Russia Blames U.S. For Terrorist Training In Syria

Russian MoD: Militants Plotted Attacks in Palmyra, Say They Were Trained by US

The militants that attempted to assault the city of Palmyra claimed that they belong to the "Lions of the East" group that is stationed near a US military base, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

The militant group "Lions of the East" was set to carry out terrorist attacks in the country, capturing Syria within one week, the Russian Reconciliation Center stated.

"The militants’ objective was to conduct a series of terrorist attacks in the vicinity of the city of Palmyra and to ensure the passage of the main forces of about 300 militants to capture the city within the next week," the center’s report said.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the militants, captured by Syrian government forces, claimed that they had been trained and armed by American instructors in a camp near the US military base in al-Tanf.

The information follows reports of clashes between Syrian troops and terrorists southeast of the city of Palmyra.

"Today, at 5:00 a.m. local time [02:00 GMT], 36 kilometers [22 miles] southeast of the city of Palmyra, clashes between Syrian government troops and a group of militants, who attempted to approach the city of Palmyra from the settlement of at-Tanf, took place… As a result of the clashes, two terrorists were killed, two more were detained and are being questioned," the Russian Ministry of Defense informed.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also stressed that during the whole time of existence of the US military base in al-Tanf there were no reports about any US operations in the area against terrorists.

The US-led coalition is conducting military operations against the Daesh* terror group in Syria and Iraq; however, the coalition's activity in Syria is not authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council.

The ancient city of Palmyra was captured by the Daesh terror group in 2015, but a year later Syrian forces, with the support of Russia, regained control of Palmyra. However, the Daesh militants recaptured the city in the end of 2016, untill it was finally liberated by Syrian army, supported by Russia in March 2017.

Iran Moves Ballistic Missiles Into Iraq: 'American And Israeli Targets Are In Range Of Iranian Rockets'

Report: Iran Arming Shiite Proxies in Iraq with Ballistic Missiles

A report published by Reuters on Friday revealed that Iran is moving ballistic missiles into Iraq, placing the weapons in the hands of its Shiite militia proxies to expand its ability to hit targets across the Middle East in a regional conflict or war against Western powers.

The Reuters piece is sourced to “three Iranian officials, two Iraqi intelligence sources and two Western intelligence sources.” 

According to these sources, Iran is not only shipping short-range ballistic missiles to its Iraqi allies but teaching them how to build their own weapons.

“The logic was to have a backup plan if Iran was attacked. The number of missiles is not high, just a couple of dozen, but it can be increased if necessary,” one of the Iranian officials explained.

Naturally, the theocratically-controlled Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its overseas dirty-tricks unit, the Quds Force, is carrying out the scheme:

The Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar missiles in question have ranges of about 200 km to 700 km, putting Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh or the Israeli city of Tel Aviv within striking distance if the weapons were deployed in southern or western Iraq.

The Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has bases in both those areas. Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani is overseeing the program, three of the sources said.

The Times of Israel posted satellite photos on Friday of alleged Iranian surface-to-air missile factories in Syria. Those facilities appear to be protected by Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile batteries. The Israeli military is believed to have targeted missile production facilities in Syria that were seen as a threat to Israel’s security.

According to the report, the IRGC has been working on this plan for a year and a half but stepped up missile transfers over the past few months after President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal and restored U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The Iraqi government is said to have been aware of the missile transfers but raised no objections because it was thought the weapons would be used by Shiite militias to fight Islamic State militants. It is not clear why any official would sincerely believe a handful of missiles with a range of at least 200 kilometers would be essential to that task.

An Iraqi intelligence official who spoke to Reuters said no one really believed that, but Baghdad was too afraid of the Shiite warlord and their Iranian patrons to do anything about the missile shipments, even though the militias have nominally been answering to the Iraqi government as “Popular Mobilization Forces” since 2016:

“It was clear to Iraqi intelligence that such a missile arsenal sent by Iran was not meant to fight Daesh (Islamic State) militants but as a pressure card Iran can use once involved in a regional conflict,” the official said.

The Iraqi source said it was difficult for the Iraqi government to stop or persuade the groups to go against Tehran.

“We can’t restrain militias from firing Iranian rockets because simply the firing button is not in our hands, it’s with Iranians who control the push button,” he said.

“Iran will definitely use the missiles it handed over to Iraqi militia it supports to send a strong message to its foes in the region and the United States that it has the ability to use Iraqi territories as a launch pad for its missiles to strike anywhere and anytime it decides,” the Iraqi official said.

Kudristan24 noted on Friday that Iran’s theocratic leadership has been boasting that American and Israeli targets are “in range of Iranian rockets” during its campaign of belligerent defiance, which includes show off (dubious) new weapon systems and threatening to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

Russian Newspaper Warns Of Direct Conflict With The U.S.

