Bashar al-Assad - Page 31

While being questioned by Lindsey Graham about the means through which the Obama administration intended to secure the ousting of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter conceded that such efforts were “principally political.”

The Russian government wants Syria to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has allegedly stated he would rather wait until “terrorism” is eradicated from the country to hold elections again.

Russian lawmakers meeting with Syrian head of state Bashar al-Assad on Sunday claim he is open to holding elections that may result in his removal from power, but only after “terrorists”–a word Assad has often used as a blanket term for any Syrian opposition–are defeated.

A dispute has arisen in Syria over the disposition of a fifty-ton ammunition shipment from the United States, supposedly intended for Syrian Arab rebel groups. The munitions were instead taken by the Kurdish YPG militia, according to both Arab and Kurdish commanders, although the Pentagon officially insists the shipment reached its intended recipients.

A Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese parliamentarian has responded to the possibility of Qatar entering the Syrian Civil War, tweeting that “Doha will be shelled” if Qatar enters the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, reacted “positively” to the idea of working with some rebel groups in the region against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), particularly the Kurds.

Syrian rebels supporter Qatar said it is considering a direct military intervention in Syria following Russia’s airstrikes in support of dictator Bashar al-Assad but added that it still prefers a political solution to the civil war.

Almost four out of every five declared targets of Russian airstrikes in Syria are located in areas not held by the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), according to an analysis of Russian Defense Ministry data by Reuters.

The White House has condemned Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s surprise visit to Moscow, chiding Vladimir Putin for rolling out a “red carpet welcome” for a leader “who has used chemical weapons against his own people.”

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet in Vienna Friday to discuss Syria before they both meet with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

The United States and Russia have agreed on new rules to avoid any confusion or conflict in Syria as both countries lead different coalitions. The Iraqi government also agreed not to ask Russia for help in its airspace.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian head of state Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a surprise visit to Moscow to personally thank Putin for airstrikes that have significantly weakened the Syrian opposition.

A round of Russian air strikes on the ISIS-free province of Latakia reportedly killed Basil Zimmo, a brigade commander in the U.S.-aligned “moderate” Free Syrian Army, along with a number of civilians.

The latest offensive on Aleppo, Syria, could trigger another refugee wave into Europe. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that thousands already fled the city.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had some harsh words for President Obama’s $500 million plan to arm and train a tiny unit of carefully-vetted “moderate” Syrian rebels and send them into battle against the Assad regime, ISIS, and al-Qaeda.

Sources close to the Russian military reported the government plans to expand their missions in Syria to 300 a day.

The Cuban government has denied multiple independent reports that Cuban military officials have traveled to Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad organize a military offensive against the Islamic State and other Sunni forces working to overthrow him.

President Obama’s “embraceable you” foreign policy outreach program towards nations unfriendly to the U.S. has been a disaster. If that was not clear earlier, developments in Syria during these past few weeks should make it abundantly clear.

American officials have confirmed a report from the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies that Cuban special forces are operating on the ground in Syria in defense of dictator Bashar al-Assad, and are expected to operate Russian tanks in battles against anti-Assad rebels.

Iranian troops, allied Hezbollah fighters, and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s army have reportedly joined forces to launch a ground offensive, backed by Russian airstrikes, to seize key areas from rebels in Syria.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Russian “aggression” in Europe and now the Middle East is a “new reality” for the United States that is “here to stay,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

Ömer Çelik, a senior official in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned Wednesday that “Kurdish militia in northern Syria appeared intent on creating a de facto zone of control in the region.”

Cuban military operatives reportedly have been spotted in Syria, where sources believe they are advising President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers and may be preparing to man Russian-made tanks to aid Damascus in fighting rebel forces backed by the U.S.

The leader of the al-Nusra Front, Syria’s al-Qaeda offshoot, reportedly called on jihadists to intensify attacks on Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite sect of Shiite Islam in retaliation for Russia’s military intervention.

Rockets flying out of an Islamist neighborhood hit Russia’s embassy in Damascus, the capital of Syria. Russia has declared the attack “obvious terrorism.”

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that, instead of funding Syrian rebels, the U.S. should have just given the money to Russia. The U.S. halted its training program after many rebels defected and U.S. weapons landed in the hands of al-Qaeda.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the Russian government used advanced cluster munition in an airstrike near Aleppo, Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman have agreed to military cooperation in Syria.

Everyone is fixated on the “climate change” part of Barack Obama’s ridiculous thoughts on the nature of “leadership” during his bizarre 60 Minutes interview on Sunday night, but the really terrifying part of his answer is what he thinks does not qualify as leadership. He’s exactly wrong, and it’s the reason Vladimir Putin has been able to hoist this lightweight President up by his trousers and throw him face-first out of the Middle East.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied CNN reports that four missiles from a Russian ship in the Caspian Sea crashed into Iran instead of Syria.

Alexander Odoevsky, the second secretary at the Russian embassy in Canberra, Australia, asserted the world needs to respect Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because Syrians “elected” him in 2014.

At least four Russian missiles reportedly crashed into Iran instead of Syria. The Russian government launched 26 rockets from the Caspian Sea on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made incendiary remarks on Thursday, warning that he does not fear chilling diplomatic relations with Russia if Russian planes continue to violate Turkish airspace in their campaign to support Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking-member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Thursday that the use of “ground forces” is required to resolve the Syrian conflict.

To respond to Russia’s military campaign in Syria, first, we have to be realistic about the facts on the ground. Iraq and Syria, for all practical purposes, are failed states.

Contents: Russia dramatically escalates Syria war launching cruise missiles from Caspian Sea; Russian Orthodox Church declares a ‘Holy War’ in Syria; Russia’s ‘Holy War’ in Syria declaration sparks calls for jihad; IMF warns of significant danger of global financial crash