Reply With QuoteSyria war tipping Middle East balance toward Sunnis
Not long ago, Arabs everywhere listened when Nasrallah spoke; now, his speeches don’t necessarily make front pages even in Lebanon
http://www.timesofisrael.com/syria-w...medium=twitter
imo rebels saying certain government officials have tried to defect even if they haven't is a good move. Assad has to be very paranoid with his regime falling apart around him, and if he starts to suspect top officials could end up taking his allies. These kind of dictators are ****e to paranoid-driven purges, especially in times of crisis like this.
Course this was probably just a confusion/misunderstanding as opposed to the above strategy.
Syria war tipping Middle East balance toward Sunnis
Not long ago, Arabs everywhere listened when Nasrallah spoke; now, his speeches don’t necessarily make front pages even in Lebanon
http://www.timesofisrael.com/syria-w...medium=twitter
http://russiamil.wordpress.com/I’ve covered Russian arms exports to Syria on this blog before, but the CAST report has some useful new information on this topic. Barabanov and Aliev note that Russian arms exports to Syria were very limited until the restructuring of Soviet-era Syrian debt to Russia in 2005. Shortly after that, the two countries signed a series of arms contracts with a total value of 4.5 billion dollars. While these contracts were not publicized, available information indicates that they included the following:
- 8 MiG-31E interceptors. This contract was annulled in 2009, most likely because of Israeli objections. No aircraft were ever transferred.
- 12 MiG-29M/M2 fighter jets, with an option for an additional 12. The first set of aircraft, and possibly all 12, are to be transferred towards the end of this year. No information is available on the option for an additional 12 aircraft.
- 8 battalions of Buk-M2E missile systems (total value $1 billion). Four were shipped in 2010-11, with the rest to be transferred by 2013.
- 12 battalions of S-125-2M Pechora-2M SAMs ($200 million). Four were shipped in 2011, and another four were shipped on the MV Alaed, which was recently forced to return to Russia after its insurance was cancelled.
- 36 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile systems ($700 million). According to the CAST report, only 12 have been delivered so far. SIPRI, on the other hand, believes that all 36 have been delivered.
- 2 K-300-P Bastion coastal defense systems, armed with 36 Yakhont anti-ship missiles ($250 million). Contract completed in 2011.
- an unknown number of 9M123 Chrystanthemum self-propelled anti-tank missile systems. Most likely, none have been delivered to date.
- an unstated number of Igla-S surface to air missiles (200 according to SIPRI). Contract completed in 2010.
- modernization of 1000 T-72 tanks to T-72M1M level ($1 billion). Little work completed to date.
There was another set of contracts completed in 2007-08 to modernize Syria’s air force. This included the following:
- 15 Su-24MK bombers. Work began in 2010. These are to be armed with Kh-31A anti-ship missiles, 87 of which were produced through 2010.
- unknown number of MiG-29 fighters to SM level. (24 according to a previous CAST report). First four completed in 2011.
- unknown number of MiG-23 fighters to MLD level. Seven completed through 2011.
- 20 Mi-25 combat helicopters. 17 delivered so far. Last three were supposed to be delivered on the MV Alaed earlier this month.
- 2 Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters. Contract completed.
The most recent contract was completed in December 2011, for 36 Yak-130 trainer aircraft ($550 million). However, this contract has not yet been approved by the Russian government.
To summarize, Russia has completed about $5.5 billion worth of military contracts with Syria since 2006, primarily for air force and air defense modernization. The report notes that despite prompt payment by the Syrian side, fulfillment of many of the contracts was dragged out (and in the case of the MiG-31s, cancelled) by the Russian government. So far, Syria has received only $1 billion worth of equipment from these contracts.
The authors argue that Russia has been very cautious in selling arms to Syria, making sure that Western powers and especially Israel did not object to the equipment being provided. In particular, Russia has refused to sell Iskander ballistic missile systems and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria. In other words, the report argues that Russia has valued its relationship with Western states and Israel more than the financial and political gains from selling more weapons to Syria. Furthermore, even if Assad’s government survives, it will not be able to afford to pay for more Russian weapons for the foreseeable future, limiting its role as a customer for the Russian defense industry.
Well, Assad has every right to be paranoid. His PM defected right under his nose.Originally Posted by Bloo
As they say: Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...rs-leave-syriaUnited Nations observers have begun to leave Damascus as their mission in Syria comes to an end.
The last 100 out of 300 observers have been departing throughout Saturday – their mandate expires after midnight on Sunday – as their commander spoke of his frustration at being unable to minimise the violence.
http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/p...3240.bild.html (German)
Well its Bild am Sonntag... so maybe take it with a grain of salt.. but anyway.
According to this the German navy is operating a spy ship near the coast of Syria, used by the German BND secret service to conduct surveillance up to 600km deep into Syrian territory. Additionally German BND agents are stationed at the Turkish base in Adana, spying on Syrian phone lines and communications.
