obama administration. Sadly, Obama sat on his hands, allowing Russia and Iran to continue to pillage the country and consolidate their gains. President Trump, with all his boasting, has yet to lift a finger other than ineffectively bombing a Syrian air field in response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons only to show his bravado, while shamefully stopping the training of anti-Assad rebels and rendering them vulnerable to the merciless attacks by Syrian, Russian, and Iranian forces.
Saudi Arabia continues to provide money and materials to the rebels only to serve its interests as it continues to wage a proxy war against Shiite Iran for regional dominance, making Syria the battleground between the two sects while the Syrian people pay the price.
Leave it of course to Assad to rampage the country only to stay in power. Many dictators have treated their people with ruthlessness and cruelty to maintain their grip on power, but no despot in recent years has inflicted so much devastation, desolation, and despair on his own country like Assad has, while doing Russia’s and Iran’s biddings.
Take a look at the monstrosity that Assad has committed—that would squeeze the heart of any normal person with the capacity to feel. Nearly 500,000 Syrians have been killedsince the beginning of the civil war in 2011. An estimated 13.5 million people, including over 6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection; 6.3 million people are internally displaced and nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and become refugees.
In addition to the staggering human toll, the cost of the conflict in Syria to date is estimated at $275 billion, and there is no end in sight to the astronomical losses. One would think that at a minimum the international community would respond to the human crisis by providing the necessary funding, but unsurprisingly in this area too, the international community falls appallingly short. The United Nations has requested a record amount of $8 billion in aid this year for Syria, and 65 percent of UNICEF’s appeal is underfunded, while over $1 trillion is spent collectively on the military by the five permanent members of the UNSC.
The dismal failures of all the governments and institutions involved directly and indirectly in the Syrian calamity leaves us nowhere but to appeal to the masses. People of conscience, regardless of their country of residence and irrespective of their religious, cultural, or ideological orientation, you must rise now and make your voices heard. Speak up for the voiceless Syrian people who have been betrayed by corrupt head of states and condemned to dispersion, destruction, and death, which is a dreadfully sad testament to the international community’s moral bankruptcy.

US spent over $1 billion on CIA war in Syria: NYT, instate helping 45 million poverty-stricken Americans

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By Leith Fadel

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:05 P.M.) – The U.S. spent over $1 billion since 2013 to have the C.I.A. train and arm the militants fighting the Syrian government forces, a new report by the New York Times (NYT) claimed.

“Critics in Congress had complained for years about the costs — more than $1 billion over the life of the program — and reports that some of the C.I.A.-supplied weapons had ended up in the hands of a rebel group tied to Al Qaeda further sapped political support for the program,” the report said.

This covert operation by the C.I.A. has proven to be one of the costliest and least successful in U.S. history, despite the fact it was also aided by Gulf allies like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“The shuttering of the C.I.A. program, one of the most expensive efforts to arm and train rebels since the agency’s program arming the mujahedeen in Afghanistan during the 1980s, has forced a reckoning over its successes and failures,” the NYT report added.

The operation has since been cancelled by U.S. President Donald Trump, causing outrage among Syrian opposition activists and rebels.

source: https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-spent-1-billion-cia-war-syria-nyt/

Breaking News: Turkish invading army enters Syria Kobanê Canton

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Turkey Syria kurdThe invading Turkish army has entered and deployed military forces in Rojava’s Kobanê Canton.

Rojava-based Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that the invading Turkish army has crossed the border into Rojava near Bobene and Sifteke villages west of Kobanê at 21:30 Sunday evening, and deployed military forces in this region.

Villagers stated that Turkish soldiers are planting mines in this area.

On the other hand, reports suggest that the invading Turkish army is massing troops and stationing construction equipment along the border.

In the meantime, YPG fighters warned that they will retaliate the Turkish troops in the event that they do not retreat from the Kobanê soil.