RUSSIA’S LARGEST NEWSPAPER WARNS CITIZENS: “Direct Military Confrontation Coming with United States”

The largest daily newspaper in Russia, Moscow Pravda, is portraying the situation in and around Syria as “highly explosive.”  The Banner headline in today’s paper says “Middle East may Explode in Flames.”  

It says “It seems in and around Syria, a serious mess is brewing” which could lead to a new regional war.

Who is the paper blaming? Well, unsurprisingly, America.

The paper says “the US is preparing to light the fuse of carnage in the Middle East” and claims the US is looking for an excuse to launch another missile strike upon the Syrian Army.

It goes on to claim that US and NATO warships and planes are gathering in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.” 

Russia’s response is a military exercise which begins TODAY in the eastern Mediterranean sea; a large one.   It includes 26 ships and at least two submarines.  It also includes at least 30 planes, including Tupalov 160 strategic bombers, and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

The paper says “no one has seen such a powerful Russian fist in the Mediterranean since Soviet times.”

In a direct warning to the west, the paper warns the Russian military will now be “warmed up and ready not simply for military exercises, but for combat missions as well.”

The paper goes on to point out that “Back in April, when the US and NATO were planning to carry out missile strikes against Syria, the Russian military warned at the time that, if necessary, they would be prepared to destroy not only the missiles, but also the launch sites; meaning NATO ships and planes.  IT IS UNLIKELY TO BE ANY DIFFERENT NOW. That would mean a direct military confrontation with the United States.”

The story ends with another warning.  The paper says “It’s only on a map with little ships and little planes from Russia and America that looks like a game of “Battleship.” But if this battle between the major nuclear powers begins for real in the Mediterranean, in reality we would all live to regret it.”

Anti-Immigration Countries Form Alliance In EU

Italy and Hungary Create 'Anti-Immigration Axis'

• "We are close to a historic turning point at the continental level. I am astonished at the stupor of a political left that now exists only to challenge others and believes that Milan should not host the president of a European country, as if the left has the authority to decide who has the right to speak and who does not -- and then they wonder why no one votes for them anymore." — Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
• "This is the first of a long series of meetings to change destinies, not only of Italy and of Hungary, but of the whole European continent." — Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.
• "We need a new European Commission that is committed to the defense of Europe's borders. We need a Commission after the European elections that does not punish those countries -- like Hungary -- that protect their borders." — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
  
  
  
  

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini have pledged to create an "anti-immigration axis" aimed at countering the pro-migration policies of the European Union.

Meeting in Milan on August 28, Orbán and Salvini, vowed to work together with Austria and the Visegrad Group — the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia — to oppose a pro-migration group of EU countries led by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Orbán and Salvini are seeking a coordinated strategy ahead of the March 2019 European Parliament elections to defeat the pro-immigration Party of European Socialists (PES), a pan-European party representing national-level socialist parties from all EU member states. The objective is to change the political composition of European institutions, including the European Parliament and the European Commission, to reverse the EU's open-door migration policies.

At a joint press conference, Salvini said:

"Today begins a journey that will continue in the coming months for a different Europe, for a change of the European Commission, of European policies, which puts at the center the right to life, work, health, safety, all that the European elites, financed by [billionaire Hungarian philanthropist George] Soros and represented by Macron, deny.

"We are close to a historic turning point at the continental level. I am astonished at the stupor of a political left that now exists only to challenge others and believes that Milan should not host the president of a European country, as if the left has the authority to decide who has the right to speak and who does not — and then they wonder why no one votes for them anymore. 

"This is the first of a long series of meetings to change destinies, not only of Italy and of Hungary, but of the whole European continent."

Orbán added:

"European elections will be held soon, and many things must change. At the moment there are two sides in Europe: One is led by Macron, who supports mass migration. The other side is led by countries that want to protect their borders. Hungary and Italy belong to the latter. 

"Hungary has shown that we can stop migrants on land. Salvini has shown that migrants can be stopped at sea. We thank him for protecting Europe's borders.
"Migrants must be sent back to their countries. Brussels says we cannot do it. They also said it was impossible to stop migrants on land, but we did it.
"Salvini and I, we seem to share the same destiny. He is my hero."

Macron responded:

"If they wanted to see me as their main opponent, they were right to do so. It is clear that today a strong opposition is building up between nationalists and progressives and I will yield nothing to nationalists and those who advocate hate speech."

Salvini fired back:

"From the beginning of 2017 to the present day, the France of 'do-good Macron' has rejected more than 48,000 immigrants at the Italian border, including women and children. Is this the 'welcoming and supportive' Europe that Macron and the do-gooders are talking about? 