Also communication with sources close to Assad is done from there. According to an unnamed US secret service person the BND is the one western secret service with the best sources in Syria. All information is shared with US and British secret services as well as forwarded to the FSA
On November 5, 2011 the Alster Flottendienstboot embarked from Eckernförde on a secret mission in the Mediterranean Sea. It was the first mission in the Mediterranean, which was dubbed a national reconnaissance mission. In recent years the Mediterranean cruises served for marine traffic monitoring during the NATO operation Active Endeavour or the UNIFIL mission. This national reconnaissance mission, however, served to get situational awareness of the coasts of the "Arab Spring" countries.
In December 2011, the Alster was threatened by the Syrian navy in the Eastern Mediterranean. A Syrian warship, probably one of the two Petya class frigates, had pointed its cannon at the Flottendienstboot. The Alster was 15 nautical miles off the coast of Syria. Since this is not an armed operation, the Flottendienstboot was off the coast of Syria without knowledge of the Bundestag.
Last edited by m4rs75; 08-18-2012 at 10:07 PM.
From AJEOpposition figure Kamal al-Labwani has told al-Arabiya television that Syrian vice-president Farouq al-Sharaa definitely has defected. Al-Labwani said he knows where al-Sharaa is but will not mention any details for his safety.
His comments came after Syrian state TV denied reports that the official had defected.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
That The_47th guy from twitter is saying that the VP hasn't reported in for duty in a week. He is still in Syria and the FSA is protecting him. Syrian Army is bombarding all border towns in hopes to kill him.
He has also been talking about 3 other big defections that are about to happen and that one of them has just gone missing. Whether he is missing from the regime's POV, generally missing or removed by the regime, he didn't specify.
Last edited by Franzuu; 08-19-2012 at 03:56 AM.
Bashar al-Assad makes first public appearance for six weekshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...lic-appearanceSyria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has attended Eid prayers in a mosque in Damascus, his first appearance in public after a bombing in the Syrian capital last month that killed the defence minister and three other top security officials.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...h-intelligenceReport: Syria rebels aided by British intelligence
August 19, 2012
British intelligence on Syrian troop movements is helping rebels launch successful attacks on regime forces, a Sunday newspaper reported, quoting an opposition official.
The Sunday Times weekly said the disclosure by the official was the first indication that British intelligence was playing a covert role in the anti-regime revolt which first erupted in March 2011.
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...ve-syria-coastReport: German spies active off Syria coast
August 19, 2012
German spies are stationed off the Syrian coast and are passing on information designed to help rebels in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
Agents from Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND) are operating on ships off the coast with technology allowing them to observe troop movements 600 kilometres inside the country, said the Bild am Sonntag weekly.
Www.naharnet.comBR EAKING Sources to Al-Arabiya: Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Saghir, head of Daraa's state security branch, was killed in an operation by the FSA. 34 minutes ago
Without a no-fly zone over Syria
Saturday, 18 August 2012, 12:14
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the possibility of introducing a no-fly zone over Syria. New UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said there is hard work ahead. U.S. and China supported the appointment of Algerian diplomats. Continued clashes in Aleppo.
source:Just a few hours after the appointment of former Algerian foreign minister and longtime diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as the new UN envoy to Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia rejected the idea of introducing no-fly zones over Syria. Despite the fact that there was no serious discussion on the subject, no-fly zones was mentioned sporadically in the meetings of the Security Council, and a few days ago possible introduction controversy was again fueled by the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She said Washington has not rejected the no-fly zone as one of the measures that would help defuse the situation or foil Syrian army to use heavy weapons in urban areas. The new envoy to Syria, said he was aware of complexity and difficulty of the mission led, adding that he hopes that there will be military intervention. Deputy Spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Eduardo del Buej, said that the violence and suffering in Syria must end.
"The Secretary-General appreciates Brahimi willingness to invest his great talent and experience to this important task that we need a strong, clear and uniform support of the international community, including the Security Council," said Del Buej.
"My message to UN Secretary General Special Brahimi is Simply: U.S. is ready to support you and ensure a lasting peace in accordance with the legitimate aspirations for a government that will represent the Syrian people. yrian people say: You are not alone," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chin Gang said that China welcomes the appointment of Brahimi and that he is the right person for the post of the representative from the rich diplomatic experience.
China has also reiterated that it opposes military intervention and called on Brahimi to find a political solution to end the conflict in Syria.
Meanwhile, late last night, the army continued bombing the northern parts of Aleppo, and human rights activists say there are casualties.
Near the border of Syria and Turkey rebels have prevented the Syrian army to take over one border crossing that opposition forces captured earlier.
http://www.***.rs/
If you want to read something funny ^^
http://syrianperspective.blogspot.de...cond-post.html
(warning propaganda is strong in this one)
I like how they translated spy ship to a German compound word literally meaning "spy shit ship" shows some high brow humor ^^
Scheissschiff ... I can't stop laughin ..
Jordan says 4 Syrian rockets fall on Jordanian border town, wounding 4-year-old girl
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...425_story.html
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