"Instead of giving lessons to others, I would invite the hypocritical French president to reopen his borders and welcome the thousands of refugees he promised to take in. 

"Italy is no longer the refugee camp of Europe. The party for smugglers and do-gooders is over!"

Iran Transfers Ballistic Missiles To Iraq, Easy Striking Distance To Tel Aviv

Iran Stuns Enemies By Moving Ballistic Missiles To Iraq - Within Easy Striking Distance of Tel Aviv

In what is sure to be a realization of one of Netanyahu's worst nightmares, and deeply awkward for US advisers to Baghdad, Iran has transferred ballistic missiles to Shia proxy forces in Iraq, according to Western and Iraqi intelligence sources cited in a new Reuters report. 

The revelation comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran are already at their highest point in years as aggressive sanctions continue crippling Iran's economy, and after threats and counter-threats over Tehran laying claim to the vital Strait of Hormuz oil waterway over the past weeks, through which some one-third of the world's oil passes. 

The Reuters report cites multiple officials and intelligence sources, including Iranian officials who seem willing to inform the world of the provocative move:

According to three Iranian officials, two Iraqi intelligence sources and two Western intelligence sources, Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to allies in Iraq over the last few months. Five of the officials said it was helping those groups to start making their own.

“The logic was to have a backup plan if Iran was attacked,” one senior Iranian official told Reuters. “The number of missiles is not high, just a couple of dozen, but it can be increased if necessary.”

The news is sure to cause a stir for European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) like Germany, the UK, and France, who are still trying to salvage it, as it is a clear sign that the deal which the Trump White House pulled out of is in tatters. 

Reuters identifies the Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar missile systems as among those transferred — with ranges of between 200 and 700km, which puts "Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh or the Israeli city of Tel Aviv within striking distance if the weapons were deployed in southern or western Iraq".

And notably the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds force head, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, is overseeing the missile transfers and their operation in what regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel are sure to interpret as the most provocative and escalatory move by its archenemy in recent years. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently lobbied the White House for more aggressive action against Iran, and speaking last week along side US National Security Advisor John Bolton, affirmed Bolton's call for both to weaken Iran's regional presence in places like Syria.

Bolton had praised Israel's repeat attacks on Iranian targets inside Syria, saying “every time Iran has brought missiles or other threatening weapons” into the country, Israel hasn't hesitated to act. Bolton hailed those strikes as “a legitimate act of self-defense”.

However, the case of Iraq is clearly a more delicate situation, as the pro-Shia government in Baghdad is propped up by the United States, and Baghdad in turn facilitates the operation of Tehran-aligned militias who act in concert with Iraqi military forces. Of course, in an irony that won't be lost on future historians, it was the United States and its allies that installed a Shia government in Baghdad in the first place by toppling Saddam Hussein in its 2003 invasion, which Netanyahu had given loud and consistent support for. 

One Western source cited by Reuters says the missile transfer is clearly intended as a "warning" to both the US and Israel. "It seems Iran has been turning Iraq into its forward missile base," the source said.

The sources also pointed out that elite Iranian IRGC forces have already trained Iraqi personnel to operate its sophisticated missiles, and that Iran has already long established forward bases in parts of Iraq. 

One senior IRGC commander confirmed this to Reuters, saying: “We have bases like that in many places and Iraq is one of them. If America attacks us, our friends will attack America’s interests and its allies in the region.” 

Western and Iraqi sources identified that missile producing factories overseen by Iranians are present in al-Zafaraniya, east of Baghdad, and Jurf al-Sakhar, north of Kerbala. And further there is said to be a site under the operation of Kata’ib Hezbollah, which is considered one of Iran's closest proxy paramilitary forces. 

Though the Iraqi government didn't comment on an official level, Reuters cites the following alarming words from an Iraqi government source: 

The Iraqi source said it was difficult for the Iraqi government to stop or persuade the groups to go against Tehran.

“We can’t restrain militias from firing Iranian rockets because simply the firing button is not in our hands, it’s with Iranians who control the push button,” he said.

The Iraqi official continued, “Iran will definitely use the missiles it handed over to Iraqi militia it supports to send a strong message to its foes in the region and the United States that it has the ability to use Iraqi territories as a launch pad for its missiles to strike anywhere and anytime it decides.”

And meanwhile, hours after the Reuters story broke early Friday, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported the country's domestically produced long-range ballistic missiles will be ready for use by the Spring of 2019, according to a commander that oversees Iran's Air Defense. 

Surely, Israel will respond at some point to what Netanyahu has long ago identified as a "red line" concerning Israel's security interests in the region. The only question is how and when, and how awkward will in be for US officials in Baghdad?